LITHUANIA. Republic of Lithuania A state in the northwest of Europe, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Area — 65.2 thousand km². Capital - Vilnius (553 thousand), other major cities: Kaunas (374 thousand), Klaipeda (190 thousand), Šiauliai (146 thousand), Panevėžys (119 thousand). Administrative-territorial division - 10 counties. Population - 3,428 thousand (2005), including Lithuanians - 83.5%, Poles - 6.7%, Russians - 6.3%, Belarusians - 1.2%, Ukrainians - 0.7%. Official language -
LIBYA. Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya A state in North Africa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Area - 1.76 million km². Capital - Tripoli (approx. 1.5 million). Administrative division - 26 shaabiy (administrative districts), divided into 378 mahallat (communes). Population - 5.5 million; mainly Arabs (98%), as well as Berbers and others. The official language is Arabic. The state religion is Sunni Islam. The currency unit is the Libyan dinar = 1000 dirhams.
LEBANON. Lebanese Republic A state in the Middle East, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Area - 10,452 km². Capital - Beirut (1.5 million, including suburbs), largest cities: Tripoli (over 200 thousand), Sidon (70 thousand), Zahle (40 thousand). Administrative division - 5 governorates (muhafaz). Population - approximately 3.9 million (2005 estimate), about 90% of whom are Arabs, the rest are Armenians, Turks, Kurds, Circassians, Assyrians, and others. Lebanon hosts approximately
LIBERIA. Republic of Liberia A country in West Africa, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It borders Sierra Leone to the northwest, Guinea to the north, and Côte d'Ivoire to the east. Area - 111,37 thousand km². Capital - Monrovia (about 1 million, including internally displaced persons), largest cities: Buchanan, Harper, Robertsport. Administratively divided into 15 counties. Population - approximately 3.4 million (2004 estimate). Indigenous ethnicities (95%) represent a rather diverse
LESOTHO. Kingdom of Lesotho A state in southern Africa, an enclave surrounded on all sides by the territory of South Africa (the length of the border is 909 km). Area - 30.4 thousand km². Capital - Maseru (386 thousand). Administrative-territorial division - 10 provinces: Berea, Buta-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales' Hoek, Mohotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Taba-Tseka. Population - 2.2 million (2003 estimate), growth rate - 1.7% per year. Population density - 71 people per km².
LATVIA. Republic of Latvia A state in the northwest of Europe, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Area — 64.5 thousand km². Capital — Riga (759 thousand), major cities: Daugavpils (114 thousand), Liepaja (89 thousand), Jelgava (65 thousand), Jurmala (55 thousand), Ventspils (41 thousand). Administrative-territorial division - 26 districts and 7 cities of republican subordination. Population - 2.298 million (2005), including Latvians - 58.6%, Russians - 28.8%, Belarusians - 4%, Ukrainians - 2.7%,
LAOS. Lao People's Democratic Republic A state in the center of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Area - 236.8 thousand km². Capital - Vientiane (approx. 600 thousand), the largest provincial centers: Savannakhet, Luang Prabang, Pakse. Administrative-territorial division - 16 provinces, 1 special district, and the city center subordinate to Vientiane. Population - 5.8 million (2004). According to official data, there are 49 ethnic groups in the country (more than 100 according
KUWAIT. State of Kuwait A state in Asia, in the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, on the northwestern coast of the Persian Gulf. Kuwait owns 9 islands in the Persian Gulf: Bubiyan (836 km²), Warbah, Failaka, and others. Since 1965, it has been jointly administering the Divided (formerly Neutral) Zone with Saudi Arabia. The territory is 17,818 km². The capital is Kuwait City. The administrative division consists of 6 provinces. The population is 2.6 million; of which Kuwaitis are 943
CUBA. Republic of Cuba A state located between the continents of North and South America, situated on the islands of Cuba and Juventud (Pinos), as well as approximately 4,000 small, mostly uninhabited islands belonging to the Greater Antilles group. Area - 110,922 km². Capital - Havana (over 2.3 million), major cities: Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Holguín, Santa Clara, Guantánamo, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Pinar del Río, Bayamo. Administrative-territorial division - 14 provinces: Pinar del Río,
CÔTE D’IVOIRE. Republic of Côte d'Ivoire A country in West Africa on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It borders Liberia and Guinea to the west, Mali and Burkina Faso to the north, and Ghana to the east. Area - 322,463 sq. km. Capital - Yamoussoukro (since 1983). The former capital, Abidjan, remains the political and economic center of the country, where the legislative and executive authorities are located. Administratively, it is divided into 19 regions, 58 departments, and 230
COSTA RICA. Republic of Costa Rica A country in Central America. Area — 51.1 thousand km². Capital - San José (approx. 1 million). Administrative-territorial division - 1 province. Population — 4 million (2003); mainly descendants of Spanish settlers. Official language - Spanish. Dominant religion - Catholicism. Currency — Costa Rican colón. Has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on May 8, 1944).
