Grand Theft Auto V appears to be the most searched of three major GTA titles across much of the world, according to the Google Trends comparison shown in the map, highlighting the game's staying power more than a decade after its release.

The map compares Google search interest in Grand Theft Auto V, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. GTA V leads across most of North America, Europe, Africa and large parts of Asia. San Andreas shows stronger interest in several countries in South America , Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, while Vice City leads in China and a smaller group of markets.

There is an important accuracy point. Google Trends does not measure game sales or the number of players. It measures relative Google search interest for the selected terms, location and time period. The map should therefore be described as showing the most searched GTA title, rather than definitively the "most popular" one.

GTA V's dominance is backed by its extraordinary commercial reach. Publisher Take-Two Interactive said the game, first released in 2013, has now sold in more than 225 million copies worldwide.

San Andreas and Vice City, meanwhile, remain two of the series' best-known older games. Rockstar describes San Andreas as the story of Carl "CJ" Johnson across the fictional state of San Andreas, while Vice City follows Tommy Vercetti in a 1980s-inspired tropical city.

Interest in the franchise is also surging ahead of Grand Theft Auto VI, which Rockstar says will be released on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The new game returns the series to a modern version of Vice City.

That anticipation is already visible online. GTA 6 was among Google's biggest trending searches on August 27, recording more than 100,000 searches during its latest spike.

More than 112 million hectares of land burned worldwide between January 1 and August 1, 2026, with African countries accounting for more than half of the total, according to data from the European Commission's Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS).

The Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded the largest burned area of any country , at 13.61 million hectares, or 12.1% of the global total. Australia ranked second with 11.80 million hectares, followed by Angola with 7.47 million, South Sudan with 6.96 million and the Central African Republic with 6.02 million.

Together, those five countries accounted for more than 40% of all land burned worldwide during the period.

Africa recorded about 61.87 million hectares, representing 55.1% of the global total. Asia followed with 19.73 million hectares, while Oceania recorded 12.06 million. South America , North America and Europe accounted for smaller shares.

The rest of the global top 10 was made up of Myanmar with 4.33 million hectares, India with 4.03 million, Russia with 3.34 million, Guinea with 3.25 million and Zambia with 3.21 million.

However, the figures do not mean that uncontrolled wildfires destroyed 112.3 million hectares. This is an important distinction when reading the map.

GWIS uses satellite observations to track burned land, and the totals include different types of landscape fires . These can include wildfires, agricultural burning, pasture management and prescribed fires. In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, seasonal burning is commonly used to manage grasslands and farmland.

Australia's second-place ranking should be read in the same way. Its 11.8 million-hectare figure represents total detected burned area, rather than only the destructive bushfires reported in the news .

The figures nevertheless show the enormous scale of global fire activity in 2026. The 112.3 million hectares recorded by August 1 is an area almost the size of South Africa.

Natural disasters have killed thousands of people around the world in 2026, with major earthquakes, floods, storms and extreme heat causing some of the year's heaviest losses.

The graphic shows some of the deadliest disasters reported as of August 27, but several figures need correcting or qualifying against the latest available sources.

Venezuela has suffered the year's deadliest sudden-onset disaster listed . Two powerful earthquakes struck the country's northern coast on June 24, measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Official figures released on August 24 put the death toll at 6,509, with more than 226,000 people injured or hospitalised. Earlier reporting showed how the toll rose sharply as bodies were recovered from heavily damaged areas, particularly La Guaira.

India's northeastern state of Assam has also faced severe flooding. By August 10, authorities said 100 people had died, more than 700,000 had been displaced, and tens of thousands remained in relief camps. The Brahmaputra and other rivers overflowed after heavy monsoon rainfall.

In Indonesia, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck East Nusa Tenggara on August 15. Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency, BNPB, raised the death toll to 103 on August 25, with 1,666 people injured.

Typhoon Maysak and associated flooding caused another major disaster in China. Chinese state media reported on August 21 that 159 people had died in Guangxi, with 10 still missing. The storm brought extreme rainfall to parts of southern China, with some areas receiving more than 900 millimetres.

Bangladesh recorded 54 deaths from torrential rain, flooding and landslides by July 13, with more than 150,000 families stranded across seven affected districts.

The Nepal-China figure on the graphic is particularly time-sensitive. Authorities reported at least 165 confirmed deaths following catastrophic flash flooding on August 26, while hundreds remained missing on both sides of the border. With search operations still underway, the toll could change quickly.

Southern and eastern Africa have also suffered deadly flooding.

Zimbabwe recorded 134 deaths during the 2025-26 rainy season by March, according to UN OCHA. At least 1,500 families were affected, and 237 schools were damaged.

In Kenya, however, the graphic's figure of 112 deaths appears outdated or incorrect. UN OCHA reported that flooding since late February had killed 122 people and displaced more than 28,000 by May.

The largest number on the graphic, 35,000-plus deaths from Europe's 2026 heatwaves, should not be presented as a confirmed death toll without identifying the study and methodology behind it.

WHO's July assessment cited preliminary European mortality surveillance showing about 10,650 excess deaths during June 22-28 and more than 14,000 excess deaths across two weeks of peak temperatures. Excess mortality is also different from a count of individual deaths officially certified as caused by heat.

Extreme heat remains a major public-health threat in Europe, particularly for older people and those with cardiovascular, respiratory and kidney conditions, but the eventual 2026 mortality estimate will require more complete data.

The name Georgia refers to two very different places separated by thousands of kilometres, and where you live determines which one is actually closer.

The map compares straight-line distance to Georgia, the U.S. state, and Georgia, the country in the Caucasus. The result creates a striking geographical divide between much of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Georgia in the United States lies in the southeast of the country, bordering Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. It stretches roughly from 30.4°N to 35°N, making it much closer to most of North America, Central America and South America than the country of Georgia is.

Across the Atlantic, the country of Georgia sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, on the eastern side of the Black Sea. It borders Russia , Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan and covers about 69,700 square kilometres.

That location makes the country of Georgia closer to most of Europe, Africa and Asia. Australia is also closer to the country than to the American state.

The more interesting cases appear around the edges. Greenland is divided, with its western areas closer to the U.S. state and its eastern areas closer to the country. The map also shows the boundary passing through the Pacific , leaving some islands closer to the U.S. state and others closer to the country.

The comparison is a reminder that geographical distance does not always follow the continental divisions we are used to seeing. Two places sharing the same English name can divide the planet into surprisingly different spheres of proximity.

Dolly Parton was one of America ’s most widely recognised and popular country music stars, but a viral map claiming to show how much every U.S. state loved her should not be treated as an actual opinion poll.

The map, titled “America Is All Dolly”, divides states into categories ranging from “warmly adored” to “revered statewide”. Tennessee, Parton’s home state, is placed in its own category, suggesting she ranks “above all other human beings”.

YouGov's latest U.S. public-opinion data lists Parton with 96% fame and 77% popularity, meaning more than three-quarters of Americans surveyed who expressed an opinion viewed her positively.

YouGov's Q4 2025 rankings also showed her popularity cutting across demographic groups. Among women, for example, 79% had a positive opinion of Parton, putting her first among the country artists included in that ranking.

That supports the map's broader message that Parton enjoyed unusually wide appeal, but not its specific claims about individual states.

The map's special treatment of Tennessee at least reflects Parton's deep ties to the state.

Born in Sevier County, Tennessee, in 1946, Parton built a career spanning country and pop music, film, business and philanthropy. In January 2026, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee officially proclaimed January 19 as Dolly Parton Day, describing her life and career as closely tied to the state's culture and history .

Her influence also reached millions of American families through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which she started in Sevier County in 1995 after being inspired by her father's inability to read and write. The programme later expanded across the United States and internationally, sending free books to children from birth to age five.

Parton died on August 25, 2026, aged 80, prompting tributes to both her music and philanthropy.

North Korea has the higher of the two Koreas’ tallest mountains, with Mount Paektu rising significantly above South Korea’s Hallasan.

Mount Paektu, also known as Changbai Mountain in China , stands on the North Korea-China border. Its highest point reaches about 2,744 metres above sea level, making it the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula.

Hallasan, a shield volcano in the centre of South Korea’s Jeju Island, reaches about 1,950 metres, according to UNESCO. That puts Mount Paektu roughly 794 metres higher.

Mount Paektu is a volcanic mountain whose summit area straddles North Korea and China. Its most striking feature is a large caldera containing Lake Chon, known as Tianchi or Heaven Lake on the Chinese side.

The volcano produced the enormous Millennium Eruption around 946 CE, one of the largest eruptions of the past several thousand years. Volcanic ash from the eruption travelled as far as Japan .

UNESCO designated Mt Paektu as a Global Geopark in 2025, making it North Korea’s first UNESCO Global Geopark. The wider area has also been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1989.

Hallasan forms the centre of Jeju Island, South Korea’s largest island. UNESCO describes Jeju as a volcanic island formed over roughly the past two million years, with Hallasan surrounded by hundreds of smaller volcanic cones.

Hallasan is part of the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was inscribed in 2007. Its summit includes a lake-filled crater, while the wider protected area contains volcanic rock formations, cliffs and distinctive ecosystems.

South Korea and Ireland sit on opposite sides of the world, but putting them on the same map reveals a surprisingly modest difference in their physical size.

South Korea had a national land area of 100,472 sq km in 2025, according to official Korean statistics. Ireland is roughly 70,000 sq km, meaning South Korea is only about 1.4 times larger.

The graphic overlays Ireland on South Korea , stretching it across much of the country's southern and central regions. The comparison is broadly accurate as a visual illustration, although exact overlays depend on the map projection and whether inland waters are included in the area measurement.

The bigger difference is population.

The United Nations estimates South Korea's population at about 51.7 million in 2025, compared with about 5.3 million in Ireland. That means South Korea has close to 10 times as many people, despite having less than one-and-a-half times the area.

The difference is reflected in population density. UN data puts South Korea at about 522 people per sq km, compared with roughly 78 per sq km in Ireland.

South Korea's geography also makes that density more striking. The Korean government says roughly 75% of the Korean Peninsula is mountainous, concentrating much of the population and development into a smaller amount of suitable land.

The map's basic point therefore holds up. Ireland is considerably smaller than South Korea, but not dramatically so.

South Korea has roughly 30,000 sq km more territory, an area equivalent to about 43% of Ireland itself.

One distinction is important, however. The graphic is comparing South Korea with Ireland, not the entire Korean Peninsula. North and South Korea together cover about 223,400 sq km, more than three times the area of Ireland.

So while the two countries look surprisingly comparable when placed on top of each other, their populations tell a very different story. South Korea fits nearly 52 million people into an area only around 40% larger than Ireland.

India has the largest area of arable land in the world, narrowly ahead of the United States, according to data compiled by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and published by the World Bank .

