Color in Chinese culture
Theory of the Five Elements
Table:
Element
Wood
Fire
Earth
Metal
Water

Color

Green/blue
Red
Yellow
White
Black

Direction

east
south
center
west
north

Planet

Jupiter
Mars
Saturn
Venus
Mercury

Heavenly creature

Azure Dragon
青龍
Vermilion Bird
朱雀
Yellow Dragon
黃龍
White Tiger
白虎
Black Tortoise
玄武

Heavenly Stems

甲, 乙
丙, 丁
戊, 己
庚, 辛
壬, 癸

Phase[disambiguation needed]

New Yang
Full Yang
Yin/Yang balance
New Yin
Full Yin

Energy

Generative
Expansive
Stabilizing
Contracting
Conserving

Season

Spring
Summer
Change of seasons
(Every third month)
Autumn
Winter

Climate

Windy
Hot
Damp
Dry
Cold

Development

Sprouting
Blooming
Ripening
Withering
Dormant

Livestock

dog
sheep/goat
cattle
chicken
pig

Fruit

plum
apricot
jujube
peach
chestnut

Grain

wheat
beans
rice
hemp
millet

Leveraging the following table together with the relevant paragraphs below.

Answer the following question: The fruit associated with the element water is native to which hemisphere ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

Color ( American English ) , or colour ( Commonwealth English ) , is the characteristic of visual perception described through color categories , with names such as red , orange , yellow , green , blue , or purple . This perception of color derives from the stimulation of photoreceptor cells ( in particular cone cells in the human eye and other vertebrate eyes ) by electromagnetic radiation ( in the visible spectrum in the case of humans ) . Color categories and physical specifications of color are associated with objects through the wavelength of the light that is reflected from them . This reflection is governed by the object 's physical properties such as light absorption , emission spectra , etc . By defining a color space , colors can be identified numerically by coordinates , which in 1931 were also named in global agreement with internationally agreed color names like mentioned above ( red , orange , etc . ) by the International Commission on Illumination . The RGB color space for instance is a color space corresponding to human trichromacy and to the three cone cell types that respond to three bands of light : long wavelengths , peaking near 564-580 nm ( red ) ; medium-wavelength , peaking near 534-545 nm ( green ) ; and short-wavelength light , near 420-440 nm ( blue ) . There may also be more than three color dimensions in other color spaces , such as in the CMYK color model , wherein one of the dimensions relates to a color 's colorfulness ) . The photo-receptivity of the eyes of other species also varies considerably from that of humans and so results in correspondingly different color perceptions that can not readily be compared to one another . Honeybees and bumblebees for instance have trichromatic color vision sensitive to ultraviolet but is insensitive to red . Papilio butterflies possess six types of photoreceptors and may have pentachromatic vision . The most complex color vision system in the animal kingdom has been found in stomatopods ( such as the mantis shrimp ) with up to 12 spectral receptor types thought to work as multiple dichromatic units .
The four cardinal directions , or cardinal points , are the directions north , east , south , and west , commonly denoted by their initials N , E , S , and W. East and west are perpendicular ( at right angles ) to north and south , with east being in the clockwise direction of rotation from north and west being directly opposite east . Points between the cardinal directions form the points of the compass . The intercardinal ( also called the intermediate directions and , historically , ordinal ) directions are northeast ( NE ) , southeast ( SE ) , southwest ( SW ) , and northwest ( NW ) . The intermediate direction of every set of intercardinal and cardinal direction is called a secondary intercardinal direction , the eight shortest points in the compass rose that is shown to the right ( e.g . NNE , ENE , and ESE ) .
A planet is an astronomical body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity , is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion , and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals . [ b ] The term planet is ancient , with ties to history , astrology , science , mythology , and religion . Five planets in the Solar System are visible to the naked eye . These were regarded by many early cultures as divine , or as emissaries of deities . As scientific knowledge advanced , human perception of the planets changed , incorporating a number of disparate objects . In 2006 , the International Astronomical Union ( IAU ) officially adopted a resolution defining planets within the Solar System . This definition is controversial because it excludes many objects of planetary mass based on where or what they orbit . Although eight of the planetary bodies discovered before 1950 remain planets under the current definition , some celestial bodies , such as Ceres , Pallas , Juno and Vesta ( each an object in the solar asteroid belt ) , and Pluto ( the first trans-Neptunian object discovered ) , that were once considered planets by the scientific community , are no longer viewed as planets under the current definition of planet . Planets in astrology have a different definition . The planets were thought by Ptolemy to orbit Earth in deferent and epicycle motions . Although the idea that the planets orbited the Sun had been suggested many times , it was not until the 17th century that this view was supported by evidence from the first telescopic astronomical observations , performed by Galileo Galilei . About the same time , by careful analysis of pre-telescopic observational data collected by Tycho Brahe , Johannes Kepler found the planets ' orbits were elliptical rather than circular .
