Borderline Cases Trivia Quiz

Answer: Russia

One of the former constituents of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Belarus borders Russia to the north and the east. The border has a length of 1,239 km (770 mi), and touches the Russian federal subjects (oblasts) of Pskov, Smolensk and Bryansk.

Independent since August 1991, Belarus is one of the landlocked countries in Central Europe. Minsk is its capital and largest city. More than one-third of Belarus' land area is covered by forests.

Answer: Russia

Also a former constituent of the Soviet Union, Lithuania borders only one federal subject of Russia - the semi-exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast, located on the Baltic Sea and sandwiched between Lithuania to the north and east and Poland to the south. The border is 297 km (184 mi) long, and is one of the external borders of the European Union.

Once a powerful Grand Duchy, the Republic of Lithuania became independent from the Soviet Union in 1990. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius. Lithuania is the largest of the three Baltic states: Latvia and Estonia were also part of the Soviet Union, and have borders with Russia.

Answer: Russia

Europe's second-largest country, Ukraine has a long land border with Russia, measuring 1,974 km (1,226 mi). This is the legal (de jure) border recognized by the United Nations, which does not take into consideration the Ukrainian territories claimed by Russia in 2014 and 2022. The border touches five Russian oblasts: from west to east, these are Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh and Rostov.

Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Kyiv is its capital and largest city. Another former constituent republic of the Soviet Union, Moldova, borders Ukraine to the southwest: it has, however, no border with Russia.

Answer: Russia

Located in the Caucasus region, the Republic of Georgia is a former constituent of the Soviet Union. Its internationally recognized border with Russia is 920 km (571 mi) long, and runs from the Black Sea in the west to the tripoint with Azerbaijan in the east. The border touches the Russian republics of Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan. Two regions of Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, have declared themselves independent, but are recognized by only five nations.

Georgia became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Its capital and largest city is Tbilisi. The country lies at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia, though today it is widely regarded as part of Europe. The Russia-Georgia border closely follows the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia.

Georgia lies between Russia and Armenia, the third former Soviet republic in the Caucasus region, which is widely regarded as part of West Asia.

Answer: Russia

The Republic of Azerbaijan is a former constituent of the Soviet Union located in the South Caucasus. It has a relatively short border with Russia (338 km/210 mi) to the north that touches the Russian republic of Dagestan. Though landlocked, Azerbaijan has a substantial coastline on the Caspian Sea.

A transcontinental country that lies at the boundary of Eastern Europe and West Asia, Azerbaijan has been independent since 1991. Its capital and largest city is Baku, the world's lowest-lying capital. Azerbajiani, the country's official language, is closely related to Turkish.

Answer: China

One of the world's most populous countries, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan borders China to the northeast. With a length of 596 km (370 mi), the border is particularly remarkable because it runs through the mighty Karakoram range, where the world's second-highest mountain, the K2, rises. The border touches the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of northwest China.

In 1947, Pakistan was created as an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth, and became a republic in 1956. Its capital is Islamabad, a purpose-built city, while its largest city is the seaport of Karachi on the Indian Ocean.

Answer: China

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan borders China to the northeast and east. The short border between the two countries (92-km/57 mi) lies at the end of the long, narrow panhandle known as the Wakhan Corridor, at the tripoint with Tajikistan. The border touches the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.

A mountainous, landlocked country with a long and troubled history, Afghanistan became a fully independent nation in 1919. Its capital and largest city is Kabul. The name Afghan refers to the Pashtuns, the Iranian ethnic group that constitutes almost half of the country's population.

Answer: China

Like the other four "stans" of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan (officially the Kyrgyz Republic) was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union. It borders China to the east and southeast: the border runs for 1,063 km (661 mi) through the lofty peaks of the Tian Shan range. On the other side of the border lies the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the largest province-level division of China.

Kyrgyzstan became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek. Inhabited by a Turkic-speaking people, this landlocked country has been nicknamed "the Switzerland of Central Asia" because of its extremely mountainous terrain. Tajikistan, which is located south of Kyrgyzstan, also has a border with China.

Answer: China

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam borders China to the north. With a length of 1,297 km (806 mi), the border stretches eastward from the tripoint with Laos to the Gulf of Tonkin, touching the province of Yunnan and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, both located in south China. The Vietnamese who live in the border regions are allowed to enter China on a one-day pass.

A country whose history spans thousands of years, Vietnam became independent from France in 1945, and was reunified in 1976 after a 22-year partition. Its capital is Hanoi, in the Red River Delta, while its largest city is Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), the former capital of South Vietnam. Laos, the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, lies east of Vietnam, and also borders China.

