Different Regional Views of the World
Continents can be broken into regions of the world, depending on your point of view and location in the world.
The UN and the World Bank both have a global perspective. These so-called “geoschemes”, are used for statistical analysis, and form a useful framework for presenting information about the world.
UN Geographical Regions
The UN regions of the world are set out in the map below.
Precious metals mine production figures split by the United Nations definition of geographic regions is set out below.
World Bank Geographical Regions
The World Bank regions of the world are shown below. These regions are broader and appear to be based on a political perspective.
For example, Greenland being treated as part of “Europe and Central Asia” is the most obvious difference between the two systems.
Note (1) the small “No data” zone on the hump of Africa is the disputed region of Sahrawi (Western Sahara).
Precious metals mine production figures split into the World Bank geographic regions: