ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ecumene

Hey there! So today we are going to talk about a word called 'ecumene.' Don't worry if you haven't heard of it before, it's a big word, but it's not so hard to understand.

When you look out of a window, you can see the world outside. And wherever you see people living, working, and doing things, we call that 'ecumene.' It's used to describe all the places on the earth where humans live and work, or in simpler words, the places where people live.

But, let's not stop at just that. There are some other things you should know about, which makes ecumene a bit more special.

Whether people can live somewhere or not depends on a few things. One of the essential factors is the environment around that particular place. For example, it's comfortable to live where the weather is not too harsh. Places where it's too hot, too cold, or too wet, become hard to live in.

And then there are other things, like the type of land available, the availability of water, and the kind of soil for farming. Places near the ocean are suitable for fishing, and places with a lot of trees can be good for paper industries.

Ecumene, therefore, isn't just about whether people live somewhere or not, but also about the reasons that make a location suitable for human habitation. Countries that have big ecumenes, like the United States or India, have a lot of people living and working in the same area, and they also have different natural resources that make them suitable for specific industries.

So in summary, ecumene refers to the areas of the Earth where people have settled and live. It depends on various factors such as the weather, the soil, the availability of water, and various natural resources. Ecumene is what makes some countries more populated than others.