LONDON, August 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

You may have be thinking of only one thing when July came around - time for your well deserved summer holidays to the Algarve - but July 11^th was World Population Day. Read on to find out more about this event and some fascinating stats about the world around you.

How World Population Day started

World Population Day was cemented by the United Nations Development Programme in 1989 following the huge public interest in Five Billion Day, July 11^th 1987 - this was the approximate date that the world's population reached five billion. The annual event is now held to draw awareness to the global issues facing the world's population.

Did you know that five people are born and two people die every second of every day? That's an increase of 3 people per second!^[1]

The current population is estimated to be approximately 7 billion. This rate of increase will mean that the world's population will reach 12 billion in 40 years and 24 billion in 80 years. This is an astounding fact when you think that in 1000 AD the world's population was only 400 million! The huge increase in recent times is attributed to increased healthcare standards and huge agricultural yields.

In 1900, only one in 10 people lived in cities. Rapid industrialisation meant that by 1994, one in every two people lived in cities. Over 400 cities in the world are inhabited by more than a million people.

20% of the world's population resides in China- that means that one in five people on the planet is a Chinese resident.^[2]

Therefore, if you're after peaceful relaxation on your summer holidays, China may not be for you! Luckily there are some stunning spots closer to home with far fewer crowds. Flying out on mainland Spain holidays will mean you're visiting the country with the lowest population density in Western Europe excluding Scandinavia. You'll also have access to an amazing 8,000km of beautiful beaches!

Perhaps you get bored on the beach and long for bright lights and beats? You'll be pleased to hear that Spain isn't all bare beaches and sparse countryside. All-inclusive Benidorm holidays will show you that this area has enough bars, clubs and family-friendly restaurants to suit any taste and budget.

If culture and historical sites are more your bag, just a two and a half hour flight will land you in the oldest country in Europe - you can visit medieval monasteries, gothic castles and ancient Roman ruins on Portugal holidays.

Whichever attractions appeal to you most, why don't you celebrate World Population Day by going on holiday to explore a little more of the planet we live in?

Resources

^[1] http://didyouknow.org/population/

^[2] http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/chinapopulation.htm

Thomas Cook Children's Charity  is committed to making dreams come true for sick and disadvantaged children in the UK & Overseas - to find out more about the work we do visit our website.

SOURCE World Population Day