Which region is most endowed with water resources? Water resources. Types of water resources and availability of water resources

Date: 2016-04-07

Life on our planet originated from water, human body 75% consists of water, so the question of reserves fresh water very important on the planet. After all, water is the source and stimulant of our life.

Fresh water is considered to be water that contains no more than 0.1% salt.

Moreover, it does not matter what state it is in: liquid, solid or gaseous.

World fresh water reserves

97.2% of the water that is on planet earth belongs to salty oceans and the seas. And only 2.8% is fresh water. On the planet it is distributed as follows:

2.15% of water reserves are frozen in the mountains, icebergs and ice sheets of Antarctica;
0.001% of water reserves are in the atmosphere;
0.65% of water reserves are in rivers and lakes.
This is where people take it for their consumption.

In general, it is believed that fresh water sources are endless. Because the process of self-healing constantly occurs as a consequence of the water cycle in nature. Every year, as a result of the evaporation of moisture from the world's oceans, a huge supply of fresh water (about 525,000 km3) is formed in the form of clouds.

A small portion does end up back in the ocean, but most falls on the continents in the form of snow and rain and then ends up in lakes, rivers and groundwater.

Freshwater consumption in different parts of the planet

Even such a small percentage of available fresh water could cover all the needs of humanity if its reserves were evenly distributed throughout the planet, but this is not the case.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has identified several areas whose water consumption levels exceed the amount of renewable water resources:

Arabian Peninsula.
For public needs Here they use five times more fresh water than is available in available natural sources. Water is exported here using tankers and pipelines, and seawater desalination procedures are carried out.
Water resources in Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are under stress.
Almost 100% of renewable water resources are consumed here. More than 70% of renewable water resources are produced by Iran.
Problems with fresh water also exist in North Africa, especially in Libya and Egypt. These countries use almost 50% of water resources.

The greatest need is not in countries with frequent droughts, but in those with high population densities.

World freshwater market

You can see this using the table below. For example, the most large area Asia has water resources, and Australia has the smallest. But at the same time, every resident of Australia is provided with drinking water 14 times better than anyone in Asia.

This is because Asia has a population of 3.7 billion, while Australia has only 30 million.

Problems of fresh water use

Over the past 40 years, the amount of clean fresh water per person has decreased by 60%.

Agriculture is the largest consumer of fresh water. Today, this sector of the economy consumes almost 85% of the total volume of fresh water used by humans. Products grown using artificial irrigation are much more expensive than those grown on soil and irrigated by rain.

More than 80 countries around the world experience a shortage of fresh water.

And every day this problem is becoming more acute. Water scarcity even causes humanitarian and government conflicts. Misuse groundwater leads to a decrease in their volumes. Every year these reserves are depleted by 0.1% to 0.3%. Moreover, in poor countries, 95% of water cannot be used for drinking or food at all due to high levels of pollution.

Need for clean drinking water increases every year, but its quantity, on the contrary, only decreases.

Almost 2 billion people have limited water consumption. According to experts, by 2025, almost 50 countries of the world, where the number of inhabitants will exceed 3 billion people, will experience the problem of water shortage.

In China, despite high rainfall, half the population does not have regular access to sufficient drinking water.

Groundwater, like the soil itself, is renewed too slowly (about 1% per year).

The issue of the greenhouse effect remains relevant. The climate condition of the Earth is constantly deteriorating due to the constant release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This causes an abnormal redistribution of atmospheric precipitation, the occurrence of droughts in countries where they should not occur, snowfall in Africa, high frosts in Italy or Spain.

Such abnormal changes can cause a decrease in crop yields, an increase in plant diseases, and an increase in the population of pests and various insects.

The planet's ecosystem is losing its stability and cannot adapt to such a rapid change in conditions.

Instead of results

In the end, we can say that there are enough water resources on planet Earth. The main problem with water supply is that these supplies are unevenly distributed on the planet. Moreover, 3/4 of fresh water reserves are in the form of glaciers, which are very difficult to access.

Because of this, some regions are already experiencing a shortage of fresh water.

The second problem is the contamination of existing accessible water sources with human waste products (salts of heavy metals, petroleum products). Clean water, which can be consumed without preliminary purification, can only be found in remote ecologically clean areas. But densely populated regions, on the contrary, suffer from the inability to drink water from their meager supplies.

Return to Water Resources

Countries of the world are provided water resources extremely uneven.

