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This blog is a labor of love: conceived, written, and created 100% by a real live human being! I did NOT use any "AI" (Artificial Intelligence) tools, such as Anthropic's Claude, OpenAI's ChatGPT. Rather it represents countless hours of hard work, and is based on my own experiences and research. It is 100% the intellectual property of its human creator.

April 09, 2023

Armchair Travel - Where Are You From?

Back in my school days, one of my favorite subjects was Geography. I have always been intrigued by Geography, different cultures, customs, and languages. This has fostered my love for travel, meeting new people, and making new friends.


Therefore, when I started this blog, I had decided to track the countries from which my readers joined me. I wrote a post about it in October, 2020, when my readership was comprised of 44 different countries. I followed this up with a second post about 3 months later, when the number of countries had just about doubled. These two posts are now merged into one.


A year later in October, 2021 the list had expanded to 102 countries. This fact is so amazing and exciting to me, and I hope you share my enthusiasm. I will continue to add to this list, as my readership expands and their countries or territories are identified by Google.


Regarding the Google statistics, though, there is one thing that puzzles me. Google lists two unfamiliar countries: a country called Unknown, and a second one called Other!  So far, none of my readers have commented on this phenomenon, and I am still wondering, if readers in those “countries” are actually surfing the net incognito. Do drop me a line or leave me a comment below, if you have any insight into this, or if your country is not included in the list below.


In order that we all may learn a little bit about each country, I have included a short synopsis describing each country and included a link to its Wikipedia page.  Just click on the blue font of the country title, and you will be taken to the appropriate Wikipedia page.   

 


Albania 

The Republic of Albania is a country in Southeastern Europe. Albania shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east, Greece to the south and to the west it located on the Adriatic and Ionian Sea within the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, its maritime borders are with Greece, Montenegro and Italy to the west. Tirana is its capital and largest city, followed by Durrës, Vlorë and Shkodër. It has a land area of 28,748 square kilometers (11,100 square miles) and an estimated population of over 2.8 million inhabitants.

Algeria 

The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. The capital and most populous city is Algiers, located in the far north of the country on the Mediterranean coast. With an area of 2,381,741 square kilometers (919,595 square miles), Algeria is the tenth-largest country in the world, and the largest by area in the African Union and the Arab world. With an estimated population of over 44 million, it is the eighth-most populous country in Africa.


Argentina

The Argentine Republic is a country located mostly in the southern half of South America. Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. With a mainland area of 2,780,400 square kilometers (1,073,500 square miles), Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world, the fourth largest in the Americas, the second-largest in South America after Brazil, and the largest Spanish-speaking nation by area. Argentina’s population is about 45 million (ranked 31st in the world). The sovereign state is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires, which is the federal capital of the nation. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system. Argentina claims sovereignty over part of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.


Armenia 

The Republic of Armenia is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located in Western Asia, on the Armenian Highlands, it is bordered Georgia to the north, the Lachin corridor under a Russian peacekeeping force and Azerbaijan proper to the east, Iran and Azerbaijan's exclave of Nakhchivan to the south, and by Turkey to the west. Armenia occupies an area of 29,743 square kilometers (11,484 square miles) and has a population of nearly 3 million people.  Its capital is Yerevan.

Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area of 7,617,930 square kilometers (2,941,300 square miles) . The population of 26 million (ranking number 53 in the world) is highly urbanized and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. - - There you go, Rael! 


Austria 

The Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich) is a landlocked East Alpine country in the southern part of Central Europe. It is composed of nine federated states (Bundesländer), one of which is Vienna, Austria's capital and its largest city. It is bordered by Germany to the northwest; the Czech Republic to the north; Slovakia to the northeast; Hungary to the east; Slovenia and Italy to the south; and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. Austria occupies an area of 83,879 square kilometers (32,386 square miles) and has a population of nearly 9 million people. While German is the country's official language, many Austrians communicate informally in a variety of Bavarian dialects.


Azerbaijan 

The Republic of Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it is bordered by the Russian republic of Dagestan to the north, the Caspian Sea to the east, Iran to the south, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Georgia to the northwest. Its capital and largest city is Baku. Azerbaijan occupies an area of 86,600 square kilometers (33,400 square miles) and has a population of about 10 million people.  


Bangladesh

The People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world It (ranking 8th in the world), with a population over 163 million people, in an area of 148,560 square kilometers (57,360 square miles).  Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the west, north, and east, Myanmar to the southeast, and the Bay of Bengal to the south. Its capital and largest city is Dhaka, which serves as the nation's economic, political, and cultural hub. Chittagong, the largest seaport is the second-largest city.

Belarus

The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the northeast and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. It covers an area of 207,600 square kilometers (80,200 square miles) and has a population of 9.3 million, making it thirteenth-largest and the twentieth most populous country in Europe. The country is administratively divided into seven regions. Its capital and largest city is Minsk.

Belgium 

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of 30,689 square kilometers (11,849 square miles) and has a population of more than 11.5 million, making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe, with a density of 376 per square kilometer (970 per square mile). The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.


