200 Countries, 200 years, 4 minutes

[Bakes]

An animated look at global advancement over the past 200 yrs.


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/jbkSRLYSojo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/jbkSRLYSojo</a>


If you have a couple minutes check this out, it's an interesting look at where the world was 200 yrs ago compared to now, and how some countries have fared in terms of health and poverty over the course of that period.

[Observer]

Thanks I enjoyed this. Excellent presentation!

[Jah Gol]

One thing remained constant. Africa is still at the bottom.

[STEUPS!!]

this presentation - innovative

cuts down on studying time. u learn a section of human geography in 5 mins which probably would have taken weeks to learn and understand doing it the conventional way

[Peong]

Very interesting.  Thanks.

[Bakes]

One thing remained constant. Africa is still at the bottom.

It is really disheartening to watch... and we as people of the African diaspora can't blame it all on colonialization either.  India was long kept under foot by the British and today, even if somewhat belatedly, India is poised to become a technological and financial superpower.  Years ago this was Nigeria, except they couldn't figure out how to get out of their own way.

[Die_Hard]

One thing remained constant. Africa is still at the bottom.

It is really disheartening to watch... and we as people of the African diaspora can't blame it all on colonialization either.  India was long kept under foot by the British and today, even if somewhat belatedly, India is poised to become a technological and financial superpower.  Years ago this was Nigeria, except they couldn't figure out how to get out of their own way.

In all fairness to Nigeria though, they are still a colonial power, nah, they are still under steady influence from the old colonial masters.

I say so becasue they have so many multi national nations there directing how they develop their energy industry, and guess what, the corruption there starts with bribes being paid to the politicians.

Nigeria has to get a true leader one time, someone who will straighten out the multi nationals..trouble is as soon as one is rising he is reached by Exxon and Shell

[Bourbon]

Sobering.

1) Corruption is one of the biggest problems plaguing Nigeria and other African nations. Especially given the resources at their disposal.

2) At the end of the video he makes the claim that soon everybody would be at the "healthy and wealthy" corner. Maybe by today's standards, but if the limits keep being pushed, in comparison to the conditions that currently exist, wouldnt the best our todays be the worst of our tommorows?

[Bakes]

One thing remained constant. Africa is still at the bottom.

It is really disheartening to watch... and we as people of the African diaspora can't blame it all on colonialization either.  India was long kept under foot by the British and today, even if somewhat belatedly, India is poised to become a technological and financial superpower.  Years ago this was Nigeria, except they couldn't figure out how to get out of their own way.

In all fairness to Nigeria though, they are still a colonial power, nah, they are still under steady influence from the old colonial masters.

I say so becasue they have so many multi national nations there directing how they develop their energy industry, and guess what, the corruption there starts with bribes being paid to the politicians.

Nigeria has to get a true leader one time, someone who will straighten out the multi nationals..trouble is as soon as one is rising he is reached by Exxon and Shell

I'm not ignorant of the stranglehold the multinationals have on Nigeria, but that country has its own self to blame for the political malaise which results in the influence you mention.  For too long voices of reason (read, opposition) have been stifled and silenced, graft and corruption is accepted as a way of life, so much so that the international reputation of what should be a proud people suffers for it.  In virtually every avenue Nigerians are seen as scam artists, and I don't just refer to the email schemes.  Nobody trusts the ages put forth by their sporting federations because we all know is some old ass men they does pass off as teenagers.  To do business requires familiarity with and acceptance of the old payola system... the list goes on and on.  

Yet at the same time (without any hard stats) it seems as though the nation leads the continent per capita in the production of doctors, scientists, engineers etc.  In terms of wasted potential it's a modern day tragedy rivaled only by Guyana.

[Bakes]

Sobering.

1) Corruption is one of the biggest problems plaguing Nigeria and other African nations. Especially given the resources at their disposal.

2) At the end of the video he makes the claim that soon everybody would be at the "healthy and wealthy" corner. Maybe by today's standards, but if the limits keep being pushed, in comparison to the conditions that currently exist, wouldnt the best our todays be the worst of our tommorows?

That's a very good point... I think to accept his outlook one has to accept that there is a threshold above which each nation can rise if one were to extrapolate the trend from the past 50 yrs.  Sobering is indeed a good word to use when you consider that 60 yrs ago China, and indeed most of Asia were facing the same issues as sub-Saharan Africa.  Poverty and health are still challenges, but if nothing else, at least life expectancy has risen in all parts of Africa in that period.

[Jah Gol]

One thing remained constant. Africa is still at the bottom.

It is really disheartening to watch... and we as people of the African diaspora can't blame it all on colonialization either.  India was long kept under foot by the British and today, even if somewhat belatedly, India is poised to become a technological and financial superpower.  Years ago this was Nigeria, except they couldn't figure out how to get out of their own way.

Colonialism definitely contributed to the present malaise but African leaders have played an even bigger role.