You are on page 1of 55

Projected Population

Year   India   China   World

2009   1,160,813,000   1,338,612,968   6,786,743,939

2012   1,208,116,000   1,366,205,049   7,028,369,002

2015   1,254,019,000   1,393,417,233   7,269,526,256

2020   1,326,155,000   1,430,532,735   7,659,291,953

2025   1,388,994,000   1,453,123,817   8,027,490,191

2050   1,807,878,574   1,424,161,948   9,538,988,263

  Sources : National Commission on Population Govt. of India and U.S Census Bureau, International
Database.

The Young and working population of India is the biggest positive factor for India and its
growth in coming years – We have written about it many times earlier on this blog, and another
survey reiterates this fact again with some Interesting numbers !

Just to show you the amount of difference between other developing Countries and India –
Have a look at this graph.

Between 2010-2030, India will add 241 Million people in working-age population (and that
means the children who are currently in our education system), Brazil will add around 18
million, while China will add a meager 10 million people during the same time.

So even with all the drawbacks that India has, this particular Indian aspect is going to prove
pivotal in making India the world leader in coming years.
The demographic outlook for the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – could
hardly be more different. In terms of the demographic transition model, India is at the
beginning of stage three (declining fertility, population growth), Brazil and China are at stage
four (low mortality and fertility, population trending towards stability), while Russia is
already at stage five (sub-replacement-rate fertility, declining population). Not surprisingly,
the differences in the projected change in the working-age population – the economically
relevant variable – are very significant in both absolute and relative terms. [Source: DB
Research]

The demographic developments in the BRICs over the next 10, 20, 30 years will vary greatly.
This will impact not only economic growth prospects, but also savings and investment
behavior and potentially – if somewhat difficult to quantify – financial market growth
prospects. India is demographically in a substantially more favorable position than China and
Russia.

Brazil’s “demographic window” (defined here, non-technically, as a falling dependency ratio)


will close around 2020-25, while in China and Russia it is closing right now. India, by
contrast, will enjoy a very favorable demographic momentum for another three
decades.

So even though in current scenario, India may not exactly be mentioned in the same breath as
US, UK and China, the picture in next couple of decades will be quite different.

Even from our Financial Markets point of view – If you really have a long-long term view,
there is not better place to invest in stock Markets than in India !
India is developing into an open-market economy, yet traces of its past autarkic policies
remain. Economic liberalization, including reduced controls on foreign trade and investment,
began in the early 1990s and has served to accelerate the country's growth, which has
averaged more than 7% per year since 1997. India's diverse economy encompasses traditional
village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a
multitude of services. Slightly more than half of the work force is in agriculture, but services
are the major source of economic growth, accounting for more than half of India's output,
with only one-third of its labor force. India has capitalized on its large educated English-
speaking population to become a major exporter of information technology services and
software workers. An industrial slowdown early in 2008, followed by the global financial
crisis, led annual GDP growth to slow to 6.5% in 2009, still the second highest growth in the
world among major economies. India escaped the brunt of the global financial crisis because
of cautious banking policies and a relatively low dependence on exports for growth.
Domestic demand, driven by purchases of consumer durables and automobiles, has re-
emerged as a key driver of growth, as exports have fallen since the global crisis started.
India's fiscal deficit increased substantially in 2008 due to fuel and fertilizer subsidies, a debt
waiver program for farmers, a job guarantee program for rural workers, and stimulus
expenditures. The government abandoned its deficit target and allowed the deficit to reach
6.8% of GDP in FY10. Nevertheless, as shares of GDP, both government spending and
taxation are among the lowest in the world. The government has expressed a commitment to
fiscal stimulus in FY10, and to deficit reduction the following two years. It has increased the
pace of privatization of government-owned companies, partly to offset the deficit. India's
long term challenges include widespread poverty, inadequate physical and social
infrastructure, limited employment opportunities, and insufficient access to basic and higher
education. Over the long-term, a growing population and changing demographics will only
exacerbate social, economic, and environmental problems.
Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with
Europe and the Americas. It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products
from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its fish are of great and growing importance to
the bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan,
South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of
hydrocarbons are being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western
Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean.
Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering
countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
China

China's economy during the past 30 years has changed from a centrally planned system that was
largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing
private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms started in the late 1970s with
the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of
prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a
diversified banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state
sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. Annual inflows of foreign direct investment
rose to nearly $108 billion in 2008. China has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or
piecemeal fashion. In recent years, China has re-invigorated its support for leading state-owned
enterprises in sectors it considers important to "economic security," explicitly looking to foster
globally competitive national champions. After keeping its currency tightly linked to the US dollar for
years, China in July 2005 revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and moved to an
exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies. Cumulative appreciation of the
renminbi against the US dollar since the end of the dollar peg was more than 20% by late 2008, but
the exchange rate has remained virtually pegged since the onset of the global financial crisis. The
restructuring of the economy and resulting efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold
increase in GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis that adjusts for price
differences, China in 2009 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although
in per capita terms the country is still lower middle-income. The Chinese government faces
numerous economic development challenges, including: (a) reducing its high domestic savings rate
and correspondingly low domestic demand through increased corporate transfers and a
strengthened social safety net; (b) sustaining adequate job growth for tens of millions of migrants
and new entrants to the work force; (c) reducing corruption and other economic crimes; and (d)
containing environmental damage and social strife related to the economy's rapid transformation.
Economic development has been more rapid in coastal provinces than in the interior, and
approximately 200 million rural laborers and their dependents have relocated to urban areas to find
work. One demographic consequence of the "one child" policy is that China is now one of the most
rapidly aging countries in the world. Deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil
erosion, and the steady fall of the water table, especially in the north - is another long-term
problem. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. In
2006, China announced that by 2010 it would decrease energy intensity 20% from 2005 levels. In
2009, China announced that by 2020 it would reduce carbon intensity 40% from 2005 levels. The
Chinese government seeks to add energy production capacity from sources other than coal and oil,
and is focusing on nuclear and other alternative energy development. In 2009, the global economic
downturn reduced foreign demand for Chinese exports for the first time in many years. The
government vowed to continue reforming the economy and emphasized the need to increase
domestic consumption in order to make China less dependent on foreign exports for GDP growth in
the future.
Country Comparison :: GDP (purchasing power parity)

This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced
within a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates is
the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the
United States. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per-capita welfare and
when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries. The measure is difficult to
compute, as a US dollar value has to be assigned to all goods and services in the country regardless
of whether these goods and services have a direct equivalent in the United States (for example,
the value of an ox-cart or non-US military equipment); as a result, PPP estimates for some
countries are based on a small and sometimes different set of goods and services. In addition,
many countries do not formally participate in the World Bank's PPP project that calculates these
measures, so the resulting GDP estimates for these countries may lack precision. For many
developing countries, PPP-based GDP measures are multiples of the official exchange rate (OER)
measure. The differences between the OER- and PPP-denominated GDP values for most of the
wealthy industrialized countries are generally much smaller.

India ::  5

GDP (purchasing power


Rank country Date of Information
parity)
1 European Union $ 14,430,000,000,000 2009 est.

2 United States $ 14,120,000,000,000 2009 est.

3 China $ 8,818,000,000,000 2009 est.

4 Japan $ 4,149,000,000,000 2009 est.

5 India $ 3,680,000,000,000 2009 est.

6 Germany $ 2,815,000,000,000 2009 est.

7 United Kingdom $ 2,123,000,000,000 2009 est.

8 Russia $ 2,116,000,000,000 2009 est.

9 France $ 2,094,000,000,000 2009 est.

10 Brazil $ 2,010,000,000,000 2009 est.

11 Italy $ 1,737,000,000,000 2009 est.

12 Mexico $ 1,463,000,000,000 2009 est.

13 Korea, South $ 1,362,000,000,000 2009 est.

14 Spain $ 1,359,000,000,000 2009 est.

15 Canada $ 1,277,000,000,000 2009 est.

16 Indonesia $ 960,200,000,000 2009 est.

17 Turkey $ 879,900,000,000 2009 est.

18 Australia $ 848,400,000,000 2009 est.

19 Iran $ 825,900,000,000 2009 est.


20 Taiwan $ 734,300,000,000 2009 est.

21 Poland $ 688,300,000,000 2009 est.

22 Netherlands $ 659,100,000,000 2009 est.

23 Saudi Arabia $ 590,900,000,000 2009 est.

24 Argentina $ 568,200,000,000 2009 est.

25 Thailand $ 539,300,000,000 2009 est.

26 South Africa $ 504,600,000,000 2009 est.

27 Egypt $ 468,700,000,000 2009 est.

28 Pakistan $ 432,900,000,000 2009 est.

29 Colombia $ 407,500,000,000 2009 est.

30 Belgium $ 383,000,000,000 2009 est.

31 Malaysia $ 383,000,000,000 2009 est.

32 Venezuela $ 348,800,000,000 2009 est.

33 Nigeria $ 341,100,000,000 2009 est.

34 Sweden $ 335,100,000,000 2009 est.

35 Greece $ 332,900,000,000 2009 est.

36 Philippines $ 324,300,000,000 2009 est.

37 Austria $ 321,600,000,000 2009 est.

38 Switzerland $ 313,300,000,000 2009 est.


39 Hong Kong $ 301,300,000,000 2009 est.

40 Ukraine $ 289,300,000,000 2009 est.

41 Norway $ 268,300,000,000 2009 est.

42 Vietnam $ 256,500,000,000 2009 est.

43 Romania $ 254,400,000,000 2009 est.

44 Czech Republic $ 253,100,000,000 2009 est.

45 Singapore $ 251,200,000,000 2009 est.

46 Peru $ 251,000,000,000 2009 est.

47 Chile $ 243,200,000,000 2009 est.

48 Algeria $ 241,000,000,000 2009 est.

49 Bangladesh $ 241,000,000,000 2009 est.

50 Portugal $ 240,900,000,000 2009 est.

51 Israel $ 206,900,000,000 2009 est.

52 Denmark $ 197,500,000,000 2009 est.

53 United Arab Emirates $ 191,900,000,000 2009 est.

54 Hungary $ 185,700,000,000 2009 est.

55 Kazakhstan $ 182,000,000,000 2009 est.

56 Finland $ 178,900,000,000 2009 est.

57 Ireland $ 172,500,000,000 2009 est.


58 Morocco $ 145,400,000,000 2009 est.

59 Kuwait $ 137,700,000,000 2009 est.

60 Belarus $ 120,700,000,000 2009 est.

61 New Zealand $ 115,100,000,000 2009 est.

62 Slovakia $ 114,900,000,000 2009 est.

63 Cuba $ 110,800,000,000 2009 est.

64 Ecuador $ 110,400,000,000 2009 est.

65 Iraq $ 109,900,000,000 2009 est.

66 Angola $ 106,200,000,000 2009 est.

67 Qatar $ 100,800,000,000 2009 est.

68 Syria $ 100,800,000,000 2009 est.

69 Sri Lanka $ 96,470,000,000 2009 est.

70 Tunisia $ 95,600,000,000 2009 est.

71 Sudan $ 92,520,000,000 2009 est.

72 Bulgaria $ 90,480,000,000 2009 est.

73 Azerbaijan $ 85,650,000,000 2009 est.

74 Libya $ 84,920,000,000 2009 est.

75 Dominican Republic $ 80,310,000,000 2009 est.

76 Croatia $ 78,460,000,000 2009 est.


77 Uzbekistan $ 78,370,000,000 2009 est.

78 Serbia $ 78,050,000,000 2009 est.

79 Ethiopia $ 77,360,000,000 2009 est.

80 Oman $ 72,780,000,000 2009 est.

81 Puerto Rico $ 67,820,000,000 2009 est.

82 Guatemala $ 67,780,000,000 2009 est.

83 Kenya $ 62,480,000,000 2009 est.

84 Yemen $ 57,950,000,000 2009 est.

85 Tanzania $ 57,610,000,000 2009 est.

86 Burma $ 57,410,000,000 2009 est.

87 Slovenia $ 55,410,000,000 2009 est.

88 Lithuania $ 55,170,000,000 2009 est.

89 Lebanon $ 53,900,000,000 2009 est.

90 Costa Rica $ 48,830,000,000 2009 est.

91 Bolivia $ 45,540,000,000 2009 est.

92 Uruguay $ 43,980,000,000 2009 est.

93 El Salvador $ 42,820,000,000 2009 est.

94 Cameroon $ 42,790,000,000 2009 est.

95 Panama $ 40,760,000,000 2009 est.


96 Korea, North $ 40,000,000,000 2009 est.

97 Luxembourg $ 39,080,000,000 2009 est.

98 Uganda $ 38,120,000,000 2009 est.

99 Ghana $ 35,990,000,000 2009 est.

100 Cote d'Ivoire $ 35,940,000,000 2009 est.

101 Nepal $ 33,610,000,000 2009 est.

102 Turkmenistan $ 32,520,000,000 2009 est.

103 Honduras $ 32,460,000,000 2009 est.

104 Latvia $ 32,310,000,000 2009 est.

105 Jordan $ 32,260,000,000 2009 est.

106 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 29,780,000,000 2009 est.

