Aquifers: Distribution and Recharge
WorldPhysical EnvironmentGlobal distribution of aquifers, which are underground layers of water-bearing permeable rock
A map highlights the major groundwater basins, Complex Hydrogeological Structures, and Local and Shallow Aquifers.
In North America, major groundwater basins are located in the western Great Plains and the southeastern United States, including Florida, with smaller basins found in western Canada, the western United States, northern Mexico, and Central America. South America's major aquifers are in the Amazon basin, along the eastern side of the northern Andes, and in eastern and southern Brazil as well as north-central Argentina. In Europe, significant aquifers stretch from France eastward to Russia, north of the Alps but south of Scandinavia, and are not found near the Mediterranean coast.
In North Africa, major groundwater basins run from west to east, south of the Atlas Mountains, along the Mediterranean coast from Tunisia to Egypt, and along Egypt’s lower Nile River Valley. In Sub-Saharan Africa, these basins extend from west to east through the Sahel. Central Africa's primary groundwater basins are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and Zambia, with smaller basins scattered throughout southern Africa and near the Indian Ocean coast from southern Tanzania to Somalia. In Southwest and Central Asia, the basins are smaller and scattered, spanning the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, and decreasing in size farther north into Central Asia.
Siberia in Russia contains large groundwater basins, while the vast interior of Asia, including the deserts of western China, Mongolia, and the Tibetan plateau, has few small, scattered basins. South Asia features major basins in Pakistan and northern India, along the southern Himalayas, and in the river deltas of Bangladesh. In Southeast Asia, aquifers are scattered across the mainland and larger islands like Sumatra, Borneo, and New Guinea. East Asia's major basins are in northeastern China, with a few smaller ones on the Korean Peninsula and in Japan. In Oceania, Australia has a significant groundwater basin beneath much of its eastern region, with another on the northwestern side of the continent.