South Africa’sPoliticalInstability Index for 2009/10 was 7.0 (up from 4.0 in 2007) and is currently ranked 39 in the world. The country with the highest 2009/10 Political Instability Index is Zimbabwe (8.8) while the lowest is Norway (1.2). (http://bit.ly/fTe4IJ)

This week’s theme: South Africa vs. The World

The 2011 birth rate in South Africa is estimated to be 19.5 births/1,000 people, whereas the 2011 death rate is expected to be 17.0 deaths/1,000 people. Compared to the world, these are ranked 92nd and 3rd respectively. (http://1.usa.gov/e7rDnu, http://1.usa.gov/fPgkQZ)

This week’s theme: South Africa vs. The World

South Africa has the 11th largest number of airports in the world with 578 airports in 2010. The country with the most number of airports is the United States (just over 15,000 airports in 2010), while the country with the second largest number is Brazil (just over 4,000 airports in 2010). (CIA World Factbook 2011, http://1.usa.gov/gZcE8J)

This week’s theme: South Africa vs. The World

In South Africa, 39% of urban adult cellphone users browse the Internet on their phones. For rural users, this proportion is 27%. (The Mobile Internet in South Africa 2011 Executive Summary, World Wide Worx)

This week’s theme: Internet in SA

Just over 1.1 million South African adults use the internet for banking. (AMPS2010B)

This week’s theme: Internet in SA

Ookla’s Net Index ranks South Africa at number 91 in country download speeds (3.01Mbps). The global average is 8.68Mbps, boosted by countries such as South Korea (34.84Mbps) and Sweden (27.07Mbps). Brazil’s average download speed is 4.72Mbps. (http://bit.ly/fSahlh)

This week’s theme: Internet in SA

According to Ookla’s Net Index, South Africa’s average download speed is 3.01Mbps. The fastest Internet Service Provider is Cybersmart, with an average download speed of 7.23 Mbps, 3 times faster than Internet Solutions and 3.4 times the speed of MWEB (http://bit.ly/fSahlh)

This week’s theme: Internet in SA

From 2000 to 2010, the world’s population grew at an average annual rate of 1.2%, from 6.1 to 6.9 billion people. The highest rate over this period was registered in Sub-Saharan Africa (2.5%). (Global Employment Trends For Youth, ILO, August 2010)

This week’s theme: God’s creatures

South Africa has the 6th highest pet dog population in the world, with 9.1 million pet dogs. USA is ranked first, with 61.1 million. (http://bit.ly/gf2DFJ)

This week’s theme: God’s creatures

13 rhinos were illegally killed in South Africa during 2007, 83 during 2008, 122 during 2009 and 333 in 2010. As at 7 April 2011, 82 rhinos have been illegally killed in South Africa during 2011. (http://www.rhinoconservation.org/)

This week’s theme: God’s creatures