Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
106 :
INEQUALITIES
Québec (2)
IRELAND
UNITED
DENMARK
Hamburg (9)
RUSSIA
LITHUANIA
GERMANY
CITY
development indicator, ranges ICELAND Madrid (3)
Seattle (7)
Donets'k (2) MONGOLIA
that in the 1970s, the Third World became Minneapolis (6)
VA
Seoul (3)
EARTH: AN INHABITED PLANET
VERDE THAILAND
TNAM
the most disadvantaged countries in the form of Bogota (2) MALDIVES Kuala Lumpur (4) M A L A Y S I A
SOMA
ZIMBABWE
MO
MAURITIUS
MADAGASCA
$1,000–$2,999
Rio de Janeiro (2) NAMIBIA TONGA
$500–$999 BOTSWANA
PARAGUAY
Antofagasta (1)
< $500 Sao Paulo (6) AUSTRALIA
Measuring wealth
CHILE
108 : INEQUALITIES OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT MAIN DONOR COUNTRIES OF INTERNATIONAL MAIN RECIPIENT COUNTRIES INEQUALITIES : 1 0 9
THE COUNTRIES OF THE THIRD WORLD ASSISTANCE ASSISTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
Development indicators
POVERTY LINE
The member countries of the RANK COUNTRY ASSISTANCE IN 2005 % OF RANK COUNTRY ASSISTANCE IN 2005 % OF
The expression “Third World” was coined Share of the population living on less than Development Assistance Committee GNP GNP
during the Cold War to designate countries Development indicators are$1numerical
per day
indicators used to To integrate these diff erent
of the parameters
Organisation forinto a single indicator,
Economic ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER
United States $27,622 M 0.2 Afghanistan $2,192 M 31.3
that belonged to neither the capitalist nor estimate the development of nations. They measure different the United NationsCo-operation
Development andProgramme
Development (UNDP)
the communist sphere of influence. Since parameters that affect the quality of life of human beings. GNP calculates the human development
(OECD) offer aidindex . This index, which
to developing Japan $13,147 M 0.3
Access to water is one of the main development Sudan
indicators. $1,472 M 6.4
SHARE OF THE POPULATION WITH ACC E S S T O D R I N K I N G WAT E R
the 1970s, “Third World” has referred to the measures a country’s wealth or poverty, while life expectancy and countries
takes account of longevity by agreeing
, education to reduce
, literacy their
, and debt of
standard United Kingdom It corresponds toMthe proportion
$10,767 0.5 of the population
Ethiopia that has $1,202 M 10.8
poorest countries on the planet. Many of or by providing
infant mortality rate reflect its state of health. Other indicators living (purchasing power) assessesthem with new funding.
development on a scale from Germany access to at$10,082
least 20
M liters of 0.4water per day per person
Dem. Rep. offrom
the Congo $1,034 M 14.8
these countries’ populations live in extreme an improved source (pipeline, protected well, rainwater
misery. About 1.3 billion people, representing assess satisfaction of basic human needs, such as access to 0 to 1. In 2004, the index ranged from 0.311 for Niger to 0.965 France collection, $10,026 M than one
etc.) less 0.5 kilometer fromTanzania
their $871 M 6.8
20% of the world’s population, survive on less ≥ 50% drinking water, sufficient food, and housing. Still others measure for Norway.
residence. In$5,115
manyM regions0.8 of the world, populations lack
than 1 per day—that is, under the poverty
Netherlands Zambia $836 M 14.4
20%–49% level of education, the guarantee of a population’s future. water, leading to serious sanitary problems.
line defined by the United Nations. 10%–19% Italy $5,091 M 0.3 Mozambique $771 M 12.5
The East Asia/Pacific region has the largest number of
5%–9% Canada inhabitants $3,756
without
M access0.4 to improved water sources.
Uganda $704 M 8.8
< 5%
Sweden Inhabitants$3,362
of urban
M areas 0.9 have a better chance of
Bangladesh $563 M
90%–100% 0.8
No data
Source: UN
benefiting from an improved source. Mongolia, for 70%–89%
Spain $3,018 M 0.3 Madagascar $500 M 8.7
example, has very wide disparities between drinking-water 50%–69%
access in urban zones (87%) and rural zones (30%).
Source: OECD
30%–49%
Source: OECD
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX
0%–29%
No data
Source: UN
EARTH: AN INHABITED PLANET
inhabitants.
Canada 0.950 Guinea-Bissau 0.349
Japan 0.949 Burkina Faso 0.342
United States 0.948 Mali 0.338
Switzerland 0.947 Sierra Leone 0.335
Netherlands 0.947 Niger 0.311 Water point, Tanzania
Access to a source of drinking water is one of the main development indicators.
World average: 0.741 Source: UNDP
www.qa-international.com
Mantesh
Editorial Director
Martine Podesto
Chief Writers
Julie Cailliau
Cécile Poulou-Gallet
Assistant Writer
Marie-Anne Legault
Cartographer
François Turcotte-Goulet
Graphic Designers
Anne Tremblay
The Visual World Atlas [document cartographique] was created and produced by Josée Noiseux
QA International
Layout
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ISBN : 978-2-7644-0889-6 Photo Acquisition
Gilles Vézina
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© QA International, 2008. All rights reserved. Illustrator
Alain Lemire
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
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Proofreading
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Project Manager
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Preprinting
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Mantesh
The Visual
World Atlas
Facts and maps of the current world
QA INTERNATIONAL
Mantesh
IV :
How to u se this book
Subject
Each subject covers two to eight pages
and offers a complete comprehension
of the theme addressed.
Introduction
An introductory text gives a basic
overview of the subject.
Explanatory texts
Explanatory texts complement the
visual information.
Legend
A legend describes the symbols
used in the main map.
K E Y T O SYMBOLS ON MAP
What it stands for Visual presentation What it stands for symbol Visual presentation
mountain range summit
plateau depression
plain and basin lake
desert watercourse
ocean capital
sea geographic reference point
coastal element main road —
island international border —
continent regional boundary —
region
country
territory
(ISO country code)
Abbreviated forms of the names of countries comply with the recommendations of the International Organization for
city Standardization (ISO), detailed on page 164.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK : V
Enlargements Photographs
Portions of the main map are enlarged to The photographs are linked by lines to
give a detailed view of certain regions. the places where they were taken.
Visual tab
A photographic excerpt reminds
you of the chapter within which the
subject falls.
Main map
The main map gives you an
at-a-glance overview of the
theme discussed.
inhabitant inhab.
U.S. dollar $
gross domestic product GDP
gross national product GNP
VI :
INTRODUCTION
Earth, our blue planet, has a special something that makes it unique: it is home
to life. For millions of years, despite countless natural disasters and wild fluctuations
in climate, life has persisted.
For about the past 150 years, life on Earth, as tenacious as it may be, has come
under increasing threat. The growing impact of human activities on the planet’s
fragile balance is putting its inhabitants at risk. The forecasted ecological catastrophe
can be avoided, if we equip ourselves with the means to do so.
And Earth is worth protecting. Our tiny piece of the Universe offers a panoply
of breathtaking landscapes, from the vertiginous heights of the Himalayas and the
extraordinary aridity of the Sahara to the bursts of color in tropical seas. With so
much beauty and diversity, Earth deserves all of our respect.
In order to respect Earth, we have to know it better. Each region of the world
stands out, whether for its geography, its geology, its fauna, its population, its political
organization, or its economy. You will find out about all of these aspects in The Visual
World Atlas.
Today, all the continents have been explored and uncovered, but the knowledge
that has accumulated makes sense only if it is explained and deciphered. This book
does not present the most minute details on each region, but offers a careful selection
of relevant information that will enable you to discover our world and understand
the phenomena that sweep across it.
The Visual World Atlas provides a complete, detailed overview of Earth. It covers
31 subjects in physical and human geography and offers thousands of statistical
facts concerning the 193 countries of the world. It contains more than 110 thematic
maps, as well as photographs taken all over the world.
With this book in your hands, Earth, in all its diversity, is within your reach.
In a world in perpetual change, The Visual World Atlas gives you the keys to
comprehending the present and grasping the challenges to be met in the future.
Mantesh
Contents : VII
E A RT H: A P LA N ET I N BA LA N C E :: 42
44 Climates 58 The biosphere
48 Cold environments 62 The conservation of species
50 Arid environments 64 Atmospheric pollution
52 Climatic catastrophes 68 Water and soil pollution
161 Glossary
Earth is the largest rocky planet in the Solar System. It offers a variety
of ever-changing landscapes. As the immense plates that form Earth’s
crust slowly move toward and away from each other, mountains rise,
oceans open up, volcanoes erupt. Erosion is also constantly shaping
the planet’s relief features: mountains flatten, valleys are dug, coastlines
recede. Observing Earth’s landscapes enables us to understand the
history of our planet, explain its structure, and anticipate its future
transformations.
T H E O R B I T S O F T H E P L A N E T S A N D D WA R F P L A N E T S O F T H E S O L A R SY ST E M
Kodiak Air
Base (USA)
EARTH: A ROCKY PLANET
THE MOON
Plesetsk
Cosmodrome (RUS)
Svobodny
Cosmodrome (RUS)
Baikonur
Jiuquan Satellite
Launch Center (CHN)
Taiyuan Satellite
Launch Center (CHN)
Palmachim Kagoshima
Air Base (ISR) Space Center (JPN)
Gando Air Xichang Space
Base (USA) Launch Center (CHN)
Tanegashima
Space Center (JPN)
Sriharikota
Air Base (IND)
Odyssey/Sea Launch
launch platform (USA)
Christmas Island
launch base (AUS)
E A RT H S E E N BY Satell i te
Launch bases
Artificial satellites, space probes, and
manned vessels
Meteorites
Diameter of impact crater
100–300 km
10–99.9 km
Phytoplankton, offshore of Namibia Lake Balkhash, Kazakhstan 1–9.9 km
Artificial satellites allow us to study the development The affluents of Lake Balkhash are visible on 0.1–0.9 km
and movement of phytoplankton. satellite images. Source: The Earth Impact Database, University of
New Brunswick
Plate tectonics
Although it seems to be immobile,
the land on which we live moves several
centimeters each year. India and Asia, for
EARTH: A ROCKY PLANET
P A C I F I C
P L A T E SOUTH
AMERICAN
T H E T EC T O N I C P L AT E S N A Z C A PLATE
Edges of the plates P L A T E
Movement of a plate
Direction of movement of a plate
Sources: USGS; ESRI
A N T A R C T I C P L A T E
E u r a s i a n
P l a t e
P h i l i pp i n e Se a
Plate
A f r i c a n
P l a t e
Indian-Australian
Plate
CONTINENTAL DRIFT
In the early 20th century, the German geophysicist and Panthalassa Pangaea
climatologist Alfred Wegener noted that the continents
looked like they might be able to fit together. He
observed, for example, that the contours of the west coast
of Africa were an almost perfect match with those of
the east coast of South America. He thus formulated the
hypothesis, demonstrated in the 1960s, that millions of
years ago there was just one huge continent, Pangaea, in a
single ocean, Panthalassa. This supercontinent apparently
Eart h 2 5 0 million year s a g o
broke up gradually, forming new continents and new
oceans that continued to drift on the surface of the globe.
The expansion of the sea floor and plate tectonics are
responsible for the mechanism of continental drift. The
plates carrying continents are moving toward or away from
each other at speeds varying from 1 to 18 cm per year.
E art h today
16 : T H E st r u ct u re O F E ART H
The interior of Earth
It is impossible to have a completely clear picture of Earth’s formed of three concentric layers—from densest to lightest, core,
internal structure. However, study of the transformations of the mantle, and crust. Each has an individual chemical composition
planet’s surface and analysis of other planets in the Solar System and specific physical properties. Earth’s crust, composed of
have supplied much information about the interior of Earth. oceanic crust and continental crust, represents barely 3% of the
Our planet has a total mass of about 6 trillion tons and is planet’s volume.
C O M P O S I T I O N O F E A RT H
silicon (15%)
oxygen (30%)
iron (35%)
EARTH: A ROCKY PLANET
The mantle takes up 80% of Earth’s total Volcanic eruption of Etna (Italy), in 2002 >
volume. Composed mainly of volcanic rock, The lava that flows from erupting volcanoes comes
it is in a state of partial fusion (magma) at from magma rising from Earth’s mantle.
a temperature of about 3,000°C.
U
NT
AS
CO
AL
AI
Mount Logan A
NS
S Mont d'Iberville
C
5,956 m 1,652 m
a
T
n
M
O
a
R
U
d
N
O
a
TA
i
I n d
N
C
S l
S h i e
EARTH: A ROCKY PLANET
N S
Great
IA
RANG DE
T
EN
E
I
C ASC A
Plains
UR
The landforms of continents
LA
S
E
N Mount Washington
IA 1,917 m
S
H
Mountains are the most prominent of Earth’s relief
C
Great
SI VAD
NE
LA
Basin
ER A
PA
Ozark
features. They are characterized by more or less steep
RA
Colorado Plateau
AP
#
n
Plateau
slopes, and their altitude depends on their age. Plains are
ai
Death Valley l
ta l p
-86 m ic coas
nt
vast flat areas in which shallow valleys are carved out by a
SIOCC
SI OR
l
At
ER ID
watercourses. Plateaus are large flat stretches edged by
ER IE DRE
RA EN
RA NT
escarpments, sometimes very steep. Rivers carve encased
M AT A L
M AA L
DR
Lago Enriquillo
valleys, or sometimes gorges or canyons, #
E
SIERR Orizaba, 5,700 m -46 m
A
DEL SMADRE
into them. Many plateaus are not very high, UR
but some, such as the Tibetan Plateau, may Pico Cristóbal Colón
Pico Bolívar
4,981 m
5,776 m
reach more than 3,000 m in altitude. s
o
an
Guyan
a Pl
Ll
ate
au
Chimborazo
6,310 m Pico da Neblina
2,994 m
A m a z o n i a
AN
Huascarán
6,768 m
D
E
Mato
Grosso Brazilian
S
Chiquitos
Alt C O
6,542 m
Glacier National Park, United States Bonete Pico da Bandeira
CONTINENTAL RELI E F F E AT U R E S The steep, snowy slopes of the young Rocky Mountains 6,759 m Parana 2,890 m
# Gran
Plateau
R
Chaco
Summits and depressions tower over the landscape of western North America. Ojos del Salado # SERRA
6,893 m
D
DO MAR
Summit, altitude
I
Pampas
Landforms
E
MOUNTAIN RANGES
R
Plateaus
A
a
n i
-105 m
6,000–8,850 m
5,000–5,999 m
4,000–4,999 m
3,000–3,999 m
2,000–2,999 m
1,000–1,999 m
500–999 m Altiplano, Chile
250–499 m The Altiplano region stretches through Chile, Bolivia,
1–249 m and Peru. At more than 3,000 m altitude, it is one of the
–408–0 m highest plateaus in the world.
Sources: NIMA; NASA
Mount Vinson
4,892 m
EL L S
O#
W
R TH
MOUNTAINS
IAN S
RA T
Ben Nevis GMOUN
MP AIN
CONTINENTAL RELIEF FEATURES : 19
1,344 m
n
PEN Pl
ai
N
INES h
CAMBRIAN
Germano-Polis
MOUNTAINS
SUD Dhaulagiri, 8,167 m
ET Gerlachovska Annapurna, 8,091 m
2,655 m #
ES
CA #
Grossglockner R # Manaslu, 8,156 m
GES
3,798 m
PA
VOS
Mount Everest, 8,850 m
TH
A
R P# S Hungarian
Cho Oyu, 8,201 m #
A L
IA
Basin
# #
JU
# Mount Cervin
NS
CENTRAL Mount Moldoveanu Lhotse, 8,516 m #
MASSIF 4,478 m IN 2,543 m
D
Aneto Peak Mont Blanc A
P
AR
IC
Makalu, 8,463 m #
4,807 m
BA
N 3,404 m AL LK Kanchenjunga, 8,586 m
BRIA S PYRE PS
AN
E
C ANTANTAIN #N E E S Monte Cinto
MOU
N
Moncayo 2,706 m Corno
N
E Grande Musala Peak
AD 2,313 m
PIND
I
RR S 2,912 m 2,925 m
SIE REDO
#
N
G
Almanzor Peak, 2,592 m
E
Mount
US
ENA Olympus
S
A MOR
SIERR 2,917 m
AD
A
Etna
NEV
VER
RRA Mulhacén, 3,482 m 3,323 m
SIE
CHER
KHOYANSK
S Central NS
AI
SK
N RA
I T
Y
Siberian NG
UN
IN N
A MO
TA IA
E
S
UNTAINS
MO
UN AV
Plateau
T
Galdhøppigen
MO DIN
West A
M O U N
Hvannadalshnúkur M
AN
2,469 m Y
OL
SC
2,119 m Siberian K
Plain
STA
NO
VOY
U R A L
R AN
Central GE
GE
Volga RA N
Russian O VY
Uplands Uplands Mount Belukha ON
BL
4,506 m
YA
Mount Shkhara
A
in n
Elbrus
Pla ur ia
Depression Pik Pobedy A I
5,643 m
Vpadina Kaundy, -132 m 7,439 m
nch
CAU
##C A S Vpadina Akchanaya Turpan Pendi
Ma
#
#S H A N
#
Mount Ararat, US -81 m -154 m
AN
# #
Anatolian 5,137 m TI
Plain
Caspian Sea K2 TUN SHAN
UNTA
INS -28 m PAMIRS 8,614 m SAHL A N Qaidam
MO
TAURUS Z AG K Basin Mount Fuji
EL DU AR N
# HIN SH LAKOK U N L U
##
RO BRUS
S S Damavand KU AD RA Muztag China 3,776 m
A Lake Tiberias, -200 m AK M Minya Konka
5,610 m 6,987 m Plain
H
AN
#
Jebel Toubkal T Dead Sea, -408 m Tibetan Plateau
Nanga M
OU
Zard Kuh
GE
RANIM
#
A -40 m
#
Zarghun Sichuan
Parbat A L
SULA
4,167 m
NT
# 4,548 m #Basin
3,578 m
#
AIN
AHAGGAR China
ARAKAN Y
JA
Plateau
Djado
Plateau TIBESTI Agrihan
A
Kulul 965 m
AN RDI
Mount Koussi
S I
CO
-75 m Deccan
NA LL
3,445 m ENNEDI
WES
MI ERA
Plateau Khorat
OUT
R
Denakil
TIC
RAM
TE
plain
#
DARFUR Plain HAD
RN G
FOUTA -125 m Lake Assal, -155 m Doda Betta Chuo Yang Sin
Jos #
#
DJALLON 2,636 m 2,420 m
HAT
Plateau ETHIOPIAN
S
MAW
A MASSIF Kinabalu
ADAASSIF Batu, 4,400 m 4,101 m
M
y
le y
alle
BA
R
tV
5,109 m
ISA
4,070 m
Mount Kenya, 5,199 m
ft V
eat Rif
NR
Congo
MITUMBA MOU
Gunung Kerinci
AN
Rantekombola
st Gr
Puncak Jaya N#
TA
3,478 m 4,884 m
a
I
e
We
NS
r
NTA
G
IN
East
S
Angola
Plateau
Kimberley
LLER A
Plateau
Okavango
Basin
HA R
MOUNT
DI
ME ANG
MCDONNELL
#
RS E
R
CO
LE
Mount Zeil
Y
1,531 m
I A N
BERG
KE or Plain
larb FLINDERS
DR
A
Nul RANGES
ST
AU
# Mount Kosciusko
2,228 m Mount Ruapehu
2,797 m
Mount Ossa Mount Cook
1,617 m 3,764 m #
NEW ZEALAND
ALPS
volcano
fault
subduction mountains
coastal mountains
EARTH: A ROCKY PLANET
continental plate
magma
oceanic plate
accretionary wedge
-243 m
ge
Ri d
ch
Tren
Reykjanes
tian
Aleu
Go
r
a
d
Rid
ge
N O R T H
-5,474 m A T L A N T I C
e
g
d
O C E A N i
The oceanic crust
R
-6,792 m
i c
While the rocks that make up the Nar
es D -6,995 m
eep
l a n t
continents may be 3.8 billion years old, -4,131 m
-6,479 m Puerto Rico Tr
the rocks that make up the ocean floor an
Caymnch -7,848 m -8,605 m
e
Ce
nc
ra l Tre
nt
A t
h
are never older than 200 million years N O R T H
-6,013 m
Am
er ic
an R -6,647 m
-5,581 m -6,128 m
id
-
old. New oceanic crust is constantly
East Page
ge
P A C I F I C
d
Rid
O C E A N
takes place in the oceanic ridges. With
a thickness of about 10 km, the oceanic
crust is also much thinner than the
continental crust, which is from 20 to
C h
70 km thick. -6,403 m
i l
-5,753 m
e
dg
e
-
P
fi c R i
e
r u
-6,015 m -7,694 m
-8,073 m
T r e n c h
East Paci
S O U T H
P A C I F I C
Chile R
id
O C E A N
ge
-5,653 m
e
-6,618 m
i s
-5,813 m
R
n t a r c t
c
i
- A South Sandwich
c Trench, -8,163 m
i
f
Pillow lava c
i
Magma situated under the oceanic ridge forms pillow lava a
P
when it comes into contact with relatively cold seawater.
LANDFORMS ON THE OCEAN FLOOR : 25
h
Aleutia Trench
nc
n
Tre
r il
Ku
-9,533 m -7,724 m
-5,737 m
-2,276 m
-2,954 m
-2,962 m -7,743 m
-3,741 m
h
N O R T H
Japan Trenc
-5,317 m
-4,570 m
P A C I F I C
-6,533 m
-9,780 m O C E A N
Ridyukyu
ge
-7,519 m
Cape -6,579 m
R
Verde
Basin
-2,837 m
-8,767 m
ch
Philippine
en
-5,016 m Tr
Trench na -6,912 m
Mar ia -11,034 m
-5,626 m -4,119 m
-10,164 m
Yap Trench
-6,035 m
-1,714 m
-7,743 m -7,205 m
-5,862 m
-100 m -7,586 m -8,930 m
-5,707 m
Jav
ge
a Tre V
nch Tre itya
nch
M i d
Bengal Rid
-7,125 m -9,000 m
I N D I A N
New H
- A t l a n t i c
Trencga
h
-6,614 m sin
Ton
e
Ba
br i
-6,269 m es Trench
n -7,334 m
to
d
O C E A N -10,719 m
ar
-4,091 m -7,374 m
Wh
U N D E RWAT E R L A N D F O R M S -9,779 m
-6,714 m
Trenacdec
-6,973 m
Kerm
ge
R i d g e
Cape
S O U T H Agulhas -6,180 m d
Ri 6,000–11,034 m
i an
A T L A N T I C nd
5,000–5,999 m
I
t 4,000–4,999 m
O C E A N es
h w
3,000–3,999 m
-6,683 m ut
So 2,000–2,999 m
1,000–1,999 m
500–999 m
0–499 m
Source: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD
Deepest zones
Depth
Source: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD
26 :
VOLCANOES
Volcanoes may erupt at various locations all over the world, especially at the borders
between lithospheric plates. Violent and spectacular, volcanic eruptions occur when
molten rock, called magma, rises from Earth’s mantle. As it rises, the magma releases
gases, and the pressure increases to the point that Earth’s crust gives way—and there
is a volcanic eruption. About 50 eruptions take place on continents every year;
the number of underwater eruptions has not been counted.
