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The united States of America's (U.S.) nuclear power industry is large and generally extensive. The industry includes most phases of the fuel cycle, from uranium exploration and mining to nuclear waste disposal, but does not include reprocessing. In addition to domestic contributions, many services and supplies to the nuclear power industry are also available and sourced as imports. Most of the U.S. nuclear power industry is privately owned and managed and is decentralised. There is a significant diversity in power plant operations and many privately companies operate nuclear plants. Federal and State governments also play a significant role in the industry. Federal government and regional agencies own and manage nine operable power reactors.The United States covers the midsection of North America, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean plus Alaska and Hawaii. The total area of the United States is over 3.5 million square miles (9.4 million square kilometres). Climate varies greatly across the nation. Average annual temperatures range from 9 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 degrees Celsius) in Barrow, Alaska, to 78 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius) in Death Valley, California. Rainfall varies from less than 2 inches annually at Death Valley to about 460 inches at Mount Waialeale in Hawaii. Most of the United States sees seasonal temperature changes and moderate precipitation. The Midwest, the Middle Atlantic States, and New England experience warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Summers are long, hot, and often humid in the South while winters are mild. Along the Pacific Coast, and in some other areas near large bodies of water, the climate is relatively mild all year. Hawaii is tropical. The moderate climate in much of the United States has encouraged widespread population settlement.The population in the United States as of July 2004 was nearly 294 million people (Table 1). Population density is nearly 30 persons per square kilometre, with 80% living in urban areas. Economic statistics for the United States are regularly published by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Statistics. The energy situation in the United States is provided in the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) regularly updated.
India occupies a strategic position in Asia with a distinct geographical identity. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and from Tropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the east and Arabian Sea on the west. India has seven major physiographic regions: Northern Mountains viz. the Himalayas; The Indo Gangetic Plain; Central Highlands; Peninsular Plateau; East Coast; West Coast; Bordering Seas; and Islands. Major part of the land surface is plateau. There are a number of rivers flowing in the country i.e. Himalayan rivers, Peninsular rivers, coastal rivers and rivers of Inland Basin. India gets its rains from the south west monsoon during the months of June to September, and north east monsoon during October to December. The rainfall varies in wide degrees in different parts of India. The tropic of cancer passes through the middle part of India. The climate may be broadly described as tropical monsoon type. There are four seasons i.e. (i). Winter (January-February); (ii) Hot weather summer (March-May); (iii) Rainy south west monsoon (June-September) (iv) Post monsoon also known as north east monsoon in the southern peninsula (October-December). India became an independent nation on the 15th August 1947. It became a Republic on 26th January 1950 and the Constitution of India came into force. India is a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic republic with a parliamentary system of Government sustained by a well-developed electoral process. India is a federal polity with a Central Government, 28 State Governments, a National Capital Territory and 6 Union Territories. Ever since its independence till date, the country has achieved significant progress in various sectors such as agriculture, industry, power, science and technology including in the fields of atomic energy and space and services. According to 2001 census, India's population is 1027 million. The estimated growth of population from 1991 to 2001 is at an annual rate of about 2 % (see Table 1). The installed power generating capacity (Power Utilities) as of 31st January 2003 is 107533.70 MW (e) with about 71% contributed by fossil thermal power. In order to meet the growing demand for electricity, significant electricity generation capacity addition is necessary for which various measures are being taken.
Pakistan is situated in South Asia and it streches over 1,600 kilometres from south-west to north east. It lies between 23° and 37° north latitude and 60° and 76° east longitude.A nuclear weapon gets its name and its explosive power from the nucleus (core) of an atom. Atoms are tiny building blocks of matter much too small to see. An atomic bomb works by fissioning (splitting) the nuclei of atoms of the metals uranium or plutonium. It is sometimes called a fission weapon. A hydrogen bomb works by fusing (joining together) the nuclei of atoms of the gas hydrogen. Atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs are the two main kinds of nuclear weapons. The hydrogen bomb is far more powerful and destructive than the atomic bomb. The hydrogen bomb is like a tiny star. It works by the same process—the fusion of hydrogen atoms—that makes the Sun and other stars shine. A nuclear weapon destroys by the power and heat of its blast. The atomic bomb dropped on Japan flattened buildings within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of the blast. Heat from the bomb caused fires and burned everything near the place it exploded. People’s skin was burned as far as 11 miles (18 kilometers) from the blast site.A nuclear weapon also releases harmful radiation. People near the blast can die of radiation sickness even if the bomb doesn’t kill them. People farther from the blast may develop cancer and other illnesses from radiation months and years after the bomb explodes.
Similar to the diversity in physical features, Pakistan has great diversity of climate. In the northern mountains and western off-shoots of the Himalayas the winters are extremely cold and mountains remain snow covered, while the summer temperatures reach up to 520C at some places in the Baluchistan Plateau and the Lower Indus Plains.Rainfall at most of the places in Pakistan is scanty. Nearly three fourths of Pakistan receives average annual rainfall of less than 25 cm . Pakistan is on the margin of the monsoon climate and most of the rainfall is in the months of July, August and September. Within the Indus Basin, flooding is an annual occurrence, and some parts of the Sind province are dependent on flood irrigated agriculture.On January 1, 2004, the population of Pakistan was about 149 millions and the population density was 186.8 inhabitants per square kilometre . At present, the population growth rate is about 2.1% per annum. |
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