107 Paraguay $ 28,630,000,000 2009 est.

108 Bahrain $ 28,270,000,000 2009 est.

109 Cambodia $ 27,880,000,000 2009 est.

110 Afghanistan $ 26,980,000,000 2009 est.

111 Trinidad and Tobago $ 26,150,000,000 2009 est.

112 Botswana $ 25,380,000,000 2009 est.

113 Equatorial Guinea $ 23,820,000,000 2009 est.

114 Jamaica $ 23,760,000,000 2009 est.


115 Estonia $ 23,710,000,000 2009 est.

116 Albania $ 22,880,000,000 2009 est.

117 Cyprus $ 22,750,000,000 2009 est.

118 Senegal $ 22,620,000,000 2009 est.

Congo, Democratic Republic of


119 $ 21,750,000,000 2009 est.
the

120 Gabon $ 21,070,000,000 2009 est.

121 Georgia $ 20,850,000,000 2009 est.

122 Mozambique $ 20,190,000,000 2009 est.

123 Madagascar $ 20,120,000,000 2009 est.

124 Brunei $ 19,390,000,000 2009 est.

125 Macedonia $ 18,890,000,000 2009 est.

126 Burkina Faso $ 18,790,000,000 2009 est.

127 Macau $ 18,470,000,000 2009 est.

128 Zambia $ 18,440,000,000 2009 est.

129 Chad $ 17,930,000,000 2009 est.

130 Mauritius $ 16,630,000,000 2009 est.

131 Nicaragua $ 16,620,000,000 2009 est.

132 Armenia $ 16,250,000,000 2009 est.

133 Mali $ 15,680,000,000 2009 est.


134 Congo, Republic of the $ 15,560,000,000 2009 est.

135 Laos $ 14,200,000,000 2009 est.

136 Namibia $ 13,850,000,000 2009 est.

137 Papua New Guinea $ 13,850,000,000 2009 est.

138 Tajikistan $ 13,650,000,000 2009 est.

139 Benin $ 13,580,000,000 2009 est.

140 West Bank $ 12,790,000,000 2009 est.

141 Malawi $ 12,500,000,000 2009 est.

142 Iceland $ 12,090,000,000 2009 est.

143 Kyrgyzstan $ 12,090,000,000 2009 est.

144 Haiti $ 11,970,000,000 2009 est.

145 Rwanda $ 11,010,000,000 2009 est.

146 Guinea $ 10,140,000,000 2009 est.

147 Moldova $ 10,130,000,000 2009 est.

148 Niger $ 10,070,000,000 2009 est.

149 Malta $ 9,866,000,000 2009 est.

150 Mongolia $ 9,360,000,000 2009 est.

151 Bahamas, The $ 8,791,000,000 2009 est.

152 Montenegro $ 6,590,000,000 2009 est.


153 Mauritania $ 6,381,000,000 2009 est.

154 Barbados $ 6,148,000,000 2009 est.

155 Swaziland $ 5,849,000,000 2009 est.

156 Somalia $ 5,665,000,000 2009 est.

157 Togo $ 5,653,000,000 2009 est.

158 Kosovo $ 5,300,000,000 2008

159 Jersey $ 5,100,000,000 2005 est.

160 Guyana $ 4,873,000,000 2009 est.

161 French Polynesia $ 4,718,000,000 2004 est.

162 Suriname $ 4,563,000,000 2009 est.

163 Sierra Leone $ 4,507,000,000 2009 est.

164 Bermuda $ 4,500,000,000 2004 est.

165 Andorra $ 4,220,000,000 2008

166 Zimbabwe $ 4,161,000,000 2009 est.

167 Liechtenstein $ 4,160,000,000 2007

168 Eritrea $ 3,958,000,000 2009 est.

169 Fiji $ 3,670,000,000 2009 est.

170 Central African Republic $ 3,295,000,000 2009 est.

171 Bhutan $ 3,252,000,000 2009 est.


172 Burundi $ 3,241,000,000 2009 est.

173 Gambia, The $ 3,196,000,000 2009 est.

174 New Caledonia $ 3,158,000,000 2003 est.

175 Lesotho $ 3,151,000,000 2009 est.

176 Curacao $ 2,838,000,000 2008 est.

177 Netherlands Antilles $ 2,800,000,000 2004 est.

178 Guernsey $ 2,742,000,000 2005

179 Timor-Leste $ 2,740,000,000 2009 est.

180 Isle of Man $ 2,719,000,000 2005 est.

181 Belize $ 2,575,000,000 2009 est.

182 Aruba $ 2,258,000,000 2005 est.

183 Cayman Islands $ 2,250,000,000 2008 est.

184 Greenland $ 2,030,000,000 2008 est.

185 Djibouti $ 1,974,000,000 2009 est.

186 Seychelles $ 1,816,000,000 2009 est.

187 Cape Verde $ 1,754,000,000 2009 est.

188 Saint Lucia $ 1,743,000,000 2009 est.

189 Guinea-Bissau $ 1,712,000,000 2009 est.

190 Maldives $ 1,683,000,000 2009 est.


191 San Marino $ 1,662,000,000 2007

192 Liberia $ 1,635,000,000 2009 est.

193 Virgin Islands $ 1,577,000,000 2004 est.

194 Faroe Islands $ 1,561,000,000 2008 est.

195 Solomon Islands $ 1,494,000,000 2009 est.

196 Antigua and Barbuda $ 1,472,000,000 2009 est.

197 Vanuatu $ 1,151,000,000 2009 est.

198 Gibraltar $ 1,106,000,000 2006 est.

199 Grenada $ 1,101,000,000 2009 est.

200 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 1,085,000,000 2009 est.

201 Samoa $ 1,007,000,000 2009 est.

202 Monaco $ 976,300,000 2006 est.

203 Mayotte $ 953,600,000 2005 est.

204 Northern Mariana Islands $ 900,000,000 2000 est.

205 Western Sahara $ 900,000,000 2007 est.

206 British Virgin Islands $ 853,400,000 2004 est.

207 Sint Maarten $ 794,700,000 2008 est.

208 Comoros $ 764,800,000 2009 est.

209 Tonga $ 759,500,000 2009 est.


210 Dominica $ 743,700,000 2009 est.

211 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 719,700,000 2009 est.

212 Kiribati $ 601,300,000 2009 est.

213 American Samoa $ 575,300,000 2007 est.

214 Sao Tome and Principe $ 294,600,000 2009 est.

215 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 238,100,000 2008 est.

216 Turks and Caicos Islands $ 216,000,000 2002 est.

217 Cook Islands $ 183,200,000 2005 est.

218 Anguilla $ 175,400,000 2009 est.

219 Palau $ 164,000,000 2008 est.

220 Marshall Islands $ 133,500,000 2008 est.

221 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $ 105,100,000 2002 est.

222 Nauru $ 60,000,000 2005 est.

223 Wallis and Futuna $ 60,000,000 2004 est.

224 Saint Pierre and Miquelon $ 48,300,000 2003 est.

225 Montserrat $ 29,000,000 2002 est.

Saint Helena, Ascension, and


226 $ 18,000,000 1998 est.
Tristan da Cunha

227 Tuvalu $ 14,940,000 2002 est.

228 Niue $ 10,010,000 2003 est.


229 Tokelau $ 1,500,000 1993 est

The economy of Asia comprises more than 4 billion people (60% of the world population)
living in 46 different states. Six further states lie partly in Asia, but are considered to belong to
another region economically and politically.

As in all world regions, the wealth of Asia differs widely between, and within, states. This is
due to its vast size, meaning a huge range of differing cultures, environments, historical ties
and government systems. The largest economies in Asia in terms of nominal GDP are China,
Japan, India, South Korea, Indonesia and Iran. In terms of GDP by purchasing power parity, China
has the largest economy in Asia and the second largest economy in the world, followed by
Japan, India, and South Korea.

Wealth (if measured by GDP per capita) is mostly concentrated in east Asian territories such as
Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, as well in oil rich Middle Eastern countries
such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates. Asia, with the exception of Japan, South
Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, is currently undergoing rapid growth and industrialization
spearheaded by China and India - the two fastest growing major economies in the world.
While east Asian and southeast Asian countries generally rely on manufacturing and trade for
growth, countries in the Middle East depend more on the production of commodities,
principally oil, for economic growth. Over the years, with rapid economic growth and large
trade surplus with the rest of the world, Asia has accumulated over US$4 trillion of foreign
exchange reserves - more than half of the world's total.

Economic development
[edit] Ancient and medieval times

Chinaand India alternated in being the largest economies in the world from 1 to 1800 A.D.
China was a major economic power and attracted many to the east,[1][2][3][4] and for many the
legendary wealth and prosperity of the ancient culture of India personified Asia[5], attracting
European commerce, exploration and colonialism. The accidental discovery of America by
Columbus in search for India demonstrates this deep fascination. The Silk Road became the
main East-West trading route in the Asian hitherland while the Straits of Malacca stood as a
major sea route.

[edit] Pre-1945

Prior to World War II, most of Asia was under colonial rule. Only relatively few states managed
to remain independent in the face of constant pressure exerted by European power. Such
examples are Siam and Japan.

Japan in particular managed to develop its economy due to a reformation in the 19th century.
The reformation was comprehensive and is today known as the Meiji Restoration. The Japanese
economy continued to grow well into the 20th century and its economic growth created
various shortages of resources essential to economic growth. As a result the Japanese
expansion began with a great part of Korea and China annexed, thus allowing the Japanese to
secure strategic resources.
At the same time, Southeast Asia was prospering due to trade and the introduction of various
new technologies of that time. The volume of trade continued to increase with the opening of
the Suez Canal in the 1860s. Manila had its gallion or Manila galleon wherein products from the
Philippines were traded to Europe. The Philippines was the first Asian country to trade with
Latin America via Acapulco. Tobacco, coconut, corn, and sugar trade was the most in demand
during that time. Singapore, founded in 1819, rose to prominence as trade between the east and
the west increased at an incredible rate. The British colony of Malaya, now part of Malaysia, was
the world's largest producer of tin and rubber. The Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, on the
other hand, was known for its spices production. Both the British and the Dutch created their
own trading companies to manage their trade flow in Asia. The British created the British East
India Company while the Dutch formed Dutch East India Company. Both companies maintained
trade monopolies of their respective colonies.

