What is the most peaceful country in the world?

Critical Analysis

Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:

1. According to the Global Peace Index/Institute for Economics and Peace identify three of the most peaceful countries in the world.

2. According to the Global Peace Index/Institute for Economics and Peace identify three of the least peaceful countries in the world.

3. According to the Global Peace Index/Institute for Economics and Peace what country’s peace had the largest negative change in the past year?

4. According to the Global Peace Index/Institute for Economics and Peace identify the peacefulness rank of the United States.

5. Based on what you know of the United States, why do you think the U.S. ranks as the second least peaceful type of nation in the world, and is ranked below Haiti, South Africa, and Burundi?

6. According to the Global Peace Index/Institute for Economics and Peace what is the most peaceful continent in the world?

7. Describe one geographical trend or pattern that you see in the visual above.

8. The global peace index above comes from the Institute for Economics and Peace. Based on the map above and the map below* of the per capita GDP (wealth per person) of countries, describe the connection between economics and peace.

9. List one thing the chart makes you wonder:

10. Although there are many wars and conflicts being fought around the world - Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, Ethiopia, Haiti, and others - Globally, the absolute number of war deaths has been declining since 1946. What do you imagine will happen to the level of global peace over the next few decades?

    Write and Discuss

Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.

Act on your Learning

Contact President Joseph Biden or tweet him at @JoeBiden and suggest one thing he could do to make America more peaceful.

Get Creative

Haiku are not long. But they can be tough to write. With practice, it’s fun! A haiku is a short, unrhymed poem that adheres to a specific three-line, seventeen-syllable format. Write a haiku about world peace (not whirled peas). A haiku is a type of Japanese poem that always uses the same number of syllables in a three-line format:

• the first line is five syllables

• the second line is seven syllables

• the third line is five syllables

Learning Extension

 Explore the interactive Global Peace Index