The nation we call India today is the second largest nation in the world, with over a billion people.

India, like most ancient civilizations, developed along rivers. The three most important in India are the Ganges, the Indus, and the Brahmaputra.

The first Indians emerged along the Indus River Valley. This is called the Indus civilization. We know about the Indus people because of the work of archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler.

Dr. Wheeler directed the excavations of ancient Indus cities Harappa and Mohenjo- Daro, built around 2600 bc.

When the Indus civilization declined, a nomadic people called the Aryans moved onto the Indian subcontinent. They began to farm and learned to make tools out of iron. They were led by chiefs called Rajahs.

The Aryans started a strict "caste system", in which each person was born into a certain class. The highest caste were the priests, called "brahmans." The lowest caste are the "untouchables" who are very poor. You could not change your caste in life.

The Aryans also developed a polytheistic religion that through the years evolved into the modern Indian religion, Hinduism. If you practice Hinduism, you are called a Hindu.

Hindus worship many gods, among them are Vishnu, the god of preservation:

In India in 2005, a girl was born named Lakshmi. She had 4 hands and 4 legs, and many Hindu regarded her as a goddess. Some said she should have surgery, some said no. Regardless, she had surgery to removed the extra limbs (from a parasitic conjoined twin) and is doing well.

Brahma, the Creator:

And Shiva, the destroyer:

The key belief of Hinduism is "God is one, but wise people know him by many names." Hindus say that if you do good works in life, you will be reincarnated into a higher caste. If you do evil, you will be reincarnated into a lower caste. This is called "karma."

The ancient Chinese developed along the Chang River, and the Huang River, also called the Yellow River, or the River of Sorrows.

Today, Chinese people have several religious beliefs, including Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddharta Gautama, the Buddha. The goal of Buddhism is to reach enlightenment, where a person will experience neither suffering or death.

In order to reach enlightenment, Buddhists say a person must live by the "Eightfold Path.

Confucianism is based on the teachings of a philosopher named Confucius. Unlike Buddhists, he was concerned with worldly goals, not spiritual matters. His teachings were written down by his followers in a collection called the Analects.

Excerpts from the Analects: "To know your faults and be able to change is the greatest virtue." 知錯能改，善莫大焉 "What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others." 己所不欲，勿施於人。 "With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my crooked arm for a pillow - is not joy to be found therein? Riches and honors acquired through unrighteousness are to me as the floating clouds." 疏食飲水，曲肱而枕，樂在其中矣。不義而富貴，於我如浮雲。 "Knowledge is recognizing what you know and what you don't." 知之為知之，不知為不知，是知也. "Reviewing the day's lessons. Isn't it joyful? Friends come from far. Isn't it delightful? One has never been angry at other's misunderstanding. Isn't he a respectable man?" 學而時習之，不亦說乎？有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎 ? 人不知而不慍，不亦君子乎？

And this leads to "Confucius says" jokes: Man who run behind car get exhausted. Man who live in glass house should change clothes in basement. Man who put head on railroad track to listen for train likely to end up with splitting headache. Man who pushes piano down mineshaft get tone of A flat miner. Wise man never play leapfrog with unicorn. Man who fly airplane upside-down bound to have crack up. He who eat cookie in bed, will wake up feeling crumby. He who eat ice cream in car is a Sundae Driver. Man who run in front of car get tired. Confucius says:

Daoism was founded by Laozi, and teaches harmony with nature. The Dao is the way of the universe, and Daoists look beyond everyday cares to focus on "the way." They saw governments as unnatural, and therefore the root of many problems.

The Chinese have been responsible for developing many things. One of the most valuable was silk, made from the cocoons of silk worms.

One of the tastiest Chinese inventions was spaghetti. Yes, it's Chinese, not Italian. (Some Italians will argue about that because the Chinese use rice flour)

Chinese writing at one time contained tens of thousands of characters. It has been simplified in recent years, but remains one of the most difficult. In order to read a newspaper, you must memorize several thousand characters. And still the Chinese were the first to produce books, made from thin strips of bamboo bound together.

The ancient Chinese were ruled by a series of dynasties. A dynasty is a ruling family. The Shang dynasty was the first, starting about 1766 bc.

They were replaced by the Zhou dynasty which lasted from 1122 bc to about 256 bc. Dynasties ruled China until Why so long? Because the Chinese believed their rulers were given power by god, through the Mandate of Heaven: rule by god's approval.

China's most recognizable landmark was built during the Qin dynasty, by Shi Huangdi. He called himself the "First Emperor," and imposed order on his people. He connected pieces of wall to make the Great Wall of China, 25 feet tall, with a road on top. The actual wall stretches over 3,889 miles.

Today, China has a Communist government, but in recent years they have granted more freedom to their citizens. Maybe at some point the world will see a truly free China. The 1989 Tiananmen Square protest against Comunism. He is called the "Tank Man"