Suitable for first and second year undergraduates using statistics in area studies and the many related subjects (earth and environmental sciences; geography or European studies; social, historical or development studies). It takes a problem driven approach and goes well beyond the presentation of introductory quantitative methods by focusing on some of the planet's most critical environmental and social issues. Key Features:

• The book presents national statistics that yield socio-economic and environmental data for more than 140 countries.
• Each chapter introduces and explains a specific group of statistical techniques such as primary or secondary magnitudes, ratios, percentages, life expectancy, arithmetic mean, time series, percentiles, indices, forecasting, regression and correlation, frequency distribution and confidence intervals.
• Statistical methods are applied in a real-world context ? in the spheres of population, production, pollution, depletion and climate change. Readers are encouraged to apply these methods using self-selected data into areas which they would like to research.

Designed to enable students to explore the material in a flexible way the statistical information may be accessed from a data disk and a Home Page which have been developed to provide the reader with additional quantitative information and answers to many of the tasks included. Measuring the Real World combines two learning objectives for all students ? a competence in elementary data treatment and an enhanced understanding of key world issues.