1. Least: Somalia
To use the old chestnut, if you looked up 'failed state', Somalia would be the author of that section. For the second year in a row it is the least-peaceful nation in the world. There is no real government, though the most recent attempt at one (the 14th since 1991) is holding on with the help of international and neighbouring forces. But even those relationships are tenuous - Somalia has a strained past with its neighbors, including a war with Ethiopia in 1977, while more recently the al-Shabab terrorist group has been crossing the border with Kenya. Nobody holds control over any large part of the country, which is divided among the government, al-Shabab and countless warlords, with pirates roaming its coasts.
1. Most: Mauritius
A few hundred kilometers east of Madagascar, Mauritius is an island paradise that has done well to grow its tourism, textile and banking industries. One of the oldest and most stable democracies in the developing world, this island nation is home to a diverse population. Despite recent headlines of the dramatic murder of an Irish tourist, Mauritius enjoys a low crime rate and good policing. Some poorer minorities do complain of victimisation and political unrest can also happen during elections, but rarely spills over into violence.