काफी हद तक कम हो सकते हैं भूकंप के खतरे

हैती में भूकंप से हुई जान-माल की क्षति ने प्रकृति की भयावहता को एक बार फिर प्रदर्शित किया है। भारत भी भूकंप के हिसाब से बेहद संवेदनशील राष्ट्र है। देश ने गढ़वाल और लातूर के भयानक भूकंप पिछले दशकों में देखे हैं। इसके बावजूद भूकंप के खतरों को कम करने के उपायों को लेकर देश में अपेक्षित कार्य नहीं हुआ है। आज विज्ञान की बदौलत ऐसे तकनीकें उपलब्ध हैं जो भूकंप के खतरों को न्यूनतम स्तर पर ला सकती हैं। लेकिन न तो नीतिगत स्तर पर इन पर अमल किया जा रहा है और न ही आम लोगों में इनके प्रति जागरूकता बढ़ रही है। इसलिए यह खतरा पूरे देश पर मंडरा रहा है।


भूकंप की भविष्यवाणी

भूंकप खतरा आकलन केंद्र के प्रभारी डॉ. एके शुक्ला के अनुसार अभी तक वैज्ञानिक पृथ्वी की अंदर होने वाली भूकंपीय हलचलों का पूर्वानुमान कर पाने में असमर्थ रहे हैं। इसलिए भूकंप की भविष्यवाणी करना फिलहाल संभव नहीं है। वैसे विश्व में इस विषय पर सैकड़ों शोध चल रहे हैं। भारत में ज्यादातर भूकंप टैक्टोनिक प्लेट में होने वाली हलचलों के कारण आते हैं क्योंकि भारत इसी के ऊपर बसा है। लेकिन इन हलचलों का आकलन संभव नहीं है, लेकिन शोध में वैज्ञानिकों ने पाया कि इस टैक्टोनिक प्लेट का हिस्सा आयरलैंड में सतह के करीब है। शोध चल रहे हैं और हो सकता है कि भविष्य में टैक्टोनिक प्लेट में होने वाली हलचलों का पहले ही अंदाजा लगाने में वैज्ञानिक सफल हो जाएं। लेकिन इसके बावजूद भूकंप की भविष्यवाणी से फायदा यह होगा कि लोगों की जान बच जाएगी, लेकिन भवनों और अन्य इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर को होने वाली क्षति को हम तब भी नहीं रोक पाएंगे। इसलिए दुनिया में नीतिगत स्तर पर दोनों दिशाओं में काम हो रहा है। एक पूर्व सूचना, दूसरे भवन और इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर प्रोजेक्ट ऐसे बनाए जाएं कि भूकंप से होने वाली क्षति को कम से कम किया जा सके।


पुराने भवनों को भूकंपरोधी बनाना

सालों पहले भूकंप रोधी निर्माण तकनीकें उपलब्ध नहीं थीं। तब जो भवन, पुल आदि बने थे उनमें इन तकनीकों का इस्तेमाल नहीं हो पाया था, लेकिन अब जब यह खतरा बढ़ रहा है और हमारे पास ऐसी तकनीकें हैं कि उन्हें भूकंपरोधी बनाया जाए तो इस दिशा में पहल होनी चाहिए। भू्कंप के हिसाब से संवेदनशील क्षेत्रों में इन तकनीकों को लोग अपना भी रहे हैं। गुजरात के लातूर में सरकारी एजेंसियों ने भी लोगों को यह तकनीकें मुहैया कराई हैं। पुराने भवनों को रेट्रोफिटिंग (Retrofitting) के जरिए भूकंप रोधी बनाया जा सकता है। रेट्रोफिटिंग को भारतीय मानक ब्यूरो द्वारा मान्यता प्राप्त है तथा कोई भी सिविल इंजीनियर यह तकनीक किसी भवन में लगा सकता है।


क्या है SEISMIC RETROFIT ?

(Seismic retrofitting is the modification of existing structures to make them more resistant to seismic activity, ground motion, or soil failure due to earthquakes.)

इसके तहत पुराने भवन (जो पिलर पर नहीं बने हैं) में दरवाजों और खिड़कियों के ऊपर वाले हिस्सों में जहां से छत शुरू होती है, लिंटर बैंड डाले जाते हैं। इसके तहत भवन की चारों दीवारों के कोनों को लिंटर बैंड के जरिए आपस में जोड़ दिया जाता है। फर्क यह है कि लिंटर बैंड में लोहे की नई स्टील की छड़ें इस्तेमाल होती हैं जो कहीं ज्यादा मजबूत होती हैं।

भूकंप विशेषज्ञों के अनुसार जब भूकंप आता है तो सबसे ज्यादा खतरा उन भवनों को होता है जो पिलर पर खड़ी नहीं होती हैं। भूंकप के दौरान पिलर पर खड़ी इमारत एक साथ हिलती है जबकि बिना पिलर की इमारत की चारों दीवारें स्वतंत्र रूप से अलग-अलग हिलती हैं। इसलिए भवन गिरने लगते हैं। रेट्रोफिटिंग बिना पिलर वाली इमारतों को काफी हद तक जोड़ देती है और दीवार अलग-अलग नहीं हिलती हैं। यह सौ फीसदी तो नहीं 80 फीसदी तक भूकंप के खतरे को कम कर देती हैं।


पिलर पर बनी इमारतें पूरी तरह सुरक्षित हैं ?

