Russia is the largest state on the planet by area. Of course, she must have many neighbors. What kind of relationships is Russia building with the states located directly at its borders? What are the features of its current geopolitical position? Read the answers to these questions in our article. In addition, it lists all neighboring countries of Russia.
Russia on the world map
Even when viewing the smallest scale political map of the world, it is impossible not to notice this country. After all, the total area of the territory of the Russian Federation is about 17 million km22. This is the largest state on our planet today.
Russia is located on the Eurasian continent. At the same time, most of it is located within Asia (the conditional border between the European and Asian parts of the country runs along the slopes of the Ural Mountains). Although the majority of Russians live in Europe.
The territory of the state is more elongated from west to east (about 9,000 kilometers) than from north to south (about 4,000 kilometers). The total length of all the borders of the Russian Federation is almost 61,000 km.
Let's try to list all neighboring countries of Russia. In terms of their total number, the Russian Federation also has no equal in the world, which is easily explained by its large area.
All neighboring countries of Russia and their capitals
The Russian Federation has the longest length of state borders on the continent (60.9 thousand km.). All neighboring countries of Russia are listed below. The list of states is divided by geography and includes the names of their capitals.
So, in the west, Russia borders on the states of the B altic region, Northern and Eastern Europe. This is:
- Norway (capital - Oslo).
- Finland (Helsinki).
- Estonia (Tallinn).
- Latvia (Riga).
- Lithuania (Vilnius).
- Poland (Warsaw).
- Belarus (Minsk).
- Ukraine (Kyiv).
In the south, Russia has common borders with countries such as:
- Georgia (capital - Tbilisi).
- Azerbaijan (Baku).
- China (Beijing).
- Kazakhstan (Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana)).
- Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar).
Finally, in the east, the Russian Federation borders on the DPRK (the capital is Pyongyang), as well as on Japan and the United States by sea. The international status of two more neighboring countries of Russia has not yet been determined. We are talking about Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Interestingly, in two of the above countries, Russian citizenscan enter with their internal passport (these are Belarus and Kazakhstan). Without a visa, Russians can travel to Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, China and Mongolia.
Neighboring countries of Russia and territorial disputes
What are the relations of the modern Russian Federation with its neighboring countries? First of all, it should be noted that the position of Russia relative to neighboring countries is distinguished by one unpleasant and significant problem. We are talking about a whole range of unresolved territorial disputes and claims.
Among them, it is worth highlighting the South Kuril Islands, which Japan has long claimed. By the way, it is precisely for this reason that a peace treaty has not yet been signed between the two states after the end of World War II. The problem with Crimea, the object of the dispute between Russia and Ukraine, has also not been resolved.
Significant problems exist in terms of the delimitation of territorial waters in the Black Sea between the Russian and Georgian sides. Russia and the shelf of the Caspian Sea cannot "share" with its neighbors.
Many unresolved problems remain between Russia and Azerbaijan. In particular, the modern border between these two states divides the area of residence of a single Lezgi people.
General features of the geopolitical position of Russia
The geopolitical position of any country is considered, as a rule, taking into account three main factors:
- Physical-geographic.
- Economic.
- Military-political.
The geopolitical position of the Russian Federation has its strengths, andvulnerable points. Of all the neighboring countries, according to many experts, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan constitute the most important spectrum of Russia's geopolitical interests. Therefore, maintaining friendly relations with these states is extremely important.
We should not forget about the importance of the "Islamic" aspect as a possible factor in the weakening of Russia's position on the world stage. Thus, it is extremely important for the country not to lose control over the flows of raw materials coming from Central Asia and Azerbaijan to the West (through the Urals and the Volga region).
In the East Asian sector, there is a serious competition between Russia and China for the title of "superpower" in this region (primarily in the economy).
Conclusion
Neighboring countries of Russia are 14 independent states. In addition, the country shares a sea border with Japan and the United States. The relations of the Russian Federation with its neighbors are different: with some they are friendly (Belarus, China, Kazakhstan), with others they are neutral, and with others they are frankly tense and ambiguous (Georgia, Ukraine, the B altic countries).
Russia's geopolitical position is distinguished by both strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, the country has wide outlets to various seas, and also controls almost all transport flows on the mainland. On the other hand, the huge area of the territory significantly complicates the process of control over the extended state border. In addition, very close to Russia today there are pockets of political or military tension.
