10. Russia

There are countless issues with Russia’s topography that we are unsure of how to begin addressing them. One of the most noticeable is its enormous size. Although it greatly reduces the likelihood of an invasion, it creates tremendous difficulties in transportation and trade. This is why Russia was among the last European nations to achieve complete industrialization.Connectivity to the seas is another issue for Russia. Russian ports are often inaccessible for long periods of time due to their location in a predominantly frozen environment. The Sea of Japan, over which Japan exercises near-total sovereignty, encircles its biggest Pacific port, Vladivostok. Due to the lack of a year-round significant port, Russia has been unable to extend its naval dominance beyond its immediate borders, as a result.

9. Countries

Australia is a developed and wealthy country despite its geographical characteristics, not because of them. This is true by all accounts. It’s easier to see on the population-density map, but the general map will suffice as well. With the majority of its inhabitants residing in the moderately crowded urban centers of southern and southeast Australia, Australia is arguably the only nation with an almost totally desolate landscape. Aside from that, the nation is teeming with unfavorable locations throughout a range of landscapes, from tropical jungles to barren deserts.

A lot of issues arise for the government because much of it is dry. Most importantly, water is becoming increasingly scarce across the region as a result of the ongoing drought in many areas. In addition, even major cities like Sydney and Melbourne are experiencing less rainfall than normal, which is noteworthy on the driest continent in the globe.

8. Indonesia

It’s no exaggeration to say that Indonesia’s landscape is unlike any other. An archipelago is the official description, yet that doesn’t do justice to the complexity of the group. With its more than 18,000 islands of widely varied sizes, Indonesia is unquestionably the biggest archipelago nation on the planet. Sizes range from a few miles wide for the smallest to islands the size of New Guinea or Borneo for the biggest.One of the biggest obstacles to Indonesia’s development is the great distance between the islands. Kingdoms in Indonesia have, for the most part, lagged behind their peers in, say, Europe or Asia when it came to taking advantage of opportunities presented by advances in maritime technology. The fact that its diverse population can’t seem to come together under a common national banner is another obstacle to national unity. The country’s islands also played a role in its easy colonization by a powerful maritime force like Britain.Indonesia is especially vulnerable to natural disasters because of its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The island is inhabited by 136 volcanoes, 61 of which have erupted in the last century. Earthquakes of 5.0 or smaller shake the nation practically daily due to the intense tectonic activity in the area.

7. Egypt

The majority of people would be right in saying that Egypt’s topography has been the country’s greatest asset. The Nile delta’s vast plains have given Egypt an inherent advantage over other countries since the country is one of the cradles of civilization.But all of that happened long ago, before the Suez Canal was ever built. Because European commerce ships previously had to circumnavigate Africa to reach Asia, the canal was constructed in 1868 as an artificial sea passage between the Mediterranean and the Red Seas. While it was fantastic for Egypt’s economy, it did little to improve the country’s political climate.Several significant battles, including the 1956 Suez Crisis and the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, have been fought between the country and other countries over control of the canal since its completion. There is still a lot of political tension in the area over who gets unrestricted access to the canal.

6. Pakistan

Pakistan has a geography problem currently, but it would be misleading to suggest that it has always had one, given that the country was only formed a little over 70 years ago. Looking at its map will tell you why; deep investigation isn’t even necessary.If the close proximity of Pakistan’s urban centers to the border doesn’t seem like a big deal, then you should know that the country has been technically at war with its neighbor India since its establishment in 1947. The whole Pakistan–India border, with the exception of the northern hilly region, is also very flat and open, making it very difficult to defend against a full-scale assault. This isn’t just some theoretical situation however; in 1965, during their war with Pakistan, India came dangerously close to Pakistan’s capital city, Lahore.

5. The Dutch

A tiny number of European states have established extensive colonial empires, and the Netherlands is among them, even though theirs was brief. Being a developed and rich nation in every area, it stands in sharp contrast to the majority of the countries on this list. Its success in overcoming geographical constraints is the sole reason for this, nevertheless.To put it plainly, the Netherlands ranks somewhat low. Throughout its history, the problem of about one-third of the country lying below sea level has been a costly one to tackle. There are man-made barriers all around the nation, such as sand dunes, marshes, and pumps, that are designed to keep water out. You might expect that it consumes a significant portion of the government’s funds; the situation would worsen if sea levels were to increase.

4. China’s

You could find a trend in China’s history if you looked closely enough. Its internal turmoil is so intense that it may have been oblivious to external conflicts (until they reached China, of course). China was the site of numerous significant civil wars and the greatest uprising in history, the Taiping Rebellion.Naturally, China has long been one of the most populous and massive empires in the world. The fact that China is geographically divided among fertile lowlands and dry, sparsely populated hills is another obstacle. Although the highlands have always been resistant to Han rule, the majority of Han Chinese have always resided in the lowlands. Maintaining their unity has always been vital to China’s peace, as they served as a barrier between the country and invading tribes, particularly those from the north. Not only that, but its enormous landmass is inhabited by numerous ethnic groups, each with its own distinct culture and set of priorities. It goes without saying that communism’s flaws aren’t helpful either.[8]

3. The Tajikistan

Everyone knows that being landlocked hinders trade, economic growth, and political stability. Getting to a port is a tremendous political and financial ordeal for landlocked nations since land trade is so slow and costly. Further lowering their future possibilities is the fact that they are perpetually reliant on the stability of their neighbors for commerce.Being encircled by two countries instead of one is worse, even if Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein are the only ones on that list. Uzbekistan hasn’t had the same luck as the latter, which is surrounded by politically stable and rich states.Established in 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan has always had challenges to its economy because to its high trade costs compared to other landlocked nations. In addition, it shares borders with other politically unstable nations, some of which are unable to access it due to landlocked status.

2. Japan

The geographical challenges faced by Japan are numerous, making it difficult to single out any one issue. Notably, it is located on the world’s most seismically active zone, the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is a horseshoe-shaped network of islands and volcanoes in the Pacific. This explains why earthquakes strike the nation frequently; in fact, most towns have made it a legal obligation to earthquake-proof buildings.Furthermore, the country’s hilly and mountainous terrain limits the amount of land that can be used for agriculture to only around 20% of the total area. That has two effects: first, it makes it more expensive to import food from other countries, and second, it makes it harder for people to work in farming, which is a major job in most industrialized nations. The fact that Japan has a dearth of minerals and other natural resources drives up the price of imported goods even more.

1. Every Single African Nation

Although Africa is not a single nation but rather a collection of several culturally and geographically varied areas, each with its own unique history and traditions, the continent as a whole faces the same geographical challenge. To put it plainly, Africa is too lengthy. The vertical structure of Africa has historically impeded its technical and developmental advancements, in contrast to the more horizontally oriented continent of Eurasia, which enables domesticated crops and technology to propagate to distant regions with comparable conditions.Of course, that isn’t the sole cause of Africa’s difficulties, but it’s certainly the one that gets the least attention. New technology and other advancements have taken longer to spread across the entire continent of Africa due to its vertically dispersed cultures, which have only evolved along the east-west axis. That was also true for a lot of the Americas, though obviously not to the same degree as in Africa.

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