What's striking to me is that we've added five billion people just in the last one hundred years! Check out this piece re-posted from Machable:
Today, we woke up to the discomfiting news that there are now 7 billion people inhabiting planet Earth. Seems like just yesterday there were only six billion. It’s an important milestone for the world and one big enough that, like most other major events and activities, has its own app: National Geographic Society 7 Billion.
The iPad app is simply called “7 Billion“, which is a number big enough to get anyone’s attention. According to the free app, which is downloadable right now from Apple’s App Store, it would take you 200 years to count to 7 billion out loud. In other words, you’ll never finish. Still, these are the kinds of tantalizing tidbits you’ll find throughout this information rich app. It’s part of National Geographic‘s year-long series on the world’s new population number. National Geographic will deliver new features to the app throughout the year (Cities are the Solution is coming in December).
Inside the app, which ran fairly smoothly on my iPad 1 (but could use clearer navigation–I had a bit of trouble getting out of the opening video), you’ll find over a dozen features and numerous charts, infographics and photos and videos on everything from how income and the average number of children impacts per-country population growth, to what the 7 billion people means for our food and resource supplies. Here’s just some of what I learned from the app:
- In 2045 there will be 9 billion people
- Every second 5 people are born
- Every second 2 people die (you can see the problem)
- We’re all living longer: the average Life span is now 69 years old
- By 2050, 70% of us will be living in urban areas
- We have enough space for all these people: 7 billion people could fit shoulder-to-shoulder in the City of Los Angeles
- In 1975 there were three mega-cities (cities with 10 million or more people)
- Today there are 21 mega-cities
