Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

by many years of war.

Kabul has existed for at least 3,500

years. It became an important city long

ago because of its location. Kabul lies on

the main routes to passes through the

country’s mountains.

In the early 1500s Kabul was the capital

of the Mughal Empire of northern

India. In the 1770s Afghanistan became

an independent country with Kabul as

its capital.

In recent history Kabul has seen much

fighting. In the late 1970s and 1980s

the city was the site of fighting during a

civil war. The Soviet Union also invaded

Kabul during that period.

In the 1990s local groups fought each

other for control of Kabul. A group

called the Taliban took over much of

Afghanistan, including Kabul. The Taliban

were thought to have helped terrorists

who attacked the United States in

2001. In response U.S. forces bombed

Afghanistan and ended Taliban rule.

Kabul was heavily damaged. A new government

was later established, and the

city began to rebuild.

..More to explore

Afghanistan • Terrorism

Kahlo, Frida

Frida Kahlo was one of the most famous

Mexican artists of the 1900s. She was

In Kabul, Afghanistan, thousands of people

gaze down on the Sakhy Shrine. A holy

ceremony celebrating the new year is taking

place there.

Frida Kahlo

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kahlo, Frida 43

known especially for her disturbing style

and her many unsmiling self-portraits.

The pain Kahlo expressed in her paintings

came from her own life. She was

born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y

Calderon in Coyoacan, Mexico, on July

6, 1907. She suffered from the disease

polio at 6 years old and walked with a

limp the rest of her life. At 18 she was

nearly killed in a bus crash. Her injuries

were so severe that she spent many

weeks in the hospital.

Kahlo began painting self-portraits

while in the hospital. Once she was

well, she showed her paintings to the

famous Mexican painter Diego Rivera.

Rivera was enthusiastic. He encouraged

her and promoted her work to others.

Kahlo and Rivera married in 1929.

They divorced in 1939 but remarried in

1941.

During her life Kahlo was more famous

in the United States and Europe than in

her homeland. Since her death, on July

13, 1954, she has become equally

famous in Mexico.

#More to explore

Painting • Rivera, Diego

Kalahari

The Kalahari is a desert in Southern

Africa. It lies mostly in Botswana. It also

covers parts of Namibia and South

Africa.

The Kalahari is covered mostly by reddish

sand. Hills of sand, called dunes,

are common in the west. Rainfall is rare,

and it varies from place to place and

from year to year.

Despite the dry climate, the Kalahari has

grasses, shrubs, and even some forests.

Animal life includes antelope, wildebeests,

giraffes, elephants, and cheetahs.

Most of the people of the Kalahari raise

cattle and goats. They also grow corn,

sorghum, and pumpkins. They get water

from underground by digging wells.

Springbok, a type of antelope, roam

through the Kalahari Gemsbok National

Park in South Africa.

Kahlo often

included blood

and skulls in

her paintings.

44 Kalahari BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Some people have always lived in villages.

Others, notably the San people,

used to live as nomads. They traveled

through the desert hunting animals and

gathering food. Some San still live as

nomads, but today most work on cattle

ranches.

#More to explore

Botswana • Desert • Sand Dune

Kampala

Population

(2002 estimate),

metropolitan

area,

1,208,500

Kampala is the capital of the East African

country of Uganda. It is the largest

city in Uganda by far. The city lies on a

series of hills near Lake Victoria.

Kampala is a center of business and

transportation. Many people in the city

work in government or business offices.

Factories in Kampala process foods from

Uganda’s farms. The factories produce

tea, sugar, coffee, and cotton.

The African kingdom of Buganda once

controlled the Kampala area. Great Britain

took over what is now Uganda in the

1890s. Kampala was then chosen to be

the center of British rule in Uganda. The

British moved their capital to the city of

Entebbe for most of the early 1900s. In

1962 Uganda became an independent

country with Kampala as its capital.

#More to explore

Uganda

Kampuchea

#see Cambodia.

Kanem-Bornu

Empire

Kanem-Bornu was an empire in Africa.

It controlled trade around Lake Chad

from the 800s to the 1800s. Its territories

included parts of what are now

Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, and

Libya.

Kanem-Bornu handled trade between

North Africa and lands to the south.

