Countries That Border Three Oceans

Historically, there are four oceans; Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic. Modern definitions include the Southern Ocean, while some divide the Pacific Ocean into South Pacific and North Pacific and the Atlantic into South Atlantic and North Atlantic. Forty-nine states, including five partially recognized countries, are landlocked. Paraguay and Bolivia are the only landlocked countries in South America while the rest are in Asia, Europe, and Africa. Together, oceans cover 71-72% of the planet’s surface and contain 97% of the water on Earth. Asia and North America are the only continents that historically border three oceans while Russia and Canada are the only countries that border three oceans. Both countries border the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans.

Countries That Border Three Oceans

Russia

It is no surprise that Russia borders three oceans since it is the world’s largest country. It occupies much of eastern Europe and northern Asia. It shares a terrestrial boundary with 14 countries and a maritime boundary with Japan and the United States. Russia borders the Arctic Ocean to the North, the Atlantic in the west, and the Pacific in the east. The Diomede Islands; Big Diomede, and Little Diomede are located in the Pacific and separate the Russian territory of Siberia from America’s Alaska. 

Canada

Canada is the second-largest country in the world after Russia, with an area of about 3.85 million square miles. It borders the Arctic Ocean in the North Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east. The entire southern boundary borders the United States. Eleven of the thirteen provinces and territories border at least one ocean except for Saskatchewan and Alberta, which are landlocked. Canada’s 151,019-mile coastline is the longest in the world, while the Canadian Forces Station Alert is the world’s northernmost settlement. The Island of Victoria, Ellesmere, and Buffon in the Arctic Ocean are some of the largest in the world.

The Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean

The historical definition of the world’s oceans does not include the Southern Ocean as a separate water body but part of the other questions. Modern maps define the ocean as the water body surrounding Antarctica. The Southern Ocean borders Australia, Chile, and South Africa. When considered separately, then Chile borders the Atlantic, Southern, and Pacific Ocean. South Africa borders the Southern, Indian, and Atlantic, while Australia borders the Southern, Pacific, and Indian oceans. It is smaller than the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean but larger than the Arctic.

 Continents Bordering Three Oceans

North America borders the Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans while Asia borders the Indian, Pacific, and Arctic oceans. When the Southern Ocean is considered, then Australia borders the Pacific, Indian, and Southern oceans while Africa borders the Southern, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. South America borders the Southern, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans.