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{{Short description|Country with no ocean coastline}}
{{Cleanup|date=January 2007}}
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A '''landlocked country''' is one that has no ], meaning no direct access to ] or ]. As of 2007, there are 43 landlocked countries in the world. A '''landlocked ]''' is a sea that is either not at all or not directly connected to the ]s. The ] and the ] are sometimes considered to be ]s. If that is taken to be true, 44 percent of the total amount of water in the world's lakes forms the Caspian Sea.


[[File:Landlocked countries.svg|thumb|upright=2|{{legend|#810081|Two doubly landlocked countries{{efn|A country is "doubly landlocked" or "double-landlocked" when it is surrounded only by other landlocked countries.}}}}
A sea that is almost landlocked is connected to the oceans by a ] only, such as the ], the ], and the ]. This may be of strategic importance, with one or two countries controlling the entrance, and/or be relevant for ]s and ] content.
{{legend|#008900|Other 42 landlocked countries}}
]]


A '''landlocked country''' is a ] that does not have any territory connected to an ] or whose coastlines lie solely on ]s. Currently, there are 44 landlocked countries, two of them ] (] and ]), and three landlocked ] in the world. ] is the world's largest landlocked country, ] is the furthest landlocked country from any ocean, while ] is the world's most populous landlocked country.<ref name="largestllc">{{cite web |title=Largest LLC |url=https://unctadstat.unctad.org/CountryProfile/GeneralProfile/en-GB/398/index.html |publisher=United Nations Conference on Trade and Development}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/landlocked-country | title=Landlocked country &#124; Meaning, Examples, Maps, List, & Navies &#124; Britannica | date=5 August 2023 }}</ref>
An island country can be conversely considered as it is entirely surrounded by water. In such cases, one must cross water to reach land abroad.

Generally, being landlocked creates political and economic disadvantages that having access to ] would avoid. For this reason, nations large and small throughout history have fought to gain access to open waters, even at great expense in wealth, bloodshed, and ].

The economic disadvantages of being landlocked can be alleviated or aggravated depending on degree of development, surrounding ]s and ], commonality of language, and other considerations. Some landlocked countries in ] are affluent, such as ], ], ], ], ], ], and ], all of which, excluding Luxembourg (a founding member of ]), frequently employ ] in global political issues.

However, 32 out of the 45 landlocked countries, including those in ], ], and ], have been classified as ] (LLDCs) by the ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Paudel |first=R. C. |year=2012 |title=Growth and Export Performance of Developing Countries: Is Landlockedness Destiny? |chapter=Landlockedness and Economic Growth: New Evidence |publisher=Australian National University |location=Canberra, Australia |chapter-url=https://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/12009/1/Paudel_R.C._2013.pdf |pages=13–72 }}</ref> Nine of the twelve countries with the lowest ] rankings are landlocked.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Faye |first1=M. L. |last2=McArthur |first2=J. W. |last3=Sachs |first3=J. D. |author-link3=Jeffrey Sachs |last4=Snow |first4=T. |year=2004 |title=The Challenges Facing Landlocked Developing Countries |journal=Journal of Human Development |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=31–68 |doi=10.1080/14649880310001660201 |s2cid=10442596 }}</ref> International initiatives are aimed at reducing inequalities resulting from issues such as these, such as the United Nations ], which aims to reduce inequality substantially by 2030.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Goal 10 targets|url=https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-10-reduced-inequalities/targets.html|access-date=2020-09-23|website=UNDP|language=en|archive-date=2020-11-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127140337/https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-10-reduced-inequalities/targets.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== History ==
In 1990, there were only 30 landlocked countries in the world. However, the ] of the ] and ]; the ]; the ]s of ] (de facto state), ], ], ], and the ] (de facto state); and the ] of ] (de facto state) created 15 new landlocked countries and five landlocked de facto states while the former landlocked country of ] ceased to exist on 1 January 1993.<ref></ref>

On 30 September 2022, the ] (de facto state) was ] and ceased to exist as a landlocked de facto state.<ref></ref>

On 19 September 2023, ] launched a new offensive against the ] (de facto state) and achieved a decisive victory.<ref></ref> The ] was officially dissolved on 1 January 2024. As a result, Artsakh ceased to exist as a landlocked de facto state and the ] region was reintegrated into Azerbaijan.<ref></ref>

As of 1 April 2024, there were 44 landlocked countries and three landlocked ] (], ], and ]) in the world.


== Significance == == Significance ==
]'s loss of its coastline in the ] (1879–1884) remains a major political issue]]


Historically, being landlocked has been disadvantageous to a country's development. It cuts a nation off from important sea resources such as ], and impedes or prevents direct access to ], a crucial component of economic and social advance. As such, coastal regions, or inland regions that have access to the World Ocean, tended to be wealthier and more heavily populated than inland regions that have no access to the World Ocean. ] in his book '']'' argues that being landlocked in a poor geographical neighbourhood is one of four major development "traps" by which a country can be held back. In general, he found that when a neighbouring country experiences better growth, it tends to spill over into favorable development for the country itself. For landlocked countries, the effect is particularly strong, as they are limited in their trading activity with the rest of the world. He states, "If you are coastal, you serve the world; if you are landlocked, you serve your neighbors."<ref>{{cite book |title=The Bottom Billion |url=https://archive.org/details/bottombillionwhy00coll_0 |url-access=registration |last=Collier |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Collier |year= 2007|publisher= Oxford University Press|location= New York |isbn=978-0-19-537338-7 |pages=, 57 }}</ref> Others have argued that being landlocked has an advantage as it creates a "natural tariff barrier" that protects the country from cheap imports. In some instances, this has led to more robust local food systems.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Moseley |first1=W. G. |first2=J. |last2=Carney |first3=L. |last3=Becker |year=2010 |title=Neoliberal Policy, Rural Livelihoods and Urban Food Security in West Africa: A Comparative Study of The Gambia, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali |journal=] |volume=107 |issue=13 |pages=5774–5779 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0905717107 |pmid=20339079 |bibcode=2010PNAS..107.5774M |pmc=2851933 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Moseley |first=W. G. |year=2011 |title=Lessons from the 2008 Global Food Crisis: Agro-Food Dynamics in Mali |journal=Development in Practice |volume=21 |issue=4–5 |pages=604–612 |doi=10.1080/09614524.2011.561290 |s2cid=153852580 }}</ref>
Historically, being landlocked was regarded as a disadvantageous position. It cuts the country off from sea resources such as ], but more importantly cuts off access to seaborne ] which, even today, makes up a large percentage of international trade. Around the world, coastal regions tend to be wealthier and more heavily populated than inland ones.


Landlocked ] have significantly higher costs of international cargo transportation compared to coastal developing countries (in Asia the ratio is 3:1).<ref name=unctad160>{{cite book |author=United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) |author-link=United Nations Conference on Trade and Development |title=Review of Maritime Transport, 2010 |url=http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Download.asp?docid=14218&lang=1&intItemID=2068 |page=160 |year=2010 |publisher=] |location=New York and Geneva |format=PDF |isbn=978-92-1-112810-9 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Countries thus have made particular efforts to avoid being landlocked. The ], which owned the modern-day ], was given a thin piece of land bisecting ] to connect it to the sea by the ] in ]. The ] once gifted the town of ] to the ] because it did not want to have a land border with Venice; this small municipality was inherited by ] and now provides limited sea access, splitting the ]n part of the Adriatic coast in two. After ] ] was given the ] to provide an outlet to the sea. The ] was ] so that landlocked ], ] and ] (and the southern parts of ], itself not landlocked) could have secure access to the sea. In the ]s, the ], despite having an extensive ] coastline, pursued "]" - an ] ideal which held that it was the destiny of the US to control area from the ] to ] - granting it two coastlines. This is a further example of the strategic and economic importance of controlling coastline.


Historically, traveling between a landlocked country and a country which did not border said country required the traveler to pass border controls twice or more. In recent times the advent of ] has largely negated this impediment.
Losing access to the sea is often a great blow to nations. The creation of the new states of ] and ], brought about by successful separatist movements, have caused ] and ] respectively to become landlocked. ] lost its coastline to Chile in the ]. Still to this day the ] trains in ] for an eventual recovery and, in the 21st century, the selection of the route of gas pipes from Bolivia to the sea fueled ].


=== Actions to avoid being landlocked ===
Austria and Hungary also lost their access to the sea as a consequence of the ] in 1920. Before, although ] had a constitutional ] within ], the City of ] on the Croatian coast was independent, governed directly as a ''corpus separatum'' from ] by an appointed governor, to provide Hungary with its only international ] in the periods 1779-1813, 1822-1848 and 1868-1918.
Countries have acted to overcome being landlocked by acquiring land that reaches the sea:


* The ], in 1699, gave the town of ] to the ] because it did not want to have a land border with the ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jennings|first=Ken|title=This Country's Coastline Is So Short, You Could Walk It in A Day|url=https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-bosnia-ended-up-with-just-12-miles-of-coastline|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Condé Nast Traveler|date=19 September 2016|language=en-us}}</ref> This small municipality was inherited by ] and now provides limited sea access, splitting the ]n part of the Adriatic coast in two. Since Bosnia and Herzegovina is a new country, railways and ports have not been built for its need. There is no freight port along its short coastline at ], making it effectively landlocked, although there are plans to change this. Instead, the ] in Croatia is used.
When the ] divided the former ] under the ] at the close of ], ] was promised part of the Trebizond vilayet (roughly corresponding to the modern ] and ] provinces in ]). This would have granted Armenia access to the ]. However, the Sèvres treaty collapsed with the ] and was superseded by the ] which firmly established Turkish rule over the area.
* The ], which owned the territory now constituting the ], was awarded a narrow piece of land cutting through ] to connect it to the sea by the ] in 1885.
* After ], in the ], a part of ] designated "the ]" was given to the new ], for access to the ]. This gave ] a short coastline, but without a large harbour. This was also the pretext for making Danzig (now ]) with its harbour the ], to which Poland was given free access. However, the Germans placed obstacles to this free access, especially when it came to military material. In response, the small fishing harbour of ] was soon greatly enlarged.
*As a result of a 2005 territorial exchange with ], ] received a 600-metre (650-yard) long bank of the ] (which is an ]),<ref>{{cite web|title=Danube River Basin|url=http://www.internationalwatersgovernance.com/danube-river-basin.html|access-date=June 30, 2018|publisher=International Waterway Governance}})</ref> subsequently building its ] there.


=== Trade agreements ===
The ] now gives a landlocked country a right of access to and from the sea, without taxation of traffic through transit states. The ] has a programme of action to assist , and the current responsible Undersecretary-General is ].
Countries can make agreements on getting free transport of goods through neighbouring countries:


* The ] required Germany to offer ] a lease for 99 years of parts of the ports in ] and ], allowing Czechoslovakia sea trade via the ] and ] rivers. Stettin was annexed<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Cold War 1949-2016|last=Martin|first=McCauley|publisher=Routledge|year=2017|isbn=978-1-315-21330-9|location=New York|pages=4, 5, 6}}</ref> by ] after ], but ] continued the ] so that part of the port (now called ]) until 2028<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-12-02 |title=What next for Czech port lot after Hamburg's rejection of Olympics? |url=https://english.radio.cz/what-next-czech-port-lot-after-hamburgs-rejection-olympics-8240796 |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=Radio Prague International |language=en}}</ref> could be used for sea trade by a successor of Czechoslovakia, the ].
Some countries may have a large coastline, much of it may not be readily usable for trade and commerce. For instance, in its early history ]'s only ports were on the ] and frozen shut much of the year. Gaining control of a ] was a major motivator of Russian expansion towards the ], ] and ]. On the other hand, some landlocked countries can have access to the ocean through wide navigable rivers. For instance, Paraguay (and Bolivia to a lesser extent) have access to the ocean through the Paraguay and Parana rivers.
* The ] is ], and thus landlocked ], ], ], ], and ] have secure access to the ] (the same access is given to inland parts of Germany and Croatia, though Germany and Croatia are not landlocked). However, oceangoing ships cannot use the Danube, so cargo must be transloaded anyway, and many overseas imports into Austria and Hungary use land transport from Atlantic and Mediterranean ports. A similar situation exists for the ] river where Switzerland has boat access, but not oceangoing ships. ] has such through the ], but ] has no boat access, even though it is located along the Rhine, as the Rhine is not navigable that far upstream.
* The ] is an international waterway so that landlocked ] has access to the ] (since Laos became independent from ]). However, it is not navigable above the ].
* ] allow transshipment to short-distance ships or river vessels.
* The ] allows sealed road transport without customs checks and charges, mostly in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} UNECE |url=https://unece.org/history-0 |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=unece.org}}</ref>


=== Political repercussions ===
Several countries have coastlines on landlocked ]s, such as the ] and the ]. Since these seas are sometimes considered to be ]s, and since they do not allow access to seaborne trade, countries such as ] are still considered to be landlocked.
Losing access to the sea is generally a great loss to a nation, politically, militarily, and economically. The following are examples of countries becoming landlocked.


