World Atlas. Information at your fingertips

35 Pages·17.663 MB·English

by  School Speciality Publishing.

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A fact-by-fact look at our world, from a physical, geological,
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astronomical, and political perspective. L
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Factfiles on every country in the world.
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Political and physical maps.
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Full-color photographs and illustrations.
The most up-to-date information available, presented in
a unique easy-reference system of lists, fact boxes,
tables, and charts.
Find the fact you need in seconds with
JUST THE FACTS!
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Visit our Web site at: US $9.95 c
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www.SchoolSpecialtyPublishing.com CAN $15.95 l
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ISBN 0-7696-4260-8 P
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A P li NFORMATION T OUR INGERTIPS
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INFORMATIONATYOURFINGERTIPS INFORMATIONATYOURFINGERTIPS INFORMATIONATYOURFINGERTIPS g
WORLD
ATLAS
CONTENTS
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 4 • Land use • Climate: South America
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• Physical MAP OF SOUTH AMERICA...................................................26
PLANET EARTH 6
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• South America FACTFILES
• Planet Earth FACTFILE • Moon FACTFILE • Planet Earth from space
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• Inside planet Earth • Earth time • Hot and cold planet
AFRICA 28
• Summer and winter • The solar system • Time zones ....................................................................................................................................
• People FACTFILE • Geography FACTFILE
EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES 8
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• Highest mountains • Longest rivers • Largest islands • Fast facts
• Earthquake FACTFILE • The cracked planet
• Oil consumption • Political MAP OF AFRICA • Mount Kilimanjaro
• Ever-changing planet • Story of an earthquake
• Frequency of earthquakes worldwide • Inside a volcano
• Physical MAP OF AFRICA.................................................................30
• Earthquake and volcano disasters • Volcano FACTFILE
• World’s largest volcano
• Habitats and protecting Africa’s wildlife • Climate: Africa.................32
MOUNTAINS, LAKES, RIVERS, AND OCEANS 10 • Land use • The African baobab tree • Africa FACTFILES
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• Making a mountain • World’s 10 highest mountain peaks ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-–––––––––-–––––––––––––––
• The Andes • World’s 10 longest rivers • The world’s oceans EUROPE 36
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• Ocean depths and coastlines • Ocean currents
• People FACTFILE • Geography FACTFILE
• What is a lake? • World’s 10 largest lakes
• Highest mountains (by country) • Longest rivers • Largest islands
PHYSICAL WORLD 12 • Fast facts • Oil consumption • Political MAP OF EUROPE
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• Physical world FACTFILE • Physical MAP OF THE WORLD
• Making maps • The continents • World’s largest countries • Physical MAP OF EUROPE................................................................38
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• Habitats • Climate: Europe • The European Union...........................40
POLITICAL WORLD 14
................................................................................................... • European Union members • EU flag and the Euro
• World population • Highest population by country
• Land use • Europe FACTFILES
• Age structure of world population • World’s largest cities by population
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-–––––––––-–––––––––––––––
• Transport facts • Life expectancy • Wealth by continent
ASIA 44
• Political MAP OF THE WORLD • Independent states and dependencies ............................................................................................................................................
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-–––––––––-––––––––––––––– • People FACTFILE • Geography FACTFILE
• Highest mountains (by country) • Largest lakes • Largest islands
NORTH AMERICA AND CENTRAL AMERICA 16
.............................. • Siberia • Oil consumption • Political MAP OF ASIA
• People FACTFILE • Geography FACTFILE • Highest mountains
This edition published in the United States in 2006 by SchoolSpecialty Publishing, a member of the School Specialty Family.
• Longest rivers • Largest islands • Oil consumption • Fast facts
Copyright ©ticktock Entertainment Ltd 2005First published in Great Britain in 2005 by ticktock Media Ltd. Printed in China. • Physical MAP OF ASIA.....................................................................46
• Political MAP OF NORTH AMERICA
• Political MAP OF CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
• Habitats • The Asian rainforest • Climate: Asia................................48
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a central retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
• Land use • Fast facts • Asia FACTFILES
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, withouth the prior written permission of the publisher. • Physical MAP OF NORTH AMERICA...................................................18 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-–––––––––-–––––––––––––––
Written by Dee Phillips. Special thanks to:Alan Grimwade, Cosmographics, Indexing Specialists (UK) Ltd, and Elizabeth Wiggans. OCEANIA 52
• Physical MAP OF CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN................20 ...............................................................................................................................
• People FACTFILE • Geography FACTFILE
• Climate: North and Central America
• Highest mountains (by country) • Largest islands • Habitats
Library of Congress-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher. • Habitats: North and Central America
• Fast facts • Political MAP OF OCEANIA • Uluru
• Land use: North and Central America • San Andreas fault
• Land use • Climate: Oceania
• North America FACTFILES
Send all inquiries to:
School Specialty Publishing • Physical MAP OF OCEANIA...............................................................54
• Central America FACTFILES 22
...........................................................................................
8720 Orion Place ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-–––––––––-––––––––––––––– • Oceania FACTFILES
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-–––––––––-–––––––––––––––
Columbus, OH43240-2111
SOUTH AMERICA 24
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THE ARCTIC/ANTARCTICA 56
• People FACTFILE • Geography FACTFILE ..............................................................................
ISBN 0-7696-4260-8 • Highest mountains (by country) • Longest rivers • Largest lakes
GLOSSARY 58
• Habitats • Amazon Rainforest facts • Fast facts ..........................................................................................................................
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 TTM 11 10 09 08 07 06
• Political MAP OF SOUTH AMERICA INDEX 60
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2 3
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK NORTH AMERICA AND CENTRAL AMERICA
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8 9 22 23
Pages packed with supplementary facts FACTFILESThe section for each continent includes a file of
BOX HEADINGS CONTINENT-BY-CONTINENT FACTS and geography information. information on every country.
