exploitation of land for agricultural, industrial, residential, recreational, or other purposes. Because the United States historically has a
Climate is the characteristic state of the atmosphere at a location or in a region . It is the entirety of weather conditions over the long term. It
federation of sheikhdoms (2005 est. pop. 2,563,000), c.30,000 sq mi (77,700 sq km), SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The
in political theory, the quality of belonging to a nation, in the sense of a group united by various strong ties. Among the usual ties are membership
the inhabitants of a given area, but perhaps most importantly, the human inhabitants of the earth (numbering about 7 billion in 2012), who by their
inclusive list of proposed expenditures and expected receipts of any person, enterprise, or government for a specified period, usually one year.
PETROLEUM, OR CRUDE oil, is a nonrenewable natural resource that has had a tremendous beneficial influence on human society. With a name derived from
( säu'dē ərā'bēə, sou'–, sô– ), officially Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, kingdom (2005 est. pop. 26,419,000), 829,995 sq mi (2,149,690 sq km), comprising
fundamental principles of government in a nation, either implied in its laws, institutions, and customs, or embodied in one fundamental document or in
1980–88, protracted military conflict between Iran and Iraq. It officially began on Sept. 22, 1980, with an Iraqi land and air invasion of western
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Qatar
The State of Qatar occupies a long, narrow peninsula jutting into the Persian Gulf. The peninsula is about 200km [12mi] long, with a greatest width of
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Comoros
Country in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and the east coast of Africa, comprising three islands – Njazidja (Grande Comore), Nzwani (Anjouan),
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Oman
The Sultanate of Oman is the oldest independent nation in the Arab world. It occupies the SE corner of the Arabian peninsula and includes the tip of
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Sudan
( sudăn' ), officially Republic of the Sudan, republic (2011 est. pop. 36,740,000), 718,723 sq mi (1,861,484 sq km), NE Africa. It borders on Egypt in
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Yemen (Republic)
( yĕm'ən ), officially Republic of Yemen, republic (2005 est. pop. 20,727,000), 207,300 sq mi (535,800 sq km), SW Asia, at the southern edge of the
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Kuwait
Country in southwest Asia, bounded north and northwest by Iraq, east by the Gulf, and south and southwest by Saudi Arabia. Government Under its 1962
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Syria
( sēr'ēə ), officially Syrian Arab Republic, republic (2005 est. pop. 18,449,000), 71,467 sq mi (185,100 sq km), W Asia. It borders on Lebanon and the
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Lebanon
The Republic of Lebanon is a country on the E shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Behind the coastal plain are the rugged Lebanon Mountains (Jabal
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Mauritania
( môrĭtā'nēə ), officially Islamic Republic of Mauritania, republic (2005 est. pop. 3,087,000), 397,953 sq mi (1,030,700 sq km), NW Africa. It borders
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Egypt
Country in northeast Africa, bounded to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, east by the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip, Israel, and the Red Sea,
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Somalia
( sōmä'leə ), country (2005 est. pop. 8,591,000), 246,200 sq mi (637,657 sq km), extreme E Africa. It is directly south of the Arabian peninsula
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Djibouti
The Republic of Djibouti is a small country on the NE coast of Africa. The capital is also Djibouti . Djibouti occupies a strategic position around
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Algeria
( ăljēr'ēӘ ), Arab. Al Djazair, Fr. Algérie, officially People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, republic (2005 est. pop. 32,532,000), 919,590 sq mi
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Tunisia
( tunē'zhə, tyu– ), Fr. Tunisie, officially Republic of Tunisia, republic (2005 est. pop. 10,075,000), 63,378 sq mi (164,150 sq km), NW Africa.
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Iraq
Country in southwest Asia, bounded north by Turkey, east by Iran, southeast by the Gulf and Kuwait, south by Saudi Arabia, and west by Jordan and
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Jordan
Country in southwest Asia, bounded north by Syria, northeast by Iraq, east, southeast, and south by Saudi Arabia, south by the Gulf of Aqaba, and west
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Libya
( lĭb'ēə ), republic (2005 est. pop. 5,766,000), 679,358 sq mi (1,759,540 sq km), N Africa. It borders on Algeria in the west, on Tunisia in the
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Fiji Islands
Country comprising 844 islands and islets in the southwest Pacific Ocean, about 100 of which are inhabited. Government Since December 2006, Fiji has
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Taiwan
( tì'wän' ), Portuguese Formosa, officially Republic of China, island nation (2005 est. pop. 22,894,000), 13,885 sq mi (35,961 sq km), in the Pacific
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Granada
Capital of Granada province in Andalusia, southern Spain, situated to the north of the Sierra Nevada mountain range on the confluence of the rivers
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Dominican Republic
( dəmĭn'ĭkən ), republic (2005 est. pop. 8,950,000), 18,700 sq mi (48,442 sq km), West Indies, on the eastern two thirds of the island of Hispaniola .
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Seychelles
Country in the Indian Ocean, off east Africa, north of Madagascar. Government Seychelles is a republic within the Commonwealth with a multiparty
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Vanuatu
Group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, part of Melanesia . Government Vanuatu is an independent republic within the Commonwealth , with a
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Maldives
Group of 1,196 islands in the north Indian Ocean, about 640 km/400 mi southwest of Sri Lanka; only 203 of them are inhabited. Government The Maldives
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Western Sahara
territory (2005 est. pop. 273,000), 102,703 sq mi (266,000 sq km), NW Africa, occupied by Morocco. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean in the west, on
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Malta
Island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. Government Malta is a multiparty liberal democracy, with a
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Dominica
Island in the eastern Caribbean, between Guadeloupe and Martinique, the largest of the Windward Islands, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the
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Grenada
Island country in the Caribbean, the southernmost of the Windward Islands. Government Grenada is a multiparty parliamentary democracy. Its
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Samoa
Country in the southwest Pacific Ocean, in Polynesia , northeast of Fiji Islands. Government Samoa is an independent republic within the Commonwealth
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Tonga
( tŏng'gə ), officially Kingdom of Tonga, island kingdom (2005 est. pop. 112,000), 270 sq mi (699 sq km), South Pacific, c.2000 mi (3,220 km) NE of
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Haiti
( hā'tē ), Fr. Haïti äētē' , officially Republic of Haiti, republic (2005 est. pop. 8,122,000), 10,700 sq mi (27,713 sq km), West Indies, on the
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Mauritius
( môrĭsh'ēəs, –əs ), officially Republic of Mauritius, republic (2005 est. pop. 1,231,000), 790 sq mi (2,046 sq km), in the SW Indian Ocean. It is
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Brunei
Country comprising two enclaves on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo, bounded to the landward side by Sarawak and to the northwest by the
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Cuba
( kyō'bӘ, Span. kō'bä ), officially Republic of Cuba, republic (2005 est. pop. 11,347,000), 42,804 sq mi (110,860 sq km), consisting of the island of
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Bahamas
Country comprising a group of about 700 islands and about 2,400 uninhabited islets and cays in the Caribbean, 80 km/50 mi from the southeast coast of
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Tuvalu
Country in the southwest Pacific Ocean; formerly (until 1978) the Ellice Islands; part of Polynesia . Government The constitution dates from 1978 when
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Saint Lucia
( sānt lu'shə, –sēə ), island nation (2005 est. pop. 166,000), 238 sq mi (616 sq km), West Indies, one of the Windward Islands. The capital is
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Cape Verde
( vûd ), Port. Cabo Verde, officially Republic of Cape Verde, republic (2005 est. pop. 418,000), c.1,560 sq mi (4,040 sq km), W Africa, in the
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Afghanistan
( ăfgăn'ĭstăn´´, ăfgän´´ĭstän' ), officially Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, republic (2005 est. pop. 29,929,000), 249,999 sq mi (647,497 sq km), S
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Solomon Islands
Country in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of New Guinea, comprising many hundreds of islands, the largest of which is Guadalcanal. Government The
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Iran
( ērän', ĭrăn' ), officially Islamic Republic of Iran, republic (2005 est. pop. 68,018,000), 636,290 sq mi (1,648,000 sq km), SW Asia. The country's
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Palau
Country comprising more than 350 islands and atolls (mostly uninhabited) in the west Pacific Ocean. Government Palau has a presidential political
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French Polynesia
officially Overseas Lands of French Polynesia, internally self-governing dependency (2002 pop. 245,516) of France, consisting of 118 islands in the
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Marshall Islands
Country in the west Pacific Ocean, part of Micronesia, occupying 31 atolls (the Ratak and Ralik chains). Government The Marshall Islands has a mixed
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Persia
( pûr'zhə, –shə ), old alternate name for the Asian country Iran. The article Iran contains a description of the geography and economy of the modern
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Palestine
Territory in the Middle East, on the E shore of the Mediterranean Sea; considered a Holy Land by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Palestine has been
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Nauru
Island country in Polynesia, southwest Pacific, west of Kiribati. Government The constitution dates from independence in 1968. It provides for a
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Madagascar
( măd´´əgăs'cär ), officially Republic of Madagascar, republic (2005 est. pop. 18,040,000), 226,658 sq mi (587,045 sq km), in the Indian Ocean,
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Philippines
Country in southeast Asia, on an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands west of the Pacific Ocean and south of the Southeast Asian mainland.
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Indonesia
Country in southeast Asia, made up of 13,677 islands situated on or near the Equator, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is the world's fourth
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Singapore
Country in southeast Asia, off the tip of the Malay Peninsula. Government Singapore is a multiparty democracy with a prime ministerial political
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Eritrea
( ĕrĭtrē'ə ), officially State of Eritrea, republic (2005 est. pop. 4,562,000), c.48,000 sq mi (124,320 sq km), NE Africa. It is bordered on the
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Kiribati
Republic in the west central Pacific Ocean, comprising three groups of coral atolls: the 16 Gilbert Islands, 8 uninhabited Phoenix Islands, 8 of the
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East Timor
Country in southeast Asia, on the island of Timor in the Malay Archipelago. Government The 2002 constitution was modelled on that of Portugal and
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Israel
The State of Israel is a small country in the E Mediterranean. Inland lie the Judaeo-Galilean highlands, from N Israel to the N tip of the Negev
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Australia
Country occupying all of the Earth's smallest continent, situated south of Indonesia, between the Pacific and Indian oceans. Government Australia is
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Ireland
Irish Eire âr'ə [to it are related the poetic Erin and perhaps the Latin Hibernia], island, 32,598 sq mi (84,429 sq km), second largest of the British
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Papua New Guinea
Country in the southwest Pacific, comprising the eastern part of the island of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and part of the Solomon Islands.
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Northern Mariana Islands
( märēä'nä ), officially Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a self-governing entity in association with the United States (2010 pop.