* The independence of ], brought about by the 30-year ],<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Eritrean Struggle for Independence - Domination, resistance, nationalism 1941-1993|last=Iyob|first=Ruth|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1997|isbn=978-0-521-47327-9|location=Cambridge|pages=11–25}}</ref> caused ] to become landlocked in 1991 (''de facto'')/1993 (''de jure''): the ] operated from foreign ports in ] and ] before being dissolved in 1996.
An ], a country completely surrounded by water, is the opposite of a landlocked one.
* ]'s ] to abandon the ] caused the ] to become a landlocked ].
* ] lost its coastline to ] in the ] and accepted it in treaties signed in 1884 and 1904. The last treaty gives port storage facilities and special treatment for the transit of goods from and to Bolivia through Chilean ports and territory. Peru and Argentina have also given special treatment for the transit of goods. A fluvial ], which did not exist at the time of the ], was created later and both trains and operates in ] and rivers. The Bolivian people annually celebrate a patriotic "]" (Day of the Sea) to remember its territorial loss, which included both the coastal city of ] and what has proven to be one of the most significant and lucrative copper deposits in the world. Early in the 21st century, the selection of the route of gas pipes from Bolivia to the sea fueled ], as people were against the option of laying the pipes through Chilean territory.
* Austria and Hungary also lost their access to the sea as a consequence of the ] and the ] (1920) respectively. Previously, although ] had a limited constitutional ] within the ], the City of ]/] on the Croatian coast was governed directly from ] by an appointed governor as a '']'', to provide Hungary with its only international ] in the periods 1779–1813, 1822–1848 and 1868–1918. The most important ports in Austria were ] and ], now in ] and Croatia.
* By 1801, the ]'s dominion of ] assumed the shape it is now remembered for: that of a landlocked ] with territories in central Deccan, bounded on all sides by ], whereas 150 years earlier it had had a ] on the ] that was annexed by the British.<ref>{{cite book |first1=P. N. |last1=Chopra |first2=B. N. |last2=Puri |first3=M. N. |last3=Das |title=A Comprehensive History of India |volume=3 |page=298 }}</ref>
* It is possible that one of the causes of the ] was ]'s lack of direct ocean access (although this is disputed; see the linked article).
* When the ] divided the former ] under the ] at the close of ], ] was promised part of the Trebizond vilayet (roughly corresponding to the modern ] and ] provinces in ]). This would have given Armenia access to the ]. However, the Sèvres treaty collapsed with the ] and was superseded by the ], which firmly established Turkish rule over the area.
* In 2011, ] broke off from the ], causing the former to become landlocked. There still remains conflict over the oil fields in South Sudan between the two countries.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-02 |title=The 10 Newest Countries In The World |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/geography/the-10-newest-countries-in-the-world.html |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=WorldAtlas |language=en-US}}</ref>


The ] now gives a landlocked country a right of access to and from the sea without taxation of traffic through transit states. The ] has a programme of action to assist landlocked developing countries,<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928015547/http://www.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls/lldc/default.htm |date=2011-09-28 }}</ref> and the current responsible Undersecretary-General is ].
==List of landlocked countries==
<!-- Please use native wiki formatting, not HTML -->
{|
|-
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* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]*
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]* **
* ]
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
* ]
* ]
* ]*
* ]
* ] **
* ]
* ]
* ]
|-
|}
:''* Has a coast on the non-freshwater ]''
:''** Has a coast on the non-freshwater ]''


Some countries have a long coastline, but much of it may not be readily usable for trade and commerce. For instance, in its early history, ]'s only ports were on the ] and frozen shut for much of the year. The wish to gain control of a ] was a major motivator of Russian expansion towards the ], ], and ]. On the other hand, some landlocked countries can have access to the ocean along wide navigable rivers. For instance, Paraguay (and Bolivia to a lesser extent) have access to the ocean through the ] and ] rivers.
They can be grouped in ''contiguous'' groups as follows:


Several countries have coastlines on landlocked bodies of water, such as the ] and the ]. Since these seas are in effect ]s without access to wider seaborne trade, countries such as ] are still considered landlocked. Although the Caspian Sea is connected to the Black Sea via the man-made ], large oceangoing ships are unable to traverse it.
*Central Asia landlocked countries (6): ], ], ], ], ], ]
*Central European and Balkan landlocked countries (8): ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]
*Central African landlocked countries (5): ], ], ], ], ]
*South African landlocked countries (4): ], ], ], ]
*East African landlocked countries (3): ], ], ]
*Caucasian landlocked countries (2): ], ]
*South American landlocked countries (2): ], ]


Some countries or important parts of countries have coastlines or river ports reachable by oceangoing ships, but only through a strait or river part of the territory of another country. The other country can put restriction on passage. Between 1429 and 1857 ], ], ] and more Baltic countries were suffering from the ], a toll needed to be paid to reach Western European waters. Sweden bypassed it by conquering ] in 1658.
There are the following 'single' landlocked countries (each of them borders no other landlocked country):


== By degree ==
*Africa: ], ], ]
Landlocked countries may be bordered by a single country having direct access to the ], two or more such countries, or be surrounded by other landlocked countries, making a country doubly landlocked.
*Asia: ], ], ], ]
*Europe: ], ], ], ], ], ]


=== Landlocked by a single country ===
] is the continent with the most landlocked countries (16), while ] is a close second with 15. ] has 10, while ] has only 2. ] and ] are the only continents with no landlocked countries. (Oceania is also notable for having almost no land borders.)
Three countries are landlocked by a single country (] countries):


* ], a state surrounded by ].
===]===
* ], a state surrounded by ].
A country which is completely surrounded by other landlocked countries is said to be ]. There are only two such countries in the world.
* ], a ] surrounded by ], specifically ].


=== Landlocked by two countries ===
The full article for ] countries has been moved to it's own page.
Seven landlocked countries are surrounded by only two mutually bordering neighbours (semi-enclaved countries):


* ] (between ] and ])
=== Nearly landlocked ===
* ] (between ] and ])
* ] (between ] and ])
* ] (between ] and ]) – one of the only two "doubly landlocked countries" in the world
* ] (between ] and ]) – ignoring ], a de facto state
* ] (between ] and ])
* ] (between ] and ])


To this group could be added three landlocked territories, two of them '']'' ]:
The following countries are almost landlocked, and their short coastlines measure only a tiny fraction of the length of their land ]s. The list below gives the countries where this fraction is less than 5%:


