The U.S. ranks 3rd in global competitiveness
According to the World Economic Forum’s 2014-15 Global Competitiveness Report, the United States has the third most competitive economy in the world. (The U.S. ranked fifth in 2013-14.) Switzerland has the most competitive economy. Global competitiveness is “defined as the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity.”
Chart from the World Economic Forum.
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2014-15/GCR_Rankings_2014-2015.pdf
Global wheat production
If all of the world’s wheat fields were crammed together, this is how much space they’d take:
Global sunflower production
In 2013-2014, the world’s sunflower fields covered about 99,969 square miles. That’s pretty close to the total square mileage of Louisiana and Mississippi combined (100,277 square miles).
Imagine if those two states were nothing but sunflower fields…
Global maize (corn) production
Here’s something different from what I normally do. I found myself wondering recently about the amount of corn grown in the world. I found out here that in 2014-15, an estimated 175.5 million hectares of land is under corn production.
How much is that?
Well, it turns out that 175.5 million hectares is about 677,606 square miles.
This five states shaded in this map total 678,660 square miles, which is pretty close to the amount of land in the world under corn production.
What do you think? Should I post more maps like this?
The U.S. ranks 7th in wireless broadband subscriptions
According to the OECD, there are 100.7 wireless broadband subscriptions for every 100 residents of the United States. That is enough to make the United States rank seventh out of thirty-four countries ranked in that category. Finland ranks first, with 123.3 wireless broadband subscriptions for every 100 residents.
The U.S. ranks 101st in peace
According to the 2014 Global Peace Index prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the United States has a peace index score of 2.137, which makes the United States rank one hundred and first out of one hundred sixty-two countries ranked in that category. The United States is ranked between Benin and Angola. The most peaceful country in the world is Iceland, with a score of 1.189
The U.S. ranks first in incarceration
According to the Brookings Institution, in 2013 there were 710 Americans imprisoned for every 100,000 residents. This makes the United States rank first out of thirty-four OECD countries ranked in that category. The average incarceration rate among the OECD nations is 115.
The U.S. ranks 2nd for approval of drone strikes
According to the Pew Research Center, 61% of Americans “support the use of drones to target extremists in countries like Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.” That is enough to make the United States rank second out of thirty-nine countries ranked in that category. Israel ranks first, with 64% of Israelis supporting such strikes.
The U.S. ranks 60th in the cost of fast food
According to the website Numbeo, the average cost of a MacDonald’s combo meal (or the equivalent at a different fast food chain) is $6.25, which makes the United States rank sixtieth in terms of the expense of fast food out of one hundred twenty-five countries ranked in that category. The most expensive country in which to purchase a combo meal is Norway, at $15.70. The least expensive country in which to purchase a combo meal is the Philippines, at $2.89.
The U.S. ranks 13th in believing homosexuality should be accepted
According to the Pew Global Attitudes Project, sixty percent of Americans believe that society should accept homosexuality. That is enough to make the United States tied for thirteenth (with Brazil) out of thirty-nine countries ranked in that category. Spain ranks first, with 88% of Spaniards believing that homosexuality should be accepted.
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