In political geography, which of the following is the largest landlocked country in the world by area?

Introduction / Context:
Landlocked countries are states that have no direct access to the open ocean and are completely surrounded by land or by other inland water bodies. Their geographic situation influences trade, transport, and economic development. Among these, one country stands out as the largest landlocked state in terms of total area. This question tests your knowledge of world political geography by asking you to identify that country from the given options.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• A landlocked country has no coastline on an open sea or ocean.
• We are comparing total land area among landlocked states.
• Options include Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Russia, and Uzbekistan.
• We assume the current political map of the world.

Concept / Approach:
Kazakhstan is a large Central Asian country that is completely landlocked, though it borders the Caspian Sea, which is an inland sea and not part of the world ocean. By area, Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are also landlocked Central Asian states but are smaller than Kazakhstan. Russia, on the other hand, is one of the largest countries in the world but is not landlocked, as it has long coastlines along the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, among others. Therefore, the only option that fits the description of the largest landlocked country by area is Kazakhstan.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify which of the listed countries are landlocked. Step 2: Recognise that Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are landlocked, while Russia has extensive sea coasts and is not landlocked. Step 3: Compare their areas and recall that Kazakhstan is much larger than Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Step 4: Note that Kazakhstan is among the top ten largest countries in the world by area. Step 5: Conclude that Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world, making option A correct.

Verification / Alternative check:
Area statistics from atlases and geographical reference books list Kazakhstan with an area of about 2.7 million square kilometres, far exceeding the areas of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Lists of landlocked countries by size consistently place Kazakhstan at the top. Russia, by contrast, is usually cited as the largest country in the world, but it is clearly not landlocked because it has major ports on several seas and oceans. This numerical and geographic evidence confirms that Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked state.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Turkmenistan is landlocked but significantly smaller than Kazakhstan in area, so option B is incorrect for the largest landlocked country. Russia has a massive land area, but it has coastlines on the Arctic and Pacific Oceans and is therefore not landlocked at all, making option C incorrect by definition. Uzbekistan is also landlocked and unique as a double landlocked country, but its area is still much less than Kazakhstan's, so option D is wrong in the context of size. Only Kazakhstan satisfies both conditions: landlocked and the largest by area.

Common Pitfalls:
Students may be tempted to choose Russia simply because it is the largest country overall, without recalling that it has extensive coastlines and is not landlocked. Another pitfall is to confuse double landlocked status (a country surrounded only by other landlocked states) with being largest in area, which describes Uzbekistan but not Kazakhstan. To avoid confusion, remember the simple fact: Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country by area.

Final Answer:
The largest landlocked country in the world by area is Kazakhstan.