(2009) Religious diversity has been a defining characteristic of India's population for centuries. The country has no official state religion, but religion plays a central role in Indian daily life through its temple ceremonies, festivals, pilgrimages, family religious traditions, and the like. While Hinduism has been the dominant religion for several thousand years, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Jainism, and Sikhism have also flourished.
(2004) As the 2000 election made clear, the presidential election actually is a series of 51 “winner take all” contests in each state and the District and Columbia. The candidate who wins a particular state is entitled to all of that state’s electoral votes—the equivalent of that state’s total number of senators and representatives.
The global population milestone of 8 billion represents nearly 7% of the total number of people who have ever lived on Earth.
When the U.S. Census Bureau releases its 2014 state population estimates later this month, the new figures may confirm a demographic milestone: that Florida has passed New York as the third most-populous state in the United States.
(2002) The past century witnessed a revolution in health care, yet millions of women still endure the risks of pregnancy and childbirth under conditions virtually unchanged over time. Maternal complications take a serious toll on women.
(2001) Immigration since World War II has transformed Australian society and population. Many residents of Australia are immigrants or are the children of immigrants.
