Landlocked Countries: A Geography Guide

A landlocked country is surrounded by land or by inland bodies of water, with no direct coastline on the open sea. Switzerland, Bolivia, Nepal, Chad, and Mongolia are well-known examples. Some landlocked countries have major lakes or rivers, but those do not count as ocean access.

There are also doubly landlocked countries, which are surrounded only by other landlocked countries. Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan are the classic examples. To reach the sea from either, goods must pass through at least two countries.

Central Asia is one of the clearest landlocked regions: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia all sit far from the ocean. Central and southern Africa also contain many landlocked countries, including Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Malawi, and Eswatini.

Europe has several famous landlocked states too: Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Andorra, San Marino, Vatican City, Luxembourg, Belarus, Moldova, and Liechtenstein, depending on the country list being used.

Coastlines usually make trade easier because ships can move large volumes cheaply. Landlocked countries often depend on roads, railways, river routes, and diplomatic agreements with neighbours. This can affect economic development, regional alliances, and infrastructure priorities.

Geographically, landlocked countries often sit at crossroads. Austria connects central Europe, Kazakhstan connects Russia, China, and Central Asia, and Zambia touches many southern African neighbours. Their lack of coastline can make their border networks even more important.

In Borderle, landlocked countries frequently work as connectors because they often have multiple land neighbours. Austria, Serbia, Niger, Chad, Zambia, and Kazakhstan are all useful examples. Island countries, by contrast, usually cannot be used as intermediate steps because they lack land borders.

When you are solving a border chain, ask whether the shortest route probably follows a coastal edge or cuts through the interior. Many overland paths across Africa and Eurasia depend on landlocked countries that sit between larger neighbours.

Learn them by cluster. Start with Europe, then Central Asia, then Africa, then South America. South America is easy because only Bolivia and Paraguay are landlocked. Africa and Europe require more practice because the networks are denser.

A useful exercise is to name one landlocked country, then name every neighbour that gives it a route to the sea. For example, Bolivia can reach the Pacific or Atlantic indirectly through neighbours such as Chile, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, depending on the route considered.