It is possible to observe volcanic eruptions from close
up, since volcanoes do not form haphazardly on
Earth’s surface. Rather, they are situated in
zones where Earth’s crust is fractured or SWEDEN FINLAND RUSSIA
MOL
SWITZERLAND AUSTRIA HUNGARY MONGOLIA
SVN
DOV
ITALY HRV ROMANIA
A
AND MCO SMR BIH SCG
BGR GEORGIA UZBEKISTAN
VAT MKD KYRGYZSTAN
PORTUGAL
VIE
MALI
Hot, light magma from Earth’s mantle GAMBIA SENEGAL
TNA
CHAD ERITREA YEMEN THAILAND
M
BURKINA SUDAN
CAMBODIA
rises toward the surface from the magma GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA FASO
Lake Nyos
DJIBOUTI
BENIN
LIBERIA BRUNEI
ALI
MALDIVES
Over time, the buildup of material pushes TOGO Lake Monoun
SOM
(volcanic), 1984 M A L A Y S I A
CAMEROON
UGANDA
the magma into the pipe and brings it to the EQUATORIAL GUINEA
SAO TOME GABON
RWANDA
Nyiragongo,
KENYA Marapi, 1979
SINGAPORE
AND PRINCIPE 1977 and 2002 I N D O
surface, where it overflows the crater in the form CONGO
DEM. REP. BURUNDI SEYCHELLES
OF THE CONGO
of lava. The eruption plume is composed of cinders , lava TANZANIA Galunggung, 1982
Dieng Volcanic Complex, 1979
, and rock debris, which are ejected above the crater. The ANGOLA
COMOROS
Merapi, 1994
MALAWI
magma that does not reach the surface sometimes penetrates ZAMBIA UE
Kelut, 1966 and 1990
Semeru, 1981
BIQ
a layer of rock of a different type and solidifies ; this ZIMBABWE MOZ
AM MADAGASCAR
MAURITIUS
Rinjani, 1994
NAMIBIA
phenomenon is called intrusion. BOTSWANA VOLCANISM
SWAZILAND Volcanic eruptions
SOUTH
LESOTHO Eruptions after 1965
AFRICA causing more than 10 deaths
(named on the map)
Eruptions that took place between the
beginning of the Common Era and today
Eruptions that took place between 8000 BCE
Fumaroles are plumes of and the beginning of the Common Era
burning gas. Sources: Smithsonian Institution, Global
Volcanism Program; Em-dat
Lava, which may reach a
temperature of 1,000°C, flows Number of victims per country
down the slopes of the volcano at (dead, injured, and displaced)
an average speed of 300 m/h. ≥ 1,000,000
Heated by the nearby magma,
underground water is expelled 100,000–999,999
in the form of steam spouts 10,000–99,999
called geysers. 1,000–9,999
< 1,000
Magma is composed of molten no victims
rocks and gas. It is subjected to Source: Em-dat
extremely high pressure, and it
is very hot. Edges of lithospheric plates
GREENLAND (DK)
) CANADA
(US
GO
E LA
H IP
C
ALEUTIAN AR
U N I T E D S TAT E S
NORTH KOREA JAPAN
SOUTH KOREA
Unzen,
1991
MEXICO
HAWAIIAN BAHAMAS
ARCHIPELAGO (US) Popocatépetl,
1997 CUBA
El Chichón, DOMINICAN ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
1982 HAITI REP.
BELIZE JAMAICA Soufrière, 1997
Pinatubo, 1991 GUATEMALA KNA
HONDURAS DOMINICA
Taal, 1965 VCT SAINT LUCIA
Mayon, 1993 NICARAGUA
EL SALVADOR GRENADA BARBADOS
PHILIPPINES COSTA RICA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Arenal, 1968 PANAMA
MARSHALL IS. VENEZUELA GUYANA
PALAU MICRONESIA
Nevado del Ruiz, 1985 FRENCH GUIANA (FR)
Awu, 1966 COLOMBIA
Galeras, 1993 SURINAME
ECUADOR
N E S I A NAURU KIRIBATI
PAPUA
NEW GUINEA SOLOMON IS. TUVALU PERU
TIMOR BRAZIL
LESTE
SAMOA
TONGA
PARAGUAY
AUSTRALIA CHILE
ARGENTINA
URUGUAY
in 1556.
MEXICO BAHAMAS
CUBA
DOMINICAN
HAITI REP.
BELIZE JAMAICA ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
HONDURAS KNA DOMINICA
GUATEMALA
Guatemala City, 1976 NICARAGUA VCT SAINT LUCIA
EL SALVADOR GRENADA BARBADOS
The Richter scale Managua, 1972 COSTA RICA
PANAMA
VENEZUELA
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
GUYANA
Invented by the American geophysicist Charles Francis Richter, the FRENCH GUIANA (FR)
COLOMBIA
Richter scale measures the magnitude of an earthquake—that is, the ECUADOR SURINAME
amount of energy that it releases. Each whole number on the scale
corresponds to an intensity 32 times higher than the preceding number. PERU
Thus, a magnitude 6 earthquake is 32 times more powerful than a Chimbote, 1970 BRAZIL
plates 5–5.9
4–4.9
1. As lithospheric plates move, they compress 2. When the tension becomes too great, an 3. Usually, the earthquake is strongest and the
and expand the rock, subjecting it to immense quantity of energy is suddenly damage is greatest at the epicenter. After the Source: Em-dat
considerable tension and friction. At this released in the form of seismic waves that earthquake, the affected region undergoes a
stage, nothing moves. The edges of the propagate to the surface, producing a series morphological alteration, since the two plates, Edges of lithospheric plates
plates remain immobile against each other of tremors of Earth’s crust. still side by side, are slightly displaced.
while the tension increases. Sources: USGS; ESRI
EA RTHQUAKES : 29
Izmit, 1999
Earthquake in Kobe, Japan
GEORGIA UZBEKISTAN
Spitak, 1988 An earthquake with a magnitude
AR
ME AZERBAIJAN
NIA TURKMENISTAN
of 6.9 on the Richter scale caused
Erzincan, 1939
Ashgabat, 1948 TAJIKISTAN more than 5,000 deaths in the Kobe
TURKEY Qazvin,
Gilan Province, 1962 Tien Shan, 1907 region of Japan in January 1995.
1990 Khorosan Province,
1968
CYPRUS SYRIA
LEBANON Tabas, 1978
IRAQ AFGHANISTAN
IRAN
GAZA STRIP WEST BANK
ISRAEL
Quetta, 1935
N
DA
R
Bam, 2003
JO
ICELAND
SWEDEN FINLAND
NORWAY
ESTONIA
LATVIA
DENMARK LITHUANIA RUSSIA
SWITZERLAND HUNGARY
DOV
MALI ERITREA
TNA
CHAD YEMEN
SENEGAL
M
THAILAND
GAMBIA BURKINA CAMBODIA
SUDAN DJIBOUTI
GUINEA- FASO PHILIPPINES
BENIN
BISSAU GUINEA
NIGERIA
GHANA
Sumatra, 2004 M A L A Y S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
KENYA SINGAPORE
SAO TOME GABON RWANDA
NAURU KIRIBATI
AND PRINCIPE DEM. REP.
CONGO OF THE CONGO SEYCHELLES I N D O N E S I A
BURUNDI
TANZANIA PAPUA
NEW GUINEA SOLOMON IS. TUVALU
TIMOR
COMOROS LESTE
MALAWI
ANGOLA
ZAMBIA E VANUATU SAMOA
BIQU FIJI
AM
SCAR
ZIMBABWE MOZ
MAURITIUS
A
MADAG
NAMIBIA TONGA
BOTSWANA
SWAZILAND
AUSTRALIA
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
Dav
hand, are movements of huge Strait ARCTIC POLAR CIRCLE
is S
trai
masses of ocean water along
t
very precise routes.
Nunivak Is.
Kodiak Island Gulf of Hudson Bay
Alaska
. Turks and Caicos Is.
tia n Is Great Inagua Is.
Aleu
Queen Charlotte Is. British Virgin Is.
Hispaniola Puerto Anticosti Is.
Anguilla
Vancouver Is. Rico Barbuda
EARTH: A BLUE PLANET
Antigua Newfoundland
Saint Croix Is.
Montserrat Grande-Terre
CARIBBEAN SEA Marie-Galante St. Pierre and Miquelon
Martinique
Aruba St. Vincent
Azores
N O R T H Margarita Is.
Tobago
Vast stretches of salt water P A C I F I C
Trinidad
N O R T H
The world ocean is divided by the continents Bermuda
A T L A N T I C
O C E A N
into four main regions (Pacific, Atlantic, Guadaloupe
Grand Bahama Is. Abaco Is. O C E A N
SARGASSO
Indian, and Arctic) and many smaller Haw TROPIC OF CANCER Roca Alijos Gulf of Mexico
Andros SEA
aii Cub
basins, the seas, most of which are shallow ar
Cayman Is.
a
ch.
Revillagigedo Is.
and set back from the oceans. While Bay Is.
Fr e n c h P o l y n e s i a P A C I F I C
Society Is. O C E A N
Tuamotu Arch. Martin Vaz Is.
Tahiti
Cook Is.
Gambier Is. Trindade Is.
Tubuai Is. Pitcairn Is. TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
Easter Is.
Sala y Gomez Is.
T H E M A I N S EAS
SEA AREA MAIN COASTAL COUNTRIES Juan Fernandez Is.
THE OCEANS
OCEAN AREA VOLUME LENGTH OF COAST DEEPEST POINT
Pacific 165,000,000 km 2
707,000,000 km 3
135,663 km 11,034 m (Mariana Trench)
Atlantic 82,400,000 km2 323,600,000 km3 111,866 km 8,605 m (Puerto Rico Trench)
A R C T I C Indian 73,400,000 km 2
292,000,000 km 3
66,526 km 7,125 m (Java Trench)
O C E A N Arctic 14,000,000 km 2
16,700,000 km 3
45,389 km 5,669 m (Molloy Hole)
GREENLAND Severnaya Zemlya
SEA Svalbard
LAPTEV SEA
ya
BARENTS SEA ml KARA SEA New Siberia Is.
Ze
ya
va
EAST SIBERIAN SEA
No
North Cape Wrangel Is.
Jan Mayen
CHUKCHI
Denmark SEA
Strait NORWEGIAN SEA
WHITE
Iceland SEA
ia
hn
ot
fB
tka
SE
A
NORTH SEA
cha
IC SEA OF OKHOTSK
BALT Komandor Is.
Kam
Great
Ireland Britain
Sakhalin
Sardaigne AEGEAN N O R T H
JAPAN
SEA
M E D I T E R Honshu
R A Sicily
N E Crete YELLOW
P A C I F I C
A N SEA
S E A
Madeira EAST Shikoku
Suez Canal
CHINA
SEA Kyushu O C E A N
Canary Is.
Per
Midway Is.
s.
Ogasawara Gunto
sia
uI
ul ky
n
u
R yu
G
fo
G
f fO Marcus Is.
l
man Taiwan
RED S
Gilbert
SEA Admiralty Is.
Mentawai Is.
Su
Is
Sulawesi Bougainville Is.
tra
Carpentaria
St. Helen’s Is. Cargados Vanua Levu American
ha n
Carajos Sh.
gasca
Rodrigues Is.
New Caledonia Loyalty Is.
Mada
Reunion
Mozam
O C E A N Australia
Kermadec Is.
Norfolk Is.
Great
Australian
Cape Bight
Agulhas
S O U T H TASMANIAN North Is.
SEA
Tasmania Chatham Is.
A T L A N T I C
s.
hI
ut
So
Crozet Is.
O C E A N Prince Edward Is.
Stewart Is.
Kerguelen Is.
Antipodes Is.
Auckland Is.
Heard and Campbell Is.
McDonald Is.
Bouvet Is. Macquarie Is.
Landmasses
Continents Bay of Fundy, Canada
Islands This bay, about 290 km long, is famous for its very
Sources: ESRI; NIMA high tides, which may rise by 16 m in just a few
hours. This phenomenon is due to the fact that the
Edges of the archipelagos bay is shallow and funnel-shaped, narrowing as it
in the Pacific Ocean goes inland.
34 : T H E WO R L D O C E A N
the surface te mperature of SEAwater
S U R FA C E T E M P E R AT U R E O F S E AWATER
Water and the atmosphere are constantly exchanging
energy in the form of heat. The surface temperature of
the seas and oceans thus plays a fundamental role in the
regulation of atmospheric processes. Measurement of
seawater temperature enables us to follow the evolution of
climatic phenomena, such as El Niño, and ocean currents,
such as the Gulf Stream, and to predict the formation of
cyclones. Seawater temperature also provides information 25–29.9°C
on the development of phytoplankton and shoals of fish. 20–24.9°C
15–19.9°C
The distribution of surface temperatures is linked to hours
10–14.9°C
of sunlight, which, in turn, depends on the latitude. The 5–9.9°C
temperature of the oceans ranges from 28°C, near the 0.1–4.9°C
equator, to –2°C, in the high latitudes (north and south), –1.9–0°C
closely following the distribution of solar radiation that Source: NOAA
WAVE HEIGHTS
WAV E H E I G H T S
Earth observation satellites are used to measure wave
heights. Wave-height data are used to study relationships
between sea and air and their meteorological and
climatic consequences. Wave height is also very useful
information for marine transport and offshore drilling.
In fact, each wave is a shape produced by undulations
created by the wind in the high seas. Near the coasts, the
wave’s amplitude is determined by the relief features on 10–12 m
the ocean floor. The undulation that moves the wave is 8–9.9 m
A barrier reef (or barrier island) is a sandbar Deltas form at the mouths of rivers. They Fjords (fjord means “long arm of the sea” in
parallel to the shore at a distance of between result from the accumulation and deposit of Norwegian) are valleys that were carved out
a few and several dozen kilometers. A lagoon sediments carried by watercourses. long ago by glaciers, then invaded by water.
forms behind the reef.
EARTH: A BLUE PLANET
Geologic events have sometimes modified A ria is a fluvial valley that is submerged An atoll is a coral reef that forms around
the coastline by producing faults. This is the following a rise in sea level or a subsidence a volcanic island. It is ring-shaped and
case for very high shore cliffs formed by of land. surrounds a lagoon.
tectonic faults.
nz
ie
Great Slave
landscapes by carving out Lake
Lake Athabasca
.
valleys, eroding mountains,
Ri v
Peace Reindeer lake
son
Cedar Lake
l
Ne
chewan
and changing shorelines. It a t
Fraser
sk Lake Winnipeg
Sa
olumbia
Lake Winnipegosis
Lake Superior
plays an essential role in the redistribution of Della
C
Sn
Lake Manitoba
Miss Lake Huron
Lake ce
o ur i
Ontario wren
water around the planet.
EARTH: A BLUE PLANET
Lake
ake
Michigan . La
Great Salt Niagara St
o
Lake
nt
e Hudson
Sacram
o Lake Erie Susquehanna
ad Ark
hio
rlo
an
as
Co
O
ppi
Yosemite
s
ma
i
Bra
Mississ
Rio Gran
a
Alab
zos
Yaqui
de
Rio Grande
de Santiago
Balsas
Usumacinta
Lake Nicaragua
co
na
Watersheds
Or ino
Angel Falls
dale
o
Mag
nc
A watershed is a region where all water—precipitation, runoff, and
Rio Bra
R
Pu Japu io Negro
ra
groundwater—flows toward a common body of water. A single
tu
ay Am zon
Xingu
o a
añón
jos
ira
watershed may contain a number of smaller watersheds. Mar
pa
a
s
Ta
ru a
íb
Ucaya
de
Te
Parn
co
Pu
Ma
cs
Tocantins
a
les P
i
Araguai
li
São Fran
Paragu uruena
s
Madre
ires
de Dio
Lake Titicaca
J
y
a
Glass
ana
Urugua r
y
Pa
T H E L A R G E ST R I V E R S R I V E R S , L A K E S , A N D WAT E R FA L L S
RIVER CONTINENT LENGTH AREA OF WATERSHED Hydrography Co
lor
ado
Waterfalls
River Chubut
Nile Africa 6,670 km 2,870,000 km2
Lake
Amazon South America 6,570 km 6,915,000 km2
Edge of watersheds
Yangzi Jiang Asia 6,300 km 1,855,000 km2
Source: Pfafstetter Classification, USGS
Mississippi–Missouri North America 5,970 km 2,980,000 km2
Jenissei–Angara Asia 5,870 km 2,580,000 km2 Freshwater available in the
main watersheds
Ob–Irtych Asia 5,410 km 2,990,000 km2 (billions of m3 per year)
≥ 250
Paranà–Rio de la Plata South America 4,880 km 3,100,000 km2
100–249
Congo Africa 4,630 km 3,680,000 km2 40–99
Amur Asia 4,440 km 1,855,000 km2 20–39
10–19
Lena Asia 4,268 km 2,490,000 km 2
< 10
Mackenzie North America 4,241 km 1,790,000 km2 No data available
Regions with no major watershed
Niger Africa 4,184 km 2,090,000 km 2
ir
ka
dig a
ki
mi lym
jo
In
Ke ho Ko
Pec
ra
Laagen Vilyuy
Ob
Lake Ladoga Northern Dvina J
Da
en
la l Lake Onega
ven
issei
Glomma Lena
Suir n
Neva Ir tych Angara Al d a
Lake Vanern
l
a
Kam o
Tob
Vist Lake Amur
We
Rh El Od Baikal
Ural
ser
e
ul a
Dn n
Do
be
i ne
iep
r
Sei
n Dnie er Vo
Krimmler
Loire
e
s te
lga
Lake
e Po
r
be r
Ebro Sea
Ca
Da
g
Duero
Ku Jian
spia
Gavarnie
r ya
lu
ks Issyk Kul
n Sea
Ya
Am
ang
Kizilirmak uD
T Murat ar ya
Hu
Guadalquivir Eup Lake Koko Nor
igr i ate
r Urmia
s
h
s
s
Indu
aa Bra ia n g
Shatt al Arab zi
J
Dr
hmaputra
Oued Yang
Ga
ge
Salwee addy
n
s Xi J
Ho i a ng
Irraw
ada ng
n
Narm ahanad
le
Ni
Tapti
M
Godav
i
Sé Kr i
shna
ar
i
é
Me
n
Blu
kong
ga
Chao Phraya
Nig
Lake Chad
eN
l
ile
Volta enue
e Nile
Lake
B
Turkana Sh
Whit
Ub
angi
ebele
go
Jubba
ué Kapuas
o
n
Lake
Victoria
Lake Sepik
Lukuga Tanganyika
i Fly
a
Lualab
K
Rufi
wa
Lake
nza
Malawi
e
Kunen
i
bez Chire
Zam
Okava Mtarazi Wallaman
n Mania
popo Burdekin
go
Mangoky
Lm
i
Orange
ing
Tugela
arl
Mur
ray
Sutherland
Lake Huron 59’800 km2 228 m glacial Tugela South Africa 614 m
Lake Michigan 57,750 km2 281 m glacial Sutherland New Zealand 580 m
wat e r cy c le
oxbow lake
waterfall
Lakes
Surface water usually flows toward the sea, but sometimes it is due to a high evaporation rate and accumulation of dissolved
held back by a depression or dam and forms a lake. Although mineral salts.
most lakes are filled with freshwater, others have high salinity
Water in glacial lakes has accumulated in Tectonic lakes occupy natural basins that The craters of some volcanoes fill with water.
depressions carved out by glaciers and in result from movements of Earth’s crusts These volcanic lakes may also form in valleys
valleys where moraines (glacial deposits), along folds and faults. Many are situated where lava flows hold back water.
some of which are 200 m high, have created below sea level, and some form closed
dams. Most lakes in the northern hemisphere systems with no distributaries.
are of this type.
NORTH AND
Death Valley, United States CENTRAL AMERICA
56.6°C, July 10, 1913
TROPIC OF CANCER
Mount Waialeale,
Hawaii
R
TO
11,684 mm
UA
EQ
L
Climates of the world HE
RM
A Lloro, Colombia
8,992 mm
T
–89.4°C
and proximity to the ocean. Mountainous regions July 21, 1983
PO C
CI
RC Vanda Station
LE 15°C, January 5, 1974
temperatures. Finally, at the poles, the temperature
rarely rises above 0°C and the ground remains frozen
for most of the year.
Antarctica
A number of low temperature records have been set
in Antarctica.
CLIMATES : 45
CLIMATE TYPES
Cold Warm temperate Tropical Temperature and precipitation records
Ice cap Coastal (no dry season, cool summer) Wet Maximum temperature (°C) per continent
Tundra Mediterranean (dry summer) Wet with dry winter
Minimum temperature (°C) per continent
Mountain Subtropical humid
Annual maximum precipitation (mm) per continent
Cold temperate Dry
Continental with short, cold summer Arid Annual minimum precipitation (mm) per continent
Continental with cool summer Semiarid Regional border
Continental with hot summer
Sources: NOAA; Argentina National Weather Service
Verkhoyansk, Russia
–67.8°C, February 7, 1892
Ust’Shchugor, Russia
–55°C, over 15 years Oymyakon, Russia
–67.8°C, February 6, 1933
EUROPE
Astrakan, Russia
Seville, Spain 162.6 mm
50°C, August 4, 1881
ASIA
Ifrane, Morocco
–23.9°C El Azizia, Libya Tirat Tsvi, Israel
February 11, 1935 57.8°C 53.9°C, June 22, 1942
September 13, 1922
AFRICA
Aden, Yemen
45.7 mm
Debunja, Cameroon
10,287 mm
Cloncurry, Australia
53.3°C, January 16, 1889
TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
OCEANIA
Mulka, Australia
102.9 mm
Some arid regions are dry because of the mountain range desert zone
configuration of landforms that surround
them. For instance, when a mountain
range borders a shoreline, it holds back
much of the humidity contained in the
marine air masses. The regions in the lee
ANTARCTIC POLAR CIRCLE
of this mountain barrier then receive very
little precipitation. This is the case for the
Patagonia, Great Basin, and Gobi deserts.
E E
N S N S
W W
The summer solstice is the longest day The shortest day of the year in the
of the year (June 21 or 22 in the Northern Northern Hemisphere is December 21
Hemisphere). The Sun rises high in the or 22. This is the winter solstice. The
sky and warms the atmosphere. sun stays low in the sky and does not
warm the atmosphere much.
≥ 25°C
15 to 24.9°C ≥ 25°C
5 to 14.9°C 15 to 24.9°C
–9.9 to 4.9°C 5 to 14.9°C
–29.9 to –10°C –9.9 to 4.9°C
≤ –30°C –29.9 to –10°C
Sources: NOAA; NCEP; CPC Sources: NOAA; NCEP; CPC
ARGENTINA
Larsen
Ice Shelf
Filchner
Ice Shelf Amery
Ronne Ice Shelf
Ice Shelf Lambert
Glacier
RC
the middle latitudes varies with TIC
PO
L South Magnetic Pole
AR
the seasons. The highest mountain C IRCL
E
peaks are also covered with glaciers.
TR
OP
IC
OF
C
AP
IC
R
OR
COLD ENVIRONMEN T S N
NEW- AUSTRALIA
Snow, glacier, or continental ice cap ZEALAND
Ice shelf
Average extension of the pack ice in July
(summer at the North Pole, winter at the South Pole)
Average extension of the pack ice in January
(winter at the North Pole, summer at the South Pole)
Source: NSIDC
Pack ice
In the coldest oceans on the planet, especially at the poles, the This layer of ice forms a vast sheet measuring 20 million km2
seawater is covered by a floating layer of ice, a stretch of frozen at its maximum winter extent, but it shrinks a great deal in the
seawater formed when the water temperature falls below –1.9°C. summer. Pack ice is different from the ice shelves (the Ross Ice
These masses of ice, called pack ice, may be 3 to 4 m thick. In Shelf, the Larsen Ice Shelf, etc.) that form the edge of some
winter, Arctic pack ice invades fjords, bays, estuaries, and parts of Antarctica. These are actually floating glaciers, several
straits. Hudson Bay is totally icebound during the winter. hundred meters thick, contiguous to the continental ice cap.
Antarctica , covered by an ice cap, is also surrounded by pack ice.
COLD ENVIRONMENTS : 49
Icebergs
In cold regions, glaciers reach the sea before they melt. Waves
and tides then break up glacier tongues into gigantic blocks
of floating freshwater ice blocks called icebergs, only the tip
of which rises above the surface of the water. Pushed by the
wind and ocean currents, icebergs travel thousands
of kilometers, sometimes drifting as far as
the tropics, before melting due to the
combined effects of waves, salt,
and solar rays. Iceberg, north of the 48th parallel
Icebergs usually drift along the coast. Most of those that come from the Arctic melt before
crossing the 48th parallel.
CANADA
North Magnetic Pole
RUSSIA
North Geographic Pole
GROENLAND (DK)
ARCT
IC POL AR CIRCLE
FINLAND
ICELAND SWEDEN
48 NORWAY
TH
PA
RA
LLE
L
TRO
PIC
OF C
A NCE
R
glaciers
Source: Frenzel et al
50 :
ARID ENVIRONME N T S
One-quarter of the planet’s landmass (about 35 million square kilometers) has an arid
or semiarid climate. All of these regions have very low precipitation. Vegetation grows
slowly, leaving the ground almost bare. In most cases, this aridity is related to
the presence of permanent high-pressure zones that impede the
development of clouds. This is the case for “high-pressure”
deserts such as the Sahara Desert, the Arabian
Desert, the Kalahari Desert,
and the Great Sandy Desert.