The following countries are most endowed with water resources: Brazil (8,233 km3), Russia (4,508 km3), USA (3,051 km3), Canada (2,902 km3), Indonesia (2,838 km3), China (2,830 km3), Colombia (2,132 km3), Peru (1,913 km3), India (1,880 km3), Congo (1,283 km3), Venezuela (1,233 km3), Bangladesh (1,211 km3), Burma (1,046 km3).

The largest water resources per capita are found in French Guiana (609,091 m3), Iceland (539,638 m3), Guyana (315,858 m3), Suriname (236,893 m3), Congo (230,125 m3), Papua New Guinea (121 788 m3), Gabon (113,260 m3), Bhutan (113,157 m3), Canada (87,255 m3), Norway (80,134 m3), New Zealand (77,305 m3), Peru (66,338 m3), Bolivia (64,215 m3), Liberia (61,165 m3), Chile (54,868 m3), Paraguay (53,863 m3), Laos (53,747 m3), Colombia (47,365 m3), Venezuela (43,8463), Panama (43,502 m3) , Brazil (42,866 m3), Uruguay (41,505 m3), Nicaragua (34,710 m3), Fiji (33,827 m3), Central African Republic (33,280 m3), Russia (31,833 m3).

Kuwait has the least water resources per capita (6.85 m3), United United Arab Emirates(33.44 m3), Qatar (45.28 m3), Bahamas (59.17 m3), Oman (91.63 m3), Saudi Arabia(95.23 m3), Libya (3,366.19 ft).

On average, on Earth, each person receives 24,646 m3 (24,650,000 liters) of water per year.

Few countries in the world rich in water resources can boast of having river basins “at their disposal” that are not separated by territorial boundaries. Why is this so important? Let’s take, for example, the largest tributary of the Ob, the Irtysh (part of the flow of which they wanted to transfer to the Aral Sea). The source of the Irtysh is located on the border of Mongolia and China, then the river flows for more than 500 km through the territory of China, crosses the state border and about 1800 km flows through the territory of Kazakhstan, then the Irtysh flows about 2000 km through the territory of Russia until it flows into the Ob.

Which country owns 20% of all fresh water on earth?

Let's see how things are going with strategic “water independence” in the world.

The map presented to your attention above illustrates the percentage of the volume of renewable water resources entering the country from the territory of neighboring states from the total volume of water resources of the country (A country with a value of 0% does not “receive” water resources from the territories at all neighboring countries; 100% - all water resources come from outside the state).

The map shows that the following states are most dependent on “supplies” of water from neighboring countries: Kuwait (100%), Turkmenistan (97.1%), Egypt (96.9%), Mauritania (96.5%) , Hungary (94.2%), Moldova (91.4%), Bangladesh (91.3%), Niger (89.6%), Netherlands (87.9%).

Now let's try to do some calculations, but first let's rank countries by water resources:

10.

Congo (1,283 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 29.9%)
11. Venezuela (1,233 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 41.4%)

Now, based on these data, we will compose our rating of countries whose water resources are least dependent on the potential reduction in transboundary flow caused by water withdrawal by upstream countries:

Brazil (5,417 km3)
2. Russia (4,314 km3)
3. Canada (2,850 km3)
4. Indonesia (2,838 km3)
5. China (2,813 km3)
6. USA (2,801 km3)
7. Colombia (2,113 km3)
8.

Peru (1,617 km3)
9. India (1,252 km3)
10. Burma (881 km3)
11. Congo (834 km3)
12. Venezuela (723 km3)
13.

Bangladesh (105 km3)

Below is a map of the world's freshwater reserves. groundwater. Blue areas on the map are areas rich in groundwater, brown areas are areas where there is a shortage of underground fresh water.

In arid countries, water is almost entirely taken from underground sources (Morocco - 75%, Tunisia - 95%, Saudi Arabia and Malta - 100%).

In Equatorial and Southern Africa, things are much better with groundwater. Torrential tropical rains contribute to the rapid restoration of groundwater reserves.

Recreational resources
The developed countries
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Countries around the world are provided with water resources extremely unevenly. The following countries are most endowed with water resources: Brazil (8,233 km3), Russia (4,508 km3), USA (3,051 km3), Canada (2,902 km3), Indonesia (2,838 km3), China (2,830 km3), Colombia (2,132 km3), Peru (1,913 km3), India (1,880 km3), Congo (1,283 km3), Venezuela (1,233 km3), Bangladesh (1,211 km3), Burma (1,046 km3).

Volume of water resources per capita by country of the world (m3 per year per capita)

The largest water resources per capita are found in French Guiana (), Iceland (), Guyana (), Suriname (), Congo (), Papua New Guinea (), Gabon (), Bhutan (), Canada (), Norway ( ), New Zealand (), Peru (), Bolivia (), Liberia (), Chile (), Paraguay (), Laos (), Colombia (), Venezuela (43 8463), Panama (), Brazil (), Uruguay (), Nicaragua (), Fiji (), Central African Republic (), Russia ().

Note!!!
The fewest water resources per capita are found in Kuwait (), the United Arab Emirates (), Qatar (), the Bahamas (), Oman (), Saudi Arabia (), Libya ().

On average on Earth, each person consumes () water per year.

Share of transboundary flow in the total annual flow of rivers in the world (in%)
Few countries in the world rich in water resources can boast of having river basins “at their disposal” that are not separated by territorial boundaries.

Why is this so important? Let’s take, for example, the largest tributary of the Ob, the Irtysh (part of the flow of which they wanted to transfer to the Aral Sea).

The source of the Irtysh is located on the border of Mongolia and China, then the river flows for more time through the territory of China, crosses the state border and approximately flows through the territory of Kazakhstan, then the Irtysh flows approximately through the territory of Russia until it flows into the Ob.

According to international agreements, China can take half of the annual flow of the Irtysh for its needs, Kazakhstan half of what will remain after China. As a result, this can greatly affect the full flow of the Russian section of the Irtysh (including hydropower resources). Currently, China annually deprives Russia of 2 billion km3 of water. Therefore, the water supply of each country in the future may depend on whether the sources of rivers or sections of their channels are located outside the country.

Let's see how things stand with strategic "water independence" in the world.

Share of transboundary flow in the total annual flow of rivers in the world

The map presented to your attention above illustrates the percentage of the volume of renewable water resources entering the country from the territory of neighboring countries from the total volume of water reserves of the country (A country with a value of 0% does not “receive” water resources from the territories of neighboring countries at all; 100% - all water resources come from outside the state).

The map shows that the following states are most dependent on water “supplies” from neighboring countries: Kuwait (100%), Turkmenistan (97.1%), Egypt (96.9%), Mauritania (96.5%) , Hungary (94.2%), Moldova (91.4%), Bangladesh (91.3%), Niger (89.6%), Netherlands (87.9%).

In the post-Soviet space the situation is as follows: Turkmenistan (97.1%), Moldova (91.4%), Uzbekistan (77.4%), Azerbaijan (76.6%), Ukraine (62%), Latvia (52. 8%), Belarus (35.9%), Lithuania (37.5%), Kazakhstan (31.2%), Tajikistan (16.7%) Armenia (11.7%), Georgia (8.2%) , Russia (4.3%), Estonia (0.8%), Kyrgyzstan (0%).

Now let's try to do some calculations, but first let's make ranking of countries by water resources:

Brazil (8,233 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 34.2%)
2. Russia (4,508 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 4.3%)
3. USA (3,051 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 8.2%)
4. Canada (2,902 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 1.8%)
5.

Indonesia (2,838 km3) — (Share of transboundary flow: 0%)
6. China (2,830 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 0.6%)
7. Colombia (2,132 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 0.9%)
8. Peru (1,913 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 15.5%)
9. India (1,880 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 33.4%)
10. Congo (1,283 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 29.9%)
11.

Venezuela (1,233 km3) — (Share of transboundary flow: 41.4%)
12. Bangladesh (1,211 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 91.3%)
13. Burma (1,046 km3) - (Share of transboundary flow: 15.8%)

Now, based on these data, we will compile our rating of countries whose water resources are least dependent on the potential reduction in transboundary flow caused by water withdrawal by upstream countries.

Brazil (5,417 km3)
2. Russia (4,314 km3)
3. Canada (2,850 km3)
4. Indonesia (2,838 km3)
5. China (2,813 km3)
6.

USA (2,801 km3)
7. Colombia (2,113 km3)
8. Peru (1,617 km3)
9. India (1,252 km3)
10. Burma (881 km3)
11. Congo (834 km3)
12. Venezuela (723 km3)
13. Bangladesh (105 km3)

In conclusion, I would like to note that the use of river water is not limited to water intake alone. We should not forget also about the transboundary transfer of pollutants, which can significantly deteriorate the quality of river water in sections of the river located in the territory of other countries downstream.
Significant changes in river flow volumes are caused by deforestation, agricultural activities, and global climate change.

Below is a map of the world's fresh groundwater reserves.

Blue areas on the map are areas rich in groundwater, brown areas are areas where there is a shortage of underground fresh water.

