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 | Value | Class | Rank | per 1000 people | ALASKA BOREAL INTERIOR | ALASKA TUNDRA | ARCTIC CORDILLERA | ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS | BOREAL CORDILLERA | BOREAL PLAIN | BROOKS RANGE TUNDRA | CENTRAL USA PLAINS | COLD DESERTS | EVERGLADES | HUDSON PLAIN | MARINE WEST COAST FOREST | MEDITERRANEAN CALIFORNIA | MISSISSIPPI ALLUVIAL AND SOUTHEAST USA COASTAL PLAINS | MIXED WOOD PLAINS | MIXED WOOD SHIELD | NORTHERN ARCTIC | OZARK/OUACHITA-APPALACHIAN FORESTS | SOFTWOOD SHIELD | SOUTH CENTRAL SEMIARID PRAIRIES | SOUTHEASTERN USA PLAINS | SOUTHERN ARCTIC | TAIGA CORDILLERA | TAIGA PLAIN | TAIGA SHIELD | TEMPERATE PRAIRIES | TEXAS-LOUISIANA COASTAL PLAIN | UPPER GILA MOUNTAINS | WARM DESERTS | WEST-CENTRAL SEMIARID PRAIRIES | WESTERN CORDILLERA | WESTERN SIERRA MADRE PIEDMONT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23.0% | 35.0% | 31.0% | 10.1% | 2 | 8 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1.3333333333333333 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1.3333333333333333 | 1 | |||||