The figures shown on the map put India at about 154 million hectares, followed by the United States at 152 million hectares. Russia ranks third with about 122 million hectares, while China has around 108 million hectares.

Together, these four countries account for an enormous share of the land used for crops such as wheat, maize, rice and other temporary crops.

There is a large gap after the top four. Brazil ranks fifth with about 55.6 million hectares, followed by Argentina with 40.4 million and Canada with 38.2 million.

Nigeria stands out in Africa with about 36.9 million hectares, ahead of Ukraine at 32.9 million and Australia at around 31 million.

Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Mexico and Indonesia complete the 15 countries shown on the map, with figures ranging from roughly 30 million hectares in Pakistan to 17.8 million in Indonesia.

The ranking broadly reflects the latest figures available through the World Bank's arable-land indicator, which uses data supplied by FAO. The World Bank currently lists 2023 as the latest year for this dataset, so the map should ideally identify the data year rather than presenting the figures as 2026 measurements.

There is an important distinction behind these numbers.

FAO defines arable land as land used for temporary crops, temporary meadows and pastures and temporarily fallow land. It does not include permanent crops or permanent grazing land, and it does not measure all land that could potentially be cultivated.

That means a country can have a huge agricultural sector without ranking particularly high for arable land. Countries with extensive permanent pastures, orchards or plantations may have far more agricultural land than their arable-land figure suggests.

The figures also show that country size alone does not determine how much arable land a nation has. India is far smaller than Russia , Canada or the United States by total area, yet it has more land classified as arable than any of them.

Accuracy note: The map is broadly consistent with FAO/World Bank data, but the values are rounded and should be labelled with their reference year. It would also be more precise to say “countries with the most arable land” rather than implying that the figures cover all farmland or all potentially cultivable land.

The world ’s largest cities looked very different in 1700, with major urban centres concentrated across Europe and Asia, centuries before rapid industrialisation produced today’s megacities.

Historical population estimates are not exact, but research based on the work of urban historians Tertius Chandler and George Modelski provides one of the most detailed records of city populations before modern censuses. Researchers have since digitised and mapped their historical data.

The map highlights cities believed to have had populations of roughly 100,000 or more around 1700, including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Moscow, Istanbul, Cairo, Isfahan, Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Kyoto and Edo, now Tokyo.

Around 1700 , Istanbul, then widely known in Europe as Constantinople, and Edo are both estimated at 700,000 people, making them two of the largest cities in the world. Beijing was also enormous, with estimates around 650,000.

China already had a particularly strong network of large cities. Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Guangzhou were among its important urban centres, reflecting a long-established urban system that predated the industrial transformation of Europe. Historical research shows that Chinese cities remained among the world's largest for centuries.

Japan also had several major cities. Edo was expanding rapidly under the Tokugawa shogunate, while Kyoto and Osaka were important political, cultural and commercial centres.

Europe also had a growing collection of large cities, but London stood out.

Its population rose from roughly 120,000 in 1550 to around 550,000 to 575,000 by 1700. By then, London had overtaken other European cities in size and accounted for roughly one in 10 people in England .

Paris was also approaching the half-million mark, while Naples, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Milan and Moscow were among Europe's other large urban centres. Estimates cited in historical urban research put Istanbul at about 700,000, London at 550,000, Paris at 530,000 and Naples at just over 200,000 around 1700.

The United States remains the world’s highest-ranked military power in 2026, ahead of Russia and China, according to the latest Global Firepower Military Strength Ranking.

Global Firepower assessed 145 countries using more than 60 factors , including military personnel, equipment, finances, logistics, natural resources and geography. The ranking focuses mainly on a country’s potential conventional military strength, rather than simply counting soldiers, aircraft or weapons.

The United States takes first place with a PowerIndex score of 0.0741, followed closely by Russia at 0.0791 and China at 0.0919. India ranks fourth with 0.1346, while South Korea completes the top five at 0.1642.

Under Global Firepower’s system, a lower score means greater conventional military strength, with 0.0000 representing a theoretical perfect score that the organisation says is realistically unattainable.

One of the biggest changes near the top is France, which rises to sixth globally with a score of 0.1798. That puts it ahead of Japan in seventh and the United Kingdom in eighth. Global Firepower specifically notes that France moved ahead of the UK in its 2026 assessment.

France is also the highest-ranked European country in Global Firepower’s European table, followed by the UK, Italy and Germany.

Japan rises to seventh globally with a score of 0.1876, narrowly ahead of the UK at 0.1881. Türkiye ranks ninth and Italy tenth.

Brazil is the highest-ranked country in Latin America at 11th, followed globally by Germany in 12th, Indonesia in 13th, Pakistan in 14th and Israel in 15th.

Miller generates the highest Google search interest among the beer brands compared in 30 US states, giving it a much wider geographic lead than Coors, Bud Light and Budweiser, according to an analysis of Google Trends data.

The map shows Miller leading across much of the West, Midwest and parts of the South and Northeast, including Washington, Oregon, Montana, Kansas, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Massachusetts . A published analysis of the same data confirms Miller as the leading brand in 30 states.

Coors ranks second, leading in eight states, including California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas , Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. Colorado is the only state where Blue Moon comes first in the analysis.

The results become more mixed further east. Bud Light leads in Ohio and North Carolina, while Budweiser tops Missouri and New Hampshire. Heineken comes first in New York and Florida. Guinness leads in Georgia and South Carolina, while Busch tops Illinois and Indiana.

There is an important distinction behind the headline. The map is based on Google Trends search interest, not beer sales, surveys of drinkers or consumption figures.

Google says Trends uses a sample of searches and adjusts the results according to the total number of searches in each place and time period. Its figures therefore show relative search interest, rather than the actual number of searches or purchases.

So saying Miller is the most popular beer in 30 states goes further than the underlying data supports. A more accurate description is that Miller had the highest Google search interest among the beer brands included in the comparison in 30 states.

That distinction matters because people can search for a beer without buying or drinking it, while many purchases never involve a Google search.

Even with that limitation, the map reveals a striking regional pattern. Miller leads in well over half of the states, while no other brand comes close to matching its geographic reach in this particular Google Trends comparison.

Coors has a noticeable western and south-western presence, while several other brands lead only in small clusters of states.

Google also warns that Trends values are normalised rather than absolute. A beer leading searches in one state does not necessarily mean that state generated more searches for it than another state. The result simply shows which of the compared brands had the strongest relative search interest there.

More than 700 legally dead people are being kept at extremely low temperatures by cryonics organisations around the world, in the hope that future technology might one day be able to repair their bodies and restore them to life.

The United States is by far the largest centre for cryonics. The graphic estimates 566 people are stored there, mainly through two organisations, the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona and the Cryonics Institute in Michigan.

That figure is broadly consistent with current information, although exact totals change as new patients are added. Alcor currently reports 263 cryopreserved patients, while a 2025 comparison published by Alcor listed the Cryonics Institute with 270 patients. Together, those two organisations alone account for more than 530 people .

Russia is another major centre. KrioRus, founded in 2005 and describing itself as the first cryonics company in Eurasia, says it has cryopreserved 108 people.

Its patient list shows that the total reached 108 in July 2026. The patients are not all Russian. KrioRus says 31 are foreign citizens, including people from Ukraine, Italy, Belarus, France, Japan, South Korea, India and several other countries.

Smaller cryonics operations also exist in Europe, China and Australia. The graphic estimates 33 cryopreserved people in China, 26 in Switzerland and seven people in Australia , alongside 11 preserved brains.

However, these figures are harder to verify independently because organisations publish their statistics differently and some do not maintain regularly updated public patient totals. That makes the graphic's global total of 740 people a reasonable estimate rather than a precise worldwide count.

Cryonics begins after a person has been legally declared dead. Organisations cool the body and use cryoprotective chemicals designed to reduce damage caused by ice formation before storing the patient at extremely low temperatures.

Alcor describes its purpose as preserving people after legal death in the hope that future medical advances might eventually make restoration possible.

There is an important limit to that idea. No human being cryopreserved after legal death has ever been revived, and there is currently no proven technology capable of restoring a cryonics patient to life.

This makes cryonics fundamentally different from established medical cryopreservation, which is routinely used for smaller biological materials such as sperm, eggs and embryos.

The practice remains extremely small globally, but patient numbers are growing. Alcor, founded in 1972, now has more than 1,500 living members signed up and 263 patients already in storage.

KrioRus says it has around 600 contracts for future cryopreservation, while its stored patient count has risen to 108.

The figures show that cryonics remains concentrated in only a handful of countries, with the United States accounting for most known patients.

Spain has undergone a major demographic shift over the past three decades, with roughly one in five residents now born outside the country, compared with only a small fraction in the mid-1990s.

Spain had 49.57 million residents on January 1, 2026, according to provisional data from the National Statistics Institute (INE). Of those, 10 million were born abroad, crossing the 10-million mark for the first time. That leaves about 39.57 million people born in Spain, or roughly 79.8% of the population.

The graphic puts the Spain-born share at 97.31% in 1996 and 79.33% in 2026. The 2026 figure is close to the official INE data, although the latest January figures imply a share of about 79.8%, rather than exactly 79.33%. Differences can result from the reference date or dataset used.

Spain was overwhelmingly a country of Spanish-born residents in the mid-1990s. Since then, large-scale immigration from Latin America , other parts of Europe, Africa and elsewhere has changed the country's population.

The shift has continued in 2026. By July 1, Spain's population had risen further to 49.80 million, while the number of foreign-born residents reached 10.29 million. That means around 20.7% of Spain's residents were born abroad, leaving roughly 79.3% born in Spain.

That July figure is important because it means the graphic's 79.33% national figure is broadly accurate for mid-2026, rather than for January 1.

INE also makes an important distinction between foreign-born residents and foreign nationals. Spain had 10.29 million foreign-born residents in July, but only 7.44 million residents with foreign nationality. Many people born abroad have acquired Spanish citizenship.

The map shows some of the lowest Spain-born shares in the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Madrid and parts of the Mediterranean coast, while several inland and western regions remain much more heavily Spain-born.

This reflects decades of immigration concentrating around large cities, tourism centres, agricultural areas and regions with strong labour demand. The geographical difference is now large enough that the demographic profile of Madrid or the Balearic Islands looks very different from that of Extremadura.

Spain's overall population is still growing despite fewer Spain-born residents. INE said the country's recent population increase came from growth in the foreign-born population, while the number of residents born in Spain declined.

By July 2026, Spain had 444,205 more residents than a year earlier, an annual increase of about 0.9%.

Iceland has more renewable freshwater available per person than any other country in the latest comparable World Bank dataset, highlighting a huge gap in natural water resources between countries.

Data from the World Bank , sourced from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's AQUASTAT database, puts Iceland at 445,023 cubic metres of renewable internal freshwater resources per person in 2022. Guyana follows with 293,317 cubic metres, while Suriname has about 158,867 cubic metres.

