What are the Landlocked or Doubly Landlocked States In America

Sally Polly September 21, 2021 | 06:19

To learn more about the landlock states of the United States and what the landlock or doubly landlocked states are, keep reading the article below.

What are the landlocked states of the United States?

The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, 326 Indian reservations, and some minor possessions.

At 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million square kilometers), it is the world's third- or fourth-largest country by total area. The United States shares significant land borders with Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, as well as limited maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, and Russia.

With a population of more than 331 million people, it is the third most populous country in the world. The national capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is New York City.

What is landlocked state?

A landlocked state is any state whose territorial boundaries do not touch an ocean, gulf, or bay. All of the landlocked states in the U.S. are situated in the contiguous 48 states on the North American mainland. Sixteen states and the federal capital, Washington, D.C. are considered to be singly landlocked given that one must travel through only one other U.S. state, Mexican state, or Canadian province to reach an ocean, gulf, or bay. One state, Hawaii, is completely insular, meaning it only borders water and no other territories.

Ten states are considered doubly landlocked because to reach a major body of water, one must travel through two U.S. states, Mexican states, or Canadian provinces.

Only one state, Nebraska, is triply landlocked as one must travel through three U.S. states, or two U.S. states and one Canadian province to reach an ocean, gulf, or bay.

The Singly Landlocked States Of The United States

Photo: Shutterstock

Arizona And Arkansas

The Pacific Coast is accessible from Arizona through the states of California while the Gulf of California is accessible through the Mexican state of Sonora. A Narrow strip of land on the Mexican state prevents Arizona from accessing the Gulf without crossing the international boundary. Arkansas can access the Gulf of Mexico by crossing either Texas, Louisiana, or Mississippi. However, Louisiana offers the shortest route to the Gulf compared to the other two states.

District Of Columbia And Idaho

The District of Columbia is the capital of the U.S; it was created on July 16, 1790, after the states of Maryland and Virginia both ceded land for the creation of the Unions capital. The capital can access the Atlantic by crossing either state. Idaho, on the other hand, Idaho can access the Pacific coast by traversing either Oregon, Washington, or the Canadian Province of British Columbia. Washington and Oregon offer the shortest distance with fewer restrictions compared to the coast of British Columbia that is further and involves crossing an international boundary.

Kentucky And Michigan

The State of Kentucky can access the Atlantic Ocean by traversing through the State of Virginia. However, the state can also cross into Illinois or Indiana to access Lake Mississippi, and Ohio to access Lake Erie. Michigan can access the James Bay in Canada through the Province of Ontario. However, Michigan borders four of the five Great lakes except for lake Toronto. The Great Lakes link the state to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

Minnesota And Montana

To access the Hudson Bay, Minnesotans have to travel across the province of Manitoba, or Ontario to access the James Bay. However, Minnesota has direct access to Lake Superior which allows the state to access the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Montanans, on the other hand, have to go through the Province of British Columbia to access the Pacific Coast. However, the shortest route to the Pacific takes Montanans through Idaho and Washington states.

Nevada And New Mexico

To access the Pacific coast, Nevadans have to traverse through either California or Oregon. New Mexicans, on the other hand, have to cut across Texas to access the Gulf of Mexico. Alternatively, New Mexicans can access the Pacific by crossing the international boundary into Sonora and into the Gulf of California.

North Dakota And Ohio

Ohio can access the James Bay through the Province of Ontario on the Canadian side of the border. However, the state borders Erie which connects it to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence Seaway. North Dakota can access the Hudson Bay through the province of Manitoba. Due to the international boundary and the distance to Hudson Bay, the shortest distance to the Atlantic is through Minnesota to Lake Superior.

Oklahoma And Pennsylvania

Oklahomans have to cut across Texas to access the Gulf of Mexico. The Pacific coast is much further but is accessible through New Mexico, Arizona and into California. Pennsylvania, on the other hand, has several options for accessing the Atlantic Ocean, either through Delaware, New York, Maryland, or New Jersey. The state can also access the James Bay through Ontario. Pennsylvania has direct access to Lake Erie, but the Saint Lawrence Seaway is a much longer route to the Atlantic.

Tennessee, Vermont And West Virginia

Tennesseans access the Atlantic Ocean either through North Carolina, Georgia, or Virginia. Alternatively, they can access the Gulf of Mexico through Alabama and Mississippi. Tennesseans can also go through Kentucky then to either Indiana or Illinois to access Lake Michigan. Vermonters access the Atlantic through Massachusetts, New York, or New Hampshire. They can also cross the international boundary into Quebec to access the Hudson, and James Bays. West Virginia access the Atlantic through Virginia or Maryland.

Doubly landlocked

Photo: WorldAtlas

The 10 doubly landlocked states, with routes to their nearest ocean, gulf, or bay:

Colorado – New Mexico or Oklahoma, then Texas to the Gulf of Mexico; or, Arizona then California to the Pacific Ocean or Sonora to the Gulf of California
Illinois – Michigan (water boundary) then Ontario to James Bay or, Kentucky then Virginia to the Atlantic Ocean
Indiana – Michigan then Ontario to Hudson Bay; or, Kentucky then Virginia to the Atlantic Ocean
Iowa – Minnesota then Manitoba or Ontario to James Bay or Hudson Bay
Kansas – Oklahoma then Texas to the Gulf of Mexico
Missouri – Arkansas then Louisiana, or Tennessee then Mississippi, or Oklahoma then Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico; or, Kentucky then Virginia to the Atlantic Ocean
South Dakota – Minnesota then Ontario to James Bay; or North Dakota then Manitoba to Hudson Bay
Utah – Idaho then British Columbia, Washington or Oregon to the Pacific Ocean; or Nevada or Arizona, then California to the Pacific Ocean or Sonora to the Gulf of California; or Nevada then Oregon to the Pacific Ocean
Wisconsin – Michigan or Minnesota, then Ontario to James Bay or Manitoba to Hudson Bay
Wyoming – Idaho then British Columbia, Washington or Oregon to the Pacific Ocean; or, Montana then British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean

Triply landlocked

Photo: KETV

Nebraska is the only triply landlocked state. To reach an ocean, gulf, or bay from Nebraska, one must travel through at least three states, such as through Missouri, Tennessee, and North Carolina to reach the Atlantic Ocean, through Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon to reach the Pacific, or through Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Alternatively one can travel through the Dakotas and Manitoba, making it two U.S. states and a Canadian province to enter the Hudson Bay.

Nebraska's area is just over 77,220 square miles (200,000 km2) with a population of over 1.9 million. Its capital is Lincoln, and its largest city is Omaha, which is on the Missouri River. Nebraska was admitted into the United States in 1867, two years after the end of the American Civil War. The Nebraska Legislature is unlike any other American legislature in that it is unicameral, and its members are elected without any official reference to political party affiliation.

Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains. The Dissected Till Plains region consists of gently rolling hills and contains the state's largest cities, Omaha and Lincoln. The Great Plains region, occupying most of western Nebraska, is characterized by treeless prairie. Nebraska has two major climatic zones. The eastern two-thirds of the state has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa); a unique warmer subtype considered "warm-temperate" exists near the southern plains, which is analogous to that in Kansas and Oklahoma, which have a predominantly humid subtropical climate. The Panhandle and adjacent areas bordering Colorado have a primarily semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). The state has wide variations between winter and summer temperatures, variations that decrease moving south within the state. Violent thunderstorms and tornadoes occur primarily during spring and summer and sometimes in autumn. Chinook wind tends to warm the state significantly in the winter and early spring.

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