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The length of the maritime borders of the Russian Federation. Russia borders

state border is a real line on the ground (territory, water area), defining the boundaries of the state territory.

The total length of the borders of the Russian Federation is 60 thousand 932 km, of which 22 thousand 125 km are land (including 7616 km along rivers and lakes), 38 thousand 807 km are sea (about 2/3). State borders are determined using two procedures - delimitation and demarcation. Delimitation is an agreement of states on the passage of the state border, demarcation- designation of the state border on the ground, fixing it with boundary signs.

After in Russia, there are the following types of borders:

1. The old borders coincide with the borders of the former USSR (inherited from the USSR), most of which are fixed by international treaties (the border with non-CIS countries - Norway, Finland, Poland, China, Mongolia, North Korea).

2. New borders with neighboring countries:

  • former administrative, designed as state borders with the CIS countries (border with Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan);
  • borders with the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania).

According to all international rules, Russia's borders are defined over 10,000 km. Russia accounts for more than 2/3 of all external borders of the CIS. Of the CIS countries, Moldova, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan do not have a common border with the Russian Federation. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia lost 40% of its equipped border.

Russia is a unique country, as it has customs and other borders "carried out" on the borders of the former USSR. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia and other CIS countries faced an intractable problem. On the one hand, the different rates of economic reforms, the inconsistency of financial and legislative systems objectively pushed them to close their economic space. On the other hand, when new state borders do not coincide with ethnic and cultural borders, public opinion does not accept the introduction of border restrictions, and most importantly, Russia was not able to quickly equip new borders in engineering and technical terms (1 km of state border development requires 1 billion rubles in 1996 prices). The problem of establishing customs points was acute. At the same time, integration processes in the CIS are developing weakly in spite of world processes. Currently, only the customs union (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan) operates.

The northern and eastern borders of Russia are maritime (12 nautical miles), the western and southern borders are predominantly land. The large length of Russia's state borders is determined by the size of its territory and the sinuosity of the outlines of the coastlines of the seas of the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, washing its shores.

The nature of the land borders in the west and east of the country is different. The boundaries drawn in pre-revolutionary Russia most often run along natural boundaries. With the expansion of the state, its borders had to be clearly fixed. In sparsely populated areas, the borders had to be easily recognizable. This was ensured by the clarity of the boundaries themselves: a river, a mountain range, etc. This character is mainly retained by the eastern part of the southern border.

The modern western and southwestern borders of Russia arose in a different way. These borders were previously intrastate, that is, they separated individual subjects on the territory of the country. These boundaries were often changed arbitrarily, that is, to a large extent, these are administrative boundaries. When such intrastate borders turned into interstate ones, they turned out to be almost unrelated to natural objects. Thus formed the borders of Russia with Finland and Poland. This applies even more to the borders that arose with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Western border of Russia

Western border practically throughout its entire length it has no distinct natural boundaries. The border begins on the coast of the Barents Sea from the Varan gerfjord and passes first through the hilly tundra, then along the Pasvik river valley. In this section, Russia borders on Norway (since 1944) for 200 km (Pechenga-Nikel-Petsamo region). Norway proposes to move the western border of Russia in the Barents Sea to the east and, for its part, to take over 150,000 km2 of water under jurisdiction. There is no agreement with Norway on the delimitation of the continental shelf, which is one of the most promising areas in the world in terms of oil and gas reserves. Negotiations on this issue have been ongoing since 1970, the Norwegian side insists on the principle of equal separation of borders from the island possessions of the two countries. The land border was documented and demarcated (the first Russian-Norwegian border was established in 1251).

To the south, Russia borders on Finland (1300 km). The border goes along the Manselkya upland (crosses the Lotga, Nota, Vuoksa rivers), through a heavily swampy and lake-laden territory, along the slope of the low Salpouselkya ridge and, 160 km southwest of Vyborg, comes to the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. From 1809 to 1917 Finland was part of the Russian Empire. An agreement on the state border has been concluded with Finland, documents on its demarcation have been signed. Additionally, it will be necessary to draw up a junction of the maritime borders of Russia, Finland and Estonia. The Soviet part of the Saimaa Canal and Maly Vysotsky Island were leased to Finland in 1962 for a period of 50 years to ensure the transportation of goods from the hinterland of Finland with the possibility of their reloading or storage.

In the extreme west, on the shores of the Baltic Sea and its Gulf of Gdansk, there is the Kaliningrad region, which borders Poland (250 km) and Lithuania (300 km). Most of the border between the Kaliningrad region and Lithuania runs along the Neman (Nyamunas) River and its tributary, the Sheshupa River. An agreement with Lithuania on the demarcation of borders was signed in 1997, but there are still certain disagreements between the countries on drawing the border in the area of ​​Lake. Vishtinets, on the Curonian Spit and near the city of Sovetsk. There are no border problems between Russia and Poland.