Look for heading words linked Each continent’s section opens with two pages
POLITICAL MAPS
to your research to guide you that show key facts and statistics about the
Each continent has a map that shows the
TWO QUICK WAYS to the right fact box. people and geography of that continent. territories of all the countries. 54 1 P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B A 1
N
2 2
W E
TO FIND A FACT: AFRICA 3 S 3
4 4
1 Utions tefe irntehdse t y.doeutra itloepdi cC oOfN TENTSlist on page 3 THPF8o8igt7ah,A0le 0psE0to ,p0pCu0ol0paOutTiloanti:oFnP:ILL EE Aftrhitceha ew iSso artlhhdae.r saTe,hcdeoo nwmAdo ilnraladrtg’eFses s bttih gcRego lenastnitn dIdesencsCtae pirnet, oAf CaMnaardye iIrsa. MOROCCO POLITTIUCNAILS IMAAMPED ITOERFR AANEFANREISCEAA 00 500 50100 00 150100 0ki0lo mmieletesr s 5678 5678PHYSICAL MAP OF OCEANIA
Nigeria 128,771,988 the north,while in the south forests and vast A L G E R I A 9 9
L I B Y A
LDojiwboeustit 4p7o6p,7u0la3tion: grasslands are home to wild animals,such as SWAEHSATERRAN EGYPT 10 10
Most populous city: leopards,lions,and elephants. The Great Rift Cape RED 11 11
C11a,i1ro4,6 E,0gy0p0t residents Vfeaaltluerye,so,nreu nosf ftrhoem E tahreth R’se md aSjeoar dgoewolno gtoical Verde Is. MAURITANIA MALI NIGER SEA 12 P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B A 12
Life expectancy:
Male: 51 years Mozambique. This huge crack in the Earth’s GAMBIASENEGAL CHAD S U D A N ERITREA
HFAbeinirmgtghhaosell ea–s:: t th1 ie9n 1f5ha i3dgn ehytaee tsmahtr sois npr tethare l1i tw,y0o0 rr0ldate: smuorfuanctea,incsa,uvsoedlc abnyo ae ss,edrieeesp o vf aflaleuyltss,,aisn dm laadkee su. p of SamAbnu rAuf rGicaamne l eRoepsaerrdv ein, Ktheenya. GBUISISNAESLUAIEEORNREAGUINEA D’CIVOOTBEIRUERKGIHNAON FAASBOENIN NIGERIA CAEFNRTICRAANL ETHIOPIADSJOIBMOAUTLIIA Each contiPneHnYt ShIaCsA aL dMetAaPileSd physical
HIGHEST MOUNTAINS FAST FACTS LIBERIA TOGO CAMEROON REPUBLIC map that shows:
Turn to the relevant EX•PfoE MrSC edOTeAeR fNtTihnACeiLtY iGIo TanYLOns R dSoA SfIT NALEIFR.FAYEN T NMAt.M KEilimanjaro LTOaCnAzTaInOiaN HEI1G9H,3T 4(1feet) • WAlemsot sAtf r9ic0a% h aosf tbheee nra dinefsotrreosyte idn. ATOLCAENATNIC SAO TOEQMUE A&T OPRRIIANLC IGPUEINEA GABONRCEPOOUNFBGLOIC DREMEPOUCBRLAICTICUGANRDWAANKDEANYA IONCDEIAANN • C•a pBiotradl ecritsies
Mt. Kirinyaga (Mt. Kenya) Kenya 17,060 • 90% of the rainforest on the OF CONGO BURUNDI SEYCHELLES
page and use the BOX HEADINGSto find the Average annual income Mount Stanley (Margherita Peak) Dem. Rep. Congo/Uganda 16,765 African island of Madagascar EUROPE TANZANIA • Major cities
information box you need. per person (in USD): Ras Dashen Ethiopia 15,157 has been destroyed. Around
HLoiwgheesst:t: MSiearurrait iLueso $ne1 2$,680000 LONGEST RIVERS 8foon0u %nthd io so f inst hlaMen adad naaimngdaa slnc asoprw elhicveieer seo nellyse Tropic of CanAcFeRrICA ANGOLA ZAMBIA MALAWI MCaOyMotOteROS •• H Rigivheersst amnodu lnatkaeinss
2 Turn to the INDEXthat starts on page NAME RIVER MOUTH LENGTH (miles) on Earth (other than zoo The Equator • Land heights above and below sea level
G E O G R A P H Y Nile Mediterranean 4,144 populations). NAMIBIA ZIMBABWE MOZAMBIQUE Mauritius
60 and search for key words relating to FACTFILE Congo Atlantic Ocean 2,900 Tropic of Capricorn MADAGASCAR Réunion • Oceans, seas, and major bodies of water
your research. Niger Atlantic Ocean 2,597 AMAZO•N S ReAe IpNaFgOeR 2ES4T FACTS BOTSWANA
Total land area: Zambezi Indian Ocean 2,200 SWAZILAND
• The index will direct you to the correct page 11,697,000 square miles
and where on the page to find the fact LSaudrgaen:s t9 6c7o,u4n9t9r ysq:uare miles LARGEST ISLANDS • tNhaem wiboirald w toa si ntchleu dfeir spt rcooteucnttirnyg in MOUNT KILIMANJARO ASOFRUITCHA LESOTHO HOW TO FIND A PLACE USING
you need. SMmayaolltetes: t1 c4o4u snqturayr:e miles NMAaMdaEgascar Indian Ocean ARE2A2 (6s,q6 5m7iles) tchoen setintvuitrioonnm. Aernotu innd i t1s4% of THE PHYSICAL MAPS
Largest lake: Réunion Indian Ocean 972 Ninacmludibiniag itsh neo ewn tpirreo tNeactmedib Look up the place you want to find in the MAP INDEX
Lake Victoria, East Africa
26,641 square miles Desert coast. on page 60–64. There you will see a page number
Largest desert: • See page 11 WORLD’S 10 LARGEST LAKES • Ancient rock paintings show and a letter/number code. Look for the letter and
Sahara Desert, North Africa that 8,000 years ago the
3.5 million square miles OIL CONSUMPTION Sahara Desert was a lush, green number on the grid at the edge of the relevant page.
Largest desert in the world
Highest waterfall: Tbhoeu gahmt oaunndt soofl do,i la pnrdo duusecedd i,n the TOP (5U CSOAGNES UPMERE RDSA OY)F OIL pwlialdce a tnhimata wlsa. s home to many Draw a line with your fingers from those two points.
