Russia Is the World's Northernmost Country (Land Above 80°N)

Russia is the most northerly country by land territory. Its Arctic islands (Franz Josef Land, Severnaya Zemlya, Novaya Zemlya) extend beyond 80°N latitude, the northernmost land on Earth.

Key Points:

• North Pole (90°N) is in the Arctic Ocean—not land, not a country.
• Greenland (Denmark) reaches ~83°N but is an autonomous territory, not sovereign.
• Canada (Nunavut) has land to ~83°N (Ellesmere Island), but Russia's Franz Josef Land (81.8°N) is further north than Canada's northernmost point (Cape Columbia, 83.1°N—wait, Canada actually extends further north). Correction: Canada's Ellesmere Island reaches 83°06′N; Russia's Franz Josef Land reaches 81°50′N. Canada has the northernmost land.

Revised Answer: Canada is the northernmost country (Ellesmere Island, 83°N). Russia is second. Greenland (Denmark) would be first if sovereign. The North Pole belongs to no nation.

Apologies for initial error—geographic precision matters.