# What precisely makes a country landlocked? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 23, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-precisely-makes-a-country-landlocked/276260 "2004-11-23T10:50:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Iceland\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@Iceland\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iceland_Blue)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-precisely-makes-a-country-landlocked/276260/1 "2004-11-23T10:50:43Z")
Pondering this for a potential qwiz qwestion, I was rather bemused by what actually counts as a landlocked country? Some are obvious-no coasts of any sort just land wherever you go(Niger,Bolivia,Paraguay)But what about those that have an inland coast,like Kazahstan which has a huge coastline but on the Caspian Sea or Uganda which has a border on Lake Victoria. And just how much coastline is too much? DR Congo has a tiny little bit of coastline which is actually on an inlet of the Atlantic. If you count it as a river then it wouldnt be a proper coast. If it’s just a blip in the sea, then it would be. And don’t worry. You won’t get it as a question 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-precisely-makes-a-country-landlocked/276260/2 "2004-11-23T11:08:38Z")
Typically, the expression implies that a country must export/import raw materials and finished goods through another country, with all the strategic and geopolitical drawbacks that go with that (eg, your neighbor with a sea port can hold you to ransom by cutting you off). Having a coast on a big lake might leave you less exposed, or it might not - depends on the circumstances. Look at US state boundaries - Mississippi, Alabama and Pennsylvania all have access to a sea/lake that suggests (to me) someone deliberately drew the map to ensure they weren’t landlocked. ---
**Author:** ![Aagramn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Aagramn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aagramn)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-precisely-makes-a-country-landlocked/276260/3 "2004-11-23T11:36:42Z")
I don’t think an inland sea counts: [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=landlocked](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=landlocked). ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-precisely-makes-a-country-landlocked/276260/4 "2004-11-23T12:17:48Z")
When the CIA looks at Uganda, they consider it [landlocked](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ug.html#Geo). The CIA views D R of Congo as [not landlocked](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cg.html#Geo), with 37 kilometers of shoreline, (but, more importantly, with a major navigable river exiting to the ocean). In the case of Paraguay, ([landlocked](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/pa.html#Geo)), the Rio Paraná is actually navigable to small traffic, (not to current ocean freighters), but it passes wholly _through_ Argentina, giving Paraguay no unrestricted access to the sea. Iraq’s [58 km of shoreline with a harbor](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/iz.html#Geo) put it into the “not landlocked” category, (although a sufficiently strong Iran or Saudi Arabia could clearly prevent its use–apparently, there is a certain presumption of respect for international law when designating landlocked or not). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-precisely-makes-a-country-landlocked/276260/5 "2004-11-23T13:02:38Z")
There was light naval warfare on Lake Victoria during WW1. The Germans armed cranky old steamboats on the Lake, the Brits used steam tractors to haul 2 armed fast patrol craft overland to the lake. The Brits won the naval fight handily, then blew the advantage by leaving a total nutcase in command. [http://www.nhcra-online.org/20c/africa15.htm](http://www.nhcra-online.org/20c/africa15.htm)