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Can't be connected by car = a regular individual can't drive a regular vehicle between the two countries, including via another country.

I'm not interested in the case where driving is made impossible because of some military conflicts, e.g with North Korea.

I'm aware of (Panama, Colombia). Is there any other such pair of countries?

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    Almost a match, Brazil-France border has only been open to cars for 5 years on the Oyapock River Bridge
    – Vince
    Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 17:27
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    @Vince I believe you could have gone through Suriname and Guyana.
    – jcaron
    Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 17:38
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    I was all set to throw out Indonesia/Papua New Guinea but it does appear that there's a land border crossing on the northern coast near Jayapura. Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 20:04
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    If we can quibble over "connected by land", I nominate the US and Russia, which at some times of the year are connected by a natural ice bridge between the Diomede Islands. You can't drive that route because it's ice, and there's no other land route between them. Does it count? Ice is like land in that it's a solid. Commented Jan 12, 2022 at 3:28
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    I also wondered about France and the UK, connected "by land" at the crossing point of the Channel Tunnel. It may be under the water, but you would be standing on dry land if you were to walk across it. Again, you can't drive through the tunnel (rail only) and the two countries have no other land route between them that I know of. ... Oh no, wait, you can drive from France to Gibraltar, so maybe that counts as "connected by car". Commented Jan 12, 2022 at 3:30

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There are no roads connecting Suriname to any of its neighbors (France, Guyana, or Brazil), though there are ferry connections over the rivers to Guyana and France.

(Wikivoyage says that there's a road between Suriname and Guyana, but it's wrong: satellite imagery clearly shows a hole in the road, and travelers' reports clearly state that a transfer to and from the ferry is required.

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    Yep, I crossed that border 3 years ago and there was no road for sure, ferry was the only option
    – Kuba
    Commented Jan 12, 2022 at 8:09
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    A bridge is apparently in the works at the same location, but it's still early days. Check back in 5–10 years. Commented Jan 12, 2022 at 19:38
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    I would say that a road ferry is still a road: You can connect to a car by spending half an hour and never leaving it.
    – alamar
    Commented Jun 15, 2022 at 8:19
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The Italian Republic and the Vatican City State

Wikipedia states

The Vatican City State, also known simply as the Vatican, became independent from Italy with the Lateran Treaty (1929), and it is a distinct territory under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity of international law.

The page Travel to Vatican City states

Driving: In Vatican City, they drive on the right side of the road, but it is highly unlikely that you will ever drive inside the Vatican. The only way the public can drive in the Vatican is if you’re there on official business and enter a via parking lot near St. Ann’s.

So it qualifies under OP's conditions

  • a regular individual can't drive a regular vehicle between the two countries

  • there is no ongoing military conflict preventing it

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Canada and Denmark have recently announced that they will divide Hans Island between them. Hans Island is a small uninhabited island in the middle of the Nares Strait between Greenland and Ellesmere Island; before this treaty, both countries had claimed ownership of the island.

This treaty, once ratified, will create a land border between the two countries that cannot be driven across; the island is uninhabited and there are no bridges leading to it.

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Various Antarctic territorial claims provide "land borders" that cannot be crossed due to the lack of roads, including:

  • Australia & New Zealand (160°E)
  • Australia & France (142°2′E and 136°11′E)
  • Australia & Norway (44°38′E)
  • Norway & United Kingdom (20°E)

None of these countries share a land border anywhere else in the world, of course. EDIT: As was pointed out by Nate Eldridge in the comments, it is possible to drive from Norway to Gibraltar, which is also a British Overseas Territory; so the last of these does not qualify.

For the purposes of this question, it is probably best to draw a discreet veil over the conflicts between the claims of Chile, Argentina, and the UK, as they make the concept of a "border" ill-defined. The Chile-Argentina border on the South American continent is relatively easy to cross anyhow.

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  • Are you sure you can't drive from Norway to the UK?
    – Doc
    Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 20:41
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    There is no car traffic in the Channel tunnel, cars go on a train.
    – Willeke
    Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 20:45
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    @Doc: Depends if you count a ferry or the Chunnel as "driving". But if you count ferries as driving then the Panama/Colombia link might not count either. Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 20:45
  • From the north you can drive as far as Yaviza in Panama, and from the south as far as Turbo in Colombia. How far can you get towards each of these Antarctica borders, and from where, in "a regular vehicle"? Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 21:42
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    Actually, I think you can drive from Norway to the UK, without ferries or Chunnel: goo.gl/maps/4pUZXoGzh1mhamZH6. Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory just like the British Antarctic territory is, so if you count one you've got to count the other. :-) Commented Jan 12, 2022 at 3:45
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Singapore and Malaysia are connected by a causeway and a bridge, with the Causeway in regular times being the world's busiest border crossing by some measures.

However, due to COVID-19, for much of 2020-2022 both were completely closed to private passenger vehicles: the only way to cross was by designated bus services. Both links reopened on April 1, 2022.

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    Isn't the bridge technically closed because of the war against COVID, breaking OPs rules? :)
    – JonathanReez
    Commented Jan 12, 2022 at 7:22
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    @JonathanReez that's not a "military conflict". Commented Jan 12, 2022 at 13:01
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    @WeatherVane You missed the joke re: "war" on COVID... Commented Jan 12, 2022 at 13:59
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    It is open now. Commented Jun 15, 2022 at 3:28
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    @hippietrail That hasn't been the case for quite some time, Malaysia reopened the main borderi crossings to Thailand for all travellers on May 5th: thethaiger.com/news/regional/malaysia-en/… Commented Jun 16, 2022 at 6:38
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If you're willing to stretch the definition of "connected by land": the UK and France are connected by land, namely the Channel Tunnel.

You can't drive through it as it consists of two train tunnels plus a pedestrian service tunnel - though you can take your car on a train.

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