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System . It is a gas giant with a mass one-thousandth that of the Sun , but two-and-a-half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined . Jupiter is one of the brightest objects visible to the naked eye in the night sky , and has been known to ancient civilizations since before recorded history . It is named after the Roman god Jupiter . When viewed from Earth , Jupiter can be bright enough for its reflected light to cast shadows , and is on average the third-brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus . Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen with a quarter of its mass being helium , though helium comprises only about a tenth of the number of molecules . It may also have a rocky core of heavier elements , but like the other giant planets , Jupiter lacks a well-defined solid surface . Because of its rapid rotation , the planet 's shape is that of an oblate spheroid ( it has a slight but noticeable bulge around the equator ) . The outer atmosphere is visibly segregated into several bands at different latitudes , resulting in turbulence and storms along their interacting boundaries . A prominent result is the Great Red Spot , a giant storm that is known to have existed since at least the 17th century when it was first seen by telescope . Surrounding Jupiter is a faint planetary ring system and a powerful magnetosphere . Jupiter has 79 known moons , including the four large Galilean moons discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610 .
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System after Mercury . In English , Mars carries a name of the Roman god of war and is often referred to as the 'Red Planet ' . The latter refers to the effect of the iron oxide prevalent on Mars ' surface , which gives it a reddish appearance distinctive among the astronomical bodies visible to the naked eye . Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere , having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the valleys , deserts , and polar ice caps of Earth . The days and seasons are likewise comparable to those of Earth , because the rotational period as well as the tilt of the rotational axis relative to the ecliptic plane are very similar . Mars is the site of Olympus Mons , the largest volcano and highest known mountain on any planet in the Solar System , and of Valles Marineris , one of the largest canyons in the Solar System . The smooth Borealis basin in the northern hemisphere covers 40% of the planet and may be a giant impact feature . Mars has two moons , Phobos and Deimos , which are small and irregularly shaped . These may be captured asteroids , similar to 5261 Eureka , a Mars trojan . Mars has been explored by numerous unmanned spacecraft . Mariner 4 , launched by NASA on November 28 , 1964 , was the first spacecraft to visit Mars , making its closest approach to the planet on July 15 , 1965 . Mariner 4 detected the weak Martian radiation belt , measured at about 0.1% that of Earths , and captured the first images of another planet from deep space .
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System , after Jupiter . It is a gas giant with an average radius about nine times that of Earth . It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth ; however , with its larger volume , Saturn is over 95 times more massive . Saturn is named after the Roman god of wealth and agriculture ; its astronomical symbol ( ♄ ) represents the god 's sickle . Saturn 's interior is most likely composed of a core of iron-nickel and rock ( silicon and oxygen compounds ) . This core is surrounded by a deep layer of metallic hydrogen , an intermediate layer of liquid hydrogen and liquid helium , and finally a gaseous outer layer . Saturn has a pale yellow hue due to ammonia crystals in its upper atmosphere . An electrical current within the metallic hydrogen layer is thought to give rise to Saturn 's planetary magnetic field , which is weaker than Earth 's , but has a magnetic moment 580 times that of Earth due to Saturn 's larger size . Saturn 's magnetic field strength is around one-twentieth of Jupiter 's . The outer atmosphere is generally bland and lacking in contrast , although long-lived features can appear . Wind speeds on Saturn can reach 1,800 km/h ( 1,100 mph ; 500 m/s ) , higher than on Jupiter , but not as high as those on Neptune . In January 2019 , astronomers reported that a day on the planet Saturn has been determined to be 10h 33m 38s + 1m 52s− 1m 19s , based on studies of the planet 's C Ring .