Answer: China

The largest country in mainland Southeast Asia, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar borders China to the northeast. The border, with a length of 2,129 km (1,323 mi), touches the province of Yunnan in southwestern China. It runs through a mountainous area that contains Myanmar's highest peak, Hkakabo Razi, while to the south it follows the course of the Mekong River to the tripoint with Laos. The China-Myanmar border is heavily militarized because of the area's constant state of unrest; China has also built barriers to prevent illegal migration, smuggling and other crimes.

Officially known as Burma until 1989, Myanmar became independent from the United Kingdom in 1948, and has been troubled by instability since then. Its capital is the purpose-built Naypyidaw, while its former capital, Yangon (Rangoon), is the country's largest city.

Answer: Both

A former constituent of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country, and the ninth-largest in area. It is considered a transcontinental country, as a small portion of its territory lies west of the Ural River. Kazakhstan became independent from the Soviet Union at the end of 1991. Its capital is Astana, while the former capital Almaty is its largest city.

The border between Kazakhstan and Russia is the world's second-longest (after the one between Canada and the USA), measuring 7,644 km (4,750 mi), and stretching from the Caspian Sea in the west to the tripoint with China in the east. This border touches Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov, Samara, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Tyumen, Omsk and Novosibirsk Oblasts, along with Altai Krai and the Altai Republic. The Kazakhstan-China border, on the other hand, is 1,783 km (1,108 mi) long, and touches the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.

Answer: Both

The world's second-largest landlocked country, Mongolia is sandwiched between Russia to the north and China to the south. To the west, a narrow gap (about 40 km/25 mi) in the Altai Mountains separates it from Kazakhstan. The Russia-Mongolia border - the seventh-longest in the world - runs for 3,485 km (2,165 mi), touching the republics of Altai, Tuva and Buryatia, as well as Zabaykalsky Krai. The Mongolia-China border, the fourth-longest in the world, runs for 4,630 km (2,880 mi), mostly through the vast Gobi Desert. The border touches the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China to the northwest, the province of Gansu to the west, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the south.

Mongolia became independent from China in 1921; its capital and largest city is Ulaanbaatar. It has the distinction of being the world's least densely populated country, with about 30% of its population still leading a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle.

Answer: Both

North Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) borders both China and Russia to the north. However, while its border with China runs for 1,352 km (840 mi), the one with Russia is remarkably short - only 17 km (11 mi). Most of these borders are formed by the rivers Yalu (to the west) and Tumen (to the east). Another significant geographical feature that lies on the China-North Korea border is Paektu Mountain, an active stratovolcano. The border between China and North Korea touches the northeastern Chinese provinces of Liaoning and Jilin. The Russia-North Korea border, the shortest of Russia's many international borders, touches Primorsky Krai.

Ruled by a totalitarian dictatorship headed by members of the Kim family, North Korea was established in 1948. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang.

Answer: Neither

The largest and most populous country in Scandinavia and the fifth-largest in Europe, the Kingdom of Sweden has land borders with only two other countries - Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast. The Finnish region of Lapland (Lappi) lies between Sweden and Russia.

Sweden was established as a unified kingdom in the Early Middle Ages, though the exact date is unknown. Its capital and largest city is Stockholm. The Stockholm archipelago in the Baltic Sea numbers over 24,000 islands, and is one of the largest in the world.

Answer: Neither

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a large country - the world's 17th-largest - which extends from the Indian Ocean to the Caucasus and the shores of the Caspian Sea. Though it has land borders with seven sovereign countries, Russia is not one of them, as Azerbaijan lies in between. China, on the other hand, is much further away, separated from Iran by Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Iran is home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, and its history spans thousands of years. Unlike other Asian countries, it has never been a colony of any European country. Its capital and largest city is Tehran, one of the world's highest national capitals.

Answer: Neither

One of the world's most populous countries in spite of its relatively small size, the People's Republic of Bangladesh lies at the eastern end of South Asia. With the exception of a short border with Myanmar to the east, it is almost entirely surrounded by India. A narrow corridor, part of the Indian states of West Bengal and Sikkim, separates Bangladesh from Nepal, Bhutan and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

Formerly known as East Pakistan, Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan in 1971. Its capital and largest city is Dhaka. Most of the country's territory consists of the huge delta formed by the rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra as they flow into the Bay of Bengal.

Answer: Neither

The Kingdom of Thailand is located in mainland Southeast Asia, also known as Indochina. Extending from the foothills of the Himalayas to the middle of the Malay Peninsula, it is separated from China (Yunnan province) by Myanmar and Laos. The Mekong River, flowing south from the Tibetan Plateau, marks the northern part of the border between Thailand and Laos.

Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia, and one of the few in the whole Asian continent, which has never been colonized by another power. Its capital and largest city is Bangkok.