anent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 24%; forest and
woodland 31%; other 34%; includes irrigated 1.6%

:World Geography

Environment:
large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters
(earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions), overpopulation,
industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances),
loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of
wildlife resources, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion

:World People

Population:
5,515,617,484 (July 1992), growth rate 1.7% (1992)
Birth rate:
26 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
63 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
61 years male, 65 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
3.3 children born/woman (1992)
Literacy:
74% (male 81%, female 67%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
2.24 billion (1992)
Organized labor:
NA

:World Government

Administrative divisions:
187 sovereign nations plus 72 dependent, other, and miscellaneous areas
Legal system:
varies by individual country; 182 are parties to the United Nations
International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court)
Diplomatic representation:
there are 178 members of the UN

:World Economy

Overview:
Aggregate world output in 1991 increased by 1.3%, in contrast to estimated
2% growth in 1990 and 3% growth in 1989. In 1991, the developed countries
grew by 2.5% and the LDCs by 3.5%, these gains being offset by a 10-15% drop
in the former Communist-dominated areas of the USSR and Eastern Europe. As
usual, results among individual countries differed widely. In the developed
group, Japan led with 4.5%, the West European members averaged 1.2%, and the
recession-plagued United States lagged,with GDP down 0.7%. As for the 15
former Soviet republics and the seven nations of Eastern Europe, output
plummeted in many economic sectors because of fundamental changes in the
rules of the game and in the channels of production and exchange. China and
the Four Dragons performed well in 1991 but many of the other developing
countries are mired in poverty and political instability. For the world as a
whole, the addition of nearly 100 million people each year to an already
overcrowded globe will