नहीं, पूरी तरह तो नहीं लेकिन बिना पिलर वाली इमारतों की तुलना में काफी हद तक सुरक्षित हैं। अलबत्ता पिलर वाली इमारत में यदि उसकी बुनियाद में भी भूकंपरोधी स्ट्रक्चर डाल दिया जाए तो फिर वे 90-95 फीसदी तक भूकंपरोधी हो जाती हैं। वैसे कुछ नई तकनीकें भी आजमाई जा रही हैं। न्यूजीलैंड में पुरानी इमारतों को भूकंपरोधी बनाने के लिए बेस आइसोलेसन तकनीक अपनाई जा रही हैं, इसमें भवन की बुनियाद के नीचे चारों तरफ मैटल का एक ऐसा स्ट्रक्चर खड़ा कर दिया जाता है जो भूकंप के कंपन को निचले हिस्से तक ही सीमित रखता है।


भूकंपीय जोन

भूकंप का खतरा देश में हर जगह अलग-अलग है। इस खतरे के हिसाब से देश को चार हिस्सों में बांटा गया है। जोन-2, जोन-3, जोन-4 तथा जोन पांच। इनमें सबसे कम खतरे वाला जोन 2 है तथा सबसे ज्यादा खतरे वाला जोन-5 है। नार्थ-ईस्ट के सभी राज्य, जम्मू-कश्मीर, उत्तराखंड तथा हि.प्र. के कुछ हिस्से जोन-5 में आते हैं। उत्तराखंड के कम ऊंचाई वाले हिस्सों से लेकर उ.प्र. के ज्यादातर हिस्से, दिल्ली जोन-4 में आते हैं। मध्य भारत अपेक्षाकृत कम खतरे वाले हिस्से जोन-3 में आता है जबकि दक्षिण के ज्यादातर हिस्से सीमित खतरे वाले जोन-2 में आते हैं, लेकिन यह एक मोटा वर्गीकरण है। दिल्ली में कुछ इलाके हैं जो जोन-5 की तरह खतरे वाले हो सकते हैं। इस प्रकार दक्षिण राज्यों में कई स्थान ऐसे हो सकते हैं जो जोन-4 या जोन-5 जैसे खतरे वाले हो सकते हैं। दूसरे जोन-5 में भी कुछ इलाके हो सकते हैं जहां भूकंप का खतरा बहुत कम हो और वे जोन-2 की तरह कम खतरे वाले हों। इसके लिए भूकंपीय माइक्रोजोनेशन की जरूरत होती है।


क्या है भूकंपीय माइक्रोजोनिंग?

माइक्रोजोनिक यानी सूक्ष्म वर्गीकरण करना। इसमें सतह की जमीन की संरचना की जांच की जाती है। दरअसल, जब भूकंप आता है तो मकान का भविष्य काफी हद तक जमीन की संरचना पर भी निर्भर करता है। मसलन, यदि भवन किसी नमी वाली सतह पर बना है यानी रिज क्षेत्र या किसी ऐसी मिट्टी में जो लंबे समय तक पानी को सोखती है तो उसे खतरा ज्यादा है। वहां मिट्टी लूज हो जाती है, खतरा ज्यादा है। जहां मिट्टी शुष्क या बालू वाली हो, या पत्थर की चट्टानें नीचे हों, तो उसके भूकंप के दौरान अलग-अलग प्रभाव होते हैं। माइक्रोजोनिंग में क्षेत्र में प्रति 200 से 500 मीटर की दूरी पर जमीन में ड्रिलिंग करके मिट्टी के नमूने एकत्र किए जाते हैं तथा उसकी वैज्ञानिक जांच के बाद तय किया जाता है कि वह स्थान कितना संवेदनशील हैं।


दिल्ली की माइक्रोजोनिंग की जा चुकी है तथा भूंकप के हिसाब से इसे 9 हिस्सों में विभाजित किया जा चुका है। इनमें घनी आबादी वाले यमुनापार समेत तीन जोन सर्वाधिक खतरनाक हैं। पांच जोन मध्यम खतरे वाले हैं तथा सिर्फ एक जोन ही सुरक्षित है। साइंस और टेक्नोलॉजी मंत्रलय ने माइक्रोजोनिंग का ब्यौरा शहरी विकास मंत्रलय को सौंप दिया है और सिफारिश की है कि दिल्ली में भवन निर्माण के दौरान माइक्रोजोनिंग के नतीजों के आधार पर भवनों में भूकंपरोधी तकनीक इस्तेमाल की जाए। इसी रिपोर्ट के आधार पर दिल्ली में पुराने भवनों को भी भूकंप रोधी बनाया जाए।

