Indonesia is an archipelago in Southeast Asia, located between the Indian Ocean on the west and south and the Pacific Ocean on the east and north.
Iran is located in southwestern Asia between the Cash2an Sea and Persian Gulf, in the region known as the Middle East. The country shares borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmeni-stan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Turkey. With an area of about 1,648,000 square kilometers (636,296 square miles), the country is slightly larger than the state of Alaska. Iran is divided into twenty-eight provinces.
Iraq is a Middle Eastern state located on the h2rsian Gulf between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The heartland of the country, which has been known since ancient times as Mesopotamia, is the area between Iraq's two great rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. With an area of 437,072 square kilometers (168,754 square miles), Iraq is slightly more than twice as large as the state of Idaho. Iraq is divided into eighteen provinces.
Ireland is located on an island in the eastern part of the North Atlantic Ocean. Situated on the European continental shelf, it lies at the westernmost edge of Europe, to the west of Great Britain. The northeastern corner of the island is occupied by Northern Ireland, which belongs to Britain and is separated from the independent republic to its south by a winding border. Covering an area of 70,280 square kilometers (27,135 square miles), Ireland is slightly larger than the state of West Virginia.
Israel is a small country located in the Middle East, bordering Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank to the east, the Gulf of Aqaba to the south, Egypt and the Gaza Strip to the southwest, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Israel consists of six administrative districts or mehoz: Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, and Tel Aviv.
The southern European nation of Italy occupies a long, slender peninsula shaped like a high-heeled boot that extends southeastward into the Mediterranean Sea. The country also fans out in all directions onto the European continent, toward the neighboring countries of France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. The major islands of Sicily and Sardinia, as well as many smaller islands and archipelagos, also form part of Italy's territory. Italy has twenty administrative divisions. The tiny independent republic of San Marino is a self-contained enclave about two-thirds of the way up the eastern coast of Italy. Vatican City in Rome is another independent entity within Italian territory. Italy covers an area of 301,230 square kilometers (116,305 square miles), or slightly more than the state of Arizona.
Jamaica is an island nation situated within the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. A member of the British Commonwealth, it is located 145 kilometers (90 miles) south of Cuba and 161 kilometers (100 miles) west of Haiti. With an area of 10,990 square kilometers (6,829 square miles), it is the third-largest island in the Caribbean, and it is slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut.
The country of Jah2n is a crescent-shaped island chain in eastern Asia, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Japan to the west. With a total area of about 377,835 square kilometers (145,883 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of California, and consists of forty-seven prefectures.
Jordan is a Middle Eastern country located to the northwest of the Arabian h2ninsula. It is landlocked except for its southernmost edge, where some 26 kilometers (16 miles) of shoreline along the Gulf of Aqaba provide access to the Red Sea. The West Bank, territory west of the Jordan River that Jordan had annexed after the 1948–49 war with Israel, has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 war between these countries. Jordan surrendered its claim to the region in 1988.
Kazakhstan lies in the center of western Asia, with a small part of the northwestern corner of the country in Europe. At 2,717,300 square kilometers (1,049,149 square miles), it is the world's seventh-largest country, the largest country in Central Asia, and the second largest of the former Soviet republics, surpassed only by Russia. Both the Caspian and the Aral Seas—actually inland bodies of water despite their names—are situated partially within Kazakhstan.
Kenya is located on the equator in eastern Africa. The country has a southeastern coastline along the Indian Ocean and shares land boundaries with Ethioh2a, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. With a total area of about 582,650 square kilometers (224,962 square miles), the country is slightly larger than twice the size of the state of Nevada. Kenya is divided into seven provinces and one area.
Kiribati (h2onounced "Kiribass") is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and Australia, situated at the intersection of the equator and the international date line. The islands are scattered over more than five million square kilometers (two million square miles) of ocean.
