The World

The earth is a planet on which we live. It is the fifth largest planet and distanced third from the Sun. The estimated total surface area of the Earth is 510,100,448 square kilometre, of which the sea or hydrosphere covers five sevenths, or more accurately, 70.78 percent (361,059,266 square kilometre) and the land or lithosphere two sevenths or 29.22 percent (149,041,182 square kilometre).

It has a mass 6.58 x 1021 tons (estimated). Its density is 5.515 times that of water (or 5.517 kg/ litre). The polar diameter is 12,712 kms and the equatorial diameter is 12,755 kms. Likewise, the equatorial circumference of the earth Is 40,076 kilometre with a polar or meridianal circumference of 40,008 kilometre indicating that the earth is not a true sphere but an ellipsoid, flattened at the poles. The earth also has a slight ellipticity at the equator.

Population: According to the United Nations statistics, the ‘world’s population rose from 5.804 billion (in 1996) to 5.9billion (in mid-1998). It touched 6 billion mark in 1999 (double the 1960 mark) .4 it crossed over 6 billion mark at the close of the century and was at 6.080 billion.5 It is expected to reach.7 billion by 2013 and 8 billion by 2028 and is likely to cross 9 billion in 2043. It is, thus, important to know that at the beginning of the century, the world population was 1.663 billion but it quadrupled during the century.

Population growth has accelerated during modem history. The 1 billion level was not reached until 1804 and that figure did not double until 1927.6 In 1960, thirty three years later, another billion people were sharing the planet and fourteen years after, in 1974 the world population soared to 4 billion. The 5 billion mark was reached in 1987 when the first World Population Day was celebrated to build awareness of population issues and to highlight the Impact they have on development and the environment.

The average daily increase in the world's population has been estimated at about 210,327 or an average of approximately 249 per minute.

The all-time peak annual increase of 2.06 percent in the period 1965-70 declined to 1.74 percent by 1985-90. By 2025, this is expected to decline to 0.99 percent. In spite of the reduced percentage increase, world population is currently growing by more than 77 million every year. Projections issued by the United Nations have estimated that the population would stabilise at around 11.6 billion in around 2150.

The crude birth rate-the number of births per 1,000 population for the whole world was estimated, to be 22 per 1,000 in mid-2000. The highest rate estimated by the United Nations for 1985-90 was 55.6 per 1,000 for Malawi. Excluding the Vatican City, where the rate is negligible, the lowest recorded rate was 9.5 per 1,000 for San Marino for the same period.

The crude death ratethe number of deaths per 1,000 population of all ages for the whole world was an estimated 9 per 1,000 in 2000. East Timor had a rate of 45.0 per 1,000 from 1975-80, although this had declined to 21.5 in 1985-90. The highest estimated rate in the same period was 23.4 for Sierra Leone. The lowest estimated rate for 1985-90 was 3.5 deaths for 1,000 for Bahrain.

The rate of natural increase for the whole world was estimated to be 13 (22 births less 9 deaths) per 1,000 in 2000 compared with a peak 20.6 per 1,000 In 1965-70. The highest of the latest available recorded rates was 37.4 (43.0 less 5.6) for Oman In 1985-90. The lowest rate of natural increase in any major independent country in recent times was in Hungary, which actually experienced a population decline in 1985-90 with a figure of - 1.7 per 1,000 (11.9 births and 13.6 deaths).

Current growth indicators lead forecasters to conclude that while growth rates are failing and in some cases approaching zero in industrialised nations, population in less developed regions will double In 41 years and in least developed country In 27 years.

There are estimated to be 1,014 males in the world for every 1,000 females. The country with the largest recorded shortage of women is the United Arab Emirates, which has an estimated 484 females to every 1,000 males. The country with the largest recorded shortage of males is Ukraine, with an estimated 1,154 females to every 1,000 males.

Country Name

HISTORICAL IMAGES OF INDIA

The Indian country is very old and simply complex. According to a popular estimate, it has covered a span of five thousand years since the period of its first known civilization. During this period, several strains of immigrants, representing different ethnic families and linguistic ones have merged into it and have contributed to its diversity and vitality.

Several different levels of social evolution co-exist in India; like the hunters, the cultivators, the nomads, the itinerant traders, professionals and different artisans. Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism are found here, along with a bewildering number of sects and cults , each with its own rituals and beliefs. Add to this the modern academic, bureaucratic, industrial and scientific elites and one can find the past, the present and the future living together.

It is very difficult to identify the earliest inhabitants of India. There are no written records about them, since writing was not invented then. The orally told history is not much reliable. Many minute details could not withstand the ravages of time. Early human activity in India goes back to the second Inter- Glacial period, between 400,000 and 200,000 B.C. Stone tools found and cave paintings unearthed in many places in the country prove this point very clearly.