Zodiac

The zodiac is a belt of space around Earth. It occupies the path that the sun appears to take around Earth in the course of a year (although it is actually Earth that is moving around the sun).

Twelve well-known groups of stars, called constellations, lie in the zodiac. 

Ural Mountains

The Ural Mountains of Russia form the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia. The Urals are about 1,550 miles (2,500 kilometers) long. They extend from the Kara Sea in the north to the Ural River in the south. The highest peak is Mount Narodnaya at 6,217 feet (1,895 meters).

India

More people live in India than in any other country in the world except China. India’s culture is one of the oldest and richest in the world. The capital is New Delhi.

Geography

Much of India’s territory is a peninsula that extends into the Indian Ocean. To the west of the peninsula is the Arabian Sea, and to the east is the Bay of Bengal. India shares borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

The high Himalayas rise in the north. South of the mountains is a plain of soil left behind by the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra rivers. The Indus River gave the country its name. The Ganges is sacred to followers of Hinduism. In the north west is the Thar Desert. Most of the south is fairly flat. Along the coasts are low mountains called the Western and Eastern Ghats.

Bach, Johann Sebastian

German musician Johann Sebastian Bach is considered one of the world’s greatest composers of music. He was also a gifted player of the organ and the harpsichord (another keyboard instrument).

Bach created hundreds of musical compositions, including works for choir, orchestra, and individual instruments, especially the organ.

Abacus

Long before the invention of the electronic calculator or the computer, people counted and did calculations with a device called an abacus. On this instrument, calculations are made with beads, or counters, instead of numerals. The beads are arranged on wires stretched across a frame. Each wire represents the ones, tens, hundreds, and so on.

Brazil

The largest country in South America, Brazil takes up about half of the continent. Brazil’s Amazon River basin, including the Amazon rain forest, is one of Earth’s richest areas of plant and animal life. The capital is Brasília.

Geography

Brazil shares borders with every South American nation except Ecuador and Chile. The Atlantic Ocean lies to the east. Brazil’s two main geographical regions are the Amazon River basin in the

Abidjan

Abidjan is the largest city of Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa. It was the country’s capital until 1983. Then Yamoussoukro was made the capital. Even after that The coastal city of Abidjan is an important business centre of Côte d’Ivoire. date, however, Abidjan remained the site of most government functions.

Abidjan is located in the southern part of the country. It has a port even though it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a sandbar. The Vridi Canal connects the port to the sea.

Because of the port, Abidjan is a centre of West African trade. Cocoa, coffee, timber, bananas, pineapples, and fish are shipped from the port. The city also manufactures beer, soap, matches, and auto mobiles.

See Also:Netherlands

Abidjan became the capital of the French colony of Ivory Coast in 1934. Ivory Coast became the independent country of Côte d’Ivoire in 1960. Abidjan remained the capital.

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a small country in northwestern Europe. It is also known as Holland. The people of The Netherlands are called the Dutch. The country’s capital is Amsterdam. However, the government meets in the city of The Hague.

Geography

The Netherlands shares borders with Germany and Belgium. The North Sea lies to the west and north. The country includes the Caribbean islands of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. The Netherlands is low-lying and mostly flat. Rivers and canals connect many of the cities. The climate is cool and rainy.

Much of the land near the coast used to be underwater. Beginning in the Middle Ages the Dutch drained the land using windmills and, later, pumps. They built barriers such as dikes and dams to keep the water out. The lands taken from the sea are called polders.

Zoroastrianism

The religion known as Zoroastrianism was founded in the 500s BC by an Iranian named Zoroaster. Most followers of the religion live in India. There the religion is known as Parsiism.

Zoroastrians believe the world is involved in a struggle between good and evil.

Washington ,D.C.

The city of Washington is the capital of the United States, a country in North America. It was named after George Washington, the country’s first president. He helped plan the city.

Washington is not part of a state. Rather, it is in a separate district called the District of Columbia. The city is thus known as Washington, D.C. The city and the district take up the same space.

Washington lies on the Potomac River. The state of Maryland surrounds the city on all other sides. The state of Virginia lies across the river from Washington to the southwest.

Places of Interest

The most important U.S. government buildings are arranged around a broad lawn in Washington called the Mall. These buildings include the Capitol, where U.S. laws are made, and the White House, where the U.S. president lives. The city also has more than 300 monuments and statues. Among them are memorials honoring war veterans and former U.S. presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson.

Victoria, Queen

Queen Victoria was queen of the United Kingdom from 1837 to 1901. She reigned over her country longer than any other British king or queen before her. Her reign is called the Victorian Age.

Early Life

Alexandrina Victoria was born on May 24, 1819, in London, England, the capital of the United Kingdom. Her father was a son of King George III. Her mother was a German princess.

Reign

Victoria became queen in 1837. She was 18 years old. The young queen learned about the British government from Lord Melbourne, the British prime minister (head of government).

In 1840 Victoria married her cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. They had nine children together. Almost all of them married members of European royal families.

Albert died in 1861. Victoria was never really happy after that. She stopped going to places where people could see her. She spent less and less time in London and more and more time in a castle in Scotland called Balmoral.

Then another prime minister, named Benjamin Disraeli, became Victoria’s friend. Disraeli pleased Victoria in 1876 by making the British government a part owner of the Suez Canal. The canal was an important link between Europe and Asia. Disraeli pleased Victoria even more by giving her the title of empress of India in 1876.

Later Years

As the years passed, Victoria kept her popularity. In 1887 the British people had a big celebration called the Golden Jubilee to honor her 50 years as queen. Ten years later they had another big celebration called the Diamond Jubilee.

On January 22, 1901, Victoria died at age 81 on the Isle of Wight, an island in the English Channel. Her son Edward VII then became king.

Aaron, Hank

On April 8, 1974, major league baseball star Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run. That home run broke Babe Ruth’s record of 714, which had stood since 1935. Aaron broke several other batting records as well. Because he hit so well he was sometimes called Hammerin’ Hank.

Early Life

Henry Louis Aaron was born on February 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama. Even as a young boy Hank hoped to play professional baseball. At age 16 he began playing shortstop with the semiprofessional Mobile Black Bears baseball team.

Career

Aaron began his professional career in 1952. He played a few months as a shortstop with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. In 1954Aaron joined the Boston Braves of the National League, where he played mostly as an outfielder.