Credit crunch hits NIC's

Most of the world's toys are made in China.
But in the last seven months, half the country's toymakers have gone out of business.
Last year's toy scandal, when lead paint was found in Chinese made toys sold in the US, was the beginning of the trouble.
Wang Suzhen has seen orders at her factory slip
New safety regulations added to costs, wages were on the rise, and then factory owners noticed that their orders from overseas were beginning to dwindle as customers in America and Europe cut back because they have less money to spend.

China - Part 4

On the eve before the closing ceremony here is the last of the fact-files on China:

• 70% of the world's umbrellas are made in China
• 60% of all buttons are manufactured in China
• 72% of all shoes worn in the US are made in China
• China manufactures 85% of the world's artificial Christmas trees.
• 80% of all US toys are made in China
• It takes six months for an average factory worker in China to earn the cost of a Thomas the Tank Engine train set.

These facts are coutesy of the National Geographic - May 2008

China - Part 3

Mid-way through and here are more facts about China:

• China has the largest number of internet users - 220 million
• Mobile phones in China have grown from 87 million in 2000 to 432 million today
• There are 11,500,000 privately owned cars in China
• On average each family in China owns at least one bicycle
• China sells more Rolls-Royce cars than any other country
• In 2005 there was one (1) McDonald's drive-through in all of China, by the end of this year there are expected to be 115.
• If put together China's motorways would circle the Equator 1.5 times.

These facts are courtesy of the National Geograpic - May 2008

China - Part 2

Its started and here are some more facts about the host nation of the XXIX Olympiad:

• In ten years China is expected to take over the USA as the world's largest economy
• China has the highest annual number of annual deaths triggered by air pollution
• Urban Chinese earn more than three times as much as those in rural areas
• Public protest rose by 50% in 2007
• One in four residents of Beijing is a migrant from the country
• 67% of millionaires surveyed say they are sacrificing health for money.

These facts are courtesy of National Geographic - May 2008

China - Part 1

With the Olympic Games just round the corner here are some facts about China:

• China's pupulation is 1.3 billion people
• China's one child policy creted a generation of only children that numbers 90 million
• 119 boys are born for every 100 girls
• The number of unmarried young men (called "bare branches") is predicted to be 30 million by 2020
• 45% of Chinese women in a recent survey said they do not want to give up their carreers to get married
• Three in ten Chinese families have grandparents living in the same household
• Beijing enforces a one-dog policy that prohibits pets more than 14 inches high.

These facts are courtesy of the National Geographic - May 2008

Olympics venues

The BBC have launched their map of the Olympic venues for this year's games in China.

Have a look at the aerial views of the areas be used by clicking on this link to the BBC map page.

In the beginning.

Unfortunately, it has taken the deaths of over 160000 people to trigger us into the modern era, but now we have arrived. The events of the last two weeks have been devestating for the people of southern Burma and south western China but for a geographer the tropical cyclone and earthquake are ideal case-studies for these natural hazards.

So for you lot in Year 9, 11, 12 and 13 take a look at the USGS website and BBC News site for information on the causes, effects and possible solutions to these forces of Mother Nature.