Showing posts with label Buddhist countries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buddhist countries. Show all posts
Monday, January 27, 2025
Friday, October 14, 2022
The FREEST Countries in the World (ranked)
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| Your Country Is Just NOT That Into You |
Unfortunately, not everyone gets to experience freedom equally -- here or abroad. Using data from Freedom House and World Population Review, let's make list of the freest countries in the world.
They'll be scored out of 10 based on metrics such as personal, human, and economic freedom. Let’s just say, some places absolutely surprised us.
Here's a list of the world’s freest countries ranked from tenth to best. More
Friday, November 8, 2019
Central Asia: Turkmenistan (video)
Nurettin Yilmaz, Mar 27, 2019; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Central Asia: Turkmenistan highlights 2018
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| We know so little about this part of the world. |
(Wiki) Türkmenistan, formerly Turkmenia, is a country in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan on the northwest, Uzbekistan on the north and east, Afghanistan on the southeast, Iran on the south and southwest, and the Caspian Sea on the west.
Ashgabat is the capital and the country's largest city. The population of the country is only 5.6 million, the lowest of the Central Asian republics.
Turkmenistan has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. In medieval times, Merv was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road, a caravan route used for trade with China until the mid-15th century.
Annexed by the Russian Empire in 1881, Turkmenistan later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia.
In 1925, Turkmenistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union (USSR), the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (Turkmen SSR); it became independent on the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
In 1925, Turkmenistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union (USSR), the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (Turkmen SSR); it became independent on the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Turkmenistan possesses the world's sixth largest reserves of natural gas. Most of the country is covered by the Karakum (Black Sand) Desert. From 1993 to 2017, citizens received government-provided electricity, water, and natural gas free of charge.
The sovereign state of Turkmenistan was ruled by President-for-Life Saparmurat Niyazov (also known as Turkmenbashi) until his death in 2006. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was elected president in 2007.
According to Human Rights Watch, "Turkmenistan remains one of the world’s most repressive countries. The country is virtually closed to independent scrutiny, media and religious freedoms are subject to draconian restrictions, and human rights defenders and other activists face the constant threat of government reprisal."
After suspending the death penalty, the use of capital punishment was formally abolished in the 2008 constitution. See the Berzin Archives and ranajitpal.com.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Lake on Top of the World: Tajikistan
Tracks, Unseen Tajikistan, 1/25/18; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
The Rough and Unforgettable Pamir Highway
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| Central Asian Buddha in Gandhara style |
Catch a glimpse of one the most isolated parts of mountainous, formerly Buddhist Central Asia -- an astonishing area around Lake Kara-kul not been filmed for TV prior to this documentary.
This remarkable journey takes viewers to the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, eastern Tajikistan.
Environmental expert Jamshed is travelling via the twisted and uncertain highway through the Pamir Mountains to investigate a threat to the area's natural water supply: shrinking glaciers.
Environmental expert Jamshed is travelling via the twisted and uncertain highway through the Pamir Mountains to investigate a threat to the area's natural water supply: shrinking glaciers.
The expedition's final destination is the exceptional Lake Kara-kul, sitting high in the Ak-Baikal Pass, 15,270 feet (4,655 meters) above sea level, surrounded by 23,000-foot (7,000 meter) peaks, where Jamshed is to meet with geologist Nasser Kundur Al-Fakhry.
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| Land of Saccans (Scythians, Shakyians, Sakas) |
Along the lengthy and neglected "Pamir Highway," the crew makes stops at the famous hot springs of Garam Chashma, the 3,000-year-old pre-historic petroglyphs of Langar, and Yamchun Fortress a 12th century structure overlooking the Wakhan Valley along the Silk Road in formerly Buddhist Afghanistan.
TRACKS publishes unique, unexpected, untold stories from across the world every week. From the series "Lakes on the Roof of the World." Facebook: facebook.com/TRACKSTravel… Content licensed from Sky Vision. Any queries, please contact: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Index: Most and least religious countries
Which countries are the most and least religious? The WIN-Gallup International "Religion and Atheism Index" collected data from 57 countries in order to find out.The Religiosity Index represents the percentage of the population who self-describe themselves as ‘a religious person’ in the question worded as: Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, would you say you are a religious person, not a religious person, or a convinced atheist?
Some interesting takeaways:
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| Kwan Yin (wenmft/flickr) |
1. The poor are more religious than the rich. People in bottom income
groups are 17% more religious than those in the top income groups.
2. Globally, the number of those claiming to be religious has dropped
by 9% from 2005 to 2011, while the number of people identifying
themselves as atheists has risen by 3%.
3. Four countries have experienced a drop in religiosity in their
populations that is greater than 20% between 2005 and 2012. France and
Switzerland saw decreases of 21%, while Ireland's number of faithful
declined by 22% and Vietnam's by 23%.
- Uncomfortable Facts About JESUS (Huff Po Live)
Around the Web
Friday, March 6, 2009
The many 100 birthdays in Japan
Tracey Coyle (3/5/09)
Japan now has so many people over 100 that it is cutting costs by reducing the size of silver cups it presents to those who reach that age. Last year 19,769 people reached triple figures in the world's most rapidly aging country, compared with only 153 in 1963, the year when the cups were first presented. More>>
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