The empire sold such products as salt,

elephant tusks, ostrich feathers, and live

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kanem-Bornu Empire 45

animals. The empire also traded slaves to

people in North Africa in exchange for

horses. The Kanem-Bornu people raised

crops and livestock for their own use.

The Kanem-Bornu Empire was originally

known as Kanem. It was probably

founded around the mid-800s. Kanem’s

rulers were members of the Sef family.

Kanem got stronger in the 1100s and

1200s. Then it shrank until little of it

was left except for a southern province

called Bornu. In the early 1500s Bornu

recaptured the rest of Kanem and

became Kanem-Bornu. The empire

reached its height during the reign of

King Idris Alawma. He ruled from

about 1571 to 1603.

In 1846 the Sef dynasty died out.Other

people then took power for brief periods.

By the late 1800s the French, British, and

Germans were making their own empires

in Africa. They soon divided

Kanem-Bornu among themselves.

#More to explore

Chad

Kangaroo

Kangaroos belong to a group of animals

called marsupials. These animals carry

their young in a pouch. There are more

than 50 species, or types, of kangaroo.

Some of the smaller species are called

wallabies.

Kangaroos live in Australia and nearby

areas. Most live in grasslands, but one

species lives in trees.

Kangaroos generally have soft, woolly

fur. It can be gray, brown, red, or bluegray.

Some species have stripes on the

head, back, or upper limbs.

Kangaroos can be 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall

and weigh 200 pounds (90 kilograms),

though some are much smaller. They

have long, powerful back legs that are

good for jumping. Their long, thick tails

help them balance while jumping. Kangaroos

use their short front legs almost

like human arms.

A female kangaroo usually has one

young, called a joey, each year. Just after

birth it crawls into a pouch on the

mother’s stomach. It feeds on its mother’s

milk as it grows. Gradually, it learns

to hop out and look for food. When it is

7 to 10 months old, the joey leaves the

pouch for good.

#More to explore

Marsupial

Some people

in Australia

hunt kangaroos

for their

meat.

A female kangaroo carries her

baby in a pouch.

46 Kangaroo BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Kansas

The U.S. state of Kansas is named for

the Kansa (or Kaw) tribe of Native

Americans who lived along the Kansas

River. Because so many wild sunflowers

grow in the state, Kansas is nicknamed

the Sunflower State. Kansas has been the

site of many tornadoes, leading to

another nickname—the Cyclone State.

The capital is Topeka.

Geography

Kansas sits at the geographical center of

the 48 states that lie between the Canadian

border and Mexico. Osborne

County in Kansas is the center of North

America. Kansas is bordered on the

north by Nebraska, on the west by

Colorado, on the south by Oklahoma,

and on the east by Missouri.

All of Kansas is made up of generally

level plains. The land rises slowly and

steadily from 700 feet (210 meters)

above sea level in the southeast to more

than 4,000 feet (1,200 meters)

near the Colorado border in the

west. The main rivers are the Kansas in

the north and the Arkansas in the south.

Kansas has warm summers and cold

winters.

People

Whites of European heritage make up

the majority of the Kansas population.

Hispanic Americans represent about 7

percent of the population, African

Americans about 6 percent, and Asians

about 2 percent. Almost 25,000 Native

Americans live in the state.

The largest city in Kansas is Wichita,

located on the Arkansas River in the

south-central part of the state. Kansas

City sits where the Kansas and Missouri

rivers meet. The main public institutions

of higher education are the University of

Kansas, at Lawrence, with its Medical

Center at Kansas City; Kansas State

Farmers in Kansas grow sunflowers as a

crop. Sunflower seeds are used as food.

They also contain oil that is used in cooking.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kansas 47

University, at Manhattan; andWichita

State University, atWichita.

Economy

The state’s leading manufacturing product

is transportation equipment, including

aircraft and motor vehicles. Kansas

farm products have made the processing

of foodstuffs another important manufacturing

industry. The most valuable

farm products are cattle, wheat, and

corn. Telecommunications and service

industries such as finance, commercial

sales, the transportation of goods, and

health care are also large parts of the

state’s economy.

History

The Cheyenne, Pawnee, Kaw, and other

Native American groups lived in what is

now Kansas before Europeans settled on

the land. Spanish explorer Francisco

Coronado visited the area in 1541. In

1682 the French explorer Sieur de La

Salle claimed the region for his country.

