Every country’s got its thing. Some flaunt coastlines like they’re going out of style, while others find themselves surrounded by nothing but good old terra firma. Enter the 44 landlocked countries – the cool cats of geography. Let’s dive into the list of nations that don’t need to worry about tides.
Fun Facts About Countries Without Coastlines
According to our pals at Britannica, there are 44 landlocked countries scattered across the continents – Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Big daddy in Central Asia is Kazakhstan, owning a whopping 2,724,900 km². On the petite side, we’ve got Vatican City in Europe, not just the smallest but also rocking the title of landlocked, covering a modest 0.44 km².
Vatican City takes the cake for the fewest people and the least space. In the opposite corner, Ethiopia in Africa is the landlocked country with the most peeps.
Now, here’s a wild card – there are two countries that are doubly landlocked: Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein. These bad boys are completely surrounded by other landlocked nations. Liechtenstein, cozy in Europe, gets cuddled by Austria and Switzerland. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan high-fives Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
Southeast Asia jumps into the mix with Laos, chilling between Thailand and Vietnam.
List of Landlocked Countries, No Ties Required:
Landlocked Asia Countries
- Uzbekistan
- Turkmenistan
- Tajikistan
- Laos
- Kazakhstan
- Mongolia
- Nepal
- Bhutan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Afghanistan
Landlocked Africa Countries
- Eswatini
- Mali
- Uganda
- Lesotho
- Zimbabwe
- Central African Republic
- Burundi
- Burkina Faso
- Rwanda
- Chad
- Malawi
- Niger
- Botswana
- Ethiopia
- Zambia
- South Sudan
Landlocked Europe Countries
- Czech Republic
- Liechtenstein
- Hungary
- Belarus
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Luxembourg
- Andorra
- Moldova
- Armenia
- San Marino
- North Macedonia
- Vatican City
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Switzerland
Landlocked South America Countries
- Paraguay
- Bolivia
There you have it – a bunch of countries that ride the no-coastline wave. Hope this adds a splash of knowledge to your geographical cocktail!