Statistical information World 1997

World map
World - Introduction 1997
top of pageBackground: Globally the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America Europe and Japan; (g) increased concerns about the environment including loss of forests shortages of energy and water the drop in biological diversity and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820 to 2 billion in 1930 3 billion in 1960 4 billion in 1974 5 billion in 1988.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap reference:
World, Time ZonesAreaTotal: total:510.072 million km²; land:148.94 million km²; water:361.132 million km²; note:70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land
Comparative: land area about 15 times the size of the US
Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total 251,480.24 km (not counting shared boundaries twice)
Coastline: 356,000 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone:24 nm claimed by most but can vary; continental shelf:200-m depth claimed by most or to depth of exploitation, others claim 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin; exclusive fishing zone:200 nm claimed by most but can vary; exclusive economic zone:200 nm claimed by most but can vary; territorial sea:12 nm claimed by most but can vary; note:boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nm; 43 nations and other areas that are landlocked include Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Climate: two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates
Terrain: the greatest ocean depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean
ElevationExtremes: lowest point:Dead Sea -408 m; highest point:Mount Everest 8,848 m
Natural resources: the rapid using up of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe and the former USSR) pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only beginning to address
Land use: arable land:10%; permanent crops:1%; permanent pastures:26%; forests and woodland:32%; other:31% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 2,481,250 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)
Geographytop of pagePopulation: 5,849,699,041 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 1.4% (1997 est.)
NationalityEthnic groupsLanguagesReligionsDemographic profileAge structure: 0-14 years:31% (male 922,447,462; female 877,221,909); 15-64 years:63% (male 1,856,697,495; female 1,808,219,116); 65 years and over:6% (male 166,513,212; female 218,599,847)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 1.4% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 23 births/1000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration ratePopulation distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion
Air pollutantsSex ratio: at birth:1.06 male(s)/female; under 15 years:1.05 male(s)/female; 15-64 years:1.03 male(s)/female; 65 years and over:0.76 male(s)/female; total population:1.01 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 59 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population:63 years; male:61 years; female:64 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracySchool life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameGovernment typeCapitalAdministrative divisions: 266 nations, dependent areas, other, and miscellaneous entries
Dependent areasIndependenceNational holidayConstitutionLegal system: varies by individual country; 186 (not including Yugoslavia) are parties to the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court)
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrageExecutive branchLegislative branchJudicial branchPolitical parties and leadersInternational organization participationDiplomatic representationFlag description
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Real global output - gross world product (GWP) - rose an estimated 3.6% in 1996, with the newly industrializing Third World countries again setting the pace. And once more, results varied widely among regions and countries. Average growth of 2.3% in the GDP of industrialized countries (55% of GWP in 1996) and average growth of 6.5% in the GDP of less developed countries (39% of GWP) were partly offset by a 2% drop in the GDP of the former USSR/Eastern Europe area (only 6% of GWP). With the notable exception of Japan at 3%, unemployment was typically 6%-12% in the industrial world. The US accounted for 21% of GWP in 1996; Western Europe accounted for 20%; and Japan accounted for 8%. These are the three "economic superpowers" presumably destined to compete for mastery in international markets on into the 21st century. As for the less developed countries:China, India, and the Four Dragons - South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore - once again posted records of 5% growth or better; however, many other countries, especially in Africa, continued to suffer from drought, rapid population growth, inflation, and civil strife. Central Europe and the 15 successor states to the USSR generally made progress in moving toward "market-friendly" economies, but output in Russia and Ukraine continued to fall. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, the central government in a number of cases is losing control over resources as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, and in Canada. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The addition of nearly 100 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of their own internal problems, the industrialized countries have inadequate resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from the economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. (For specific economic developments in each country, see the individual country entries.)
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 3.6% (1996 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,200 (1996 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: the whole gamut of crops, livestock, forest products, and fish
Industries: dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these technological forces; the accelerated development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1996 est.)
Labor force: total:2.24 billion (1992); by occupation:NA
Unemployment rate: 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 6%-12% unemployment (1996 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetTaxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal yearInflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: total value:$4.6 trillion (f.o.b., 1996 est.); commodities:the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services; partners:in value, about 75% of exports from the developed countries
Imports: total value:$4.7 trillion (c.i.f., 1996 est.); commodities:the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services; partners:in value, about 75% of imports by the developed countries
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $2 trillion for less developed countries (1996 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange ratestop of pageElectricityCapacity: 4 billion kW (1994)
Production: 12.34268 trillion kWh (1994)
Consumption per capita: 1,996 kWh (1995 est.)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitaWorld - Communication 1997
top of pageTelephones: NA
Telephone system: domestic:NA; international:NA
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: aggregate real expenditure on arms worldwide in 1996 remained at about the 1995 level, about three-quarters of a trillion dollars in money terms (1996 est.)
Percent of gdp: roughly 2% of gross world product (1996 est.)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupsWorld - Transportation 1997
top of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirportsHeliportsPipelinesRailways: total:1,201,337 km includes about 190,000 to 195,000 km of electrified routes of which 147,760 km are in Europe, 24,509 km in the Far East, 11,050 km in Africa, 4,223 km in South America, and 4,160 km in North America; note - fastest speed in daily service is 300 km/hr attained by France's Societe Nationale des Chemins-de-Fer Francais (SNCF) Le Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV) - Atlantique line; broad gauge:251,153 km; standard gauge:710,754 km; narrow gauge:239,430 km
RoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marine: total:25,521 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 442,276,527 GRT/701,647,274 DWT; ships by type:barge carrier 22, bulk 5,308, cargo 8,089, chemical tanker 920, combination bulk 307, combination ore/oil 279, container 1,938, liquefied gas tanker 709, livestock carrier 52, multifunction large-load carrier 62, oil tanker 4,320, passenger 298, passenger-cargo 117, railcar carrier 21, refrigerated cargo 1,022, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1,034, short-sea passenger 484, specialized tanker 81, vehicle carrier 458 (1995 est.)
Ports and terminalsWorld - Transnational issues 1997
top of pageDisputes internationalRefugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs