People of the world. Languages and Religions

Population. By the early 2000's, the world's population reached about 6 ¼ billion. The yearly rate of population growth is about 1.2 percent. At that rate, the world's population would double in about 58 years.

If all the world's people were distributed evenly over the land, over 100 people would live on every square mile (40 on every square kilometer). However, the world's people are not distributed evenly, and so the population density (the average number of people in a specific area) varies greatly. Some regions, including Antarctica and certain desert areas, have no permanent settlers at all.

The most densely populated regions of the world are in Europe and in southern and eastern Asia. North America has heavy concentrations of people in the northeastern and central regions and along the Pacific coast. Africa, Australia, and South America have densely populated areas near the coasts. The interiors of those continents are thinly settled.

Where the people of the world live. This map shows how the world's population is distributed. About three-fourths of all people live in Asia and Europe. Regions with severe climates, such as desert areas, are thinly populated. The map also shows the location of some of the world's largest metropolitan areas

Just as the population density varies from one part of the world to another, so does the rate of population growth. Developing countries generally have higher average rates of increase than developed nations. Africa has a population growth rate of 2.4 percent yearly, the highest of all continents. South America has a 1.4 percent rate of increase, and Asia a 1.2 percent rate. Australia's rate of increase is 0.9 percent, and North America's rate is 0.7 percent. Europe's population is actually declining, losing 0.1 percent each year.

The world's largest country in terms of population is China, which has more than a billion people. India ranks second largest, followed in descending order by the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, and Pakistan. Over half the world's total population lives in these seven nations. Vatican City has the smallest population of any of the world's nations. It has only about 1,000 people.

The growth and change of the world's population throughout history are described in the article Population. See also the articles on individual countries, states, and provinces for population details.

Growth of the world's population. The world's population grew slowly before A.D. 1. It then almost doubled by the year 1000. At its present rate of growth, the world's population will double in about 50 years. Most of this growth will occur in less developed regions

Languages. There are about 6,000 spoken languages in the world. However, only 12 are widely used. Each of these languages is spoken by over 100 million people. More people speak Mandarin Chinese than any other language. English ranks second, followed by Hindi, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic.

Beginning in the 1500's, England, Spain, Portugal, and France established colonies in various parts of the world. For this reason, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French are now spoken in many nations outside their countries of origin. English became the chief language of such nations as the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. It is also one of the main languages in Canada and South Africa. Spanish became the chief language throughout most countries of Latin America. Portuguese became the main language of Brazil, Mozambique, and Angola.

French, like English, is an important language of Canada. Most people in the province of Quebec speak French. French is also widely spoken in Algeria, Chad and some other countries in western Africa, Morocco, and Vietnam.

For information about the development of the world's languages, see Language. See also the articles on individual countries for the most widely used languages in those nations.

Religions. The peoples of the world practice thou-sands of religions. Christianity has nearly 2 billion members, more than any other religion, islam has about 1 billion members, and Hinduism has about 750 million. Other major religions of the world include the Bahai Faith, Buddhism, Confucianism, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, and Taoism.

Christianity originated in the Middle East. Today, most Christians live in Europe and North and South America. Islam also began in the Middle East and is now the chief religion throughout most of the area. It is also the major faith in northern Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism have most of their followers in India, where the religions originated. Buddhism, which also developed in India, is the major religion of Sri Lanka and the mainland of southeastern Asia. Buddhism also has many followers in such countries as Japan and South Korea. Shinto is the native religion of Japan. The Baha i Faith originated in what is now Iraq.

Confucianism and Taoism are native religions of China. The Communist government of China discourages them and all other religions. However, Chinese people living in Taiwan still practice Confucianism and Taoism. Judaism originated in the Middle East. Today, the largest number of Jews live in the United States, Israel, France, and Russia. Thousands of local traditional religions are practiced by ethnic groups in Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, South America, and the Pacific Islands.

For a description of major religions, see Religion and the separate articles on the various faiths. See also the Religion section of the country and continent articles.

Problems among the world's people. Through the years, human beings have made great progress in providing for their basic needs. Modern methods of producing food, clothing, and shelter have helped many people live more comfortably. Education has become available to more and more people, and scientists have discovered cures for many diseases.

But serious problems still face the world's people. Millions of people in developing countries lack adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and education. Many people in developed countries, especially in large cities, suffer from poverty, unemployment, and discrimination. New problems have also developed. Numerous nations face the growing problem of environmental pollution.