Bolivia 

The Plurinational State of Bolivia is a landlocked country located in western-central South America. The constitutional capital is Sucre, while the seat of government and executive capital is La Paz. The sovereign state of Bolivia is a constitutionally unitary state, divided into nine departments. Its geography varies from the peaks of the Andes in the West, to the Eastern Lowlands, situated within the Amazon basin. It is bordered to the north and east by Brazil, to the southeast by Paraguay, to the south by Argentina, to the southwest by Chile, and to the northwest by Peru. With 1,098,581 square kilometers (424,164 square miles) of area, Bolivia is the fifth largest country in South America. The country's population is estimated at 11 million.


Brazil 

The Federative Republic of Brazil is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. The federation is composed of the union of the 26 states and the Federal District. Brazil is bordered by French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, and Colombia to the north; the Atlantic Ocean to the east; Uruguay to the south; and Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina to the west. Its Amazon basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. This unique environmental heritage makes Brazil one of 17 megadiverse countries, and is the subject of significant global interest and debate regarding deforestation and environmental protection. At 8.5 million square kilometers (3.2 million square miles) and with over 211 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area and the sixth-most populous. Its capital is Brasília, and its most populous city is São Paulo.


Bulgaria

The Republic of Bulgaria a country in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometers (42,855 square miles), Bulgaria is Europe's sixteenth-largest country and has a population of approximately 7million. The capital and largest city is Sofia; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas.


Canada 

Canada a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometers (3.85 million square miles), making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Its southern and western border with the United States, stretching 8,891 kilometers (5,525 miles), is the world's longest bi-national land border. Canada's capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.


Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands is self-governing British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean Sea.  Further, they are part of the Greater Antilles. They are comprised of three islands called Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman and they total an area of 264 square kilometers (102-square miles), with a population of just over 71,000 inhabitants.  The Cayman Islands are located to the south of Cuba and northeast of Honduras, between Jamaica and Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Their capital city is George Town on Grand Cayman, which is also the most populous of the three islands.


Chile

The Republic of Chile is a country in western South America. Chile covers an area of 756,096 square kilometers (291,930 square miles), with a population of about 17.5 million. It is a long and narrow strip of land that is sandwiched between the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.  Its northern border is Peru, with Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Chile also controls the Pacific islands of Juan Fernández, Isla Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas, and Easter Island in Oceania. Chile is the southernmost country in the world, the closest to Antarctica, of which it also claims about 1,250,000 square kilometers (480,000 square miles) under the Chilean Antarctic Territory. Chile’s capital and largest city is Santiago.

China 

The People's Republic of China (PRC) is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.4 billion in 2019. Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometers (3.7 million square miles), it is the world's third or fourth-largest country by area. As a one-party state led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing), and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.


Columbia

The Republic of Colombia is a transcontinental country largely in the north of South America, with territories in North America. Colombia is bounded on the north by the Caribbean Sea, the east by Venezuela, the southeast by Brazil, the south by Ecuador and Peru, the west by the Pacific Ocean, and the northwest by Panama. It comprises 32 departments and the Capital District of Bogotá, the country's largest city. Columbia covers approximately 1,141,748 square kilometers (440,831 square miles), and has over 50 million inhabitants.


Croatia

The Republic of Croatia is a country at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe on the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the southeast, and it shares a maritime border with Italy. Its capital and largest city, Zagreb, forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, along with twenty counties. Croatia has an area of 56,594 square kilometers (21,851 square miles) and a population of 4.07 million.


Cyprus

The Republic of Cyprus is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is the third-largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean, with an area of 9,251 square kilometers (3,572 square miles) and a population of about 840,000.  Cyprus is located south of Turkey; west of Syria; northwest of the Gaza Strip, Israel, and Lebanon; north of Egypt; and southeast of Greece. Its capital and largest city is Nicosia.

Czechia

The Czech Republic also called by its short-form name, Czechia is a landlocked country in Central Europe bordered by Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovakia. The Czech Republic has a population of approximately 10.7 million, and covers an area of 78,866 square kilometers (30,450 square miles) with a mostly temperate continental climate and oceanic climate. It is a unitary parliamentary republic, whose capital is Prague.


Denmark

The Kingdom of Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. Denmark proper, which is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, consists of a peninsula, Jutland, and an archipelago of 443 named islands, with the largest being Zealand, Funen and the North Jutlandic Island. The islands are characterized by flat, arable land and sandy coasts, low elevation and a temperate climate. Denmark lies southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and is bordered to the south by Germany. The Kingdom of Denmark is constitutionally a unitary state comprising Denmark proper and the two autonomous territories in the North Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Denmark has a total area of 42,924 square kilometers (16,573 square miles), a land area of 42,394 square kilometers (16,368 square miles), and the total area of the Kingdom including Greenland and the Faroe Islands is 2,210,579 square kilometers (853,509 square miles), and a population of 5.82 million in Denmark proper (as of 2020).


Dominican Republic 

The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with Haiti, making Hispaniola one of only two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that are shared by two sovereign states. The Dominican Republic is the second-largest nation in the Antilles by area (after Cuba) at 48,671 square kilometers (18,792 square miles), and third-largest by population, with approximately 10.8 million people (2020 est.), of whom approximately 3.3 million live in the metropolitan area of Santo Domingo, the capital city. The official language of the country is Spanish.


