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Ever wondered what it’s like to be a country without a coastline? While most of us take beach vacations and seaports for granted, dozens of nations around the world face a unique challenge – they’re completely cut off from the oceans.
These landlocked countries, shown in green on the map above, make up a surprisingly large portion of our world. But here’s where it gets really interesting – notice those two purple spots? Those are Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan, the world’s only “doubly landlocked” countries. Imagine needing to cross at least two borders just to reach the sea!
The Scale of Landlocked Nations: From Giants to Micro-States
Think of Kazakhstan as the heavyweight champion of landlocked countries. Its territory spans an incredible 2.7 million square kilometers (1,000,000 sq mi) – that’s like combining France, Germany, and Spain, and still having room left over. Rolling across Central Asia from the Caspian Sea to the Altai Mountains, Kazakhstan shows that being landlocked doesn’t mean being small.
Mongolia comes in second, with 1.6 million square kilometers (603,909 sq mi) of steppes and deserts. But the real surprise? Vatican City – this tiny sovereign state could fit into Kazakhstan about 6 million times! At just 0.44 square kilometers (0.17 sq mi), you could walk across the entire country in about 10 minutes.
The Population Puzzle
While Kazakhstan wins on size, Ethiopia takes the crown for population. Home to over 100 million people, Ethiopia has more residents than any other landlocked nation. That’s particularly significant when you consider the challenges of managing international trade for such a large population without direct sea access.
Beyond Nations: Landlocked Regions
But it’s not just countries that can be landlocked – many regions (subdivisions) within nations face similar challenges.
This map reveals an interesting pattern: even in countries with coastlines, inland regions often face their own unique set of challenges in accessing global markets.
The Neighborhood Factor
How many neighbors you have can make or break your situation when you’re landlocked. Julia Peasley‘s fascinating visualization puts this into perspective:
Some countries hit the jackpot of connectivity – Austria, Zambia, and Serbia each border eight different nations, giving them multiple options for reaching global markets. Others, like Lesotho (completely surrounded by South Africa) and San Marino (enclosed by Italy), must rely on a single neighbor for their global connections.
Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
Armenia
4
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Türkiye
Botswana
4
Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Czechia
4
Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovakia
Kosovo
4
Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia
Kyrgyzstan
4
China, Kazakhstan, Tajikstan, Uzbekistan
Rwanda
4
Burundi, DR Congo, Tanzania, Uganda
Tajikistan
4
Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan
4
Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan
Zimbabwe
4
Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia
Burundi
3
DR Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania
Luxembourg
3
Belgium, France, Germany
Malawi
3
Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia
Paraguay
3
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil
Andorra
2
France, Spain
Bhutan
2
China, India
Eswatini
2
Mozambique, South Africa
Liechtenstein
2
Austria, Switzerland
Moldova
2
Romania, Ukraine
Mongolia
2
China, Russia
Nepal
2
China, India
Lesotho
1
South Africa
San Marino
1
Italy
Vatican City
1
Italy
The Economic Reality
Being landlocked isn’t just a geographical quirk – it has real economic consequences. According to the UN, landlocked developing countries face transport costs up to 50% higher than their coastal neighbors. Think about it – every import and export needs to cross at least one extra border, dealing with additional paperwork, regulations, and transportation costs.
But some countries have turned this challenge into opportunity. Switzerland and Luxembourg have become global financial powerhouses despite their landlocked status. They’ve focused on high-value, low-bulk products and services that don’t require massive shipping operations.
Creative Solutions
Throughout history, landlocked nations have found ingenious ways to overcome their geographical limitations:
Mongolia has negotiated special access to Chinese and Russian ports
Austria has turned its central location into a transportation hub for Europe
Ethiopia has invested heavily in air transportation, making Addis Ababa a major African aviation hub
Geography shapes nations in fascinating ways, but it doesn’t have to define them. What do you think – is being landlocked still a major disadvantage in our digital age? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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To be honest, I never knew being landlocked would go this far!