Landlocked countries

Lesotho, San Marino, and Vatican City are the only three countries in the world surrounded by a single other country. Lesotho is entirely encircled by South Africa, while San Marino and Vatican City are both entirely enclosed by Italy.

Lesotho is a small, landlocked country that South Africa is completely surrounded by. It is an enclave, meaning it exists entirely within the borders of another country. Despite being geographically part of southern Africa, Lesotho maintains its sovereignty, with its own government, laws, and economy. This unique positioning makes it one of only three countries in the world landlocked by a single country.

San Marino and Vatican City are two independent, landlocked countries surrounded by Italy. San Marino is located in the central-northern part of the Italian Peninsula, while Vatican City is situated in the heart of Rome, the capital of Italy. Both countries maintain their sovereignty and have their own distinct governments, despite being completely encircled by Italian territory.

Currently, there are 44 landlocked countries in the world, including two that are doubly landlocked: Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan. Additionally, there are three landlocked de facto states. Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country by area, Kyrgyzstan is the farthest landlocked country from any ocean, and Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country.

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What is a landlocked country?

A landlocked country is a country that is entirely surrounded by land or whose coastlines are restricted to closed bodies of water, such as endorheic basins, without access to the open ocean. These countries lack direct access to seaports, which can impact trade and economic development. Examples include Afghanistan, Switzerland, and Nepal.

Being landlocked typically brings political and economic challenges that access to international waters could alleviate. Throughout history, both large and small nations have fought to secure access to the open seas, often at great cost in terms of wealth, lives, and political resources. However, 32 of the 45 landlocked countries, including those in Africa, Asia, and South America, have been designated as Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) by the United Nations. Additionally, nine of the twelve countries with the lowest Human Development Index rankings are landlocked.