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

Seven New Wonders

1.The Great Wall of China,China
This 4,160-mile wall was built to protect China from invading Huns, Mongols, and other tribes, and to unite fortifications into one defense system. Begun in the 7th century B.C., the barricade took hundreds of years to build, and ranks as the world's longest man-made structure-and is apparently the only one visible from space.




2.Petra Jordan

This ancient capital city was built around 9 B.C. during the reign of King Aretas IV and continued to flourish during the Roman Empire. It is now visible in its pink stone ruins and carved façade.


3. Christ Redeemer Statue ,Brazil

Standing 125 feet tall atop the Corcovado Mountain high above Rio, this statue took five years to build. Constructed in France by sculptor Paul Landowski, it was shipped to Brazil in pieces, and then carried up the mountain by train, where it was reassembled.

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4.Machu Picchu,Peru

This "city in the clouds" was built 8,000 feet above sea level in the 15th century by Incan emperor Pachacutec. Abandoned by the Incas, the city remained unknown until it was rediscovered by an explorer in 1911.


5.Pyramid at Chichen Itza ,Mexico
The center of Mayan civilization in its day, Chichen Itza is still visible in several structures, including the pyramid of Kukulkan.


6.Roman Colosseum ,Italy

This giant, 50,000 seat amphitheater in the center of Rome was built over 2,000 years ago, and still influences the design of sports stadiums worldwide.


7.Taj Mahal,India

Built in 1630 by a grieving emperor, Shah Jahan, in honor of his dead wife, this white marble structure combines Indian, Persian, and Islamic style of architecture.

7 Wonders of the Ancient World

1.The Pyramids of Egypt

A group of three pyramids, Khufu, Khafra, and Menkaura located at Giza, Egypt, outside modern Cairo, is often called the first wonder of the world. The largest pyramid, built by Khufu (Cheops), a king of the fourth dynasty, had an original estimated height of 482 feet (now approximately 450 feet). The base has sides 755 feet long. It contains 2,300,000 blocks. The average weight of each block is 2.5 tons. Estimated date of construction is 2680 B.C. Of all the Ancient Wonders, the pyramids is the only one still standing.


2.Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Often listed as the second wonder, these gardens, which were located south of Baghdad, Iraq, were supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar around 600 B.C. to please his queen, Amuhia. They are also associated with the mythical Assyrian queen, Semiramis. Archeologists think that the gardens were laid out atop a vaulted building, with provisions for raising water. The terraces were said to rise from 75 to 300 feet.


3.Statue of Zeus (Jupiter) , Olympia

Phidias (fifth century B.C.) built this 40-foot high statue in gold and ivory. All trace of it is lost, except for reproductions on coins. It was located in Olympia, Greece.


4.Temple of Artemis (Diana) , Ephesus (Turkey)

The temple was a beautiful marble structure, begun about 350 B.C., in honor of the goddess Artemis. The temple, with Ionic columns 60 feet high, was destroyed by invading Goths in A.D. 262. It was located in Ephesus, Turkey.


5.Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

This famous monument was erected in Bodium, Turkey, by Queen Artemisia in memory of her husband, King Mausolus of Caria in Asia Minor, who died in 353 B.C. Some remains of the structure are in the British Museum. This shrine is the source of the modern word “mausoleum,” which is a large above-ground tomb.


6.Colossus at Rhodes

This bronze statue of Helios (Apollo), about 105 feet high, was the work of the sculptor Chares. He worked on the statue for 12 years, finishing it in 280 B.C. It was destroyed during an earthquake in 224 B.C. Rhodes is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea.



7.The Lighthouse of Alexandria/Pharos of Alexandria


The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built on the island of Pharos in the city's harbor. The tower measured between 380 and 490 ft high, making it the third-tallest building in the world (the two pyramids at Giza were the tallest). Originally, it was simply a large beacon, but was converted to a lighthouse in the 1st century B.C. It stood longer than all of the wonders save the pyramids, but was eventually destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century.





Source :Infoplease.com