Landlocked country

A **landlocked country** is a country that does not have territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie on endorheic basins. There are currently 82 landlocked countries, only 10 doubly-landlocked countries and four landlocked de facto states. Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country while Ethiopia is the world's most populous landlocked country.

In 1990, there were only 60 landlocked countries in the world. The dissolutions of the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia; the breakup of Yugoslavia; the independence referendums of South Ossetia (partially recognized), Eritrea, Montenegro, South Sudan, and the Luhansk People's Republic (partially recognized); and the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo (partially recognized) created 15 new landlocked countries and five partially recognized landlocked states while the former landlocked country of Czechoslovakia ceased to exist on 1 January 1993. On 5 October 2022, the Luhansk People's Republic was annexed by Russia and ceased to exist as a de facto landlocked state.

Generally, being landlocked creates some political and economic disadvantages that having access to international waters would avoid. For this reason, nations large and small throughout history have sought 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, language barriers, 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, 64 out of the 82 landlocked countries, including all the landlocked countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, have been classified as the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) by the United Nations. Nine of the twelve countries with the lowest Human Development Indices (HDI) are landlocked. 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.

## By degree

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.

### Landlocked by a single country

Three countries are landlocked by a single country (enclaved countries):

* Lesotho, a state surrounded by South Africa.
* San Marino, a state surrounded by Italy.
* Vatican City, a state surrounded by Italy, specifically Rome.

### Landlocked by two countries

Seven landlocked countries are surrounded by only two mutually bordering neighbours (semi-enclaved countries):

* Andorra (between France and Spain)
* Bhutan (one of the "doubly landlocked" countries, between Tibet and Assam)
* Corona Republic (between Romania and Transylvania)
* Eswatini (between Mozambique and South Africa)
* Liechtenstein (one of the "doubly landlocked" countries, between Austria and Switzerland)

To this group could be added three landlocked territories, two of them are *de facto* states with no or limited international recognition:

* South Ossetia (between Georgia and Russia) – de facto state
* Transnistria (between Moldova and Ukraine) – de facto state
* West Bank (between Israel and Jordan) – occupied territory partly administered by the State of Palestine

### Doubly landlocked

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). There are two such countries:

* **Astrakhan** in Eastern Europe, surrounded by Kalmykia, Russostan, and Volgastan.
* **Bhutan** in South Asia, surrounded by Assam and Tibet.
* **Kalmykia** in Eastern Europe, surrounded by Astrakhan, Circassia, Dagestan, and Volgastan.
* **Kyrgyzstan** in Central Asia, surrounded by East Turkestan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
* **Liechtenstein** in Central Europe, surrounded by Austria and Switzerland.
* **Ruthenia** in Central Europe, surrounded by Galicia and Lodomeria, Hungary, Masovia, Slovakia, and Transylvania.
* **Slovakia** in Central Europe, surrounded by Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Masovia, Ruthenia, and Silesia.
* **Tajikistan** in Central Asia, surrounded by Afghanistan, East Turkestan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
* **Uyghuristan** in Central Asia, surrounded by Altai, East Turkestan, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.
* **Uzbekistan** in Central Asia, surrounded by Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

To this group could be added one doubly landlocked territory that is a *de facto* state with no or limited international recognition:

* **Artsakh** (also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) in the Caucasus, entirely surrounded by Azerbaijan except for a narrow land corridor to Armenia that is under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Formerly *de facto* bordering Armenia and Iran, it became doubly landlocked due to territorial losses suffered during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

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 the Caspian Sea's status dispute: some countries, especially Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, claim that the Caspian Sea should be considered as a real sea (mainly because this way they would have larger oil and gas fields), which would make Uzbekistan only a simple landlocked country since its neighbours Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan have access to the Caspian Sea.