Ecuador

The Republic of Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometers (621 mi) west of the mainland.  Ecuador covers an area of 283,561 square kilometers (109,484 square miles) and has a population of about 17 million.  The capital is Quito.

Egypt 

The Arab Republic of Egypt is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia by a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is a Mediterranean country bordered by the Gaza Strip (Palestine) and Israel to the northeast, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, and Libya to the west. Across the Gulf of Aqaba lies Jordan, across the Red Sea lies Saudi Arabia, and across the Mediterranean lie Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, although none share a land border with Egypt. Egypt covers an area of 1,010,408 square kilometers (390,121 square miles) and has a population of about 100 million.  Its capital and largest city is Cairo.

Estonia

The Republic of Estonia is a country on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia, to the south by Latvia, and to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden. The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland and of 2,222 islands in the Baltic Sea, covering a total area of 45,227 square kilometers (17,462 square miles), and is influenced by a humid continental climate. It has a population of over 1 million.  Its capital is Tallinn.

Finland

Finland is a Nordic country located in Northern Europe. Finland shares land borders with Sweden to the west, Russia to the east, and Norway to the north and is defined by the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south that are part of the Baltic Sea. Finland has a population of approximately 5.5 million, making it the 25th-most populous country in Europe. With an area of 338,455 square kilometers (130,678 square miles), Finland is the eighth-largest country in Europe, and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is the largest city in the country.


France

France is a country consisting of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It borders Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast, Switzerland, Monaco, and Italy to the east, and Andorra and Spain to the south. The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The country's 18 integral regions (five of which are situated overseas) span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometers (248,573 square miles) and a total population of 67.07 million (as of May 2020). France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial center. Other major urban areas include Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice. France, including its overseas territories, has the most time zones of any country, with a total of 12.


Gambia

The Republic of The Gambia is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland Africa and is surrounded by Senegal, except for its western coast on the Atlantic Ocean. Gambia is situated on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia River, the nation's namesake, which flows through the center of the country and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of 10,689 square kilometers (4,127 square miles) with a population of approximately 1.9 million. Its capital and largest metropolitan area is Banjul, and its largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.


Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is a country in Central and Western Europe. Covering an area of 357,022 square kilometers (137,847 square miles), with a population of approximately 83 million.  Germany lies between the Baltic and North seas to the north, and the Alps to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west.  It has 16 constituent states.  Germany's capital and largest city is Berlin, its financial center is Frankfurt, and the largest urban area is the Ruhr. 


Ghana

The Republic of Ghana is a country along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean, in the sub-region of West Africa. Spanning a land mass of 238,535 square kilometers (92,099 square miles), with a population of approximately 31 million.   Ghana is bordered by Burkina Faso in the north, Togo in the east, the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean in the south, and the Ivory Coast in the west. Its capital is Accra.


Greece

The official name for Greece is The Hellenic Republic.  Greece is a country located in Southeast Europe, with a population of approximately 10.7 million.  Situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It borders North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, Turkey to the northeast,  the Aegean Sea lies to the east, the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Ionian Sea to the west and Albania to the northwest. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 kilometers (8,498 miles) in length.  The country includes many islands, of which 227 are inhabited. Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 meters (9,573 feet).  Athens is its largest and capital city, followed by Thessaloniki. 


Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an archipelago forming an overseas region of France in the Caribbean. It covers an area of 1,628 square kilometers (629 square miles), with a population of approximately 400 thousand.  Guadeloupe consists of six inhabited islands — Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the two inhabited Îles des Saintes — as well as many uninhabited islands and outcroppings. It lies south of Antigua and Barbuda and Montserrat, and north of Dominica. The region's capital city is Basse-Terre, located on the southwest coast of Basse-Terre Island; however, the most populous city is Les Abymes and the main center of business is neighboring Pointe-à-Pitre, both located on Grande-Terre Island.


Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States; in Oceania, it is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands and the largest island in Micronesia. Guam covers an area of 540 square kilometers (210 square miles) and has a population of approximately 170 thousand.  Guam's capital is Hagåtña, and the most populous village is Dededo.


Hong Kong  

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (HKSAR), is a metropolitan area and special administrative region of the People's Republic of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta of the South China Sea. With over 7.5 million residents of various nationalities in a 1,104 square kilometer (426 square mile) territory, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world.

Hungary

Hungary is a country in Central Europe. Spanning 93,030 square kilometers (35,920 square miles) in the Carpathian Basin, it borders Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest, and Austria to the west. With about 10 million inhabitants, Hungary is a medium-sized member state of the European Union. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken Uralic language in the world, and among the few non-Indo-European languages to be widely spoken in Europe. Hungary's capital and largest city is Budapest; other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs, and Győr.


India

The Republic of India is a country in South Asia.  It covers an area of 3,287,263 square kilometers (1,269,219 square miles) with a population of  over 1.2 billion.  That makes India the second-most populous country, the seventh-largest country by land area, and the most populous democracy in the world.  Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. India's capital is New Delhi.


Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of more than seventeen thousand islands, including Sumatra, Java, Borneo (Kalimantan), Sulawesi, and New Guinea (Papua). Indonesia is the world's largest island country and the 14th-largest country by land area, at 1,904,569 square kilometers (735,358 square miles). With over 267 million people, it is the world's 4th-most-populous country as well as the most populous Muslim-majority country. Java, the world's most populous island, is home to more than half of the country's population.  Its capital is Jakarta.


Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran, also called Persia, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan, to the southeast by Pakistan, to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and to the west by Turkey and Iraq. Its central location in Eurasia and proximity to the Strait of Hormuz give it significant geostrategic importance. Tehran is the capital and largest city, as well as the leading economic and cultural hub; it is also the most populous city in Western Asia, with more than 8.8 million residents, and up to 15 million including the metropolitan area. With 83 million inhabitants, Iran is the world's 17th most populous country. Spanning 1,648,195 square kilometers (636,372 square miles), it is the second-largest country in the Middle East and the 17th largest in the world.


Ireland

Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. With an area of 84,421 square kilometers (32,595 square miles), Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth. Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. In 2011, the population of Ireland was about 6.6 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. As of 2016, 4.8 million live in the Republic of Ireland, and 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.


Israel

The State of Israel is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. It has land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest. Israel's economic and technological center is Tel Aviv, while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, although international recognition of the state's sovereignty over Jerusalem is limited. Israel’s area covers 20,770–22,072 square kilometers (8,019–8,522 square miles) and has a population of about 9 million.


Italy

The Italian Republic is a country consisting of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands. Italy is located in south-central Europe and is considered part of western Europe. A unitary parliamentary republic with Rome as its capital, the country covers a total area of 301,340 square kilometers (116,350 square miles) and shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. Italy has a territorial enclave in Switzerland (Campione) and a maritime exclave in Tunisian waters (Lampedusa). With around 60 million inhabitants, Italy is the third-most populous member state of the European Union.


Japan

Japan is an island country of East Asia in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It borders the Sea of Japan to the west and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. Japan is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and comprises an archipelago of 6,852 islands covering 377,975 square kilometers (145,937 square miles); its five main islands, from north to south, are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the country's capital and largest city; other major cities include Osaka and Nagoya. Japan is the eleventh most populous country in the world, as well as one of the most densely populated and urbanized. About three-fourths of the country's terrain is mountainous, concentrating its population of 126.2 million on narrow coastal plains. Japan is administratively divided into 47 prefectures and traditionally divided into eight regions. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37.4 million residents.


Jordan 

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is an Arab country in the Levant region of Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Israel and Palestine (West Bank). The Dead Sea is located along its western borders and the country has a 26 kilometer (16 miles) coastline on the Red Sea in its extreme south-west. Jordan is strategically located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe. The capital, Amman, is Jordan's most populous city as well as the country's economic, political and cultural center. Jordan’s area covers 89,342 square kilometers (34,495 square miles) and has a population of about 11 million.


Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is a country in Eastern Africa. Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, and the Indian Ocean to the southeast, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, and South Sudan to the northwest.  At 580,367 square kilometers (224,081 square miles), Kenya is the world's 48th largest country by total area. With a population of more than 47.6 million people in the 2019 census, Kenya is the 29th most populous country. Kenya's capital and largest city is Nairobi, while its oldest city and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa.


Kosovo

The Republic of Kosovo is a disputed territory and partially recognized state in Southeastern Europe. On 17 February 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia. It has since gained diplomatic recognition as a sovereign state by 101 states. Geographically defined in an area of 10,887 square kilometers (4,203 square miles), with a population of about 1.9 million. Kosovo is landlocked in the center of the Balkans and bordered by the uncontested territory of Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, Albania to the southwest, and Montenegro to the west. Its capital is Pristina.


Latvia

The Republic of Latvia  is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. Since Latvia's independence in 1918, it has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a territory of 64,589 square kilometers (24,938 square miles). Its capital and largest city is Riga; other notable major cities in Latvia are Daugavpils, Liepāja, Jelgava, and Jūrmala. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. The Baltic Sea moderates the climate, although the country has four distinct seasons and snowy winters.


Libya

The State of Libya is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad to the south, Niger to the southwest, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest. The sovereign state is made of three historical regions: Tripolitania, Fezzan, and Cyrenaica. It has an area of almost 1.8 million square kilometers (700,000 square miles).  The largest city and capital, Tripoli, is located in western Libya and contains over three million of Libya's seven million people.


Lithuania

The Republic of Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania shares land borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) to the southwest. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 square kilometers (25,200 square miles), with a population of 2.8 million. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius; other major cities are Kaunas and Klaipėda. 


Luxembourg

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is one of the four official capitals of the European Union.  Luxembourg City is the seat of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the highest judicial authority in the EU. [The other capitals of the European Union are Brussels (Belgium), Frankfurt (Germany), and Strasbourg (France).] With an area of 2,586 square kilometers (998 square miles), it is one of the smallest sovereign states in Europe. In 2019, Luxembourg had a population of about 626 thousand, which makes it one of the least-populous countries in Europe.


Malaysia

Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malaysia. Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia. East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Brunei and Indonesia and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. It covers an area of 330,803 square kilometers (127,724 square miles). With a population of over 32 million, Malaysia is the world's 43rd-most populous country. The southernmost point of continental Eurasia is in Tanjung Piai. In the tropics, Malaysia is one of 17 megadiverse countries, home to a number of endemic species.  Kuala Lumpur is the national capital and largest city while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. 


