Area > Comparative to US places
slightly smaller than Kentucky
slightly smaller than California
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
Elevation extremes > lowest point
Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Hachiro-gata -4 m
DEFINITION:
Lowest point relative to sea level
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Forested Land
0.3%
64%
DEFINITION:
Forested land as a proportion of total land area, estimate by FAO
SOURCE:
FAO
Ranked 190th.
Ranked 16th. 212 times more than Iceland
Land use > other
99.93 %
87.46 %
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 32nd in 2005. 14% more than Japan
Ranked 125th in 2005.
Largest city population
156,000
26,959,000
DEFINITION:
The population of the country's largest city
SOURCE:
United Nations World Statistics Pocketbook and Statistical Yearbook
Ranked 142nd.
Ranked 1st. 172 times more than Iceland
Largest city with population
Reykjavik - 103,036
Tokyo - 12,527,115
DEFINITION:
Largest cities including most recent population (estimates included). Populations are figures only within the city limits, unless otherwise specified. All populations are from 2001 t0 2005 unless otherwise specified.
SOURCE:
United Nations World Statistics Pocketbook and Statistical Yearbook , City Population , CIA World Factbook, World Gazetteer , Official government websites.
Location
Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
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
Europe
Asia
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 > exclusive economic zone
200 nautical mile
200 nautical mile
DEFINITION:
Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - the LOS Convention (Part V) defines the EEZ as a zone beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which a coastal State has: sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natura
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
Ranked 72nd in 2008.
Ranked 34th 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 113rd in 2005.
Ranked 31st in 2005.
Natural hazards
earthquakes and volcanic activity
many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons
DEFINITION:
Potential natural disasters.
SOURCE:
CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011
northernmost point > Latitude
67°08'N
45°31'N
DEFINITION:
SOURCE:
Wikipedia: List of countries by northernmost point
Population density
2.72 people per sqkm
336.72 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 220th.
Ranked 31st. 123 times more than Iceland
Population density > people per sq. km
2.96 people/m²
350.55 people/m²
DEFINITION:
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.
SOURCE:
World Development Indicators database
Ranked 199th in 2005.
Ranked 21st in 2005. 117 times more than Iceland
Precipitation
801 mm
1,406 mm
DEFINITION:
Average Annual Precipitation in Largest City (mm, 1931-1960)
SOURCE:
United Nations World Statistics Pocketbook and Statistical Yearbook
Ranked 45th.
Ranked 19th. 76% more than Iceland
Rural population density > rural population per sq. km of arable land
305.23 people/km² of arable lan
1,002.26 people/km² of arable lan
DEFINITION:
Rural population density is the rural population divided by the arable land area. Rural population is calculated as the difference between the total population and the urban population. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.
SOURCE:
World Development Indicators database
Ranked 24th in 2005.
Ranked 5th in 2005. 2 times more than Iceland
Capital city with population
Reykjavik - 103,036
Tokyo - 12,527,115
DEFINITION:
Capital cities including most recent population (estimates included). Populations are figures only within the city limits, unless otherwise specified. All populations are from 2001 t0 2005 unless otherwise specified.
SOURCE:
United Nations World Statistics Pocketbook and Statistical Yearbook , City Population , CIA World Factbook, World Gazetteer , Official government websites.
tallest mountains > Mountain
Hvannadalshnúkur
Mount Fuji
DEFINITION:
SOURCE:
Wikipedia: List of tallest mountains by country
Total area > sq. km
103,000
377,930
DEFINITION:
Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways."
SOURCE:
Food and Agriculture Organisation, electronic files and web site.
Ranked 103rd in 2008.
Ranked 59th in 2008. 3 times more than Iceland
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