h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

To the nearest hundred, Ireland has 41,600 of these for every million people.

This puts it in second place if you rank all the countries of the world.

So,

(1) What is it we're talking about? and
(2) Which country comes out top, with a total of 56,800 per million people?

Icy

Showers?

I'm not saying if that's correct, SWL (but don't hold your breath). So, which country would come top?

Oh I dunno, but probably that one where they film Baywatch.

I'll take that as a guess for the USA.

No not Showers/USA,

The USA comes 21st on the list, with 16,200 per million people.

1. Pubs?
2. No idea.

Hmm, that's one for every 24 people.

Roundabouts

If you guess countries, I'll tell you where that country is on the list. Be warned that one of them has a klaxon, though.

Am I right in guessing that this thing might be vegetable rather than animal?

Why, what did you have in mind?

My first thought was "potatoes" given the importance they have in the Irish diet but I suspect Ireland might have large areas given-over to the growing of other crops. I'm pretty sure it's either a crop or an animal, though.

Sorry for the quotes around potatoes. I did that to make it more of an answer but now it looks like I'm using scare-quotes. Yeah, those so-called "potatoes".

I'm assuming it's a profession. But it can't be something like "farmers", because a lot of the world still relies on sustenance farming.

Police, and the Vatican city is top.

Agh, sorry, I completely misread the original question. Disregard my answers (even though they might well be right in some bizarre way).

I have to be absolutely clear whether you're guessing potatoes or not, so that I can award the correct bonus or whatever . Is your guess "potatoes"?

One potato for two dozen people? It's not the famine anymore!

Not police, sorry. I won't post the blue-light smiley, as people might get the wrong idea in this game.

The Vatican isn't on my list. It has 147 countries, and ignores those small territories which would skew a per-capita ranking.

I don't follow your maths, Mala.

It's 41,600/1,000,000

or
4.16/1,ooo

or

0.416/100

no?

True!

I was doing it backward, 41 600 * 24 = 998 400 - but that makes no sense