Thousands of years ago, the Malabar Coast was a thriving international trade center serving the ancient civilizations of southern Asia. The Malabar coastline extends from the southern tip of India hundreds of miles to the north, bordering the Arabian Sea. To the east, the Malabar Coast is bordered by the Western Ghats mountain range.

Located in Paparoa National Park on the South Island’s western coast, the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks are stunning limestone formations that sit adjacent to the water. These thin, flat rocks were formed around 30 million years ago and have been shaped by pressure over millions of years. The region also contains a series of vertical blowholes where the sea bursts upwards.

The island nation of Madagascar features the longest coastline of any African country, measuring a length of 3,000 miles. For countries located on mainland Africa, the longest coastline belongs to Somalia, which measures roughly 2,071 miles. South Africa, Mozambique, and Egypt round out the top five longest coastlines in Africa.

Coastal zones — low-lying areas of land next to the sea that extend up to 60 miles inland — are home to about 2.4 billion people, nearly one-third of the world’s population. These zones are major population centers as well, and are home to 75% of the planet’s megacities, which are cities with a population greater than 20 million residents.

The Skeleton Coast is located in Namibia along the Atlantic Ocean, where the waters jut up against the harsh Namibian desert landscape. The coast’s name is likely derived from the bones of stranded whale carcasses that still line its beaches. It’s also home to numerous shipwrecks that have come ashore due to the region’s intense fog and rough waters.

Known in English as Casino Beach, Praia do Cassino occupies a 152-mile-long coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, making it the world’s longest stretch of beach. It hosts an average of 150,000 guests per year, especially during the warmer months of December and January. It’s also home to a large number of sea lions and protected sand dunes.

First investigated by Lewis Richardson and further expanded upon by Benoit Mandelbrot, the coastline paradox describes how when you measure a coastline, its total length increases each time you measure it with a smaller unit of measurement. This is due to the smaller unit’s ability to measure more of the squiggliness found along the average coastline, whereas a larger unit would miss many nooks and crannies.

Asian countries have some spectacular coastlines, though none is longer than Indonesia’s. Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands, which contributes to its coastline that spans a total distance of 61,567 miles. For comparison, the total coastline of the Asian island nation of the Philippines is only 22,549 miles long.

Of all the seas in the world, only one is missing a land boundary. This distinction belongs to the Sargasso Sea, which is contained entirely within the Atlantic Ocean. The Sargasso Sea is named after a free-floating patch of seaweed that reproduces while floating in the water, as opposed to most seaweed which reproduces on the ocean floor.

About 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. Current estimates place the total length of all the world’s coastlines at 372,000 miles, though that number is ever-changing. Beach erosion is among the many issues impacting the length of Earth’s coastlines.

Lesotho is one of the world’s three enclave countries (along with Vatican City and San Marino) contained entirely within another country. Lesothans are separated from the water by surrounding South Africa. Overall, there are 49 landlocked countries in the world. South America’s Bolivia and Paraguay are the only two found outside of Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Located along the Adriatic Sea, the Dalmatian Coast is among Croatia’s most beautiful regions and a popular tourist destination. Activities along the Dalmatian Coast include visiting the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik, kayaking through caves, exploring uninhabited islands, and hiking to the stunning Skradinski Buk waterfall in Krka National Park.

The Giant’s Causeway and adjoining Causeway Coast are a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for the approximately 40,000 towering black basalt columns emerging from the sea. The columns originally formed due to volcanic activity around 50 to 60 million years ago, and later inspired local legends of giants traversing through the sea over to nearby Scotland.

While the longest coastline in the world belongs to Canada, the second-longest — and longest in Europe — is that of Norway, whose rugged shores stretch 36,122 miles. Norway might not be a typical beach destination, but its stunning fjords, coastal landscapes, and quaint fishing villages attract thousands of tourists each year.

Since Monaco is less than one square mile in size, it probably doesn’t come as much surprise that its Mediterranean coastline is the shortest in the world. However, it occupies prime real estate as part of the famous French Riviera. After Monaco, Bosnia and Herzegovina has the second-shortest coastline in the world, stretching 12.4 miles along the Adriatic Sea.

With dramatic rocky cliffs jutting up to turquoise Mediterranean waters and sandy beaches, the Amalfi Coast is one of the Mediterranean Sea’s top tourist destinations. The coastal region, located near Naples in southern Italy, is also known for its cultivation of a type of lemon used in the liqueur limoncello.

Located between 10 to 100 miles off the coast of Queensland, Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef complex. It spans 135,000 square miles and surrounds the mainland coast as well as several nearby islands. The reef is home to exceptional biodiversity and is located in the aptly named Coral Sea.

The Big Sur region of California is a rugged, unspoiled 100-mile stretch of coastline along the Pacific Ocean, starting in Carmel (near Monterey) and ending near Hearst Castle in San Simeon. The area is home to some of California’s most beautiful natural attractions, including Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, which houses 800 acres of coastal redwood.

Alaska’s 6,640-mile-long coastline is, by far, the longest of any state. Next on the list is Florida’s 1,350 miles of coastline. Alaska and Florida are the only two states with more than 1,000 miles of coastline, as California’s coast comes in third on the list at just 840 miles.

Though it’s only the second-largest country by area, Canada has by far the world’s longest coastline — totaling 125,567 miles. The Canadian coast borders three oceans: the Pacific to the west, the Atlantic to the east, and the Arctic to the north. Of the country’s 10 provinces and three territories, all except Alberta and Saskatchewan have coastlines.