HOBSON'S CHOICE

Average height of middle-aged woman in Streatham, London:

5ft 6in

Average height of middle-aged woman in Cardiff or Glasgow:

5ft 3in

Number of lighthouses needed to cover sea routes through the 7,000 islands of the Philippines:

1,200

Number of lighthouses covering the sea routes through the Philippines - 54 not in use:

459

Number of people lost in marine accidents in the Philippines in the past six years:

10,000

Number of states in the world in 1961:

108

Number of states in the world in 1965:

191

Predicted number of megacities (populations of over 10 million) by 2015:

24

Average life expectancy in the USA:

75 years

Average life expectancy in Cuba:

76 years

Year when living conditions in Bosnia are expected to reach pre-war standards:

2010

Number of people in UK who worked more than 48 hours a week last year:

4 million

Number of journalists killed in Russia between 1991 and 1997:

135

Percentage of veterinary medicine graduates in the UK who find employment in that field within six months of graduation:

95

Percentage of law graduates in the UK who find employment in that field within six months of graduation:

29

Number of children under five in Iraq, per 1,000, who died in 1994-1999, compared to the infant mortality rate of 56 per 1,000 before sanctions:

134

Number of foster families in Russia:

239

Number of orphanages in Russia, housing a combined total of 160,000 children:

2,000

Number of bureaucrats hired by the Russian government between 1992 and 1998:

1.2 million

Cost of a new clutch on a Mercedes CLK-GTR, which needs to be replaced at least every 5,000km:

$8,000

SOURCES: CARIBBEAN TIMES, LLOYD'S LIST, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, 'CULTURE SHOCK': MARK CRAMER, WALL ST JOURNAL, 'EUROPEAN LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, 'VODKA, TEARS AND LENIN'S ANGEL': JENNIFER GOULD, TES, UNICEF, GUARDIAN WEEKLY