Geography - note In 30 editions of 36.

note: the Earth is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old, about one-third of the 13.8-billion-year age estimated for the universe; the earliest widely accepted date for life appearing on Earth is 3.48 billion years ago

largest country in Africa but 80% desert; canyons and caves in the southern Hoggar Mountains and in the barren Tassili n'Ajjer area in the southeast of the country contain numerous examples of prehistoric art -- rock paintings and carvings depicting human activities and wild and domestic animals (elephants, giraffes, cattle) -- that date to the African Humid Period, roughly 5,000 to 11,000 years ago, when the region was completely vegetated

the province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo

sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands

• landlocked;
• sparsely populated with most settlement concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the country;
• geography dominated by the Kalahari Desert, which covers about 70% of the country, although the Okavango Delta brings considerable biodiversity as one of the largest inland deltas in the World

landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers, the Black, Red, and White Voltas

• landlocked;
• straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed;
• the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile

• strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes;
• one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia;
• the others are Azores (Portugal), Canary Islands (Spain), and Madeira (Portugal)

• sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa because of its central location on the continent and its position at the west-south juncture of the Gulf of Guinea;
• areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity;
• Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano

landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

note 1: Chad is the largest of Africa's 16 landlocked countries

note 2: a wide variety of animals lived in modern-day Chad during the African Humid Period, including elephants, giraffes, hippos, and antelope; the last remnant of this "Green Sahara" exists in the Lakes of Ounianga in northern Chad, a series of 18 interconnected freshwater, saline, and hypersaline lakes

note 3: Lake Chad, the most significant water body in the Sahel, is a remnant of a former inland sea, paleolake Mega-Chad; at its greatest extent, sometime before 5000 B.C., Lake Mega-Chad was the largest of four Saharan paleolakes that existed during the African Humid Period; it covered an area of about 400,000 sq km (150,000 sq mi), roughly the size of today's Caspian Sea

important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel; the only Arab League country that lies entirely in the Southern Hemisphere

note 1: second-largest country in Africa (after Algeria) and largest country in sub-Saharan Africa; straddles the equator; dense tropical rainforest in central river basin and eastern highlands; the narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River is the DRC's only outlet to the South Atlantic Ocean

note 2: the Congo River, most of which flows through the DRC, has never been accurately measured along much of its length because of its speed, cataracts, rapids, and turbulence; nonetheless, it is conceded to be the deepest river in the world, with estimates of the point of greatest depth varying between 220 and 250 meters

about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them

most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated

• strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields;
• Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa and the saltiest lake in the world

• controls Sinai Peninsula, the only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere;
• controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

• insular and continental regions widely separated;
• despite its name, no part of the equator passes through Equatorial Guinea -- the mainland part of the country is located just north of the equator

strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes

landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa

• the most populous landlocked country in the world;
• the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia

the country has maintained its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity

almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the African mainland

• Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake (manmade reservoir) by surface area (8,482 sq km; 3,275 sq mi);
• the lake was created after the Akosombo Dam was completed in 1965

• the Niger and its important tributary,
• the Milo River,
• have their sources in the Guinean highlands

this small country is swampy along its western coast and is low-lying inland

• the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa;
• glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second-highest peak;
• unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value;
• Lake Victoria, the world's largest tropical lake and the second-largest freshwater lake, is shared among three countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda

landlocked, surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level

• facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars;
• the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

note 1: more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert

note 2: the volcano Waw an Namus lies in south central Libya in the middle of the Sahara; the caldera is an oasis -- the name means "oasis of mosquitoes" -- containing several small lakes that host many species of insects and birds

• world's fourth-largest island;
• strategic location along Mozambique Channel;
• despite Madagascar’s close proximity to the African continent, ocean currents isolate the island, resulting in high rates of endemic plant and animal species;
• approximately 90% of the flora and fauna on the island are found nowhere else

• landlocked;
• Lake Nyasa, about 580 km (360 mi) long, is the country's most prominent physical feature;
• it contains more fish species than any other lake on earth

• landlocked;
• divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese;
• the central, semiarid Sahelian;
• and the northern, arid Saharan

• Mauritania is considered part of both North Africa's Maghreb region and West Africa's Sahel region;
• most of the population is concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country

• the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs;
• former home of the extinct dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons

• strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar;
• the only African nation to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines;
• the waters off the Atlantic coast are particularly rich fishing areas

the Zambezi River flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country

• the Namib Desert, after which the country is named, is considered to be the oldest desert in the world;
• some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip

• landlocked;
• one of the hottest countries in the world;
• northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna that is suitable for livestock and limited agriculture

the Niger River enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rainforests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea

landlocked; most of the country is intensively cultivated and rugged, with the population predominantly rural

• Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown elsewhere in the world;
• Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns;
• Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa

the second-smallest African country (after the Seychelles); the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes, and both are mountainous

westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal

• the smallest African country in terms of both area and population;
• the constitution of the Republic of Seychelles lists 155 islands, including 42 granitic and 113 coralline;
• the largest island by far is Mahe, which is home to about 90% of the population and is the site of the capital city of Victoria

rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 in) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal western Africa

strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal

note 1: South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Eswatini

note 2: sometimes mistaken for the southernmost point of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope is more accurately described as the southwestern-most point of the African continent; Cape Agulhas, the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, is the southernmost point of the African continent

• landlocked;
• The Sudd is a vast swamp in the north central region of South Sudan, formed by the White Nile;
• its size is variable but can reach some 15% of the country's total area during the rainy season;
• it is one of the world's largest wetlands

• the Nile is Sudan's primary water source;
• its major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, meet at Khartoum to form the River Nile, which flows northward through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea

• Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and one of only three mountain ranges on the continent that has glaciers (the others are Mount Kenya in Kenya and the Ruwenzori Mountains on the Uganda-Democratic Republic of the Congo border);
• Tanzania is bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second-deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) in the southwest

stretches through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna

strategic location in central Mediterranean

• landlocked;
• fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers;
• Lake Victoria, the world's largest tropical lake and second-largest freshwater lake, is shared among three countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda

• landlocked;
• the Zambezi forms a natural river boundary with Zimbabwe;
• Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi)

• landlocked;
• the Zambezi forms a natural river boundary with Zambia;
• in full flood (February-April), the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water;
• Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi)

• the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and driest continent;
• during the summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the equator in an equivalent period

• mostly uninhabitable, 99% of the land area is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, the largest single mass of ice on Earth;
• it covers an area of 14 million sq km (5.4 million sq mi) and contains 26.5 million cu km (6.4 million cu mi) of ice (almost 62% of the world's fresh water)

• almost entirely covered by glacial ice (93%);
• declared a nature reserve by Norway;
• the distance from Bouvet Island to Norway is 12,776 km, which is almost one-third the circumference of the earth

• islands are widely scattered across remote locations in the southern Indian Ocean
• Bassas da India (Iles Éparses): atoll is a circular reef on top of a long-extinct, submerged volcano
• Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island (Iles Éparses): wildlife sanctuary for seabirds and sea turtles
• Glorioso Island (Iles Éparses): an extensive reef system surrounds the island
• Tromelin Island (Iles Éparses): climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones in the western Indian Ocean; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises)

• Mawson Peak on Heard Island is the highest Australian mountain;
• at 2,745 m (9,006 ft), Mawson is taller than Mt. Kosciuszko in mainland Australia), and one of only two active volcanoes located in Australian territory;
• in 1992, McDonald Island, the other active volcano, broke its dormancy and began erupting;
• it has erupted several times since

the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage

• dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe;
• sparse population confined to small settlements along coast;
• close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk;
• world's second largest ice sheet after that of Antarctica, covering an area of 1.71 million sq km (660,000 sq mi), or about 79% of the island, and containing 2.85 million cu km (684 thousand cu mi) of ice (almost 7% of the world's fresh water)

• strategic location between Greenland and Europe;
• westernmost European country;
• Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world;
• more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe

• barren volcanic spoon-shaped island with some moss and grass flora;
• island consists of two parts: a larger northeast Nord-Jan (the spoon "bowl") and the smaller Sor-Jan (the "handle"), linked by a 2.5 km-wide isthmus (the "stem") with two large lakes, Sorlaguna (South Lagoon) and Nordlaguna (North Lagoon)

• northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway;
• consists of nine main islands;
• glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total area

• landlocked;
• the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country;
• the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)

landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range

both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked

most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal

• landlocked;
• strategic location between China and India;
• controls several key Himalayan mountain passes

note 1: archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, the largest and southernmost island, occupies a strategic location in the central Indian Ocean

note 2: Diego Garcia is the only inhabited island of the BIOT

note 1: world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and the US) and largest country situated entirely in Asia; Mount Everest, on the border with Nepal, is the world's tallest peak above sea level

note 2: the largest cave chamber in the world is the Miao Room, in the Gebihe cave system at China's Ziyun Getu He Chuandong National Park, which encloses about 10.78 million cu m (380.7 million cu ft); the world's largest sinkhole is the Xiaoxhai Tiankeng sinkhole in Chongqing Municipality, which is 660 m deep, with a volume of 130 million cu m

note 1: strategically located east of the Black Sea, Georgia controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them

note 2: the world's four deepest caves are all in Georgia, including two that are the only known caves on earth deeper than 2,000 m: Krubera Cave at -2,197 m (-7,208 ft; reached in 2012) and Veryovkina Cave at -2,212 (-7,257 ft; reached in 2018)

