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 45 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. [1] [2]
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. [3] Nine of the twelve countries with the lowest Human Development Index rankings are landlocked. [4] 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. [5]
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. [6]
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. [7]
On 19 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a new offensive against the Republic of Artsakh (de facto state) and achieved a decisive victory. [8] 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. [9]
As of 1 April 2024, there were 44 landlocked countries and three landlocked de facto states (Kosovo, South Ossetia, and Transnistria) in the world.
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." [10] 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. [11] [12]
Landlocked developing countries have significantly higher costs of international cargo transportation compared to coastal developing countries (in Asia the ratio is 3:1). [13]
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.
Countries have acted to overcome being landlocked by acquiring land that reaches the sea:
Countries can make agreements on getting free transport of goods through neighbouring countries:
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, [22] 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.
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.
Three countries are landlocked by a single country (enclaved 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:
A country is "doubly landlocked" or "double-landlocked" when it is surrounded only by landlocked countries (i.e. requiring the crossing of at least two national borders to reach a coastline). [27] [28] 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. [31]
Country | Area (km2) | 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, [a] Uzbekistan [d] | 6 | 3 |
Andorra | 468 | 77,543 | Europe | Southern Europe | France and Spain | 2 | 2 |
Armenia | 29,743 | 3,000,756 | Asia | Western Asia | Azerbaijan, [a] Georgia, Iran, and Turkey | 4 | 3 |
Austria | 83,871 | 9,027,999 | Europe | Western Europe | Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland | 8 | 3 |
Azerbaijan [a] | 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 the 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 |
Czechia | 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 [b] , 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 [a] | 2,724,900 | 19,644,100 | Asia | Central Asia | China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, [a] and Uzbekistan [d] | 5 | 2 |
Kosovo [b] | 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, [a] Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan [d] | 4 | 1 |
Laos | 236,800 | 7,749,595 | Asia | South-eastern Asia | Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam | 5 | 5 |
Lesotho [c] | 30,355 | 2,281,454 | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | 1 | 1 |
Liechtenstein [d] | 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, [b] and Serbia | 4/5 | 3 |
Paraguay | 406,752 | 7,356,409 | Americas | South America | Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil | 3 | 2 |
Transnistria [b] | 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 [c] | 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, [b] Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Romania | 8 | 5/6 |
Slovakia | 49,035 | 5,460,185 | Europe | Eastern Europe | Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine | 5 | 2 |
South Ossetia [b] | 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 [d] | 4 | 1 |
Turkmenistan [a] | 488,100 | 5,636,011 | Asia | Central Asia | Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, [a] and Uzbekistan [d] | 4 | 1 |
Uganda | 241,038 | 45,853,778 | Africa | Eastern Africa | DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Tanzania | 5 | 3 |
Uzbekistan [d] | 449,100 | 36,001,262 | Asia | Central Asia | Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, [a] Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan [a] | 5 | 0 |
Vatican City [c] | 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:
The landlocked countries and de facto states can be grouped in contiguous groups as follows: [32]
Notes:
There are the following 12 "single" landlocked countries (each of them borders no other landlocked country or de facto state):
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.
Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region on the coast of the Black Sea. Sometimes considered a transcontinental country, it is located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia, and is today generally regarded as part of Europe. It is bordered to the north and northeast by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan.
Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia, with a small portion in Eastern Europe. With an area of about 2,724,900 square kilometers (1,052,100 sq mi) Kazakhstan is more than twice the combined size of the other four Central Asian states and 60% larger than Alaska. The country borders Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan to the south; Russia to the north; Russia and the Caspian Sea to the west; and China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the east.
Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea to the west, Iran and Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the north-east, and Kazakhstan to the north-west. It is the southernmost republic of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the loose federation created at the end of 1991 by most of the Post-Soviet states.
Uzbekistan is a country in Central Asia, located north of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. With an area of approximately 447,000 square kilometers, Uzbekistan stretches 1,425 km (885 mi) from west to east and 930 km (580 mi) from north to south. It borders Turkmenistan to the southwest, Kazakhstan to the north and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to the south and east. Uzbekistan also has four small exclaves in Turkmenistan.
