Re: Optimal location of world capital

Hardcowded@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 wrote:
> Let's ignore the existing international relations of economy and power
> and assume we get complete freedom to choose on the basis of location
> and population distribution. What city would be the best choice as
> capital of an imagined utopian world state where all nations are equal?

Depends on what criteria is most im****tant. Population density would
make western Europe an obvious choice; it's one of the most densely
populated areas of the world. On the other hand, China has more people,
and so does India. It wouldn't surprise me if the world capital would
end up somewhere in south-east Asia.

Ofcourse there are other considerations: trans****t, for example. A big
sea ****t and a big air****t are probably a good idea. A sea ****t means
somewhere along the coast, so right between India and China (Tibet?)
is not a good option.

If disasters are a consideration, the coast of the Indian or Pacific
ocean might not be the best idea. Western Europe is much safer,
although rising sea levels might threaten the biggest sea ****ts that
are already present there.

With trans****t being an im****tant issue, a suitable space elevator site
nearby would also be nice. This rules out western Europe since the
fastest sea route to the equator has to go around western Africa, and
the land route is blocked by the Mediteranean. India and China aren't
on the equator either, but Indonesia is. It's the 4th most populous
country, and not too far from India and China (although there's no
land route). There's plenty of water for ****ts and sea lanes, and
for protection against tsunamis I'd probably not go with any of the
outer islands, but with Borneo instead.

I'm sure the Sultan of Brunei would love to turn his estate into the
world's capital, but Singa****e, Malaysia or Indonesia are also options.


mcv.
-- 
Science is not the be-all and end-all of human existence. It's a tool.
A very powerful tool, but not the only tool. And if only that which
could be verified scientifically was considered real, then nearly all
of human experience would be not-real.                  -- Zachriel