n ethnic Croat majority in the
west and an ethnic Serb majority in the east

Botswana
landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the
country

Bouvet Island
covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve
Norway

Brazil
largest country in South America; shares common boundaries
with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador

British Indian Ocean Territory
archipelago of 55 islands; Diego
Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location
in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military
facility

British Virgin Islands
strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and
Puerto Rico

Brunei
close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking
Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by
Malaysia; almost an enclave within Malaysia

Bulgaria
strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land
routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

Burkina Faso
landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of
the Black, Red, and White Voltas

Burma
strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

Burundi
landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the
Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote
headstream of the White Nile

Cambodia
a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River
and Tonle Sap

Cameroon
sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa; throughout
the country there are areas of thermal springs and indications of
current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon, the highest
mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano

Canada
second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic
location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately
90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border

Cape Verde
strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near
major north-south sea routes; important communications station;
important sea and air refueling site

Cayman Islands
important location between Cuba and Central America

Central African Republic
landlocked; almost the precise center of
Africa

Chad
landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the
Sahel

Chile
strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage);
Atacama Desert is