The Country Similarity Index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries. The index is a statistically-based way to measure this. 20% of the index is based on geography. 10% of a country’s geography score (2% of the overall Country Similarity Index score) is allocated for the country’s topography. The following are the factors that were included:
Elevation
Most countries have a relatively low average elevation. Small countries near the coast tend to have the lowest average elevations. Singapore, the Netherlands, and Qatar all have an average elevation of less than 30 meters. In contrast, Nepal and Tajikistan both have an average elevation of over 3,000 meters. Most of the countries with high average elevations are landlocked and extremely mountainous. The non-landlocked country with the highest elevation happens to be Chile, followed closely by China.
The Portland State University was the source of the information:
https://www.pdx.edu/economics/country-geography-data
Countries were categorized into the following average elevations in meters:
0-200, 200-400, 400-675, 675-950, 950-1300, 1300-1650, 1650-2075, 2075-2500, 2500-3000, 3000-3500
Mountainous Area
The countries with the highest average elevations also tend to be the most mountainous. However, some countries like Angola have a high average elevation, but little mountainous area since they are located on plateaus. Bhutan has the most mountainous area of any country, with an astounding 98.8%. Africa has especially few countries that are mountainous, although there are some exceptions, including Ethiopia and South Africa.
The GRID-Arendal was the source of the information:
http://www.grida.no/resources/5032
Countries were categorized into the following percentages of average mountain area:
0-20%, 20-40%, 40-60%, 60-80%, 80-100%
Ultra-prominent Peaks
Average elevation and percentage of mountainous area do not completely build a full picture of the nature of a country’s terrain. Although some mountains may be extremely tall, they do not look as tall in comparison with other mountains if they are connected to areas of high elevation. Ultra-prominent peaks are summits that are at least 1,500 meters taller than their surroundings. The number of ultra-prominent peaks was then divided by the country’s land area. The Philippines, Greece, Albania, and El Salvador all have an average elevation of less than 500 meters, but they are among the countries with the most ultra-prominent peaks per land area.
The Ultras Project was the source of the data:
http://www.peaklist.org/ultras.html
Countries were categorized into the number of ultra peaks per 1 million sq. km:
0-7, 7-14, 14-28, 28-56, 56-112
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