August 9th is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, and it’s an important occasion to remember the rights, cultures and traditions of Indigenous Peoples. Some characteristics of Indigenous Peoples are they occupied a country/region before it was colonized; they have a strong connection to specific territories and natural areas; they have a distinct language, social system, political system, economic system, culture and beliefs.

Some basic facts about the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Peoples:

• International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was first adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on December 23, 1994.
• Many Indigenous Peoples often are in close contact with the land and respect the land.
• There are currently 200 groups of Indigenous Peoples around the world in about 90 countries.
• Some known Indigenous Peoples are the Yanomami (South America and the Amazon rainforest), Quechua (Andes Mountains), Hmong (Asia), Ainu (Japan), Sami (Europe), and the Bambuti (Central Africa).
• The United Nations (UN) created the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
• 22% of the world’s population is Indigenous Peoples and there are about 370-500 million Indigenous Peoples.
• Indigenous Peoples speak about 7,000 languages and have 5,000 different cultures.
• Africa and the Americas have one of the most diverse linguistics of Indigenous Peoples.

Here are some ways to learn more about Indigenous Peoples:

1. Check out the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)websiteabout Indigenous Peoples. UNESCO offers information on different Indigenous Peoples.
2. Explore a diversity of languages. As UNESCO is about to launch itsWorld Atlas of Languages, the new world Atlas will include 8,300+ languages. For a sneak peek, here is the link to the beta version of the World Atlas of Languages.

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