Introduction: Mapping the world Chapter 1: The world itself · Earth''s poles · Meteorites · Waterworld · Getting away from it all · The longest straight line over water · The longest you can walk without having to swim · Volcanic eruptions over the past 12,000 years · Earth''s forests · Earth''s chemical elements · Earth''s phosphorus Chapter 2: The world of countries · Countries named after people · Monarchies and republics · Female leaders · National flags that contain the colour red · Passport colours · Driving - left or right? · Capital punishment · Press freedom · Dominance of a capital city · Population density Chapter 3: The world perturbed by people · Carbon dioxide emissions · My short-haul carbon footprint · Busiest airline routes · Renewable electricity output · Nuclear power generation · Trash · Plastic waste · Pesticide use · Mammal species under threat · Night sky brightness Chapter 4: The world of the built environment · Homes at risk of rising sea levels · Lighthouses · World heritage sites · Roman amphitheatres · Skyscrapers · Spaceports · The 500 most powerful supercomputers · Mains frequency · Sharing a McDonald''s · Soccer stadia Chapter 5: The world of thoughts, ideas, and beliefs · The most complex machine ever built · Scientific productivity · Intellectual property · Views on the safety of vaccines · Good at maths? · Literacy · How the world writes · UFO sightings · How the world believes · The happiness of nations Chapter 6: The world of wellbeing · Homicide · Suicide · Obesity in adults · Alcohol consumption · Road traffic deaths · Incidence of malaria · Experience of pain yesterday · How the world dies · The life expectancy gender gap · Life expectancy at birth Chapter 7: The world of sport and leisure · Football World Cup · Foreign players in the Premier League · Summer Olympics · Chess playing strength · Shakespeare''s world · Nobel prize for literature · Going to the movies · Computer games · What the world searches for · Active on social media Chapter 8: The world of economics · Accessing cash · Units of currency · Gold reserves · The indebtedness of nations · Standard of living · Big Apple · International tourism · Military expenditure · Access to electricity · Catching fish Afterword Index.