Bhutan is next with about 99,883 cubic metres per person, followed by Papua New Guinea at 78,505, Canada at 73,170, Norway at 70,000 and Gabon at 67,469. New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, Peru, Chile and Colombia also have particularly high levels.

The numbers measure renewable internal freshwater resources, meaning water generated within a country's borders from rainfall that feeds rivers, lakes and groundwater. FAO defines the measure as the long-term average annual flow of rivers and recharge of aquifers generated from precipitation within the country.

Among the large economies highlighted in the graphic, Russia has 29,895 cubic metres per person, followed by Brazil at 26,918 and Australia at 18,909.

The United States has about 8,437 cubic metres per person, while Indonesia has 7,240. The figure falls to 3,437 in Japan, 3,180 in Mexico, 3,093 in Italy and 2,933 in France.

At the lower end, the UK has about 2,144 cubic metres per person, China 1,992 and Germany 1,286. India has just 1,014 cubic metres per person, according to the World Bank data shown for 2022.

That means Iceland has roughly 439 times more renewable internal freshwater per person than India, based on these figures.

Canada stands out because it combines a large economy and population with exceptionally high freshwater resources, recording more than 73,000 cubic metres per person.

The figures need an important qualification. A high number does not mean every cubic metre is available for households, farms or industry.

FAO says renewable water-resource figures describe natural water flows, not the amount that can actually be captured and used. Geography, infrastructure , seasonal changes, environmental requirements and economic constraints can all limit access.

The indicator also changes as populations grow. FAO reported in December 2025 that renewable water availability per person globally had fallen by another 7% over the previous decade, increasing pressure on freshwater supplies in already water-scarce regions.

Asia accounts for the largest share of the world economy , but the exact percentage depends heavily on how countries are grouped and whether GDP is measured at market exchange rates or purchasing power parity.

The graphic puts Asia at 37% of global GDP, followed by North America at 30% and Europe at 24%. South America is shown at 4%, Africa at 3%, and Oceania at 2%.

Those figures are broadly plausible for nominal GDP, but they should not be treated as exact without a year and source. The IMF's latest World Economic Outlook database, released in April 2026, provides GDP at current US-dollar prices for individual economies and regional groups, but it does not publish this exact six-continent breakdown.

The broad picture is clear. Asia contains several of the world's largest economies, including China, Japan, India and South Korea, while North America's total is heavily driven by the United States. Europe remains another major economic centre, with Germany, the UK, France and Italy among its biggest economies.

World Bank figures also show how concentrated global output remains. The world produced about $111 trillion in nominal GDP in 2024, with East Asia and the Pacific alone accounting for roughly $32 trillion. Europe and Central Asia produced about $29.3 trillion, although these World Bank regions do not correspond exactly with geographical continents.

Africa's share remains much smaller despite being home to about a fifth of the world's population. Sub-Saharan Africa produced around $2 trillion in nominal GDP in 2024, according to World Bank data.

The ranking can change substantially when GDP is adjusted for purchasing power parity, which accounts for differences in local prices. The IMF estimates that emerging and developing economies collectively account for a majority of world GDP under the PPP measure, giving greater economic weight to countries such as China and India.

Nearly half of the world's population now lives in cities, and that share is expected to keep rising as population growth becomes increasingly concentrated in urban areas, according to the United Nations' World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 .

The UN estimates that 45% of the world's 8.2 billion people lived in cities in 2025, more than double the 20% recorded in 1950. Another large share lives in towns and semi-dense areas, leaving a shrinking proportion of the global population in rural areas.

The shift has been dramatic. In 1950, most people lived outside cities. Since then, the number of city residents has grown from roughly 500 million to about 3.7 billion as the global population expanded and settlements became larger and denser.

The UN expects the trend to continue. Two-thirds of global population growth between 2025 and 2050 is projected to occur in cities, while most of the remaining growth will take place in towns. Rural areas will account for an increasingly small share of the world's population.

The 2025 report uses a standardised system called the Degree of Urbanisation, which divides settlements into cities, towns and semi-dense areas, and rural areas. It uses population size, density, neighbouring settlements and satellite-based population data, making comparisons between countries more consistent.

There is one important problem with the graphic. The UN's World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 only provides projections to 2050, not 2100. The image's figures after 2050 therefore cannot be attributed directly to the UN's 2025 report. The UN dataset covers estimates from 1950 to 2025 and projections through 2050.

So while the graphic correctly captures the long-term move towards cities, its 2055–2100 projections need a different source if they are to be presented as verified figures.

Java is the world's most populous island, packing more than 150 million people into a land area that makes up only a small fraction of Indonesia.

Indonesia's 2020 census counted 151.6 million people on Java, equal to 56.1% of the country's population , even though the island accounts for only about 7% of Indonesia's territory.

More recent estimates put Java's population at roughly 157 million in 2024, making the graphic's figure of 156.4 million broadly reasonable, depending on the year and whether nearby islands such as Madura are included.

That population would make Java larger than the vast majority of the world's countries. Only a small group, including India, China, the United States , Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria and Brazil, have national populations clearly above Java's current level. UN estimates put India at about 1.44 billion people in 2024, while Indonesia had about 282 million.

The concentration is particularly striking because Java is only about 132,600 square kilometres in area. The island includes Jakarta as well as major cities such as Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang and Yogyakarta.

Java's dominance within Indonesia has slowly declined. Its share of the country's population fell from 59.1% in 2000 to 57.5% in 2010 and 56.1% in 2020, according to Indonesian government figures, as population growth and migration increased the share living on other islands.

The map's main message is therefore accurate, although the exact comparison changes as populations grow or shrink. Java remains the most populous island on Earth, with more residents than most entire countries.

Canada has the largest glaciated area in the world when the vast Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are excluded, according to data from the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS).

The figures shown in the graphic put Canada first with 159,708 square kilometres of glaciers. WGMS confirms the same total for Canada, with glaciers concentrated mainly in the Canadian High Arctic and the western mountain ranges.

Greenland ranks second with 145,551 sq km and Antarctica third with 132,867 sq km, but there is an important qualification. Those figures exclude their main ice sheets. Greenland’s ice sheet alone covers roughly 1.7 million sq km, while the Antarctic ice sheet covers almost 14 million sq km. The ranking therefore compares glaciers and peripheral ice rather than the total amount of ice in each territory.

China comes fourth on the graphic with 64,679 sq km, followed by the United States with 62,896 sq km and Russia with 53,873 sq km. Chile, Pakistan, India and Iceland complete the top 10.

Pakistan and India stand out because much of their glacier ice is concentrated in the high mountains of Asia. Pakistan is shown with 15,917 sq km, slightly ahead of India's 15,417 sq km.

WGMS cautions that national glacier-area totals should not be treated as perfectly precise or directly contemporary measurements. Its inventories combine surveys from different periods and with varying levels of accuracy, and glaciers are continually changing.

That change is increasingly important. WGMS measurements show widespread glacier loss across regions including Alaska, Arctic Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Central Europe, Central Asia and the Southern Andes.

Former Libyan leader, the late Muammar Gaddafi, proposed breaking up Switzerland and dividing its territory between Germany, France and Italy in 2009, during a bitter diplomatic dispute between Libya and Switzerland.

Gaddafi first raised the idea during the G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, in July 2009, rather than during his separate state visit to Italy in June. He argued that Switzerland's German-speaking areas should become part of Germany, French-speaking areas should go to France and Italian-speaking areas should join Italy.

Libya later tried to put the proposal before the United Nations General Assembly. A UN spokesman said the request was rejected because it went against the principles of the UN Charter, which protects the sovereignty and existence of member states. The proposal was never placed on the General Assembly's agenda.

The extraordinary proposal came as relations between Libya and Switzerland were deteriorating. The dispute began after Gaddafi's son Hannibal Gaddafi and his wife were briefly detained in Geneva in July 2008 following allegations that they had mistreated two domestic employees.

Libya responded with measures against Swiss interests, while two Swiss businessmen were prevented from leaving Libya for more than a year, deepening the diplomatic crisis.

The map broadly represents Gaddafi's idea, but it should not be read as an official or detailed territorial plan.

His proposal was based broadly on Switzerland's German, French and Italian-speaking regions, and there was no internationally accepted partition map. Switzerland remained fully sovereign, and the proposal went nowhere at the UN.

The Amazon rainforest stretches across eight South American countries and French Guiana, making it the world's largest tropical rainforest and one of the planet's most important ecosystems.

The Amazon biome covers about 6.7 million square kilometres , according to WWF. It extends across Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname, as well as French Guiana, an overseas territory of France.

Brazil contains by far the largest share. WWF estimates that roughly three-fifths of the Amazon biome is in Brazil, followed by Peru, Colombia, Venezuela , Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador and French Guiana by area.

The attached graphic gives Brazil a 64% share and Peru a 10% share, but these figures should be treated with caution. Different sources use different boundaries for the Amazon rainforest, Amazon biome, and Amazon basin, resulting in different percentages. WWF sources commonly put Brazil's share at around 60%.

The Amazon also holds extraordinary biodiversity. WWF says the region contains about 10% of Earth's known species, while its vast river system plays an important role in freshwater flows and climate regulation.

The forest crosses national borders, making its protection an international issue. Eight Amazon countries are members of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty, signed in 1978 to promote cooperation across the region. French Guiana is part of France and is not one of the treaty's eight member states.

The Amazon faces continuing pressure from farming, cattle ranching, logging, mining, infrastructure development and climate change . WWF says protecting the forest requires cooperation across the countries that share it rather than action by any single government.

The Americas can be divided in several ways , depending on whether the focus is geography, language or culture. Terms such as North America, Latin America and Hispanic America often overlap, but they do not mean the same thing.

The map captures many of these differences, although some of its boundaries and population figures depend on which definition is being used.

Geographically, North America includes Canada, the United States , Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The United Nations divides North America into Northern America, Central America and the Caribbean.

One point that often confuses people is Mexico. The UN places Mexico in Central America for statistical purposes, but Central America itself forms part of the wider North American region.

South America includes countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Venezuela.

Latin America is not simply another name for South America. It generally covers parts of the Americas where Spanish, Portuguese and, under some definitions, French-derived cultures and languages predominate.

That means Mexico is both North American and Latin American, while Brazil is both South American and Latin American.

The UN uses the statistical grouping Latin America and the Caribbean, covering Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Hispanic America refers mainly to the Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas. It therefore includes Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and many other countries, but excludes Portuguese-speaking Brazil.

Ibero-America is broader, generally bringing together Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in the Americas . Anglo-America usually refers mainly to English-speaking Canada and the United States.

These labels show why one country can belong to several regions at once. Mexico can be North American, Latin American, Hispanic American and Ibero-American, depending on the context.

The map should therefore be read as a guide rather than a single official division of the Americas. Regional definitions vary, particularly when they are based on language, culture or history rather than physical geography.

