World Affairs Annual 2012.

In the 26 pages that follow, you'll find news maps and the latest data on the world's 196 countries--everything from languages and literacy rates to the percentage of young people in the population. To better understand the data, read the explanations accompanying the sample entry for India, below. On each news map, you'll find photos and summaries of key regional challenges for the United States. And in our Snapshots section, you'll learn, among other things, which countries have the most prolific texters and where to find the most Starbucks. 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 2012.

Country Area (SO MI) Urban Population % Capital Languages Population Population Rise %/Year India 1,269,340 29 New Delhi Hindi, English, 1,241,300,000 1.5 Bengali, many Others Country Political System & Date Literacy Per Capita Head of Government of Origin Rate (%) GDP % Population Life HDI Under 15 Expectancy India Parliamentary 1947 73/48 $3,500 democracy; 33 63/65 0.519 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Area & Population

Landmass in square miles and number of people. To calculate population density, divide population by area. For example, India has about 978 people per square mile.

Percentage of Population Increase

The birth rate minus the death rate (without factoring in immigration) for the most recent year available.

Urban Population

The percentage of a country's population living in urban areas. Urbanization is on the rise as people move to cities in search of work.

Major Languages

There are nearly 7,000 languages spoken in the world. Hindi is the primary language of 42 percent of India's population.

Political System Head of Government

Type of government and current leader. Manmohan Sinqh has been India's Prime Minister since 2004.

Date of Origin

The year a nation was established, gained independence, or took on its modern form.

Percentage of Population Under 15

In India, 33 percent of the population is under 15. Compare that with Germany, where it's just 13 percent.

Literacy Rate

Percentage of people who can read and write. The first number is for men, the second for women.

HDI (Human Development Index)

A measure of economic and social well-being on a scale of 0 to 1 (1 is the highest). HDI factors include life expectancy, education levels, and average income.

Per Capita GDP

The value of all goods and services produced within a country in one year (gross domestic product), divided by population. It's a way to gauge a nation's wealth.

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World Economic Map

THE WORLD AT A GLANCE

Number of Independent Nations 196

Population Under Age 15 27% U.S.: 20%

Fertility Rate 2.5 children per woman

Annual Birth Rate 20 births per 1,000 people

Total Population 7 billion

Per Capita GDP $11,200 U.S.: $47,200

Annual Death Rate 8 deaths per 1,000 people

Gender Ratio at Birth

1.07 males to 1 female

Life Expectancy

males 68 years females 72 years U.S.: 75 years (males); 80 years (females)

Literacy Rate

males 88% females 79%

Students Attending Primary School

males 91% females 88%

Students Attending Secondary School

males 61% females 60%

SOURCES: 2011 WORLD POPULATION DATA SHEET (POPULATION REFERENCE BUREAU); THE WORLD FACTBOOK 2011 (C.I.A.); THE STATE OF THE WORLD'S CHILDREN 2011 (UNICEF). SOME FIGURES ROUNDED.

AMERICA'S CHALLENGES 2012

Europe

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The economic crisis in GREECE has prompted violent protests, like this demonstration at the Parthenon in Athens, and stirred fears about the economic health of other countries in Europe.

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The U.S. and RUSSIA--former Cold War adversaries--have been working together to reduce stockpiles of nuclear weapons and deal with the nuclear threat from Iran. Former president (and current prime minister) Vladimir Putin, who has led Russia clown an increasingly autocratic path, has announced that he will run for his old job again in 2012. He is virtually assured of victory, and could remain in power until Z024. (For more on Putin, see p. 6.)

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TURKEY is a Muslim nation that is literally part of both Europe and Asia. The U.S. hopes that as a democracy with a booming free-market economy, Turkey can serve as a model for other Muslim nations undergoing change as a result of the Arab Spring.

