Country ranking for field: environment current issues 1989

Other rankings:

This entry lists the most pressing and important environmental problems. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:

	World	large areas subject to severe weather
1	Maldives	1200
2	Canada	80% of population concentrated within 160 km of US border; continuous permafrost in north a serious obstacle to development
3	The Netherlands	30% of the land area is below sea level and protected from the North Sea by dikes
4	Turks and Caicos Islands	30 islands
5	Afghanistan	damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; soil degradation desertification overgrazing deforestation pollution
6	Oman	summer winds often raise large sandstorms and duststorms in interior; sparse natural freshwater resources
7	New Zealand	earthquakes are common though usually not severe
8	Nicaragua	subject to destructive earthquakes volcanoes landslides and occasional severe hurricanes; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
9	Niger	recurrent drought and desertification severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; overgrazing; soil erosion
10	Nigeria	recent droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; desertification; soil degradation
11	Niue	subject to typhoons
12	Norfolk Island	subject to typhoons
13	North Korea	mountainous interior is isolated nearly inaccessible and sparsely populated; late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding
14	Northern Mariana Islands	Mt	. Pagan is an active volcano
15	Norway	air and water pollution; acid rain
16	Pakistan	frequent earthquakes occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains
17	Pacific Ocean	endangered marine species include the dugong sea lion sea otter seals turtles and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean; subject to tropical cyclones
18	Netherlands Antilles	Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt so rarely threatened; Sint Maarten Saba and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October
19	Palmyra Atoll	about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation coconut trees and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall
20	Panama	dense tropical forest in east and northwest
21	Papua New Guinea	one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast; some active volcanos; frequent earthquakes
22	Paracel Islands	subject to typhoons
23	Paraguay	local flooding in southeast
24	Peru	subject to earthquakes tsunamis landslides mild volcanic activity; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima
25	Philippines	astride typhoon belt usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; subject to landslides active volcanoes destructive earthquakes tsunami; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
26	Pitcairn Islands	subject to typhoons
27	Poland	plain crossed by a few north-flowing meandering streams; severe air and water pollution in south
28	Portugal	Azores subject to severe earthquakes
29	Puerto Rico	many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north
30	Qatar	haze duststorms sandstorms common; limited freshwater resources mean increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities
31	New Caledonia	typhoons most frequent from November to March
32	Navassa Island	mostly exposed rock but enough grassland to support a plentiful goat population; dense stands of fig-like trees scattered cactus
33	Nepal	contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
34	Martinique	subject to hurricanes flooding and volcanic activity that result in an average of one major natural disaster every five years
35	Liberia	West Africa's largest tropical rain forest subject to deforestation
36	Libya	hot dry dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; desertification; sparse natural water resources
37	Liechtenstein	variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation
38	Luxembourg	deforestation
39	Macau	essentially urban; one causeway and one bridge connect the two islands to the peninsula on mainland
40	Madagascar	subject to periodic cyclones; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
41	Malawi	deforestation
42	Malaysia	subject to flooding; air and water pollution
43	Mali	hot dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; desertification; recent droughts affecting marginal agriculture
44	Malta	numerous bays provide good harbors; fresh water very scarce - increasing reliance on desalination
45	Marshall Islands	occasionally subject to typhoons; two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1152 islands
46	Mauritania	hot dry dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; desertification; only perennial river is the Senegal
47	Rwanda	deforestation; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; periodic droughts
48	Mauritius	subject to cyclones
49	Mayotte	subject to cyclones during rainy season
50	Mexico	subject to tsunamis along the Pacific coast and destructive earthquakes in the center and south; natural water resources scarce in north inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; deforestation; erosion widespread; desertification
51	Midway Islands	coral atoll
52	Monaco	almost entirely urban
53	Mongolia	harsh and rugged
54	Montserrat	subject to severe hurricanes from June to November
55	Morocco	northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; desertification
56	Mozambique	severe drought and floods occur in south; desertification geoad0	.gif" border="0" geoad1
57	Myanmar	subject to destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season
58	Namibia	inhospitable with very limited natural water resources; desertification
59	Nauru	only 53 km south of Equator
60	Romania	frequent earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides air pollution in south
