World's Largest Dams

World's Largest Dams

Dam	Location	Volume (thousands)		Year completed
		cu m	cu yds
Three Gorges	China	39,300,000	51,402,459	UC08
Syncrude Tailings	Canada	540,000	706,320	UC
Chapetón	Argentina	296,200	387,410	UC
Pati	Argentina	238,180	274,026	UC
New Cornelia Tailings	United States	209,500	274,026	1973
Tarbela	Pakistan	121,720	159,210	1976
Kambaratinsk	Kyrgyzstan	112,200	146,758	UC
Fort Peck	Montana	96,049	125,628	1940
Lower Usuma	Nigeria	93,000	121,644	1990
Cipasang	Indonesia	90,000	117,720	UC
Atatürk	Turkey	84,500	110,522	1990
Yacyretá-Apipe	Paraguay/Argentina	81,000	105,944	1998
Guri (Raúl Leoni)	Venezuela	78,000	102,014	1986
Rogun	Tajikistan	75,500	98,750	1985
Oahe	South Dakota	70,339	92,000	1963
Mangla	Pakistan	65,651	85,872	1967
Gardiner	Canada	65,440	85,592	1968
Afsluitdijk	Netherlands	63,400	82,927	1932
Oroville	California	59,639	78,008	1968
San Luis	California	59,405	77,700	1967
Nurek	Tajikistan	58,000	75,861	1980
Garrison	North Dakota	50,843	66,500	1956
Cochiti	New Mexico	48,052	62,850	1975
Tabka (Thawra)	Syria	46,000	60,168	1976
Bennett W.A.C.	Canada	43,733	57,201	1967
Tucuruíi	Brazil	43,000	56,242	1984
Boruca	Costa Rica	43,000	56,242	UC
High Aswan (Sadd-el-Aali)	Egypt	43,000	56,242	1970
San Roque	Philippines	43,000	56,242	UC
Kiev	Ukraine	42,841	56,034	1964
Dantiwada Left Embankment	India	41,040	53,680	1965
Saratov	Russia	40,400	52,843	1967
Mission Tailings 2	Arizona	40,088	52,435	1973
Fort Randall	South Dakota	38,227	50,000	1953
Kanev	Ukraine	37,860	49,520	1976
Mosul	Iraq	36,000	47,086	1982
Kakhovka	Ukraine	35,640	46,617	1955
Itumbiara	Brazil	35,600	46,563	1980
Lauwerszee	Netherlands	35,575	46,532	1969
Beas	India	35,418	46,325	1974
Oosterschelde	Netherlands	35,000	45,778	1986

NOTE: UC = under construction. 
Source: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation and International Water Power and Dam Construction.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved

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Principal Deserts of the World

Principal Deserts of the World

Deserts are arid regions, generally receiving less than ten inches of precipitation a year, or regions where the potential evaporation rate is twice as great as the precipitation. The world's deserts are divided into four categories. Subtropical deserts are the hottest, with parched terrain and rapid evaporation. Although cool coastal deserts are located within the same latitudes as subtropical deserts, the average temperature is much cooler because of frigid offshore ocean currents. Cold winter desertsare marked by stark temperature differences from season to season, ranging from 100° F (38° C) in the summer to 10° F (–12° C) in the winter. Polar regions are also considered to be deserts because nearly all moisture in these areas is locked up in the form of ice.

Desert Location Size Topography SUBTROPICAL DESERTS Sahara Morocco, Western Sahara, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia 3.5 million sq. mi. 70% gravel plains, sand, and dunes. Contrary to popular belief, the desert is only 30% sand. The world's largest nonpolar desert gets its name from the Arabic word Sahra', meaning desert Arabian Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen 1 million sq. mi. Gravel plains, rocky highlands; one-fourth is the Rub al-Khali (“Empty Quarter”), the world's largest expanse of unbroken sand Kalahari Botswana, South Africa, Namibia 220,000 sq. mi. Sand sheets, longitudinal dunes Australian Desert        Gibson Australia (southern portion of the Western Desert) 120,000 sq. mi. Sandhills, gravel, grass. These three regions of desert are collectively referred to as the Great Western Desert—otherwise known as “the Outback.” Contains Ayers Rock, or Uluru, one of the world's largest monoliths  Great Sandy Australia (northern portion of the Western Desert) 150,000 sq. mi.  Great Victoria Australia (southernmost portion of the Western Desert) 250,000 sq. mi.  Simpson and   Sturt Stony Australia (eastern half of the continent) 56,000 sq. mi. Simpson's straight, parallel sand dunes are the longest in the world—up to 125 mi. Encompasses the Stewart Stony Desert, named for the Australian explorer Mojave U.S.: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, California 54,000 sq. mi. Mountain chains, dry alkaline lake beds, calcium carbonate dunes Sonoran U.S.: Arizona, California; Mexico 120,000 sq. mi. Basins and plains bordered by mountain ridges; home to the Saguaro cactus Chihuahuan Mexico; southwestern U.S. 175,000 sq. mi. Shrub desert; largest in North America Thar India, Pakistan 175,000 sq. mi. Rocky sand and sand dunes

