This is a description of different aspects of the world in the year 2004. It gives a flavour of life in this period, ordered from the most macroscopic downward. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Macroscopic means measurable and observable by the naked eye; describes existence as we perceive it. ...

Environment

Weather

Temperatures: 2004 was generally considered the fourth-warmest year on record (1998 being the warmest), with the global mean surface temperature measured at 0.44°C above a 30-year mean of 14°C between 1961 and 1990. This continues a warming trend over recent decades, with 9 of the previous 10 years in the top 10 warmest. 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... In statistics, mean has two related meanings: the average in ordinary English, which is more correctly called the arithmetic mean, to distinguish it from geometric mean or harmonic mean. ...

Rain: 2004 was the also the wettest year since 2000. This article is about the year 2000. ...

Wind: During the hurricane season in the Atlantic, 15 named tropical storms developed (mean approximately 10), eight of which were during August, the most for this month in any year on record. In the Pacific there were about 27 named cyclones, of which a record 10 hit Japan. The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ...

"Flying Flame earthquake"

An earthquake in the Indian Ocean in December was measured as one of the four most powerful in the last one hundred years, the biggest since the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. With the resulting tsunami, it was about the sixth-worst natural disaster (apart from disease and famine) in recorded history in terms of number of deaths. The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hits Thailand The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. ... Epicenter The Good Friday Earthquake (also called the Great Alaska Earthquake) of March 27, 1964, was the most powerful earthquake in U.S. history. ... A death toll is the number of dead as a result of war, violence, accident, natural disaster, extreme weather, or disease. ...

Species extinction or risk

A record 15,589 species were listed by the IUCN as close to extinction, 3,330 more than in 2003. The IUCN estimated that the rate of extinction was between 100 and 1000 times higher than natural rates. The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

Population

World population increased by 75,000,000 to 6,400,000,000 (6.4 billion) by the end of 2004, an increase of 1.16%, continuing a slowing down of the rate of increase which has been going on since the mid 1960s. 2.5 billion (39%) of these are in China and India.

Health

Mean life expectancy at birth was 62.5 years for males and 65.7 years for females but this varied widely in different parts of the world from around 80 years in some developed countries to below 40 years mainly in parts of Africa. Life expectancy is the most likely number of years remaining for a living being (or the average for a class of living beings) of a given age to live. ...

Political

World

The war and subsequent occupation of Iraq continued to be divisive in 2004. The US also found itself isolated over the environment with its refusal to sign the Kyoto Agreement. The issue of global terrorism received much media coverage which generated much political debate and, arguably, affected several national election results. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: United States Wikinews has news related to this article: United States United States government CIA World Factbook Entry for United States House. ... Earth as seen by Apollo 17 The Kyoto Protocol is an amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international treaty on global warming. ...

Political Overview by region

Europe

2004 saw a massive expansion of the European Union, with the admission of 10 new countries: (Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia). The signing of the proposed European constitution by the major EU leaders brings forward closer integration of the EU nations, although the constitution is still to be ratified by member states. The EU also began accession talks with Turkey and concluded them with Bulgaria and Romania which are set to join the EU in 2007. The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, commonly referred to as the European Constitution, is an international treaty intended to create a constitution for the European Union. ... 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Middle East

The Iraq war continued to dominate Middle Eastern politics, with a strong and increasingly violent rebellion threatening the stability of the country. Troops from the United States of America and the United Kingdom continued to occupy Iraq, in the face of fierce resistance. The occupying powers transferred sovereignty of Iraq to an interim government with the aim of holding elections in 2005. Iraq war may refer to one of the following: The 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent occupation The Gulf War (1990–1991), also known as the Persian Gulf War or the First Gulf War The Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) The Anglo-Iraqi War (1941) The Iraq War, a...

The Israeli - Palestinian peace talks continued against a background of continued military action by Israeli forces in the occupied territories and terrorist attacks by militant Palestinian groups. Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian National Authority died in a hospital outside Paris at 02:30 UTC on November 11 at age 75. The Palestinians are a mainly Arabic-speaking people with family origins in Palestine. ... An occupied territory is a region that has been taken over by a sovereign power after a military intervention (see military occupation). ... Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (Arabic: ياسر عرفات) (August 4 or August 24, 1929 – November 11, 2004), born Muhammad `Abd ar-Rauf al-Qudwa al-Husayni (محمد عبد الرؤوف القدوة الحسيني) and also known as Abu `Ammar (ابو عمّار), was co-founder and Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (1969–2004); President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA... ...