उधर, नेशनल डिजास्टर मैनेजमेंट अथॉरिटी (National Disaster Management Authority) ने भी अपने दिशा-निर्देशों में कहा है कि नए बनने वाले स्कूलों, अस्पतालों और सरकारी इमारतों को भूकंपरोधी बनाया जाए। इसे स्वीकार कर लिया गया है तथा नई इमारतों में इसका ध्यान रखा जा रहा है। हालांकि, निजी भवनों के लिए ऐसी कोई अनिवार्यता सरकार ने नहीं की है, लेकिन बिल्डर स्वेच्छा से अपनी इमारतों में भूकंपरोधी तकनीक अपना रहे हैं।

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TAUPO VOLCANIC FIELDS

Name = Meters = Feet

1. mount edgecumbe = 867
2. hauhungatahi = 1521 = 4990
3. kaweraw = nil
4. marao = 1156 = 3793
5. mauao = 232
6. mayor island = 338 = 1165
7. mokoia island = nil
8. mount ngauruhoe = 2291 = 7516
9. mount ngongotaha = 487
10. kahaina = 1111 = 3645
11. pinhanga = 1325 = 4347
12. reporao caldera = 592 = 1942
13. lake rotorua = 757 = 2484
14. mount ruapehu = 2797 = 9172
15. tame lakes = nil
16. mount tarawera = 1131 = 3644
17. mount tauhara =1087 = 3569
18. lake tauipo = 760 = 2493
19. mount tongariro = 1968 = 1978
20. waio tapu = 592 = 1942
21. whakani = 321 = 1053
22. whakatane = - 980 = - 3200 (submarine volcano)

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SOUTH AMERICAN PLATE VOLCANOES

Name = Shape = Meter = Last Eruption

1. aguilera = stratavolcano = 2546 = 1650 b.c
2. burney = stratavolcano = 1465 = 1910
3. fueguino = lava domes = 150 = 1820
4. lautaro = stratavolcano = 3345 = 1979
5. pali-aike = volcanic field = nil = 5550 b.c.+/- 400
6. reclus = stratavolcano = 1000 = 1908+/- 1 year

Pacific HotSpot Volcanoes :
Name = Shape = Meter

• alexander sel kirk island = volcanic island = 1329
• maoi = submarine
• bukao = submarine

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ACTIVE & EXTINCT VOLCANOES OF MEXICO

Name = Meters = Feet

1. los atlixcos = 800 = 2625
2. barcena = 332 = 1086
3. ceboruco = 7280 = 7480
4. cerro prieto = 223 = 732
5. chichinautzin = 3930 = 12,894
6. el chichon = 1060 = 3478
   
7. cofre de perote = 4282 = 14,049
8. colima = 4330 = 14,306
9. comondu la purisima = 780 = 2559
10. coronado = 440 = 1444
11. cuexcomate = 110 = 43
12. las wembres = 3940 = 12,926
13. durongo vol field = 2075 = 6808
14. la gloria v.f. = 3600 = 11,483
15. guadalype = 1100 = 3609
16. los humermos = 3150 = 10,335
17. iztaccihuati = 5286 = 17,342
18. jara guay v.f. = 960 = 3150
19. jocotitlan = 3900 = 12,795
20. jorullo = 3170 = 10,397
21. la malinche = 4461 = 14,636
22. mascota v.f. = 2540 = 8399
23. michaocon - guanjutao = 3860 = 13,660
24. naolirco v.f. = 2500 = 6562
25. nevdodee toluca = 4690 = 15,354
26. papayo = 3600 = 11,800
27. paricutia = 3170 = 10,400
28. picode orizaba = 3700 = 18,701
29. pinacate peaks = 1200 = 3937
30. popocatepeti = 1426 = 17,802
31. san brja v.f. = 1360 = 4462
32. isla san leui = 180 = 591
33. san martin tuxtla = 1650 = 5413
34. san quintin v.f. = 260 = 853
35. sanganguag = 2553 = 7677
36. serdan - oriental = 3485 = 11,434
    
37. socorro = 1050 = 3445
38. tacana = 4060 = 13,320
39. isla tortuga = 210 = 689
40. tres virgenes = 1940 = 6365
41. zitausro-valle de bravo = 3500 = 11,483

