"• Prison population rates vary considerably between different regions of the world, and between different parts of the same continent. For example:

"• in Africa, the median rate for western African countries is 44.5, whereas for southern African countries it is 248;

"• in the Americas, the median rate for north American countries is 212.5, whereas for central American countries it is 278;

"• in Asia, the median rate for countries in southern Asia is 85, whereas for the countries of south-eastern Asia it is 171;

"• in Europe, the median rate for western European countries is 73, whereas for the countries spanning Europe and Asia (e.g. the Russian Federation and Turkey) it is 253; and

"• in Oceania the median rate is 166.5."