Tirana, city, capital of Albania. It is the country’s main industrial center and its largest city. Tirana lies 17 miles (27 km) east of the Adriatic Sea coast and along the Ishm River, at the end of a fertile plain. Learn more about the city’s history,
Turkey (Türkiye) is a country that occupies a unique geographic position, lying partly in Asia and partly in Europe and serving as both a bridge and a barrier between them. The modern Turkish republic was founded in 1923 after the collapse of the Ottoma
Maldives, independent island country in the north-central Indian Ocean. It consists of about 1,200 low-lying small coral islands and sandbanks, only some 200 of which are inhabited, the most populous of which is Male. The country’s largest industries in
Palk Strait, inlet of the Bay of Bengal between southeastern India and northern Sri Lanka. It is bounded on the south by Pamban Island (India), Adam’s (Rama’s) Bridge (a chain of shoals), the Gulf of Mannar, and Mannar Island (Sri Lanka). The southwest
Luzon, largest and most economically important island of the Philippines. It is the site of Manila, the nation’s capital and major metropolis, and of Quezon City. Luzon leads the country both in industry and in agriculture, and it is home to more than h
Reunion is an island of the Mascarene Islands that is a French overseas department and overseas region. It is located in the western Indian Ocean about 420 miles (680 km) east of Madagascar and 110 miles (180 km) southwest of Mauritius. The capital is Sa
Celebes Sea, sea of the western Pacific Ocean, bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sea and Mindanao island, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Celebes (Sulawesi), and on the west by Borneo. It extends 420 miles (675 k
Tasman Sea, section of the southwestern Pacific Ocean, between the southeastern coast of Australia and Tasmania on the west and New Zealand on the east; it merges with the Coral Sea to the north and encloses a body of water about 1,400 miles (2,250 km) w
Cape of Good Hope, rocky promontory at the southern end of Cape Peninsula, Western Cape province, South Africa. The first European to sight the cape was Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias in 1488 on his return voyage to Portugal after ascertaining the
Gulf of Paria, inlet of the Caribbean Sea, lying between the Venezuelan coast (including the mountainous Paria Peninsula) and Trinidad. Extending about 100 miles (160 km) east-west and 40 miles (65 km) north-south, it is linked with the Caribbean to the