Abstract:
The Population, Landscape, And Climate Estimates, Version 2 (PLACE II) dataset contains estimates of national-level aggregations of territorial extent and population size by biome, climate zone, coastal proximity zone, elevation zone, and population density zone, a compendium of nearly 300 variables for 228 countries. This dataset is produced by the Columbia University Center for International
... Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN). The purpose of the dataset is to provide quantitative data to researchers without analytical GIS capabilities who need to compare the types of physical and environmental conditions that human populations face, across a range of countries. These include measures such as the number of persons living within coastal zones, the percent of a region within specific elevation strata, or the number of persons living within different climatic zones.
The data in Microsoft Excel (XLS) format and maps in Portable Document (PDF) and Portable Network Graphics (PNG) formats are available from the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). 