These deserts are situated
at latitudes adjacent to the
tropics, where the climate
features very dry air and
high atmospheric pressure.
Geographic factors may also be the cause of
EARTH: A PLANET IN BALANCE
Colorado Plateau
ocean; examples are the Patagonia Desert, the Mojave Desert
rocky desert
steppe
Chihuahuan Desert
Atacama Desert and the Gobi Desert. Sonoran Desert
rocky desert
steppe
TROPIC OF CANCER
Desertification EQUATOR
Under the combined effects of climatic variations and human activity, more
and more previously arable regions are being transformed into deserts. For
instance, 4,000 years ago, the Sahara was a fertile region. Today, it is a desert.
Desertification involves the degradation of arable land. Each year, 5 to 6 million
hectares are affected by desertification on every continent.
Atacama Desert
sand and salt desert
Patagonia
ARIDITY steppe
Thar Desert
sandy desert
Sahar a Deser t
rock and sand desert Arabian Desert
rock and sand desert
S a h e l
herbaceous and
bushy savanna
arid to very
Sahara 8,000,000 Africa 10–20 > 30 Kalahari 335,500 Africa arid 0–10 20–30
arid
Colorado
Sahel 3,053,200 Africa semiarid 20–30 > 30 326,400 N. America semiarid <0 20–30
Plateau
Great Sandy
Arabian 1,851,300 Asia arid 10–20 > 30 317,800 Oceania arid 10–20 > 30
Desert
Gobi 1,300,000 Asia arid <0 20–30 Kyzylkum 297,800 Asia arid <0 20–30
Takla Makan 741,900 Asia very arid <0 20–30 Thar 238,700 Asia arid 0–10 20–30
Simpson 584,500 Oceania arid 10–20 > 30 Sonoran 223,000 N. America arid 10–20 > 30
Chihuahuan 509,500 N. America arid 0–10 20–30 Gibson 155,900 Oceania arid 10–20 20–30
Patagonia 487,200 S. America arid 0–10 10–20 Mojave 130,600 N. America arid 10–20 > 30
Karakum 349,600 Asia arid <0 > 30 Atacama 105,200 S. America very arid 10–20 20–30
Great Basin 335,900 N. America arid <0 10–20 Namib 80,900 Africa very arid 10–20 10–20
Sources: WWF; University of Arizona
52 :
CLIMATIC CATASTR O P H E S
In spite of industrial and technological progress in recent decades,
human beings are still at the mercy of major weather disasters.
Tornadoes, cyclones, snowstorms, and hailstorms
cause serious destruction and thousands of deaths
every year all over the world. GREENLAND (DK)
Lightning is responsible for
electrical blackouts and huge
forest fires. And rainstorms may
cause floods and landslides.
CANADA
U N I T E D S TAT E S
EARTH: A PLANET IN BALANCE
BANGLADESH
INDIA
BURMA
ARCTIC POLAR CIRCLE
ICELAND
SWEDEN FINLAND
NORWAY
ESTONIA
LATVIA
DENMARK LITHUANIA
RUSSIA
IRELAND UNITED BELARUS
KINGDOM NLD GERMANY POLAND
BEL
LUX CZECH REP. UKRAINE
FRANCE LIE SVK KAZAKHSTAN
MOL
HRV ROMANIA
ITALY
A
EMIRATES
SAUDI
MAURITANIA ARABIA LAOS
AN
OM
BISSAU NIGERIA
GHANA
M A L A Y S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
SAO TOME RWANDA NAURU
AND PRINCIPE KIRIBATI
CONGO DEM. REP. BURUNDI SEYCHELLES I N D O N E S I A
OF THE CONGO PAPUA
TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
SOLOMON IS. TUVALU
TIMOR
COMOROS LESTE
ANGOLA
MAL
B IQU FIJI
I
AM
ASCA
ZIMBABWE MOZ
MAURITIUS
MADAG
NAMIBIA TONGA
TROPIC OF CAPRICORN BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
NEW
ZEALAND
i n s id e a c y c l o n e
speed of 25 km/h.
storm surge
During a storm surge, ocean water is pulled by the strong sucking
effect of the hurricane. This causes the formation of a small “mountain
of water” under the hurricane. When the cyclone reaches land, this
mass of water unfurls on the coast and floods vast stretches.
V I C T I M S of C Y C LO N E S
Number of dead per country since 1900
≥ 50,000
5,000–49,999
500–4,999
50–499
< 50
No data
Source: Em-dat
56 : c l i m at i c c atast r o p h e s
Tornadoes
Like cyclones, tornadoes result from the spinning of ascending 100 and 600 m. It may reach a height of several kilometers.
winds around a low-pressure zone. However, unlike cyclones, Although tornadoes are usually very localized and of short
tornadoes are of short duration (a number of minutes) and duration, their violence makes them particularly dangerous and
generate extremely violent winds (spikes of 512 km/h were destructive. North America, where an average of 750 occur each
observed by radar at Oklahoma City, in the United States, year, is the most affected continent, but tornadoes also touch
in 1999). The diameter of a tornado generally varies between down regularly in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
victims of tornadoes
Number of dead per country since 1950
ea r th : a p lanet in b alance
≥ 1,000
100–999
10–99
< 10
No data
Source: Em-dat
category F0 CATEGORY F 1 c at e g o ry F 2
With winds not over 199 km/h, an F0 tornado causes only minor An F1 tornado, with winds of 120 to 180 km/h, may blow down The winds in an F2 tornado reach 180 to 250 km/h and are capable
damage: broken tree branches, twisted TV antennas. small trees, overturn trailers, and rip shingles off houses. of destroying wooden structures, moving small vehicles, and
knocking down mature trees.
CATEGORY F3 c at e g o ry F 4 c at e g o ry F 5
With winds of 250 to 330 km/h, an F3 tornado may overturn An F4 tornado (winds of 330 to 420 km/h) destroys solid houses, An F5 tornado is the most violent. Its winds are over 420 km/h
large vehicles. Walls collapse and objects weighing a number of lifts vehicles, and throws into the air objects weighing about 100 and destroy all sorts of vehicles and structures as they pass.
kilograms are lifted into the air and become projectiles. kilograms.
climatic catastrophes : 57
Floods
Although most floods are linked to a river or lake overflowing its and for the formation of gigantic waves (tsunamis) following an
banks after heavy rain, some floods have sea-related causes. This earthquake. Floods cause not only major material damage but
is the case, for example, for storm surges during a cyclone, also much loss of life.
victims of floods
Number of dead per country since 1950
(geology, climate,
U N I T E D S TAT E S
geography, chemistry,
etc.) determine the
composition and
Boreal forest, Canada
diversity of the The boreal forest is a vast stretch of forest MEXICO BAHAMAS
composed mainly of conifers, but it may also
biocenosis, which, in contain some deciduous trees.
CUBA
DOMINICAN
HAITI REP.
PERU
BRAZIL
Biomes BOLIVIA
ICELAND
SWEDEN FINLAND
NORWAY
RUSSIA
ESTONIA
LATVIA
DENMARK LITHUANIA
IRELAND UNITED BELARUS
KINGDOM NLD GERMANY POLAND
BEL
LUX CZECH REP. UKRAINE
KAZAKHSTAN
AUSTRIA HUNGARY
SWITZERLAND SVN MONGOLIA
DOV
HRV ROMANIA
ITALY
A
NIGERIA
GHANA
EQUATORIAL M A L A Y S I A
GUINEA UGANDA
SAO TOME GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
AND PRINCIPE RWANDA NAURU KIRIBATI
CONGO DEM. REP. BURUNDI SEYCHELLES I N D O N E S I A
OF THE CONGO PAPUA
TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
SOLOMON IS. TUVALU
TIMOR
COMOROS LESTE
ANGOLA
MAL
BIQU FIJI
I
SCAR
AM
ZIMBABWE M OZ
A
MADAG
NAMIBIA TONGA
BOTSWANA
BIOMES AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
Tundra AFRICA
Tropical rainforest
Savanna
Desert
Rock and ice
Source: FAO
Ice, Antarctica
The polar regions are covered with ice all year
long. How far the ice extends varies, however,
according to whether it is summer or winter.
60 : t h e b i osp h e r e
Forests
About one-third of the planet’s landmass is covered with forests. the boreal forest and the deciduous forests in more temperate
Forests are complex ecosystems characterized by generally dense zones, where, under the branches of large trees such as oaks and
plant cover composed mainly of trees. beeches, the undergrowth is generally dense.
The composition of forests varies from region to region as a The subtropical regions are too dry for forests to grow. The
function of the climate, the nature of the soil, the altitude, and intertropical zones, on the other hand, have the lushest forests on
the latitude. The last parameter greatly influences the diversity the planet. The tropical rainforest, or equatorial forest, contains
of animal and plant species (biodiversity) in the forest. In the incredible biodiversity. Although it covers only 7% of Earth’s
North, the boreal forest, populated with conifer species such as landmass, it houses half of all living species on the planet and
spruce, larch, and fir, is very homogeneous. Farther south, mixed 20 times more species of trees than do temperate forests. The
forests are composed of conifers and deciduous trees, such as equatorial forest of Borneo, in the Pacific Ocean, holds the record
birch and willow. They form a transition zone between for biodiversity with no fewer than 10,000 species of plants.
t h e t r o p i c a l r a i n f o r e st
ea r t h : a p l ane t in ba l an c e
No data
Source: FAO
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the diversity of living species in a given environment.
It is usually measured by ecoregion. An ecoregion is a region of
Earth that has a unique ecosystem. The World Wildlife Fund
(WWF) defines 867 ecoregions, some of which are divided up.
≥ 1,000
500–999
250–499
50–249
< 50
No data
Source: IUCN
No data
Source: IUCN
the conservation of species : 63
IRELAND BELARUS
oxygen, has had a remarkably stable composition for UNITED KINGDOM NETHERLANDS
GERMANY
POLAND
BELGIUM
millions of years. Gaseous and particulate pollutants CZECH REP.
UKRAINE
LUXEMBOURG SLOVAKIA
make up only a tiny part of the atmosphere, and LIECHTENSTEIN AUSTRIA
HUNGARY
PERU
BRAZIL
The greenhouse effect BOLIVIA
Some gases in the atmosphere are able to absorb infrared rays emitted by Earth. This natural
phenomenon, called the greenhouse effect, helps to maintain our planet at a temperature CHILE PARAGUAY
conducive to life. Without it, the average temperature on the surface of Earth, which is now
15°C, would be only –18°C. However, because some human activities release quantities of ARGENTINA
“greenhouse gases” (methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, CFCs, etc.) into the atmosphere,
URUGUAY
TEMPERATURE INCREASES
T E M P E R AT U R E C H A N G E S T (°C)
While the average annual temperature on
20
Earth’s surface grew by 0.6°C over the last
century, studies indicate that it may climb 19
another 1°C to 4.5°C over the next 100 pessimistic hypothesis 18
years if greenhouse-gas emissions continue optimistic hypothesis
to increase at the current pace. 17
16
15
ICELAND 14
Year 1900 2000 2100
NORWAY
SWEDEN ESTONIA
LATVIA
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
KAZAKHSTAN
MOLDOVA MONGOLIA
M A L AY S I A
ALI
UGANDA
SOM
ZIMBABWE MAURITIUS
TONGA
A
MADAG
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
AT M O S P H E R I C P O L L U T I O N
NEW ZEALAND
Emissions of carbon dioxide
Very high
m o rta l i t y c a u s e d by a i r p o l l ut i o n
Number of dead per country
e ar t h : a plan e t i n b alan c e
≥ 100,000
10,000–99,999
1,000–9,999
100–999
< 100
No data
Source: WHO
CANADA
EARTH: A PLANET IN BALANCE
Odyssey
U N I T E D S TAT E S Argo Merchant (1988, 132,000 t)
Three-Mile Island, (1976, 28,000 t)
1979
BAHAMAS
CUBA
MEXICO DOMINICAN ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
HAITI REP. DOMINICA
BELIZE JAMAICA SAINT LUCIA
Hawaiian Patriot KNA
(1977, 95,000 t) GUATEMALA HONDURAS BARBADOS
EL SALVADOR VCT Atlantic Empress
NICARAGUA GRENADA (1979, 287,000 t)
COSTA RICA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
PANAMA
VENEZUELA GUYANA
FRENCH GUIANA (FR)
COLOMBIA
KIRIBATI SURINAME
ECUADOR
PERU
The Argo Merchant, off the coast of the United States P O L L U T I O N O F I N L A N D WAT E R S BRAZIL
The shipwreck of the oil tanker, in 1976, caused heavy
pollution off the Massachusetts coast. Emission of organic pollutants into rivers, lakes, and
water tables
BOLIVIA
≥ 300,000 kg/day
100,000–299,999 kg/day
Pollution of inland waters and oceans 25,000–99,999 kg/day
PARAGUAY
Tchernobyl, 1986
KAZAKHSTAN MONGOLIA
UKRAINE
MOL
DOV
A
Independenta
ALGERIA NEPAL
LIBYA EGYPT BAHRAIN
WESTERN QATAR Tasman Spirit
SAHARA (MA) SAUDI UNITED Sea Star (2003, 30 000 t) BANGLADESH
ARABIA ARAB
(1972, 115,000 t) BURMA
EMIRATES
MAURITANIA INDIA LAOS
AN
OM
MALI NIGER
VIE
CAPE VERDE
TNA
NIGERIA
GHANA
LIBERIA MICRONESIA
ALI
M A L A Y S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
SAO TOME GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
AND PRINCIPE RWANDA NAURU
CONGO DEM. REP. BURUNDI I N D O N E S I A
OF THE CONGO
TANZANIA Industrial pollution, United States PAPUA
NEW GUINEA
SOLOMON IS. TUVALU
Industries release more than 700 different TIMOR
COMOROS LESTE
ABT Summer substances into the soil, among them mercury,
(1991, 260,000 t) ANGOLA
MAL
ZAMBIA E
lead, and trichloroethylene. SAMOA
VANUATU
AW
B IQU FIJI
I
SCAR
AM
ZIMBABWE MOZ
A
MADAG
NAMIBIA TONGA
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND Katina P.
(1992, 72,000 t)
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
Castillo de Bellver
(1983, 252,000 t)
NEW
ZEALAND
SOIL POLLUTION
TOP: The holy city of Varanasi, on the shores of the Ganges, India
LEFT: The Idumata Market, in Lagos, Nigeria
72 :
THE P OLITICAL WO R L D
A nation encompasses a people—that is, a group of individuals
who share more or less the same culture and traditions and
who generally live in the same country. A country is a
geographic territory with clearly established borders,
belonging to a nation or a GREENLAND (DK)
HAITI
Port-au-Prince
DOMINICAN REP.
languages. Out of the some 240 territories claiming Santo Domingo
SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
Basseterre
the status of country, 193 are recognized as sovereign; BAHAMAS
Nassau
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
Saint John's
with the exception of the Vatican City, these are all MEXICO
Havana
CUBA
DOMINICA
Roseau
SAINT LUCIA
members of the United Nations (UN). Mexico BELIZE
Belmopan
Castries
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
Kingstown
HONDURAS JAMAICA
GUATEMALA BARBADOS
Guatemala Tegucigalpa Kingston Bridgetown
EL SALVADOR GRENADA
San Salvador Caracas Saint George's
NICARAGUA Panama
VENEZUELA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Managua Georgetown Port of Spain
PANAMA Paramaribo
COSTA RICA Bogotá GUYANA
San Jose COLOMBIA FRENCH GUIANA (FR)
Quito SURINAME
ECUADOR
PERU
BRAZIL
Lima
La Paz Brasília
BOLIVIA
PARAGUAY
Asunción
E
CHIL
Santiago URUGUAY
Montevideo
Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA
Official flag of the UN Headquarters of the UN, United States
The emblem of the United Nations, adopted in 1946, The headquarters of the United Nations,
portrays a planisphere centered on the North Pole and located in New York, were opened in 1951.
surrounded by two olive branches, the symbol of peace.
Accra Lome
IA
1965–1974
1955–1964
1946–1954
1945
Non-member
Source: UN
THE POLITICAL WORLD : 73
Riga LATVIA
DENMARK
Copenhagen LITHUANIA
RUSSIA Vilnius
UNITED Minsk
Dublin
KINGDOM NETHERLANDS POLAND BELARUS
IRELAND Berlin Warsaw
The Hague
London GERMANY
Brussels
BELGIUM LUXEMBOURG Prague
UKRAINE
Luxembourg CZECH REP.
Paris SLOVAKIA
LIECHTENSTEIN Vienna Bratislava
FRANCE Vaduz AUSTRIA Budapest MOLDOVA
Bern Chisinau
SLOVENIA HUNGARY
SWITZERLAND Ljubljana Zagreb ROMANIA
SAN MARINO CROATIA Bucharest
San Marino BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
MONACO Belgrade
Sarajevo
Monaco SERBIA Sofia
ANDORRA ITALY MONTENEGRO BULGARIA
ICELAND Andorra La Valla VATICAN Podgorica
Skopje
Reykjavik CITY Rome Tirana MACEDONIA
SWEDEN FINLAND
PORTUGAL Madrid ALBANIA
NORWAY Helsinki
Oslo SPAIN GREECE
Tallinn Lisbon
Stockholm ESTONIA RUSSIA Athens
Moscow
Kiev Astana
Hanoi
MAURITANIA MALI Naypyidaw LAOS
OM
MALDIVES
ALI
Wellington
T H E L A R G E ST C O U N T R I E S THE SMALLEST COUNTRIES NEW
ZEALAND
RANK COUNTRY AREA RANK COUNTRY AREA
1 Russia 17,075,400 km2 193 Vatican City 0.4 km2
2 Canada 9,970,610 km2 192 Monaco 1 km2
3 United States 9,629,091 km2 191 Nauru 21 km2
4 China 9,596,961 km2 190 Tuvalu 26 km2
5 Brazil 8,514,047 km 2
189 San Marino 61 km2
6 Australia 7,741,220 km2 188 Liechtenstein 160 km2
7 India 3,287,263 km2 187 Marshall Islands 181 km2
8 Argentina 2,780,400 km2 186 Saint Kitts and Nevis 261 km2
9 Kazakhstan 2,724,900 km 2
185 Maldives 298 km2
10 Sudan 2,505,813 km 2
184 Malta 316 km2
11 Algeria 2,381,741 km2 183 Grenada 344 km2
12 Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,344,858 km2 182 Saint Vincent and The Grenadines 388 km2
13 Saudi Arabia 2,149,690 km2 181 Antigua and Barbuda 442 km2
14 Mexico 1,958,201 km 2
180 Seychelles 455 km2
Source: UN Source: UN
74 : T H E P O L I T I C A L WO R L D
Political systems
A state’s political system is the way in which power is organized and exercised in
that state. About one-third of the states in the world have a democratic system,
in which the people theoretically hold the power. Another third aspire to a
democratic system (emerging democracies). The other countries are
under authoritarian systems, in which power is held by an individual
(absolute ruler) or a small group of individuals (single party,
state religion, army) who impose GREENLAND (DK)
their authority by force and strictly
regulate the lives of their fellow citizens
without consulting them. Depending
on whether the system is democratic or
authoritarian, the powers of the head
of state, monarch, or president of a CANADA
republic are more or less extensive.
EARTH: AN INHABITED PLANET
Parliament
Parliament and head of state (joint power)
President (limited power)
President (extensive power)
Communist party BAHAMAS
DEMOCRACY
In a democracy, each citizen may make his or her voice Democracy is the political system that is most BRAZIL
heard through elections. Representatives elected by respectful of individual freedoms; in principle, PERU
the people form the parliament, which debates and citizens are equal before the law and enjoy freedom BOLIVIA
votes on laws. The parliament is formed of one or two of opinion, expression, and worship, the press is
chambers (upper and lower chambers). The upper independent, and a number of political parties coexist. PARAGUAY
chamber, often called a senate, usually has less power In practice, all democracies are imperfect to some
than the lower chamber, often called the National degree (discrimination against minorities, government ARGENTINA
Assembly or House of Commons. corruption, etc.).
URUGUAY
E
CHIL
A PA R L I A M E N T
There is seating
reserved for the The elected opposition
public. representatives
sit facing the
representatives of the
party in power.
LATVIA
DENMARK
LITHUANIA
RUSSIA
RUSSIA MALTA
BELARUS
UKRAINE
KAZAKHSTAN
MOL
MONGOLIA
DOV
A
UZB
GEORGIA EKI KYRGYZSTAN
BISSAU NIGERIA
GHANA
LIBERIA
ALI
M A L A Y S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
SAO TOME AND RWANDA KIRIBATI
PRINCIPE NAURU
CONGO DEM. REP. BURUNDI SEYCHELLES
OF THE CONGO
TANZANIA I N D O N E S I A PAPUA
NEW GUINEA
SOLOMON IS. TUVALU
TIMOR
COMOROS LESTE
ANGOLA SAMOA
MAL
ZAMBIA E VANUATU
AW
U
BIQ FIJI
I
SCAR
AM
ZIMBABWE MOZ
MAURITIUS
A
TONGA
MADAG
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
NEW
ZEALAND
SEPARATION OF POWERS
Women in politics
Although women form about half of the world’s population, parliamentary elections in 2005, 15 had implemented measures
their place in politics remains secondary in most countries in the in favour of women (voluntary or statutory quotas requiring that
world. Women occupy an average of 16% of parliamentary seats political parties present more female candidates or reserving
(40% in Nordic countries, less than 7% in Arab countries). Only parliamentary seats for women). These countries have twice as
a dozen countries are currently led by a woman, including Chile, many elected women as do countries where no measure has been
Finland, and Germany. About 7% of ministerial positions, most undertaken (26.9% vs. 13.6%).
of them in the social affairs field, are filled by women.
However, several countries still do not recognize the right of
A number of countries are trying to improve women’s women to run for office in an election; some, such as Saudi
representation in political bodies through quotas. According to Arabia, do not even allow women to vote. Kuwait allowed
the Inter-Parliamentary Union, out of the 39 countries that held women to vote and run for office only in 2005.
wom e n i n pa r l i am e n t
Proportion of women in the lower chamber of parliament
went from 8% to 10% over the last 50 years, may San Francisco New York
Philadelphia
Washington, D.C.
Atlanta
Houston
Miami
Monterrey BAHAMAS
MEXICO T H E C A R I B B E A N
CUBA
Guadalajara Mexico City DOMINICAN
HAITI REP.
JAMAICA ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
BELIZE
Continents with more
SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
GUATEMALA HONDURAS SAINT VINCENT AND DOMINICA
THE GRENADINES SAINT LUCIA
EL SALVADOR GRENADA BARBADOS
or less people
NICARAGUA
C E N T R A L TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
A M E R I C A COSTA RICA PANAMA GUYANA
VENEZUELA
Although it covers a huge Medellín
Bogotá
FRENCH GUIANA (FR)
474,000
area, Oceania, which includes COLOMBIA
SURINAME
BELARUS
UNITED NETHERLANDS
IRELAND KINGDOM Berlin
POLAND
London
BELGIUM GERMANY
LUXEMBOURG CZECH REP.