From the Gulf of Finland, the border goes along the river. Narva, Lake Peipus and Pskov and further mainly along low plains, crosses the Vitebsk (Western Dvina), Smolensk-Moscow Uplands (Dnepr, Sozh), southern spurs of the Central Russian Upland (Desna, Seim, Psyol, Vorskla), Donetsk Ridge (Seversky Donets, Oskol) and goes to the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of ​​Azov. Here Russia's neighbors are Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine.

With Estonia, the length of the border is more than 400 km. According to the Neshtat Peace Treaty, Estonia was part of Russia from 1721 to 1917, and was also part of the USSR from 1940 to 1991. Russia unilaterally demarcated the borders. Estonia laid claim to the Pechora region of the Pskov region (1500 km 2) - the former four volosts of the Petserimas district of Estonia, included in the Pskov region in 1944, part of the Kingisepp region of the Leningrad region and Ivangorod. These territories were transferred to Estonia in 1920. On May 18, 2005, the Foreign Ministers signed an agreement on the border between Russia and Estonia in the Gulf of Finland and Narva.

The length of the border with Latvia is 250 km. Latvia advocated the return of the Pytalovsky and Palkinsky districts of the Pskov region (1600 km 2) under its jurisdiction. In Latvia, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 23, 1944 on the formation of the Pskov region is considered unconstitutional.

The length of the border with Belarus is about 1000 km. There are no border problems between Russia and Belarus.

With Ukraine, the length of the borders is about 1300 km. Work on establishing the state border between Russia and Ukraine is only being carried out, while there are quite serious problems between the countries. In the 1930s the eastern part of the Donbass, including the city of Taganrog, was transferred from Ukraine to the RSFSR. The western regions of the Bryansk region (Novozybkov, Starodub, etc.) used to belong to the Chernihiv region. By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of October 29, 1948, Sevastopol was singled out as an independent administrative and economic center with a special budget and classified as a city of republican subordination. This decree, when the Crimean region was transferred from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954, was not recognized as invalid and has not been canceled to date. If the Crimean region was transferred insufficiently constitutionally, then the decision to transfer Sevastopol did not exist at all. The issue of the passage of the state border through the waters of the Sea of ​​Azov and the Kerch Strait is disputable. Russia believes that the Sea of ​​Azov with the Kerch Strait should be considered an inland sea of ​​Russia and Ukraine, while Ukraine insists on its division. The Russian Empire acquired access to the Azov and Black Seas as a result of many years of military operations against Turkey in the 16th-18th centuries. In 1925, at the base of the 11-kilometer Tuzla spit in the extreme west of the Taman Peninsula, a shallow channel was dug for the passage of fishing boats. In January 1941, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR changed the border (then administrative) in this place, transferring the now “island” of Tuzla from the Temryuk district of the Krasnodar Territory to the Crimean ASSR. In 1971, this "agreed administrative boundary between Krasnodar Krai and Crimea" was reaffirmed. As a result, after the declaration of independence of Russia and Ukraine, the only navigable Kerch-Yenikalinsky fairway was completely on the territory of Ukraine, as well as approximately 70% of the Azov Sea. Ukraine charges for the passage of Russian ships through the Kerch Strait.

Southern border of Russia

southern border predominantly land, starts from the Kerch Strait, connecting the Azov and Black Seas, passes through the territorial waters of the Black Sea to the Psou River. Here begins the land border with Georgia and Azerbaijan. The border runs along the Psou valley, and then mainly along the Main, or Dividing Range of the Greater Caucasus (Mountains Elbrus, Kazbek), passes to the Side Range in the area between the Roki and Kodori passes, then again goes along the Dividing Range to Mount Bazardyuzyu. Further, the border turns north to the Samur River, along the valley of which it reaches the Caspian Sea. Thus, in the region of the Greater Caucasus, the border of Russia is clearly fixed by natural boundaries. This is due to the fact that nature limited the possibilities for the settlement of the peoples of the Caucasus by its steep high mountain slopes. The length of the Russian border in the Caucasus is more than 1000 km.

In the North Caucasus, Russia borders on Georgia and Azerbaijan. There is a whole bunch of border problems here. The establishment of the state border is primarily associated with the resolution of conflicts between Georgia and the "unrecognized entities" - Abkhazia and South Ossetia. During the Great Patriotic War, in connection with the deportation of some peoples of the North Caucasus (Karachays, Balkars, Chechens), their national-territorial formations were liquidated, and the territories were “distributed” among their neighbors, including Georgia. The reconstruction of previously liquidated formations and the change of borders took place in 1957.

