Death Penalty Outlawed (year): *.Albania (2000) *.Andorra (1990) *.Angola (1992) *.Argentina (2008) *.Armenia (2003) *.Australia (1984) *.Austria (1950) *.Azerbaijan (1998) *.Belgium (1996) *.Bhutan (2004) *.Bosnia-Herzegovina (1997) *.Bulgaria (1998) *.Burundi (2009 ) *.Cambodia (1989) *.Canada (1976) *.Cape Verde (1981) *.Colombia (1910) *.Cook Islands (2007) *.Costa Rica (1877) *.Côte d'Ivoire (2000) *.Croatia (1990) *.Cyprus (1983) *.Czech Republic (1990) *.Denmark (1933) *.Djibouti (1995) *.Dominican Republic (1966) *.Ecuador (1906) *.Estonia (1998) *.Finland (1949) *.France (1981) *.Gabon (2010) *.Georgia (1997) *.Germany (1949) *.Greece (1993) *.Guinea-Bissau (1993) *.Haiti (1987) *.Honduras (1956) *.Hungary (1990) *.Iceland (1928) *.Ireland (1990) *.Italy (1947) *.Kyrgyzstan (2007) *.Kiribati (1979) *.Latvia (2012) *.Liechtenstein (1987) *.Lithuania (1998) *.Luxembourg (1979) *.Macedonia (1991) *.Malta (1971) *.Marshall Islands (1986) *.Mauritius (1995) *.Mexico (2005) *.Micronesia (1986) *.Moldova (1995) *.Monaco (1962) *.Montenegro (2002) *.Mozambique (1990) *.Namibia (1990) *.Nepal (1990) *.Netherlands (1870) *.New Zealand (1961) *.Nicaragua (1979) *.Niue (n.a.) *.Norway (1905) *.Palau (n.a.) *.Panama (1903) *.Paraguay (1992) *.Philippines (2006) *.Poland (1997) *.Portugal (1867) *.Romania (1989) *.Rwanda (2007) *.Samoa (2004) *.San Marino (1848) *.São Tomé and Príncipe (1990) *.Senegal (2004) *.Serbia (2002) *.Seychelles (1993) *.Slovakia (1990) *.Slovenia (1989) *.Solomon Islands (1966) *.South Africa (1995) *.Spain (1978) *.Sweden (1921) *.Switzerland (1942) *.Timor-Leste (1999) *.Togo (2009) *.Turkey (2002) *.Turkmenistan (1999) *.Tuvalu (1978) *.Ukraine (1999) *.United Kingdom (1973) *.Uruguay (1907) *.Uzbekistan (2008) *.Vanuatu (1980) *.Vatican City (1969) *.Venezuela (1863) Death Penalty Outlawed for Ordinary Crimes2(year) *.Bolivia (1997) *.Brazil (1979) *.Chile (2001) *.El Salvador (1983) *.Fiji (1979) *.Israel (1954) *.Kazakhstan (2007) *.Latvia (1999) *.Peru (1979) De Facto Ban on Death Penalty3(year)4 *.Algeria (1993) *.Benin (1987) *.Brunei (1957) *.Burkina Faso (1988) *.Cameroon (1997) *.Central African Republic (1981) *.Congo (Republic) (1982) *.Eritrea (n.a.) *.Gambia (1981) *.Ghana (n.a.) *.Grenada (1978) *.Kenya (n.a.) *.Korea, South (1997.) *.Laos (n.a.) *.Liberia (n.a.) *.Madagascar (1958) *.Malawi (n.a.) *.Maldives (1952) *.Mali (1980) *.Mauritania (1987) *.Morocco (1993) *.Myanmar (1993) *.Nauru (1968) *.Niger (1976) *.Papua New Guinea (1950) *.Russia (1999) *.Sierra Leone (1998) *.Sri Lanka (1976) *.Suriname (1982) *.Swaziland (n.a.) *.Tajikistan (n.a.) *.Tanzania (n.a.) *.Tonga (1982) *.Tunisia (1990) *.Zambia (n.a.) Death Penalty Permitted *.Afghanistan *.Antigua and Barbuda *.Bahamas *.Bahrain *.Bangladesh *.Barbados *.Belarus *.Belize *.Botswana *.Chad *.China (People's Republic) *.Comoros *.Congo (Democratic Republic) *.Cuba *.Dominica *.Egypt *.Equatorial Guinea *.Ethiopia *.Guatemala *.Guinea *.Guyana *.India *.Indonesia *.Iran *.Iraq *.Jamaica *.Japan *.Jordan *.Kuwait *.Lebanon *.Lesotho *.Libya *.Malaysia *.Mongolia *.Nigeria *.North Korea *.Oman *.Pakistan *.Palestinian Authority *.Qatar *.St. Kitts and Nevis *.St. Lucia *.St. Vincent and the Grenadines *.Saudi Arabia *.Singapore *.Somalia *.South Sudan *.Sudan *.Syria *.Taiwan *.Thailand *.Trinidad and Tobago *.Uganda *.United Arab Emirates *.United States *.Vietnam *.Yemen *.Zimbabwe NOTE: n.a. = date not available. 1. If death penalty was outlawed for ordinary crimes before it was outlawed in all cases, the earlier date is given. 2. Death penalty is permitted only for exceptional crimes, such as crimes committed under military law or in wartime. 3. Death penalty is sanctioned by law but has not been the practice for ten or more years. 4. Year of last execution.Source:Amnesty International.

The 2006 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index: According to the annual survey by the Berlin-based organization Transparency International, Finland, Denmark, and New Zealand are perceived to be the world's least corrupt countries, and Somalia and Myanmar are perceived to be the most corrupt. The index defines corruption as the abuse of public office for private gain and measures the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among a country's public officials and politicians. It is a composite index, drawing on 14 polls and surveys from 12 independent institutions, which gathered the opinions of businesspeople and country analysts. Only 180 of the world's 193 countries are included in the survey, due to an absence of reliable data from the remaining countries. The scores range from ten (squeaky clean) to zero (highly corrupt). A score of 5.0 is the number Transparency International considers the borderline figure distinguishing countries that do and do not have a serious corruption problem. Countries that have significantly improved their rating since the 2006 index were Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominica, Italy, Macedonia, Namibia, Romania, Seychelles, South Africa, Suriname and Swaziland. Some of the countries that have a significantly worse rating since 2006 include Austria, Bahrain, Belize, Bhutan, Jordan, Laos, Macao, Malta, Mauritius, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand. Country