Venus is the second planet from the Sun . It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty . As the second-brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon , Venus can cast shadows and , rarely , is visible to the naked eye in broad daylight . Venus lies within Earth 's orbit , and so never appears to venture far from the Sun , either setting in the west just after dusk or rising in the east a bit before dawn . Venus orbits the Sun every 224.7 Earth days . With a rotation period of 243 Earth days , it takes longer to rotate about its axis than any planet in the Solar System and does so in the opposite direction to all but Uranus ( meaning the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east ) . Venus does not have any moons , a distinction it shares only with Mercury among planets in the Solar System . Venus is a terrestrial planet and is sometimes called Earth 's sister planet because of their similar size , mass , proximity to the Sun , and bulk composition . It is radically different from Earth in other respects . It has the densest atmosphere of the four terrestrial planets , consisting of more than 96% carbon dioxide . The atmospheric pressure at the planet 's surface is 92 times that of Earth , or roughly the pressure found 900 m ( 3,000 ft ) underwater on Earth . Venus is by far the hottest planet in the Solar System , with a mean surface temperature of 735 K ( 462 °C ; 863 °F ) , even though Mercury is closer to the Sun .
Mercury is the smallest and innermost planet in the Solar System . Its orbit around the Sun takes 87.97 days , the shortest of all the planets in the Solar System . It is named after the Roman deity Mercury , the messenger of the gods . Like Venus , Mercury orbits the Sun within Earth 's orbit as an inferior planet , and its apparent distance from the Sun as viewed from Earth never exceeds 28° . This proximity to the Sun means the planet can only be seen near the western horizon after sunset or eastern horizon before sunrise , usually in twilight . At this time , it may appear as a bright star-like object , but is often far more difficult to observe than Venus . The planet telescopically displays the complete range of phases , similar to Venus and the Moon , as it moves in its inner orbit relative to Earth , which recurs over its synodic period of approximately 116 days . Mercury rotates in a way that is unique in the Solar System . It is tidally locked with the Sun in a 3:2 spin-orbit resonance , meaning that relative to the fixed stars , it rotates on its axis exactly three times for every two revolutions it makes around the Sun . [ a ] As seen from the Sun , in a frame of reference that rotates with the orbital motion , it appears to rotate only once every two Mercurian years . An observer on Mercury would therefore see only one day every two Mercurian years . Mercury 's axis has the smallest tilt of any of the Solar System 's planets ( about ​1⁄30 degree ) .
Traditional Chinese astronomy has a system of dividing the celestial sphere into asterisms or constellations , known as officials ( Chinese 星官 xīng guān ) . The Chinese asterisms are generally smaller than the constellations of Hellenistic tradition . The Song dynasty ( 13th-century ) Suzhou planisphere shows a total of 283 asterisms , comprising a total of 1,565 individual stars . The asterisms are divided into four groups , the Twenty-Eight Mansions ( 二十八宿 , Èrshíbā Xiù ) along the ecliptic , and the Three Enclosures of the northern sky . The southern sky was added as a fifth group in the late Ming Dynasty based on European star charts , comprising an additional 23 asterisms . The Three Enclosures ( 三垣 , Sān Yuán ) are centered on the North Celestial Pole and include those stars which could be seen year-round . The Twenty-Eight Mansions form an ecliptic coordinate system used for those stars visible ( from China ) but not during the whole year , based on the movement of the moon over a lunar month .
The Azure Dragon ( Chinese : 青龍 Qīnglóng ) , also known as Blue-green Dragon , Green Dragon , or the Blue Dragon ( 蒼龍 Cānglóng ) , is one of the Dragon Gods who represent the mount or chthonic forces of the Five Forms of the Highest Deity ( 五方上帝 Wǔfāng Shàngdì ) . He is also one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations , which are the astral representations of the Wufang Shangdi . The Azure Dragon represents the east and the spring season . The Dragon is frequently referred to in the media , feng shui , other cultures , and in various venues as the Green Dragon and the Avalon Dragon . His cardinal direction 's epithet is Bluegreen Dragon of the East ( 東方青龍 Dōngfāng Qīnglóng or 東方蒼龍 Dōngfāng Cānglóng ) . This dragon is also known as Seiryu in Japanese , Cheongnyong in Korean and Thanh Long in Vietnamese .
The Vermilion Bird ( Chinese : 朱雀 Zhūquè ) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations . According to Wu Xing , the Taoist five-elemental system , it represents the fire-element , the direction south , and the season summer correspondingly . Thus it is sometimes called the Vermilion Bird of the South ( Chinese : 南方朱雀 , Nán Fāng Zhū Què ) . It is known as Zhuque in Chinese , Suzaku in Japanese , Jujak in Korean and Chu Tước in Vietnamese . It is described as a red bird that resembles a pheasant with a five-colored plumage and is perpetually covered in flames . It is often mistaken for the Fenghuang due to similarities in appearance , but the two are different creatures . The Fenghuang is a legendary ruler of birds who is associated with the Chinese Empress in the same way the dragon is associated with the Emperor , while the Vermilion Bird is a mythological spirit creature of the Chinese constellations .
The Yellow Dragon ( simplified Chinese : 黄龙 ; traditional Chinese : 黃龍 ; pinyin : Huánglóng ; Cantonese Yale : Wong4 Lung4 Japanese : Kōryū or Ōryū Korean : Hwang-Ryong ) is the zoomorphic incarnation of the Yellow Emperor of the centre of the universe in Chinese religion and mythology . The Yellow Emperor or Yellow Deity was conceived by a virgin mother , Fubao , who became pregnant after seeing a yellow ray of light turning around the Northern Dipper ( in Chinese theology the principal symbol of God ) . Twenty four months later the Yellow Emperor was born and was associated to the colour yellow because it is the colour of the Earth ( Dì 地 ) , the material substance , in which he incarnated .
