Objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) - view over the equator

Space debris images on ESA website

Considerable resources are now dedicated to the task of tracking the thousands of pieces of debris that litter the low earth orbits and increasing the GEO belt.

The first satellite, Sputnik was launched in 1957, since then there have been more than 4600 launches putting some 6000 satellites into orbit of which about 800 are operational today.

In 2007 Beijing tested its anti-satellite missile system destroying an orbiting weather satellite. This resulted in an expanding cloud of debris which could pose a hazard to other satellites and even manned missions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6276543.stm

ESA's website has some good images illustrating the amount of debris circling the earth, see

Space debris: evolution in pictures http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESOC/
SEMN2VM5NDF_mg_1.html

ESOC: Focal point for ESA space debris activities http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESOC/
SEMU2CW4QWD_0.html