The two world wars were not the only
events that created many refugees. In
1947 the British divided their colony of
India into two new independent countries:
India, where the main religion was
Hinduism; and Pakistan, where the religion
was Islam. Eighteen million people
crossed the borders in order to live with
others of their own religion.
During the 1900s, many Jewish
migrants and refugees settled in the
Middle East in the region called Palestine.
They created Israel as a Jewish
homeland in 1948. After that, many
Arabs who had been living in Palestine
became refugees themselves.
Millions of refugees fled Asian wars.
One such war was the KoreanWar of
1950–53. Another was the VietnamWar
that ended in 1975. Another was the
invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet
Union in the 1980s. More than 1 million
refugees left Iraq during the Persian
GulfWar in 1991.
Events in Africa, the Americas, and
Europe also created refugees. Civil wars
in Africa forced millions from their
homelands. When the Caribbean nation
of Cuba became Communist in 1959,
more than 1 million refugees left the
island. The breakup of Yugoslavia in the
1990s set off fighting between its different
groups of peoples. Two million
people had to leave their homelands.
In the early 21st century, the UN estimated
that there were still about 10 mil-
World War II refugees cross a wrecked
bridge in Germany in 1945.
A family of refugees from Afghanistan
seeks help from the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Refugee 41
lion refugees in the world. Many of
them lived in crowded camps because
they were unable to find permanent
homes in the countries that they fled to.
#More to explore
Migration, Human • United Nations
Reindeer
Reindeer are mammals of the deer family
along with moose and elk. They are
also called caribou. All reindeer grow
pairs of antlers, which are large bony
growths on the head. Female reindeer
are the only females of the deer family to
grow antlers.
Reindeer live in the far northern
regions of North America, Europe, and
Asia. They live in forests and the Arctic
tundra, or treeless plains of the far
north.
Compared to other members of the
deer family, reindeer have thicker bodies
and shorter legs. Reindeer stand about
2 to 5 feet (0.6 to 1.5 meters) high at
the shoulder. They can weigh as much
as 700 pounds (320 kilograms). They
have thick coats of brown, gray, or
whitish fur. Their feet have wide
hooves.
Reindeer live together in herds. The
herds travel long distances between their
summer and winter homes. Reindeer eat
grasses, other plants, and a plantlike
material called reindeer moss.
Reindeer breed in autumn. The males
often battle each other for mates. The
females usually give birth to one baby at
a time.
Some people, including the Sami of
northern Europe, keep herds of reindeer.
They use the animals to pull sleds over
the snow. They also raise reindeer for
their meat, milk, and skins.
#More to explore
Deer • Tundra
Religion
People often use the word religion to
mean the worship of a god or gods. But
some religions do not have gods. One
thing that all religions have in common
is that they help their followers to find
meaning in the world. Many people
want to know where the world came
from. Many also want to know what
happens after death. Most religions
offer some sort of answer to these great
questions. The major world religions of
today are Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and
Judaism.
Some reindeer are found in the Arctic tundra,
while others are forest animals.
42 Reindeer BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Types of Religion
Throughout history there have been two
main types of religion. One type has a
single, all-powerful god. Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam are the major religions
that say there is one god. Other religions
with one god include Sikhism and
Baha#i.
In the other main type of religion, followers
believe in more than one god.
The religions of this type include Hinduism,
Jainism, Shinto, Zoroastrianism,
Native American religions, and traditional
African religions.
Followers of other religions do not focus
on worshipping gods. For example, followers
of Buddhism search for a higher
state of being, which means freedom
from suffering. Followers of Daoism
focus on acting in a certain way.
Common Elements of Religion
Religions usually have rituals, or special
patterns of actions, that followers perform.
They often have prayers that followers
say and holidays on certain days
of the year. Many religions have written
works that are considered holy, such as
the Bible or the Koran. Many religions
also have special buildings, such as
churches or temples, where followers
gather for worship.
Religions set out rules or guidelines for
how followers should live. Different
religions have different rules. However,
many religious rules have to do with
treating others well and doing the right
thing. Religions also have sets of beliefs
that followers accept as true—for
example, belief in a god and life after
death.
Religions have played a very important
role in the history of people all over the
world. They have affected almost every