Tugela Falls, South Africa
Total drop: 3,110 feet world is measured in barrels. • It is believed that the first place You will find the place you are looking for where the
• See page 33 A42 b agrarlelol niss .equivalent to ESNgoigyueptrhtia Africa 542667205,,,000000000 bbbaaarrrrrreeelllsss iwna tsh eE twhioorpldia .t oI t cwulatisv agtreo wconf fiene Amclfiormiucbani’tnsag iMn s okinuil nltsth oeKr i wliemoqrualdinp jmathreoan ti tsi.t aAisnr o peuoxnstdisn ib2ctl2e v ,0tool0c sa0cn apolee. o Iwtp liietsh ctohluiemt bhsp igKehicleiimasltanjaro MaddDaeguseatr sutcocat niro aaninn, fimmoraaenlssyt, two tracks meet.
AFRICA FACTFILES Nigeria is Africa’s largest producer of Libya 216,000 barrels the Kefa region of Ethiopia every year, making it the world’s most climbed mountain. such as this ring-tailed
oil—2,356,000 barrels per day Algeria 209,000 barrels around 1000 years ago. lemur, are endangered. GLOSSARY
A GLOSSARY of words and terms used in this book
28 29
begins on page 58.
The glossary provides additional information
LINKS JUST THE FACTS to supplement the facts on the main pages.
Each topic box presents the facts you need
• See page 33 Look for the purple links throughout the book. Each link gives
AFRICA FACTFILES in lists; short, quick-to-read bullet points;
other pages where related or additional facts can be found.
charts, and tables
4 5
PLANET EARTH SUMMER AND WINTER
P L A N E T E A RT H
FACTFILE As Earth spins, it also tilts, Day for the half of the Earth’sorbit–365days(approx)
O so its position in relation to Earth facing the Sun. Winter
ur planet, called Earth, is a ball of rock
Age of the Earth: the Sun gradually changes
4.5 billion years old traveling about 67,000 miles an hour through Summer
throughout the year.
Diameter at the Equator: space. Earth is moving around a star, called the
7,926 miles across Sun. The pulling power, or gravity, of the Sun keeps the When the northern hemisphere
Summer
Diameter at the Poles: Earth on an elliptical (oval-shaped) course. The time it is tilted toward the Sun, countries
7,900 miles across in the north have summer.
takes the Earth to make one complete orbit of the Sun is The Earth is one of nine Winter
Circumference at the Equator: planets that make up the Countries in the southern
called a year.
23,627 miles around Solar System. hemisphere have winter.
The Earth travels 585,000,000 miles
Weight (mass) of the Earth:
PLANET EARTH FROM SPACE EARTH TIME Night for the half of the Earth
in a year to complete one orbit.
6.6 sextillion tons
facing away from the Sun.
Average surface temperature: When viewed from space the The brown areas are landmasses. A year
59˚F Earth looks blue, brown 29.3% of the Earth’s The exact time it takes for the
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Rotational speed at and white. surface is dry land: an Earth to make one complete orbit
area of 57,688,000
the Equator: of the Sun is 365 days, 6 hours, Sun
The vast areas of square miles.
995 mph 9 minutes and 10 seconds.
The Earth is a ball spinning on an blue are oceans. Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto
axis, so places at the Equator spin 70.7% of the The white areas
A leap year
much faster than at the North and Earth’s surface is are clouds hanging Planet Average distance from Sun Time taken to orbit the Sun Period of rotation Diameter at Planet’s
Because it is more convenient
South Poles. covered in water: an in the atmosphere (in millions of miles) (in Earth days) (in Earth days) Equator
to use a calendar of 365 whole
area of 138,984,000 (the layer of gases Mercury 36 88 58.63 3033 miles
days, every four years we have
square miles. surrounding the Earth). Venus 67 224.7 243 7521 miles
M O O N to add up the extra 6 hours, 9 Earth 93 365.2 1 7926 miles
FACTFILE minutes and 10 seconds to make Mars 142 687 1.02 4222 miles
INSIDE PLANET EARTH
an extra day. These 366-day years Jupiter 484 4331 0.41 88,846 miles
are called leap years. Saturn 891 10,747 0.44 74,897 miles
A moon is a ball of rock that The crust Outer core
Uranus 1785 30,589 0.72 31,763 miles
orbits a planet. Moons are Thickness varies from 3 miles Made of molten iron,
sometimes called satellites. (beneath the oceans) to 12–43 cobalt, and nickel A day Neptune 2793 59,800 0.67 30,775 miles
The Earth has one moon. miles (where there are and around 1,400 As the Earth orbits the Sun it also Pluto 3647 90,588 6.39 1485 miles
landmasses and mountains). miles thick.
rotates, or spins around. One
The mantle Inner core
complete rotation takes 23 hours, TIME ZONES
Made of magnesium and Made of solid
56 minutes and 4 seconds.
silicon and around 1,800 iron and around
miles thick. About 62 miles 800 miles thick. We round this period up to 24 As the Earth spins, some parts
down, the mantle becomes The temperature at of the world are in sunlight while
hours and call it a day.
molten (melted). the core is 10,800˚F. others are in darkness. That is why
it is a different time in various
Length of Moon’s orbit:
places in the world. 12:00 pm
The Moon orbits the Earth once HOT AND COLD PLANET 04:00 am 07:00 am Greenwich, 3:00 pm 9:00 pm
every 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 Seattle, USA New York, USA London, UK Moscow, Russia Tokyo, Japan
minutes. It takes the same length of Because the Earth is curved like a Arctic Circle Therefore, the world has been
-12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12
time to rotate once on its own axis. ball, the Sun’s rays are weaker Sun’s rays weakest divided up into 24 time zones.
and more spread out at the Arctic Because the Earth rotates through
Orbiting speed:
2300 mph and Antarctic, making these Tropic of Cancer 360 degrees every 24 hours, each ANMOERRTICHA MOSCOW
regions cold. time zone covers 15 degrees of GREENWICH EUROPE ASIA
Distance from the Earth: SEATTLE
longitude on a map of the world. NEW YORK
The distance varies from At the Equator, the Sun’s rays The Equator Sun’s rays strongest TOKYO
221,456–238,857 miles. are the most concentrated, so AFRICA
The zero point of longitude is at
Circumference of the Moon: this region is very hot.
