cal temperate zones - that separate two
large areas of cold and dry polar 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
note: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is
the lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the Pacific
Ocean
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Natural resources:

the rapid depletion 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: 10.57%
permanent crops: 1.04%
other: 88.38% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,770,980 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

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

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; global warming
becoming a greater concern

Geography - note:

the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old, just
about one-third of the 13.7-billion-year age estimated for the
universe

People
World

Population:

6,706,993,152 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.3% (male 944,665,142/female 887,471,328)
15-64 years: 65.1%
65 years and over: 7.6% (male 222,808,372/female 284,647,297) (2008
est.)

Median age:

total:
male: 27.4 years
female: 28.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.188% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 42.09 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 44.91 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 39.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

tot