Landlocked facts for kids
A country is called landlocked if it does not have any direct access to an ocean or a sea. This means it is completely surrounded by land. Think of it like a house without a driveway to the main road, but instead, it's surrounded by other houses.
For example, Austria is a landlocked country. It is in the middle of Europe and doesn't touch any ocean. On the other hand, France is not landlocked because it has coasts along the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Even some large bodies of water can be landlocked. A sea is landlocked if it doesn't connect to an ocean. The Caspian Sea is a good example of a landlocked sea. However, the Gulf of Mexico is not landlocked because it connects directly to the Atlantic Ocean.
Contents
What is a Landlocked Country?
A landlocked country is one that is completely surrounded by other countries or land. It has no coastline or direct path to the open ocean. This can sometimes make trade and travel a bit harder for these nations.
Examples of Landlocked Countries
Many countries around the world are landlocked. Here are a few examples:
Examples of Landlocked Water Bodies
Just like countries, some large bodies of water are also landlocked. They are surrounded by land and do not connect to an ocean.
- The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water.
- Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, is the deepest freshwater lake in the world.
The Black Sea is a special case. While it is almost surrounded by land, it connects to the Mediterranean Sea through narrow waterways. So, it is not entirely landlocked.
Doubly Landlocked Countries
Some countries are even more cut off from the ocean! A country is called doubly landlocked if it is surrounded only by other landlocked countries. This means you would have to cross at least two country borders to reach a coastline.
There are only two doubly landlocked countries in the world:
- Liechtenstein: This small European country is surrounded by Austria and Switzerland, both of which are landlocked.
- Uzbekistan: This country in Central Asia is surrounded by five landlocked countries: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
Images for kids
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Bolivia lost its coastline in the War of the Pacific (1879–1884). This is still an important issue for the country.
See also
In Spanish: Estado sin litoral para niños
