Areas at Risk of Soil Degradation
WorldPhysical EnvironmentLevels of concern for there to be a decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastoral, industrial, or urban purposes.
Geosystems: Intro to Physical Geography
A map illustrates areas at risk of soil degradation worldwide, categorized by serious concern, some concern, stable terrain, and non-vegetated land.
The map shows areas at risk of soil degradation using different colors. Areas of Serious Concern (light pink): North America: Great Plains, southwestern deserts, and Mississippi Valley. Central America: Most of the land. South America: Lands along the Andes mountains, parts of interior and coastal Brazil. Europe: Mostly in Eastern Europe. Africa: Near the Mediterranean in North Africa; lands of the Sahel along the southern border of the Sahara; in and around Nigeria in West Africa; the island of Madagascar; smaller patches in East Africa and southern Africa. Asia: Central and eastern China, much of mainland Southeast Asia, the islands of Borneo, and the Philippines. Australia: Southeast Australia has a small area of serious concern. Areas of Some Concern (light purple): Found in scattered regions across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Stable Terrain (light blue): These areas include parts of North America mostly in Canada, South America in parts of Brazil, and in parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Nonvegetated Land (dark blue): Predominantly in desert regions such as the Sahara, Central Asia, and parts of Australia.
Areas of serious concern | Areas of some concern | Stable terrain | Nonvegetated land | Class | Rank | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.9% | 3.98% | ||||||
| 31.3% | 20.7% | ||||||
| 3.03% | 22.0% | 8.18% | 55.1% | ||||
| 3.55% | 14.0% | 13.0% | 14.5% | ||||
| 7.19% | 2.27% | 71.3% | |||||
| 31.7% | 43.8% | 19.5% | |||||
| 17.6% | 19.7% | 9.89% | 10.8% | ||||
| 31.2% | 4.72% | 3.87% | 95.3% | ||||
| 8.43% | 2.94% | 1.97% | 8.56% | ||||
| 5.14% | 21.1% | 3.46% | 6.72% | ||||
| 41.1% | 31.7% | 1.12% | |||||
| 31.6% | 38.1% | 40.4% | |||||
| 36.7% | 40.0% | 20.2% | 31.2% | ||||