Countries with Limited Coastlines

Why does a big country like Iraq have such a tiny coastline? Despite its size,

Iraq has only about 58 kilometers of shoreline on the Persian Gulf.

In fact, if its borders had been drawn just a little differently,

Iraq could have become a completely landlocked country.

But Iraq isn't alone. There are several countries around the

world that are only a few kilometers away from losing their access to the sea.

Take Bosnia and Herzegovina.

From a distance, it looks like Croatia owns the entire Adriatic coast.

But zoom in and you'll find Bosnia squeezing through with just 20 kilometers

of coastline. Then there's Jordan.

Its entire coastline is only 26 kilometers long.

Yet that tiny strip contains Aqaba,

the country's only seaport and its gateway to global trade.

Next comes Slovenia. Italy and Croatia almost cut it off from the Adriatic Sea.

But a coastline of just 47 kilometers

is enough for the Port of Koper, one of the busiest ports in the region.

But the most surprising example is the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It's one of Africa's largest countries,

yet it reaches the Atlantic Ocean through a coastline only about 37 kilometers

long. A narrow corridor connects the country to the sea.

Without it, one of Africa's largest nations would have no direct access to

the ocean at all. Sometimes, a country's

connection to the world depends on just a few kilometers of coastline.