The Seven Landlocked Countries That Have Navies
Why It Matters
Landlocked navies demonstrate that control of waterways—whether inland seas, rivers, or ports—remains a critical security and economic lever, reshaping regional power calculations.
Key Takeaways
- •Seven landlocked nations maintain navies despite lacking ocean access.
- •Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan operate on the Caspian Sea.
- •Ethiopia revives navy to protect Djibouti port interests.
- •Laos and Paraguay focus on riverine security and anti‑smuggling.
- •Bolivia’s navy symbolizes maritime claim and combats Amazon drug trafficking.
Summary
The video challenges the assumption that navies require open oceans by profiling the seven landlocked countries that maintain independent naval forces.
Three of them—Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan—operate on the Caspian Sea, a closed basin inherited from the Soviet Union. Since the USSR’s dissolution in 1991 each state built a modest fleet, with Kazakhstan now fielding the largest number of shallow‑water craft to offset Russia’s shrinking presence as the sea recedes.
Ethiopia, after losing its coastline in the 1990s, is rebuilding a navy with Russian and French assistance to safeguard its 95 % trade flow through Djibouti. Laos and Paraguay rely on tiny riverine units to police the Mekong and Paraguay River corridors, while Bolivia’s navy, stationed on the Amazon and Lake Titicaca, serves both as a political reminder of its lost Pacific coast and as a drug‑interdiction force.
These forces illustrate how geography does not preclude maritime strategy; they protect trade routes, deter regional rivals, and reinforce national identity, prompting other landlocked states to consider similar capabilities.
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