Further, the Russian border passes through the waters of the Caspian Sea. Currently, Russian-Iranian agreements on the division of the Caspian Sea are in force. But the new sovereign Caspian states - Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan - demand the division of the Caspian and its shelf, which is exceptionally rich in oil. Azerbaijan, without waiting for the final determination of the status of the Caspian Sea, has already begun to develop the subsoil.

From the coast of the Caspian Sea, near the eastern outskirts of the Volga delta, the longest land border between Russia and Kazakhstan begins. The border goes through the deserts and dry steppes of the Caspian lowland (Baskunchak and Elton lakes, the Maly and Bolshoi Uzei rivers; the General Syrt, the Ural and Ilek rivers), passes at the junction of the Mugodzhar with the Urals, then along the Trans-Ural plateau and the southern steppe part of Western Siberia ( Baraba lowland, Kulunda plain) and along the Altai mountains.

The border between Russia and Kazakhstan is the longest (over 7,500 km), but is almost not fixed by natural boundaries. For example, along the territory of the Kulundii Plain, at a distance of about 450 km, the border runs from northwest to southeast almost in a straight line parallel to the direction of the Irtysh. Nevertheless, about 1,500 km of the border runs along the Maly Uzen (Caspian), Ural, its left tributary - the Ilek River, along the Tobol and its left tributary - the Uy River (the longest river border with Kazakhstan), as well as along a number of smaller tributaries of the Tobol. The eastern part of the border with Kazakhstan, passing through the Altai (Belukha Mountain), is distinctly expressed. The boundary runs along the ridges separating the Katun basin from the Bukhtarma basin, the right tributary of the Irtysh (Koksuysky, Kholzunsky, Listvyaga, in small areas - the Katunsky ridge and Southern Altai).

Between Russia and Kazakhstan there is a very conditional old "inter-republican" border. The borders of Northern Kazakhstan were proclaimed as early as 1922 - various public organizations raised the issue of changing the border between Russia and Kazakhstan, which has not yet been formalized. It was proposed to transfer to Kazakhstan parts of the border regions of Russia (Astrakhan, Volgograd, Orenburg, Omsk, Kurgan and Altai Territories), on the other hand, we are talking about the transfer to Russia of the northern regions of Kazakhstan (North Kazakhstan, Kokchetav, Tselinograd, Kustanai , East Kazakhstan, near the Irtysh part of Pavlodar and Semipalatinsk, northern parts of the Ural and Aktobe regions). According to the 1989 census, about 470 thousand Kazakhs lived in the south of Russia, and more than 4.2 million Russians lived in the north-west, north and north-east of Kazakhstan. At present, Russia and Kazakhstan have signed an agreement on the delimitation of the state border.

Almost the entire border of Russia from Altai to the Pacific Ocean runs along the mountain belt. In the junction of the ridge in the Southern Altai, Mongolian Altai and Sailyugem there is a mountain junction Tabyn-Bogdo-Ula (4082 m). The borders of three states converge here: Russia, China and Mongolia.

The border with Mongolia runs along the Sailyugem ridge (Western Tannu-Ola, Eastern Tannu-Ola, Sengilen, Eastern Sayan - Mount Munku-Sardyk, 3492 m), the northern outskirts of the Ubsunur basin, the mountain ranges of Tuva, the Eastern Sayan (Big Sayan) and the ridges Transbaikalia (Dzhidinkiy, Erman and a number of others). The length of the borders is about 3000 km. A border treaty and demarcation agreements have been signed between Russia and Mongolia.

The border with China goes along the river. Argun (Nerchinsky Range), Amur (Borshchovochny Range, Amur-Zeya Plain, Blagoveshchensk City, Zeya River, Zeya-Bureya Lowland, Bureya River, Khabarovsk City, Lower Amur Lowland), Ussuri and its left tributary - the Sungacha River. More than 80% of the Russian-Chinese border runs along rivers. The state border crosses the northern part of the water area of ​​Lake Khanka (Prikhankayskaya lowland), runs along the ridges of the Pogranichny and Black Mountains. Russia borders China for 4,300 km. The western section of the Russian-Chinese border is delimited, but not demarcated. Only in 1997 was the demarcation of the Russian-Chinese border in the eastern section completed, several border islands on the river. Argun and Amur with a total area of ​​400 km 2 was left in "joint economic use", in 2005 almost all the islands within the water areas of the rivers were demarcated. China's claims to Russian territory (then the territory of the USSR) in their maximum volume were declared in the early 1960s. and covered the entire Far East and Siberia.

In the extreme south, Russia borders on North Korea along the river. Foggy (Tumynjiang). The length of the border is only 17 km. Along the river valley, the Russian-Korean border goes to the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan to the south of Posyet Bay. Russia and North Korea signed an agreement on the demarcation of borders and the delimitation of maritime space.

