List of countries that border only one other country

This is the list of countries that border only one other country, with only land borders being counted. Some of these countries have several neighbours "across the 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). Other countries, such as Sri Lanka, border only one other country by sea.

There are generally three possible arrangements by which a country can have a single border. The first is with a divided island such a Haiti and the Dominican Republic, or Ireland and the United Kingdom. The second is a peninsular relationship, where the first country borders the second and is otherwise surrounded by sea, while the second country borders other countries, as with Portugal and Spain, Denmark and Germany, or Canada and the United States. The third is the circumstance where the first country is a small country that is landlocked and completely surrounded by the second, larger country, as with The Vatican and Italy, or Lesotho and South Africa.

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.

This list is based on the Correlates of War Direct Contiguity data set, with causeways and bridges not being counted. ^[1]

Countries bordering only one other country

Country	Neighbour	Border length (km)	Border length (mi)	Notes
Brunei	Malaysia	381	237	^{[upper-alpha 1]}
Canada	United States	8,893	5,526	^{[upper-alpha 2]}
Denmark	Germany	68	42	^{[upper-alpha 3]}
Dominican Republic	Haiti	360	220	^{[upper-alpha 4]}
The Gambia	Senegal	740	460	^{[upper-alpha 5]}
Haiti	Dominican Republic	360	220	^{[upper-alpha 4]}
Ireland	United Kingdom	360	220	^{[upper-alpha 6]}
Lesotho	South Africa	909	565	^{[upper-alpha 7]}
Monaco	France	4.4	2.7
Papua New Guinea	Indonesia	820	510	^{[upper-alpha 8]}
Portugal	Spain	1,214	754
Qatar	Saudi Arabia	60	37	^{[upper-alpha 9]}
San Marino	Italy	39	24	^{[upper-alpha 10]}
South Korea	North Korea	238	148	^{[upper-alpha 11]}
Timor-Leste	Indonesia	228	142	^{[upper-alpha 12]}
United Kingdom	Ireland	360	220	^{[upper-alpha 13]}
Vatican City	Italy	3.2	2.0	^{[upper-alpha 14]}

Causeways, bridges, and tunnels

Passport Island, site of the land border between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, is seen at the far left. Each nation has a border checkpoint on the island on opposite sides of the border.

Borders relevant to this list may include short borders in the middle of man-made constructions.

Has a land border, and a second artificial border

Denmark: in addition to its border with Germany, technically also has an extremely short border with Sweden across the Øresund Bridge.
United Kingdom: in addition to its border with Ireland, has a border with France in the Channel Tunnel.

Has no land border, but an artificial border

Bahrain: although an island nation with no natural land borders, it is connected to Saudi Arabia by the King Fahd Causeway at Passport Island.
Singapore: although an island nation with no natural land borders, is connected to Malaysia by the Johor Causeway and the Malaysia–Singapore Second Link.

Dependent territories

In some cases, a dependent territory of one nation borders another nation.

Akrotiri and Dhekelia: British sovereign base areas, border the Republic of Cyprus. Dhekelia also borders the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, but the latter is recognised only by Turkey.
French Southern and Antarctic Lands: Adélie Land, France's (largely unrecognised) claim in Antarctica borders only the Australian Antarctic Territory. (It also touches other claims at the South Pole.)
Gibraltar: a British overseas territory, occupies a small peninsula and has a 1.2 km (0.75 mi) land border with Spain.
Greenland: a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark, has a border dispute with Canada on the border near or on Hans Island. The island is located in the centre of the Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait (between Canada's Ellesmere Island and northern Greenland). Both countries claim Hans Island and the border is not defined.
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 one island in the South China Sea, 60 km (37 mi) 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.
Ross Dependency: New Zealand's (largely unrecognised) territorial claim in Antarctica borders only the Australian Antarctic Territory and the unclaimed Marie Byrd Land. (It also touches other claims at the South Pole.)
/ Saint Martin: The island is split between two island territories: the northern half, Saint-Martin, is a French overseas collectivity; the southern half, Sint Maarten, is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Historical

There were 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 border changes.

Korea bordered only China for several hundred years before 1860, after which a second international border with Russia appeared (approx. 17 km (11 mi) long), according to the Convention of Peking. Following the division of Korea in 1945 only North Korea now shares this border.
Ciskei, one of the South African "independent" homelands, reincorporated on April 27, 1994.
Venda, one of the South African "independent" homelands, was a true enclave bordering only South Africa and separated narrowly from Zimbabwe by the Madimbo corridor to the north; 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).
The Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England bordered each other until 1707 when Scotland and England were united by the Acts of Union, see Anglo-Scottish border.
Japan bordered Russia on the island of Sakhalin from 1905 until 1910, when a second border with Manchuria (China) and the Russian Far East appeared upon Japan's annexation of Korea. Both Sakhalin and Korea were relinquished in 1945. (See Karafuto Prefecture and Empire of Japan).
Weihaiwei, 1898–1930, British colony on a leased territory from Manchu Qing Empire. Transferred to the Republic of China in 1930.
The Colony of Tasmania bordered only by the Colony of Victoria (on Boundary Islet), until the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.

Notes

↑ Borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo.
↑ The border around the area of Hans Island between Canada and Greenland (a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark) is disputed and undefined. Canada also shares a small maritime border with the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
↑ Since 1999, Denmark is connected to Sweden via the Øresund Bridge, which was opened in the year 2000.
1 2 On the island of Hispaniola.
↑ The Republic of the Gambia is bordered north, south and east by Senegal.
↑ The Republic of Ireland borders Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom, on the island of Ireland.
↑ Lesotho is an enclave which is entirely surrounded by South Africa.
↑ On the island of New Guinea.
↑ The planned Qatar–Bahrain Friendship Bridge would connect Qatar to Bahrain.
↑ San Marino is an enclave entirely surrounded by Italy.
↑ On the Korean Peninsula, at the Demarcation Line. The two countries are separated by a 4 km wide Demilitarized Zone.
↑ On the island of Timor.
↑ On the island of Ireland. The British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Akrotiri and Dhekelia border Spain and Cyprus respectively, but these territories are not part of the United Kingdom proper (see #Dependent territories section).
↑ The Vatican is an enclave entirely surrounded by Italy.

References

↑ "Direct Contiguity Data, 1816-2016. Version 3.2". Correlates of War Project. Retrieved 12 December 2017.

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[2] Borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo.

[3] The border around the area of Hans Island between Canada and Greenland (a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark) is disputed and undefined. Canada also shares a small maritime border with the French overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

[4] Since 1999, Denmark is connected to Sweden via the Øresund Bridge, which was opened in the year 2000.

[Hispaniola-5] 1 2 On the island of Hispaniola.

[6] The Republic of the Gambia is bordered north, south and east by Senegal.

[7] The Republic of Ireland borders Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom, on the island of Ireland.

[8] Lesotho is an enclave which is entirely surrounded by South Africa.

[9] On the island of New Guinea.

[10] The planned Qatar–Bahrain Friendship Bridge would connect Qatar to Bahrain.

[11] San Marino is an enclave entirely surrounded by Italy.

[12] On the Korean Peninsula, at the Demarcation Line. The two countries are separated by a 4 km wide Demilitarized Zone.

[13] On the island of Timor.

[14] On the island of Ireland. The British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Akrotiri and Dhekelia border Spain and Cyprus respectively, but these territories are not part of the United Kingdom proper (see #Dependent territories section).

[15] The Vatican is an enclave entirely surrounded by Italy.

[1] "Direct Contiguity Data, 1816-2016. Version 3.2". Correlates of War Project. Retrieved 12 December 2017.