1930s: Ancient Persian palace in Tehran, Iran - belonging to Qajar dynasty

The home of the Shah's harem, where each wife and favorite has her own household establishment, thus forming a big family of several hundred women. (1939 National Geographic)

Heavy Traffic

Every year the Earth loops through a solar system crowded with other bodies, there’s a chance it could run into trouble.

So far more than 5400 asteroids and comets have been spotted flying within 121 million miles of the sun – close enough to our planet for astronomers to classify them as near-Earth objects. Those that measure more than 4600 feet across and pass within 4.6 million miles of Earth’s orbit are considered potentially hazardous. As of April 2008, astronomers had cataloged more than 950 such bodies (red tracks in the above picture) – including Apophis, an asteroid that will come within 21000 miles of Earth in 2029. But observers are constantly monitoring their positions, recalculating their orbital paths and the impact risks they represent – and searching nearby space for new threats. 

(National Geographic)

2016: India has the world’s largest youth population

With 356 million 10-24 year-olds, India has the world’s largest youth population despite having a smaller population than China, a latest UN report said on Tuesday.

China is second with 269 million young people, followed by Indonesia (67 million), the U.S. (65 million) and Pakistan (59 million), Nigeria with 57 million, Brazil with 51 million, and Bangladesh with 48 million, the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) State of the World’s Population report said.

It said that developing countries with large youth populations could see their economies soar, provided they invest heavily in young people’s education and health and protect their rights.

Within this generation are 600 million adolescent girls with specific needs, challenges and aspirations for the future, the report said.

The report titled ‘The power of 1.8 billion’, said 28 per cent of India’s population is 10 to 24 year-olds, adding that the youth population is growing fastest in the poorest nations. Global number of youths is highest ever.

As the world is home to 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 year, 9 in 10 of the world’s young population live in less developed countries.

“Never before have there been so many young people. Never again is there likely to be such potential for economic and social progress. How we meet the needs and aspirations of young people will define our common future,” the report said. 

(http://www.thehindu.com)