The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC, formerly known as Zaire) is located along the equator in Central Africa, north of Angola and Zambia. It shares borders with nine countries. With a total area of about 2,345,410 square kilometers (905,562 square miles), it is the third-largest country in Africa and is slightly less than one-fourth the size of the United States. The DROC is divided into ten provinces.
The Republic of the Congo (ROC) is located along the equator in West Africa, between Angola and Gabon and bordering the South Atlantic Ocean. It also shares borders with Cameroon and Central African Republic to the north and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC) to the east. With an area of 342,000 square kilometers (132,047 square miles), ROC is slightly smaller than the state of Montana. The country is divided into nine regions and one commune.
Costa Rica is located in Central America, which is between the North and South American continents. Nicaragua lies to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest and west. With an area of about 51,100 square kilometers (19,730 square miles), it is the second-smallest Central American country, slightly smaller than the state of West Virginia. Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces.
CĂ´te d'Ivoire is located in West Africa between Ghana and Liberia, with a southern border on the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean. With a total area of about 322,460 square kilometers (124,502 square miles), it is slightly larger than the state of New Mexico. The country is divided into fifty departments.
Croatia is located in southeastern Europe between Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, bordering the Adriatic Sea. The country also shares boundaries with Hungary and Yugoslavia. With an area of about 56,542 square kilometers (21,831 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of West Virginia. Croatia is divided administratively into twenty counties and one city.
The long, narrow island of Cuba has a shape that has been compared to a cigar caught between the fingers of Florida and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is flanked by Jamaica on the south, Hispaniola on the southeast, and the Bahamas on the northeast. Slightly smaller than the state of Pennsylvania, Cuba extends some 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) from Cape Maisà on the east to Cape San Antonio on the west, about the distance from New York to Chicago. The largest of the West Indian islands, its territory almost equals that of all the other islands combined. In addition to the main island, the Cuban archipelago includes the Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Pines) near the south coast in the Gulf of Batabanó plus over one thousand coastal cays and islets.
The largest Mediterranean island after Sicily and Sardinia, Cyprus is located in the extreme northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea. It is 71 kilometers (44 miles) south of Turkey, 105 kilometers (65 miles) west of Syria, and 370 kilometers (230 miles) north of Egypt. Its average width is between 56 kilometers and 72 kilometers (35 miles and 45 miles). The long, narrow Karpas peninsula in the east, combined with the broader shape of the rest of the island, has led people to compare the island's shape to that of a skillet or frying pan.
Located in the heart of Central Europe, the landlocked Czech Republic is one of two nations that were formed after the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993. With an area of 78,866 square kilometers (30,450 square miles), it is slightly smaller than the state of South Carolina.
The small nation of Denmark occupies most of the Jutland (Jylland) peninsula and a number of large islands that separate the North Sea from the Baltic Sea. It shares a land border with Germany to the south. With a total area of about 43,094 square kilometers (16,638 square miles, not including the Faroe Islands and Greenland), the country is slightly less than twice the size of the state of Massachusetts. Denmark is divided into fourteen counties and two kommunes.
Located on the coast of the Horn of Africa, Djibouti is one of the continent's smallest countries. With an area of 22,000 square kilometers (8,494 square miles), it is about the same size as El Salvador, and only about one-sixth as large as England. Because of its location at the southern entryway to the Red Sea, however, the country has a strategic importance that is out of proportion to its small size.
Dominica, an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, lies at the midpoint of the Lesser Antilles, between the French possessions of Guadeloupe to the north and Martinique to the south. It is often, but not always, considered one of the Windward Islands. With an area of 754 square kilometers (291 square miles), Dominica is slightly more than twice as large as the state of New Hampshire. The lush vegetation and abundant wildlife of the country's rain forests have led Dominica to proclaim itself "The Nature Island of the Caribbean."
The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean country that covers the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. The Atlantic Ocean forms its northern border and the Caribbean Sea its southern coast. Haiti is along the western border of the country. With a total area of about 48,730 square kilometers (18,810 square miles), the Dominican Republic is slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire. The nation is divided into twenty-nine provinces.
