Unit 2: Population & Culture

Five Pillars

Belief system of Islam

Siddhartha Gautama

Buddhism's Founder

Tripitaka

Buddhism's holy book

Pagodas

Buddhism's place of worship

Bible

Christian Holy Book

Priest, Pastor or Reverend

Christian leaders of congregation

Church

Christian place of worship

Ten Commandments

Devine Law in Christianity

Brahman

Hinduism's God

Four Vedas

Hinduism's Holy Book

Mandir

Hinduism's place of worship

Gurus / Sages

Hinduism's spiritual leaders

Allah

Islam's God

Yahweh

Jewish God.

Torah

Jewish Holy Book

Synagogues

Jewish Place of Worship

Rabbi

Jewish leader of congregation

Jewish Diaspora

Jews moved away from the land again, until the modern state of Israel was formed in the late 1940s

LEDC

Less Economically Developed Countries

MEDC

More Economically Developed Countries

Qur'an (Koran)

Muslim Holy Book

Imams

Muslim leaders of congregation

Mosque

Muslim place of worship

Non-theistic

No God

Western Wall

Pilgrimage Site for Jews in Jerusalem.

Lumbini

Siddhartha Gautama's place of birth

Religion

a set of practices and beliefs important to a culture.

Nirvana

achieved by ultimate purity of life. (goal of Buddhism)

Society

an organized group or groups of people who generally share a common territory, language, and culture and who act together for collective survival and well-being.

Population pyramids

are used by demographers as a tool for understanding the make-up of a given population, migration pattern, growth rates, and various other characteristics for countries or cities.

Population Density

average number of people who live in a square mile.

Reincarnation (Samsara)

being reborn into this world lifetime after lifetime.

The Four Noble Truths

belief system of Buddhism (ll life is marked by suffering, Suffering is caused by desire and attachment, Suffering can be stopped, The way to end suffering is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path).

Population distribution

describes the way the population is spread out.

Jesus Christ

founder of Christianity and messiah in Christianity.

Mecca

is Islam's holiest city, as it's the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the faith itself

Kaaba

is a building at the center of Islam's most sacred mosque.

Diaspora

occurs when a group of people leave their homeland and move to many different locations separately.

Migration

people move from one place to another.

Ethnic Group

people who collectively and publicly identify themselves as a distinct group based on various cultural features such as shared ancestry and common origin, language customs and traditional beliefs.

Monotheistic

religions with only one God

Caste System

social organization/hierarchy in which a person's occupation and position in life is determined by the circumstances of his birth.

Demographers

study the populations of the world to figure out why population is distributed the way it is.

Culture

the entire way of life for a group of people (including both material and symbolic elements).

Sunni

the majority; argued that the successor should be appointed by election and consensus, as tradition dictated

Shia / Shiite

the minority; believed that Muhammad's successors should come from his family, starting with Ali, his son-in-law.

Hijja

the month of pilgrimage during which all Muslims, at least once in their life, should try to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Ganges River

the most holy place for Hindus to visit.

Cultural Diffusion

the spreading of a cultural trait (i.e. material object, idea, or behavior pattern) from one society to another.

Karma

the sum effect of a person's actions, good and bad, which helps shape future experiences.

Population

the total number of persons living in a country, city, or any district or area.

Minarets

towers on the mosque corners

Cultural Convergence

when cultures join and merge (like a hybrid).