bridge between europe and asia

Which Countries Span on Two Continents?

Which countries are located on two continents?

In the world there are few countries that do not fall within the borders of one, but two continents.

This of course does not include countries like France, Great Britain, USA or Spain, which possess many islands and overseas territories on other continents.

Here, rather it comes to countries with more specific and often very strategic location.

Some countries in the list are well known, but others will be surprise for you.

Let’s take a look:

1. Russia

The largest country in the world is located on vast areas of Europe and Asia.

In cultural terms, Russia is a European country, although geographically the majority of the territory lies in Asia.

It is believed that if a country is situated on two continents it is crucial, on which continent is the capital and in this case the capital Moscow is located in Europe.

It is important to note however that this rule also has its exceptions.

2. Indonesia

Indonesia is located on the territory of thousands of islands.

Most of them are on the territory of Asia, but significant part of the island country is located within the boundaries of Oceania, to which belong Australia and New Zealand.

The largest Indonesian island that falls in Oceania is the island of New Guinea.

However, Indonesia is regarded as a typical Asian country and many people do not even suspect that significant part of the country is located in another geographic region.

3. Kazakhstan

Although Kazakhstan is a typical Asian country, a little known fact is that parts of its territory fall within the boundaries of the continent of Europe.

These are the western-most parts of the country which are located near by the coast of the Caspian Sea.

4. Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is located mainly in Asia, but a small part of the country falls north of the Caucasus mountains and thus within Europe.

Despite the fact that the capital of Azerbaijan is in Asia and culturally the country is much closer to Asia, residents describe themselves as Europeans.

This is evidently in their currency notes, which depicts a map of Europe.

5. Georgia

georgia between asia and europe
Georgia is situated between Europe and Asia.

The reason is that part of its territory is located in the Caucasus mountains which play the role of a boundary between Europe and Asia.

However, Georgia is usually regarded as an Asian country.

6. Turkey

bridge between europe and asia
Turkey is one of the most popular countries situated on two continents.

Bosphorus, Marmara Sea and Dardanelles divide it into European and Asian parts.

The world multi-million metropolis Istanbul, which is the largest and most important Turkish city is located right on the border between Europe and Asia and is virtually built on two continents.

Giant bridges pass through the Bosphorus and connect both parts of this amazing city.

Moreover, Istanbul is considered to be the only city in the world, which is located within the borders of two continents.

7. Panama

panama canal
This small Latin American country is known worldwide for its strategic location.

Panama Canal passes through its territory and connects the Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean Sea.

This is one of the most important water ways in the world.

However, the canal separates North and South America.

Panama is located on both sides of the canal, that is to say on the both continents.

But the truth is different.

Given some geographical characteristics of Panama it is considered as a North American country.

Although Panama’s capital is indeed located on the continent of South America, most of its territory is located in North America.

8. Egypt

Egypt is perhaps the biggest surprise in this list.

With its pyramids, sandy desert and hot sun in the minds of most people Egypt has always been the embodiment of African country.

However, a small part of the territory is located within the borders of Asia.

The famous Sinai Peninsula lies east of the man made Suez Canal which plays the role of barrier between these two continents.