World
World as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 74 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Geography
26 fieldstotal 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 16 times the size of the US
note
70.8% of the world is water, 29.2% is land
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 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; 42 nations and other areas that are landlocked include Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, 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
- 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
arable land
10%
permanent crops
1%
meadows and pastures
24%
forest and woodland
31%
other
34%
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
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1994 est.)
total population
62 years
male
61 years
female
64 years (1994 est.)
total population
82%
male
68%
female
75%
by occupation
NA
Government
3 fieldsLegal system
varies by individual country; 182 are parties to the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court)
Economy
Real global output - gross world product (GWP) - rose roughly 2% in | 1993, with results varying widely among regions and countries.
22 fieldsOverview
Real global output - gross world product (GWP) - rose roughly 2% in 1993, with results varying widely among regions and countries. Average growth of 1% in the GDP of industrialized countries (57% of GWP in 1993) and average growth of 6% in the GDP of less developed countries (37% of GWP) were partly offset by a further 10% drop in the GDP of the former USSR/Eastern Europe area (now only 6% of GWP). Within the industrialized world the US posted a 3% growth rate whereas both Japan and the 12-member European Union (formerly the European Community) had zero growth.
With the notable exception of Japan at 2.5%, unemployment was typically 6-11% in the industrial world. The US accounted for 22% of GWP in 1993; Western Europe accounted for 22.5%; and Japan accounted for 9%. These are the three "economic superpowers" which are 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 good records; however, many other countries, especially in Africa, continued to suffer from drought, rapid population growth, inflation, and civil strife.
Central Europe, especially Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, made considerable progress in moving toward "market-friendly" economies, whereas the 15 ex-Soviet countries typically experienced further declines in output of 10-15%. 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 former Yugoslavia, and in India. 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 the specific economic problems of each country, see the individual country entries in this volume.)
developed countries
5% (1993 est.)
developing countries
50% (1993 est.)
note
these figures vary widely in individual cases
commodities
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
partners
in value, about 75% of exports from the developed countries
commodities
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
partners
in value, about 75% of imports by the developed countries
capacity
2,864,000,000 kW
production
11.45 trillion kWh
consumption per capita
2,150 kWh (1990)
Industries
- industry worldwide is 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, and the technological gap between the industrial nations and the less-developed countries continues to widen;
- the rapid development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems
Agriculture
- the production of major food crops has increased substantially in the last 20 years;
- the annual production of cereals, for instance, has risen by 50%, from about 1.2 billion metric tons to about 1.8 billion metric tons;
- production increases have resulted mainly from increased yields rather than increases in planted areas;
- while global production is sufficient for aggregate demand, about one-fifth of the world's population remains malnourished, primarily because local production cannot adequately provide for large and rapidly growing populations, which are too poor to pay for food imports;
- conditions are especially bad in Africa where drought in recent years has intensified the consequences of overpopulation
Communications
6 fieldsRailroads
- 239,430 km of narrow gauge track;
- 710,754 km of standard gauge track;
- 251,153 km of broad gauge track;
- 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 only 4,160 km in North America;
- fastest speed in daily service is 300 km/hr attained by France's SNCF TGV-Atlantique line
total
NA
paved
NA
unpaved
NA
Ports
Mina' al Ahmadi (Kuwait), Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
Merchant marine
23,943 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 397,225,000 GRT/652,025,000 DWT, bulk carrier 5,473, freighter 12,581, passenger-cargo 347, tanker 5,542 (all data as of January 1992)
Defense Forces
Ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of technology
2 fieldsCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “World.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/world/1994.