home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
CNN Newsroom: Global View
/
CNN Newsroom: Global View.iso
/
wld
/
wld.re1
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1994-05-02
|
3KB
|
79 lines
<text>
<title>
World: Geography
</title>
<article><hdr>The World Factbook 1993: World
Geography</hdr><body>
<list>
<l>Area:</l>
<l> total area: 510.072 million km2</l>
<l> land area: 148.94 million km2</l>
<l> water area: 361.132 million km2</l>
<l> comparative area: land area about 16 times the size of the
US</l>
</list>
<p>note: 70.8% of the world is water, 29.2% is land
</p>
<p>Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total
250,883.64 km (not counting shared boundaries twice)
</p>
<p>Coastline: 356,000 km
</p>
<list>
<l>Maritime claims:</l>
<l> contiguous zone: 24 nm claimed by most but can vary</l>
<l> continental shelf: 200 m depth claimed by most or to the
depth of exploitation, others claim 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin</l>
<l> exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm claimed by most but can
vary</l>
<l> exclusive economic zone: 200 nm claimed by most but can
vary</l>
<l> territorial sea: 12 nm claimed by most but can vary</l>
</list>
<p>note: 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, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova,
Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Slovakia,
Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda,
Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe
</p>
<p>Climate: two large areas of polar climates separated by two
rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of
tropical to subtropical climates
</p>
<p>Terrain: 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
</p>
<p>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
</p>
<list>
<l>Land use:</l>
<l> arable land: 10%</l>
<l> permanent crops: 1%</l>
<l> meadows and pastures: 24%</l>
<l> forest and woodland: 31%</l>
<l> other: 34%</l>
</list>
<p>Irrigated land: NA km2
</p>
<p>Environment: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical
cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis,
volcanic eruptions), overpopulation, industrial disasters,
pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of
vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss
of wildlife resources, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion
</p></body></article></text>