The United States acquired the region

from France in the Louisiana Purchase

of 1803. Kansas was thoroughly

explored in the following decades.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 created

the Kansas Territory and opened it

to white settlement. The law left it up to

the settlers to decide whether they

wanted Kansas to become a free (antislavery)

state or a slave state. Slavery supporters

established settlements at

Atchison and Leavenworth. Antislavery

groups founded Topeka and Lawrence.

The two sides soon battled, and the

fighting earned the territory the name

Bleeding Kansas.

Kansas joined the Union in 1861 as a

free state. In the years after the American

CivilWar, Kansas became part of the

frontier region called the OldWest.

Cowboys drove their cattle to such

towns as Dodge City and Abilene. After

the cattle boom ended in the 1880s,

wheat farming became critical to the

region. By 1900 most of the farmland

had been taken over by settlers.

During the 1930s Kansas went through

a severe drought. The state became part

of what was known as the Dust Bowl as

the drought ruined much of the farmland.

As a result, many farmers and

workers could not make a living. About

80,000 people left the state during this

time.

In the 1940s, however, many people

came to Kansas to work in the aircraft

plants ofWichita. Since the 1940s Kansas

has experienced a slow but steady

growth in population.

..More to explore

American CivilWar • Dust Bowl • Kaw

• Topeka

The Arkansas River flows through Wichita,

Kansas.

Facts About

KANSAS

Flag

Population

(2000 census)

2,688,418—

rank, 32nd state;

(2008 estimate)

2,802,134—

rank, 33rd state

Capital

Topeka

Area

82,277 sq mi

(213,096 sq

km)—rank, 15th

state

Statehood

January 29,

1861

Motto

Ad Astra Per

Aspera (To the

Stars Through

Difficulties)

State bird

Western

meadowlark

State flower

Native sunflower

48 Kansas BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Kansas-Nebraska

Act

A law called the Missouri Compromise

of 1820 ruled out slavery in the United

States north of Missouri’s southern border.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

made it possible again. This angered

abolitionists, or people who wanted to

end slavery. It led to violence in Kansas,

where people fought and killed each

other over the issue of slavery. The fighting

brought the United States closer to

the American CivilWar.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act created

Kansas and Nebraska as territories. The

act allowed the people of each territory

to decide whether or not to allow

slavery.

Nebraska stayed fairly calm, but Kansas

did not. People who supported slavery

poured into Kansas from Missouri. They

voted to allow slavery in 1855. Abolitionists

came to Kansas from the Northern

states. They did not think the vote

in favor of slavery was legal. They held

their own vote and set up another government.

The town of Lawrence was an abolitionist

center. On May 21, 1856, a proslavery

mob attacked the town. Three days

later abolitionists led by John Brown

struck back and killed five men. Over

the next few years both sides made many

violent attacks. The territory became

known as Bleeding Kansas.

The people of Kansas voted against a

proslavery constitution in 1858. By this

time most of the people were against

slavery. Kansas was admitted to the

United States as a free state on January

29, 1861.

#More to explore

American CivilWar • Brown, John

• Kansas • Nebraska • Slavery

Karakoram

Range

The Karakoram Range is a group of

mountains in central Asia. They lie

northwest of the Himalayan mountain

system. Very few people live near the

Karakorams. Even so, much of the land

is claimed by more than one country.

The Karakorams cover parts of

Afghanistan, China, India, Pakistan,

and Tajikistan.

An illustration shows men lining up to vote

on the issue of slavery in Kansas Territory.

In 1855 voters chose to allow slavery.

K2 is the only

one of the

Earth’s

10 highest

mountains that

is not in the

Himalayas.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Karakoram Range 49

A Karakoram peak called K2 is the

second-highest mountain in the world.

K2 is 28,251 feet (8,611 meters) high. It

is partly in China and partly in territory

that Pakistan controls.

The Karakorams are mostly dry. But the

region has glaciers (ice sheets) that feed

several rivers, including the Indus River

of south Asia

Kathmandu

Population

(2001 census)

671,846

Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal, a

country in South Asia. The city lies in a

high valley where two rivers meet. It is

surrounded by the Himalaya Mountains.

Kathmandu is by far the largest

city in Nepal. It is also a cultural center.

