Landlocked Countries of the World Explained

A landlocked country has no coastline on the open ocean. That single fact shapes trade, climate access, culture, and—yes—how often the country appears as a “trick” question on geography quizzes.

Why landlocked status matters for learners

On a map quiz, landlocked countries:

• Sit inside continents (easy to overlook)
• Are often smaller or irregularly shaped
• Share borders that create lookalike clusters (Central Asia, Central Africa, Central Europe)

If you struggle with “hidden” nations, study landlocked lists intentionally.

Famous landlocked examples by region

Europe

Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Vatican City, North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo*, Belarus, Moldova
*Status disputed in some contexts; still useful for quiz awareness.

Africa

Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini

Asia

Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Laos, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan (mostly landlocked; has Caspian shoreline—often treated specially in quizzes), Armenia, Azerbaijan

South America

Bolivia, Paraguay

Double-landlocked: the ultimate trivia flex

A double-landlocked country is surrounded only by other landlocked countries—so you must cross at least two borders to reach the ocean.

There are only two widely cited examples:

1. Liechtenstein (between Switzerland and Austria)
2. Uzbekistan (in Central Asia)

Memorize both. They are geography-bee gold.

Study tip: learn landlocked sets as map clusters

Instead of memorizing a flat list, learn:

• Alpine/microstate cluster (Switzerland + neighbors)
• Southern Africa pair (Lesotho, Eswatini)
• “Stans” interior (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan)
• South America pair (Bolivia, Paraguay)

Then practice placing them in Country Spotter.

Keep exploring

For more challenge locations, read Top 10 Hardest Countries to Find on a Map. Then test yourself on Atlas Arcade—landlocked mastery shows up immediately in your accuracy.