c 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:
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 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 sq km
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:
20 selected international environmental agreements included under the
Environment entry for each country and in Appendix E: Selected
International Environmental Agreements

@World, People

Population:
5,643,289,771 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.5% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
25 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
9 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
65 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
62 years
male:
61 years
female:
64 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.1 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.);
total population:
82%
male:
68%
female:
75%
Labor force:
2.24 billion (1992)
by occupation:
NA

@World, Government

Digraph:
XX
Administrative divisions:
265 sovereign nations, dependent areas, other, and miscellaneous
entries
Legal system:
varies by individual country; 182 are parties to the United Nations
Internationa