There are several famous Buddhist

monuments in the Kathmandu valley.

One of the most famous is the whitedomed

Bodhnath Stupa.

Kathmandu is Nepal’s center of business

and transportation. Tourism is also

important to the economy. Factories in

the city make such products as processed

foods and clothing.

A king founded Kathmandu in 723. At

first the city’s name was Manju-Patan.

Then in the 1500s, another king is said

to have built a temple in the city from

the wood of a single tree. To honor this

event the city was named Kathmandu,

meaning “wooden temple.” In 1769 a

Durbar Square lies at the center

of Kathmandu’s historic district.

Around the square are temples,

monuments, colorful shops, and

bustling streets.

The mountain K2 got its name because it

was the second peak to be measured in the

Karakoram Range. It is also Earth’s secondhighest

mountain.

50 Kathmandu BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

ruler united several small kingdoms to

form what is now Nepal. He made

Kathmandu the capital.

In 1934 an earthquake destroyed many

buildings in Kathmandu. The city began

to grow rapidly in the late 1900s. Starting

in the late 1990s the city was often

the site of fighting between government

troops and rebels.

#More to explore

Himalayas • Nepal

Kaw

The Kaw are Native Americans who

once lived along the Kansas and Saline

rivers in what is now Kansas. They are

also known as the Kansa or the Konza.

Both the state of Kansas and the Kansas

River are named after the tribe.

The Kaw lived in villages of cone-shaped

lodges that were large enough to house

two or three families. They grew corn,

beans, and other vegetables. After they

were introduced to horses in the early

1700s, the Kaw began to hunt bison

(buffalo) on horseback. They used bison

skins to make clothing and to cover the

tepees they used for shelter while on the

hunt.

The Kaw believed that there were mysterious

spirits called wakans that could

help them in their lives. Kaw boys

looked for these spirits while taking part

in a ceremony called the vision quest.

The Kaw first lived in eastern North

America, along the coast of the Atlantic

Ocean. They later moved westward

along with other related tribes, including

the Omaha, the Osage, the Quapaw,

and the Ponca.

European explorers began to arrive in

Kaw territory in the early 1600s. The

settlers carried new diseases, such as

smallpox, that killed many of the Kaw.

The settlers also wanted the Kaw’s land.

By the mid-1800s the Kaw had signed

agreements that gave most of their territory

to the U.S. government. The Kaw

moved to a reservation in what is now

Kansas. In 1873 they moved to a reservation

in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

In the early 20th century, the

reservation was divided into small, privately

owned pieces of land.

By the end of the 20th century there

were about 1,000 Kaw. Most lived in

Oklahoma.

#More to explore

Native Americans • Omaha • Osage

• Ponca • Quapaw

A group of Kaw meets with a representative

of the U.S. government in the 1800s.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kaw 51

Kazakhstan

The largest nation in central Asia is

Kazakhstan. It is named for the Kazakhs,

a people who once roamed the region’s

vast grasslands. The capital is Astana.

Kazakhstan shares borders with Russia,

China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and

Turkmenistan. The Tian Shan mountain

range lies along the border with China.

Much of the south and center is desert.

Grasses and shrubs grow on the plains

and in the desert. Antelope and elk live

on the plains.Wolves, bears, snow leopards,

and saiga (a hoofed animal) live in

the hills.

The Kazakhs, a Muslim people, make

up more than half of the population.

About one third of the people are Russians.

Other ethnic groups include

Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Germans, and

Tatars. The main languages are Kazakh

and Russian.

Kazakhstan’s economy is based on its

petroleum (oil) and natural gas. Kazakhstan

also mines iron ore, copper, zinc,

and gold. Its industries produce iron and

steel, food products, and machinery.

Farmers raise wheat, vegetables, cotton,

and livestock.

Over the centuries the Mongols and

others ruled parts of Kazakhstan. In the

1400s many Uzbeks arrived. They lived

as nomads, or wanderers, and became

known as Kazakhs. The Kazakhs soon

ruled an empire in central Asia.

By 1848 Russia controlled the Kazakhs’

land. In 1920 Kazakhstan became part

of the Soviet Union. After the Soviet

Union collapsed Kazakhstan declared its

independence in 1991.