UKRAINE
LIECHTENSTEIN SLOVAKIA
Paris Harbin
AUSTRIA
SWITZERLAND HUNGARY
FRANCE ENIA Changchun
Milano SLOV CROATIA ROMANIA CHINA
SAN BOSNIA AND Shenyang
MARINO HERZEGOVINA
SERBIA
MONACO
ITALY MONTENEGRO
Beijing NORTH
BULGARIA KOREA
ANDORRA Rome MACEDONIA Tianjin Dalian Pyongyang
SPAIN
Barcelona VATICAN CITY ALBANIA Seoul
PORTUGAL
Nanjing
ICELAND N O R T H E R N Shanghai
E U R O P E Wuhan
NORWAY 221,000 FINLAND
E A S T E R N E U R O P E
SWEDEN Saint Petersburg
ESTONIA
RUSSIA
LATVIA
Moscow
W E S T E R N UKRAINE KAZAKHSTAN
E U R O P E
MOL
C E N T R A L A N D MONGOLIA
DOV
320,000
S O U T H A S I A
S O U T H E R N GEORGIA 669,000
KYRGYZSTAN 246,000
Istanbul ARMENIA UZBEKISTAN
E U R O P E Ankara AZERBAIJAN TURKMENISTAN TAJIKISTAN
TURKEY E A S T A S I A
Algiers CYPRUS SYRIA IRAQ Tehran
Casablanca 475,000 Kabul CHINA
LEBANON Xian
ALGERIA TUNISIA Tel Aviv AFGHANISTAN
Baghdad IRAN Lahore
N
MOROCCO
DA
Alexandria Chengdu
JOR
KUWAIT
N O R T H Cairo ISRAEL
PAKISTAN Delhi NEP
BHUTAN
Chongqing
A F R I C A EGYPT BAHRAIN Karachi
AL Guiyang
WESTERN QATAR Kanpur Dhaka Dongguan
SAHARA (MA) LIBYA Riyadh Ahmadabad Chittagong Guangzhou
SAUDI UNITED OMAN Surat Calcutta BURMA Shenzhen
MAURITANIA ARAB INDIA
Hanoi Hong Kong
NIGER ARABIA Bombay Pune BANGLADESH
CAPE VERDE
W E S T EMIRATES LAOS
VIE
A F R I C A W E S T E R N Yangon
TNA
GAMBIA
MALI A S I A Madras Bangkok CAMBODIA Manila
GUINEA- BURKINA Kano SUDAN
FASO DJIBOUTI Bangalore PHILIPPINES
BISSAU GUINEA Ho Chi M I C R O N E S I A MARSHALL IS.
BENIN
Minh City
GHANA
MALDIVES BRUNEI M I C R O N E S I A
Abidjan TOGO 320,000
SOM
A F R I C A Singapore
SINGAPORE
UGA
NAURU KIRIBATI
CONG
AND PRINCIPE E A S T
BURUNDI SEYCHELLES
Kinshasa DEM. REP.
A F R I C A Jakarta I N D O N E S I
PAPUA
A NEW GUINEA
OF THE TANZANIA Bandung TUVALU KIRIBATI
CONGO Surabaja TIMOR SOLOMON IS.
LESTE
COMOROS M E L A N E S I A
ANGOLA
MA
ZAMBIA SAMOA
LAW
E VANUATU
IQU FIJI
I
B
AM
SCAR
ZIMBABWE M OZ
NAMIBIA BOTSWANA MAURITIUS
A
MADAG
TONGA
S O U T H E R N
A F R I C A AUSTRALIA
Johannesburg SWAZILAND
LESOTHO A U S T R A L I A A N D
SOUTH N E W Z E A L A N D
AFRICA
Cape Town Sydney
NEW
Melbourne ZEALAND
A n n u a l rat e o f p o p u l at i o n g r ow t h
2005–2010
E a r t h : A n i n ha b i t e d p l a n e t
≥ 3%
2–2.9%
1–1.9%
0–0.9%
Demographic decline
No data
Source: UN
320 million. Birth and death rates were high but so balanced that
9
the world’s population remained stable for hundreds of years.
During the Renaissance in Europe, living conditions improved. 8
A demographic transition began: mortality dropped, but the 7
birth rate remained high. The overall population began to grow,
6 1998
reaching 1 billion in 1800, 2 billion in 1925, and 3 billion in
1960. The demographic transition in industrialized countries 5 World population grew fastest in the 1960s,
1987
was then complete: the birth rate and death rate evened out at 4 thanks to progress in economics and in 1975
a low level. In developing countries, this transition is currently health, such as the discovery of antibiotics.
3
underway: over the last 50 years, the death rate has fallen, and in
certain countries, such as China, the birth rate is now on the same 2 1925
path. A century from now, a new population balance should be 1 1800
established in the world, with low birth and death rates, returning
stability to the world’s population.
0
-6000
-2000
3000
-100,000
-7000
-5000
-4000
-3000
-1000
1000
2000
Year
E a r t h : A n i n habi t e d p l a n e t
≥ 1 B inhab.
≥ 35 yr 300–999 M inhab.
25–34.9 yr 100–299 M inhab.
20–24.9 yr 40–99 M inhab.
< 20 yr < 40 M inhab.
Source: UN Source: UN
U N I T E D S TAT E S
Language families
A language family is a group of languages that are derived from a single BAHAMAS
language of origin. There are more than 10 major language families. The MEXICO
CUBA
DOMINICAN
Indo-European family includes more than 400 languages with a common BELIZE JAMAICA
HAITI REP.
KNA ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
Indo-European origin that may go back to 2000 . The languages in this GUATEMALA HONDURAS
VCT
DOMINICA
SAINT LUCIA
EL SALVADOR
family are the most widely spoken in the world, with almost 3 billion speakers NICARAGUA
COSTA RICA
GRENADA BARBADOS
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
from Europe to Asia. The Indo-European family includes languages spoken PANAMA
VENEZUELA GUYANA
FRENCH GUIANA (FR)
in India, the Slavic languages (Russian, Polish), Greek, the Germanic languages COLOMBIA
(German, English, Flemish, Norwegian, etc.), the Celtic languages, and the ECUADOR
SURINAME
languages of Latin origin (French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.). Smaller families,
like the Papuan languages (in Papua New Guinea), include almost 3,400 languages, PERU
BRAZIL
spoken by less than 4% of the world population. Amerindian languages belong to
indigenous languages, as well as Australian (mainly Aborigene), Eskimo-Aleut and
BOLIVIA
Tasmanian languages.
PARAGUAY
ARGENTINA
URUGUAY
E
CHIL
D I ST R I B U T I O N O F
T H E M A I N L A N G U A G E FA MILIES THE MAIN LANGUAGE
FA M I L I E S
FAMILY NUMBER OF LANGUAGES MAIN LANGUAGES
Indo-European
Nigero-Congolese 1,514 Wolof, Dogon, Swahili, Zulu
Amerindian and other
Austronesian 1,268 Javanese, Malay indigenous languages
Amerindian about 900 Inuktituk, Cree, Nahuatl, Yucateco Afro-Asiatic
Nigero-Congolese
Indo-European 449 Hindi, English, Spanish, Bengali, Russian, Portuguese, French
Nilo-Saharan
Sino-Tibetan 403 Chinese (13 different languages), Tibetan Khoisian
Austronesian
Afro-Asiatic 375 Somali, Arabic, Hebrew, Kabyle
Uralian
Dravidian 73 Telugu, Tamil Altaic
Altaic 66 Turkish, Manchurian Sino-Tibetan
Austro-Asiatic
Uralian 39 Finnish, Hungarian
Japanese
Japanese 12 Japanese and 11 languages that are becoming extinct Papuan languages
Sources: Ethnologue, SIL International; J. Leclerc, TLFQ, Univ. Laval Other, including Dravidian
Sources: J. Leclerc, TLFQ, Univ. Laval; Ethnologue,
SIL International; Meyers Großer Weltatlas
LANGUAGES : 83
BISSAU NIGERIA
GHANA
LIBERIA
ALI
M A L A Y S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
SAO TOME RWANDA KIRIBATI
AND PRINCIPE NAURU
CONGO DEM. REP. BURUNDI
SEYCHELLES
OF THE CONGO
TANZANIA I N D O N E S I A PAPUA
NEW GUINEA
TUVALU
TIMOR SOLOMON IS.
COMOROS LESTE
ANGOLA SAMOA
MAL
ZAMBIA E VANUATU
AW
B IQU FIJI
I
SCAR
AM
ZIMBABWE MOZ
MAURITIUS
A
TONGA
MADAG
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
A language is usually associated with a writing system, a group of Hindi 366 M India
symbols allowing the language to be transcribed onto a medium. English 341 M United Kingdom, countries of North America
and Oceania
Many writing systems are alphabetic (Latin, Arab, Cyrillic, etc.),
with the alphabetic characters used to construct the sounds of the Spanish 322 M Spain, countries of South and Central America
language. But there are also syllabic writing systems, in which the Bengali 207 M Bangladesh
symbols represent syllables ( Japanese) and logographic writing Arab 206 M countries of the Middle East and North Africa
systems, in which each symbol corresponds to a word or group of Source: Ethnologue, SIL International
words (Chinese).
84 :
RELIGIONS
A religion is a group of doctrines and rituals designed to connect
the human soul to the realm of the divine and the sacred. For
centuries, religions have overlapped and competed with
each other. Their origins are sparked by a person or
an event, and some are much
older than others. Religions
play a cultural and social role,
the importance of which varies Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, Israel
Three religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—have
depending on the people, the made Jerusalem a holy city. The Dome of the Rock and
period, and the country. CANADA the Al-Aqsa mosque embody Muslim Jerusalem.
U N I T E D S TAT E S
The main religions of the world
EARTH: AN INHABITED PLANET
PERU
BRAZIL
BOLIVIA
Catholicism Christian religion that admits the authority of the Pope in Rome. 968 M
CHIL
Protestantism Group of religions (Anglicanism, Calvinism, Lutheranism, etc.) formed of Christian churches 394 M
resulting from the Reform launched in the 16th century by Luther, who was protesting
against the mores and practices of the Catholic church.
Orthodoxy The group of Eastern Christian churches that separated from Rome in 1054. 218 M
Islam Religion practiced by Muslims based on the belief in a single god, Allah. The Koran, 1,100 M
a collection of the revelations made by Allah to the prophet Muhammad, is the holy
book of Muslims.
Sunnism Branch of Islam based on the texts of the Sunna, which contains accounts of Muhammad’ s 913 M
words, behaviors, and judgments.
Shiism When Muhammad died, those who recognized his son-in-law Ali as his successor founded 176 M
Shiite Islam, Shiism, considered the historical branch of Islam.
Judaism Religion according to which God elected the Jewish people and made an alliance with them. 14 M
Hinduism Polytheist religion of India descended from ancient tribal religions. 781 M
Buddhism Eastern religion founded by an Indian wise man, Buddha. 324 M
Other Asian religions Confucianism is a Chinese religion based on the teachings of Confucius, a philosopher 246 M
rather than a religious leader. Founded, like Confucianism, in the 6th century BCE, Taoism is
a Far Eastern religion based on the philosophy of Lao-tzu and folk beliefs. Shintoism is a
polytheist Japanese religion whose divinities are personifications of natural forces (stars,
animals, plants, etc.).
SYRIA
Nazareth
WEST BANK
Jerusalem
Bethlehem
GAZA STRIP
Hebron
ISRAEL
EGYPT JORDAN
Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Israel Temple Mount Esplanade in Jerusalem, Israel
ICELAND Standing outside the old city of Jerusalem, the Church Jewish Jerusalem is represented by the Temple Mount
SWEDEN FINLAND of the Holy Sepulchre is a venerated sanctuary for Esplanade, also known as the Western Wall or the Wailing
NORWAY
Christians. It is said to have been built on the site of Wall. It is the only vestige of the temple of Herod, king of
ESTONIA
Christ’s crucifixion, His tomb, and His resurrection. the Jews, destroyed in 70 CE, of which only the west wall
LATVIA
DENMARK
RUSSIA has survived.
LITHUANIA
IRELAND UNITED BELARUS
KINGDOM NLD GERMANY POLAND
BEL CZECH UKRAINE
LUX LIE REP. SVK KAZAKHSTAN
MOL
GAMBIA BURKINA
SUDAN DJIBOUTI CAMBODIA
GUINEA- GUINEA FASO PHILIPPINES
BENIN
BISSAU NIGERIA
GHANA
ZAMBIA E VANUATU
AW
U
BIQ FIJI
I
SCAR
AM
ZIMBABWE MOZ MAURITIUS Dharamsala
A
TONGA
MADAG
NAMIBIA CHINA
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
NEPAL
SOUTH LESOTHO INDIA Lumbinî
AFRICA
Varanasi Bodh-Gaya
DOMINANT RELIGIONS
Catholicism
NEW
Protestantism ZEALAND
Orthodoxy
Sunnism
Shiism
Judaism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Confucianism, Taoism
Shintoism
Traditional religions
No data
Major Jewish communities
Sources: UNESCO; Atlas of the World, National Geographic
Holy sites
Pilgrims at Mecca, Saudi Arabia Buddhism
According to the precepts of Islam, every Muslim who Christianity
has the means must make the pilgrimage to Mecca The Ganges in Varanasi, India
Hinduism
once in his or her life. The Ganges is a holy river for the Hindus,
who go there to perform their ablutions. Islam
Judaism
86 :
SPORTS
There is an extremely wide variety of sports. Whether individual
or team, based on physical strength or tactical intelligence, they
have in common a striving to outdo oneself, a respect for rules
that enable performances to be compared, and the notion
of pleasure. Since the explosion of coverage in the
media, the social and economic impact of sports
has increased considerably. Today,
sports is a mass cultural
phenomenon, conveying the
social values of recognition
and success. The Olympic
movement has been a major CANADA
Québec Saint-Malo
Transat Québec–
New York
Several hundred sports are played around the world. Some, such 1994 Baltimore
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), founded in 1904, now has 207
member national associations. An Olympic sport since 1908, soccer owes its universal appeal South America
(CONMEBOL)
to its simple rules and the lack of specialized equipment required, but also to the amazing PERU 27.8 million players
popularity of the World Cup. No other international event draws as much attention, mainly due
to television broadcast of the games: 1.7 billion viewers watched the France–Brazil final in 1998. BOLIVIA
URUGUAY
lobe
1930
Race
G
T H E WO R L D CUP OF SOCCER dée
n
Ven
Ocea
COUNTRY COUNTRY
LITHUANIA
RUSSIA
UNITED KINGDOM
IRELAND 1966
RUS
NETHERLANDS
A
London GERMANY
BEL
Wimbledon Rotterdam 1974 and POLAND
Portsmouth 2006
Plymouth
BELGIUM
Lizard Point Le Havre LUXEMBOURG CZECH REP. UKRAINE
Paris SLOVAKIA
Saint-Malo Roland-
Garros LIECHTENSTEIN AUSTRIA
GAL
SPAIN
PORTU
1982 GREECE
ICELAND SWEDEN
1958
FINLAND
NORWAY
ESTONIA
Goteborg LATVIA
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
(UEFA) MONGOLIA
DOV
CHINA
DA
ISRAEL
t Jacq
JOR
KUWAIT
ALGERIA LIBYA PAKISTAN NEPAL
EGYPT BHUTAN
a
BAHRAIN
Trans
WESTERN QATAR
SAHARA (MA) SAUDI UNITED BANGLADESH
ARABIA ARAB INDIA
Africa EMIRATES BURMA
MAURITANIA OMAN LAOS
(CAF)
CAPE VERDE MALI 46.3 million players
VIE
TNA
CHAD
NIGERIA
GHANA
MARSHALL IS.
SIERRA LEONE CÔTE
CENTRAL ETHIOPIA SRI MICRONESIA
D'IVOIRE LANKA
AFRICAN REP.
A
CAMEROON BRUNEI
TOGO
SOM
M A L A Y S I A Oceania (OFC)
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
UGANDA SINGAPORE 0.5 million players
RWANDA KENYA
SAO TOME GABON
AND PRINCIPE DEM. REP. OF NAURU KIRIBATI
CONGO THE CONGO SEYCHELLES I N D O N E S I A
BURUNDI PAPUA
TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
SOLOMON IS. TUVALU
TIMOR
COMOROS LESTE
ANGOLA SAMOA
MA
ZAMBIA
LAW
VANUATU FIJI
I
IQU
SCAR
MB
ZIMBABWE
ZA
Ven
MAURITIUS
MO
NAMIBIA
MADAG
TONGA
dée
Vo BOTSWANA
lvo
O
Gl
cea
obe
nR AUSTRALIA
ace SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
Cape Town
Australian Open
ar t
Éclipse Is.
Melbourne
-Hob
Wellington
ne y
yd
SELECTED MAJOR
SPORTS EVENTS
Soccer
World Cup of Soccer
Boundaries of confederations
Number of players per confederation
Women
Men
Source: FIFA
Tennis
Grand Slam tournaments
Source: ITF
olympic medals through history former country summer games winter games
Over the history of the Olympic Games, some countries have (Year of participation) medals medals
disappeared and others have appeared. The table below lists the Yugoslavia
number of Olympic medals won at Summer and Winter Games by 90 4
(between 1924 and 2000)
earth: an inhabited planet
some former countries. The colors in the table correspond to outlined Czechoslovakia
zones on the maps below. (between 1920 and 1992)
143 25
o ly m p i c m e d a l s at t h e s u m m e r ga m e s
Total medals won per country since 1896
≥ 1,000
100–999
10–99
1–9
0
Source: IOC
o ly m p i c m e d a l s at t h e w i n t e r ga m e s
Total medals won per country since 1924
≥ 150
50–149
10–49
1–9
0
Source: IOC
SPORTS : 89
O LY M P I C GA M E S H O ST C I T I E S
Mexico (1968)
Olympic cities
Summer Games
Winter Games
Source: IOC
BAHAMAS
CUBA
MEXICO DOMINICAN
HAITI REP. SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
EARTH: AN
involves direct exploitation of natural resources (fishing, agriculture, livestock COLOMBIA SURINAME
production, mining, etc.). The industries that transform resources form the ECUADOR
secondary sector, which includes a very diverse range of activities, from the agri-
food industry to shipbuilding to the pharmaceutical industry to energy production. PERU
SOUTH AM.,
The tertiary sector encompasses all service activities (banking services, retail, health- CENTRAL AM.,
AND CARIBBEAN
care services, telecommunications, transportation, etc.).
BOLIVIA
BRAZIL
PARAGUAY
ARGENTINA
URUGUAY
T H E L A R G E ST M U LTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS
E
CHIL
IRELAND MONEY
RUS
A
UNITED KINGDOM NETHERLANDS
BEL
POLAND
GERMANY
BELGIUM
LUXEMBOURG CZECH REP.
Money, also called currency, is the legal means of paying a debt. Physically,
SLOVAKIA
UKRAINE
it consists of coins and bills that are exchanged when a payment is made.
LIECHTENSTEIN AUSTRIA Currency is also a unit of account: the prices of goods and services are
FRANCE HUNGARY
SWITZERLAND
SLOV
ENIA
ROMANIA calculated in this monetary unit. Most sovereign countries have their own
CROATIA
SAN MARINO BOSNIA AND currency. Money from one country can be exchanged for money from
MONACO
ITALY
HERZEGOVINA SERBIA
another country at an exchange rate that is fixed or that varies according to
MONTENEGRO
ANDORRA BULGARIA
MACEDONIA
supply and demand on the exchange market. However, certain currencies,
VATICAN
such as the Cuban peso, are not convertible.
PORTUGAL
CITY ALBANIA
SPAIN
GREECE
MALTA
ICELAND COMMUNITY OF
SWEDEN INDEPENDENT
FINLAND
NORWAY STATES
ESTONIA
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
MONGOLIA
DOV
A
UZB
GEORGIA EKI KYRGYZSTAN
STA
ARMENIA N NORTH
TURKEY TURKMENISTAN KOREA
AZERBAIJAN TAJIKISTAN
SOUTH
KOREA JAPAN
TUNISIA CYPRUS SYRIA
LEBANON WEST BANK
MOROCCO GAZA STRIP IRAQ AFGHANISTAN ASIA
IRAN
N
DA
ISRAEL KUWAIT
JOR
AFRICA
OM
LIBERIA
ALI
M A L A Y S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
SAO TOME RWANDA
AND PRINCIPE NAURU KIRIBATI
CONGO BURUNDI SEYCHELLES
DEM. REP.
OF THE CONGO I N D O N E S I A PAPUA
TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
TUVALU
TIMOR SOLOMON IS.
COMOROS LESTE
ANGOLA
MAL
FIJI
E
IQU
SCAR
MB
ZIMBABWE
ZA
MAURITIUS
A
TONGA
MO
NAMIBIA
MADAG
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
NEW
ZEALAND
A number of economic units are used to compare countries’ Industrial GDP per inhabitant Share of GDP generated by each
(million $) economic sector, by region
economies. One of these units, the gross domestic product (GDP),
≥ 10,000
measures the total value of goods and services created during one agriculture
5,000–9,999
year within the country only. The industrial GDP per inhabitant 1,000–4,999
industry
is used to put into perspective the data regarding industrial 500–999
services
activities only, as these are most comparable between rich and 100–499
poor countries. < 100 Regional borders
No data
Source: World Bank Source: WTO
92 : ECONOMICS
International trade
International trade consists of all of the exchanges of goods and services between one
country and another. The goods that enter a country constitute its imports, while its
exports are the goods that leave it. The nature of the goods exchanged depends on
the industrial strengths of the respective country; Brazil, for example, has a
wealth of bauxite ore and exports massive amounts of this mineral, while
Canada imports large amounts of bauxite to feed its powerful
aluminum industry. A country’s import-
export flows comprise its balance of
trade. The balance of trade is positive
when a country exports more than it
imports (trade surplus) and negative
in the opposite case (trade deficit). CANADA
20.2
The World Trade Organization
(WTO) governs trade practices among 14.6
its member countries (151 in 2007, NORTH
including most of the trade powers in the world). When there AMERICA
make a ruling. In its first eight years of existence, from 1995 to 2.3
U N I T E D S TAT E S
2002, the WTO was called upon to decide on about 300 disputes.
BAHAMAS
4.7
CUBA 1.8
MEXICO DOMINICAN
HAITI REP. SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
BELIZE JAMAICA ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
TRADE ON THE GLO B A L S C A L E GUATEMALA HONDURAS SAINT VINCENT AND DOMINICA
THE GRENADINES SAINT LUCIA
EL SALVADOR
Intercontinental trade Balance of trade NICARAGUA GRENADA BARBADOS
(trade between one continent (trade surplus and trade deficit) COSTA RICA
PANAMA
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
and another as a proportion VENEZUELA GUYANA
≥ $50 B FRENCH GUIANA (FR)
of total trade) $1 B to $49.9 B COLOMBIA SURINAME
≥ 10%
–$0.9 B to $0.9 B
2%–9.9% ECUADOR
–$49.9 B to –$1 B
< 2%
< –$50 B
Source: WTO PERU
No data
SOUTH AMERICA,
Regional borders Source: WTO CENTRAL AMERICA,
AND CARIBBEAN
BOLIVIA
BRAZIL
PARAGUAY
Western Europe and Asia are the most active regions in terms of URUGUAY
E
international trade. Together, they are responsible for more than two-
CHIL
D I ST R I B U T I O N O F E X P O RT S WO R L D W I D E
North
America
Asia (14.5%) In 2003, exports from
(27.4%) South and Central
Middle East America represented
(5.3%) 3.5% of total exports
worldwide.
Africa
(2.9%) Western Europe
(43%)
Eastern Europe
and Russia
(3.3%)
Source: WTO
ECONOMICS : 93
SWEDEN
DENMARK LITHUANIA
RUSSIA
IRELAND
RUS
A
UNITED KINGDOM NETHERLANDS
BEL
POLAND
GERMANY
BELGIUM
LUXEMBOURG CZECH REP.
UKRAINE
SLOVAKIA
LIECHTENSTEIN AUSTRIA
FRANCE SWITZERLAND
HUNGARY
ENIA
SLOV ROMANIA
CROATIA
0.6 SAN MARINO BOSNIA AND
MONACO HERZEGOVINA SERBIA
ITALY MONTENEGRO BULGARIA
ANDORRA
VATICAN MACEDONIA
PORTUGAL
CITY ALBANIA
SPAIN
0.3
ICELAND COMMUNITY OF
GREECE
SWEDEN INDEPENDENT
FINLAND 6.6
NORWAY STATES
MALTA
ESTONIA
RUSSIA
0.1
1.8
0.3
UKRAINE
KAZAKHSTAN
EUROPE
MOL
MONGOLIA
DOV
A
ASIA
DA
ISRAEL KUWAIT
JOR
SAUDI EMIRATES
ARABIA BURMA
MAURITANIA INDIA LAOS
AN
OM
ERITREA THAILAND
SENEGAL AFRICA YEMEN 0.5
M
GAMBIA BURKINA
MIDDLE
DJIBOUTI CAMBODIA
GUINEA- GUINEA FASO EAST PHILIPPINES
BENIN
LIBERIA
ALI
M A L A Y S I A
0.4 EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
SAO TOME RWANDA
AND PRINCIPE NAURU KIRIBATI
CONGO BURUNDI SEYCHELLES
DEM. REP.
OF THE CONGO I N D O N E S I A PAPUA
TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
TUVALU
TIMOR SOLOMON IS.
COMOROS LESTE
0.2
ANGOLA
MAL
FIJI
E
I
IQU
ASCAR
MB
2.3 ZIMBABWE
ZA
MAURITIUS TONGA
MO
NAMIBIA
MADAG
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
NEW
ZEALAND
unemployment P r o p o rt i o n o f t h e l a b o r f o r c e t h at i s u n e m p loyed
In 2005, unemployment rates varied from
3.8% in East Asia to 13.2% in the Middle
East and North Africa. About half of those
who are unemployed are young people aged
15 to 24 years.
earth: an inhabited planet
≥ 30%
20%–29.9%
10%–19.9%
5%–9.9%
< 5%
No data
Source: CIA World Factbook
female labor wo m e n at wo r k
Proportion of women in the total labor force
In spite of the progress made with regard
to employment equity, there is still a gap
between men and women. Women comprise
about 40% of workers worldwide. In Latin
America and the Caribbean, the proportion
of employed women tends to drop. In the
Middle East and North Africa, it is growing,
but from a very low starting level.
≥ 45%
35%–44.9%
25%–34.9%
< 25%
No data
Source: World Bank
economics : 95
RUSSIA
LITHUANIA
KINGDOM
RUS
NETHERLANDS
A
BEL
The world economy is based on an essential resource: BELGIUM
GERMANY POLAND
energy. Today, the most widely used energy source is oil. LUXEMBOURG
CZECH REP.
SLOVAKIA
UKRAINE
AUSTRIA
The most optimistic experts estimate that underground FRANCE
SWITZERLAND LIECHTENSTEIN
HUNGARY
ENIA ROMANIA
SLOV
reserves will be exhausted by 2030 at the latest. SAN
CROATIA
BOSNIA AND
MARINO HERZEGOVINA SERBIA
Anticipating the oil shortage, the United States, some
MONACO
ITALY
ANDORRA MONTENEGRO BULGARIA
PORTUGAL
CITY ALBANIA
U N I T E D S TAT E S
PARAGUAY
URUGUAY
WORLD ENERGY PR O D U C T I O N A N D C O N S U M P T I O N
E
CHIL
ARGENTINA
Oil production Wind energy
(thousands of barrels per day) 20 main producing countries
≥ 3,000 (MW installed)
1,000–2,999 ≥ 5,000
< 1,000 1,000–4,999
Source: BP
< 1,000
1 MW (megawatt) = 1 million watts
Hydroelectric production Source: World Wind Energy Association
20 main producing countries
(billions of kWh) Energy consumption
≥ 150 (kWh/person/year)
75–149 ≥ 10,000
< 75 5,000–9,999
1 kWh (kilowatt-hour) = 1,000 Wh 2,000–4,999
Source: Energy Information Administration 500–1,999
< 500
Nuclear power plants
No data
Source: International Nuclear Safety Center
Source: International Energy Agency
ENERGY : 97
ICELAND
SWEDEN
NORWAY FINLAND
ESTONIA
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
MONGOLIA
DOV
A
VIE
THAILAND
M
BISSAU NIGERIA
GHANA
CAMEROON
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA M A L A Y S I A
GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
SAO TOME RWANDA KIRIBATI
AND PRINCIPE NAURU
CONGO BURUNDI
DEM. REP. SEYCHELLES
I N D O N E S I A PAPUA
OF THE CONGO TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
TUVALU
TIMOR SOLOMON IS.
ANGOLA COMOROS LESTE
MAL
FIJI
UE
I
SCAR
IQ
MB
ZIMBABWE
ZA
MAURITIUS
A
TONGA
MO
MADAG
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SOUTH SWAZILAND
AFRICA
Between 1960 and 1970, world oil consumption more than CHANGES IN THE PRICE OF A BARREL OF CRUDE OIL
AND IN OIL CONSUMPTION
doubled, making oil a major economic stake. This put the
producing countries of the Persian Gulf—notably Iran, Iraq, 80 100
Consumption (millions of barrels per day)
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
Year
UNITED STATES
BAHAMAS
CUBA
MEXICO DOMINICAN
BELIZE HAITI REP. SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
JAMAICA ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
GUATEMALA SAINT VINCENT AND DOMINICA
HONDURAS THE GRENADINES SAINT LUCIA
EL SALVADOR
NICARAGUA GRENADA BARBADOS
COSTA RICA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
PANAMA
VENEZUELA GUYANA
FRENCH GUIANA (FR)
COLOMBIA
SURINAME
ECUADOR
The main agricultural plant products are sugar cane, cereals Farmland
(wheat, rice, corn, etc.), roots and tubers (potatoes, sugar Rain-fed farmland and pasture
BOLIVIA
Irrigated farmland and pasture
beets, manioc, etc.), soybeans, citrus fruits, and forage plants. Fragmented farmland
When the plants are irrigated by rainwater only, it is called PARAGUAY
rain-fed agriculture. Rice cultivation, for instance, may be Source: USGS (from data from a NOAA satellite)
rain-fed, in which case it is a low-yield crop. It may also be ARGENTINA
Agricultural production
irrigated and give better yields. (12 top producing countries URUGUAY
for each product)
E
CHIL
rice beef
wheat poultry
corn sea fish
soybeans sugarcane
potatoes coffee
Source: FAO
IRELAND BELARUS
UNITED KINGDOM NETHERLANDS
POLAND
GERMANY
BELGIUM
LUXEMBOURG CZECH REP.
UKRAINE
SLOVAKIA Rice paddy, Indonesia
LIECHTENSTEIN AUSTRIA Indonesia is one of the major rice-producing countries.
FRANCE HUNGARY
ROMANIA
SWITZERLAND
SLOV
ENIA Most rice cultivation is irrigated, but some is rain-fed.
CROATIA
SAN MARINO BOSNIA AND
MONACO HERZEGOVINA SERBIA
CITY ALBANIA
SPAIN
GREECE
MALTA
ICELAND
SWEDEN FINLAND
NORWAY
RUSSIA
ESTONIA
LATVIA
UKRAINE
KAZAKHSTAN
MONGOLIA
DOV
A
UZB
GEORGIA EKI KYRGYZSTAN
STA
ARMENIA N NORTH
TURKEY TURKMENISTAN KOREA
AZERBAIJAN TAJIKISTAN
SOUTH
KOREA JAPAN
CYPRUS SYRIA
TUNISIA LEBANON WEST BANK CHINA
MOROCCO GAZA STRIP IRAQ
AFGHANISTAN
IRAN
N
DA
ALGERIA NEPAL
LIBYA EGYPT BAHRAIN
WESTERN QATAR UNITED
SAHARA (MA) ARAB INDIA BANGLADESH
EMIRATES BURMA
SAUDI
MAURITANIA ARABIA LAOS
AN
OM
BISSAU NIGERIA
GHANA
LIBERIA
ALI
M A L A Y S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
SAO TOME RWANDA KIRIBATI
AND PRINCIPE NAURU
CONGO DEM. REP. BURUNDI SEYCHELLES I N D O N E S I A
OF THE CONGO PAPUA
TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
TUVALU
TIMOR SOLOMON IS.
COMOROS LESTE
ANGOLA SAMOA
MAL
ZAMBIA E VANUATU
AWI
U
BIQ FIJI
SCAR
AM
ZIMBABWE MOZ
MAURITIUS
A
TONGA
NAMIBIA
MADAG
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
NEW
ZEALAND
FARMLAND
≥ 45%
25%–44%
10%–24%
5%–9%
< 5%
No data
Source: FAO
100 : a g r i c u lt u r e
the main cereal-producing
countries cereal production
≥ 75 M t
50–74 M t
4–49 M t
1–3 M t
<1Mt
No data
Source: FAO
earth: an inhabited planet
≥ 18 M ha
5–17.9 M ha
1–4.9 M ha
0.05–0.9 M ha
< 0.05 M ha
No data
Source: ISAAA
≥ 1,500,000 M t
500,000–1,499,999 M t
200,000–499,999 M t
100,000–199,999 M t
< 100,000 M t
No data
Source: FAO
Corn field in Illinois, United States
In Illinois, a state situated in the northern United States, corn is
cultivated intensively; this form of agriculture consumes more
resources (water, fertilizer) with the goal of increasing the yield
of the land farmed. In contrast, subsistence farming produces food
mainly for local populations.
102 :
TRANSPORTATION
SWEDEN
Hamburg
of people or goods. There are different modes of NETHERLANDS
BELARUS
IRELAND Amsterdam
Berlin POLAND
PORTUGAL
Madrid
ALBANIA
SPAIN GREECE
Athens
Algiers
MALTA
CANADA
Seattle
Minneapolis Montréal
Toronto
U N I T E D S TAT E S Detroit Boston
Chicago
Denver New York
EARTH: AN INHABITED PLANET
Harbin
Changchun
CHINA
Shenyang
NORTH
Beijing KOREA
Dalian
Pyongyang
Tianjin
Zibo Seoul JAPAN
SOUTH
KOREA Tokyo
Nagoya
Pusan
Osaka-Kobe
Nanjing
Shanghai
ICELAND Wuhan
SWEDEN
FINLAND
NORWAY
Saint Petersburg
ESTONIA
LATVIA RUSSIA
Moscow
UKRAINE
K A Z A K H S TA N
MOL
MONGOLIA
DOV
A
UZBEKISTAN
Istanbul GEORGIA KYRGYZSTAN
ARMENIA
Ankara
Alexandria
DA
Chengdu
JOR
BRUNEI MICRONESIA
ALI
TOGO
SOM
Abidjan MALDIVES M A L AY S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA Singapore
CONGO KENYA
SAO TOME GABON RWANDA KIRIBATI
AND PRINCIPE SINGAPORE NAURU
DEM. REP. SEYCHELLES I N D O N E S I A
OF THE CONGO BURUNDI
Kinshasa Jakarta PAPUA
TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
Bandung Surabaja
TIMOR SOLOMON IS. TUVALU
COMOROS LESTE
ANGOLA SAMOA
MA
ZAMBIA
LAW
UE VANUATU
BIQ FIJI
I
M
SCAR
ZA
ZIMBABWE MO
A
MAURITIUS
MADAG
NAMIBIA TONGA
BOTSWANA
Johannesburg AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
Cape Town Sydney
Melbourne
NEW
ZEALAND
Maritime transportation
Ships are the form of transportation most used for long
distances (international trade) and for transportation of heavy
goods, in bulk and in containers. It is estimated that 71% of
world freight (96% by weight) transits through shipping lanes,
oceanic routes several kilometers wide that link the main ports
of the globe. Some major rivers, such as the Amazon and
the St. Lawrence, provide ships with routes to the interior of
continents. Since the advent of air transport, maritime transport
of passengers has been limited to sea cruises in passenger ships
and short crossings on ferries.
Container ship, port of Rotterdam
With traffic of more than 8 million TEUs, the port of Rotterdam is the seventh-largest port
in the world.
104 : t r a n s p o rtat i o n
Road transportation
Ground transportation is by far the most widely used form.
In developing countries, non-motorized means of ground
transportation—walking, bicycles, and horse and cart—are
still very widespread. In developed countries, on the other
hand, ground transportation has taken over from all other
forms of transportation, due to its rapidity and flexibility. In
the wealthiest countries, there are 45 cars per 100 inhabitants
and the road networks have more than 10 million kilometers of
roads. Road traffic is regulated more or less strictly from country
to country. In most countries, drivers must have a driving permit
that is adapted to their vehicle, and they must obey speed limits.
Road traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, United States
In 2003, the United States had 3.6 times as many cars per 100 inhabitants as did Mexico. On
the other hand, road traffic was less dense in the U.S., with 13 vehicles per vehicular route,
compared to 59 in Mexico.
earth: an inhabited planet
R oa d n e t work Vehicles
Total length of roads Number of vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants
≥ 1,500,000 km ≥ 500
500,000–1,499,999 km 150–499
150,000–499,999 km 100–149
50,000–149,999 km 50–99
< 50,000 km < 50
No data No data
Source: World Bank Source: World Bank
Rail transportation
Heavily used in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th has several advantages over road transportation. Because most
century, rail transportation then declined as road transportation trains run on electricity, they are less polluting than trucks and
became more popular. The development of high-speed trains in automobiles. In addition, rail transportation is a form of public
the 1980s, with a maximum speed of 513 km/h, revived interest transit: trains, subways, and tramways transport hundreds of
in railroads. Most of these trains are in operation in Europe people at a time without clogging the road network.
and Japan. In spite of its lack of flexibility, rail transportation
r a il n e t wor k
Total length of train tracks
≥ 50,000 km
30,000–49,999 km
10,000–29,999 km
2,000–9,999 km Maglev, China
< 2,000 km The Maglev, for Magnetic Levitation, is a train that uses magnetic forces to move and is
No data therefore not in contact with the rails when it runs. It has reached a speed of over 500 km/h.
Source: World Bank
transportation : 105
≥ $25,000 BRAZIL
$10,000–$24,999
BOLIVIA
$3,000–$9,999
$1,000–$2,999
Rio de Janeiro (2)
$500–$999 PARAGUAY
Antofagasta (1)
< $500 Sao Paulo (6)
Measuring wealth
CHILE
S
KINGDOM Berlin (3) POLAND
ARU
NETHERLANDS
Dublin (2) GERMANY
BEL
Warsaw (1)
London (19) BELGIUM
Bad Homburg (3)
LUXEMBOURG Heidelberg (3)
CZECH REP. UKRAINE
LIECHTENSTEIN Stuttgart (4) SLOVAKIA
Paris (12)
Zurich (4) Vienna (3)
FRANCE Luzern (3) AUSTRIA
HUNGARY
Geneva (3) EN IA
SLOV ROMANIA
CROATIA
SWITZERLAND Milano (3) BOSNIA AND
SAN
MARINO HERZEGOVINA
ANDORRA ITALY SERBIA
La Coruna (3) MONACO MONTENEGRO BULGARIA
SPAIN Rome (2) MACEDONIA
ALBANIA
VATICAN
PORTUGAL
Madrid (3) CITY
ICELAND
SWEDEN FINLAND
GREECE
NORWAY
Oslo (4)
Stockholm (5) ESTONIA
LATVIA RUSSIA
Magnitogorsk (1)
Moscow (24)
Surgut (1)
UKRAINE
Dnipropetrovs'k (1)
KAZAKHSTAN
MOL
Almaty (3)
Istanbul (7) GEORGIA UZBEKISTAN
KYRGYZSTAN
ARMENIA NORTH JAPAN
AZERBAIJAN TURKMENISTAN Beijing (1) KOREA
TURKEY TAJIKISTAN
Seoul (3) Kyoto (3)
PAKISTAN
JOR
SIERRA CÔTE
LEONE D'IVOIRE CENTRAL
AFRICAN REP. BRUNEI PALAU
LIBERIA TOGO CAMEROON MICRONESIA
A
ALI
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
KENYA Singapore (5) Sibu (1)
CONGO SINGAPORE
SAO TOME GABON
AND PRINCIPE RWANDA NAURU KIRIBATI
DEM. REP. OF SEYCHELLES
THE CONGO TANZANIA I N D O N E S I A PAPUA
BURUNDI NEW GUINEA
Kudus (1) Surabaja (1)
TIMOR SOLOMON IS. TUVALU
LESTE
COMOROS
ANGOLA MALAWI
ZAMBIA
UE
VANUATU SAMOA
BIQ
FIJI
ZAM
SCAR
ZIMBABWE
MO
MAURITIUS
A
NAMIBIA TONGA
MADAG
BOTSWANA
SWAZILAND
AUSTRALIA
Johannesburg (1)
LESOTHO
SOUTH AFRICA Perth (1)
Stellenbosch (1) Sydney (3)
Melbourne (2)
NEW
ZEALAND
High
Average
Low
No data
Source: UN
ea r t h : a n i n h a b i t e d p l a n e t
PERU
Water consumption BRAZIL
consumption per capita results from the easy access to water and PARAGUAY
CHILE
economic development in some countries.
ARGENTINA
URUGUAY
On the global scale, the agricultural sector is the greatest Water consumption for domestic use rises along with the
consumer of water. About 70% of water consumed in the world standard of living of populations. Running water, sewer systems,
is used for farmland irrigation. The countries that irrigate the and household appliances such as dishwashers and washing
most are situated in Asia (China, India, Pakistan). Due to machines have propelled consumption up to 60 billion m3 per
insufficient precipitation, the most arid countries have little year in the United States.
capacity for irrigation.
≥ 200
100–199.9 ≥ 250
50–99.9 200–249.9
20–49.9 100–199.9
3–19.9 50–99.9
<3 25–49.9
No data < 25
(1 Gm3 = 1 billion cubic meters) No data
Source: FAO Source: FAO
FRESHWATER RESOURCES : 111
ICELAND EUROPE
SWEDEN FINLAND
NORWAY
ESTONIA
LATVIA
DENMARK
RUSSIA
LITHUANIA
IRELAND UNITED BELARUS
KINGDOM NLD GERMANY POLAND
BEL
LUX CZECH REP. UKRAINE
LIE SVK KAZAKHSTAN
FRANCE
MOL
AUSTRIA HUNGARY
SWITZERLAND SVN MONGOLIA
DOV
HRV ROMANIA
ITALY
A
VIE
TNA
CHAD ERITREA YEMEN THAILAND
SENEGAL
M
GAMBIA BURKINA SUDAN CAMBODIA
GUINEA- GUINEA FASO DJIBOUTI
PHILIPPINES
BENIN
BISSAU NIGERIA
GHANA
LIBERIA
ALI
M A L A Y S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
SAO TOME RWANDA
AND PRINCIPE NAURU KIRIBATI
CONGO DEM. REP. OF BURUNDI I N D O N E S I A
SEYCHELLES
THE CONGO PAPUA
TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
TUVALU
TIMOR SOLOMON IS.
AFRICA COMOROS LESTE
SAMOA
ANGOLA
MAL
ZAMBIA E VANUATU
AW
U
BIQ FIJI
I
SCAR
AM
ZIMBABWE MOZ
MAURITIUS
A
TONGA
MADAG
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
OCEANIA
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
INDUSTRIAL USE
Source: WHO
HEALTH : 113
T H E H E A LT H S I T U AT I O N
Population infected with malaria Life expectancy at birth
> 1% (average age that people born in 2003 can
expect to live)
Source: WHO
≥ 80 years
Population (15–49 years) infected with 70–79.9 years
HIV/AIDS 60–69.9 years
> 1% 50–59.9 years
Source: UNAIDS 40–49.9 years
< 40 years
ICELAND Doctors Without Borders
Source: UN
SWEDEN FINLAND Countries where the organization is active
NORWAY
Source: Doctors Without Borders
ESTONIA
LATVIA
DENMARK
RUSSIA
LITHUANIA
IRELAND UNITED POLAND
BELARUS
KINGDOM NLD
GERMANY
BEL CZECH REP. UKRAINE
LUX
LIE SVK KAZAKHSTAN
FRANCE
MOL
AUSTRIA HUNGARY
SWITZERLAND SVN MONGOLIA
DOV
VIE
THAILAND
TNA
SENEGAL
CHAD ERITREA YEMEN
M
SUDAN
GAMBIA BURKINA FASO CAMBODIA
GUINEA-
GUINEA
DJIBOUTI PHILIPPINES
BISSAU
CÔTE BENIN NIGERIA
SIERRA LEONE CENTRAL ETHIOPIA SRI MARSHALL IS.
GHANA
M A L A Y S I A
SOM
FIJI
IQU
SCAR
MB
ZIMBABWE
ZA
MAURITIUS TONGA
MO
MADAG
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
SOUTH LESOTHO
AFRICA
NEW
ZEALAND
INVESTING IN HEALTH
BAHAMAS
CUBA
MEXICO DOMINICAN
HAITI REP.
BELIZE JAMAICA ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
KNA
GUATEMALA HONDURAS DOMINICA
EL SALVADOR VCT SAINT LUCIA
NICARAGUA GRENADA BARBADOS
COSTA RICA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
PANAMA
VENEZUELA GUYANA
FRENCH GUIANA (FR)
COLOMBIA
SURINAME
THE ILL ITERACY RATE ECUADOR
The illiteracy rate counts people over 15 years of age who are unable to read and write a PERU
BRAZIL
short sentence about their everyday life. It is high in all developing countries where basic
education is not systematic. In developed countries, few of which publish data on this
BOLIVIA
subject, illiteracy is less visible, but it exists nevertheless, especially among those excluded
from mainstream society. PARAGUAY
ARGENTINA
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% URUGUAY
E
CHIL
Bolivia
Brazil
Vietnam
Haiti
Iraq
India
Bhutan
Chad
Afghanistan
Men
Mali Women
Sources: UN; CIA World Factbook
ILLITERACY : 115
ICELAND
SWEDEN FINLAND
NORWAY
ESTONIA
LATVIA
DENMARK
RUSSIA
LITHUANIA
IRELAND UNITED BELARUS
KINGDOM NLD GERMANY POLAND
BEL
CZECH REP. UKRAINE
LUX LIE SVK KAZAKHSTAN
AUSTRIA HUNGARY
FRANCE
SWITZERLAND SVN MONGOLIA
DOV
HRV ROMANIA
ITALY
A
BISSAU NIGERIA
GHANA
M A L A Y S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
GABON KENYA SINGAPORE
SAO TOME RWANDA KIRIBATI
AND PRINCIPE NAURU
CONGO DEM. REP. OF BURUNDI I N D O N E S I A
SEYCHELLES
THE CONGO PAPUA
TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
TUVALU
TIMOR SOLOMON IS.
COMOROS LESTE
ANGOLA SAMOA
MAL
ZAMBIA E VANUATU
AW
U
BIQ FIJI
I
SCAR
AM
ZIMBABWE MOZ
MAURITIUS
A
TONGA
MADAG
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
U N I T E D S TAT E S
BAHAMAS
CUBA
MEXICO DOMINICAN
HAITI REP.
BELIZE JAMAICA ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
KNA
GUATEMALA HONDURAS DOMINICA
VCT SAINT LUCIA
EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA
THE MAIN ARMED C O N F L I C T S GRENADA BARBADOS
COSTA RICA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
PANAMA
Number of armed conflicts per country Armed conflicts in the last 15 years VENEZUELA GUYANA
(1989–2006) FRENCH GUIANA (FR)
International conflict
8–9 COLOMBIA
Border dispute SURINAME
6–7 Armed independence movement ECUADOR
4–5 Civil war
2–3 Sources: Le Monde diplomatique; BBC News PERU
1 BRAZIL
0
Source: Uppsala Conflict Database BOLIVIA
Israel against Lebanon to stop activities by terrorists established Peru and Ecuador for control of the Condor cordillera
in Lebanon (1978–2006) (1981–1998) ARGENTINA
Israel against Syria for possession of the Golan Heights Cameroon and Nigeria for control of the oil-rich Bakassi URUGUAY
E
Eritrea against Ethiopia for control of the city of Badme India and Pakistan for control of the
(1998–2000) Kashmir region (since 1948)
Invasion of Iraq by the United States to end the dictatorship of Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Brunei, the Philippines,
Saddam Hussein (2003) and Malaysia, for control of the Spratly Islands
(since 1988)
Invasion of Afghanistan by the United States to combat
terrorism (2001)
CYPRUS
SYRIA
LEBANON
WEST BANK
GAZA
STRIP
ISRAEL
JORDAN
EGYPT
ICELAND
SWEDEN FINLAND
NORWAY
ESTONIA
LATVIA
DENMARK
RUSSIA
LITHUANIA
UNITED BELARUS
IRELAND KINGDOM NLD GERMANY POLAND
BEL
LUX CZECH REP. UKRAINE
FRANCE LIE SVK KAZAKHSTAN
MOL
AUSTRIA HUNGARY
SWITZERLAND SVN MONGOLIA
DOV
HRV ROMANIA
ITALY GEORGIA
A
ERITREA
TNA
BISSAU NIGERIA
GHANA
LIBERIA D'IVOIRE
ALI
M A L A Y S I A
EQUATORIAL GUINEA UGANDA
CONGO KENYA
SAO TOME GABON RWANDA SINGAPORE KIRIBATI
AND PRINCIPE NAURU
BURUNDI
SEYCHELLES
I N D O N E S I A PAPUA
DEM. REP. OF TANZANIA NEW GUINEA
THE CONGO TUVALU
TIMOR SOLOMON IS.