* ] (between ] and ]) – de facto state
*], 0.3%
* ] (between ] and ]) – de facto state
*], 1.4%
* ] (between ] and ]) – ] partly administered by the ]<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sweileh|first1=Waleed M.|last2=Al-Jabi|first2=Samah W.|last3=Sawalha|first3=Ansam F.|last4=Zyoud|first4=Sa'ed H.|date=2009-04-07|title=Pharmacy Education and Practice in West Bank, Palestine|journal=American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education|volume=73|issue=2|page=38|doi=10.5688/aj730238|issn=0002-9459|pmc=2690900|pmid=19513177|quote=The West Bank is a landlocked territory on the west bank of the Jordan River in the Middle East.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Daghara|first1=Azza|last2=Al-Khatib|first2=Issam A.|last3=Al-Jabari|first3=Maher|date=2019-06-23|title=Quality of Drinking Water from Springs in Palestine: West Bank as a Case Study|journal=Journal of Environmental and Public Health|volume=2019|pages=1–7|doi=10.1155/2019/8631732|issn=1687-9805|pmc=6612393|pmid=31341486|quote=The West Bank is a landlocked region close to the Mediterranean shoreline of Western Asia|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Musaee|first1=Anwar H. M.|last2=Abbas|first2=Eeman Muhammad|last3=Mujani|first3=Wan Kamal|last4=Sidik|first4=Roziah|date=2014|title=Financial Analysis of Waqf Real Estate Revenues in the West Bank: 1994-2014|url=https://econpapers.repec.org/article/asiaeafrj/2014_3ap_3a1260-1274.htm|journal=Asian Economic and Financial Review|volume=4|issue=10|pages=1260–1274|quote=The West Bank is a landlocked territory near the eastern Mediterranean coast|access-date=2020-09-05|archive-date=2015-09-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908043236/http://econpapers.repec.org/article/asiaeafrj/2014_3ap_3a1260-1274.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|journal=ARCA|last=Sperti|first=Luigi|title=Instruments and Methods for the Survey and Analysis of Amphitheatres|url=https://iris.unive.it/handle/10278/3684456|hdl=10278/3684456|hdl-access=free|quote=The West Bank is a landlocked territory bordering Jordan|doi=10.1515/9789048519590-038}}</ref>
*], 1.6%
*], 1.6%
*], 3.0%
*], 3.3%
*], 3.4%
*], 4.6%


=== Doubly landlocked<!-- Section redirected from ] --> ===
== Corridors ==
A country is "doubly landlocked" or "double-landlocked" when it is surrounded entirely by landlocked countries (i.e. requiring the crossing of at least two national borders to reach a coastline).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geolounge.com/landlocked-countries/ |title=Landlocked Countries |last1=Dempsey Morais |first1=Caitlin |publisher=Geolounge |access-date=November 4, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://geography.about.com/od/politicalgeography/a/landlocked.htm |title=Landlocked Countries |publisher=] |access-date=November 4, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906114011/http://geography.about.com/od/politicalgeography/a/landlocked.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> There are two such countries:


* ] in ], surrounded by ] and ].<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1007/BF00273120 |journal=GeoJournal |volume=28 |issue=4 |title=IGU regional conference on environment and quality of life in central Europe|year=1992 |s2cid=189889904 }}</ref>
A landlocked country may be given access to the sea through a ].
* ] in ], surrounded by ], ], ], ], and ].<ref></ref>


After the dissolution of the ], the ] became a doubly landlocked state, bordering ], ], ], the ] (] exclave), ], and ]. The latter two were themselves landlocked between each other, Württemberg, and Baden. In 1866 they became an exclave of ], giving Württemberg a border with a coastal country but any path to a coast would still lead across at least two borders. The ] which was independent between 1815 and 1866 was doubly landlocked as it bordered the ], the ], ], and ]. In the ] there were several other landlocked states that only bordered landlocked states and landlocked exclaves of coastal states: the ], ], ] (all until 1866), ], ] (both until 1826), and ] (until 1871). All of these bordered Prussia but not the main territory with sea access.
In the ], a part of Germany, designated "the ]", was given to the new post-] country ], for access to the ], which was also the pretext for making Danzig with its harbour the ]. This made Poland a semi-landlocked country as described in the previous section. In addition to losing territory, ] was turned into an ], separated from ] proper by the same "Polish Corridor". A much smaller exterritorial land corridor, for a ] or a road which would connect ] to ] without artificial obstructions, was denied.


There were no doubly landlocked countries from the ] in 1871 until the end of ]. Liechtenstein bordered the ], which had an ] coastline, and Uzbekistan was then part of the ], which had both ocean and sea access.
The ] has a sea corridor while ] lost its corridor to the sea after the ].


With the ] in 1918 and creation of an independent, landlocked ], Liechtenstein became the sole doubly landlocked country until 1938. In the ] that year, Austria was absorbed into ], which possessed a border on the ] and the ]. After World War II, Austria regained its independence and Liechtenstein once again became doubly landlocked.
== Railway missing links ==
While the ] systems of Europe and North America all interconnect (albeit sometimes with incompatible technology), Africa, South and Central America, Asia and the Middle East generally do not connect very well. This might be called "'''rail-locked'''". ], for instance, the capital of landlocked ], does not have any railway connection.


Uzbekistan, which had been part of the ] and then the ], gained its independence with the ] in 1991 and became the second doubly landlocked country.
==Notes==

<references/>
However, Uzbekistan's doubly landlocked status depends on whether the ] is considered a lake or a sea. In the latter case, Uzbekistan is not doubly landlocked, since its neighbors Turkmenistan and ] have access to the Caspian Sea.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zimnitskaya |first1=Hanna |last2=von Geldern |first2=James |date=January 2011 |title=Is the Caspian Sea a sea; and why does it matter? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879366510000424 |journal=Journal of Eurasian Studies |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=1-14 |access-date=September 2, 2024}}</ref>
{{Citations missing|date=December 2006}}