Chile comes closest among the South American countries in the infographic to reaching the income level that Remitly associates with greater life satisfaction.

Chile’s average annual wage is shown at $13,300, compared with an estimated “price of happiness” of $21,800. That means the average wage reaches 60.9% of the estimated level, the highest share among the countries shown.

Uruguay follows at 43.9%, with an average wage of $15,200 against an estimated threshold of $34,600. Brazil stands at 36.4%, with $7,600 in average wages compared with $20,900.

Bolivia and Argentina are both at 36.1%, followed by Colombia at 34.7%, Paraguay at 33.7% and Ecuador at 32.9%.

Remitly’s 2026 analysis covers 123 countries and is based on earlier Purdue University research into “income satiation”, the point at which additional income stops being associated with meaningful gains in life satisfaction.

Remitly adjusted the figures for local purchasing power and inflation and compared them with average wage data from the International Labour Organisation.

The figures should not be read as the salary someone literally needs to be happy. The original Purdue research, based on more than 1.7 million people worldwide, found that income and wellbeing are related but that the point where benefits level off varies considerably between regions.

Remitly says its figures were correct as of March 2026, making the infographic broadly consistent with its published methodology.

China has the world’s largest agricultural production value , with India and the United States ranking second and third, according to the infographic based on 2024 data.

The graphic puts China at about $1.9 trillion, followed by India at $573 billion and the United States at $451 billion. Brazil ranks fourth at $204 billion, followed by Indonesia at $145 billion.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s FAOSTAT database measures agricultural production value at the farm gate, combining the amount produced with the prices farmers receive. It is different from agricultural GDP, exports or farmers’ profits.

According to the graphic, China accounts for 35.6% of the $5.2 trillion global total, compared with 10.9% for India and 8.6% for the United States. Together, the three countries represent about 55% of the total shown.

Türkiye follows the top five at $92 billion, with Russia at $87 billion, Japan at $86 billion, France at $82 billion and Mexico at $77 billion.

Pakistan is shown at $75 billion, Spain at $64 billion, Germany at $60 billion and Canada at $58 billion. Italy, Vietnam and Australia each stand at about $56 billion.

China and India’s positions underline Asia’s importance to world agriculture. Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea also feature in the ranking.

FAO figures show that global agricultural output remained enormous in 2024, including 3.1 billion tonnes of cereals, 374 million tonnes of meat and 985 million tonnes of milk.

The ranking does not show which countries export the most food or make the most profit from agriculture. It measures the gross value of agricultural goods produced at farm-gate prices.

The map shows Ukrainian, Turkish, Romanian and Syrian citizens as the largest non-German nationality in different German states in 2024. Importantly, the figures refer to citizenship, not ethnic background or country of birth.

The map shows Ukrainian citizens as the largest foreign nationality in many northern and eastern states, including Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, as well as Lower Saxony.

Germany had about 1.33 million Ukrainian citizens at the end of 2024, up sharply from around 155,000 in 2021. The increase largely followed the arrival of people fleeing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Turkish citizens were still the largest foreign-national group in Germany overall in 2024, numbering about 1.54 million. The map shows them leading in several western states.

Germany’s large Turkish population has roots in decades of migration, particularly the recruitment of Turkish workers by West Germany beginning in the 1960s.

The citizenship figures do not include all people of Turkish background because many now hold German citizenship.

The map identifies Romanian citizens as the largest foreign nationality in Bavaria.

Across Germany, about 910,000 Romanian citizens were registered at the end of 2024. That made Romanians one of the country’s largest groups of EU citizens.

Germany’s Central Register of Foreigners recorded about 14.06 million foreign citizens at the end of 2024. The largest groups included around 1.54 million Turkish, 1.33 million Ukrainian and 910,000 Romanian citizens.

The figure had risen from about 10.92 million in 2018, showing how quickly Germany’s foreign population has grown in recent years.

The map therefore highlights two major migration stories. Turkish communities reflect decades of migration to Germany, while the rapid rise in Ukrainian citizens is largely a result of displacement following Russia’s invasion.

Equatorial Guinea officially moved its capital from Malabo to Ciudad de la Paz in January 2026. The new capital is on the mainland, while Malabo is located on Bioko Island.

Indonesia is still developing Nusantara in East Kalimantan. The government is targeting 2028 for the city to function as the country's political capital, meaning Jakarta has not yet been fully replaced.

In Egypt , many government operations have already moved to the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo. More than 100 government agencies, including 30 ministries, had relocated there by 2023.

Uzbekistan is building New Tashkent, where dozens of government buildings are planned. However, it is an administrative expansion rather than a confirmed replacement for Tashkent as the national capital.

Malaysia and South Korea have taken a different approach. Kuala Lumpur remains Malaysia's official capital, while Putrajaya serves as the federal administrative centre. Seoul remains South Korea's capital, although many ministries operate from Sejong.

Several countries have successfully relocated capitals in previous decades. Brazil moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília in 1960, Nigeria from Lagos to Abuja in 1991, and Kazakhstan from Almaty to Astana in 1997. Tanzania designated Dodoma as its capital in 1974, while Côte d'Ivoire designated Yamoussoukro in 1983.

Plans involving South Sudan, Iran and Thailand are less certain. South Sudan has considered Ramciel as a future capital, Iran has discussed shifting government activity away from Tehran, and Thailand has debated Bangkok's long-term climate risks. None represents a completed capital relocation.

One point in the infographic also needs correction. Myanmar did not move its capital to Naypyidaw in 2025. The government began relocating ministries from Yangon in 2005, with Naypyidaw becoming the country's capital soon afterwards.

The distinction matters. Moving ministries or building a new administrative city does not necessarily mean a country has officially changed its capital.

Artificial intelligence now produces about half of newly published online articles, according to a study by digital growth company Graphite, showing how quickly AI has become part of web publishing.

Graphite found that 49.9% of articles published in the first quarter of 2026 were primarily AI-generated, while 50.1% were primarily human-written.

The study analysed 55,400 English-language articles collected through Common Crawl. The articles were published between January 2020 and March 2026, contained at least 100 words and were identified as articles or listicles.

Before ChatGPT was released in November 2022, Graphite found that almost all articles in its sample were classified as human-written.

That changed rapidly after the chatbot became widely available. Within 12 months of ChatGPT’s launch, 35.9% of published articles were primarily AI-generated. After two years, the figure had risen to about 48%.

By the first quarter of 2025, AI-generated articles accounted for 49.6% of publishing, compared with 50.4% for human-written articles.

AI briefly moved ahead in the fourth quarter of 2025, reaching 50.9%, before falling slightly to 49.9% in the first quarter of 2026.

Despite the rapid rise, Graphite found that AI-generated publishing has stopped gaining significant ground.

The share has remained close to 50% for five consecutive quarters, suggesting that the sharp increase seen after ChatGPT’s launch has levelled off.

Graphite suggested that weaker performance in online search could be one reason for the slowdown, but it did not establish this as the cause.

A separate Graphite study found that human-written articles still dominate Google results. About 86% of articles appearing in Google Search were classified as human-written, compared with 14% generated by AI. Only 7% of articles ranking first on Google were classified as AI-generated.

Human-written articles also represented 82% of articles cited by ChatGPT and Perplexity, compared with 18% for AI-generated articles in Graphite’s study.

Graphite used three AI-detection tools — Pangram, Copyleaks and GPTZero — to classify the articles. It calculated quarterly estimates from each detector and averaged the results.

The company reported false-positive and average false-negative rates below 2% in its tests. However, Graphite also acknowledged important limits to the research, including the difficulty of identifying articles initially generated by AI but later heavily rewritten by humans.

The findings therefore do not mean that exactly half of everything published on the internet is written entirely by AI. They show that, within Graphite’s sample and methodology, roughly half of newly published English-language articles were classified as primarily AI-generated.

The year 2010 had more earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher than any other year in recent USGS records, although the exact total depends on the catalogue version and counting method.

The infographic lists 24 magnitude 7-plus earthquakes in 2010. The current USGS historical list contains 24 entries for that year, but a separate USGS summary says 2010 had 23 major earthquakes. Because of that difference, 2010 is clearly the highest year, but the figure should be presented with a note that USGS sources differ by one event.

The strongest earthquake of 2010 was the magnitude 8.8 Maule earthquake in Chile on Feb. 27. USGS says the rupture stretched nearly 500 km along the Chilean coast.

The infographic places 2011, 1995 and 1968 next, each with 20 magnitude 7-plus earthquakes.

The biggest event among the years shown occurred in Japan in 2011. The magnitude 9.1 Tohoku earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Honshu on March 11 and triggered a devastating tsunami.

USGS records at least 15,703 deaths, with thousands more people missing or injured following the earthquake and tsunami.

The graphic lists 2023, 2021, 2015 and 2013 with 19 magnitude 7-plus earthquakes each. It also shows 1957 with 19, while 2007, 1999 and 1990 each recorded 18.

These figures show that the number of major earthquakes can change considerably from year to year.

They do not mean earthquakes are becoming more common. USGS says temporary increases and decreases are normal. Long-term records indicate that the world typically experiences about 16 major earthquakes each year, including roughly 15 in the magnitude 7 range and one of magnitude 8 or greater.

Better monitoring has increased the number of smaller earthquakes detected worldwide, but USGS says this should not be mistaken for evidence that natural earthquake activity is increasing.

Lions once lived across large parts of Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Today, they are mainly found in scattered areas of sub-Saharan Africa, with the only wild population outside Africa surviving in India.

The latest IUCN Cat Specialist Group assessment estimates that lions occupied about 566,675 square kilometres in 2025, equal to just 6.13% of their historic range. Their range is estimated to have fallen by 34% between 2004 and 2025.

Lions disappeared from Europe around the first century CE. They later vanished from North Africa , the Middle East and most of Asia between the 1800s and mid-1900s as hunting, habitat loss and other pressures reduced their numbers.

Africa remains the main home of wild lions, particularly eastern and southern Africa . The IUCN Cat Specialist Group estimates that Africa had around 22,000 to 25,000 adult and subadult lions in 2025.

Their populations are increasingly separated from one another as their habitat becomes fragmented. Lions are especially vulnerable in West Africa, where populations have suffered severe declines. Earlier regional assessments estimated fewer than 250 adult lions there, leading to the West African population being classified as Critically Endangered.

Across their range, lions face pressure from habitat loss, declining prey, conflict with livestock owners and other human activities. The species remains classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

Outside Africa, wild lions now survive only in Gujarat, India.

India's 2025 lion count recorded 891 Asiatic lions, up from 674 in 2020, an increase of about 32%. Their distribution has also expanded as lions move into areas beyond the Gir protected landscape.

The recovery is significant because lions once lived across a much larger part of Asia, from the Middle East through Iran and Pakistan into India. By the early 20th century, they had been reduced to the Gir region of Gujarat.

Europeans consume more milk and dairy products per person than any other major region, highlighting a wide global divide in dairy consumption, according to figures presented using data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

Europe's annual consumption stands at about 221 kg per person , compared with 183 kg in North America and 145 kg in Oceania, according to the regional figures. South America follows at 141 kg, while the global average is about 87 kg per person.

The figures are consistent with FAO's broader assessment that milk availability and consumption remain substantially higher in Europe and other developed regions. FAO classifies per-capita milk supply above 150 kg a year as high and specifically places Europe and North America in that category.

Asia records about 65 kg per person annually, less than one-third of Europe's level, while Africa has the lowest figure shown at 35 kg per person, around one-sixth of European consumption.

FAO says dairy consumption varies considerably between countries and regions because of differences in income, dietary habits, processing capacity, market demand and cultural preferences. Consumption is generally higher in developed economies, although the gap with developing countries has narrowed over time.

The disparity is particularly pronounced in parts of Asia. FAO says per-capita milk supply remains below 30 kg a year in most of East and Southeast Asia, although demand has been rising in countries including China, Indonesia and Vietnam as incomes, urbanisation and populations grow.

Despite Europe's current lead, future growth is increasingly centred on emerging economies. The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025-2034 projects rising consumption of livestock products, driven mainly by population and income growth in middle-income countries.

FAO estimates that more than six billion people worldwide consume milk and dairy products, with most living in developing countries. It also says per-capita milk consumption in developing economies has almost doubled since the early 1960s.

Europe nevertheless remains central to the global dairy industry. Beyond its high domestic consumption, the region accounts for more than 70% of global dairy-product exports, according to FAO.

A strengthening El Niño could push about 49 million additional people into acute food insecurity by the end of 2027, with Central America and parts of Africa facing some of the sharpest increases, according to the United Nations World Food Programme.

WFP analysed 45 vulnerable countries and estimated that the number of people facing acute food insecurity could rise from about 225 million to 274 million, an increase of roughly 22%.

The agency expects El Niño to peak between September and December 2026, but disruptions to rainfall, agriculture and harvests could extend its impact through 2027.

Latin America and the Caribbean could see more than 16 million additional people affected, while Central America could record an 83.1% increase in acute food insecurity, the largest proportional rise in WFP's analysis.

El Niño can disrupt normal rainfall patterns, causing drought in some areas and heavier rainfall or flooding in others, threatening crops and rural livelihoods.

Eastern and Southern Africa could add more than 18 million people facing worsening food insecurity, while West and Central Africa could add nearly 6 million.

Many communities in these regions depend heavily on rain-fed agriculture, leaving food production particularly exposed to prolonged drought or disrupted rainy seasons.

WFP estimates that 8.2 million additional people in Asia and the Pacific could face acute food insecurity as El Niño compounds existing economic, climatic and humanitarian pressures.

The agency and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation are expanding anticipatory measures, including cash assistance, drought- and flood-resistant seeds, livestock protection and improved water access.

WFP said early intervention will be critical. Its projections indicate that 274 million people across the 45 countries studied could face acute food insecurity by the end of 2027 if El Niño's expected effects materialise.

The United States has by far the world's largest concentration of data centres , accounting for roughly two-fifths of facilities tracked globally as demand for computing infrastructure accelerates alongside artificial intelligence and cloud services.

A July 2026 compilation based on Data Centre Map and GBC Engineers data puts the United States at 4,724 active data centres, or about 39% of an estimated 12,192 facilities worldwide.

The figures are broadly consistent with Data Centre Map's continuously updated database, although exact totals change as facilities are added or reclassified. Data Centre Map currently tracks more than 12,000 facilities across 179 countries.

The gap between the United States and other countries is substantial. The July compilation places the United Kingdom second with 567 data centres, followed by Germany with 533 and France with 392.

China ranks fifth with 376, followed by India with 304, Australia with 294 and Canada with 292.

Italy has 262 facilities, Japan 261, Brazil 218, Spain 217, Indonesia 204, the Netherlands 193 and Russia 188, according to the graphic.

Data Centre Map's live database shows similar figures for most of those markets, including 532 facilities in Germany, 392 in France, 303 in India, 294 in Australia, 261 in Japan, 218 in Brazil and 193 in the Netherlands.

AI Boom Drives US Expansion

The American lead is set against a rapid expansion of infrastructure needed to support AI, cloud computing and other digital services.

A Pew Research Centre analysis of Data Centre Map information found more than 3,000 operational US data centres and over 1,500 additional facilities in various stages of development earlier in 2026. About 67% of planned facilities were in rural areas, compared with just 13% of existing facilities.

The South and Midwest are expected to absorb much of that expansion. Pew found that three-quarters of planned US data centres were located in those two regions, with the South alone accounting for 48% of proposed development. Virginia, Texas and Georgia led the country for planned facilities.

Europe Holds Several Top Positions

While no individual European country approaches the US total, Europe has several of the world's largest national data-centre markets.

The UK, Germany and France occupy the next three positions in the July ranking, while Italy, Spain and the Netherlands also appear among the 15 leading countries.

GBC Engineers, a German engineering consultancy involved in data-centre projects, identifies the sector as one of its core business segments, providing structural engineering, permitting and design coordination for hyperscale developments.

A total solar eclipse swept across Spain on Wednesday evening, briefly plunging parts of the country into darkness as the Moon completely covered the Sun in the first total eclipse visible from mainland Spain in more than a century.

The August 12 eclipse crossed northern Russia , Greenland, Iceland and the Atlantic before reaching the Iberian Peninsula, according to NASA. Spain was one of the final major land areas along the path of totality.

The Moon’s shadow moved across northern and eastern Spain, with totality visible from areas including A Coruña, Oviedo, León, Bilbao, Zaragoza and Valencia, as well as parts of the Balearic Islands.

Totality occurred at around 8:28 p.m. in León, 8:29 p.m. in Zaragoza and 8:32 p.m. in Valencia, according to NASA calculations. The fully eclipsed phase generally lasted less than two minutes.

The timing made the Spanish eclipse particularly striking. The Sun was already low on the western horizon when the Moon blocked it, creating a brief period of darkness shortly before sunset.

Outside the path of totality, millions of people still witnessed a deep partial eclipse. Madrid and Barcelona experienced about 99% solar coverage, while southern Spain also saw most of the Sun obscured.

The event marked the beginning of an unusual three-year sequence of major solar eclipses over Spain.

A second total solar eclipse will cross southern Spain on August 2, 2027, followed by an annular solar eclipse on January 26, 2028, according to Spain’s National Geographic Institute.

Scientists also used Wednesday’s eclipse to study the Sun and Earth’s atmosphere. NASA-backed research included observations of the solar corona and measurements of atmospheric changes caused by the sudden loss of sunlight.

For Spain, the brief spectacle represented a rare astronomical milestone, with the Moon’s shadow crossing the country and delivering totality to parts of the Iberian Peninsula for the first time in generations.

The battle for control of the U.S. Senate is tightening ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with competitive races emerging in several states that are currently held by both Republicans and Democrats.

Republicans hold a 53–47 Senate majority, leaving Democrats needing a net gain of four seats to take control, provided they retain all the seats they currently hold.

An Aug8 polling tracker shows particularly close contests in Alaska, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio and Texas , while Democrats hold stronger polling positions in Georgia, Minnesota and North Carolina.

In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola and Republican Senator Dan Sullivan are nearly tied at 46.5% and 46.2%, respectively, according to the tracker. Nebraska is also close, with independent Dan Osborn at 45.6% against Republican Senator Pete Ricketts at 44.5%.

Republicans hold narrow polling advantages in Michigan and Iowa, while Republican Senator Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown are separated by less than one percentage point in Ohio.

Democrats lead the displayed matchups in Georgia, North Carolina and Minnesota. Texas has also emerged as a competitive contest, with Democrat James Talarico narrowly ahead of Republican Ken Paxton in the tracker.

The tracker rates seven Senate contests as toss-ups, although independent election forecasters differ over which races fall into that category.

The regular 2026 Senate cycle covers 33 Class II seats, with additional special elections increasing the number of contests on the ballot.

With Democrats needing four Republican-held seats while protecting their own vulnerable races, a widening group of states could determine which party controls the Senate after November.

Brazil’s vast state of Mato Grosso covers an area approaching that of Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s largest national park, highlighting the immense geographical scale of one of Brazil’s most environmentally significant regions.

Mato Grosso spans roughly 900,000 square kilometres, making it one of Brazil ’s largest states. World Atlas lists the state at about 906,807 sq km, while the graphic puts its area at 903,357 sq km.

By comparison, Northeast Greenland National Park covers about 972,000 sq km, according to World Atlas. That makes the Greenland park roughly 7% larger than Mato Grosso and bigger than most countries.

Mato Grosso’s scale is particularly significant because its territory stretches across some of South America ’s most important natural environments, including areas associated with the Amazon rainforest, the Cerrado and the Pantanal.

The Pantanal, which extends across parts of Mato Grosso and neighbouring Mato Grosso do Sul as well as Bolivia and Paraguay, is one of the world's largest tropical wetland systems. Mato Grosso also contains Pantanal Matogrossense National Park, an important protected section of the wetland.

The comparison illustrates just how large the Brazilian state is. At more than 900,000 sq km, Mato Grosso would cover about 93% of Northeast Greenland National Park’s area.

Northeast Greenland National Park was established in 1974 and expanded in 1988. It stretches across Greenland’s northeastern coastline and deep into its Arctic interior. Much of the park is covered by the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Despite its enormous territory, the park has no permanent civilian population. Its wildlife includes polar bears, Arctic foxes, walruses, Arctic hares and musk oxen, while seals, whales and narwhals inhabit surrounding waters.

Greenland itself covers about 2.17 million sq km, meaning the national park accounts for a substantial portion of the world's largest island.

The comparison puts Mato Grosso’s dimensions into perspective. A single Brazilian state is only about 69,000 sq km smaller than a national park so vast that it exceeds the territory of most sovereign countries.

Canada is the nearest foreign country to a vast stretch of the northern and eastern United States, while Mexico dominates much of the South and Southwest, according to a geographic map illustrating which foreign country lies closest to different parts of U.S. territory.

The map divides the United States according to straight-line proximity to foreign territory rather than political, economic or transport links. That produces some less obvious results, particularly in Florida, Alaska and the Pacific.

Canada emerges as the nearest country across much of the northern United States, extending from the Pacific Northwest through the Midwest and into the Northeast. Mexico is closest across much of California, the Southwest, Texas and sections of the southern United States.

The physical borders help explain much of that pattern. The U.S.-Mexico land boundary stretches 3,144 km , according to the International Boundary and Water Commission.

Florida is where the map becomes considerably more complex.