Malta

The Republic of Malta (formerly Melita) is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea.  It is south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya.  With a population of about 515 thousand over an area of 316 square kilometers (122 square miles), Malta is the world's tenth smallest country in area and the fourth-most densely populated sovereign country. Its capital is Valletta.


Martinique

Martinique is an island and an Overseas department, region, and single territorial collectivity of France, and therefore an integral part, of the French Republic.  It is located in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 square kilometers (436 square miles) and a population of 376 thousand inhabitants. One of the Windward Islands, it is directly north of Saint Lucia, northwest of Barbados, and south of Dominica. Its capital is Fort-de-France.


Mexico

The United Mexican States is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico covers 1,972,550 square kilometers (761,610 square miles) and has approximately 126 million inhabitants, making it the world's 13th largest country by area, 10th  most populous country, and most populous Spanish-speaking nation. It is a federation comprising 31 states.  Mexico City is the capital city and largest metropolis. Other major urban areas include Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and León.


Moldova

The Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. Moldova covers 33,846 square kilometers (13,068 square miles) and has approximately 2.6 million inhabitants. The capital city is Chișinău.


Morocco 

The Kingdom of Morocco is a country located in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, with land borders with Algeria to the east and Western Sahara (status disputed) to the south. Morocco also claims the exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, all of them under Spanish jurisdiction, as well as several small Spanish-controlled islands off its coast. The capital is Rabat and the largest city is Casablanca. Morocco spans an area of 710,850 square kilometers (274,460 square miles) and has a population of over 37 million.


Namibia

The Republic of Namibia is a country in Southern Africa. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the east and south, and its western border is the Atlantic Ocean.  Although it does not border Zimbabwe, less than 200 meters (660 feet) of the Zambezi River separates the two countries. Namibia's capital and largest city is Windhoek. Namibia spans an area of 825,615 square kilometers (318,772 square miles) and has a population of about 2.1 million.


Nepal 

The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal is a sovereign country in South Asia. It is mainly in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is the 49th largest country by population or about 28 million inhabitants, and the 93rd largest country by area of 147,516 square kilometers (56,956 square miles). It is landlocked and borders Tibet in the north and India in the east, south, and west.  Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city.


Netherlands

The Netherlands informally Holland, is a country primarily located in Western Europe and partly in the Caribbean, forming the largest constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In Europe, it consists of 12 provinces that border Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, with maritime borders in the North Sea with those countries and the United Kingdom. In the Caribbean, it consists of three special municipalities: the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. The Netherlands covers 41,865 square kilometers (16,164 square miles) and has approximately 17.6 million inhabitants. Amsterdam is the country's most populous city and nominal capital, while The Hague holds the seat of the State's General, Cabinet, and Supreme Court.


New Zealand 

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses, the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu), and more than 700 smaller islands, covering a total area of 268,021 square kilometers (103,500 square miles). New Zealand is east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. New Zealand has about 5.1 million inhabitants.  Its capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland.


Nigeria

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country in West Africa. It is the most populous country in Africa.  It covers an area of 923,769 square kilometers (574,003 square miles) and has a population of over 211 million. Nigeria borders Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, the Gulf of Guinea to the south in the Atlantic Ocean, and Benin in the west. Nigeria is a federal republic comprising 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Abuja, is located. The largest city in Nigeria is Lagos, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and the second-largest in Africa.


Norway

The Kingdom of Norway is a Nordic country in Northern Europe whose mainland territory comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula; Mainland Norway and the remote island of Jan Mayen as well as the archipelago of Svalbard from Metropolitan Norway. Bouvet Island, located in the Subantarctic, is a dependency of the Kingdom of Norway. Norway also lays claims to the Antarctic territories of Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land. Norway has a total area of 385,207 square kilometers (148,729 square miles) and a population of 5.4 million. Norway is bordered by Finland and Russia to the north-east, Sweden to the east, and the Skagerrak Strait to the south, with Denmark on the other side. Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. Its capital and largest city is Oslo.


Pakistan 

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country with a population exceeding 225 million. It is the 33rd-largest country by area, spanning 881,913 square kilometers (340,509 square miles). Pakistan has a 1,046 kilometer (650 miles) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest, and China to the northeast. It is separated narrowly from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor in the northwest and also shares a maritime border with Oman. Its capital is Islamabad.


Peru

The Republic of Peru is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pacific Ocean. Peru is a megadiverse country with habitats ranging from the arid plains of the Pacific coastal region in the west to the peaks of the Andes mountains extending from the north to the southeast of the country to the tropical Amazon Basin rainforest in the east with the Amazon river. At 1.28 million square kilometers (0.5 million square miles), Peru is the 19th largest country in the world and the third-largest in South America.  It has a population of over 34 million, and its capital is Lima.


Philippines

The Republic of the Philippines is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Situated in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of about 7,641 islands that are broadly categorized under three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao. The capital city of the Philippines is Manila and the most populous city is Quezon City, both within the single urban area of Metro Manila. Bounded by the South China Sea to the west, the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Celebes Sea to the southwest, the Philippines shares maritime borders with Taiwan to the north, Japan to the northeast, Palau to the east, Indonesia to the south, Malaysia and Brunei to the southwest, Vietnam to the west, and China to the northwest. The Philippines has an area of around 300,000  square kilometers (120,000 square miles) with a population of around 109 million people. 