Eastern border of Russia

Eastern border Russian maritime. The border runs along the waters of the Pacific Ocean and its seas - the Sea of ​​Japan. Okhotsky, Beringov. The border with Japan runs along the La Perouse, Kunashirsky, Treason and Soviet Straits, which separate the Russian islands of Sakhalin, Kunashir and Tanfilyev (Small Kuril Ridge) from the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Japan disputes with Russia the islands of the Lesser Kuril ridge (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai ridge with a total area of ​​8548.96 km 2), called the "northern territories". The dispute is about the state territory and water area of ​​the Russian Federation with a total area of ​​300 thousand km 2, including the economic zone of the islands and the sea, rich in fish and seafood, and the shelf zone, which has oil reserves. In 1855, an agreement was concluded with Japan, according to which the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge were transferred to Japan. In 1875, all the Kuril Islands pass to Japan. As a result of the Russo-Japanese War, under the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905, Russia ceded South Sakhalin to Japan. In September 1945, after Japan signed the act of unconditional surrender, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island became part of the USSR, but the San Francisco Treaty of 1951, which seized the Kuril Islands from Japan, did not determine their new nationality. According to the Japanese side, the South Kuril Islands have always belonged to Japan and are in no way connected with the 1875 treaty, they are not part of the Kuril ridge, but of the Japanese Islands, therefore they are not subject to the San Francisco Treaty.

The border with the United States is located in the Bering Strait, where the Diomede Islands group is located, and passes through a narrow (5 km wide) strait between the Russian island of Ratmanov and the American island of Krusenstern. Border issues with the US have been resolved. In 1867, the Russian Empire, during the reign of Alexander II, sold Alaska for $7 million. There are certain difficulties in the final establishment of the maritime border between Russia and the United States in the Bering Strait ("Shevardnadze zone"). The Russian-US border is the longest maritime border in the world.

Northern border of Russia

northern border Russia, like the eastern one, is maritime and passes through the seas of the Arctic Ocean. The Russian sector of the Arctic is limited by conditional lines running to the west from the Rybachy Peninsula and to the east from Ratmanov Island to the North Pole. The meaning of the concept of "polar possessions" is revealed in the Resolution of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) and the Council of People's Commissars (SNK) of the USSR of April 15, 1926, adopted on the basis of the International Concept on the division of the Arctic into sectors. The Decree proclaimed "the right of the USSR to all islands and lands in the Arctic sector of the USSR." There is no question of any ownership of the waters of this sector of Russia. Along the northern coast and islands of the Arctic, Russia owns only its territorial waters.

The Russian state occupies about 31.5% of the total area of ​​the entire Eurasian continent, located in its northeastern part. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the formal number of neighbors of the Russian Federation has changed slightly, but the state border, as before, shares it with other countries on water and on land. To have a more complete picture of your state, you definitely need to know where the land and sea borders of Russia lie.

general information

A notable feature of the Russian Federation is the fact that it is located both in Europe and in Asia, occupying the northern part of the first and the eastern regions of the second. To date, the length of the state border is 60.9 thousand kilometers: 38.8 passes along the sea surface, 22.1 - on land (including 7.6 thousand kilometers along the river and lake).

Based on the norms of international law, the state territory of the Russian Federation is that part of the Earth's surface that is within this dividing line, including subsoil, internal and territorial waters, and airspace.

The limits of the state are determined by two methods:

  • delimitation - an agreement between countries on the establishment of borders;
  • demarcation - fixing these boundaries with boundary markers on the ground.

After the collapse of the USSR, the Russian territory has two types of borders:

  • old (inherited as a legacy from the Soviet past);
  • new.

The borders of the states that were once part of the USSR coincide with the old dividing lines. Most of them are sealed by special agreements. New borders today separate the Russian Federation from the Baltic countries and from the Commonwealth of Independent States. After the “union of fraternal republics” ceased to exist, the Russian Federation lost about 40% of its borders.

Today, our country borders on other states by water and land. At the same time, the land line of demarcation is more typical for the southern and western regions, but in the east and north, the border is mainly water.

Land borders

So, to begin with, let's consider with which countries Russia has a land border. Today, our state has 14 such neighbors. All of them are active members of the UN. In addition, there are two more territories that are not officially recognized by other members of the world community - South Ossetia and Abkhazia. According to other countries, they still belong to Georgia, and therefore these borders have not received official recognition as Russian.

In addition, do not forget about the following features of the neighborhood:

  • the shortest land border with Russia runs along the borders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It is only 17 km. At the same time, the total length of the dividing line is 39.4 km;
  • Lithuania and Poland are bordered exclusively by the Kaliningrad region;
  • the small enclave of Sankovo-Medvezhye in the Bryansk region is surrounded on all sides by Belarus;
  • The most important Russian neighbor is the Norwegian state, the border with which runs along the marshy tundra. It is here that all the most important power stations of Russian and Norwegian origin are located;
  • a little to the south, the Russian-Finnish border stretches, which runs through a wooded and rocky area. For our country, this area is of particular importance because there is an active foreign trade. It is to the Vyborg port that cargo is delivered from Finland.