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Global Warming Special

Global Warming Causes
As said, the major cause of global warming is the emission of green house gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide etc into the atmosphere. The major source of carbon dioxide is the power plants. These power plants emit large amounts of carbon dioxide produced from burning of fossil fuels for the purpose of electricity generation. About twenty percent of carbon dioxide emitted in the atmosphere comes from burning of gasoline in the engines of the vehicles. This is true for most of the developed countries. Buildings, both commercial and residential represent a larger source of global warming pollution than cars and trucks.
Building of these structures require a lot of fuel to be burnt which emits a large amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Methane is more than 20 times as effectual as CO2 at entrapping heat in the atmosphere. Methane is obtained from resources such as rice paddies, bovine flatulence, bacteria in bogs and fossil fuel manufacture. When fields are flooded, anaerobic situation build up and the organic matter in the soil decays, releasing methane to the atmosphere. The main sources of nitrous oxide include nylon and nitric acid production, cars with catalytic converters, the use of fertilizers in agriculture and the burning of organic matter. Another cause of global warming is deforestation that is caused by cutting and burning of forests for the purpose of residence and industrialization.
Global Warming is Inspiring Scientists to Fight for Awareness
Scientists all over the world are making predictions about the ill effects of Global warming and connecting some of the events that have taken place in the pat few decades as an alarm of global warming. The effect of global warming is increasing the average temperature of the earth. A rise in earth’s temperatures can in turn root to other alterations in the ecology, including an increasing sea level and modifying the quantity and pattern of rainfall. These modifications may boost the occurrence and concentration of severe climate events, such as floods, famines, heat waves, tornados, and twisters. Other consequences may comprise of higher or lower agricultural outputs, glacier melting, lesser summer stream flows, genus extinctions and rise in the ranges of disease vectors. As an effect of global warming species like golden toad, harlequin frog of Costa Rica has already become extinct. There are number of species that have a threat of disappearing soon as an effect of global warming. As an effect of global warming various new diseases have emerged lately. These diseases are occurring frequently due to the increase in earths average temperature since the bacteria can survive better in elevated temperatures and even multiplies faster when the conditions are favorable. The global warming is extending the distribution of mosquitoes due to the increase in humidity levels and their frequent growth in warmer atmosphere. Various diseases due to ebola, hanta and machupo virus are expected due to warmer climates. The marine life is also very sensitive to the increase in temperatures. The effect of global warming will definitely be seen on some species in the water. A survey was made in which the marine life reacted significantly to the changes in water temperatures. It is expected that many species will die off or become extinct due to the increase in the temperatures of the water, whereas various other species, which prefer warmer waters, will increase tremendously. Perhaps the most disturbing changes are expected in the coral reefs that are expected to die off as an effect of global warming. The global warming is expected to cause irreversible changes in the ecosystem and the behavior of animals.
A group of scientists have recently reported on the surprisingly speedy rise in the discharge of carbon and methane release from frozen tundra in Siberia, now starting to melt because of human cause increases in earth’s temperature. The scientists tell us that the tundra is in danger of melting holds an amount of extra global warming pollution that is equivalent to the net amount that is previously in the earth's atmosphere. Likewise, earlier one more team of scientists reported that the in a single year Greenland witnessed 32 glacial earthquakes between 4.6 and 5.1 on the Richter scale. This is a disturbing sign and points that a huge destabilization that may now be in progress deep within the second biggest accretion of ice on the planet. This ice would be enough to raise sea level 20 feet worldwide if it broke up and slipped into the sea. Each day passing brings yet new proof that we are now in front of a global emergency, a climate emergency that needs instant action to piercingly decrease carbon dioxide emissions worldwide in order to turn down the earth's rising temperatures and avoid any catastrophe.
It is not easy to attach any particular events to global warming, but studies prove the fact that human activities are increasing the earth’s temperature. Even though most predictions focus on the epoch up to 2100, even if no further greenhouse gases were discharged after this date, global warming and sea level would be likely to go on to rise for more than a millennium, since carbon dioxide has a long average atmospheric life span.
You Can Help Fight Global Warming
Many efforts are being made by various nations to cut down the rate of global warming. One such effort is the Kyoto agreement that has been made between various nations to reduce the emissions of various green house gases. Also many non profit organizations are working for the cause. Al Gore was one of the foremost U.S. politicians to heave an alarm about the hazards of global warming. He has produced a significantly acclaimed documentary movie called "An Inconvenient Truth," and written a book that archives his advice that Earth is dashing toward an immensely warmer future. Al Gore, the former vice president of United States has given various speeches to raise an awareness of global warming. He has warned people about the ill effects of Global warming and its remedies.
But an interesting side of the global warming episode is that there are people who do not consider global warming as something that is creating a problem. Skeptics of global warming think that global warming is not an ecological trouble. According to the global warming skeptics, the recent enhancement in the earth's average temperature is no reason for alarm. According to them earth's coastlines and polar ice caps are not at a risk of vanishing. Global warming skeptics consider that the weather models used to establish global warming and to forecast its impacts are distorted. According to the models, if calculations are made the last few decades must have been much worse as compared to actually happened to be. Most of the global warming skeptics believe that the global warming is not actually occurring. They stress on the fact the climatic conditions vary because of volcanism, the obliquity cycle, changes in solar output, and internal variability. Also the warming can be due to the variation in cloud cover, which in turn is responsible for the temperatures on the earth. The variations are also a result of cosmic ray flux that is modulated by the solar magnetic cycles.
Global Warming Skeptics
The global warming skeptics are of the view that the global warming is a good phenomenon and should not be stopped. There are various benefits of global warming according to them. According to the skeptics, the global warming will increase humidity in tropical deserts. Also the higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere trigger plant growth. As predicted, due to the global warming the sea levels will rise. But this can be readily adapted. Another argument of global warming skeptics is that earth has been warmer than today as seen in its history. The thought is that global warming is nothing to get afraid of because it just takes us back to a more natural set of environment of the past. Animals and plants appeared to do just fine in those eras of warm climate on the earth. According to few skeptics, the present chilly climate on the earth is an abnormality when judged over the geographical scale. Over geologic time, the earth’s mean temperature is 22 degrees C, as compared to today's 15.5 degrees C.

