All 44 Landlocked Countries
A landlocked country is one with no coastline on an ocean or on a sea connected to one. There are 44 of them, and they are unevenly distributed in a way that makes them easy to remember: Africa has the most, Europe is close behind, Asia has twelve, South America has exactly two, and North America and Oceania have none at all.
Landlocked Countries
44
Africa 16 · Europe 14 · Asia 12 · South America 2
Doubly Landlocked
Liechtenstein & Uzbekistan
Landlocked countries whose neighbours are all landlocked too
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Africa: 16 Landlocked Countries
| Country | Capital | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Botswana | Gaborone | Southern Africa |
| Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou | West Africa |
| Burundi | Gitega | African Great Lakes |
| Central African Republic | Bangui | Central Africa |
| Chad | N'Djamena | Sahel |
| Eswatini | Mbabane | Enclaved between South Africa and Mozambique |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | Lost its coastline when Eritrea became independent in 1993 |
| Lesotho | Maseru | Completely surrounded by South Africa |
| Malawi | Lilongwe | Southeast Africa |
| Mali | Bamako | West Africa |
| Niger | Niamey | Sahel |
| Rwanda | Kigali | African Great Lakes |
| South Sudan | Juba | Landlocked at independence in 2011 |
| Uganda | Kampala | African Great Lakes |
| Zambia | Lusaka | Southern Africa |
| Zimbabwe | Harare | Southern Africa |
Botswana
CapitalGaboroneNotesSouthern AfricaBurkina Faso
CapitalOuagadougouNotesWest AfricaBurundi
CapitalGitegaNotesAfrican Great LakesCentral African Republic
CapitalBanguiNotesCentral AfricaChad
CapitalN'DjamenaNotesSahelEswatini
CapitalMbabaneNotes
Enclaved between South Africa and Mozambique
Ethiopia
CapitalAddis AbabaNotes
Lost its coastline when Eritrea became independent in 1993
Lesotho
CapitalMaseruNotes
Completely surrounded by South Africa
Malawi
CapitalLilongweNotesSoutheast AfricaMali
CapitalBamakoNotesWest AfricaNiger
CapitalNiameyNotesSahelRwanda
CapitalKigaliNotesAfrican Great LakesSouth Sudan
CapitalJubaNotes
Landlocked at independence in 2011
Uganda
CapitalKampalaNotesAfrican Great LakesZambia
CapitalLusakaNotesSouthern AfricaZimbabwe
CapitalHarareNotesSouthern Africa
Europe: 14 Landlocked Countries
| Country | Capital | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Andorra | Andorra la Vella | Between France and Spain in the Pyrenees |
| Austria | Vienna | Central Europe |
| Belarus | Minsk | Eastern Europe |
| Czech Republic | Prague | Central Europe |
| Hungary | Budapest | Central Europe |
| Liechtenstein | Vaduz | Doubly landlocked, bordering only Austria and Switzerland |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Western Europe |
| Moldova | Chisinau | Very nearly reaches the Black Sea, but does not |
| North Macedonia | Skopje | Balkans |
| San Marino | San Marino | Enclaved within Italy |
| Serbia | Belgrade | Became landlocked when Montenegro left the union in 2006 |
| Slovakia | Bratislava | Central Europe |
| Switzerland | Bern | Alpine Central Europe |
| Vatican City | Vatican City | Enclaved within Rome, the smallest landlocked state |
Andorra
CapitalAndorra la VellaNotes
Between France and Spain in the Pyrenees
Austria
CapitalViennaNotesCentral EuropeBelarus
CapitalMinskNotesEastern EuropeCzech Republic
CapitalPragueNotesCentral EuropeHungary
CapitalBudapestNotesCentral EuropeLiechtenstein
CapitalVaduzNotes
Doubly landlocked, bordering only Austria and Switzerland
Luxembourg
CapitalLuxembourgNotesWestern EuropeMoldova
CapitalChisinauNotes
Very nearly reaches the Black Sea, but does not
North Macedonia
CapitalSkopjeNotesBalkansSan Marino
CapitalSan MarinoNotesEnclaved within ItalySerbia
CapitalBelgradeNotes
Became landlocked when Montenegro left the union in 2006
Slovakia
CapitalBratislavaNotesCentral EuropeSwitzerland
CapitalBernNotesAlpine Central EuropeVatican City
CapitalVatican CityNotes
Enclaved within Rome, the smallest landlocked state
Asia: 12 Landlocked Countries
| Country | Capital | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Kabul | Central and South Asia |
| Armenia | Yerevan | South Caucasus |
| Azerbaijan | Baku | On the Caspian, which is a lake, so still landlocked |
| Bhutan | Thimphu | Eastern Himalayas |
| Kazakhstan | Astana | The world's largest landlocked country |
| Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek | Central Asia |
| Laos | Vientiane | The only landlocked country in Southeast Asia |
| Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar | Borders only Russia and China |
| Nepal | Kathmandu | Between India and China |
| Tajikistan | Dushanbe | Central Asia |
| Turkmenistan | Ashgabat | On the Caspian, which is a lake, so still landlocked |
| Uzbekistan | Tashkent | Doubly landlocked, as all five neighbours are landlocked |
Afghanistan
CapitalKabulNotesCentral and South AsiaArmenia
CapitalYerevanNotesSouth CaucasusAzerbaijan
CapitalBakuNotes
On the Caspian, which is a lake, so still landlocked
Bhutan
CapitalThimphuNotesEastern HimalayasKazakhstan
CapitalAstanaNotes
The world's largest landlocked country
Kyrgyzstan
CapitalBishkekNotesCentral AsiaLaos
CapitalVientianeNotes
The only landlocked country in Southeast Asia
Mongolia
CapitalUlaanbaatarNotesBorders only Russia and ChinaNepal
CapitalKathmanduNotesBetween India and ChinaTajikistan
CapitalDushanbeNotesCentral AsiaTurkmenistan
CapitalAshgabatNotes
On the Caspian, which is a lake, so still landlocked
Uzbekistan
CapitalTashkentNotes
Doubly landlocked, as all five neighbours are landlocked
South America: 2 Landlocked Countries
| Country | Capital | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bolivia | Sucre | Lost its coastline to Chile in the War of the Pacific; La Paz is the seat of government |
| Paraguay | Asunción | Reaches the Atlantic only via the Paraguay and Paraná river system |
Bolivia
CapitalSucreNotes
Lost its coastline to Chile in the War of the Pacific; La Paz is the seat of government
Paraguay
CapitalAsunciónNotes
Reaches the Atlantic only via the Paraguay and Paraná river system
The Caspian Sea is the detail that catches people out. Despite the name, it is an endorheic lake with no natural connection to the ocean, which is why Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are all counted as landlocked even though they have long coastlines on it. The same logic keeps Uzbekistan doubly landlocked.
Largest Landlocked Countries by Area
| Rank | Country | Area (km²) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazakhstan | 2,724,900 |
| 2 | Mongolia | 1,566,500 |
| 3 | Chad | 1,284,000 |
| 4 | Niger | 1,267,000 |
| 5 | Mali | 1,240,192 |
1
CountryKazakhstanArea (km²)2,724,9002
CountryMongoliaArea (km²)1,566,5003
CountryChadArea (km²)1,284,0004
CountryNigerArea (km²)1,267,0005
CountryMaliArea (km²)1,240,192
Methodology and Sources
This list counts the 44 sovereign states with no coastline on an ocean or ocean-connected sea. It excludes de facto states that are also landlocked, namely Kosovo, South Ossetia and Transnistria, which some published lists include, producing totals of 45 or more. Bolivia is listed with Sucre as its constitutional capital, though La Paz is the seat of government.
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Written by
Ziga Straus
I build and run Geography Games on my own, from the games and the artwork to these articles. Everything here is checked against published references, and each article lists its sources at the bottom so you can verify any figure yourself rather than taking my word for it.
