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Apprehended anti-war protesters in Russia

This invasion is absolutely absurd. This man is a paranoid senile maniac. I stand with Ukraine. I detest everything about this Russian government. I adore those Russians who risk being arrested and go out on the streets to protest these appalling actions of the Soviet Russian dictatorship. I don’t want to take the focus off Ukraine but I’m glad to see that there are Russians who see the situation for what it is – Russian imperialism.

Here’s the source. The data was collected by a human rights organisation that investigates politically motivated arrests, layoffs, etc. and helps those affected by it. If you want to help OVD-News, you can donate money on their website but don’t forget, the Ukrainians need help too and even more. Stay strong, Ukraine, he will fall one day.

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Top corporate tax rates around the world

Taxation usually comprises a large chunk of a government’s budget and a sizeable part of it comes from corporate income tax. Attitudes toward taxation differ per country with some preferring lower rates to entice businesses and some preferring higher rates. Nevertheless, even when tax rates are pretty high, companies in some countries manage to avoid paying taxes altogether maximising their profit and decreasing the positive impact they might have on society (looking at you, Jeff). So although it is undoubtedly interesting to get an overview of top corporate tax rates worldwide, it does not mean that companies in these countries actually pay taxes based on these rates.

Some values on the map do not represent the real-world situation fully: Bahrain doesn’t have a general corporate income tax, but they do tax oil companies at a rate that can be as high as 46%; similar applies to the UAE, where each of the 7 emirates is allowed to levy their own corporate income tax up to 55%, however, in practice this tax is only applied to foreign banks and petroleum companies; on Comoros, the rate of 50% applies only to “public industrial and commercial enterprises or those where the state or certain public institutions are participants … if their turnover exceeds 500 million Comorian francs”. The normal tax rate is 35%.

Here you can find the source and here you can read about their methodology.

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Three points for a win in European leagues

For us, football fans in 2022, 3 points per win sounds like the norm and for someone my age, it has always been so. However, before the mid-90s, only a handful of leagues in Europe used this system. Before it, only 2 points were awarded per win. Proposed by Jimmy Hill, thу 3-points system was first introduced in England in 1981 but up until the 1994 World Cup, it didn’t gather much support. Only when it proved successful in this tournament, other countries followed suit. This system increased the value of a victory compared to a draw but did it really decrease the number of draws? I don’t know, I will research it and make a new map for all of us to see.

To make this map, I used this Wikipedia article and some extra sources I had to dig up to gather data on, for instance, Gibraltar. If you want, you can send me some compliments using the contact form.

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Regional poverty in Russia

Russia likes to present itself as a developed nation at the forefront of global progress, however, when it comes to income, average numbers in even its richest regions don’t even get close to minimum salary in Western Europe. Of course, the costs of living in Russia are much lower than in “western” countries. Think about cheaper real estate, electricity, gas, public transport and internet, free healthcare and an option to get a university education for free. However, supermarket prices differ but not as much as the salaries and other things essential for modern life such as electronics cost more or less the same.

Maybe the title of this map is a bit harsh and maybe it’s not really poverty, but when in such a big, rich country which produced one of the greatest artists and scientists in the world half of the population has to survive on less than 400€ a month, I feel like certain questions should be raised.

You can contact me here. And of course, here’s the source.

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Highest peaks in South America

South America is home to a few peaks significant on the global scale. First of all, it is home to Ojos del Salado, the tallest volcano on Earth. Second, interestingly enough, although Everest is the highest mountain on the planet, Chimborazo is the closest one to space (or the furthest one from the centre of the Earth). This is due to the equatorial bulge, which is the difference between the equatorial and polar diameters of our planet. As the Earth rotates around its axis, the centrifugal force around the equator propels the Earth’s surface outwards, thereby making our planet a spheroid with a bulge around the equator rather than a proper sphere.

Thanks to the Andes, South America also hosts the 3 most elevated capital cities in the world, La Paz (3,640m), Quito (2,850m) and Bogotá (2,625m). An unexpected consequence of that is the advantage the Bolivian national football team gains when hosting games in La Paz. During the qualifiers for World Cups 2006 – 2010, the Bolivian team won 14 and drew 10 games at home and simultaneously won none and drew 2 away.

As usual, comments in the comments, contact through the contact form.

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Life expectancy in Asia

According to WHO, most people in Asia when they are born can count on living more than 70 years. Some countries, such as Yemen, Pakistan or Afghanistan, unfortunately, have a lot of work to do to raise their life expectancy levels to the current average on the continent and, unfortunately, the instability caused, among other factors, by centuries of foreign intervention in the region keeps preventing the rise of these numbers. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Macao, Japan and Hong Kong which are not just the best in Asia but in the whole world.

Questions? Suggestions? Requests? Here. Praises? Rotten tomatoes? Corrections? Below in the comments.

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Drinkable water in Africa

The situation with water in Africa is to a certain extent better than with electricity. Only in Chad, less than 40% of the population have access to basic drinking water services. Still, we should strive for >99% in all countries across the world. Just imagine if you had to walk for more than 30 minutes to get a drop of drinkable water. Doesn’t sound that great and for millions of people in Africa, even this would be an improvement.

Here’s the source. As usual, I’m waiting for your comments down below and for your suggestions and requests here.

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Countries compared to Sakha

Sakha or Yakutia is home to more than 950.000 people, half of which are Sakha – the most numerous ethnic group of indigenous peoples in the area. It also hosts one of the coldest places on Earth outside of Antarctica, Oymyakon where on multiple occasions the temperature fell to almost -70°C.

Breathtaking landscapes, diamonds, naturally mummified mammoths, a natural park attempting to re-create prehistoric ecosystems and many other fascinating things can be found in this region, which is the biggest administrative subdivision in the world. It is so big, that in fact, if it were independent it would be the 8th biggest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, China, the US, Australia, Brazil and India and by far the least densely populated as every person living in Yakutia can have around 3km2 of land just for themselves.

Leave a comment if you got something to say and for any requests/suggestions head here. Cheers.

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Cycling in the EU

In my opinion, bicycles are the best way of moving around cities. At least, around European cities as distances here are not as great as those of urban sprawls of the US or megapolises of Asia. Quick, easy to park, healthy, cheap and simply enjoyable – when your country has enough infrastructure and not too many mountains, these are the characteristics of urban cycling. Do you want to add “appropriate weather” to the list of conditions? Fair enough but why do Finland and Sweden have much higher percentages of cycling commuters than basically anywhere else in Europe? Proper infrastructure might be able to even out the severities of the climate although it is indeed less enjoyable to cycle in -25°C than in +20°C for most people. Special thanks to the Netherlands, cycling here is echt lekker. Be like Nederland.

Do you want to take a look at the original report and other interesting metrics regarding the quality of European transport – go here. If you got something to say, for instance, that you enjoy cycling in the cold more than on a sunny day, feel free to leave a comment, for other inquiries I’m waiting for you here.

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Subregions of Oceania

I think Oceania gets very little attention in the western world unless it’s Australia or New Zealand. So, here is a map of 3 big subregions of Oceania: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Each of them has certain traits that help us unite them into one category but make no mistake, within each subregion, there are plenty of distinct cultures. Interestingly enough, Norfolk Island (close to New Caledonia) was uninhabited when first visited by the Europeans and that’s why it is not included in any of the subregions, although artefacts from both Polynesian and Melanesian cultures can be found on the island from the period way before colonisation. Australia is also not a part of any of the subregions because the indigenous peoples of the continent have their own distinct cultures which would make up a subregion or even subregions of their own.

Comments, likes and your stories about how you visited the region – below, requests and suggestions – here.