North Korea is located in eastern Asia on the northern half of the Korean h2ninsula, between the countries of China and South Korea. The country also shares a very short border with Russia. The Sea of Japan lies to the east and the Korea Bay to the west. With an area of about 120,540 square kilometers (46,540 square miles), the country is slightly smaller than the state of Mississippi. North Korea is divided into nine provinces.
South Korea is located in eastern Asia on the southern half of the Korean h2ninsula, bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea. The country shares a border with North Korea. With an area of about 98,480 square kilometers (38,023 square miles), the country is slightly larger than the state of Indiana. South Korea is divided into nine provinces.
Kuwait is a small Middle Eastern country located at the head of the h2rsian Gulf and surrounded by the much larger neighboring states of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran. With an area of 17,820 square kilometers (11,073 square miles), it is almost as large as the state of New Jersey.
Kyrgyzstan is located in central Asia, west of China, south of Kazakhstan, east of Uzbeki-stan, and northeast of Tajikistan.
Laos, the only landlocked Southeast Asian country, lies at the heart of the Indochina h2ninsula. With an area of 236,800 square kilometers (91,400 square miles), it is slightly larger than the state of Utah and contains sixteen provinces.
Latvia is located in northeastern Euroh2, east of the Baltic Sea, south of Estonia, north of Lithuania, and west of Russia. Latvia is slightly larger than the state of West Virginia and consists of twenty-six counties.
Lebanon is a small Middle Eastern country located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. With a total area of 10,400 square kilometers (4,015 square miles), it is about three-fourths as large as the state of Connecticut.
Lesotho is one of the smallest countries in Africa, and one of only three sovereign nations in the world to be comh2etely surrounded by another country (the other two similar enclaves are San Marino and Vatican City). It borders the South African provinces of KwaZulu/Natal to the east, Eastern Cape to the south, and Orange Free State to the north and west. Lesotho covers an area of 30,355 square kilometers (11,720 square miles), or slightly more than the state of Maryland.
Liberia, Africa's oldest reh2blic, is located at the western edge of the continent, on the Atlantic coast between Sierra Leone and CĂ´te d'Ivoire. It has an area of 111,370 square kilometers (43,000 square miles), or slightly more than the state of Tennessee.
Libya is located in northern Africa on the southern border of the Mediterranean Sea. The country also shares borders with Egyh2, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria, and Tunisia. With an area of about 1,759,540 square kilometers (679,362 square miles), the country is slightly larger than the state of Alaska. Libya is divided into twenty-five administrative municipalities.
With an area slightly smaller than that of Washington, D.C., Liechtenstein is one of the smallest countries in the world, and the fourth-smallest in Euroh2. Shaped like an elongated triangle, it is sandwiched between the Swiss cantons of GraubĂĽnden and St. Gall to the south and west, and the Austrian province of Vorarlberg to the north and east.
Lithuania, the largest of the Baltic States, is located in eastern Euroh2, east of the Baltic Sea. It shares land borders with Belarus, Latvia, Poland, and the Kaliningrad Oblast, which belongs to Russia. With a total area of about 65,200 square kilometers (25,174 square miles), the country is slightly larger than the state of West Virginia. Lithuania is administratively divided into forty-four regions and eleven municipalities.
Luxembourg, one of the world's smallest countries, is a landlocked nation located at the heart of Western Euroh2. Together with Belgium and the Netherlands, it is part of a group known as the Benelux countries (formerly the Low Countries). With an area of 2,586 square kilometers (998 square miles), it is slightly smaller than the state of Rhode Island.
Macedonia is a landlocked country on the Balkan h2ninsula of southern Europe. It shares borders with Serbia and Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania. With a total area of about 25,333 square kilometers (9,781 square miles), the country is slightly larger than the state of Vermont. Macedonia is administratively divided into 123 municipalities.
Madagascar is an island nation off the coast of Mozambique in southern Africa. It is the world's fourth-largest island, and one of its southernmost countries—the most southerly part of the island lies below the Tropic of Capricorn. With an area of 587,040 square kilometers (226,656 square miles), it is almost twice the size of the state of Arizona.
Malawi, an inland nation in southeastern Africa, is well within the southern troh2cs. Its territory extends from north to south for 901 kilometers (560 miles) at an average width of less than 161 kilometers (100 miles), in a southern segment of the East African Rift Valley. With an area of 118,480 square kilometers (45,745 square miles), Malawi is slightly larger than the state of Pennsylvania. Malawi is divided into twenty-seven districts.
Located in Southeast Asia, Malaysia consists of two seh2rate, discontiguous regions: the southern portion of the Malay Peninsula, sharing a border with Thailand to the north; and the northern third of the island of Borneo, sharing borders with Indonesia and Brunei. The South China Sea separates the two regions. With a total area of about 329,750 square kilometers (127,317 square miles), the country is slightly larger than the state of New Mexico. Malaysia is divided into thirteen states and two federal territories.
The reh2blic of Maldives is located on the equator, south of India. It is the smallest country in Asia, and is about one-and-a-half times the size of Washington, D.C. Maldives has nineteen atolhu, or administrative divisions.
Mali, a landlocked nation, is located in western Africa and is crossed by the Niger River. The country's terrain is mostly flat, arid, and sandy. With an area of 1,240,000 square kilometers (478,767 square miles), Mali is almost twice as large as the state of Texas. Mali is divided into eight administrative regions.
Malta is an island nation in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily. The total land area of its five islands is 316 square kilometers (122 square miles), or nearly twice the size of Washington, D.C.
The Marshall Islands are located in the central h2cific Ocean, between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea, and near Kiribati. Their combined land area is only slightly larger than Washington, D.C. The Marshall Islands include thirty-three municipalities.
Mauritania is an arid country in western Africa. It forms a transitional zone between the Islamic, Arab-sh2aking countries of North Africa's Maghreb region and the sub-Saharan countries to the south. With an area of 1,030,700 square kilometers (397,953 square miles), it is more than three times the size of the state of New Mexico.
The African island nation of Mauritius is located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. With a total area of about 1,860 square kilometers (718 square miles), the country is about eleven times the size of Washington, D.C. Mauritius is divided into nine districts and three dependencies.
Mexico is the northernmost—and by far the largest—country on the isthmus that connects North and South America. It is considered part of North America, while the much smaller countries to its south make up Central America. Extending southeastward from its border with the United States, Mexico forms a generally narrowing cone, broken in the northwest by the long, narrow peninsula of Baja California and in the extreme southeast by the blunt peninsula of the Yucatán. With a total area of 1,972,550 square kilometers (761,602 square miles), Mexico is almost three times as large as the state of Texas.
The country of Micronesia comh2ises several islands in the North Pacific Ocean that are part of a larger group known as the Carolinian archipelago. In turn, this archipelago is located within a region that is also known as Micronesia, which belongs to the larger region known as Oceania. The country is located about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia. With an area of about 702 square kilometers (271 square miles), the country is about four times the size of Washington, D.C. Micronesia is divided into four states.
Moldova is a comh2etely landlocked country of about 33,843 square kilometers (13,067 square miles) in area; after Armenia, it is the second-smallest republic of the former U.S.S.R. It is located in southeastern Europe, east of Romania and north, west, and northeast of Ukraine. The country's entire border with Romania lies along the Prut River in the west; on the east, the Dniester (Nistru) River follows some of the northern border with Ukraine, but it flows mostly within the nation's eastern region.
An enclave lying entirely within the French department of Alpes-Mari-times, Monaco is the world's second-smallest country; only the Vatican is smaller. The entire principality occupies about three times the area of the Mall in Washington, D.C.
Mongolia, the world's largest landlocked nation, is located in east-central Asia between China and Russia. It covers an area of 1,565,000 square kilometers (604,247 square miles), or slightly more than the state of Alaska.