Expo in Shanghai aims to surpass all past exhibitions

Details about this year's Expo, which will start on Saturday in Shanghai, China:
    
Dates: May 1 to October 31, 2010 (six months)
Characteristics: the olympics of science, technology, and ideas; the expo is held every five years, the last general Expo was hosted in 2005 by Aichi Prefecture in Japan, the last thematic Expo took place in 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain
Main theme: Better City - Better Life
Mascot and logo: a blue character named Haibao, which embodies the main characters of Chinese culture and the Expo; the logo consists of three characters holding hands - an image of all humanity
Number of participating countries and organizations: 230
Expected number of visitors: 70 million (of which 90 percent will be Chinese); ticket revenue is expected to reach at least six billion yuan (17.7 billion CZK)
Budget: 30 billion yuan (88.5 billion CZK); the event is likely to exceed the cost of the Beijing Olympics in 2008
Area of the site: 5.3 square kilometers (more than twice the size of the Principality of Monaco); the Chinese pavilion is expected to have a record area of 60,000 square meters
Selected exhibits: Denmark (will showcase the original statue of the Little Mermaid, a symbol of Copenhagen), Great Britain (the pavilion will be covered with "spines" with LEDs that will create a light show), Italy (will likely exhibit the original of one of Michelangelo's works), Germany (its pavilion will generate the energy it consumes), Saudi Arabia (the most expensive pavilion will feature a movie screen the size of a quarter of a football field)
    
Most visited Expos in history:

City/Country	Year	Visitors in millions
Osaka/Japan	1970	64.0
Paris/France	1900	50.8
Montreal/Canada	1967	50.0
Chicago/USA	1933	48.6
New York/USA	1939	45.0
Sevilla/Spain	1992	41.8
Brussels/Belgium	1958	41.0
Paris/France	1889	32.0
Paris/France	1937	31.0
Chicago/USA	1893	27.5