== List of landlocked countries and landlocked de facto states ==
{| class="sortable wikitable"
! ]
! ] (km<sup>2</sup>)
! ]
! ]
! ]
! Neighbouring country(ies)
! Count
! width=80|Neighbours with ocean access
|-
| {{flag|Afghanistan}}
| style="text-align:right;"|652,230
| style="text-align:right;"|33,369,945
| ]
| ]
| ], ], ], ], ],{{ref label|Caspian|a|a}} ]{{ref label|Double landlocked|d|d}}
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
| {{flag|Andorra}}
| style="text-align:right;"|468
| style="text-align:right;"|77,543
| ]
| ]
| ] and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Armenia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|29,743
| style="text-align:right;"|3,000,756
| Asia
| ]
| ],{{ref label|Caspian|a|a}} ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
| {{flag|Austria}}
| style="text-align:right;"|83,871
| style="text-align:right;"|9,027,999
| Europe
| ]
| ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|8
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
| {{flag|Azerbaijan}}{{ref label|Caspian|a|a}}
| style="text-align:right;"|86,600
| style="text-align:right;"|10,353,296
| Asia
| Western Asia
| ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
| {{flag|Belarus}}
| style="text-align:right;"|207,600
| style="text-align:right;"|9,255,524
| Europe
| ]
| ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
| {{flag|Bhutan}}
| style="text-align:right;"|38,394
| style="text-align:right;"|691,141
| Asia
| Southern Asia
| ] and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Bolivia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,098,581
| style="text-align:right;"|12,054,379
| ]
| ]
| ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
| {{flag|Botswana}}
| style="text-align:right;"|582,000
| style="text-align:right;"|2,384,246
| ]
| ]
| ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Burkina Faso}}
| style="text-align:right;"|274,222
| style="text-align:right;"|21,935,389
| Africa
| ]
| ], ], ], ], the ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
| {{flag|Burundi}}
| style="text-align:right;"|27,834
| style="text-align:right;"|11,865,821
| Africa
| ]
| ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Central African Republic}}
| style="text-align:right;"|622,984
| style="text-align:right;"|5,454,533
| Africa
| ]
| ], ], the ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
| {{flag|Chad}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,284,000
| style="text-align:right;"|17,963,211
| Africa
| Middle Africa
| ], the ], ], the ], ], and the ]
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
| {{flag|Czech Republic}}
| style="text-align:right;"|78,867
| style="text-align:right;"|10,516,707
| Europe
| Eastern Europe
| ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Eswatini}}
| style="text-align:right;"|17,364
| style="text-align:right;"|1,160,164
| Africa
| Southern Africa
| ] and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Ethiopia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,104,300
| style="text-align:right;"|113,656,596
| Africa
| Eastern Africa
| ], ], ], ], ]{{ref label|Disputed|b|b}}, ], and the ]
| style="text-align:center;"|6/7
| style="text-align:center;"|5/6
|-
| {{flag|Hungary}}
| style="text-align:right;"|93,028
| style="text-align:right;"|9,689,010
| Europe
| Eastern Europe
| ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
| {{flag|Kazakhstan}}{{ref label|Caspian|a|a}}
| style="text-align:right;"|2,724,900
| style="text-align:right;"|19,644,100
| Asia
| ]
| ], ], ], ],{{ref label|Caspian|a|a}} and ]{{ref label|Double landlocked|d|d}}
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Kosovo}}{{ref label|Disputed|b|b}}
| style="text-align:right;" |10,908
| style="text-align:right;" |1,806,279
| Europe
| Southern Europe
| ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;" |4
| style="text-align:center;" |2
|-
| {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
| style="text-align:right;"|199,951
| style="text-align:right;"|6,071,750
| Asia
| Central Asia
| ], ],{{ref label|Caspian|a|a}} ], and ]{{ref label|Double landlocked|d|d}}
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
| {{flag|Laos}}
| style="text-align:right;"|236,800
| style="text-align:right;"| 7,749,595
| Asia
| ]
| ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
| {{flag|Lesotho}}{{ref label|Within|c|c}}
| style="text-align:right;"|30,355
| style="text-align:right;"|2,281,454
| Africa
| Southern Africa
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
| {{flag|Liechtenstein}}{{ref label|Double landlocked|d|d}}
| style="text-align:right;"|160
| style="text-align:right;"|35,789
| Europe
| Western Europe
| ] and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|0
|-
| {{flag|Luxembourg}}
| style="text-align:right;"|2,586
| style="text-align:right;"|502,202
| Europe
| Western Europe
| ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
| {{flag|Malawi}}
| style="text-align:right;"|118,484
| style="text-align:right;"|20,091,635
| Africa
| Eastern Africa
| ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Mali}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,240,192
| style="text-align:right;"|21,473,764
| Africa
| Western Africa
| ], ], ], ], ], the ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
| {{flag|Moldova}}
| style="text-align:right;"|33,846
| style="text-align:right;"|3,559,500
| Europe
| Eastern Europe
| ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Mongolia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,566,500
| style="text-align:right;"|3,227,863
| Asia
| ]
| ] and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Nepal}}
| style="text-align:right;"|147,516
| style="text-align:right;"|30,666,598
| Asia
| Southern Asia
| ] and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Niger}}
| style="text-align:right;"|1,267,000
| style="text-align:right;"|24,484,587
| Africa
| Western Africa
| ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|7
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
| {{flag|North Macedonia}}
| style="text-align:right;" |25,713
| style="text-align:right;" |1,836,713
| Europe
| Southern Europe
| ], ], ], ],{{ref label|Disputed|b|b}} and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|4/5
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
| {{flag|Paraguay}}
| style="text-align:right;"|406,752
| style="text-align:right;"|7,356,409
| Americas
| South America
| ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|Transnistria}}{{ref label|Disputed|b|b}}
| style="text-align:right;" |4,163
| style="text-align:right;" |505,153
| Europe
| Eastern Europe
| ] and ]
| style="text-align:center;" |2
| style="text-align:center;" |1
|-
| {{flag|Rwanda}}
| style="text-align:right;"|26,338
| style="text-align:right;"|12,955,736
| Africa
| Eastern Africa
| ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|San Marino}}{{ref label|Within|c|c}}
| style="text-align:right;"|61
| style="text-align:right;"|31,716
| Europe
| Southern Europe
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
| {{flag|Serbia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|88,361
| style="text-align:right;"|6,690,887
| Europe
| Southern Europe
| ] (via ]), ], ], ],<br>], ],{{ref label|Disputed|b|b}} ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|8
| style="text-align:center;"|5/6
|-
| {{flag|Slovakia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|49,035
| style="text-align:right;"|5,460,185
| Europe
| Eastern Europe
| ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-
| {{flag|South Ossetia}}{{ref label|Disputed|b|b}}
| style="text-align:right;" |3,900
| style="text-align:right;" |72,000
| Asia
| Western Asia
| ] and ]
| style="text-align:center;" |2
| style="text-align:center;" |2
|-
| {{flag|South Sudan}}
| style="text-align:right;"|644,329
| style="text-align:right;"|11,544,905
| Africa
| Eastern Africa
| The ], ], ], ], the ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
| {{flag|Switzerland}}
| style="text-align:right;"|41,284
| style="text-align:right;"|8,636,896
| Europe
| Western Europe
| ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
| {{flag|Tajikistan}}
| style="text-align:right;"|143,100
| style="text-align:right;"|9,119,347
| Asia
| Central Asia
| ], ], ], and ]{{ref label|Double landlocked|d|d}}
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
| {{flag|Turkmenistan}}{{ref label|Caspian|a|a}}
| style="text-align:right;"|488,100
| style="text-align:right;"|5,636,011
| Asia
| Central Asia
| ], ], ],{{ref label|Caspian|a|a}} and ]{{ref label|Double landlocked|d|d}}
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
| {{flag|Uganda}}
| style="text-align:right;"|241,038
| style="text-align:right;"|45,853,778
| Africa
| Eastern Africa
| ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
| {{flag|Uzbekistan}}{{ref label|Double_landlocked|d|d}}
| style="text-align:right;"|449,100
| style="text-align:right;"|36,001,262
| Asia
| Central Asia
| ], ],{{ref label|Caspian|a|a}} ], ], and ]{{ref label|Caspian|a|a}}
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|0
|-
| {{flag|Vatican City}}{{ref label|Within|c|c}}
| style="text-align:right;"|0.49
| style="text-align:right;"|826
| Europe
| Southern Europe
| ]
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
| {{flag|Zambia}}
| style="text-align:right;"|752,612
| style="text-align:right;"|19,610,769
| Africa
| Eastern Africa
| ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|8
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
| {{flag|Zimbabwe}}
| style="text-align:right;"|390,757
| style="text-align:right;"|15,121,004
| Africa
| Eastern Africa
| ], ], ], and ]
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|2
|-class="sortbottom"
! Total
| style="text-align:right;"|14,776,228
| style="text-align:right;"|475,818,737
| rowspan="2" colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| ''N/A''
|-class="sortbottom"
! Percentage of the World
| style="text-align:right;"|9.9%
| style="text-align:right;"|5.9%
|}

