Water and Land of the Earth

Water is fundamental for life and essential for nearly every human endeavor. As far as we know, Earth is the only part of the Universe where liquid water exist in substantial quantities. Oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers and other bodies of liquid and solid water cover more than 70% of Earth’s surface, with total amount of more than 1.404 million km3 (370 billion gal). The present book is an attempt to attract the attention to the Earth’s major components: the water and land with respect to their types, distribution, utilizations, management and conservation. Apart from the introduction and list of references, the book comprises five main parts: Part I entitled “Water of the Earth” with its five chapters namely: water resources, major water compartments of the Earth, water supply and utilizations, increasing water supplies, and water management and conservation. Part 2 entitled “Land of the Earth” with its five chapters, namely: distribution, croplands, forests, rangelands and deserts. Part 3 entitled “Relationships between plant life and water and land resources”. Part 4 entitled: “Natural Resources of Egypt’s Deserts” with its two chapters: ecological synopsis and desert ecosystem.