61	Saint Kitts and Nevis	subject to hurricanes
62	Réunion	periodic devastating cyclones
63	United Kingdom	pollution control measures improving air water quality; because of heavily indented coastline no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
64	Togo	hot dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; recent droughts affecting agriculture; deforestation
65	Tokelau	lies in Pacific typhoon belt
66	Tonga	archipelago of 170 islands
67	Trinidad and Tobago	outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
68	Tromelin Island	wildlife sanctuary
69	Tunisia	deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
70	Turkey	subject to severe earthquakes especially along major river valleys in west; air pollution; desertification
71	Tuvalu	severe tropical storms are rare
72	U.S. Virgin Islands	rarely affected by hurricanes; subject to frequent severe droughts floods earthquakes; lack of natural freshwater resources
73	Uganda	straddles Equator; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion
74	United Arab Emirates	frequent dust and sand storms; lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification
75	United States	pollution control measures improving air and water quality; acid rain; agricultural fertilizer and pesticide pollution; management of sparse natural water resources in west; desertification; tsunamis volcanoes and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; continuous permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development
76	The Bahamas	subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms
77	Uruguay	subject to seasonally high winds droughts floods
78	Vanuatu	subject to tropical cyclones or typhoons
79	Venezuela	subject to floods rockslides mudslides; Angel Falls is world's highest waterfall; unique rock massifs known as tepuis in the state of Bolivar
80	Vietnam	occasional typhoons
81	Wake Island	subject to occasional typhoons
82	Wallis and Futuna	both island groups have fringing reefs
83	West Bank	highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers
84	Western Sahara	hot dry dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time often severely restricting visibility; sparse water and arable land
85	Western Samoa	subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism
86	Yugoslavia	subject to frequent and destructive earthquakes
87	Zaire	dense tropical rainforest in central river basin and eastern highlands; periodic droughts in south
88	Zambia	deforestation; soil erosion; desertification
89	The Gambia	deforestation
90	Thailand	air and water pollution; land subsidence in Bangkok area
91	Saint Helena	very few perennial streams
92	South Africa	lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures
93	Lebanon	rugged terrain historically helped isolate protect and develop numerous factional groups based on religion clan ethnicity; deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution; desertification
94	Saint Lucia	subject to hurricanes and volcanic activity; deforestation; soil erosion
95	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	subject to hurricanes; Soufriere volcano is a constant threat
96	Saint-Pierre and Miquelon	vegetation scanty
97	San Marino	dominated by the Appenines
98	Saudi Arabia	no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies; developing extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities; desertification
99	Senegal	lowlands seasonally flooded; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
100	Seychelles	lies outside the cyclone belt so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible; no fresh water catchements collect rain; 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands
101	Sierra Leone	extensive mangrove swamps hinder access to sea; deforestation; soil degradation
102	Singapore	mostly urban and industrialized
103	Solomon Islands	subject to typhoons which are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors
104	Somalia	recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
105	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	reindeer introduced early in this century live on South Georgia; weather conditions generally make it difficult to approach the South Sandwich Islands; the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism
106	Tanzania	lack of water and tsetse fly limit agriculture; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture; Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa
107	South Korea	occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; earthquakes in southwest; air pollution in large cities
108	Spain	deforestation; desertification; air pollution
109	Spratly Islands	subject to typhoons; includes numerous small islands atolls shoals and coral reefs
110	Sri Lanka	occasional cyclones tornados; deforestation; soil erosion
111	Sudan	dominated by the Nile and its tributaries; dust storms; desertification
112	Suriname	mostly tropical rain forest
113	Swaziland	overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
114	Sweden	water pollution; acid rain
115	Switzerland	dominated by Alps
116	Syria	deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
117	São Tomé and Príncipe	deforestation; soil erosion
118	Taiwan	subject to earthquakes and typhoons
119	Lesotho	population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing severe soil erosion soil exhaustion; desertification
120	Kuwait	some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution; desertification
121	Laos	deforestation; soil erosion; subject to floods
122	Christmas Island	almost completely surrounded by a reef
123	Brunei	typhoons earthquakes and severe flooding are rare
124	Bulgaria	subject to earthquakes landslides; deforestation; air pollution
125	Burkina Faso	recent droughts and desertification severely affecting marginal agricultural activities population distribution economy; overgrazing; deforestation
126	Burundi	soil exhaustion; soil erosion; deforestation
127	Cabo Verde	subject to prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; volcanically and seismically active; deforestation; overgrazing
128	Cambodia	a land of paddies and forests dominated by Mekong River and Tonle Sap
129	Cameroon	recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification
130	Cayman Islands	within the Caribbean hurricane belt
131	Central African Republic	hot dry dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges; desertification
132	Chad	hot dry dusty harmattan winds occur in north; drought and desertification adversely affecting south; subject to plagues of locusts
133	Chile	subject to severe earthquakes active volcanism tsunami; Atacama Desert one of world's driest regions; desertification
134	China	frequent typhoons
135	Clipperton Island	reef about 8 km in circumference
136	British Indian Ocean Territory	archipelago of 2300 islands
137	Cocos Islands	two coral atolls thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation
138	Colombia	highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; deforestation
139	Comoros	soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; cyclones possible during rainy season
140	Congo	deforestation; about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville Pointe Noire or along the railroad between them
141	Cook Islands	subject to typhoons from November to March
142	Coral Sea Islands	subject to occasional tropical cyclones; no permanent fresh water; important nesting area for birds and turtles
143	Costa Rica	subject to occasional earthquakes hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season; active volcanoes; deforestation; soil erosion
144	Cuba	averages one hurricane every other year
145	Cyprus	moderate earthquake activity; water resource problems
146	Côte d'Ivoire	coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; deforestation geoad0	.gif" border="0" geoad1
147	Denmark	air and water pollution
148	Djibouti	vast wasteland
149	British Virgin Islands	subject to hurricanes and tropical storms from July to October
150	Brazil	recurrent droughts in northeast; floods and frost in south; deforestation in Amazon basin
151	Dominican Republic	subject to occasional hurricanes
152	Australia	subject to severe droughts and floods; cyclones along coast; limited freshwater availability; irrigated soil degradation; regular tropical invigorating sea breeze known as the doctor occurs along west coast in summer; desertification
153	Algeria	mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; desertification
154	American Samoa	typhoons common from December to March
155	Andorra	deforestation overgrazing
156	Angola	locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on plateau; desertification
157	Anguilla	frequent hurricanes other tropical storms
158	Antarctica	mostly uninhabitable; katabatic
159	Antigua and Barbuda	subject to hurricanes and tropical storms
160	Arctic Ocean	endangered marine species include walruses and whales; ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean and lasts about 10 months; permafrost in islands; virtually icelocked from October to June; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage
161	Argentina	Tucuman and Mendoza areas in Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike Pampas and northeast; irrigated soil degradation; desertification
162	Aruba	lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
163	Ashmore and Cartier Islands	surrounded by shoals and reefs; Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983
164	Atlantic Ocean	endangered marine species include the manatee seals sea lions turtles and whales; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US southern Brazil and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea Gulf of Mexico Lake Maracaibo Mediterranean Sea and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea North Sea and Mediterranean Sea; icebergs common in Davis Strait Denmark Strait and the northwestern Atlantic from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; icebergs from Antarctica occur in the extreme southern Atlantic
165	Austria	because of steep slopes poor soils and cold temperatures population is concentrated on eastern lowlands
166	Bouvet Island	covered by glacial ice
167	Bahrain	subsurface water sources being rapidly depleted
168	Baker Island	treeless sparse and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses prostrate vines and low growing shrubs; lacks fresh water; primarily a nesting roosting and foraging habitat for seabirds shorebirds and marine wildlife
169	Bangladesh	vulnerable to droughts; much of country routinely flooded during summer monsoon season; overpopulation; deforestation
170	Barbados	subject to hurricanes
171	Bassas da India	surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones
172	Belgium	air and water pollution
173	Belize	frequent devastating hurricanes
174	Benin	hot dry dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter; deforestation; desertification
175	Bermuda	ample rainfall but no rivers or freshwater lakes; consists of about 360 small coral islands
176	Bhutan	violent storms coming down from the Himalayas were the source of the country name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon
177	Bolivia	cold thin air of high plateau makes physical activity very difficult; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
178	Botswana	rains in early 1988 broke six years of drought that had severely affected the important cattle industry; overgrazing; desertification
179	Dominica	flash floods a constant hazard; occasional hurricanes
