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67-492: An estimated 20,000 people visit the refuge each year. There is no dedicated budget or staff for the refuge; it is administered completely by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge . Banks Lake is a natural pocosin or mill pond probably created by tidal action of the ocean and shaped by a more temperate climate thousands of years ago. In the mid-19th century, Joshua Lee built a low-level dam across

134-636: A 100-seat surround-sound auditorium. In the late 19th century, W.T. Chesser and his family settled a small island on the eastern edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. He settled on a 592‑acre (2.4 km ) island, now known as Chesser Island . The Chesser homestead still stands on the island. The last of the Chessers left the island in 1958, but many members of the Chesser family remain in the local area. Lakes and slow-flowing water trails, called "runs," cover much of

201-663: A Wetland of International Importance by the United Nations under the Ramsar Convention of 1971. The swamp is compared through research to wetlands worldwide. It is world-renowned for its amphibian populations that are bio-indicators of global health. Water from the Suwannee River Sill area is used as a standard reference by scientists throughout the world. The slow-moving waters of the Okefenokee are tea-colored due to

268-557: A description of Greece itself, besides accounts of western and northern Europe. His work survives only fragmentarily, but was received by Polybius and others. Roman Empire period authors include Diodorus Siculus , Strabo and Tacitus . Julius Caesar gives an account of the Celtic tribes of Gaul , while Tacitus describes the Germanic tribes of Magna Germania . A number of authors like Diodorus Siculus, Pausanias and Sallust depict

335-684: A long history in Europe , but is a small minority religion, with France (1%) the only European country with a Jewish population in excess of 0.5%. The Jewish population of Europe is composed primarily of two groups , the Ashkenazi and the Sephardi . Ancestors of Ashkenazi Jews likely migrated to Central Europe at least as early as the 8th century , while Sephardi Jews established themselves in Spain and Portugal at least one thousand years before that. Jews originated in

402-723: A massive drainage attempt, and intensive timber harvesting . Native Americans inhabited Okefenokee Swamp as early as 2500 BC. Peoples of the Deptford Culture, the Swift Creek Culture and the Weeden Island Culture occupied sites within the Okefenokee. The last tribe to seek sanctuary in the swamp were the Seminoles . Troops led by General Charles Rinaldo Floyd during the Second Seminole War , 1838–1842, ended

469-508: A mixture of four distinct ancestral components. Iron Age (pre- Great Migrations ) populations of Europe known from Greco-Roman historiography , notably Herodotus , Pliny , Ptolemy and Tacitus : Ethno-linguistic groups that arrived from outside Europe during historical times are: The earliest accounts of European ethnography date from Classical Antiquity . Herodotus described the Scythians and Thraco-Illyrians . Dicaearchus gave

536-448: A relation of the peoples of Europe are expressed in terms of genealogy of mythical founders of the individual groups. The Europeans were considered the descendants of Japheth from early times, corresponding to the division of the known world into three continents , the descendants of Shem peopling Asia and those of Ham peopling Africa . Identification of Europeans as " Japhetites " is also reflected in early suggestions for terming

603-418: A variety of amphibians , North American river otters , Florida bobcats , raptors , Eastern American red foxes , wild boars , common minks , Virginia white-tailed deer , gray foxes , Florida skunks , Florida black bears , and songbirds . The swamp habitat also provides for threatened and endangered species , such as red-cockaded woodpeckers , wood storks , indigo snakes , gopher tortoises and

670-532: A wide variety of other wildlife species. There are opportunities for hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing, boating, photography and wildlife observation. The Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge was built in 1967, with an auditorium addition in the early 1980s. The 5,000-square-foot (460 m ) building is cedar-sided with open, vaulted ceilings and flagstone floors. It houses exhibits, Okefenokee Wildlife League bookstore sales area, office space for staff and volunteers, storage, and

737-466: Is a mosaic of habitats, plants, and wildlife. Entrance fees are required at each entrance. European ethnic groups This is an accepted version of this page Europeans are the focus of European ethnology , the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe . Groups may be defined by common ancestry, common language, common faith, etc. The total number of national minority populations in Europe

