Tuesday, November 1, 2011

How Big Is 7 Billion


Countries around the world marked the world’s population reaching 7 billion yesterday – just 12 years after hitting 6 billion. Lavish ceremonies were held for newborns symbolizing the milestone and warnings that there may be too many humans for the planet’s resources. While demographers are unsure exactly when the world’s population will reach the 7 billion mark, the U.N. used October 31st to symbolically mark the day. A string of festivities were held worldwide, with a series of symbolic 7-billionth babies being born. The celebrations began in the Philippines, where baby Danica May Camacho was greeted with cheers. She arrived two minutes before midnight Sunday, but doctors said that was close enough to count for a Monday birthday. Meanwhile, China has the world’s largest population, at around 1.3 billion. But India says it will soon eclipse that mark. The 7 billion milestone has many pondering the complex challenges associated with billions more people to arrive in the coming years. Some are also pondering just how big is 7 billion really? CNN offers these stats:

  • There are nine zeros in 6,000,000,000, and nine zeros in 7,000,000,000. But if you counted every number in between them, it would take more than 30 years.
  • Earlier this year, there were only 140 people in the world who were worth $7 billion, according to Forbes.
  • Seven billion seconds ago, the year was 1789. That was the year George Washington was inaugurated as the first U.S. president and Congress met for the very first time.
  • If you took 7 billion steps along the Earth’s equator – at 2 feet per step – you could walk around the world at least 106 times.
  • Assuming an average thimble holds 2 milliliters of water, seven billion of those thimbles would fill at least five Olympic-sized swimming pools.
  • Assume the average human is about 5 feet tall, accounting for children. If you stack those 7 billion people end to end they would reach about 1/14th of the way to the sun – or 27 times the distance to the moon.
  • Seven billion ants, at an average size of 3 milligrams each, would weigh at least 23 tons (46,297 pounds).