children s illustrated encyclopedia peoples of the world · children s illustrated encyclopedia...

cchhiillddrreenn��ss iilllluussttrraatteedd eennccyyccllooppeeddiiaa

PPeeoopplleess oofftthhee WWoorrlldd

Orpheus

R E L I G I O N S

16 WORLD RELIGIONSWhat religion is • Shintoism

17 JUDAISM • SIKHISM

18 HINDUISM

19 BUDDHISM

20 CHRISTIANITY

22 ISLAM

L I V I N G

24 HOUSES AROUND THE WORLD

26 TRADITIONAL HOMESA Japanese home • A Maasai home

28 FESTIVALSBerber Festival of Brides • Japanese festivals• Mardi Gras • Ritual dances

30 SPORTSOlympic Games

32 INDEX

CONTENTS

P E O P L E

4 POPULATIONPopulation density and growth • The world’smost populous countries

6 CITIESHow cities developed • Supercities • The world’s largest cities

8 GOVERNMENTLiberal democracies • How US government works • European Union • United Nations

10 WORLD PEOPLESDifferent ethnic groups

12 WORLD LANGUAGESMain language families • Most widely spoken languages

14 WRITING AND ALPHABETSHistory of writing • Different alphabets •Spread of languages • Sign language

C O N T E N T S

3

First published in 2009 by Orpheus Books Ltd., 6 Church Green, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 4AW England

www.orpheusbooks.com

Copyright © 2009 Orpheus Books Ltd

Created and produced by Orpheus Books Ltd

Text Jacqueline Dineen

Illustrators Susanna Addario, Stephen Conlin, Ferruccio Cucchiarini,Giuliano Fornari, Gary Hincks, Christa Hook, Steve Kirk, Lee

Montgomery, Steve Noon, Nicki Palin, Alessandro Rabatti, Eric Robson,Claudia Saraceni, Roger Stewart, Thomas Trojer,

Martin Woodward

Cartography Olive Pearson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior

written permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN 978 1 905473 52 6

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

Printed and bound in Singapore

Photograph on page 6: The Illustrated London News Picture Library

C O N T E N T S

2

(AB)UK TextJOB NO:E7-05129 TITLE:OUR WORLD & ITS PEOPLE

150# DTP:39 PAGE:4 (AB)UK TextJOB NO:E7-05129 TITLE:OUR WORLD & ITS PEOPLE

150# DTP:39 PAGE:5

THE WORLD’S MOST POPULOUS COUNTRIES1 China 1,330,044,6052 India 1,147,995,8983 United States of America 303,824,6464 Indonesia 237,512,3555 Brazil 191,908,5986 Russia 140,702,0947 Pakistan 167,762,0408 Bangladesh 153,546,9019 Japan 127,288,41910 Nigeria 138,283,240

countries, means that today fewer childrendie of hunger or disease and fewer womendie in childbirth. As a result, the populationsof countries in the South now have largeproportions of young people. Half of India’spopulation, for example, is under 30 yearsold. These young people are having childrenof their own, so the birth rate remains high.Countries like China, the most populouscountry in the world, have taken steps toarrest the growth of its massive population.The government has introduced a policy ofone child per family.

The map above shows the countriesof the world drawn in relation totheir population—1 squaremillimetre represents 1 millionpeople. Comparing this with anordinary map shows whichcountries are heavilypopulated. For example, thepopulation of India is hugeand growing at an annualrate of 1.6 per cent),while Australia, acountry more thantwice India’s size, issparsely populated(20,600,856).

The island of Hong Kong has a very largepopulation for its size.

P E O P L E

5

POPULATION

THE WORLD’s population hasundergone a massive increase during

the 20th century. In 1900 it stood at 1.6billion. By the end of the century, it topped6 billion, and is still increasing at a rate of86 million people a year. According to theUnited Nations (see page 9), worldpopulation will be at least 7.9 billion by2020 and could reach 13 billion by 2050.The world’s population is not evenlyspread. As this map (below) shows, someregions, including Europe, eastern NorthAmerica, India, China and Japan have amuch higher density of people. Here thereare many more industrial cities, or the landis intensively farmed.Rapid population growth began in about1800 with the onset of the IndustrialRevolution. Then most of the increase wasin Europe and North America as better

health care and food resources becameavailable. In 1900 most of the world’s largestcities were in these continents.In the past century, about 97 per cent ofthis growth has taken place in the poorercountries of Africa, Asia and Central andSouth America, sometimes referred to as“the South”. Here, people have traditionallyhad a lot of children because they fear thatmany will not survive to be adults. Theaverage fertility rate in Sudan, for example,is 4.6 babies per family, compared to 1.6 inCanada. Better health care, even in poor

P E O P L E

4

This chart shows the dramatic risein population during the 20thcentury and a prediction of futuregrowth in the 21st century. Threebillion people are now entering theirreproductive years—equal to theentire world population in 1960.



150# DTP:39 PAGE:7

Cities have continued to grow up to thepresent day and some have become mergedto become a supercity or “megalopolis”where many millions of people live andwork. The region of the eastern USA fromBoston via New York and Philadelphia toWashington is an example of a megalopolis.Cities cover only 2 per cent of the world’ssurface but use 75 per cent of its resources. It is estimated that two-thirds of the world’spopulation will live in cities by 2025.The fastest-growing cities today are in thedeveloping world. Many people from poorrural districts go to cities where they hope tofind work and a better life. Home to about20 million people, Mexico City is one of theworld’s largest cities. Like many fast-growingcities in the developing world, a significantproportion of its inhabitants live in shanty-towns surrounding the city. Cities with suchmassive populations often face seriousovercrowding, pollution problems and highunemployment when work is short.

The Italian city of Venice(left) was built on islandsin a shallow bay, calleda lagoon, of the AdriaticSea. The city has canalsinstead of streets, so youcannot take a car there.People travel in boatscalled gondolas or catcha water bus called avaporetto. Venice wasonce an independentstate with a ruler calleda Doge. The Bridge ofSighs, shown in thisillustration, crossed fromthe Doge’s Palace to theprison.

The centres of many large citiesaround the world, especially inthe United States and East Asia,often feature numerousskyscrapers. Room to expandin city centres is limited andexpensive, so the onlyalternative for officebuildings, hotels andapartment blocks is tobuild upwards. Seattle,in Washington State,USA, is home to theSpace Needle, a184-metre-highobservationplatform.

The cities of North Africa arefamous for their colourfulmarkets or souks. A souk,normally in the old part of thecity, has many different stallsselling a huge variety ofgoods, from fruit andvegetables to leatherware,copper goods and finelyembroidered cloth.

THE WORLD’S LARGEST CITIES1 Tokyo-Yokohama, Japan 33,473,0002 Mexico City, Mexico 19,231,0003 São Paulo, Brazil 19,977,0004 Seoul, South Korea 23,421,0005 New York City, USA 18,818,0006 Mumbai (Bombay), India 20,870,0007 Osaka-Kobe, Japan 18,643,0008 Shanghai, China 18,450,0009 Kolkata (Calcutta), India 14,681,00010 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 11,714,000

The world’s largest city is the supercity ofTokyo-Yokohama, Japan. Space for buildingis limited in this mountainous country,although some land has been “reclaimed”from the sea. Tokyo’s facilities, including itsunderground railway, hotels and swimmingpools, for example, are often overcrowded.

P E O P L E

7

CITIES

THE WORD “city” is generally used todescribe a large and important town.

Every country has a capital city, where itsgovernment is based. Other large citieshave grown up around industries and theservices that go with them, such as ports,shops, transport and offices.Cities first developed in the ancientworld, in those places where farming hadbecome so efficient that not everybody hadto work on the land. Some people becamecraftworkers, priests or teachers instead. Thecities brought together many people withskills and new ideas. The emergence ofcities marked the beginning of civilization(from the Latin civis, meaning citizen, acity-dweller). Some cities developed from markettowns, local trading centres. People camefrom the countryside to sell their produce atthe market. If that town was favourablypositioned—for example, at a place where a

river could be bridged or near a naturalharbour—it grew as more and more peoplecame to live and work there.The Industrial Revolution of the 18thand 19th centuries provided a major boostfor the expansion of cities. Large cities grewup around the new factories and ports,where jobs much better paid than those inthe countryside were on offer.

An industrial city in 1879. Industry led tothe rapid growth of many cities.

P E O P L E

6



150# DTP:39 PAGE:9

GOVERNMENT

AGOVERNMENT is any system inwhich an authority is exercised over

the people.There are several different typesof government. A liberal democracy is astyle of government where there is morethan one political party and the people votefor the party of their choice. A totalitariangovernment is a one-party state in whichthe state has total power. An autocracy is aform of government where power is in thehands of one person, or of the army. In a liberal democracy, there is an electionin which the people vote for the candidateof their choice. In France or the UnitedStates, people vote directly for the presidentas well as for members of parliament (MPs).In other countries, such as the UnitedKingdom, people vote for MPs. Thepolitical party with the most MPs forms thegovernment. Under a system known as“proportional representation”, each partydraws up a list of candidates and the peoplevote for a party, not an MP. Parties gain apercentage of seats depending on thenumber of votes they have.

The Capitol in Washington DC is the centreof the United States government.

Some liberal democracies, for example,the UK, Spain and Japan, are alsomonarchies. While the monarch is head ofstate, the government is run by electedmembers of parliament. Countries that donot have monarchs, for example, the USA,France and Russia, are called republics.Their head of state is the president.The USA is a federal republic of 50states. Each state has its own electedgovernment that makes decisions on matterssuch as education and certain laws, whilethe government is in charge of national andinternational affairs. The United Statesgovernment, known as Congress, is dividedinto two houses: the Senate and the Houseof Representatives. All congressmen aredirectly elected by the people. The head ofthe US state is the president, who is electedindependently and is not necessarily amember of the majority party in Congress.The countries of Europe have their owngovernments, but some are members of theEuropean Union (EU). They agree to worktogether more closely, aiming to create apeaceful and prosperous Europe. The EU isrun by the Commission, a body that isaccountable to the Council of Ministers.

T H E U N I T E D N AT I O N SThe United Nations (UN) was formed toprevent war and to foster good relationsbetween nations. Set up in October 1945, atthe end of World War II, the UN today is aworldwide organization with 192 membercountries. Every member has a seat on theGeneral Assembly. A body of selectedcountries form the UN Security Council,together with five permanent members,USA, UK, France, Russia and China. Thistakes decisions at times of crisis. The UNsends troops from different countries tokeep the peace between warring groups.

Other international organizations includethe North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO), the Arab League and theOrganization of African Unity (OAU).NATO was formed in 1949 to defend theWest against possible attack from the thenSoviet Union during the Cold War, aperiod of tension that lasted until 1989. TheArab League was formed in 1945 topromote co-operation between Arabcountries. The OAU provides a means forAfrican countries to discuss their politicaland economic problems.

P E O P L E P E O P L E

8 9

UN flag

NATO flag

Arab League flagOAU flag

EU flag

US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

THEPRESIDENTHead of

state, primeminister andcommander-in-chief ofthe armedforces

CONGRESSMakes laws in defence and foreignaffairs, tax, trade and welfare

THE HOUSE OFREPRESENTATIVES435 members,

numbers from eachstate dependent on

population

THE SENATE100

members, 2from eachstate

THE CABINET

US STATE GOVERNMENT

STATEGOVERNOR

STATE GOVERNMENTControls education, law and order,prisons, local taxes, highways etc.



150# DTP:39 PAGE:11

People have moved around throughouthistory, because of the opportunities offeredby the discovery of new lands, or for bettereconomic prospects. War or natural disasterssuch as flooding or drought have also led tomass-migrations of people. When groups ofpeople settle in a new country, they oftenbring their own religions and cultures withthem. Some nations, such as the UnitedStates, are now considered multicultural.

A Lapp boy (left) from Norway in northernEurope and a gypsy girl from the south.

In a very few parts of the world, peoplestill live as they have done for thousands ofyears, although nearly all are affected insome way by the modern world. Nativesstill hunt and fish in the Amazon rainforestjust as their ancestors did. Their lifestyle isthreatened by destruction of the forests.

These people come from Asia.The boy (right) is from Oman andspeaks Arabic. The Kurdishwoman (below left) lives inKurdistan, a mountainous regionon the borders of Turkey, Iran andIraq. The girl (below right)belongs to one of hundreds ofethnic groups in India.

This Yakut girl lives in Sakha,part of Siberia in Russia, one ofthe coldest inhabited places inthe world. The Yakut form one-third of the population ofSakha. They used to benomadic reindeer herders butnow many have settled in oneplace. The main occupationsare mining for minerals,trapping animals and somefarming in the south.

Bali, where this girl comesfrom, is an Indonesian island.The population of Indonesiaconsists of more than 300ethnic groups, most of whichare of Malay descent. Thereare 583 regional languagesand dialects. The four mainreligions of Indonesia areIslam, Christian, Buddhist andHindu (see pages 18-23).

This girl has followed an age-old tradition of stretching herneck by having brass ringsfixed round it from a very youngage. Some necks grow tolengths of 38 cm or more.These giraffe-necked women,from Padaung in southeastBurma (Myanmar), are famousfor this tradition. They alsowear brass rings round theirnecks, arms and legs.

This aboriginal boy is descended from people who arrived inAustralia from Asia about 50,000 years ago. For thousands ofyears, Australia’s aboriginals lived by hunting with spears andboomerangs and taking care not to disturb the environment.About 200 years ago, European settlers arrived, seizing theirhunting grounds and sacredsites. Many aboriginalswere killed, or died fromEuropean diseases. Today,most live in Australia’stowns and cities. Some oftheir land has been returnedto them.

