Sudan, situated by the Red Sea is bordered by Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya and South Sudan. The final alignment between Sudan and South Sudan is still under pending negotiations and demarcation. The Nile and its tributaries are cutting through the country. Despite the presence of the Nile, the climate is arid desert; hot and dry. In terms of natural resources, Sudan has deposits of petroleum as well as small reserves of iron ore, copper and chromium ore.
Kenya is situated by the Indian Ocean, bordered by Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. The climate is tropical along the coast and arid in the interior. In terms of terrain, the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa. Kenya has deposits of, among other resources, limestone, soda ash, salt and gemstones.
Ethiopia is a landlocked state, bordered by Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Until quite recently, Ethiopia was not a landlocked state but in 1993, the entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea. On a different geographical note, the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia. The climate is tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation. In terms of natural resources, Ethiopia is not rich, although it has small reserves of gold, platinum, copper and natural gas.
Eritrea, situated by the Red Sea, is bordering Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan. This is a beneficial geopolitical position as it provides direct access to the world’s busiest shipping lane. The climate is hot; dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands. In terms of natural resources, Eritrea is rich in gold, potash, zinc and copper.
Uganda is a landlocked country and bordered on the west by the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the north by the Sudan, on the east by Kenya, and on the south by Tanzania and Rwanda.
Burundi is a landlocked state, bordered by Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania. The climate is equatorial which, due to considerable altitude variation, results in a great variety of mean temperature across the country. There are two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January). Burundi has large deposits of e.g. nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper and platinum.
The climate in Somalia is mainly arid to semi-arid, with an average annual daytime temperature of 27ºC. Somalia is located in an extreme water scarce area, where most of the available water resources exist in rivers shared with neighboring countries and demand for water is increasing due to the population and urban growth.Somalia is lacking, not only easily available water resources, both also the human and financial resources to set up institutions and water infrastructures that are desperately needed.
Ukraine, situated by the Black Sea is bordering Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia. It is the second largest country in Europe, placed in the crossroads between Europe and Asia, giving it a very strategic position. The climate is temperate continental (although Mediterranean in the southern Crimean coast). The precipitation is disproportionally distributed being the highest in west and north; summers are warm across the country. Most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains and plateaus. In terms of natural resources, it is among other materials rich in iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas and oil.
Slovenia, situated by the Adriatic Sea is bordered by Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Italy. In terms of terrain, it has an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy and Austria and mixed mountains and valleys with numerous rivers to the east. The climate is Mediterranean on the coast whereas the eastern region is experiencing a continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters. Slovenia is rich in lignite coal, lead, zinc and building stone.
Slovakia is a landlocked state, bordered by Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Ukraine. Most of the terrain is rugged and mountainous, especially in the central and northern part. It has a temperate climate with cool summers and cold humid winters. Slovakia possesses reserves of brown coal and lignite, as well as small reserves of iron ore, copper and manganese ore.