World View Tidbits Archive

Lepta coins, which became obsolete when the Drachma lost value, stopped being produced in 1984. They were still in circulation by the time the Euro became the official currency of Greece, though.

b) Greece

The djembe is a skin-covered drum that is one of the most common
instruments in West Africa, including this city, Mali’s largest city.

c) Bamako

What is the currency of Honduras?

c) Lempira

Which is the national language of Kenya -- Swahili, Kenyatta, English, or French? The correct answer is Swahili. English is also an important official language. There are many other languages which are spoken by about forty ethnic groups.
If you like trivia, visit
http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/world/index.html
to test your knowledge of the countries and cultures of the world with lots of quizzes.

In November 2006, the population of the United States reached 300 million! To see how much the population has already increased beyond that, to see the currently projected world population, or to find the population of a particular city or state, visit the U.S. Census Bureau's website.

In 2000, several government agencies collaborated to create a vital resource for North Carolina educators called SEACOOS or Southeast Atlantic Coast Ocean Observing System. This organization's mission is to “collect and disseminate data and data products to serve the critical and expanding needs of environmental protection, public health, industry, education, research, and recreation.” The resulting curriculum resources for teachers are extensive and can be viewed by clicking here.

UNICEF estimates that worldwide, some 115 million children are still out of school, 62 million of them girls. Outside of the industrialized countries, only 76 percent of all boys and 70 percent of all girls attend primary school. Attendance rates are lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa, where only 60 percent of boys and 56 percent of girls are in school.

Id al-Fitr marks the end of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.This year the holiday falls on November 3 or 4 depending on when the new moon is revealed in your country. During the month of Ramadan Muslims fast during daylight hours. Fasting, or Sawm, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Those who are travelling, sick, elderly or pregnant are allowed to skip the actual holiday and make the time up later in the year if possible. Id al-Fitr marks the end of this month dedicated to purification of mind and body. During Id al-Fitr followers of Islam dress in their best atire, feast, and visit family and friends.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the descendant of America's oldest science agencies, the Survey of the Coast formed in 1807, the Weather Service formed in 1870, and the forerunner of today's National Marine Fisheries Service formed in 1871. NOAA's Education website provides numerous resources for teachers and students including lesson plans, research opportunities and a vast library.

Indonesia had been polio-free since 1995. On 13 March 2005, a 20-month old boy in West Java was paralysed by polio. Since then, a total of 225 children have been paralysed by polio in Indonesia. In a coordinated effort by Rotary International and UNICEF more than 750,000 vaccinators, health workers and volunteers, will go house-to-house and work at vaccination booths across Indonesia to reach more than 24 million children under the age of five. Global eradication efforts have reduced the number of polio cases from 350,000 annually in 1988 to 1,110 cases in 2005 (as of 24 August).

More than half the world's population is now aged below 25 years. Among the total population of adolescents, 500 million are adolescent girls and 1.35 million are women of childbearing age.

The United Nations celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. The Organization officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and a majority of other signatories. United Nations Day is celebrated on 24 October.

Geography note- The world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old, just about one-third of the 13-billion year age estimated for the universe.

Did you know that the planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, and 6 billion in 2000.

Did you know these facts about Russia?

• Population: 142.4 million (UN, 2004)
• Capital: Moscow
• Area: 17m sq km (6.6m sq miles)
• Major language: Russian
• Major religions: Christianity, Islam
• Life expectancy: 61 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 rouble = 100 kopecks
• Main exports: Oil and oil products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, weapons and military equipment
• GNI per capita: US $2,610 (World Bank, 2003)
• Internet domain: .ru
• International dialling code: +7

Did you know that women in Rwanda now top the world rankings of women in national parliaments, with 49 percent of representation compared to a world average of 15.1 percent.
Did you know that women are still not allowed to vote in two countries: Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

An ecological footprint is the productive land and water areas required to produce the resources consumed and assimilate the wastes generated, per person. The U.S., at 9.62 hectares, has the second largest ecological footprint in the world. The United Arab Emirates ranks first, at 11.87 hectares.

*93% of the public believe that knowledge of international issues will be important for the careers of their children and other young people.

* 93% said they thought it would be important to understand other cultures and customs to compete successfully in a global economy.

*Approximately 90% of high school seniors believe that international skills and competencies would help them work with people from different cultures and provide a competitive edge in the workforce.