Europe is often divided into regions and subregions based on geographical, cultural or historical factors. Since there is no universal agreement on Europe's regional composition, the placement of individual countries may vary based on criteria being used. For instance, the Balkans is a distinct geographical region within Europe, but individual countries may alternatively be grouped into South-eastern Europe or Southern Europe.
Europe is traditionally defined as one of seven continents. Physiographically, it is the northwestern peninsula of the larger landmass known as Eurasia ; Asia occupies the centre and east of this continuous landmass. Europe's eastern frontier is usually delineated by the Ural Mountains in Russia, which is the largest country by land area in the continent. The southeast boundary with Asia is not universally defined, but the modern definition is generally the Ural River or, less commonly, the Emba River. The boundary continues to the Caspian Sea, the crest of the Caucasus Mountains, and on to the Black Sea. The Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles conclude the Asian boundary. The Mediterranean Sea to the south separates Europe from Africa. The western boundary is the Atlantic Ocean. Iceland is usually included in Europe because it is over twice as close to mainland Europe as mainland North America. There is ongoing debate on where the geographical centre of Europe falls.
The Bolivian Navy is a branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. As of 2018, the Bolivian Navy had approximately 5,000 personnel. Although Bolivia has been landlocked since the War of the Pacific and the Treaty of Peace and Friendship (1904), Bolivia established a River and Lake Force in January 1963 under the Ministry of National Defense. It consisted of four boats supplied from the United States and 1,800 personnel recruited largely from the Bolivian Army. The Bolivian Navy was renamed the Bolivian Naval Force in January 1966, but it has since been called the Bolivian Navy as well. It became a separate branch of the armed forces in 1963. Bolivia has large rivers which are tributaries to the Amazon which are patrolled to prevent smuggling and drug trafficking. Bolivia also maintains a naval presence on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, which the country shares with Peru.
A landlocked navy is a naval force operated by a country that does not have a coastline. While these states are unable to develop a sea-going, blue-water navy, they may still deploy armed forces on major lakes or rivers. Such forces are often referred to as brown-water navies.
International relations between the Republic of Chile and the Plurinational State of Bolivia have been strained ever since independence in the early 19th century because of the Atacama border dispute. Relations soured even more after Bolivia lost its coast to Chile during the War of the Pacific and became a landlocked country. Chile and Bolivia have maintained only consular relations since 1978, when territorial negotiations failed and Bolivia decided to sever diplomatic relations with Chile. However, in spite of straining relationship, Chile and Bolivia still have economic treaties supporting tourism and cooperation; therefore, trading between two nations is not affected by the territorial dispute.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Kazakhstan:
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Liechtenstein:
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Uzbekistan:
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake and sometimes referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia, south of the fertile plains of Southern Russia in Eastern Europe, and north of the mountainous Iranian Plateau. It covers a surface area of 371,000 km2 (143,000 sq mi), an area approximately equal to that of Japan, with a volume of 78,200 km3 (19,000 cu mi). It has a salinity of approximately 1.2%, about a third of the salinity of average seawater. It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the southwest, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast.
The Declaration recognising the Right to a Flag of States having no Sea-coast is a 1921 multilateral treaty which legally recognised that a land-locked state could be a maritime flag state; that is, that a land-locked state could register ships and sail them on the sea under its own flag.
The Borders of Azerbaijan define the land and maritime borders of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has international land borders with 5 states.
Obligation to Negotiate Access to the Pacific Ocean was a case at the International Court of Justice. In the case, Bolivia petitioned the Court for a writ of mandamus obligating Chile to negotiate with Bolivia to restore Bolivia's access to the Pacific Ocean, which it had lost to Chile in 1879 during the War of the Pacific. In 2018, the court rejected Bolivia's arguments, finding that Chile was under no such obligation.
The West Bank is a landlocked territory on the west bank of the Jordan River in the Middle East.
The West Bank is a landlocked region close to the Mediterranean shoreline of Western Asia
The West Bank is a landlocked territory near the eastern Mediterranean coast
The West Bank is a landlocked territory bordering Jordan