..More to explore

Astana • Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics • Uzbekistan

Young women dressed in traditional clothing

and fur hats attend a ceremony in

Astana, Kazakhstan.

Facts About

KAZAKHSTAN

Population

(2008 estimate)

15,655,000

Area

1,052,090 sq mi

(2,724,900 sq

km)

Capital

Astana

Form of

government

Republic

Major cities

Almaty,

Qaraghandy

(Karaganda),

Shymkent

(Chimkent),

Taraz, Astana

52 Kazakhstan BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Keller, Helen

Helen Keller was both blind and deaf.

But despite these disabilities, she became

a skilled writer and speaker.

Helen Adams Keller was born on June

27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama.

When she was 19 months old, she got

very sick. The disease left her unable to

see or hear.

When Helen was 6, she got a teacher

named Anne Sullivan. Sullivan used

Helen’s sense of touch to teach her. She

handed Helen a doll. Then she traced

the letters of the word doll on the palm

of Helen’s hand. Helen guessed the connection

between the letters and the

object she was holding. She learned that

things had names.

With Sullivan’s help, Helen made rapid

progress. Soon she could read sentences

by feeling raised words on cardboard. A

few years later she learned Braille. Braille

is a special system of writing for the

blind that uses raised dots instead of

printed words. People read Braille with

their fingertips.

Learning to speak was a bigger challenge.

Helen did it by touching the lips

and throat of a person who was speaking.

She was able to feel the way the lips

moved and the throat vibrated. At the

same time someone spelled out the

words that were being spoken.

Keller graduated from Radcliffe College

in 1904. Then she wrote magazine

articles and books about blindness.

Keller also gave many speeches. Some

people had trouble understanding her,

so she took along another person who

repeated her words. Keller died inWestport,

Connecticut, on June 1, 1968.

#More to explore

Blindness • Braille • Deafness

Helen Keller

Helen Keller touches the face of Anne Sullivan,

her remarkable teacher. Keller learned

to speak partly by feeling how people’s lips

move when they talk.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Keller, Helen 53

Kennedy, John F.

John F. Kennedy was the 35th president

of the United States. He was the youngest

person ever elected to the presidency.

Kennedy was a very popular leader. His

assassination in 1963 shocked the country

and the world.

Early Life

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on

May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts.

He was the second of nine children

born to Joseph and Rose Kennedy. Both

his grandfathers had been in state politics.

His father held government posts

under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1940 Kennedy graduated from Harvard

University. DuringWorldWar II he

joined the U.S. Navy. He commanded a

torpedo boat in the Pacific Ocean. It was

sunk by a Japanese destroyer. Although

he was seriously hurt, Kennedy led his

crew to safety. For this he earned a

medal for heroism.

Political Career

In 1946 Massachusetts voters elected

Kennedy, a Democrat, to the U.S.

House of Representatives. In 1952

Kennedy was elected to the U.S. Senate.

During his two terms he fought for

labor reform and civil rights. While he

was a senator Kennedy married Jacqueline

Lee Bouvier. They had two children.

He also published the book Profiles

in Courage (1956), about great U.S.

leaders.

Presidency

Kennedy ran for president in the 1960

election. He defeated his Republican

opponent, Richard M. Nixon. In his

speech on the day he took office

Kennedy asked citizens to help make the

United States a better place. He said,

“Ask not what your country can do for

you—ask what you can do for your

country.”

Kennedy took office during the Cold

War, a time of tension between the

United States and the Soviet Union, a

Communist nation. He promised to

stop the spread of Communism. He sent

military advisers, money, and supplies to

fight Communists in Vietnam. In 1961

he supported rebels who wanted to overthrow

the Communist government of

Cuba. The rebels’ invasion at the Bay of

Pigs in Cuba failed, however.

A serious crisis of the ColdWar took

place in October 1962. The United

John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of

the United States.

54 Kennedy, John F. BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

States discovered that the Soviet Union

was building nuclear missile bases in

Cuba, which is very close to the U.S.

state of Florida. Kennedy saw this as a

threat to the United States. He ordered

U.S. warships to Cuba. For 13 days

nuclear war seemed near. Finally the

Soviets agreed to remove the weapons.

The next year the United States, the

Soviet Union, and Great Britain signed

the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty. It banned

most nuclear testing.

