science

List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline

List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline rather than just read about it. In short: This article contains a list of countries and dependencies by length of coastline, in kilometers. Though the coastline paradox stipulates that coastlines do not have a well-defined length, there are various methods in use to measure coastlines through ratios and other metrics.

Key takeaways

List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

This article contains a list of countries and dependencies by length of coastline, in kilometers. Though the coastline paradox stipulates that coastlines do not have a well-defined length, there are various methods in use to measure coastlines through ratios and other metrics. A coastline of zero indicates that the country is landlocked.

Coastline paradox

The coastline paradox states that a coastline does not have a well-defined length. Measurements of the length of a coastline behave like a fractal, being different at different scale intervals (distance between points on the coastline at which measurements are taken). The smaller the scale interval (meaning the more detailed the measurement), the longer the coastline will be. This "magnifying" effect is greater for convoluted coastlines than for relatively smooth ones.

Data sources Data marked The World Factbook or TWF is derived from the book published by the Central Intelligence Agency and covers 198 countries and 55 territories. Note that the scales at which The World Factbook figures were measured are not stated, nor is it known whether the figures are all reported using the same scale, thus the figures are necessarily not comparable across different countries.

Data marked World Resources Institute or WRI covers 182 independent countries and 13 dependencies, based on data calculated in 2000 from the World Vector Shoreline, United States Defense Mapping Agency, 1989. It may include territories whose status have changed. According to their technical notes,"Coastline length was derived from the World Vector Shoreline database at 1:250,000 scale. The estimates (...) were calculated using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and an underlying database consistent for the entire world. The methodology used to estimate length is based on the following: 1) A country's coastline is made up of individual lines, and an individual line has two or more vertices and/or nodes. 2) The length between two vertices is calculated on the surface of a sphere. 3) The sum of the lengths of the pairs of vertices is aggregated for each individual line, and 4) the sum of the lengths of individual lines was aggregated for a country. In general, the coastline length of islands that are part of a country, but are not overseas territories, are included in the coastline estimate for that country (e.g., Canary Islands are included in Spain). Coastline length for overseas territories and dependencies are listed separately. Disputed areas are not included in country or regional totals."In addition to coastline lengths, The World Factbook is the source of the land area used to calculate the "coast/area ratio" for both coastline measurements. This ratio measures how many metres of coastline correspond to every square kilometer of land area. The ratio illustrates the ease of accessibility to the country's coast from every point in its interior. Therefore, an island country like Maldives, or a country carved by the sea like Greece, is more likely to have a high ratio, while a landlocked country will have a ratio of zero.

List Data are from the CIA World Factbook and the World Resources Institute. Non-sovereign areas are listed in italics.

See also Coastal India Coastline of Brazil Coastline of China Coastline of Malta Coastline of New Zealand Coastline of the United Kingdom Coastline of Western Australia List of countries bordering on two or more oceans List of U.S. states by coastline

Notes

References

Further reading Eric Bird (2011). "1.5 Coastline length". Coastal Geomorphology: An Introduction. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-96435-3.

Illustrations

List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline

In research: List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Coasts, Geography-related lists, Lists by length, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

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Why does List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

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