rankCountry2007 CPI Score 1. Finland9.4 Denmark9.4 New Zealand9.4 4. Sweden9.3 Singapore9.3 6. Iceland9.2 7. Switzerland9.0 Netherlands9.0 9. Canada8.7 Norway8.7 11. Australia8.6 12. Luxembourg8.4 United Kingdom8.4 14. Hong Kong8.3 15. Austria8.1 16. Germany7.8 17. Japan7.5 Ireland7.5 19. France7.3 20. USA7.2 21. Belgium7.1 22. Chile7.0 23. Barbados6.9 24. St. Lucia6.8 25. Spain6.7 Uruguay6.7 27. Slovenia6.6 28. Portugal6.5 Estonia6.5 30. Israel6.1 St. Vincent and the Grenadines6.1 32. Qatar6.0 33. Malta5.8 34. Macao5.7 Taiwan5.7 United Arab Emirates5.7 37. Dominica5.6 38. Botswana5.4 39. Cyprus5.3 Hungary5.3 41. Czech Republic5.2 Italy5.2 43. South Korea5.1 Malaysia5.1 South Africa5.1 46. Bahrain5.0 Bhutan5.0 Costa Rica5.0 49. Cape Verde4.9 Slovakia4.9 51. Latvia4.8 Lithuania4.8 53. Jordan4.7 Mauritius4.7 Oman4.7 56. Greece4.6 57. Namibia4.5 Samoa4.5 Seychelles4.5 60. Kuwait4.3 61. Cuba4.2 Poland4.2 Tunisia4.2 64. Bulgaria4.1 Croatia4.1 Turkey4.1 67. El Salvador4.0 68. Colombia3.8 69. Ghana3.7 Romania3.7 71. Senegal3.6 72. Brazil3.5 China3.5 India3.5 Mexico3.5 Peru3.5 Morocco3.5 Suriname3.5 79. Georgia3.4 Grenada3.4 Saudi Arabia3.4 Serbia3.4 Trinidad and Tobago3.4 84. Bosnia and Herzgegovina3.3 Gabon3.3 Jamaica3.3 Lesotho3.3 Kiribati3.3 FYR Macedonia3.3 Maldives3.3 Montenegro3.3 Swaziland3.3 Thailand3.3 94. Madagascar3.2 Panama3.2 Sri Lanka3.2 Tanzania3.2 98. Vanuatu3.1 99. Algeria3.0 Armenia3.0 Belize3.0 Dominican Republic3.0 Lebanon3.0 Mongolia3.0 105. Bolivia2.9 Albania Iran2.9 Argentina Libya2.9 Burkina Faso2.9 Djibouti2.9 Egypt2.9 111. Eritrea2.8 Guatemala2.8 Moldova2.8 Mozambique2.8 Rwanda2.8 Solomon Islands2.8 Uganda2.8 118. Benin2.7 Malawi2.7 Mali Zambia2.7 Sao Tome and Principe2.7 Ukraine2.7 123. Comoros2.6 Guyana2.6 Mauritania2.6 Nicaragua2.6 Niger2.6 Timor-Leste2.6 Viet Nam2.6 Zambia2.6 131. Burundi2.5 Honduras2.5 Iran2.5 Libya2.5 Nepal2.5 Phillipines2.5 Yemen2.5 138. Cameroon2.4 Ethiophia2.4 Pakistan2.4 Paraguay2.4 Syria2.4 143. Gambia2.3 Indonesia2.3 Russia2.3 Togo Nigeria2.3 147. Angola2.2 Guinea-Bissau2.2 Nigeria2.2 150. Azerbaijan2.1 Belarus2.1 Congo, Republic2.1 Côte d´Ivoire2.1 Ecuador2.1 Kazakhstan Uzbekistan2.1 Kenya Bangladesh2.1 Kyrgyzstan2.1 Liberia2.1 Sierra Leone2.1 Tajikistan2.1 Zimbabwe Iraq2.1 162. Bangladesh2.0 Cambodia2.0 Central African Republic2.0 Papua New Guinea2.0 Turkmenistan2.0 Venezuela2.0 168. Congo, Democratic Republic of1.9 Equatorial Guinea1.9 Guinea1.9 Laos1.9 172. Afghanistan1.8 Chad1.8 Sudan1.8 175. Tonga1.7 Uzbekistan1.7 177. Haiti1.6 178. Iraq1.5 179. Myanmar2.0 Somalia2.0 Source:Transparency International, 2007. Web: www.transparency.or g.

