Introduction
Imagine running a country that has no coastline at all — no ports, no ships, no direct access to the ocean. That’s daily reality for landlocked countries, and there are more of them than most people realize. From Switzerland in the Alps to Mongolia in Central Asia, dozens of nations survive and even thrive without ever touching the sea. So how do they get goods in and out, and what challenges do they face that coastal nations never have to think about? The answer reveals a surprising mix of geography, diplomacy, and clever infrastructure.
What Exactly Are Landlocked Countries?
A landlocked country is any nation completely surrounded by land, with no direct border on an ocean or open sea. This means every ship carrying their imports or exports has to pass through a neighboring country first. There are currently 44 fully landlocked countries in the world, plus a few “doubly landlocked” nations that are surrounded only by other landlocked countries — meaning goods have to cross two borders before reaching any coast at all.
Two famous examples of doubly landlocked nations are:
- Liechtenstein – Sits between Switzerland and Austria, both of which are also landlocked.
- Uzbekistan – Surrounded entirely by other landlocked nations in Central Asia.
This double disadvantage makes trade even more complicated, since goods must pass through multiple countries and border checkpoints before ever reaching a port.
The Geography Behind Landlocked Countries
Being landlocked isn’t random — it usually comes down to how continents formed and how political borders were drawn over centuries.
Location in the Middle of a Continent
Many landlocked countries simply sit in the geographic center of a large landmass. Countries like Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Chad are surrounded by neighboring nations on all sides, with no natural path to the sea no matter which direction you travel.
Mountain Ranges and Natural Barriers
Some nations became landlocked because mountain ranges cut them off from the coast. Switzerland, Austria, and Nepal are all boxed in by the Alps and the Himalayas, which shaped their borders long before modern trade routes existed.
Colonial and Political Border Decisions
In Africa, many landlocked countries exist because European colonial powers drew borders without considering access to the coast. Nations like Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Burkina Faso ended up landlocked purely because of decisions made far away, not because of natural geography alone.
A Short History of How Countries Become Landlocked
Not every landlocked country started out that way. Some nations were once coastal but lost their access to the sea through war, treaties, or shifting borders. Understanding this history helps explain why the map looks the way it does today.
The most famous example is Bolivia. Before 1879, Bolivia had a stretch of Pacific coastline. But after losing the War of the Pacific to Chile, it was forced to give up that land permanently. To this day, Bolivia still holds a small symbolic navy on Lake Titicaca and continues to negotiate with Chile for renewed coastal access — a dispute that remains unresolved more than 140 years later.
Africa tells a similar but very different story. When European powers carved up the continent during the late 1800s, they drew borders on maps in European meeting rooms, often with little regard for geography, ethnic groups, or access to the sea. This is why landlocked countries make up such a large share of Africa’s nations today — Chad, Niger, Mali, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and many others were essentially locked into the interior of the continent by decisions made thousands of miles away.
In Europe, the story is different again. Countries like Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic became landlocked simply because of how empires and kingdoms split apart over centuries, not through conquest or colonization. Their landlocked status is more a matter of old political boundaries settling into place than any single dramatic event.
Complete List of Landlocked Countries by Region
To fully understand the scale of this issue, it helps to see where most landlocked countries are concentrated. Here’s a regional breakdown:
Africa (16 landlocked countries):
- Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Asia (12 landlocked countries):
- Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
Europe (14 landlocked countries):
- Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Vatican City
South America (2 landlocked countries):
- Bolivia and Paraguay
Notice how Africa and Europe together account for the vast majority of the world’s landlocked nations. This pattern lines up closely with the historical reasons discussed above — colonial border-drawing in Africa, and old-world political boundaries in Europe.
How Do Landlocked Countries Trade Without a Coastline?
This is the biggest question people ask about landlocked countries, and the answer involves several smart workarounds.
- Transit agreements with neighboring countries – Landlocked nations sign treaties allowing their goods to pass through a neighbor’s territory to reach a port. Nepal, for example, relies heavily on transit routes through India.
- Dry ports – These are inland facilities that function like regular ports, handling customs and cargo storage before goods travel onward by rail or truck to an actual coastline.
- Rail and road corridors – Countries like Kazakhstan have invested heavily in railway networks connecting them to Chinese and Russian ports thousands of miles away.
- River access – Some landlocked nations use major rivers to move goods partway to the coast. Paraguay and Bolivia use the Paraguay River to connect to Atlantic shipping routes.
- Regional economic unions – Being part of trade blocs, like the European Union or the African Continental Free Trade Area, helps landlocked countries move goods across borders with fewer restrictions and lower tariffs.
Real-World Examples of Landlocked Countries
Let’s look at how different landlocked countries around the world manage their unique situation.
