Non-Competitive Elections [227 -2]

Highlighted areas indicate those countries that are democratic in name only. Dictatorships, communist states, and military states either ban popular elections, disregard their results, or hand pick the candidates. Minimal red tape indicates a flawed democracy, the median amount indicates hybrid regimes, and the most red tape indicates authoritarian regimes. Flawed or corrupt representative democracies often do no better at generating competitive elections.

Infant Mortality [171]

Infant mortality is a good indicator of a population's well-being. In areas shaded dark red, one out of five children did not live beyond the age of five in the year 2000. In white areas, the mortality is less than 2%. Reducing infant mortality in one of the UN's MDGs (Millennium Development Goals)

Soil Degradation [169]

Soil degradation is brought on by several factors, mostly predisposition for desertification, acid rain, need for fuelwood and food needs which are beyond the soil's capacity to support. This globe shows only areas where the population’s food needs lead to overexploitation and subsequently to soil degradation.

Labor Migration [166]

This world is divided into richer and poorer countries. Highlighted countries are considered rich, as the personal income averages more than US $2,500/year. Anybody making less is part of the rest, the poor. Accordingly, there is a migration from poorer to richer countries. Inconsistent definitions of labor migration, and the untrackable nature of illegal migration has resulted in a scarcity of data on the subject. Arrows shown represent flows of at least 50,000 migrants in a given year between 1986 and 2003 as noted by the International Labor Organization.

Ice Age [168]

Island Nations [167]

G8 vs. G20

The G8 states derive their global claim to leadership from their by now shrinking portion of the global economy (approx. 45% in 2009; 65% in 2002) which is represented here as the light part of the northern hemisphere. the G20 countries, which incorporate all G8 members, represent 85% of the world economy (southern hemisphere).. the portion of the world economy each member country controls is shown in a box surrounding each country; black outlines are G8 countries, red outlines are G20 members. red dots indicate membership in either G8 or G20; countries not represented are joined by dotted lines.

Historical Diasporas [165]

Moody's Sovereign Ratings [163-3]

Moody's Investor Service as well as Standard and Poor rate not only corporations but sovereigns, i.e. countries, as well. Most institutional investment firms have rules prohibiting them from buying government bonds issued by countries with a low, speculation-grade rating. Only blue-chip (Aaa=light color) and high to medium grade countries (Aa-Baa3=dark) are considered investment grades, all other countries (Ba1 to C) therefore did not even show up on these investors' radar screens in 2005.

Forest Fires [159]

In spring 1998 uncontrolled forest fires raged in the equatorial regions. Airplanes crashed in Indonesia, Smoke plumes reached across national borders into other countries and even continents. One day the loss of forest the size of Belgium in Brazil was reported. El Nino was generally blamed for the lack of rain.

AIDS Impact on Regions 1997 [152]

UNAIDS/WHO estimated a 7% decrease in North American cases and an estimated 18% increase in Sub-Saharan Africa in comparison with figures recorded in 1996. Africa already suffers by far the greatest impact of AIDS with 25 - 28 million affected.

Earthquakes and Tectonic Plates [121]

There are eight major and many minor tectonic plates. These plates move in relation to one another at one of three types of plate boundaries: convergent, or collisional boundaries; divergent boundaries, also called spreading centers; and transform boundaries. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation occur along plate boundaries. The lateral movement of the plates is typically at speeds of 50–100 mm annually.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation [178]

Checkmarks indicate signatories to the treaty. India, Pakistan and Israel did not sign the treaty. North Korea withdrew.

Mobile Teledensity [327 - 4]

Density of black lines indicate the penetration of mobile phones where more than 10% of the  population own one. Sparse lines represent less than 50% ownership, semi-concentrated  50% to 100%, and most dense indicate more phones than inhabitants. Countries with more than double the world's average growth rate (CAGR) of 23% from 2002 - 2007 are encircled with bright dots. There are 4 billion mobile phones, 3 times the number of landlines.

Independence in the 20th Century [122]

Major Rivers [111]

Statistical Challenges [11]

Summer Break

August 4 to September 4

Japanese Economic Continent [21]

If landmass equaled wealth and economic might, Japan would occupy this much of the globe for most of the 1990s.
And due to a strong yen the picture looks largely unchanged today.

OZONE Hole [29-2]

A second permanent ozone hole was detected in the area of the North Pole in 1990, producing radical meteorological changes in parts of the Northern Hemisphere. In 1996, the World Meteorological Organization (UNO) measured the Southern Ozone Hole to be the size of the US and Canada combined. They are expected to increase in size until 2020.

UN Peacekeeping Missions [65]

Beginning with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization Mission to the Middle East in 1948, the UN has undertaken more than 56 peacekeeping missions across the world, with varying degrees of success. In 2003 14 missions were current. 2000 peacekeepers lost their lives since 1948.

100 Projection Problems [74]

Ocean Upwellings [79]

Areas where colder, nutrient-rich, and biologically productive subsurface waters are brought to the surface. Phytoplankton thrives in these conditions and are at the base of the oceanic food chain. Therefore these are the biologically most productive areas. A combination of winds, currents, the Earth's rotation, shorelines and shallow bottoms induces upward and downward water movements. There are coastal upwellings as well as equatorial upwellings.

Acid Rain [80]

Acid rain is primarily caused by sulfur and nitrogen compounds that are released by factories, cars, and especially coal power plats. The emission can be carried hundreds of kilometers to effecting ecosystems in other countries. Acid rain has harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure.

Ring of Fire [87]

Fault Lines and Earthquake Epicenters M>5 (larger than 5 on the Richter-scale).

Japan [93]

An economic giant, Japan does not command much territory. In fact Japan holds the world record GNP per square mile.

Names [96]

Political Borders [97]

US Industrial By-products [102]

Nuclear Desire [2]

Not all countries that crave the power and prestige of nuclear weapons have been able to master the technology and the supply of uranium necessary. In addition to the five official members of the nuclear club (incidentally the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council), at least another eight nations actively pursued steps to qualify for membership. Recently some countries have been militarily persuaded to abandon their nuclear plans (Iraq). Others have voluntarily started to destroy their arsenal (Ukraine, Libya, South Africa). In the mid 1990s North Korea struck a billion-dollar deal with the US using its alleged arsenal as a bargaining chip for economic help.

US Patent Holders [284]

This globe represents half of all patents in the US - those registered to
foreign holders. Countries with more than 1000 patents registered in
the US are indicated by name, with the point size of the representative
text scaled according to the square root of the total number of US
patents held. Japan accounts for roughly one third of foreign-held US
patents, followed by Germany, the UK, and France. Were the number
of domestically held US patents to be indicated according to this logic,
the entire surface of the globe would be covered.

Rocket Launch Sites [256]

Known locations, both active and inactive, of space rocket launches.

Access To Drinking Water [255]

In the areas identified, the percentage of the population using improved drinking water sources is over 80%. Access is defined as within 15 minutes walking distance.

Satellite Radio Broadcasting Footprints [252]

Footprints of radio direct broadcasting satellites (World Space Channels on XM, AmeriStar, AfriStar, AsiaStar).

Birth Rates 1995 - 2000 [251]

The fertility rate of each country in the 1995 to 2000 period is designated by a visually scaled number indicating the average births per woman during their life span. The higher the birth rate, the higher and visually larger the number.

Freedom of the Press [250-2]

Freedom of the press across the globe is ranked in 4 tiers of brightness: Most Free, Free, Partly Free and Not Free, with the nations where press is afforded the most freedom of reportage shining brightest, and Not Free countries entirely blacked out. Number indicate the amounts of impediments - the lower the number the better.