Largest Countries in the World The top ten largest countries, in square miles, in 2012. 1. Russia6,601,668 2. Canada3,855,102 3. United States3,794,100 4. China3,705,407 5. Brazil3,287,612 6. Australia2,988,901 7. India1,269,219 8. Argentina1,073,518 9. Kazakhstan1,052,089 10. Algeria919,595 NOTE: Country rankings of the type presented above cannot pretend to be definitive; instead they aspire only to provide the reader with an approximation of the high and low ends on a particular scale. Country data vary enormously depending on the sources, and the absence of reliable data on some countries requires their omission, which further skews the results. Only countries for which statistics were available in sources 1 and 2 figure in these lists. *Size refers to the total area of a country, which includes the land area plus bodies of water.Sources:The World Factbook, 2012.

Smallest Countries in the World The top ten smallest countries, in square miles, as of 2012. 1. Vatican City0.17 2. Monaco0.75 3. Nauru8.11 4. Tuvalu10.04 5. San Marino23.63 6. Liechtenstein61.78 7.Saint Kitts and Nevis100.77 8. Maldives115.83 9. Malta122.01 10. Grenada132.82 NOTE: Country rankings of the type presented below cannot pretend to be definitive; instead they aspire only to provide the reader with an approximation of the high and low ends on a particular scale. Country data vary enormously depending on the sources, and the absence of reliable data on some countries requires their omission, which further skews the results. Only countries for which statistics were available in sources 1 and 2 figure in these lists. *Size refers to the total area of a country, which includes the land area plus bodies of water.Sources:1.The World Factbook.2. U.S. Census Bureau, International Database.

Highest Population Density The top ten most densely populated countries, in square kilometers, in 2011. 1. Monaco15,293 2. Singapore6,843 3. Holy See1,884 4. Maldives1,328 5. Malta1,287 6. Bangladesh1,199 7. Bahrain971 8. Taiwan714 9. Barbados664 10. Mauritius637 NOTE: Country rankings of the type presented below cannot pretend to be definitive; instead they aspire only to provide the reader with an approximation of the high and low ends on a particular scale. Country data vary enormously depending on the sources, and the absence of reliable data on some countries requires their omission, which further skews the results.Only countries for which statistics were available figure in these lists. †Population density calculated using population and land area.Source:The World Factbook, 2011.

Global Political, Economic, and Social Facts From the UN'sHuman Development Report 2007/2008 In 2008, 34 journalists died in the line of duty.That's down from the 65 killed In 2007. In 103 countries the proportion ofwomen in parliamentincreased between 1995 and 2008, butaround the world it still averages just 18.4%. As of 2007, only 28 countries, representing 13% of the world's population, arefully democratic.54 countries, representing 38.3% of the world's population areflawed democracies; 30 arehybrid regimes; and 55, or 38.2% of the world's population, areauthoritarian regimes. Between 1970 and 2005 the under-5mortality rateworldwide fell from 96 to 76 per 1,000 live births. Multiparty electionsare now held in 140 of the world's 195 countries. Coups overthrew 46 elected governments in the second half of the twentieth century. The proportion of theworld's extremely poorfell from 29% in 1990 to 23% in 1999. In 2006,2.6 billion people, or 40% of the world’s population, lived on less than $2 a day,with 1 billion of them surviving on the margins of subsistence with less than $1 a day. In 2006, 1.1 billion people lacked access tosafe water, and 2.6 billion did not have access to any form of improved sanitation services. Just 125 countries, with 62% of the world's population, have a free or partlyfree press. Of the world's estimated 854 millionilliterate adults, 544 million are women. Armed conflict continues to blight the lives of millions: since 1990, 3.6 million people have died as a result ofcivil wars and ethnic violence,more than 16 times the number killed in wars between states. Civilianshave accounted for more than90% of thecasualties—either injured or killed—in post-cold war conflicts. Ninety countries are affected bylandminesand unexploded ordinance, with rough estimates of 15,000 to 20,000 mine victims each year. Greenhouse gasesin the Earth’s atmosphere are accruing at a record rate. In 2007, there were 380 parts per million ofcarbon dioxidein the atmosphere, which exceeds the natural range of the past 650,000 years. The United States has acarbon footprintfive times that of China, and over 15 times that of India. The 23 million residents of the US state of Texas emit morecarbon dioxidethan the entire population of sub-Saharan Africa, which is 720 million people.

A Profile of the World, 2012 Source: The World Factbook, 2012 Geography Age:4.55 billion years old. Total area:510.072 million sq km (196.940 million sq mi).Land area:148.94 million sq km (57.506 million sq mi).Water area:361.132 million sq km (139.434 million sq mi).Coastline: Land boundaries:251,060 km (156,262.58 mi.), not counting shared boundaries twice. Climate:Two large areas of polar climates are separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates. Terrain:Highest elevation is Mt. Everest at 8,850 m (29,035 ft) and lowest land depression is the Dead Sea at –411 m (–1,349 ft) below sea level. The greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at –10,924 m Land use:Arable land:10.57%.Permanent crops:1.04%.Other:88.39% (2005 est.).Irrigated land:3,245,556 sq km. See also Atlas of the World. People Population:7,021,836,029 (July 2012 est.). Growth rate:1.096% (2012 est.). Birth rate:19.14 births/1,000 population (2012 est.). Death rate:7.99 deaths/1,000 population (2012 est.). Sex ratio (at birth):1.07 males/females (2011 est.). Infant mortality rate:39.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.). Life expectancy at birth:Total population:67.59 years.Male:65.59 years.Female:69.73 years (2012 est.). Total fertility rate:2.47 children born per woman (2012 est.). Literacy:Age 15 and over who can read and write (2005 est.).Total population:83.7%.Male:88.3%.Female:79.2%NOTE:More than two-thirds of the world's 793 million illiterate adults are found in only eight Government and Economy Political divisions:195 sovereign nations, 72 dependent areas, and 6 disputed territories. Economy:In 2011, world output — and per capita income — began to recover from the 2008–09 recession, the first global downturn since 1946. Gross World Product (GWP) grew 3.7%, a slowdown GWP/PPP:$79.39 trillion (2011 est.). GWP—real growth rate:3.7% (2011 est.). GWP/PPP—per capita:$11,900 (2011 est.). GWP composition:agriculture 6%, industry 30.7%, services 63.4% (2011 est.). Inflation rate (consumer price index):developed countries: 3.1%; developing countries: 6.3% (2011 est.). Note: Developed countries 0% to 4% typically; developing countries 5% to 10% typically; Unemployment rate:9.1% (2011 est.). Exports:$18.15 trillion (2011 est.). Imports:$17.94 trillion (2011 est.). External debt:$69.05 trillion (2011 est.)