Canada has the world's longest coastline, measured along its Arctic and Pacific shores.
Canada’s coastline extends for about 243,000 kilometres, including mainland shores and the many islands of its Arctic Archipelago. The country borders the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Arctic Ocean, giving it maritime frontiers on three sides. Its northern coastline is especially extensive because of the complex shape of its islands, channels, bays, and inlets.
Coastline totals depend on the scale and method used to measure them. This is known as the coastline paradox: finer measurements capture more bends and therefore produce a longer result. Even with that qualification, Canada is conventionally recognized as the country with the longest coastline.
Canada’s coastal geography includes major features such as Hudson Bay, the Labrador Sea, the Beaufort Sea, and the Strait of Georgia. Russia is often offered as an alternative because it also has an enormous Arctic and Pacific coastline, but standard geographic references place Canada first.