• dominates South Asian subcontinent;
• near important Indian Ocean trade routes;
• Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with Nepal

note 1: strategic location in northeast Asia; composed of four main islands (the "Home Islands") -- Hokkaido, Honshu (the largest, most populous, and site of Tokyo, the capital), Shikoku, and Kyushu

note 2: a 2023 Geospatial Information Authority of Japan survey detected 100,000 islands and islets, but only the 14,125 islands with a circumference of at least 100 m (330 ft) were officially counted; about 260 of the islands are inhabited

note 3: Japan annually records the most earthquakes in the world; it is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes

• world's largest landlocked country and one of only two landlocked countries in the world that extends into two continents (the other is Azerbaijan);
• Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km (2,317 sq mi) of territory enclosing the Baikonur Cosmodrome

strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated

strategic location on Korea Strait; about 3,000 mostly small and uninhabited islands lie off the western and southern coasts

• landlocked;
• entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range;
• 94% of the country is 1,000 m above sea level with an average elevation of 2,750 m;
• many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes

• smallest Asian country;
• archipelago of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts);
• strategic location along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean

landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia

• landlocked;
• strategic location between China and India;
• contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga -- the world's tallest and third-tallest mountains -- on the borders with China and India, respectively

controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and India

note 1: largest country in the world in terms of area; despite its size, much of the country lacks the soil and climate (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture

note 2: Russia's far east, particularly the Kamchatka Peninsula, lies along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes

note 3: Mount El'brus is Europe's tallest peak; Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, is estimated to hold one fifth of the world's fresh surface water

note 4: Kaliningrad oblast is an exclave annexed from Germany after World War II; its capital city of Kaliningrad -- formerly Koenigsberg -- is the only Baltic port in Russia that remains ice-free in the winter

• strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes;
• Adam's Bridge is a chain of limestone shoals between the southeastern coast of India and the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka;
• geological evidence suggests that this 50-km (31-mi) bridge once connected India and Sri Lanka;
• ancient records seem to indicate that a foot passage was possible between the two land masses until the 15th century, when the land bridge broke up in a cyclone

• landlocked;
• highest point,
• Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak),
• was the tallest mountain in the former USSR

• landlocked;
• the western and central low-lying desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country;
• eastern part is plateau

along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world

the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles

Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor

• a flat, riverless island known for its white sand beaches;
• its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean;
• the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)

strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited

easternmost Caribbean island

only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean

strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

important location between Cuba and Central America

• four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country;
• one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65

largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

Curaçao is a part of the Windward Islands (southern) group in the Lesser Antilles

• known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its lush and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system;
• the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest thermally active lake in the world

• shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds makes up the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti);
• the second largest country in the Antilles (after Cuba);
• geographically diverse with the Caribbean's tallest mountain, Pico Duarte, and lowest elevation and largest lake, Lago Enriquillo

smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on the Caribbean Sea

note 1: despite having both eastern and western coastlines (Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean), there are no natural harbors on the west coast

note 2: Guatemala is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes

• shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic);
• it is the most mountainous nation in the Caribbean

has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast

• third largest island in the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola);
• strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal

the island is entirely volcanic in origin and composed of three major volcanic centers of differing ages

• strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba;
• mostly exposed rock with numerous solution holes (limestone sinkholes) but with enough grassland to support goat herds;
• dense stands of fig trees, scattered cactus

largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

• strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge that connects North and South America;
• controls the Panama Canal, which links the North Atlantic Ocean with the North Pacific Ocean via the Caribbean Sea

• important location along the Mona Passage, a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal;
• San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean;
• many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well-watered;
• south coast relatively dry;
• fertile coastal plain belt in north

a 1,200-hectare (3,000-acre) marine nature reserve, the Reserve Naturelle, is made up of five zones around the island that form a network to protect the island's coral reefs, seagrass, and endangered marine species

• smallest country in the Western Hemisphere in terms of both area and population;
• the two volcanic islands are separated by a 3-km-wide (9-mi-wide) channel called The Narrows;
• on the southern tip of baseball-bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond;
• Nevis Peak sits in the center of its ball-shaped namesake island

• the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton),
• striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufrière,
• are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean

note 1: the southern border is shared with Sint Maarten, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world that is shared by two self-governing states

note 2: Simpson Bay Lagoon (aka Simson Bay Lagoon or The Great Pond) is one of the largest inland lagoons in the West Indies; the border between the French and Dutch halves of the island runs across the center of the lagoon, which is shared by both of the island's entities

