WORLD GEOGRAPHY Total area: 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 25 nm; Continental shelf: generally 200 nm, but some are 200 meters in depth; Exclusive fishing zone: most are 200 nm, but varies from 3 nm to 200 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; only the Maldives varies from 35-310 nm; Territorial sea: generally 12 nm, but varies from 3 nm to 50 nm; note--32 nations and miscellaneous areas are landlocked and include Afghanistan, Andorra, Austria, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Iraq-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Swaziland, Switzerland, Uganda, Vatican City, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe Disputes: major international land boundary disputes--Argentina-Uruguay, Bangladesh-India, Brazil-Paraguay, Brazil-Uruguay, Cambodia-Vietnam, Chad-Libya, China-India, China-USSR, Ecuador-Peru, Egypt-Sudan, El Salvador-Honduras, Ethiopia-Somalia, French Guiana-Suriname, Guyana-Suriname, Guyana-Venezuela, Israel-Jordan, Israel-Syria, North Korea-South Korea, Oman-UAE, Oman-Yemen, Qatar-UAE, Saudi Arabia-Yemen 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 depression 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: arable land 10%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 24%; forest and woodland 31%; other 34%; includes irrigated 1.6% 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 PEOPLE Population: 5,419,643,132 (July 1991), growth rate 1.7% (1991) Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 66 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 65 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 3.3 children born/woman (1991) Literacy: 74% (male 81%, female 67%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 2.2 billion (1991) Organized labor: NA GOVERNMENT Administrative divisions: 170 sovereign nations plus 72 dependent, other, and miscellaneous areas 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 1990 the world economy grew at an estimated 1.0%, considerably lower than the estimated 3.0% for 1989 and the 3.4% for 1988. The technologically advanced areas--North America, Japan, and Western Europe--together account for 67% of the gross world product (GWP) of $20.9 trillion; these developed areas grew in the aggregate at 2.3% in 1990. In contrast, output in the USSR and Eastern Europe fell an average of 5.2%; these countries account for 15% of GWP. Experience in the developing countries continued mixed, with the newly industrializing economies generally maintaining their rapid growth, and many others struggling with debt, rampant inflation, and inadequate investment. This third group contributed 18% of GWP and grew on average 2.3% in 1990; output in this group is probably understated because of lack of data and the method of calculation used. The year 1990 witnessed continued political and economic upheavals in the USSR and Eastern Europe, which are in between systems, lacking both the rough discipline of the command economy and the institutions of the market economy. As for prospects in the 1990s, the addition of nearly 100 million people a year to an already overcrowded globe will exacerbate the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. GWP (gross world product): $20.9 trillion, per capita $3,930; real growth rate 1.0% (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): developed countries 5%; developing countries 100%, with wide variations (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Exports: $3.33 trillion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services; partners--in value, 74% of exports from industrial countries Imports: $3.45 trillion (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services; partners--in value, about 75% of imports by the industrial countries External debt: $1.0 trillion for less developed countries (1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1990 est.) Electricity: 2,864,000,000 kW capacity; 11,450,000 million kWh produced, 2,150 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: chemicals, energy, machinery, electronics, metals, mining, textiles, food processing Agriculture: cereals (wheat, maize, rice), sugar, livestock products, tropical crops, fruit, vegetables, fish Economic 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 Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,412,502,000; NA fit for military service Defense expenditures: $1.1 trillion, 5.3% of GWP (1990 est.)