10 countries that exist in two continents: From the United States to Russia

Nations around the globe are categorised, listed, and compared with each other according to their geographical position, governance, and recognition by the international community. These categories aid in organising data on an international level, utilised by various bodies and institutions for research purposes. All of these nations carry recognised sovereignty status and are included in various international listings. Although there might be different criteria adopted by various sources for categorisation, these nations tend to make it to every list. According to World Population Review 2026 and World Atlas reports, there are countries that are spread across two continents. Transcontinental countries span more than one continent, blending geography, culture, and politics across borders, creating unique global connections and diversity.Source: World Population ReviewRussia is one of the well-known transcontinental nations that spans a large amount of territories in two continents, which means that Russia is also the largest contiguous transcontinental nation in the world. Russian territories lie within both Europe and Asia, separated by the Ural Mountains that mark the continent's border. The part situated in Europe occupies less area than the other part, called Siberia, and dominating the Asian continent. Siberia spans from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific territories, surrounded by such seas as the Barents, Kara, and Sea of Okhotsk. Also, Russia borders Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and North Korea on its Asian side.Kazakhstan is yet another contiguous transcontinental nation found in Central Asia, with only some parts of it in Europe. In many cases, the Ural River is considered to be one of the continental dividing lines between Europe and Asia. Therefore, much of Kazakhstan is located in Asia, but a relatively small part of it can be found in Europe. Kazakhstan’s bordering nations include Russia to the north and west, China to the south and southeast, and other nations in Central Asia such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. Kazakhstan has a coastline on the Caspian Sea.Turkey is a transcontinental state with a part located on the continents of Europe and Asia, which are separated from each other by several channels that include the Bosporus Channel, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles Channel. While the greater part of the territory belongs to the Asian continent and is called Anatolia, a smaller area is in Europe, and it is named Thrace. The Turkish city of Istanbul is located at the junction of both continents and divides the waters of the Bosporus Channel.Turkey has borders with several neighboring states, including Greece and Bulgaria in Europe, and Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria in Asia.Egypt is a transcontinental country that resides mostly in North Africa, with some parts of its land mass located in Asia, thanks to the Sinai Peninsula. The Isthmus of Suez and the Suez Canal act as the natural demarcation point between the parts of Egypt located in Asia and those in Africa. The western half of Egypt is located in Africa, whereas the Sinai Peninsula acts as a land link between the two continents.Egypt shares its eastern border with Israel and the Gaza Strip, its southern border with Sudan, and its western border with Libya.The United States can be termed as a non-contiguous transcontinental country because of the territories that lie outside its mainland. In this case, the mainland of the United States, which includes Alaska, lies in North America, while Hawaii is found in the Pacific Ocean region and can be categorized in Oceania. Further, other territories belonging to the United States like Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands also lie in the Oceania region.These territories are geographically disconnected from the mainland, but they belong politically to the United States.The United Kingdom is yet another example of a non-contiguous transcontinental state because of the overseas territories it holds. Even though the mainland of the country is within Europe, there are overseas territories which belong to the UK and are located elsewhere, such as in the Caribbean, including Bermuda and British Virgin Islands, the South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean.Such overseas territories, which do not share land boundaries with the mainland of the UK, belong under the British sovereign state, hence making the United Kingdom a transcontinental state whose presence extends beyond Europe.France has various overseas territories, which ensure that there is an extension of French influence beyond Europe. Some of these territories are found in the Caribbean region, South America, Africa, and even Oceania. Among the overseas territories are French Guiana in South America, Réunion, and French Polynesia and New Caledonia in Oceania. Even though mainland France is located in Europe, these overseas territories are part of France.This has enabled it to be regarded as a transnational state with a global reach.Spain includes territories outside continental Europe, particularly in North Africa. Ceuta and Melilla are two autonomous cities located on the African mainland. In addition, the Canary Islands, located off the northwest coast of Africa, are part of Spain and are geographically associated with the African continent. While mainland Spain lies in Europe, these territories extend its geographic footprint into Africa. This distribution creates a transcontinental presence that includes both European and African regions, demonstrating how territorial holdings can span multiple continents despite political unity under a single nation.Portugal has territorial claims to the Azores island group in the Atlantic Ocean situated between Europe and North America. The islands in the Azores include some that lie on the North American tectonic plate. While the mainland of Portugal belongs to Europe, this gives Portugal territorial claims on another part of the world.The Azores are autonomous yet still belong to Portugal. This makes Portugal one of those few nations that have territories not only within one continent.The overseas territories of the Netherlands in the Caribbean consist of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten. Even though the Netherlands is based in Europe, the aforementioned islands can be found in the Caribbean, which is considered part of North America geographically. The aforementioned islands form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and have their own autonomy while still being under the rule of the Dutch.Such a geographical configuration shows that the Netherlands has an influence on various continents due to its overseas territories.