- Switzerland – Despite having no coastline, it’s one of the richest countries on Earth, using efficient rail links through Germany, France, and Italy to move goods.
- Mongolia – Sandwiched between Russia and China, Mongolia depends almost entirely on these two neighbors for all overseas trade.
- Bolivia – Lost its coastline to Chile in an 1879 war and still relies on Chilean and Peruvian ports for shipping today.
- Rwanda – Uses the port of Mombasa in Kenya, transporting goods over 900 miles by road to reach the ocean.
- Kazakhstan – The world’s largest landlocked country, using an extensive rail network to connect to both European and Asian markets.
- Nepal – Depends almost completely on India for access to seaports, since it’s boxed in by the Himalayas to the north.
Challenges Faced by Landlocked Countries
Life as one of the world’s landlocked countries isn’t easy, and the disadvantages go beyond simple inconvenience.
- Higher shipping costs – Goods often cost 40 to 50 percent more to transport compared to coastal nations, since they involve extra border crossings, customs fees, and longer travel distances.
- Dependence on neighboring countries – Political tensions or conflicts in a neighboring country can completely block trade routes, leaving a landlocked nation stranded economically.
- Slower economic growth – Studies have shown that landlocked nations, especially in Africa, tend to grow more slowly than coastal countries due to these added trade barriers.
- Limited access to fishing and marine resources – Without a coastline, these countries miss out on fishing industries, offshore energy resources, and tourism tied to beaches and oceans.
- Vulnerability to border closures – When a neighboring country shuts its borders due to conflict, disease outbreaks, or political disputes, a landlocked nation can lose its only route to international trade almost overnight. Ethiopia experienced this firsthand when tensions with Eritrea cut off its access to the port of Assab in the late 1990s.
- Extra paperwork and customs delays – Every additional border crossing means more customs inspections, more paperwork, and more chances for shipments to be delayed, which adds both time and cost to every transaction.
Despite these very real disadvantages, it’s worth noting that being landlocked doesn’t automatically mean being poor. The real determining factor is usually the quality of a country’s relationship with its neighbors and how well it invests in transport infrastructure.
Do Landlocked Countries Miss Out on Tourism Too?
Surprisingly, no. While it’s true that landlocked nations can’t offer beach resorts or cruise ports, many of them have turned their inland geography into a major tourism advantage instead.
- Switzerland attracts millions of visitors every year for its mountains, ski resorts, and lakes rather than any coastline.
- Nepal draws climbers and trekkers from across the globe thanks to the Himalayas and Mount Everest.
- Bolivia is famous for the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, along with Lake Titicaca.
- Rwanda has built a strong eco-tourism industry around mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
These examples prove that a lack of coastline doesn’t have to limit a country’s appeal — it just means the tourism industry has to be built around different natural attractions.
How Are Landlocked Countries Overcoming These Challenges?
Modern landlocked countries aren’t just accepting these disadvantages — many are actively solving them through smart planning.
- Building better infrastructure – Ethiopia and Rwanda have invested in modern highways and rail lines connecting to coastal neighbors.
- Digital economies – Some landlocked nations, like Switzerland and Luxembourg, focus on finance, technology, and services instead of shipping physical goods, sidestepping the coastline problem entirely.
- International cooperation – The United Nations has specific programs supporting landlocked developing countries, helping fund transit infrastructure and trade agreements.
- Diversifying trade routes – Kazakhstan, for instance, now has multiple rail options through different countries, reducing dependence on any single neighbor.
Conclusion
Being one of the world’s landlocked countries clearly comes with real challenges — higher costs, dependence on neighbors, and slower access to global markets. But as nations like Switzerland, Rwanda, and Kazakhstan prove, a lack of coastline doesn’t have to mean a lack of opportunity. With smart infrastructure, strong trade agreements, and international cooperation, these countries have found ways to compete on the world stage despite never touching the sea. The next time you look at a world map, take a moment to spot the landlocked nations — and appreciate the clever engineering and diplomacy that keeps their economies moving.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How many landlocked countries are there in the world? There are 44 fully landlocked countries, plus a few “doubly landlocked” nations surrounded entirely by other landlocked countries, such as Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan.
2. How do landlocked countries get access to the sea? They rely on transit agreements with neighboring countries, dry ports, rail and road corridors, and sometimes river routes to reach the nearest coastline.
3. Why are landlocked countries often poorer than coastal nations? Higher shipping costs, dependence on neighbors for trade routes, and limited access to marine resources tend to slow economic growth compared to coastal countries.
4. Which is the largest landlocked country in the world? Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country by land area, followed by Mongolia.
5. Can landlocked countries still have strong economies? Yes. Switzerland, Austria, and Luxembourg are all landlocked yet rank among the wealthiest countries in the world, largely due to strong infrastructure and service-based economies.