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List of countries that border only one other country
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This is a list of countries that have a land border with only one other country. The list does not include de facto independent disputed areas or unrecognised countries.
Some of these countries may be said to have several neighbours "by sea". As an example Denmark "borders" Sweden and Norway by sea, and Canada has sea boundaries with Denmark (between Baffin Island and Greenland) and France (between the island of Newfoundland and the territory of St. Pierre and Miquelon).
- Note on leased/ceded territories. Territory leased or ceded by one country to another for perpetual use, but not in sovereignty, such as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, or memorials, such as the American Cemetery in France, do not constitute true territorial borders, because the land occupied remains a formal part of the host country.
Countries bordering only one other country
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Causeways, bridges, and tunnels
Borders relevant to this list may arguably include short theoretical borders in the middle of man-made constructions. A bridge does not constitute a land border; however the status of tunnels as "true" land borders is disputed, as these exist on land, but not on the surface.citation needed Also artificial islands or causeways could be disputed.citation needed
Dependent territories
In some cases, a dependent territory of one nation borders another nation.
- Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British sovereign base area, borders the Republic of Cyprus. Dhekelia borders also the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, but the latter is recognised only by Turkey.
- Åland Islands, a Finnish autonomous region, borders Sweden on the skerry of Märket.
- Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, occupies a small peninsula and has a 1.2 km land border with Spain.
- The island of Saint Martin is split between two island territories: the northern half, Saint-Martin, is a French overseas collectivity; the southern half, Sint Maarten, is part of the Netherlands Antilles.
Historical
There are many countries that historically had only one neighbour. Some no longer exist while others now have either no land borders or borders with more than one nation due to map changes.
- Korea bordered only China for several hundred years before 1860, after which a second international border with Russia appeared, according to the Convention of Peking.
- Ciskei, one of the South African "independent" homelands, reincorporated on April 27, 1994.
- Dominion of Newfoundland, with Canada, until March 31, 1949 when it became the Canadian province of Newfoundland (now named Newfoundland and Labrador).
- Scotland and England bordered each other until 1707 when Scotland and England were united by the Acts of Union, see Anglo-Scottish border.
- Hong Kong, comprising a continental portion and more than 200 islands in the South China Sea, was formerly ceded and leased by Qing China to the United Kingdom. It was returned to the People's Republic of China in 1997, but has since then operated with its own judicial system under the policy of "One Country, Two Systems". The land border and coastline, although no longer one between two states, are still controlled as though Hong Kong were an international exclave.
- Macau, comprises a peninsula and two islands in the South China Sea, 60 km west of Hong Kong, and like Hong Kong was formerly administered by a colonial power (in this case, Portugal) but returned to the People's Republic of China in 1999. It too has its own judicial system and retains border and coastal controls similar to those of an exclave.
See also
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