1996 Edition

Area

comparative area

land area about 15 times the size of the US

land area

148.94 million sq km

note

70.8% of the world is water, 29.2% is land

total area

510.072 million sq km

water area

361.132 million sq km

Climate

two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates

Coastline

356,000 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

international agreements

selected international environmental agreements are included under the Environment entry for each country and in the Selected International Environmental Agreements appendix

natural hazards

large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

the land boundaries in the world total 250,883.64 km (not counting shared boundaries twice)

Land use

arable land

10%

forest and woodland

31%

meadows and pastures

24%

other

34%

permanent crops

1%

Map references

World, Time Zones

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm claimed by most but 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 economic zone

200 nm claimed by most but can vary

exclusive fishing zone

200 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

territorial sea

12 nm claimed by most but can vary

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

Terrain

the greatest ocean depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean

highest point

Mount Everest 8,848 m

lowest point

Dead Sea -408 m

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)

Birth rate

23 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

9 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

60 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

female

64 years

male

61 years

total population

62 years

Population

5,771,939,007 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.4% (1996 est.)

Sex ratio

all ages

1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

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

Total fertility rate

2.9 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Administrative divisions

266 nations, dependent areas, other, and miscellaneous entries

Data code

none; there is no FIPS 10-4 country code for the World, so the Factbook 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

Legal system

varies by individual country; 186 (not including Yugoslavia) are parties to the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court)

Agriculture

the whole gamut of crops, livestock, forest products, and fish

Economic aid

worldwide traditional foreign aid $50 billion (1995 est.)

Economic 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.)

Electricity

capacity

2,773,000,000 kW

consumption per capita

1,937 kWh (1993)

production

11.601 trillion kWh

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

External debt

$2 trillion for less developed countries (1995 est.)

GDP

GWP (gross world product) - purchasing power parity - $33.7 trillion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

NA%

industry

NA%

services

NA%

GDP per capita

$5,900 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

3% (1995 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate

5% (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

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

Labor force

2.24 billion (1992)

by occupation

NA

Unemployment rate

30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 6%-12% unemployment (1995 est.)

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.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Radios

NA

Telephone system

domestic

NA

international

NA

Telephones

NA

Television broadcast stations

NA

Televisions

NA Defense

Highways

paved

NA km

total

NA km

unpaved

NA km

Merchant marine

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.)

total

25,521 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 442,276,527 GRT/701,647,274 DWT

Ports

Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, Mina' al Ahmadi (Kuwait), New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama

Railways

broad gauge

251,153 km

narrow gauge

239,430 km

standard gauge

710,754 km

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