Profile of the World, 2011
Geography
•Age: 4.55 billion years old.
•Total area: 510.072 million sq km (196.940 million sq mi). ( 70.9% of the world is water, 29.1% is land.
1.Land area: 148.94 million sq km (57.506 million sq mi).
2.Water area: 361.132 million sq km (139.434 million sq mi).
3.Coastline: 356,000 km (221,208 mi).
•Land boundaries: 251,060 km (156,262.58 mi.), not counting shared boundaries twice.
•Climate: Two large areas of polar climates are separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates.
•Terrain:
1.Highest elevation: Mt. Everest at 8,850 m (29,035 ft)
2.Lowest land depression : Dead Sea at –411 m (–1,349 ft) below sea level.
3.The greatest ocean depth: Mariana Trench at –10,924 m (–35,840 ft) in the Pacific Ocean.
•Land use:
•
1.Arable land: 10.57%.
Permanent crops: 1.04%.
Other: 88.39% (2005 est.).
2.Irrigated land: 2,770,980 sq km (1,721,886 sq mi).
•Total number of Countries : 195
(Taiwan is not considered an official country by many )
•UN Members : 192 countries are UN members.
(The exceptions are Taiwan (in 1971, the UN ousted Taiwan and replaced it with the People's Republic of China) and Vatican City. Kosovo is not yet a member. The newest UN members are Switzerland (2002) and Montenegro (2006)).\
•Newest countries: The world's newest country is South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011.
( Before that, the newest country was Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. Montenegro became a country in June 2006, after splitting off from Serbia. Since 1990, 29 new nations have come into being. Many of these emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union (14 countries) and the breakup of the former Yugoslavia (7 countries))
.
•Countries that have colonies : There are 61 colonies or territories in the world. Eight countries maintain them:
1. Australia (6),
2. Denmark (2),
3. Netherlands (2),
4. France (16),
5. New Zealand (3),
6. Norway (3),
7. United Kingdom (15),
8. United States (14).
• Disputed territories :There are six major disputed territories in the world:
1. Gaza Strip and the West Bank,
2. Paracel Islands,
3. Spratly Islands,
4. Western Sahara,
5. Antarctica (about a dozen nations have laid claims to portions of it).
( In addition, there are innumerable other territorial disputes throughout the world, many of which had resulted in ongoing armed conflicts)
People
• Population: 6,928,198,253 (July 2011 est.)
•Growth rate: 1.09% (2011 est.).
• Birth rate: 19.15 births/1,000 population (2011 est.).
• Death rate: 8.12 deaths/1,000 population (2011 est.).\
• Sex ratio (at birth): 1.07 males/females (2011 est.).
• Infant mortality rate: 41.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.).
• Life expectancy at birth: Total population: 67.07 years. Male: 65.21 years. Female: 69.05 years (2011 est.).
•Total fertility rate: 2.46 children born per woman (2011 est.).
• Literacy: Age 15 and over who can read and write (2005 est.).
1.Total population: 83.7%.
2.Male: 88.3%.
3.Female: 79.2%
( More than two-thirds of the world's 793 million illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan); of all the illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, the Arab states, South and West Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where around one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005-09 est.)
Government and Economy
• Political divisions:
1. Sovereign nations, 195
2. Dependent areas, 72
3. Disputed territories. 6
• Economy: .
1.GWP/PPP: $74.54 trillion (2010 est.).
2.GWP—real growth rate: 4.9% (2010 est.).
3.GWP/PPP—per capita: $11,200 (2010 est.).
4.GWP composition: agriculture 6%, industry 30.9%, services 63.2% (2009 est.)
5.Inflation rate (consumer price index):
1. Developed countries: 2.5% (0% to 4% typically)
2. Developing countries: 5.6% (2010 est.). (5% to 10% typically)
( national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases; inflation rates have declined for most countries for the last several years, held in check by increasing international competition from several low wage countries, and by soft demand as a result of the world financial crisis.)
6.Unemployment rate: 8.7% (2010 est.).
7.Exports: $15.18 trillion f.o.b. (2010 est.).
8.Imports: $14.92 trillion f.o.b. (2010 est.).
9.External debt: $60.47 trillion (2010 est.)
Total Population of the World by Decade, 1950–2050 (historical and projected)
Year Total world population (mid-year figures) Ten-year growth rate (%)
1950----------------------- 2,556,000,053-------------------- 18.9%
1960------------------------ 3,039,451,023------------------- 22.0
1970------------------------ 3,706,618,163-------------------- 20.2
1980------------------------ 4,453,831,714-------------------- 18.5
1990------------------------ 5,278,639,789-------------------- 15.2
2000 ----------------------- 6,082,966,429-------------------- 12.6
2010------------------------ 6,848,932,929 ------------------- 10.7
2020------------------------ 7,584,821,144 ------------------- 8.7
2030 ----------------------- 8,246,619,341 ------------------- 7.3
2040------------------------ 8,850,045,889-------------------- 5.6
2050------------------------ 9,346,399,468 ------------------- —
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Database.
