| Country | Geography - note |
| Iran | strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport |
| Iraq | strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf |
| Ireland | strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 100 km of Dublin |
| Isle of Man | one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary |
| Israel | Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source; there are about 355 Israeli civilian sites including about 145 small outpost communities in the West Bank, 41 sites in the Golan Heights, and 32 in East Jerusalem (2010 est.) |
| Italy | strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe |
| Jamaica | strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal |
| Jan Mayen | barren volcanic island with some moss and grass |
| Japan | strategic location in northeast Asia |
| Jersey | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier |
| Jordan | strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank |
| Kazakhstan | landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2050 |
| Kenya | the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value |
| 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; Kiribati is the only country in the world to fall into all four hemispheres (northern, southern, eastern, and western) |
| Korea, North | strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated |
| Korea, South | strategic location on Korea Strait |
| Kosovo | void |
| 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 |
| Libya | more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert |
| Liechtenstein | along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation |
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