In 1908, crude oil was first discovered in Persia, modern day Iran. Afterwards, many oil fields
were discovered and it was learnt later that the Mideast possesses the world's largest oil stocks.
This made the rulers of the Arab nations very rich though the socioeconomic development in
that region lagged behind.

In the early 1930s, the world underwent a global economic depression, today known as the Great
Depression. Asia was not spared, and suffered the same pain as Europe and the United States.
The volume of trade decreased dramatically all around Asia and indeed the world. With
falling demand, prices of various goods starting to fall and further impoverished locals and
foreigners alike. In 1941, Japan invaded Malaya and thus began World War II in Asia.

[edit] 1945-1990

Following World War II, the People's Republic of China and India, which account for half of the
population of Asia, adopted socialist policies to promote their domestic economy. These
policies limited the economic growth of the region. In contrast, the economies of superiors
Japan, South Korea and the other tigers Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong--were economic
successes, and the only successful economies outside of North America, Western Europe and
Australia. The Philippines from the post-World War II until the late 1970s had the second
largest economy in Asia. The Philippine economy during the 1980s was marked by stagnant
growth as a result of political instability and incompetence of the succeeding government.

One of the most pronounced Asian economic phenomenons during this time - the Japanese
post-war economic miracle greatly impacted the rest of the world. After World War II, under
central guidance from the Japanese government, the entire economy was undergoing a
remarkable restructuring. Close cooperation between the government, corporations and banks
facilitated easy access to much-needed capital, and large conglomerates known as keiretsu
spurred horizontal and vertical integration across all industries, keeping out foreign competition.
These policies, in addition to an abandonment of military spending, worked phenomenally
well. Japanese corporations as a result exported and still export massive amounts of high
quality products from The Land of The Rising Sun.

Another amazing economic success story is that of South Korea's, also referred to as the Miracle
on the Han River. The country was left impoverished after the Korean War, yet was able to
recover at double digit percentiles. Many conglomerates, also known as Chaebols, such as
Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia, SK, and more grew tremendously during this period. South Korea has
now become the most wired country in the world.
Taiwan and Hong Kong experienced rapid growth up till the 1990s. Taiwan became, and still
remains one of the main centers of consumer electronics R&D as well as manufacturing.
However, unlike in Japan and South Korea, the bulk of Taiwan's economy is dependent on
small to medium sized businesses. Hong Kong, on the other hand, experienced rapid growth
in the financial sector due to liberal market policies, with many financial institutions setting
up their Asian headquarters in Hong Kong. Till today, Hong Kong has been ranked as the
world's freest economy for many years running, and it remains among one of the world's top 5
leading financial centers.

This period was also marked by military conflict. Wars driven by the Cold War, notably in
Vietnam and Afghanistan, wrecked the economies of these respective nations. When the
Soviet Union collapsed in 1990-91, many Central Asian states were cut free and were forced to
adapt to pressure for democratic and economic change. Also, several of the USSR's allies lost
valuable aid and funding.

[edit] 1991-2007

After the liberalization of the economy of India, the Indian economy coupled with the Chinese
economy to power Asia into being one of the hotspots for world trade. The Chinese economy
was already booming under the economic measures undertaken by Deng Xiaoping, in the
1980s, and continuing under Jiang Zemin in the 1990s. In 2007, China's economic growth rate
exceeded 11% while India's growth rate increased to around 9%. One of the factors was the
sheer size of the population in this region.[citation needed]

Meanwhile, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore emerged as the Four Asian Tigers with
their GDPs growing well above 7% per year in the 1980s and the 90s. Their economies were
mainly driven by growing exports. The Philippines only began to open up its stagnated
economy in the early 1990s. Vietnam's economy began to grow in 1995, shortly after the
United States and Vietnam restored economic and political ties.

Throughout the 1990s, the manufacturing ability and cheap labor markets in Asian
developing nations allowed companies to establish themselves in many of the industries
previously dominated by companies from developed nations. Asia became one of the largest
sources of automobiles, machinery, audio equipment and other electronics.

At the end of 1997, Thailand was hit by currency speculators, and the value of the Baht along
with its annual growth rate fell dramatically. Soon after, the crisis spread to Indonesia,
Malaysia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and many other Asian economies, resulting in
great economic damage on the affected countries (Japan largely escaped the crisis). In fact,
some of the economies, most notably those of Thailand, Indonesia, and South Korea actually
contracted. This later would be known as the Asian financial crisis. By 1999, most countries had
already recovered from the crisis.

In 2004, parts of Sumatra and South Asia were severely damaged by an earthquake and the
subsequent tsunami. The natural disaster wiped out huge amounts of infrastructure throughout
the affected area and displaced millions.
[edit] Future

Asia's large economic disparities are a source of major continuing tension in the region.[citation
needed]
While global economic powers China, Japan, India, and South Korea continue powering
through, and Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have entered
the path to long-term growth, regions right next to these countries are in need of severe
assistance.

Given the large number cheap and amply available labor in the region, particularly in China
and India, where large workforces provide an economical advantage over other countries, the
rising standard of living will eventually lead to a slow-down. Asia is also riddled with
political problems that threaten not just the economies, but the general stability of the region
and world. The nuclear neighbors—Pakistan and India—constantly pose a threat to each
other, causing their governments to heavily invest in military spending.

Military intervention by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan has also inflamed extremism
and resulted in several terrorist attacks in a number of Asian countries. Another impending
crisis is the depletion of oil reserves in the Middle East. Most of these economies have
traditionally been over-dependent on oil and have had difficulty establishing another pillar in
their economies.

Yet another potential global danger posed by the economy of Asia is the growing
accumulation of foreign exchange reserves. The countries/regions with the largest foreign
reserves are mostly in Asia - China (Mainland - $2,454 billion & Hong Kong - $245 billion,
June 2010), Japan ($1,019 billion, June 2009), Russia ($456 billion, April 2010), India ($284
billion, July 2010), Taiwan ($372 billion, September 2010), the Republic of Korea ($286
billion, July 2010), Singapore ($206 billion, July 2010). This increasingly means that the
interchangeability of the Euro, USD, and GBP are heavily influenced by Asian central banks.
Some economists in the western countries see this as a bad thing, prompting their respective
governments to take action.

The economies of Asia are expected to be unequally divided for a long period of time. East
Asian nations such as economic leaders China, Japan and South Korea will continue to
flourish. Japanese products such as Sony and Hitachi are commanding premium prices in the
western world. South Korean conglomerates Samsung and LG are respectively the second and
fifth largest in Asia in terms of annual revenues. These two rivaling countries are expected to
be joined by new economic competitors such as China and India. On the other hand, the
Middle East and a few parts of South East Asia are will be in a state of trouble.

According to the World Bank, China may become the largest economy in the world sometime
between 2020 and 2030.[6]

[edit] Asian countries by GDP


Main article: List of Asian countries by GDP

This is a list of Asian countries sorted by their 2009 gross domestic product at market or
government official exchange rates (nominal GDP) and PPP map is for year 2009. 2009
figures are estimates. Data produced by the International Monetary Fund as of October 2009.
Country or GDP nominal GDP PPP GDP PPP per capita
Location
territory millions of USD millions of USD USD

Asia 24,077 16,774

 Afghanistan 11,709 21,388 760 South Asia

 Armenia 8,683 16,057 4,916 West Asia

 Azerbaijan 46,378 74,856 8,634 West Asia

 Bahrain 21,236 27,014 34,662 West Asia

 Bangladesh 84,196 226,205 1,398 South Asia

 Bhutan 1,389 3,490 5,312 South Asia

 Brunei 14,553 19,716 50,198 Southeast Asia

 Burma 26,205 67,963 1,156 Southeast Asia

 Cambodia 11,250 28,461 2,082 Southeast Asia

 China (PRC) 4,911,000 8,767,000 6,546 East Asia

 Cyprus 24,922 22,721 29,853 West Asia

 East Timor 499 2,522 2,368 Southeast Asia

 Georgia 12,864 21,424 4,869 West Asia

  Hong Kong 210,730 301,300 42,574 East Asia

 India 1,243,000 3,298,000 2,930 South Asia

 Indonesia 511,765 909,729 4,150 Southeast Asia

 Iran 390,757 827,058 12,500 West Asia

 Iraq 68,553 114,151 3,655 West Asia

 Israel 215,727 202,562 28,473 West Asia

 Japan 5,073,000 4,141,000 32,817 East Asia

 Jordan 21,225 32,416 5,661 West Asia

 Kazakhstan 135,601 177,835 11,434 Central Asia

 North Korea 27,820 40,000 1,800 East Asia


 South Korea 800,300 1,343,000 27,791 East Asia

 Kuwait 114,878 137,450 38,875 West Asia

 Kyrgyzstan 5,050 11,604 2,184 Central Asia

 Laos 5,374 13,310 2,127 Southeast Asia

 Lebanon 32,660 53,818 11,752 West Asia

  Macau 21,700 18,140 59,451 East Asia

 Malaysia 221,606 383,388 14,081 Southeast Asia

 Maldives 1,261 1,713 4,967 South Asia

 Mongolia 4,212 10,480 3,567 East Asia

 Nepal 12,283 31,634 1,144 South Asia

 Oman 59,946 68,331 24,674 West Asia

 Pakistan 164,557 422,392 2,624 South Asia

 Papua New Guinea 8,092 13,064 2,108 Southeast Asia

 Philippines 166,909 317,964 3,515 Southeast Asia

 Qatar 102,302 94,404 86,008 West Asia

 Russia 1,255,000 2,126,000 15,039 North Asia

 Saudi Arabia 469,426 592,886 23,814 West Asia

 Singapore 181,939 239,146 51,226 Southeast Asia

 Sri Lanka 39,604 92,168 4,589 South Asia

 Syria 55,024 94,563 4,756 West Asia

 Taiwan (ROC) 379,400 693,200 29,829 East Asia

 Tajikistan 5,135 13,062 2,022 Central Asia

 Thailand 273,313 547,060 8,239 Southeast Asia

 Turkey 729,983 874,212 11,400 West Asia

 Turkmenistan 18,269 30,332 5,756 Central Asia

 United Arab Emirates 228,578 187,851 38,283 West Asia


 Uzbekistan 27,918 71,618 2,634 Central Asia

 Vietnam 89,829 240,757 2,793 Southeast Asia

 Yemen 26,909 55,393 2,410 West Asia

[edit] Trade blocs


[edit] Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a group of Pacific Rim countries who meet with
the purpose of improving economic and political ties

[edit] Association of Southeast Asian Nations

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political, economic, and cultural
organization of countries located in Southeast Asia. Founded in 1967, its aim is to foster
cooperation and mutual assistance among members. The countries meet annually every
November in summits.

The current member countries of ASEAN are Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia,
Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Timor Leste and Indonesia. Papua New
Guinea is given an observer status.

In 2005 ASEAN was instrumental in establishing the East Asia Summit (involving all ASEAN
members plus China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand) which some have
proposed may become in the future a trade bloc, the arrangements for which are far from
certain and not yet clear.

The Asian Currency Unit (ACU) is a proposed currency unit for the ASEAN "10+3" economic
circle. (ASEAN, the mainland of the People's Republic of China, India, Japan, and the Republic of
Korea).