Saudi Arabia continued to battle domestic terrorism, and saw a large increase in attacks on foreign citizens, including an attack on the United States consulate in Jeddah. Jeddah from space, September 1995 Jeddah (also Jedda, Jiddah, or Juddah; Arabic: Ǧiddah) is a city in western Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea. ...

South Asia

An important event that took place in South Asia in 2004, was the Indian Lok Sabha elections during April/May. The ruling alliance, NDA, surprisingly lost the polls. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee resigned, and the Congress party and its allies, with the support of Communist Parties, formed an alliance called United Progressive Alliance. UPA elected Congress party president, Sonia Gandhi, as its chairman, while Dr. Manmohan Singh was made the prime minister of India. Composite satellite image of the Indian subcontinent Map of South Asia. ... The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house of Parliament of India. ... The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a coalition in India. ... Atal Bihari Vajpayee (often wrongly spelt Behari; अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी in Devnagari) (born December 25, 1924) was the Prime Minister of India in 1996 and again from 1998 until May 19, 2004. ... The Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party) is the largest subscription-based organisation in the world. ... United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is the present ruling coalition of political parties in India. ... The abbreviation UPA has several meanings: United Productions of America, USA-based animation studio Ukrayinska Povstanska Armia (Ukrainian Insurgent Army), a Ukrainian nationalist partisan organization during and after the World War II Uralic Phonetic Alphabet United Progressive Alliance A political coalition ruling India, as of 2005 University Preparatory Academy of... Sonia Gandhi Sonia Gandhi (सोनिया गाँधी) (born December 9, 1946), is an Italian-born Indian politician, the president of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) and the widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. ... Dr. Manmohan Singh (Gurmukhi: ਮਨਮੋਹਨ ਸਿੰਘ, Devanagari: मनमोहन सिंह) is the fourteenth Prime Minister of India. ... Executive President Prime Minister The Union Ministries Legislative Parliament Rajya Sabha Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha Speaker of the House Judicial Supreme Court Chief Justice of the Supreme Court High Courts District Courts Constitution Fundamental Rights and Directive principles Regions States and territories Elections General Elections State Assembly...

The American occupation of Afghanistan continued in 2004, and for the first time its history, elections took place on October 9, with Hamid Karzai elected the first President of Afghanistan. October 9 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in Leap years). ... Hamid Karzai, (Pushtu: حامد کرزي Dari: حامد کرزی) (born December 24, 1957) is the current and first democratically elected President of Afghanistan (since December 7, 2004). ...

In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf continued his rule as President of Pakistan, despite calls for a return to democracy in the country. General Pervez Musharraf (Urdu: ; born August 11, 1943, Near Delhi, India) became de facto Head of Government (using the title Chief Executive and assuming extensive powers) of Pakistan on October 12, 1999 following a bloodless coup détat. ... The President of Pakistan is Pakistans Head of State. ...

Near the end of the year, the region was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and resulting tsunamis, which killed over 125,000 people by the end of December. The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hits Thailand The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. ... The tsunami that struck Malé in the Maldives on December 26, 2004. ...

East Asia

Sino-Taiwanese relations in 2004 remained stable, a referendum on peaceful resolution to disputes between the countries was defeated. Elections in the island saw Chen Shui-bian re-elected as President of the Republic of China. The elections were marred by an attempted assassination on the President the day before pooling day. A nation-wide consultative referendum (全國性公民投票) was held in the Republic of China (Taiwan) on March 20, 2004 to coincide with the 2004 presidential election. ... Chen Shui-bian, President of the Republic of China Chen Shui-bian (ch. ...

China continued its impressive economic growth in the region, and undertook Trade relations tours in South America during the latter half of 2004.

Ethnic violence in Thailand erupted during 2004, sparked by the deaths of several Muslim men in Thai police custody. Bomb explosions in the mainly Muslim southern provinces claimed many casualties.