Freedom in the World, 2007 Since 1978, Freedom House has publishedFreedom in the World, an annual comparative assessment of the state of political rights and civil liberties around the world. Widely used by policy makers, journalists, and scholars, the 600-page survey is considered the definitive report on freedom around the globe. The ratings reflect global events from Dec. 1, 2005, through Dec. 31, 2006. According to the survey, 90 countries are free. Their 3.0 billion inhabitants (47% of the world's population) enjoy a broad range of rights. Fifty-eight countries representing 1.1 billion people (30%) are considered partly free. Political rights and civil liberties are more limited in these countries, in which corruption, dominant ruling parties, or, in some cases, ethnic or religious strife is often the norm. The survey finds that 45 countries are not free. The 2.4 billion inhabitants (23%) of these countries, nearly one-half of whom live in China, are denied most basic political rights and civil liberties. In 2006, Guyana moved from Partly Free to Free, and Haiti and Nepal moved from Not Free to Partly Free. Thailand and the Republic of Congo moved from Partly Free to Not Free. The list below features only independent countries. Freedom House's separate listing of territories reveals that four territories received the lowest possible political rights rating: Chechnya (Russia), Kashmir (Pakistan), Tibet (China), and Western Sahara (Morocco); of those, Chechnya and Tibet also received the lowest possible civil liberties ratings. FREE1 *.Ranking: 1 *.Andorra *.Australia *.Austria *.Bahamas *.Barbados *.Belgium *.Canada *.Cape Verde *.Chile *.Costa Rica *.Cyprus *.Czech Republic *.Denmark *.Dominica *.Estonia *.Finland *.France *.Germany *.Hungary *.Iceland *.Ireland *.Italy *.Kiribati *.Latvia *.Liechtenstein *.Lithuania *.Luxembourg *.Malta *.Marshall Islands *.Micronesia *.Nauru *.Netherlands *.New Zealand *.Norway *.Palau *.Poland *.Portugal *.St. Kitts and Nevis *.St. Lucia *.San Marino *.Slovakia *.Slovenia *.Spain *.Sweden *.Switzerland *.Tuvalu *.United Kingdom *.United States *.Uruguay *.Ranking: 1.5 *.Belize *.Bulgaria *.Ghana *.Greece *.Grenada *.Israel *.Japan *.Mauritius *.Monaco *.Panama *.St. Vincent and the Grenadines *.South Korea *.Taiwan *.Ranking: 2 *.Antigua and Barbuda *.Argentina *.Benin *.Botswana *.Brazil *.Croatia *.Dominican Republic *.Mali *.Mongolia *.Namibia *.Romania *.Samoa *.São Tomé and Príncipe *.South Africa *.Suriname *.Trinidad and Tobago *.Vanuatu *.Ranking: 2.5 *.El Salvador *.Guyana *.India *.Indonesia *.Jamaica *.Lesotho *.Mexico *.Peru *.Senegal *.Serbia *.Ukraine PARTLY FREE1 *.Ranking: 3 *.Albania *.Bolivia *.Bosnia and Herzegovina *.Colombia *.Ecuador *.Georgia *.Honduras *.Kenya *.Macedonia *.Montenegro *.Nicaragua *.Niger *.Papua New Guinea *.Paraguay *.Philippines *.Seychelles *.Turkey *.Ranking: 3.5 *.Comoros *.East Timor *.Guatemala *.Liberia *.Madagascar *.Malawi *.Moldova *.Mozambique *.Sierra Leone *.Solomon Islands *.Tanzania *.Zambia *.Ranking: 4 *.Bangladesh *.Burkina Faso *.Guinea-Bissau *.Kuwait *.Malaysia *.Nigeria *.Sri Lanka *.Tonga *.Venezuela *.Ranking: 4.5 *.Armenia *.Burundi *.Central African Republic *.Gambia *.Haiti *.Jordan *.Kyrgyzstan *.Lebanon *.Mauritania *.Morocco *.Nepal *.Singapore *.Uganda *.Ranking: 5 *.Afghanistan *.Bahrain *.Djibouti *.Ethiopia *.Fiji *.Gabon *.Yemen NOT FREE1 *.Ranking: 5.5 *.Algeria *.Angola *.Azerbaijan *.Bhutan *.Brunei *.Cambodia *.Congo, Dem. Rep. of *.Congo, Rep. of *.Egypt *.Guinea *.Kazakhstan *.Maldives *.Oman *.Pakistan *.Qatar *.Russia *.Rwanda *.Tajikistan *.Thailand *.Togo *.Tunisia *.United Arab Emirates *.Ranking: 6 *.Cameroon *.Chad *.Iran *.Iraq *.Swaziland *.Vietnam *.Ranking: 6.5 *.Belarus *.China *.Côte d'Ivoire *.Equatorial Guinea *.Eritrea *.Laos *.Saudi Arabia *.Syria *.Zimbabwe *.Ranking: 7 *.Cuba *.Libya *.Myanmar (Burma) *.North Korea *.Somalia *.Sudan *.Turkmenistan *.Uzbekistan 1. Countries are ranked according to political rights and civil liberties on a scale from 1.0 (most free) to 7.0 (least free). Source:Freedom in the World, 2007,published by Freedom House. http://www.freedomh ouse.org /template.cfm?page=1 5.