Meanwhile, Kennedy proposed programs

to help people both at home and

in other countries. He sought to lower

unemployment, provide medical care for

the aged, reduce taxes, and protect civil

rights. Kennedy also supported exploration

of the moon. Congress approved

several of his projects, including the

Peace Corps, a volunteer service to help

other countries in their development

efforts. Other plans did not pass until

after Kennedy’s death.

Assassination

During his campaign for reelection,

Kennedy visited Dallas, Texas, on

November 22, 1963. He and his wife

were riding through the city in an open

car when shots rang out. Bullets hit the

president in the neck and the head. He

died shortly after he was brought to the

hospital.Within hours Vice President

Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as

president.

Police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald for

the shooting. Jack Ruby, a nightclub

owner, killed Oswald before he could go

on trial. Some people thought that a

secret group had planned Kennedy’s

assassination. Johnson ordered an investigation.

TheWarren Commission was

formed to examine the evidence. It

decided that Oswald had acted alone.

#More to explore

Civil Rights • ColdWar • Johnson,

Lyndon B. • Nixon, Richard M. • Peace

Corps • United States

May 29, November 22,

1917 1960 1961 1961 1962 1963 1963

Kennedy is

born in

Brookline,

Massachusetts.

Kennedy is

elected

president.

A U.S.-backed

invasion of

Cuba at the

Bay of Pigs

fails.

Congress

approves the

Peace Corps.

Cuban missile

crisis almost

leads to

nuclear war.

Agreement to

end most

testing of

nuclear

weapons is

signed.

Kennedy is

assassinated in

Dallas, Texas.

T I M E L I N E

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kennedy, John F. 55

Kentucky

In 1792 Kentucky became the

first U.S. territory west of the

Appalachian Mountains to gain

statehood. The capital of Kentucky is

Frankfort.

The state probably took its name from a

Native American word meaning “meadowland”

or “prairie.” Kentucky is nicknamed

the Bluegrass State after the

bluish green grass that grows in many

parts of the state. It is known for its

Thoroughbred horses and the Kentucky

Derby, a very popular horse race held

each year.

Geography

Kentucky is located in the south-central

part of the United States. The Ohio

River separates northern Kentucky from

Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The Tug

River and the Big Sandy River run

between Kentucky andWest Virginia on

the east and northeast. Virginia borders

Kentucky to the southeast, and Tennessee

lies to the south. In the west the Mississippi

River forms the boundary

between Kentucky and Missouri.

In the east are the Appalachian Mountains,

including the Cumberland and

Pine ranges. Between the eastern mountains

and the Tennessee River in the west

is a large area of lowlands. The westernmost

part of the state is an area of flat

plains. It is part of the great lowland

region that extends north from the Gulf

of Mexico. Kentucky has cool winters

and warm summers.

People

The majority of Kentucky’s population

consists of whites of European descent.

African Americans make up about 7

percent of the state’s population. Kentucky

remains a largely rural state of

small towns. The only cities with populations

greater than 100,000 are Lexington

and Louisville.

Economy

Manufacturing and service industries

are the main sources of income and

Louisville is the largest metropolitan area in

the U.S. state of Kentucky. It lies on the

Ohio River.

56 Kentucky BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

employment in Kentucky. The major

manufactured products include motor

vehicles and parts, foodstuffs, fabricated

metal products, and electronic

equipment.

Tobacco has long been a major cash

crop. The state ranks first in the nation

in the breeding of racehorses. Broiler

chickens and cattle are the most

valuable farm animals. Kentucky is one

of the major producers of coal in the

nation.

History

The area that is now Kentucky was

inhabited by the Shawnee, Iroquois, and

Cherokee Indians when Europeans first

arrived. For many years the American

colonists could not expand westward

into the region because they were

blocked by mountain ranges. This situation

changed in 1750 when the Cumberland

Gap—a pass through the

Cumberland Mountains—was discovered.

In the 1770s the frontiersman

Daniel Boone helped create a trail that

allowed other pioneers to enter the territory.

The first permanent white settlement in

what is now Kentucky was founded in

1774. The next year Boone founded a

settlement at what is now Boonesboro.

At first the region was made a part of

the colony of Virginia. In the 1780s,

however, Kentuckians began to call for

the separation of their territory from

Virginia. Success came in 1792, when

Kentucky joined the Union as the 15th

state.