P E O P L E

11

WORLD PEOPLES

THE EARLIEST humans evolved, it isthought, in Africa. After thousands of

years, they began to move to other parts ofthe world. By about 30,000 years ago, theyhad spread to every continent of the worldexcept Antarctica. As people settled in different parts of theworld, different ethnic groups emerged.These are large communities of people whohave physical characteristics, languages,religions and other traits in common.People developed languages so that theycould communicate with each other.Different cultures, including art andreligion, soon followed.

The Inuit (top left) comefrom the Arctic. TheHopi girl (top right) andthe Guatemalan girl(bottom right) aredescended from NativeAmericans. TheAmerican boy (bottomleft) has Europeanancestry. The boy (right)from a Caribbean islandis of African descent.

This woman and the Kayapoman are native Indians fromSouth America. Both followtraditional cultures largelyunchanged for centuries.

This man (right) isfrom Ethiopia inAfrica. He comes fromone of over 70 ethnicgroups who live inEthiopia. The country’smain religions areIslam or Christianity.Three languages arespoken besides theofficial language,Amharic.

This Efe girl (right)comes from Congo,central Africa, whichis a land of tropicalrainforest. The Efe donot live in one place,but move aroundhunting and gatheringfruit. They are apygmy people,distinguished by theirsmaller-than-averageheight.

This boy (right) livesin Nigeria in WestAfrica. There are morethan 250 differentethnic groups. Thelargest are the Hausa,Fulani, Yoruba andIbo. People from thenorth follow Islam,while Christianity andother religions arefollowed in the south.

P E O P L E

10

Chinese

English

Hindi

Spanish



150# DTP:39 PAGE:13

P E O P L E

13

WORLD LANGUAGES

THERE may be up to 6000 differentlanguages spoken in the world today—

no-one is quite sure how many. Of these,90 per cent are spoken by very few peopleand are in danger of becoming extinct.More than a third of the world’s populationspeak one of five languages—Chinese,English, Hindi, Spanish and Russian. Peoplefirst developed languages to communicatewith one another. Languages spread andchanged as people moved to new lands,often as a result of invasion and conquest. Languages fall into a number of differentfamilies (see map, right). Most Europeanlanguages and many of those of southwestAsia and India belong to a single group,known as the Indo-European languagefamily. More than 80 languages in all, theydeveloped from a single original language,probably spoken by farming peoples wholived in Eastern Europe about 6000 yearsago. As these people spread out over a widerarea, their language gradually changed ascommunities lost contact with each other.

The four most commonfirst languages (left)are: Chinese—morethan 1 billion speakers;English—450 millionspeakers; Hindi—400million speakers; andSpanish—350 millionspeakers.

More than 800languages are spokenin Papua New Guineawhere this boy (right)comes from.

The main languageof India is Hindi (seeleft) but there arehundreds of others.This boy (right)speaks Gujarati, thelanguage of Gujarat,a state in westernIndia. More than 20million people inGujarat and anotherstate, Maharashtra,speak Gujarati. It isdescended from theancient Indo-European language.

The most commonChinese language isMandarin, which isspoken by 70 per cent ofthe population. Mandarinwas the language of thegovernment officials whowere appointed in Chinauntil 1911. However,China has many differentpeoples who still speaktheir own languages.This Miao girl (right)comes from one of thesecommunities.

P E O P L E

12

Chinese

English

Hindi

Spanish

Konyv

Nángseuh

Kitabu

A

B

C

D

E

F

H

I

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T



150# DTP:39 PAGE:15

P E O P L E

15

WRITING ANDALPHABETS

AS LANGUAGES became moreestablished and civilizations developed,

people needed to write things down. Theearliest known writing was invented about5500 years ago by the Sumerians, who livedin Mesopotamia (now Iraq). Later, they useda reed stylus with a wedge-shaped tip towrite symbols in soft clay. This style ofwriting is known as cuneiform, from theGreek word for “wedge-shaped”.Other ancient peoples developed picturewriting which was slow to use becausethere were so many different symbols. Theancient Egyptians used a form of picturewriting known as hieroglyphs and lateradded a simplified form called hieraticscript which was quicker to use. The Maya,who built up a civilization in CentralAmerica between AD 300 and 900, carvedpicture symbols in stone.

The oldest Chinese writing weknow about is on oracle bones.Priests scratched questions onanimal bones and then held thebones in a fire so that theycracked. The places where thecracks crossed the pictogramswere thought to give theanswers from the gods.Modern Chinese writing hasdeveloped from the earliestpictograms such as thoseshown below, whichillustrate how thecharacters havechanged over thecenturies.

The Chinese and Japanese still write withsymbols called characters. The characters arepainted with deft strokes, using a brush andink. Chinese characters are descended froman ancient form of picture writing. Theysymbolize whole words or parts of words.

A Japanese boy practisescalligraphy, the art ofwriting, at a schoolcalled a juku.

There are many different alphabets in usetoday. The Roman alphabet is probably themost widely used. The Arabic alphabet,which has 28 letters, is written from rightto left. The Devangari alphabet, used fornorthern Indian languages, has 46 letters.

Examples of writing in differentlanguages are shown below. All the wordsmean “book”. Hindi, Greek, Russian andArabic all have their own alphabets whichare quite different from the Roman version.Other languages use the Roman alphabetbut have accents over letters to show thatthey are pronounced in a special way. The realization that words could be puttogether using a set of letters or symbolswas a remarkable achievement which hasallowed people to record history and towrite down poetry, stories and plays.

Many languages have changed anddeveloped because of outside influences.English as we know it today, for example,has many words adapted from othercultures. It has some Latin words from thedays when England was part of the RomanEmpire. It has a large number of wordsderived from French, the language ofEngland’s ruling classes following theNorman invasion of 1066.Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese andRomanian languages all have many similarwords. This is because they are descendedfrom Latin, the language of the RomanEmpire, of which Spain, Italy, France,Portugal and Romania were once part.

This boy, who belongs tothe original inhabitants ofsouthern Africa, speaks alanguage from theKhoisan group. It consistsof clicks made with thelips and the tongue. TheKung people of theKalahari Desert insouthern Africa speak asimilar language. Zulu,an unrelated languagealso from southern Africa,uses about 15 differentclick consonants.

People who are deaf have to understand alanguage without being able to hear it.Many of them do this by reading the shapesof words on the speaker’s lips. This is knownas lip-reading. Another way is to use thespecial sign language for the deaf. Signlanguage differs from one country toanother, but the names of the countries are“signed” in the same way (below).

