Extended economic zone: 200 nm, only Madagascar claims 150 nm;
Territorial sea: generally 12 nm, but varies from 3 nm to 200 nm
Disputes: 13 international land boundary disputes—Argentina-Uruguay,
Bangladesh-India, Brazil-Paraguay, Brazil-Uruguay, Cambodia-Vietnam,
China-India, China-USSR, Ecuador-Peru, El Salvador-Honduras,
French Guiana-Suriname, Guyana-Suriname, Guyana-Venezuela, Qatar-UAE
Climate: two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates
Terrain: highest elevation is Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters and lowest elevation is the Dead Sea at 392 meters below sea level; greatest ocean depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 meters
Natural resources: the oceans represent the last major frontier for the discovery and development of natural resources
Land use: 10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 24% meadows and pastures; 31% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes 1.6% irrigated
Environment: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions), industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife resources, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion
- People
Population: 5,316,644,000 (July 1990), growth rate 1.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1990)