In general, the list of land borders of Russia looks like this:

  1. Georgia.
  2. Ukraine.
  3. Kazakhstan.
  4. China.
  5. DPRK.
  6. Mongolia.
  7. Belarus.
  8. Azerbaijan.
  9. Poland.
  10. Lithuania.
  11. Norway.
  12. Estonia.
  13. Finland.
  14. Latvia.

The only free border for the transportation of goods and travel of citizens remains the border with the Belarusian state. Residents of the two countries can cross it only with an internal passport confirming citizenship to the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus.

Before the collapse of the USSR, our state had a border with Iran. But after the recognition of the sovereignty of the North Caucasian republics, such a boundary automatically ceased to exist.

Territorial disputes

The so-called disputed territories deserve special attention. So, let's say, Estonia claims the right bank of the Narva River, which is located on the territory of Ivangorod. In addition, this state is also interested in a certain section of the Pskov region, as well as the Saatse boot. It is the latter that is the place of the crossing of the Ural brick to Europe. Once upon a time, it was really planned to transfer this territory to Estonia, but due to the amendments it made to the treaty, the Russian side did not ratify the document.

Latvia also once put forward its claims to a part of the Pytalovsky district of the Pskov region. But in 2007, an agreement was signed, according to which this piece of territory remained assigned to Russia.

Quite recently the Russian-Chinese border was demarcated. According to the signed agreement, our Chinese neighbors received a small plot of land in the Chita region and two more near the islands of Bolshoi Ussuriysky and Tarabarov.

To this day, the dispute over the island of Tuva between the Russian Federation and China does not fade away. In turn, Russian diplomats refuse to recognize the independence of Taiwan, and therefore there are simply no interstate relations with this territory. And although political scientists do not predict serious problems with the Chinese side in the coming years, some fears (so far at the level of rumors) regarding the division of Siberia are still present.

maritime borders

Between Russia and the United States is the Bering Strait - the border separating Ratmanov Island from Krusenstern Island.

After Crimea became part of Russian territory, we also had neighbors in the Black Sea:

  • Turkey;
  • Bulgaria;
  • Georgia.

Part of the border with the following countries passes through the sea:

  • Norway (in the Barents Sea),
  • Finland and Estonia (in the Gulf of Finland);
  • Lithuania and Poland (in the Baltic Sea);
  • Ukraine (in the Black and Azov Seas);
  • Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan (in the Caspian Sea);
  • North Korea (in the Sea of ​​Japan).

Disputed territories

Do not forget that some offshore areas of the Russian Federation still cause territorial disputes. We are talking about the unresolved fate of the Kuril Islands, which Japan also claims. This confrontation has been going on since the end of World War II, namely since 1945.

Disputes about other borders do not subside. Until recently, the confrontation with Ukraine over the Bosphorus, or rather the Tuzla Spit, could be called relevant. By itself, the scythe is of no particular value. Its role becomes significant only in the light of the construction of the Kerch bridge. But since the entry of Crimea into the Russian Federation, this dispute has somewhat faded.

Conclusion

Summing up all of the above, it should be noted that the clear establishment and observance of state borders is of particular importance in terms of the integrity and security of the state.

But do not forget that the territory of most countries, including the Russian Federation, is also the zone of passage of the shortest transit cargo routes and air routes connecting not only Europe and Asia, but also the countries of North America with the Eurasian continent. Based on this, the issue of maintaining close economic and political contacts remains important. Such cooperation will avoid the need to search for new ways of communication, in particular the construction of gas pipelines, railways and other communications bypassing territories with which there are certain kinds of conflicts.

State borders of Russia: video

The total length of Russia's borders is the largest in the world and reaches 62,269 km. Of these, the length of the maritime borders is 37636.6 km and land - 24625.3 km. Of the maritime borders, the coast of the Arctic, or the Russian Arctic sector, accounts for 19724.1 km, and on the coast of the seas - 16997.9 km.

Maritime boundaries run at a distance of 12 nautical miles (22.7 km) from the coast, separating internal territorial waters from international ones. At 200 nautical miles (about 370 km) from the coast is the border of the maritime economic zone of Russia. Within this zone, navigation of any countries is allowed, but the development and extraction of all types of natural resources located in the waters, on the bottom and in the bowels, is carried out only by Russia. Other countries can extract natural resources here only in agreement with the Russian government. The northern borders of the country completely pass through the waters of the seas:, East Siberian and (follow the map). In addition, all of them are covered with drifting multi-year pack ice all year round, so navigation on the seas is difficult and is possible only with the use of nuclear-powered icebreakers.

