Protected areas include national parks, nature reserves, national monuments, and other sites. There are at least 114,296 protected areas around the world, covering nearly 13 percent of the total land area. The regions with the largest amount of protected areas are:
| Regions of the World with Largest Amount of Protected Areas (by actual area) |
| Region |
Square Miles/Square Kilometers (in thousands) |
| North America |
1,586 / 4,109 |
| South America (excluding Brazil) |
810 / 2,098 |
| East Asia |
681 / 1,765 |
| North Eurasia |
678 / 1,755 |
| Eastern and Southern Africa |
652 / 1,689 |
| Brazil |
622 / 1,612 |
| Australia and New Zealand |
594 / 1,538 |
| North Africa and Middle East |
497 / 1,286 |
| Western and Central Africa |
433 / 1,121 |
| Europe |
337 / 874 |
| Regions of the World with Largest Amount of Protected Areas (by percent of total land area) |
| Region |
Percent |
| Central America |
30.28 |
| Caribbean |
29.05 |
| South America (excluding Brazil) |
22.55 |
| Australia and New Zealand |
19.19 |
| Brazil |
18.85 |
| Southeastern Asia |
18.60 |
| North America |
17.31 |
| Europe |
16.72 |
| East Asia |
15.00 |
| Eastern and Southern Africa |
14.70 |