Australasia/Pacific

Australia continued to feel the effects of terrorism in 2004, with attacks against its embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. In November, the incumbent government under John Howard was returned for a fourth term in the federal government elections. Map of Indonesia showing Jakarta Jakarta (also Djakarta or DKI Jakarta, formerly known as Batavia) is the capital and the largest city of Indonesia, located on the northwest coast of the island of Java, at 6°11′ S 106°50′ E. It has an area of 650 km² and a... John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939), is an Australian politician and the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, coming to office on 11 March 1996 and winning re-election in 1998, 2001 and 2004. ... Legislative elections were held in Australia on 9 October 2004. ...

The New Zealand Government caused division within its ranks and elsewhere with legislation to "clarify" the legal status of the foreshore and seabed, seen by thousands of indigenous Maori as another land grab. Labour Party minister Tariana Turia resigned as a result and successfully returned in a byelection, with opinion polls suggesting that her new Maori Party may win half a dozen seats in the 2005 general election. Te Puni, Māori Chief Māori is the name of the indigenous people of New Zealand, and their language. ... Tariana Turia (born 8 April 1944) is a New Zealand politician. ... The Maori Party, a political party in New Zealand based around Maori citizens, formed around Tariana Turia, a former Labour Party member who had been a New Zealand Cabinet minister in the current Labour-dominated coalition government. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

French Polynesia saw some changes at top government levels.

South America

In July, 2004, Mercosur and the Andean Community, South America's two largest economic communities, agreed to merge and form a single trade zone spanning most of the continent. On December 8, 2004, the South American Community of Nations, which includes every independent state in South America, was formed. Flag of Mercosur Mercosur or Mercosul (Spanish: Mercado Común del Sur, Portuguese: Mercado Comum do Sul, English: Southern Common Market) is a trading zone among Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asuncion, which was later amended and updated by the 1995 Treaty of... Colombian President Alvaro Uribe delivering a speech at the opening of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Andean Presidential Council, June 27, 2003. ... The South American Community of Nations (Spanish: Comunidad Sudamericana de Naciones (CSN), Portuguese: Comunidade Sul-Americana de Nações (CSN)) will be a continent-wide free trade zone that will unite two existing free-trade organizations—Mercosur and the Andean Community—eliminating tariffs for non-sensitive products by 2014 and...

A majority of voters in Venezuela rejected a referendum to remove president Hugo Chávez from office in August. Several South American nations continued to be led by left-wing, socialist, or populist presidents. Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, Lula da Silva in Brazil, Nestor Kirchner in Argentina, Ricardo Lagos in Chile,and after elections in November, 2004, Tabaré Vázquez in Uruguay. Hugo Chavez in 1999, as President of Venezuela Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (born July 28, 1954) is the President of Venezuela. ... Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (born October 6, 1945) is a left-wing Brazilian politician. ... Néstor Carlos Kirchner Ostoić (born 25 February 1950) is the current President of Argentina. ... Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar (born March 2, 1938) is a Socialist politician and the president of Chile since 2000. ... Tabaré Vázquez Tabaré Ramón Vázquez Rosas (born 17 January 1940) is the current President of Uruguay. ...

Colombia continued to experience civil unrest as a result of the ongoing civil war between the government, communist FARC rebels and right-wing paramilitary groups with ties to narcotics smuggling and organized crime. Colombian president Alvaro Uribe pursued close ties to the United States government in 2004, and this resulted in the extradition of several high profile FARC leaders and drug traffickers to the United States. The FARC-EPs flag The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – Peoples Army, or FARC-EP) is a militant and revolutionary guerrilla group established in 1964-1966 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, and is Colombias... lvaro Uribe V lez (born July 4, 1952) is the President of Colombia (since 2002). ...

North America

Elections in North America, saw the American President, George W Bush get another term in office. In Canada, the Prime Minister, Paul Martin lost his majority in the Canadian federal election, 2004, but managed to form a minority government. The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and the 43rd and current President of the United States. ... The Prime Minister of Canada, the head of the Canadian government, is usually the leader of the political party with the most seats in the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Right Honourable Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , MP , LL.B , BA (born August 28, 1938 in Windsor, Ontario) is the Prime Minister of Canada. ... A Canadian federal election (more formally, the 38th general election) was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ...

