Turks and Caicos Islandsgeneral assessment: fair cable andradiotelephone servicesdomestic: NAinternational: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satelliteearth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Tuvalugeneral assessment: serves particular needs for internalcommunicationsdomestic: radiotelephone communications between islandsinternational: country code - 688
Ugandageneral assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellularsystems have been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number ofmain lines is essential; e-mail and Internet services are availabledomestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, andradiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellularsystems for short-range trafficinternational: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya andTanzania
Ukrainegeneral assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication developmentplan, running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunklines, international connections, and the mobile cellular systemdomestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited atelephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair;more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not besatisfied; telephone density is now rising slowly and the domestictrunk system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone systemis expanding at a high rateinternational: country code - 380; two new domestic trunk lines area part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and threeUkrainian links have been installed in the fiber-opticTrans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries;additional international service is provided by theItaly-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable andby earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputniksatellite systems
United Arab Emiratesgeneral assessment: modern fiber-opticintegrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use ofmobile cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubaidomestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cableinternational: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan;tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to SaudiArabia
United Kingdomgeneral assessment: technologically advanced domesticand international systemdomestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, andfiber-optic systemsinternational: country code - 44; 40 coaxial submarine cables;satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat;at least 8 large international switching centers
United Statesgeneral assessment: a large, technologically advanced,multipurpose communications systemdomestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radiorelay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form oftelephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobiletelephone traffic throughout the countryinternational: country code - 1; 24 ocean cable systems in use;satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)
Uruguaygeneral assessment: fully digitalizeddomestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; newnationwide microwave radio relay networkinternational: country code - 598; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)
Uzbekistangeneral assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in seriousneed of modernizationdomestic: the domestic telephone system is being expanded andtechnologically improved, particularly in Tashkent (Toshkent) andSamarqand, under contracts with prominent companies inindustrialized countries; moreover, by 1998, six cellular networkshad been placed in operation - four of the GSM type (Global Systemfor Mobile Communication), one D-AMPS type (Digital Advanced MobilePhone System), and one AMPS type (Advanced Mobile Phone System)international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwaveradio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leasedconnection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after thecompletion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE)fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russianfacilities for international communications; Inmarsat also providesan international connection, albeit an expensive one; satelliteearth stations - NA (1998)
Vanuatugeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Venezuelageneral assessment: modern and expandingdomestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recentsubstantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas;substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines;installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable ofdigital multimedia servicesinternational: country code - 58; 3 submarine coaxial cables;satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia inthe construction of an international fiber-optic network
Vietnamgeneral assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effortinto modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system,but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modernneighborsdomestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected toHanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable ormicrowave radio relay networks; main lines have been substantiallyincreased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidlyinternational: country code - 84; satellite earth stations - 2Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
Virgin Islandsgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: modern system with total digital switching, usesfiber-optic cable and microwave radio relayinternational: country code - 1-340; submarine cable and satellitecommunications; satellite earth stations - NA
Wake Islandgeneral assessment: satellite communications; 1 DSNcircuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS)domestic: NAinternational: NA
Wallis and Futunageneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: country code - 681
West Bankgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: NAnote: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL areresponsible for communication services in the West Bank
Western Saharageneral assessment: sparse and limited systemdomestic: NAinternational: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system bymicrowave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite;satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked toRabat, Morocco
Worldgeneral assessment: NAdomestic: NAinternational: NA
Yemengeneral assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts havebeen made to create a national telecommunications networkdomestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay,cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM cellular mobile telephonesystemsinternational: country code - 967; satellite earth stations - 3Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik(Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay toSaudi Arabia and Djibouti
Zambiageneral assessment: facilities are aging but still among thebest in Sub-Saharan Africadomestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most largertowns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation;Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal(VSAT) networks are operated by private firmsinternational: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Zimbabwegeneral assessment: system was once one of the best inAfrica, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large numberof installed but unused main linesdomestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines,radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loopinstallations, and a substantial mobile cellular network; Internetconnection is available in Harare and planned for all major townsand for some of the smaller onesinternational: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat; two international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare andGweru)
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@2125 Terrain
Afghanistanmostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Albaniamostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Algeriamostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,discontinuous coastal plain
American Samoafive volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limitedcoastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Andorrarugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Angolanarrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Anguillaflat and low-lying island of coral and limestone
Antarcticaabout 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock,with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountainranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas includeparts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the AntarcticPeninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciersform ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating iceshelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent
Antigua and Barbudamostly low-lying limestone and coral islands,with some higher volcanic areas
Arctic Oceancentral surface covered by a perennial drifting polaricepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressureridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in theBeaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from theNew Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenlandand Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during thesummer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extendsto the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50%continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with theremainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges(Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)
Argentinarich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat torolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along westernborder
ArmeniaArmenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fastflowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
Arubaflat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Ashmore and Cartier Islandslow with sand and coral
Atlantic Oceansurface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea,Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from Octoberto June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system ofcurrents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyrein the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by theMid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entireAtlantic basin
Australiamostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Austriain the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along theeastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping
Azerbaijanlarge, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (muchof it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north,Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on AbseronYasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea
Bahamas, Thelong, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Bahrainmostly low desert plain rising gently to low centralescarpment
Baker Islandlow, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrowfringing reef
Bangladeshmostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Barbadosrelatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Bassas da Indiavolcanic rock
Belarusgenerally flat and contains much marshland
Belgiumflat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Belizeflat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Beninmostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Bermudalow hills separated by fertile depressions
Bhutanmostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Boliviarugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano),hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Bosnia and Herzegovinamountains and valleys
Botswanapredominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; KalahariDesert in southwest
Bouvet Islandvolcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible
Brazilmostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills,mountains, and narrow coastal belt
British Indian Ocean Territoryflat and low (most areas do notexceed four meters in elevation)
British Virgin Islandscoral islands relatively flat; volcanicislands steep, hilly
Bruneiflat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowlandin west
Bulgariamostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Burkina Fasomostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills inwest and southeast
Burmacentral lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Burundihilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, someplains
Cambodiamostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north
Cameroondiverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateauin center, mountains in west, plains in north
Canadamostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
Cape Verdesteep, rugged, rocky, volcanic
Cayman Islandslow-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs
Central African Republicvast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau;scattered hills in northeast and southwest
Chadbroad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains innorthwest, lowlands in south
Chilelow coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes ineast
Chinamostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains,deltas, and hills in east
Christmas Islandsteep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to centralplateau
Clipperton Islandcoral atoll
Cocos (Keeling) Islandsflat, low-lying coral atolls
Colombiaflat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high AndesMountains, eastern lowland plains
Comorosvolcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to lowhills
Congo, Democratic Republic of thevast central basin is a low-lyingplateau; mountains in east
Congo, Republic of thecoastal plain, southern basin, centralplateau, northern basin
Cook Islandslow coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands insouth
Coral Sea Islandssand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)
Costa Ricacoastal plains separated by rugged mountains includingover 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
Cote d'Ivoiremostly flat to undulating plains; mountains innorthwest
Croatiageographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border,low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands
Cubamostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountainsin the southeast
Cypruscentral plain with mountains to north and south; scatteredbut significant plains along southern coast
Czech RepublicBohemia in the west consists of rolling plains,hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the eastconsists of very hilly country
Denmarklow and flat to gently rolling plains
Djibouticoastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Dominicarugged mountains of volcanic origin
Dominican Republic rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
East Timormountainous
Ecuadorcoastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands(sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)
Egyptvast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
El Salvadormostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and centralplateau
Equatorial Guineacoastal plains rise to interior hills; islands arevolcanic
Eritreadominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trendinghighlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on thenorthwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rollingplains
Estoniamarshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Ethiopiahigh plateau with central mountain range divided by GreatRift Valley
Europa Islandlow and flat
European Unionfairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast;mountainous in the central and southern areas
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)rocky, hilly, mountainous withsome boggy, undulating plains
Faroe Islandsrugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most ofcoast
Fijimostly mountains of volcanic origin
Finlandmostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakesand low hills
Francemostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west;remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
French Guianalow-lying coastal plains rising to hills and smallmountains
French Polynesiamixture of rugged high islands and low islands withreefs
French Southern and Antarctic Landsvolcanic
Gabonnarrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Gambia, Theflood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills
Gaza Stripflat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Georgialargely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in thenorth and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi(Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari RiverBasin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains,foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
Germanylowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Ghanamostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Gibraltara narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar
Glorioso Islandslow and flat
Greecemostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea aspeninsulas or chains of islands
Greenlandflat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow,mountainous, barren, rocky coast
Grenadavolcanic in origin with central mountains
GuadeloupeBasse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interiormountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of theseven other islands are volcanic in origin
Guamvolcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flatcoralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steepcoastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills incenter, mountains in south
Guatemalamostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rollinglimestone plateau (Peten)
Guernseymostly level with low hills in southwest
Guineagenerally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior
Guinea-Bissaumostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Guyanamostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south
Haitimostly rough and mountainous
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky
Holy See (Vatican City)low hill
Hondurasmostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Hong Konghilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Howland Islandlow-lying, nearly level, sandy, coral islandsurrounded by a narrow fringing reef; depressed central area
Hungarymostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains onthe Slovakian border
Icelandmostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields;coast deeply indented by bays and fiords
