Austria
landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central
Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major
river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands
because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere
Azerbaijan
both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan
exclave are landlocked
Bahamas, The
strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive
island chain of which 30 are inhabited
Bahrain
close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic
location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's
petroleum must transit to reach open ocean
Bangladesh
most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers
flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main
channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually
empty into the Bay of Bengal
Barbados
easternmost Caribbean island
Belarus
landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of
Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes
Belgium
crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals
within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and
NATO
Belize
only country in Central America without a coastline on the
North Pacific Ocean
Benin
sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural
harbors, river mouths, or islands