Countries with large reserves of groundwater include Russia, Brazil, as well as a number of equatorial African countries.

Note!!!
Lack of clean fresh water surface water forces many countries to actively use groundwater.

In the European Union, already 70% of all water used by water consumers is taken from underground aquifers.
In arid countries, water is almost entirely taken from underground sources (Morocco - 75%, Tunisia - 95%, Saudi Arabia and Malta - 100%)

Underground aquifers occur everywhere, but they are not renewable everywhere. So in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula they filled with water about 10,000 years ago, when the climate here was more humid.
In Equatorial and Southern Africa, things are much better with groundwater.

Heavy tropical rains contribute to the rapid restoration of groundwater reserves.

19. World water resources

The concept of water resources can be interpreted in two senses – broad and narrow.

IN in a broad sense- this is the entire volume of water in the hydrosphere contained in rivers, lakes, glaciers, seas and oceans, as well as in underground horizons and in the atmosphere.

The definitions huge, inexhaustible are quite applicable to it, and this is not surprising. After all, the World Ocean occupies 361 million km2 (about 71% of the total area of the planet), and glaciers, lakes, reservoirs, swamps, and rivers account for another 20 million km2 (15%). As a result, the total volume of the hydrosphere is estimated at 1390 million km3. It is not difficult to calculate that with such a total volume, each inhabitant of the Earth now has approximately 210 million m3 of water. This amount would be enough to supply a large city for a whole year!

However, it is necessary to take into account the possibilities of using these enormous resources.

Indeed, of the total volume of water contained in the hydrosphere, 96.4% falls on the share of the World Ocean, and from water bodies sushi greatest number The waters contain glaciers (1.86%) and groundwater (1.68%), the use of which is possible, but for the most part very difficult.

That is why, when we talk about water resources in the narrow sense of the word, we mean fresh water suitable for consumption, which constitutes only 2.5% of the total volume of all waters in the hydrosphere.

However, significant adjustments must be made to this indicator. It is impossible not to take into account the fact that almost all fresh water resources are “conserved” either in the glaciers of Antarctica, Greenland, mountainous regions, in the ice of the Arctic, or in groundwater and ice, the use of which is still very limited.

Lakes and reservoirs are used much more widely, but their geographical distribution is by no means ubiquitous. It follows that the main source of meeting humanity’s needs for fresh water has been and remains river (channel) water, the share of which is extremely small, and the total volume is only 2100 km3.

This amount of fresh water would not be enough for people to live by now.

However, due to the fact that the duration of the conditional moisture cycle for rivers is 16 days, during the year the volume of water in them is renewed on average 23 times and, therefore, the river flow resources can be purely arithmetically estimated at 48 thousand.

km3/year. However, the prevailing figure in the literature is 41 thousand km3/year. It characterizes the “water ration” of the planet, but reservations are also necessary here. It is impossible not to take into account that more than half of the channel waters flow into the sea, so that the resources of such waters actually available for use, according to some estimates, do not exceed 15 thousand.

If we consider how the total river flow is distributed between large regions of the world, it turns out that overseas Asia accounts for 11 thousand.

km3, to South America - 10.5, to North America - 7, to the CIS countries - 5.3, to Africa - 4.2, to Australia and Oceania - 1.6 and to foreign Europe - 1.4 thousand km3 . It is clear that behind these indicators are, first of all, the largest river systems in terms of flow: in Asia - the Yangtze, Ganges and Brahmaputra, in South America - the Amazon, Orinoco, Parana, in North America - the Mississippi, in the CIS - the Yenisei, Lena, in Africa - Congo, Zambezi.

This fully applies not only to regions, but also to individual countries (Table 23).

Table 23

TOP TEN COUNTRIES BY SIZE OF FRESHWATER RESOURCES

Figures characterizing water resources cannot yet give a complete picture of water availability, since the provision of total flow is usually expressed in specific indicators - either per 1 km2 of territory or per inhabitant.

Such water availability of the world and its regions is shown in Figure 19. Analysis of this figure suggests that, with a global average of 8000 m3/year, Australia and Oceania have indicators above this level, South America, CIS and North America, and below – Africa, foreign Europe and foreign Asia.

This situation with water supply in the regions is explained as follows: overall dimensions their water resources and the size of their population. No less interesting is the analysis of differences in water availability in individual countries (Table 24). Of the ten countries with the greatest water availability, seven are located within the equatorial, subequatorial and tropical zones, and only Canada, Norway and New Zealand– within the temperate and subarctic.

19. Availability of river flow resources in large regions of the world, thousand m3/year

Table 24

COUNTRIES WITH THE HIGHEST AND LEAST AVAILABILITY OF FRESHWATER RESOURCES

Although based on the above per capita indicators of water availability for the whole world, its individual regions and countries, it is quite possible to imagine its general picture, it would be more correct to call such availability potential.

To imagine the real water availability, you need to take into account the size of water intake and water consumption.

World water consumption in the twentieth century. grew as follows (in km3): 1900 – 580, 1940 – 820, 1950.

– 1100, 1960 – 1900, 1970 – 2520, 1980 – 3200, 1990 – 3580, 2005 – 6000.

TOP 20 countries by fresh water reserves!

These general indicators of water consumption are very important: they indicate that throughout the 20th century. global water consumption increased 6.8 times.

Already, almost 1.2 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water. According to the UN forecast, universal access to such water can be achieved: in Asia - by 2025, in Africa - by 2050. The structure, i.e., the nature of water consumption, is no less important. Nowadays, 70% of fresh water is consumed by agriculture, 20% by industry, and 10% goes to meet domestic needs. This ratio is quite understandable and natural, but from the point of view of saving water resources, it is quite unprofitable, primarily because it is in agriculture(especially in irrigated agriculture) irrecoverable water consumption is very high.

According to available calculations, in 2000, irreversible water consumption in world agriculture amounted to 2.5 thousand km3, while in industry and public utilities, where recycled water supply is more widely used, only 65 and 12 km3, respectively. From all that has been said, it follows, firstly, that today humanity already uses quite a significant part of the planet’s “water ration” (about 1/10 of the total and more than 1/4 of the actually available) and, secondly, that irreversible water losses amount to more than 1/2 of its total consumption.

It is no coincidence that the highest rates of per capita water consumption are characteristic of countries with irrigated agriculture.

The record holder here is Turkmenistan (7000 m3 per person per year). It is followed by Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, etc. All these countries are already experiencing a significant shortage of water resources.

In Russia, the total river flow reaches 4.2 thousand km3/year, and, therefore, the resource availability of this flow per capita is 29 thousand.

m3/year; This is not a record, but quite a high figure. Total fresh water intake in the second half of the 1990s. Due to the economic crisis, there was a tendency to decrease slightly.

In 2000 it was 80–85 km3.

The structure of water consumption in Russia is as follows: 56% is used for production, 21% for household and drinking needs, 17% for irrigation and agricultural water supply, and 6% for other needs.

The same applies to individual economic regions of the country. Thus, in the Central, Central Chernozem and Volga regions, water availability per capita is only 3000–4000 m3/year, and in Far East– 300 thousand m3.

The general trend for the whole world and its individual regions is a gradual decrease in water availability, therefore, various ways to save water resources and new ways of water supply are being sought.

Currently, water, especially fresh water, is an extremely important strategic resource. Behind last years The world's water consumption has increased, and there are fears that there simply won't be enough for everyone. According to the World Commission on Water, today every person needs from 20 to 50 liters of water daily for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.

However, about a billion people in 28 countries around the world do not have access to as many vital resources. About 2.5 billion people live in areas experiencing moderate or severe water stress. This number is expected to rise to 5.5 billion by 2025, accounting for two-thirds of the world's population.

, in connection with the negotiations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic on the use of transboundary waters, I compiled a rating of 10 countries with the largest reserves of water resources in the world:

10th place

Myanmar

Resources – 1080 cubic meters. km

Per capita - 23.3 thousand cubic meters. m

The rivers of Myanmar - Burma are subject to the country's monsoon climate. They originate in the mountains, but are fed not by glaciers, but by precipitation.

More than 80% of the annual river nutrition comes from rain. In winter, rivers become shallow and some of them, especially in central Burma, dry up.

There are few lakes in Myanmar; the largest of them is the tectonic Lake Indoji in the north of the country with an area of 210 square meters. km.

9th place

Venezuela

Resources – 1,320 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 60.3 thousand cubic meters. m

Nearly half of Venezuela's thousand rivers flow from the Andes and Guiana Plateau into the Orinoco, Latin America's third largest river. Its basin covers an area of about 1 million square meters. km. The Orinoco drainage basin covers approximately four-fifths of Venezuela's territory.

8 Place

India

Resources – 2085 cubic meters. km

Per capita - 2.2 thousand cubic meters. m

India has a large number of water resources: rivers, glaciers, seas and oceans. The most significant rivers are: Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Godavari, Krishna, Narbada, Mahanadi, Kaveri. Many of them have important as sources of irrigation.