“USA”

P E O P L E

14

Pictogram

Man

Bird

Moderncharacter

“Japan”

“Denmark”

Canaanite Modern

Hungarian

Thai

Swahili

Hindi

Greek

Russian

Chinese

Arabic

Alphabets use singleletters to represent thedifferent sounds in a word.Writing with letters is farquicker than usinghundreds of differentsymbols. The first peopleto use an alphabet werethe Canaanites, who livedabout 3000 years ago onthe eastern shores of theMediterranean Sea. Theirwriting had only 18letters. Hebrew, Arabic,Hindi and Phoenicianalphabets all developedfrom it. The ancientGreeks took up thePhoenician alphabet butadded vowels. TheRomans developed theiralphabet from a laterGreek version. All WesternEuropean languages stilluse the Roman alphabettoday. The Cyrillicalphabet also developedfrom the Greek alphabet. Itis used in Russia andsome Eastern Europeancountries today.

English

Book



150# DTP:39 PAGE:17

JUDAISM

JUDAISM is the religion of the Jewishpeople. They believe in one God whocreated Heaven and Earth. God has acovenant (an agreement) with everyonewho leads a good life. Their holy book isthe Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament ofthe Christian Bible). The most importantpart is the Torah, which contains God’s laws.The Bible, along with many Jewish festivals,commemorates events in the history ofIsrael, from where the Jews originally came.

This Jewish boy wearshis hair in traditional sideringlets. Men and boyswho have had their BarMitzvah (coming of agecelebration) wear somespecial garments whenworshipping in thesynagogue. Theseinclude a cap (kippah)and a silk or woollenprayer shawl (tallit).

Traditionally, Jews are not allowed towork on Saturday, the Sabbath. The wordsabbath comes from the Hebrew sabat,meaning “rest”. Saturday is the main day ofworship, when Jews go to the synagogue fora service conducted by a rabbi.

This man is a Hasidic Jew.The word hasid means“pious”. This group of Jewswas founded in the 18thcentury and had aparticularly large followingin Poland, which is whyHasidic Jews wear theclothes of Poland in the1700s. The man is prayingat the Western Wall, alsocalled the Wailing Wall, inJerusalem. It is the only partof their ancient temple stillstanding today and manyJews go there to pray.Jerusalem is an importantcity for Christians andMuslims as well as Jews.

SIKHISM

MOST SIKHS live in the Punjab, India.Their holy city is Amritsar. Sikhs

follow the teachings of ten leaders calledgurus (guru is the Punjabi word for “holyman”). They all lived between 1469 and1708. The first guru and founder of Sikhismwas Guru Nanak who was born a Hindu(see page 18). Guru Nanak believed thatceremonies and rituals divided people ofdifferent religions and that it was howpeople behaved and what they believed inthat mattered. The gurus who came afterhim were all chosen to carry on his work.

The teachings of the gurusare written down in the Sikhholy book, the Guru Granth

Sahib.

Sikhs believe in one God who createdthe Universe. Their place of worship iscalled a gurdwara, which means “God’shouse”. There are no priests in Sikhism.Readers, called granthi, conduct services andread from the Guru Granth Sahib in thegurdwara, but any member of thecongregation can speak at a service. Sikhslive all over the world today and their dayof worship follows the traditions of thecountry they live in.

Sikhs wear five special symbols, known as thefive Ks. They are: kesh, uncut hair kept tidy in akanga (comb), kachera (underpants), kara(wrist band) and kirpan, sword.

R E L I G I O N S

17

WORLD RELIGIONS

THERE ARE many different religionsin the world. Seven of the most

important are: Christianity, Judaism, Islam,Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. Thesereligions have now spread far beyond theplaces where they began and there arefollowers of them all over the world.A religion is a collection of beliefs thathelp people understand the world and theevents that take place in it. Most religiouspeople believe in one God, or several gods.In religions such as Judaism, Christianityand Islam, people worship one god. Inothers, such as Hinduism and the Japanesereligion Shinto, people worship many gods.

People have worshipped gods sinceancient times. They have always believedthat the world was created by some unseenbeing or beings. Many of the ancient beliefscentred around natural elements such as thesun and rain which were so necessary forlife. People felt that they needed to worshipsun and rain gods and make them offeringsso that their crops would grow. Religions of the world today are differentfrom one another, but also similar in manyways. People follow set rituals and celebratespecial holy days. They go to a place ofworship such as a church, a synagogue, amosque or a temple to pray, and mostreligions have priests who conduct religiousworship and preach to the people.

The Wedded Rocks (above) stand in the sea off thesouthern coast of Japan. They are supposed to representthe god and goddess who created the islands of Japan.The Japanese Shinto religion is very ancient. Followersworship many different gods and spirits, known as kami.To followers of Shintoism, everything, including rocks,waterfalls, islands, trees, animals as well as people(alive or dead) have spirits.

R E L I G I O N S

16



150# DTP:39 PAGE:19

BUDDHISM

BUDDHISTS do not worship a god butfollow the teachings of an Indianprince, Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563-483 BC).Siddhartha lived a life of luxury in hisfather’s palace but he saw suffering aroundhim and wanted to find an answer to it. Heleft his home and spent six years studyingand talking to holy men. One day he satunder a fig tree and resolved to stay thereuntil he had found the answer. After 49 dayshe had reached a state of wisdom in whichhe could understand human suffering andsee how people could live in peace andharmony together. He had achieved nirvana,or enlightenment (the name Buddha means“the enlightened one”). He spent the rest ofhis life travelling and teaching people howto live happier and better lives.

Buddha taught four “noble” truths. First:life is full of suffering. Second: this sufferingis caused by greed. Third: suffering wouldend if we stopped desiring material things.Fourth: there is a path to a state of peace.

The golden stupa at Yangon in Burma (below).A stupa is a sacred structure containing holytexts and relics. Stupas in India are said tocontains parts of Buddha’s body.

Yakushi pagoda(right) in Japanis a Buddhistshrine.

At first there were nostatues of Buddha. ButHindus had statues of theirgods and so thoseof Buddha becamepopular. (Buddhiststoday keep smallstatues in theirhomes forinspiration.) TheAmida Buddha(right) in UshikuCity, Japan, is theworld’s talleststatue. It is 120metres high andcontains rooms formeditation andlearning. Buddhais also shownsitting or reclining,as with thisfamous statue atPolonnaruwa, SriLanka (below).

Today there are about 400 millionBuddhists in the world, many of whom livein the Far East. Some Buddhists dedicatetheir lives to becoming monks and nuns sothat they can give other people the dharma,Buddha’s teachings. Buddhist monks andnuns live simple lives in monasteries. Theycarry out ceremonies in the temples andmonasteries, where people come tomeditate and pay their respects to Buddha.Buddha’s teachings were written downabout 300 years after his death and these arethe sacred texts that Buddhists study.Buddhism has two main branches: theTheravada and the Mahayana. They havedifferent festivals, but all Buddhists celebrateBuddha’s birth, enlightenment and death,the three most important dates in their year.

R E L I G I O N S

19

HINDUISM

HINDUISM is one of the oldestreligions in the world. It began more

than 4000 years ago in India. Hindus believe in a set of ideas called the

dharma, the truth. All living things havesouls that are reborn many times, in bothanimal and human form. The actions(karma) of people in this life will decidetheir fate in the next.

