# Countries with three or more uninterrupted sea coasts **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [September 20, 2025, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217 "2025-09-20T05:07:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/21 "2025-09-20T06:33:29Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Ok…so why does Canada or Russia or Turkey not count? Why do they not meet your criteria? Russia is a good answer, although the list you gave with Arctic and Pacific as separate coasts was wrong. The three there are Arctic/Pacific, Gulf of Finland (or Baltic, if you prefer), and Black Sea. Turkey is a wrong answer. It has two sections, but each have only one continuous coastline. No other country owns part of those coasts to break them up. The fact that the bodies of water off that coast changes from place to place does not change the answer. I thought I’d made this clear with my example of the US and the East and South Coasts. For Canada, the Atlantic and Arctic are a single continuous coastline. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/22 "2025-09-20T06:33:56Z")
France and Malaysia. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/23 "2025-09-20T08:58:39Z")
England would count, if you allow Wales and Scotland as different countries. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/24 "2025-09-20T09:00:14Z")
There’s something with the premise I don’t really get. _uninterrupted sea coasts_ You then list Gibraltar. Sure, I get it. By the same way of thinking, Morocco has three, since it’s interrupted by the Spanish territories Ceuta and Melilla (i.e. Morocco - Ceuta - Mortocco . Melilla - Morocco)? But you say uninterrupted. And Spain is qualified by interrupting the coastline (Portugal and Gib) . Or, IOW, if a coastline is uninterrupted, it’s indeed continuous. What is it that I don’t understand here? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/25 "2025-09-20T09:09:24Z")
You seem to be getting it. The Spanish coast is interrupted by Gibraltar and Portugal. So it has three sections of coast. Those three sections are uninterrupted. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/26 "2025-09-20T10:40:19Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > England would count, if you allow Wales and Scotland as different countries. England has two: From the north end of the Welsh border clockwise to the Scottish border, and from the south end of the Welsh border counterclockwise to the Scottish border. The United Kingdom also has two: One for Geat Britain and one for Northern Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/27 "2025-09-20T10:49:57Z")
Disregard ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/28 "2025-09-20T11:09:23Z")
Low-hanging fruit: Japan Indonesia ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/29 "2025-09-20T11:19:42Z")
France Added — France’s coastlines are broken by Spain and Monaco. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/30 "2025-09-20T11:23:29Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Japan How is Japan included? Where are its coastal breaks? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/31 "2025-09-20T11:27:56Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Low-hanging fruit: > > Japan > Indonesia I don’t think so - I thought Indonesia was a candidate thanks to the borders within Borneo but it isn’t - Malaysia is though on Borneo, just. On TImor-Leste the count for Indonesia is only 2. Japan doesn’t have any land borders. China used to count for this, before it unified with Macau and Hong Kong. Canada also used to, thanks to the mainland part of the colony of Newfoundland. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/32 "2025-09-20T11:29:50Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > England would count, if you allow Wales and Scotland as different countries. This is one problem with the OP: what is a country? ISO 3166 is one list of countries ➜ `https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1#Codes` ■ ; and the USA has this list ➜ `https://history.state.gov/countries/all` ■ Bhutan is in 3166 but is not recognized by the USA. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/33 "2025-09-20T11:32:18Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Russia is a good answer, although the list you gave with Arctic and Pacific as separate coasts was wrong. The three there are Arctic/Pacific, Gulf of Finland (or Baltic, if you prefer), and Black Sea. Russia actually has 4 thanks to Kaliningrad! ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/34 "2025-09-20T11:39:43Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > Kaliningrad Kaliningrad is a city not a country. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/35 "2025-09-20T11:40:29Z")
Do you want to think about this a bit more, or rather look at a map? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/36 "2025-09-20T11:41:32Z")
# Kaliningrad Oblast? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/37 "2025-09-20T11:43:31Z")
What’s your question? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/38 "2025-09-20T11:44:29Z")
Wait, sorry, it’s an exclave, ignore me. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/39 "2025-09-20T11:47:37Z")
So far we have at least 4. ➤ **France** — coasts are broken by Spain, Monaco ➤ **Saudi Arabia** — coasts are broken by Yemen, Qatar ➤ **Russia** — coasts are broken by Finland, Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania ➤ **Spain** — coasts are broken by Portugal, Gibraltar ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217/40 "2025-09-20T11:50:47Z")
Malaysia as well, on Borneo broken by Indonesia and the 2 parts of Brunei. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/countries-with-three-or-more-uninterrupted-sea-coasts/1023217.md?page=3)