Kiribati
21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island)
in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the
Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru
Korea, North
strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and
Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
Korea, South
strategic location on Korea Strait
Kuwait
strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
Kyrgyzstan
landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien
Shan range; 94% of the country is 1,000 m above sea level with an
average elevation of 2,750 m; many tall peaks, glaciers, and
high-altitude lakes
Laos
landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly
forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western
boundary with Thailand
Latvia
most of the country is composed of fertile low-lying plains
with some hills in the east
Lebanon
Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not
crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically
helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based
on religion, clan, and ethnicity
Lesotho
landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa;
mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level
Liberia
facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by
lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland
grassy plateau supports limited agriculture