The CIA World Factbook Edition 1995 Geography
Terrain In 36 editions of 36.
Terrain was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 1995 edition carries it in 266 entries, in its Geography section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 1995 edition
- 266
- the first edition with it
- 1990
- the latest edition with it
- 2025
Published as “Terrain” (1990 to 2025).
the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Terrain, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.
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Entries with Terrain in each edition
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World
1 entryWorld
- 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
Africa
62 entriesCameroon
- diverse,
- with coastal plain in southwest,
- dissected plateau in center,
- mountains in west,
- plains in north
Central African Republic
- vast,
- flat to rolling,
- monotonous plateau;
- scattered hills in northeast and southwest
Zaire now Democratic Republic of the Congo
vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Eritrea
dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains
Liberia
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast
Mali
mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast
Morocco
northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains
Mozambique
- mostly coastal lowlands,
- uplands in center,
- high plateaus in northwest,
- mountains in west
Nigeria
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north
Rwanda
mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Saint Helena now Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
Seychelles
- Mahe Group is granitic,
- narrow coastal strip,
- rocky,
- hilly;
- others are coral,
- flat,
- elevated reefs
Sierra Leone
- coastal belt of mangrove swamps,
- wooded hill country,
- upland plateau,
- mountains in east
Togo
- gently rolling savanna in north;
- central hills;
- southern plateau;
- low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Western Sahara
mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Antarctic Region
5 entriesAntarctica
- about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters;
- mountain ranges up to 4,897 meters high;
- ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound;
- glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent
Heard Island And Mcdonald Islands now Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Heard Island - bleak and mountainous, with a quiescent volcano; McDonald Islands - small and rocky
South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands now South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous;
- South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains;
- the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
Arctic Region
4 entriesGreenland
- flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow,
- mountainous,
- barren,
- rocky coast
Iceland
mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords
Jan Mayen
volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers; Beerenberg is the highest peak, with an elevation of 2,277 meters
Svalbard
- wild, rugged mountains;
- much of high land ice covered;
- west coast clear of ice about half the year;
- fjords along west and north coasts
Asia
23 entriesArmenia
- high Armenian Plateau with mountains;
- little forest land;
- fast flowing rivers;
- good soil in Aras River valley
Azerbaijan
- large, flat Kur-Araz Lowland (much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag (Karabakh) Upland in west;
- Baku lies on Abseron (Apsheron) Peninsula that juts into Caspian Sea
Georgia
- largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south;
- Kolkhida Lowland opens to the Black Sea in the west;
- Mtkvari River Basin in the east;
- good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
India
- upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south,
- flat to rolling plain along the Ganges,
- deserts in west,
- Himalayas in north
Kazakhstan
extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oasis and desert in Central Asia
Korea, North now North Korea
- mostly hills and mountains separated by deep,
- narrow valleys;
- coastal plains wide in west,
- discontinuous in east
Kyrgyzstan
peaks of Tien Shan rise to 7,000 meters, and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation
Mongolia
- vast semidesert and desert plains;
- mountains in west and southwest;
- Gobi Desert in southeast
Nepal
- Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south,
- central hill region,
- rugged Himalayas in north
Russia
- broad plain with low hills west of Urals;
- vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia;
- uplands and mountains along southern border regions
Tajikistan
Pamir and Altay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Turkmenistan
- flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south;
- low mountains along border with Iran;
- borders Caspian Sea in west
Uzbekistan
- mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes;
- broad, flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya and Sirdaryo Rivers;
- Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan;
- shrinking Aral Sea in west
Central America and the Caribbean
32 entriesAntigua And Barbuda now Antigua and Barbuda
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher volcanic areas
Guadeloupe
- Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains;
- Grand-Terre is low limestone formation;
- most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin
Nicaragua
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Panama
- interior mostly steep,
- rugged mountains and dissected,
- upland plains;
- coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Puerto Rico
- mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north;
- mountains precipitous to sea on west coast;
- sandy beaches along most coastal areas
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines now Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
volcanic, mountainous; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent
Turks And Caicos Islands now Turks and Caicos Islands
low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
Europe
46 entriesAustria
in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Belgium
- flat coastal plains in northwest,
- central rolling hills,
- rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Croatia
geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coast, coastline, and islands
Czech Republic now Czechia
- two main regions:
- Bohemia in the west, consisting of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; and Moravia in the east, consisting of very hilly country
France
mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
Ireland
mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Luxembourg
- mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys;
- uplands to slightly mountainous in the north;
- steep slope down to Moselle floodplain in the southeast
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic Of now North Macedonia
- mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys;
- there are three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line;
- country bisected by the Vardar River
Norway
- glaciated;
- mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys;
- small, scattered plains;
- coastline deeply indented by fjords;
- arctic tundra in north
Romania
central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Serbia And Montenegro now Serbia and Montenegro
- extremely varied;
- to the north, rich fertile plains;
- to the east, limestone ranges and basins;
- to the southeast, ancient mountain and hills;
- to the southwest, extremely high shoreline with no islands off the coast
Slovenia
- a short coastal strip on the Adriatic,
- an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy,
- mixed mountain and valleys with numerous rivers to the east
Switzerland
mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Ukraine
most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaux, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
Middle East
17 entriesCyprus
central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast
Iran
- rugged, mountainous rim;
- high, central basin with deserts, mountains;
- small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Iraq
- mostly broad plains;
- reedy marshes along Iranian border in south;
- mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Jordan
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
United Arab Emirates
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Yemen
- narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains;
- dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
North America
6 entriesUnited States
- vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east;
- rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska;
- rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Oceania
34 entriesAmerican Samoa
five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Guam
- volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs;
- relatively flat coraline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water) with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low-rising hills in center, mountains in south
Howland Island
- low-lying,
- nearly level,
- sandy,
- coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef;
- depressed central area
Micronesia, Federated States Of now Federated States of Micronesia
islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Truk
Northern Mariana Islands
- southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs;
- northern islands are volcanic;
- highest elevation is 471 m (Mt. Okso' Takpochao on Saipan)
Palau
about 200 islands varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs
Tonga
most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
Wake Island
- atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano;
- central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim;
- average elevation less than 4 meters
South America
14 entriesArgentina
- rich plains of the Pampas in northern half,
- flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south,
- rugged Andes along western border
Bolivia
- rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano),
- hills,
- lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Brazil
mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
Ecuador
coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Falkland Islands (islas Malvinas) now Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
- rocky,
- hilly,
- mountainous with some boggy,
- undulating plains
Paraguay
- grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay;
- Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Peru
- western coastal plain (costa),
- high and rugged Andes in center (sierra),
- eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Venezuela
- Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest;
- central plains (llanos);
- Guiana Highlands in southeast
Southeast Asia
18 entriesOceans
4 entriesArctic Ocean
- central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times that size;
- clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland);
- the ice pack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling land masses;
- the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonsov Ridge);
- maximum depth is 4,665 meters in the Fram Basin
Atlantic Ocean
- surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and Baltic Sea from October to June;
- clockwise warm water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm water gyre in the southern Atlantic;
- the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin;
- maximum depth is 8,605 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench
Indian Ocean
- surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean;
- unique reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean, low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and currents;
- ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninety East Ridge;
- maximum depth is 7,258 meters in the Java Trench
Pacific Ocean
- surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre;
- in the northern Pacific sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter;
- in the southern Pacific sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October;
- the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the world's deepest, the 10,924 meter Marianas Trench
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 1995, “Terrain”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/terrain/1995.