At different times, Russia's neighbors were different. The largest country in the world has the largest number of bordering states: 18 countries - poor and rich, weak and powerful, friendly and not so friendly.
Dissimilar
The total length of the border with them is approaching 70 thousand kilometers. History changed, some states became part of Russia, others left it. This is a mandatory process when changing the political system.
Russia's neighbors like Abkhazia and South Ossetia are unrecognized republics; The USA and Japan have only water borders with the great power. 38 of the 85 subjects of the Russian Federation located along its borders are adjacent to one, two, or three states. Such regions rich in foreign neighbors include the Altai Territory (Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia) and the Pskov Region (neighbors Estonia, Latvia, Belarus).
Neighbors with a common border
All states located in close proximity are divided into neighbors of the first and second order. Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus,Ukraine, Abkhazia, Georgia, South Ossetia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, North Korea and 2 countries with maritime borders - the USA and Japan - all of them belong to the concept of "Russia's first-order neighbors." There are very few synonyms for the word denoting a state bordering with the country. And these names are subjective - mezhak, pripolshchik, shaber. At the time of the Warsaw Pact, the countries included in it could be called sister cities. The same was true for China and North Korea. It is not easy to explain which countries are Russia's second-tier neighbors. Without fear of tautology, we can say that these are the neighbors of the first, above-mentioned states. There are 22 land borders in this case, and 2 sea borders.
World's longest maritime borders
The largest country has the longest maritime borders in the world. A distance of almost 20,000 kilometers is the northern outskirts of Russia, stretching along the shores of the seas of the Arctic Ocean. The second longest maritime border runs in the east, washed by the Pacific Ocean.
Neighbors to the South
Russia's southern neighbors are Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, as well as Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The longest land border with Kazakhstan also passes in the south, the importance of which for our country can hardly be overestimated. The republic occupies the 9th place in the world in terms of territory, and the first among large countries that do not have access to the oceans. The capital is the newly built city of Astana. The border between Europe and Asia passes through the territory of the republic. Located at the junction of twoworlds, rich in fertile lands and minerals, the country absorbs all the best and is developing rapidly. Kazakhstan is a member of the Customs Union, and in the full sense of the word justifies the concept of "Russia's close neighbors".
Partner States
China is certainly a special neighbor for Russia, and not only because the economy of this country, according to forecasts, will become the first in the world by the end of 2014. The country ranks first in the list of Russia's Neighbors in Asia and is a strategic partner of our country. Good-neighborly relations between Beijing and Moscow, without exaggeration, play a crucial role on the world stage and contribute to the establishment of a new world order. These two powers have many internal contradictions and problems, and it is also better to overcome them using mutual experience.
Good relations with neighbors is the policy of the state
It is very important for the Russian Federation to have good relations with all border countries. Their establishment and strengthening is the state policy. Unfortunately, Russia's southern neighbors, such as Azerbaijan and Georgia, are not entirely peaceful. Mongolia and Russia have been living side by side in friendship and harmony for a thousand years. A picture of this relationship can serve as a wonderful film by N. Mikhalkov "Urga - the territory of love." China and Russia are not just close borders of this country, they are its only neighbors. Therefore, peace and mutual understanding in this triune union is so important. It is no less important in relations with the self-proclaimed South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which havein general, the whole future is connected only with Russia.
Northern neighbors
As noted above, the longest border of our state runs along the shores of the northern seas - Laptev, Kara, East Siberian, White and Barents. The marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean is located between Russia and Alaska, a semi-esclave of the United States. Thus, Russia's northern neighbors are countries located along the shores of the Arctic. These include Iceland, Norway, Denmark (Greenland), the United States of America and Canada.
The Arctic Ocean had a lot of names. At different times it was called Northern, Scythian, Tatar. On Russian maps of the 17th-18th centuries, it also had several designations - the Sea-Ocean, the Arctic, the Polar Sea, etc. It was named Hyperborean in 1650 by the geographer Varenius. The Far North has long been considered the birthplace of the god of cold winds, Boreas, and therefore the name of the ocean was appropriate. The prefix "hyper" refers to its size. It is on its shores that all the northern neighbors of Russia are located. even at the North Pole, which is located in the center of the Arctic Ocean (this name was adopted in 1935), the flag of Russia is installed. And Norway is both a northern and a western border state.
Neighbors to the West
Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Belarus are Russia's western neighbors. Two of them, namely Lithuania and Poland, are bordered by a semi-esclave (a territory that does not have a common border with the country, but goes to the sea) - Kaliningradregion. With all the countries of this list, except for Belarus, which is a member of the Customs Union and is a good close neighbor, Russia has been at war in different periods of time. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, its former B altic republics, despite their more than modest capabilities in absolutely all areas, are unfriendly. But only income from tourists from Russia can significantly replenish their budget.
Russia is a good profitable neighbor
We have to state with regret that not all territorially close neighbors of Russia are its friends. History teaches nothing… No matter how much people fill their foreheads, stepping on the same rake, they still forget that "a bad peace is better than a good war"; that the clear benefits of peaceful coexistence are being lost; that post-war complexes are terrible, and then whole peoples are cured of them for a very long time; that it is worth listening to the advice of your own seers.
Russia is a great, original, rich country, and good relations with it can bring invaluable dividends to reasonable neighbors.
Summing up
So, Russia's western neighbors of the first order are Norway and Finland, Estonia and Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. Second order - Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.
Southern neighbors of the first order are represented by the following countries: China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Second-order neighboring countries are Moldova, Turkey and Iran. These include 4 formerSoviet republics - Armenia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. As well as Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and the Republic of Korea.
In the east, Russia has two neighbors of the first order at the extreme northern and southern points, the border with which runs along the sea - the United States and Japan.
North remains. Here the first-order neighbor is Canada and the second-order neighbor is Mexico.
It turns out that Denmark and Iceland, although they are located on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, are not Russia's neighbors at all.
