The 2008 CIA World Factbook, United States. Central Intelligence Agency [primary phonics books .TXT] 📗

on Tristan da
  Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a
  prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa

Saint Kitts and Nevis
  with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat
  and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a 3-km-wide
  channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball
  bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in
  the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape
  complements that of its sister island

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

Saint Martin
  the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in
  the world shared by two independent states, the French territory of
  Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten

Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  vegetation scanty

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

Samoa
  occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

San Marino
  landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after
  the Holy See and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines

Sao Tome and Principe
  the smallest country in Africa; the two main
  islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are
  mountainous

Saudi Arabia
  extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea
  provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through
  Persian Gulf and Suez Canal

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

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

Seychelles
  41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands

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

Singapore
  focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes

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

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

Solomon Islands
  strategic location on sea routes between the South
  Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea; on 2 April 2007
  an undersea earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale occurred
  345 km WNW of the capital Honiara, the resulting tsunami devastated
  coastal areas of Western and Choiseul provinces with dozens of
  deaths and thousands dislocated; the provincial capital of Gizo was
  especially hard hit

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

South Africa
  South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost
  completely surrounds Swaziland

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  the north coast of
  South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage;
  reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia

Southern Ocean
  the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between
  South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic
  Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent
  of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the
  Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the cold polar surface
  waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front
  and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of
  60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the
  far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly
  winds

Spain
  strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

Spratly Islands
  strategically located near several primary shipping
  lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small
  islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs

Sri Lanka
  strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

Sudan
  largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its
  tributaries

Suriname
  smallest independent country on South American continent;
  mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna
  that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new
  development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast

Svalbard
  northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of
  nine main islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total
  area; Spitsbergen Island is the site of the Svalbard Global Seed
  Vault, a seed repository established by the Global Crop Diversity
  Trust and the Norwegian Government

Swaziland
  landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa

Sweden
  strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and
  North Seas

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

Syria
  there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites
  in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.)

Taiwan
  strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the
  Luzon Strait

Tajikistan
  landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the
  Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast;
  highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was
  the tallest mountain in the former USSR

Tanzania
  Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three
  of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's
  second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the
  world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest

Thailand
  controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore

Timor-Leste
  Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island
  of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and
  easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands

Togo
  the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct
  geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna

Tokelau
  consists of three atolls (Atafu, Fakaofo, Nukunonu), each
  with a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varying
  length and rising to over 3 m above sea level

Tonga
  archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)

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

Tunisia
  strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and
  Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the
  continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil
  exploration

Turkey
  strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus,
  Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount
  Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's ark, is in the far
  eastern portion of the country

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

Turks and Caicos Islands
  about 40 islands (eight inhabited)

Tuvalu
  one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six
  of the nine coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau,
  Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya
  and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon

Uganda
  landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and
  rivers

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

United Arab Emirates
  strategic location along southern approaches to
  Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

United Kingdom
  lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km
  from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because
  of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from
  tidal waters

United States
  world's third-largest country by size (after Russia
  and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley
  is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point
  on the continent

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
  Baker, Howland, and
  Jarvis Islands: scattered vegetation consisting of grasses,
  prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting,
  roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine
  wildlife; closed to the public
  Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands,
  which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and
  East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging;
  the egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference; closed to the public
  Kingman Reef: barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed
  to the public
  Midway Islands: a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife refuge
  and open to the public for wildlife-related recreation in the form
  of wildlife observation and photography
  Palmyra Atoll: the high rainfall and resulting lush vegetation make
  the environment of this atoll unique among the US Pacific Island
  territories; supports a large undisturbed stand of Pisonia beach
  forest

Uruguay
  second-smallest South American country (after Suriname);
  most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is
  grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising

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

Vanuatu
  a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller
  islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes

Venezuela
  on major sea and air routes linking North and South
  America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest
  waterfall

Vietnam
  extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km
  across at its narrowest point

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

Wake Island
  strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency
  landing location for transpacific flights

Wallis and Futuna
  both island groups have fringing reefs

West Bank
  landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's
  coastal aquifers; there are about 340 Israeli civilian
  sites—including 100 small outpost communities in the West Bank and
  29 sites in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.)

Western Sahara
  the waters off the coast are particularly rich
  fishing areas

World
  the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old,
  just about one-third of the 13.7-billion-year age estimated for the
  universe

Yemen
  strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the
  Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping
  lanes

Zambia
  landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary
  with Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe
  landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary
  with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria
  Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

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@2115 Political pressure groups and leaders

Afghanistan
  other: religious groups; tribal leaders

Albania
  Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of
  Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian
  National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement; Omonia
  [Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH
  [Gezim KALAJA]

Algeria
  The Algerian Human Rights League or LADDH [Hocine ZEHOUANE];
  SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET]

American Samoa
  Population Pressure LAS (addresses the growing
  population pressures)

Andorra
  NA

Angola
  Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC
  [N'zita Henriques TIAGO, Antonio Bento BEMBE]

Anguilla
  NA

Antigua and Barbuda
  Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William
  ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]

Argentina
  Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA);
  Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine
  Rural Confederation or CRA (small to medium landowners'
  association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners'
  association); Central of Argentine Workers or CTA (a radical union
  for employed and unemployed workers); General Confederation of Labor
  or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Roman
  Catholic Church
  other: business organizations; Peronist-dominated labor movement;
  Piquetero groups (popular protest organizations that can be either
  pro or anti-government); students

Armenia
  Aylentrank (Impeachment) [Nikol PASHINYAN]; Yerkrapah Union
  [Manvel GRIGORIAN]

Aruba
  other: environmental groups

Australia
  other: business groups; environmental groups; social
  groups; trade unions

Austria
  Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally
  independent but primarily Social Democratic); Federal Economic
  Chamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV;
  Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization,
  Catholic Action
  other: three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or
  OeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernment
  organizations in the areas of environment and human rights

Azerbaijan
  Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (self-proclaimed);
  Karabakh Liberation Organization; Sadval, Lezgin movement; Talysh
  independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani Forces or UPAF

Bahamas, The
  Friends of the Environment
  other: trade unions

Bahrain
  Shia activists; Sunni Islamist legislators
  other: several small leftist and other groups are active

Bangladesh
  Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA
  (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs)
  other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders;
  teachers; union leaders

Barbados
  Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST];
  Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of
  Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes
  the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers
  Union or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David
  COMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]

Belarus
  Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH];
  Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK];
  Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian
  Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey
  SANNIKOV]; For Freedom (unregistered) [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; Lenin
  Communist Union of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party of
  Communists or PKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs
  [Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [Nikolay
  ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO];
  Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement
  [Ludmila PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dmitriy DASHKEVICH,
  Sergey BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS]

Belgium
  Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation
  of Belgian Industries
  other: numerous other associations representing bankers,
  manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical
  professions; various organizations