Q. Which of the following statements regarding the geopolitical features of Central Asia are correct?
1.Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country, bordered exclusively by landlocked nations.
2.Uzbekistan shares direct land borders with all four other Central Asian Republics.
3.Kazakhstan possesses direct maritime access to the Indian Ocean via the Gulf of Oman.
4.Tajikistan is the only Central Asian nation that shares no international border with Afghanistan.
Select the answer using the code given below:
Answer: A
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct: Uzbekistan is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world (the other being Liechtenstein), meaning it is surrounded entirely by landlocked nations.
- Statement 2 is correct: Uzbekistan is centrally located and is the only Central Asian country that shares direct land borders with all four other post-Soviet Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan), as well as Afghanistan to the south.
- Statement 3 is incorrect: Kazakhstan is entirely landlocked. Its western coast touches the Caspian Sea (an inland endorheic basin), and it has no direct maritime access to the Indian Ocean.
- Statement 4 is incorrect: Tajikistan shares a long southern border with northern Afghanistan along the Panj and Amu Darya rivers.
