Navies of landlocked countries

A ''landlocked navy'' is a naval force operated by a country that does not have a coastline. While these states are unable to develop a sea-going, blue-water navy, they may still deploy armed forces on major lakes or rivers.

There are several reasons a landlocked country may choose to maintain a navy. If a river or lake forms a national border, countries may feel the need to protect and patrol that border with a military force. In some regions, roads may be unreliable or circuitous, and a river or lake may be the easiest way to move military forces around the country. Sometimes, possession of a body of water may actually be contested – for example, countries around the landlocked Caspian Sea have different views of how ownership should be divided.

Patrol boats of various types are the most common craft among landlocked navies. Some landlocked navies possess troop or vehicle transports, allowing ground forces to cross or travel along a lake or river.

Separate force

Landlocked countries that have navies today include:
* Azerbaijan – Although Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea, the Caspian Sea is not connected to any ocean by natural waterway;The Caspian is connected to the Black Sea via the Volga and Don rivers and a linking 60 km canal that is navigable by seagoing vessels of up to 5,000 gross tons most authorities thus regard the country as landlocked. The Azerbaijani Navy operates on the Caspian Sea. In 2003, the Russian Volga–Don Canal was used to deliver a cutter gifted by the US government to the Azerbaijani Navy.
* Bolivia – Bolivia lost access to the Pacific Ocean during the 1879 War of the Pacific. In 1963, the Bolivian government established a freshwater force (''Fuerza Fluvial y Lacustre'') to patrol Lake Titicaca and Bolivia's larger rivers, consisting of four American-purchased patrol boats and 1,800 personnel recruited from the army. This naval force, renamed the Bolivian Naval Force in 1966, reached a strength of 5,000 personnel in 2008. It also had a naval unit permanently deployed in the Argentine city of Rosario. To Bolivians, the Bolivian Navy serves as a symbol that the country has not given up on regaining its lost access to the sea.
* Central African Republic – A small naval force is maintained on the Ubangi River, a tributary of the Congo River. The Ubangi River forms the country's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and is a significant transport route.
* Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan – Although both countries border the Caspian Sea, the Caspian is not connected to any ocean by natural waterway. By some definitions, this makes the two countries landlocked. Both Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan operate small navies on the Caspian Sea.
* Laos – The Lao People's Navy operates vessels on the Mekong River, a major feature of the country's geography. It is believed to operate two or three dozen small patrol boats. Because the Mekong makes up a considerable portion of the Laotian border, the Navy is significantly involved in border control work.
* Paraguay – The Armed Forces of Paraguay operate a navy of around a dozen vessels and has several thousand personnel. It operates on the country's major rivers, notably the Paraguay River and the Paraná River. The Paraguayan Navy could reach the open sea by traveling downriver through Argentina. The Paraguayan Navy served in the Paraguayan War and in the Chaco War

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