COOL COASTAL DESERTS
Namib	Angola, Namibia, South Africa	13,000 sq. mi.	Gravel plains
Atacama	Chile	54,000 sq. mi.	Salt basins, sand, lava; world's driest desert
COLD WINTER DESERTS
Great Basin	U.S.: Nevada, Oregon, Utah	190,000 sq. mi.	Mountain ridges, valleys, 1% sand dunes
Colorado Plateau	U.S.: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming	130,000 sq. mi.	Sedimentary rock, mesas, and plateaus—includes the Grand Canyon and is also called the “Painted Desert” because of the spectacular colors in its rocks and canyons
Patagonian	Argentina	260,000 sq. mi.	Gravel plains, plateaus, basalt sheets
Kara-Kum	Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan	135,000 sq. mi.	90% gray layered sand—name means “black sand”
Kyzyl-Kum	Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan	115,000 sq. mi.	Sands, rock—name means “red sand”
Iranian	Iran	100,000 sq. mi.	Salt, gravel, rock
Taklamakan	China	105,000 sq. mi.	Sand, dunes, gravel
Gobi	China, Mongolia	500,000 sq. mi.	Stony, sandy soil, steppes (dry grasslands)
POLAR
Arctic	U.S., Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia	5.4 million sq. mi.	Snow, glaciers, tundra
Antarctic	Antarctica	5.5 million sq. mi.	Ice, snow, bedrock

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Important Lines and Boundaries

Important Lines and Boundaries

Durand Line is the line demarcating the boundaries of India and Afghanistan. It was drawn up in 1896 by Sir Mortimer Durand.

Hindenburg Line is the boundary dividing Germany and Poland. The Germans retreated to this line in 1917 during World War I.

Mason-Dixon Line is a line of demarcation between four states in the United States.

Marginal Line was the 320 km line of fortification built by France along its border with Germany before World War II, to protect its boundary from German attack.

Mannerheim Line is the line of fortification on the Russia-Finland border. Drawn up by General Mannerheim.

MacMahon Line was drawn up by Sir. Henry MacMahon, demarcating the frontier of India and China. China did not recognize the MacMahon line and crossed it in 1962.

Medicine Line is the border between Canada and the United States.

Order-Neisse Line is the border between Poland and Germany, running along the Order and Neisse rivers, adopted at the Poland Conference (Aug 1945) after World War II.

Radcliffe Line was drawn up by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, demarcating the boundary between India and Pakistan. Siegfried Line is the line of fortification drawn up by Germany on its border with France.

17th Parallel defined the boundary between North Vietnam and South Vietnam before the two were united.

24th Parallel is the line which Pakistan claims for demarcation between India and Pakistan. This, however, is not recognized by India.

26th parallel south is a circle of latitude which crosses through Africa, Australia and South America.

30th parallel north is a line of latitude that stands one-third of the way between the equator and the North Pole.

33rd parallel north is a circle of latitude which cuts through the southern United States, parts of North Africa, parts of the Middle East, and China.

35th parallel north forms the boundary between the State of North Carolina and the State of Georgia and the boundary between the State of Tennessee arid the State of Georgia, the State of Alabama, and the State of Mississippi.

36th parallel forms the southernmost boundary of the State of Missouri With the State of Arkansas.

36°30' parallel north forms the boundary between the Tennessee and Commonwealth of Kentucky between the Tennessee River and the Mississippi River, the boundary between Missouri and Arkansas west of the White River, and the northernmost boundary between the Texas and the Oklahoma.