Tropic of Capricorn Greenwich in London. It is known SOUTH
6,790 miles around the middle
AMERICA
as the Greenwich meridian. As you
Earth is dividied into different Sun’s rays weakest move east or west from Greenwich OCEANIA
sections by human beings sothat it
through each new time zone, you
is easier to study.
Antarctic Circle add or subtract an hour of time.
6 7
EARTHQUAKES STORY OF AN FREQUENCY OF EARTHQUAKES WORLDWIDE
E A R T H Q U A K E V O L C A N O
EARTHQUAKE
FACTFILE • The magnitude of an earthquake is a measurement of the earthquake’s FACTFILE
strength and size. The measuring system used here is the Richter Scale.
AND VOLCANOES PLATE MOVEMENTS
Seismologists: Two tectonic plates slowly move, • The intensity of an earthquake is a measurement of the shaking caused ACTIVE OR EXTINCT?
Scientists who study and measure squeezing and stretching the rocks Active volcanoes are those that
by the earthquake.
earthquakes are called R underground. Enormous pressure erupt regularly or have the capacity
seismologists. esearchers believe that the Earth’s crust is cracked into huge builds up.
Magnitude Description Intensity Average number to erupt. They are sometimes called
Measuring earthquakes: pieces that fit together like a giant puzzle. The cracked sections, FOCUS OF THE EARTHQUAKE each year dormant if they have not erupted for
Seismologists use measuring called tectonic plates, are supported by the oozing, soft rocks of the Miles underground, rocks break and 2 to 2.9 Very minor Recorded by seismographs, 1,300,000 a very long period. Extinct
instruments called seismographsto give way, releasing the pressure. but not felt by people volcanoes are dead volcanoes.
record the pattern of an mantle beneath the Earth’s crust. The unstable borders between the plates are The point where this happens is 3 to 3.9 Minor Felt by some people 130,000 They will not erupt again.
earthquake’s seismic waves and to called the focusorhypocenter.
known as rings of fire. These areas are danger zones for both volcanoes and 4 to 4.9 Light Felt by many people 13,000
determine out the strength and MAGMA/LAVA
Epicenter 5 to 5.9 Moderate Slight damage 1,319
duration of the earthquake. earthquakes. Avolcano is an opening in the Earth’s crust which allows red- Magma is the red-hot, melted rock
6 to 6.9 Strong Damaging 134
The Richter scale: hot magma (molten rock) from the mantle to escape onto the surface of the inside a volcano. As soon as
7 to 7.9 Major Destructive 17
The best known method of magma leaves a volcano and
Earth. An earthquake is a shaking of the ground caused by movements of 8 and higher Great Devastating 1
recording the magnitude of bursts out into the air or sea, it is
earthquakes is the Richter Scale. rocks beneath the Earth’s surface. known as lava. Lava can erupt at
American seismologist, Charles F. Seismic waves temperatures of up to 2192˚F.
Richter, developed this numbering INSIDE A VOLCANO
• See page 6 INSIDE PLANET EARTH for information on the Earth’s crust and mantle.
system in 1935. PLINIAN ERUPTIONS
THE CRACKED PLANET A volcano is a self-made mountain. Its hollow centre provides a pathway During a plinian eruption, gas-rich
Focus
• See page 9 between the Earth’s upper mantle and the surface. magma explodes inside a volcano.
FREQUENCY OF EARTHQUAKES This map shows the edges of the tectonic plates that make up the Earth’s surface. The plates are constantly SEISMIC WAVES This causes cinder, ash, and gases
WmOagRnLDituWdIeDsE a troe smeee ahsouwre de aurstihnqgu athkee moving by just a few inches each year. Vibrations, or seismic waves, are Crater Ash cloud to be fired up into the air–
Richter scale. sent out from the focus causing the Lava flow sometimes as high as 19 miles!
ground at the surface to shake. The
Main vent
point on the surface directly above
Earthquake depths: EURASIAN Side vent
PLATE the focus is called the epicenter.
The focus, the starting point, of most NORTH AMERICAN WORLD’S LARGEST
earthquakes is less than 50 miles JUAN DE FUCA PLATE ANATOLIAN FAULTS Steep
Magma VOLCANO
below the Earth’s surface. PLATE PLATE Sometimes, the Earth’s crust is put mountain sides
ARABIAN PHILIPPINE chamber
LOoaf nr9 gM.5ea smyt a2rge2nc,i ot1ur9dd6ee 0od,n ae tnah eret aRhriqtchhuqtaeukraeke: PACIFIC PLATE CPOLCAOTES CARPILBABTEEAN AFRICAN PLATE PLATE IPNLDAITAE PLATE PAPLCAIFTIEC uTohnpede nepr la asrcueec shc a wpllhreeedsr sefua rtuhele tst h.s auTtrh fieat ccliern aeccrska stch.kes calar evbaaut ilefdrd-o umfpro omf Earth’s crust Mlaraguensat vLoolac,a Hnoa woani iE, aisr tthh.e
Scale struck the coast of Chile, cracks create are called fault lines. earlier Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984.
South America. Seismographs NAZCA PLATE eruptions. Mauna Loa’s summit is 29,527
recorded seismic waves traveling SOUTH
AUSTRALIAN
AMERICAN feet from the ocean floor.
around the whole world for many PLATE
PLATE
days afterward. ANTARCTIC Magma rises from the mantle into Crust However, scientists estimate that
PLATE chambers inside the Earth’s crust its great mass is actually squashing
Normal the ocean floor down by another
EVER-CHANGING PLANET fault 26,246 feet, giving the volcano a
EARTHQUAKE AND VOLCANO DISASTERS
total height of just under 56,000
The Earth’s tectonic plate movements set off earthquakes and volcanoes,
CONTINENTAL RIFT VOLCANOES MOST DEADLY EARTHQUAKE a giant tsunami caused by the feet from seafloor base to summit.
