Area > comparative
slightly larger than the US
about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
DEFINITION:
The area of various small countries expressed in comparison to various areas within the United States of America.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Area > Comparative to US places
somewhat larger than the US
about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
DEFINITION:
This entry provides an area comparison based on total area equivalents. Most entities are compared with the entire US or one of the 50 states based on area measurements (1990 revised) provided by the US Bureau of the Census. The smaller entities are compared with Washington, DC (178 sq km, 69 sq mi) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 sq km, 0.23 sq mi, 146 acres).
SOURCE:
All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Area > land
9,093,507 sq km
135 sq km
DEFINITION:
Total land area in square kilometres
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Ranked 5th in 2008. 67358 times more than Christmas Island
Ranked 215th in 2008.
Area > land (per capita)
281.5 sq km
per 1,000 people
374.0 sq km
per 1,000 people
DEFINITION:
Total land area in square kilometres Per capita figures expressed per 1,000 population.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Ranked 13th in 2005.
Ranked 7th in 2005. 33% more than Canada
Area > total
9,984,670 sq km
135 sq km
DEFINITION:
Total area in square kilometers
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Ranked 8th in 2008. 73960 times more than Christmas Island
Ranked 225th in 2008.
Area > total (per capita)
309.1 sq km
per 1,000 people
374.0 sq km
per 1,000 people
DEFINITION:
Total area in square kilometers Per capita figures expressed per 1,000 population.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Ranked 12th in 2005.
Ranked 7th in 2005. 21% more than Canada
Area > water
891,163 sq km
0 sq km
DEFINITION:
Total water area in square kilometers
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Ranked 1st in 2005.
Ranked 182nd in 2005.
Area > water (per capita)
27,591.0 sq km
per 1 million peo
0 sq km
per 1 million peo
DEFINITION:
Total water area in square kilometers Per capita figures expressed per 1 million population.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Ranked 1st in 2005.
Ranked 206th in 2005.
Climate
varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds
DEFINITION:
A brief description of typical weather regimes throughout the year.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Elevation extremes > highest point
Mount Logan 5,959 m
Murray Hill 361 m
DEFINITION:
Highest point above sea level
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Elevation extremes > lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Indian Ocean 0 m
DEFINITION:
Lowest point relative to sea level
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Geography > note
second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border
located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean
DEFINITION:
This entry includes miscellaneous geographic information of significance not included elsewhere.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Land use > other
94.78 %
100 %
DEFINITION:
The percentage share of used land that is not arable or under permanent crops. This includes permanent meadows and pastures, forests and woodlands, built-on areas, roads, barren land, etc.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Ranked 79th in 2005.
Ranked 13th in 2005. 6% more than Canada
Location
Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US
Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia
DEFINITION:
The country's regional location, neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of water.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Map references
North America
Oceania
DEFINITION:
The name of the CIA World Factbook reference map on which a country may be found. The entry on Geographic coordinates may be helpful in finding some smaller countries.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Maritime claims > contiguous zone
24 nautical mile
12 nautical mile
DEFINITION:
Contiguous zone - according to the LOS Convention (Article 33), this is a zone contiguous to a coastal State's territorial sea, over which it may exercise the control necessary to: prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration, or sanitary laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea; punish infringement of the above laws and regulations committed within its territory or territorial sea; the contiguous zone may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured (e.g. the US has claimed a 12-mile contiguous zone in addition to its 12-mile territorial sea). A full and definitive definition can be found in the Law of the Sea (LOS) Convention.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Ranked 51st in 2008. 100% more than Christmas Island
Ranked 81st in 2008.
Maritime claims > territorial sea
12 nautical mile
12 nautical mile
DEFINITION:
territorial sea - the sovereignty of a coastal State extends beyond its land territory and internal waters to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea in the LOS Convention (Part II); this sovereignty extends to the air space over the territorial sea as well as its underlying seabed and subsoil; every State has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles. A full and definitive definition can be found in the Law of the Sea (LOS) Convention.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Ranked 124th in 2008.
Ranked 49th in 2008.
Natural hazards
continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains
the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
DEFINITION:
Potential natural disasters.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Natural resources
iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower
phosphate, beaches
DEFINITION:
A country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Population density
3.36 people per sqkm
17.58 people per sqkm
DEFINITION:
People per square kilometre, in 1999. At this time the world average was 14.42.
SOURCE:
Heal The World Foundation.
Ranked 218th.
Ranked 186th. 4 times more than Canada
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