Hindus believe thatShiva is found infrightening places,but he issometimes seen asa loving god, too.Two of his othertitles are “Lord ofDance” and “Lordof the Beasts”. Hiswife Parvati is thegoddess of happymarriage.

The Hindu religion has many gods whoare all different appearances of the supremespirit, Brahman. The three most importantgods are Brahma the Creator, Vishnu thePreserver and Shiva the Destroyer.A Hindu place of worship is called a

mandir, although it is often referred to as atemple. There are mandirs all over the world,wherever groups of Hindus have settled.Many are elaborately decorated withcarvings and sculptures. Each mandir has itsown priests who carry out ceremonies andlook after the sacred images of the gods.

The 12th-century Hindu temple ofAngkor Wat, Cambodia.

To Hindus, the River Ganges, whichflows through northern India andBangladesh, is a holy river. They believe thatbathing in the river will wash away theirearthly sins. Millions of Hindus makepilgrimages to the holy city of Varanasi, (alsoknown as Benares). Varanasi is one of theoldest cities in India. It has special stepscalled ghats along the river bank fromwhich people can bathe in the Ganges

(above). They take a little ofthe water back home withthem as a blessing.

R E L I G I O N S

18



150# DTP:39 PAGE:21

R E L I G I O N S

21

CHRISTIANITY

CHRISTIANS believe in one God whosent his son Jesus Christ to Earth to

save people from sin by sacrificing his ownlife. The name Christ is from a Greek wordmeaning “the anointed one”. The Christianholy book, the Bible, contains both the OldTestament or Hebrew Bible (see page 17)and the New Testament, which describesthe life and work of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus was born 2000 years ago in Judaea,then part of the Roman Empire. He spenthis life teaching people about love andforgiveness. He had many followers, but hemade enemies among the Jewish priests.

Jesus’s parents, Mary and Joseph, on theirway to Bethlehem, where Jesus was bornin a stable.

The priests persuaded the Romangovernor to condemn Jesus to death bycrucifixion. But his followers, especially St.Paul, preached the message of Christianitythroughout the Roman Empire. TheRomans condemned Christianity for manyyears, but it eventually became the officialreligion of the empire under the EmperorConstantine (c. AD 274-337). After the fall of the Roman Empire,Christianity continued to spread in newempires that grew up in Europe. Morepeople became converted to Christianity.

Over the centuries, missionaries travelledaround the world in order to convert othersto Christianity. Today, there are more thanone billion Christians worldwide.Christians take part in two sacraments,actions that affirm a relationship with God.The first is Mass or Holy Communion:sharing bread and wine that has beenblessed. People are welcomed into the faithby baptism (below), the second sacrament, asign of washing away sin. Children andbabies have water sprinkled on their heads.

There are three main branches ofChristianity—Roman Catholic, Protestantand Eastern Orthodox. All three follow thesame basic principles, but there are somedifferences. In the Roman Catholic church,the Pope (from the Latin papa, a word forfather) has supreme authority. Orthodoxfollowers believe that their bishops aresupreme. Protestants believe that the Bible isthe only authority. Christian festivals takeplace throughout the year, but the two mostimportant are Christmas, which celebratesthe birth of Jesus, and Easter, whichcelebrates the Christian belief that Jesus rosefrom the dead and ascended into Heaven.

The Vatican is the home of the Pope, head of theRoman Catholic Church. He delivers his blessingfrom the balcony of St. Peter’s Church.

Christians worship in achurch or a cathedral, themain church of a diocese,the area under control of abishop. They are built invarious styles but most havea tall spire or tower. Thespire on the cathedral at Ulmin Germany is 161 metreshigh, making it the tallestchurch spire in the world.The building of the cathedralbegan in 1377 and wascompleted in 1890.

St. Sophia in Kiev,Ukraine, is anOrthodoxcathedral.

Cardinals(below) aresenior figuresin the RomanCatholicChurch, whosecentre is theVatican inRome, Italy.

R E L I G I O N S

20

THE CHRISTIAN CALENDARfor the year 2000

6th January: Epiphany20th February: Septuagesima Sunday8th March: Ash Wednesday25th March: Annunciation (Lady Day)9th April: Passion Sunday16th April: Palm Sunday20th April: Maundy Thursday21st April: Good Friday22nd April: Holy Saturday23rd April: Easter Sunday30th April: Orthodox Easter1st June: Ascension Day11th June: Whit Sunday (Pentecost)22nd June: Corpus Christi15th August: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary1st November: All Saints3rd December: First Sunday in Advent25th December: Christmas



150# DTP:39 PAGE:23

Traditional mosques often havedome-shaped roofs. A man called amuezzin (or, nowadays, a recordedvoice) calls Muslims to prayer fromthe tower, called a minaret.

A Muslim religious leader is called anImam. During prayers in the mosque,worshippers stand in straight rows behindthe Imam. The men and boys stand togetherwhile the women and girls stand separatelyfrom them. Everyone watches the Imamand follows what he does.Friday is an important day for Muslims.They gather in the mosque to listen to atalk by the Imam at an event called salat-ul-jumu’ah. This occasion also gives Muslims achance to get to know each other,particularly in places where there is not alarge Muslim community.

There are two main religious festivals inIslam. The first is Eid Al-Fitir, the festival ofsuccessfully fasting in the month ofRamadan. Ramadan is a period of fastingand prayer which lasts for a month andmarks the time when Prophet Muhammadwas visited by the angel Gabriel. AllMuslims over the age of 12 should fastbetween dawn and dusk during Ramadan.As soon as the new moon appears at theend of Ramadan, everybody celebrates withEid Al-Fitir, which lasts for three days.People dress up in their best clothes andgive each other presents. Prayers are said inthe mosques.

Muslims always facetowards Makkah when

they pray.

The second festival is Eid Al-Adha, theFestival of Sacrifices, which is celebrated atthe end of the hajj or pilgrimage. AllMuslims are expected to make a pilgrimageto Makkah at least once in their lives if theyare well enough and can afford the journey.The events of the hajj take a few days butpilgrims may stay in Arabia for two or threeweeks and visit Prophet Muhammad’smosque in Medina and other sacred places.About two million people from all over theworld make the pilgrimage each year.Muslims mark the end of the hajj withprayers and thanks in the mosque.The Islamic calendar is based on thecycles of the moon, so Muslim festivals fallon different days each year.

R E L I G I O N S

23

ISLAM

ISLAM means “submitting to the will ofGod”. The followers of Islam are calledMuslims. The founder of Islam was theProphet Muhammad, who was born inMakkah, Arabia, in AD 570. He was makinga pilgrimage to Mount Hira, near Makkah,when the angel Gabriel came to him andtold him that there is only one God, who iscalled Allah and that he, Muhammad,should become the prophet of Allah andteach God’s will.Prophet Muhammad began to preach butat first people refused to believe what hetold them. Pilgrimages to Makkah broughtmoney into the city and people did notwant this to change. In AD 622, ProphetMuhammad and his followers were forcedto flee from Makkah to the town of Yathrib,later re-named Medina, “the City of theProphet”. This flight, called the hijra,marked the start of the Islamic calendar.Prophet Muhammad continued to preachin Medina. He said that Allah had told himthat people should live peacefully together,rather than fighting between tribes. Thewords of Allah, which Prophet Muhammadpassed on to the people, were written downin a holy book called the Qur’an (Koran),which all Muslims must follow.

To Muslims, Islam is a way of life,supported by five rules or “pillars”. Firstly,there is no God except Allah; ProphetMuhammad is His messenger. Secondly, aprayer to Allah is to be made five times aday. Thirdly, alms should be given to thepoor at least once a year. Fourthly, Muslimsshould fast between dawn and dusk,especially during the month of Ramadan.Finally, Muslims should make a pilgrimageonce in their lives to Makkah.Muslims worship in mosques and they arecalled to prayer five times a day, at times setdown in the Qur’an.

The Shir Dar madrasa atSamarkand, Uzbekistan. Amadrasa is an IslamicUniversity where people golearn how to be teachers orprayer leaders of Islam.Madrasas were establishedin Central Asia from the16th century onwards. Manywere built in the large citiesof Bukhara, Samarkand,Khiva and Khokand.Students came from manyparts of the Islamic world tostudy there. Like manyCentral Asian madrasas, theShir Dar has a monumentalgateway, called a pishtaq,decorated with thousands ofcoloured tiles.

R E L I G I O N S

22

IMPORTANT MUSLIM DATES

1st Muharram Hijra (celebrates the first day of theMuslim calendar)

10th Muharram Ashura (when Muslims remember whenHussain was martyred at Karbala)

12th Rabi al-Awwal Mawlid al-Nabi (celebrates thebirthday of the Prophet Muhammad)

27th Rajab Lailat al-Miraj (commemorates the nightwhen Prophet Muhammad ascended to theHeavens)

27th Ramadan Lailat al-Qadr (celebrates the revelationof the Qu’ran to Prophet Muhammad)

1st Shawwal Eid Al-Fitr (festival of successfully fastingin the month of Ramadan)

9th Zul-Hijja Hajj10th Zul-Hijja Eid Al-Adha (commemorates Abraham’s

willingness to sacrifice all that he cherished—hisown son Ismail—for Allah’s sake)

This whirlingdervish is a Muslimworshipper fromTurkey. Dervishesperform hecticritual dances attheir prayermeetings, whenthey whirl roundand chant.



150# DTP:39 PAGE:25

In the centre of large cities there is verylittle room for big houses with gardens.Many people live in apartment blockswhich tower into the sky. Around theoutskirts of a city there will be suburbswhere the houses can be more spacious.People prefer to live in the suburbs andcommute (travel to work) to the city.

Hong Kong is a verycrowded city and landto build on is scarce.Even though manypeople live in apartmentblocks, there is still notroom for everyone.Some families live inthe large naturalharbour on boats calledsampans (left).

People live on or near the water for otherreasons than overcrowding. The Bajaupeople from the Philippines (below) travelaround the islands of Southeast Asiacatching and selling fish. They sometimeslive in their boats, which are called lipas, orin wooden houses on stilts in the water.

The Efe pygmies live inthe rainforests of centralAfrica. They travelaround hunting animalsand collecting honey. Atnight they make huts toshelter in. First theymark out a circle in theground (1) and drivebranches into theground round the circle(2). Then they weave thebranches together toform a dome-shapedframe (3) which theycover with leaves (4).Traditional huts madefrom natural materialsare still used byhunter-gatherers inother parts of theworld.

Another type of traditional house is theInuit igloo. Nowadays, Inuit people, fromCanada’s Arctic north and Greenland, live inmodern houses on settlements, but whenthey go on a hunting or fishing trip theymay still build an igloo for shelter.An igloo is a dome-shaped house madeof snow. First, blocks of snow are cut outand laid one on top of the other to formthe dome. Each layer leans inwards slightlyso that the blocks eventually meet at thetop. When the dome has been completed, alamp is lit inside to melt the snow on theinside walls. Then the lamp is removed andthe cold wind freezes the melted snow intoa solid, smooth sheet of ice which keeps thewalls firm and windtight. Finally, skins andrugs are draped over the walls and ceiling tomake the igloo warmer inside.

L I V I N G

25

HOUSES AROUND THE WORLD

THERE IS an enormous variety in thestyle of houses built in different parts

of the world. Local conditions play animportant part in the design of houses. Inregularly-flooded areas, houses are built onstilts. Strong foundations are necessarywhere earthquakes are common. Houses inmountainous lands often have steep roofs,so that heavy layers of snow can slide off.This illustration (below) shows one of thetraditional houses which have stood in thecity of Sana’a, Yemen, for hundreds of years.It is the custom in Islamic countries (seepage 22) to keep family and visitors apart,and also for men and women to liveseparately, so each storey in the house has itsown special purpose. The top floor is keptfor visitors, for example. It has windows tocatch cooling breezes.

Mudbrick is a traditional buildingmaterial that has been used for centuries.Early builders noticed that mud bakes hardin hot sun. So they shaped the bricks fromwet mud and then left them to dry.The round houses (above) in the Côted’Ivoire in West Africa are made from bakedmud with thatched roofs of dried reeds.Many early houses and huts were round liketents, but as time went by people began tobuild rectangular houses which were easierto fit along streets in villages and towns.Many mudbrick buildings in the MiddleEast are thousands of years old. They oftenhave flat, rather than steeply sloping, roofs—unnecessary in these very dry regions.

L I V I N G

24

1

2

3

4

The Bedouin people (above) are nomadswho live in the deserts of Arabia and Africa,herding cattle, sheep and goats. They do nothave permanent houses but carry tents withthem as they travel around. The tents aremade of woollen cloth stretched acrosswooden poles and held in place with ropes.Some Bedouins now work in towns andcities instead of following the nomadic lifebut, like the Mongolians (see page 27), manystill choose to live in traditional tents in thedesert rather than in the towns.

The Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzaniain East Africa wear the same richly-coloured, beautiful clothes and ornamentsas their ancestors did centuries ago.

Each Maasai family has its owncattle herd, and young calves andgoats even live in a special deninside the house.



150# DTP:39 PAGE:27

This illustration shows the inside of a modernJapanese house. The front wall has beenremoved so we can see inside.Many Japanese people like to sleep on a

futon at night. This is a padded mattress laidout on a tatami mat. In the morning, the futon isfolded up and put into a special cupboard(oshiire).

