World affairs annual 2008.

In THE 22 PAGES that follow, you'll find MAPS and the LATEST DATA on the world's 194 COUNTRIES--everything from languages and life expectancy to the percentage of young people in the population. To better understand the data, read the explanations accompanying the sample entry for China below. ON EACH MAP, you'll find summaries of key news stories to watch this year. And in our SNAPSHOTS section, you'll learn, among other things, where the Internet is used most and which countries create the most garbage. We hope you'll keep this issue FOR YEAR-ROUND REFERENCE, and that it will help you make sense of what's going on in the world as we head into 2008.

ECONOMIC MAP OF THE WORLD

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EUROPE

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Much of Europe, including FRANCE, is struggling with how to integrate growing Muslim populations into largely homogenous societies.

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Will RUSSIA'S fragile post-Soviet democracy survive the presidency of Vladimir Putin? He is set to step down as President in 2008.

AFRICA

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Ethnic conflict in the Darfur region of SUDAN, where Arab militias have been attacking black villages for several years, has left 200,000 civilians dead and displaced 2 million more.

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President Robert Mugabe's three-decade reign over ZIMBABWE has left one of Africa's most prosperous countries in ruins.

MIDDLE EAST

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Palestinian President MAHMOUD ABBAS (with President Bush in Washington) lost control of the Gaza Strip in June to Hamas, which the U.S. and Europe consider a terrorist organization. The situation complicated the prospects for renewed peace talks with ISRAEL.

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IRAQ is stiff largely in a state of upheaval As of late September, there were over 150,000 U.S. troops there and more than 3,800 had been kilted. IRAN continues to defy the U.N. with its nuclear program, alarming the entire region.

ASIA

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U.S. and NATO forces are helping President Hamid Karzai of AFGHANISTAN battle a growing challenge from the ousted Taliban and Al Qaeda.

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The economies of CHINA and INDIA continue to boom. While Americans love buying their inexpensive goods, job losses to countries with lower wages have become an issue in the 2008 presidential election.

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NORTH KOREA's neighbors are concerned about its nuclear development program. CHINA and SOUTH KOREA also fear the prospect of millions of refugees freeing if the repressive Communist regime of Kim Jong IL collapses.

NORTH AMERICA

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Illegal immigration, particularly from MEXICO, promises to be one of the most contentious issues in the 2008 presidential erection in the UNITED STATES.

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An ailing Fidel Castro, 81, CUBA's leader since the 1959 revolution, has handed some power to his younger brother, Raul, 75. Fidel has outlasted 10 U.S. Presidents.

SOUTH AMERICA

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President Hugo Chavez is taking VENEZUELA down an increasingly socialist path, as he continues to stoke anti-American feeling in Latin America and beyond.

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Encroachment on the Amazon, the world's largest rain forest, has environmental implications not only for BRAZIL but the entire world. With 187 million people, Brazil is one of the world's most populous democracies.

SOUTH AMERICA

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INTERNATIONAL WORLD AFFAIRS: ATLAS

LESSON PLAN 2

CRITICAL THINKING

Tell students that maps can provide important context for understanding contemporary and historic events. Some examples:

Examine the Economic Map of the World, noting the Location of Western Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Then examine the Middle East map, focusing on the Red Sea. Europeans studying the geography of the Middle East saw that a canal from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea would save money and time on Europe's critical shipping trade with Asia. And so the Suez Canal was opened in 1869. It remains one of the world's vital waterways.

Next, look at the Asia map, focusing on Bangladesh and Pakistan. From 1947 to 1971, Bangladesh was "East Pakistan." What does the map suggest as to why people in East Pakistan fought a war of independence? (East Pakistan was located more than 1,000 miles from West Pakistan, where the government was located. People in the east complained of a distant, uncaring government.)

Next look at the Africa map. Locate tiny Djibouti. Why might France have colonized this country? Why are U.S. troops stationed there today? (Djibouti is located at a choke point on the Red Sea. Troops there can monitor hot spots in the Middle East.)

DISCUSSION QUESTION

Why do you think world maps printed in the U.S. show the Western Hemisphere (including the U.S.) in the center?

FAST FACT

Medieval European maps were often drawn from a religious perspective, with Jerusalem at the center.

WEB WATCH

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod /ap001127.html

NASA photo of the world at night contrasts population centers with less populated areas.

QUIZ 2

(1) -- is Europe's--and the world's--northernmost capital.

(2) The U.S. accuses --, the nation located just east of Iraq, of shipping arms to Iraqi insurgents.