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World Geography Facts - Water

Kidzworld's done some digging around and come up with a list of amazing water facts. Grab your pen cuz this might make your homework load a little lighter.

Deepest Spot in the Ocean

The deepest spot in the ocean is called the Mariana Trench and is approximately 35, 797 ft (10,911 m) deep in the Pacific Ocean. That's deeper than the height of the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, which is 29,035 ft (8,850 m) high.

Highest Navigable Lake

Lake Titicaca in Peru is the highest navigable lake in the world. It is about 12,500 ft (3,810 m) above sea level. This lake is also South America's second largest freshwater lake.

Lowest Lake

The lowest lake is the Dead Sea (it's considered a lake but called a sea), which is in the Jordan Valley of Israel. The surface of the water is 1,340 ft (408 m) below sea level. The Dead Sea is also the saltiest lake in the world. Almost nothing can survive in it besides simple organisms like green algae.

Largest Freshwater Lake

Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes and it's also the freshwater lake that covers the greatest surface area in the world. Lake Superior covers over 82,000 km� of land and there's enough water in the lake to fill all the other Great Lakes plus three Lake Eries.

Deepest Lake

Lake Baikal is the world's deepest lake and is located in Siberia, Russia, north of the Mongolian border. It is 5,369 ft (1,637 m) deep - more than one mile straight down.

Largest Ocean

The Pacific Ocean takes the award for being the largest ocean in the world. It covers almost a third of the Earth's surface and goes from the Bering Sea in the Arctic north to the icy waters of Antarctica's Ross Sea in the south.

Smallest Ocean

The smallest ocean is the Arctic Ocean, which is about 10 times smaller than the Pacific Ocean.

Longest River

The Nile River in Egypt is the longest river. It's 4,145 miles (6,671 km) long and flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

Shortest River

The world's shortest river, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the Roe River. It is only 200 feet (61 meters) long and flows between Giant Springs and the Missouri River near Great Falls, Montana. There has been debate, though, about which river is really the shortest. The D River in Oregon has been measured as being only 120 ft (37 m) long. It connects Devil's Lake directly to the Pacific Ocean near Lincoln City. Because the D River flows into the ocean though, it's length changes according to the tide so has been measured at several different lengths.

Largest River

The Amazon Basin in South America is the largest river with the greatest water flow. This is because it flows through the Amazon rain forest - the largest and wettest rainforest on Earth.

Highest Waterfall

Angel Falls (Salto Angel) in Canaima National Park, Venezuela is the highest waterfall in the world at 3212 ft (979 m).

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Know About UTTAR- PRADESH

• With a population of over 190 million people,it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity.
  
• Uttar Pradesh is the most populous and fifth largest state of India. Only five countries of the world, China, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil and India itself have populations larger than that of Uttar Pradesh. Kanpur is the largest city of Uttar Pradesh and as per the 2001 census six cities of Uttar Pradesh, namely, Agra, Allahabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi have population of over million.
• After independence, the state was renamed Uttar Pradesh ("northern province") by its first chief minister, Govind Ballabh Pant.
• Sucheta Kripalani served as India's first woman chief minister from October 1963 until March 1967, when a two-month long strike by state employees caused her to step down
• Uttar Pradesh is bounded by Uttarachal and Nepal in north, Madhya pradesh and Chattisgarh in south, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi in west and Bihar and Jharkhand in east. 
• Kanpur is the largest shoe-manufacturing centre in the country.
• Uttar Pradesh is home to largest number of Small Scale industrial units in the country, with 12% of over 2.3 million units.
• British pop legend Cliff Richard was born in U.P
• Adolf Hitler, the Chancellor of Germany, was so impressed by Dhyan Chand's( A Resident of UP) performance in the Berlin Olympic hockey-finals that he offered to elevate 'Lance Naik' Dhyan Chand to the rank of a Colonel if he migrated to Germany; Chand had declined the offer
• Pilibhit is known for its wood-flutes and wooden footwear (Khadaon),Flutes are exported to Europe, America and other countries
• The Britishers gave it the name of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. In 1935 the name was shortened to "United Provinces". After Independence, the States of Rampur, Banaras and Tehri-Garhwal were merged with United Provinces. The name merged with United Provinces. The name of the United Provinces was changed to Uttar Pradesh in 1950.

