Which country has the longest coastline in the world?

Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world.

Its coastline borders the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans and becomes extraordinarily long because Canada includes thousands of offshore islands, bays, inlets and fjords. Government estimates commonly give a total of about 243,000 kilometres, although other datasets report about 202,080 kilometres.

The different figures do not usually indicate a contradiction. Coastlines are difficult to measure precisely: the smaller the measuring scale, the more bends, coves and islands are counted. This is known as the coastline paradox. Canada’s vast Arctic Archipelago contributes especially heavily to the national total.

Russia is a frequent answer because it is the world’s largest country by area and has extensive Arctic and Pacific shores. Australia and Indonesia also have major coastlines, but Canada’s island-rich northern geography puts it clearly first in standard country comparisons.