| Country | Geography - note |
| Panama | strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean |
| Papua New Guinea | shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast |
| Paracel Islands | composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group |
| Paraguay | landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country |
| Peru | shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River |
| Philippines | the Philippine archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands; favorably located in relation to many of Southeast Asia's main water bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, and Luzon Strait |
| Pitcairn Islands | Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore |
| Poland | historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain |
| Portugal | Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar |
| Puerto Rico | important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north |
| Qatar | strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits |
| Reunion | void |
| Romania | controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine |
| Russia | largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount El'brus is Europe's tallest peak |
| Rwanda | landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural |
| Saint Barthelemy | void |
| Saint Helena | Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a 3-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape complements that of its sister island |
| Saint Lucia | the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean |
| Saint Martin | the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the World shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | vegetation scanty |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays |
| Samoa | occupies an almost central position within Polynesia |
| San Marino | landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines |
| Sao Tome and Principe | the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are mountainous |
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