Most experts agree that humans first appeared on Earth around 6 million years ago. It was not until the turn of the 19th century that the world’s population reached 1 billion. Fast forward a little over 200 years to the present day and we now have more than 8 billion people on the planet. In…
The High-life You might well know that the small island nations of Tuvalu, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands and Kiribati have an average elevation of 2 m or less above sea level. This obviously makes them the lowest-lying nations on the planet. On the contrary you might not know those countries whose populations are literally…
What is a Currency? Do you know that the word “currency” is derived from the Latin word “currere”, meaning ‘to run’ or ‘to flow’? A currency (i.e. money) serves as a medium of exchange for goods and services within a country’s borders. Currencies are issued by all central banks of the world in the form…
What is GDP per Capita? Gross Domestic Product (GDP) can be described as the total monetary value of all goods produced and services provided within a particular country during a specific period. However, the period for which GDP is most commonly expressed is overwhelmingly as an annual amount. While GDP is a strong indicator of…
Exactly what is a country? The most accepted definition of a ‘country’ is a sovereign state whose borders are fully acknowledged by every other existing country in the world. Thus, applying that determination there are currently (Dec 2023) 194 countries in the world. Here’s a brief narrative on the world’s five least-populated countries: Vatican City…
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