2. The US and Russia
Border: Diomede Islands
Area: 3.8 km* apart at their closest point
Est. Gross Domestic Product: $4.148 trillion (Russia) / $27.36 trillion (USA)*
One of the most remarkable geographical contrasts between the United States and Russia is the Diomede Islands in the Bering Strait. The Russian territory of Big Diomede and the Alaskan territory of Little Diomede are divided not only by the International Date Line, which separates them by 21 hours, but also by a distance of only 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometers) of freezing waters.
United States and Russia @Google/Pinterest
Because of their closeness, the American island offers a unique phenomenon in which people can literally look into “tomorrow.” The islands serve as a reminder of the natural world’s apathy to human geopolitical constructs as well as a tangible depiction of the “Ice Curtain” from the Cold War era.
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