NationMaster Stats Feed: Geography Category

Geography > Terrain

Definition: A brief description of the topography
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Number of countries: 252

Geography > Natural resources

Definition: A country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance.
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Number of countries: 254

Geography > Natural hazards

Definition: Potential natural disasters.
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Number of countries: 219

Geography > Maritime claims

Definition: Includes the contiguous zone, continental shelf, exclusive economic zone, exclusive fishing zone, and territorial sea. Full and definitive definitions can be found in the Law of the Sea (LOS) Convention
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Number of countries: 61

Geography > Maritime claims > Continental shelf

Definition: Continental shelf - the LOS Convention (Article 76) defines the continental shelf of a coastal State as comprising the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend up to that distance; the continental margin comprises the submerged prolongation of the landmass of the coastal State, and consists of the seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope and the rise; it does not include the deep ocean floor with its oceanic ridges or the subsoil thereof. A full and definitive definition can be found in the Law of the Sea (LOS) Convention.
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Number of countries: 92

Geography > Maritime claims > Exclusive economic zone

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: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Number of countries: 123

Geography > Maritime claims > Exclusive fishing zone

Definition: Exclusive fishing zone - while this term is not used in the LOS Convention, some States (e.g. the United Kingdom) have chosen not to claim an EEZ, but rather to claim jurisdiction over the living resources off their coast; in such cases, the term exclusive fishing zone is often used.
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Number of countries: 33

Geography > Maritime claims > Territorial sea

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: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Number of countries: 191

Geography > Location

Definition: The country's regional location, neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of water.
Source: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Number of countries: 256

Geography > Maritime claims > Contiguous zone

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: All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008
Number of countries: 83