The Bahamas is shown as the closest foreign country to much of the Florida peninsula and parts of the southeastern U.S. The Bahamian island chain sits remarkably close to Florida. Bimini, the westernmost district of the Bahamas, is about 80 kilometres or 50 miles east of Miami, according to geographic information published by the Bahamas government.

Cuba becomes the nearest foreign territory to parts of southern Florida and the Florida Keys, according to the map.

The result means that proximity in the southeastern United States cannot be understood simply by looking at America's two land-border neighbours. Caribbean islands can be geographically closer than either Canada or Mexico.

Alaska produces perhaps the map's most striking result.

Canada remains the nearest foreign country across much of Alaska, but Russia takes that position in parts of the state's far west.

The National Park Service says mainland Alaska and mainland Russia are separated by about 55 miles, while the Russian island of Big Diomede and the American island of Little Diomede are only about 2.5 miles apart in the Bering Strait.

NOAA similarly places the distance between Russia and Alaska at their closest mainland points at around 53 miles.

That makes Russia physically closer to parts of the United States than many Americans may assume from conventional world maps.

Brazil has the world’s largest volume of renewable internal freshwater resources, with an estimated 5,661 billion cubic metres, according to World Bank data , underscoring the extraordinary concentration of naturally replenished water supplies in a relatively small group of countries.

Russia ranks second with 4,312 billion cubic metres, while Canada has 2,850 billion cubic metres. The United States follows with 2,818 billion cubic metres, narrowly ahead of China at 2,813 billion cubic metres, according to figures presented in the graphic.

The World Bank’s World Development Indicators define renewable internal freshwater resources as water generated within a country through internal river flows and groundwater replenished by rainfall. The underlying data come from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s AQUASTAT database. The World Bank series currently covers data through 2022.

Brazil’s estimated 5,661 billion cubic metres puts it about 1,349 billion cubic metres ahead of Russia, a gap equivalent to nearly half of Canada’s entire renewable internal freshwater resource base.

The country’s position is closely tied to its extensive river systems and heavy rainfall, particularly across the Amazon basin. Importantly, however, the World Bank indicator measures renewable flows generated within national borders, rather than the amount of water stored in lakes, reservoirs or underground at a particular moment.

Among the 10 countries shown in the graphic, the ranking is Brazil at 5,661 billion cubic metres, Russia at 4,312 billion, Canada at 2,850 billion, the United States at 2,818 billion and China at 2,813 billion.

Colombia follows with 2,145 billion cubic metres, ahead of Indonesia at 2,019 billion, Peru at 1,641 billion, India at 1,446 billion and Myanmar at 1,003 billion.

The difference between China and the United States is particularly small, at just 5 billion cubic metres, while Brazil has roughly twice China’s volume.

Eighty-one years after the first atomic bomb was used in warfare, the missions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain among the most consequential and contested military actions in modern history, killing tens of thousands of people immediately and exposing many more to burns, injuries and radiation.

The two attacks were carried out by U.S. Army Air Forces B-29 bombers operating from Tinian in the Mariana Islands, roughly 2,500 km south-east of Japan . The National Archives says the bombings on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 1945, devastated the two Japanese cities and contributed to the end of World War Two.

The missions broadly correspond to the routes shown in the accompanying map, although the Nagasaki operation was more complicated than a direct Tinian-to-Nagasaki flight.

On Aug. 6, Colonel Paul Tibbets piloted the Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortress assigned to the 509th Composite Group, from Tinian towards Hiroshima.

The aircraft carried Little Boy, a uranium-based atomic bomb. At about 8:15 a.m. local time, the weapon was released over Hiroshima and detonated roughly 1,600 feet above the city, according to the National WWII Museum. The museum estimates that about 80,000 people died as a result of the initial explosion, while subsequent deaths from injuries and radiation pushed the toll higher.

The Smithsonian says the Enola Gay's weapon was the first atomic bomb used in combat. Its records describe Little Boy as a highly enriched uranium weapon using a gun-type design.

The destruction was immense. Smithsonian historical records cite U.S. estimates of 60,000 to 70,000 people killed or missing and about 140,000 injured in Hiroshima, illustrating why casualty figures can differ depending on the period and methodology used.

Three days later, on August 9, another B-29, Bockscar, left Tinian under the command of Major Charles Sweeney carrying Fat Man, a plutonium implosion bomb.

One important detail is missing from simplified maps of the mission. Nagasaki was the secondary target.

Bockscar initially flew towards Kokura, a major military-industrial centre on the Japanese island of Kyushu. Smoke and haze obscured the target, however, preventing the crew from making the required visual bombing run. The aircraft eventually diverted to Nagasaki.

The bomb was dropped at about 11 a.m.

The National WWII Museum estimates that roughly 40,000 people were killed by the initial detonation, with tens of thousands more dying later from injuries and radiation exposure. The city's terrain limited some of the blast effects, but areas around ground zero were devastated.

With fuel running dangerously low after the mission, Bockscar flew to Okinawa, where it landed before eventually returning to Tinian. That explains the Okinawa leg depicted on the map.

No nuclear weapon has been used in armed conflict since the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

That distinction has made the two cities enduring symbols of the humanitarian consequences of nuclear warfare, while the decision to use the bombs continues to generate debate among historians over military necessity, alternatives available to U.S. policymakers and the factors that ultimately drove Japan to surrender.

North America consumed about 55,100 kWh of primary energy per person in 2024, more than 13 times Africa's level, highlighting a wide divide in energy use across continents, according to data compiled by  Our World in Data .

The regional comparison places North America first, followed by Oceania and Europe, while Africa records by far the lowest per-person consumption. The figures measure primary energy, rather than electricity use alone, and include energy from oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear power and modern renewables.

Our World in Data's latest dataset draws on the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2026 international energy data and the Energy Institute's Statistical Review of World Energy 2025, combined with population estimates.

North America's 55,100 kWh per-person consumption in 2024 was the highest among the continents shown.

Within the region, the disparity is even clearer at the country level. The United States consumed about 76,800 kWh per person, while Canada reached 97,780 kWh, according to Our World in Data.

The infographic places Oceania second at about 41,340 kWh per person, followed by Europe at 39,230 kWh.

Those figures mean the average North American consumed roughly 33% more energy than a person in Oceania and about 40% more than the European average.

The figures should not be interpreted as household electricity bills or direct residential consumption. Primary energy captures energy across the economy, including transport, industry, electricity generation and other uses. Our World in Data calculates the indicator using the substitution method, which adjusts nuclear and renewable electricity to make them more comparable with fossil-fuel primary energy.

Asia ranks fourth in the infographic at approximately 20,370 kWh per person, less than half North America's level.

Yet Asia's much larger population makes it the world's dominant region in absolute energy consumption. Our World in Data puts Asian primary energy use at about 97,910 terawatt-hours in 2024, compared with 33,780 TWh in North America and 29,280 TWh in Europe.

Large differences also exist within Asia.

China consumed about 34,510 kWh per person in 2024, while India used around 7,810 kWh. South Korea, by contrast, reached approximately 69,920 kWh per person, exceeding the North American regional average.

Africa sits at the opposite end of the ranking.

The infographic puts average African primary energy consumption at only 4,060 kWh per person in 2024, around 7% of North America's level.

That means the average North American used roughly as much primary energy as 13.6 people in Africa, based on the figures shown.

Africa's total primary energy consumption was about 6,140 TWh in 2024, according to Our World in Data. That remained well below other major regions despite the continent's population exceeding 1.5 billion.

Some individual African countries sit considerably below even that continental average. Guinea-Bissau, for example, recorded primary energy consumption of only about 693 kWh per person in 2024.

NVIDIA’s quarterly data-centre revenue has surged from just $57 million in early 2014 to more than $75 billion in 2026, a roughly 1,300-fold increase that shows how artificial intelligence has transformed the chipmaker from a gaming-focused company into a dominant supplier of computing infrastructure.

NVIDIA reported record Data Centre revenue of $75.2 billion for its fiscal 2027 first quarter, which ended April 26, 2026. That was up 21% from the previous quarter and 92% from a year earlier, according to the company. Total quarterly revenue reached a record $81.6 billion, up 85% year-on-year.

The figures mean the Data Centre division generated about 92% of NVIDIA’s total quarterly revenue, underscoring how dramatically the company’s business has shifted towards the infrastructure used to train and run artificial intelligence systems.

The scale of the transformation is particularly stark when compared with NVIDIA’s position 12 years ago.

Our World in Data, using NVIDIA Corporation figures, found that Data Centre and AI-related quarterly revenue rose from $57 million in February-April 2014 to more than $75 billion in February-April 2026, an increase of roughly 1,300 times in nominal terms.

In early 2014, the segment represented only about 5% of NVIDIA’s revenue, with gaming then its largest business. By 2026, Data Centre and AI accounted for more than 90%.

The shift accelerated markedly following the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 and the subsequent race among technology companies to build and deploy increasingly computationally intensive generative AI systems.

According to Our World in Data, NVIDIA’s Data Centre and AI revenue doubled approximately every 16 months between 2014 and 2022. Since late 2022, the doubling time has shortened to about 11 months.

The growth reflects an extraordinary increase in the computing resources being deployed for artificial intelligence.

Our World in Data estimates that the computation used to train notable AI systems has doubled roughly every six months since 2010, compared with about every 21 months before the deep-learning era.

That expansion has increased demand for the graphics processing units, or GPUs, and networking systems needed to train and operate large AI models.

NVIDIA’s latest results show the scale of that spending. Data Centre compute revenue reached a record $60.4 billion in the quarter ended April 26, while Data Centre networking generated another $14.8 billion. Compute revenue rose 77% from a year earlier, while networking revenue nearly tripled, rising 199%.

The latest quarter also represents a sharp acceleration from only a year earlier. NVIDIA reported Data Centre revenue of $39.1 billion for the comparable quarter ending April 27, 2025.

More than one in five people are already aged 65 or older in a growing group of advanced economies, concentrated heavily in Europe and East Asia, as falling birth rates and longer life expectancy accelerate a demographic shift with consequences for labour markets, pensions and healthcare systems.

According to the United Nations Population Division , people aged 65 and over now make up more than 20% of the population in several countries, with Europe dominating the list and Japan standing out in Asia.

The trend reflects what the United Nations describes as an inevitable outcome of the demographic transition. Declining fertility combined with longer life expectancy progressively increases the share of older people in national populations.

Japan remains the clearest example of the shift.

People aged 65 and over numbered 36.24 million in 2024, accounting for a record 29.3% of Japan's population, according to the country's Statistics Bureau. At the same time, children under 15 represented just 11.2%.

Japan's total population fell by 550,000 to 123.8 million in 2024, marking its 14th consecutive annual decline. Official Japanese statistics, drawing on UN comparisons, have identified Japan as having the world's highest proportion of people aged 65 and over among 200 countries and territories.