ANGOLA COMOROS LESTE
SAMOA
MAL
ZAMBIA E VANUATU
AW
U
BIQ FIJI
I
SCAR
AM
ZIMBABWE MOZ
MAURITIUS
A
TONGA
MADAG
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
AUSTRALIA
SWAZILAND
LESOTHO
SOUTH
AFRICA
NEW
ZEALAND
CIVIL WARS
In Guatemala, guerrillas against the military government for Ethnic conflict for control of the Congo (1997–2003) In Somalia, clan conflict for control of the country
a change of regime (1960–1996) (1991–2004)
In Colombia, communist group (FARC) against the government Popular liberation movement of Angola against the Unita Confrontation between Shiite and Sunni Muslims in Iraq
for control of the country (since 1966) rebel group for control of the country (1975–2002) (since 2005)
In Sierra Leone, armed group against the government for In Chad, ethnic and religious conflict for control of the In Afghanistan, mujahadin against the Taliban for control of
control of diamond production (1991–2002) country (1998–2003) the country (1992–2001)
In Côte d’Ivoire, ethnic and religious conflict for control of In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, rebel group against In Tajikistan, Islamists and democrats against the pro-
the country (1999–2005) the government for control of the country (1997–2002) Russian army for control of the country (1992–1997)
In Algeria, Islamists against the government for control of In Sudan, animists and Christians against the Islamist Ethnic conflict between Tutsis and Hutus for control of
the country (1991–2005) government and ethnic conflict in Darfur (1983–2005) Rwanda (1994–2001)
118 : conflicts
Freedom of the press
Media propaganda is used in many conflicts to manipulate (censorship, seizures, searches, pressure, etc.). On the basis of
opinion and the adversary. Freedom of the press is a bulwark this information, it assigns each country a ranking that reflects
against this propaganda. Each year, the French association its freedom of the press. The lower the ranking, the greater the
Reporters Without Borders, through its network of freedom of the press. In 2007, 169 countries were ranked. Their
correspondents, lists attacks against journalists (assassinations, rankings ranged from 0.75 in Iceland to 114.75 in Eritrea.
imprisonments, assaults, threats, etc.) and the media
earth: an inhabited planet
Very good
Good
Fair
Difficult
Serious
Very serious
No data
Source: Reporters Without Borders
Military expenditures
Military expenditures are the total amounts allocated to armed of government expenditures, they form a major geopolitical
forces, governmental defense agencies, and military activities in indicator for analyzing conflicts in the world. In 2006, world
space but exclude, among other things, the cost of destroying military expenditures stood at 184 per person on average, or
weapons. Although they often represent only a low proportion 2.5% of the world gross domestic product (GDP).
a m o u n t o f m i l i ta ry e x p e n d i t u r e s
(compared to GDP, per country)
≥ 10%
3%–9%
1%–2%
< 1%
No data
Source: CIA World Factbook
Antitank mines
Antitank mines are part of the war arsenal long used in many
conflicts, alongside powerful antipersonnel mines, which cause
many civilian deaths.
The Continents
Mount Barbeau,
2,616 m
s.
ASIA
re I
sme
-4,177 m
Elle
GREENLAND (DK)
it
tra Beaufort Sea
Prince Patrick Is.
INTERNATIO gS
N AL DATE LINE rin
Be
St. Lawrence Is. Melville Is.
Bering Devon Is.
Sea BR
OO Banks Is. Baffin Bay
KS
RANGE
a ck
u t Tombstone Mountain,
i a
enzie
n I s . 2,196 m Mount Odin,
M 2,147 m
AC Nettilling
K Lake
E Great
N
Bear Lake
ZI
Kodiak Is. Keele Peak, Great
E
Mount Logan, 2,972 m
Gulf of 5,956 m Bear River
Alaska MOU
Yukon
l on
THE CONTINENTS
NTAINS Th e
C O
Slav
Mount Roosevelt, -243 m Bay
2,814 m
e Riv
.
Riv. Hudson Bay
M O U
Lake C A N A D A
Peac
R
Athabasca
Queen Reindeer
Charlotte Is.
N T
lake
elson
A I
N
O
Mount Robson, C
a James
Fraser
3,959 m Sask
n
N S
Mount Waddington, i a
wa
4,019 m Lake
cou
n
n
Winnipeg
S h
ver
Lake
C
Calgary i e
Is.
Vancouver Winnipegosis
l d
Lake
umbia Manitoba
NS
Seattle Lake
TIA
G
C ol
Nipigon
GE
EN
AN
UR
ce
n
r
K
Snak
LA
ER
re
w
e
Portland
AD
La
Super ior
Lake Montréal
SC
St.
CA
Ottawa
P Lak
e Mount Washington,
Mount Borah, l 1,917 m
I
Hu
Lake Michiga n
3,859 m a Lake
ron
Minneapolis Toronto Ontario Boston
i Providence
ento n Susquehanna
U N I T E D s
Sacram
S
E
N
Sacramento Pittsburgh
evaporation of a much larger prehistoric lake,
our i
Great Basin
I A
A N
C H
San Jose Denver Washington, D.C.
EVA
Cincinnati
Death Valley, o
S
L A
-86 m St. Louis
ora
DA
4,301 m
Co l
Las Vegas
n
A
Grand Canyon Mount Mitchell,
Ozark Plateau
a i
MOJAVE
PHYSICAL MAP OF
P
Ark 2,037 m
DESERT Colorado
P
Los Angeles an
NORTH AMERICA
P l
Plateau sa
A
Riverside s
San Diego Memphis
ma
l
Atlanta
a
Tijuana
Alab
Ri Br a
OR
az o
sissippi
os C
AN
ee
oG
Dallas
i c
a n t
ran
DESE
Guadaloupe
e
RT
SIER
6,000
Yaqui
RA
Gul
DESERT
f of
4,000
MA
Altitude (m)
Florida
lifo
Cali
S
DR
3,000
rnia
IE
RR
2,000
ia
Gulf of Mexico
OC
Torreón Monterrey
A
CI
1,000
MA
DE
MEXICO -4,131 m
DR
500 N O R T H
NT
AL
E O
0 P A C I F I C Rio G
ran
O C E A N de
RI
-500 León
Guadalajara Santiago
de
EN
Depth (m)
–2,500
TA
–8,000 SI um a
ER Isthmus of
RA
cint
Tehuantepec a
–11,034 0 500 1,000 km
MA
DRE
DEL SUR
NICARAGUA
N O RT H A M E R I C A : 123
I
AR
C
AR
CT
IC
PO
(the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes , the Mississippi , the
Rio Grande , and the Mackenzie ). While the ancient, eroded
Appalachian Mountains form the main relief feature of the eastern
part of the continent, the west is marked by high mountain ranges
(Rockies , Sierra Madre , etc.) following the Pacific coast all the
way from Alaska to Mexico. Relatively sparsely populated except along
the coasts, North America has a wide variety of landscapes, from the
Chihuahuan desert to the Arctic tundra, including temperate forests and
THE CONTINENTS
prairies. North America is bordered on the south by Central America, a
Labrador Sea
mountainous isthmus that links it to South America.
Newfoundland
Anticosti Is.
ST. PIERRE AND
Prince MIQUELON (FR)
Edward Is.
Cape Breton Is.
Nova
Scotia
N O R T H
A T L A N T I C
O C E A N
New York, United States
New York’s port is one of the 15 largest in the world.
BERMUDA (GB)
CAN
CER The Appalachians in Tennessee, United States
IC OF
TROP The eroded Appalachian Mountains form the main relief
feature of eastern North America.
≥ 1,000 inhab./km2
250–999 inhab./km2
25–249 inhab./km2
5–24 inhab./km2
0–4 inhab./km2
T H E C L I M AT E S THE BIOMES
O F N O RT H A M E R I C A O F N O RT H A M E R I CA
Source: Kottek et al., World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated Source: FAO
NORTH AMERICA : 125
Sargasso
Sea
Grand Bahama Is.
Florida CER
C AN
THE CONTINENTS
Abaco Is. IC OF
TROP
BAHAMAS
Nassau ANGUILLA (GB)
TURKS AND CAICOS IS. (GB)
Gulf of Mexico Andros VIRGIN IS. (US) SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
Basseterre
BRITISH VIRGIN IS. (GB) ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
-8,605 m Saint John's
-4,131 m Havana Great
CUBA Inagua Is. DOMINICAN GUADELOUPE (FR)
San Juan
REP. PUERTO MONTSERRAT DOMINICA
HAITI Santo RICO (US) (GB)
Roseau
Domingo
Port-au-Prince MARTINIQUE (FR)
CAYMAN IS. (GB) -5,581 m SAINT LUCIA
-7,848 m Lago Enriquillo, Castries BARBADOS
Bridgetown
Yucatán JAMAICA Kingston -46 m SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
Kingstown
GRENADA
Saint George's
BELIZE
Gulf of
Isthmus of TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Honduras Caribbean Sea Port of Spain
Tehuantepec
Belmopan NETHERLANDS ANTILLES (NL)
ARUBA (NL)
GUATEMALA HONDURAS
Volcán Tajumulco, 4,220 m Tegucigalpa
Guatemala
San Salvador
-6,647 m EL SALVADOR
NICARAGUA
Managua
Lake Nicaragua Isthmus of SOUTH
San Juan Panama
N O R T H AMERICA
San José Panama
P A C I F I C
COSTA RICA
O C E A N PANAMA
0 500 1,000 km
Panama Canal
PHYSICAL MAP OF C E N T R A L A M E R I C A A N D T H E A N T I L L E S
Administrative capital
Cities with a population of over 1 M inhab.
the CONTINENTS
Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
A range of volcanic mountains crosses this small Central American country.
Mountains, Jamaica
The mountains of central Jamaica have a temperate climate,
while the coasts have a tropical climate.
128 :
SOUTH AMERICA
South America accounts for 12% of the planet’s landmass. Its relief features are
similar to those in North America. The east side of the continent is an ancient
bedrock, formed of the Guyana Plateau in the north, the Brazilian Plateau in
the center and the Patagonian Plateau in the south. The plateaus are separated by
depressions through which major rivers flow: the Orinoco , the Amazon , and
the Parana . The major mountain ranges are found on the west coast: the Andes
Cordillera stretches north to south, from Venezuela to southern Chile. From the
GALAPAGOS
high peaks of the Andes to the cold Patagonia region, including the equatorial plains IS. (EC)
of Amazonia, South America has a number of climatic zones. South of the Tropic of
Capricorn , warm temperate climates dominate, with some arid and semiarid
regions, while the north has tropical climates. The Andes Cordillera
generates a wide variety of climates, depending on latitude, altitude,
and orientation of the slopes.
THE CONTINENTS
Ma
gd Maracaibo Barquisimeto
a
NORTH N O R T H
Pico Bolivar,
lena
AMERICA 4,981 m s co A T L A N T I C
o ino
Bucaramanga Or
Georgetown O C E A N
n
Medellín VENEZUELA
a
GUYANA Paramaribo
l
L G u y a n a FRENCH
Bogotá
P GUIANA (FR)
l SURINAME
Cali a
COLOMBIA t
e
a
o
u
anc
Rio Br
Pico da Neblina,
ECUADOR 2,994 m Rio Negro
Quito EQUATOR
Cotopaxi, utu Marajó Is.
P
5,897 m ma
Japura z Belém
Chimborazo,
z m a o n
yo
6,310 m a o A
Guayaquil
m Manaus
s
A n
ajo
Tap
A
A m a z o n i a Fortaleza
Xingu
Mara Fernando de
ñón ra
dei Noronha Is.
Ma
N
Natal
PERU us
Pur aíba
Tele
Parn
D
sP
ai a
u
ire
Huascarán, Recife
Arag
THE CONTINENTS
ins
6,768 m
E
Di
Tocant
os
Yerupajá, Maceió
6,617 m ed
e
Juruena
Gu B R A Z I L
Ma d r
-6,403 m apore
S
rancisco
Uca
Lima
yal
i
São F
C Salvador
6,893 m ug
Ur
S E
A R G E N T I N A
S O U T H
R
Pôrto Alegre A T L A N T I C
a
ran
Córdoba O C E A N
A
Pa
Mercedario,
6,700 m URUGUAY
Aconcagua, Rosario
6,962 m
Santiago Tupungato,
6,565 m Buenos Aires
Rio
PHYSICAL MAP OF
a
S O U T H SOUTH AMERICA
P
P A C I F I C Colorado
Administrative capital
O C E A N City with a population of over 1 M inhab.
Gulf of
San Matias 8,850
Valdes 6,000
Chiloé Is. t Pen.
ubu
Ch 5,000
i a
4,000
Altitude (m)
n
Gulf of 3,000
o
1,000
a
-6,618 m
500
t
–500
FALKLAND IS.
Depth (m)
–2,500
(GB)
Strait of –5,000
Magellan –8,000
Tie
0 500 1,000 km
rra
de
l Fu –11,034
ego
≥ 1,000 inhab./km2
250–999 inhab./km2
25–249 inhab./km2
5–24 inhab./km2
0–4 inhab./km2
t h e cl i m at e s the biomes
of south america of south america
Mountain
Coastal Boreal forest
Mediterranean Temperate forest
Humid subtropical humid Temperate prairie
Semiarid Maquis
Arid Tropical rainforest
Humid with dry winter Savanna
Humid Desert
Source: Kottek et al., World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated Source: FAO
south america : 131
The Amazon
The source of the Amazon is in the Andes. It crosses Peru Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia), the Amazonian forest
and Brazil and then flows into the Atlantic Ocean. This river, extends over 3.5 million km2, or 30% of all rainforests in the
which has the greatest rate of flow in the world, pours almost world. This natural environment is home to a very wide variety
200,000 m3 of water into the ocean per second. Its watershed of endemic species. It is estimated that one-quarter of all bird
covers 7 million km2, or more than one-third of the continent. species in the world live in Amazonia.
Shared among several South American countries (including
the CONTINENTS
Before joining with the Rio Negro, the
With a population of 1.8 million inhabitants in its
Amazon is often called the Solimões.
Colombia urban area, Manaus is the only large city in Amazonia.
The Amazon
Peru
Bolivia
DEforestation
Portugal
Cape Verde
Mexico
Peru
Angola
Brazil
Argentina
Mozambique
THE CONTINENTS
Venezuela 912,050 27.63 1810
NORTH
AMERICA
S
Kola Pen.
N
Lofoten Is.
ki
Norwegian Sea
Kemijo
A
Kebnekaise,
ARCTIC 2,111 m White Sea
T
ICELAND P OL AR
C IRCLE Nor the
r
N
Reykjavik
nD
U
vi n
a
Hvannadalshnúkur,
O
2,119 m
-3,931 m
M
FINLAND
N
A
Lake
I
Onega
V
THE CONTINENTS
r
Sui
A
FAROE IS.
(DK) Lake
N
Gulf of Ladoga
I
Galdhøppigen, D Bothnia
Glom en
lal
D
2,469 m
a
ve Neva
Laa
n Helsinki nd
ma
Saint Petersburg
N
Shetland g Fi nla
f of
A
Is.(GB)
Gul
AN
SWEDEN
H MERIDI
Oslo Lake
S
l
Vo
Vanern
ds
-694 m Moscow
lan
a k Lake
gh
NTAI
NS err Vättern LATVIA
ag
Hi
Gotland
MOU Sk Riga
PIAN (SE)
GR
AM Central
Kat
Öland Russian
Glasgow
-3,151 m
teg
Baltic Sea
t
Sjælland
(RU) Minsk
IRELAND
NINES
n
ISLE OF
i
Dublin MAN (GB)
Leeds a
l BELARUS
Manchester P
MOUNTAINS
Hamburg
CAMBRIAN
h
s
Birmingham l i
NETHERLANDS G e r m a n o - P o Warsaw
UNITED
er
Amsterdam Berlin
Wes
London Dnieper
GERMANY Od
Cornwall er
Elb
Brussels e
SU UKRAINE
English Lille
BELGIUM R
DE
Channel TE
hine
Luxembourg 2,655 m A
R
e
A T L A N T I C MOLDOVA
Paris SLOVAKIA P
A
O C E A N Chisinau Odessa
T
ES
Vienna Bratislava
H
re
SG
Munich
Lo i
I
Zurich
FRANCE HUNGARY
N
ALP
L NIAN
Puy de Sancy, Ljubljana YLVA
J
on HERZEGOVINA
Rhone
R
A
ne I C
r
A SERBIA
A L Sarajevo B BULGARIA
TABRIA
N MOUNTAIN
S P SAN MARINO P S A L Bosporus
C AN MONACO San Marino K A N Mount Botev,
El Teleno, P Y Aneto Peak, Monaco Sofia Strait
2,183 m R E 3,404 m Marseille 2,376 m
E
2,925 m
Moncayo, -2,954 m Monte Cinto, 2,912 m
N
Jezerce, Skopje
ro
ANDORRA Ad Sea of
2,313 m Andorra La Valla 2,706 m r 2,694 m MACEDONIA
iat Marmara
Bursa
Almanzor Peak, CORSICA ic
VATICAN Se
N
2,592 m (FR)
Rome Tirana
Barcelona CITY I a
PORTUGAL Tage Madrid
P I
SPAIN S) (GR)
D
S. (E -2,962 m SARDINIA
IC I Thyrrenian Aegean
U
Izmir
E
EAR (IT)
L
S
AFRICA MALTA
Crete (GR)
Valletta
EUROPE : 135
The western part of the huge Eurasian continental ensemble, Europe represents
only 7% of the planet’s landmass. Its territory, with very jagged coastlines, is tightly
interwoven with the surrounding seas, including the Mediterranean Sea , in which
there are numerous islands. Europe is divided into four major zones: the old, low
mountains of the northwest , marked by glaciation; the broad northern plains
; old eroded mountains in the center (Massif Central, Urals ) ; and Alpine-
U
Pech
R
o
Mediterranean Europe to the south, formed of high mountain ranges
A
ra
Stream, the ocean current that crosses the North Atlantic from west
N
T
A
THE CONTINENTS
Ufa
Mediterranean climate.
Kazan
al
Samara
Ur
Volga
Uplands
ASIA
ion
e ss
e pr
D
an
Volgograd Volg
a
pi
Cas
Kharkiv
n
Do
Dnepropetrovsk Rostov-on-Don
Caspian Sea Rome, Italy
Powerful civilizations developed
-28 m in Europe in antiquity, such as the
Sea of
Azov Elbrus,
one here in Rome.
5,643 m S U S
U C A Baku
C A
Crimea Mount Shkhara, AZERBAIJAN
5,200 m Tbilisi Kura
GEORGIA P H Y S I C A L M A P O F E UROPE
ARMENIA Administrative capital
Black Sea Yerevan City with a population of over 1 M inhab.
Mount Ararat, AZE
,5,137 m
Araks
-2,276 m
8,850
t rat
Fira Mu Lake
Van 6,000
5,000
ak
m
lir
TURKEY 4,000
Kizi
Altitude (m)
Ankara 3,000
ates
S
N r 2,000
Anatolian Plain I ph
A
Eu
T
Demirkazik, N 1,000
U
ASIA
3,756 m 500
O
Adana
M
T
0
A U
S
R U –500
Depth (m)
–2,500
Nicosia –5,000
CYPRUS
–8,000
0 250 500 km –11,034
≥ 1,000 inhab./km2
250–999 inhab./km2
25–249 inhab./km2
5–24 inhab./km2
0–4 inhab./km2
t h e C L I M ATeS
of EUROPE
Polar tundra
Mountain
Continental with short,
cold summer
Continental with cool summer
Continental with hot summer
Coastal
Mediterranean
Humid subtropical
Semiarid
Source: Kotter et al., World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated Crete, Mediterranean Sea
Crete is a Greek island that, like the rest of Greece, has a Mediterranean-
type temperate climate, with hot, dry summers.
t h e BI O M E S
of EUROPE
Boreal
Boreal forest
Temperate forest
Temperate prairie
Maquis
Desert
The Alps
With a length of 1,200 km, the Alps are the largest mountain Alps, the valley floors have a climate similar to those of the
system in western Europe. A huge natural barrier, the Alps neighboring plains. Farther up, forests replace farming, and
block humid air masses and receive great quantities of coniferous trees become increasingly dominant, as in boreal
precipitation. A number of Europe’s rivers (Rhine, Rhone, Po) forests. At the alpine level, the climate is comparable to that
and their tributaries have their source in the Alpine massif. in the Arctic tundra and trees give way to pastures. Finally, the
highest land, permanently covered with snow, has the same kind
Because temperature drops as altitude rises, the slopes of an
of climate as the ice caps.
Alpine valley present a succession of climates comparable to
those that one finds as one travels toward the poles. In the
France
the CONTINENTS
Rhine
Austria
Switzerland
Rhone
Mont Blanc
Po
Italy
E X PA N S I O N O F T H E E U R O P E A N U N I O N
THE CONTINENTS
D a t e o f a d m i s s i o n into
t h e E u r o p e a n U n ion
1957
Finland 1973
Sweden
1981
1986
Estonia
1995
Latvia 2004
Denmark Lithuania 2007
Ireland Netherlands Candidate countries
United Kingdom Germany Poland
Belgium
Czech Rep.
Luxembourg Slovakia
France Austria Hungary
Slovenia Romania
Croatia
Bulgaria
Italy
Macedonia
gal
Turkey
Spain
Portu
Greece
Cyprus
Malta
The history of the European Union began in 1951, when Germany, Belgium,
France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands united within the European
Coal and Steel Community. This successful integration led to the creation, in
1957, of the European Atomic Energy Commission (EAEC) and the European
Economic Community (EEC). In 1967, these three communities merged
within the EEC. In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty transformed the EEC into
the European Union, with expanded mandate and responsibilities. Over the
years, the six founding countries were joined by 21 other states. Bulgaria and
Romania entered in January 2007. Turkey, Croatia, and Macedonia also wish
to be admitted into the European Union. To do this, they must demonstrate
that they have a stable democratic political system and an operational and
competitive market economy. Since 2002, a new currency, the euro, replaced the
national currencies of 15 countries of the European Union (Austria, Belgium,
Cyprus, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta The European flag
the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain). On a sky-blue background, the stars symbolizing the peoples of Europe
form a circle signifying a union. The unchanging number of stars is 12,
symbol of perfection and plenty.
EUROPE : 139
Bosnia and
France 551,500 61.59 51,197 3.93
Herzegovina
the CONTINENTS
Germany 357,022 82.54 Netherlands 41,528 16.40
The countries whose names are underlined are members of the European Union.
* : Figures presented here factor in the European part and the Asian part of Russia.
* * : Without Greenland
*** : Vatican City is not a UN member but maintains a permanent observer mission at the organization’s headquarters.
140 :
ASIA
Asia alone represents one-third of the planet’s landmass, and 60% of the
world’s population lives there, half of them in China and India. Separated
from Africa by the Red Sea and the Isthmus of Suez , Asia AR
CT
IC
encompasses the Indonesian , Philippine , and Japanese
PO
LA
RC
IRC
LE
archipelagos, situated to the south and east of the mainland.
Asia and Europe belong to the same continental mass, N
S
I
Eurasia. Their common border has been fixed A
EUROPE
Ob
arbitrarily along the Ural Mountains .
