Asia · neighbouring countries

Neighboring Countries of China

Q: Which is the longest border of China?

The longest land border of China is with Mongolia (4,630 km); the shortest is with Afghanistan (91 km).

Q: How long are the land borders of China?

The land borders of China total 22,457 km. By number of neighbours China ranks #1 among 236 countries and territories.

China shares land borders with 14 countries: Mongolia (4,630 km), Russia (4,133 km), India (2,659 km), Myanmar (2,129 km), Kazakhstan (1,765 km), Nepal (1,389 km), North Korea (1,352 km), Vietnam (1,297 km), Kyrgyzstan (1,063 km), Bhutan (477 km), Tajikistan (477 km), Laos (475 km), Pakistan (438 km) and Afghanistan (91 km).

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Country

Neighbouring countries (#1 of 236)

22,457 km

Total land borders

14,500 km

Coastline

9,596,960

Area in km²

China
Neighbouring countries
Neighbours of neighbours

Countries bordering China

Neighbour	Border length	Capital	Visa for China citizens
Mongolia	4,630 km	Ulaanbaatar	eVisa · 30 days
Russia northeast	4,133 km	Moscow	Visa-free · 30 days
India	2,659 km	New Delhi	Visa required
Myanmar	2,129 km	Rangoon	eVisa · 28 days
Kazakhstan	1,765 km	Astana	Visa-free · 30 days
Nepal	1,389 km	Kathmandu	Visa on arrival
North Korea	1,352 km	Pyongyang	Visa required
Vietnam	1,297 km	Hanoi	eVisa
Kyrgyzstan	1,063 km	Bishkek	eVisa
Bhutan	477 km	Thimphu	eVisa
Tajikistan	477 km	Dushanbe	eVisa
Laos	475 km	Vientiane	eVisa · 30 days
Pakistan	438 km	Islamabad	eVisa · 90 days
Afghanistan	91 km	Kabul	Visa required

Mongolia accounts for 21% of China's 22,457 km of land borders. Lengths: CIA World Factbook (public domain).

Geography of China

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam

Area

9,596,960 km² — slightly smaller than the US

Terrain

Mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east

Climate

Extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

Highest and lowest points

Highest: Mount Everest (highest peak in Asia and highest point on earth above sea level) 8,849 m. Lowest: Turpan Pendi (Turfan Depression) -154 m. Mean elevation: 1840 m.

Natural resources

Coal, iron ore, helium, petroleum, natural gas, arsenic, bismuth, cobalt, cadmium, ferrosilicon, gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium, lithium, mercury, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, tungsten, antimony, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest), arable land

Natural hazards

Frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence volcanism: China contains some historically active volcanoes including Changbaishan (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu, or P'aektu-san), Hainan Dao, and Kunlun although most have been relatively inactive in recent centuries

Good to know

Note 1: world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and the US) and largest country situated entirely in Asia; Mount Everest, on the border with Nepal, is the world's tallest peak above sea level note 2: the largest cave chamber in the world is the Miao Room, in the Gebihe cave system at China's Ziyun Getu He Chuandong National Park, which encloses about 10.78 million cu m (380.7 million cu ft); the world's largest sinkhole is the Xiaoxhai Tiankeng sinkhole in Chongqing Municipality, which is 660 m deep, with a volume of 130 million cu m

Neighbours of China's neighbours

Countries one border further away — reachable overland through a neighbouring country.

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Frequently asked questions about the borders of China

How many countries border China?

Which is the longest border of China?

The longest land border of China is with Mongolia (4,630 km); the shortest is with Afghanistan (91 km).

Is China landlocked?

No. China has 14,500 km of coastline.

How long are the land borders of China?

The land borders of China total 22,457 km. By number of neighbours China ranks #1 among 236 countries and territories.

Do China citizens need a visa for neighbouring countries?

China citizens can visit 2 of 14 neighbouring countries visa-free: Russia and Kazakhstan.

What is the highest point of China?

Mount Everest (highest peak in Asia and highest point on earth above sea level) 8,849 m. The lowest point is Turpan Pendi (Turfan Depression) -154 m.

Borders and geography: CIA World Factbook (public domain). Visa rules: TravelRequirements.info — Entry Requirements Dataset, AXG Sp. z o.o. (CC BY 4.0).