Mongolia is often mistakenly thought to be the largest landlocked country, but it is actually Kazakhstan. Let's explore why it is the largest landlocked country.
The term "landlocked country" refers to a country entirely encircled by land or whose coastlines are enclosed by the territory of other countries.
Explanation:
Kazakhstan is indeed the largest landlocked country in the world. It has no direct access to an ocean but is bordered by five different countries: Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
Kazakhstan covers an area of about 2,724,900 square kilometers (1,052,100 square miles).
Comparative Analysis:
Country
Land Area (sq km)
Kazakhstan
2,724,900
Mongolia
1,564,116
Switzerland
41,290
As the table depicts, Kazakhstan's area is significantly larger than Mongolia's, which is often incorrectly presumed to be the largest.
Thus, by a substantial margin, Kazakhstan holds the title of the largest landlocked nation globally.