The new nation of East Timor, a former Portuguese colony that had been controlled by Indonesia, became officially independent on May 20, 2002. East Timor consists of the eastern half of Timor Island, one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, plus the enclave of Oecussi (30 square miles/78 square kilometers) on the north coast of the Indonesian half of the island (West Timor).
Ecuador is a small country on the western coast of South America. Its name comes from its location on the equator. It is bordered by Colombia to the northeast, and by Peru to the east and southeast. To the west lies the Pacific Ocean. The Galápagos Islands, which are located far off the western shore of the country, form one of the twenty-two provinces of Ecuador. With a total land area of about 283,560 square kilometers (109,483 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of Nevada.
Located in the northeast corner of Africa, Egypt is east of Libya, north of Sudan, west of the Red Sea, and south of the Mediterranean Sea. The country extends into the Sinai Peninsula in Asia, where it shares a border with Israel. Covering a total area of about 1,001,450 square kilometers (386,599 square miles), it is slightly larger than three times the size of the state of New Mexico. Egypt is divided into twenty-six governorates.
El Salvador is located on the south side of the Central America isthmus. It has a southern coastline along the North Pacific Ocean and shares borders with Guatemala to the northwest and Honduras to the northeast. With an area of about 21,040 square kilometers (8,124 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of Massachusetts. El Salvador is divided into fourteen departments.
Equatorial Guinea is a country in West Africa. The mainland, called RĂo Muni (or sometimes Rio Mbini), is located south of Cameroon and north of Gabon, with a western coast on the Bight of Biafra in the Atlantic Ocean. The country includes five inhabited islands: Bioko, AnnobĂłn, Corisco, and the two Elobey Islands (Islas Elobey): Little Elobey (Elobey Chico) and Great Elobey (Elobey Grande). AnnobĂłn is the only part of the country located south of the equator. With a total area of about 28,051 square kilometers (10,831 miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of Maryland. The country is divided into seven provinces.
Eritrea is located in northeast Africa on the western coast of the Red Sea. The country shares borders with Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Sudan. With an area of about 121,320 square kilometers (46,842 square miles), the country is slightly larger than the state of Pennsylvania. Eritrea is divided into eight provinces.
Estonia is a country in northeastern Europe, located between Latvia and Russia and bordering the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea, and the Gulf of Riga. With a total area of about 45,226 square kilometers (17,462 square miles), which includes about 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea, the country is slightly smaller than the combined areas of the states of New Hampshire and Vermont. Estonia is divided into fifteen counties.
Ethiopia is located in eastern Africa in the area known as the Horn of Africa: the northeastern extension of the continent. The country lies west of Somalia, north of Kenya, east of Sudan, and south of Eritrea and Djibouti. With an area of about 1,127,127 square kilometers (435,186 square miles), the country is slightly less than twice the size of the state of Texas. Ethiopia is divided into nine states and two self-governing administrations.
Fiji is an island nation in the South Pacific located about 2,735 kilometers (1,700 miles) northeast of Sydney, Australia; 1,769 kilometers (1,100 miles) north of Auckland, New Zealand; and 4,466 kilometers (2,776 miles) southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. It is roughly one-third of the way from New Zealand to Hawaii. Fiji consists of around three hundred islands—about one-third of which are inhabited—and some five hundred islets, covering a total land area of 18,270 square kilometers (7,054 square miles).
Located in northeastern Europe, Finland is one of the world's northernmost countries—roughly one-third of the country lies north of the Arctic Circle. Finland covers 305,470 square kilometers (117,942 square miles), or slightly less than the state of Montana, and has six provinces.
France is the largest country in Western Europe and the third largest in Europe. With an area of 547,030 square kilometers (211,208 square miles), it is surpassed only by Russia and Ukraine. Roughly hexagonal in shape, it is bordered by three different bodies of water (the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel, and the Mediterranean) and three mountain chains (the Pyrenees to the south and the Jura and Alps to the east and southeast, respectively). The tiny principality of Monaco, a self-contained enclave, lies entirely within French borders, at the far southeastern tip of the country.
Gabon is located on the equator in western Africa. It shares borders with Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea to the north and with the Republic of the Congo to the south and east. The country's western coast lies along the South Atlantic Ocean. With an area of 267,667 square kilometers (103,347 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of Colorado. Gabon is divided into nine provinces.
