What are the countries by. Unified system for describing the countries of the world

No matter how many times we look at the map of the world, every time we are seized by a feeling of keen curiosity. We peer into the winding lines of rivers and coasts, watching the green patches of lowlands give way to brown stripes that mark mountain ranges. The bizarre outlines of the continents and islands sometimes remind us of familiar images. And how many names on the map! Rivers, lakes, seas, cities, islands in the oceans. I would like to visit every country, take part in the events of these countries!

Each country has its own history, economy, culture, natural features. It is very difficult to tell about everything, so only the most interesting information is presented to your attention. The main goal is to create in your mind the image of the country.

Here is the list descriptions of the countries of the world available in the Internet encyclopedia "Hypermir":

Description of the countries of the world

Alphabetical index

Most of the inhabitants of Abkhazia, one of the historical regions of Georgia, live in small towns and villages on the Black Sea coast. Many are familiar with their names: Leselidze, Gantiadi, Gagra, New Athos, Sukhumi, Ochamchira. Everyone who has been to these places remembers the warm sea, the hot sun, and the coolness of the forests that cover the coastal mountains.

Austria looks very unusual on the map. The strip of land is narrow in the west, greatly expanding to the east. Perhaps, in shape, this state resembles a wedge. The narrowest part of this wedge is mountainous. The ranges of the Eastern Alps here are slightly lower than those of the Western Alps in Switzerland, but they are almost impassable.

Far into the depths of the Caspian Sea (for 60 km.) The Absheron Peninsula protrudes. On a narrow strip of land 30 km wide. one third of the total population of Azerbaijan lives here, half of all industrial enterprises of the country are located here. Oil and gas are produced on Apsheron and in the sea around it (80 fields in total).

Albania is a small mountainous country in the south of the Balkan Peninsula. Its area occupies a little more than half of the Moscow region. This land on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, inhabited since ancient times, has witnessed many events. Traveling around this country means seeing with your own eyes the life of people who have long gone into oblivion.

Most of the territory of Algeria is occupied by the Sahara Desert, and only in the northern, coastal regions can agriculture be practiced. It is here that almost the entire population of Algeria lives. Along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea stretch the Atlas Mountains and elevated plains.

Off the northwest coast of Europe are the British Isles. The main island is called Great Britain, and according to it, the entire state located on the archipelago is called Great Britain. But the country has another name - England, according to its main historical part. Officially, the state is called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Andorra is a small country in the eastern part of the Pyrenees, between France and Spain. This tiny state has existed for 11 centuries. In 819 the shepherd communities from the valleys of the Valira and Ordino rivers received the rights of independence.

Argentina, the second largest country in South America after Brazil, occupies the entire southeast of the mainland and islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Before the Spaniards appeared on the land of Argentina, Indian tribes lived here. At the beginning of the XVI century. The Spanish conquerors entered La Plata Bay and began to climb up the river that flowed into it.

The science of geography is not only studying the natural features of various regions. Description of the country, its climate, population, economy and government - is also among the subjects of research in this discipline. How are states studied? What does a country description plan look like? You will learn about this from our article.

How to describe a country?

Geographers describe countries in roughly the same way. It includes a description of nature, population, economy and government. The country description plan includes the following points:

• geographic location (territory area, length of borders, coordinates of extreme points, availability of access to the sea, number of neighboring countries and a general assessment of the advantageous geopolitical position of the state);
• natural features of the territory (climate, relief, inland waters, organic world, etc.);
• the capital and administrative-territorial structure of the state;
• population of the country (total size, density, distribution, ethnic, religious and linguistic composition);
• the country's economy (main specialization, leading industries, level of agricultural development, volume and other economic indicators);
• features of the political structure (parliament, president, government).

A country description plan can also contain information about cultural features, tourist attractions, currency, official symbols of the state.

Geographical position of the country

Any plan to describe a country should begin with where the country is located. That is, it is necessary to provide information about in which hemisphere and on which continent the state is located, what is its area and the total length of the border. The coordinates of the countries are determined by the extreme points: northern, southern, western and eastern. Based on this information, it is possible to determine the total extent of the territory of the state from west to east, or from north to south, as well as to assess its general configuration (compact or elongated in a certain direction).