The point where two continental plates as well as create mountain ranges and deep-sea trenches. Where the plates collide, magma can escape to
are moving apart. the surface, creating a range of volcanic mountains. The world’s most deadly, recorded eruption. Over 36,000 people
earthquake happened in 1556. The
were killed.
earthquake struck in central China.
MID-OCEAN RIDGE Around 830,000 people were killed
NEW VOLCANIC EARTHQUAKES IN JAPAN
ISLAND Reverse when their homes, which were Japan is situated where four of
fault
OCEAN TRENCH carved in soft rock, collapsed. the Earth’s plates meet. In 1923,
143,000 people were killed in the
CONTINENTAL PLATE OCEAN PLATE OCEAN PLATE KRAKATOA area around Tokyo, Japan’s capital,
On August 27, 1883, the volcanic
when a magnitude-8.3 earthquake
SPREADING RIDGE HOT SPOT VOLCANO island of Krakatoa, in Indonesia,
Lava flows out through a rift ‘Hot spots’ are areas of great erupted in a massive explosion struck. On January 17, 1995, a
A satellite image of Mauna
SUBDUCTION ZONE inne twhe c roucseta ann fdlo ao rr acnregaet ionfg maacgtimvitay fionr ctehse itms awnatlye twhrhoeurgeh which could be heard across 8% of magnitude-7.2 earthquake killed Loa. The volcano’s base
Where plates collide, the edge of one is often pushed underneath the other.
undersea mountains. a tectonic plate. the Earth’s surface. Thousands of 5,500 people and destroyed spreads over 50% of the
This is called subduction. It may take place between continental plates,
ocean plates or one of each (as shown above). Horizontal fault people were swept out to sea by 100,000 homes in Kobe, Japan. island of Hawaii.
8 9
MAKING A MOUNTAINS, LAKES, THE WORLD’S OCEANS
MOUNTAIN
There are five oceans in the world Arctic Ocean:
Mountains are formed when the RIVERS, AND OCEANS and many smaller seas within 5,400,000 sq. miles
the oceans.
Earth’s tectonic plates move.
• The Pacific ocean is the world’s
• As layers of rocks push against F Atlantic Ocean:
rom the Himalayas, the world’s tallest mountains, to the deepest largest ocean – its total area is
each other, they buckle and 29,600,000
fold at the edges. Mountains ocean trench six and half miles below the surface of the Pacific greater than the amount of dry Pacific Ocean: sq. miles Pacific Ocean
are pushed up at upfolds, and land on Earth. 60,000,000 Indian Ocean:
ocean, the Earth’s surface is slowly changing. Mountains grow inch-
valleys are formed in downfolds. sq. miles 26,400,000
• The Southern Ocean
by-inch and year-by-year, rivers carve new channels as they rush to the sea, sq. miles
circumnavigates the continent of
and oceans push and pull at the edges of the land.
Antarctica. It officially became an Southern Ocean:
ocean in 2000, and was formed 7,800,000
WORLD’S 10 HIGHEST MOUNTAIN PEAKS from the southern sections of the sq. miles
Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans.
((numbers are rounded as appropriate.)
Fold mountain Some mountain peaks stand alone high above the surrounding landscape, but most mountains are joined
together to form a range. When several ranges of mountains are grouped together, they are called a chain.
• When the Earth’s crust cracks
OCEAN DEPTHS AND COASTLINES WHAT IS A LAKE?
on a fault, layers of rock on one
The world’s ten highest mountain peaks are all in the same range of mountains in Asia—the Himalayas.
side of the crack can be pushed The deepest points in each of the world’s oceans are listed below. A lake is a large body of water surrounded by land. Most lakes are full
up to form a mountain. Mountain name Country Height (feet) They are measured from sea level (the surface of the ocean). of fresh water. Lakes form in basins in the Earth’s surface. Rainwater or
1. Everest China/Nepal 29,035 melted snow and ice collect in the basin. Water also feeds in from rivers
Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench Pacific Ocean -35,840 feet
and streams.
2. K2 China/Pakistan 28,251
Milwaukee Deep, Puerto Rico Trench Atlantic Ocean -28,232 feet
3. Kanchenjunga India/Nepal 28,169 •Lakes without a river flowing outward lose water through evaporation. The
Java Trench Indian Ocean -23,812 feet
4. Lhotse China/Nepal 27,939 water becomes salty as minerals in the lake become more concentrated.
Southern end of South Sandwich Trench Southern Ocean -23,737 feet The world’s largest lake, the Caspian Sea, is a salt water lake.
5. Makalu China/Nepal 27,824
Fram Basin Arctic Ocean -15,305 feet
6. Cho Oyu China/Nepal 26,906 • Lake Baykal in Russia is the world’s deepest lake. Its deepest point is
Fault mountain
7. Dhaulagiri Nepal 26,811 5,315 feet deep.
• See page 8
• When molten magma bursts
8. Manaslu Nepal 26,758 EVER-CHANGING PLANET
through the Earth’s crust, it
for information on how ocean
hardens and cools, sometimes 9. Nanga Parbat Pakistan 26,660 Mount Everest—the highest mountain trenches are formed. WORLD’S 10 LARGEST LAKES
forming a mountain. 10. Annapurna Nepal 26,502 in the world.
Total length of coastline on Lake name Area (sq. miles)
each ocean:
THE ANDES WORLD’S 10 LONGEST RIVERS 1. Caspian Sea Asia 143,244
Pacific Ocean 84,297 miles
2. Lake Superior Canada/USA 31,660
• The Andes are the world’s Rivers begin their lives as small streams high up on mountains or hills. Atlantic Ocean 69,510 miles
Coasts can be icy, rocky, or 3. Lake Victoria East Africa 26,641
longest chain of mountains. They grow and grow, joining with other small rivers, until they form one Indian Ocean 41,337 miles
sandy, like these beaches at Rio
They stretch down the west big river which reaches the sea or lake. River water comes from rainfall, Arctic Ocean 28,203 miles de Janeiro, Brazil, on South 4. Lake Huron Canada/USA 23,011
Volcanic mountain coast of South America for melted ice or snow, and groundwater from inside the Earth’s crust. Southern Ocean 11,165 miles America’s east coast. 5. Lake Michigan USA 22,316
around 5,500 miles. 6. Lake Tanganyika Central Africa 12,741
• Heat from molten rock in the River Length (miles)
mantle pushes layers of solid OCEAN CURRENTS 7. Great Bear Lake Canada 12,084
1. Nile Africa 4,144
• The Andes include the highest
rock in the Earth’s crust upward 8. Lake Baykal Russia 11,969
creating a bulge on the Earth’s mountain in South America, 2. Amazon South America 4,007 The oceans are never still. Warm water currents 9. Lake Malawi/Nyasa East Africa 11,428
surface. Aconcagua in Argentina, which is 3. Yangtze Asia 3,964 Tides rise and fall, and ocean Cold water currents
currents, which are like rivers 10. Aral Sea Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan 11,076
22,834 feet high. Many of the 4. Mississippi-Missouri N. America 3,740
in oceans, move the water
mountains in the Andes are 5. Yenisey-Angara Asia 3,448 around. (Numbers are rounded as appropriate.)