(3) Americans who call customer service for computer support may well be talking to an Indian at a call center in --, a city northeast of Cochin.

(4) In the African country of --, a pipeline brings water from under the Sahara Desert to the capital, Tripoli.

(5) One of the most dangerous jobs in the world is commercial, fishing in the Bering Sea, between Russia and the --.

(6) Most scientists blame human causes for melting ice in the -- Ocean, north of Canada.

(7) The straight-line distance between Oslo, Norway, and Stockholm, Sweden, is about

(a) 150 miles

(b) 200 miles

(c) 250 miles

(d) 300 miles

(8) With U.S. backing, the North American country of Panama seceded from --, to the south, in 1903.

(9) Canada's easternmost city is --.

(10) Lake --, near the Russian city of Irkutsk, is the world's deepest lake, at 5,371 feet.

(11) As their location suggests, Denmark's -- Islands, north of the United Kingdom, are dependent on fishing.

(12) The island of --, west of Syria, is considered part of the Middle East.

IN-DEPTH QUESTIONS

(1) Study the map of Europe. Why do you think the United Kingdom continues to hold Gibraltar as one of its key military bases?

(2) Study the North America map. How might the Great Lakes have contributed to the economic development of the Midwest?

INTERNATIONAL WORLD AFFAIRS: ALMANAC

LESSON PLAN 3

CRITICAL THINKING

Statistics are not just masses of numbers and graphs. They tell a story--or in the case of a world almanac, many stories about life around the globe.

* Have students tally all the countries in North America where the first language listed is English (13). What does this say about the history of the Americas? What does a mix of English and French suggest? [Rule by Britain and France at different times.)

Next, examine the Europe data for population changes. Note that European countries have low population increases or are losing population. How do these figures compare with Africa? How do the per capita GDPs in each region compare?

* What does the discrepancy say about income and birth rates? (One answer: People in poor countries need children to earn income and care for aged parents.)

WRITING PROMPT

Have students write five paragraph essays in which they choose a country and use almanac statistics to talk about life in that country.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Why might the U.S. be behind some countries in life expectancy? [Look at the statistics for Switzerland, U.K., and Norway.)

During the Soviet era, statistics like those in the Almanac were hidden or hard to verify for the Soviet Union. What do you think might explain this?

FAST FACT

When the U.N. was founded in 1945, there were 51 members. Today, there are 192.

WEB WATCH

www.census.gov/main/www /popclock.html

The Census Bureau provides U.S. and world population clocks.

www.timeanddate.com/worldclock

Click on this site to see the current time and date in 141 cities around the world.

ANSWER KEY

QUIZ 2 * PAGE TE 5

(1) Reykjavik

(2) Iran

(3) Bangalore

(4) Libya

(5) U.S.

(6) Arctic

(7) (c) 250 miles

(8) Colombia

(9) St. John's

(10) Baikal

(11) Faroe

(12) Cyprus

QUIZ 3 WORLD AFFAIRS: ALMANAC

(1) -- is the Asian country that most recently achieved its independence.

(2) Only two countries, -- and --, have populations that exceed 1 billion.

(3) In September, Hurricane Felix killed scores and forced thousands to flee their damaged homes on the east coast of --, a North American country whose capital is Managua.

(4) In June, Gordon Brown became Prime Minister of this European country:

(5) Norway's Human Development Index [HDI] is -- points higher than that of the U.S.

(6) Angela Merkel is the Chancellor of --, found in Europe.

(7) The capital of --, in Africa, was named for U.S. President James Monroe.

(8) In September, President Bush traveled to --, in Oceania, a country where six British colonies became a federation in 1901.

(9) The two capitals of Bolivia are -- and --.

(10) In 1812, the capital of --, in South America, was renamed in honor of Britain's King George III.

(11) One of Scholastic's offices in Asia is Located on Tun Hua North Road, Taipei, which is the capital of --.

(12) In 1976, the U.S. celebrated its bicentennial, the same year that this African country gained its independence from Britain. The name of this country is --.

IN-DEPTH QUESTIONS

(1) What might explain the fact that French is spoken in so many African countries?

(2) Assume you are the editor of The New York Times Upfront. Which one or two social or economic statistics would you add to the World Affairs Almanac? Explain your answer.

QUIZ 3 PAGE TE 6

(1) East Timor

(2) China & India

(3) Nicaragua

(4) United Kingdom

(5) .017

(6) Germany

(7) Liberia

(8) Australia

(9) La Paz & Sucre

(10) Guyana

(11) Taiwan

(12) Seycheltes

WHERE...