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.

Cold War World [239]

At the height of the Cold War, the world’s major military powers could easily be split into two camps: the Communist Bloc designated with red and the Free World designated with blue.

Human Rights - Human Lights [230]

Every dot on this globe represents many thousands of people.
Just as humans - human rights are supposed to be universal as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, in some countries they are seen as relative at best or only partially valid within the context of their cultures. (Bangcok Declaration)

Terrorism [225-3]

Darkened areas indicate presence of terrorist groups. Underlined groups are active in more than one country, underscoring their multinational and transnational character and ambition.