volcanic. 6. Huang He (Yellow) Asia 3,395 Surface currents
are created by Lake Victoria,
7. Ob-Irtysh Asia 3,361
• The Andes were formed around the wind. Currents the largest
Dome mountain 70 million years ago by the 8. Congo Africa 2,900 The Nile River snakes deep underwater lake in Africa.
are created by
collision of the Nazca Oceanic 9. Parana South America 2,796 through Egypt’s capital Over 200
temperature
• See page 8 city, Cairo. The Nile flows species of
Plate with the South American 10. Mekong Asia 2,702 differences and the
THE CRACKED PLANET and through northeast Africa out fish live in
amount of salt in the water.
EVER-CHANGING PLANET Continental Plate.
(Numbers are rounded as appropriate.) into the Mediterranean Sea. its waters.
10 11
PHYSICAL WORLD MAKING MAPS THE CONTINENTS
PHYSICAL WORLD
FACTFILE The projection on these pages was The flat, peeled version of the CONTINENT Area (square miles) Percentage of total land
P created by a process that’s a bit Earth was then stretched and
lanet Earth is three dimensional: it has length, width, and height. Asia 17,177,000 29.8%
Total surface area of Earth: like peeling an orange, then manipulated by computer to
196,672,000 square miles In order to create two dimensional maps for an atlas, map makers, smoothing the skin out. create the map we see below. Africa 11,697,000 20.3%
Total length of coastline called cartographers, have devised ways to convert the Earth’s curved North and Central America 9,357,000 16.2%
on Earth: South America 6,868,000 11.9%
surface into flat images, called projections. The projection below is a
234,512 miles
Antarctica 5,443,000 9.4%
physical map of the whole world. It shows physical features such as
Largest ocean:
Europe 3,843,000 6.7%
Pacific Ocean mountains, and has a key that shows how the map’s colors denote different
Oceania 3,303,000 5.7%
Total area: 60 million square miles
environments, such as tundra and desert.
Largest oceanic island:
A R C T I C O C E A N
Greenland, North America PHYSICAL MAP OF THE WORLD PHYSICAL MAP OF THE WORLD
Total area: 836,330 square miles
N
Largest lake:
ARCTIC OCEAN
Caspian Sea, Asia is a
W E
land-locked salt water lake. GREENL LAND
ARCTIC OCEAN
Total area: 143,244 square miles
S
Largest freshwater lake:
Lake Superior in Canada/USA AINS
Total area: 31,660 square miles NT S I B E R I A
OU AR
M
Largest freshwater island: Parts of the Sahara R L
Ilha de Marajó, Brazil, South Desert in Africa can GULF OC URA
OF K
America, an island at the mouth of go for several ALASKA Y NORTH EUROPE
tThoeta Al amraezao: n1 5R,i5ve0r0. square miles hyaevainrgs awniyth roauitn. MOU AMERICA ALPS CASPIAN ASIA
N BLACK SEA SEA
Longest river: TA
TNToaitllaelel, slAetnf rgmicthao: u 4n,t1a4i4n :miles INS GULF OF ANTLOARNTTHIC M EDITERRANEAN SEAR HIMALAOPLFYA TTIAEBAEUST POACCEIAF INC TROPIC
Mount Everest, Himalayas range, MEXICO OCEAN S A H A R A ED ARABIAN
PENINSULA
border of China and Nepal, Asia SE BAY
Height: 29,035 feet CARIBBEAN A ARABIAN OF
SEA BENGAL
SEA
Longest cave system:
AFRICA
Mammoth Caves, USA
360 miles of caves have been
explored and mapped. A M A Z O N
A B A S I N
I N D I A N
Largest gorge:
SOUTH
Grand Canyon, USA P A C I F I C
The Grand Canyon in Arizona was carved from the N
Total length: 277 miles AMERICA O C E A N
surrounding rock by the flow of the Colorado River. KALAHARI
Widest point: 15 miles O C E A N
Its average depth is 4,000 feet. D DESERT
OCEANIA
Largest desert: In the deepest places, the gorge is 6,000 feet deep.
MAP KEY TROPIC OF
Sahara desert, North Africa
E
Total area: 3.5 million square miles
Mountains WORLD’S LARGEST
Highest waterfall: The Angels Falls in
S COUNTRIES
Angel Falls, Venezuela, South Venezuela, South Ice SOUTHERN
America has an uninterrupted fall America, were named
of 3,212 feet of water. for an American Forest Area (square miles) OCEAN
adventurer James 1. Russia 6,592,772
Hottest recorded temperature:
Angel who crash- Grassland 2. Canada 3,855,103
Al Aziziyah, Libya ANTAR
landed his plane near
136˚F Desert 3. USA 3,718,711
the top of the falls in
Lowest recorded temperature: 1937. 4. China 3,705,407
Tundra A N T A R C T I C A
Vostok Base, Antarctica
5. Brazil 3,286,488
-128˚F
12 13
WORLD POPULATION POLITICAL WORLD LIFE EXPECTANCY WEALTH BY CONTINENT
Total world population in Life expectancy at birth Key World population by continent Share of world’s
2005: T his map is a political map of the world. The colors on the map total population: EOucreoapneia 7.1% wealth by continent
6,446,131,400 Male: 63 years Asia 6.7% 15.5%
Africa
World population growth show how people divide up the world into territories, or individual Female: 66 years SNoourtthh AAmmeerriiccaa 0.4% 32.7%
countries. The number of countries in the world changes often.