Poland

The Republic of Poland is a country located in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative subdivisions, covering an area of 312,696 square kilometers (120,733 square miles), and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With a population of over 38 million people, Poland is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union. Poland's capital and largest metropolis is Warsaw. Other major cities include Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, and Szczecin.  Poland is bordered by the Baltic Sea, Lithuania, and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast to the north, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south, and Germany to the west.


Portugal

The Portuguese Republic is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe. It covers an area of 92,212 square kilometers (35,603 square miles) and has a population of over 10 million. It is the westernmost sovereign state in mainland Europe, bordered to the north and east by Spain and to the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal's territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both autonomous regions with their own regional governments. Lisbon is the capital and largest city.


Puerto Rico

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island and unincorporated territory of the United States. It is an archipelago among the Greater Antilles located between the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands; it includes the eponymous main island and several smaller islands, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. It comprises an area of 9,104 square kilometers (3,515 square miles) and has roughly 3.2 million residents.  Its capital and most populous city is San Juan.


Qatar 

Qatar is a country located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. It covers an area of 11,581 km2 (4,471 sq mi) and has a population of close to 3 million. Its capital is Doha.


Réunion 

Réunion is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. Its total area is 2,511 square kilometers (970 square miles), with a population of about 860 thousand. It is located approximately 550 km (340 mi) east of the island of Madagascar and 175 km (109 mi) southwest of the island of Mauritius. Its capital is Saint-Denis.

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It shares land borders with Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, and Moldova to the east and has its opening to the Black Sea. It has a predominantly temperate-continental climate. With a total area of 238,397 square kilometers (92,046 square miles), Romania is the twelfth-largest country in Europe and the seventh-most populous member state of the European Union, having approximately 19 million inhabitants. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest. Other major urban areas include: Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Iași, Constanța, Craiova, Brașov, and Galați.


Russia

The Russian Federation is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east, and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the south. Russia covers over 17,125,200 square kilometers (6,612,100 square miles), spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area, stretching eleven time zones, and bordering 16 sovereign nations. Russia is the largest country in the world, the ninth-most populous country, as well as the most populous country in Europe. The country is one of the world's most sparsely populated and urbanized. About four-fifths of its total population of over 146 million inhabitants live within its smaller and dense western portion, as opposed to its larger and sparse eastern portion. Russia is administratively divided into 85 federal subjects. Moscow is the country's capital and largest city, other major urban areas include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Chelyabinsk, and Samara.


Saint Martin

The Collectivity of Saint Martin, commonly known as simply Saint Martin (Saint-Martin), is an overseas collectivity of France in the West Indies in the Caribbean. Its capital is Marigot. Saint Martin has a population of approximately 35,334, on an area of 53.2 square kilometers (20.5 square miles).  It encompasses the northern 60% of the divided island of Saint Martin, and some neighboring islets, the largest of which is Île Tintamarre. The southern 40% of the island of Saint Martin constitutes Sint Maarten, which has been a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 2010. This marks the only place in the world where France borders the Netherlands.


Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country in Western Asia constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula. With a land area of approximately 2,150,000 square kilometers (830,000 square miles) and a population of 34 million, Saudi Arabia is geographically the largest sovereign state in Western Asia, the second-largest in the Arab world (after Algeria), the fifth-largest in Asia, and the 12th-largest in the world. Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates to the east, Oman to the southeast, and Yemen to the south; it is separated from Egypt and Israel by the Gulf of Aqaba. It is the only country with both a Red Sea coast and a Persian Gulf coast.  Its capital is Riyadh.


Serbia

The Republic of Serbia is a landlocked country situated at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe in the southern Pannonian Plain and the central Balkans. It borders Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the southeast, North Macedonia to the south, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, and Montenegro to the southwest. The country claims a border with Albania through the disputed territory of Kosovo. It covers an area of 77,474 square kilometers (29,913 square miles) which excludes Kosovo. Serbia's population numbers approximately seven million. Its capital, Belgrade, ranks among the largest and oldest citiеs in southeastern Europe.


Seychelles 

The Republic of Seychelles is an archipelagic island country in the Indian Ocean at the eastern edge of the Somali Sea. The country consists of 115 islands, with an area of 459 square kilometers (177 square miles) and a population of under 100 thousand.  It has the smallest population of any sovereign African country.  Other nearby island countries and territories include the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and the French overseas regions of Mayotte and Réunion to the south; as well as the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago (administered by the United Kingdom as the British Indian Ocean Territory) to the east. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, lies 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) east of mainland Africa. 


Singapore

The Republic of Singapore is a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude (137 kilometers or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Straits of Malacca to the west, the Riau Islands to the south, and the South China Sea to the east. The country's territory is composed of one main island, 63 satellite islands, and islets, and one outlying islet, the combined area of which has increased by 25% since the country's independence as a result of extensive land reclamation projects. It has the second greatest population density in the world. The country's area of 728.6 square kilometers (281.3 square miles)  is home to almost 5.4 million residents. There are four official languages of Singapore: English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil; with English being the lingua franca. This reflects in its rich cultural diversity and extensive ethnic cuisine and major festivals. Multiracialism is enshrined in the constitution and continues to shape national policies in education, housing, and politics.


Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 on an area of 34 square kilometers (13 square miles), it encompasses the southern 40% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the northern 60% of the island constitutes the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Martin. Sint Maarten's capital is Philipsburg.  Collectively, Sint Maarten and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.


Slovakia 

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's territory spans about 49,000 square kilometers (19,000 square miles) and is mostly mountainous. The population is over 5.5 million and consists mostly of ethnic Slovaks. The capital and largest city is Bratislava, and the second-largest city is Košice.


Slovenia 

The Republic of Slovenia is a country located in Central Europe at the crossroads of main European cultural and trade routes. It is bordered by Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, and by Italy to the west. Slovenia covers 20,271 square kilometers (7,827 square miles) and has a population of over 2.1 million. The capital and largest city is Ljubljana.


South Africa

The Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. With over 60 million people, it is the world's 23rd-most populous nation and covers an area of 1,221,037 square kilometers (471,445 square miles)  It borders Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe to the north, Mozambique and Eswatini (former Swaziland) to the east and northeast, and it surrounds the enclaved country of Lesotho.  It is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometers (1,739 mi) of coastline of Southern Africa stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans.  It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World, and the most populous country located entirely south of the equator. South Africa has three capital cities: executive Pretoria, judicial Bloemfontein, and legislative Cape Town. The largest city is Johannesburg.

South Korea 

The Republic of Korea is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, and sharing a land border with North Korea. South Korea is mostly surrounded by water and has 2,413 kilometers (1,499 miles) of coastline along three seas; to the east is the Sea of Japan, to the south is the East China Sea, and to the west is the Yellow Sea. South Korea covers an area of 100,363 square kilometers (38,750 square miles).  It has a population of more than 51 million people, of which about half live in the Seoul Capital Area, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the world.

Spain

The Kingdom of Spain is a country in Southwestern Europe with some pockets of territory across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean. Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula. Its territory also includes two archipelagos: the Canary Islands off the coast of North Africa, and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The African enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country (Morocco). Several small islands in the Alboran Sea are also part of Spanish territory. The country's mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and northeast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean respectively.  With an area of 505,990 square kilometers (195,360 square miles), Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe, the second-largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the fourth-largest country by area on the European continent. With a population exceeding 47.3 million, Spain is the sixth-most populous country in Europe, and the fourth-most populous country in the European Union. Spain's capital and largest city is Madrid; other major urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Málaga, and Bilbao.


Sweden

The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge tunnel across the Öresund Strait. At 450,295 square kilometers (173,860 square miles), Sweden is the largest country in Northern Europe, the third-largest country in the European Union, and the fifth largest country in Europe by area. Sweden has a total population of 10.4 million. The capital city is Stockholm. 


Switzerland

The Swiss Confederation is a country situated at the confluence of Western, Central, and Southern Europe. It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities based in Bern. Switzerland is a landlocked country bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. It is geographically divided among the Swiss Plateau, the Alps, and the Jura.  It has a land area of 39,997 square kilometers (15,443 square miles). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities and economic centers are located, among them Zürich, Geneva and Basel, and its de facto capital of Bern.


Taiwan 

The Republic of China (ROC) is a country in East Asia. Neighboring countries include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. The main island of Taiwan has an area of 35,808 square kilometers (13,826 square miles), with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanized population is concentrated. Taipei is the capital as well as the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. With 23.4 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries.


Thailand 

The Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as Siam,  is a country in Southeast Asia. Located at the center of the Indochinese Peninsula.  Thailand is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Myanmar. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India on the Andaman Sea to the southwest. It is composed of 76 provinces and covers an area of 513,120 square kilometers (198,120 square miles), and a population of about 70 million people. Thailand is the world's 50th-largest country by land area and the 20th most populous country in the world. The capital and largest city is Bangkok, a special administrative area.


Togo

The Togolese Republic is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Burkina Faso to the north, Benin to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and Ghana to the west. It is one of the narrowest countries in the world with a width of less than 115 kilometers (71 miles) between Ghana and Benin. Togo covers 57,000 square kilometers (22,008 square miles), making it one of the smallest countries in Africa, with a population of approximately 8 million.  Its capital and largest city is Lomé.  


Tunisia 

The Republic of Tunisia is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east, Libya to the southeast, Algeria to the southwest and west.  It covers an area of 163,610 square kilometers (63,170 square miles), which makes it the smallest country in North Africa. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern reaches of the Sahara desert, with much of its remaining territory arable land. Its 1,300 kilometers (810 miles) of coastline include the African conjunction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Basin. Tunisia's northernmost point, Cape Angela, is also the northernmost point of Africa. Its population is about 12 million.  Tunisia’s capital and largest city is Tunis, located on the northeast coast, which lends the country its name.

