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MapMaster 3

Atlas (Beta)
MapMaster 3

Areas at Risk of Soil Degradation

WorldPhysical Environment

Levels 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.

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Areas at Risk of Soil Degradation

Areas of serious concern

Areas of some concern

Stable terrain

Nonvegetated land

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%
0.19.0