Map Of Russia

BORDERS serve as the defining lines of nations, delineating their political and often natural boundaries, which, in turn, establish their physical expanse.

Political boundaries, as artificial divisions, separate one political entity, such as a country or state, from another. Meanwhile, natural borders encompass features like oceans, seas, rivers, and mountain ranges.

The Largest Countries:

The three most extensive sovereign nations, in terms of surface area, are Russia, Canada, and the United States. Together, they encompass approximately a quarter of Earth’s landmass. Additional sizable countries include China, Brazil, Australia, India, Argentina, and Kazakhstan.

The Smallest Countries:

Among the world’s tiniest countries are the island nations scattered across the Caribbean and the South Pacific Ocean (Oceania).

The three smallest countries globally are Vatican City, an enclave within Rome, Italy; Monaco, a principality situated along the Mediterranean coast and enclosed by Southern France; and Nauru, an island nation nestled in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

Land mass of countries may expand via:

Land Reclamation

Typically, the size of countries remains relatively constant unless special circumstances, such as land reclamation, come into play. Land reclamation involves the creation of new land from oceans, seas, wetlands, or the expansion of coastlines. This practice results in an enlargement of a country’s territory.

China leads the world in land reclamation efforts. Since 1949, the People’s Republic has artificially created an extensive landmass, estimated at over 13,000 km², roughly equivalent to the size of the Bahamas. Other countries with notable land reclamation projects include the Netherlands (7,000 km²), South Korea (1,550 km²), the United States (over 1,000 km²), Japan (over 500 km²), the UAE (470 km²), Bahrain (410 km²), Singapore (135 km²), Bangladesh (110 km²), and Hong Kong (67 km²).

Invasion

Historically, nations sought to expand their territories by invading neighboring countries, a practice that has waned over time. Colonial times witnessed a scramble for territories, with occupying other nations being seen as a kind of competition.

World War I and World War II, however, led to the reduction of the enemy’s civilian population and an expansion of the victor’s sphere of influence. While this form of territorial expansion has diminished, contemporary examples of military occupations still exist, such as the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Northern Cyprus, Abkhazia, the Western Sahara, and Crimea.

China’s persistent efforts to expand its sphere of influence in the South China Sea, where it claims approximately 90% of the waters as its territorial domain, persist as an example. These claims disregard international maritime laws, which recognize Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Brunei as entitled to their maritime resource zones.

(Compiled by Jr. Amigo/ai/mnm)