World's Largest Economies

What do you notice about this list? How about the huge gap between #1 and the rest? And the large gap between #2 and the rest?

"Past imperfect

When China revised its 2004 GDP numbers last year, it bumped Italy as the sixth-largest economy. China has since risen to No. 4.

(2004 GDP, in trillions)

U.S. $11.7
Japan 4.6
Germany 2.8
Britain 2.1
France 2.0
China 1.9
Italy 1.7
Spain 1.0
Canada 0.99
Mexico 0.68


Source: International Monetary Fund"