<hdr>The World Factbook 1994: World<nl>Geography</hdr><body>
<list>
<item><hi format=bold>Area:</hi>
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>total area:</hi> 510.072 million sq km
<item>• <hi format=ital>land area:</hi> 148.94 million sq km
<item>• <hi format=ital>water area:</hi> 361.132 million sq km
<item>• <hi format=ital>comparative area:</hi> land area about 16 times the size of the US
<item>• <hi format=ital>note:</hi> 70.8% of the world is water, 29.2% is land
</list>
<item><hi format=bold>Land boundaries:</hi> the land boundaries in the world total 250,883.64 km (not counting shared boundaries twice)
<item><hi format=bold>Coastline:</hi> 356,000 km
<item><hi format=bold>Maritime claims:</hi>
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>contiguous zone:</hi> 24 nm claimed by most but can vary
<item>• <hi format=ital>continental shelf:</hi> 200-m depth claimed by most or to depth of exploitation, others claim 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
<item>• <hi format=ital>exclusive fishing zone:</hi> 200 nm claimed by most but can vary
<item>• <hi format=ital>exclusive economic zone:</hi> 200 nm claimed by most but can vary
<item>• <hi format=ital>territorial sea:</hi> 12 nm claimed by most but can vary
<item>• <hi format=ital>note:</hi> boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nm; 42 nations and other areas that are landlocked include Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, 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
</list>
<item><hi format=bold>Climate:</hi> two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates
<item><hi format=bold>Terrain:</hi> highest elevation is Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters and lowest depression is the Dead Sea at 392 meters below sea level; greatest ocean depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 meters
<item><hi format=bold>Natural resources:</hi> 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
<item><hi format=bold>Land use:</hi>
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>arable land:</hi> 10%
<item>• <hi format=ital>permanent crops:</hi> 1%
<item>• <hi format=ital>meadows and pastures:</hi> 24%
<item>• <hi format=ital>forest and woodland:</hi> 31%
<item>• <hi format=ital>other:</hi> 34%
</list>
<item><hi format=bold>Irrigated land:</hi> NA sq km
<item><hi format=bold>Environment:</hi>
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>current issues:</hi> 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
<item>• <hi format=ital>natural hazards:</hi> large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)
<item>• <hi format=ital>international agreements:</hi> 20 selected international environmental agreements included under the Environment entry for each country and in Appendix E: Selected International Environmental Agreements