[edit] Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement

The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) is an economic agreement between the
People's Republic of China and both the Hong Kong SAR government (signed on 29 June 2003),
and the Macau SAR government (signed on 18 October 2003), in order to promote trade and
investment facilitation.

The main aims of CEPA are to eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barrier on substantially all the
trade in goods between the three, and achieve liberalization of trade in services through
reduction or elimination of substantially all discriminatory measures.
[edit] Arab League

The Arab League is an association of Arab countries in Africa and Asia. The Arab League
facilitates political, economic, cultural, scientific and social programs designed to promote
the interests of its member states.

[edit] Commonwealth of Independent States

Flag of the Commonwealth of Independent States

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a confederation consisting of 12 of the 15


states of the former Soviet Union, both Asian and European, (the exceptions being the three
Baltic states). Although the CIS has few supranational powers, it is more than a purely
symbolic organization and possesses coordinating powers in the realm of trade, finance,
lawmaking and security. The most significant issue for the CIS is the establishment of a full-
fledged free trade zone / economic union between the member states, to be launched in 2005.
It has also promoted cooperation on democratisation and cross-border crime prevention.

[edit] South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an association of 8 countries of
South Asia, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
Afghanistan. These countries comprise an area of 5 130 746 km² and a fifth of the population
of the world.

SAARC encourages cooperation in agriculture, rural development, science and technology,


culture, health, population control, narcotics control and anti-terrorism.

[edit] South Asia Free Trade Agreement (proposed)

The South Asia Free Trade Agreement is an agreement reached at the 12th South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation summit. It creates a framework for the creation of a free trade zone
covering 1.6 billion people in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the
Maldives.

[edit] Currency
This article's factual accuracy may be compromised because of out-of-date information.
Please help improve the article by updating it. There may be additional information on the
talk page. (January 2010)

Below is a list of the currencies of Asia, including all fully Asian states plus Russia, with
exchange rates between each currency and both the Euro and US Dollars as of 9 December 2004.
Country Currency worth in Euro worth in USD Central bank

 Afghanistan Afghani 0.0171287 0.0228157

Bahraini Central Bank


 Bahrain 1.99136 2.65957 of Bahrain
Dinar

Bangladesh
 Bangladesh Taka 0.0167723 Bank

 Bhutan Ngultrum 0.0170095 0.0226630

Brunei
Currency and
 Brunei Brunei Dollar 0.455736 0.606944 Monetary
Board

National Bank
 Cambodia Riel 0.000305774 0.000260068 of Cambodia

 China People's Bank


Renminbi of China
Hong Kong 0.09 0.12 Hong Kong
 Mainland Monetary
Dollar 0.11 0.13
  Hong Kong Authority
Macanese 0.11 0.13 Monetary
  Macau
Pataca Authority of
Macao

Central Bank
New Taiwan of the
 Taiwan 0.0233412 0.0310945
Dollar Republic of
China

 Timor-Leste US Dollar 0.750803 1

Reserve Bank
 India Indian Rupee .0175701 .0253710 of India

Bank
 Indonesia Rupiah 0.0000819210 0.000109059 Indonesia

Central Bank
 Iran Iranian Rial 0.0000847274 0.000112852
of Iran

Central Bank
 Iraq Iraqi Dinar 0.000513340 0.000683737 of Iraq

 Israel Sheqel 0.172654 0.229975 Bank of Israel

 Japan Yen 0.00718413 0.00956539 Bank of Japan


Jordanian
 Jordan 1.06031 1.41243
Dinar

National Bank
 Kazakhstan Tenge 0.00576997 0.00768610 of Kazakhstan

North
 North Korea 0.341229 0.454545
Korean Won

South
 South Korea 0.000711045 0.000947424 Bank of Korea
Korean Won

Central Bank
 Kuwait Kuwaiti Dinar 2.54691 3.39425 of Kuwait

Kyrgyzstani
 Kyrgyzstan 0.0181059 0.0241177
Som

 Laos Kip 0.0000692876 0.0000922935

Lebanese
 Lebanon 0.000495695 0.000659979
Pound

Bank Negara
 Malaysia Ringgit 0.197525 0.263219 Malaysia

 Maldives Rufiyah 0.0637958 0.0849618

 Mongolia Tugrik 0.000618514 0.000823723

 Myanmar Kyat 0.135242 0.180112

Nepalese Nepal Rastra


 Nepal 0.0105153 0.0140041 Bank
Rupee

 Oman Omani Rial 1.95241 2.60077

Pakistani State Bank of


 Pakistan 0.0124665 0.0166064 Pakistan
Rupee

Sheqel
 Palestine 0.17 0.23 Bank of Israel
(Israeli)

Bangko
Philippine
 Philippines 0.0133941 0.0178531 Sentral ng
Peso Pilipinas

 Qatar Qatari Riyal 0.206213 0.274786

Central Bank
Russian
 Russia 0.0267806 0.0356723 of the Russian
Ruble
Federation
 Saudi Arabia Saudi Riyal 0.200178 0.266660

Monetary
Singapore
 Singapore 0.455762 0.607083 Authority of
Dollar Singapore

Sri Lankan Central Bank


 Sri Lanka 0.00715451 0.00953107 of Sri Lanka
Rupee

 Syria Syrian Pound 0.0143770 0.0191527

Tajikistani
 Tajikistan 0.269553 0.359066
Somoni

Bank of
 Thailand Baht 0.0189565 0.0252245 Thailand

 Turkmenistan Manat 0.000144365 0.000192306

Central Bank
United Arab
of
 United Arab Emirates Emirates 0.204394 0.272301 the United
dirham
Arab Emirates

Uzbekistani
 Uzbekistan 0.000715188 0.000952628
Som

 Vietnam Dong 0.0000476064 0.0000634115

 Yemen Yemeni Rial 0.00409130 0.00544959

Table correct as of 9 December 2004 (see [1] for latest)

[edit] Economic sectors


[edit] Primary Sector

Asia is by a considerable margin the largest continent in the world, and is rich in natural
resources. The vast expanse of the former Soviet Union, particularly that of Russia, contains a
huge variety of metals, such as gold, iron, lead, titanium, uranium, and zinc. These metals are
mined, but inefficiently due to continued use of poorly maintained, obsolete machinery left
over from the communist era. Nevertheless, profits are high due to a commodity price boom in
2003/2004 caused largely by increased demand in China. Oil is Southwest Asia's most
important natural resource. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait are rich in oil reserves and have
benefited from recent oil price escalations.

Asia is home to some four billion people, and thus has a well established tradition in
agriculture. High productivity in agriculture, especially of rice, allows high population density
of many countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, southern China, Cambodia, India, and
Vietnam. Agriculture constitutes a high portion of land usage in warm and humid areas of
Asia. Many hillsides are farmed in a terrace method to boost arable land. The main
agricultural products in Asia include rice and wheat. Opium is one of major cash crops in
Central and Southeast Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, though its production is prohibited
everywhere. Forestry is extensive throughout Asia except Southwest and Central Asia, with
many of the items of furniture sold in the developed nations made out of Asian timber.
Fishing is a major source of food, particularly in Japan.

[edit] Secondary Sector

The manufacturing sector in Asia has traditionally been strongest in the East region -
particularly in China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. The industry varies from
manufacturing cheap low value goods such as toys to high-tech added value goods such as
computers, CD players, Games consoles, mobile phones and cars. Major Asian manufacturing
companies are mostly based in either South Korea or Japan. They include Samsung, Hyundai, LG,
and Kia from South Korea, and Sony, Toyota, Toshiba, and Honda from Japan. Many developed-
nation firms from Europe, North America, Japan and South Korea have significant operations in
the developing Asia to take avantage of the abundant supply of cheap labor. One of the major
employers in manufacturing in Asia is the textile industry. Much of the world's supply of
clothing and footwear now originates in Southeast Asia and South Asia, particularly in
Vietnam, China, India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Indonesia.

[edit] Tertiary Sector

A view of the Tidel Park in Chennai. Software industries of late, have been outsourced to Asian cities
as such for good infrastructure, efficient man-power & cheap labour.

Asia has seven important financial centers, located in Dubai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hong Kong,
Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. India has been one of the greatest beneficiaries of the economic
boom. The country has emerged as one of the world's largest exporters of software and other
information technology related services. World class Indian software giants such as Infosys,
HCL, Wipro, Mahindra Satyam and TCS have emerged as the world's most sought after service
providers. Call centers are also becoming major employers in India and Philippines due to the
availability of many well educated English speakers. Here again India holds close to 60% of
the trade share. The rise of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry has seen the rise
of India and China as the other financial centers. Experts believe that the current center of
financial activity is moving toward "Chindia" - a name used for jointly referring to China and
India - with Shanghai and Mumbai, Bangalore becoming major financial hubs in their own right.
Other growing technological and financial hubs include Dhaka (Bangladesh), Chennai (India),
New Delhi (India), Pune (India), Hyderabad (India), Shenzhen (China), Kolkata (India), Jakarta
(Indonesia), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Karachi (Pakistan), Lahore (Pakistan), Manila
(Philippines) and Bangkok (Thailand).
Economy of Asia
During 2008 unless otherwise stated

Population: 4 billion (60%)

US$24.077
GDP (PPP) (US$):
trillion (2009)

$16.774 trillion
GDP (Currency) (US$):
(2009)

GDP/capita (PPP) (US$): $7,041 (2009)

GDP/capita (Currency)
$4,629 (2009)
(US$):

Annual growth of
7.5% (2010)
per capita GDP:

Income of top 10%:

Millionaires (US$): 3 million (0.06%)

Unemployment: 3.8% (2010 est.)

Estimated female
income:

*Most numbers are from the IMF. All GDP figures


are in US$.

See also: Economy of the world – Economy of


Africa – Economy of Asia – Economy of Europe
– Economy of North America – Economy of
Oceania – Economy of South America

Urbanization involves excessively forceful impact on habitats, often including their extinction and replacement with
artificial structures. These transformations disrupt flow paths of energy, water and matter, within and between adjacent
ecosystems, re-directing them into unsustainable, human-originated tracks. These transformations pose major
ecological consequences for ecosystems functioning. Changes of hydrological, biogeochemical and ecological processes
in catchments are reflected in freshwaters - the receivers of deregulated, extreme runoffs and accelerated flow of
matter from disrupted natural cycles. Additionally, degradation of water habitats handicaps their resilience - the ability
to maintain oscillations within boundaries defined by steady state. Consequently, ecosystems functions and ability to
provide services may be permanently amended.

Organizing the flow paths pursuing rules governing natural ecosystems in some parts of the city catchments, may
compensate effects of their degradation in others. Reduction of impacts, such as minimizing pollution or water
detention, together with rehabilitation of freshwater habitats are the foremost and fundamental conditions. It is also
necessary to take measures toward augmenting absorbing capacity of ecosystems.

"Urban aquatic habitats in integrated urban water management" Activity aims in improving knowledge and
methodological base for the integration of urban aquatic habitats and water based amenities into urban water
development and management strategies. It also tests the proposed approaches in the set of selected case studies
addressing various water related issues all over the world.

Urbanization process is a domain of developing countries. One of the results of the extremely high densities of fast-
growing populations is "wild development", leading to such negative social and ecological effects as: formation and
growth of slums and intense pressure on the environment and its resources (e.g., water and space).

At the same time, an inverse process, so called sub-urbanization, take place and has an important meaning in highly
developed countries. Disperse of the human population to the cities' outskirts and surrounding lands results with
increase of the antropopression on expanding extra-municipal areas, changes in the structure of the space organization,
increased pressure on water resources and green areas. The final effect of this process is formation of so called
Megalopolis, e.g. BosWash, where the area of approx. 146 thousand km2 is inhabited by a population of  above 45
millions.

Several water related problems, such as: modification of microclimate, changed environmental conditions for water
cycling in landscape, reduced capacity for water retention thus increased vulnerability to extreme events (e.g., long-
lasting droughts and extreme floods) and deteriorated quality of water resources are become burning issues and
challenges in the new global urbanized world. Rapid development of landscape an housing often result with physical
modification of habitats, which often results with degradation of the ability of ecosystems to maintain theirs structures
and properties, thus providing ecosystem services.

The World in XX and XXI century have witnessed rapid urbanization:

 The global proportion of urban population increased from a mere 13% (220 million) in 1900 to 29% (732
million) in 1950 and, according to the 2005 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects
(http://www.un.org/esa/), reached 49% (3.2 billion) in 2005.
 Over half of the world's population will live in cities by year 2010, a large part in an increasing number of
mega-cities.
 Since the world is projected to continue to urbanize, 60% of the global population is expected to live in cities
by 2030.
 The rising number of urban dwellers give the best indication of the scale of these unprecedented trends:
According to the latest United Nations population projections, 4.9 billion people are expected to be urban
dwellers in 2030 - http://esa.un.org/unpp/
United Nations, DESA, Population Division.World Urbanization Prospects: The 2005 Revision
http://esa.un.org/unpp/

MEGA-CITIES

Among the six most populous mega-cities in the world in 2005 - Tokyo, Ciudad de México (Mexico City), New York-
Newark, Sao Paulo, Mumbai (Bombay) and Delhi - Ciudad de México (Mexico City), Mumbai (Bombay) and Delhi had
annual population growth rates above 2.4%. Compared to 1950, the population of Delhi in 2005 was about 11 times
larger; that of Sao Paulo was 8 times larger, and that of Ciudad de México (Mexico City) was almost 7 times larger. 1

In the future, the growth of the major mega-cities is projected to slow down, both in the more as well as less
developed regions. However, there will be more variation in growth rates in less developed regions. For example, It
is anticipated that Mumbai (Bombay) and Delhi will be growing faster than Ciudad de México (Mexico City) and Sao
Paulo. Both Tokyo and New York-Newark will experience very low population growth, resulting in the virtual stagnation
of their population size.

New York City and surrounding area


http://www.yp.com/cities/images/265px-Ny.terra.600pix.jpg

SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES


The example of a medium-size city - the City of Lodz, Poland.

The majority of the urban population of almost every country lives in


small and medium-sized cities. In 2005, 51.5% of the urban
population lived in cities with less than half a million residents. That
proportion is projected to decrease to 50.5% by 2015.

The majority or urban dwellers in both more and less developed


regions resided in small and medium-sized cities in 2005: 53.4% in
more developed regions and 50.7% in less developed regions.

SLUMS

The growth of
slums in the last 15 years has been unprecedented. In
1990, the World was inhabited by almost 715 million of slum
dwellers. The slums population had increased to 912 million by 2000
and to approximately 998 million by today. UN- HABITAT
(http://www.unhabitat.org/) estimates that if current trends
continue, it will reach 1.4 billion by 2020.

A slum dweller may only have 5 to 10 litres per day at his or her
disposal. A middle- or high-income household in the same city,
however, may use some 50 to 150 litres per day, if not more.

UN Millennium Development Goals


(http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals) call for achieving
significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum
dwellers, by 2020.

Resources:

1. Millennium Development Goals Report 2006 - http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/


2. Human Development Report 2006 -  http://hdr.undp.org
3. World Urbanization Prospects: The 2005 Revision - http://esa.un.org/unpp/
4. United Nations Human Settlements Programme - http://www.unhabitat.org/
5. New York City and surrounding area  http://www.yp.com/cities/images/265px-Ny.terra.600pix.jpg

WATER CYCLE IN URBAN AREAS

WATER IN LANDSCAPE

Combined effects of urbanization, industrialization, and population growth greatly modify landscapes and thus the
continuous circulation of water within catchments and the Earth's hydrosphere - the hydrological cycle.

The hydrological cycle control several processes in the landscape (e.g., transport of pollutants, water chemistry, pattern
of nutrient fluxes, erosion, surface and groundwater levels), and thus some of the ecosystems features (e.g., rate of
productivity, decomposition) and processes (e.g., rate and pathways of matter circulation). Functioning of ecological
processes in the whole catchment depends on the water cycle reflects in the quality of aquatic habitats and ecological
stability of their ecosystems. 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGES THE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE..

The main changes of the physical pathways of the water cycles due to urbanization include:

 removal of natural vegetation drainage patterns;


 loss of natural depressions which temporarily store surface water;
 loss of rainfall absorbing capacity of soil;
 creation of impervious areas (e.g., rooftops, roads, parking lots, sidewalks, driveways)
 provision of man-made drainage systems (e.g., storm sewers, channels, detention ponds).

Therefore, although the hydrological cycle consists of the same elements, their proportions in urban area are
significantly different:

 interception of rainfall is reduced due to removal of trees;


 precipitation is usually higher than in rural areas;
 evapotranspiration is much lower;
 surface run-off is much larger;
 ground-water run-off, infiltration and recharge is small;
 water storage is much lower;
 runoff volumes and peak flows in rivers are higher;
 frequency of surface runoff is increased.

Urban development significantly increases the amount of storm water and the frequency of extreme hydrological events
experienced by the City's catchments. The increased runoff causes more intense local flooding, while droughts during
dry weather are deeper and longer. 

Runoff amounts typically for 10-20% of the average annual rainfall in rural areas.
In urban areas, where surfaces are highly impervious, typical runoff volumes range between 60-70% of the average
annual rainfall.

These changes impact strongly water habitats: increased discharges erodes stream beds and banks, exports high
concentrations of pollution into the rivers, wetlands and reservoirs, destabilizes ecological processes, handicap
ecological stability of ecosystems. All this not only reduce aesthetic values of the city, but also restrict provision of
ecosystem services and causes water-related problems to the urban population, related to flood risk, water supply,
drainage, wastewater collection and management.

GREEN SPACE IN CITIES AND THE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE

Cities expansion usually reduce green spaces areas. The satellite pictures show the overall look on two big urban areas:
Brasilia and Beijing, and the changes within greens peace areas which accrued during a decade (green colour).
Brasilia, Brazil 1989 and 1999

Beijing, China 1992 and 2001

In some cites however, green space covers larger areas than built and paved spaces. In Vienna, only 32.8% of the city
is classified as built-up, whilst green spaces cover 48.8% of the city's surface area when farmland and woodlands on
the urban fringe are included. Similarly, two thirds of Oslo's surface area consists of woodlands and farmland. In other
cities, the proportionate cover of green spaces can be considerably lower. According to land use statistics, the
proportionate cover of green spaces is below 40% in Munich. However, the figures are difficult to compare as the
proportionate cover of green space varies depending on how much of the surrounding countryside is incorporated
within the municipal boundaries.

Percent of green urban area within the total urbanised area (based on data from: EEA, 2002),
www.map21ltd.com/COSTC11/comp.htm
Development of green areas in cities mitigate the negative impact on the hydrological cycle and improve the quality of
the environment and quality of life in cities. Increased water retentiveness of catchments improves flood protection,
quality of water, environment and aquatic ecosystems. Open water spaces and green areas improves microclimate
providing better environment for people, increasing  population health, providing recreational spaces.

References:

Water Resources of the United States


http://water.usgs.gov/

Environmental Scence Publisher for Everybody Round the Earth  http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/3rx.html

Designe Centre for American Urban Landscape


http://www.designcenter.umn.edu

Greenstructures and Urban Planning


http://www.map21ltd.com/COSTC11/comp.htm

URBAN AQUATIC HABITATS

Aquatic habitats are water bodies supporting aquatic life. Increased temperatures of effluents, greater discharges of
water, pollutants and waste, and changes in water bodies morphology impact all the basic habitats characteristics and
affect the performance of associated biological communities. Impacted ecosystems lose their resistance to the
escalating stresses as well as the resilience allowing them to adapt to changing conditions. Water stress imposes losses
of, and trade-offs between, services and their different beneficiaries and stakeholders. Considering the growing water
use and wastewater production, the need for tradeoffs between meeting the demands of urban population and those of
aquatic habitats will be even more challenging in the future (Maksimovic and Tejada-Guibert 2001; Marsalek et al.
2006).

Urban aquatic habitats include urban streams, canals, rivers, ponds, impoundments, reservoirs and lakes and other
water bodies. The main aquatic habitat characteristics, fall into five groups: (a) flow regime, (b) physical habitat
structure, (c) chemical variables (water quality), (d) energy (food) sources, and (e) biotic interactions, (Yoder, 1989).

Factors influencing biological community performance (Yoder, 1989)

Human modifications of aquatic habitats

The above characteristics of aquatic habitats is also reflected in the classification of major human pressures to which
they are exposed (Karr et al. 1986), especially in urban areas. The primary factors of habitat deterioration are water
quality decline and flow alternations, which is particularly pronounced in urban catchments. The broad range of
chemicals from point and diffused sources include toxic substances and carcinogens, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides,
household hazardous wastes, oils, anti-freeze, heavy metals, pet and yard wastes, and pseudo-hormones.
Simultaneously, the natural heterogeneity of habitats is very often destroyed. In many cities, aquatic habitats are
included into the urban sewerage, playing a role of storm water receiver and disposer. Their structure is adapted for
these purposes, and include canalisation, regulation with concrete stabs, water uptakes, turning underground, damming
and others. These modifications induce several changes in habitats characteristics.

Resources:

 Lafont, M., Marsalek, J., Breil P. 2007. Urban Aquatic Habitats: Characteristics and Functioning. In: Wagner, I.
, Marshalek, J. and Breil, P. (eds). Aquatic Habitats in Sustainable Urban Water Management: Science, Policy
and Practice. Taylor and Francis/Balkema: Leiden .
 Karr J.R., Fausch K. D., Angermeier P. L., Yant P. R & Schlosser I. J. 1986. Assessing biological integrity in
running waters: a method and its rationale. Illinois Natural History Survey, Special Publication 5, 28 pp.
 Maksimovic, C. & Tejada-Guibert, J.A. (2001). Frontiers on Urban Water Management: Deadlock or Hope?
IWA Publishing, ISBN: 1 900222 76 0, London, UK.
 Marsalek, J., Jimenez-Cisneros, B., Karamouz, M., Malmqvist, P.A., Goldenfum, J. and Chocat, B. (2006).
Urban water cycle processes and interaction. UNESCO Press, Paris, Feb.
 Yoder, C. 1989. The development and use of biocriteria for Ohio surface waters. In: Flock, G.H. (Ed.), Proc.
National Conf. Water Quality Standards for the 21st Century, U.S. EPA, Office of Water, Washington, D.C., pp.
139-146.

URBAN AQUATIC HABITAT MANAGEMENT

A balanced approach addressing the pressing issues in urban environment is not common in the water service sector,
which has been traditionally based on a sectorial approach. Conventional urban water management focused mainly on
protecting the urban human population against hydrological extremes (floods and droughts) and providing water
services. The latter ones typically included water supply, urban drainage and flood protection, wastewater management
and, more recently, some form of aquatic ecosystems protection. These however often did not address specific features
of aquatic habitats, their needs and potentials. In many cases, to minimise drainage costs, urban streams and rivers
were incorporated into major drainage systems and conveyed various types of municipal effluents, resulting in the
ultimate habitats degradation.

