China’s fertility rate has plunged to 1.0 child per woman in 2023, with dramatic provincial variations from 1.68 in Guizhou to 0.52 in Heilongjiang. Housing costs, education expenses, and cultural shifts drive the decline. UN projections show China’s population falling from 1.4 billion to 633 million by 2100, while the U.S. grows to 421 million.
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After Jesus’s death around 30 AD, his twelve closest followers scattered across continents. Peter died in Rome, Thomas traveled to India, Andrew reached Greece, and Matthew went to Ethiopia. This map traces their journeys along Roman roads and trade routes, showing how Christianity expanded from Jerusalem to three continents within seven decades.
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Even though Urdu was made the official language of Pakistan in 1947, only 7% of the population speaks it as their mother tongue. Punjabi leads the way at nearly 39%, while Pashto, Sindhi, and Saraiki all have more native speakers than the national language.
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Starbucks leads in most American states, while Dunkin’ commands IL, VA, and the Northeast. Tim Hortons dominates MI and OH, and Caribou leads six Upper Midwest states.
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In the early 5th century, different beliefs shared the Arabian Peninsula. Jewish and Christian families lived in busy caravan towns, while many desert tribes still honored local gods or searched for a single creator.
Zoroastrian customs from Persia reached Arabia’s northeast, blending with local traditions. A few generations later, Islam appeared and began to reshape life across the peninsula.
Areas within 100 km (62 mi) of oceans compared to areas closer to the Kármán line where space begins. 99% of atmospheric mass sits below 30 km (19 mi) while Earth measures 12,742 km (7,918 mi) across. Troposphere holds 85-90% of atmospheric mass in just 8-20 km.
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Köppen-Geiger climate maps of New Zealand reveal mountain climate zones disappearing from 1930 to 2099. Cool-summer oceanic climate (Cfc) vanishes from North Island, tundra patches (ET) disappear from Southern Alps peaks, subarctic zones (Dfc) shrink dramatically, and cold steppe (BSk) contracts under ssp2-4.5 scenario.
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Köppen-Geiger climate maps of Australia reveal desert expansion from 1930 to 2099. Hot desert (BWh) and steppe (Bsh) zones spread hundreds of kilometers toward Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth. Habitable climate zones supporting population centers get compressed coastward under ssp2-4.5 scenario.
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Germany used marks, France used francs, Italy used lira, Spain used pesetas. This map shows the currency each European country used before the euro.
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Köppen-Geiger climate maps of the British Isles reveal mountain climate zones disappearing from 1930 to 2099. Tundra patches in the Grampians vanish by the 2070s, extreme cold zones disappear by the 2090s, and the Pennines lose their cool-summer classification entirely under the ssp2-4.5 scenario.
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