• the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada;
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is composed of 32 islands and cays

note 1: the northern border is shared with the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin; together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world that is shared by two self-governing states

note 2: Simpson Bay Lagoon (aka, Simson Bay Lagoon or The Great Pond) is one of the largest inland lagoons in the West Indies; the border between the French and Dutch halves of the island of Saint Martin runs across the center of the lagoon, which is shared

• Pitch Lake,
• on Trinidad's southwestern coast,
• is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt

include eight large islands and numerous smaller cays, islets, and reefs; only two of the Caicos Islands and six of the Turks group are inhabited

• important location along the Anegada Passage, a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal;
• Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean

strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

landlocked; straddles a number of important crossroads in the Pyrenees

note 1 : landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere

note 2 : the world's largest and longest ice cave system at 42 km (26 mi) is the Eisriesenwelt (Ice Giants World) inside the Hochkogel mountain near Werfen, about 40 km south of Salzburg; ice caves are bedrock caves that contain year-round ice formations; they differ from glacial caves, which are transient and are formed by melting ice and flowing water within and under glaciers

landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes

crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals are within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the EU and NATO

• within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory);
• the region called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and Montenegro

strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

• controls most land routes from Western Europe to the Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits;
• most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia -- some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks

note 1: landlocked; strategically located on some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe

note 2: the Hranice Abyss in Czechia is the world's deepest surveyed freshwater cave at 519 m (1,703 ft); its survey is not complete, and it may be up to 800-1,200 m (2,625-3,937 ft) deep

• composed of the Jutland Peninsula and a group of more than 400 islands (Danish Archipelago);
• controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas;
• about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen

the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; over 1,500 islands lie offshore

• archipelago of 17 inhabited islands, one uninhabited island, and a few uninhabited islets;
• strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic;
• precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands

• long boundary with Russia;
• Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent;
• population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain

largest Western European nation; most major French rivers -- the Meuse, Seine, Loire, Charente, Dordogne, and Garonne -- flow northward or westward into the Atlantic Ocean, only the Rhone flows southward into the Mediterranean Sea

• strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea;
• most major rivers in Germany -- the Rhine, Weser, Oder, Elbe -- flow northward;
• the Danube, which originates in the Black Forest, flows eastward

strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, with an archipelago of about 2,000 islands

large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port

• landlocked;
• an enclave in Rome, Italy;
• world's smallest state

• landlocked;
• strategic location on main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula, as well as between Ukraine and the Mediterranean basin;
• the Duna (Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions

strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 100 km of Dublin

• one small islet,
• the Calf of Man,
• lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary

strategic location dominating central Mediterranean, as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier

• the 41-km (25-mi) Nerodimka River divides into two branches, each of which flows into a different sea: the northern branch flows into the Sitnica River, which via the Ibar, Morava, and Danube Rivers ultimately flows into the Black Sea;
• the southern branch flows via the Lepenac and Vardar Rivers into the Aegean Sea

most of the country is composed of fertile low-lying plains with some hills in the east

along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation

fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits

landlocked

• the country is an archipelago,
• with only the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino) inhabited;
• numerous bays provide good harbors

landlocked; has many types of sedimentary rocks and minerals, including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone

• second-smallest independent state in the world (after the Holy See);
• smallest country with a coastline;
• almost entirely urban

strategic location along the Adriatic coast

• located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine (Rijn), Meuse (Maas), and Scheldt (Schelde));
• about a quarter of the country lies below sea level and only about half of the land exceeds one meter above sea level

landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe

• about two-thirds mountains;
• some 50,000 islands off its much-indented coastline;
• strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic;
• one of the most rugged and longest coastlines in the world

historically an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

• Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar;
• they are two of the four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia;
• the others are the Canary Islands (Spain) and Cabo Verde

• controls the most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine;
• the Carpathian Mountains dominate the center of the country, and the Danube River forms much of the southern boundary with Serbia and Bulgaria

• landlocked;
• an enclave of (completely surrounded by) Italy;
• smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See and Monaco;
• dominated by the Apennine Mountains

landlocked; controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey and the Near East

• landlocked;
• most of the country is rugged and mountainous;
• the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys

despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes

• strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar;
• Spain controls a number of territories in northern Morocco, including the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas;
• Spain's Canary Islands are one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia;
• the others are the Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), and Cabo Verde

• strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas;
• Sweden has almost 100,000 lakes, the largest of which, Vanern, is the third-largest in Europe

• landlocked;
• crossroads of northern and southern Europe;
• along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps

strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe after Russia

• lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes;
• only 35 km (22 mi) from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel (the Channel Tunnel or Chunnel);
• because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km (78 mi) from tidal waters

• British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus;
• of the Sovereign Base Area (SBA) land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land

• close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources;
• strategic location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean

the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia)

• British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus;
• several small Cypriot enclaves exist within the Sovereign Base Area (SBA);
• of the SBA land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land