BathroomChild’s room Bedroom

Kitchen

Entrance hall

Sitting room

Altar

Dining room

Slidingdoor

A M A A S A I H O M EIn East Africa, many Maasai prefer to live insmall, traditional settlements on thegrassland plains close to their cattle or theirfields. Maasai women build their ownhomes. First, they draw the shape of thehouse, a rectangle, on the ground. Theymake a frame by weaving together branchesand twigs. Then they pack grass and dungover the outside to keep the building dry.There is just one room inside a Maasaihouse. Up to six people sleep together inone large bed made of large branches andcovered with hide. The woman of the houseand her young children sleep in anotherbed in a more private area. A fire burns inthe hearth in the centre of the house. It isused for cooking, warmth and light. Thereare no windows—just an opening to letlight in and smoke out.Cattle come second only to children inimportance to the Maasai. They drink theanimal’s milk but only eat its meat onspecial occasions. The women store the milkin a calabash, a long container made from ahollowed-out gourd, a kind of fruit.

L I V I N G

27

THE INSIDE of a home reflects thelifestyle and customs of the people who

live there. These two examples of a familyhome in the present day, one from amodern developed country, the other froman African farming people, show howtraditions shape people’s daily lives.

A J A PA N E S E H O M EJapan is one of the richest and mosttechnologically advanced countries in theworld today. The influence of the West isvery strong, but the Japanese arenevertheless proud of their traditionalcultures and religion.

TRADITIONAL HOMES

Japanese homes are a mixture of the oldand the new. They are equipped withmodern technology such as microwaveovens, televisions and computers, but manypeople also like to keep up some ways oflife that have been around for centuries.When you enter a Japanese home, it iscustomary to take off your shoes and put onslippers. Shoes are stored in a cupboard orrack in the entrance hall or genkan. Somerooms have woven rush mats, called tatami,on the floor. Tatami mats are made fromfresh grasses: they are green when new. Onentering a tatami mat room, you take offyour slippers, to help keep the mats clean.

Summers in Japan can be hot, so somerooms have sliding doors made of wood andpaper, called shoji, which allow fresh air tomove around the house. The dining roomusually has a low table with no chairs.Everyone sits on a cushion called a zabuton.In winter people use a table called a kotatsuwhich has a heater underneath and a quiltto keep the warmth in.In a Japanese bathroom, known as the

o-furo, the whole room is used as a bathingplace: there is a drain in the floor. You sit onthe stool and soap and rinse yourself, beforestepping into the deep, square bath. Even modern Japanese homes will have aBuddhist altar. On it are placed photographsof family ancestors.

L I V I N G

26

The Maasai people of Kenyaand Tanzania wear the samerichly-coloured clothes andornaments as their ancestorsdid centuries ago.

Many Mongolians, notjust the nomadicherdsmen, prefer tolive in circular tents,called yurts. A yurt ismade of a woodenframework covered

with thick pads of felt made from sheep’swool, and a canvas cover to protect itagainst rain. Inside there may be modernappliances such as a TV and cooker.

Each Maasai family has its owncattle herd, and young calves andgoats even live in a special deninside the house.



150# DTP:39 PAGE:29

The Maasai people of East Africa arecattle herders who live a semi-nomadic life(see page 27). Young Maasai boys becomemembers of the warrior class. Warriors areexpected to be brave and fearless hunters,even though they do not rely on huntingfor food. One test of their courage is thetraditional lion hunt, although this is notcarried out as often as it used to be becauselions have become scarce. Before the hunt,the warriors perform ritual dances. One ofthese is the Namba, in which the dancersleap up in the air and land with their legsbraced stiff (below).

Many peoples have ritual dances(performed for religious purposes) whichgo back to ancient traditions. Theaboriginals of Australia are an example ofsuch a people. They traditionally believethat the Earth and everything that lives onit were created by certain mythical beings.This process of creation is called“Dreamtime”. They believe that the spiritgoes on for ever, known as “EternalDreaming”. The music, dance and art of theaboriginals has been inspired by thesereligious beliefs and the importance theyattach to their land.

Anaboriginal has

painted his bodywith traditional designsto perform a ritualdance. Such dancesare often performedto the music of adidgeridoo.

People all over the world celebrate theharvest. In the Far East, they are concernedwith ensuring the safe arrival of the ricecrop. In Sumatra and Java in Indonesia,when the rice is ready to be cut, the oldestwoman in the family goes to choose the“Rice-mother”, made from the first stalksthat bend in the breeze. The chosen stalks

are tied together, andthen put into a barnto look after the riceas it is harvested.

Many dances have becometourist attractions. Here agirl in traditional costumedances for visitors to theisland of Bali in Indonesia.The Balinese are Hindus(see page 18) and theirdances are based onreligious rituals. Somedances act out scenesbetween gods, demons andother traditional figures.

L I V I N G

29

FESTIVALS

THOUSANDS of festivals—celebrationsof special events or times of the year—

take place all over the world every year.Singing, dancing, ritual (a kind ofceremony), costume or processions are afeature of many festivals. Some are familyevents. Others are large-scale festivals inwhich everyone takes part.There are many festivals concerned withmarriage and weddings. These may be to dowith choosing a husband or wife, or withthe courtship and marriage itself.

Berber womenlooking for ahusband wear aheaddress and a veilthat almost completelyhides their faces. Theirbodies are covered, too.

The Berber Festival of Brides is atraditional marriage festival celebrated bythe Berber people in Morocco, NorthAfrica, every September. Thousands of menand women come to the festival, many ofthem hoping to find a partner. Menlooking for a wife wear white clothes. Thewomen are so heavily veiled that the mencannot see what they look like beforedeciding to marry them. The men andwomen start to talk to one another andsome make up their minds to get married.An official scribe writes out a marriageapplication and a ceremony is carried outby an official called a qadi.

In Japan there are customs tomark the day when a childstarts school. The childrendress in their best clothes fora welcoming ceremony.Another festival involvingchildren is called the schichi-go-san or seven-five-three.Once a year, children agedseven, five and three put ontraditional dress (left) and visittheir local shrine or temple.Traditional Japanese festivalsare centred round the Shintoreligion (see page 16).

In Japan, 5thMay is theBoys’ Festival.Families givethanks for theirsons by flyingpaper cut-outsof carp, one foreach son, athome.

Some festivals are very large and involvewhole towns and cities. Mardi Grascelebrations are held in towns and cities allover the world on the day before Lent, aperiod when Christians (see page 20) used tofast for 40 days.

Mardi Gras festivalsinclude colourfulstreetprocessionswith brightclothes,music anddancing.

L I V I N G

28



150# DTP:39 PAGE:31

Cricket is a favourite summer game inEngland, South Asia, southern Africa,Australasia and the West Indies, whilebaseball is played mainly in North Americaand Japan. Pelota is a fast ball game thatoriginated in the Basque region of Spain,and which is now popular in LatinAmerican countries. Some people prefer taking to the waterto sail or row boats. The most daring sailorspit their wits against all conditions inround-the-world races. White-watercanoeists steer their long, narrow canoesthrough very rough water.

Cricket is a teamgame in whichone side batswhile the otherfields and tries toget the batsmenout. It can be ashort event orlast several days.

Ice hockey isparticularlypopular in NorthAmerica. It is asix-a-side gamewhich is playedon an ice rinkwith a stick anda puck.

