| Map
references |
World, Time
Zones |
| Area |
total: 510.072
million sq km
land: 148.94 million sq km
water: 361.132 million sq km
note : 70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land |
| Land
boundaries |
the land boundaries
in the world total 251,480.24 km (not counting shared boundaries twice) |
| Coastline |
356,000 km |
| Maritime
claims |
contiguous zone:
24 nm claimed by most but can vary
continental shelf: 200-m depth claimed by most or to depth of exploitation,
others claim 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive fishing zone : 200 nm claimed by most but can vary
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm claimed by most but can vary
territorial sea: 12 nm claimed by most but can vary
note: boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries
from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nm; 43
nations and other areas that are landlocked include Afghanistan, Andorra,
Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana,
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic,
Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia,
Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland,
Tajikistan, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan,
Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Climate |
two large areas
of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from
a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates |
| Terrain |
the greatest
ocean depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean |
| Elevation
extremes |
lowest point:
Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m |
| Natural
resources |
the rapid using
up of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas
and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the
deterioration in air and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe
and the former USSR) pose serious long-term problems that governments
and peoples are only beginning to address |
| Land
use |
arable land:
10%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 31% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land |
2,481,250 sq
km (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards |
large areas
subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes,
landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions) |
Environment
current issues |
large
areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air,
water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing,
deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation,
soil depletion, erosion |
Environment
international agreements |
selected international
environmental agreements are included under the Environment - international
agreements entry for each country and in the Selected International
Environmental Agreements appendix |
|