Currently, the development of comprehensive knowledge generated by integration of various sectors of science as well
as the recent developments in ecological engineering, increase opportunities to develop a more sustainable,
economically viable urban environments. Newly emerging paradigms underline the need for water conservation, rational
use, reuse, and sustainable integration of different components of urban river systems, including those of technical and
natural character (Pinkham, 2004; Zalewski, 2006). This tendency creates opportunities for changing attitude to UAHs,
and their use for concurrently improving efficiency of urban water management and the quality of human life in cities
(Zalewski and Wagner, 2006).

Restoration, preservation, rehabilitation or remediation?

Among several approaches to urban aquatic habitats, the following are usually considered:

 Restoration - is a process which ideally brings a degraded river back to its original conditions. It includes
restoring water quality, sediment and flow regime, channel morphology, communities of native aquatic plants
and animals, and adjacent riparian lands. The goal of restoration is impossible to achieve in urban
watercourses. Re-establishing the historical, original state would require replication of the original conditions,
which no longer exist, and are not even well known.
 Preservation - preservation of aquatic habitats state and biodiversity is a realistic goal, when the urbanisation
impact on ecosystems is not severe. This ideal situation generally occurs in peri-urban areas, where
urbanisation has not yet fully invaded the surrounding landscapes and where industrial or agricultural
activities are limited (Lafont et al. 2006).
 Rehabilitation - is a less ambitious but more realistic aim. It enhances or re-establishes lost or diminished
biotic functions of ecosystems that can persist in it without attempts to restore pristine conditions. It improves
the most important aspects of aquatic environment and creates habitats resembling its original conditions.
 Remediation - is an approach applied in those cases where environmental changes are irreversible and
catchment conditions no longer support aquatic ecosystem functioning. The remediation goal is to improve
ecological conditions of the aquatic ecosystem, which may not lead to a state resembling the original state of
the stream. It means that after the remediation process we can obtain a new ecosystem, different from the
original one (Lovett and Edgar, 2002).

Criteria for making a decision should balance potential increase of ecological benefits (and possibly of human well-
being) and spatial, demographic, and economic limitations together with economic gains and losses.
Resources:

Breil, P., Marsalek, J., Wagner, I., Dogse, P. 2007. Introduction to Urban Aquatic Habitats Management. In Wagner, I. ,
Marshalek, J. and Breil, P. (eds). Aquatic Habitats in Sustainable Urban Water Management: Science, Policy and
Practice. Taylor and Francis/Balkema: Leiden .

Pinkham, R., 2004. 21st Century Water Systems: Scenarios, Visions, and Drivers.
http://www.rmi.org/images/other/Water/W99-21_21CentWaterSys.pdf. Rocky Mountain Institute,
Snowmass, Colorado

Lafont, M., Vivier, A., Nogueira, S., Namour, P. & Breil, P. 2006. Surface and hyporheic Oligochaete assemblages in a
French suburban stream. Hydrobiologia 564: 183-193.

Lovett, S. and Edgar, B. 2002. 'Planning for river restoration', Fact Sheet 9, Land & Water Australia, Canberra

Zalewski, M. 2006. Ecohydrology - an interdisciplinary tool for integrated protection and management of water bodies.
Arch. Hydrobiol. Suppl. 158/4, p:613-622

Zalewski M. & Wagner I. 2006. Ecohydrology - the use of water and ecosystem processes for healthy urban
environments. Aquatic Habitats in Integrated Urban Water Management. Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology. Vol. 5. No 4,
263-268

Ecohydrology for Urban Aquatic Habitats From the point of view of environmental science, urban environment can be
considered as a highly condensed anthropogenic system, which is organised for efficient flow of water, matter, energy
and information. This extremely productive "organism" can efficiently provide the services required by the society such
as safe drinking water and efficient sewerage, which is very important due to very high population density. However,
increase of society's education and environmental awareness rises also the public demand for improvement of the
quality of life. Therefore other expectations, depending to a great extent on proper ecosystem functioning, appear.
These include ecosystem services such as those determining human safety (e.g., mitigation of floods), health (e.g.,
water quality improvement by self-purification, clean air), as well as those fulfilling materialistic and spiritual aspirations
- high quality living space, recreational areas and aesthetic values. The services depend to a great extent on the
functioning of aquatic ecosystems and their ability to cope with high impacts, determined among others by the size and
distribution of "green areas". However low availability and high prices of land in cites make maximising environmental
amenities at low management a real challenge for any society. Therefore one of the alternative solutions is increasing
the absorbing capacity of ecosystems, in order to improve their ability for coping with the highly condensed human
impacts in urban areas. The methods for achieving this are implicitly provided by the main principle of ecohydrology
(Zalewski et al., 1997), which postulates to "use ecosystem properties as a management tool" for enhancement the
efficiency of some regulatory processes. The solutions have to be synergistically integrated into the city "system" by
their harmonisation with engineering solutions.

Ecohydrology is a scientific concept, which quantifies and explains relationships between hydrological processes and
biotic dynamics at a catchment scale, and is applied to solving environmental problems (e.g., Zalewski 2006). It has
been defined as a sub-discipline of hydrology focused on ecological aspects of the water cycle. This concept is based
upon the assumption that sustainable development of water resources is dependent on the ability to restore and
maintain the evolutionarily established processes of water and nutrient circulation and energy flows at the catchment
scale.

Ecohydrology for the urban environment

The expression a "green city" is synonymous with the notion of a healthy urban environment with a high quality of life.
Moreover, it implicitly means that a significant part of the urbanised space is covered by semi-natural terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems. Freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems have an excellent potential for moderation and control of
the water cycle and pollution that should be considered while management plans are being developed. Such areas in
cities provide citizens not only with regulatory ecosystem services, but also aesthetic, cultural and recreational values.
However first and foremost improve human health in direct and indirect ways. There is growing evidence that higher
and more stable moisture of the city air reduces the amount of dust which in turn reduces asthma, allergies and other
related diseases. Also the opportunities for recreation in green areas are important for the proper physical and
psychological regeneration of inhabitants.
Rehabilitation of a municipal river: an example of possible multidimensional benefits for the urban environment and the
society

Well-managed water habitats are visually the most attractive elements of modern cities landscapes, and are usually
considered by city planners as "axes" or "nucleii" around which individual green areas and urbanised spaces are
functionally organised (e.g., Day et al., 2005; Tezer, 2005; Braioni et al., 2006). They improve the quality of life and
human health and accelerate the city development, by attracting creative and innovative leaders.

Resources:

 Zalewski M., Wagner I. 2007. Ecohydrology of Urban Aquatic Ecosystems for Healthy Cities In: Wagner, I. ,
Marshalek, J. and Breil, P. (eds). Aquatic Habitats in Sustainable Urban Water Management: Science, Policy
and Practice. Taylor and Francis/Balkema: Leiden.
 Braioni M.G., Braioni A., Salmoiraghi G., 2006. A model for the integrated management of river ecosystems.
Verh. Internat.Verein. Limnol., 29 (4): 2115-2123.
 Day, E., Ractliffe, G. and Wood, J. 2005. An audit of the ecological implications of remediation, management
and conservation or urban aquatic habitats in Cape Town, South Africa, with reference to their social and
ecological contexts. Ecohydrology and hydrobiology. Vol 5:4.
 Tezer, A. 2005. "The Urban Biosphere Reserve (UBR) concept for sustainable use and protection of urban
aquatic habitats: case of the Omerli Watershed, Istanbul" Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology, Vol. 5, No. 4, pp.
309-320.
 Zalewski, M. 2006. Ecohydrology - an interdisciplinary tool for integrated protection and management of water
bodies. Arch. Hydrobiol. Suppl. 158/4, p:613-622
 Zalewski, M., Janauer, G.A. & Jolankai, G. 1997. Ecohydrology. A new paradigm for the sustainable use of
aquatic resources. UNESCO IHP Technical Document in Hydrology No. 7.; IHP - V Projects 2.3/2.4, UNESCO
Paris, 60 pp.

No. : 7  
Name of activity: Urban aquatic habitats in integrated urban water management
Objective: Improved knowledge and methodological base for the integration of
urban aquatic habitats and water based amenities into urban water
development and management strategies. Testing of methodologies in
selected case studies.
Description:  Methodological development of socio-ecological indices for
environmental health and water interactions in different
environments towards creation of healthy urban aquatic habitats
 Environment  friendly  urban water system analysis,  design and
management, taking in consideration habitat issues,
geomorphology / wetlands in urban areas
 Quantification, characterisation innovation of amenities
corridors and buffer zones under particular bio-climate and bio-
geographic condition (eco-regions) including remediation
scenario for recreation in urban areas.
 Development of urban water amenities systems (urban ponds
and lakes, enclosed water bodies, coastal areas);
 Performance of  source control, urban amenity and urban
ecological habitats systems under specific climate conditions
(HT, ASA, CC and TC)

Expected results: Guidelines for planning and management of urban aquatic habitats and
water amenities as a part of regional and local economic development.
Beneficiary groups: Member countries, water and environment professional, urban and
environmental planners
Expected executing
and supporting  MAB, UNEP, SCOPE
partners:
Proposed
(co-ordinator - pending), Dreiseitl (member), P. Dogse (member), J.
co-ordinator/focal
Celecia (member)
point:

No. : 1  
Data requirements management for integrated urban water
Name of activity:
management
Objective: Reliability and availability of data is a prerequisite for quality urban
water analysis of performance planning of rehabilitation and
management.
The project will result in a consistent methodology for data
gathering, processing, and quantification of uncertainty and
application under specific climate conditions.
Description:  Assessment of requirements of natural, climate,
infrastructure, urban water balance (spatial and temporal
distribution) social and economic data for integrated urban
water management
 Development of urban water information system (including
water withdrawals and consumption, impacts, descriptors of
receiving water and their ecosystem)
 Establishment data structure for special utilisation: resources
assessment and quantification, planning, modelling,
managing under specific climates: humid tropics, arid and
semi-arid, cold and temperate (HT, ASA, CC and TC).