KOREA Located in East Asia, it occupies the Korean Peninsula, the adjacent part of the continent, and about 3,500 coastal islands. The territory is 222,15 thousand km². The population is 71.3 million (2004), mainly Koreans. Korea is a country with an ancient history (Korean: Choson, literally - the land of morning freshness). Koreans count the history of their country as 5,000 years. The emergence of the first slave-owning states dates back to the 8th-4th centuries BC. The process of forming a
CONGO. Republic of the Congo A country in Central Africa. Area — 342,000 km². Capital - Brazzaville (approx. 950,000), major cities: Pointe-Noire (530,000), Dolisie, Loubomo, Djambala. Administratively, the territory of Congo is divided into the autonomous commune of Brazzaville and 10 regions. Population - 3.8 million (2004). Main ethnic groups - Kongo, Batéké, Mboshi, among others. Official language - French. Religion: over 50% of the population adheres to traditional beliefs, 25% are
COMOROS. Union of the Comoros A state in the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean (until December 2001, the Federative Islamic Republic of the Comoros) includes 4 islands of the Comoros archipelago: Grande Comore, Anjouan, Mohéli, and Mayotte, which has had a temporary status of "territorial unit" of France since December 1976. The area is 2,000 km². The capital is Moroni (50,000; located on Grande Comore). Administrative division - 4 districts. Population - about 700,000 (2004),
COLOMBIA. Republic of Colombia A country in the northwestern part of South America. Area - 1,141.7 thousand km². The capital is Bogotá (7 million with suburbs), major cities: Medellín, Cali, Cartagena. Administrative-territorial division - 32 departments and a capital district. Population - 42 million (2004), Colombians, including Spanish-Indian mestizos - 57%, whites - 20%, mulattos - 14%, blacks - 5%, zambos - 3%, indigenous people - 1%. The official language is Spanish. The dominant
COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS Located in the Indian Ocean, consisting of 2 atolls (27 small coral islands, of which only 3 are inhabited). The largest islands are West and Home (2768 km northwest of Perth, Australia). They belong to Oceania.
CHINA. People's Republic of China A state in Central and East Asia. Area - 9.6 million km². Capital - Beijing (14.6 million), largest cities: Shanghai (17.11 million), Tianjin (10.1 million), Shenyang (6.8 million). Administrative division - 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing), and 2 Special Administrative Regions (SAR) - Hong Kong and Macau. Population - over 1.292 billion (excluding the population of Taiwan, SAR Hong Kong, and
KIRIBATI. Republic of Kiribati A state in the central, equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean (Oceania), located on the Gilbert Islands (16 islands and atolls), Phoenix (8), Line (8), and Banaba Island (formerly Ocean Island). Total area - 800 km². The capital is Bairiki on Tarawa Atoll (29,000). Administrative-territorial division - 6 districts. Population - 93,000 (2004), mainly Kiribati - Micronesians. The official language is English, but the entire population also speaks the Tungaru
KYRGYZSTAN. Kyrgyz Republic A country in the northeast of Central Asia. Located within the Pamir-Alai in the southwest and the Tian Shan in the northeast. The territory is 198.5 thousand km², with almost 90% located above 1500 m above sea level. The capital is Bishkek (624 thousand), the largest cities are Osh (which received the status of the second capital of the republic) and Jalal-Abad. Administratively, it is divided into 7 regions, which include 39 districts and 21 cities. Population —
CYPRUS. Republic of Cyprus A state in Western Asia, located on the island of the same name in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. Since 1974, it has remained forcibly divided. Area - 9,251 km². Capital - Nicosia (in English; in Greek - Lefkosia, about 200 thousand), major cities: Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos. The cities of Famagusta, Kyrenia, and Morphou are located in the territory controlled by Turkish troops. Population - about 900 thousand (2001), of which more than 200 thousand
KENYA. Republic of Kenya A country in East Africa on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Area — 582.6 thousand km². Capital - Nairobi (2 million), largest cities: Mombasa, Kisumu. Administrative division - 7 provinces and the capital district. Population - about 30.5 million (2004); it consists of ethnic groups from the Bantu ethnic group (Kikuyu, Luhya, Kamba), as well as Nilotic tribes (Luo, Kalenjin). There are over 165 thousand Europeans, Arabs, and descendants from India and Pakistan. Official
QATAR. State of Qatar A country located in Southwest Asia in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the coast of the Persian Gulf. Area - 11.4 thousand km². Capital - Doha. About 90% of the country's population is concentrated in the capital and its suburbs.
CANADA A country in North America. Area - 9.971 million km². Capital - Ottawa (1.3 million with suburbs), largest cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver. Administrative division - 10 provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan) and 3 territories - Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon. Population - 32.1 million (2005), mainly descendants of immigrants from Europe and the USA;
CAMEROON. Republic of Cameroon A country in the northwest part of Central Africa, it has access to the Atlantic Ocean. Area— 475.4 thousand km². Capital - Yaoundé (1.5 million), largest city and economic center - Douala (approx. 2 million). Administratively, it is divided into 10 provinces. Population - 16.2 million (2004); main ethnic groups - Fang, Bamileke, Douala, Basa, Bumun, Bata, Mandara. Official languages - French and English. Religion: 54% of the population are Catholics, 4% are
CAMBODIA. Kingdom of Cambodia A state in Southeast Asia in the southwestern part of the Indochinese Peninsula. Area - 181,035 km². Capital - Phnom Penh (approx. 1.5 million, 2005). Administrative-territorial division - 21 provinces and 3 cities of central subordination (Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Kep). Population - 13 million (1997); about 90% are Khmer, with over 40 national minorities, including significant communities of Chinese and Vietnamese. The official language is Khmer. The state
CAIMAN ISLANDS (Cayman Islands) A British territory located on the islands of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac in the Caribbean Sea, northwest of Jamaica, between Central and South America. Area - 262 km². The administrative center is George Town (13,000) on Grand Cayman; other towns include West Bay (3,900) and Bodden Town (1,600). Population - 44,200 (2005). About 35% of the population are immigrants, and 80% of Caymanians are Black and Mulatto. The official language is English.
KAZAKHSTAN. Republic of Kazakhstan A state in the center of Eurasia. Area - 2,724.9 thousand km². Capital - Astana (528 thousand), founded in 1830, has city status since 1832; previous names - Akmolinsk (1832—1961), Tselinograd (1961-92), Akmolа (1992-97). Declared the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan in December 1997. The previous capital of the country was Almaty. The city of Astana (translated into Russian as "capital") is located in the geographical center of the republic.
CAPE VERDE. Republic of Cape Verde An island nation located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. The archipelago consists of 18 islands, of which 10 are large, including 9 inhabited ones. The area is 4,033 km². The capital is Praia (on Santiago Island) with approximately 113,000 residents. Administrative division - 14 districts. Population - 463,000 (2005); consists of mulattos of Portuguese-African descent (about 71%), Bantu (28%), and Europeans (mostly Portuguese) - 1%. The
YEMEN. Republic of Yemen A state in Asia, located in the south and southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. Area - about 550 thousand km², including Socotra Island and several other islands in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Capital - Sana'a (over 1.5 million), largest ports - Aden (about 500 thousand) and Hodeidah. Administrative-territorial division - 19 provinces. Population - 19.7 million people (2004 census), mainly Arabs, with others being Indians, Pakistanis, Ethiopians, Somalis, and
ITALY. Italian Republic A state in southern Europe in the Mediterranean basin, occupying the Apennine Peninsula, the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and a number of small islands. Area - 301,303 thousand km². Capital - Rome (2.5 million), largest cities: Milan (1.5 million), Naples (1.2 million), Turin (910 thousand), Palermo (680 thousand), Genoa (650 thousand), Florence (367 thousand), etc. Within Italy are 2 states - Vatican City and San Marino, surrounded on all sides by its territory. The
SPAIN. Kingdom of Spain A country in the southwest of Europe, occupying an area of 505.9 thousand km² (including the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean). Territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles. The economic zone extends 200 nautical miles. Spain includes the cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the northern coast of Africa, as well as the adjacent islands of Velez de la Gomera, Alusemas, Chafarinas, and Perejil. Spain insists on the return of
ICELAND. Republic of Iceland A country in Europe located on the island of the same name in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. Area — 103,000 km². Capital — Reykjavik (about 110,000); other major cities: Kopavogur, Akureyri. Administrative division — 23 districts. Population — 288,000 (2004); over 99% are Icelanders. Official language — Icelandic. Religion: the majority of believers are Protestant Lutherans. Currency — Icelandic króna = 100 aurar.
IRELAND A country in Western Europe, occupying most of the island of Ireland. Area - 70.3 thousand km². Capital - Dublin (1.1 million), major cities: Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford. Administrative division - 26 counties. Population - 4 million (2004), mainly Irish.
IRAN. Islamic Republic of Iran A state in Southwest Asia. Area — 1,648,000 km². Capital - Tehran (over 12 million with suburbs), largest cities: Mashhad (1.5 million), Isfahan (1 million), Tabriz (852 thousand), Shiraz (800 thousand). Administratively divided into 32 provinces (ostans). Population - about 68 million (December 2004, estimate). Ethnic composition: Persians (51%), Azerbaijanis (27%), Kurds (5%), Lurs, Arabs, Turkmen, Baluchis, Armenians, Jews, representatives of other
IRAQ. Republic of Iraq A state in Southwest Asia, located in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Area - 437,000 km². Capital - Baghdad (over 3 million). Administrative division - 18 provinces (muhafaz). Population - 22.6 million (2000); 75% - Arabs, over 20% - Kurds, also Turkmen, Assyrians, Persians, Armenians, and others reside. Official languages - Arabic and Kurdish. Religion: up to 96% of the population practices Islam. Currency - Iraqi dinar = 1000 fils.
JORDAN. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan A state in the Middle East in the western part of Asia. Area - 96,188 thousand km². Capital - Amman (approximately 1.6 million). Administrative division - 12 governorates (muhafaz). Population - 5.7 million (2005); predominantly Arabs, as well as Circassians (approximately 30 thousand), Chechens (4 thousand), Armenians (2 thousand), and others. More than 50% of the population are Palestinian Arabs, including 1.5 million officially registered Palestinian
INDONESIA. Republic of Indonesia Indonesia is a state in Southeast Asia, located on 17,508 islands of the largest Malay archipelago in the world and the coastal part of New Guinea. The territory is 1.9 million km². Its controlled maritime area (internal sea, archipelagic waters, and exclusive economic zone) is 7.9 million km². The capital is Jakarta (on the island of Java; over 10 million), with the largest cities being Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, and Semarang. The administrative-territorial
INDIA. Republic of India A country in South Asia, on the Indian subcontinent. Area - 3,287,590 km². Capital - New Delhi (over 13 million, 2003), largest cities (data from 2004): Kolkata (over 16 million), Mumbai (Bombay) (over 15 million), Chennai (Madras) (6 million), Hyderabad (5 million), Bangalore (4.5 million), Ahmedabad (4 million). Administrative-territorial division: 28 states, which are subjects of the federation, as well as the National Capital Territory of Delhi and 6 union
ISRAEL. State of Israel The State of Israel is located in the Middle East on the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The territory within the borders defined by UN General Assembly Resolution 181 in 1947 is 14.1 thousand km², and together with the territory annexed during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-49, it is 20.7 thousand km². The largest cities are Jerusalem (over 680,000, of which nearly 240,000 are Arabs), Tel Aviv-Jaffa (360,000, with suburbs - over 2 million), and Haifa
ZIMBABWE. Republic of Zimbabwe A country in southern Africa. Area - 390.8 thousand km². Capital - Harare (1.5 million). Administrative division - 8 provinces. Population - 12.5 million (2004), of which the overwhelming majority are Africans (Shona, Ndebele, Tonga, etc.), about 100 thousand are of European descent. Official languages - English, Shona, Ndebele. Religion: the majority of the African population adheres to local traditional beliefs (60%), Christianity is also widespread (30%).
WESTERN SAHARA Former colonial possession of Spain in the northwest of Africa, in the southern part of the Sahara Desert, on the Atlantic Ocean coast. Area - 266,000 km². Historically consists of 2 territories - Segiet el-Hamra (in the north; 82,000 km²) and Rio de Oro (Wadi Dahab, in the south; 184,000 km²). Borders Morocco, Algeria, and Mauritania. Administrative center - El Aaiún (approx. 180,000). Population - approx. 267,000 (2004 estimate), mainly semi-nomadic tribes of Arab-Berber
ZAMBIA. Republic of Zambia A country in Central Africa. Area - 752.6 thousand km². Capital - Lusaka (approx. 2 million), largest cities: Ndola, Livingstone, Kabwe, Kitwe-Nkana, Chingola. Administrative-territorial division - 9 provinces. Population - 10.4 million (2000); of which 99% are Africans, mainly Bantu (Bemba, Tonga, Lozi, Lunda, Malawian, etc.). Europeans and people of Asian descent - about 100 thousand. Official language - English. Religion: about 80% of the population are Christians
Arab Republic of Egypt A state in the northeastern part of Africa and the Sinai Peninsula in Asia. Area - 1,001.4 thousand km². Capital - Cairo (18 million), largest cities: Alexandria, Port Said, Mansoura. Administrative division - 27 governorates (muhafaz). Population - 74 million (2004). 3.5 million Egyptians live abroad, 98% of the population are Arabs. The official language is Arabic. Religion - Islam, the overwhelming majority of the population are Sunni Muslims. Currency - Egyptian
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC The state occupies the western part of the island of Haiti, as well as a number of small islands in the Greater Antilles group, between North and South America. Area - 48.4 thousand km². Capital - Santo Domingo (2.6 million). Administrative-territorial division - 31 provinces and 1 district. Population - 8.6 million (2005); Dominicans, 73% - mestizos and mulattos, 16% - whites, 11% - blacks. Official language - Spanish. Religion: the majority of the population (95%) profess
DOMINICA. Commonwealth of Dominica A state on the island of the same name in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, between North and South America. Area - 750 km². Capital - Roseau (22,000). Administrative division - 10 districts. Population - 69,000 (2005 estimate); Dominicans, mostly of African descent. Official language - English, with a local creole language based on French (patois) also widely spoken. Religion: the majority of the population practices Catholicism. Currency
DJIBOUTI. Republic of Djibouti A country in the northeastern part of Africa, located on the coast of the Gulf of Aden and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Area - 23.4 thousand km². Capital - Djibouti (350 thousand), other major cities: Tajura, Obock. Administrative division - Djibouti region and 4 districts. Population - 600 thousand (2005); the indigenous population consists of almost 90% from 2 ethnic groups: Issa (and other Somali tribes) and Afars. The rest are Europeans, Arabs, and others.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO A country in Central Africa (from 1971 to 1997 - the Republic of Zaire), washed by the Atlantic Ocean for 40 km. Area - 2,345,000 km². Capital - Kinshasa (about 8 million, 2005), largest cities: Lubumbashi (over 1 million), Mbuji-Mayi (about 1 million), Kolwezi (650,000). Administratively, the country is divided into 11 provinces. Population - 60.9 million (2005). There are over 300 tribes and ethnic groups in the country. About 30% of the population lives in
DENMARK. Kingdom of Denmark A state in the northwest of Europe, occupying most of the Jutland Peninsula and a group of nearby islands (Zealand, Funen, Lolland, Falster, etc.), as well as the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Area - 43,000 km². Denmark includes the Faroe Islands and the largest island in the world, Greenland, which enjoy internal autonomy. The capital is Copenhagen (with suburbs Frederiksberg and Gentofte - over 1.5 million). The administrative-territorial division consists
