The 2000s (pronounced "two-thousands") was a decade that began on January 1, 2000, and ended on December 31, 2009.
The early part of the decade saw the long predicted breakthrough of economic giants in Asia, like India and China, which had double-digit growth during nearly the whole decade. It is also benefited from an economic boom, which saw the two most populous countries becoming an increasingly dominant economic force. The rapid catching-up of emerging economies with developed countries sparked some protectionist tensions during the period and was partly responsible for an increase in energy and food prices at the end of the decade. The economic developments in the latter third of the decade were dominated by a worldwide economic downturn, which started with the crisis in housing and credit in the United States in late 2007 and led to the bankruptcy of major banks and other financial institutions. The outbreak of this global financial crisis sparked a global recession, beginning in the United States and affecting most of the industrialized world.
The decade saw the rise of the Internet, which grew from covering 6.7% to 25.7% of the world population. This contributed to globalization during the decade, which allowed faster communication among people around the world;[1][2][3][4][5]
A team led by Hideki Sato began developing the Dreamcast in 1997. In contrast to the expensive hardware of the unsuccessful Saturn, the Dreamcast was designed to reduce costs with off-the-shelf components, including a HitachiSH-4CPU and an NECPowerVR2GPU. Sega used the GD-ROM disc format to avoid the expense of DVD licensing. To speed game development, the console could run a custom version of Windows CE for easier PC game porting and shared hardware with Sega's NAOMI system board, enabling authentic arcade game conversions. The Dreamcast was the first console to include a built-in modular modem for internet access and online play. (Full article...)
Image 10American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson is the most successful winner of American Idol and a key artist in the power pop and pop rock movement of the 2000s.
Image 11During the decade, Flavour N'abania was able to find success by embracing older genres, such as highlife, and remixing them into something more modern. (from 2000s in music)
Image 18Haifa Wehbe released her second studio album Baddi Aech (Arabic: بدي عيش, English: "I Want to Live") in early 2005, following the success of lead single "Ya Hayat Albi." Released after the assassination of Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri, the title single of the album is about "freedom, considered to be among the most basic of human rights". (from 2000s in music)
Image 55O-Zone's "Dragostea Din Tei" topped charts in France, Germany, and Austria for over three months, reached number 3 in the United Kingdom and number 72 on the US Pop 100. (from 2000s in music)
Image 71Fergie's The Dutchess sold over 6 million copies worldwide becoming one of the most successful albums of the era. (from 2000s in music)
Image 72On September 23, 2004, the RIAA certified Up! at 11× Platinum, giving Shania Twain the distinction of being the only female artist to have three consecutive diamond albums released in the United States. (from 2000s in music)
Image 73Britney Spears was the best-selling female artist of the decade.
Image 74Shakira was the best selling Latin female artist, also one of the best selling women of the decade. (from 2000s in music)
Image 90In 2002, Grinspoon performed at the Australian Record Industry Association Awards. (from 2000s in music)
Image 91Delta Goodrem released her debut album Innocent Eyes in 2003 which became a monster smash hit – it went to No. 1 and stayed for 29 non-consecutive weeks, being certified 14× Platinum for selling over 1 million copies, the second most of all time in Australia. (from 2000s in music)
Image 96My Chemical Romance is considered one of the most influential rock groups of the 2000s and a major act in the pop-punk and emo genres, despite the band rejecting the latter label. (from 2000s in music)
Image 97The flared jeans of the late 1990s remained fashionable throughout the early and mid-2000s. (from 2000s in fashion)
Image 114Sean Paul's third album The Trinity debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, breaking records with its first-week sales for a reggae/dancehall artist, and eventually going Platinum in the United States. (from 2000s in music)
Image 123Mariah Carey's 2008 album E=MC² spawned her 18th chart-topper, "Touch My Body", with which she surpassed Elvis Presley to become the solo artist with the most Hot 100 No. 1 songs in history. (from 2000s in music)
Image 124Lady Gaga's single, "Poker Face", reached number one in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the UK. (from 2000s in music)
Image 125Coldplay is considered to be the most successful British rock act of the decade. (from 2000s in music)
Image 127In 2004, Daddy Yankee released his international hit single "Gasolina", which is credited with introducing reggaeton to audiences worldwide, and making the music genre a global phenomenon. (from 2000s in music)
You are invited to participate in WikiProject Years, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about years, decades, centuries, and millennia.
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
^Gordon PH; Meunier S (2001). The French challenge: Adapting to globalization. Washington, D.C.: Brookings.
^Heizo T; Ryokichi C (1998). "Japan". Domestic Adjustments to Globalization (CE Morrison & H Soesastro, Eds.). Tokyo: Japan Center for International Exchange, pp. 76–102. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
^Haarstad, Håvard; Fløysand, Arnt (March 2007). "Globalization and the power of rescaled narratives: A case of opposition to mining in Tambogrande, Peru". Political Geography. 26 (3): 289–308. doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2006.10.014.