vast flat steppe extending from the Volga in the west to
the Altai Mountains in the east and from the plains of western
Siberia in the north to oases and deserts of Central Asia in the
south
Kenya
low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift
Valley; fertile plateau in west
Kiribati
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Korea, North
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow
valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Korea, South
mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west
and south
Kosovo
flat fluvial basin with an elevation of 400-700 m above sea
level surrounded by several high mountain ranges with elevations of
2,000 to 2,500 m
Kuwait
flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Kyrgyzstan
peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins
encompass entire nation
Laos
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Latvia
low plain
Lebanon
narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates
Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Lesotho
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Liberia
mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling
plateau and low mountains in northeast
Libya
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Liechtenstein
mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western
third
Lithuania
lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil
Luxembourg
mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow
valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope
down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast
Macau
generally flat
Macedonia
mountainous territory covered with deep basins and
valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country
bisected by the Vardar River
Madagascar
narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
Malawi
narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills,
some mountains
Malaysia
coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Maldives
flat, with white sandy beaches
Mali
mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna
in south, rugged hills in northeast
Malta
mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal
cliffs
Marshall Islands
low coral limestone and sand islands
Mauritania
mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central
hills
Mauritius
small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains
encircling central plateau
Mayotte
generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic
peaks
Mexico
high, 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
Moldova
rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea
Monaco
hilly, rugged, rocky
Mongolia
vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains
in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central
Montenegro
highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain
backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus
Montserrat
volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal
lowland
Morocco
northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas
of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains
Mozambique
mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus
in northwest, mountains in west
Namibia
mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari
Desert in east
Nauru
sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs
with phosphate plateau in center
Navassa Island
raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to
undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
Nepal
Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill
region, rugged Himalayas in north
Netherlands
mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders);
some hills in southeast
New Caledonia
coastal plains with interior mountains
New Zealand
predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Nicaragua
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central
interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by
volcanoes
Niger
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling
plains in south; hills in north
Nigeria
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus;
mountains in southeast, plains in north
Niue
steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
Norfolk Island
volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains
Northern Mariana Islands
southern islands are limestone with level
terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic
Norway
glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken
by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply
indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north
Oman
central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Pacific Ocean
surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated
by 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 of
Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica
reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the
eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the
western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana
Trench, which is the world's deepest
Pakistan
flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest;
Balochistan plateau in west
Palau
varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of
Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier
reefs
Panama
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland
plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Papua New Guinea
mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling
foothills
Paracel Islands
mostly low and flat
Paraguay
grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran
Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the
river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Peru
western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center
(sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Philippines
mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal
lowlands
Pitcairn Islands
rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with
cliffs
Poland
mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Portugal
mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in
south
Puerto Rico
mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north;
mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most
coastal areas
Qatar
mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and
gravel
Romania
central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Moldavian
Plateau on the east by the Eastern Carpathian Mountains and
separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian
Alps
Russia
broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous
forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern
border regions
Rwanda
mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with
altitude declining from west to east
Saint Barthelemy
hilly, almost completely surrounded by
shallow-water reefs, with 20 beaches
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
the islands of this
group result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic
Mid-Ocean Ridge
Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains
Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44
dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east
Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly
circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply
dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the
coastal cliffs
Saint Kitts and Nevis
volcanic with mountainous interiors
Saint Lucia
volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
mostly barren rock
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
volcanic, mountainous
Samoa
two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands
and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky,
rugged mountains in interior
San Marino
rugged mountains
Sao Tome and Principe
volcanic, mountainous
Saudi Arabia
mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Senegal
generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in
southeast
Serbia
extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the
east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient
mountains and hills
Seychelles
Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky,
hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Sierra Leone
coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country,
upland plateau, mountains in east
Singapore
lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water
catchment area and nature preserve
Sint Maarten
low, hilly terrain, volcanic origin
Slovakia
rugged mountains in the central and northern part and
lowlands in the south
Slovenia