Indiaupland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plainalong the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Indian Oceansurface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad,circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; uniquereversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; lowatmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summerair results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeastwinds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia fromcold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon andnortheast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominatedby the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast IndianOcean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge
Indonesiamostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interiormountains
Iranrugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Iraqmostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border insouth with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iranand Turkey
Irelandmostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by ruggedhills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
IsraelNegev desert in the south; low coastal plain; centralmountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Italymostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Jamaicamostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Jan Mayenvolcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Japanmostly rugged and mountainous
Jarvis Islandsandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringingreef
Jerseygently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast
Johnston Atollmostly flat
Jordanmostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; GreatRift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Juan de Nova Islandlow and flat
Kazakhstanextends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and fromthe plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia
Kenyalow plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great RiftValley; fertile plateau in west
Kingman Reeflow and nearly level
Kiribatimostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Korea, Northmostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrowvalleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Korea, Southmostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in westand south
Kuwaitflat to slightly undulating desert plain
Kyrgyzstanpeaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basinsencompass entire nation
Laosmostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Latvialow plain
Lebanonnarrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separatesLebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Lesothomostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Liberiamostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rollingplateau and low mountains in northeast
Libyamostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Liechtensteinmostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in westernthird
Lithuanialowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil
Luxembourgmostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallowvalleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slopedown to Moselle flood plain in the southeast
Macaugenerally flat
Macedoniamountainous territory covered with deep basins andvalleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; countrybisected by the Vardar River
Madagascarnarrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
Malawinarrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills,some mountains
Malaysiacoastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Maldivesflat, with white sandy beaches
Malimostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savannain south, rugged hills in northeast
Maltamostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastalcliffs
Man, Isle ofhills in north and south bisected by central valley
Marshall Islandslow coral limestone and sand islands
Martiniquemountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
Mauritaniamostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some centralhills
Mauritiussmall coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountainsencircling central plateau
Mayottegenerally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanicpeaks
Mexicohigh, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus;desert
Micronesia, Federated States of islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk
Midway Islandslow, nearly level
Moldovarolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea
Monacohilly, rugged, rocky
Mongoliavast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountainsin west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
Montserratvolcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastallowland
Morocconorthern coast and interior are mountainous with large areasof bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains
Mozambiquemostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateausin northwest, mountains in west
Namibiamostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; KalahariDesert in east
Naurusandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefswith phosphate plateau in center
Navassa Islandraised coral and limestone plateau, flat toundulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
NepalTerai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hillregion, rugged Himalayas in north
Netherlandsmostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders);some hills in southeast
Netherlands Antillesgenerally hilly, volcanic interiors
New Caledoniacoastal plains with interior mountains
New Zealandpredominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Nicaraguaextensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to centralinterior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted byvolcanoes
Nigerpredominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rollingplains in south; hills in north
Nigeriasouthern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus;mountains in southeast, plains in north
Niuesteep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
Norfolk Islandvolcanic formation with mostly rolling plains
Northern Mariana Islandssouthern islands are limestone with levelterraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic
Norwayglaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains brokenby fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeplyindented by fjords; arctic tundra in north
Omancentral desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Pacific Oceansurface currents in the northern Pacific are dominatedby a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents)and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre;in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea ofOkhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarcticareaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in theeastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while thewestern Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the MarianaTrench, which is the world's deepest
Pakistanflat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest;Balochistan plateau in west
Palauvarying geologically from the high, mountainous main island ofBabelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrierreefs
Palmyra Atollvery low
Panamainterior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, uplandplains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Papua New Guineamostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rollingfoothills
Paracel Islandsmostly low and flat
Paraguaygrassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; GranChaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near theriver, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Peruwestern coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center(sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Philippinesmostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastallowlands
Pitcairn Islandsrugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline withcliffs
Polandmostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Portugalmountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains insouth
Puerto Ricomostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north;mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along mostcoastal areas
Qatarmostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand andgravel
Reunionmostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Romaniacentral Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain ofMoldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated fromthe Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Russiabroad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferousforest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southernborder regions
Rwandamostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous withaltitude declining from west to east
Saint HelenaSaint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scatteredplateaus and plainsnote: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Saint Kitts and Nevisvolcanic with mountainous interiors
Saint Luciavolcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
Saint Pierre and Miquelonmostly barren rock
Saint Vincent and the Grenadinesvolcanic, mountainous
Samoatwo main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islandsand uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky,rugged mountains in interior
San Marinorugged mountains
Sao Tome and Principevolcanic, mountainous
Saudi Arabiamostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Senegalgenerally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills insoutheast
Serbia and Montenegroextremely varied; to the north, rich fertileplains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast,ancient mountains and hills; to the southwest, extremely highshoreline with no islands off the coast
SeychellesMahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky,hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Sierra Leonecoastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country,upland plateau, mountains in east
Singaporelowland; gently undulating central plateau contains watercatchment area and nature preserve
Slovakiarugged mountains in the central and northern part andlowlands in the south
Sloveniaa short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountainregion adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleyswith numerous rivers to the east
Solomon Islandsmostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Somaliamostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
South Africavast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrowcoastal plain
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islandsmost of the islands,rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; SouthGeorgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains;the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some activevolcanoes
Southern Oceanthe Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 metersover most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water;the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusuallydeep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global meanis 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimumof 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 millionsquare kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase inarea; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) movesperpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current,transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100times the flow of all the world's rivers
Spainlarge, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills;Pyrenees in north
Spratly Islandsflat
Sri Lankamostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains insouth-central interior
Sudangenerally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south,northeast and west; desert dominates the north
Surinamemostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Svalbardwild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; westcoast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west andnorth coasts
Swazilandmostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Swedenmostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Switzerlandmostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) witha central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Syriaprimarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain;mountains in west
Taiwaneastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gentlyrolling plains in west
TajikistanPamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; westernFergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Tanzaniaplains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north,south
Thailandcentral plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountainselsewhere
Togogently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southernplateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Tokelaulow-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons
Tongamost islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coralformation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
Trinidad and Tobagomostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Tromelin Islandlow, flat, and sandy; likely volcanic
Tunisiamountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid southmerges into the Sahara
Turkeyhigh central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain;several mountain ranges
Turkmenistanflat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising tomountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran;borders Caspian Sea in west
Turks and Caicos Islands low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
Tuvaluvery low-lying and narrow coral atolls
Ugandamostly plateau with rim of mountains
Ukrainemost of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) andplateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians),and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
United Arab Emiratesflat, barren coastal plain merging into rollingsand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
United Kingdommostly rugged hills and low mountains; level torolling plains in east and southeast
United Statesvast central plain, mountains in west, hills and lowmountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys inAlaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Uruguaymostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland
Uzbekistanmostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad,flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya,Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in eastsurrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking AralSea in west
Vanuatumostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrowcoastal plains
VenezuelaAndes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest;central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast
Vietnamlow, flat delta in south and north; central highlands;hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Virgin Islandsmostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with littlelevel land
Wake Islandatoll of three coral islands built up on an underwatervolcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim
Wallis and Futunavolcanic origin; low hills
West Bankmostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west,but barren in east
Western Saharamostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky orsandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Worldthe greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m inthe Pacific Ocean
Yemennarrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and ruggedmountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into thedesert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Zambiamostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Zimbabwemostly high plateau with higher central plateau (highveld); mountains in east
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@2127 Total fertility rate (children born/woman)
Afghanistan6.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Albania2.05 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Algeria2.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)
American Samoa3.41 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Andorra1.28 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Angola6.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Anguilla1.74 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Antigua and Barbuda2.27 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Argentina2.24 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Armenia1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Aruba1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Australia1.76 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Austria1.35 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Azerbaijan2.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Bahamas, The2.23 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Bahrain2.67 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Bangladesh3.15 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Barbados1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Belarus1.36 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Belgium1.64 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Belize3.77 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Benin5.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Bermuda1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Bhutan4.87 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Bolivia3.08 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina1.71 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Botswana3.17 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Brazil1.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)
British Virgin Islands1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Brunei2.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Bulgaria1.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Burkina Faso6.28 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Burma2.08 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Burundi5.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Cambodia3.51 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Cameroon4.55 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Canada1.61 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Cape Verde3.62 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Cayman Islands1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Central African Republic4.59 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Chad6.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Chile2.06 children born/woman (2004 est.)
