Vignette 6.2 Current Boundaries of Russia

Russia occupies 11.3% of the world's landmass. The total length of the land border is 20,097 km. The countries Russia borders, and the length of the border with each country, are as follows: Norway, 196 km; Finland, 1,340 km; Estonia, 294 km; Latvia, 217 km; Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast), 280.5 km; Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast), 232 km; Belarus, 959 km; Ukraine, 1,576 km; Georgia, 723 km; Azerbaijan, 284 km; Kazakhstan, 6,846 km; China (south), 40 km; Mongolia, 3,485 km; China (southeast), 3,605 km; and North Korea, 19 km. The total coastline is 37,653 km. The Soviet Union claimed all of the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole, approximately along the 32?E meridian to the west and the 169?W meridian to the east. These claims have not been universally supported.

Here are the extreme points of Russia's territory today:

• In the north, Cape Fliegeli on Franz Joseph A rchipelago (81?49'N).
• In the continental north, Cape Chelyuskin (77?43'N).
• In the south, Bazardyuzyu Mountain (41?11'N).
• In the west, a spit in the Gulf of Gdansk (19?38'E).
• In the continental east, Cape Dezhnev (169?40' W).
  In the east, Ratmanov Island in the Bering Strait (169?02'W).