Nations with More Than 100 Million People

4. Indonesia, population: 232,269,000

   Official name: Republic of Indonesia

   Capital: Jakarta

   Founded: 1945

   Briefly: World’s most populous predominantly Muslim country; was Dutch colony from 1602 until independence; was dictatorship until 1998, when first elections were held; experienced good economic growth until mid-1990’s, when economy nearly collapsed; has frequent civil unrest and ethnic disputes; terrorist groups operating in country remain a big problem.

5. Brazil, population: 193,540,000

   Official name: Federative Republic of Brazil

   Capital: Brasilia

   Founded: 1822

   Briefly: South America’s largest country, occupies nearly half of continent’s landmass; was Portuguese colony from 1500 until independence; military took control of government in 1964 and returned it to civilian rule in 1985; famous for its extravagant Carnival celebrations and large beaches; leads Latin America in commercial aviation; despite being world’s tenth-largest economy, large gap between the rich and the poor remain stubborn problem; frequently ignores international pleas to protect rainforests.

6. Pakistan, population: 167,947,000

   Official name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan

   Capital: Islamabad

   Founded: 1947

   Briefly: Second-most populous predominantly Muslim state; was British colony from mid-1700’s until independence; was initially called West Pakistan while Bangladesh was called East Pakistan; civil war in 1971 resulted in breakup; first Muslim state to elect a female prime minister; has ongoing dispute with India over Kashmir; somewhat politically unstable, military frequently takes control of the government; terrorist groups operate in lawless tribal areas with near-impunity; experience frequent civil unrest which often turn violent.

7. Bangladesh, population: 150,060,000

   Official name: People’s Republic of Bangladesh

   Capital: Dhaka

   Founded: 1971

   Briefly: Was part of Pakistan until civil war in 1971; one of the world’s poorest and most densely populated countries; most of citizens are farmers; has one of world’s highest illiteracy rates.

8. Russia, population: 141,358,000

   Official name: Russian Federation

   Capital: Moscow

   Founded: A.D. 800’s

   Briefly: World’s largest country in landmass; was the dominant republic of the communist Soviet Union; declared independence in 1991; first country to send a human into outer space; nearly 20 million of its citizens lost their lives during World War II; had been under some form of authoritarian rule during much of its existence until 1991; began experiencing rapid economic growth almost immediately after independence but maintains staggering gap between the rich and poor; maintains tight control over media.

9. Nigeria, population: 140,923,000

   Official name: Federal Republic of Nigeria

   Capital: Abuja

   Founded: 1960

   Briefly: Most populous country in Africa; was British colony from 1851 until independence in 1960; fought civil war with Eastern Region from 1967-1970; military has frequently taken control of or interfered with government; has one of world’s highest illiteracy rates; moved capital from Lagos to Abuja in 1991; experiences frequent tribal, ethnic and religious unrest.

10. Japan, population: 127,994,000

     Official name: Japan

     Capital: Tokyo

     Founded: A.D. 645

     Briefly: Asia’s largest economic power; experienced over 200 years of isolation; forcefully accumulated a large empire during World War II, committing very appalling military atrocities in the process; suffered humiliating defeat, only country to experience nuclear attack; was under U.S. military occupation from 1945 to 1952; experience rapid economic growth from 1960’s to late-1980’s; one of the world’s most technologically-advanced countries; one of world’s lowest crime rates; economic growth has nearly been stalled for the last 20 years; experiencing one of world’s most rapidly-declining birthrates; has not fully assumed responsibility for its wartime actions.

11. Mexico, population: 110,915,000

     Official name: United Mexican States

     Capital: Mexico City

     Founded: 1821

     Briefly: Was Spanish colony from 1519 until independence; lost a huge amount of land to the United States during the Mexican War; one Latin America’s wealthiest nations but maintains a staggering gap between the rich and the poor; many Mexicans illegally cross U.S. border everyday seeking better life; drug violence has claimed nearly 7,000 lives in the past two years.