When in school, it seems so easy to sort countries into categories by continent. Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, North America, South America, and Antarctica are clearly defined, and the countries that make them up are simple… or are they? It’s actually not quite so easy to sort out which countries belong to which continents. Continents are cultural constructs, so the borders drawn aren’t real or legal. We use them to help make sense of the world but sometimes, they’re a bit unclear.
This has led to the existence of transcontinental countries. Transcontinental countries are countries that span more than one continent. Transcontinental countries can be defined in a few ways. Some countries stretch across continental lines, like Russia. Other countries have territories that fall in multiple continents, like France. Keep in mind, also, that some people only recognize five continents: The Americas, Eurasia, Africa, Antarctica, and Australia.
While it’s fluid and ever-changing, we’d like to provide a list of some of the transcontinental countries that make up our Earth. We’ll highlight what makes each country transcontinental, and which continents they fall within. Keep in mind that transcontinental countries are debated and somewhat subjective, depending upon “what counts” when considering the country. Some even include the United States as a transcontinental country!
Let’s dive in and see what countries exist in more than one continent.
Russia
It’s difficult to identify when Russia becomes Asia, but generally, it’s thought that around the portion latitude where the Ural River flows in Kazakhstan is the spot. Both Moscow and St. Petersburg fall within Europe because they are east of that latitude line.
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There are two countries that are pretty much undisputed as being transcontinental countries, and Russia is one of them. Russia is one of the largest countries in the world and stretches across the border between Europe and Asia. For that reason, this country is transcontinental! Most of the country is located squarely within Asia, but the western portion of Russia stretches into Europe. 23% of the country counts as Europe, with the remaining percentage a portion of Asia.
Some of the largest cities in Russia are located in Europe, including Moscow and St. Petersburg. Interestingly enough, despite being the capital of a transcontinental country, Moscow holds the first-place spot for the most populous city on the continent of Europe.
Türkiye
The portion of Türkiye that falls within Europe is called the Balkan portion, while the majority of Türkiye is in Asia.
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The second country that is pretty much considered by everyone to be transcontinental is Türkiye. Türkiye has the same situation as Russia, spanning portions of Europe and Asia. Türkiye is generally considered to fall primarily within West Asia, but the eastern portion of the country is squarely within the continent of Europe. The city of Istanbul, which is one of the largest cities in the country, is thought to fall in both continents, as well.
France
The country of France itself is entirely European, surrounded on all sides by other European countries. Its territories are what makes it transcontinental.
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France is another transcontinental country but for a different reason than the prior two countries. While Türkiye and Russia are transcontinental because their landmass stretches across the continents of Asia and Europe, France is transcontinental due to territories. While the main country of France falls squarely within Europe, the country has many territories located all over the world, placing France, technically, in multiple continents.
French Guiana is located in South America, Guadeloupe is in North America, and the island of Mayotte, which is in the Indian Ocean, is in Africa. With that in mind, France occupies territories in four continents of the world! That’s more than half of the continents on Earth.
United States
While on maps, Hawaii is portrayed as fairly close to the continental US, the state is actually 2,400 miles away. From east to west, the continental states are 2,700 miles. That means there’s almost an entire United States between the continental US and Hawaii!
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The United States is actually considered a transcontinental country, for an interesting reason! While not part of the mainland US, Hawaii is fully a portion of the United States. Hawaii is located in the Pacific Ocean and is considered by many to be a part of Asia. While the US has territories, Hawaii is thought to be fully a portion of the States, making the United States a transcontinental county without considering territories.
Alaska is also part of the reason the US is thought to be transcontinental. The state has islands that enter Asia’s borders, making both non-continental states an argument for the United States falling within multiple territories.
Egypt
The Suez Canal is thought to be the location where Africa turns into Asia. The Sinai Peninsula falls on the eastern side of the Suez Canal, making that portion of Egypt a part of Asia.
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Egypt is another country that is generally considered to be transcontinental. The vast majority of Egypt falls squarely within Africa, however, Europe possesses a peninsula that crosses the border into what is considered Asia. The Sinai Peninsula, which is located in the northeast portion of Egypt, is thought to be part of the Middle East, which is a region of Asia. This makes Egypt a transcontinental country!
Countries that are continuous and split over borders, like Egypt, Türkiye, and Russia are thought to be contiguous transcontinental states. Countries with regions that are not continuous, like the US and France, are considered non-contiguous, despite the difference in territory status.
Kazakhstan
Only 15% of Kazakhstan is in Europe, while the remaining percentage falls within Asia.
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Like Türkiye and Russia, Kazakhstan is a contiguous transcontinental country. Though the country is primarily in Asia, a portion of Kazakhstan falls within Europe. Many folks believe the Ural River is the line that differentiates Asia and Europe within the country of Kazakhstan. The river flows northwestern, splitting the country into two differently sized portions. Like Russia and Türkiye, the largest portion of Kazakhstan is in Asia, while a small portion falls on the western side of the Ural River.
Clearly, the boundary between Asia and Europe is a bit blurry. Egypt, Türkiye, Russia, and Kazakhstan all exist along this blurry border, falling on more than one continent. However, it’s important to remember that the boundary of continents is somewhat arbitrary. It doesn’t affect governing or anything of that nature — it’s simply a cultural construct.
The United Kingdom
There are quite a few European countries with territories that fall on multiple continents, including Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
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Similar to France, the United Kingdom is a transcontinental country because of its territories. This makes it a non-contiguous transcontinental country. The United Kingdom has 14 different territories overseas, falling within the boundaries of a few different continents. The UK has some islands in the Caribbean, which are in North America. There are also territories in the Indian Ocean and in Antarctica, placing the UK in two additional continents.
Summary of 7 Transcontinental Countries
There are a lot of different countries that span more than one continent. When you start to count countries with territories all over the world, the list grows to a large extent. Clearly, it’s hard to define many countries just by their continent. This makes sense because continents are a non-legal classification of world geography.
Here’s a summary of some of the transcontinental countries that make up the globe:
| Country | Type of Transcontinental Country | Continents |
|---|---|---|
| Russia | Contiguous | Europe, Asia |
| Türkiye | Contiguous | Europe, Asia |
| France | Non-Contiguous | Europe, Africa, North America, South America |
| United States | Non-Contiguous | North America, Asia |
| Egypt | Contiguous | Africa, Asia |
| Kazakhstan | Contiguous | Europe, Asia |
| United Kingdom | Non-Contiguous | Europe, North America, Africa, Antarctica |
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