This map illustrates the dominant WRB Reference Soil Groups
as based on the FAO-Unesco Soil Map of the World.
Please click here to download a larger version of the above map.
The estimated extent of the Reference Soil
Groups is displayed in the following table
Surface area of the Reference Soil Groups
Soil Group |
(x10,000 Km22) |
Leptosol |
1655 |
Cambisol |
1500 |
Acrisol |
1000 |
Arenosol |
900 |
Calcisol |
800 |
Ferralsol |
750 |
Gleysol |
720 |
Luvisol |
650 |
Podzol |
485 |
Kastanozem |
465 |
Lixisol |
435 |
Fluvisol |
350 |
Vertisol |
335 |
Albeluvisol |
320 |
Solonchak |
320 |
Histosol |
315 |
Regosol |
260 |
Chernozem |
230 |
Nitisol |
200 |
Phaeozem |
190 |
Solonetz |
135 |
Planosol |
130 |
Andosol |
110 |
Umbrisol |
100 |
Alisol |
100 |
Gypsisol |
90 |
N.B: Anthrosol, Cryosol and Durisol are not shown due to lack of spatial data
