The term community, from Latin communitas, refers to a group of individuals who are grouped together because they share common characteristics. These characteristics can be political, religious, interests, customs, tastes, languages, geographic location, beliefs, among others. For instance: the European community, the Christian community or the scientific community.
This type of grouping can form spontaneously because its members share a common trait (for instance: a group of neighbors) or formally, when its members share a goal (for example: the educational community of a school).
Communities are a fundamental form of organization for human beings. Through this structure, members can share, help, relate and cooperate with each other to achieve a goal or objective. Communities serve as organizations that define rolesThey function as transmitters of culture and values, give identity to their members and foster ties and relationships.
The term community is also used in biology. Is named biological community the set of animals and plants that live at the same time in the same geographical area and interact with each other and with the environment. Also animals or plants of the same species generate communities. For instance: a community of bees or a community of worms.
Characteristics of a community
The same community shares certain characteristics among its members. Some are:
- Culture. Its members share values, beliefs, customs and habits that are transmitted from generation to generation orally or in writing.
- Coexistence. Its members may or may not share the same geographic location.
- Language. Its members may or may not share a common language.
- Its members develop an identity that differentiates them from members of other communities.
- Mobility. It experiences internal or external changes that give mobility of values, beliefs, customs, norms, among others.
- Integration. Its members are related to each other.
- Diversity. Its members have diverse characteristics.
Community examples
- Amish community. It is a Protestant religious group in which its members share common characteristics (in addition to religious beliefs) such as modest dress, simple life and the absence of violence of any kind.
- Andean community. It is a political organization that includes five countries: Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Bolivia.
- Virtual community. It is made up of a group of people who interact through the internet.
- Ecological community. It is formed by the set of living beings that live in the same habitat.
- Canine community. It is made up of a group of dogs (called a pack) that live in the same place or certain habitat.
- Bacteriological community (or other microorganisms). It is made up of a colony of microorganisms that share a certain physical space.
- Biological community. It is made up of all the plants, animals and microorganisms that inhabit and interact in the same habitat.
- Mammal community. It is made up of a group of mammals that share the same habitat.
- Feline community. It is made up of the specimens of lions, tigers, pumas and cheetahs that live in the same place.
- Fish community. It is made up of a group of fish of different species that share the same habitat.
- Mercosur Community. It is a community of regional integration formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela and Bolivia. In addition, it includes the associated states of Colombia, Guyana, Chile, Ecuador, Suriname and Peru.
- European Economic Community. It is a treaty that was created for the common market and customs union between six countries: Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France and West Germany in 1957.
- Educative community. It is made up of the staff, teachers, and students of an educational institution.
- Business community. It is made up of a group of companies that share the same economic sector.
- European Atomic Energy Community. It is a public body whose purpose is to organize and coordinate all research related to nuclear energy and is made up of 27 European countries.
- European Community. It is an international organization that brings together several countries on the European continent.
- Family community. It is a group formed by the different members of the same family.
- Spanish-speaking community. It is made up of all the people who have the Spanish language as their language.
- Indigenous community. It is made up of people who belong to a certain tribe.
- International community. It is made up of different states from around the world.
- Judeo-Christian community. It is made up of those people who believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.
- Lgbt community. It is made up of lesbian women, gay men, bisexuals, queer and transsexuals. The acronyms comprise these groups of people in relation to the sexual choices with which they identify.
- Muslim community. It is made up of all believers of the Islamic religion regardless of their country of origin, ethnicity, sex or social status.
- Political community. It is made up of all the bodies that share the political aspect, among which are: the State, the different organizations or political groups, entities or institutes that depend on any political group, candidates and active members of the political community as a whole.
- Religious community. It is made up of individuals who share a certain religious ideology.
- Rural community. It is made up of the population that lives or works in the fields.
- Urban community. It is made up of a conglomerate of people who live in the same city.
- Valencian Community. It is an autonomous territorial entity of Spain.
- Neighborhood community. It is made up of a group of people who have similar coexistence interests and participate in certain coexistence rules because they live in the same building, neighborhood, town or state.
- Scientific community. It is made up of a group of people who share an interest in science, with different ideas, theories and thoughts.