Eternal snow and glaciers in India cover about 40 thousand square meters. km of territory.

7 Place

Bangladesh

Resources – 2,360 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 19.6 thousand cubic meters. m

There are many rivers flowing through Bangladesh, and large rivers can flood for weeks. Bangladesh has 58 transboundary rivers and issues arising in the use of water resources are very sensitive in discussions with India.

6 Place

Resources – 2,480 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 2.4 thousand cubic meters. m

The United States occupies a vast territory with many rivers and lakes.

5 Place

Indonesia

Resources – 2,530 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 12.2 thousand cubic meters. m

In Indonesian territories all year round Quite a large amount of precipitation falls, because of this the rivers are always full and play a significant role in the irrigation system.

4 Place

China

Resources – 2,800 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 2.3 thousand cubic meters. m

China has 5-6% of the world's water reserves. But China is the most densely populated country in the world, and water is distributed extremely unevenly across its territory.

3rd place

Canada

Resources – 2,900 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 98.5 thousand cubic meters. m

Canada is one of the richest countries in the world with lakes. On the border with the United States are the Great Lakes (Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario), connected by small rivers into a huge basin with an area of more than 240 thousand square meters. km.

Less significant lakes lie on the territory of the Canadian Shield (Great Bear, Great Slave, Athabasca, Winnipeg, Winnipegosis), etc.

2nd place

Russia

Resources – 4500 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 30.5 thousand cubic meters. m

Russia is washed by the waters of 12 seas belonging to three oceans, as well as the inland Caspian Sea. On the territory of Russia there are over 2.5 million large and small rivers, more than 2 million lakes, hundreds of thousands of swamps and other water resources.

1 place

Brazil

Resources – 6,950 cubic meters. km

Per capita - 43.0 thousand cubic meters. m

The rivers of the Brazilian Plateau have significant hydroelectric potential. The largest lakes in the country are Mirim and Patos. Main rivers: Amazon, Madeira, Rio Negro, Parana, Sao Francisco.

Also list of countries by total renewable water resources(based on the CIA World Factbook).

Until relatively recently, water, like air, was considered one of the free gifts of nature, only in areas of artificial irrigation it always had a high price. IN Lately attitudes towards land water resources have changed.

Over the last century, the world's consumption of fresh water has doubled, and the planet's water resources cannot meet such a rapid increase in human needs. According to the World Commission on Water, today every person needs 40 (20 to 50) liters of water daily for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene. However, about a billion people in 28 countries around the world do not have access to as many vital resources. More than 40% of the world's population (about 2.5 billion people) lives in areas experiencing moderate or severe water stress. This number is expected to rise to 5.5 billion by 2025, accounting for two-thirds of the world's population. The overwhelming majority of fresh water is, as it were, conserved in the glaciers of Antarctica, Greenland, in the ice of the Arctic, in mountain glaciers and forms a kind of “emergency reserve” that is not yet available for use. Different countries differ greatly in fresh water reserves. Below is a ranking of countries with the largest freshwater resources in the world. However, this ranking is based on absolute indicators and does not coincide with per capita indicators.

10. Myanmar

1080 km3 Per capita

23.3 thousand m3 The rivers of Myanmar - Burma are subject to the monsoon climate of the country. They originate in the mountains, but are fed not by glaciers, but by precipitation. More than 80% of the annual river nutrition comes from rain. In winter, rivers become shallow and some of them, especially in central Burma, dry up. There are few lakes in Myanmar; the largest of them is the tectonic Lake Indoji in the north of the country with an area of 210 square meters. km. Despite fairly high absolute indicators, residents of some areas of Myanmar suffer from a lack of fresh water.

9. Venezuela

1320 km3 Per capita

60.3 thousand m3 Almost half of Venezuela’s thousand-plus rivers flow from the Andes and the Guiana Plateau into the Orinoco, the third largest river in Latin America. Its basin covers an area of about 1 million square meters. km. The Orinoco drainage basin covers approximately four-fifths of Venezuela's territory.

2085 km3 Per capita

2.2 thousand m3 India has a large number of water resources: rivers, glaciers, seas and oceans. The most significant rivers are: Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Godavari, Krishna, Narbada, Mahanadi, Kaveri. Many of them are important as sources of irrigation. Eternal snow and glaciers in India cover about 40 thousand km2 of territory. However, given the huge population in India, the availability of fresh water per capita is quite low.

7. Bangladesh

2360 km3 Per capita

19.6 thousand m3 Bangladesh is one of the countries in the world with highest density population. This is largely due to the extraordinary fertility of the Ganges River delta and regular floods caused by monsoon rains. However, overpopulation and poverty have become the real problem of Bangladesh. There are many rivers flowing through Bangladesh, and large rivers can flood for weeks. Bangladesh has 58 transboundary rivers and issues arising in the use of water resources are very sensitive in discussions with India. However, despite the relatively high level water supply, the country faces a problem: Bangladesh's water resources are often poisoned by arsenic due to its high levels in the soil. Up to 77 million people are exposed to arsenic poisoning through drinking contaminated water.

2480 km3 Per capita

2.4 thousand m3 The United States occupies a huge territory on which there are many rivers and lakes. However, despite the fact that the United States has such fresh water resources, this does not save California from the worst drought in history. In addition, given the high population of the country, the availability of fresh water per capita is not that high.

5. Indonesia

2530 km3 Per capita

12.2 thousand m3 The special topography of the territories of Indonesia, combined with a favorable climate, at one time contributed to the formation of a dense river network in these lands. In the territories of Indonesia, quite a large amount of precipitation falls all year round, because of this the rivers are always full and play a significant role in the irrigation system. Almost all of them flow from the Maoke Mountains north into the Pacific Ocean.

2800 km3 Per capita

2.3 thousand m3 China has 5-6% of the world's water reserves. But China is the most densely populated country in the world, and water on its territory is distributed extremely unevenly. The south of the country has fought and is still fighting floods for thousands of years, building and building dams to save crops and people’s lives. The north of the country and central regions are suffering from water shortages.

2900 km3 Per capita

98.5 thousand m3 Canada has 7% of the world's renewable fresh water resources and less than 1% of the total population of the Earth. Accordingly, per capita income in Canada is one of the highest in the world. Most of Canada's rivers belong to the Atlantic and Arctic oceans; significantly fewer rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean. Canada is one of the richest countries in the world with lakes. On the border with the United States are the Great Lakes (Superior, Huron, Erie, Ontario), connected by small rivers into a huge basin with an area of more than 240 thousand square meters. km. Less significant lakes lie on the territory of the Canadian Shield (Great Bear, Great Slave, Athabasca, Winnipeg, Winnipegosis), etc.

4500 km3 Per capita

30.5 thousand m3 In terms of reserves, Russia accounts for more than 20% of the world's fresh water resources (excluding glaciers and groundwater). When calculating the volume of fresh water, one resident of Russia accounts for about 30 thousand m3 of river flow per year. Russia is washed by the waters of 12 seas belonging to three oceans, as well as the inland Caspian Sea. On the territory of Russia there are over 2.5 million large and small rivers, more than 2 million lakes, hundreds of thousands of swamps and other water resources.

1. Brazil

6950 km3 Per capita

43.0 thousand m3 Brazil's water resources are represented by a huge number of rivers, the main of which is the Amazon (the greatest river in the whole world). Almost a third of this large country is occupied by the Amazon River basin, which includes the Amazon itself and more than two hundred of its tributaries. This gigantic system contains one fifth of all the world's river waters. The rivers and their tributaries flow slowly, often overflowing their banks during the rainy seasons and flooding vast areas of tropical forests. The rivers of the Brazilian Plateau have significant hydroelectric potential. The largest lakes in the country are Mirim and Patos. Main rivers: Amazon, Madeira, Rio Negro, Parana, Sao Francisco.

Currently, water, especially fresh water, is an extremely important strategic resource. Global water consumption has increased in recent years, and there are fears that there simply won't be enough for everyone. According to the World Commission on Water, today every person needs from 20 to 50 liters of water daily for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.

10th place

Myanmar

Resources – 1080 cubic meters. km

Per capita - 23.3 thousand cubic meters. m

The rivers of Myanmar - Burma are subject to the country's monsoon climate. They originate in the mountains, but are fed not by glaciers, but by precipitation.

More than 80% of the annual river nutrition comes from rain. In winter, rivers become shallow and some of them, especially in central Burma, dry up.

There are few lakes in Myanmar; the largest of them is the tectonic Lake Indoji in the north of the country with an area of 210 square meters. km.

9th place

Venezuela

Resources – 1,320 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 60.3 thousand cubic meters. m

8 Place

India

Resources – 2085 cubic meters. km

Per capita - 2.2 thousand cubic meters. m

Eternal snow and glaciers in India cover about 40 thousand square meters. km of territory.

7 Place

Bangladesh

Resources – 2,360 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 19.6 thousand cubic meters. m

6 Place

Resources – 2,480 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 2.4 thousand cubic meters. m

The United States occupies a vast territory with many rivers and lakes.

5 Place

Indonesia

Resources – 2,530 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 12.2 thousand cubic meters. m

In the territories of Indonesia, a fairly large amount of precipitation falls all year round, because of this the rivers are always full and play a significant role in the irrigation system.

4 Place

China

Resources – 2,800 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 2.3 thousand cubic meters. m

China has 5-6% of the world's water reserves. But China is the most densely populated country in the world, and water is distributed extremely unevenly across its territory.

3rd place

Canada

Resources – 2,900 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 98.5 thousand cubic meters. m

Less significant lakes lie on the territory of the Canadian Shield (Great Bear, Great Slave, Athabasca, Winnipeg, Winnipegosis), etc.

2nd place

Russia

Resources – 4500 cubic meters. km

Per capita – 30.5 thousand cubic meters. m

1 place

Brazil

Resources – 6,950 cubic meters. km

Per capita - 43.0 thousand cubic meters. m

The rivers of the Brazilian Plateau have significant hydroelectric potential. The largest lakes in the country are Mirim and Patos. Main rivers: Amazon, Madeira, Rio Negro, Parana, Sao Francisco.

Also list of countries by total renewable water resources(based on the CIA World Factbook).

 Unitary republics  Federal republics  Unitary monarchies  Federal monarchies

7. The fewest in the world are:  Unitary republics  Federal republics  Unitary monarchies  Federal monarchies

8. Countries with a republican form of government are:  Spain, France and Turkey  Argentina, Pakistan and Nigeria  Japan, Norway and Malaysia  Italy, Morocco and Belgium

9. Countries with a monarchical form of government are:  Spain, France and Indonesia  Argentina, Brazil and Mexico  The Netherlands, Sweden and the UAE  Italy, Thailand and Denmark

10. Absolute monarchies are:  Sweden and Malaysia  Malaysia and Nepal  Nepal and Kuwait  Kuwait and Saudi Arabia

11. The bulk of proven oil reserves and natural gas concentrated in:  Asia  Australia and Oceania  Africa  Latin America

12. Study the table data: Indicator Oil reserves (2001) billion tons Oil production (2000) million tons Saudi Arabia 36.0 400 Kuwait 13.3 106 Libya 3.8 81 Venezuela 11.2 173 If production volume does not change , then the country most endowed with oil reserves should be considered:  Saudi Arabia  Kuwait  Libya  Venezuela

13. Study the table data: Indicator Oil reserves (2001) billion tons Oil production (2000) million tons Iran 12.3 193 UAE 13.0 121 Great Britain 0.7 127 Iraq 15.2 133 If production volume does not change, then the country least supplied with oil reserves should be considered:  Iran  UAE  Great Britain  Iraq

14. Study the data in the table: Indicator Explored coal reserves billion tons Coal production volume (2000) million tons Poland 25,162 China 105,1045 Australia 85,285 India 23,333 If the volume of production does not change, then the country most endowed with coal reserves should be considered:  Poland  China  Australia  India

15. Study the table data: Indicator Proven reserves of iron ore billion tons Volume of iron ore production (2000) million tons Sweden 3.4 20.6 Canada 25.3 37.8 Brazil 49.3 197.7 Australia 23.4 172 ,9 If the production volume does not change, then the country most endowed with iron ore reserves should be considered:  Sweden  Canada  Brazil  Australia

16. The largest reserves of water resources (total river flow) belong to:  Russia  Brazil  Sweden  Bangladesh

17. Population globe is:  About 4 billion people  A little less than 5 billion people  About 450 million people  More than 6 billion people

18. Of the listed countries, the population exceeds 100 million people. only in:  Japan  Saudi Arabia  Poland  South Africa

19. In terms of freight turnover, the leading mode of transport in the world is:  Road  Rail  Sea  Pipeline

20. In terms of passenger turnover, the leading mode of transport in the world is:  Road  Rail  Sea  Pipeline

21. In Japan, in terms of passenger turnover, the leading mode of transport is:  Road  Rail  Sea  Pipeline

22. Which problem is not one of the global ones:  Environmental  Demographic  Urbanization  Food

23. The most environmentally hazardous sector of the economy is:  Production of building materials  Service sector  Railway transport Pulp and paper industry

24. Acid rain is primarily associated with atmospheric pollution by enterprises:  Metallurgy and energy  Transport  Chemical industry  Textile industry