Fact Finder - Geography

Fact
France's Longest Land Border
Category
Geography
Subcategory
Tricky Geography Questions
Country
France
Description
Ask anyone which country shares the longest border with France, and they will likely guess Spain, Belgium, or Germany. However, the correct answer is Brazil. This is because French Guiana, an overseas department of France located in South America, is considered fully part of France (much like Hawaii is part of the USA). The border between French Guiana and Brazil stretches for 730 kilometers (454 miles), which is significantly longer than France's border with Spain (623 km). This geographical oddity is a reminder of France's colonial history and its current status as a transcontinental nation with territories in the Caribbean, South America, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans.