Uzbekistan is one of only two double-landlocked countries in the world. A double-landlocked country is surrounded entirely by other countries that are themselves landlocked, meaning reaching an ocean requires crossing at least two international borders.
Uzbekistan is enclosed by five states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. All of its neighbours are landlocked, although some ultimately connect to the Caspian Sea or wider drainage systems. The only other double-landlocked country is Liechtenstein, between Austria and Switzerland in Europe.
Uzbekistan became independent in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Its position in Central Asia also makes it distinctive because it is the region’s only country bordering all four other Central Asian states. It is sometimes confused with Kazakhstan or Turkmenistan because all three are large, landlocked Central Asian countries, but neither has the defining double-landlocked status.