When coming up with a battle plan there are certain countries you never want to invade. They might have nukes and large armies, impossibly difficult terrain to maneuver through, or even 11 time zones within its borders. It may be possible for invaders to step foot in these countries, but they most certainly won’t make it out alive. The United States is the world’s only true superpower, it has the largest military in the world, and enough nukes to end humanity many times over. So, let’s just assume it would be impossible to invade and put the U.S. on the sidelines until later on.
Afghanistan
But even this superpower couldn’t control our first country. You’ve probably been hearing a lot about Afghanistan recently because the United States failed to subdue it after a 20-year war. The Soviet Union failed before that, and Britain failed epically hard in the 1800s. It is no wonder the country has been called The Graveyard of Empires. One of the main obstacles when invading Afghanistan, as all of the countries in the past who tried and failed found out, is the terrain. It is made up of some of the driest and most inhospitable deserts in the world.
The country is also surrounded by impenetrable mountains. This landscape features double as not only protective terrain, but a good place to hide and regroup if Afghan forces are in trouble. The high peaks of the numerous mountain chains that surround the country make armored vehicles and tanks useless. The only way to combat Afghan forces in the mountains of their country is by putting boots on the ground. Since the Afghan people have cultural knowledge of these regions it makes it impossible for an invading army to win a war in the mountains of Afghanistan.
A second reason why Afghanistan is impossible to invade is because of the people themselves. They will not be subdued. There are several different ethnic groups, and each forms a close-knit community that will fight to the death for one another. What makes the Afghan people unique is the loyalty to the cultural group they belong to, but also their ties to multiple other groups. In the end, the Afghan people will put aside their differences to fight off foreign invaders.
This means no matter what strategy an invading country takes, whether it is by conventional warfare like the British did; unrelenting violence like the Soviets did; or nation-building like the United States tried to do, it will fail. Afghanistan seems to be a country that if you invade, no matter how powerful you are, you will not succeed.
China
Our next nation is a heavy hitter. But the reason that China would be impossible to invade isn’t what you might think. First of all, China is the most populated country in the world with close to 1.4 billion people. This means there is a large pool of soldiers from China to draw from in an invasion. That being said, not everyone is meant to be a soldier. But if the Chinese government focused on ramping up the production of weapons, the industrial-military machine of the country would most certainly be able to arm every man, woman, and child within its borders if they needed to.
And although civilians and poorly trained soldiers going up against the might of a well-disciplined invading force might not seem like a good idea, if the invading force is outnumbered by enough Chinese people they will be overwhelmed and washed over like a wave crashing against the sand on a beach. Another thing that China has going for it during an invasion is the unobstructed power of the government. Living in a dictatorship is not an ideal situation, but if quick decisions about military manufacturing and how to respond to an invasion were ever needed in China, their government would not run into any opposition or red tape. What the government says goes, and if they want 1 billion people to be armed and to fight, they can make it happen very quickly.
The manpower of China would take its toll on an invading force, but the size of the country, the change in terrains, and the intense weather conditions in both mountainous and coastal regions would make moving an invading force into and across the country incredibly difficult. And that is just the natural landscape. China has some of the densest cities in the world, meaning that an invading force would not only need to be able to fight in the desert, mountains, and jungles of China but in close-quarter urban warfare as well.
When trying to clear entire concrete jungles of high rises, an invading force would be slowed down and most likely decimated by the population in the city. It is also important to remember that China has one of the largest economies in the world and a huge workforce. They would be able to manufacture pretty much any technology they needed, along with vehicles and aircraft at a moment's notice. The Chinese people can resist an invading force and deplete their resources long before they would need to use their last line of defense: the 350 nukes that they have stockpiled within their borders.
India
Our next country shares a border with China and isn’t too far away from Afghanistan. It would seem the topography of this region plays a major role in fortifying countries from invading forces. India is protected by the Himalayas in the north, deserts to the west, tropical jungles to the east, and the ocean to the south. Although it is not an island, it might as well be for any invading force, because the only reasonable way to invade the country would be by the sea. Unfortunately for the invaders, the Indian military has already prepared for that.
The Indian Navy is not to be messed with. They have both conventional and nuclear submarines, missile cruisers, and an aircraft carrier ready to defend their coastline. All together the Indian Navy has around 150 ships and 300 aircraft at their disposal to fend off an invading force. So, just getting to the country would be next to impossible. But once within its borders, things do not get any better for an invading force. India has had to contend with hostile neighbors in Pakistan and China for many years now. The Indian military has already developed strategies to fend off not just one, but two invading forces at the same time.
One of India’s most powerful weapons is the preparations they’ve already made for an invasion. They would not be caught off guard, because, at some point, they already expect to have to protect their country from multiple invaders. Even if a rival military eventually does decide to invade India, their tactical options are limited. The massive Himalayan mountains take away the option of having air support and ground support in the northern region of the country. If Indian forces pull back to the mountains and hold their ground, it would be a long and losing battle for the invading force. Also, let's not forget that India’s population rivals China’s at close to 1.4 billion people as well. They also have a stockpile of 160 nuclear warheads.
North Korea
One other country from the Asian continent that would be impossible to invade would be the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Other than having a maniac for a dictator that is willing to do whatever it takes to maintain his power—even if it means killing his people—North Korea has a formidable military. North Korea has the second-largest army in the world with around 700,000 active members and 4.5 million people in reserve.
Since the dictators of the country have always been power-hungry, and have had a bit of a complex with showing Western countries they are powerful, North Korea currently has around 4,200 tanks, 458 fighter planes, 750 naval ships, and somewhere between 30 and 40 nukes. So, any invading force would have to bring their entire military just to stand a chance, and even that might not be enough.
It is no secret that North Korea and China have a close relationship. If a country tried to invade North Korea, China would most likely come to their aid. And having to fight both North Korea and China’s military would be practically impossible without sending everyone into World War III, and most likely a nuclear holocaust.
Russia
Now let’s talk about the largest country in the world. It spans 11 time zones and 2 continents. Would it be even remotely possible to invade Russia? As history has shown us, there is zero chance of an invading force successfully subduing and controlling Russia. Being the largest country by landmass, Russian topography is made up of a little bit of everything. A good portion of the northern part of the country sits in the arctic, which would make a complete invasion of this country just not possible, and here’s why.
As history has shown, the Russian landscape is brutal. The majority of it is hostile, dry, and cold—really, really, cold. But it isn’t so much the weather and land that will defeat an invading force; it is the Russian people, and what they will do to the land. When Napoleon invaded in 1812, and the Axis Powers invaded in World War II, neither was successful. Russia is just too big, and the Russian people know it. They aren't afraid to retreat further and further into the harsh lands of the country. The problem for an invading force is that when Russians retreat, they destroy everything they leave behind. This includes structures for shelter, farms for food, and factories for making and repairing equipment.
The Russian people will destroy their own homes before they will let them fall into an invader's hands. And as all militaries who have ever tried to invade Russia know, if there is nowhere to hide from the brutal Russian weather or food to eat, the war is over and they have lost. The size of Russia is massive, so invaders need to be able to fight in 11 different time zones at the same time if they are going to take the entire country.
This makes strategizing the invasion of Russia almost impossible on its own. Plus, Russia has an active military of over a million people and another 2 million in reserve. They will also have support from several of the Soviet Union's former territories, and other communist states from around the world. And let’s not forget that Russia has the most nuclear weapons stockpiled only after the United States with around 1,600 currently deployed and ready to go and another few thousand in reserve.
Canada
Our last country that would be impossible to invade may surprise you since they have a reputation for being so nice. Canada is a formidable country for an invading force. It isn’t that their military is particularly strong, but because of other aspects of the country. It is the second-largest in the world in terms of landmass. And like Russia, most of it is either covered in ice and snow or made up of mountainous, hard-to-cross, terrain.
But the real problem with invading Canada is not what you’d have to go through, but whom you’d have to go through. Since most of the country resides in the arctic the only viable entry point is from the south. Unfortunately for any invading force, that means they must go through Canada’s ally, the United States of America. And as mentioned before, the U.S. has the largest and most powerful military in the world. So, invading Canada is simply not an option.
It may seem logical that countries in remote areas of the world would be difficult to invade, but this isn’t true anymore. With today's technology isolation doesn’t guarantee protection. Most militaries have advanced naval ships and aircraft that make hard-to-reach places accessible. To be a country resistant to invasion you need a harsh landscape, a strong military, and citizens willing to do whatever it takes to win.