China's Per-capita Land Resources Far Below World Average

According to a lately released communique on China's environmental conditions in 1999, China's per-capita arable land, forest resources and pasturelands are much far less than the world average.

China takes the third world placing by its total land area. But with a per-capita average of 0.777 hectare, it takes merely one third of the world average. For a per-capita amount of 0.106 hectare of arable land it makes only 43% of the world average.

China's per-capita forest area gives an average of 0.11 hectare, 17.2% of the world average, being put in the 119th world placing. Forest coverage takes merely 13.9% of China's land area, much far less than a 26% world average.

China is a country richly bestowed with vast pastureland resources, coming to a total of over 390 million hectares, 40% of the whole land area of China. But for a mere per-capita amount of 0.33 hectare is given it takes only about one third of the world average.



People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/