Implementation Interactions with data providers and data users. Systematic


strategy: gathering of selected representative data sets and links with HELP
programme to be encouraged
Implementation Workshop on data needs, reliability and availability
mechanism: Links with 2K2C project (new generation models)
On site workshop on the applicability management tools developed
for urban planners & urban water specialist in a specific given
geographical region.
Expected results: Manual of urban water data management
Selected samples of data under specific climate conditions
Beneficiary groups: Urban water researchers, urban planners, water and urban water
environmental professionals, local governments, software
developers
Expected executing and WWAP, MAB, UNCHS (Habitat), FRIEND, WMO, WHO, MOST,
supporting partners: Member countries (National IHP Committees), RCUMW Tehran
Duration/schedule: --
Proposed
J. Niemczynowicz (co-ordinator), J.L.B. Krajewski (member)and L.
co-ordinator/focal
Fuchs (member)
point:
Financial implications:

No. : 2  
Name of activity: Processes and interactions in the urban water cycle
Objective:  Improved understanding of processes that take place in urban
environment, and of the interactions of natural suburban,
rural and urban environments for the successful analysis,
planning, development and management of urban water
systems
 Development of the innovative analytical tools to address the
problems of spatial, temporal variability
 Assessment of the potential effects of climate variations and
changes on urban water systems

Description:  Quantification of the imprint of human activities on urban


hydrological cycle and its interaction with the environment
under present and future conditions,
 Urban water and soil interface: development of the
understanding of water and soil relation, with particular
reference to soil erosion, soil pollution and land subsidence
 Hydrological, ecological, biological and chemical processes
in urban water environment for sustainable cities of the
future
 Assessment of the impact of urban development, land use
and socio-economic changes on availability of water supply,
aquatic chemistry, (anthropogenic) pollution, soil erosion
and sedimentation and natural habitat availability and
diversity

Implementation
--
strategy:
Implementation
--
mechanism:
Expected results: Manual of water and environment sensitive urban development
Beneficiary groups: Urban planners and urban water managers
Expected executing and IAHS, MAB, BAC, WWC, FRIEND, HELP, IAH, IOC, UNEP-
supporting partners: GPA, IHP National Committees, RUCMW Tehran
Duration/schedule: --
Proposed
co-ordinator/focal J. Marsalek (Co-ordinator), A. Malmquist (member)
point:
Financial implications: --

No. : 3  
Name of activity: Towards sustainable urban groundwater management
Objective: Enhanced understanding of the role and the interactions of
groundwater in the urban environment for sustainable integrated
strategies
Description: Evaluation and further development, including analysis of case
studies, of approaches for the assessment of groundwater quantity
(spatial and temporal distribution), quality (including pollution and
contamination), susceptibility to over-exploitation and control of
pollution sources
Specific issues which will be addressed are:

 Changes in water balance due to urbanisation: storm water


recharge,
leakage from drain water, sewer and wastewater infiltration
and exfiltration
 Groundwater interaction with soil water zone (including
urban agriculture and forestry)
 Groundwater/surface water (including marine water)
interaction
 Management-of groundwater table dynamics (raising and
lowering)

Implementation  Identification of key issues of urban groundwater


strategy:  Designing analytic framework to get the specific models in
implementation
 Capacity building/awareness raising

Implementation Workshops, development of analytic tools and case studies; regional


mechanism: studies (including cooperation RCUWM-Tehran); training and
awareness-raising activities.
Expected results:  New modelling, planning and management tools
 Guideline on urban groundwater management including use
of analytic tools,
 Training and awareness rising material for urban planners and
managers, water managers and public at large on urban
groundwater

Beneficiary groups: Urban water research and professional community in the areas facing
groundwater problems; public at large.
Expected executing
and supporting IAH,IOC, IAHR, BAC, JIIHP, IGCP
partners:
Duration/schedule: --
Proposed
D. Pokrajac (co-ordinator), Kinzelbach (member), Ken Howard (IAH
co-ordinator/focal
– Commission on Groundwater in Urban Areas)
point:
Financial
implications:

No. : 4  
Integrated urban water system interactions:
Name of activity:
Complementarity among urban water services
Objective: Expanded knowledge base related to the interactions of man-made
systems in the urban environment and development applicable tools
and approaches for analysis such as:

 Mutual interactions of UW systems (water supply, wastewater


and stormwater drainage and their effects on the systems’
performance
 Wastewater design tools, integrating wastewater reuse and
solid waste
 Evaluation tools/models for new technologies combining
wastewater, solid waste, with resources socio-economic,
health, reliability, efficiency etc.

Description: Development of approaches for urban water management under


present and future development and climate variation scenarios:

 Better management of water supply: water demand (water


quality, quantity and distribution), water conservation,
impacts of climate change
 Sustainable development and guidelines for new alternative
water supply based on alternative and non conventional water
resources such as stormwater harvesting, recycling and reuse
 Coping with climate change effects on flood, extremes events
and human health
 Assessment of the impact of urbanisation on wastewater
management
 Wastewater management interaction with solid waste
management and air pollution, division point and non point
source pollution
 Assessment of urban streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, wetlands
and reservoir systems and their impact on sustainable water
supply
 Criteria for combined and separate urban sewer systems in
developing countries
 Wastewater deign in household, separation and pollutant
control
 Risk analysis for design under specific climates (cold, arid
and semi-arid, humid tropics and temperate) and developing
countries with economic constraints
 Development of methodologies for integrated catchment
management comprising urban centres

Implementation
Multidisciplinary working group
strategy:
Implementation Seminar on integrated urban water system interaction. The seminar
mechanism: will focus on evaluation tools for urban water and waste interactions,
as well as wastewater separation and pollution control in households.
Document tools (paper and computer models)
Expected results: Planning guidelines and toll kits for selecting future technology for
urban water supply and sanitation (software basis)
Beneficiary groups: Water and environment professionals (Professional NGOs)
Expected executing IWA, MAB, National IHP Committees, COST, at Regional level
and supporting RCUWM
partners: Tehran
Duration/schedule: 5 years
Proposed Mogens Henze (co-ordinator), Peter Steen Mikkelsen (Technical
co-ordinator/focal University of Danemark), Niels Thygesen (Danish University
point: Consortium for Env. and Devt. of Urban Areas and industry, Ahmad
Abrishamchi, Massoud Tajrishi (Sharif Univ. of Tech. Iran). Other
potential participants: Ralf Otterpohl (Hamburg Technical
University) and Takashi Asano (UC Davis).
Financial
implications:

No. : 5  
Integrated urban water modelling and management under
Name of activity: specific climates: humid tropics(HT), arid and semiarid climates
(ASA), cold climates (CC) and temperate climates (TC)
Objective: Strengthening the analytical framework for integrated urban water
management under specific climates, with special focus on
developing countries
Description:  Development of methodologies for evaluation of models for
analysis of performance: formulation and quantification of
performance indicators, optimisation by taking account
economic evaluation
 Development of analytic framework for urban, peri-urban
and rural water interactions under specific climates
 Development of tools for holistic modelling and operational
management of water based systems
 Sensitivity and parameter analysis for hydrological
modelling under specific climate conditions
 Environmental impact assessment of separate urban water
components
 Environmental impact under integrated effects of Urban
Water Systems

Implementation
--
strategy:
Implementation Series of selected case studies in specific climate conditions – co-
mechanism: ordinated by IRTCUD / CUW units and other UNESCO regional
centres
Organisation of workshop
Expected results: Guidelines, modelling tools and teaching materials
Beneficiary groups: Water and environment professional, professional NGOs
Expected executing and IWA, MAB, HELP, ESCAP
supporting partners:
Duration/schedule: --
Proposed Carlos Tucci (co-ordinator), Ahmad Abrishamchi, S. Simonovic
co-ordinator/focal IRTCUD / CUW network: Norway, Yugoslavia, Egypt and
point: RCUWM -Tehran Regional Center for Urban Water Management.
Other potential participant: Jay Lund (UC Davis).
Financial implications: --

No. : 6  
Name of activity: Urban water security, human health and disaster prevention
Objective: Provide criteria and problem solving approaches to enhance water
related security in the urban environment under present day and
future emerging threats
Description:  Identification and quantification of the key aspects affecting
water security in cities
 Outbreaks (water quality jeopardising) in drinking water
distribution system, technologies for safe drinking water
(modelling & management)
 Urban water system and health hazards – identification of
security aspects of water resources management and
assessment of impacts of biotic (microbiological) and
abiotic pollution (heavy metals) on human health
 Methodological development of socio-ecological indices for
environmental health and water interactions in urban area
 Assessment of societal impacts (i.e. population, economic,
health, security issues) of future imbalances in the global
distribution of water supply and use in conjunction with
Theme 1
 Identification of causes, analysis, mapping and mitigation of
natural disasters (floods, landslides, deliberate disasters-
sabotage) affecting urban water services.

Implementation Development and testing of tools for health and security risk
strategy: reduction under various climate, economic and social conditions.
Implementation
Problem identification, implementation of the developed tools.
mechanism:
Expected results: Regional reports (joint product with WHO/other international
partners), problem solving and awareness raising tools
Beneficiary groups: General public, NGOs working in public health domain,
Expected executing and WHO, MOST, UNDP, ISDR, IGCP, BAC, ESCAP, WB,
supporting partners: UNU/INWEH, RCUWM Tehran
Duration/schedule: --
Proposed
co-ordinator/focal Ivanildo Hespanhol (Brazil) , Tuula Tuhkanen (Finland)
point:
Financial implications:

No. : 8  
Socio-economic and institutional aspects in urban water
Name of activity:
management
Objective: Expand capabilities of urban water decision-makers, planners and
managers by advising appropriate strategies for urban water
management taking into account social and institutional aspects.
Description: Development of sound strategies for realising sustainable water use
to ensure service equity and alleviate poverty considering:

 Issues linked to assessing safe water as a human right


 Socio-economic study on water service and consumption
 Development of public awareness on urban water
management
 Community participation in water project
 Water and ethics
 Water conflicts related to urban water development and use
 Integrated water and land-use policies to combat man-
induced deterioration of the environment
 Institutional development and participatory process for
decision making in management urban water system
 Communications between water specialist, politicians and
communities to strengthen public participation in UWM
 Legal aspect: evaluation of trends in water regulation

Implementation Establishment of appropriate guidelines and dissemination to


strategy: stakeholders, including the use of mass media on the role of water
in the society and point out risks connected to water shortage.
Implementation Cooperation with RCUWM in Tehran and international NGOs on
mechanism: organization a regional workshop for city and regional planners and
various cities on urban water management in coastal megacities of
developing countries.
Expected results: Guidelines and appropriate strategies for urban water management
Beneficiary groups: Member countries, water and environment professionals and
decision makers on urban development, urban water managers, and
the public at large
Expected executing and MOST, UNDP, Habitat, HELP, MAB, WWAP, IOC, CSI,
supporting partners: Development Agencies (DFID, OEDC), IsoCaRP and ISSC,
international NGOs (IULA/Metropolis, OVPM...)
Duration/schedule: --
Proposed
Brigitte Colin, Jan Lundqvist, Rebekah Brown, Poul Harremoes, at
co-ordinator/focal
regional level RCUWM-Tehran.
point:
Financial implications:

No. : 9  
Name of activity: Urban water education, training and technology transfer
Objective: Strengthening the ways and means of providing urban water
education and training. The new paradigm in integrated urban water
management requires top-level decision-makers, urban water and
environmental professionals to have access to up-to-date knowledge
and technologies. The project will compile the existing and create
new training tools, including the providing of basic management
knowledge for municipal professionals
Description:  Strengthening of the global network of urban water centres
 Development of research and training method in cooperation
with Delft, IRTCUD/CUW, Regional centres: Tehran, Kuala
Lumpur, Cairo, Porto Alegre, Belgrade, Trondheim, UNU
 Integration, customisation and production of new tools and
training on use of new tools
 Application of the tools in target oriented training actions,
TETT, IAHR/IWA
 Continuing education and training for selected target groups

Implementation
--
strategy:
Implementation Series of training courses and awareness raising actions (including
mechanism: briefing sessions for top-level decision-makers).
Expected results: Consolidated sets of training tools tested and applied in selected
courses at various levels
Beneficiary groups: Member countries, water and environment professional
Expected executing IHE - Delft, IRTCUD/CUW, Regional centres: Tehran, Kuala
and supporting Lumpur, Cairo, Porto Alegre, Belgrade, Trondheim, Sofia, , UNU,
partners: UNICEF, UNEP-IETC, WET, WB
Duration/schedule: 6 years
Proposed
Cedo Maksimovic, Jonathan Parkinson, UNU, IHE, et regional level
co-ordinator/focal
RCUWM-Tehran
point:
Financial
implications:
Current Population of India in 2010 is around 1,150,000,000 (1.15 billion) people. Currently, India is second
largest country in the world after China in terms of population. By 2030, the population of India will be largest in
the world estimated to be around 1.53 billion. There has been rapid increase in Indian population in the last 60
years. Population of India at the time of Independence was only 350 million. So Indian Population has increased
more than three times.

Current Population of India in 2010:

Current Population of India in 2010 - 1,150,000,000 (1.15 billion)

Population of India in 1947 was - 350 million

Demographics of Asia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Map of countries by population density (See List of countries by population density.)

