the brain Facts The adult human brain weighs about 3 pounds (1,300-1,400 g). The adult human brain is about 2% of the total body weight. The elephant brain weighs about 6,000 g. The cat brain weighs about 30 g.The average human brain is 140 mm wide. The average human brain is 167 mm long. The average human brain is 93 mm high. The human brain has about 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) neurons. The octopus brain has about 300 million neurons. The total surface area of the cerebral cortex is about 2500 sq. cm (~2.5 ft2) The world record for time without sleep is 264 hours (11 days) by Randy Gardner in 1965. Note: In Biopsychology (by J.P.J. Pinel, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000, p. 322), the record for time awake is attributed to Mrs. Maureen Weston. She apparently spent 449 hours (18 days, 17 hours) awake in a rocking chair. The Guinness Book of World Records [1990] has the record belonging to Robert McDonald who spent 453 hours, 40 min in a rocking chair. Unconsciousness will occur after 8-10 seconds after loss of blood supply to the brain. Neurons multiply at a rate 250,000 neurons/minute during early pregnancy. The weight of an adult human cerebellum is 150 g. The total volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is 125-150 ml. A total of 400-500 ml of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced every day. Cerebrospinal fluid is normally clear and colorless. There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves. There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves. the world At CountryWatch.com, the criterion for coverage of a geopolitical area “as a country” is dependent upon whether or not it has been recognized by the United States’ Department of State. Consequently, CountryWatch covers 192 independent states in the world, including the world’s newest country, East Timor. (See note #1) Because the United Nations has 189 member states, many people erroneously assume there are only 189 countries or sovereign states, yet there are three countries, such as the Holy See (Vatican City) and Switzerland, which are not included in this list. Switzerland, for example, upholds its tenet of neutrality by holding only “observer” status at the United Nations. The third country, East Timor, has not yet become a member state due to its recent admission into the community of independent states. It is anticipated that East Timor will soon become another member of the United Nations. CountryWatch has been attentive to independence movements across the world. As such, when independence from Indonesia was declared, and when sovereign status as well as international recognition was achieved, CountryWatch was pleased to add East Timor to its list of countries covered, during the very week of official independence. Other territories, such as Puerto Rico and Taiwan have met many requirements of independent nation state status, but continue to be treated as dependencies of sorts. (See section on “State or Nation” in “Learn Interesting Facts About the Countries of the World.”) In fact, until 1971, Taiwan was a member of the United Nations, but since then has been replaced by China in this regard. At CountryWatch.com, certain territories, such as Puerto Rico, are treated in special sections or appendices in the United States Country Review, while Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao are each treated in a similar manner within the China Country Review. Countrywatch.com recognizes the imprecise and politicized nature of such treatments, and as has been illustrated in the case of East Timor, the editor is vigilant about staying abreast of political developments, should sovereign status become a reality at some point in the future. CountryWatch recognizes and understands that the United States Department of State’s recognition of a country is reflective of the particular political agenda of the United States and its allies. Use of the Department of State listing is not intended to be an explicit endorsement of any country’s political priorities and CountryWatch encourages users to consider the complex range of parameters included in designating any place or area to be a sovereign country. The Editor July, 2002 Below is a list of Independent and Sovereign States of the World Total count of Independent States: 192 * Diplomatic relations with the United States Sample Heading 3 This is where you tell your story or provide information to your visitors. Be sure to include changes or new information in a timely fashion. By keeping your Web site up to date, visitors will have a reason to return often. You may add text or HTML code to this field and make it as complex as you want. Or, you may erase the content of this field causing it to be hidden when people visit your site. Sample Heading 4 This is where you tell your story or provide information to your visitors. Be sure to include changes or new information in a timely fashion. By keeping your Web site up to date, visitors will have a reason to return often. You may add text or HTML code to this field and make it as complex as you want. Or, you may erase the content of this field causing it to be hidden when people visit your site.