The Holiday Season is often the one time of year people send cards or letters to loved ones and friends. Some countries however, handle just a little more mail than others. With Christmas around the corner and cards on there way to their many destinations the world over, RELATIVITY Online asked a simple question: Who gets the most mail? Below is a list of the top ten countries sending and receiving the most cards or letters in 2009.

• 1. United States – 200, 371,000,000
• 2. Japan – 21, 994,621,000
• 3. Germany – 20, 994, 857, 000
• 4. United Kingdom – 19, 903, 000, 000
  
• 5. France – 17, 202, 000, 000
• 6. Brazil – 8, 538, 594, 199
• 7. China – 6, 904, 013, 451
• 8. Italy – 6, 270, 201, 242
  
• 9. India – 5, 901, 300, 000
• 10. Spain – 5, 406, 100,000

***Top Ten Total – 313, 287, 829, 892

World Total – 433, 344. 087, 517

source: universal postal union

Last year overall global tourism shrank by approximately 4%. With that said, just under a million people still left their home countries to take a vacation on foreign soil. When visitors come they do one thing that makes the host country very happy – spend money – and this is no doubt why many countries the world over compete for the wallets of all those willing to leave their homeland behind for a bit of relaxation and adventure.  Below is a list of the ten most visited countries on 2009, including the actual numbers of visitors reported.  Many of the standards are there, but you may also be surprised by one or two of the nations that appear.

• 1. France – 79.3 million
• 2. USA – 58.1 million
• 3. Spain – 57.3 million
• 4. China – 53.1 million
  
• 5. Italy – 42.7 million
• 6. UK – 30.1 million
• 7. Ukraine – 25.3 million
• 8. Turkey – 24.9 million
  
• 9. Germany – 24.8 million
• 10. Mexico – 22.6 million

Would you like to live to a ripe old age? Pack your bags and move to one of these countries. In compiling life expectancy data, by far the most important factor is wealth; people with money tend to eat healthier, not smoke, and drink less. They also have access to the good health care. Adding to their longevity, these countries have lower rates of violent crime and civil unrest. The countries listed have the highest average life expectancies in the world as of 2009. Shown is the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in that country in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. In case you’re wondering, the United States of America ranked 50^th, Kuwait was the highest ranking Arab country coming in 53^rd, the longest life expectancy in South America was Chile in 56^th place, and the best ranked country on the African continent was Algeria finishing 92^nd.

• 1. Macau – 84.36
• 2. Andorra – 82.51
• 3. Japan – 82.12
• 4. Singapore – 81.98
• 5. San Marino – 81.97
• 6. Hong Kong – 81.86
• 7. Australia – 81.63
• 8. Canada – 81.23
• 9. France – 80. 98
• 10. Sweden – 80. 86