Which landlocked country is the world’s largest by total area?

Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country by total area.

Covering about 2.72 million square kilometres, Kazakhstan is also the ninth-largest country overall. Despite having no ocean coastline, it borders the Caspian Sea, which is the world’s largest inland body of water. International geographic definitions still classify Kazakhstan as landlocked because the Caspian has no natural connection to the world’s oceans.

Kazakhstan lies mainly in Central Asia and shares borders with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Its territory includes vast steppe, desert and semi-desert landscapes. Astana is the capital, while Almaty is the country’s largest city.

A common mix-up is treating the Caspian Sea as an ocean coastline. The Caspian is technically a lake, so Kazakhstan remains landlocked despite its extensive Caspian shore.