The Demographics of Asia refers to the human population of Asia. The continent covers
29.4% of the Earth's land area and has a population of almost 4 billion - accounting for about
56% of the world population. Together, China's and India's populations are estimated to be
around 2.5 billion people.

Population
Main article: List of Asian countries by population
[edit] Economy
Further information: Economy of Asia

Economically, most of Asia is traditionally considered part of the "Second World", with the
significant exception of the industrialized "First World" nations of Japan, South Korea and
Turkey. Asian nations in the G20 major economies are China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, Saudi
Arabia, South Korea and Turkey. Of these, Russia and Japan are also in the G8, and additionally
China and India in the G8+5.

Six Asian countries / regions are on the IMF advanced economy list:  South Korea  Hong
Kong, China  Israel  Taiwan  Japan  Singapore.

The Human Development Index is mostly in the "medium" range of 0.5-0.8, with 13 countries in
the "high" range:
[edit] highest HDIs [edit] 10 lowest HDIs
Rank Rank

Change HDI Change HDI


compared in 2005 2005 data compared in 2005
2005 data Country Country
to 2004 (published (published to 2004 (published
(published
data in 2007) data in 2007)
in 2007) in 2007)
(published (published
in 2006) in 2006)

High Medium

1 (0)  Japan 0.953 1 (0)  Yemen 0.508

2 (0)  Taiwan 0.943 2 (0)  East Timor 0.514

3 (0)  Israel 0.932  Papua New


3 (0) 0.530
Guinea
4 (0)  Singapore 0.922
4 (0)  Nepal 0.534
5 (0)  South Korea 0.921
5 (0)  Bangladesh 0.547
6 (1)  Brunei 0.894
6 (1)  Pakistan 0.551
7 (1)  Kuwait 0.891
7 (1)  Bhutan 0.579
8 (4)  Qatar 0.875
8 (1)  Myanmar 0.583
(10)  United Arab
9 0.868
Emirates 9 (1)  Cambodia 0.598
10 (2)  Bahrain 0.866 10 (2)  Laos 0.601
11 (2)  Oman 0.814

12 (15)  Saudi Arabia 0.812

13 (2)  Malaysia 0.811

14 (2)  Russia 0.802

[edit] Ethnicities
Main article: Ethnic groups of Asia

Further information: Asian people

Central Asian peoples: Turkic peoples

East Asian peoples:

 List of Chinese ethnic groups (historical), Sino-Tibetan peoples, Japanese people, Koreans
 Northern Asia: List of indigenous peoples of Russia: Indigenous peoples of Siberia; Finno-Ugric
peoples

 Ethnic groups of South Asia: Ethnic groups of India, Ethnic groups in Pakistan, Dravidians,
Indo-Aryans, Munda people

 Ethnic groups of Southeast Asia: List of ethnic groups in Cambodia, ethnic groups in Indonesia,
List of ethnic groups in Laos, Ethnic groups of the Philippines, List of ethnic groups in Vietnam;
Austronesian peoples, Tai peoples

 Ethnic groups of the Middle East: Peoples of the Caucasus (transcontinental), Ethnic
minorities in Iran, Ethnic minorities in Iraq; Semites, Iranian peoples, Turkmen, Turks

[edit] See also

 Missing women of Asia

[edit] External links

 World Population: Major Trends

List of Asian countries by population


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article does not cite any references or sources.


Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material
may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

This article's factual accuracy may be compromised because of out-of-date information.


Please help improve the article by updating it. There may be additional information on the
talk page. (February 2010)

This is a list of Asian countries by population. It is sourced from the global list of countries by
population as of December 2007.

A part of Kazakhstan which lie within Europe is included here. Cyprus, on the other hand, is
normally included in Europe for political and cultural reasons, and is therefore excluded from
this list, although it is traditionally considered part of Asia geographically.

Pos Country Population

- Asia 3,776,000,000

1  People's Republic of China [1] 1,322,597,000


2  India 1,131,043,000

3  Indonesia 231,627,000

4  Pakistan 161,998,000

5  Bangladesh 158,665,000

6  Japan 127,718,000

7  Philippines 88,706,300

8  Vietnam 87,375,000

9  Iran 71,208,000

10  Thailand 62,828,706

11  Myanmar 48,798,000

12  South Korea 48,512,000

13  Iraq 28,993,000

14  Nepal 28,196,000

15  Malaysia 27,544,000

16  Uzbekistan 27,372,000

17  Afghanistan 27,145,000

18  Saudi Arabia 24,735,000

19  North Korea 23,790,000

20  Republic of China (Taiwan) 22,935,000

21  Syria 22,198,110[2]

22  Yemen 20,727,063

23  Sri Lanka 19,299,000

24  Kazakhstan 15,422,000

25  Cambodia 14,444,000

26  Israel 7,208,520

27  Hong Kong, China 7,206,000

28  Tajikistan 6,736,000
29  Jordan 5,924,000

30  Laos 5,859,000

31  Kyrgyzstan 5,317,000

32  Turkmenistan 4,965,000

33  Singapore 4,436,000

34  United Arab Emirates 4,380,000

35  Lebanon 4,099,000

36  Palestinian Authority 4,017,000

37  Kuwait 2,851,000

38  Mongolia 2,629,000

39  Oman 2,595,000

40  East Timor 1,155,000

41  Qatar 841,000

42  Bahrain 753,000

43  Bhutan 658,000

44  Macau, China 481,000

45  Brunei 390,000

46  Maldives 306,000

[edit]

Environment - current issues


This entry lists the most pressing and important environmental problems. The following
terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:
Acidification - the lowering of soil and water pH due to acid precipitation and
deposition usually through precipitation; this process disrupts ecosystem nutrient flows
and may kill freshwater fish and plants dependent on more neutral or alkaline conditions
(see acid rain).
Acid rain - characterized as containing harmful levels of sulfur dioxide or nitrogen
oxide; acid rain is damaging and potentially deadly to the earth's fragile ecosystems;
acidity is measured using the pH scale where 7 is neutral, values greater than 7 are
considered alkaline, and values below 5.6 are considered acid precipitation; note - a pH
of 2.4 (the acidity of vinegar) has been measured in rainfall in New England.
Aerosol - a collection of airborne particles dispersed in a gas, smoke, or fog.
Afforestation - converting a bare or agricultural space by planting trees and plants;
reforestation involves replanting trees on areas that have been cut or destroyed by fire.
Asbestos - a naturally occurring soft fibrous mineral commonly used in fireproofing
materials and considered to be highly carcinogenic in particulate form.
Biodiversity - also biological diversity; the relative number of species, diverse in form
and function, at the genetic, organism, community, and ecosystem level; loss of
biodiversity reduces an ecosystem's ability to recover from natural or man-induced
disruption.
Bio-indicators - a plant or animal species whose presence, abundance, and health reveal
the general condition of its habitat.
Biomass - the total weight or volume of living matter in a given area or volume.
Carbon cycle - the term used to describe the exchange of carbon (in various forms, e.g.,
as carbon dioxide) between the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial biosphere, and geological
deposits.
Catchments - assemblages used to capture and retain rainwater and runoff; an important
water management technique in areas with limited freshwater resources, such as
Gibraltar.
DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) - a colorless, odorless insecticide that has
toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT was banned in the US in 1972.
Defoliants - chemicals which cause plants to lose their leaves artificially; often used in
agricultural practices for weed control, and may have detrimental impacts on human and
ecosystem health.
Deforestation - the destruction of vast areas of forest (e.g., unsustainable forestry
practices, agricultural and range land clearing, and the over exploitation of wood
products for use as fuel) without planting new growth.
Desertification - the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or semi-arid areas, due to
overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive soils, or climate change.
Dredging - the practice of deepening an existing waterway; also, a technique used for
collecting bottom-dwelling marine organisms (e.g., shellfish) or harvesting coral, often
causing significant destruction of reef and ocean-floor ecosystems.
Drift-net fishing - done with a net, miles in extent, that is generally anchored to a boat
and left to float with the tide; often results in an over harvesting and waste of large
populations of non-commercial marine species (by-catch) by its effect of "sweeping the
ocean clean."
Ecosystems - ecological units comprised of complex communities of organisms and
their specific environments.
Effluents - waste materials, such as smoke, sewage, or industrial waste which are
released into the environment, subsequently polluting it.
Endangered species - a species that is threatened with extinction either by direct
hunting or habitat destruction.
Freshwater - water with very low soluble mineral content; sources include lakes,
streams, rivers, glaciers, and underground aquifers.
Greenhouse gas - a gas that "traps" infrared radiation in the lower atmosphere causing
surface warming; water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane,
hydrofluorocarbons, and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's
atmosphere.
Groundwater - water sources found below the surface of the earth often in naturally
occurring reservoirs in permeable rock strata; the source for wells and natural springs.
Highlands Water Project - a series of dams constructed jointly by Lesotho and South
Africa to redirect Lesotho's abundant water supply into a rapidly growing area in South
Africa; while it is the largest infrastructure project in southern Africa, it is also the most
costly and controversial; objections to the project include claims that it forces people
from their homes, submerges farmlands, and squanders economic resources.
Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) - represents the roughly 150,000 Inuits of
Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Russia in international environmental issues; a General
Assembly convenes every three years to determine the focus of the ICC; the most
current concerns are long-range transport of pollutants, sustainable development, and
climate change.
Metallurgical plants - industries which specialize in the science, technology, and
processing of metals; these plants produce highly concentrated and toxic wastes which
can contribute to pollution of ground water and air when not properly disposed.
Noxious substances - injurious, very harmful to living beings.
Overgrazing - the grazing of animals on plant material faster than it can naturally
regrow leading to the permanent loss of plant cover, a common effect of too many
animals grazing limited range land.
Ozone shield - a layer of the atmosphere composed of ozone gas (O3) that resides
approximately 25 miles above the Earth's surface and absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation
that can be harmful to living organisms.
Poaching - the illegal killing of animals or fish, a great concern with respect to
endangered or threatened species.
Pollution - the contamination of a healthy environment by man-made waste.
Potable water - water that is drinkable, safe to be consumed.
Salination - the process through which fresh (drinkable) water becomes salt
(undrinkable) water; hence, desalination is the reverse process; also involves the
accumulation of salts in topsoil caused by evaporation of excessive irrigation water, a
process that can eventually render soil incapable of supporting crops.
Siltation - occurs when water channels and reservoirs become clotted with silt and mud,
a side effect of deforestation and soil erosion.
Slash-and-burn agriculture - a rotating cultivation technique in which trees are cut
down and burned in order to clear land for temporary agriculture; the land is used until
its productivity declines at which point a new plot is selected and the process repeats;
this practice is sustainable while population levels are low and time is permitted for
regrowth of natural vegetation; conversely, where these conditions do not exist, the
practice can have disastrous consequences for the environment.
Soil degradation - damage to the land's productive capacity because of poor agricultural
practices such as the excessive use of pesticides or fertilizers, soil compaction from
heavy equipment, or erosion of topsoil, eventually resulting in reduced ability to
produce agricultural products.
Soil erosion - the removal of soil by the action of water or wind, compounded by poor
agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing, and desertification.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation - a portion of the electromagnetic energy emitted by the sun
and naturally filtered in the upper atmosphere by the ozone layer; UV radiation can be
harmful to living organisms and has been linked to increasing rates of skin cancer in
humans.
Waterborne diseases - those in which bacteria survive in, and are transmitted through,
water; always a serious threat in areas with an untreated water supply.

You might also like