1. Australia – Papua New Guinea
Straight-line distance: about 3 km
Australia and Papua New Guinea belong to Oceania, is the continent of the largest land area of the two countries, Papua New Guinea was once colonized by the British in history, in 1910 the British Papua New Guinea was placed under the British Australian authorities, after the end of World War II, Australia declared Papua New Guinea as its own trust territory, until 1975 Papua New Guinea got rid of colonial rule and declared an independent state; Although Papua New Guinea is about 155 kilometers away from Cape York, the northernmost point of the Australian mainland, separated by the Torres Strait, which is known as the "throat of Oceania", more than 270 islands in the strait are basically controlled by Australia, and Australia's northernmost border is almost attached to Papua New Guinea. They are only about 3 kilometres from Papua New Guinea on the other side.
2. United States – Russia
Straight-line distance: about 3.8 km
The United States and Russia belong to the Americas and Asia and Europe two continents, these two continents do not border, the closest place between the two is from the Prince of Wales Cape on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, to the Cape Dezhniov on the Chukotka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, the distance is about 72 kilometers in a straight line, which is also the narrowest point of the Bering Strait, but the closest point of contact between the United States and Russia is not here, but in the middle of the strait, there are two archipelagos, namely the Great and Small Diomede Islands, The distance between the two main islands is only 3.8 kilometres, which is the closest distance between Asia and North America, as well as between the United States and Russia, and interestingly, the two islands, which are less than 4 kilometres apart, are divided into the eastern and western hemispheres due to the existence of the International Date Line, which is also a full 21 hours apart.
3. Denmark – Sweden
Straight-line distance: about 4.6 km
Denmark and Sweden are located in the north of Europe, the two countries alternately dominate the Nordic region in history, over time, the former Nordic hegemon Denmark in the European part of the territory is only more than 40,000 square kilometers, of which 2/3 is located in the continental part, that is, the Jutland Peninsula, the remaining 1/3 is the island of Funen, Zealand, Loland and other archipelagos, the capital of Denmark Copenhagen is on the largest island Zealand, the island across the Øresund Strait and Scandinavia, From the eastern city of Helsingør in Denmark to the Swedish city of Helsingborg on the other side of the sea, it is only less than 5 kilometers, and the narrow Øresund Strait is the only passage from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, so it is also known as the "neck of Europe"; Because Helsingør guards the thinnest part of this "neck", Helsingør has been relying on the sky for food since more than 600 years ago, and passing ships have all left money to buy roads, and Helsingør has gradually developed from a small fishing village to the third largest city in Denmark; Because of the importance and irreplaceability of the Øresund Strait, Sweden had the idea of digging a canal in its south to replace the strait, but in the end it died due to the large amount of work, and in 2000 Denmark and Sweden jointly built a bridge across the Øresund Strait from Copenhagen to Malmö, and since then the desire of the two countries to connect on land has finally been realized.
4. Trinidad and Tobago – Venezuela
Straight-line distance: 11 km
Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela belong to two continents in North America and South America, Trinidad and Tobago is composed of Trinidad and Tobago two main islands and more than 20 other small islands, she is the southernmost island group of the West Indies, its east is the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and the Sea of Guyana, and the west is the Gulf of Paria formed by Venezuela together, the passage of the Gulf of Paria to the Caribbean Sea is the narrow Longkou Strait, and the island of Chacakaare in the strait is the closest place between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. It is only about 11 kilometres from the eastern tip of the state of Sucre in Venezuela.
5. Denmark – Canada
Straight-line distance: about 18 km
Denmark and Canada are two continents, Europe and North America, separated by the Atlantic Ocean and more than 6,200 kilometers away from each other, but Greenland, Denmark's overseas dominion in North America, is very close to Canada; Greenland is located at the northeast tip of North America, its main island Greenland is the largest island in the world, Greenland is Canada on the west side, the closest place between the two is Sanders Island in the northwest tip of Greenland to Cape Columbia at the northeast end of Ellesmere Island in Canada, the straight-line distance is only about 18 kilometers, between the two is the Robertson Strait connecting the Arctic Ocean and Baffin Bay.
