How many landmines

Last Updated: Apr 27, Views: There are two main categories of landmines: anti-personnel and anti-vehicle. Peacekeeping Disarmament Mine action. Apr 27, Toggle action bar FAQ Actions. Print Tweet Share on Facebook Was this helpful? Explore more than FAQs in: English. The U. Despite the use of mines being prohibited, there are many land mines deployed in many countries throughout the world.

The United Nations estimates that even with advanced technology used to detect and clear land mines it might take approximately 1, years for all mines in the world to be cleared. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Miscellaneous How many landmines are still active? Esther Fleming February 26, The most common injury associated with land mines is loss of one or more limbs.

In the United States, the rate of amputation is 1 for every 22 people. In Angola, it is 30 for every 10 In many of the most affected areas of the world, agriculture is the mainstay of the economy.

Land mines are planted in fields, forests, around wells, water sources, and hydroelectric installations, making these unusable, or usable only at great risk. Both Afghanistan and Cambodia could double their agricultural production if land mines were eliminated. Egypt as a Case Study Egypt has been listed as the country most contaminated by landmines in the world with an estimate of approximately 23,, landmines.

A huge area of land is affected - some estimates put the total at about 25, sq kilometres. The age of much of the material is up to 60 years. Much of the mines and UXO is covered by thick deposits of mud or sand so that conventional detection techniques are often of little value.

Landmines can shift placement in soil over time and due to weather conditions; soil type can also pose a challenge to landmine detection and clearance. In sandy soil like the contaminated areas in Egypt, wind can shift sands dramatically, and the fine grit of sandy soils can rapidly wear equipment. Moreover, excavating and sifting of soil for mine-size objects is more difficult in hard clay soil or rocky areas.

Some soils have high mineral content that interferes with standard detection equipment. The contaminated areas are rough terrain with steep inclines, ditches and culverts that make moving around sites by individual deminers or mechanical equipment difficult and even dangerous.

Schools, hospitals, and water supplies may also be inaccessible because of the threat of mines. Surveying, demining and clearing areas reassure people that the area can be safely used. To access key statistics on landmines check out the statistics page of the Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War research guide. Disclaimer: answers are prepared by library staff using resources available at the time of writing. This site may include links and references to third-party databases, websites, books and articles, this does not imply endorsement by the United Nations.

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