Which country ties for having the most bordering neighbors in the world, with 14?

China ties for most bordering countries because its land frontier winds across enormous terrain variety, icy steppe in the north, mountains and tropical borders in the south, touching 14 neighbors including Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Vietnam. A country's neighbor count depends less on sheer size and more on border shape and length.

Brazil, despite bordering most of South America, reaches only 10 neighbors, short of 14. India also borders several countries but not nearly as many, so neither matches this particular record.

Russia matches China's 14 neighbors despite being far larger in total land area, showing that having the most neighbors is about a border snaking across a continent, not sheer overall territory.