Canada has the world's longest coastline, measured at about 202,080 kilometres.
Canada's coastline borders the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans and includes the shores of thousands of islands. Its enormous length reflects the country's broad mainland, deeply indented bays, Arctic archipelagos and complex channels. The exact figure can vary because coastline length changes with the scale and method used to measure every inlet and island.
Canada is the second-largest country by total area and extends across much of northern North America. Its Arctic coastline includes islands such as Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island and Victoria Island. The country's eastern, western and northern maritime regions therefore have very different climates and ecosystems.
Russia is also a vast coastal country, but standard geographic references place its coastline far below Canada's total. Indonesia and Australia have extensive coastlines too, yet neither approaches Canada's measured length. Coastline rankings should always be read with their measurement method in mind.