The eastern borders of Russia pass mainly along the waters of the Pacific Ocean and its seas: the Bering and the Sea of ​​Japan. The closest maritime neighbors of our country here are Japan and. The length of the maritime border with is 194.3 km, and with the United States - 49 km. The narrow La Perouse Strait separates Russian territorial waters from both the island of Hokkaido.

In the south and south-west of Russia, maritime borders pass with countries (, and), as well as with sea waters. By waters and seas - with Ukraine and. connects our country with, and along it there are waterways to Europe and. Thus, Russia belongs to the great maritime powers and it has both a merchant fleet and a navy.

The land borders of our Motherland are very long. In the northwest our neighbors are Norway and Finland. The length of the border with Finland is 219.1 km, and with Finland - 1325.8 km. The length of the border along the coast of the Baltic Sea is 126.1 km. Along the western border of Russia are the states: Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and. On the territory of the Kaliningrad region, the land border passes with and Lithuania. The section of the sea border near the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea (the sea coast of the Kaliningrad region) is 140 km. In addition, the length of the river border of the region with Lithuania is 206.6 km, the lake border - 30.1 km, and with Poland - 236.3 km.

The length of the land border of Russia with Estonia is 466.8 km, with Latvia - 270.6 km, with - 1239 km, with Ukraine - 2245.8 km. The length of the Black Sea sea border is 389.5 km, along the Caspian Sea - 580 km, and along - 350 km.

The southern border of Russia with Georgia and Azerbaijan runs along the mountain ranges of the Main Caucasian (Dividing) Range and the spurs of the Samur Range. The length of the border with Georgia is 897.9 km, with Azerbaijan - 350 km. On the coast of the Caspian Sea, the southern border of Russia with Kazakhstan runs along the Caspian lowland, along the plains and uplands of the Urals and Trans-Urals, the southern outskirts of the lowland and along the river valley approaches the foothills. The total length of the land border with Kazakhstan reaches 7598.6 km.

Russian border guards also guard land borders in the mountains and. The total length of the Tajik border reaches 1909 km.

Further east, the southern border of Russia with and passes through the high mountains of Altai, Western and. To the east of Mongolia, Russia again borders China along the Argun and Ussuri, which are used by both countries. The total length of land borders with China is 4209.3 km, and with - 3485 km.

In the extreme southeast, Russia borders on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The length of the border is 39.4 km.

As you can see, most of the borders of our country run along natural boundaries: seas, rivers and mountains. Some of them hinder international contacts. These are covered with multi-year pack ice and high mountain ranges in the south of Russia. European, Barents, Baltic, Black, Azov and border rivers and river valleys contribute to the diverse ties between Russia and foreign countries.

Due to the large length of longitude in Russia, there is a large time difference - it is 10 . Accordingly, the entire territory of the country is divided into 10 time zones. In sparsely populated areas and on the seas, the boundaries of time zones pass along the meridians. In densely populated areas, they are carried out along the borders of administrative regions, territories and autonomous republics, skirting large cities. This is done to make it easier to calculate time. Uniform time is established within administrative units. in many time zones is accompanied by a number of inconveniences and difficulties. Thus, the programs of the Central Television from Moscow have to be repeated especially for the inhabitants of the eastern regions of the country, since many broadcasts occur there in the dead of night or early morning. At the same time, the time difference allows you to maneuver the use of electricity. With the help of powerful transmission line systems, the maximum supply of electricity moves after the sun, which makes it possible to manage with fewer power plants.

Every place on Earth has its own local time. In addition, there is summer and winter local time. This is when, by order of the government of a number of states, in March-April the clock hands are moved 1 hour ahead, and in September-October - 1 hour back. For the convenience of international and intercity communications, the so-called standard time is introduced. In Russia, the timetable for trains and planes is drawn up according to Moscow time.

In the USSR, for a more rational use of the light part of the day, since 1930, clocks have been universally translated 1 hour ahead - this is standard time. Decree time of the 2nd time zone in which Moscow is located is called Moscow time.

The local time of the inhabitants of the Kaliningrad region is 1 hour (more precisely, 54 minutes) different from the local Moscow time, since the Kaliningrad region is located in the first time zone.

The role and importance of time in the economy and people's lives is enormous. Humans and all plant and animal organisms have a “biological clock”. This is conventionally called the ability of living organisms in time. Watch the animals and you will see that they have a strict daily routine. Plants also have a certain rhythm of life.

The biological clock works under the influence of the main daily rhythm of the Earth - its rotation around its axis, which determines the change in illumination, air, cosmic radiation, gravity, electricity, the length of day and night. Life processes inside the human body are also subject to earthly rhythms. The rhythms of the “biological clock” of living organisms are encoded in the cells of organisms and are inherited through natural selection, through chromosomes.

