Current US Poverty Statistics. Income i. ï· The federal poverty line is $11,892 for individuals and $23,836 for a family of four. ï· The official poverty rate is 14.5%, meaning 45.3 million people in the US live in poverty, up by over 8 million since. 2008. An additional 97.3 million (33%) of people living in the United States are low-income, defined as incomes. below twice the federal poverty line, or $47,700 for a family of four.
Mesopotamia, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in present-day Iraq, is often considered the cradle of civilization. It was here that civilization, characterized by cities, monumental architecture, and writing, began to develop about 7,000 years ago.
In the center of each town, was the Ziggurat. The Ziggurat was a temple. The ancient Sumerians, believed their gods lived in the sky. In order for the gods to hear better, you needed to get closer to them. Ziggurats were huge, with built in steps. Ziggurats had a wide base that narrowed to a flat top.