Background: 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 and 6 billion in 2000. For the 21st century the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g. advances in medicine) and fears (e.g. development of even more lethal weapons of war).

Map reference: World Time Zones

Area
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 16 times the size of the US

Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total 251,480 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 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, Kazakhstan, 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 Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)

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 the former USSR and China) 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.)

Natural hazards: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones) natural disasters (earthquakes landslides tsunamis volcanic eruptions)

Population: 6,157,400,560 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 1.25% (2001 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 29.6% (male 933,647,850; female 886,681,514)
15-64 years: 63.4% (male 1,975,418,386; female 1,931,021,694)
65 years and over: 7% (male 188,760,223; female 241,449,691) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.25% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 21.37 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 8.93 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Environment
Current 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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male/female
Total population: 1.05 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 52.61 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 63.79 years
Male: 62.15 years
Female: 65.51 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.73 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Administrative divisions: 267 nations dependent areas other and miscellaneous entries

Legal system: all members of the UN plus Switzerland are parties to the statute that established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court

Economy overview: Growth in global output (gross world product GWP) rose to 4.8% in 2000 from 3.5% in 1999 despite continued low growth in Japan severe financial difficulties in other East Asian countries and widespread dislocations in several transition economies. The US economy continued its remarkable sustained prosperity growing at 5% in 2000 although growth slowed in fourth quarter 2000; the US accounted for 23% of GWP. The EU economies grew at 3.3% and produced 20% of GWP. China the second largest economy in the world continued its strong growth and accounted for 10% of GWP. Japan grew at only 1.3% in 2000; its share in GWP is 7%. As usual the 15 successor nations of the USSR and the other old Warsaw Pact nations experienced widely different rates of growth. The developing nations also varied in their growth results with many countries facing population increases that eat up gains in output. 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 often finds its control over resources slipping as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum e.g. in many of 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 80 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 and priorities the industrialized countries devote insufficient resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world which at least from the economic point of view are becoming further marginalized. Continued financial difficulties in East Asia Russia and many African nations as well as the slowdown in US economic growth cast a shadow over short-term global economic prospects; GWP probably will grow at 3-4% in 2001. The introduction of the euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in January 1999 while paving the way for an integrated economic powerhouse poses serious economic risks because of varying levels of income and cultural and political differences among the participating nations. (For specific economic developments in each country of the world in 2000 see the individual country entries.)

Real gdp growth rate: 4.8% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,200 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4%
Industry: 32%
Services: 64% (1999 est.)

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: 6% (2000 est.)

Labor force: NA
By occupation agricultue: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Inflation rate consumer prices
Note: national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from stable prices in Japan to hyperinflation in a number of Third World countries

Exports: $6 trillion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
Partners: in value about 75% of exports from the developed countries

Imports: $6 trillion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
Partners: in value about 75% of imports by the developed countries

Debt external: $2 trillion for less developed countries (2000 est.)

Electricity
Production by source fossil fuel: NA%
Production by source hydro: NA%
Production by source nuclear: NA%
Production by source other: NA%

Telephones
Main lines in use: NA
Mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: NA
International: NA

Internet
Service providers isps: 10,350 (2000 est.)
Users: 407.1 million (2000 est.)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: aggregate real expenditure on arms worldwide in 1999 remained at approximately the 1998 level about three-quarters of a trillion dollars (1999 est.)

Railways
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