| Country | Geography - note |
| 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 |
| 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 elsewhere 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 |
| Saudi Arabia | extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal |
| Senegal | westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal |
| Serbia | controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey and the Near East |
| Seychelles | 41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands |
| Sierra Leone | rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa |
| Singapore | focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes |
| Sint Maarten | the northern border is shared with the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin; together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world shared by two self-governing states |
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