Landlocked Countries - Geography of Nations Without Coastlines

What Is a Landlocked Country?

A landlocked country has no coastline and shares all its borders with other countries' land territory. As of 2024, there are 44 landlocked countries: 16 in Africa, 12 in Europe, 12 in Asia, and 2 in South America. North America and Oceania have no landlocked nations.

Doubly Landlocked Countries

A doubly landlocked country is surrounded entirely by other landlocked countries, meaning you must cross at least two borders to reach the sea. Only two such countries exist: Liechtenstein (surrounded by Switzerland and Austria) and Uzbekistan (surrounded by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan).

Africa's Landlocked Belt

Central Africa contains a continuous belt of landlocked nations: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Ethiopia. This concentration stems from colonial-era border drawing and remains a significant barrier to economic development due to limited sea access.

Using This Knowledge in Quizzes

When GeoHint reveals a 'no coastline' hint, you can narrow candidates to 44 countries. Combined with a regional hint, this dramatically reduces possibilities. European landlocked countries (Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia) are well-known, but African landlocked nations are easily confused, so reviewing their positions on a map gives you an advantage.

The Economic Challenges Landlocked Countries Bear

Not facing the sea imposes a peculiar constraint on a country's economy. Import and export cargo must always pass through a neighbor's port or territory, raising the time and cost of transport. If relations with a neighbor sour, the trade route itself is threatened. That many of the world's poorest countries are landlocked is no coincidence; the lack of access to the sea has been a shackle on development. In studying geography, knowing the conditions placed on landlocked countries is a good example for understanding the impact of terrain on the economy.

How Landlocked Countries Connect to the Sea

Even countries without a sea have secured a connection to it through various devices. There are examples of borrowing part of a neighbor's port, or carrying goods to the sea via rivers and canals. International law recognizes that a landlocked country has a right of transit to the sea. Paraguay connects to the Atlantic through the Parana River, and Ethiopia uses a neighbor's port. Knowing such devices reveals the aspect of human endeavor - how the disadvantage of being inland is overcome.

Features of Regions Where Landlocked Countries Gather

Landlocked countries are not distributed evenly across the world but concentrate in particular regions. They are common in central Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and Central Asia. In these regions, the historical way borders were drawn and the terrain of the continent gave rise to countries far from the sea. By contrast, the Americas and Oceania have few landlocked countries. Knowing the bias in the distribution of landlocked countries becomes, in reverse, a clue for understanding what history and terrain each continent has.

Tips for Identifying Landlocked Countries

To identify landlocked countries in a quiz, the shortcut is first to grasp the groupings by continent. Europe's landlocked countries include relatively familiar ones like Switzerland and Austria. The Central Asian countries ending in stan are, apart from some facing the Caspian Sea, mostly landlocked. Because Africa's landlocked countries are many and easily confused, it is good to check their positional relationships on a map. When a hint of having no coastline appears, the effective procedure is first to identify the continent and narrow the candidates from there.

Grasping the Inland Condition from Many Sides

Being landlocked is not all disadvantage. Such countries are less exposed to threats from the sea, and a distinctive culture can grow through overland trade with neighbors. Some, like Switzerland, prospered through neutrality and finance by using their inland location. When studying geography, grasping the inland condition not as a mere handicap but from the view of how the country adapted and what it turned into a strength makes understanding far richer. Terrain does not decide destiny; what is asked is how humans face it.