The 2007 Pocket World in Figures is here and I've been opening it at random. Today, I was struck by the table, Most Air Travel by million passenger kilometers per years. The US was number one, at 1,148,383 (1.15 trillion) passenger kilometers. What struck me was how far behind number 2, Japan, was at 243,982 (244 billion) passenger kilometers.
In other words, compared to other nations, we are uniquely populous and rich. I knew that, but seeing it in this context brought it home forcefully.
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2 comments:
Japan has half as many people in a far denser configuration where trains offer a competitive alternative to air travel.
We're uniquely rich and spread out.
Bret said what I was going to say: we are uniquely rich in a very large country.
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