|
GEOGRAPHY
|
|
|
Location:
|
|
Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and
North Pacific Ocean, north of the conterminous US |
|
Geographic
Coordinates:
|
|
60 00 N, 95 00 W |
|
Map
References:
|
|
North
America |
|
Area:
|
|
total:
9,976,140 sq km
land: 9,220,970 sq km
water: 755,170 sq km |
|
Area
- Comparative:
|
|
slightly
larger than the US |
|
Land
Boundaries:
|
|
total:
8,893 km
border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
|
|
Coastline:
|
|
243,791
km |
|
Maritime
Claims:
|
|
continental
shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm |
|
Climate:
|
|
varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
|
|
Terrain:
|
|
mostly
plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast |
|
Land
Use:
|
|
arable
land: 5%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 54%
other: 38% (1993 est.) |
|
Irrigated
Land :
|
|
7,100
sq km (1993 est.) |
|
Natural
Hazards:
|
|
continuous
permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic
storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing
of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior,
and produce most of the country's rain and snow |
|
Environment
- Current Issues:
|
|
air
pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and
damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and
vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity;
ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial,
mining, and forestry activities |
|
Environment
- International Agreements:
|
|
party
to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur
94, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation |
|