Notes:

:{{note label|Caspian|a|a}} ''Has a coastline on the inland saltwater ]''
:{{note label|Disputed|b|b}} ''De facto state''
:{{note label|Within|c|c}} ''Landlocked by a single country''
:{{note label|Double landlocked|d|d}} ''Doubly landlocked country''

=== Groupings ===
The landlocked countries and ] can be grouped in ''contiguous'' groups as follows:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ihs.ac.at/publications/tec/te-14.pdf |title=Economic Development Problems of Landlocked Countries |publisher=Wien Institute for Advanced Studies |page=12 |first1=Landis |last1=MacKellar |first2=Andreas |last2=Wörgötter |first3=Julia |last3=Wörz}}</ref>

* Eastern, Middle, and Western African cluster (10): ], ], the ], ], ], ], the ], ], ], and ]<ref name="Africa"></ref>
* Eastern, Southern, and Western European cluster (9): ], ], ], ] (de facto state), ], ], ], ], and ]<ref name="Europe"></ref>
* Central and Southern Asian cluster (6): ], ], ], ], ], and ]<ref name="Asia"></ref>
* Eastern and Southern African cluster (4): ], ], ], and ]<ref name="Africa" />
* Eastern European group (2): ] and ] (de facto state)<ref name="Europe" />
* South American group (2): ] and ]<ref></ref>
* Western Asian group (2): ] and ]<ref name="Asia" />

Notes:

# If it were not for the {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} of ]line at ], ] would join the two African clusters into one, making it the biggest contiguous cluster in the world instead.
# The Central and Southern Asian cluster and the Western Asian group can be considered contiguous, joined by the landlocked ]. ] is almost a part of this cluster too, being separated from ] by only {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=on}}, across Chinese or Russian territory.
# Before the ], the ] of ], ], and ] formed their own Southern Asian group.

=== "Single" landlocked countries ===
There are the following 12 "single" landlocked countries (each of them borders no other landlocked country or de facto state):

* Asia (5): ], ], ], ], and ] (de facto state)<ref name="Asia" />
* Europe (5): ], ], ], ], and ] (the ])<ref name="Europe" />
* Africa (2): ] and ]<ref name="Africa" />

== Landlocked countries by continent ==
According to the ] (excluding the ]), ] has the most landlocked countries, at 16, followed by ] (14), ] (12), and ] (2). However, if ], ], ], and ] (de facto state) are counted as parts of Europe, then Europe has the most landlocked countries, at 20 (including all three landlocked de facto states). If these ] or ] European countries are included in Asia, then both Africa and Europe (including ] and ]) have the most, at 16. Depending on the status of ] and the ] countries, Asia has between 9 and 13 (including ]). South America only has two landlocked countries: ] and ].

] and ] have no landlocked countries, while ] has no countries at all. ] (which is usually not considered a continent but a geographical region by the ]) also has no landlocked countries.

All landlocked countries, except ] and ], are located on the ] of ].


== See also == == See also ==
{{Portal|Geography}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
** ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ]


== Notes ==
]
{{Notelist}}
]


== References ==
]
{{reflist|30em}}
]

]
{{Authority control}}
]

]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 13:26, 31 December 2024

Country with no ocean coastline "Landlocked" redirects here. For other uses, see Landlocked (disambiguation).
  Two doubly landlocked countries   Other 42 landlocked countries

A landlocked country is a country that does not have any territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie solely on endorheic basins. Currently, there are 44 landlocked countries, two of them doubly landlocked (Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan), and three landlocked de facto states in the world. Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country, Kyrgyzstan is the furthest landlocked country from any ocean, while Ethiopia is the world's most populous landlocked country.

Generally, being landlocked creates political and economic disadvantages that having access to international waters would avoid. For this reason, nations large and small throughout history have fought to gain access to open waters, even at great expense in wealth, bloodshed, and political capital.

The economic disadvantages of being landlocked can be alleviated or aggravated depending on degree of development, surrounding trade routes and freedom of trade, commonality of language, and other considerations. Some landlocked countries in Europe are affluent, such as Andorra, Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, San Marino, Switzerland, and Vatican City, all of which, excluding Luxembourg (a founding member of NATO), frequently employ neutrality in global political issues.

However, 32 out of the 45 landlocked countries, including those in Africa, Asia, and South America, have been classified as Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) by the United Nations. Nine of the twelve countries with the lowest Human Development Index rankings are landlocked. International initiatives are aimed at reducing inequalities resulting from issues such as these, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10, which aims to reduce inequality substantially by 2030.

History

In 1990, there were only 30 landlocked countries in the world. However, the dissolutions of the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia; the breakup of Yugoslavia; the independence referendums of South Ossetia (de facto state), Eritrea, Montenegro, South Sudan, and the Luhansk People's Republic (de facto state); and the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo (de facto state) created 15 new landlocked countries and five landlocked de facto states while the former landlocked country of Czechoslovakia ceased to exist on 1 January 1993.

On 30 September 2022, the Luhansk People's Republic (de facto state) was annexed by Russia and ceased to exist as a landlocked de facto state.

On 19 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a new offensive against the Republic of Artsakh (de facto state) and achieved a decisive victory. The Government of Artsakh was officially dissolved on 1 January 2024. As a result, Artsakh ceased to exist as a landlocked de facto state and the Nagorno-Karabakh region was reintegrated into Azerbaijan.

As of 1 April 2024, there were 44 landlocked countries and three landlocked de facto states (Kosovo, South Ossetia, and Transnistria) in the world.