Most and Least Livable Countries: UN Human Development Index, 2006 The Human Development Index (HDI), published annually by the UN, ranks nations according to their citizens' quality of life rather than strictly by a nation's traditional economic figures. The criteria for calculating rankings include life expectancy, educational attainment, and adjusted real income. The 2006 index is based on 2004 figures. “Most Livable” Countries, 2006 1. Norway16. France 2. Iceland17. Italy 3. Australia18. United Kingdom 4. Ireland19. Spain 5. Sweden20. New Zealand 6. Canada21. Germany 7. Japan22. Israel 8. United States23. Greece 9. Switzerland24. Singapore 10. Netherlands25.Korea, Rep. of 11. Finland26. Slovenia 12. Luxembourg27. Portugal 13. Belgium28. Cyprus 14. Austria29. Czech Republic 15. Denmark30. Barbados “Least Livable” Countries, 2006 1. Niger16. Tanzania 2. Sierra Leone17. Angola 3. Mali18. Guinea 4. Burkina Faso19. Nigeria 5. Guinea-Bissau20. Rwanda 6. Central African Republic21. Eritrea 7. Chad22. Senegal 8. Ethiopia23. Gambia 9. Burundi24. Haiti 10. Mozambique25. Mauritania 11. Congo, Dem. Rep. of the26. Kenya 12. Malawi27. Zimbabwe 13. Zambia28. Yemen 14. Côte d'Ivoire29. Lesotho 15. Benin30. Djibouti Source:Human Development Report, 2006,United Nations. Web: hdr.undp.org.

World's Most Populous Urban Agglomerations: RankNameEst. population 1.Tokyo, Japan36,932,780 2.Delhi, India21,935,142 3.Mexico City, Mexico20,142,334 4.New York, United States of America20,104,369 5.Sao Paulo, Brazil19,649,366 6.Shanghai, China19,554,059 7.Bombay, India19,421,983 8.Beijing, China14,999,554 9.Dacca, Bangladesh14,929,647 10.Calcutta, India14,283,096 11.Karachi, Pakistan13,499,702 12.Buenos Aires, Argentina13,369,921 13.Los Angeles, United States of America13,223,023 14.Rio de Janeiro, Brazil11,867,236 15.Manila, Philippines11,653,810 16.Moscow, Russia11,471,637 17.Osaka, Japan11,429,912 18.Cairo, Egypt11,031,494 19.Istanbul, Turkey10,952,950 20.Lagos, Nigeria10,788,300 21.Paris, France10,516,374 22.Guangzhou, China10,485,570 23.Shenzhen, China10,222,493 24.Seoul, South Korea9,750,693 25.Chongqing, China9,732,286 26.Jakarta, Indonesia9,629,953 27.Chicago, United States of America9,544,691 28.Lima, Peru8,950,481 29.London, Great Britain8,923,000 30.Wuhan, China8,903,018 NOTES: The definition of agglomerations varies significantly from city to city, hence the difficulty of compiling an accurate, comparative list of the world's most populous urban areas. 1. Includes metropolitan areas and surrounding urban agglomerations. Agglomerations include a central city and bordering urban areas. Some agglomerations have more than one central city (e.g., Tokyo includes Yokohama and Kawasaki).