The ten countries with the longest coastlines in the world, ranked by total shoreline length — from Canada's staggering 202,080 km down to Chile's 6,435 km.
Quick answer: 1. Canada, 2. Indonesia, 3. Greenland (Denmark), 4. Russia, 5. Philippines, 6. Japan, 7. Australia, 8. Norway, 9. United States, 10. Chile.
Measuring a country's coastline is trickier than it sounds. The coastline paradox means that the more precisely you measure, the longer the coastline gets — every inlet, fjord, and pebble adds more distance. That's why different sources produce different numbers for the same country. This list uses the CIA World Factbook coastline figures, the most widely cited standardized source. The figures are measured by the World Factbook using a consistent methodology across all countries, making them the best available apples-to-apples comparison. Canada is the runaway winner thanks to its tens of thousands of Arctic islands and deeply indented shoreline, while Indonesia and Norway — with their archipelagos and fjords — round out the top five.
With 202,080 km of coastline — the longest of any country — Canada's shoreline borders the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. Its staggering figure is driven by tens of thousands of Arctic islands, deep fjords, and the indented coastline of Hudson Bay.
As the world's largest archipelago with over 17,500 islands, Indonesia has a coastline of 54,716 km. Its shoreline wraps thousands of islands stretching from Sumatra to Papua along both sides of the equator.
Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, has 44,087 km of coastline — almost all of it Arctic, deeply gouged by fjords. While not an independent country, its coastline is routinely listed in global rankings due to its size.
Russia's 37,653 km coastline spans from the Baltic Sea in the west, across the entire Arctic coast, and down the Pacific to Vladivostok. The northern coastline along the Arctic Ocean accounts for the majority of the length.
With 36,289 km of coastline spread across more than 7,600 islands, the Philippines has one of the longest shorelines in the world. Its entire nation is coastal — no point is more than 200 km from the sea.
Japan's 29,751 km coastline wraps thousands of islands in the Pacific Ring of Fire. The main islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku account for most of it, with heavily indented ria coastlines on the Sea of Japan side.
Australia's 25,760 km of coastline rings an entire continent, bordered by the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The Great Barrier Reef stretches over 2,300 km along the northeast coast.
Norway's intensely indented coastline — including thousands of fjords, islands, and skerries — measures 25,148 km on the CIA scale. The coastline of mainland Norway alone is 2,650 km, but the rugged fjord system multiplies it tenfold.
The US has 19,924 km of coastline on the CIA scale (versus 153,646 km if including all bays, islands, and inlets per NOAA's tidal shoreline measurement). The continental coastline faces the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico, plus Alaska's Arctic shore.
Chile's 6,435 km of coastline stretches along the entire western edge of South America, making it one of the longest continuous national shorelines for a non-archipelagic country. The Pacific coast ranges from the Atacama Desert in the north to the fjords of Patagonia.
| # | Name | Coastline (km) | Land area (km²) | Bordering oceans | Coast-to-land ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada | 202080 | 9093510 | Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic | 0.022 |
| 2 | Indonesia | 54716 | 1811570 | Indian, Pacific | 0.03 |
| 3 | Greenland (Denmark) | 44087 | 2166086 | Arctic, Atlantic | 0.02 |
| 4 | Russia | 37653 | 16376870 | Arctic, Pacific, Baltic | 0.002 |
| 5 | Philippines | 36289 | 298170 | Pacific (Philippine Sea, South China Sea) | 0.122 |
| 6 | Japan | 29751 | 364555 | Pacific (Sea of Japan, East China Sea) | 0.082 |
| 7 | Australia | 25760 | 7692024 | Indian, Pacific | 0.003 |
| 8 | Norway | 25148 | 304282 | Atlantic (Norwegian Sea), Arctic (Barents Sea) | 0.083 |
| 9 | United States | 19924 | 9147420 | Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic | 0.002 |
| 10 | Chile | 6435 | 743812 | Pacific | 0.009 |
Countries are ranked by total coastline length in kilometres, longest first (rank 1 = longest). Figures come from the CIA World Factbook, which uses a standardized measurement scale for all countries, following a consistent baseline to minimize coastline-paradox inconsistencies. United Nations data (World Resources Institute) is used as a secondary cross-reference. Disputed borders (e.g., Crimea) are counted per the CIA Factbook's current convention. Countries that are landlocked are not included.
Canada, with 202,080 km of coastline according to the CIA World Factbook. This is due to its tens of thousands of Arctic islands, deep fjords, and the highly indented shoreline of Hudson Bay.
The coastline paradox means that a detailed measurement including every inlet and bay produces a much longer figure than a generalized one. The CIA World Factbook uses a consistent baseline for all countries, making it the best source for comparisons.
The CIA World Factbook lists the US coastline at 19,924 km (a generalized measure), while NOAA's 'tidal shoreline' measurement — which includes every inlet, bay, and island at the most detailed scale — comes to 153,646 km. Both are correct for different definitions.
Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, not a sovereign country. Its 44,087 km coastline is listed here for reference but is included in Denmark's figures in some other rankings.