It is important not only to describe the geographical position of the country, but also to assess its economic benefits. Therefore, it is extremely important to indicate which states the country borders on, whether it has access to the sea, large navigable rivers, whether it is located at the intersection of important transport corridors. Each of these aspects greatly affects the economy and the overall well-being of the country.

Natural conditions and resources

The second point of the country description plan is the nature features of a particular territory (geomorphological, climatic, etc.).

The climate of the country is extremely important for its economic development. So, the location of the state in the temperate climate zone (between 45 and 65 degrees) is considered ideal. In this zone - the most optimal conditions for human life and agriculture.

The relief of the territory of the country also affects its well-being. It is no secret that on flat terrain it is much easier to build cities, lay roads, and create large industrial complexes. By the way, the most ancient and famous cities of the world arose precisely on the plains, along the coasts of the seas or large rivers.

Population of the country

The population of the country is also an important aspect for its comprehensive study. Describing it, it is necessary to indicate the total number of inhabitants, population density, characterize the demographic situation, and so on.

Important indicators are also mortality, life expectancy in the country, and the level of infant mortality. Most economically developed countries are characterized by a low birth rate, low mortality and a significant life expectancy. In the developing countries of Asia, Africa and America, on the contrary, there is a high birth rate, high mortality and low overall life expectancy.

An important aspect in the characterization of any country is the ethnic, linguistic and religious composition of its population. All states of the world are divided into two groups: mono-ethnic (in which one nation predominates) and multi-ethnic (which are a kind of "mix" of ethnic groups and nationalities).

State economy

The main indicators of economic development include the following:

• volumes of GDP and GNP per capita;
• income level of the population;
• competitiveness of goods and services produced in the country;
• cost and quality of labor;
• the level of corruption;
• the level of modernization of production, etc.

According to these indicators, all countries of the world are divided into several groups. There are economically developed countries (Japan, USA, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Germany, France and others), developing countries (Myanmar, Chad, Bolivia, Bangladesh and others), as well as (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc.). d.).

According to the structure of industrial production, all states are also divided into:

• industrial;
• agricultural;
• industrial and agricultural;
• postindustrial.

The political structure of the country

The state is a special organization with a complex structure, which is designed to manage society. All countries in the world are usually divided into three groups:

• unitary - those that are controlled from one center (examples: Romania, Ukraine, France, Norway, etc.);
• federal, consisting of several separate subjects - states, lands, republics (examples: Russia, USA, Germany);
• confederations are temporary unions of two or more states.

According to the form of government, monarchy countries (in which all power belongs to one person and is inherited) and republics (in which the majority is the main source of power) are distinguished. Monarchies can also be absolute (the power of the monarch is unlimited), parliamentary (the power of the monarch is limited by parliament) and theocratic (the supreme power belongs to the Church). The only modern example on the planet is the Vatican.

The country's policy is determined by the system of methods and techniques by which it realizes the fullness of its power. Based on this thesis, the political regime of a state can be legal (democratic), totalitarian or authoritarian.

Countries and their capitals

The capital is the main (not necessarily the largest) city of the country, in which the government and other important public authorities are located. The word itself comes from the Old Russian "(pre)stol", which means "throne". The popular expression "the capital city of Kyiv" is connected with this etymology.

The choice of the capital is always a dilemma for the state. After all, two or more large centers can claim the role of the main city. In the Austro-Hungarian Empire, for example, this problem could not be solved. Therefore, there were two capitals at once - Vienna and Budapest. In some states, the capital was created and built practically "from scratch" (an example of such a state can be the United States of America with its capital in the city of Washington).

Countries and their capitals are often perceived as one entity. However, do not forget that the title of the "main city" in the state may change. So, in 1997, the authorities of Kazakhstan moved the capital from Alma-Ata to the city of Astana.

Another interesting capital on the world map is Jerusalem. This city is the capital at the same time for two countries - Israel and Palestine.