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804-460: Is administered from offices in Folkston, Georgia . The refuge was established in 1937 to protect a majority of the 438,000 acre (1,772 km ) Okefenokee Swamp . Though often translated as "land of trembling earth", the name "Okefenokee" is likely derived from Hitchiti oki fanôːki "bubbling water". Nearly 400,000 people visit the refuge each year, making it the 16th most visited refuge in

871-501: Is estimated at 105 million people, or 14% of 770 million Europeans in 2002. The Russians are the most populous among Europeans, with a population of roughly 120 million. There are no universally accepted and precise definitions of the terms " ethnic group " and " nationality ". In the context of European ethnography in particular, the terms ethnic group , people , nationality and ethno-linguistic group are used as mostly synonymous, although preference may vary in usage with respect to

938-503: Is generally linked to the classical definition of the Western world . In this definition, Western culture is the set of literary , scientific , political , artistic and philosophical principles which set it apart from other civilizations. Much of this set of traditions and knowledge is collected in the Western canon . The term has come to apply to countries whose history has been strongly marked by European immigration or settlement during

1005-547: Is the largest Christian country in Europe by population, followed by Germany and Italy . According to Scholars, in 2017, Europe's population was 77.8% Christian (up from 74.9% 1970), these changes were largely result of the collapse of Communism and switching to Christianity in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries. Islam has some tradition in the Balkans and the Caucasus due to conquest and colonization from

1072-657: Is the largest religion in the European Union , accounting for 72% of the EU 's population. As of 2010 Catholics were the largest Christian group in Europe , accounting for more than 48% of European Christians. The second-largest Christian group in Europe were the Orthodox , who made up 32% of European Christians. About 19% of European Christians were part of the Protestant tradition. Russia

1139-423: Is the so-called "time element", or how long the original inhabitants of a land occupied it before the arrival of later settlers. As there is no fixed time frame, the answer to the question of what groups constitute Indigenous minorities is often context-dependent. The most extreme view claims that all Europeans are "descendants of previous waves of immigrants", and as such, the countries of Europe are no different from

1206-754: Is very heterogeneous, with more than 95% in Poland, and less than 20% in the Czech Republic and Estonia. The 2005 Eurobarometer poll found that 52% of EU citizens believe in God. According to a Pew Research Center Survey in 2012 the Religiously Unaffiliated ( Atheists and Agnostics ) make up about 18.2% of the European population in 2010. According to the same Survey the Religiously Unaffiliated make up

1273-520: The Bell beaker period), and a Proto-Balto-Slavic language (assumed for roughly the Corded Ware horizon) has been postulated with less confidence. Old European hydronymy has been taken as indicating an early (Bronze Age) Indo-European predecessor of the later centum languages. According to geneticist David Reich , based on ancient human genomes that his laboratory sequenced in 2016, Europeans descend from

1340-556: The Cold War , since the 1990s. The foundation of the OSCE following the 1990s Paris Charter has facilitated this process on a political level during the 1990s and 2000s. From the later 20th century, 'Europe' has come to be widely used as a synonym for the European Union even though there are millions of people living on the European continent in non-EU member states. The prefix pan implies that

1407-536: The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities . The broad aims of the convention are to ensure that the signatory states respect the rights of national minorities, undertaking to combat discrimination, promote equality, preserve and develop the culture and identity of national minorities, guarantee certain freedoms in relation to access to the media, minority languages and education and encourage

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1474-623: The Indo-European languages of Europe, including: Besides the Indo-European languages, there are other language families on the European continent which are considered unrelated to Indo-European: The Basques have been found to descend from the population of the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age directly. By contrast, Indo-European groups of Europe (the Centum , Balto-Slavic , and Albanian groups) migrated throughout most of Europe from

1541-569: The Indo-European languages "Japhetic". In this tradition, the Historia Brittonum (9th century) introduces a genealogy of the peoples of the Migration Period based on the sixth-century Frankish Table of Nations as follows, The text goes then on to list the genealogy of Alanus, connecting him to Japheth via eighteen generations. European culture is largely rooted in what is often referred to as its "common cultural heritage". Due to

1608-697: The Levant where they resided for thousands of years until the 2nd century AD, when they spread around the Mediterranean and into Europe, although small communities were known to exist in Greece as well as the Balkans since at least the 1st century BC. Jewish history was notably affected by the Holocaust and emigration (including Aliyah , as well as emigration to America ) in the 20th century. The Jewish population of Europe in 2010

