That geographic and infrastructural reality is old news, but up until very recently, the conversation around the referendum focused on the possibility that independence could bring a new class of investors into the south, namely major oil and construction companies who have been cut out by the U.S. sanctions on Khartoum.

FORBES: Sudan: Define what you mean by independence?

One afternoon, Lauren's class was building cardboard and construction-paper models of New York landmarks, a lesson that leads up to the challenge of building 3-D models in the computer.

CNN: Gaming Reality

It is a neighborhood of migrants who work as construction laborers, building apartment houses for Delhi's blossoming middle class.

WSJ: India Rape Case: New Delhi Attack: The Victim's Story