Asia

The U.S. economy grew 5.7% in 2021, the fastest pace since 1984, bouncing back from the 2020 recession. That’s great news for America, but what happened to the country’s trade balance?

America’s trade deficit of goods shot up to a whopping record $1.1 trillion in 2021 from $922 billion in 2020, leading to its largest-ever deficit. Imports dwarfed exports, reaching new highs of $2.9 trillion in 2021. U.S. exports to other countries accounted for $1.8 trillion.

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Visualized: The Most Googled Countries, Worldwide

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Analyzing societal trends can teach us a lot about a population’s cultural fabric.

And since Google makes up more than 90% of internet searches outside of the Great Firewall, studying its usage is one of the best resources for modern social research.

By Brandon Smith

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Visualizing the Material Impact of Global Urbanization

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Cities only cover 2% of the world’s land surface, but activities within their boundaries consume over 75% of the planet’s material resources.