37th parallel north formed the southern boundary of the historic and extralegal Territory of Jefferson.

38th Parallel is the parallel of latitude which separates North Korea and South Korea.

39th parallel north is an imaginary circle of latitude that is 39 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane.

40th parallel north formed the original northern boundary of the British Colony of Maryland.

41st parallel north forms the northern boundary of the State of Colorado with Nebraska and Wyoming and the southern boundary of the State of Wyoming with Colorado and Utah.

42nd parallel north forms most of the New York - Pennsylvania Border.

43rd parallel north forms most of the boundary between the State of Nebraska and the State of South Dakota and also formed the northern border of the historic and extralegal Territory of Jefferson.

The parallel 44° north is an imaginary circle of latitude that is 44 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane.

45th parallel north is often called the halfway point between the Equator and the North Pole. The 45th parallel makes up most of the boundary between Montana and Wyoming.

45th parallel of south latitude is the east-west line that marks the theoretical halfway point between the equator and the South Pole.

49th Parallel is the boundary between USA and Canada.

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Large Islands of the World

Large Islands of the World

Island Location and Political Affiliation Area sq. mi. sq. km Greenland North Atlantic (Danish) 839,999 2,175,597 New Guinea Southwest Pacific (West Papua [Irian Jaya], Indonesia, western part; Papua New Guinea, eastern part) 309,000 800,311 Borneo West mid-Pacific (Indonesian, south part; Brunei and Malaysian, north part) 287,300 744,108 Madagascar Indian Ocean (Malagasy Republic) 227,000 587,931 Baffin North Atlantic (Canadian) 195,926 507,451 Sumatra Northeast Indian Ocean (Indonesian) 182,859 473,605 Honshu Sea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese) 89,176 230,966 Great Britain Off coast of NW Europe (England, Scotland, and Wales) 88,795 229,979 Victoria Arctic Ocean (Canadian) 83,896 217,291 Ellesmere Arctic Ocean (Canadian) 75,767 196,236 Sulawesi (Celebes) West mid-Pacific (Indonesian) 73,057 189,218 South Island South Pacific (New Zealand) 58,384 151,215 Java Indian Ocean (Indonesian) 51,038 132,189 North Island South Pacific (New Zealand) 44,702 115,778 Cuba Caribbean Sea (republic) 42,803 110,860 Newfoundland North Atlantic (Canadian) 42,031 108,860 Luzon West mid-Pacific (Philippines) 40,420 104,688 Iceland North Atlantic (republic) 39,800 103,082 Mindanao West mid-Pacific (Philippines) 36,537 94,631 Ireland West of Great Britain (republic, south part; United Kingdom, north part) 32,597 84,426 Hokkaido Sea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese) 32,245 83,515 Sakhalin (Karafuto) North of Japan (Russian) 29,500 76,405 Hispaniola Caribbean Sea (Dominican Republic, east part; Haiti, west part) 29,300 75,887 Banks Arctic Ocean (Canadian) 27,038 70,028 Tasmania South of Australia (Australian) 26,200 67,858 Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Indian Ocean (republic) 24,900 64,491 Devon Arctic Ocean (Canadian) 21,331 55,247 Tierra del Fuego Southern tip of South America (Argentinian, east part; Chilean, west part) 18,605 48,187 Axel Heiberg Arctic Ocean (Canadian) 16,671 43,178 Melville Arctic Ocean (Canadian) 16,274 42,149 Kyushu Sea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese) 16,223 42,018 Southampton Hudson Bay (Canadian) 15,913 41,214

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Biggest Countries (In Population)

Biggest Countries (In Population)

