Ever wonder why some countries are called landlocked? Being landlocked means that a country is completely surrounded by other land masses and has no access to the sea.
It’s not always easy for these countries to access resources like seafood, or to export goods via water, but it doesn’t mean they can’t find other ways of doing so. In Europe, there are 16 countries that are considered landlocked. Let’s take a closer look at them.
What European Countries Are Landlocked?
Austria is one of the most well-known landlocked nations in Europe. Bordering eight different countries including Germany, Italy, Hungary and Czech Republic, Austria is a central hub for business and culture in Europe.
Other European countries that are also landlocked include Switzerland, Slovakia, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Serbia and Moldova. These countries have been able to overcome the geographical setback of being landlocked by setting up trading routes with their neighboring nations and creating successful import/export industries.
Along with these seven, there are nine more! Let’s look at a full list:
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Belarus
- Kosovo
- Czechia
- Hungary
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- North Macedonia
- Moldova, San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Switzerland
- Vatican City
Is There a Double Landlocked Country?
Being double landlocked means they are surrounded by other landlocked states, For those living in these nations, it means they need to cross over at least two borders before they could ever get to the sea.
There are only two double landlocked countries in the world. One of them is Uzbekistan in central Asia which is bordered by Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, which are all landlocked countries.
The only other double landlocked country is in Europe, and it’s Lichtenstein. This country is only bordered by two countries though, Switzerland and Austria.
Final Thoughts
Although it may seem like an obstacle at first glance to be completely encircled by land without access to any oceans or seaside ports for trade purposes, many of these nations have managed to turn their situation into an advantage.
These 16 European nations have all managed to create thriving businesses that rely on trade with neighboring lands instead of maritime ports! With all this in mind it should come as no surprise that many of these European nations continue to stand strong despite being blocked off from the seas.