Alexandra Novosseloff

The book "World Enclaves - Travel through territorial oddities" talks also about landlocked countries that are sovereign states in their own right. And in my travels, I have visited some of them.

 

There are only three countries in the world that are landlocked in the sense of the definition of international law, i.e., entirely surrounded by another country: Lesotho landlocked in South Africa, San Marino and the Vatican City state landlocked in Italy. Other states could have the same status but they have a maritime façade.  These are considered as semi-enclaved or exclaved countries: the sultanate of Brunei enclaved in Malaysia, Gambia enclaved in Senegal and the Principality of Monaco enclaved in France. In geography, this adjective is also used to designate a landlocked country, without access to the sea. The number of such countries is higher:

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• in Asia: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan;

• in continental Europe: the Principality of Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Hungary, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Moldova, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia;

• in Latin America: Bolivia and Paraguay;

• in Africa: Burkina Faso, Botswana, Central African Republic, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Chad, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

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There are two countries in the world that are double-landlocked, meaning that they are surrounded by other landlocked countries: the Principality of Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan. ​Kosovo is a case apart since it is not yet internationally recognised as a state – only about a hundred states have recognised it as such – and it is not a member of the United Nations; it is nevertheless landlocked.