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 | Amerindian and Indo-European | Eskimo-Aleut | Indo-European | No data | Arid and low water use | Low (<10%) | Low-medium (10-20%) | Medium-high (20-40%) | High (40-80%) | Extremely high (>80%) | Not available | Least ethnically diverse | Moderately ethnically diverse | More ethnically diverse | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alaska | 0.154% | 27.6% | 0.108% | 0.153% | 0.132% | 87.9% | 0.193% | 0.154% | 1.32% | 99.9% | ||||||||
Arizona | 30.7% | 40.9% | 28.4% | 19.5% | 80.5% | 3.34% | 9.37% | 6.97% | 0.448% | 4.52% | 100% | |||||||
Utah | 13.6% | 86.4% | 0.663% | 99.3% | 20.8% | 13.7% | 0.313% | 0.420% | 49.5% | 100% | ||||||||
Yukon | 100% | 88.3% | 11.6% | 0.107% | 0.923% | 99.0% | 100% | |||||||||||
Northwest Territories | 3.06% | 52.2% | 7.85% | 4.66% | 0.342% | 3.62% | 99.9% | |||||||||||
District of Columbia | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | ||||||||||||||
Florida | 99.0% | 98.8% | 10.4% | 12.0% | 0.279% | 0.266% | 0.590% | 99.8% | ||||||||||
Idaho | 12.7% | 87.3% | 100% | 0.772% | 13.8% | 28.4% | 8.83% | 44.9% | 100% | |||||||||
New Hampshire | 100% | 100% | 17.2% | 33.7% | 40.5% | 8.46% | 100% | |||||||||||
Rhode Island | 95.0% | 94.9% | 0.183% | 86.5% | 6.09% | 99.3% | ||||||||||||
Vermont | 2.39% | 97.6% | 100% | 7.27% | 88.3% | 4.41% | 99.7% | 0.257% | ||||||||||
Washington | 12.5% | 11.9% | 5.51% | 0.121% | 72.6% | 3.37% | 5.42% | 0.287% | 6.53% | 99.9% | ||||||||
Wyoming | 3.04% | 97.0% | 100% | 21.7% | 0.541% | 70.3% | 100% | |||||||||||
Nunavut | 0.587% | 8.72% | 0.383% | 0.977% | 0.979% | 18.2% | 99.7% | |||||||||||
Montana | 5.14% | 83.8% | 100% | 28.7% | 2.60% | 14.6% | 5.24% | 35.2% | 100% | |||||||||
Maine | 0.171% | 80.4% | 0.167% | 94.9% | 2.65% | 0.228% | 0.817% | 99.8% | ||||||||||
North Dakota | 92.0% | 8.03% | 100% | 7.38% | 3.22% | 4.45% | 0.249% | 9.67% | 36.7% | 100% | ||||||||
Kentucky | 1.37% | 98.6% | 100% | 76.6% | 17.7% | 5.68% | 100% | |||||||||||
Nova Scotia | 18.4% | 18.3% | 0.182% | 80.1% | 99.5% | |||||||||||||
Virginia | 25.7% | 74.1% | 99.7% | 11.9% | 0.775% | 16.4% | 1.64% | 99.9% | ||||||||||
Delaware | 99.3% | 99.2% | 0.105% | 37.7% | 61.1% | 99.2% | ||||||||||||
Prince Edward Island | 96.6% | 94.3% | 98.5% | 98.5% | ||||||||||||||
Saskatchewan | 11.6% | 38.7% | 49.7% | 12.5% | 87.5% | 4.25% | 59.9% | 2.62% | 2.54% | 2.67% | 0.868% | 100% | ||||||
Mississippi | 18.4% | 64.8% | 16.8% | 100% | 74.5% | 1.57% | 23.9% | 100% | ||||||||||
West Virginia | 26.7% | 73.3% | 100% | 63.6% | 17.6% | 14.6% | 100% | |||||||||||
Nebraska | 94.5% | 5.51% | 100% | 0.605% | 3.54% | 22.3% | 73.5% | 100% | ||||||||||
Texas | 13.8% | 77.2% | 8.74% | 99.8% | 4.07% | 3.41% | 2.84% | 1.94% | 22.5% | 2.71% | 99.9% | |||||||
Missouri | 53.7% | 46.3% | 100% | 45.5% | 14.9% | 0.131% | 5.37% | 100% | ||||||||||
Louisiana | 0.161% | 18.9% | 29.5% | 0.147% | 54.5% | 20.6% | 5.75% | 99.9% | ||||||||||
Hawaii | 1.16% | 1.39% | 7.82% | 4.35% | 2.55% | 92.1% | ||||||||||||
North Carolina | 99.4% | 99.4% | 0.116% | 12.2% | 54.7% | 3.14% | 0.982% | 99.9% | ||||||||||
Oregon | 0.146% | 13.9% | 59.9% | 99.9% | 14.3% | 48.2% | 11.8% | 4.82% | 0.772% | 0.847% | 100% | |||||||
New Brunswick | 35.3% | 63.9% | 99.2% | 99.5% | 99.8% | |||||||||||||
Alabama | 73.2% | 26.7% | 99.9% | 92.6% | 5.45% | 0.987% | 100% | |||||||||||
New Mexico | 5.86% | 92.2% | 1.91% | 100% | 30.3% | 0.128% | 7.32% | 21.7% | 100% | |||||||||
Kansas | 64.1% | 35.9% | 100% | 0.176% | 1.82% | 13.8% | 68.4% | 100% | ||||||||||
Wisconsin | 41.4% | 38.2% | 20.4% | 100% | 5.67% | 25.0% | 40.8% | 9.68% | 100% | |||||||||
British Columbia | 3.99% | 0.242% | 63.0% | 0.157% | 92.0% | 1.55% | 0.285% | 2.52% | 97.4% | |||||||||
Newfoundland and Labrador | 24.7% | 34.1% | 14.7% | 24.7% | 74.5% | 99.7% | ||||||||||||
New Jersey | 99.1% | 99.1% | 0.162% | 3.07% | 94.0% | 1.76% | 99.8% | |||||||||||
South Carolina | 90.8% | 9.02% | 99.8% | 0.748% | 24.6% | 36.2% | 99.9% | |||||||||||
Michigan | 70.3% | 29.6% | 100% | 56.0% | 3.00% | 4.63% | 9.70% | 100% | ||||||||||
Alberta | 3.89% | 14.0% | 65.8% | 55.4% | 0.298% | 3.52% | 56.8% | 0.267% | 4.01% | 3.67% | 11.4% | 100% | ||||||
Connecticut | 1.86% | 98.1% | 99.9% | 0.460% | 29.6% | 24.9% | 23.8% | 1.35% | 99.9% | |||||||||
Pennsylvania | 12.1% | 87.9% | 100% | 1.42% | 27.8% | 49.9% | 3.96% | 100% | ||||||||||
Colorado | 35.4% | 64.6% | 100% | 0.795% | 9.40% | 85.2% | 100% | |||||||||||
Nevada | 54.5% | 39.8% | 0.655% | 100% | 8.21% | 0.731% | 1.40% | 0.413% | 2.80% | 24.0% | 100% | |||||||
Massachusetts | 0.575% | 0.557% | 0.206% | 0.166% | 33.6% | 8.30% | 30.7% | 0.206% | 99.5% | |||||||||
Georgia | 64.0% | 35.9% | 99.9% | 8.71% | 47.0% | 37.9% | 100% | |||||||||||
New York | 2.49% | 25.0% | 2.63% | 25.4% | 5.89% | 56.3% | 5.19% | 0.401% | 100% | |||||||||
Maryland | 23.5% | 74.6% | 98.1% | 0.151% | 4.45% | 64.3% | 1.05% | 8.49% | 99.3% | |||||||||
Québec | 0.218% | 94.2% | 24.9% | 34.9% | 0.469% | 99.1% | 0.240% | 99.9% | ||||||||||
Manitoba | 5.67% | 12.3% | 81.9% | 4.25% | 66.4% | 0.656% | 83.1% | 11.7% | 2.04% | 1.39% | 100% | |||||||
Oklahoma | 31.0% | 69.0% | 100% | 11.4% | 5.60% | 4.28% | 17.9% | 30.0% | 100% | |||||||||
Tennessee | 4.84% | 95.2% | 100% | 90.1% | 5.50% | 100% | ||||||||||||
Ontario | 8.22% | 91.7% | 49.9% | 50.0% | 97.2% | 1.67% | 1.13% | 100% | ||||||||||
California | 10.6% | 60.7% | 22.9% | 5.57% | 99.7% | 0.688% | 12.5% | 0.232% | 17.8% | 2.26% | 1.00% | 99.9% | ||||||
Arkansas | 31.1% | 68.9% | 100% | 12.6% | 46.8% | 33.2% | 6.01% | 100% | ||||||||||
South Dakota | 56.9% | 43.1% | 100% | 32.7% | 3.47% | 37.3% | 22.0% | 100% | ||||||||||
Ohio | 100% | 100% | 3.42% | 0.721% | 29.0% | 100% | ||||||||||||
Indiana | 2.05% | 97.9% | 100% | 0.434% | 1.19% | 8.61% | 4.78% | 100% | ||||||||||
Minnesota | 26.5% | 61.6% | 11.9% | 100% | 21.0% | 3.81% | 13.1% | 23.4% | 22.0% | 100% | ||||||||
Iowa | 99.1% | 0.440% | 100% | 26.6% | 12.5% | 44.0% | 16.3% | 0.628% | 100% | |||||||||
Illinois | 96.6% | 3.35% | 100% | 30.9% | 0.187% | 44.1% | 9.75% | 100% |