China1.69 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Christmas IslandNA children born/woman (2004 est.)
Cocos (Keeling) IslandsNA children born/woman (2004 est.)
Colombia2.59 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Comoros5.15 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6.62 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Congo, Republic of the3.54 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Cook IslandsNA children born/woman (2004 est.)
Costa Rica2.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire5.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Croatia1.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Cuba1.66 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Cyprus1.85 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Czech Republic1.18 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Denmark1.74 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Djibouti5.48 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Dominica1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Dominican Republic2.89 children born/woman (2004 est.)
East Timor3.7 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Ecuador2.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Egypt2.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
El Salvador3.2 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Equatorial Guinea4.68 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Eritrea5.67 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Estonia1.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Ethiopia5.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)
European Union1.48 children born/woman (July 2004 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)NA children born/woman (2004 est.)
Faroe Islands2.22 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Fiji2.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Finland1.73 children born/woman (2004 est.)
France1.85 children born/woman (2004 est.)
French Guiana3.05 children born/woman (2004 est.)
French Polynesia2.09 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Gabon4.8 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Gambia, The5.46 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Gaza Strip6.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Georgia1.4 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Germany1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Ghana3.17 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Gibraltar1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Greece1.32 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Greenland2.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Grenada2.41 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Guadeloupe1.91 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Guam2.61 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Guatemala4.6 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Guernsey1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Guinea5.87 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Guinea-Bissau5 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Guyana2.06 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Haiti4.76 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Honduras3.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Hong Kong0.91 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Hungary1.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Iceland1.93 children born/woman (2004 est.)
India2.85 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Indonesia2.47 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Iran1.93 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Iraq4.4 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Ireland1.87 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Israel2.47 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Italy1.27 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Jamaica1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Japan1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Jersey1.57 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Jordan2.86 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Kazakhstan1.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Kenya3.31 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Kiribati4.24 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Korea, North2.2 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Korea, South1.56 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Kuwait3.03 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Kyrgyzstan2.71 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Laos4.86 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Latvia1.25 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Lebanon1.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Lesotho3.44 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Liberia6.16 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Libya3.42 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Liechtenstein1.51 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Lithuania1.17 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Luxembourg1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Macau0.93 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Macedonia1.74 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Madagascar5.7 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Malawi6.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Malaysia3.1 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Maldives5.14 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Mali6.58 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Malta1.49 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Man, Isle of1.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Marshall Islands4.02 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Martinique1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Mauritania6.01 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Mauritius1.97 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Mayotte5.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Mexico2.49 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of3.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Moldova1.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Monaco1.76 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Mongolia2.27 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Montserrat1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Morocco2.81 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Mozambique4.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Namibia4.65 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Nauru3.29 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Nepal4.29 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Netherlands1.66 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Netherlands Antilles2.02 children born/woman (2004 est.)
New Caledonia2.35 children born/woman (2004 est.)
New Zealand1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Nicaragua2.89 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Niger6.83 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Nigeria5.32 children born/woman (2004 est.)
NiueNA children born/woman (2004 est.)
Norfolk IslandNA children born/woman (2004 est.)
Northern Mariana Islands1.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Norway1.78 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Oman5.9 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Pakistan4.29 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Palau2.46 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Panama2.49 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Papua New Guinea4.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Paraguay3.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Peru2.61 children born/woman (2004 est.)