Archives: Locations

The Marshall Islands is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The islands were occupied by the United States for several decades after World War II. They are now a sovereign nation. The government system is a constitutional government in free association with the United States; the chief […]

Malta is a southern European country and consists of an archipelago. It is situated centrally in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily, Italy. Malta’s geographic position between the European Union region and Africa makes it a target for immigration. The government system is a republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head […]

Mali is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. Most of the country lies in the southern Sahara which produces a hot savanna zone. The government system is a republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the […]

Maldives is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a chain of 1,900 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls southwest of Sri Lanka and India. The archipelago has a strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean. The government system is a republic; the chief of state and head of […]

Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and three federal territories in Southeast Asia. It consists of two regions separated by the South China Sea and is bordered by Brunei, Indonesia, and Thailand. Malaysia has a strategic location along the Strait of Malacca and the southern South China Sea. The government system is a constitutional […]

Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. The Great Rift Valley runs through the country, and to the east of the valley lies Lake Nyasa. The government system is a multiparty democracy; the chief of state and head of government is the president. Malawi has a […]

Madagascar is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. Madagascar has a strategic location along the Mozambique Channel. The government system is a republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. Madagascar transitioned from socialist economic policies to a market […]

Luxembourg is a small, landlocked country in western Europe bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. The government system is a constitutional monarchy; the chief of state is the grand duke, and the head of government is the prime minister. Benefiting from its proximity to France, Belgium, and Germany, Luxembourg has a mixed economy in which the […]

Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe. Situated on the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares a border with Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Across the Baltic Sea lies Sweden and Denmark. The government system is a parliamentary democracy; the chief of state is the president, and the head […]

Liechtenstein is a small, doubly landlocked microstate in Central Europe between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is situated in the Upper Rhine valley of the European Alps. The government system is a constitutional monarchy; the chief of state is the prince, and the head of government is the prime minister. Liechtenstein has a prosperous, highly industrialized, […]

Libya is a country located in North Africa. Bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Libya is surrounded by Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria, and Tunisia. More than 90% of the country is desert or semi-desert, and there are limited natural fresh water resources. The government system is in a state of transition; the chief of state is […]

Liberia is located in Western Africa bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean. The government system is a republic; the chief of state and head of government is the president. Liberia is rebuilding a mixed economic system which includes a limited variety of private freedom, combined with weak centralized economic planning […]

Lesotho is a small, landlocked, and mountainous country. It is an enclave entirely surrounded by South Africa. The government system is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy; the chief of state is the king, and the head of government is the prime minister. Lesotho has a market-based economy, but the tradition of direct government involvement in economic […]

Lebanon is a country located in the Middle East on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Syria and Israel. Lebanon’s rugged terrain and location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups within the country. The government system […]

Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic Sea. Across the Baltic Sea lies Sweden. The government system is a parliamentary republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. Latvia has transitioned […]

Laos is a landlocked country located in Southeast Asia bordered by Burma, Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam. Most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested, and the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand. The government system is a Communist state; the chief of state is the president, and […]

Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked and mountainous country located in Central Asia and bordered by China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The government system is a republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. Kyrgyzstan has an emerging mixed economic system which includes a variety of private freedom, […]

Kuwait is a country located in the Middle East on the northeast Arabian Peninsula. It borders the Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. The flat, sandy Arabian Desert covers most of Kuwait. The government system is a constitutional emirate; the chief of state is the emir or sheikh, and the head of government is the […]

Kiribati is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It comprises 32 atolls and one raised coral island. Kiribati is about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. The government system is a republic; the chief of state and head of government is the president. Kiribati has a mixed economic system which includes a […]

Kenya is a country in Eastern Africa bordering the Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria. Neighboring countries include Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Unique Kenyan physiography, from highlands to glaciers, supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value. The government system is a republic; the chief of state and head of government […]

Kazakhstan is a landlocked, transcontinental country located in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. It is bordered by China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The terrain extends west to east from the Caspian Sea to the Altay Mountains and north to south from the plains of Western Siberia to the deserts of Central Asia. The government […]

Jordan is a kingdom in the Middle East. Neighboring countries include Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the West Bank region. Much of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert. However, the northwestern part of Jordan is part of the Fertile Crescent. The government system is a constitutional monarchy; the chief of state is the […]

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it borders China, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the East China Sea. It is an archipelago of 6,852 islands, most of which are mountainous, and many are volcanic. The government system is […]

Jamaica is an island country located in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba and west of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Jamaica has a strategic location between the Cayman Trench and the Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal. The government system is a constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm. The […]