Turkey

The Republic of Turkey is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. Turkey is bordered on its north by the Black Sea; northeast by Georgia; east by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran; southeast by Iraq; south by Syria and the Mediterranean Sea; west by the Aegean Sea; and northwest by Greece and Bulgaria.   It covers an area of 783,356 square kilometers (302,455 square miles) and has a population of about 84 million.  Istanbul, which straddles Europe and Asia, is the country's largest city, while Ankara is the capital.

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan, also known as Turkmenia, is a sovereign country in Central Asia, bordered by Uzbekistan to the north and east, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest, the Caspian Sea to the west, and by Kazakhstan to the northwest. Turkmenistan occupies an area of 491,210 square kilometers (189,660 square miles) and has a population of approximately 6 million people. Ashgabat is its capital and largest city.


Uganda 

The Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa. It is bordered to the north by South Sudan, to the east by Kenya, to the south by Tanzania, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The southern part of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, shared with Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda is in the African Great Lakes region. Uganda also lies within the Nile basin and has a varied but generally modified equatorial climate.  Its area covers 241,038 square kilometers (93,065 square miles), and it has a population of about 43 million.  Its capital is Kampala.


Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Belarus to the north; Russia to the north-east and east;  Romania, Moldova, and the Black Sea to the south, and Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west. Ukraine also borders the Crimean Peninsula to its south, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, though Ukraine still continues to claim the territory. Including the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine has an area of 603,628 square kilometers (233,062 square miles), making it the second-largest country by area in Europe after Russia, and the 46th largest country in the world. Excluding Crimea, Ukraine has a population of about 41 million.  Its capital and largest city is Kyiv. 


United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (abbreviated as UAE) is a sovereign state in Western Asia at the northeast end of the Arabian Peninsula, in the south of the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman to the east, and Saudi Arabia to the south and west, as well as sharing maritime borders with Qatar to the west and Iran to the north. The sovereign absolute monarchy is a federation of seven emirates consisting of Abu Dhabi (which serves as the capital), Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain. Their boundaries are complex, with numerous enclaves within the various emirates. Each emirate is governed by a ruler; together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the rulers serves as the President of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE occupies an area of 83,600 square kilometers (32,300 square miles) and has a population of just under 10 million. 


United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom is a sovereign country located off the north­western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north­eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland. Otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south, and the Celtic Sea to the southwest, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea separates Great Britain and Ireland. The total area of the United Kingdom is 240,000 square kilometers (94,000 square miles) with a population of approximately 67 million. The United Kingdom's capital is London.


United States

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States (US or U.S.) or simply America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. It has an area of 9.8 million square kilometers (3.8 million square miles), with a population of over 331 million.  The federal capital is Washington, D.C.


Uruguay 

The Oriental Republic of Uruguay is a country in the southeastern region of South America. It borders Brazil to its north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, the Río de la Plata (Silver River) to the south, and Argentina to its southwest and west. Uruguay is home to an estimated 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo. With an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometers (68,000 square miles, Uruguay is geographically the second-smallest nation in South America, after Suriname.


Uzbekistan

The Republic of Uzbekistan is a country in Central Asia.  It has an area of 448,978 square kilometers (173,351 square miles), with a population of approximately 34 million.  It is surrounded by five landlocked countries: Kazakhstan to the north; Kyrgyzstan to the northeast; Tajikistan to the southeast; Afghanistan to the south and Turkmenistan to the south-west. Along with Liechtenstein, it is one of two doubly landlocked countries.  As a sovereign state, Uzbekistan is a secular, unitary constitutional republic. It comprises 12 provinces (vilayats) and one autonomous republic, Karakalpakstan. The capital and largest city of Uzbekistan is Tashkent. 


Vanuatu

The Republic of Vanuatu is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east of New Guinea, southeast of the Solomon Islands, and west of Fiji. It covers an area of 12,189 square kilometers (4,706 square miles) and has a population of about 307 thousand.  Its capital and largest city is Port Vila.


Venezuela

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. The continental territory is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; Trinidad and Tobago to the north-east, by Guyana on the east, Brazil on the south, and on the west by Colombia. It is comprised of an area of 916,445 square kilometers (353,841 square miles), with a population estimated at 29 million in 2019. The capital and largest urban agglomeration is the city of Caracas.

Vietnam

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia and the easternmost one on the Indochinese Peninsula. Vietnam borders China to the north, the South China Sea to the east and south, the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest, and Cambodia and Laos to the west.  The total area of Vietnam is 331,212 square kilometers (127,882 square miles) and with an estimated 96.2 million inhabitants. The capital city is Hanoi.


Zambia 

The Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern, and East Africa, but it is usually considered as being in South-Central Africa. Its neighbors are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, Namibia to the southwest, and Angola to the west. It covers an area of 752,618 square kilometers (290,587 square miles), and has a population of about 17 million.  The capital city is Lusaka.



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4 comments:

  1. Very Nice Country Geographic Information...

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  2. Thank you. As all these different countries popped up in my blog's location statistics, I became curious about the places I never had the privilege to visit. I figured, if I was curious about them and learn more about them, my readers would want to know more too.

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  3. I love it ! Keep it coming please :)

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  4. Thank you, I will. Since I posted this in the middle of October, yes, there are new readers from countries not on this list. I will be adding them soon. Thank you for reading, and keep referring the blog to your family, friends and associates.

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