Europe COUNTRY AREA (SQ MI) URBAN CAPITAL POP % POPULATION POP. RISE %/YEAR Albania 11,100 50 Tirana 3,200,000 0.6 Andorra 174 90 Andorra 100,000 0.7 la Vella Austria 32,378 67 Vienna 8,400,000 0 Belarus 80,154 75 Minsk 9,500,000 -0.3 Belgium 11,787 99 Brussels 11,000,000 0.2 Bosnia and 19,741 46 Sarajevo Herzegovina 3,800,000 0 Bulgaria 42,822 73 Sofia 7,500,000 -0.5 Croatia 21,830 56 Zagreb 4,400,000 -0.2 Czech Republic 30,448 74 Prague 10,500,000 0.1 Denmark 16,637 72 Copenhagen 5,600,000 0.2 Estonia 17,413 68 Tallinn 1,300,000 0 Finland 130,560 68 Helsinki 5,400,000 0.2 France 212,934 77 Paris 63,300,000 0.4 Germany 137,830 73 Berlin 81,800,000 -0.2 Greece 50,950 73 Athens 11,300,000 0.1 Hungary 35,919 68 Budapest 10,000,000 -0.4 Iceland 39,768 93 Reykjavik 300,000 0.9 Ireland 27,135 60 Dublin 4,600,000 1.0 Italy 116,320 68 Rome 60,800,000 -0.1 Kosovo (3) 4,203 NA Pristina 2,300,000 1.4 Latvia 24,942 68 Riga 2,200,000 -0.5 Liechtenstein 62 15 Vaduz 40,000 0.5 Lithuania 25,174 67 Vilnius 3,200,000 -0.2 Luxembourg 999 83 Luxembourg 500,000 0.4 Macedonia 9,927 65 Skopje 2,100,000 0.3 Malta 124 100 Valletta 400,000 0.2 Moldova 13,012 42 Chisinau 4,100,000 -0.1 Monaco 1 100 Monaco 40,000 0 Montenegro 5,333 64 Podgorica 600,000 0.4 Netherlands 15,768 66 Amsterdam 16,700,000 0.3 Norway 125,050 79 Oslo 5,000,000 0.4 Poland 124,807 61 Warsaw 38,200,000 0.1 Portugal 35,514 38 Lisbon 10,700,000 -0.1 Romania 92,042 55 Bucharest 21,400,000 -0.2 Russia (4) 6,592,819 74 Moscow 142,800,000 -0.2 San Marino 23 84 San Marino 30,000 0.4 Serbia 34,115 58 Belgrade 7,300,000 -0.5 Slovakia 18,923 55 Bratislava 5,400,000 0.1 Slovenia 7,819 50 Ljubljana 2,100,000 0.2 Spain 195,363 77 Madrid 46,200,000 0.2 Sweden 173,730 84 Stockholm 9,400,000 0.3 Switzerland 15,942 74 Bern 7,900,000 0.2 Turkey (7) 299,158 76 Ankara 74,000,000 1.2 Ukraine 233,089 69 Kiev 45,700,000 -0.4 United Kingdom 94,548 80 London (England, 62,700,000 0.4 Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland) Vatican City 109 acres 100 Vatican 826 0 City COUNTRY LANGUAGES LANGUAGES Albania Albanian, Greek Andorra Catalan, French, Castilian, Portuguese Austria German Belarus Belarusian, Russian, others Belgium Flemish, French, German Bosnia and Serbo-Croatian Herzegovina Bulgaria Bulgarian, others Croatia Serbo-Croatian Czech Republic Czech, Slovak Denmark Danish, Greenlandic, Faroese, German Estonia Estonian, Ukrainian, Russian, others Finland Finnish, Swedish, Lapp, Russian France French, regional dialects Germany German Greece Greek, English, French Hungary Hungarian, others Iceland Icelandic Ireland English, Gaelic Italy Italian, German, French, Slovene Kosovo (3) Albanian, Serbian, others Latvia Lettish, Lithuanian, Russian, others Liechtenstein German, Alemannic dialect Lithuania Lithuanian, Polish, Russian Luxembourg Luxembourgish, German, French, English Macedonia Macedonian, Albanian, others Malta Maltese, English Moldova Moldovan, Russian, Gagauz Monaco French, English, Italian, Monegasque Montenegro Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosniak, Albanian Netherlands Dutch Norway Norwegian, Lapp, Finnish Poland Polish Portugal Portuguese Romania Romanian, Hungarian, German Russia (4) Russian, others San Marino Italian Serbia Serbo-Croatian, Albanian Slovakia Slovak, Hungarian Slovenia Slovenian, Serbo- Croatian, others Spain Castilian Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque Sweden Swedish, Lapp, Finnish Switzerland German, French, Italian, Romansch, others Turkey (7) Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic Ukraine Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian United Kingdom English, Welsh, (England, Scottish, Gaelic Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland) Vatican City Italian, Latin, others COUNTRY POLITICAL SYSTEMS & DATE OF HEAD OF GOVERNMENT ORIGIN % OF POP. UNDER 15 Albania Presidential-parliamentary 1912 democracy; 23 Prime Minister Sali Berisha Andorra Presidential-parliamentary 1278 democracy; Executive Council 14 President Antoni Marti Petit Austria Parliamentary democracy; 1156 Chancellor Werner Faymann 15 Belarus Presidential dictatorship; 1991 President Aleksandr Lukashenko 15 Belgium Parliamentary democracy; 1830 Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo (1) 17 Bosnia and Presidential-parliamentary 1992 Herzegovina (transitional); rotating Chairman 15 of the Presidency (2) Bulgaria Parliamentary democracy; 1908 Prime Minister Boiko Borisov 14 Croatia Presidential-parliamentary 1991 democracy; 15 Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor Czech Republic Parliamentary democracy; 1993 Prime Minister Petr Necas 14 Denmark Parliamentary democracy; Prime 900s Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen 18 Estonia Parliamentary democracy; 1991 Prime Minister Andrus Ansip 15 Finland Presidential-parliamentary 1917 democracy; 17 President Tarja Halonen France Presidential-parliamentary 486 democracy; President Nicolas Sarkozy 18 Germany Parliamentary democracy; 1871 Chancellor Angela Merkel 13 Greece Parliamentary democracy; 1829 Prime Minister Georgios 14 Papandreou Hungary Parliamentary democracy; 1001 Prime Minister Viktor Orban 15 Iceland Parliamentary democracy; 1944 Prime Minister 21 Johanna Siqurdardottir Ireland Parliamentary democracy; 1921 Prime Minister Enda Kenny 21 Italy Parliamentary democracy; 1861 Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi 14 Kosovo (3) Presidential-parliamentary 2008 democracy (transitional); 32 Prime Minister Hashim Thaci Latvia Parliamentary democracy; 1991 Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis 14 Liechtenstein Constitutional monarchy; 1719 Prince Alois 16 Lithuania Presidential-parliamentary 1991 democracy; 15 President Dalia Grybauskaite Luxembourg Parliamentary democracy; Prime 1839 Minister Jean-Claude Juncker 18 Macedonia...