LANDLOCKED COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
Introduction
- A landlocked state or landlocked country is a sovereign state entirely enclosed by land, or whose only coastlines lie on closed seas.
- There are currently 49 such countries, including five partially recognised states.
- Only two, Bolivia and Paraguay in South America, lie outside Afro-Eurasia (the Old World).
AFRICA
- Out of Africa’s 55 countries, 17 of them are landlocked:
- Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, South Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- In other words, about a third of the continent is made up of countries that have no access to the ocean or sea.
ASIA
- Asia has 12 landlocked countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Laos, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
- Note that several of the countries in western Asia border the landlocked Caspian Sea, a feature that does open some transit and trade opportunities.
EUROPE
- Europe has 15 landlocked countries: Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Vatican City.
SOUTH AMERICA
- In South America there are two countries that are landlocked: Bolivia and and Paraguay.
Note: North America has no landlocked countries, and Australia is rather obviously not landlocked.
Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country of world. It has total area of 2,724,900 Sq Km. It is surrounded by 5 different neighbouring countries. These are – China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The smallest landlocked country of world is Vatican City which has area of 0.44 Sq Km and it is totally bordered by Italy.
List showing surrounding countries
Country or Territory |
Surrounding countries |
Number of Surrounding Countries |
Afghanistan |
Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, Pakistan |
6 |
Andorra |
France, Spain |
2 |
Armenia |
Iran, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan |
4 |
Austria |
Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland |
8 |
Azerbaijan |
Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Turkey |
4 |
Belarus |
Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Latvia |
5 |
Bhutan |
India, China |
2 |
Bolivia |
Peru, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay |
5 |
Botswana |
Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa |
4 |
Burkina Faso |
Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast |
6 |
Burundi |
Rwanda, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
3 |
Central African Republic |
Chad, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, South Sudan |
6 |
Chad |
Libya, Niger, Sudan, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon |
6 |
Czech Republic |
Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovakia |
4 |
Ethiopia |
Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan |
6 |
Hungary |
Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine |
7 |
Kazakhstan |
China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan |
5 |
Kosovo |
Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia |
4 |
Kyrgyzstan |
China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan |
4 |
Laos |
Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand |
5 |
Lesotho |
South Africa |
1 |
Liechtenstein |
Switzerland, Austria |
2 |
Luxembourg |
Belgium, Germany, France |
3 |
Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.) |
Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania |
5 |
Malawi |
Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique |
3 |
Mali |
Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania |
7 |
Moldova |
Romania, Ukraine |
2 |
Mongolia |
China, Russia |
2 |
Artsakh |
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran |
3 |
Nepal |
China, India |
2 |
Niger |
Libya, Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Algeria |
7 |
Paraguay |
Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia |
3 |
Rwanda |
Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
4 |
San Marino |
Italy |
1 |
Serbia |
Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania(viaKosovo and Metohija[c]) |
8 |
Slovakia |
Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary |
5 |
South Ossetia |
Georgia, Russia |
2 |
South Sudan |
Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic |
6 |
Swaziland |
Mozambique, South Africa |
2 |
Switzerland |
France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy |
5 |
Tajikistan |
Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China |
4 |
Transnistria |
Moldova, Ukraine |
2 |
Turkmenistan |
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran |
4 |
Uganda |
Kenya, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania |
5 |
Uzbekistan |
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan |
5 |
Vatican City |
Italy |
1 |
West Bank |
Israel, Jordan |
2 |
Zambia |
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Angola |
8 |
Zimbabwe |
South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique |
4 |