Many ancient eastern and western cultures in one form or another speak about the end of the world, currently the Mayan and Biblical prophecies are the most popular ones.

Through these prophecies they mention that the world will either end in a natural disaster, or in a battle between good and evil better known as "Armageddon."

The Mayans were one of the most advanced civilizations of their time, whose impressive knowledge of mathematics and astronomy created one of the most accurate calendars known to man.

According to some interpretations of this calendar, it suggests that the era that we live in is ending on Friday December 21st with violent earthquakes, volcano eruptions and hurricanes.

On the other hand, we also have the "apocalypse" prophecy that also means revelation, which is the last book of the New Testament that was written by the Apostle John, where it explains that everyone will suffer disasters in the world before the second coming of Jesus to earth.

Nowadays it's not uncommon to find someone at a freeway exit or at a street corner carrying a sign that announces the end of time, or newspaper cartoonists that have given flight to their imagination throughout the year with the 2012 apocalyptic theme.

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There are also many people who think that this topic is not amusing, because it's something that causes them to feel restless or nervous, and who constantly wonders if something will really happen.

This behavior has led to a special type of people who we often see on T.V or on the internet known as "preppers." These individuals are present in many corners of the world, and are preparing for what they think will happen when the time comes, and who throughout the years have stored a great amount of food, water, weapons, and all kinds of equipment for their survival.

According to a survey conducted by the Public Religion Research institute, 2% of the U.S. population believes in the Mayan prophecy. In this survey there were a series of questions asked relating to God, natural disasters, global warming, and the religious point of view of the end of the world.

As of December 15th 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the current population in the United States was that of 314,948,689 people.

Based on the survey above that concluded that 2% of the population believed in the Mayan prophecy, that figure represents 6,298,973 people, which is about the total population of the Dallas-Fort -Worth-Arlington metro area, or the San Diego-Tijuana region put together.

Another interesting statistic of this survey regarding the end of the world revealed that 15% of the U.S. population believes that the biblical prophecies will become a reality in their lifetime. 15% is about 47,242,303 people, twice the amount of the population of Mexico City.

Now with only days away from this date, there has been a lot of interest in social networks and on the internet in general about this topic, and where many share their opinions without supporting them with a strong foundation.

Although NASA, the White House and the Vatican have denied any theories about the end of the world, there are thousands of people who search daily for this topic to be up-to-date of any new developments.

Whether something will happen or not on December 21st, for at least 2% of the U.S. population the countdown has begun.

Eduardo.Flores@sandiegored.com

Omar.Martinez@sandiegored.com