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The World Factbook

World

Photos of World

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View of the Earth from space showing most of the Western Hemisphere, including all of the North American continent and the northern portion of South America. Image courtesy of NASA.
Map of the World

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Introduction

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Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Definitions and Notes
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Geography

Area - comparative

Africa-US area comparison map :
Africa-US area comparison map
Antarctica-US area comparison map :
Antarctica-US area comparison map
Asia-US area comparison map :
Asia-US area comparison map
Australia-US area comparison map :
Australia-US area comparison map
Europe-US area comparison map :
Europe-US area comparison map
South America-US area comparison map :
South America-US area comparison map

People and Society

Age structure

2024 population pyramid:
This is the population pyramid for World. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. <br/><br/>For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page.

Environment

World biomes

World Biomes:
World Biomes: Tundra, Coniferous Forest, Temperate Deciduous Forest, Grassland, Desert, Shrubland, Rainforest. Map from NASA Earth Observatory.
Tundra biome:
The tundra is the coldest of the biomes. It also receives low amounts of precipitation, making the tundra similar to a desert. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia, meaning "treeless plain." Tundra is found in the regions just below the ice caps of the Arctic, extending across North America, to Europe, and Siberia in Asia. The temperatures are so cold that there is a layer of permanently frozen ground below the surface, called permafrost. This permafrost is a defining characteristic of the tundra biome. Photo from NASA Earth Observatory.
Circum-polar Extent of Permafrost:
Permafrost is soil, rock, or sediment that remains frozen for very long periods of time (described as more than two consecutive years). In colder regions, permafrost occurs under essentially all land areas. The presence of permafrost is a defining characteristic of the Tundra biome. It is estimated that permafrost underlies 15% of the exposed land area in North America and 11% globally. Map from the USGS.
Coniferous Forest biome:
The coniferous forest is sandwiched in between the tundra to the north and the deciduous forest to the south. Coniferous forest regions have cold, long, snowy winters, and warm, humid summers. Photo from NASA Earth Observatory.
Temperate Deciduous Forest biome:
Temperate deciduous forests are located in the mid-latitude areas which means that they are found between the polar regions and the tropics. The deciduous forest regions are exposed to warm and cold air masses, which cause this area to have four seasons. Hot summers and cold winters are typical in this biome. Photo from NASA Earth Observatory.
Rainforest biome:
There are two types of rainforests, tropical and temperate. Tropical rainforests are found closer to the equator and temperate rainforests are found farther north near coastal areas. The majority of common houseplants come from the rainforest. Photo from NASA Earth Observatory.
Grassland biome:
Grasslands are generally open and continuous, fairly flat areas of grass. They are often located between temperate forests at high latitudes and deserts at subtropical latitudes. Found on every continent except Antarctica. Photo from NASA Earth Observatory.
Shrubland biome:
Shrublands include regions such as chaparral, woodland, and savanna. The shrublands are made up of shrubs or short trees. Many shrubs thrive on steep, rocky slopes. There is usually not enough rain to support tall trees. These regions are generally found surrounding deserts and grasslands. Photo from NASA Earth Observatory.
Desert biome:
Desert biomes are the driest of all the biomes. In fact, the most important characteristic of a desert is that it receives very little rainfall. Since desert conditions are so severe, the plants that live there need to have adaptations to compensate for the lack of water. Some plants, such as cacti, store water in their stems and use it very slowly, while others like bushes conserve water by growing few leaves or by having large root systems to gather water. Photo from NASA Earth Observatory.

Government

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United Nations flag:
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Economy

Energy

Communications

Transportation

Military and Security

Transnational Issues

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