13 Countries With No Internet Connection or Limited Internet Connection

List of The 13 Countries With No Internet or Limited Internet Connection

We are living in the digital era. We need to stay connected with the people around us. Sometimes our professional requirements and at times due to our social life, we have to maintain touch with people. In the past, it was important to meet people to keep our social life going. In the same way, we want to remain updated with the various development taking place across the globe. These things are made possible by internet connections. Think from a student's perspective, how easy it is to study in the presence of internet connectivity. 

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Can we think of a world devoid of any internet facilities? Will accessibility not take a hit, if there is no internet? The world will regress instead of progress if the internet connection is not allowed to be accessed. There will be broad consensus on one point, that internet is a must. Yes, it may have its own disadvantages, but there is nothing which is foolproof so why blame the internet alone. 

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You will be shell-shocked to know that there are certain countries where the citizens are not provided internet connectivity or very limited access to the Internet, even in this world of information revolution. Well, this is true. You may be wondering, how it is possible! 

We will discuss these countries in this article. You are very fortunate if you are living in a democratic & liberal country imposing very few restrictions. In fact, the people who are getting full rights and enjoying the privileges offered by their respective Governments may find it very difficult to even imagine, how it feels to stay in a country in the absence of basic technical facilities like internet connection, being granted to ordinary citizens or limited connectivity. Let's read more about these countries in this article. Drop your comment and apprise us of your views on this topic.

These countries have the world’s worst Internet access.

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1. People's Republic of China

China has got a maximum number of internet users, but you will experience extreme internet censorship with as many as 60 regulations related to the Internet in China. You are barred/prevented from accessing sites like Google in China. The authorities keep a tab on the internet use of individuals in China. Freedom of speech is a rare commodity in China and the internet surely provides freedom of speech.

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2. Cuba 

Although the internet was introduced back in the 90s in Cuba however, due to certain factors like scarcity of funds & restraints imposed by the Government, the internet could not flourish there. The Internet is a domain controlled by the Cuban Government thereby stagnating it to a great degree. You are perhaps not aware that even mobile internet is not allowed in Cuba. The Government tightly controls the media in Cuba.

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3. Belarus

Another country with limited internet connectivity. In fact, Reporters Without Borders listed Belarus, as an "Internet Enemy" in 2006, 2007 & 2008. Prior to 2006, most places in Belarus had no internet connectivity. Although in Capital Minsk, you find maximum internet connectivity, the situation is not good in rural areas. Freedom of the press is pretty restricted in this country and private media players get subjected to censorship and even harassment in some cases.

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4. Myanmar

It's a country that has been ruled by Army mainly. Due to restrictions imposed by Army, limited or no excess to the internet has been the story of Myanmar mostly. Although Myanmar had internet access from 2000 onwards, hardcore censorship was visible till September 2011. Even now, it is said that only 1% population can access the internet in Myanmar. Reporters Without Borders listed Myanmar as an Internet Enemy in 2011.

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5. North Korea

Internet is available in North Korea, but it is subject to a lot of limitations & restrictions being imposed by the Government out there. Permissions are granted for Government activities. Only a small group of people gets access to the global Internet. In general, internet facility is not available in North Korea barring some high-level officials. You get mainly strictly monitored computers in most Universities in North Korea.

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6. Saudi Arabia

The internet facility in Saudi Arabia is pretty expensive and of low quality. Google translate & Wikipedia were blocked in 2006. So it is another country where few websites are blocked so can't be considered an Internet-friendly country by any stretch of the imagination. Under official state law, books, movies, television, etc are regulated and censored in Saudi Arabia.

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7. Egypt

When Mr. Hosni Mubarak was in power in Egypt, at that  point in time internet was partly free. When protests erupted in 2011, Facebook and Twitter were blocked. In 2017, 62 websites were banned in Egypt. Can't be considered a country where the internet can expand so easily.

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8. Tunisia

After the ouster of President Zine Ben Ali, internet censorship has been on the decline and it was seen that the new Government removed filters on social networking sites like YouTube. So this country has also seen its fair share of internet censorship. Having said that we must also state that authorities have started expanding internet connectivity outside significant cities in this country which is a healthy sign.

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9. Turkmenistan

The country started experiencing internet facilities in 1997 however, the Telecom market is fairly small in this country. Since the press and communication are controlled by the state so free access to information is not available that easily. Websites belonging to human rights organizations are usually blocked and one can experience severe surveillance in Turkmenistan.

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10. Syria

Due to political reasons, this country has banned quite a few websites. In fact, internet connectivity was shut down in November 2011. The same thing was seen as many as 10 times in 2013 & 2014. This is another country where the internet has not been made available on a constant basis without interruption. Internet censorship is extensive in Syria.

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11. Vietnam

We must include Vietnam in this list, as the websites that are critical to the Government get blocked in this country. In general, people can express their opinions, but they are prevented from saying things that can lead to any kind of unrest / political coup, or anti Government movement. It is against the law of the land to use internet resources that could potentially destabilize the economy or security of Vietnam.

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12. Iran

It is believed by a lot of people that the Iranian Government resorts to speed throttling ( i.e reduction in data speed ) in order to discourage internet users. Such things ate usually visible prior to any elections or any unrest taking place in the Country. It is said only half of Iran's population accesses the internet which replace too mainly in urban areas. Streaming services like Hulu & Netflix are blocked in Iran.

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13. Uzbekistan

Out of a total population of 32 million, approximately 9 million can access the internet in Uzbekistan. That tells its own tale, isn't it? By the end of 1995, Uzbekistan started getting internet facilities however, shockingly the growth of the internet has been very subdued. Again, you have a country with heavy restrictions as far as the internet is concerned.

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Freedom of speech must be encouraged by every country. It is the right of every global citizen irrespective of their nationality. Any measure to curb such freedom is not welcome. Everybody must be allowed to express themselves. Forcefully stopping people from supporting or opposing any initiative may prove to be detrimental to the long-term interest of any society or Country.

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The Internet is a medium of expression and it lets us connect with a global audience. It must be made available instead of imposing restrictions on it.

Conclusion

Internet censorship in general does not reflect a healthy situation. It is a great pity that in this era of technical advancement and freedom, people are still not given access to see things and form their own opinion. The sorry state of affairs gets reflected when people are not made privy to various developments taking place and are not given the authority to express their point of view. Suppression of information is a great threat to mankind, as we will remain in a dark age. 

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