The 2008 CIA World Factbook, United States. Central Intelligence Agency [primary phonics books .TXT] 📗
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Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
rocky, hilly, mountainous with
some boggy, undulating plains
Faroe Islands
rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of
coast
Fiji
mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Finland
mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes
and low hills
France
metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling
hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially
Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
French Guiana: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small
mountains
Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior
mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the
seven other islands are volcanic in origin
Martinique: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
French Polynesia
mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with
reefs
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et
Ile Saint-Paul): a volcanic island with steep coastal cliffs; the
center floor of the volcano is a large plateau
Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): triangular in
shape, the island is the top of a volcano, rocky with steep cliffs
on the eastern side; has active thermal springs
Iles Crozet: a large archipelago formed from the Crozet Plateau is
divided into two groups of islands
Iles Kerguelen: the interior of the large island of Ile Kerguelen is
composed of rugged terrain of high mountains, hills, valleys, and
plains with a number of peninsulas stretching off its coasts
Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): atoll, awash at high tide; shallow
(15 m) lagoon
Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: low, flat, and
sandy
Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): low, flat, sandy; likely volcanic
seamount
Gabon
narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Gambia, The
flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills
Gaza Strip
flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Georgia
largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the
north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi
(Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River
Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains,
foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
Germany
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Ghana
mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Gibraltar
a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar
Greece
mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as
peninsulas or chains of islands
Greenland
flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow,
mountainous, barren, rocky coast
Grenada
volcanic in origin with central mountains
Guam
volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat
coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep
coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in
center, mountains in south
Guatemala
mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling
limestone plateau
Guernsey
mostly level with low hills in southwest
Guinea
generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Guinea-Bissau
mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Guyana
mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south
Haiti
mostly rough and mountainous
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Holy See (Vatican City)
urban; low hill
Honduras
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Hong Kong
hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Hungary
mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on
the Slovakian border
Iceland
mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields;
coast deeply indented by bays and fiords
India
upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain
along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Indian Ocean
surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad,
circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique
reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low
atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer
air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast
winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from
cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and
northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated
by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian
Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge
Indonesia
mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior
mountains
Iran
rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,
mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Iraq
mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in
south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran
and Turkey
Ireland
mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged
hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Isle of Man
hills in north and south bisected by central valley
Israel
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central
mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Italy
mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Jamaica
mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Jan Mayen
volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Japan
mostly rugged and mountainous
Jersey
gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast
Jordan
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great
Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Kazakhstan
extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from
the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia
Kenya
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift
Valley; fertile plateau in west
Kiribati
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Korea, North
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow
valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Korea, South
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west
and south
Kosovo
flat fluvial basin with an elevation of 400-700 m above sea
level surrounded by several high mountain ranges with elevations of
2,000 to 2,500 m
Kuwait
flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Kyrgyzstan
peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins
encompass entire nation
Laos
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Latvia
low plain
Lebanon
narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates
Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Lesotho
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Liberia
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling
plateau and low mountains in northeast
Libya
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Liechtenstein
mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western
third
Lithuania
lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil
Luxembourg
mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow
valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope
down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast
Macau
generally flat
Macedonia
mountainous territory covered with deep basins and
valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country
bisected by the Vardar River
Madagascar
narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
Malawi
narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills,
some mountains
Malaysia
coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Maldives
flat, with white sandy beaches
Mali
mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna
in south, rugged hills in northeast
Malta
mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal
cliffs
Marshall Islands
low coral limestone and sand islands
Mauritania
mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central
hills
Mauritius
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains
encircling central plateau
Mayotte
generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic
peaks
Mexico
high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus;
desert
Micronesia, Federated States of islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk
Moldova
rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea
Monaco
hilly, rugged, rocky
Mongolia
vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains
in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
Montenegro
highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain
backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus
Montserrat
volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal
lowland
Morocco
northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas
of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains
Mozambique
mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus
in northwest, mountains in west
Namibia
mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari
Desert in east
Nauru
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs
with phosphate plateau in center
Navassa Island
raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to
undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
Nepal
Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill
region, rugged Himalayas in north
Netherlands
mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders);
some hills in southeast
Netherlands Antilles
generally hilly, volcanic interiors
New Caledonia
coastal plains with interior mountains
New Zealand
predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Nicaragua
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central
interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by
volcanoes
Niger
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling
plains in south; hills in north
Nigeria
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus;
mountains in southeast, plains in north
Niue
steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
Norfolk Island
volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains
Northern Mariana Islands
southern islands are limestone with level
terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic
Norway
glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken
by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply
indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north
Oman
central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Pacific Ocean
surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated
by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents)
and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre;
in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of
Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica
reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the
eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the
western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana
Trench, which is the world's deepest
Pakistan
flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest;
Balochistan plateau in west
Palau
varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of
Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier
reefs
Panama
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland
plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Papua New Guinea
mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling
foothills
Paracel Islands
mostly low and flat
Paraguay
grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran
Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the
river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Peru
western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center
(sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Philippines
mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal
lowlands
Pitcairn Islands
rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with
cliffs
Poland
mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Portugal
mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in
south
Puerto Rico
mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north;
mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most
coastal areas
Qatar
mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and
gravel
Romania
central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of
Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from
the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Russia
broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous
forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern
border regions
Rwanda
mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with
altitude declining from west to east
Saint Barthelemy
hilly, almost completely surrounded by
shallow-water reefs, with 20 beaches
Saint Helena
the islands of this group result from volcanic activity
associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge
Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44
dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east
Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly
circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply
dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the
coastal cliffs
Saint Kitts and Nevis
volcanic with mountainous interiors
Saint Lucia
volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
mostly barren rock
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
volcanic, mountainous
Samoa
two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands
and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky,
rugged mountains in interior
San Marino
rugged mountains
Sao Tome and Principe
volcanic, mountainous
Saudi Arabia
mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Senegal
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in
southeast
Serbia
extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the
east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient
mountains and hills
Seychelles
Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky,
hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Sierra Leone
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country,
upland plateau, mountains in east
Singapore
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water
catchment area and nature preserve
Slovakia
rugged mountains in the central and northern part and
lowlands in the south
Slovenia
a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain
region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys
with numerous rivers to the east
Solomon Islands
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Somalia
mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
South Africa
vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow
coastal plain
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
most of the islands,
rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South
Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains;
the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active
volcanoes
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