Flag - as the main symbol of the state

The flags of the countries of the world differ from each other not only in color or pattern, but also in their proportions (width and length of the cloth). All the flags of world states have the traditional shape of a rectangle (less often a square), with the exception of only one - Nepalese. The banner of this country is presented in the form of two equal triangles.

The flags of the countries of the world are different in their colors. Moreover, each of the colors has its own symbolic meaning for a particular state. White, as a rule, symbolizes peace and prosperity, while green - significant natural wealth.

Quite interesting in heraldry is black. It would seem that it should be mourning. However, it is not. Black color is quite often present on the cloths of African states. And there, as a rule, he symbolizes the black population of a particular country.

Designation of the currency of different countries

Everyone has their own money, of course. How is carried out by different countries?

This or that state currency is designated by means of a special sign (symbol). It can be an alphabetic index (abbreviation), a numeric code, or a special grapheme. These signs are called upon in an abbreviated form, concisely and in an original way, to designate certain currencies.

Monetary units began to be depicted with special symbols back in antiquity. Below are the graphemes of the most famous world banknotes:

Finally...

One of the tasks of geography is an objective, comprehensive and reliable study of world states. The country description plan should contain the following items: geographical location, natural conditions and resources, population, capital, administrative and political structures, economy, currency and state symbols (flag, coat of arms and anthem).

Mexico is a country in North America that occupies the largest area of ​​Middle America. The state borders with several states of the United States of America, namely California, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. Also, in the southeast there is a border with Guatemala and Belize. The territory of the state is washed by the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Republic of South Africa (South Africa) is a state in Africa. It is the southernmost country of this continent. This state gained independence in 1961. Prior to that, the country was a British colony.

Canada is a country in North America bordered by the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans. In terms of total area (9.85 million m2), the country ranks second on the planet, only behind Russia. The very word "Canada" comes from the Iroquois "kanat", which means settlement, land, village.

England is the largest part of the Kingdom of Great Britain. The territory of England occupies about 2/3 of the British Isles, on which the state is located. This country at all times has been of great importance in the international arena, and it has not lost it even now: English culture quite strongly influences other states.

India is considered one of the most exotic countries due to unusual religions, climate, sights and mentality of the population. Historically, it is located in South Asia, and its neighbors are Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nyanma and Nepal. The capital, Delhi, always welcomes tourists and is considered one of the largest cities in the country.

The Czech Republic is one of the youngest states in Europe. It is located in a zone with a mild climate, and the entire territory is surrounded by hills, which excludes the impact of strong winds. From an administrative point of view, the Czech Republic is divided into 13 regions and the capital - the city of Prague, and from a geographical and cultural point of view into Bohemia, the Sudetes and Moravia. There is no access to the sea. […]

Italian Republic on the map of Europe. The state is located in the southern part of Europe. Most of the country is located on the Apennine Peninsula. From the north, Italy has land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The rest of the territory, including the islands, the largest of which are Sicily and Sardinia, is surrounded by the Tyrrhenian, Ligurian, Ionian, Adriatic seas. The country extends from the north […]

Geography. The Kingdom of Denmark is a small Scandinavian country in northern Europe. It is located on the Jutland Peninsula and the Danish archipelago, which has more than four hundred islands, the lion's share of which is uninhabited. The largest islands of the archipelago are Zealand, Funen, Lolland.

Switzerland is in many ways a unique state in Central Europe. It is surrounded by countries such as Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France and Italy. Has no access to the sea. The main wealth of the country is nature: 2/3 of the territory is occupied by mountains, alpine meadows, many lakes, natural parks.

Belgium is a small state located in the center of Western Europe, surrounded by France, Holland, Germany and Luxembourg. Its territory stretched from the northwest to the southeast, from the dunes of the North Sea coast to the Ardennes Heights.

Synevyr has been shrouded in secrets and legends since ancient times: locals often hear strange sounds, health changes near the lake, a person weakens or can feel a surge of strength - that's why it is also called the Devil's Eye, and in the water they say...

14 November 2018
Scenario of the perfect New Year 2019 in the Carpathians! What should be the New Year's holiday? With snow, hot tea, mulled wine, fun winter activities, snow-covered Christmas trees, Santa Claus, a bowl of Olivier songs and dances .......

13 November 2018
Very often, residents and guests of the capital do not know where to go for the weekend, so that it is not far, and that it is inexpensive, but also interesting. Therefore, we decided to talk about a route that will appeal to many. Let's go ... We start the journey from ...

29 May 2018
How to make the tourism business in the United Arab Emirates even more successful and safe, projects more interesting and attractive to the consumer, and meetings and business negotiations more efficient? The answers to these questions are easy to find...

16 May 2018
On Friday 16-18, the largest exhibition of visa tourism - XIII International Tourism Exhibition China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market (COTTM) was held near the capital of China, the city of Beijing. China is the largest world market for visa tourism, which is dynamically...

17 March 2018
Ukraine International Airlines carried out the first flight from Kyiv to Lviv on a wide-body long-haul Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. This is a presentation flight of the airline. For the next two years...

01 February 2018
The ski resort is planned to be located in the villages of Verkhnyaya Rozhanka and Nizhnyaya Rozhanka, Pogar (Slavskoye), Vysoky Verkh (Volosyanka), Chernaya Ripa. Later it is planned to master Mount Trostyan. And it will not be a new Bukovel, but an individual one...

13 November 2017
Dubai-based flydubai has unveiled its latest Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft at the Dubai Airshow for the fifth time in the Dubai Airshow. This is the first board of the largest order...

11 November 2017
On November 13-14, the Festival of children's and youth circus groups "Stars of the Future" will take place in Kyiv. Organizer - All-Ukrainian Public Organization "Circus Union of Kobzov" and the Circus...

27 September 2017
UIA is considering opening direct flights between Kyiv and the city of Guangzhou in southern China in 2018, the company told avianews.com. UIA submitted an application for obtaining rights to fly in this direction three times a week to the State Aviation Administration. The commission of the department will consider it at its next meeting.

27 September 2017
The increase in the first eight months of the year was more than 16% The Sri Lanka Tourism Committee published the number of tourists who arrived in the country between January and August 2017. The figures are compared with the same period last year. The statistics show that the passenger traffic from Ukraine has increased significantly - from 18,386 people in the past

26 September 2017
Almost 45% of independent tourists who spent their vacation in Crimea this summer would like to return to the peninsula next year. 68% are ready to recommend Crimea as a holiday destination to their relatives and friends. These are the results of a survey of more than 2,000 people conducted by the Internet services for travelers Biletix. The main pre

26 September 2017
More than 3,000 residents of Spanish Mallorca took to the streets to protest against the influx of tourists, according to Diario de Mallorca. According to the newspaper, protests were held on Saturday in the capital of the Balearic Islands...

25 September 2017
Low-cost Wizz Air has launched a travel planner feature on its website to help passengers who are unable to find an itinerary for their trip. To do this, the traveler must indicate the departure airport, preferred type of holiday, the approximate range of departure dates, the duration of the trip and the expected budget for the flight.

25 September 2017
The capital of Catalonia continues to look for ways to regulate mass tourism. This time, the queue is for limiting the number of tourist groups and banning their use of city buses. Following restrictions on building hotels in the city center, an increase in the tourist tax, and plans to impose this tax on all tourists.

24 September 2017
Scientists have figured out why you should not sleep on an airplane According to a study conducted by Harvard Medical School, sleeping on an airplane can lead to hearing loss. On Tuesday, September 19, writes the British edition of the Independent. According to experts, sleep during a sharp climb or decrease is especially dangerous for health.

24 September 2017
Director of the Lviv airport Tatiana Romanovskaya descends from a Wizz Air plane that arrived from Berlin Low-cost Wizz Air intends to increase the number of flights on the Lviv-Wroclaw route to four flights a week from June 2018, the company told avianews.com. Tickets for the additional frequency will go on sale in the coming

List of religions. Sometimes the percentage of adherents is given as a percentage of the total population. Below are the main characteristics of the world's major religions. Baha'ism is a cosmopolitan religious and political movement; spread in the countries of the Middle East, Western Europe, the USA. The basis of the Baha'i faith is built on monotheism and believes in one eternal transcendent God. Bahaism preaches the idea of ​​denying national state sovereignty, combining science and religion, etc. Bahaism got its name from the nickname of its founder Mirza Hussein Ali Beha'ullah (literally - the brilliance of God). Bahaism originated in Iraq in the mid-19th century. as a sect among the Babis who fled from Iran from the persecution of the Shah's government after the suppression of the Babid uprisings of 1848-1852. The provisions of Beha'u'llah, set forth by him in the messages (lauhs) and the "Most Holy Book" ("Kitabe Akdes"), were to replace the Qur'an and the "Beyan" of the Baba. Bahaullah eliminated its revolutionary democratic elements from Babism, spoke out against the revolutionary methods of combating the Iranian reaction, defending private property and social inequality. The main centers of Bahaism are in the USA (Illinois) and in Germany (Stuttgart). Buddhism is one of the three world religions along with Christianity and Islam. Buddhism originated in ancient India in the 6th-5th centuries. BC. and in the course of its development was divided into a number of religious and philosophical schools. The founder of Buddhism is the Indian prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later received the name of Buddha, that is, the awakened, enlightened one. A feature of Buddhist teaching is its practical orientation. From the very beginning, Buddhism opposed not only the special significance of the external forms of religious life, in particular ritualism, but also against the abstract speculations characteristic of the concepts of Brahmanism, and put forward the problem of the existence of the individual as the central problem. The main content of the Buddhist books is the practical doctrine of "salvation" or "liberation." It is set forth in the doctrine of the "four noble truths": there is suffering, the cause of suffering, the state of liberation from suffering, the path leading to liberation from suffering; in short, there is suffering and liberation from suffering. On the one hand, suffering and liberation appear as an exclusively subjective state, on the other hand (especially in the systems of developed schools of Buddhism) - as being is suffering, Buddhism defines suffering, first of all, a kind of "reality", which also has an objective (cosmic) basis. Main currents: Hinayana, along with the Mahayana one of the two main branches of Buddhism. It arose at the beginning of our era. shortly after the advent of Buddhism, the concept of Hinayana was introduced by the Mahayana at the beginning of the 1st millennium CE. Hinayana includes a number of schools: theravada, sarvastivada (vaibhashika), sautrantika, etc., although at present the supporters of hinayana tend to identify it with the teachings of theravada ("school of the elders"). In the course of its development and spread, Hinayana established itself in the southern countries (Ceylon, Laos, Thailand, etc.), receiving the name of southern Buddhism. The preaching of personal perfection to achieve "liberation" (nirvana), which is characteristic of all Buddhism, took the form in Hinayana of the proclamation of the moral and intellectual development of the individual, completely independent of any forces external to the person (and above all divine). At the same time, the Hinayana is characterized by relatively strict and at the same time negative moral principles. The ideal of the Hinayana is the arhat, a person who relentlessly strives primarily for personal improvement and cares little about the improvement of others. In philosophical terms, this is due to the non-recognition of the soul and God as independent entities and the assertion as the only existing individual psychophysical elements - dharmas, certain units of the individual's life activity in inextricable connection with the outside world. Dharmas unite the subjective and the objective, the material and the spiritual, and are in constant motion. The Buddha in the Hinayana is a historical figure, distinguished from others by incomparably greater perfection, but without any divine authority. He acts as the highest ideal of a human being, a model for others, because potentially any person can become a Buddha. Mahayana- the self-name of the largest, along with the Hinayana, varieties of Buddhism. The highest religious ideal in the Mahayana is the bodhisattva - a universal, but embodied in personality, cosmic principle of bondage by mutual compassion and mutual help of all beings striving for liberation from the fetters of worldly existence. Unlike the arhat, the ideal saint of the Hinayana, who sought personal liberation by strict observance of canonical and ritual prescriptions, the bodhisattva acts as a model for others: he himself is not liberated until every single living being, striving for liberation, is able to use his example. and will not reach nirvana. More specifically, the concept of a bodhisattva is associated with the accumulation by a person of a certain set of ultimate qualities (the so-called paramitas): super-mercy, super-morality, super-patience, super-energy, super-concentration and super-knowledge. The central place in the cult of the Mahayana is occupied by the symbolism of the "three bodies of the Buddha": "the body of the Law" ("Dharmakaya") - the image of the universal spiritual being of the Buddha; "bodies of Pleasure" ("Sambhogakaya") - the ideal image of the Buddha, sent down to students who are in a yogic trance; "the body of the Ghostly" ("Nirmanakaya") - the material human appearance of the Buddha as the subject of exemplary religious behavior. The religious symbolism of the Mahayana is built in the form of a complex pantheon of deities embodying the personalized values ​​of achieving final liberation. The most important of them are: Buddha-Amitabha, or the spirit of Buddhism embodied in the world; Buddha-Avalokiteshvara, or compassion turned to the world; Maitreya Buddha, or the hope of the world. Christianity is a world religion uniting about 2 billion adherents. The essence of Christianity is the doctrine of the God-Man Jesus Christ (son of God), who descended from heaven to earth and accepted suffering and death to redeem people from original sin. Christianity originated in the 1st century AD. in the Middle Eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. The first, Jerusalem Christian community consisted of disciples gathered around Jesus. By the 4th century, Christianity had become the state religion of the Roman Empire. Main currents: Catholicism or Catholicism- the largest branch of Christianity in terms of the number of parishioners (more than 1 billion adherents), was formed in the 1st millennium on the territory of the Western Roman Empire. The final break with Eastern Orthodoxy occurred in 1054. The worldwide Catholic Church is divided into Latin Rite Catholicism and Eastern Rite Catholicism. The head of the Catholic Church is the Pope, who heads the state-city of Vatican City in Rome. The Old Catholics broke away from the Catholic Church due to their rejection of the decisions of the First Vatican Council. In addition, there are a large number of marginal groups that call themselves Catholics, but are not recognized as such by the Vatican. The Catholic Church is the largest (in terms of the number of believers) branch of Christianity. As of 2004, there were 1.086 billion Catholics in the world. Their number is constantly increasing due to the growth of the number of believers in Asia, America and Africa, while in Europe the number of Catholics is gradually decreasing. Catholicism is practiced in almost all countries of the world. It is the main religion in many European countries (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Ireland and Malta). In total, in 21 states of Europe, Catholics make up the majority of the population, in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland - half. A quarter of Ukraine also professes Catholicism. Mormonism- a generalized name for a religious subculture that arose as a result of the spread and development of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, created in the early 19th century by Joseph Smith in the United States. The cornerstone of Mormon theology is the doctrine of "restoration", according to which, shortly after the death of the first apostles of Christ, the true Church disappeared from the face of the earth. Only many centuries later, in 1820, God chose Joseph Smith to restore the true doctrine and organization of the church through him. After Smith's death, the role of "prophet, seer, and revelator" was succeeded in succession by fourteen other church presidents. The basic tenets of Mormon doctrine are recorded in thirteen Articles of Faith. It should be noted that this document does not give a complete picture of Mormon beliefs, and many characteristic teachings are not included in it. Orthodoxy- a direction in Christianity that took shape in the east of the Roman Empire during the first millennium AD. under the leadership and with the title role of the See of the Bishop of Constantinople - New Rome, which professes the Niceno-Tsaregradsky Creed and recognizes the decisions of the 7 Ecumenical Councils. The modern Orthodox Church considers the entire history of the Church before the Great Schism as its own history. Orthodox doctrine, according to its adherents, dates back to apostolic times (I century). It was formulated by oros (literally - the border, doctrinal definitions) of ecumenical, as well as some local, Councils. The isolation of Orthodoxy against the background of emerging heresies began to take shape in the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. Orthodoxy opposed Gnosticism (which offered its own interpretation of the New Testament and often rejected the Old) and Arianism (which denied the deity of Jesus Christ). Protestantism(from lat. protestans - publicly proving) - one of the three, along with Catholicism and Orthodoxy, the main areas of Christianity, which is a combination of numerous and independent Churches and denominations, connected by their origin with the Reformation - a broad anti-Catholic movement of the 16th century in Europe. Protestantism is characterized by an extreme diversity of external forms and practices from church to church and from denomination to denomination. For this reason, Protestantism as such can only be described in general terms. Hinduism is a religion that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The historical name of Hinduism in Sanskrit is sanatana-dharma, which means "eternal religion", "eternal path" or "eternal law". Hinduism is the oldest world religion, which has its roots in the Vedic civilization. Since Hinduism combines various beliefs and traditions, it does not have a single founder. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world after Christianity and Islam. Hinduism is practiced by more than 1 billion people, of which about 950 million live in India and Nepal. Other countries where Hindus make up a significant part of the population are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and Canada. Islam is a monotheistic religion, together with Judaism and Christianity, it belongs to the group of Abrahamic religions. Islam originated among the Arab tribes of Western Arabia in the early 7th century. The founder is considered the prophet Muhammad (c. 570-632). Islam recognizes Muhammad as the last (but not the only) prophet, the messenger of Allah for all mankind. In addition to Muhammad, Islam recognizes all previous prophets from Adam, up to Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus). Adherents of Islam are called Muslims. To become a Muslim, it is necessary and sufficient public (in the presence of two full-fledged witnesses or three half-witnesses) acceptance of the Islamic creed - Shahada. Main currents: sunnism- the main direction in Islam, which arose as a result of its split after the death of Muhammad. Sunnism took shape in the X-XI centuries. in the Caliphate as the dominant religious movement. The reason for the split was the question of power in the Caliphate. Unlike the Shia trend, Sunnism denied the idea of ​​Ali's special nature (Ali himself also denied it) and his right to imamate, as well as the idea of ​​mediation between Allah and people. Sometimes Sunnis are called Ahl al-Haqq, that is, "people of truth." Shiism. Shiites - "those who keep the side of Ali, the son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad." This is a statement by an Iranian historian of the 12th century. Al-Shahristani clearly indicates that after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, a group of Muslims arose who believed that power in the community should belong only to the descendants of the prophet (that is, the children of Fatima, his daughter, and Ali, his cousin), and not elected persons . According to the Shiites, the right to the imamat (the institution of the supreme leadership of the community) is "divinely established" assigned to the Ali clan. With the accumulation of hadith, the direction of the Holy Tradition towards Sunnism became obvious. In contrast to this, the Shiites declared their hostile attitude towards the Sunnah and began the formation of their own Holy Tradition - Akbar. The Shiites are characterized by the cult of martyrs, who are recognized by all imams. According to the doctrine of Shiism, the right to an imamate cannot belong to anyone except the descendants of Ali and Fatima - the Alids (since there are descendants of Muhammad only along this line). Shiites believe that Imams are infallible in all deeds, acts, principles and faith. Shiites make a pilgrimage to An-Najaf (Iraq), where the grave of Caliph Ali is located, to Karbala - the place of death and the grave of Hussein, and to Mashhad - to the tomb of Imam Ali ar-Riza. Ismailism- the name of a number of directions in Shiism (Nizari, Khoja, etc.). This is one of the main branches of Shiite Islam, which arose in the middle of the 8th century. Many Ismailis recognize classical Islam as an elementary spiritual form - al-zahir. A more developed spiritual form among them is considered al-batyn - the secret esoteric doctrine of Ismailism, including the allegorical interpretation of the Koran and the natural sciences. The literal understanding of the Koran is not obligatory for the Ismailis and it is perceived as a symbolic text, however, the Ismailis follow almost all the ritual and legal requirements of Sharia. Alawites- the name of a number of Shiite sects that broke away from the Shiites in the XII century, but have in their teaching some elements characteristic of the Ismailis, according to some not entirely reliable information, including elements of ancient Eastern astral cults and Christianity. The name "Alawites" received from the name of Caliph Ali. Another name - Nusayri - on behalf of Ibn Nusayr, who is considered the founder of the sect. According to some sources, Caliph Ali is revered as an incarnate god, the Sun, the Moon, they believe in the transmigration of souls, some Christian holidays are celebrated. Distributed in Syria and Turkey. Druze - Arabic-speaking ethno-confessional group, which is one of the offshoots of Ismailism, followers of one of the extreme Shiite sects. The sect arose as a result of the first major split in Ismailism in the 11th-12th centuries, when a group of Fatimid supporters of the views of the disappeared (apparently killed) Caliph al-Hakim stood out from the Egyptian Ismailis and, according to opponents of the Druze, even recognized him as the incarnation of God. They got their name from the founder of the sect, politician and preacher Muhammad ibn Ismail Nashtakin ad-Darazi. Jainism is a religious and philosophical doctrine that arose in India around the 6th century BC. Founder - Jino Mahavira. It has approximately 6 million adherents, of which 3.5 million are in India. The basis of the philosophy of Jainism, as a dharmic religion, is belief in a series of rebirths (dharmachakra), the possibility of liberation from samsara (moksha), strict asceticism, the unchanging value of every life (in every form of its manifestation), and, as a result, non-harm to them - non-violence (ahimsa). Judaism, Judaism - the religious, national and ethical worldview of the Jewish people, the oldest of the three main monotheistic religions of mankind. In most languages, the concepts of "Jew" and "Jew" are denoted by one term and are not distinguished, which corresponds to the interpretation of Jewry by Judaism itself. In religious studies, it is customary to distinguish three historical periods in the development of Judaism: temple (during the existence of the Jerusalem temple), Talmudic and rabbinic (from the 6th century to the present). Modern Orthodox Judaism was formed on the basis of the movement (sect) of the Pharisees, which arose in the heyday of the Maccabees (II century BC). In modern Judaism there is no single and universally recognized institution or person who has the authority of a source of law, teaching or power. Sources of law (Halacha) of modern Orthodox Judaism: Tanakh (Written Torah) and Talmud (Oral Torah). Halacha regulates, in particular, those areas of Jewish life that are regulated by criminal, civil, family, corporate and customary law in other legal systems. Shintoism, Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan. Based on the animistic beliefs of the ancient Japanese, the objects of worship are numerous deities and spirits of the dead. Experienced in its development a significant influence of Buddhism. The basis of Shinto is the deification of natural forces and phenomena and the worship of them. It is believed that everything that exists on Earth is, to one degree or another, animated, deified, even those things that we used to consider inanimate - for example, a stone or a tree. Each thing has its own spirit, deity - (kami). Some kami are the spirits of the area, others personify natural phenomena, are the patrons of families and clans. Other kami represent global natural phenomena, such as Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess. Shinto includes magic, totemism, belief in the effectiveness of various talismans and amulets. The main principle of Shinto is to live in harmony with nature and people. According to Shinto, the world is a single natural environment where kami, people, the souls of the dead live side by side. Life is a natural and eternal cycle of birth and death, through which everything in the world is constantly renewed. Therefore, people do not need to seek salvation in another world, they should achieve harmony with the kami in this life. Sikhism is a religion founded in the Punjab, in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, by guru (spiritual teacher) Nanak (1469-1539). By 1990, the Sikh panth (religious community) had about 16 million members, 14 million of whom lived in the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. Sikhism is an independent religion that originated in the environment of Hinduism and Islam, but is not like other religions and does not recognize continuity. Sikhs believe in one God, an omnipotent and all-pervading Creator, incomprehensible and inaccessible. Nobody knows his real name. Only God himself knows the purpose of creation, which is full of Love. This is not the God of one people, he does not lead or punish anyone. He exudes mercy and love, and is devoid of hatred and passion. Taoism is a Chinese traditional teaching that includes elements of religion, mysticism, divination, shamanism, meditation practice, which also carries traditional philosophy and science. Taoism should be distinguished from the Teachings of Tao, a later phenomenon commonly known as Neo-Confucianism. Zoroastrianism is a religion that developed on the basis of the revelation of the prophet Spitama Zarathushtra (the Greek form of the name is Zoroaster), which he received from the god Ahura Mazda. Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest prophetic religions, perhaps the first of them. The date and place of the life of the prophet Zarathushtra have not been precisely established. Various researchers date the life of Zoroaster from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. until the 6th century BC Modern Zoroastrians keep counting according to the "fasli" calendar from the year when King Vishtaspa accepted Zoroastrianism from Zarathushtra himself. Zoroastrians believe that this event took place in 1738 BC. "First Faith" is the traditional epithet of Mazda Yasna.