Which is the only country that borders both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans?

South Africa is the only country that borders both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Its coastline wraps around the southern tip of Africa, extending from the Atlantic shore near Namibia around Cape Town and Cape Agulhas, then northeast along the Indian Ocean toward Mozambique.

The meeting point of the two oceans is commonly placed at Cape Agulhas, Africa’s southernmost point, although the exact ocean boundary has varied in different geographic conventions. The cold Benguela Current influences the western Atlantic coast, while the warm Agulhas Current flows along the eastern Indian Ocean coast.

A common mix-up is confusing South Africa’s ocean borders with its land borders. The country shares land borders with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho; Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa. Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth are major coastal cities, but the two-ocean fact applies to the country as a whole, not to one city.