The World Factbook (1990)/World
World
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See regional map I
Geography
Total area: 510,072,000 km²; 361,132,000
km² (70.8%) is water and 148,940,000
km² (29.2%) is land
Comparative area: land area about 16 times the size of the US
Land boundaries: 442,000 km
Coastline: 359,000 km
Maritime claims:
- Contiguous zone: generally 24 nm, but varies from 4 nm to 24 nm
- Continental shelf: generally 200 nm, but some are 200 meters in depth
- Exclusive fishing zone: most are 200 nm, but varies from 12 nm to 200 nm
- 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)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 70 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 64 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1990)
Literacy: 77% men; 66% women (1980)
Labor force: 1,939,000,000 (1984)
Organized labor: NA
Government
Administrative divisions: 248 nations,
dependent areas, and other entities
Legal system: varies among each of the entities; 162 are parties to the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court
Diplomatic representation: there are 159 members of the UN
Economy
Overview: In 1989 the World economy
grew at an estimated 3.0%, somewhat
lower than the estimated 3.4% for 1988.
The technologically advanced areas—North
America, Japan, and Western
Europe together account for 65% of the
gross world product (GWP) of $20.3
trillion; these developed areas grew in the
aggregate at 3.5%. In contrast, the
Communist (Second World) countries typically
grew at between 0% and 2%, accounting
for 23% of GWP. Experience in the developing
countries continued mixed, with the
newly industrializing countries generally
maintaining their rapid growth, and many
others struggling with debt, inflation, and
inadequate investment. The year 1989
ended with remarkable political upheavals
in the Communist countries, which
presumably will dislocate economic production
still further. The addition of nearly
100 million people a year to an already
overcrowded globe will exacerbate the
problems of pollution, desertification,
underemployment, and poverty throughout
the 1990s.
GWP (gross world product): $20.3 trillion, per capita $3,870; real growth rate 3.0% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5%, developed countries; 100%, developing countries with wide variations (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Exports: $2,694 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—NA; partners—in value, about 70% of exports from industrial countries
Imports: $2,750 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—NA; partners—in value, about 75% of imports by the industrial countries
External debt: $1,008 billion for less developed countries (1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 2,838,680,000 kW capacity; 11,222,029 million kWh produced, 2,140 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: chemicals, energy, machinery, electronics, metals, mining, textiles, food processing
Agriculture: cereals (wheat, maize, rice), sugar, livestock products, tropical crops, fruit, vegetables, fish
Aid: NA
Communications
Ports: Mina al Ahmadi (Kuwait), Chiba,
Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, New
Orleans, New York, Rotterdam,
Yokohama
Defense Forces
Branches: ground, maritime, and air
forces at all levels of technology
Military manpower: 29.15 million persons in the defense forces of the World (1987)
Defense expenditures: 5.4% of GWP, or $1.1 trillion (1989 est.)