home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
-
-
-
-
-
- 510,072,000 km²; 361,132,000 km² (70.8%) is water and
- 148,940,000 km² (29.2%) is land
-
- Comparative area: land area about 16 times the size of the US
-
- Land boundaries: 442,000 km
-
- Coastline: 359,000 km
-
- Maritime claims:
-
- Contiguous zone: generally 24 nm, but varies from 4 nm to 24 nm;
-
- Continental shelf: generally 200 nm, but some are 200 meters
- in depth;
-
- Exclusive fishing zone: most are 200 nm, but varies from
- 12 nm to 200 nm;
-
- Extended economic zone: 200 nm, only Madagascar claims 150 nm;
-
- Territorial sea: generally 12 nm, but varies from 3 nm to 200 nm
-
- Disputes: 13 international land boundary disputes--Argentina-Uruguay,
- Bangladesh-India, Brazil-Paraguay, Brazil-Uruguay, Cambodia-Vietnam,
- China-India, China-USSR, Ecuador-Peru, El Salvador-Honduras,
- French Guiana-Suriname, Guyana-Suriname, Guyana-Venezuela, Qatar-UAE
-
- 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: highest elevation is Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters and lowest
- elevation is the Dead Sea at 392 meters below sea level; greatest ocean
- depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 meters
-
- Natural resources: the oceans represent the last major frontier for the
- discovery and development of natural resources
-
- Land use: 10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 24% meadows and
- pastures; 31% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes 1.6% irrigated
-
- Environment: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones),
- natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions),
- industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances),
- loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of
- wildlife resources, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion
-
- ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
- █ ≡ People ≡ █
- ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
- Population: 5,316,644,000 (July 1990), growth rate 1.7% (1990)
-
- Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1990)
-
- Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
-
- Infant mortality rate: 70 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
-
- Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 64 years female (1990)
-
- Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1990)
-
- Literacy: 77% men; 66% women (1980)
-
- Labor force: 1,939,000,000 (1984)
-
- Organized labor: NA
-
- ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
- █ ≡ Government ≡ █
- ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
- Administrative divisions: 248 nations, dependent areas, and other
- entities
-
- Legal system: varies among each of the entities; 162 are parties to the
- United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court
-
- Diplomatic representation: there are 159 members of the UN
-
- ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
- █ ≡ Economy ≡ █
- ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
- Overview: In 1989 the World economy grew at an estimated 3.0%, somewhat
- lower than the estimated 3.4% for 1988. The technologically advanced areas-
- North America, Japan, and Western Europe--together account for 65% of the
- gross world product (GWP) of $20.3 trillion; these developed areas grew in
- the aggregate at 3.5%. In contrast, the Communist (Second World) countries
- typically grew at between 0% and 2%, accounting for 23% of GWP. Experience
- in the developing countries continued mixed, with the newly industrializing
- countries generally maintaining their rapid growth, and many others
- struggling with debt, inflation, and inadequate investment. The year 1989
- ended with remarkable political upheavals in the Communist countries, which
- presumably will dislocate economic production still further. The addition of
- nearly 100 million people a year to an already overcrowded globe will
- exacerbate the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, and
- poverty throughout the 1990s.
-
- GWP (gross world product): $20.3 trillion, per capita $3,870; real growth
- rate 3.0% (1989 est.)
-
- Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5%, developed countries; 100%,
- developing countries with wide variations (1989 est.)
-
- Unemployment rate: NA%
-
- Exports: $2,694 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--NA;
- partners--in value, about 70% of exports from industrial countries
-
- Imports: $2,750 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--NA;
- partners--in value, about 75% of imports by the industrial countries
-
- External debt: $1,008 billion for less developed countries (1988 est.)
-
- Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1989 est.)
-
- Electricity: 2,838,680,000 kW capacity; 11,222,029 million kWh produced,
- 2,140 kWh per capita (1989)
-
- Industries: chemicals, energy, machinery, electronics, metals, mining,
- textiles, food processing
-
- Agriculture: cereals (wheat, maize, rice), sugar, livestock products,
- tropical crops, fruit, vegetables, fish
-
- Aid: NA
-
- ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
- █ ≡ Communications ≡ █
- ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
- Ports: Mina al Ahmadi (Kuwait), Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe,
- Marseille, New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
-
- ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
- █ ≡ Defense Forces ≡ █
- ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
- Branches: ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of
- technology
-
- Military manpower: 29.15 million persons in the defense forces
- of the World (1987)
-
- Defense expenditures: 5.4% of GWP, or $1.1 trillion (1989 est.)