N
W e s t
U
Asia has a wide variety of relief features,
O
S i b e r i a n
M
P l a i n
from the plains and plateaus of Siberia,
L
Ekaterinburg Ir t
A
ych
R
Chelyabinsk
U
mountain ranges that cross the l
Omsk
Ural
Tobo
ian Dep
continent from west to east (Hindu C a sp res
s
Mediterranean Caspian
ion
Sea Astana
Kush , Himalayas ). Asia also
CONTINENTS
Sea
Vpadina Kaundy,
LEBANON Aleppo K A Z A K H S T A N
presents a broad range of climates. Lake Tiberias, -200 m -132 m
Beirut SYRIA Aral
Tel Aviv Damascus -28 m Sea S
Mosul
GAZA STRIP
Southeast Asia, irrigated by abundant
Euph
WEST BANK
yr
Tabriz
Z A
ISRAEL Vpadina Akchanaya,
Da
Amman Lake KYZYLKUM
-81 m Lake
r ya
rates
Dead Sea, -408 m Urmia DESERT
Tigr is
G R
JORDAN Balkhash
monsoon rains, has a tropical climate. KARAKUM UZBEKISTAN
E
Baghdad Karaj B R DESERT
O S
L
Bishkek Almaty
A mu
In Arabia and the interior of the Tehran U S Tashkent
Ashgabat Issyk Kul N
IRAQ Qom Damavand, SHA
H I J A Z
Dar
KYRGYZSTAN T I A N
M O U
TURKMENISTAN
THE
ya
4,548 m Mashhad
Esfahan TAJIKISTAN 7,439 m
Dushanbe PA M I R TAKLA MAKAN
KUWAIT S DESERT
N T A
humidity from penetrating, there are Kuwait
I R A N Nanga Parbat, 8,126 m K2,
ea
8,614 m HINDU KU
SH KA
Jeddah ARABIAN DESERT Shiraz Isla KU RA
Red S
Kabul
Pers
LA
Riyadh BAHRAIN
ia
DA
S
ad
AFGHANISTAN
K
nG
Al Manamah
northern Asia, the Siberian anticyclone
Srinagar
H
Strait of Rawalpindi
E
NG
QATAR Gujranwala Annapurna,
ulf
SAUDI Zargun,
R
Hormuz
A
Doha Faisalabad Amritsar
AN R
3,578 m 8,091 m
ARABIA H Dhaulagiri,
creates very contrasting climatic Dubai Lahore
AIM
I
M
Nashik
Aurangabad Durg-
Bombay
Socotra Godava Bhilainagar
AFRICA Pune
Deccan ri
Solapur
Visakhapatnam
-5,626 m Plateau Hyderabad
WEST
Kri Vijayawada
shna
PHYSICAL MAP OF AS I A
ERN
Coimbatore
8,850 Cochin -4,119 m
Madurai
6,000
5,000 Palk SRI LANKA
Strait Colombo
4,000
Altitude (m)
3,000 Male
2,000 MALDIVES
1,000
500
0
–500
I N D I A N O C E A N
Depth (m)
–2,500
–5,000
–8,000
–11,034 -5,707 m
0 1,000 2,000 km BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN
TERRITORY (GB)
Sources: NIMA; NASA
-5,631 m
141
Severnaya Zemlya
New Siberia Is.
Laptev Sea
Kara Sea
-7,457 m
MOUNTAINS
KOLYMA
H
C
ER Komandor Is. (RU)
Kolyma
VERK
SK
Y RA
NGE
HOY
Kamchatka
In
AN
digirka
SK
MO
UNT S
AIN
Jenissei
Sea of Okhotsk
C e n t r a l y
yu
V il
S i b e r i a n
an
P l a t e a u Ald
Sa
(RU)
STANOVOY RANGE k -9,533 m
ha
.
l in
Kur il Is
Siberia, Russia
(RU
ra
Anga Siberia has an area of more than 12 million km2, from the Ural
)
a
en
L GE
R U S S I A AN Am Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.
ur
R
Y
Lake
OV
Hokkaido
Novosibirsk
ON
Baikal Sapporo
BL
YA
THE CONTINENTS
Mudanjiang P A C I F I C
Ma Pla
R
Ob
Harbin Sendai
CE
nch in
Fuyu O C E A N
AN
Jilin
C
Monte Belukha, 4,506 m Honshu
ur i
Sea of
OF
Ulaanbaatar Chifeng Changchun -6,533 m
IC
A
an
OP
L Japan
Marcus Is. (JP) JAPAN Tokyo
TR
iang
Fushun
u J xi
T Shenyang
A Anshan KOREA Nagoya
I Pyongyang Kyoto
Jinxi Nampho Osaka-Kobe
Seoul
Goyang Suwon
Zhangjiakou Beijing Dalian Hiroshima
Urumqi Yellow Inch'on Ulsan
GOBI DESERT Huhot Tangshan Sea Shikoku
Turpan Pendi, Taejon Pusan
Taeg
Handan Taian zh u
Z ao Linyi
Jining g East
an
ALTUN SH
AN
Hu Heze inin
Qaidam Zhengzhou Su H Nanyang China Sea
SHAN Koko Lanzhou iu h uaian
Liua ain ou ou
Basin Luoyang q x i
Nor g z ei Wu Shanghai
(JP)
Xi'an Su a Suzhou
H
zh zhou
g
Tianshui n Ningbo
Xinyang n
Na ang
ho ou
T i b e t a n C H I N A
Hu
Is.
Ch Hu z
u
Sichuan Wuhan
P l a t e a u Yan Tianmen ng
Basin Xiantao Ha Wenzhou
u
ky
gz
a Nanchang
i Ji
ij
Ne Chongqing Yiyang Changsha Fuzhou
ang
Hanoi Haiphong
Chittagong
LAOS Hainan
Jamshedpur BURMA Golf of
AN Tonkin Manila
Naypyidaw Phu Bia,
2,830 m
NA
MI
Vientiane
TIC
CO
South -5,016 m
RD China Sea -10,164 m Bismarck Sea
Bay of IL PHILIPPINES
THAILAND R
Me
Bengal
LE
Yangon
kon
Khorat Mindanao
Chao Phraya
g
Plain
.
VIETNAM Davao TO
R
I s
Andaman Is.
Phnom Penh -6,035 m N
Ho Chi Minh City
O U
t
p M
S E
Thailand Kinabalu, 4,095 m Sea Halmahera
K
O Puncak Jaya,
M A
4,884 m
Bandar Seri Begawan A
Nicobar Is.
(IN)
BRUNEI Molucca
Sea I
Ceram
Malacca M A L A Y S I A S -7,586 m
Peninsula
Mahak m
B Kuala E
a
A Medan Sulawesi
-1,714 m Strai Lumpur Banda Sea
R uas Arafura Sea
I
t of M SINGAPORE ap
Borneo N Bulu Rantekombola,
al a
cc Singapore 3,478 m
K
a O
S
Mentawai Is.
A
Sumatra D
N
Makassar
N TIMOR
I Dili
R
Bangka LESTE
Gunung Kerinci,
A
Palembang
E Java Sea
G
Flores
-5,862 m OCEANIA
Timor Sea
-100 m Sumba
Surabaja
Jakarta
Sunda Bandung Java
Strait
-7,125 m
142 : as i a
P O P U L AT IO N d i st r i but ion in as i a
≥ 1,000 inhab./km2
250–999 inhab./km2
25–249 inhab./km2
5–24 inhab./km2
0–4 inhab./km2
Tokyo is by far the most populous city in the world, with more than
35 million inhabitants.
t h e cl i m at e s o f as i a
Polar tundra
Mountain
Continental with short,
cold summer
Continental with cool summer
Continental with hot summer
Coastal
Mediterranean
Humid subtropical
Arid
Semiarid
Humid with dry winter
Humid
Source: Kottek et al., World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated Yak caravan, Tibet
The vast Tibetan Plateau in western China is a high plateau with a dry,
cold climate.
t h e b io m e s of as i a
Tundra
Boreal forest
Temperate forest
Temperate prairie
Maquis
Tropical rainforest
Savanna
Desert
The Himalayas
The Himalayas have 10 peaks rising
above 8,000 m (including Mount Everest,
Kangchenjunga, and Annapurna), making
them the highest mountain range in the
world. With a length of 2,500 km and a Kara
kor
am
width of 200 to 400 km, it stretches in an With an average altitude of 4,000 m, the Tibetan Plateau
arc from the high Tibetan plateau to the h
K2,
is where the largest rivers of southern Asia (Indus,
s
Brahmaputra, etc.) have their sources.
Ku
north to the Ganges plain to the south. 8,614 m
Hindu
To the west, the high-altitude Indus
Valley separates the Himalayas from the
Hindu Kush and the Karakoram range, Indus
Mount Everest,
Him
where the peak of K2 rises. 8,850 m
ala
ya
s
Ganges
Annapurna,
8,091 m Brahmaputra
the CONTINENTS
Kangchenjunga,
8,586 m
Russia
Pacific
Philippines Ocean
the CONTINENTS
Mindanao
Hokkaido
Brunei Molucca Islands
Malaysia China
Honshu
Tokyo
Sumatra Korean
Peninsula
Indonesia
Kobe
Indian Ocean Java Kyushu
The island of New Guinea is divided between Shikoku
Krakatau East Timor Indonesia (Asia) and Papua New Guinea
(Oceania).
Sulawesi, formerly called Celebes,
is part of Indonesia.
the CONTINENTS
Pakistan 796,095 163.95 Jordan 89,342 5.89
EUROPE
M e d i t
e
CEUTA (ES) Algiers Tunis r
MELILLA (ES) r
S a
A n
Chott Melrhir, e
Rabat a
Casablanca L -40 m n S e a
Adrar Bou Nasser, TUNISIA Tripoli
MADEIRA (PT)
MOROCCO T 3,340 m Benghazi
Jebel Toubkal, A Alexandria
4,167 m Suez Canal
D raa Sabkhat Ghuzayyil, Cairo
ed -47 m SINAI
CANARY IS. (ES) Ou
Qattara Depression,
Sebkha Tah, ALGERIA -133 m
-55 m
LIBYA EGYPT
Re
WESTERN
SAHARA (MA)
d
A H A G G A R
Nile
Se
TROPIC OF CANCER M A S S I F
a
S A H A R A D E S E R T
Djado
Plateau T I B E S T I NUBIAN
DESERT
MAURITANIA TÉNÉRÉ Mount Koussi,
3,445 m
MALI
Nouakchott A Ï R M A S S I F
Niger
ENNEDI
NIGER CHAD SUDAN
CAPE VERDE
THE CONTINENTS
Khartoum
Praia Dakar SENEGAL
S A H E L
Sé n
Blu
Bamako Chad
e
l
GUINEA- Ouagadougou
Nile
Bissau BISSAU Kano Ndjamena
FOUTA BURKINA FASO
Jos
DJALLON
Kaduna Plateau
GUINEA BENIN
e
Conakry GHANA nu
CÔTE Abuja Be
Freetown TOGO
D'IVOIRE Lake
SIERRA LEONE Ibadan NIGERIA
Volta A MASSIF CENTRAL AFRICAN
Wh
AW
AM
ite
Monrovia Yamoussoukro Kumasi Lagos Benin City REPUBLIC
AD
Nile
Cotonou
LIBERIA Abidjan Lome Mount Cameroon, Lake
Accra 4,070 m CAMEROON Turkana
Bangui Ubang
Malabo Douala Yaoundé i
Gulf of y
Guinea Bioko (GQ) Lake e
l
Congo Albert l
EQUATORIAL
Principe
GUINEA o ué
a
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE UGANDA
Ogo
C o n g o Mount Stanley,
V
EQUATOR Sao Tome Libreville 5,109 m Kampala
-7,743 m Sao Tome
GABON B a s i n Lake
CONGO
R i f t
Victoria
MITU
RWANDA
Kigali
DEMOCRATIC
MBA MO
BURUNDI
REPUBLIC OF Bujumbura
S O U T H Brazzaville
THE CONGO
a t
Kinshasa
e y
TANZANIA
AGO Lake
A T L A N T I C Lukuga
V a l l
Tanganyika
UN
r e
Mbuji-Mayi
O C E A N
TA
Dodoma
G
IN
Ascension Is. (GB) Lake
a
R i f t
GREENWICH MERIDIAN
S
lab t
Luanda a Mweru s
Lu
Kwa W e
n za
Kolwezi Lake
G r e a t
ANGOLA Lubumbashi Malawi
Angola MALAWI
PHYSICAL MAP OF A F R I C A
Lilongwe
Administrative capital Plateau ZAMBIA
E a s t
City with a population of over 1 M inhab. Lusaka Zambezi e
Chir
nene
go
an
6,000
BIQ
ZIMBABWE
AM
5,000 Okavango
Basin
MOZ
N
4,000 NAMIBIA
A M
Altitude (m)
3,000 BOTSWANA Li
I B
Windhoek
mp
2,000
op
D E S E
KALAHARI
1,000 Gaborone
DESERT
Pretoria
n
R T
Mbabane
0 Vereeniging SWAZILAND
R G
Thabana Ntlenyana,
–500 3,482 m
B E
an Maseru
Depth (m)
–2,500
Or
g
S
LESOTHO Durban
N
e
–5,000 E
K
SOUTH AFRICA A
–8,000 Oasis, Morocco D R
-6,180 m
AFRICA : 147
Bisected by the equator , Africa has an area of 30,365,000 square kilometers, or 20% of the
planet’s landmass. It is formed mainly of very old bedrock. The mountains, modest in size, are
concentrated in the northern part of the continent (Atlas ), the south (Drakensberg ),
and especially in the east (Ethiopian Massif ), where they have been chiseled by a series
of fault troughs, the Great Rift Valley, which includes the West Great Rift Valley and
the East Great Rift Valley . Although the regions situated at the northern and southern
ends of the continent have warm temperate climates, most of Africa has tropical or
desert climatic conditions. The intertropical zone, covered with forest and savanna, is
irrigated by powerful rivers (Congo , Niger ), while the regions adjacend to the
ASIA tropics, where the deserts are found (Sahara , Namib , Kalahari ), have almost
none. The population is very unequally distributed in Africa. The desert regions are
almost uninhabited, as opposed to high-density zones such as the northern Maghreb
ERITREA (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia), the Nile River Valley, and the Great Rift Valley region.
Asmara
THE CONTINENTS
Kulul,
-75 m
Denakil Plain,
-125 m
Lake Lake Assal, DJIBOUTI Gulf of Aden
Tana -155 m Djibouti
E T H I O P I A N
M A S S I F
Addis Ababa
Batu,
4,400 m
ETHIOPIA -5,455 m
SOMALIA
Jub ba
l e Mogadishu
KENYA ebe
Sh
Mount Kenya,
5,199 m
Nairobi I N D I A N
Kilimanjaro,
O C E A N
5,892 m
Feluccas on the Nile, Egypt
Victoria
Mahé The Nile is the longest river in the
Amirante Is.
Zanzibar world. Its source is in Burundi, and it
Dar es Salaam S E Y C H E L L E S flows into the Mediterranean Sea
Rufiji
6,670 km away.
Aldabra
Farquhar Is.
MAYOTTE (FR)
Juan De
Nova Is. (FR)
MADAGASCAR
l e
nn
ha
eC
Antananarivo
Man Rodrigues Is. Sahel region, Sudan
iqu
i a
MAURITIUS
mb
-4,091 m
Drakensberg Mountains,
South Africa
The Blyde River Canyon stretches some
0 500 1,000 km
30 km in length and reaches a depth of
800 m in places.
148 : AFRICA
P O P U L AT I O N D I ST R I B U T I O N I N A F R I C A
THE CONTINENTS
≥ 1,000 inhab./km2
250–999 inhab./km2
25–249 inhab./km2
5–24 inhab./km2
0–4 inhab./km2
Mountain
Coastal
Mediterranean Boreal forest
Humid subtropical Temperate forest
Arid Maquis
Semiarid Tropical rainforest
Humid with dry winter Savanna
Humid Desert
Source: Kottek et al., World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated Source: FAO
AFRICA : 149
The Sahara
With an area of more than 8 million km2, the Sahara is the in the Sahara. This rapidly growing population is increasingly
largest desert in the world. It extends from the Atlantic Ocean urbanized. The main peoples of the desert, originally nomadic
to the Red Sea and covers most of North Africa (Morocco, (the Tuaregs in Algeria, Libya, Mali, and Niger; the Sahrawis
Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, in the western Sahara and Algeria; and the Tubus in Chad,
and Sudan). Fertile 4,000 years ago, the Sahara is now one of the Niger, and Libya), are becoming city dwellers. Most of the cities
most arid deserts in the world: southern Libya and Egypt receive are situated in the Maghreb Sahara (Morocco, Algeria, Libya),
less than 10 mm of rain per year. where some urban areas have a population of over 100,000.
Humans have lived in the Sahara since prehistory. Today, despite
its extremely arid environment, more than 5 million people live
the continents
Béchar (pop. 135,000) Mediterranean Sea
Tunisia
Morocco
Atlas
El Oued (pop. 105,000)
Wargla (pop. 140,000)
Atlantic Ocean
Algeria Sabha (pop. 150,000)
Libya
El Aaiun (pop. 150,000)
Egypt
Western Sahara
Tamanrasset (pop. 80,000)
Nouadhibou (pop. 110,000)
Mount Koussi, situated in
Mauritania the Tibesti mountains, is the
Mali highest point in the Sahara
Niger (3,415 m). Red Sea
Chad
Sudan
Lake Chad has lost 90% of its
area in the last 30 years.
More than 4,000 km long, the Great Rift Valley tectonic fault,
which includes the West and East Great Rift valleys, crosses Red
Sea
eastern Africa from the Red Sea to the mouth of the Zambezi
River. It results from the gradual separation of the Somalian
lithospheric plate. This process is just beginning: in several
million years, East Africa will detach itself to become an Ethiopian Massif
independent continent. East Great Rift
West Great Rift Valley Valley
The intense volcanic activity in the region has led to the
Mount Kenya,
formation of the highest mountains in Africa, such as Mount Lake Victoria (69,500 km2) 5,199 m
Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. The largest lakes in Africa
(Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi), tectonic in origin, are also Mount Kilimanjaro,
Lake Tanganyika (32,900 km2) 5,895 m
situated along the Great Rift Valley. Paleontologists think that
the Great Rift region was the birthplace of the first human
Lake Malawi (29,500 km2)
beings, more than 2 million years ago.
Zambezi River
150 : AFRICA
Independence of African states
Starting with the “great discoveries” of the 15th century, the In 1963, African countries united to form a common front to
European countries colonized all of Africa (with the exception deal with the problems facing the continent (political instability,
of Ethiopia) to profit from its natural wealth. Exploitation of human rights, public health, underdevelopment, etc.). Today,
African natural resources and labor, often going as far as slavery, the African Union’s membership extends to almost all of
lasted until the 20th century. the continent’s countries as members. In some cases, former
colonizing countries maintain a strong economic grip on their
The countries of Africa became emancipated one after another,
former territories, a grip sometimes called neocolonialism.
between 1910 and 1993, under a wide variety of circumstances.
Although some obtained their sovereignty in the 1960s without
resistance, others won it after an insurrection or a full war of
independence.
t h e d e c o l o n i z at i o n o f a f r i c a
Democratic Republic of
2,344,858 62.59 Guinea 245,857 9.40
the Congo
the CONTINENTS
Angola 1,246,700 17.00 Tunisia 163,610 10.32
Fiji
The some 300 islands that make up the Fiji archipelago have a
total area of 18,274 km2.
-7,519 m
Agrihan,
965 m
Philippine
-8,767 m
Sea
NORTHERN
MARIANA IS. (US)
-6,912 m
GUAM (US)
Mariana Trench, M A R S H A L L
-11,034 m I S L A N D S
PALAU
Bairiki
Gilbert Is.
Yaren
-7,205 m
Admiralty Is. NAURU
Bismarck
New
Sea Ireland Mount Balbi,
A S I A PAPUA 2,715 m
Sepik NEW GUINEA
M A O K E Bougainville Is.
M O Choiseul
U -8,930 m
N New Santa Isabel Is. S O L O M O N TUVALU
Mount Wilhelm, T Britain
4,509 m I S L A N D S Vaiaku
New F A Malaita
ly Honiara
Guinea I
Port Moresby N Guadalcanal
S Saint Croix Is.
-9,000 m
Arafura Sea
WALLIS AND
Melville Is. FUTUNA (FR)
VANUATU
Timor Gulf of Coral Vanua Levu
Sea Carpentaria Sea FIJI
Port Vila
Viti Levu Suva
Bu
Kimberley rd
kin NEW Loyalty Is.
Plateau
e
CALEDONIA (FR)
Mount Ord, A U S T R A L I A
A
937 m -7,374 m
TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
R
E
M O U N T L
GREAT L
M C D O N N E L L
SANDY DESERT I
Mount Meharry, Mount Zeil, D
1,251 m GIBSON
1,531 m SIMPSON
R
DESERT
Brisbane
C O
DESERT
HAMERSLEY NORFOLK IS. (AU)
RANGE -9,779 m
Kermadec Is. (NZ)
Lake Eyre,
-12 m
A N
ng
FL
GREAT VICTORIA Da
r li
INDERS RA
bor Plai
ar n
u ll Sydney
N Great Mur
NGES
R A
r
Australian Canberra
ay
Adelaide Auckland
Bight Mount Kosciusko,
Perth
T
S 2,228 m
Kangaroo Is. A U North Is.
Melbourne NEW Mount Ruapehu,
2,797 m
Tasmanian Sea ZEALAND
Bass
Strait Wellington
Mount Ossa, Cook
PS
South
Is.
Stewart Is.
THE CONTINENTS
HOWLAND IS. (US) Tabuaeran Is.
rains, has a tropical climate, while the south and east
BAKER IS. (US)
JARVIS IS.
(US)
Kiritimati Is.
coasts have a warm temperate climate. In the center,
-8,071 m
EQUATOR
desert conditions dominate. The archipelagos, except
Phoenix Is.
for New Zealand, have high temperatures and abundant
precipitation all year round. They are frequently swept by
Gardner Is.
K I R I B A T I
Caroline Is.
SAMOA AMERICAN
Apia SAMOA (US)
P A C I F I C
Gambier Is. P H Y S I C A L M A P O F O CEANIA
O C E A N
Administrative capital
City with more than 1 M inhab.
PITCAIRN
IS. (GB)
8,850
6,000
5,000
E LINE
4,000
Altitude (m)
DAT
3,000
INTERNATIONAL
2,000
1,000
500
0
Mount Cook, New Zealand -500
New Zealand’s South Island has 18 peaks with an altitude
Depth (m)
-2,500
of more than 3,000 m. The tallest one, Mount Cook, has an -5,000
altitude of 3,764 m.
-8,000
0 500 1,000 km -11,034
≥ 1,000 inhab./km2
250–999 inhab./km2
25–249 inhab./km2
5–24 inhab./km2
0–4 inhab./km2
t h e cl i m at e s
of oceania
Mountain
Coastal
Mediterranean
Humid subtropical
Semiarid
Arid
Humid with dry winter
Humid
Source: Kottek et al., World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated Lake Wanaka, New Zealand
The islands of New Zealand have a coastal climate, moderated by the Pacific Ocean.
T h e BIOMES
of oceania
Boreal forest
Temperate forest
Maquis
Tropical rainforest
Savanna
Desert
Australian biodiversity
Situated in the center of a lithospheric plate, Australia has from Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. The koala and the
remained isolated from the other continents for more than wallaby are also marsupials. Among the other animals native to
100 million years. This isolation explains the large number of Australia are the duckbill platypus, an archaic mammal species
plant and animal species endemic to Australia—that is, found that reproduces by laying eggs.
nowhere else in the world.
The Australian flora is composed of species adapted to the
The kangaroo, Australia’s emblematic animal, belongs to the extreme climatic conditions that reign in a large part of the
group of mammals called marsupials, whose females raise their country. Eucalyptus is one of the species originating on the island.
young in a stomach pouch. Almost all marsupials come
S o m e a u st r a l i a n a n i m a l s
the CONTINENTS
There are 50 species of kangaroos, among them The duckbill platypus is an amphibian mammal with a
the grey kangaroo. beak resembling a duck’s.
Parry wallabies are very sociable and live in The Australian forest has 600 species
groups of 30 to 50 individuals. of eucalyptus.
Tropic of Cancer
The Caroline Islands archipelago is shared Many volcanoes are still active in
between two states: Micronesia, to the the Hawaiian Archipelago.
east, and Palau, to the west.
Pacific Ocean
Micronesia
equator
the CONTINENTS
Polynesia
australia
Adelaide
Tasmania belongs to
Australia.
t he countries of oceania
flag country area POPULATION flag country area POPULATION
(km2) (M inhab.) (km2) (M inhab.)
Papua
462,840 6.32 Micronesia 702 0.111
New Guinea
the CONTINENTS
Vanuatu 12,189 0.225 Tuvalu 26 0.010
t h e territories of oceania
Territory area POPULATION sovereign country territory area POPULATION sovereign
(km2) (M inhab.) (km2) (M inhab.)
