the World
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GEOGRAPHY
Area
- Total area: 510.072 million sq km
- Land area: 148.94 million sq km
- Water area: 361.132 million sq km
Comparative area
land area about 15 times the size of the U.S.
note: 70.8% of the world is water, 29.2% is land
Land Boundaries
the land boundaries in the world total 250,883.64 km (not counting shared boundaries twice)
Coastline
356,000 km
Maritime Claims
- Contiguous zone: 200 nm claimed by most countries, but this 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, on the land area the lowest point is: Dead Sea -408 m and the highest point the 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%
- Meadows and pastures: 24%
- Forest and woodland: 31%
- Other: 34%
Irrigated Land
NA
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
- Natural hazards: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)
- International agreements: selected international environmental agreements are included under the Environment entry for each country and in the Selected International Environmental Agreements appendix
PEOPLE
Population
5,771,939,007 (July 1996 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 Years
31% (male 919,402,570; female 874,330,478)
15-64 Years
62% (male 1,824,524,365; female 1,776,639,084)
65 Years and Over
7% (male 162,216,128; female 213,712,993)
Population Growth Rate
1.4% (1996 est.)
Birth Rate
23 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death Rate
9 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
- at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
- under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
- all ages: 1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate
60 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Total population: 62 years
- Male: 61 years
- Female: 64 years
Total Fertility Rate
2.9 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Labor force:
2.24 billion (1992)
GOVERNMENT
Digraph
none; there is no FIPS 10-4 country code for the World, so the World Atlas uses the "W" data code from DIAM 65-18 "Geopolitical Data Elements and Related Features," Data Standard No. 3, March 1984, published by the Defense Intelligence Agency; see the Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes appendix
Administrative Divisions
266 nations, dependent areas, other, and miscellaneous entries
Legal System
varies by individual country; 186 (not including Yugoslavia) are parties to the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court)
ECONOMY
Overview
Real global output - gross world product (GWP) - again rose 3% in 1995, with the newly industrializing Third World countries setting the pace. And once more, results varied widely among regions and countries. Average growth of 2.5% in the GDP of industrialized countries (56% of GWP in 1995) and average growth of 5% in the GDP of less developed countries (38% of GWP) were partly offset by a small 1.5% drop in the GDP of the former USSR/Eastern Europe area (only 6% of GWP). With the notable exception of Japan at 3.1%, unemployment was typically 6%-12% in the industrial world. The US accounted for 22% of GWP in 1995; Western Europe accounted for 21%; and Japan accounted for 8%. These are the three "economic superpowers" presumably destined to compete for mastery in international markets on into the 21st century. As for the less developed countries: China, India, and the Four Dragons - South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore - once again posted records of 5% growth or better; however, many other countries, especially in Africa, continued to suffer from drought, rapid population growth, inflation, and civil strife. Central Europe continued its progress in moving toward "market-friendly" economies. The 15 ex-Soviet countries typically experienced further declines in output, although considerably less than in 1992-94. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, the central government in a number of cases is losing control over resources as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, and in Canada. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The addition of nearly 100 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of their own internal problems, the industrialized countries have inadequate resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from the economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. (For specific economic developments in each country, see the individual country entries in this volume.)
National Product
GWP (gross world product) - purchasing power parity - $33.7 trillion (1995 est.)
National Product Real Growth Rate
3% (1995 est.)
National Product Per Capita
$5,900 (1995 est.)
Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)
- All countries: 25%
- Developed countries: 2% to 6% typically
- Developing countries: 10% to 60% typically (1995 est.)
- note: national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from stable prices in Japan to hyperinflation in a number of Third World countries
Unemployment Rate
30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 6%-12% unemployment (1995 est.)
Industries
Dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these technological forces; the rapid development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems
Industrial production growth rate
5% (1995 est.)
Electricity
- Capacity: 2,773,000,000 kW
- Production: 11.601 trillion kWh
- Consumption per capita: 1,937 kWh (1993)
Agriculture
the whole gamut of crops, livestock, forest products, and fish
Exports
$4.3 trillion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
Commodities:
- the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
Partners:
in value, about 75% of exports from the developed countries
Imports
$4.4 trillion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
Commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
Partners:
in value, about 75% of imports by the developed countries
External Debt
$2 trillion for less developed countries (1995 est.)
Economic Aid
worldwide traditional foreign aid $50 billion (1995 est.)
TRANSPORTATION
Railroads
- total: 1,201,337 km includes about 190,000 to 195,000 km of electrified routes of which 147,760 km are in Europe, 24,509 km in the Far East, 11,050 km in Africa, 4,223 km in South America, and 4,160 km in North America; note - fastest speed in daily service is 300 km/hr attained by France's Societe Nationale des Chemins-de-Fer Francais (SNCF) Le Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV) - Atlantique line
- broad gauge: 251,153 km
- standard gauge: 710,754 km
- narrow gauge: 239,430 km
Highways
- Total: NA
- Paved: NA
- Unpaved: NA
Ports
The worlds biggest and busiest ports include: Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, Mina' al Ahmadi (Kuwait), New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
Merchant Marine
- Total: 25,521 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 442,276,527 GRT/701,647,274 DWT
- Ships by type: barge carrier 22, bulk 5,308, cargo 8,089, chemical tanker 920, combination bulk 307, combination ore/oil 279, container 1,938, liquefied gas tanker 709, livestock carrier 52, multifunction large-load carrier 62, oil tanker 4,320, passenger 298, passenger-cargo 117, railcar carrier 21, refrigerated cargo 1,022, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1,034, short-sea passenger 484, specialized tanker 81, vehicle carrier 458 (1995 est.)
COMMUNICATIONS
Telephone System
- Local: NA
- Intercity: NA
- International: NA
Radio
- Broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
- Radios: NA
Television
- Broadcast stations: NA
- Televisions: NA
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches
ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of technology
Defense Expenditures
Probably a small decline in 1995 in aggregate real expenditure on arms worldwide and somewhat less than three-quarters of a trillion dollars in money terms, or roughly 2% of gross world product (1995 est.)
History
World Atlas