The ageing trend is already reshaping employment. Japan had 9.14 million workers aged 65 and above in 2023, accounting for 13.5% of all employed people, according to the Statistics Bureau.

Europe represents the largest geographical concentration of countries where at least one-fifth of residents are 65 or older.

The trend is not new. Eurostat reported that 20.6% of the European Union's population was already aged 65 or above in 2020, up three percentage points from 2010. Italy stood at 23.2%, while Greece and Finland were each at 22.3%, Portugal at 22.1%, Germany at 21.8% and Bulgaria at 21.6%.

More recent UN analysis confirms that the demographic shift is continuing. France and Sweden are among countries where more than 20% of residents were aged 65 or older in 2024.

The ageing of Europe and Japan is closely connected to another demographic milestone. The UN says populations in 63 countries and areas, representing 28% of the world's population in 2024, had already reached their population peak. The group includes Germany, Japan, China and Russia .

Two demographic forces are pushing populations towards older age structures.

Fertility has dropped below the roughly 2.1 births per woman required for long-term population replacement without migration in more than half of the world's 235 countries and areas, according to the UN. Meanwhile, global life expectancy recovered to 73.3 years in 2024, after falling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those trends mean ageing will extend far beyond the countries currently highlighted on the map.

By the late 2070s, the UN projects that the global population aged 65 and above will outnumber children under 18. People aged 80 and above are expected to outnumber infants under one as early as the mid-2030s.

China held an overwhelming lead in global solar power capacity at the end of 2023, with about 610 gigawatts installed, more than four times the capacity of the United States, as a record year of renewable-energy expansion strengthened Asia's position at the centre of the global solar industry.

Data published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) show global solar capacity reached about 1,419 GW at the end of 2023, after the world added a record 346 GW during the year, an increase of 32.2%. Solar accounted for nearly three-quarters of all new renewable capacity installed worldwide.

The infographic, based on IRENA's 2024 statistics, puts China at 609,921 MW, representing about 53% of the combined solar capacity of the 10 countries shown. The United States ranked second with 139,205 MW, followed by Japan with 89,077 MW, Germany with 81,739 MW and India with 73,109 MW.

The remaining five were Brazil with 37,449 MW, Australia with 32,612 MW, Spain with 31,016 MW, Italy with 29,795 MW and the Netherlands with 23,904 MW.

China's 609.9 GW total was about 470.7 GW greater than the United States', illustrating the extraordinary scale at which the world's second-largest economy had deployed solar generation.

Its installed capacity was also larger than the combined totals of the other nine countries displayed in the ranking.

China's position forms part of a broader concentration of renewable-energy growth in Asia. IRENA said 69% of all new renewable capacity installed globally in 2023 was in Asia. Solar and wind together accounted for 97.6% of worldwide net renewable additions during the year.

The United States' 139.2 GW placed it comfortably second in the ranking but left its installed base at less than one-quarter of China's.

Japan remained third at 89.1 GW, reflecting years of solar deployment following changes to the country's energy system after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Germany, Europe's largest economy, ranked fourth at 81.7 GW, making it the highest-ranked European country in the graphic.

India followed at 73.1 GW. Its position is particularly significant as New Delhi continues to expand renewable generation to meet rapidly increasing electricity demand while reducing the carbon intensity of its power system.

Record installations still fall short of 2030 target

Despite 2023's record expansion, IRENA said deployment was not yet fast enough to meet the global commitment agreed at COP28 to triple renewable power capacity by 2030.

The agency estimated that roughly 1,050 GW of renewable capacity would need to be added annually for the remainder of the decade to remain aligned with its 1.5°C pathway, more than twice the 473 GW of total renewable capacity added in 2023.

The subsequent expansion has been even faster. IRENA says global solar capacity climbed to about 1,865 GW by the end of 2024, after more than 451 GW of new solar PV was installed in a single year.

That acceleration underscores the central feature of the 2023 ranking: solar deployment has become global, but its installed capacity remains exceptionally concentrated in China.

Sicily is home to more than 5 million people , making it the most populous island in the Mediterranean, while Italy accounts for three of the region's 10 largest islands by population, according to the latest official demographic estimates.

With a population of approximately 5.01 million, Sicily ranks well ahead of Sardinia, which has about 1.65 million residents. Cyprus, an independent island nation in the eastern Mediterranean, is third with around 1.39 million inhabitants.

Spain's Mallorca follows with roughly 940,000 residents, while the Greek island of Crete ranks fifth at about 620,000. Malta, Europe's smallest EU member state, has around 480,000 people living across its main island.

The remainder of the top 10 includes Corsica in France (370,000), Euboea in Greece (190,000), Djerba in Tunisia (180,000) and Rhodes in Greece (120,000).

The Mediterranean, covering about 2.5 million square kilometres, is bordered by 22 countries across Europe, Asia and Africa. Throughout history , its islands have served as strategic centres for trade, migration and military power, linking three continents through one of the world's busiest maritime regions.

Sicily's large population reflects its size and historical role as a crossroads of Mediterranean civilisation. Covering about 25,700 square kilometres, it is the Mediterranean's largest island by area and has been shaped by successive Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman and Spanish influences. Today, Palermo and Catania remain among southern Italy's largest urban centres.

Sardinia, Italy's second-largest island, is known for its mountainous interior and scattered settlements, while Cyprus combines one of the eastern Mediterranean's largest populations with a strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East . The island has remained politically divided since 1974 between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish-controlled north.

Mallorca, Crete, Malta and Rhodes have become major tourism destinations, collectively attracting tens of millions of visitors each year. Despite their relatively modest resident populations, their seasonal populations rise sharply during the summer as international tourism peaks.

Population rankings among Mediterranean islands have remained relatively stable in recent decades, although demographic trends vary. Larger islands such as Sicily and Sardinia face ageing populations and lower birth rates, while Cyprus and Malta have recorded stronger growth, partly driven by immigration .

The figures are based on the latest estimates published by national statistical offices, Eurostat, the United Nations Population Division, and official government demographic agencies.

Air conditioning remains uncommon across much of Europe despite increasingly frequent summer heatwaves, with ownership concentrated in the continent's warmer southern countries, according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and Eurostat.

The map highlights wide differences in household air conditioning ownership across Europe, reflecting long-term variations in climate, income, housing design and energy demand.

Greece has the highest rate among European countries, with 99% of households equipped with air conditioning. It is followed by Italy (55%), Spain (55%), Türkiye (35%), Portugal (35%) and Bulgaria (30%). France records 25%, while Romania has 26%. Several Balkan countries range between 25% and 35%.

Ownership is considerably lower across much of northern and western Europe. Germany records 19%, the Netherlands 22%, Belgium 22%, the United Kingdom 5%, Finland 4%, Norway 3%, Sweden 3%, Denmark 3%, Estonia 3%, Latvia 3%, Lithuania 3%, Ireland 2% and Iceland just 1%.

The International Energy Agency says Europe has historically had lower demand for residential cooling than many parts of Asia, the Middle East and North America because much of the continent has traditionally experienced milder summers. Instead, homes have generally been designed to retain heat during winter rather than dissipate it during hot weather.

However, climate change is increasing demand for cooling. The Copernicus Climate Change Service says Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with heatwaves becoming more frequent, longer-lasting and more intense. Southern Europe has experienced repeated summers with temperatures exceeding 40°C, while countries farther north have also recorded unprecedented heat extremes.

The IEA estimates that air conditioner ownership is strongly influenced by average summer temperatures, household income and electricity access. Countries with hotter climates and higher disposable incomes typically have higher adoption rates, although energy costs and building regulations also affect installation.

The European Commission has encouraged member states to improve building insulation, passive cooling techniques, tree cover and energy-efficient construction to reduce dependence on mechanical cooling while adapting to rising temperatures.

Energy experts note that although air conditioning protects public health during extreme heat, rapid growth in cooling demand can place significant pressure on electricity grids during summer peak periods unless accompanied by greater energy efficiency and renewable generation.

Dhaka is projected to become the world's largest urban agglomeration by 2050, surpassing Jakarta with an estimated population of 52.1 million, according to the United Nations' World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 .

The UN projects Bangladesh's capital will grow from 36.6 million people in 2025 to 52.1 million by 2050, an increase of 42.3%. Jakarta, currently the world's largest urban agglomeration, is forecast to expand from 41.9 million to 51.8 million, representing 23.6% growth over the same period.

The projections define an urban agglomeration as the contiguous built-up area or densely populated settlement surrounding a city, regardless of administrative boundaries. This often includes central cities, suburbs and neighbouring municipalities that function as a single urban area.

India's New Delhi is expected to remain among the world's fastest-growing megacities, increasing from 30.2 million to 33.9 million residents by 2050, while Shanghai is projected to grow from 29.6 million to 34.9 million. Guangzhou is forecast to record more modest growth, rising from 27.6 million to 29.2 million.

Africa's largest city, Cairo (Al-Qahirah), is projected to experience one of the strongest increases among the world's biggest urban areas. Its population is expected to rise from 25.6 million in 2025 to 32.4 million by 2050, a 26.6% increase driven by continued population growth and urban expansion.

The Philippines' capital region, Manila, is forecast to grow from 24.7 million to 27.1 million, while Kolkata is expected to increase from 22.6 million to 23.8 million.

Not all megacities are expected to expand. The United Nations projects Tokyo's urban agglomeration will decline from 33.4 million people in 2025 to 30.7 million by 2050, a fall of 8.1%, reflecting Japan's ageing population, low fertility and long-term population decline.

Similarly, Seoul is forecast to shrink from 22.5 million to 21.2 million, a 5.8% decline, as South Korea continues to record some of the world's lowest birth rates.

According to the UN, nearly 70% of the global population is expected to live in urban areas by 2050, up from about 57% today. Most future urban growth will be concentrated in Asia and Africa, where cities are expanding rapidly due to population growth, rural-to-urban migration and economic development.

The UN says governments will need to invest in housing, transport, water , sanitation, healthcare and climate resilience to accommodate growing urban populations while maintaining sustainable development.

Workers in Northern and Western Europe can afford Grand Theft Auto VI after just a few hours of work, while employees in parts of Eastern Europe may need more than a full working week, highlighting the continent's wide wage disparities.

A map published by The World in Maps and Maven Mapping estimates the number of work hours required to purchase Rockstar Games' upcoming title by comparing average hourly earnings with the retail price of the game. The calculation is based on a mathematical formula using national wage data and the game's standard retail price.

The lowest work requirements are found in Northern Europe.

Denmark leads the ranking at 1.61 hours, followed by Iceland (1.70), Norway (1.77) and the Netherlands (1.61). Workers in Germany require 2.32 hours, while France needs 2.67 hours and Sweden 2.78 hours.

The figures reflect the region's high average wages and purchasing power. Eurostat data consistently show that Northern and Western European economies record some of Europe's highest earnings, supported by strong labour markets and high productivity.

The contrast becomes more pronounced further east.

The study estimates that workers in Ukraine need 31.12 hours of work to buy GTA VI, the highest figure on the map. Belarus follows with 19.9 hours, while Russia stands at 16.23 hours. Several Balkan countries also require considerably longer working times than Western Europe, including North Macedonia (25.15 hours), Albania (20.62 hours) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (18.56 hours).

These differences reflect substantial wage gaps across Europe despite increasing economic convergence in recent years.

GTA VI launch adds to industry pricing debate

The affordability comparison comes as Rockstar Games prepares to launch Grand Theft Auto VI on 19 November 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Rockstar has confirmed a standard edition price of US$79.99, ending months of speculation that the game could become the first major AAA release to exceed US$100.

Although the game's price is broadly consistent across many developed markets after currency adjustments, the number of hours required to earn that amount varies dramatically because of differences in wages, living standards and purchasing power.

The comparison illustrates that the cost of a global entertainment product can differ significantly in practical terms depending on where consumers live and work. Even with similar retail prices, purchasing power remains one of the clearest indicators of economic inequality across Europe.

One of the best-known examples is China itself . The country's official Chinese name Zhōngguó literally means "Middle Country" or " Central State." The term dates back more than 2,000 years and originally referred to the central kingdoms of ancient China before becoming the modern name of the People's Republic of China.

Japan's Chinese name, Rìběn , translates literally as "Sun Origin" or "Origin of the Sun." The name reflects Japan's position east of China, where the sun appears to rise. It gave rise to the widely known expression "Land of the Rising Sun," a description that has been associated with Japan since at least the Tang Dynasty.

South Korea is known in Chinese as Hánguó, meaning "Han Country," a reference to the ancient Samhan confederacies that existed on the Korean Peninsula rather than China's Han dynasty.

Several names preserve historical kingdoms. Mongolia (Měnggǔ) is a phonetic rendering of "Mongol," while Vietnam (Yuènán) literally means "South of Yue," reflecting the ancient Yue peoples who once inhabited parts of southern China and northern Vietnam. The name was officially adopted by Emperor Gia Long in the early 19th century.

Some country names appear unusual when translated word for word because the characters were selected mainly for their sound. For example, India (Yìndù) is a phonetic adaptation derived from the Sanskrit Sindhu through Persian and other intermediary languages. Likewise, Indonesia (Yìndùníxīyà) and Malaysia (Mǎláixīyà) are transliterations whose individual characters have little connection to the countries themselves.

Other names combine sound with meaning. Russia (Éluósī) is largely phonetic, while Thailand (Tàiguó) includes the character 泰, meaning "peaceful" or "great," combined with 国, meaning "country."

According to linguists, Chinese country names have evolved over centuries as diplomacy, trade and contact with neighbouring civilisations expanded. While many modern names were standardised during the late Qing dynasty and the early 20th century, they continue to reflect layers of history stretching back to ancient Chinese records.

China recorded the highest youth unemployment rate in East Asia and the Pacific in 2025 at 15.8%, narrowly ahead of Fiji's 15.2%, while Cambodia reported the region's lowest rate at just 0.7%.

The data, compiled by the World Bank using ILO-modeled estimates  and referenced by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), measure the share of the labour force aged 15 to 24 who are unemployed but actively seeking work.

China topped the regional rankings with 15.8%, followed by Fiji (15.2%), Samoa (13.0%) and Indonesia (13.0%). Malaysia recorded 12.0%, Mongolia 11.7%, Vanuatu 11.3%, Myanmar 9.8%, South Korea 7.6%, the Philippines 7.0%, Vietnam 6.2% and Tonga 6.0%.

Lower youth unemployment rates were recorded in Thailand (4.5%), Papua New Guinea (3.8%), Timor-Leste (3.7%), Solomon Islands (2.8%), Laos (2.4%) and Cambodia (0.7%).

Across the region, the average youth unemployment rate stood at 13.1%, meaning that roughly one in eight young people participating in the labour market was unable to find work.

The ILO defines unemployed young people as those without work, available to start employment and actively searching for a job. The estimates exclude people who are not participating in the labour force, such as students who are not seeking employment.

China's elevated youth unemployment has remained a major economic concern in recent years as slowing economic growth, a weak property sector and reduced hiring in technology, education and real estate have limited opportunities for new graduates. Chinese authorities have expanded vocational training programmes and introduced measures aimed at encouraging private-sector hiring, while continuing to promote entrepreneurship among young people.

In several Pacific island economies, including Fiji and Samoa, youth unemployment remains relatively high despite recovering tourism. Economists have linked the figures to limited formal employment opportunities, dependence on seasonal industries and the migration of skilled workers overseas.

By contrast, countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Thailand report much lower unemployment rates among young people. The World Bank and ILO caution, however, that low unemployment does not necessarily indicate strong labour markets. In many lower-income economies, young people often enter informal or low-paid work out of necessity rather than remaining unemployed while searching for formal jobs.

The Asian Development Bank has warned that improving the quality of education, strengthening technical and vocational training, and expanding access to higher-productivity jobs will be essential as East Asia and the Pacific continues to face demographic change, technological disruption, and evolving labour market demands.

More than 99% of people in several countries hold at least one gender bias against women, according to the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) 2023 , highlighting the persistence of discriminatory attitudes despite decades of progress in education, employment and political participation.

The GSNI measures the share of people expressing at least one bias against women using responses from the World Values Survey. It examines attitudes across four areas—political leadership, education, economic participation and physical integrity—to assess how social norms shape gender equality.

Tajikistan recorded the highest level of gender bias, with 99.92% of respondents holding at least one biased view about women. It was followed by Pakistan (99.89%), Qatar (99.81%), Libya (99.72%) and Indonesia (99.65%).

The remaining countries in the top 15 were Nigeria (99.58%), Malaysia (99.54%), Egypt (99.52%), the Philippines (99.50%), Myanmar (99.42%), Bangladesh (99.37%), India (99.22%), Rwanda (99.15%), Iraq (98.98%) and Ghana (98.97%).

According to the UNDP, a person is classified as holding a gender bias if they agree with at least one statement suggesting that men make better political leaders, deserve jobs more than women when employment is scarce, make better business executives, or are more entitled to university education than women. The index also includes attitudes related to women's reproductive rights and the acceptability of intimate partner violence.

The report found that nearly nine in ten people globally still hold at least one bias against women, while almost half of respondents believe men make better political leaders than women. Around 40% think men are better business executives, and more than a quarter believe it is justifiable for a man to beat his wife under certain circumstances.

UNDP says these deeply rooted social norms continue to slow progress toward gender equality, even in countries where women have gained greater access to education and employment . Biases influence hiring decisions, wages, political representation and the unequal distribution of unpaid care work.

The agency notes that improvements in legal rights alone are often insufficient. Lasting change requires reforms in education, media representation, workplace policies and political institutions, alongside efforts to challenge stereotypes that limit opportunities for women and girls.

The Gender Social Norms Index draws on data from the World Values Survey, covering countries that together represent the vast majority of the world's population. UNDP uses the findings to monitor progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

More than 95% of people own their homes in Romania and Slovakia, while Germany has Europe's lowest homeownership rate at 47.2%, highlighting a sharp divide between Central and Eastern Europe and much of Western Europe, according to the latest Eurostat housing data.

Romania tops the European rankings with 95.0% of residents living in owner-occupied homes, closely followed by Slovakia (94.3%), Croatia (93.1%), Lithuania (92.6%), Hungary (91.6%) and Slovenia (91.0%).

High ownership rates also extend across Eastern Europe, including Poland (87.1%), Bulgaria (86.0%), Latvia (87.4%), Estonia (83.7%) and Czechia (74.7%).

On the contrary, renting is far more common in several Western European economies. Germany records the continent's lowest homeownership rate at 47.2%, meaning a majority of households rent their homes. Switzerland follows at 42.0%, while Austria (54.5%), Türkiye (56.9%), France (61.2%), Denmark (60.9%) and the United Kingdom (64.5%) also report comparatively lower ownership rates.

Southern Europe generally records higher levels of ownership. Spain stands at 73.7%, Portugal at 75.9%, Italy at around 75%, and Greece at 69.7%, reflecting long-standing cultural preferences for homeownership and high levels of inherited property.

According to Eurostat, the gap between East and West is rooted largely in the political and economic transformations that followed the collapse of communist governments in Central and Eastern Europe. During the 1990s, many countries sold large stocks of state-owned housing to tenants at heavily discounted prices, rapidly increasing owner occupation.

Germany followed a different path. A large, well-regulated rental market, strong tenant protections, long-term lease security and relatively stable rent controls have made renting a common and socially accepted choice. Similar conditions exist in Switzerland and Austria, where institutional landlords play a larger role in the housing market than in much of Eastern Europe.

Housing affordability, mortgage availability, demographics and taxation also influence ownership rates. In recent years, rising interest rates and higher house prices have made first-time home purchases more difficult across much of Europe, although ownership patterns remain broadly unchanged.

Eurostat notes that homeownership does not necessarily indicate greater household wealth, as housing quality, mortgage debt and property values vary significantly between countries. Nevertheless, the figures illustrate how historical housing policies continue to shape where Europeans buy and where they rent.

South Africa recorded 26,232 murders during the 2024/25 financial year, exceeding the combined total of homicides reported across dozens of countries in Europe, North America, East Asia and Oceania, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The comparison highlights the scale of South Africa's violent crime challenge. Countries shaded in blue on the accompanying map, including Canada, nearly all European countries, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and several Gulf states, collectively recorded around 22,000 homicides in the latest available official data, compared with South Africa's more than 26,000.

According to SAPS crime statistics, South Africa averaged about 72 murders every day during the 2024/25 reporting period. The country's homicide rate stood at approximately 43 murders per 100,000 people, placing it among the highest in the world outside active war zones.

Police data show that the provinces of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape consistently account for the largest share of murders. Firearms remain the most common weapon used in homicides, while many killings are linked to organised crime, gang violence, interpersonal disputes, robberies and gender-based violence.

The UNODC has repeatedly identified Southern Africa as one of the regions with the world's highest intentional homicide rates. Unlike many high-income countries, where homicide rates are typically below 2 per 100,000 people, South Africa's rate is more than twenty times higher than those recorded in countries such as Japan, Norway, Switzerland and Singapore.

Crime analysts say the comparison reflects not only population differences but also significant disparities in homicide rates. While the countries highlighted in blue collectively have populations exceeding one billion people, many have experienced decades of declining violent crime through stronger policing, judicial systems, firearm regulation and social interventions.

The South African government has identified violent crime as a national priority. Authorities have expanded specialised police units , intensified operations against illegal firearms and organised crime syndicates, and increased investment in forensic services.

However, researchers argue that reducing homicide will also require tackling poverty, unemployment, substance abuse and inequality, which are widely recognised as drivers of violent crime.