What is the largest landlocked country in the world?
Quick answer
Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world, covering about 2.72 million km² (1.05 million sq mi). It’s also the 9th-largest country overall. Although it borders the Caspian Sea, that’s an enclosed body of water with no natural link to the ocean, so Kazakhstan counts as landlocked.
Key facts
- Area
- About 2.72 million km² (1.05 million sq mi)
- Capital
- Astana
- Largest city
- Almaty
- Borders
- Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
Bigger than Western Europe
Kazakhstan is larger than Western Europe combined and about four times the size of Texas. Yet its population is only around 20 million, making it one of the most thinly populated countries on Earth. Much of it is vast, grassy steppe.
What “landlocked” means
A landlocked country has no coastline on the open ocean. There are about 44 such countries worldwide.
| Rank | Country | Area (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kazakhstan | 2.72 million km² |
| 2 | Mongolia | 1.56 million km² |
| 3 | Chad | 1.28 million km² |
| 4 | Niger | 1.27 million km² |
| 5 | Mali | 1.24 million km² |
Doubly landlocked
Only two countries are doubly landlocked, surrounded entirely by other landlocked countries:
- Uzbekistan in Central Asia
- Liechtenstein in Europe
To reach the ocean from either, you must cross at least two borders.
Kazakhstan’s claims to fame
- Baikonur Cosmodrome, leased to Russia, is the world’s oldest and largest space launch site. Yuri Gagarin launched from here in 1961.
- The apple is thought to have originated in its mountains; Almaty’s name is linked to the Kazakh word for apple.
- The shrinking Aral Sea, on its border with Uzbekistan, is one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.
Other landlocked records
| Record | Country |
|---|---|
| Most populous landlocked country | Ethiopia |
| Smallest landlocked country | Vatican City; see the smallest country in the world |
| Landlocked country inside one other country | Lesotho, Vatican City and San Marino; see the country surrounded by South Africa |
Another vast Central Asian landscape is the Gobi Desert.
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