a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain
region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys
with numerous rivers to the east
Solomon Islands
mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Somalia
mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
South Africa
vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow
coastal plain
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
most of the islands, rising
steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is
largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South
Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
Southern Ocean
the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 m over
most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the
Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep,
its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 m (the global mean is 133 m);
the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million
sq km in March to about 18.8 million sq km in September, better than
a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current
(21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's
largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of
water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers
Spain
large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills;
Pyrenees in north
Spratly Islands
flat
Sri Lanka
mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in
south-central interior
Sudan
generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south,
northeast and west; desert dominates the north
Suriname
mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Svalbard
wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west
coast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west and
north coasts
Swaziland
mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Sweden
mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Switzerland
mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with
a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Syria
primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain;
mountains in west
Taiwan
eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently
rolling plains in west
Tajikistan
Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western
Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Tanzania
plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north,
south
Thailand
central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains
elsewhere
Timor-Leste
mountainous
Togo
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern
plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Tokelau
low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons
Tonga
most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral
formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
Trinidad and Tobago
mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Tunisia
mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south
merges into the Sahara
Turkey
high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain;
several mountain ranges
Turkmenistan
flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to
mountains 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
Tuvalu
low-lying and narrow coral atolls
Uganda
mostly plateau with rim of mountains
Ukraine
most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and
plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians),
and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
United Arab Emirates
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling
sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
United Kingdom
mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to
rolling plains in east and southeast
United States
vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low
mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in
Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
low and nearly level
sandy coral islands with narrow fringing reefs that have developed
at the top of submerged volcanic mountains, which in most cases rise
steeply from the ocean floor
Uruguay
mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland
Uzbekistan
mostly 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 east
surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral
Sea in west
Vanuatu
mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow
coastal plains
Venezuela
Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest;
central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast
Vietnam
low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands;
hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Virgin Islands
mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little
level land
Wake Island
atoll of three low coral islands, Peale, Wake, and
Wilkes, built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former
crater, islands are part of the rim
Wallis and Futuna
volcanic origin; low hills
West Bank
mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west,
but barren in east
Western Sahara
mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or
sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
World
the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in
the Pacific Ocean
Yemen
narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged
mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the
desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Zambia
mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Zimbabwe
mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high
veld); mountains in east
======================================================================
@2127
Field Listing :: Total fertility rate
This entry gives a figure for the average number of children that
would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their
childbearing years and bore children according to a given fertility
rate at each age. The total fertility rate (TFR) is a more direct
measure of the level of fertility than the crude birth rate, since
it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential
for population change in the country. A rate of two children per
woman is considered the replacement rate for a population, resulting
in relative stability in terms of total numbers. Rates above two
children indicate populations growing in size and whose median age
is declining. Higher rates may also indicate difficulties for
families, in some situations, to feed and educate their children and
for women to enter the labor force. Rates below two children
indicate populations decreasing in size and growing older. Global
fertility rates are in general decline and this trend is most
pronounced in industrialized countries, especially Western Europe,
where populations are projected to decline dramatically over the
next 50 years.
Country Comparison to the World
Country
Total fertility rate(children born/woman)
Afghanistan
5.5 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Albania
1.47 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Algeria
1.76 children born/woman (2010 est.)
American Samoa
3.22 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Andorra
1.34 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Angola
6.05 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Anguilla
1.75 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Antigua and Barbuda
2.06 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Argentina
2.33 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Armenia
1.36 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Aruba
1.85 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Australia
1.78 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Austria
1.39 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Azerbaijan
2.03 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Bahamas, The
2 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Bahrain
2.47 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Bangladesh
2.65 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Barbados
1.68 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Belarus
1.25 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Belgium
1.65 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Belize
3.28 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Benin
5.4 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Bermuda
1.98 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Bhutan
2.29 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Bolivia
3.07 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
1.26 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Botswana
2.54 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Brazil
2.19 children born/woman (2010 est.)
British Virgin Islands
1.71 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Brunei
1.88 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Bulgaria
1.41 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Burkina Faso
6.21 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Burma
2.28 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Burundi
6.25 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Cambodia
2.9 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Cameroon
4.25 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Canada
1.58 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Cape Verde
2.54 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Cayman Islands
1.88 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Central African Republic
4.68 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Chad
5.18 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Chile
1.9 children born/woman (2010 est.)
China
1.54 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Christmas Island
NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
NA
Colombia
2.18 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Comoros
4.78 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
6.11 children born/woman (2010
est.)
Congo, Republic of the
5.77 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Cook Islands
2.43 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Costa Rica
1.93 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire
4.01 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Croatia
1.43 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Cuba
1.61 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Curacao
2.1 children born/woman (2009)
Cyprus
1.45 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Czech Republic
1.25 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Denmark
1.74 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Djibouti
2.79 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Dominica
2.08 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Dominican Republic
2.47 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Ecuador
2.46 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Egypt
3.01 children born/woman (2010 est.)
El Salvador
2.12 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Equatorial Guinea
5 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Eritrea
4.6 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Estonia
1.43 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Ethiopia
6.07 children born/woman (2010 est.)
European Union
1.51 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
NA
Faroe Islands
2.43 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Fiji
2.65 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Finland
1.73 children born/woman (2010 est.)
France
1.97 children born/woman (2010 est.)
French Polynesia
1.89 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Gabon
4.62 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Gambia, The
4.96 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Gaza Strip
4.9 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Georgia
1.44 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Germany
1.42 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Ghana
3.57 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Gibraltar
1.96 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Greece
1.37 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Greenland
2.16 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Grenada
2.21 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Guam
2.52 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Guatemala
3.36 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Guernsey
1.53 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Guinea
5.15 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Guinea-Bissau
4.58 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Guyana
2.4 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Haiti
3.07 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Honduras
3.17 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Hong Kong
1.04 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Hungary
1.39 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Iceland
1.9 children born/woman (2010 est.)
India
2.65 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Indonesia
2.28 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Iran
1.89 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Iraq
3.76 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Ireland
2.03 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Isle of Man
1.97 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Israel
2.72 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Italy
1.32 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Jamaica
2.21 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Japan
1.2 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Jersey
1.66 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Jordan
3.42 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Kazakhstan
1.87 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Kenya
4.38 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Kiribati
2.86 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Korea, North
1.94 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Korea, South
1.22 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Kuwait
2.7 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Kyrgyzstan
2.64 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Laos
3.22 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Latvia
1.31 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Lebanon
1.78 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Lesotho
3 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Liberia
5.24 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Libya
3.01 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Liechtenstein
1.53 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Lithuania
1.24 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Luxembourg
1.78 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Macau
0.91 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Macedonia
1.58 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Madagascar
5.09 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Malawi
5.51 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Malaysia
2.7 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Maldives
1.83 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Mali
6.54 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Malta
1.52 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Marshall Islands
3.51 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Mauritania
4.37 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Mauritius
1.8 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Mayotte
5.4 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Mexico
2.31 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of
2.8 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Moldova
1.28 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Monaco
1.5 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Mongolia
2.22 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Montserrat
1.25 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Morocco
2.23 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Mozambique
5.13 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Namibia
2.57 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Nauru
3.13 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Nepal
2.53 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Netherlands
1.66 children born/woman (2010 est.)
New Caledonia
2.09 children born/woman (2010 est.)
New Zealand
2.09 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Nicaragua
2.51 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Niger
7.68 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Nigeria
4.82 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Niue
NA
Norfolk Island
NA
Northern Mariana Islands
2.18 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Norway
1.77 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Oman
2.87 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Pakistan
3.28 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Palau
1.73 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Panama
2.48 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Papua New Guinea
3.54 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Paraguay
2.16 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Peru
2.32 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Philippines
3.23 children born/woman (2010 est.)