1675-618: The National Park Service announced that the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge would be nominated as Georgia's first World Heritage Site . Okefenokee NWR has an approved acquisition boundary of 519,480 acres (2,102 km ), which is 123,480 acres (500 km ) larger than its current area. Approximately 371,000 acres (1,500 km ) of the Okefenokee Swamp wetlands are incorporated into

1742-735: The National Wildlife Refuge System . It is the largest in acreage of any that is not located in a western state. In 1999, the economic impact of tourism in Charlton , Ware , and Clinch Counties in Georgia exceeded $ 67 million. The refuge has a staff of 16 with a fiscal year 2005 budget of $ 1,451,000. The refuge also administers the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge . The swamp has a rich human history including Native American settlement, explorations by Europeans ,

1809-722: The Oriental Church , is also in Europe – another branch of Christianity (world's oldest National Church). Catholicism , while typically centered in Western Europe , also has a very significant following in Central Europe (especially among the Germanic , Western Slavic and Hungarian peoples/regions) as well as in Ireland (with some in Great Britain). Christianity has been the dominant religion shaping European culture for at least

1876-555: The Ottoman Empire in the 16th to 19th centuries, as well as earlier though discontinued long-term presence in much of Iberia as well as Sicily . Muslims account for the majority of the populations in Albania , Azerbaijan , Kosovo , Northern Cyprus (controlled by Turks ), and Bosnia and Herzegovina . Significant minorities are present in the rest of Europe. Russia also has one of the largest Muslim communities in Europe, including

1943-657: The Pontic steppe . They are assumed to have developed in situ through admixture of earlier Mesolithic and Neolithic populations with Bronze Age, proto-Indo-Europeans . The Finnic peoples are assumed to also be descended from Proto-Uralic populations further to the east, nearer to the Ural Mountains , that had migrated to their historical homelands in Europe by about 3,000 years ago. Reconstructed languages of Iron Age Europe include Proto-Celtic , Proto-Italic and Proto-Germanic , all of these Indo-European languages of

2010-655: The Scottish Highlands , and the Isle of Man ; Also the Silesian and Sorbian people of Germany and Poland. Many non-European ethnic groups and nationalities have migrated to Europe over the centuries. Some arrived centuries ago. However, the vast majority arrived more recently, mostly in the 20th and 21st centuries. Often, they come from former colonies of the British, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Spanish empires. Medieval notions of

2077-509: The Swiss are discussed in terms of both ethnicity and language affiliations. Of the total population of Europe of some 740 million (as of 2010), close to 90% (or some 650 million) fall within three large branches of Indo-European languages , these being: Three stand-alone Indo-European languages do not fall within larger sub-groups and are not closely related to those larger language families: In addition, there are also smaller sub-groups within

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2144-749: The Tatars of the Middle Volga and multiple groups in the Caucasus, including Chechens , Avars , Ingush and others. With 20th-century migrations, Muslims in Western Europe have become a noticeable minority. According to the Pew Forum , the total number of Muslims in Europe in 2010 was about 44 million (6%), while the total number of Muslims in the European Union in 2007 was about 16 million (3.2%). Judaism has

2211-537: The centum group, and Proto-Slavic and Proto-Baltic , of the satem group. A group of Tyrrhenian languages appears to have included Etruscan , Rhaetian , Lemnian , and perhaps Camunic . A pre-Roman stage of Proto-Basque can only be reconstructed with great uncertainty. Regarding the European Bronze Age , the only relatively likely reconstruction is that of Proto-Greek (ca. 2000 BC). A Proto-Italo-Celtic ancestor of both Italic and Celtic (assumed for

2278-693: The tannic acid released from decaying vegetation. The principal outlet of the swamp, the Suwannee River , originates in the heart of the Okefenokee and drains southwest into the Gulf of Mexico . The swamp's southeastern drainage to the Atlantic Ocean is the St. Mary's River , which forms the boundary between Georgia and Florida. The swamp contains numerous islands and lakes, along with vast areas of non-forested habitat. Prairies cover about 60,000 acres (240 km ) of

2345-445: The "Western World" has been intimately connected with the concept of " Christianity and Christendom " many even attribute Christianity for being the link that created a unified European identity . Christianity is still the largest religion in Europe; according to a 2011 survey, 76.2% of Europeans considered themselves Christians . Also according to a study on Religiosity in the European Union in 2012, by Eurobarometer , Christianity

2412-690: The 10th century gives an account of the Bolghar and the Rus' peoples . William Rubruck , while most notable for his account of the Mongols , in his account of his journey to Asia also gives accounts of the Tatars and the Alans . Saxo Grammaticus and Adam of Bremen give an account of pre-Christian Scandinavia. The Chronicon Slavorum (12th century) gives an account of the northwestern Slavic tribes. Gottfried Hensel in his 1741 Synopsis Universae Philologiae published one of

2479-591: The 18th and 19th centuries, such as the Americas , and Australasia , and is not restricted to Europe. Since the High Middle Ages , most of Europe has been dominated by Christianity . There are three major denominations: Roman Catholic , Protestant and Eastern Orthodox , with Protestantism restricted mostly to Northern Europe , and Orthodoxy to East and South Slavic regions, Romania , Moldova , Greece , and Georgia . The Armenian Apostolic Church , part of

2546-565: The 1970s, the E.D. Rivers Estate threatened to drain the lake and harvest the "lightered stumps" and cypress trees . The Nature Conservancy purchased the land from the E.D. Rivers Estate on March 14, 1980. In April, 1980, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service entered into a lease agreement with The Nature Conservancy for management and operation of Banks Lake. On February 22, 1985, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased Banks Lake from The Nature Conservancy and redesignated it as

2613-758: The Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Banks Lake is a natural pocosin probably created by tidal action of the ocean and shaped by a more temperate climate thousands of years ago. Of the 4,049 acres (16.4 km), approximately 1,000 acres (4 km) is open water. The remainder consists of marsh , hardwood swamp , and uplands . Fishing is permitted year-round on the lake in accordance with Georgia State fishing laws. Sportfish most caught include largemouth bass , chain pickerel , crappie , bluegill , warmouth perch , flier , and catfish . A short walking trail, boardwalk and platform are provided for wildlife viewing opportunities A concession,

2680-513: The Banks Lake Outdoors, rents canoes and kayaks and sells fishing and hunting licenses, bait and tackle, gifts, and snacks. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a 402,000‑acre (1,627 km ) National Wildlife Refuge located in Charlton , Ware , and Clinch Counties of Georgia , and Baker County in Florida , United States. The refuge

2747-540: The Okefenokee has become an area known for its abundance of plants and animals. There are 621 species of plants growing in the swamp, including the Longleaf Pine tree. Animals include 39 fish, 37 amphibian, 64 reptile, 234 bird, and 50 mammal species. The Okefenokee Swamp is world renowned for its amphibian populations that are bio-indicators of global health. Wildlife species include Florida raccoons , wading birds , ducks , American alligators and other reptiles ,

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2814-508: The Okefenokee. More than 60 lakes dot the refuge, with depths ranging from a few feet to 15 feet (4.6 m). The largest, Billy's Lake, is 3½ miles long and 100 to 250 yards (230 m) wide. Fishing is permitted year round in accordance with Georgia State fishing laws. Using live bait fish or trot lines is prohibited. There are 121 miles (195 km) of trails in the swamp, of which 70 are open to day-use motorboat 10 horsepower (7.5 kW) and under. Seven overnight shelters are available in

2881-572: The Suwannee Canal 11.5 miles (18.5 km) into the swamp. Economic recessions led to the company's bankruptcy and eventual sale to Charles Hebard in 1901. Logging operations, focusing on the cypress, began in 1909 after a railroad was constructed on the northwest area of the swamp. More than 431 million board feet (1,020,000 m ) of timber were removed from the Okefenokee by 1927, when logging operations ceased. The Okefenokee Preservation Society, formed in 1918, promoted nationwide interest in

2948-809: The United States or Canada with regards to who settled where. Some groups that claim Indigenous minority status in Europe include the Uralic Nenets , Samoyed , and Komi peoples of northern Russia; Circassians of southern Russia and the North Caucasus ; Crimean Tatars , Krymchaks and Crimean Karaites of Crimea (Ukraine); Sámi peoples of northern Norway , Sweden , and Finland and northwestern Russia (in an area also referred to as Sápmi ); Galicians of Galicia , Spain ; Catalans of Catalonia , Spain and southern France ; Basques of Basque Country , Spain and southern France ; Gaels of Ireland ,