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India – Analysis

Quick Facts: Indian Census 2001

 Population- 1,028,737,436

Over all decadal growth 21.34%

The per cent decadal growth of population is very high 64.53 in Nagaland.

The per cent decadal growth of population is very low 9.43 in Kerala.

 Religious demography of India-

Hindus 80.5%
Muslims 13.4%
Christians 2.3%
Sikhs 1.9%
Urban-27.8% Rural-72.2%

Goa is with highest urban population [Tamilnadu took over to Goa recently]
HP with highest rural population more than 90%

Scheduled Castes: 16.2%
Scheduled Tribes: 8.2%
State with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes Punjab (28.9 %)
State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes Mizoram (0.03 %)
**Arunachal Pradesh is the only state of India where SC population is Zero
State with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Mizoram (94.5 %)
State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Goa (0.04 %)
Uttar Pradesh most populated, estimated more than Pakistan’s population-16, 61, 98, 000
Sikkim least populated among sates-5, 41, 000


India Area-32, 87, 240 sq KM 7^th in world
16.7% of world population in 2.4% of world surface area
Largest City- Mumbai

Infant Mortality Rate*
57 per 1,000
**Here infant mortality rate refers to number of infants/1000 who loose life within 1 year of their birth
Life expectancy

62 years [Highest in Japan-82 years Lowest in Zimbabwe-37] 

Sex Ratio- 933 females per 1000 males as against 927 in 1991 census

Kerala has Highest sex ratio (1058). Haryana has lowest sex ratio of 861 among the major states.

UT with Highest Female Sex Ratio Pondicherry [1001]

UT with Lowest Female Sex Ratio Daman & Diu [710]

District with Highest Female Sex Ratio Mahe (Pondicherry) [1147]

District with Lowest Female Sex Ratio Daman (Daman & Diu) [591]

India will overcome China in population by 2030: UN 

Literacy rate- 64.84
Highest in Kerala-90.86
Lowest in Bihar-47.00
Haryana-67.91
The literacy rate in 2001 has been recorded at 64.84 per cent as against 52.21 per cent in 1991. The 12.63 percentage point’s increase in the literacy rate during the period is the highest increase in any decade.
Out of the total 600 districts in the country, 597 districts have been covered by NLM under literacy scheme.
75 males and 54 females literate out of every 100

 Highest enrolment ratio in class I-VIII Manipur-129.65%

Density of population in India: – 325 (33rd)

West Bengal most dense -904 and Arunachal Pradesh least-13

UT with Highest Population Density Delhi [9340]

UT with lowest Population Density Andaman & Nicobar Islands [43]

India’s total population below poverty line-26.10%

J & K has lowest population below poverty line [3.5%] 

Orissa has highest population below poverty line [47%]

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Deserts

LARGEST DESERTS OF THE WORLD

(SUBTROPICAL)
Sahara, North Africa 3,320,000 sq. miles
Arabian, Middle East 900,000 sq. miles
Kalahari, Southern Africa 360,000 sq. miles
Great Victoria, Australia 250,000 sq. miles
Syrian, Syria, Jordan, Iraq 200,000 sq. miles
Chihuahuan, Mexico, U.S. 175,000 sq. miles
Great Sandy, Australia 150,000 sq. miles
Sonoran, Mexico, U,S, 120,000 sq. miles
Thar, India, Pakistan 77,000 sq. miles
Gibson, Australia 60,000 sq. miles
Simpson, Australia 56,000 sq. miles
Mohave, S,W, USA 25,000 sq. miles 



(COOL COASTAL)

 
Atacama, Chile SA 54,000 sq. miles
Namib, S.W. Africa 31,000 sq. miles 






(COLD WINTER)

 
Gobi, China, Mongolia 500,000 sq. miles
Patagonian, Argentina 260,000 sq. miles
Great Basin, S.W. USA 190,000 sq. miles
Karakum, Turkmenistan 135,000 sq. miles
Colorado Plateau, Western USA 130,000 sq. miles
Kyzyl Kum, West Asia 115,000 sq. miles
Taklamakan, China 105,000 sq. miles
Dasht-e Kavir, Iran 30,000 sq. miles 





(POLAR)

 
Antarctic 5,339,000 sq. miles
Arctic 5,300,000 sq. miles

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Hottest , dryest places

Hottest,Coldest,Driest,Wettest
 
Hottest Place Dalol, Denakil Depression, Ethiopia, annual average temperature (93.2°F, 34°C)
Coldest Place Plateau Station, Antarctica, annual average temperature (-56.7°C)
Wettest Place Mawsynram, Assam, India, annual average rainfall (11,873 mm, 467.4")
Driest Place Atacama Desert, Chile, imperceptible rainfall on a yearly basis 




HIGHEST/LOWEST SURFACE POINTS

 
(Below Sea Level, On Each Continent)
Dead Sea, Asia -409 meters
Lake Assal, Africa -156 meters
Death Valley, North America -86 meters
Valdés Peninsula, South America -40 meters
Caspian Sea, Europe -28 meters
Lake Eyre, Australia -16 meters
Antarctica (ice covered) -2,538 meters

Highest/Lowest Points
Countries, Islands, Oceans here!

