{"id":3987,"date":"2010-04-25T05:57:55","date_gmt":"2010-04-25T10:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/?p=3987"},"modified":"2021-11-22T08:39:27","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T13:39:27","slug":"canada-international-borders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.howderfamily.com\/blog\/canada-international-borders\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada’s International Border(s)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So a burning question keeps coming up on the site. “What is Canada’s only international border?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Single-time visitors of Twelve Mile Circle seem acutely interested in Canada\u2019s international borders. My web logs register variations of this Search Engine query probably daily. Sometimes this comes up — I think — as a trick question on trivia quizzes or contests. Maybe it\u2019s part of a school geography class homework assignment. It\u2019s difficult to tell. However, highly specific phrasings do tend to arrive in clusters if that’s any indication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the answer hinges upon the definition of an international border. Does it apply exclusively to land borders or do water borders qualify too?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Canadian Land Borders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is the easy one. Canada shares an international land border with only one other country, the United States. It is the longest border in the world at 8,891 kilometres \/ 5,525 miles<\/a>. Some 5,061 km. \/ 3,145 mi. of it crosses solid land and the International Boundary Commission marks it with monuments<\/a>. Another 3,830 km. \/ 2,380 mi. crosses water, as defined by unmarked turning points or parallels of latitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two segments form this lengthy border. The “smaller” segment runs between Canada and the U.S. exclave<\/a> of Alaska for 2,475 km (1,538 mi). Canada is the largest nation that shares a land border with only one other nation, hands down, no contest. The International Boundary Commission keeps it all neat and tidy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Canadian Sea Borders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Canada shares sea borders with two nations other than the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

France<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I’ve written about the French Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon<\/a> (Collectivit\u00e9 territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon) previously. To briefly review, these islands just off the coast of Newfoundland are the sole remnant of the vast North American colony of New France still under French control today (map<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"St.<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They sit as close as 10 km. \/ 6.2 mi. from dry Canadian land (Green Island). Thus, its territorial waters most definitely abut Canadian waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denmark<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Canada also shares a water boundary with Denmark along the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland. This answer may change in the future. Greenland is an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of Denmark but it has been progressing steadily towards full independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denmark and Canada agree on on all boundary distinctions except for one small residual issue, the ownership of Hans Island. It’s just a speck. However, both nations claim it. As with most of these types of disputes it has little to do with the land and much to do with the natural resources that may be hiding in surrounding waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n