Two Russian regions, the western city of Kaliningrad and Far East Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, have announced the birth of the seven-billionth inhabitant.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) chose October 31 as the day when the human population officially reaches seven billion. Since it is impossible to calculate exactly which of the babies will be the seven-billionth person on Earth, this event is symbolic. UN experts estimated earlier that the seven-billionth child would be born in Kaliningrad.
Chief medical officer of the Kaliningrad birthing center said that the seven-billionth person was born on Sunday night in Kaliningrad, “the anniversary” baby is called Peter.
“A boy named Alexander was born in a maternity ward in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the night of October 31. A certificate of the seven-billionth inhabitant on Earth was given to the mother of the newborn, Marina Bogdanova,” the press service of the Russian presidential envoy’s office in the Far East said on Monday.
According to the governor of Kamchatka, Alexander’s parents will be given a certificate for a new apartment in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
“Of course, there are many contenders for the title of the seven-billionth baby on the planet. But our country is known to start from Kamchatka. Therefore, we believe that this child was the seven-billionth child and born in Kamchatka, Russia,” the governor said.
India has also announced the birth of the seven-billionth inhabitant.
The six-billionth person born on the planet was in 1999 in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo.