Australia,+New+Zealand,+Papua+New+Guinea


 * Table of Contents**
 * **Country Demographics**
 * **Expensive Mangoes**
 * **Food Production Concerns**
 * **A 'witch' burned due to a rise in AIDS?**

__Country Demographics__ __** Papua New Guinea **__ [|Source]    Source: http://www.indexmundi.com/papua_new_guinea/ (back to top)
 * ======Papua New Guinea has approximately 6.3 million people======
 * ======The annual growth rate is about 2.6%======
 * ======The infant mortality rate is 54/1,000======
 * ======Life expectancy is 57 years old======
 * ======Birth rate: 28.14 births/1,000 population======
 * ======Death rate: 6.96 deaths/1,000 population======
 * ======Total fertility rate: 3.71 children born/woman======

__** Australia **__ [|Source] = =
 * =====Population: 21,007,310=====
 * =====Population growth rate: 1.221%=====
 * =====Infant mortality rate: total: 4.82 deaths/1,000 live births=====
 * =====Life expectancy at birth: total population: 81.53 years=====
 * =====Birth rate: 12.55 births/1,000 population=====
 * =====Death rate: 6.68 deaths/1,000 population=====
 * =====Total fertility rate: 1.78 children born/woman=====

Source: http://www.indexmundi.com/australia/
(back to top)

 New Zealand

[|Source]
 * ======Population: 4,115,771======
 * ======Population growth rate: 0.95%======
 * ======Birth rate: 13.61 births/1,000 population======
 * ======Death rate: 7.54 deaths/1,000 population======
 * ======Infant mortality rate: total: 5.67 deaths/1,000 live births======
 * ======Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.96 years======
 * ======Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman======

Source: http://www.indexmundi.com/new-zealand/
(back to top)

All information as of 2008 Posted on September 29, 2009

= Dozen Blush Packing House mangoes sold for $2500 each = Dozen Blush Packing House mangoes sold for $2500 each In Sydney, Australia, their traditional charity fundraiser for Westmead Children's Hospital and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, raised $80,000 in one day. Peter Quattroville set the new record of a $40,000 bid on a box of 12 mangoes. The highest bid before that was $37,000 in 2003. This annual fundraiser marks the beginning of the mango season. The other $40,000 came from other auctions during the day. 

For full story [|Click here]

Now that you know where the world's most expensive mangoes were PURCHASED, you may be wondering (as I was) where most of the world's mangoes are actually GROWN, here's your answer. The data comes from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Because most of the world's mangoes are grown in places outside of Australia, as shown above, it's surprising to see that the famous mango auctions take place there at all. (back to top)

Posted on September 15, 2009

=Humans 'will eat more in the next 50 years than all-time' = For full story [|click here] Because of an all-time high level of urbanization and a decreasing amount of forest and farm land to use, a growing concern for the world's food production has arisen. Scientists in Australia are continually finding ways for higher crop production, more nutritional food, and to improve the farming methods that are being used today, including releasing a new, healthy brand of cereal last month that boasted high fiber.

[|Source] The map above shows the percent of the population of countries that are malnourished. If there are already such high numbers in Africa and parts of Asia, it's frightening to think of what the percentages will be in the near future with the world's food production level teetering precariously. (back to top)

Posted on September 29, 2009

= ** __Woman burned at stake after being accused of witchcraft__ ** = === "A young woman from the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea has been stripped, tied to a pole and burnt to death in a crime that police believe is linked to the island's enduring obsession with black magic." Further research however has shown us that not only has the recent burning been an association with black magic, but more of their superstitious beliefs have come out as more people have been infected and died from AIDS. === It was only less than 100 years ago that parts of Papua New Guinea had never had contact with any outsiders, and now it accounts for about 90% of all the HIV/AIDS infections in the Oceania region.

For the full story[| click here]

(Below) HIV/AIDS has become a raging pandemic that has no cure. Although some areas of the world seem almost unaffected by it, there are regions, such as Africa, where it is a frightful scourge on the land. Between 1999 and 2000, more people in Africa [|died from AIDS] than from wars on the continent. [|Map Source] (back to top) Posted on October 19, 2009