The White Tiger ( Chinese : 白虎 Báihǔ ) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations . It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West ( Chinese : 西方白虎 ; pinyin : Xīfāng Báihǔ ) , and is known as Baihu in Chinese , Byakko in Japanese , and Baekho in Korean . It represents the west in terms of direction and the autumn season .
The Black Tortoise or Black Turtle ( Chinese : 玄武 ; pinyin : Xuánwǔ ) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations . Despite its English name , it is usually depicted as a turtle entwined together with a snake . Furthermore , in East Asian mythology it is not called after either animal , but is instead known as the Black Warrior under various local pronunciations . It is known as Xuanwu in Chinese , Genbu in Japanese , Huyền Vũ in Vietnamese and Hyeonmu in Korean . It represents the north and the winter season , thus it is sometimes called Black Tortoise of the North ( Chinese : 北方玄武 ; pinyin : Běifāng Xuánwǔ ) . In Japan , it is one of the four guardian spirits that protect Kyoto and it is said that it protects the city on the north . Represented by the Kenkun Shrine , which is located on top of Mt Funaoka in Kyoto . The creature 's name is identical to that of the important Taoist god Xuanwu , who is sometimes ( as in Journey to the West ) portrayed in the company of a turtle and a snake .
The ten Heavenly Stems or Celestial Stems ( Chinese : 天干 ; pinyin : tiāngān ) are a Chinese system of ordinals that first appear during the Shang dynasty , c. 1250 BC , as the names of the ten days of the week . They were also used in Shang-period ritual as names for dead family members , who were offered sacrifices on the corresponding day of the Shang week . The Heavenly Stems were used in combination with the Earthly Branches , a similar cycle of twelve days , to produce a compound cycle of sixty days . Subsequently , the Heavenly Stems lost their original function as names for days of the week and dead kin , and acquired many other uses , the most prominent and long lasting of which was their use together with the Earthly Branches as a 60-year calendrical cycle . The system is used throughout East Asia .
In physics , energy is the quantitative property that must be transferred to an object in order to perform work on , or to heat , the object . [ note 1 ] Energy is a conserved quantity ; the law of conservation of energy states that energy can be converted in form , but not created or destroyed . The SI unit of energy is the joule , which is the energy transferred to an object by the work of moving it a distance of 1 metre against a force of 1 newton . Common forms of energy include the kinetic energy of a moving object , the potential energy stored by an object 's position in a force field ( gravitational , electric or magnetic ) , the elastic energy stored by stretching solid objects , the chemical energy released when a fuel burns , the radiant energy carried by light , and the thermal energy due to an object 's temperature . Mass and energy are closely related . Due to mass-energy equivalence , any object that has mass when stationary ( called rest mass ) also has an equivalent amount of energy whose form is called rest energy , and any additional energy ( of any form ) acquired by the object above that rest energy will increase the object 's total mass just as it increases its total energy . For example , after heating an object , its increase in energy could be measured as a small increase in mass , with a sensitive enough scale . Living organisms require energy to stay alive , such as the energy humans get from food . Human civilization requires energy to function , which it gets from energy resources such as fossil fuels , nuclear fuel , or renewable energy . The processes of Earth 's climate and ecosystem are driven by the radiant energy Earth receives from the sun and the geothermal energy contained within the earth .
A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather , ecology , and the amount of daylight . On Earth , seasons are the result of Earth 's orbit around the Sun and Earth 's axial tilt relative to the ecliptic plane . In temperate and polar regions , the seasons are marked by changes in the intensity of sunlight that reaches the Earth 's surface , variations of which may cause animals to undergo hibernation or to migrate , and plants to be dormant . Various cultures define the number and nature of seasons based on regional variations . During May , June , and July , the Northern Hemisphere is exposed to more direct sunlight because the hemisphere faces the Sun . The same is true of the Southern Hemisphere in November , December , and January . It is Earth 's axial tilt that causes the Sun to be higher in the sky during the summer months , which increases the solar flux . However , due to seasonal lag , June , July , and August are the warmest months in the Northern Hemisphere while December , January , and February are the warmest months in the Southern Hemisphere . In temperate and sub-polar regions , four seasons based on the Gregorian calendar are generally recognized : spring , summer , autumn or fall , and winter . The definition of seasons is also cultural . In India from the ancient times , six seasons or Ritu based on south Asian religious or cultural calendars are recognised and identified even today for the purposes such as agriculture and trade . Ecologists often use a six-season model for temperate climate regions which are not tied to any fixed calendar dates : prevernal , vernal , estival , serotinal , autumnal , and hibernal .