World's 10 Most Populous Countries: 2011
Rank Country Population
1.---------------- China--------------- 1,336,718,015
2.---------------- India ---------------1,189,172,906
3.---------------- United States------- 311,050,977
4.---------------- Indonesia----------- 245,613,043
5----------------- Brazil--------------- 203,429,773
6.---------------- Pakistan----------- 187,342,721
7.---------------- Nigeria------------- 165,822,569
8.---------------- Bangladesh -------- 158,570,535
9.---------------- Russia ------------- 138,739,892
10.--------------- Japan ------------- 127,469,543
Countries with Nuclear Weapons Capability
• Acknowledged: Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, United States, North Korea (tested its first nuclear device on October 9, 2006.)
• Unacknowledged: Israel
• Seeking: Iran
• Abandoned: South Africa—
(Constructed but then voluntarily dismantled six uranium bombs. Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine—When Soviet Union broke up, these former states possessed nuclear warheads that they have since given up.)
The Failed States Index: Most Vulnerable Countries 2011
The Fund for Peace has ranked troubled countries that are in danger of collapse. The countries are ranked according to 12 social, economic, political, and military indicators, including economic decline and inequality, demographic pressures, war, and corruption.
1. Somalia
2. Chad
3. Sudan
4. Dem. Rep. of the Congo
5. Haiti
6. Zimbabwe
7. Afghanistan
8. Central African Republic
9. Iraq
10. Côte d'Ivoire
11. Guinea
12. Pakistan
13. Yemen
14. Nigeria
15. Niger
16. Kenya
17. Burundi
18. Burma
18. Guinea-Bissau
20. Ethiopia
The World's Best Countries
Ranked countries based on education, health, quality of life, economic dynamism, and political environment.
1. Finland
2. Switzerland
3. Sweden
4. Australia
5. Luxembourg
6. Norway
7. Canada
8. Netherlands
9. Japan
10. Denmark
11. United States
12. Germany
13. New Zealand
14. United Kingdom
15. South Korea
16. France
17. Ireland
18. Austria
19. Belgium
20. Singapore
Sourece : World Factbook 2011
Wonders of the World
Geography
•Age: 4.55 billion years old.
•Total area: 510.072 million sq km (196.940 million sq mi). ( 70.9% of the world is water, 29.1% is land.
1.Land area: 148.94 million sq km (57.506 million sq mi).
2.Water area: 361.132 million sq km (139.434 million sq mi).
3.Coastline: 356,000 km (221,208 mi).
•Land boundaries: 251,060 km (156,262.58 mi.), not counting shared boundaries twice.
•Climate: Two large areas of polar climates are separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates.
•Terrain:
1.Highest elevation: Mt. Everest at 8,850 m (29,035 ft)
2.Lowest land depression : Dead Sea at –411 m (–1,349 ft) below sea level.
3.The greatest ocean depth: Mariana Trench at –10,924 m (–35,840 ft) in the Pacific Ocean.
•Land use:
•
1.Arable land: 10.57%.
Permanent crops: 1.04%.
Other: 88.39% (2005 est.).
2.Irrigated land: 2,770,980 sq km (1,721,886 sq mi).
•Total number of Countries : 195
(Taiwan is not considered an official country by many )
•UN Members : 192 countries are UN members.
(The exceptions are Taiwan (in 1971, the UN ousted Taiwan and replaced it with the People's Republic of China) and Vatican City. Kosovo is not yet a member. The newest UN members are Switzerland (2002) and Montenegro (2006)).\
•Newest countries: The world's newest country is South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011.
( Before that, the newest country was Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. Montenegro became a country in June 2006, after splitting off from Serbia. Since 1990, 29 new nations have come into being. Many of these emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union (14 countries) and the breakup of the former Yugoslavia (7 countries))
.
•Countries that have colonies : There are 61 colonies or territories in the world. Eight countries maintain them:
1. Australia (6),
2. Denmark (2),
3. Netherlands (2),
4. France (16),
5. New Zealand (3),
6. Norway (3),
7. United Kingdom (15),
8. United States (14).
• Disputed territories :There are six major disputed territories in the world:
1. Gaza Strip and the West Bank,
2. Paracel Islands,
3. Spratly Islands,
4. Western Sahara,
5. Antarctica (about a dozen nations have laid claims to portions of it).
( In addition, there are innumerable other territorial disputes throughout the world, many of which had resulted in ongoing armed conflicts)
People
• Population: 6,928,198,253 (July 2011 est.)
•Growth rate: 1.09% (2011 est.).
• Birth rate: 19.15 births/1,000 population (2011 est.).
• Death rate: 8.12 deaths/1,000 population (2011 est.).\
• Sex ratio (at birth): 1.07 males/females (2011 est.).
• Infant mortality rate: 41.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.).
• Life expectancy at birth: Total population: 67.07 years. Male: 65.21 years. Female: 69.05 years (2011 est.).
•Total fertility rate: 2.46 children born per woman (2011 est.).
• Literacy: Age 15 and over who can read and write (2005 est.).
1.Total population: 83.7%.
2.Male: 88.3%.
3.Female: 79.2%
( More than two-thirds of the world's 793 million illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan); of all the illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, the Arab states, South and West Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, where around one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005-09 est.)
Government and Economy
• Political divisions:
1. Sovereign nations, 195
2. Dependent areas, 72
3. Disputed territories. 6
• Economy: .
1.GWP/PPP: $74.54 trillion (2010 est.).
2.GWP—real growth rate: 4.9% (2010 est.).
3.GWP/PPP—per capita: $11,200 (2010 est.).
4.GWP composition: agriculture 6%, industry 30.9%, services 63.2% (2009 est.)
5.Inflation rate (consumer price index):
1. Developed countries: 2.5% (0% to 4% typically)
2. Developing countries: 5.6% (2010 est.). (5% to 10% typically)
( national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases; inflation rates have declined for most countries for the last several years, held in check by increasing international competition from several low wage countries, and by soft demand as a result of the world financial crisis.)
6.Unemployment rate: 8.7% (2010 est.).
7.Exports: $15.18 trillion f.o.b. (2010 est.).
8.Imports: $14.92 trillion f.o.b. (2010 est.).
9.External debt: $60.47 trillion (2010 est.)
Total Population of the World by Decade, 1950–2050 (historical and projected)
Year Total world population (mid-year figures) Ten-year growth rate (%)
1950----------------------- 2,556,000,053-------------------- 18.9%
1960------------------------ 3,039,451,023------------------- 22.0
1970------------------------ 3,706,618,163-------------------- 20.2
1980------------------------ 4,453,831,714-------------------- 18.5
1990------------------------ 5,278,639,789-------------------- 15.2
2000 ----------------------- 6,082,966,429-------------------- 12.6
2010------------------------ 6,848,932,929 ------------------- 10.7
2020------------------------ 7,584,821,144 ------------------- 8.7
2030 ----------------------- 8,246,619,341 ------------------- 7.3
2040------------------------ 8,850,045,889-------------------- 5.6
2050------------------------ 9,346,399,468 ------------------- —
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Database.
World's 10 Most Populous Countries: 2011
Rank Country Population
1.---------------- China--------------- 1,336,718,015
2.---------------- India ---------------1,189,172,906
3.---------------- United States------- 311,050,977
4.---------------- Indonesia----------- 245,613,043
5----------------- Brazil--------------- 203,429,773
6.---------------- Pakistan----------- 187,342,721
7.---------------- Nigeria------------- 165,822,569
8.---------------- Bangladesh -------- 158,570,535
9.---------------- Russia ------------- 138,739,892
10.--------------- Japan ------------- 127,469,543
Countries with Nuclear Weapons Capability
• Acknowledged: Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, United States, North Korea (tested its first nuclear device on October 9, 2006.)
• Unacknowledged: Israel
• Seeking: Iran
• Abandoned: South Africa—
(Constructed but then voluntarily dismantled six uranium bombs. Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine—When Soviet Union broke up, these former states possessed nuclear warheads that they have since given up.)
The Failed States Index: Most Vulnerable Countries 2011
The Fund for Peace has ranked troubled countries that are in danger of collapse. The countries are ranked according to 12 social, economic, political, and military indicators, including economic decline and inequality, demographic pressures, war, and corruption.
1. Somalia
2. Chad
3. Sudan
4. Dem. Rep. of the Congo
5. Haiti
6. Zimbabwe
7. Afghanistan
8. Central African Republic
9. Iraq
10. Côte d'Ivoire
11. Guinea
12. Pakistan
13. Yemen
14. Nigeria
15. Niger
16. Kenya
17. Burundi
18. Burma
18. Guinea-Bissau
20. Ethiopia
The World's Best Countries
Ranked countries based on education, health, quality of life, economic dynamism, and political environment.
1. Finland
2. Switzerland
3. Sweden
4. Australia
5. Luxembourg
6. Norway
7. Canada
8. Netherlands
9. Japan
10. Denmark
11. United States
12. Germany
13. New Zealand
14. United Kingdom
15. South Korea
16. France
17. Ireland
18. Austria
19. Belgium
20. Singapore
Sourece : World Factbook 2011
Wonders of the World