3015-562: The age of the Native Americans in the Okefenokee. The Suwannee Canal Company purchased 238,120 acres (963 km ) of the Okefenokee Swamp from the State of Georgia in 1891 to drain the swamp for rice, sugar cane, and cotton plantations. When this failed, the company began industrial wetland logging as a source of income. Captain Henry Jackson and his crews spent three years digging

3082-540: The ancient Sardinian and Corsican peoples. The 4th century Tabula Peutingeriana records the names of numerous peoples and tribes. Ethnographers of Late Antiquity such as Agathias of Myrina , Ammianus Marcellinus , Jordanes , and Theophylact Simocatta give early accounts of the Slavs , the Franks , the Alamanni and the Goths . Book IX of Isidore 's Etymologiae (7th century) treats de linguis, gentibus, regnis, militia, civibus (concerning languages, peoples, realms, war and cities). Ahmad ibn Fadlan in

3149-480: The area becomes susceptible to wildfire . A 20-to-30-year cycle of drought and fire has allowed the Okefenokee to exist as the unique wetland it is. These periods cause changes in the abundance of certain plants (more grasses growing in exposed areas) the nesting success of certain wading birds (failure in extreme drought), and the location of some species of wildlife (fish migrate into deeper lakes and channels and are followed by predators). With its varied habitats,

3216-458: The categorisation of Europeans into clearly defined racial groups. A 2007 study on the genetic history of Europe found that the most important genetic differentiation in Europe occurs on a line from the north to the south-east (northern Europe to the Balkans), with another east–west axis of differentiation across Europe, separating the indigenous Basques , Sardinians and Sami from other European populations. Despite these stratifications it noted

3283-406: The culmination of a movement that had been initiated at least 25 years earlier by a group of scientists from Cornell University who recognized the educational, scientific, and recreational values of this unique area. In 1974, to further ensure the protection of this unique ecosystem, the interior sections of the refuge were designated a National Wilderness Area . In 1986, the Okefenokee Refuge

3350-404: The current European population. Both Spain and the United Kingdom are special cases, in that the designation of nationality , Spanish and British , may controversially take ethnic aspects, subsuming various regional ethnic groups (see nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain and native populations of the United Kingdom ). Switzerland is a similar case, but the linguistic subgroups of

3417-438: The drainage creek on his property and utilized the impounded running water to power a grist mill to grind corn, wheat, and rice. The impounded lake and accompanying mill established the area as a trade center along the early stagecoach route between Waresboro, Georgia and Thomasville, Georgia . In the 1920s, the E.D. Rivers family attempted to develop the area around the lake for electric power and land development . In

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3484-445: The earliest ethno-linguistic map of Europe, showing the beginning of the pater noster in the various European languages and scripts. In the 19th century, ethnicity was discussed in terms of scientific racism , and the ethnic groups of Europe were grouped into a number of " races ", Mediterranean , Alpine and Nordic , all part of a larger " Caucasian " group. The beginnings of ethnic geography as an academic subdiscipline lie in

3551-445: The great number of perspectives which can be taken on the subject, it is impossible to form a single, all-embracing conception of European culture. Nonetheless, there are core elements which are generally agreed upon as forming the cultural foundation of modern Europe. One list of these elements given by K. Bochmann includes: Berting says that these points fit with "Europe's most positive realisations". The concept of European culture

3618-408: The last 1700 years. Modern philosophical thought has very much been influenced by Christian philosophers such as St Thomas Aquinas and Erasmus, and throughout most of its history, Europe has been nearly equivalent to Christian culture . The Christian culture was the predominant force in western civilization , guiding the course of philosophy , art , and science . The notion of "Europe" and

3685-401: The majority of the population in only two European countries: Czech Republic (76%) and Estonia (60%). " Pan-European identity " or " Europatriotism " is an emerging sense of personal identification with Europe, or the European Union as a result of the gradual process of European integration taking place over the last quarter of the 20th century, and especially in the period after the end of

