<em>Last updated June 13th, 2021.</em> <em></em> <em></em> Geography plays a massive role in a country’s overall success. From natural disaster risk to trade accessibility, location often defines a nation’s economic growth prospects. For example, landlocked nations are severely limited by their lack of access to the ocean. They rely on a neighboring country’s port to access global shipping lanes. As such, industrialization proves very difficult. Likewise, places <a href="https://www.investasian.com/2014/12/08/indonesia-economic-problems/">like Indonesia </a>and the Philippines are located entirely in high earthquake risk zones. Nations prone to flooding, hurricanes, and other disasters are generally less developed because of these occasional setbacks. Yet some countries are way more fortunate than others. Being located near profitable borders, important trade routes, or simply areas less prone to crises means greater opportunities along with less risk. We cannot change a nation’s spot on the map – but you can absolutely choose where to invest