6. Kuwait – Iran
Straight-line distance: about 25 km
Kuwait and Iran are located on the coast of the Persian Gulf in western Asia, both belong to the world's oil and gas resources are very rich countries, Kuwait and Iran are both Muslim countries, the difference is that Kuwait is an Arab country dominated by Sunni Muslims, and Iran is a non-Arab country dominated by Shia Muslims, the relationship between the two countries was not good at the beginning, when the Iran-Iraq war broke out, Kuwait supported Iraq, and contributed money and efforts, so Iran directly broke off diplomatic relations with Kuwait, After the end of the Iran-Iraq war, Iraq, which had been hit hard, took the initiative to send troops to occupy Kuwait, and only withdrew from Kuwait after Western intervention, and since then the relations between Kuwait and Iran have begun to warm up and have been maintained for a long time. Although the two countries are very close to each other, they are separated by the Faw Peninsula of Iraq, which is also the only outlet of Iraq, the west side of the Faw Peninsula is the largest island of Kuwait on Bubiyan Island, and on the east side is the northwestern border city of Alwan de Kenar of Iran, from the easternmost point of Bubiyan Island to the southernmost tip of Alwan de Qanar is only about 25 kilometers in a straight line; It is conceivable that with the passage of time and the continuous alluvial sediment in the Euphrates and Shatt al-Arabs, it is still possible for the two countries to achieve land border in the future.
7. Yemen-Djibouti
Straight-line distance: about 28 km
Yemen and Djibouti are located in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the southeast of Africa, the two countries face each other across the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden two waters is the famous Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is the same as the Strait of Malacca, the "east-west maritime trade artery" is the natural boundary sea between Yemen and Djibouti, from the Yemeni city of Turbay on the east coast of the strait to the Mululai of Djibouti on the west coast, the straight-line distance between the two is about 32 kilometers, is the narrowest place in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, But there is a small island belonging to Yemen in the middle of this artery, which is Pilin Island, her existence divides the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into two, 4 kilometers wide on the east side and 28 kilometers wide on the west side, that is, the large and small gorges of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, although the large gorge is wide but the wind and waves are fierce, and there are many reefs on the seabed, so many ships can only be forced to choose to take the small gorge on the east side, so that Yemen has more say on the strait issue, which leads to the international crisis of the Houthis calling for the West to "blockade" the Red Sea.
8. India – Sri Lanka
Straight-line distance: about 30 km
India and Sri Lanka are both located in the south of Asia, India is the hegemon of South Asia and the world's most populous country, sitting on the long coastline of the Indian Peninsula, the left and right sides of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, the geographical location can be described as quite superior; Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is located on the southeast side of the Indian Peninsula, and its size and location make its history destined to be obscure. The two countries are separated by the famous Paulk Strait, and the closest point of contact between the two sides is about 30 kilometers in a straight line between Mannar Island in Sri Lanka and Ban Beng Island in India, but it is this 30 kilometers that guarantees the security of Sri Lanka and keeps the small country from being swallowed up by its huge neighbors.
9. Iran – Oman
Straight-line distance: about 34 km
Iran and Oman are both located in West Asia, Iran is located in the Persian Plateau and the northeast side of the Persian Gulf, Oman is located in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula, its mainland is not on the coast of the Persian Gulf, Oman was a powerful maritime empire, about 200 years ago Oman's navy was the hegemon of the Indian Ocean, its sphere of influence once extended to the east coast of Africa, the eastern part of present-day Tanzania and the port of Gwadar in Pakistan were all part of the territory of the Sultanate of Oman at that time, but with the passage of time, Oman gradually declined, The country is only left in the southeast corner of the peninsula, but there is an enclave outside the mainland, which is Musandam Province, although the place is small but the strategic location is extremely important, because it is located in the narrowest part of the Strait of Hormuz, the main oil artery, opposite her is the Iranian island of Qeshm, the distance between the two sides is only about 34 kilometers, but it is this narrow 34 kilometers that affects the lifeblood of global energy, and also makes Iran and Oman instantly rise to a new level of international status.
10. United Kingdom – France
Straight-line distance: about 35 km
Britain and France are located in the west of Europe, are the world's two old capitalist countries, the two countries have almost never stopped fighting in history, one is the sea power, the other is the land power hegemon, the two sides are separated by the narrow English Channel, this strait has become a natural barrier between the two countries, protecting the weak side, but also blocking the strong side, the northeast side of the English Channel is the Strait of Dover, which is also the narrowest part of the English Channel, It is only about 35 kilometers from Cape Grisnitz in France to Dover in the United Kingdom, where the famous Dunkirk evacuation took place during World War II; The English Channel is the gateway between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with hundreds of ships passing through it every day.
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