3752-406: The natural qualities of the swamp, provide habitat for a variety of wildlife, and provide recreational opportunities for visitors. They also conduct prescribed burns in upland areas, thin forests , create wildlife openings, plant longleaf pines, and monitor, manage, and improve wildlife populations and habitat. The Okefenokee is a rainfall -dependent system, and when periods of drought occur,

3819-460: The participation of national minorities in public life. The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities defines a national minority implicitly to include minorities possessing a territorial identity and a distinct cultural heritage. By 2008, 39 member states had signed and ratified the convention, with the notable exception of France . Definitions of what constitutes Indigenous minority groups in Europe can vary widely. One criterion

3886-457: The period following World War I, in the context of nationalism , and in the 1930s exploitation for the purposes of fascist and Nazi propaganda , so that it was only in the 1960s that ethnic geography began to thrive as a bona fide academic subdiscipline. The origins of modern ethnography are often traced to the work of Bronisław Malinowski , who emphasized the importance of fieldwork. The emergence of population genetics further undermined

3953-554: The refuge. 353,981 acres (1,432 km ) within the swamp were designated as the Okefenokee Wilderness , a part of the National Wilderness Preservation System when the Okefenokee Wilderness Act was passed in 1974, making it the third largest wilderness east of the Mississippi River. The Okefenokee Swamp is a vast bog inside a huge, saucer-shaped depression that was once part of the ocean floor . The swamp now lies 103 to 128 feet (39 m) above mean sea level . Peat deposits, up to 15 feet (4.6 m) thick, cover much of

4020-476: The situation specific to the individual countries of Europe. In 2021, the number of non-EU nationals living in EU members states was 23.7 million (5.3% of the EU population). The countries with the largest population of non-nationals were Germany, Spain, France and Italy. These four Member States represented 70.3% of all non-EU nationals living in the EU Member States. The population of the European Union , with some 450 million residents, accounts for two thirds of

4087-441: The swamp floor. These deposits are so unstable in spots that trees and surrounding bushes tremble by stomping the surface. Native Americans named the area "Okefenokee" meaning "Land of the Trembling Earth". Swamp habitats include open wet " prairies ", cypress forests , scrub-shrub vegetation , upland islands, and open lakes. The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the world's largest intact freshwater ecosystems. It has been designated

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4154-404: The swamp's interior. The refuge has six different boating trails (Red, Green, Blue, Purple, Orange, and Brown) giving users a choice of twelve different overnight canoe trips. There are three major entrances to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, each with its own facilities and special character. From the open, wet "prairies" of the east side to the forested cypress swamps on the west, Okefenokee

4221-447: The swamp. Once forested, these expanses of marsh were created during periods of severe drought when fires burned out vegetation and the top layers of peat. The prairies harbor a variety of wading birds: herons, egrets, ibises, cranes, and bitterns. Refuge staff manages 33,000 acres (130 km ) of uplands which are being restored to once-abundant longleaf pine and wiregrass habitat . Refuge staff and volunteers work to preserve

4288-477: The swamp. With the support of state and local interests and numerous conservation and scientific organizations, the Federal Government acquired most of the swamp for refuge purposes in 1936. In 1937, with Executive Order 7593 (later amended by Executive Order 7994), President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the refuge, designating it as "a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife." The establishment of Okefenokee Refuge in 1937 marked

4355-404: The unusually high degree of European homogeneity: "there is low apparent diversity in Europe with the entire continent-wide samples only marginally more dispersed than single population samples elsewhere in the world." The total number of national minority populations in Europe is estimated at 105 million people, or 14% of Europeans. The member states of the Council of Europe in 1995 signed

4422-452: Was designated by the Wetlands Convention as a Wetland of International Importance . A wildfire which began with a lightning strike near the center of the Refuge on May 5, 2007 merged with another wildfire that had begun near Waycross, Georgia on April 16 due to a tree falling on a power line. By May 28, more than 580,000 acres (2,300 km ) had burned in the region, or more than 900 square miles (2300 km ). In September 2023,

4489-442: Was estimated to be approximately 1.4 million (0.2% of European population) or 10% of the world's Jewish population. In the 21st century, France has the largest Jewish population in Europe , followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia and Ukraine. In modern times, significant secularization since the 20th century, notably in secularist France , Estonia and the Czech Republic. Currently, distribution of theism in Europe

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