Which country has a border with Russia that is only 17 kilometers long?

North Korea is the country with a 17-kilometer land border with Russia. The short frontier follows the Tumen River and its estuary in the far northeast, where Russia, North Korea and China meet near the city of Khasan.

Although the terrestrial section is only 17 kilometers long, the two countries also share a maritime boundary in the Sea of Japan. Russia’s official definition gives that maritime section as 22.1 kilometers, or 12 nautical miles, making the total Russia–North Korea boundary longer than the land portion alone.

The border was established in the nineteenth century as the Russian Empire expanded into the region. Today, one of its best-known features is the Friendship Bridge, a combined road-and-rail crossing over the Tumen River. The frontier is strategically important despite its small size because it connects Russia with the Korean Peninsula and sits close to China.