“Travel gives us the opportunity to rub our minds and polish them by contact with others…this great world is a mirror where we must see ourselves in order to know ourselves.” Michel de Montaigne (1770)

 In seven African countries, more than one-fifth of the adult population 15-49 years of age is infected with HIV.

With 76,503 tourist arrivals in 2000, France had almost double the number of tourists of the next country on the list--Spain.

The Internet began as the ARPANET during the cold war in 1969.  It was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense in conjunction with a number of military contractors and universities to explore the possibility of a communication network that could survive a nuclear attack.

 Global temperatures recorded in the 1990s reveal it as the warmest decade since measurements began in the 19th century.  Most of the warming that occurred in the past 50 years is attributable to human activities.

The disappearance of local languages is a marker for homogenization: over half of the world's 6,800 languages are predicted to disappear by the end of this century. 

 The highest life expectancy for 2002-05 is in Japan, at 81.5 years of age (77.8 year for men and 85 years for women).  The U.S. ranks 27th, at 77.5 years of age. 

France has the highest retail sales per head of wine, but did you know that South Africa has the highest retail sales per head of beer? 

  In the year 2000, the country with the youngest population in the world was Yemen, with 50% of the population aged under 15.  The next 10 countries with under-15 populations of between 46% and 50% were all African. 

The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur are the tallest habitable buildings in the world.

The highest population density in 1999 was in Macau, with 26,300 people per sq km.  That number is more than four times denser than Hong Kong, which held the next spot on the list.  The lowest population density was in Australia, Mongolia, and Namibia, with 2 people per sq km.  

The highest populations per doctor in the world are in Chad, Eritrea, Gambia, and Malawi at 50,000, while the lowest population per doctor in the world is Italy at 169.   

In 1997, in terms of % of GDP, the highest education spending was in Moldova, at 10.6%.  Many countries in Southern Africa also ranked high, as did Scandinavia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Cuba.     

 The longest road networks are found in the U.S., the densest road networks in Macau, the most crowded road networks in Hong Kong, and the most used road networks in Indonesia.   

  China is a BIG agricultural producer.  It tops the list for cereals, meat, fruit, vegetables, wheat, and rice.  Brazil produces the most sugar and coffee, India produces the most tea, and Cote d'Ivoire produces the most cocoa.  

 The country with the highest economic dependence on agriculture is Guinea-Bissau, at 62% of the GDP.  Hong Kong and Singapore, on the other hand, receive 0% of their GDP from agriculture, and the United States receives only 2%.

The country with the fastest economic growth between 1990 and 1999 was Bosnia, with a 35% increase in real GDP.  This was more than triple the percentage of the second country on the list: China.

In the year 2000, the top three "most male" populations were all in the Persian Gulf: United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait, while the top "most female" populations were all in Eastern Europe: Latvia, Belarus, Estonia, and Ukraine.

 The city with the most car ownership in the world is Suva, Fiji, with 668 cars for every 1,000 people, followed by Des Moines, Iowa, at 657.  The country with the most car ownership is Lebanon, at 732.  The U.S. ranks ninth, at 468.

The largest group of immigrants in Oslo, Norway is Pakistanis.

Per capita income in U.S. dollars:
     Brazil . . . . . $2,920
     China . . . . . $364
     Germany . . .$19,204
     India . . . . . . $330
     Japan . . . . . $26,824
     U.S. . . . . . . $22,356

China is slightly smaller in area than the U.S., yet it houses a billion more people.

Since 1940, Chevron Texaco has presented broadcasts live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.  Today the broadcasts are heard on five continents and in over 34 countries.  It seems a large and varied segment of the world population is attracted to music, dance, drama, and the inner lives of other humans.    

By the year 2025 nearly 3 billion people will face a critical water shortage and 5 billion people will be living in areas where it will be difficult or impossible to meet their daily needs for fresh water.  Put simply, two thirds of the world's population are in danger of facing disastrous water shortages in the next quarter century.  

 "When a butterfly flutters its wings in one part of the world, it can eventually cause a hurricane in another."  
-- Edward Lorenz, Chaos Theory

Russia is twice the size of the U.S. in area, but it houses only 145,470,197 people--about half as many as live in the U.S.  

AIDS has killed more people than World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War combined; and new data reveals the worst epidemic in history is just getting started.  

China has 450 million TV sets for its 1.25 billion population, while the U.S. has over 300 million TV sets for its 275 million population.

 Over fifty percent of the 
people living on the face 
of the earth in 2002 have 
never made or received 
a phone call.