Climate is the long-term average of weather , typically averaged over a period of 30 years . Some of the meteorological variables that are commonly measured are temperature , humidity , atmospheric pressure , wind , and precipitation . In a broader sense , climate is the state of the components of the climate system , which includes the ocean and ice on Earth . The climate of a location is affected by its latitude , terrain , and altitude , as well as nearby water bodies and their currents . More generally , the climate of a region is the general state of the climate system at that location at the current time . Climates can be classified according to the average and the typical ranges of different variables , most commonly temperature and precipitation . The most commonly used classification scheme was the Köppen climate classification . The Thornthwaite system , in use since 1948 , incorporates evapotranspiration along with temperature and precipitation information and is used in studying biological diversity and how climate change affects it . The Bergeron and Spatial Synoptic Classification systems focus on the origin of air masses that define the climate of a region . Paleoclimatology is the study of ancient climates . Since very few direct observations of climate are available before the 19th century , paleoclimates are inferred from proxy variables that include non-biotic evidence such as sediments found in lake beds and ice cores , and biotic evidence such as tree rings and coral . Climate models are mathematical models of past , present and future climates .
Windy is a pop music song written by Ruthann Friedman and recorded by the Association . Released in 1967 , the song reached No . 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July of that year . Overseas , it went to No . 34 in Australia , and No . 3 in Yugoslavia . Later in 1967 an instrumental version by jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery became his biggest Hot 100 hit when it peaked at No . 44 . Not to be confused with The Beach Boys ' 1964 song Wendy , Windy was the Association 's second U.S. No . 1 , following Cherish in 1966 . Billboard ranked the record as the No . 4 song for 1967 .
Moisture refers to the presence of liquid substances in the environment in form of the state of a vapour .
A region is arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water , to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life . Environments subject to arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic . Most arid climates straddle the Equator ; these places include parts of Africa , Asia , South America , Central America , and Australia .
Cold is the presence of low temperature , especially in the atmosphere . In common usage , cold is often a subjective perception . A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero , defined as 0.00 K on the Kelvin scale , an absolute thermodynamic temperature scale . This corresponds to −273.15 °C on the Celsius scale , −459.67 °F on the Fahrenheit scale , and 0.00 °R on the Rankine scale . Since temperature relates to the thermal energy held by an object or a sample of matter , which is the kinetic energy of the random motion of the particle constituents of matter , an object will have less thermal energy when it is colder and more when it is hotter . If it were possible to cool a system to absolute zero , all motion of the particles in a sample of matter would cease and they would be at complete rest in this classical sense . The object would be described as having zero thermal energy . Microscopically in the description of quantum mechanics , however , matter still has zero-point energy even at absolute zero , because of the uncertainty principle .
Developmental biology is the study of the process by which animals and plants grow and develop . Developmental biology also encompasses the biology of regeneration , asexual reproduction , metamorphosis , and the growth and differentiation of stem cells in the adult organism . In the late 20th century , the discipline largely transformed into evolutionary developmental biology .
Livestock is commonly defined as domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce labor and commodities such as meat , eggs , milk , fur , leather , and wool . The term is sometimes used to refer solely to those that are bred for consumption , while other times it refers only to farmed ruminants , such as cattle and goats . Horses are considered livestock in the United States . The USDA classifies pork , veal , beef , and lamb as livestock and all livestock as red meat . Poultry and fish are not included in the category . The breeding , maintenance , and slaughter of livestock , known as animal husbandry , is a component of modern agriculture that has been practiced in many cultures since humanity 's transition to farming from hunter-gatherer lifestyles . Animal husbandry practices have varied widely across cultures and time periods , and continues to play a major economic and cultural role in numerous communities . Livestock farming practices have largely shifted to intensive animal farming , sometimes referred to as factory farming ; over 99% of livestock in the US are now raised in this way . Intensive animal farming increases the yield of the various commercial outputs , but has also led to negative impacts on animal welfare , the environment , and public health . In particular , livestock , especially beef , dairy and sheep stocks , have out-sized influence on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture . Due to these negative impacts , but also for reasons of farming efficiency ( see Food vs. feed ) , one projection mentions a large decline of livestock at least some animals ( i.e . cattle ) in certain countries by 2030 .
