India is an Asian subcontinent that reaches into the Indian Ocean. With over onebillion people it is the second most populous country in the world. India is a land full of contrast, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalaya Mountains in the north to the tropical forests of southern India. Although most people speak English there are many dialects and languages next to Hindi, India’s national language. Over […]
Rock is the hard material that most of the earth’s crust is made up of. Mountains,coastlines, valleys and plains are made up of different kinds of rock. In some places soil lies over rock formations. They are often eroded and made smallerduring the course of the earth’s history. Sometimes broken parts of rock lie on top of the earth’s surface. Tiny bits of them make up sand or soil. Most […]
The Great Lakes consist of five lakes in North America, on the border between the United States and Canada. Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior make up the greatest area of freshwater in the world. The five lakes have an area of about 100,000 square miles (250 000 square kilometres). Only one of them, Lake Michigan lies completely in […]
Hispaniola is a Caribbean island made up of two independent countries: the Dominican Republic in the east and Haiti in the west. The 640 mile (about a thousand km) long island is the second-largest in the Caribbean. Christopher Columbus arrived on the island on Christmas Day 1492, on his firstjourney across the Atlantic. He named it Hispania, in honour of the country he […]
Africa is often referred to as the cradle of mankind. Scientists agree that the first humans probably appeared in Africa 4 million years ago and from therespread to other continents. About 1 billion people live in Africa today. By 2050 the population of the continent is expected to double. Africa is the continent with the highest birth-rates and strongest population growth. This is because medical aidis getting better, there are more hospitals and doctors who take care […]
Most parts of Africa are warm or hot, but rainfall varies from region to region. Itdecreases the farther you move away from the equator. Most of Africa lies in the tropical or subtropical region. The highest temperatures of the continent aremeasured in the desert regions of the Sahara, where daytime temperatures reachup to 50°C. Nights can be cool and frosty, even during the […]
The African continent is made up of plateaus, mountains, ridges and basins with great rivers and depressions in-between. Coastal areas are narrow lowlands. Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains in the north-western part of Africa emerged at the same time as the Alps rose in Europe. The mountain rangeextends from Morocco to Tunisia, with its highest peaks reaching an altitude of slightly over 4000 metres (13,500 feet) Sahara Desert The Sahara desert covers a third of the African […]
Africa is the second largest continent, covering about a fifth of the world’slandmass. It stretches equally to the north and south of the equator and is made up of many different kinds of landscapes and ecosystems. Africa consists of over 50 states, many of which became independent in the 20thcentury. The whole continent was ruled by European powers until the world wars. Today, many nations […]
A landslide is a geological event, in which the top layer of earth on the side of a hill or mountain becomes loose and moves downwards. Although gravity is themain force behind a landslide the side of a hill or mountain can become unstabledue to many factors: sinking groundwater loss of vegetation movement of glaciers heavy rain earthquakes volcanic eruptions erosion by rivers and waves All of these events can cause parts of […]