Which is the largest country with coasts on both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans?

South Africa is the largest country with coasts on both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Its coastline runs for roughly 2,800 kilometres around the southern tip of Africa, with the South Atlantic on the west and the Indian Ocean on the east and south.

This position made the country a major landmark on sea routes between Europe and Asia. Cape Town developed near the Atlantic side after the Dutch established a refreshment station there in 1652, while ports such as Durban face the warmer Indian Ocean. The country’s coastal climate is also shaped by contrasting currents: the cold Benguela Current affects the west, while the warm Agulhas Current flows along the east and south.

The Cape of Good Hope is often described as the meeting point of the two oceans, but geographically Cape Agulhas is Africa’s southernmost point and is commonly used as the oceanic divide. South Africa also completely surrounds Lesotho, another unusual geographic distinction. Egypt is sometimes suggested, but its Mediterranean and Red Sea shores are not usually described as direct Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts.