From USA Today
by Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY4:04 a.m. EDT July 11, 2013
Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, which began this week, is celebrated by Muslims worldwide marked by fasting, abstaining from foods, sex and smoking from dawn to dusk. It is a time for soul cleansing and for strengthening spiritual bonds.
According to the Pew Research Center, there are approximately 1.6 billion Muslims around the world, making Islam the second-largest religion after Christianity. Two-thirds of Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region, although the religion’s association with the Mideast and North Africa is strong, in fact, according to Pew, more Muslims live in India and Pakistan (344 million) than in a combined Mideast and North Africa (317 million).
Some other notable Ramadan-related numbers, courtesy of The Guardian‘s Data Blog:
•The date is traditionally used by Muslims to break their fast. Around 7.5 million tons of dates were produced in 2011.
•In the United Arab Emirates, Muslim residents abstain from food and drink for around 15 hours each day during the holy month. Average temperatures during this time reach 122 degrees.
