Europe and Central Asia region Middle East and North Africa region population projects : 1992-93 edition

Population projections for all countries are prepared annually by the Bank's Population and Human Resources Department. They are published first in summary form in the Bank's World Development Report and later in greater detail as technical notes or working papers and, in alternate years, as a book. Separate papers cover the six Bank regions: (1) Africa (sub-Saharan); (2) Latin America and the Caribbean (and North America); (3) East Asia and Pacific region and South Asia region combined; and (4) Europe and Central Asia region and Middle East and North Africa region combined. This year's projections contain two major changes from the previous edition. First, projected mortality from AIDS has been incorporated into the tables for sub-Saharan African countries. Second, demographic estimates and projections are provided separately for each of the fifteen countries that constituted the former Soviet Union. Among trends observed: The total fertility rate for the world is an estimated 3.2 children per woman in 1992. The highest total fertility rates are found in East and West Africa, where the rate is about 6. Most countries in the Asian and Latin American regions have moderate fertility of three to five children per woman, although both continents contain countries with very high and very low levels. More developed countries have the lowest fertility, with rates ranging between 2.5 and 1.5, but one of the former Soviet republics, Tajikistan, has a total fertility of 5. Europe (including the former Soviet republics) is the only continent where aggregate fertility is currently below replacement - that is, where women are not having enough children to replace themselves. Recent trends in some countries of Europe show small increases in fertility, and the projections assume that the total fertility rate will recover to replacement level by 2030. Europe is also the continent with the most homogeneous fertility levels: with the exception of four of the former Soviet republics that have total fertility rates above 3, fertility in the other 41 countries varies in a narrow range between 1.5 and 2.8. The Northern American region has the highest aggregate life expectancy, 76.7. The European region has the second highest aggregate life expectancy, 74.4. Every country in this region is above the world's average of 66. Moving from west to east through this region, life expectancies tend to decline, from a high of 78 in Iceland to a low of 66 in Turkmenistan.Earth Sciences&GIS,Demographics,Health Indicators,Health Information&Communications Technologies,

East Asia and Pacific region South Asia region population projections 1992-93 edition

Population projections for all countries are prepared annually by the Bank's Population and Human Resources Department. They are published first in summary form in the Bank's World Development Report and later in greater detail as technical notes or working papers and, in alternate years, as a book. Separate papers cover the six Bank regions: (1) Africa (sub-Saharan); (2) Latin American and the Caribbean (and Northern America); (3) East Asia and Pacific region and South Asia region combined; and (4) Europe and Central Asia region and Middle East and North Africa region combined. Among trends observed: In Asia, most countries have begun the transition from high to low fertility, with declines in many countries starting before and during the 1970s. In East and Southeast Asia, fertility has already reached a low level of 2.5 children per woman. South Asia, at 4.1 children per woman, has progressed less far in this process, and Southwest Asia has still further to go. But each subregion of the Asian continent includes countries at different stages of the fertility transition: each subregion has at least one country with a total fertility rate of 6 or greater and one country with replacement-level fertility. The projections of when replacement fertility will be reached in the region as a whole are determined by the trends in individual countries with the slowest decline; the Asian subregion aggregates will therefore be late in achieving this. South Asia has the worst mortality conditions of the Asian subregions, but improvement has been quite rapid since the mid-1970s, with life expectancy increasing from 49 to 59 years currently. Life expectancy in Southwest Asia is near the world's average, while it is well above that in East and Southeast Asia at 70 years. East and Southeast Asia contains some of the countries (Japan and Hong Kong) with the highest measured life expectancies in the world. The most populous country in the world is China, with a population of 1.2 billion. Its population growth rate, 1.5 percent in the early 1990s, is low for a low-income country and is due to the low level of fertility achieved in the last two decades. India, the second most populous country, has an estimated population of 883 million in 1992. Because of its higher total fertility rate, it is growing faster than China - 2.0 percent a year - despite higher mortality. The population of India is projected to surpass the 1 billion mark in the year 2000 and to surpass China in total population by 2120.Demographics,Health Indicators,Health Information&Communications Technologies,,Earth Sciences&GIS

Latin America and the Caribbean region (and Northern America) population projections : 1992-93 edition

Population projections for all countries are prepared annually by the World Bank's Population and Human Resources Department. They are published first in summary form in the Bank's World Development Report and later in greater detail as technical notes or working papers, and in alternate years, as a book. Separate papers cover the six Bank regions: (1) Africa (sub-Saharan); (2) Latin America and the Caribbean (and Northern America); (3) East Asia and Pacific region and South Asia region combined; and (4) Europe and Central Asia region and Middle East and North Africa region combined. Among trends observed: all of the Bank's regions have positive population growth rates, but a few countries are losing people. These countries are in one of two regions: in Latin America and the Caribbean, where several small island countries (Dominica, Grenada, and St. Kitts and Nevis) have recently had negative growth rates, and in Europe (Bulgaria, Hungary, and Ireland). In the case of the Caribbean islands, the cause of population decline is outmigration, whereas in Eastern Europe it results from a combination of below-replacement fertility and outmigration. On the American continent, fertility in all countries has dropped to below 6 children per woman, but some countries have gone much further than others. The total fertility rate for Latin America is intermediate at 3.1, and replacement fertility is projected to be reached in every country no later than 2035. In Northern America, fertility is at 2 children per woman - that is, just below replacement level. At the regional level, international net migration has a trivial effect on population growth. The most significant flow in the world occurs between Latin America and the Caribbean and Northern America, which amounts to just over one-half million persons per year. Migration often occurs for unpredictable reasons, and is often reversed in a short time. The projections of future net migration assume a gradual decline to zero from current levels.Health Information&Communications Technologies,,Earth Sciences&GIS,Demographics,Health Indicators

Ethnobotany on a Roll!: Access to Vietnam

This article describes the research and experiences of an ethnobotanist with a physical disability working in Vietnam. Due to a spinal cord injury, the ethnobotanist uses a wheelchair and walking canes to explore the bustling food markets of Vietnam. Information and recommendations are provided for equipment and traveling to and in Vietnam, particularly for those interested in conducting scientific research and for travelers with physical disabilities. Success is largely due to the mutual respect and kindness shared by people along the way, and by accepting and accommodating to given situations. Appendices of resources for travel in Vietnam and educational granting sources for people with disabilities provided