180	Ecuador	subject to frequent earthquakes landslides volcanic activity tsunamis; deforestation; desertification; soil erosion
181	Albania	subject to destructive earthquakes; tsunami occur along southwestern coast; deforestation seems to be slowing
182	Isle of Man	strong westerly winds prevail
183	Holy See	urban
184	Honduras	subject to frequent but generally mild earthquakes; damaging hurricanes along Caribbean coast; deforestation; soil erosion
185	Hong Kong	more than 200 islands; occasional typhoons
186	Howland Island	almost totally covered with grasses prostrate vines and low-growing shrubs; small area of trees in the center; lacks fresh water; primarily a nesting roosting and foraging habitat for seabirds shorebirds and marine wildlife; feral cats
187	Hungary	levees are common along many streams but flooding occurs almost every year
188	Iceland	subject to earthquakes and volcanic activity
189	India	droughts flash floods severe thunderstorms common; deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; air and water pollution; desertification
190	Indian Ocean	endangered marine species include the dugong seals turtles and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea Persian Gulf and Red Sea
191	Indonesia	archipelago of 13500 islands
192	Iran	deforestation; overgrazing; desertification
193	Iraq	development of Tigris-Euphrates river systems contingent upon agreements with upstream riparians
194	Ireland	deforestation
195	Israel	sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; limited arable land: and natural water resources pose serious constraints; deforestation;
196	Haiti	lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; deforestation
197	Italy	regional risks include landslides mudflows snowslides earthquakes volcanic eruptions flooding pollution; land sinkage in Venice
198	Jamaica	subject to hurricanes
199	Jan Mayen	barren volcanic island with some moss and grass; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
200	Japan	many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1500 seismic occurrences
201	Jarvis Island	sparse bunch grass prostrate vines and low-growing shrubs; lacks fresh water; primarily a nesting roosting and foraging habitat for seabirds shorebirds and marine wildlife; feral cats
202	Jersey	about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier
203	Johnston Atoll	some low-growing vegetation
204	Jordan	lack of natural water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification geoad0	.gif" border="0" geoad1
205	Juan de Nova Island	subject to periodic cyclones; wildlife sanctuary
206	Kenya	unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; glaciers on Mt	. Kenya
207	Kingman Reef	barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; wet or awash most of the time
208	Kiribati	typhoons can occur any time but usually November to March; 20 of the 33 islands are inhabited
209	Heard Island and McDonald Islands	primarily used as research stations
210	Guyana	flash floods a constant threat during rainy seasons; water pollution
211	Egypt	Nile is only perennial water source; increasing soil salinization below Aswan High Dam; hot driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; water pollution; desertification
212	French Southern and Antarctic Lands	Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes
213	El Salvador	The Land of Volcanoes; subject to frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
214	Equatorial Guinea	subject to violent windstorms
215	Ethiopia	geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes volcanic eruptions; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; famine
216	Europa Island	wildlife sanctuary
217	Falkland Islands	poor soil fertility and a short growing season
218	Faroe Islands	precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands; archipelago of 18 inhabited islands and a few uninhabited islets
219	Federated States of Micronesia	subject to typhoons from June to December; four major island groups totaling 607 islands
220	Fiji	subject to hurricanes from November to January; includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited
221	Finland	permanently wet ground covers about 30% of land; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
222	France	most of large urban areas and industrial centers in Rhone Garonne Seine or Loire River basins; occasional warm tropical wind known as mistral
223	French Guiana	mostly an unsettled wilderness
224	French Polynesia	occasional cyclonic storm in January; includes five archipelagoes
225	Gabon	deforestation
226	Guinea	hot dry dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; deforestation
227	Gaza Strip	desertification
228	Ghana	recent drought in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; dry northeasterly harmattan wind
229	Gibraltar	natural freshwater sources are meager so large water catchments
230	Glorioso Islands	subject to periodic cyclones
231	Greece	subject to severe earthquakes; air pollution; archipelago of 2000 islands
232	Greenland	sparse population confined to small settlements along coast; continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island
233	Grenada	lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November
234	Guadeloupe	subject to hurricanes
235	Guam	frequent squalls during rainy season; subject to relatively rare but potentially very destructive typhoons
236	Guatemala	numerous volcanoes in mountains with frequent violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
237	Guernsey	large deepwater harbor at St	. Peter Port
238	Guinea-Bissau	hot dry dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season
239	Zimbabwe	recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare; deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution; desertification

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