The U.S. ranks 53rd in approval of Russian leadership

According to a 2010 survey by Gallup, 27% of American approve of the job performance of Russia’s leadership, which makes the United States tied for fifty-third with Cyprus out of one hundred four countries ranked in that category. Tajikistan ranks first, with 94% of respondents approving of the job performance of Russia’s leadership.

The U.S. ranks 6th in sunflower seed production

According to data from FAOstat, in 2009 the United States produced 1,377,130 sunflower seeds, or 5% of the world’s total production. That is enough to make the United States rank sixth in that category. Russia ranked first producing 6,454,320 sunflower seeds or 26% of the world total.

Prepared by Dan Witkowski

The U.S. ranks 4th in raspberries

According to data available from FAOstat, the United States produced 60,056 tons of raspberries in 2009. This is enough for them to rank fourth in this category. Russia ranks first with 120,000 tons in 2009.

Entry prepared by: Henry Cumoletti

The U.S. ranks 23rd in February’s chill

According to the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, the United States has a mean February temperature of -1.9 degrees celsius, which makes the United States rank twenty-third in that category. Russia ranks first, with a mean February temperature of -23.1 degrees celsius.

The U.S. ranks 18th in January’s chill

According to the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, the mean temperature in the United States in January is -4.0 degrees celsius, which makes the United States rank eighteenth in that category. Russia ranks first, with a mean January temperature of -25.2 degrees celsius.

The U.S. ranks 3rd in surface area

According to the World Bank, the United States has a surface area of 9,632,030 square kilometers, or 7.19% of the world’s total surface area. That is enough to make the United States rank third in that category. Russia ranks first, with a surface area of 17,098,240 square kilometers, or 12.76% of the world total.

The U.S. ranks 10th in students reading fiction for fun

According to the 2009 PISA results, 30.9% of American students report that they read fiction or other materials for pleasure on a regular basis. That is enough to make the United States rank tenth out of sixty-five ranked economies. Russia ranks first, with 48.4% of Russian students reporting that they enjoy reading.

The U.S. ranks 3rd in armed forces personnel

According to the World Bank, in 2008 there were 1,540,000 military members in the United States, or 5.6% of the world’s 27,469,342 armed forces personnel. That was enough to make the United States rank third out of one hundred sixty seven countries with armed forces. China ranks first, with 2,885,000 military members, or 10.5% of the world’s total.

Ten countries–China, India, the United States, Russia, North Korea, Pakistan, Egypt, Brazil, South Korea, and Turkey–account for almost one half (49.5%) of the world’s total armed forces personnel.

The U.S. ranks 2nd in distance to national capital

According to the World Bank’s World Development Report, 2009, the average geographical distance from any one point in the U.S. to the national capital of Washington, D.C. is 2595 kilometers, which makes the United States rank second in that category. Russia ranks first, with an average distance of 4322 kilometers.

The U.S. ranks 3rd in coniferous forests

According to data gathered in 1992-1993 and reported by the World Resources Institute, there are 1,179,040 square kilometers of needle-leaf coniferous forests in the United States, or 24.3% of the world’s total needle-leaf coniferous forest areas. That is enough to make the United States rank third in that category. Canada ranks first, with 1,468,180 square kilometers, or 30.2%.

Just five countries–Canada, Russia, the United States, Sweden, and Finland–account for 88.3% of all the needle-leaf coniferous forests in the world.