Except for its Atlantic coastline, Anglophone (English-speaking) The Gambia is surrounded entirely by its only neighbor, Francophone (French-speaking) Senegal. Its twisting land boundary surrounds the Gambia River. In area, The Gambia is roughly twice the size of the state of Delaware, making it the African continent's smallest country. The Gambia River, the country's major waterway, is its most prominent geographic feature.
Georgia is located in southwestern Asia, east of the Black Sea. It borders Turkey and Armenia on the south, Azerbaijan on the southeast, and Russia on the north. With a total area of about 69,700 square kilometers (26,807 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of South Carolina. Georgia is divided into fifty-three rayons, nine cities, and two autonomous republics.
Germany is located in central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea between the countries of Poland and The Netherlands. The country also shares borders with Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. With an area of about 357,021 square kilometers (137,847 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of Montana. Germany is divided into sixteen states.
Slightly smaller than the state of Oregon, Ghana is in western Africa, situated between Togo on the east, CĂ´te d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) on the west, and Burkina Faso on the north and northwest.
Greece is located at the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula in southern Europe. Several seas surround the mainland: the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Ionian Seas. In addition, one-fifth of the country is made up of hundreds of islands, many of them uninhabited, that lie in all three of these bodies of water. With a total area of 131,940 square kilometers (50,942 square miles), Greece is almost as large as the state of Alabama. Greece is divided into fifty-one prefectures.
Located about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Trinidad, Grenada is the most southerly of the Windward Islands. Comprising the main island of Grenada and a number of smaller islands and islets, Grenada has an area of 340 square kilometers (131 square miles), or nearly twice the size of Washington, D.C. Grenada's capital, Saint George's, is located on the southwestern coast of the main island. Grenada is divided into six parishes.
Guatemala is located at the northwestern end of Central America and is bordered by Belize to the northeast, Honduras and El Salvador to the east, and Mexico to the north and west. Guatemala covers an area of 108,890 square kilometers (42,042 square miles), or slightly less than the state of Tennessee.
Guinea is located on the coast of the great western bulge of Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean. The country shares borders with Senegal, Mali, CĂ´te d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau. With an area of about 245,857 square kilometers (94,926 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon. Guinea is divided into thirty-three prefectures and one special zone.
Guinea-Bissau is located on the North Atlantic coast of West Africa, between the countries of Guinea and Senegal. With an area of about 36,120 square kilometers (13,946 square miles), the country is slightly less than three times the size of the state of Connecticut. Guinea-Bissau is divided into nine administrative regions.
Guyana is a small independent republic located on the northeastern coast of South America, between Suriname and Venezuela. A former British colony, it is the only member of the British Commonwealth—and the only English-speaking country—in South America. With an area of 214,970 square kilometers (83,000 square miles), Guyana is almost as large as the state of Idaho.
Haiti is located in the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the Dominican Republic to the east, and the Caribbean Sea to the south and west.
Honduras is located in Central America and is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north and east, Nicaragua and the Pacific to the south, El Salvador to the southwest, and Guatemala to the west. With a total area of about 112,090 square kilometers (43,267 square miles), the country is slightly larger than the state of Tennessee. Honduras is administratively divided into eighteen departments.
Located in the Carpathian Basin, in the heart of Central Europe, Hungary occupies one-third of the territory of the pre–World War I Austro-Hungarian Empire. Hungary is a landlocked, predominantly flat country, with more than four-fifths of its terrain at elevations below 656 feet (200 meters). It covers an area of 93,030 square kilometers (35,919 square miles), or slightly less than the state of Indiana.
The westernmost European country, Iceland is an island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean just below the Arctic Circle. It is northwest of the United Kingdom and southeast of Greenland. With a total area of about 103,000 square kilometers (39,769 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of Kentucky. Iceland is administratively divided into twenty-three counties and fourteen independent towns.
India is located in the southern part of Asia and borders the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal. It occupies most of the South Asian continent and is one of the largest countries on Earth and one of the most heavily populated. India consists of twenty-eight states and seven union territories.