Association football, orsoccer, is a team gameof 11 players. Teamgames using a footballwere played in China inabout 200 BC and inancient Greece andRome. Rugby football isplayed with an oval balland players score tries.American football, whichis fairly similar to rugbyfootball, developed incolleges in the UnitedStates in the 19thcentury.

Basketball is a fast-moving team gamewhich is played on a court.

Basketball was invented in the UnitedStates in 1891. The object of the game is tothrow the ball into the other team’s basket,a net mounted three metres above thecourt. The game of netball was adaptedfrom basketball and is quite similar.Horses are used in some sports, includingracing. They may run on a level course orone in which they have to clear obstacles.

Showjumpers have to tackle a variety offences erected around a course.

31

SPORTS

MANY of the sports we know todayhave their origins in ancient history.

Some began as religious rituals. Other weretests of strength or endurance. Sportingcompetitions encouraged men to practisearchery, horsemanship, wrestling and otherexercises. This helped warriors preparethemselves for battle.Today, there are professional sportspeoplewho train hard and compete regularly withothers from around the world. Many peoplealso play sports for fun and exercise. Theymay join in team sports such as football andhockey, or perform as individuals in sportssuch as tennis and running.The most famous sporting competition inthe world is the Olympic Games which isheld every four years. It is named afterOlympia in Greece, where the games werefirst held in ancient times. They began as away of honouring the gods and graduallybecame an organized competition withrunning, throwing, jumping, wrestling,riding and chariot-racing events.

The Olympic stadium in Munich, Germany,built for the 1972 Olympic Games, has aself-cleaning glass roof.

In the modern Olympics, begun in 1896,men and women from all over the worldtry to win bronze, silver and gold medals intheir sport. The Games are held in adifferent city around the world each time. Aspecial stadium is often built for the event,such as the one in Munich, Germany, forthe 1972 Olympics (above). Of all the popular sports, associationfootball (soccer) is probably the mostinternational. National sides from all overthe world compete for the World Cupevery four years.

An athletic stadiumallows several differentsports to go on at thesame time. There is arunning track around theoutside of the stadium,marked off into separatelanes. The track is usedfor running races, whichare known as trackevents. The races maybe short sprints orlonger races of severallaps. Some racesinvolve jumping overhurdles. In relays,members of a teameach run a section ofthe race before passinga baton to a team-mate.Inside the track there

are areas for “field”events such as throwingthe javelin, discus orshot-put, pole vaulting,and the long and highjumps.

L I V I N G

30

JOB NO:E7-05129 TITLE:OUR WORLD & ITS PEOPLE150# DTP:39 PAGE:32

AAboriginal people 11, 29African peoples 10Allah 22alphabets 14-15Americans, Native 10Amharic 10Arabic alphabet 14Asian people 11Australia 5, 11Australian people 11autocracy 8

BBajau people 25baptism 20Bar Mitzvah 17Bedouin people 24Berber Festival of Brides

28Berber people 28Bible 17, 20Boys’ Festival 28Brahma the Creator 18Brahman 18Buddhism 11, 19, 27Buddhists 19

Ccalligraphy 14Caribbean peoples 10cathedrals 21Christianity 10-11, 16,

20-21Christians 17, 20-21, 28Christmas 21churches 16, 21cities 4, 6-7civilization 6, 14cuneiform 14

Ddances 29democracy, liberal 8Devangari alphabet 14dharma 18, 19

EEaster 21Eastern Orthodox church

21Efe people 10, 25Eid Al-Adha 23Eid Al-Fitir 23election 8English language 12, 15enlightenment 19Ethiopian people 10

Llanguages 10, 12-13, 15Lapp people 11Latin 15lipas 25

MMaasai 27, 29madrasas 22Maharashtra 13Mahayana 19Makkah 22-23Mandarin 13mandir 18Mardi Gras 28marriage 28Mass 20Maya 14Mesopotamia 14Mexico City 7Miao people 13Middle East 24missionaries 20monarchies 8Mongolians 27monks, Buddhist 19mosques 16, 22-23Muhammad, Prophet

22-23Muslims 17, 22-23

NNamba dance 29netball 31nomads 24Normans 15North American peoples

10nuns, Buddhist 19

O POlympic Games 30parliament, members of 8party, political 8peoples of the world

10-11Phoenician alphabet 14pictograms 14pilgrimages 18, 22-23Pope 21population 4-5, 6Portuguese language 15president 8priests 16proportional

representation 8Protestants 21pygmy people 10, 25

Q RQur’an (Koran) 22rabbi 17Ramadan 22-23religions 10, 16-17,

18-23republics 8

ethnic groups 10European people 11

Ffasting 23, 28federal republics 8festivals 17, 19, 21, 22-23,

28-29French language 15Fulani 10

GGautama, Siddhartha 19God 16, 17, 20, 22gods 16, 18government 8-9Greek alphabet 14-15Greeks, ancient 14Guatemalan people 10Gujarati 13gurus 17gypsy people 11

Hhajj 23Hausa 10Heaven 17, 21Hebrew alphabet 14hieratic script 14hieroglyphs 14hijra 22Hindi alphabet 14-15Hindi language 12-13Hinduism 11, 16, 18Hindus 18, 29Holy Communion 20Hopi 10houses 24-25, 26-27humans, early 10

IIbo 10Imam 23Indo-European languages

12Inuit 10, 25Islam 10-11, 16, 22-23,

24Italian language 15

JJesus Christ 20-21Jewish people 17Jews, Hasidic 17Judaea 20Judaism 16-17

Kkami 16karma 18Kayapo people 10Khoisan 15Koran see Qur’anKung people 15Kurdish people 11

rituals 29, 30Roman alphabet 14-15Roman Catholics 21Roman Empire 15, 20Romanian language 15Romans 14Russian alphabet 15

SSabbath 17St. Peter’s Church, Vatican

21St. Sophia cathedral 21sampans 25schichi-go-san 28Senate 8shantytowns 7Shinto religion 16, 28Shir Dar madrasa 22Shiva the Destroyer 18shrines 19sign language 15Sikhism 17Sikhs 17skyscrapers 7souks 7South American Indians

10Spanish language 12, 15sports 30-31stupa 19suburbs 25Sudan 4Sumerians 14supercities 7synagogue 16, 17

T U Vtatami mats 26temple 16Theravada 19Torah 17totalitarian government 8Ulm cathedral 21United Nations 4, 9Vatican 21Venice 7Vishnu the Preserver 18voting 8

W Y Zwarriors 29, 30Wedded Rocks 16weddings 28Western Wall (Wailing

Wall)17whirling dervish 23World Cup 30World War II 9worship 16writing 14-15Yakushi pagoda 19Yakut 11Yoruba 10yurts 27Zulu 15

I N D E X

32

INDEXPage numbers in bold

refer to main entries.

children s illustrated encyclopedia peoples of the world · children s illustrated encyclopedia...

Documents