After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, there were changes in the maritime borders in the Black Sea. As a result of this, most likely, the South Stream gas pipeline will go along a different route. In addition, Russia is gaining new opportunities for exporting its products through the port in Kerch. It is interesting to get acquainted with the maps of the new frontiers. In the Black Sea, 12 nautical miles from the coast are the territorial waters of the state, 250 miles constitute a special economic zone. According to the 2003 agreement on the Sea of ​​Azov, the territorial waters of the countries are limited to a 5-kilometer zone, the rest of the waters are in joint economic possession. In addition to this, you can look at the project of a new bridge connecting the Taman Peninsula with the Crimea. The Greeks called the Strait of Kerch the Cimmerian Bosphorus, but the Greeks called the strait separating Asia Minor from the Balkan Peninsula the Thracian Bosphorus.
P.S. I think few people know that the legendary Colchis of the Argonauts was located not at all in swampy Georgia, as some philologists naively believe, but ... on the banks of the Thracian Bosphorus ("Bull Pass"). The ships of the ancient Achaeans were called beads ("bulls") or minotaurs ("bulls of Minos") - that's why this strait was so named, sometimes the Achaeans called sea ships hippocampi ("sea horses"), so they had images or heads of a bull on their nose, or the head of a seahorse. The ancient Greeks called the Black Sea Pontus Euxinus (“Hospitable Sea”, and the Phoenicians the North Sea (“Ashkenas”). But we will turn to Colchis after a careful study of the path of the Argonauts, which was the Golden Fleece - the purpose of their journey ...

1. Borders of Russia and other countries in the Black Sea before the annexation of Crimea
2. The borders of Russia and other countries in the Black Sea after the annexation of Crimea

3. Oil and gas fields in the basin of the Black and Azov seas and land
4. Kerch Strait and crossings from mainland Russia to Crimea
5. The border in the Black Sea between Ukraine and Romania after the decision of the International Court of Justice on February 3, 2009, when 79.4% of the disputed territories of the oil and gas shelf passed to Romania


In the northeastern part of Eurasia is a country that occupies 31.5 percent of its territory - Russia. She has a huge number of sovereign neighbors. Today, Russia's borders are impressively long.

The Russian Federation is unique in that, being simultaneously in Asia and Europe, it occupies the northern part of the first and the eastern expanses of the second.

Map of the southern border of the Russian Federation showing all neighboring states

It is well known that the length of Russia's borders is 60.9 thousand km. Land borders are 7.6 thousand km. The sea borders of Russia have a length of 38.8 thousand km.

What you need to know about the state border of Russia

In accordance with the provision of international law, the state border of Russia is defined as the surface of the globe. It includes both territorial waters and internal waters. In addition, the "composition" of the state border includes the bowels of the earth and airspace.

The state border of Russia is the existing water and territorial line. The main "function" of the state border should be considered the definition of actual territorial limits.

Types of state borders

After the collapse of the great and mighty Soviet Union, the Russian Federation has the following types of borders:

  • old (these borders were inherited by Russia from the Soviet Union);
  • new.

A similar map of the borders of the USSR indicating the borders of the republics of the union

The old borders should include those that coincide with the borders of states that were once full members of one large Soviet family. Most of the old borders are secured by contracts concluded in accordance with current international standards. These states should include both relatively close to Russia and, and.

Specialists refer to the new borders as those that border on the Baltic countries, as well as on the states that are members of the CIS. The latter, first of all, should be attributed to and.
It is not in vain that Soviet times drive patriotic-minded citizens of the older generation into nostalgia. The fact is that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia lost more than 40 percent of its equipped border.

"Removed" borders

It is not for nothing that Russia is called a unique state. It has borders that are defined today as "carried out" zones on the borders of the former Soviet Union.

Russia today has many problems with borders. They became especially acute after the collapse of the Soviet Union. On a geographical map, everything looks quite beautiful. But in reality, Russia's new borders have nothing to do with cultural and ethnic borders. Another significant problem is the categorical rejection by public opinion of the restrictions that have arisen in connection with the introduction of border posts.

There is another serious problem. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation was not able to equip its new borders in a technical sense in a timely manner. Today, the solution to the problem is moving forward, but not fast enough.

Given the serious danger looming from some of the former Soviet republics, this issue remains at the forefront. The predominant land borders are the southern and western borders. East and north belong to the water boundaries.

Map of the collapse of the Soviet Union

What you need to know about the key borders of the Russian Federation

By 2020, our country has a large number of neighbors. On land, our country borders on fourteen powers. It is important to note all neighbors:

  1. Republic of Kazakhstan.
  2. Mongolian state.
  3. Belarus.
  4. Polish Republic.
  5. Estonian Republic.
  6. Norway.

Also, our country has borders with the Abkhazian state and South Ossetia. But these countries are still not recognized by the "international community", which still considers them part of the Georgian state.

Map of the Russian border with Georgia and the unrecognized republics

For this reason, the borders of the Russian Federation with these small states are not generally recognized in 2020 either.

With whom does Russia border on land?

The most important land neighbors of the Russian Federation include the Norwegian state. The border with this Scandinavian state runs along the swampy tundra from the Varanger Fjord. Important domestic and Norwegian power plants are located here.

Today, at the highest level, the issue of creating a transport route to this country, cooperation with which began in the deep Middle Ages, is being seriously discussed.

A little further south stretches the border with the Finnish state. The area is wooded and rocky. This section is important for Russia for the reason that it is here that active foreign trade is carried out. Finnish cargo is transported from Finland to the Vyborg port. The western border of the Russian Federation stretches from the Baltic waters to the Sea of ​​Azov.

Map of Russia's western border showing all border states

The first section should include the border with the Baltic powers. The second section, no less important, is the border with Belarus. In 2020, it continues to be free for the transport of goods and the travel of people. The European transport route, which is of great importance for Russia, passes through this section. Not so long ago, a historic decision was made regarding the creation of a new powerful gas pipeline. The main point is the Yamal Peninsula. The highway will pass through Belarus to the countries of Western Europe.

Ukraine is not only geopolitical, but also geographically important for Russia. Given the difficult situation, which continues to be extremely tense in 2020, the Russian authorities are doing everything possible to lay new railway lines. But the railway connecting Zlatoglavaya with Kyiv still does not lose its relevance.

With whom does the Russian Federation border on the sea

Our most important water neighbors include Japan and the United States of America.

Map of the maritime borders of the Russian Federation

Both of these states are separated from the Russian Federation by small straits. The Russian-Japanese border is marked between Sakhalin, Yu.Kurils and Hokkaido.

After the annexation of Crimea, Russia had neighbors in the Black Sea. These countries include Turkey, Georgia and Bulgaria. Canada, located on the other side of the Arctic Ocean, should be attributed to the oceanic neighbors of the Russian Federation.

The most important Russian ports include:

  1. Arkhangelsk.
  2. Murmansk.
  3. Sevastopol.

From Arkhangelsk and Murmansk originates the great Northern Route. Most of the local waters are covered with a huge crust of ice for eight to nine months. In 2016, by order of the President of the Russian Federation, preparations began for the creation of an underwater Arctic highway. As expected, this highway will use nuclear submarines to transport important cargo. Of course, only submarines decommissioned will take part in the transportation.

Disputed areas

In 2020, Russia still has some unresolved geographic disputes. Today, the following countries are involved in the "geographical conflict":

  1. Estonian Republic.
  2. Latvian republic.
  3. People's Republic of China.
  4. Japan.

If we take into account that the so-called “international community” denies the annexation of Crimea to Russia, ignoring the results of the referendum held in March 2014, then Ukraine should be added to this list. In addition, Ukraine seriously lays claim to some of the Kuban lands.

Disputed section of Russia's border with Norway

The so-called "Arctic issue" in the near future seems to be only a method of "subtle trolling" for some of Russia's maritime neighbors.

Claims of the Republic of Estonia

This issue is not being discussed as diligently as the “problem of the Kuriles”. And the Republic of Estonia claims to the right bank of the Narva River, which is located on the territory of Ivangorod. Also, the "appetites" of this state extend to the Pskov region.

Five years ago, an agreement was concluded between the Russian and Estonian states. It marked the delimitation of water spaces in the Gulf of Finland and Narva.

The “protagonist” of the Russian-Estonian negotiations is considered to be the “Saatse boot”. It is in this place that the transportation of bricks from the Urals to European countries takes place. Once they wanted to transfer the "boot" to the Estonian state, in exchange for other parts of the land. But due to the significant amendments made by the Estonian side, our country did not ratify the agreement.

Claims of the Republic of Latvia

Until 2007, the Republic of Latvia wanted to receive the territory of the Pytalovsky district, which is located in the Pskov region. But in March, an agreement was signed according to which this area should remain the property of our country.

What China wanted and achieved

Five years ago, the Chinese-Russian border was demarcated. According to this agreement, the People's Republic of China received a land plot in the Chita region and 2 plots near Bolshoi Ussuriysky and Tarabarov islands.

In 2020, a dispute continues between our country and China regarding the Republic of Tuva. In turn, Russia does not recognize the independence of Taiwan. There are no diplomatic relations with this state. Some seriously fear that the People's Republic of China is interested in the division of Siberia. This issue has not yet been discussed at the highest level, and dark rumors are very difficult to comment on and analyze.

China and Russia border map

The year 2015 shows that serious geographic tensions between Russia and China should not arise in the near future.