World's 50 Most Populous Countries: 2007 Rank Country Population 1. China 1,321,851,888 2. India 1,129,866,154 3. United States 301,139,947 4. Indonesia 234,693,997 5. Brazil 190,010,647 6. Pakistan 169,270,617 7. Bangladesh 150,448,339 8. Russia 141,377,752 9. Nigeria 135,031,164 10. Japan 127,467,972 11. Mexico 108,700,891 12. Philippines 91,077,287 13. Vietnam 85,262,356 14. Germany 82,400,996 15. Egypt 80,264,543 16. Ethiopia 76,511,887 17. Turkey 71,158,647 18. Iran 65,397,521 19. Thailand 65,068,149 20. Congo, Dem. Rep. 64,606,759 21. France 61,083,916 22. United Kingdom 60,776,238 23. Italy 58,147,733 24. Korea, South 49,044,790 25. Myanmar  (Burma) 47,373,958 26. Ukraine 46,299,862 27. Colombia 44,227,550 28. South Africa 43,997,828 29. Sudan 42,292,929 30. Spain 40,448,191 31. Argentina 40,301,927 32. Poland 38,518,241 33. Tanzania 38,139,640 34. Kenya 36,913,721 35. Morocco 33,757,175 36. Canada 33,390,141 37. Algeria 33,333,216 38. Afghanistan 31,889,923 39. Uganda 30,262,610 40. Nepal 28,901,790 41. Peru 28,674,757 42. Uzbekistan 27,780,059 43. Saudi Arabia 27,601,038 44. Iraq 27,499,638 45. Venezuela 26,084,662 46. Malaysia 24,821,286 47. Korea, North 23,301,725 48. Taiwan 23,174,294 49. Ghana 22,931,299 50. Romania 22,276,056

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Biggest Countries (In Area)

Biggest Countries (In Area)

The Twenty Largest Countries in Area in the World No. Countries Area sq. km sq. mi 1 Russia 17,075,200  6,591,027 2 Canada 9,984,670 3,854,082 3 United States 9,631,418 3,717,727 4 China 9,596,960 3,704,426 5 Brazil 8,511,965 3,285,618 6 Australia 7,686,850 2,967,124 7 India 3,287,590 1,269,009 8 Argentina 2,766,890 1,068,019 9 Kazakhstan 2,717,300 1,048,877 10 Sudan 2,505,810 967,243 11 Algeria 2,381,740 919,352 12 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 2,345,410 905,328 13 Mexico 1,972,550 761,404 14 Saudi Arabia 1,960,582 756,785 15 Indonesia 1,919,440 740,904 16 Libya 1,759,540 679,182 17 Iran 1,648,000 636,128 18 Mongolia 1,564,116 603,749 19 Peru 1,285,220 496,095 20 Chad 1,284,000 495,624

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Complete Listing of World Wonders

Complete Listing of World Wonders

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

• The Great Pyramid of Giza • The Hanging Gardens of Babylon • The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus • The Statue of Zeus at Olympia • The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus • The Colossus of Rhodes • The Pharos of Alexandria

The Seven Wonders of the Medieval Mind

• Stonehenge • The Colosseum • The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa • The Great Wall of China • The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing • The Hagia Sophia • The Leaning Tower of Pisa The Seven Natural Wonders of the World • Mount Everest • The Great Barrier Reef • The Grand Canyon • Victoria Falls • The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro • Paricutin Volcano • The Northern Lights   The Seven Underwater Wonders of the World • Palau • The Belize Barrier Reef • The Galapagos Islands • The Northern Red Sea • Lake Baikal • The Great Barrier Reef • The Deep Sea Vents   The Seven Wonders of the Modern World • The Empire State Building • The Itaipú Dam • The CN Tower • The Panama Canal • The Channel Tunnel • The North Sea Protection Works • The Golden Gate Bridge   The Seven Forgotten Natural Wonders of the World • Angel Falls • The Bay of Fundy • Iguaçú Falls • Krakatoa Island • Mount Fuji • Mount Kilimanjaro • Niagara Falls   The Seven Forgotten Modern Wonders of the World • The Clock Tower (Big Ben) • Eiffel Tower • The Gateway Arch • The Aswan High Dam • Hoover Dam • Mount Rushmore National Memorial • The Petronas Towers   The Seven Forgotten Wonders of the Medeival Mind • Abu Simbel Temple • Angkor Wat • Taj Mahal • Mont Saint-Michel • The Moai Statues • The Parthenon • The Shwedagon Pagoda   The Forgotten Wonders • The Aztec Temple • The Banaue Rice Terraces • The Borobudur Temple • The Inca City • The Statue of Liberty • The Mayan Temples • The Temple of the Inscriptions • The Throne Hall of Persepolis • Petra • The Suez Canal • The Sydney Opera House • The Red Fort in India

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