Countries That Only Border One Country

Author sportandspineclinic
4 min read

Countries that onlyborder one country are a fascinating subset of the world’s political map. These nations share a land boundary with just a single neighbor, which often shapes their history, economy, and foreign policy in unique ways. Understanding why such borders exist—and what they mean for the countries involved—offers insight into geography, colonial legacies, and regional dynamics. Below is a comprehensive look at every sovereign state that currently has only one neighboring country, organized by region, with explanations of how these singular borders came to be and what consequences they entail.

What Does “Bordering Only One Country” Mean?

When we say a country “borders only one country,” we refer exclusively to land borders. Maritime boundaries, exclaves, or borders defined by rivers or lakes are not counted unless they constitute a recognized international land frontier. For example, Denmark’s only land neighbor is Germany, even though it is connected to Sweden by a bridge and has maritime limits with several nations. Similarly, Canada’s sole land border is with the United States, despite its extensive coastline touching three oceans and its proximity to Russia across the Arctic.

List of Countries with a Single Land Border

Europe

Country Sole Neighbor Notes
Portugal Spain The Iberian Peninsula’s western edge; Portugal’s border with Spain stretches 1,214 km.
Ireland United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) The island’s only land frontier is the 499 km border with Northern Ireland.
Vatican City Italy The world’s smallest sovereign state, an enclave within Rome.
San Marino Italy A microstate completely surrounded by Italian territory.
Monaco France A tiny principality on the French Riviera, bordered solely by France.
Liechtenstein Switzerland and Austria (two borders)excluded Not a single‑border country; included here for contrast.
Denmark Germany The Jutland peninsula’s only land connection is to Germany.
Belarus Multiple – excluded Shares borders with five countries.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Multiple – excluded Each borders at least two neighbors.

Africa

Country Sole Neighbor Notes
Lesotho South Africa An enclave completely surrounded by South Africa; often called the “Kingdom in the Sky.”
Eswatini (Swaziland) South Africa and Mozambique (two borders)excluded Not a single‑border country.
The Gambia Senegal A narrow strip of land following the Gambia River, almost wholly enclosed by Senegal.
Botswana Multiple – excluded Borders Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
Djibouti Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia (multiple) – excluded Has three land neighbors.

Asia

Country Sole Neighbor Notes
Brunei Malaysia Divided into two non‑contiguous parts, both bordered only by the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
Timor‑Leste (East Timor) Indonesia Shares the island of Timor with Indonesia’s West Timor province.
Papua New Guinea Indonesia and Australia (maritime only)excluded Land border only with Indonesia; maritime boundary with Australia.
Cyprus None (land border with UK Sovereign Base Areas) – excluded No sovereign land border; the island is divided.
South Korea North Korea and (maritime) Japan/China – excluded Only one land neighbor (North Korea).
North Korea China, South Korea, Russia (three)excluded Has three land borders.

Americas

Country Sole Neighbor Notes
Canada United States The longest international land border in the world (8,891 km).
United States Canada and Mexico (two)excluded Borders two countries.
Mexico United States and Guatemala/Belize (multiple)excluded Has three land neighbors.
Belize Mexico and Guatemala (two)excluded Not a single‑border country.
Guatemala Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador (four)excluded Multiple borders.
Panama Costa Rica and Colombia (two)excluded Not a single‑border country.
Chile Peru, Bolivia, Argentina (three)excluded Multiple borders.
Argentina Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay (five)excluded Multiple borders.
Uruguay Brazil and Argentina (two)excluded Not a single‑border country.
Paraguay Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (three)excluded Multiple borders.
Suriname Brazil and Guyana (two)excluded Not a single‑border country.
Guyana Brazil and Venezuela/Suriname (multiple)excluded Multiple borders.
French Guiana (overseas department of France) Brazil and Suriname (two)excluded Not sovereign.
Ecuador Colombia and Peru (two)excluded Not a single‑border country.
Peru Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia (five)excluded Multiple borders.
Bolivia Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru (five)excluded Multiple borders.
Costa Rica Nicaragua and Panama (two)excluded Not a single‑border country.
Nicaragua Honduras and Costa Rica (two)excluded Not a single‑border country.
Honduras Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua (three)excluded Multiple borders.
El Salvador Guatemala *
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