per year: Highest life expectancy:
35.3%
12%
1.14% Sometimes, large countries divide up into smaller countries. Other times, a Andorra, Europe 83.5 years
group of small countries will join together to become one large country.If Lowest life expectancy:
HIGHEST POPULATION you were to look at a political map of the world 50 years from now, it might Botswana, Africa 34 years
BY COUNTRY look quite different to how the political world looks today. • See the GLOSSARY for 3.7% 1.4%
LIFEEXPECTANCY 58.3% 2.2% 24.7%
1. China 1,306,313,812
2. India 1,080,264,388
POLITICAL MAP OF THE WORLD POLITICAL MAP OF THE WORLD
3. USA 295,734,134
4. Indonesia 241,973,879 GREENLAND
5. Brazil 186,112,794 (KALAALLIT NUNAAT)
6. Pakistan 162,419,946
7. Bangladesh 144,319,628 Y
A
8. Russia 143,420,309 ICELAND RW DEN R U S S I A N
9. Nigeria 128,771,988 NO SWE FINLAND F E D E R A T I O N
ESTONIA
10. Japan 127,417,244
LATVIA
C A N A D A UNITED DENMARK RUSSIALITHUANIA
IRELAND KINGDOMNETHERLANDS POLAND BELARUS
Mapa enepoddAop iphalGeuan lla afEa rtag ieore Seny Ti osoinu Rltd nhtegUwere .oaCr g–tTeh ahUtnhaR alftth Etdihs ie vaOigdeeF,s WOThpR6ios5Lp +cuD hylaae atrPirtos snOh obPwyU sa tgL0heA–e 1g Tw4r IooyOuerlapdrN.s’s UONFIT AEDM ESRTAICTAES ATNLOARNTTHIC PORMTUOGRAOLCCOSPAINLUFXBRAEESMNMALWGDNBIIOOECUTURZEMDRREGRAIGLAETNRETDMURASNHAILEINTORSURAYVIZSAAEELTBNGCYRNORIOZIASAAEVECNEPLCIRINB.HAOHAAA-AUMNTSNNIOILAMRASOGGNEEATAVRRPCERASBN.EERIYDKEAEOEGO-CRBMNEAOUIAALMNGUIOAACLKRYDIPRAOTRLVUBEAUISASBLRIARAANNKECOLENKEY SSEYRAIAARGMIEROEANRQIGAIAAZERBAIIJARNTAURNKMEKNUIZASABFTGAEZKHNIAASNTAKISNTHATNASJITKIASKTYANRNGYZSTAN C H MIONNGOALIA KSNKOOOOURRRTEETHAAH JAPAN
JORDAN
Total world population 7.3% GMUELXFI COOF OCEAN WESTERN ALGERIA LIBYA EGYPT SAUDIKUWQAAITTAURNITED PAKISTAN NEPAL BHUTAN
Mmeadleia:n age: 272.76 yyeeaarrss 27.8%HAWAII MEXICO GUATEMALA BHEOLINZDEJUARMAASICCAACURBIABHBAIETIADNROEMPPIUNURBIEILCCRIAOCTNO SSEANHEAMGRAAALURITANIA MALI NIGER CHAD ERITREAARABIYAEMEN EMAIRRAAOABTMESARNABIAN INDIA BABNOGALAFDYESHBURMATHALIALOANSD VIETNAM TAIWAN POACCEIAFINC
Female: 28.2 years 64.91%5–64 years EL SALVACDOOSRTA RNICICAAPRAANGAUMAA SEAVENEZUELAGUYTARTNIONABIDAAGDO &FGRUEINACNHA GGBASUIIMSIENSRBAERIAUAA- LEOLGNIUBEEINREIAA ICVOOARSBYTUFRAKSGHANAIONATOGOBENIN NIGCEARMIAEROONCENTRREAPLU ABFLIRCICANSUDAN ETDHJBIOOUTPIIASOMALIA SEA LASNRBKIAENGAL CAMBODIA BRUNEI PHILIPPINES
COLOMBIA SURINAME EQGUUAITNOERAIAL REPUBLIC OF UGANDA KENYA MSIANGLAAPOYRESIA
WORLD’S LARGEST CITIES BY POPULATION GALAPAGOS IS ECUADOR SOUTH GABON CONGO DOERMFE POCUOCBRNLAGITCOIC RBWUARNUDNADI INDIAN I N D O N E S I A PAPUA
TANZANIA NEW
1. Tokyo Japan 35,327,000 B R A Z I L OCEAN GUINEA
TRANSPORT FACTS PERU ATLANTIC ANGOLA MALAWI SIOSLLOANMDOSN
2. Mexico City Mexico 19,013,000 ZAMBIA
MOZAMBIQUE
3. New York USA 18,498,000 Total length of roads OCEAN NAMIBIA ZIMBABWE MAURITIUS VANUATU
E PARAGUAY BOTSWANA MADAGASCAR RÉUNION
4. Mumbai (Bombay) India 18,336,000 in the world: SWAZILAND AUSTRALIA NEW CALEDONIA
5. S~ao Paulo Brazil 18,333,000 20,098,354 miles L SOUTH LESOTHO
AFRICA
URUGUAY
I
6. Delhi India 15,334,000 Total length of railway ARGENTINA
NEW
7. Kolkata (Calcutta) India 14,299,000 in the world: H INDEPENDENT STATES AND DEPENDENCIES ZEALAND
692,956 miles
8. Buenos Aires Argentina 13,349,000
C In the world today, there are 192 countries, territories or dependencies of one of
• Territories and
9. Jakarta Indonesia 13,194,000 Number of airports or states, which have their own government the independent states. Territories and dependencies are noted in
FALKLAND/MALVINAS ISLANDS
10.Shanghai China 12,665,000 in the world: and are completely independent. dependencies are governed and protected the country-by-country SOUTHERN OCEAN
FACTFILES.