Significance

Bolivia's loss of its coastline in the War of the Pacific (1879–1884) remains a major political issue

Historically, being landlocked has been disadvantageous to a country's development. It cuts a nation off from important sea resources such as fishing, and impedes or prevents direct access to maritime trade, a crucial component of economic and social advance. As such, coastal regions, or inland regions that have access to the World Ocean, tended to be wealthier and more heavily populated than inland regions that have no access to the World Ocean. Paul Collier in his book The Bottom Billion argues that being landlocked in a poor geographical neighbourhood is one of four major development "traps" by which a country can be held back. In general, he found that when a neighbouring country experiences better growth, it tends to spill over into favorable development for the country itself. For landlocked countries, the effect is particularly strong, as they are limited in their trading activity with the rest of the world. He states, "If you are coastal, you serve the world; if you are landlocked, you serve your neighbors." Others have argued that being landlocked has an advantage as it creates a "natural tariff barrier" that protects the country from cheap imports. In some instances, this has led to more robust local food systems.

Landlocked developing countries have significantly higher costs of international cargo transportation compared to coastal developing countries (in Asia the ratio is 3:1).

Historically, traveling between a landlocked country and a country which did not border said country required the traveler to pass border controls twice or more. In recent times the advent of air travel has largely negated this impediment.

Actions to avoid being landlocked

Countries have acted to overcome being landlocked by acquiring land that reaches the sea:

Trade agreements

Countries can make agreements on getting free transport of goods through neighbouring countries:

  • The Treaty of Versailles required Germany to offer Czechoslovakia a lease for 99 years of parts of the ports in Hamburg and Stettin, allowing Czechoslovakia sea trade via the Elbe and Oder rivers. Stettin was annexed by Poland after World War II, but Hamburg continued the contract so that part of the port (now called Moldauhafen) until 2028 could be used for sea trade by a successor of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic.
  • The Danube is an international waterway, and thus landlocked Austria, Hungary, Moldova, Serbia, and Slovakia have secure access to the Black Sea (the same access is given to inland parts of Germany and Croatia, though Germany and Croatia are not landlocked). However, oceangoing ships cannot use the Danube, so cargo must be transloaded anyway, and many overseas imports into Austria and Hungary use land transport from Atlantic and Mediterranean ports. A similar situation exists for the Rhine river where Switzerland has boat access, but not oceangoing ships. Luxembourg has such through the Moselle, but Liechtenstein has no boat access, even though it is located along the Rhine, as the Rhine is not navigable that far upstream.
  • The Mekong is an international waterway so that landlocked Laos has access to the South China Sea (since Laos became independent from French Indochina). However, it is not navigable above the Khone Phapheng Falls.
  • Free ports allow transshipment to short-distance ships or river vessels.
  • The TIR Convention allows sealed road transport without customs checks and charges, mostly in Europe.

Political repercussions

Losing access to the sea is generally a great loss to a nation, politically, militarily, and economically. The following are examples of countries becoming landlocked.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea now gives a landlocked country a right of access to and from the sea without taxation of traffic through transit states. The United Nations has a programme of action to assist landlocked developing countries, and the current responsible Undersecretary-General is Anwarul Karim Chowdhury.

Some countries have a long coastline, but much of it may not be readily usable for trade and commerce. For instance, in its early history, Russia's only ports were on the Arctic Ocean and frozen shut for much of the year. The wish to gain control of a warm-water port was a major motivator of Russian expansion towards the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Pacific Ocean. On the other hand, some landlocked countries can have access to the ocean along wide navigable rivers. For instance, Paraguay (and Bolivia to a lesser extent) have access to the ocean through the Paraguay and Paraná rivers.

Several countries have coastlines on landlocked bodies of water, such as the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea. Since these seas are in effect lakes without access to wider seaborne trade, countries such as Kazakhstan are still considered landlocked. Although the Caspian Sea is connected to the Black Sea via the man-made Volga–Don Canal, large oceangoing ships are unable to traverse it.

Some countries or important parts of countries have coastlines or river ports reachable by oceangoing ships, but only through a strait or river part of the territory of another country. The other country can put restriction on passage. Between 1429 and 1857 Poland, Sweden, Russia and more Baltic countries were suffering from the Sound Dues, a toll needed to be paid to reach Western European waters. Sweden bypassed it by conquering Scania in 1658.

By degree

Landlocked countries may be bordered by a single country having direct access to the high seas, two or more such countries, or be surrounded by other landlocked countries, making a country doubly landlocked.

Landlocked by a single country

Three countries are landlocked by a single country (enclaved countries):

Landlocked by two countries

Seven landlocked countries are surrounded by only two mutually bordering neighbours (semi-enclaved countries):

To this group could be added three landlocked territories, two of them de facto states with limited or no international recognition:

Doubly landlocked

A country is "doubly landlocked" or "double-landlocked" when it is surrounded entirely by landlocked countries (i.e. requiring the crossing of at least two national borders to reach a coastline). There are two such countries:

After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Württemberg became a doubly landlocked state, bordering Bavaria, Baden, Switzerland, the Grand Duchy of Hesse (Wimpfen exclave), Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, and Hohenzollern-Hechingen. The latter two were themselves landlocked between each other, Württemberg, and Baden. In 1866 they became an exclave of Prussia, giving Württemberg a border with a coastal country but any path to a coast would still lead across at least two borders. The Free City of Frankfurt which was independent between 1815 and 1866 was doubly landlocked as it bordered the Electorate of Hesse, the Grand Duchy of Hesse, Hesse-Homburg, and Nassau. In the German Confederation there were several other landlocked states that only bordered landlocked states and landlocked exclaves of coastal states: the Grand Duchy of Hesse, Hesse-Homburg, Nassau (all until 1866), Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Saxe-Hildburghausen (both until 1826), and Reuss, elder line (until 1871). All of these bordered Prussia but not the main territory with sea access.

There were no doubly landlocked countries from the unification of Germany in 1871 until the end of World War I. Liechtenstein bordered the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which had an Adriatic coastline, and Uzbekistan was then part of the Russian Empire, which had both ocean and sea access.

With the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918 and creation of an independent, landlocked Austria, Liechtenstein became the sole doubly landlocked country until 1938. In the Anschluss that year, Austria was absorbed into Nazi Germany, which possessed a border on the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. After World War II, Austria regained its independence and Liechtenstein once again became doubly landlocked.

Uzbekistan, which had been part of the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union, gained its independence with the dissolution of the latter in 1991 and became the second doubly landlocked country.

However, Uzbekistan's doubly landlocked status depends on whether the Caspian Sea is considered a lake or a sea. In the latter case, Uzbekistan is not doubly landlocked, since its neighbors Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan have access to the Caspian Sea.

List of landlocked countries and landlocked de facto states

Country Area (km) Population UN region UN subregion Neighbouring country(ies) Count Neighbours with ocean access
 Afghanistan 652,230 33,369,945 Asia Southern Asia China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan 6 3
 Andorra 468 77,543 Europe Southern Europe France and Spain 2 2
 Armenia 29,743 3,000,756 Asia Western Asia Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Turkey 4 3
 Austria 83,871 9,027,999 Europe Western Europe Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland 8 3
 Azerbaijan 86,600 10,353,296 Asia Western Asia Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey 5 4
 Belarus 207,600 9,255,524 Europe Eastern Europe Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine 5 5
 Bhutan 38,394 691,141 Asia Southern Asia China and India 2 2
 Bolivia 1,098,581 12,054,379 Americas South America Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru 5 4
 Botswana 582,000 2,384,246 Africa Southern Africa Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe 4 2
 Burkina Faso 274,222 21,935,389 Africa Western Africa Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, the Niger, and Togo 6 4
 Burundi 27,834 11,865,821 Africa Eastern Africa DR Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania 3 2
 Central African Republic 622,984 5,454,533 Africa Middle Africa Cameroon, Chad, the Congo, DR Congo, South Sudan, and Sudan 6 4
 Chad 1,284,000 17,963,211 Africa Middle Africa Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Libya, the Niger, Nigeria, and the Sudan 6 4
 Czech Republic 78,867 10,516,707 Europe Eastern Europe Austria, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia 4 2
 Eswatini 17,364 1,160,164 Africa Southern Africa Mozambique and South Africa 2 2
 Ethiopia 1,104,300 113,656,596 Africa Eastern Africa Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, and the Sudan 6/7 5/6
 Hungary 93,028 9,689,010 Europe Eastern Europe Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine 7 4
 Kazakhstan 2,724,900 19,644,100 Asia Central Asia China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan 5 2
 Kosovo 10,908 1,806,279 Europe Southern Europe Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia 4 2
 Kyrgyzstan 199,951 6,071,750 Asia Central Asia China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan 4 1
 Laos 236,800 7,749,595 Asia South-eastern Asia Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam 5 5
 Lesotho 30,355 2,281,454 Africa Southern Africa South Africa 1 1
 Liechtenstein 160 35,789 Europe Western Europe Austria and Switzerland 2 0
 Luxembourg 2,586 502,202 Europe Western Europe Belgium, France, and Germany 3 3
 Malawi 118,484 20,091,635 Africa Eastern Africa Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia 3 2
 Mali 1,240,192 21,473,764 Africa Western Africa Algeria, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mauritania, the Niger, and Senegal 7 5
 Moldova 33,846 3,559,500 Europe Eastern Europe Romania, and Ukraine 2 2
 Mongolia 1,566,500 3,227,863 Asia Eastern Asia China and Russia 2 2
   Nepal 147,516 30,666,598 Asia Southern Asia China and India 2 2
 Niger 1,267,000 24,484,587 Africa Western Africa Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, and Nigeria 7 4
 North Macedonia 25,713 1,836,713 Europe Southern Europe Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, and Serbia 4/5 3
 Paraguay 406,752 7,356,409 Americas South America Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil 3 2
 Transnistria 4,163 505,153 Europe Eastern Europe Moldova and Ukraine 2 1
 Rwanda 26,338 12,955,736 Africa Eastern Africa Burundi, DR Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda 4 2
 San Marino 61 31,716 Europe Southern Europe Italy 1 1
 Serbia 88,361 6,690,887 Europe Southern Europe Albania (via Kosovo and Metohija), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Romania
8 5/6
 Slovakia 49,035 5,460,185 Europe Eastern Europe Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine 5 2
 South Ossetia 3,900 72,000 Asia Western Asia Georgia and Russia 2 2
 South Sudan 644,329 11,544,905 Africa Eastern Africa The Central African Republic, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Sudan, and Uganda 6 3
  Switzerland 41,284 8,636,896 Europe Western Europe Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Liechtenstein 5 3
 Tajikistan 143,100 9,119,347 Asia Central Asia Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan 4 1
 Turkmenistan 488,100 5,636,011 Asia Central Asia Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan 4 1
 Uganda 241,038 45,853,778 Africa Eastern Africa DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Tanzania 5 3
 Uzbekistan 449,100 36,001,262 Asia Central Asia Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan 5 0
 Vatican City 0.49 826 Europe Southern Europe Italy 1 1
 Zambia 752,612 19,610,769 Africa Eastern Africa Angola, Botswana, DR Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe 8 5
 Zimbabwe 390,757 15,121,004 Africa Eastern Africa Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia 4 2
Total 14,776,228 475,818,737 N/A
Percentage of the World 9.9% 5.9%

Notes:

Has a coastline on the inland saltwater Caspian Sea
De facto state
Landlocked by a single country
Doubly landlocked country

Groupings

The landlocked countries and de facto states can be grouped in contiguous groups as follows:

Notes:

  1. If it were not for the 40 km (25 mi) of coastline at Moanda, DR Congo would join the two African clusters into one, making it the biggest contiguous cluster in the world instead.
  2. The Central and Southern Asian cluster and the Western Asian group can be considered contiguous, joined by the landlocked Caspian Sea. Mongolia is almost a part of this cluster too, being separated from Kazakhstan by only 30 km (19 mi), across Chinese or Russian territory.
  3. Before the Annexation of Sikkim by India, the Himalayan states of Bhutan, Nepal, and Sikkim formed their own Southern Asian group.

"Single" landlocked countries

There are the following 12 "single" landlocked countries (each of them borders no other landlocked country or de facto state):

Landlocked countries by continent

According to the United Nations geoscheme (excluding the de facto states), Africa has the most landlocked countries, at 16, followed by Europe (14), Asia (12), and South America (2). However, if Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and South Ossetia (de facto state) are counted as parts of Europe, then Europe has the most landlocked countries, at 20 (including all three landlocked de facto states). If these transcontinental or culturally European countries are included in Asia, then both Africa and Europe (including Kosovo and Transnistria) have the most, at 16. Depending on the status of Kazakhstan and the South Caucasian countries, Asia has between 9 and 13 (including South Ossetia). South America only has two landlocked countries: Bolivia and Paraguay.

Australia and North America have no landlocked countries, while Antarctica has no countries at all. Oceania (which is usually not considered a continent but a geographical region by the English-speaking countries) also has no landlocked countries.

All landlocked countries, except Bolivia and Paraguay, are located on the continental mainland of Afro-Eurasia.

See also

Notes

  1. A country is "doubly landlocked" or "double-landlocked" when it is surrounded only by other landlocked countries.

References

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  33. ^ Map of Africa
  34. ^ Map of Europe (Countries and Cities)
  35. ^ Map of Asia – Country Atlas
  36. South America Map – Countries and Cities
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