For the highest points on each continent see
Tallest Mountains (above) 





DRIEST INHABITED PLACES

 
(Rain fall in inches per year)
Aswan, Egypt 0.02"
Luxor, Egypt 0.03"
Arica Desert, Chile 0.04"
Ica, Peru 0.1"
Antofagasta, Chile 0.2"
El Minya, Egypt 0.2"
Asyut, Egypt 0.2" 








WETTEST INHABITED PLACES
(Rain fall in inches per year)
Buenaventira, Colombia 267"
Monrovia, Liberia 202"
Pagp Pago, American Samoa 198"
Moulein, Burma (Myanmar 192"
Lae, Papua New Guinea 183"
Baguio, Philippines180"
Sylhet, Bangladesh 178"

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LARGEST CITIES

LARGEST CITIES ON THE PLANET!

 

 
Shanghai, China 13.3 million
Mumbai (Bombay), India 12.6 million
Buenos Aires, Argentina 11.92 million
Moscow, Russia 11.3 million
Karachi, Pakistan 10.9 million
Delhi, India 10.4 million
Manila, Philippines 10.3 million
Sao Paulo, Brazil 10.26 million
Seoul, South Korea 10.2 million
Istanbul, Turkey 9.6 million
Jakarta, Indonesia 9.0 million
Mexico City, Mexico 8.7 million
Lagos, Nigeria 8.68 million
Lima, Peru 8.38 million
Tokyo, Japan 8.3 million
New York City, USA 8.09 million
Cairo, Egypt 7.6 million
London, UK 7.59 million
Teheran, Iran 7.3 million
Beijing, China 7.2 million 

 

LARGEST METRO AREAS IN THE WORLD

 
Toyko, Japan 31.2 million
New York City - Philadelphia area, USA 30.1 million
Mexico City, Mexico 21.5 million
Seoul, South Korea 20.15 million
Sao Paulo, Brazil 19.9 million
Jakarta, Indonesia 18.2 million
Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto, Japan 17.6 million
New Delhi, India 17.36 million
Mumbai, India (Bombay) 17.34 million
Los Angeles, USA 16.7 million
Cairo, Egypt 15.86 million
Calcutta, India 14.3 million
Manila, Philippines 14.1 million
Shanghai, China 13.9 million
Buenos Aires, Argentina 13.2 million
Moscow, Russian Fed. 12.2 million

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LARGEST USA CITIES

(10) LARGEST USA CITIES!

 
(By Population) Numbers shown are the population within the recognized city limits, and do not include people living in the immediate surrounding area outside of the established border of the city (often called the metro). For those numbers, visit this page

 

New York City, NY 8.09 million
Los Angeles, CA 3.8 million
Chicago, IL 3.1 million
Houston, TX 2.78 million
Philadelphia, PA 1.62 million
Phoenix, AZ 1.54 million
San Antonio, TX 1.5 million
San Diego, CA 1.4 million
Dallas, TX 1.32 million
Detroit, MI 1 million

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Country Figure

COUNTRIES (Highest Density)

 
(people per square km)
Monaco 16,205
Singapore 6,386
Malta 1,261
Maldives 1,164
Bahrain 1,035
Bangladesh 1,002
Vatican City 920
Barbados 648
Nauru 621
Mauritius 603 





COUNTRIES (Lowest Density)

 
(people per square km)
Mongolia 2
Namibia 2
Australia 3
Botswana 3
Iceland 3
Suriname 3
Libya 3
Mauritania 3
Canada 3
Guyana 4 

  COUNTRY POPULATION (smallest)

 
(February, 2006 numbers)
Vatican City 920
Tuvalu 11,640
Nauru 13,050
Palau 20,300
San Marino 28,880
Monaco 32,410
Liechtenstein 33,720
St. Kitts 38,960
Marshall Islands 59,070
Antigua and Barbuda 68,720 


COUNTRY POPULATION (largest)

 
(February, 2006 numbers)
China 1,306,313,800
India 1,080,264,400
USA 295,734,100
Indonesia 241,973,900
Brazil 186,112,800
Pakistan 162,419,900
Bangladesh 144,319,600
Russia 143,420,300
Nigeria 128,772,000
Japan 127,417,200