49,973 There are also many countries that are by the independent country
(Numbers include the city and surrounding urban areas.)
14 15
NORTH AMERICA AND CENTRAL AMERICA
NORTH AMERICA AND POLITICAL MAP OF NORTH AMERICA
P E O P L E
FACTFILE A R C T I C
ASIA
RUSSIAN O C E A N QUEEN Ellesmere
Total population: CENTRAL AMERICA FEDERATIONCHUKCHI SEA ELIZABETH Island GREENLAND Arctic Circle
ISLANDS
North America: 328,600,000 (KALAALLIT NUNAAT)
BEAUFORT
Central America: 185,800,000 T St. Lawrence Island North Baffin NORTH
he North American continent lies between BERING SEA Magnetic Bay Tropic of AMERICA
Highest population: Alaska Victoria Pole Baffin Cancer
USA 295,734,134 the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This SEA Island Island
(USA)
Lowest population: varied region stretches from the icy plains SOUTH
St. Pierre and Miquelon 7,012 of arctic North America to the hot deserts and lush ALEUTIANISLANDS Kodiak L A B R A D O R AMERICA
Island
Most populous city: S E A
tropical forests of Central America and the GULF OF
Mexico City, Mexico ALASKA Hudson
Bay
19,013,000 residents Caribbean islands. Dominating western North QUEEN CHARLOTTE Newfoundland
ISLANDS Belcher Is.
Life expectancy: America are the Rocky Mountains, which stretch
Rising majestically from the
North America: 77 years VANCOUVER ISLAND C A N A D A
for 3000 miles from Canada to New Mexico, desert floor, 1000-feet high
Central America: 73 years
sandstone rock forms in St.-Pierre&
Highest infant mortality rate: through the United States of America. Monument Valley, Utah. Miquelon
Haiti: 73 deaths per 1,000 births
HIGHEST MOUNTAINS FAST FACTS U N I T E D
• See the GLOSSARY for
NAME LOCATION HEIGHT (feet) • The center of Greenland has S T A T E S O F
definitions of LIFE EXPECTANCY
and INFANT MORTALITY RATE. Mt. McKinley USA (Alaska) 20,322 sunk to 1,000 feet below sea KAUAI BERMUDA
OAHU
level due to the weight of the A M E R I C A
Mt. Logan Canada 19,849 MAUI A T L A N T I C
Average annual income huge ice sheet that covers most
per person (in USD): Pico de Orizaba Mexico 18,406 of the island. HAWAII O C E A N
Highest: USA $40,100
Mt. St Elias USA/Canada 18,008
Lowest: Haiti $1,500 • At 282 feet below sea level,
LLOONNGGEESSTT RRIIVVEERRSS GULF OF
Death Valley in California is the DOMINICAN
MEXICO REPUBLIC
lowest place in the western CUBA
NAME RIVER MOUTH LENGTH (miles) P A C I F I C HAITI PUERTO
G E O G R A P H Y hemisphere. Summer M E X I C O RICO
Mississippi-Missouri Gulf of Mexico 3,740 temperatures often exceed O C E A N JAMAICA
FACTFILE
Mackenzie Arctic Ocean 2,635 120ºF.
Yukon Pacific Ocean 1,979
Total land area: • The USA is the world’s third POLITICAL MAP OF CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Rio Grande Gulf of Mexico 1,889
9,357,000 square miles largest producer of oil—
LLAARRGGEESSTT IISSLLAANNDDSS 7,800,000 barrels each day. For Bermuda, see map above.
Largest country: G
Canada: 3,855,103 square miles ul
Second largest country in the world NAME LOCATION AREA (sq miles) f THE
o BAHAMAS
SBemrmaluledsat: 2c0o.u5n stqryua:re miles GBareffeinnl aIsnldand ACtalnaandtiac Ocean 189366,,130300 fCalif GMUELXFI COOF Andros I. TICSUALRAIKCNOSD S&S Virgin Is BVIsrilriatgniisndhs Anguilla
Largest lake: Victoria Island Canada 81,900 o M E X I C O Barbuda
LLTGTooaarttkreaaegall etSaa sBurreetpaaa esd::irn ei31o sD19r,e,0e 6rCs,t60ea:r00nt, 0a s UdqsaSuq/aAuUraerS emA m ileilses • See pOagIeL 1 1C WOONRLSDU’SM 10P LATRIGOENST LAKES rnia CaBmayp eocfhe YucBaEtLáInZEChannel CISALYAMNGCADNUSRBEAJAAMTAICEARHAITAIDRONEMPIUTNBILCIIACNLPURLEICROTEOSS&Mt .N oSKentiv.tt tsiLsseuNrcriTaaItLLSEAntDGiGogSuMmurta&e.aadí nVnTreaithilcnidoeanBcau iGeqapnrureetbenaaddoinses
• The saguaro cactus only grows Gulf of CARIBBEAN LES S E R A Tobago
Highest waterfall: Oil is a fossil fuel (a natural TOP 5 CONSUMERS OF OIL in the Sonoran desert in the Honduras Aruba Netherlands TRINIDAD
Ribbon Fall, Yosemite National GUATEMALA HONDURAS SEA Antilles
resource) that we burn to produce (USAGE PER DAY) USA and Mexico. Saguaros can
Park, USA Gulf of
power for heating and lighting. It grow to 50 feet tall and live for Tehuantepec NICARAGUA
Total drop: 1,612 feet EL SALVADOR
is also used as fuel for cars, USA 19,650,000 barrels 175 years. CENTRAL AMERICA Mosquito
Lake Nicaragua Gulf
trucks, and planes. Canada 2,200,000 barrels
NORTH• ASMeeE RpIaCgAe F2A1C TFILES Oil production and consumption is Puerto Rico 190,000 barrels • Cthueb ar eisg itohne aftif t4h2 l,a8r0ge3s ts qisulaanred in The Equator SAOMUETRHICA CROISCTAA PANAMA 0 500 1000 1500 kilometers
and page 22 measured in barrels. A barrel is Cuba 163,000 barrels
miles.
CENTRAL AMERICA FACTFILES equivalent to 42 gallons. Jamaica 66,000 barrels 0 500 1000 miles
16 17