The US federal government's investigation into the September 11 terrorist attacks was published. The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ...

Hurricanes battered the Caribbean and North America during the summer with more ferocity than usual. The hardest hit areas included Grenada, western Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Haiti (where approximately 3,000 people died), the Bahamas, and the Southeastern United States, especially Florida and the Gulf Coast. The hurricane season was the most expensive ever in the North Atlantic. The Southeastern United States or simply the Southeast refers to a region in the southeastern part of the USA. It usually consists of the following southern states: Louisiana Mississippi Alabama Georgia Florida and sometimes: Arkansas Oklahoma Texas These states are more often referred to as simply the South, although that... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... The Gulf of Mexico is a major body of water bordered and nearly landlocked by North America. ... For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ...

In Haiti, a civil war broke out which saw the exile of President Jean Bertrand Aristide. The United States and France deployed troops to the region to provide humanitarian relief. A civil war is a war in which the competing parties are segments of the same country or empire. ... Jean-Bertrand Aristide Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born July 15, 1953) is a Haitian politician and former priest who was President of Haiti in 1991, from 1994 to 1996, and again from 2001 to 2004. ...

Africa

In Sudan, the Darfur conflict caused an exodus of refugees and an humanitarian crisis for aid agencies. Civil war also continued in the Ivory Coast and Zaire. The country of Sudan The Darfur conflict is an ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, mainly between the Janjaweed, a government-supported militia recruited from local Arab tribes, and the non-Arab peoples of the region. ... Côte dIvoire (often called Ivory Coast in English; see below about the name) is a country in West Africa. ...

The regime of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe continued to attract international condemnation. Robert Gabriel Mugabe (born February 21, 1924) has been the head of government in Zimbabwe, first as Prime Minister and later as first executive President, since 1980. ...

Military

Warfare

2004 saw armed conflicts take place in the following regions:

• Haiti
• Iraq
• Ivory Coast
• Sudan
• Congo-Kinshasa

Côte dIvoire (often called Ivory Coast in English; see below about the name) is a country in West Africa. ...

Terrorism

Terrorist attacks took place in many different locations throughout the world in 2004. The continuing operations of Al-Qaeda were attributed to be behind many attacks in the world. Russia suffered more than most in 2004 with attacks attributed to Chechen independence supporters. Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ...

Major terrorist attacks included:

• March 11, 2004 Madrid attacks- 191 dead
• Beslan school siege- 344 dead (177 children)
• Destruction of two Russian airliners on August 24, 2004.
• Australian embassy bomb in Indonesia.
• US consulate attack in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia

The scene of one of the Madrid bombings. ... The Republic of North Ossetia in Russia The Beslan school hostage crisis (also referred to by the media as the Beslan school siege) began when armed multinational terrorists took hundreds of schoolchildren and adults hostage on September 1, 2004 at School Number One in the Russian town of Beslan in...

Economy

2004 saw recovery in the world stock markets, particularly in the United States of America, Europe and Japan. The weakening of the US Dollar against the major currencies of the world continued as record US trade deficits were reached. China and Russia were among the fastest growing major economies. A stock exchange is an organization of which the members are stock brokers. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

Commodity markets were particularly unstable in 2004. The price of oil increased rapidly, attributed to increasing demand from the growing Chinese and Indian economies, as well as worries over supply from the Middle East under volatile political circumstances.

In the corporate world, 2004 saw a recovery in the takeover and merger of corporate firms. IT firms Oracle Corporation and Peoplesoft finalised a merger after many months of wrangling. The banking sector saw an increase in cross-border consolidation with the takeover of Charter One Bank (USA) by the Royal Bank of Scotland (UK); and Abbey National (UK) by Banco Santander (Spain). Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL), one of the major companies developing database management systems, tools for database development, and enterprise resource planning software, dates from 1977 and has offices in more than 145 countries around the world. ... PeopleSoft, Inc. ... The Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS)is one of Scotlands four national clearing banks and one of the oldest in the UK, founded in Edinburgh in 1727 by Royal Charter. ... Abbey National plc is the UKs sixth biggest bank, and Europes second largest mortgage lender, after Halifax. ...