Canada & the United States Border

Canada and the United States share the world's longest undefended border. Basically running along the 49th parallel from the west coast to Lake Superior and following natural boundaries for the remainder, it was laid out after many settlements had occurred. While this section also includes information about crossing the border, it mainly focuses on the fascinating oddities that the imposition of this border over existing settlements has created.

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Border Statistics

Boundary on Land: 5061 kilometres (3145 miles)

Identified by a series of straight lines which intersect at boundary monuments
2172 kilometres through forest which requires clearing of a 6 metre vista, on a regular basis
5528 boundary monuments
5700 triangulation stations
Shortest distance between two boundary monuments: 46 centimetres

Boundary on Water: 3830 kilometres (2380 miles)

Identified by a series of straight lines which intersect at unmarked turning points
5723 Turning Points
2457 Reference Monuments

Length of Boundary by Province or Territory

New Brunswick - 513 kilometres (318 miles)
Quebec - 813 kilometres (505 miles)
Ontario - 2760 kilometres (1715 miles)
Manitoba - 497 kilometres (309 miles)
Saskatchewan - 632 kilometres (393 miles)
Alberta - 298 kilometres (185 miles)
British Columbia - 2168 kilometres (1347 miles)
Yukon - 1210 kilometres (752 miles)

Length of Boundary by State

Maine - 983 kilometres (611 miles)
New Hampshire - 93 kilometres (58 miles)
Vermont - 145 kilometres (90 miles)
New York - 716 kilometres (445 miles)
Pennsylvania - 68 kilometres (42 miles)
Ohio - 235 kilometres (146 miles)
Michigan - 1160 kilometres (721 miles)
Minnesota - 880 kilometres (547 miles)
North Dakota - 499 kilometres (310 miles)
Montana - 877 kilometres (545 miles)
Idaho - 72 kilometres (45 miles)
Washington - 687 kilometres (427 miles)
Alaska - 2475 kilometres (1538 miles)

Length of Canada-United States Boundary from Atlantic to Pacific Oceans

6416 kilometres (2878 kilometres - land, 3538 kilometres - water)
3987 miles (4631 miles - land, 2199 miles - water)

Length of Canada-United States Boundary from Pacific to Arctic Oceans

2475 kilometres (2183 kilometres - land, 292 kilometres - water)
1538 miles (1357 miles - land, 182 miles - water)

SOURCE: International Boundary Commission.