New Caledonia 18,575 0.241 France Tokelau Islands 12 0.001 New Zealand
French Polynesia 4,000 0.263 France Wake Island 6.5 uninhabited United States
Guam 549 0.173 United States Midway Islands 6.2 40 inhab. United States
Northern Mariana Islands 464 0.080 United States Pitcairn Island 5.0 48 inhab. United Kingdom
Niue 260 0.002 New Zealand Jarvis Island 4.5 uninhabited United States
Cook Islands 236 0.014 New Zealand Johnston Atoll 2.8 uninhabited United States
Wallis and Futuna 200 0.015 France Howland Island 1.6 uninhabited United States
American Samoa 199 0.064 United States
Baker Island 1.4 uninhabited United States
Norfolk Island 36 0.002 Australia
158 SECTION OF ANTARCTICA
West East
Altitude (m) We s t e r n A n t a r c t i c a E a s t e r n A n tarctica
Transantarctic
4,000 4,000
Mountains
3,000 3,000
Bellinghausen Sea Ross Ice Shelf Davis Sea
S O U T H
2,000 eastern ice cap 2,000
A T L A N T I C
1,000 1,000
O C E A N western ice cap
0 0
–1,000 –1,000
bedrock
–2,000 –2,000
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500
Distance (km)
Orcadas (AR) Sources: Frédérique RÉMY; LEGOS; IPEV
South Orkney Is.
Neumayer (NO) Maitri (IN)
Novolazarevskaja (RU)
SANAE IV (ZA)
Troll (NO)
QUEEN MAUD
Princesse Elisabeth (BE)
Comandante Ferraz (BR) LAND
Arctowski (PL) Syowa (JP)
Is.
Jubany (AR)
S out h S h e t l a n d
GREENWICH MERIDIAN
LAND
Berkner Is.
Alexander Is. RONNE AMERY
ICE SHELF
ICE SHELF
LAMBERT
GLACIER
S
A Vostok (RU)
S O U T H N
T
I
Mount Kirkpatrick,
C POL
ROSS
IR
WILKES
T
ICE SHELF
CLE
LAND
I
C
Concordia (FR/IT)
M O
6,000
South Magnetic Pole
5,000
4,000
Altitude (m)
3,000
2,000
1,000
500
Transantarctic Mountains
0 The Transantarctic Mountains, which reach an
-500 altitude of more than 4,800 m, separate Western
Antarctica from Eastern Antarctica.
Depth (m)
-2,500
-5,000
Beaufort Island
-8,000 0 500 1,000 km On this small island, with an area of 22 km2, in the
-11,034 Ross Sea, the fauna and flora are protected.
An uninhabited continent
THE CONTINENTS
The inhospitable climatic conditions prevent permanent population
Mawson (AU)
settlement in Antarctica. The only inhabitants of the continent are
several thousand researchers in scientific stations. They are there
temporarily, as long as it takes to fulfill their missions. Scientific
research in Antarctica has led to important discoveries, notably that of
Progress (RU) the reduction of the ozone layer. Antarctica also offers a privileged site
Zhong Shan (CN) for studying the climate and the effects of global warming.
Davis (AU)
PRINCESS
ELIZABETH LAND For the past 10 years, other visitors have been arriving on the
I N D I A N southernmost continent: tourists. Almost 28,000 of them, mostly from
O C E A N the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia,
Davis Sea came in 2004–2005 to wander across the ice cap or tour the continent
Mirny (RU) by boat. The main tourist attractions are the fauna and the scientific
stations. Some 30 companies throughout the world offer trips to
Antarctica. In spite of the precautions that they take, the growth of
the tourism industry may disrupt the environment and the scientific
research on the continent.
A C estuary
Mouth of a river where the current meets the
affluent chronic disease tides, forming an indentation in the coastline
Watercourse that flows into another A disease of long duration, the symptoms of that may be more or less wide and more or
watercourse. which are minor at first but may evolve into less deep.
serious complications. extinction
alluvia
Rocks and other debris carried and deposited conifer Complete and irreversible disappearance.
by a watercourse. Tree whose leaves, in the form of needles or
scales, generally persist through the winter, F
altitude and whose fruits are cones.
Vertical distance of a point in relation to a fault
reference level, generally sea level. container Fracture in Earth’s crust that causes a
Metallic crate of standardized size, used for horizontal or vertical movement in relation
amphibian shipping merchandise. to the other.
That which lives or moves as well on ground as
in the water.
continent fauna
Large landmass surrounded by water. All of the animal species that live in a
anemometer given region.
coral
Instrument that measures wind speed.
Primitive animal usually living in arborescent fertilizer
anthropogenic colonies that form reefs. Organic or mineral product that is introduced
Caused by human beings. cordillera into the soil to increase its capacity to support
anticyclone Long, narrow mountain range. plant growth.
Zone of high atmospheric pressure. flood
D Sudden rise in the level of a watercourse due
apartheid
Regime in South Africa that imposed racial to heavy precipitation or snow melting.
deciduous tree
segregation against blacks in favor of the Tree in the flowering plants group whose flora
white minority. leaves are wide, as opposed to the narrow All of the plant species that live in a
arable needles of conifers. given region.
Relating to land that can be cultivated. demographer fossil fuel
archipelago Expert in the study of populations. Fuel that was formed millions of years ago
depression from the remains of plants and animals buried
Group of islands.
A part of a landmass that is sunk below its in rock (oil, coal, natural gas).
artificial satellite
surroundings. Meteorology: low-pressure zone. freight
Device placed in orbit around a celestial body.
detergent Transportation of goods.
ascent
Cleaning product. freshwater
Action of climbing a mountain to its peak.
development Water containing very low amounts of
asteroid Improvement in the situation of a region or a mineral salts.
Small celestial body in orbit around the Sun. population, usually from an economic standpoint. G
atmosphere domestic
Gaseous layer that surrounds certain celestial Relating to life in the home. geographic
bodies, including Earth. Relating to geography, the science that
dominant wind
atmospheric pressure Wind that blows in a constant direction in a describes and explains the existing physical
The force that air exerts by pressing on a region, such as the trade winds. and human aspects of Earth’s surface.
given area. geographic pole
E Each of the two points (North Pole and South
B Pole) of Earth’s surface through which Earth’s
Earth’s crust axis of rotation passes.
bay Solid layer on the surface of Earth.
A body of water partially enclosed by land and geological
emigration Relating to geology, the science that studies
open to the sea. A bay is generally smaller Departure of individuals from their country of
than a gulf. the Earth, the materials that compose it,
origin to move to another country. and the forces and processes that shape and
bedrock endemic transform it.
Ancient eroded land on which volcanic or Relating to a species that lives only in a
sedimentary rock rests.
government
given region. Political system of a nation or group of
biodiversity epidemic individuals who administer the nation, usually
The variety of living species that populate a Sudden, rapid propagation of a transmissible called ministers.
given environment. disease. graben
birth rate equator Wide, elongated depression with steep sides,
Number of births in a population over a given Imaginary line that circles Earth midway formed by the subsidence of a block of terrain
period, usually one year. between the poles. between two faults.
162 : G l o s sary
Graminaceous plants lightning net migration
Family of plants that includes the high grasses Brief, intense flash of light caused by an Difference between the number of immigrants
that dominate savannahs. electrical discharge between two clouds or and the number of emigrants.
between a cloud and the ground during a storm.
gulf nomadic
A large area of sea partially enclosed by lithospheric plates Relating to a migratory people that are
land, more or less open to the sea. A gulf is Immense portions of the lithosphere that constantly moving.
generally larger and more enclosed than a bay. slide on top of the asthenosphere and whose
movements shape Earth’s relief features. nuclear
H longitude
Relating to atoms and their energy.
heavy metals
Coordinate of a point on Earth’s surface that O
indicates, in degrees, the angular distance of
Metals such as lead and mercury, which have this point from the Greenwich meridian. oasis
special chemical properties and many of which
M Region of a desert made fertile by the
are toxic to humans and the environment.
presence of water.
hemisphere magma ocean current
One of the two halves of the globe, defined Very viscous liquid formed of molten rocks Movement of great masses of seawater along a
by the equator (Northern and Southern from the depths of Earth. stable path at a regular speed.
hemispheres) or by the Greenwich meridian
malnutrition orbit
(Western and Eastern hemispheres).
Pathologic state cased by poor nutrition, usually
humidity Trajectory described by one celestial body
due to an insufficient or incomplete diet.
Water vapor contained in the air, the result of circling around another due to the effects
manufactured of gravity.
transpiration of plants and evaporation from Produced industrially.
the oceans, rivers and lakes. organic
mass Relating to living beings and the materials
hydrocarbons The amount of matter contained in a body,
Substances formed solely of carbon and derived from them.
expressed in grams.
hydrogen molecules, present in crude oil P
megalopolis
and natural gas.
Extremely large urban area.
hydroelectricity meridian pack ice
Electricity produced from the force of water. Imaginary line from pole to pole, perpendicular Vast layer of ice floating on the sea in
to the equator. polar regions.
I
meteorite parallel
ice cap Fragment of rock originating in space, which is Imaginary circle whose plane is parallel to
Mass of continental ice that permanently not completely consumed as it passes through the equator.
covers the polar regions, also called inlandsis. the atmosphere and lands on Earth. pasture
ice shelf metropolis Land where livestock may graze.
Thick layer of floating ice that borders some The largest city in a given region.
peninsula
parts of Antarctica, distinct from the pack ice monarch Portion of land surrounded by the sea on all
and ice cap. Head of state who is a hereditary member sides but one, where an isthmus that may be
immigration of royalty. wide or narrow connects it to the mainland.
The arrival of people from another country monsoon pesticides
who are moving to the new host country. Seasonal wind that brings heavy precipitation
Products that destroy harmful organisms.
in some tropical regions.
intensive farming phytoplankton
Agriculture that consumes more resources moraine
Rocks or other debris carried and deposited by All of the plants that live in suspension in
(water, fertilizer, etc.) in order to increase the seawater and are moved from place to place by
yield of cultivated land. a glacier.
sea currents.
irrigation moratorium
Voluntary suspension of a decision to allow planisphere
Artificial watering of farmland. Map that portrays both hemispheres of Earth.
time to study its consequences.
isthmus mortality polar circle
Narrow band of land between two stretches of Number of deaths in a population over a given Imaginary line situated at latitude
water, connecting two larger landmasses. period, usually one year. 66° 34’ north (Arctic polar circle) or south
L mouth (Antarctic polar circle). It designates the
Place where a watercourse flows into the sea edge of the polar zone in which the day lasts
labor force or into a lake. 24 hours at the summer solstice and the Sun
The total mass of workers. does not appear at all at the winter solstice.
N
latitude polytheist
Coordinate of a point on Earth’s surface that natural satellite Said of religions in which a number of gods
indicates, in degrees, the angular distance of Celestial body in orbit around a planet or are worshipped, as opposed to monotheist
this point from the equator. another celestial body. religions.
GlossaRY : 163
*Permission to use extracts from ISO 3166-1:2006 was provided by Standards Council of Canada, in cooperation with IHS Canada. No further
reproduction is permitted without prior written approval from Standards Council of Canada.
G E og raphical I ndex : 165
service activity 90, 95 Tordesillas meridian 132 26, 27, 64, 66, 69, 144
ship 103 Tordesillas, Treaty of 132 volcanic island 25, 27, 36,
shipping lane 102, 103 tornado 52, 56 144
volcanic rock 16, 20
shore cliff 36 torrent 40
shoreline 38, 45 trade, balance of 92 W
slavery 150 trade, international 90, 92, wallaby 155
snow 48, 52 103
war 116, 117, 150
soccer 86, 87 train 104
warming, global 64, 65, 159
soil 51, 60, 68, 69 transportation 64, 69, 102,
waste 68, 69, 96
soil pollution 68, 69 103, 104, 105
water 12, 18, 22, 32, 34, 36, 38,
solar energy 96 air 102, 105
39, 40, 41, 50, 54, 57, 68, 69,
ground 102, 104
Solar System 10, 11 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113
maritime 34, 102, 103
South America 128, 129, drinking water 108, 109,
rail 102, 104
130, 131, 132, 133 112
road 102, 104
Southern Hemisphere 46, 47, freshwater 38, 39, 40, 41,
Treaty of Tordesillas 132 58, 110, 111
49
tree 55, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, groundwater 26, 38
space mission 12 131, 137 seawater 34, 48
species, conservation of 62, conifer 58, 60 wastewater 68
63 deciduous 58, 60 water cycle 38, 40
species, threatened 62, 63 trench 24, 25, 144 water pollution 68, 69, 111
sport 86, 87, 88, 89 tropical rainforest 44, 58, 59, water table 41, 68, 110
spring 40 60, 131, 142 watercourse 18, 22, 36, 38,
standard of living 106, 108, tsunami 29, 57 40, 41, 68, 96
110 tundra 45, 48, 59, 123, 137 waterfall 38, 39, 40, 128
storm surge 54, 55, 57 typhoon 54 watershed 38, 110, 123, 131,
stream 40 156
U wave 32, 34, 49, 57
subduction 20, 25, 144
subway 102, 104 unemployment 94 wealth 106
summit 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 48, United Nations (UN) 72 Wegener, Alfred 15
143, 144 United Nations Development wind 18, 22, 32, 34, 36, 41,
Sun 10, 32, 46, 47, 49 Programme (UNDP) 108 44, 54, 55, 56, 64, 159
angle of solar rays 47 United Nations Educational, wind energy 96
solar ray 44, 47 Scientific and Cultural women 77, 94, 95, 114
sunlight 34, 46 Organization (UNESCO) 114 World Conservation Union
sunshine 44, 48 Universe 10 (IUCN) 62
supercontinent 15 Upper chamber 74, 76 World Health Organisation
T Uranus 11 (WHO) 112
urban area 78, 102 world ocean 32, 33, 34, 35,
tectonic fault 149 36, 37
urban sprawl 62
tectonic lake 41, 149 world population 78, 79, 80,
urbanization 79
tectonic shocks 20 81, 140
tectonics, plate 14, 15 V World Trade Organization
temperate forest 58, 59, 60, (WTO) 92
vaccination 112, 113
123 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) 62
valley 18, 22, 25, 36, 38, 40,
temperate prairie 58, 123 41, 137, 143, 147, 149 writing 83, 114, 115
temperature 10, 11, 16, 26, vegetation 58, 59
34, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 64, 65, vehicle 66, 96, 104
159
Venus 10
territory 72, 116, 126, 157 volcanism 26, 144
Third World 106 volcano 16, 20, 24, 26, 27,
threatened species 62, 63 41, 64, 125, 127, 144, 149,
thunderstorm 52 156
tide 32, 33, 36, 41, 49 volcanic eruption 14, 16,
176 :
PH OT O CR EDITS
Cover NASA Goddard/Space Flight Center p. 54 Jim Brooks/U.S. Navy p. 115 t © Steve Stone/iStockphoto.com
p. VII Rocky Planet NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC p. 57 Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA b F. Young/USAID
Blue Planet © Patricia Bruno p. 58 tr © Michel Claquin p. 119 © Diego Cervo/iStockphoto.com
Planet in Balance © François Fortin tl © Mélanie Morin p. 120 © iStockphoto.com
Inhabited Planet © iStockphoto.com cc © E. George/CRDI
Continents © Felix Möckel/iStockphoto.com p. 121 © Bruce Bean/iStockphoto.com
b © Yuval Simonov
p. 8 © Mike Bentley/iStockphoto.com p. 122 © Keith Vaught
p. 59 tl patrick.verdier.free.fr
p. 9 © Daniel Stein/iStockphoto.com tr © Andrey Mirzoyants/iStockphoto.com p. 123 cc © Norbert Woehnl
cr © Stéphanie Lanctôt cr © Kenn W. Kiser
p. 11 © Noël Cramer b Bob Nichols/USDA Natural Resources
cc © Jean-Claude Corbeil
p. 12 tl NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team b Michael Van Woert/NOAA/NESDIS/ORA Conservation Service
cr Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, NASA GSFC p. 124 © Laird M. Le
Visualization Analysis Lab p. 61 © François Fortin
p. 62 © Einar Timdal, Natural History Museum, p. 125 Quartermaster Joe Schebal, NOAA
p. 13 bl Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response
Team, NASA/GSFC University of Oslo p. 127 t © Arden C. Llewellyn III
br Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid b © John Miller/iStockphoto.com
p. 63 l © Alain Christophe/www.plantemania.com
Response Team r © The Arboretum of Penn State Behrend p. 128 cl © Marc St-Germain
p. 14 NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC cr © Federico Donatini
p. 65 State of Texas Forestry Service and the USFS
bl © John Rose
p. 17 © Tom Pfeiffer/VolcanoDiscovery p. 67 © Dmitry Maslov/iStockphoto.com br © Fabiano Coura
p. 18 t Glacier National Park/NPS Photo p. 68 & p. 69 Office of Response and Restoration p. 130 © Alexander Vervoort
b © José Carlos Pires Pereira/iStockphoto.com NOS/NOAA
p. 131 © Leonardo F. Freitas
p. 19 l © David Peterson p. 70 © David Steets
p. 132 © José-Manuel Benito Alvarez
r © Barbara Harris p. 71 © Jeremy Edwards/iStockphoto.com
p. 133 © Miles Wallis
p. 21 © Oleg Kozlov/iStockphoto.com p. 72 l © UN
p. 135 © John Woodworth/iStockphoto.com
p. 23 © Bryan Delodder/iStockphoto.com r © iStockphoto.com
p. 136 t © Xavier Marchant/iStockphoto.co
p. 24 Galapagos Rift 2005 Exploration, NOAA-OE p. 75 © Andrei Tchernov/iStockphoto.com
c © Martina Misar/iStockphoto.com
p. 26 USGS p. 76 © Joe Gough/iStockphoto.com b © Gary Li
p. 29 Dr. Roger Hutchison/NOAA p. 77 © Claudio Robles p. 137 © Tomasz Resiak/iStockphoto.com
p. 30 & p. 31 © Alexander Hafemann/iStockphoto. p. 81 © Peter Garnhum p. 141 t © Franco Pecchio
com p. 83 © Daniel Price b © Melisa Tuya
p. 33 New Brunswick Department of p. 84 © Tommy Junger p. 142 t © Daniel Price
Tourism and Parks c © Chaun Soh
p. 85 tl © Moti Meiri/iStockphoto.com
p. 35 © David Freund/iStockphoto.com b © Alexander Hafemann/iStockphoto.com
tr © Steven Allan/iStockphoto.com
p. 36 & p. 37 © J.M. Mata/iStockphoto.com bl © Fraz Ahmed Ismat p. 143 © Kate Guthrie
br © David Cussac p. 144 © Holger Mette/iStockphoto.com
p. 39 l © Vlad Ghiea
r © Xiaorui Wang p. 87 © Adam Valvasori/World Vision Australia p. 146 © François Fortin
p. 40 t © Mike Norton/iStockphoto.com p. 89 © Krishna Santhanam p. 147 t © iStockphoto.com
b © Graham Prentice/iStockphoto.com p. 90 © Olga Shelego/iStockphoto.com c © David Haberlah
p. 41 l Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid b © Marie-Anne Legault
p. 95 © Christopher O Driscoll/iStockphoto.com
Response Team, NASA/GSFC p. 148 © David Erroll
p. 99 © François Fortin
r Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid p. 152 © Janice Dunn
Response Team, NASA/GSFC p. 101 © Tony Campbell/iStockphoto.com
p. 153 © Mike Morley/iStockphoto.com
p. 42 © Alexander Hafemann/iStockphoto.com p. 103 © Gertjan Hooijer/iStockphoto.com
p. 154 t © Lauren Gabelhouse
p. 43 © Steven Robertson/iStockphoto.com p. 104 t © Michael Fletcher c © Joe Gough/iStockphoto.com
p. 46 t © Stéphanie Lanctôt b © Joe Flasher b © iStockphoto.com
b © Lauri Wiberg/iStockphoto.com p. 105 NASA p. 157 © Janice Dunn
p. 48 © Simon Chignard p. 109 © Mark Linnard/iStockphoto.com p. 158 l National Science Foundation/Josh Landis
p. 49 © Corel Stock Photo Library p. 111 © Ken H. Dennis r Michael Van Woert, NOAA/NESDIS, ORA
p. 51 © S. Colvey/CRDI p. 112 © Marko Kokic/Canadian Red Cross p. 159 Michael Van Woert, NOAA/NESDIS, ORA
106 :
INEQUALITIES
Québec (2)
IRELAND
UNITED
DENMARK
Hamburg (9)
RUSSIA
LITHUANIA
GERMANY
CITY
development indicator, ranges ICELAND Madrid (3)
Seattle (7)
Donets'k (2) MONGOLIA
that in the 1970s, the Third World became Minneapolis (6)
VA
Seoul (3)
EARTH: AN INHABITED PLANET
VERDE THAILAND
TNAM
the most disadvantaged countries in the form of Bogota (2) MALDIVES Kuala Lumpur (4) M A L A Y S I A
SOMA
ZIMBABWE
MO
MAURITIUS
MADAGASCA
$1,000–$2,999
Rio de Janeiro (2) NAMIBIA TONGA
$500–$999 BOTSWANA
PARAGUAY
Antofagasta (1)
< $500 Sao Paulo (6) AUSTRALIA
Measuring wealth
CHILE
108 : INEQUALITIES OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT MAIN DONOR COUNTRIES OF INTERNATIONAL MAIN RECIPIENT COUNTRIES INEQUALITIES : 1 0 9
THE COUNTRIES OF THE THIRD WORLD ASSISTANCE ASSISTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
Development indicators
POVERTY LINE
The member countries of the RANK COUNTRY ASSISTANCE IN 2005 % OF RANK COUNTRY ASSISTANCE IN 2005 % OF
The expression “Third World” was coined Share of the population living on less than Development Assistance Committee GNP GNP
during the Cold War to designate countries Development indicators are$1numerical
per day
indicators used to To integrate these diff erent
of the parameters
Organisation forinto a single indicator,
Economic ACCESS TO DRINKING WATER
United States $27,622 M 0.2 Afghanistan $2,192 M 31.3
that belonged to neither the capitalist nor estimate the development of nations. They measure different the United NationsCo-operation
Development andProgramme
Development (UNDP)
the communist sphere of influence. Since parameters that affect the quality of life of human beings. GNP calculates the human development
(OECD) offer aidindex . This index, which
to developing Japan $13,147 M 0.3
Access to water is one of the main development Sudan
indicators. $1,472 M 6.4
SHARE OF THE POPULATION WITH ACC E S S T O D R I N K I N G WAT E R
the 1970s, “Third World” has referred to the measures a country’s wealth or poverty, while life expectancy and countries
takes account of longevity by agreeing
, education to reduce
, literacy their
, and debt of
standard United Kingdom It corresponds toMthe proportion
$10,767 0.5 of the population
Ethiopia that has $1,202 M 10.8
poorest countries on the planet. Many of or by providing
infant mortality rate reflect its state of health. Other indicators living (purchasing power) assessesthem with new funding.
development on a scale from Germany access to at$10,082
least 20
M liters of 0.4water per day per person
Dem. Rep. offrom
the Congo $1,034 M 14.8
these countries’ populations live in extreme an improved source (pipeline, protected well, rainwater
misery. About 1.3 billion people, representing assess satisfaction of basic human needs, such as access to 0 to 1. In 2004, the index ranged from 0.311 for Niger to 0.965 France collection, $10,026 M than one
etc.) less 0.5 kilometer fromTanzania
their $871 M 6.8
20% of the world’s population, survive on less ≥ 50% drinking water, sufficient food, and housing. Still others measure for Norway.
residence. In$5,115
manyM regions0.8 of the world, populations lack
than 1 per day—that is, under the poverty
Netherlands Zambia $836 M 14.4
20%–49% level of education, the guarantee of a population’s future. water, leading to serious sanitary problems.
line defined by the United Nations. 10%–19% Italy $5,091 M 0.3 Mozambique $771 M 12.5
The East Asia/Pacific region has the largest number of
5%–9% Canada inhabitants $3,756
without
M access0.4 to improved water sources.
Uganda $704 M 8.8
< 5%
Sweden Inhabitants$3,362
of urban
M areas 0.9 have a better chance of
Bangladesh $563 M
90%–100% 0.8
No data
Source: UN
benefiting from an improved source. Mongolia, for 70%–89%
Spain $3,018 M 0.3 Madagascar $500 M 8.7
example, has very wide disparities between drinking-water 50%–69%
access in urban zones (87%) and rural zones (30%).
Source: OECD
30%–49%
Source: OECD
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX
0%–29%
No data
Source: UN
EARTH: AN INHABITED PLANET
inhabitants.
Canada 0.950 Guinea-Bissau 0.349
Japan 0.949 Burkina Faso 0.342
United States 0.948 Mali 0.338
Switzerland 0.947 Sierra Leone 0.335
Netherlands 0.947 Niger 0.311 Water point, Tanzania
Access to a source of drinking water is one of the main development indicators.
World average: 0.741 Source: UNDP
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