The domestic dog ( Canis lupus familiaris when considered a subspecies of the wolf or Canis familiaris when considered a distinct species ) is a member of the genus Canis ( canines ) , which forms part of the wolf-like canids , and is the most widely abundant terrestrial carnivore . The dog and the extant gray wolf are sister taxa as modern wolves are not closely related to the wolves that were first domesticated , which implies that the direct ancestor of the dog is extinct . The dog was the first species to be domesticated , and has been selectively bred over millennia for various behaviors , sensory capabilities , and physical attributes . Their long association with humans has led dogs to be uniquely attuned to human behavior and they are able to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canids . Dogs vary widely in shape , size and colors . They perform many roles for humans , such as hunting , herding , pulling loads , protection , assisting police and military , companionship and , more recently , aiding disabled people and therapeutic roles . This influence on human society has given them the sobriquet of man 's best friend .
Sheep ( Ovis aries ) are quadrupedal , ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock . Like most ruminants , sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla , the even-toed ungulates . Although the name sheep applies to many species in the genus Ovis , in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries . Numbering a little over one billion , domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep . An adult female is referred to as a ewe ( /juː/ ) , an intact male as a ram , occasionally a tup , a castrated male as a wether , and a young sheep is a lamb . Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia and one of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes , sheep are raised for fleeces , meat ( lamb , hogget or mutton ) and milk . A sheep 's wool is the most widely used animal fiber , and is usually harvested by shearing . Ovine meat is called lamb when from younger animals and mutton when from older ones in Commonwealth countries , and lamb in the United States ( including from adults ) . Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today , and are also occasionally raised for pelts , as dairy animals , or as model organisms for science . Sheep husbandry is practised throughout the majority of the inhabited world , and has been fundamental to many civilizations . In the modern era , Australia , New Zealand , the southern and central South American nations , and the British Isles are most closely associated with sheep production . There are a large lexicon of unique terms which vary considerably by region and dialect .
The domestic goat or simply goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus ) is a subspecies of C. aegagrus domesticated from the wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe . The goat is a member of the animal family Bovidae and the subfamily Caprinae , meaning it is closely related to the sheep . There are over 300 distinct breeds of goat . Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species of animal , and have been used for milk , meat , fur and skins across much of the world . Milk from goats is often turned into goat cheese . Female goats are referred to as does or nannies , intact males are called bucks or billies and juvenile goats of both sexes are called kids . Castrated males are called wethers . While the words hircine and caprine both refer to anything having a goat-like quality , hircine is used most often to emphasize the distinct smell of domestic goats . In 2011 , there were more than 924 million goats living in the world , according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization .
Cattle , or cows , are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates . They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae , are the most widespread species of the genus Bos , and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos taurus . Cattle are commonly raised as livestock for meat ( beef or veal , see beef cattle ) , for milk ( see dairy cattle ) , and for hides , which are used to make leather . They are used as riding animals and draft animals ( oxen or bullocks , which pull carts , plows and other implements ) . Another product of cattle is dung , which can be used to create manure or fuel . In some regions , such as parts of India , cattle have significant religious meaning . Cattle , mostly small breeds such as the Miniature Zebu , are also kept as pets . Around 10,500 years ago , cattle were domesticated from as few as 80 progenitors in central Anatolia , the Levant and Western Iran . According to an estimate from 2011 , there are 1.4 billion cattle in the world . In 2009 , cattle became one of the first livestock animals to have a fully mapped genome .
The chicken ( Gallus gallus domesticus ) is a type of domesticated fowl , a subspecies of the red junglefowl ( Gallus gallus ) . They are one of the most common and widespread domestic animals , with a total population of more than 19 billion as of 2011 . There are more chickens in the world than any other bird or domesticated fowl . Humans keep chickens primarily as a source of food ( consuming both their meat and eggs ) and , less commonly , as pets . Originally raised for cockfighting or for special ceremonies , chickens were not kept for food until the Hellenistic period ( 4th-2nd centuries BC ) . Genetic studies have pointed to multiple maternal origins in South Asia , Southeast Asia , and East Asia , but with the clade found in the Americas , Europe , the Middle East and Africa originating in the Indian subcontinent . From ancient India , the domesticated chicken spread to Lydia in western Asia Minor , and to Greece by the 5th century BC . Fowl had been known in Egypt since the mid-15th century BC , with the bird that gives birth every day having come to Egypt from the land between Syria and Shinar , Babylonia , according to the annals of Thutmose III .
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus , within the even-toed ungulate family Suidae . Pigs include domestic pigs and their ancestor , the common Eurasian wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) , along with other species . Related creatures outside the genus include the peccary , the babirusa , and the warthog . Pigs , like all suids , are native to the Eurasian and African continents . Juvenile pigs are known as piglets . Pigs are highly social and intelligent animals . With around 1 billion individuals alive at any time , the domestic pig is among the most populous large mammals in the world . Pigs are omnivores and can consume a wide range of food . Pigs are biologically similar to humans and are thus frequently used for human medical research .
In botany , a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants ( also known as angiosperms ) formed from the ovary after flowering . Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate seeds . Edible fruits , in particular , have propagated with the movements of humans and animals in a symbiotic relationship as a means for seed dispersal and nutrition ; in fact , humans and many animals have become dependent on fruits as a source of food . Accordingly , fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world 's agricultural output , and some ( such as the apple and the pomegranate ) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings . In common language usage , fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of a plant that are sweet or sour , and edible in the raw state , such as apples , bananas , grapes , lemons , oranges , and strawberries . On the other hand , in botanical usage , fruit includes many structures that are not commonly called fruits , such as bean pods , corn kernels , tomatoes , and wheat grains . The section of a fungus that produces spores is also called a fruiting body .
A plum is a fruit of the subgenus Prunus of the genus Prunus . The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera ( peaches , cherries , bird cherries , etc . ) in the shoots having terminal bud and solitary side buds ( not clustered ) , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems , and the fruit having a groove running down one side and a smooth stone ( or pit ) . Mature plum fruit may have a dusty-white waxy coating that gives them a glaucous appearance . This is an epicuticular wax coating and is known as wax bloom . Dried plum fruits are called dried plums or prunes , although , in many countries ( Li hing mui for instance ) , prunes are a distinct type of dried plum having a wrinkled appearance .
An apricot ( US : /ˈæprɪkɒt/ ( listen ) , UK : /ˈeɪprɪkɒt/ ( listen ) ) is a fruit , or the tree that bears the fruit , of several species in the genus Prunus ( stone fruits ) . Usually , an apricot tree is from the species P. armeniaca , but the species P. brigantina , P. mandshurica , P. mume , P. zhengheensis and P. sibirica are closely related , have similar fruit , and are also called apricots .
Ziziphus jujuba ( from Greek ζίζυφον , zízyphon ) , commonly called jujube ( /ˈdʒuːdʒuːb/ ; sometimes jujuba ) , red date , Chinese date , is a species of Ziziphus in the buckthorn family ( Rhamnaceae ) .
The peach ( Prunus persica ) is a deciduous tree native to the region of Northwest China between the Tarim Basin and the north slopes of the Kunlun Mountains , where it was first domesticated and cultivated . It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach or a nectarine . The specific name persica refers to its widespread cultivation in Persia ( modern-day Iran ) , from where it was transplanted to Europe . It belongs to the genus Prunus which includes the cherry , apricot , almond and plum , in the rose family . The peach is classified with the almond in the subgenus Amygdalus , distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell . Due to their close relatedness , the inside of a peach stone tastes remarkably similar to almond , and peach stones are often used to make a cheap version of marzipan , known as persipan . Peaches and nectarines are the same species , even though they are regarded commercially as different fruits . In contrast to peaches , whose fruits present the characteristic fuzz on the skin , nectarines are characterized by the absence of fruit-skin trichomes ( fuzzless fruit ) ; it is thought that a mutation in a single gene ( MYB25 ) is responsible for the hair or no-hair difference between the two . China produced 58% of the world 's total peaches and nectarines in 2016 .
The chestnuts are a group of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus Castanea , in the beech family Fagaceae . They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere . The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce .
A grain is a small , hard , dry seed , with or without an attached hull or fruit layer , harvested for human or animal consumption . A grain crop is a grain-producing plant . The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legumes . After being harvested , dry grains are more durable than other staple foods , such as starchy fruits ( plantains , breadfruit , etc . ) and tubers ( sweet potatoes , cassava , and more ) . This durability has made grains well suited to industrial agriculture , since they can be mechanically harvested , transported by rail or ship , stored for long periods in silos , and milled for flour or pressed for oil . Thus , major global commodity markets exist for maize , rice , soybeans , wheat and other grains but not for tubers , vegetables , or other crops .
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed , a cereal grain which is a worldwide staple food . The many species of wheat together make up the genus Triticum ; the most widely grown is common wheat ( T. aestivum ) . The archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the Fertile Crescent around 9600 BCE . Botanically , the wheat kernel is a type of fruit called a caryopsis . Wheat is grown on more land area than any other food crop ( 220.4 million hectares , 2014 ) . World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined . In 2017 , world production of wheat was 772 million tonnes , with a forecast of 2019 production at 766 million tonnes , making it the second most-produced cereal after maize . Since 1960 , world production of wheat and other grain crops has tripled and is expected to grow further through the middle of the 21st century . Global demand for wheat is increasing due to the unique viscoelastic and adhesive properties of gluten proteins , which facilitate the production of processed foods , whose consumption is increasing as a result of the worldwide industrialization process and the westernization of the diet . Wheat is an important source of carbohydrates . Globally , it is the leading source of vegetable protein in human food , having a protein content of about 13% , which is relatively high compared to other major cereals but relatively low in protein quality for supplying essential amino acids . When eaten as the whole grain , wheat is a source of multiple nutrients and dietary fiber .
A bean is the seed of one of several genera of the flowering plant family Fabaceae , which are used for human or animal food . They are a part of the vegetable family , and can be cooked in many different ways , including boiling , frying , and baking , and are used in several traditional dishes throughout the world .
Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa ( Asian rice ) or Oryza glaberrima ( African rice ) . As a cereal grain , it is the most widely consumed staple food for a large part of the world 's human population , especially in Asia . It is the agricultural commodity with the third-highest worldwide production ( rice , 741.5 million tonnes in 2014 ) , after sugarcane ( 1.9 billion tonnes ) and maize ( 1.0 billion tonnes ) .
Hemp , or industrial hemp , is a strain of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for the industrial uses of its derived products . It is one of the fastest growing plants and was one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber 10,000 years ago . It can be refined into a variety of commercial items , including paper , textiles , clothing , biodegradable plastics , paint , insulation , biofuel , food , and animal feed . Although cannabis as a drug and industrial hemp both derive from the species Cannabis sativa and contain the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ) , they are distinct strains with unique phytochemical compositions and uses . Hemp has lower concentrations of THC and higher concentrations of cannabidiol ( CBD ) , which decreases or eliminates its psychoactive effects . The legality of industrial hemp varies widely between countries . Some governments regulate the concentration of THC and permit only hemp that is bred with an especially low THC content .
Millets ( /ˈmɪlɪts/ ) are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses , widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food . Millets are important crops in the semiarid tropics of Asia and Africa ( especially in India , Mali , Nigeria , and Niger ) , with 97% of millet production in developing countries . The crop is favored due to its productivity and short growing season under dry , high-temperature conditions . Millets are indigenous to many parts of the world . The most widely grown millet is pearl millet , which is an important crop in India and parts of Africa . Finger millet , proso millet , and foxtail millet are also important crop species . Millets may have been consumed by humans for about 7,000 years and potentially had a pivotal role in the rise of multi-crop agriculture and settled farming societies .