# Is Subsaharan Africa lagging behind New Guinea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 10, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-subsaharan-africa-lagging-behind-new-guinea/577865 "2011-04-10T13:25:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 54
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-subsaharan-africa-lagging-behind-new-guinea/577865/54 "2011-04-10T21:37:58Z")
We’ve done this before. The State Department also cheerfully warns you about [outlaw motorcycle gangs](http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1100.html#crime) in Denmark, [Bulgarian champagne scams](http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1074.html#crime), the [dangers of taking the subway](http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1116.html#crime) to the airport in Paris, and [drugged drinks](http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_982.html#crime) in the Netherlands. Every country has a crime section. Advising travelers on taking “common sense security precautions,” treating urban areas “like any other urban area” and not hanging around the most dangerous areas at night is about as mild as the security warnings come. Botswana is still a relatively poor place with some serious income disparities. You are going to find crime, especially towards relatively rich outsiders, just as you would in an poor place, including any large American city. [Canada’s](http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_982.html#crime) information sheet on the US is pretty amusing though. Be careful in Florida! Watch out for riots! --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-subsaharan-africa-lagging-behind-new-guinea/577865)._