Environment > Marine areas under protection: Countries Compared

Author: Ian Graham, Staff Editor

Ocean scientists estimate that there are at least 10 million undiscovered plant and animal species living in the ocean. In volume terms, 95 percent of the ocean has never been explored and almost all of the biological samples taken from the ocean come from the shallower half. <p>Scientists know very little about the oceanâ€™s deeper portions, especially those more than 650 feet (200 meters) below the surface, which is the depth to which sunlight penetrates. Beyond this depth, photosynthesis cannot take place. <p>The deepest recorded ocean depth is 36,201 feet (11,034 meters) and the deepest manned submersible dive was 35,800 feet (10,911 meters) into the Mariana trench by the submersible â€œTriesteâ€ in 1960.

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DEFINITION: Protected marine areas under IUCN management categories I - VI (1992-2003).

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CONTENTS

MAP
PIE
INTERESTING
Q+A

#	COUNTRY	AMOUNT	DATE
1	United StatesUnited States	229	2003
2	CanadaCanada	109	2003
=3	IndonesiaIndonesia	95	2003
=3	United KingdomUnited Kingdom	95	2003
	Group of 7 countries (G7) averageGroup of 7 countries (G7) average (profile)	91.67	2003
=5	FranceFrance	70	2003
=5	BrazilBrazil	70	2003
7	New ZealandNew Zealand	67	2003
8	MalaysiaMalaysia	63	2003
9	IndiaIndia	60	2003
10	DenmarkDenmark	52	2003
11	SwedenSweden	46	2003
12	CubaCuba	43	2003
13	MexicoMexico	34	2003
14	ChinaChina	30	2003
15	ItalyItaly	28	2003
16	SpainSpain	27	2003
=17	ArgentinaArgentina	26	2003
=17	ChileChile	26	2003
	Emerging markets averageEmerging markets average (profile)	22.5	2003
	NATO countries averageNATO average (profile)	22.23	2003
19	South AfricaSouth Africa	20	2003
20	JapanJapan	19	2003
21	ThailandThailand	18	2003
=22	PortugalPortugal	16	2003
=22	VenezuelaVenezuela	16	2003
=24	TurkeyTurkey	14	2003
=24	Costa RicaCosta Rica	14	2003
=24	RussiaRussia	14	2003
=27	CroatiaCroatia	13	2003
=27	Sri LankaSri Lanka	13	2003
29	EgyptEgypt	12	2003
=30	BelizeBelize	11	2003
=30	ColombiaColombia	11	2003
=30	KenyaKenya	11	2003
=33	NetherlandsNetherlands	10	2003
=33	NorwayNorway	10	2003
=33	PanamaPanama	10	2003
=33	GreeceGreece	10	2003
=33	UkraineUkraine	10	2003
=33	HondurasHonduras	10	2003
39	Papua New GuineaPapua NG	9	2003
40	IsraelIsrael	8	2003
=41	PhilippinesPhilippines	7	2003
=41	AlbaniaAlbania	7	2003
=41	VietnamVietnam	7	2003
=41	RomaniaRomania	7	2003
=45	SenegalSenegal	6	2003
=45	Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad+	6	2003
=45	MozambiqueMozambique	6	2003
=48	The GambiaThe Gambia	5	2003
=48	IcelandIceland	5	2003
=50	MoroccoMorocco	4	2003
=50	SurinameSuriname	4	2003
=50	PeruPeru	4	2003
=50	AngolaAngola	4	2003
=50	AlgeriaAlgeria	4	2003
=50	UruguayUruguay	4	2003
=50	NicaraguaNicaragua	4	2003
=50	PolandPoland	4	2003
=50	NamibiaNamibia	4	2003
=59	LibyaLibya	3	2003
=59	FinlandFinland	3	2003
=59	BangladeshBangladesh	3	2003
=59	IrelandIreland	3	2003
=59	EstoniaEstonia	3	2003
=59	MauritaniaMauritania	3	2003
=59	LithuaniaLithuania	3	2003
=59	Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia	3	2003
=59	GuatemalaGuatemala	3	2003
=59	AzerbaijanAzerbaijan	3	2003
=59	Cote d'IvoireCote d'Ivoire	3	2003
=70	CameroonCameroon	2	2003
=70	MadagascarMadagascar	2	2003
=70	El SalvadorEl Salvador	2	2003
=70	FijiFiji	2	2003
=70	PakistanPakistan	2	2003
=70	OmanOman	2	2003
=70	GabonGabon	2	2003
=70	JamaicaJamaica	2	2003
=70	LatviaLatvia	2	2003
=70	BelgiumBelgium	2	2003
=70	KuwaitKuwait	2	2003
=70	TunisiaTunisia	2	2003
=82	TurkmenistanTurkmenistan	1	2003
=82	LiberiaLiberia	1	2003
=82	GeorgiaGeorgia	1	2003
=82	LebanonLebanon	1	2003
=82	SudanSudan	1	2003
=82	CambodiaCambodia	1	2003
=82	SloveniaSlovenia	1	2003
=82	Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands	1	2003
=82	SomaliaSomalia	1	2003
=82	BulgariaBulgaria	1	2003
=82	BurundiBurundi	1	2003
=82	Democratic Republic of the CongoCongo, DR.	1	2003
=82	KazakhstanKazakhstan	1	2003
=82	BurmaBurma	1	2003

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