Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of China

Ethnicity

China is an incredibly diverse country from an ethnic perspective. The largest group of
people, making up over 90% of the population, is Han Chinese. The Han make up the
largest part of the Sino-Tibetan ethnic group and, as the name would suggest, their
closest relatives are smaller Chinese and Tibetan groups. These relatives in the Sino-
Tibetan family are also the bulk of the remaining people in the country. However, there
are numerous other ethnic minorities in the country, particularly closer to borders, such
as ethnic Koreans near Korea, Russians near Russia, Mongols, Tajiks, Indians, etc.

Language

China is home to hundreds of languages, however the most common dialects spoken
are Mandarin (or standard Chinese), Cantonese (Yue), and Shanghinese (Wu), all of
which are Chinese languages in the Sino-Tibetan language family. In addition to these
Chinese languages, there are dozens more which belong to both the Sino-Tibetan
language family as well as others. Towards many of China's borders more unique
languages are spoken as Turkic and Iranian languages are spoken in the northwest,
Indian, Nepalese, and Tibetan languages in the southwest, and the numerous languages
of Southeast Asia in the south. Three of these minority languages, Mongolian, Uighur,
and Tibetan are official regional languages.

Nearly every minority speaker also learns Mandarin, which is the primary means of
communication between linguistic groups. English and other popular international
languages are less commonly spoken in China, although many students are slowly
learning these languages. In Hong Kong nearly everyone is fluent in English and in
nearby Macau many people are fluent in Portuguese and/or English.

Religion

The Chinese government's policy is that the country is officially atheist, however today
they government doesn't outwardly prosecute religious adherents. Many people do
follow religious or philosophical belief systems; most common among these being
Taoism (or Daoism) and Buddhism. Christianity and Islam are practiced in much smaller
numbers as well.
Taoism is a religion or philosophy that dictates how one lives his or her life. At its core,
Taoism is about living in harmony with the Tao, which means way or path. In other
words living a life of Taoism is focused on living in harmony with nature and society.
Taoism is about balance and living a life that reflects this, not asserting one's own way.
In this way, one of the most powerful aspects of the religion is called wu-wei, which is a
very complex ethical concept that essentially means one should do what is right and not
force his or her own will if it is not in harmony with nature; in English it is often known
as "action without action."
Buddhism is a religion or philosophy that encourages people to strive for enlightenment.
Adherents believe that each being is reborn until enlightenment is reached, at which
time they escape the cycle of birth and death. To accomplish this, every being must
speak, act, and live in a positive manner; this is magnified with the force of karma,
which dictates an individual's later life and/or their rebirth.
Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of Spain
Ethnicity

Most of the people living in Spain are ethnically Spanish, but that ethnicity is somewhat
of a mix of various ethnic groups. Having incorporated many people over time through
invasions and other movements of people, the present-day Spanish ethnicity is most
closely related to the Anglo-Saxons, Celts, and French from a genetic viewpoint, but also
has significant traces left behind by the Visigoths (Germanic people), Jews, and Moors
(North African people). The Roma (gypsies) are a significant minority group in Spain
today; the Roma are most closely related to the people of India today.

Language

Castilian Spanish is the only official national language in Spain. This language is a part of
the Latin-based languages, derived from the Romans and their language, Latin. Castilian
Spanish is closely related to other Latin languages, including Portuguese, French, Italian,
and Romanian among others.

Catalan, Galician, and Basque are also official regional languages in different parts of
Spain. Catalan and Galician are also Latin-based languages with similarities to Spanish
and other Latin languages. However, Basque is a more unique language with no close
relatives as its origins pre-date the Roman invasion 2,000 years ago.

Religion

Nearly the entire population of Spain is Catholic, although the country has no official
religion. Other small Christian groups, a small population of Muslims, and a small
population of Jews also live in Spain.
Catholicism is a Christian religion that is one of the first Christian religions (founded after
the death of Jesus in about 30-33 AD). Catholicism believes that there is a single God
who created everything, a savior, the son of God, Jesus Christ who is the forgiver of sins,
and there is the Holy Spirit, which makes up the last part of the Holy Trinity. Catholics
follow the teachings of the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments. Much of
the faith is based on the life and teachings of Jesus, which is found in the gospels (in the
New Testament
Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of Mexico
Ethnicity

When the Spanish settlers arrived to what is today Mexico most of these settlers and
the locals intermarried. This led to a huge "mestizo" population, which is a combination
of Spanish and American Indian ethnically; this group makes up over half of the
country's population today. Nearly another third of the population is wholly American
Indian, although there are numerous groups under that larger umbrella, including many
Mayan and Aztec groups. A much smaller percentage, about 10%, is wholly European or
a member of a different ethnic group.

Language

Over 90% of the people in Mexico are native Spanish speakers, which another 6% grow
up speaking both Spanish and a regional indigenous language. There are some American
Indians who only speak an indigenous language natively, but nearly all of these people
learn Spanish as a second language.

Spanish is a Romance language also spoken in Spain; it is closely related to other

Romance languages, including Portuguese, Italian, French, Romanian, others. The dialect
of Spanish in Mexico is quite distinct in comparison to that of Spain and there are also
many minor differences in the language across Latin America.

Religion

Over three quarters of Mexico's population is Roman Catholic. This religion, which was
brought over by the Spanish is much larger than any other religious group; most of the
other people in the country are Christian or don't identify to any particular religion.
Catholicism is a Christian religion that is one of the first Christian religions (founded after
the death of Jesus in about 30-33 AD). Catholicism believes that there is a single God
who created everything, a savior, the son of God, Jesus Christ who is the forgiver of sins,
and there is the Holy Spirit, which makes up the last part of the Holy Trinity. Catholics
follow the teachings of the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments. Much of
the faith is based on the life and teachings of Jesus, which is found in the gospels (in the
New Testament
Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of Saudi
Arabia
Ethnicity

Nearly the entire population of Saudi Arabia is ethnically Arab. This ethnicity is a general term for the
people from the Arabian Peninsula and their descendants; in Saudi Arabia this consists of numerous
groups. The core of the word and the original bearers of the title "Arab" are the Bedouin people, a term
that today generally only refers to the nomadic Arabs. Despite this distinguishment, the Bedouin and
Arabs of Saudi Arabia are nearly identical on an ethnic level, although every part of the country has
various genetic variations and introductions. There is also a significant African and Asian minority in
Saudi Arabia, nearly all of whom are religiously Islamic.

Language

Arabic is the only official language in Saudi Arabia. The written form of the language is called Modern
Standard Arabic (written in the Arabic script), which gives the language consistency across countries
from a written perspective. The spoken dialects of Arabic are so drastic from location to location that
Arabic speakers in Saudi Arabia may not even understand Arabic speakers from a country further away,
like Morocco. Obviously the dialect of Arabic in Saudi Arabia is most closely related to the dialects
spoken in nearby countries like Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
Arabic is a Semitic language; other closely related Semitic languages include Amharic (Ethiopia) and
Hebrew. More distantly related are languages like Berber (North Africa) as well as historic languages
including Phoenician and ancient Egyptian.
English is the most commonly taught second language in the country and most college educated people
speak at least some English. Some industries are heavily reliant on international trade, or are taught in
English so English is again stressed and fluency within these industries is common.

Religion

As the center of the Muslim world, it is not a surprise that Muslim is the official religion of Saudi Arabia
and all citizens must be Muslim. Although foreigners may live in the country temporarily, if a non-
Muslim dies in the country, their body must be removed for burial. By law, every citizen of Saudi Arabia
is Muslim.
Islam (the name of the religion, whose followers are called Muslims) is a monotheistic religion, whose
holy book is called the Qur'an. The Qur'an is believed to be the word of God spoken through the prophet
Muhammad from 609-632 CE (Common Era is preferred over AD (Anno Domini or "year of the Lord")
since the Islamic world doesn't believe Jesus was the messiah). Islam believes Muhammad was the last
prophet sent to earth by God, the last in a long line of prophets, which includes Moses, Abraham, and
Jesus among others.
Muslims follow five pillars of their faith: testimony, prayer, alms-giving, fasting, and pilgrimage. These
pillars, and other tenants of their faith, can give great structure to their lives as some foods, like pork,
are forbidden and every Muslim is expected to pray five times a day. However, the level of participation
in each of these pillars and to what degree Islam influences an individual's life varies from person to
person and community to community. Generally speaking, Saudi Arabia is very conservative in how they
practice Islam.
Most Muslims, including nearly everyone in Saudi Arabia, are Sunni, which is the branch of Islam that
closely follows the teachings of Muhammad and accepts Abu Bakr as the first Caliph (a ruler of an
Islamic community); the Sunni Muslims are sometimes referred to Orthodox. Shia Muslims believe only
God can chose who heads the Islamic community and believed it was Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law who
was first chosen; Ali became the first Imam (according to Shia Muslims, this term only refers to the
leaders of the faith, to Sunni Muslims Imam is often times used in reference to the prayer leader in
mosques).
 Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of
Australia
Ethnicity

About 90% of Australia's population is ethnically European, although the specific

breakdown of ethnicities is unknown, especially since many people have multiple
ancestral origins. As the British colonized the country, the most common ethnicity is
English, although Welsh, Scottish, and Irish are also common. There was also a
significant German immigration period and this is another common ethnicity, among
many others. About 7% of the population is Asian, primarily from the Far Eastern and
Southeastern countries, including China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc.
Only about 1% of today's population is ethnically aboriginal. These Austronesian people
are distantly related to the people of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and others from
Southeast Asia and Australasia.

Language

Nearly 80% of Australians are native English speakers and many of the other people
speak English as a second language. As a fairly significant immigrant destination, there
are many native speakers of hundreds of languages in Australia, most commonly
Chinese, Italian, Greek, Arabic, and Vietnamese.
English today is the result of multiple influences, but primarily comes from the Germanic
language tree brought to England by the Saxons and Anglos with a heavy influence from
latter Norman French. The English spoken in Australia has a dialect that distinguishes it
from British English, American English, and to a lesser extent New Zealand English.

Religion

Most people in Australia are Christian with nearly 30% of the population being
Protestant, about 25% being Roman Catholic, and another 10% adhering to other
Christian faiths. Despite the significant percentage of the population believing in various
religions, many people are not regularly practicing. There are numerous other religions
followed in Australia, but in much smaller numbers, including Islam, Buddhism, and
others. A significant group, about 30% of the population, is either atheist or follows a
non-denominational faith. This diversity is generally a reflection of the diversity in the
country among the many immigrants both past and present.