In this post, we list and discuss the 5 Biggest Countries in Do Not Travel List. If you would like to see our detailed discussion of the topic, you can go to the 25 Biggest Countries in Do Not Travel List.
5. Iran
Total land area (sq km): 1,648,195
Fifth on the list, Iran is one of the biggest countries on the Travel Advisory’s do not travel list. Due to the risk of terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, wrongful detentions, and the arbitrary arrest of U.S. citizens, the advisory suggests that no American citizen should travel to Iran for any reason at all. Previously, Iranian authorities have unjustly detained and imprisoned U.S. nationals, particularly dual nationals of US and Iran including students, journalists, business travelers, and academics — and they continue to do so. Plus, the threat of terrorist activity also persists in the country. Last updated on January 11, 2024, the advisory makes it clear that the U.S. government does not have diplomatic or consular relations with Iran, and cannot provide routine or emergency consular services to any American who gets stuck in Iran.
4. Libya
Total land area (sq km): 1,759,540
Libya is a country in North Africa. Due to widespread crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict, the country is marked as a do not travel one. According to the travel advisory, Americans and other Westerners have previously fallen victim to these crimes. Moreover, there are armed groups in the country that sometimes detain travelers for arbitrary reasons. Detainees do not have access to a lawyer or a legal process, and they aren’t allowed to inform others of their status either. Some international and national airports are closed as well, and flights out of operational airports are infrequent and may get canceled without warning. The travel advisory last updated Libya’s safety status on July 13, 2023.
3. Sudan
Total land area (sq km): 1,861,484
Ranked 3rd, Sudan’s safety situation was last updated by the advisory on April 22, 2023, which is the same date on which the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations and the Department of State ordered the departure of all its employees and their eligible family members from Sudan. These measures were taken because, in April 2023, a civil war broke out in Sudan and threatened the safety of everyone in the country. As of today, the advisory strongly recommends not to travel to Sudan because of the armed conflict, civil unrest, crime, terrorism, and kidnapping.
2. Congo
Total land area (sq km): 2,344,858
With a long history of experiencing conflicts, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ranks second in the list of biggest countries on the do not travel list. The travel advisory has given a rating of level 3 to Congo, mainly due to the high crime rate and civil unrest. On top of that, some areas in the country have an increased risk of assaults which the local law enforcement is unable to respond to due to lack of resources. The advisory has marked the North Kivu province, Ituri province, eastern DRC region, and the three Kasai provinces (Kasai, Kasai-Oriental, Kasai-Central) as do not travel zones. This was last updated on July 31, 2023.
1. Russia
Total land area (sq km): 17,098,242
Russia, the largest country in the world by land area, is also on the do not travel list. Since its invasion of Ukraine, the US advisory asks citizens not to travel to the country because of the potential risk of terrorism and harassment, singling out of Americans for detention by Russian government security officials, the arbitrary enforcement of local law, limited flights into and out of Russia, and the Embassy’s limited ability to assist U.S. citizens in Russia. The State Department asks any American residing in Russia or traveling in the country to depart immediately and exercise increased caution. The state of security in Russia was last updated by the advisory on September 5, 2023.
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