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Mountains

TOP 10 TALLEST MOUNTAINS

 
Mount Everest 8850m (29035ft) Nepal/China
Qogir (K2) 8611m (28250ft) Pakistan
Kangchenjunga 8586m (28169ft) Nepal
Lhotse 8501m (27920ft) Nepal
Makalu I 8462m (27765ft) Nepal
Cho Oyu 8201m (26906ft) Nepal
Dhaulagiri 8167m (26794ft) Nepal
Manaslu I 8156m (26758ft) Nepal
Nanga Parbat 8125m (26658ft) Pakistan
Annapurna I 8091m (26545ft) Nepal

The dormant volcano Mauna Kea (on the Big Island of Hawaii) could be considered the tallest mountain in the world. If you measure it from its base in the Hawaiian Trough (3,300 fathoms deep) to its summit of 13,796 feet, it reaches a height of 33,476 feet. 













TALLEST MOUNTAINS 

 
(On Each Continent) 

 
Mount Everest 8850m (29035ft) Asia
Aconcagua 6959m (22831ft) S. America
Mount McKinley 6194m (20320ft) N. America
Mount Kilimanjaro 5963m (19563ft) Africa
Mount Elbrus 5633m (18481ft) Europe
Puncak Jaya 4884m (16023ft) Oceania
Vinson Massif 4897m (16066ft) Antarctica

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Countries

LARGEST COUNTRIES (by land mass)
locator map here
Russia 17,075,400 sq km, (6,592,846 sq miles)
Canada 9,330,970 sq km, (3,602,707 sq miles)
China 9,326,410 sq km, (3,600,947 sq miles)
USA 9.166,600 sq km, (3,539,242 sq miles)
Brazil 8,456,510 sq km, (3,265,075 sq miles)
Australia 7,617,930 sq km, (2,941,283 sq miles)
India 2,973,190 sq km, (1,147,949 sq miles)
Argentina 2,736,690 sq km, (1,056,636 sq miles)
Kazakhstan 2,717,300 sq km, (1,049,150 sq miles)
Sudan 2,376,000 sq km, (917,374 sq miles)

SMALLEST COUNTRIES (by land mass)
Vatican City 0.44 sq km, (0.17 sq miles)
Monaco 1.95 sq km, (0.75 sq miles)
Nauru 21.2 sq km, (8.2 sq miles)
Tuvalu 26 sq km, (10 sq miles)
San Marino 61 sq km, (24 sq miles)
Liechtenstein 160 sq km, (62 sq miles)
Marshall Islands 181 sq km, (70 sq miles)
Seychelles 270 sq km, (104 sq miles)
Maldives 300 sq km, (116 sq miles)
St. Kitts and Nevis 360 sq km, (139 sq miles)

OLDEST COUNTRIES
San Marino (301 AD)
France (486 AD)
Bulgaria (632 AD)
Denmark (950 AD)
Portugal (1143 AD)
Andorra (1278 AD)
Switzerland (1291 AD)

YOUNGEST COUNTRIES
Montenegro (July, 2006)
Serbia (July, 2006)
East Timor (2002)
Palau (1994)
Czech Republic (1993)
Eritrea (1993)
Slovakia (1993)
Bosnia/Hertzegovina (1992)

RICHEST COUNTRIES
(GNP in USA Dollars)
Luxembourg ($45,360)
Switzerland ($44,355)
Japan ($41,010)
Liechtenstein ($40,000)
Norway ($34,515)

POOREST COUNTRIES
(GNP in USA Dollars)
Mozambique ($80)
Somalia ($100)
Eritrea ($100)
Ethiopia ($100)
Congo, DNC ($100)



COUNTRIES WITH MOST LAND BORDERS
(The Most Neighboring Countries)
China (14)
Russian Federation (14)
Brazil (10)
Congo, Germany and Sudan (9)
Austria, France, Tanzania, Turkey and Zambia (8)

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Continents

CONTINENTS OF THE WORLD
 
 


CONTINENTS (by size)

#1 Asia - (44,579,000 sq km)
#2 Africa - (30,065,000 sq km)
#3 North America - (24,256,000 sq km)
#4 South America - (17,819,000 sq km)
#5 Antarctica - (13,209,000 sq km)
#6 Europe - (9,938,000 sq km)
#7 Australia/Oceania - (7,687,000 sq km)

 


CONTINENTS (by population) 2006 est.

#1 Asia - (3,879,000,000)
#2 Africa - (877,500,000)
#3 Europe - (727,000,000)
#4 North America - (501,500,000)
#5 South America - (379,500,000)
#6 Australia/Oceania - (32,000,000)
#7 Antarctica - (0)

 

CONTINENTS (by the number of countries)

#1 Africa - (53)
#3 Europe - (46)
#2 Asia - (44)
#4 North America - (23)
#5 Oceania - (14)
#6 South America - (12)

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