During the American CivilWar, Kentucky

was one of the border states that

lay between the North and South. Abraham

Lincoln, president of the United

States during the war, and Jefferson

Davis, president of the Confederacy,

were both born in the state. Although

the state never withdrew from the

Union, many Kentuckians fought for

the Confederacy.

The economy of Kentucky grew steadily

in the late 1800s. The introduction of

tobacco farming brought much money

into the state. Coal mining on a large

scale began in the 1870s. Bloody clashes

between miners and operators took

place in the 1930s. In later decades mining

machinery reduced the need for

miners. Manufacturing businesses

became increasingly important in the

latter part of the century. In the early

21st century, manufacturing still represented

a significant part of Kentucky’s

economy.

..More to explore

American CivilWar • Boone, Daniel

• Cumberland Gap • Frankfort

Horses graze in a grassy pasture on a

horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky.

Facts About

KENTUCKY

Flag

Population

(2000 census)

4,041,769—

rank, 25th state;

(2008 estimate)

4,269,245—

rank, 26th state

Capital

Frankfort

Area

40,409 sq mi

(104,659 sq

km)—rank, 37th

state

Statehood

June 1, 1792

Motto

United We Stand,

Divided We Fall

State bird

Cardinal

State flower

Goldenrod

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kentucky 57

Kenya

Kenya, a country in East Africa, is a land

of natural beauty. Many visitors come to

Kenya to see its scenery and its rare wild

animals. Kenya’s capital is Nairobi.

Geography

Kenya lies along the equator on Africa’s

east coast. Kenya touches Tanzania,

Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

Lake Victoria lies in the west. The

Indian Ocean is to the east.

Highlands rise in the western part of

Kenya. The Great Rift Valley divides the

highlands. Mount Kenya, at 17,058 feet

(5,199 meters), is Kenya’s highest peak.

It lies in the center of the country. East

of the highlands, the land slopes down

toward the coast.

Kenya’s most important river, the Tana,

flows from the highlands to the Indian

Ocean. Most of the country’s other rivers

are short and shallow. They sometimes

dry up when there is little rainfall.

The Great Rift Valley has many lakes.

Kenya has two wet seasons and two dry

seasons. The highlands and the coast

receive the most rain. The north is Kenya’s

driest area. Temperatures are generally

warmer in the north and cooler in

the highlands.

Plants and Animals

Evergreen forests and bamboo grow in

the highlands. East and west of the highlands,

low trees grow among grass.

Thorn bushes and baobab trees dot the

dry landscape of the north. The coast is

mainly grassland with some forests.

Some of the rarest wildlife in the world

lives in Kenya. The country’s animals

include elephants, rhinoceroses, lions,

leopards, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras,

impalas, hyenas, hippos, and crocodiles.

Many national parks and game reserves

protect the wildlife.

Workers dry coffee on racks in Nyeri, Kenya.

58 Kenya BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

People

The people of Kenya belong to many

different ethnic groups. The largest

groups are the Kikuyu, the Luhya, the

Luo, the Kalenjin, and the Kamba.

There are also groups of nomads, or

wanderers, such as the Masai. Each

group has its own language and culture.

Most people also speak English or Swahili

as a second language.

The most common religion is Christianity.

Smaller groups of people follow

Islam or traditional African religions.

Most Kenyans live in rural areas, but

cities have grown rapidly since the early

1970s. Nairobi is the largest city.

Economy

Most Kenyans are farmers who grow

crops for their families. Corn is the main

food crop. Kenya also grows tea, flowers,

and coffee to sell to other countries.

Manufacturers make flour from grains

and sugar from sugarcane. They also

produce beverages, petroleum (oil) products,

cloth, paper, cement, and leather.

Tourism is an important part of Kenya’s

economy. Many tourists visit Kenya to

see its wildlife or to visit its beautiful

beaches.

History

For centuries African people along

Kenya’s coast traded with Arabs from

across the Indian Ocean. Europeans

arrived in the area in the 1800s. By the

1890s the British had taken control of

Kenya. They made it a British colony in

1920.

The British encouraged white people

from Great Britain and South Africa to

settle in Kenya. The British set aside

much of the colony’s land for whites. As

a result, the native people of Kenya grew

angry at the British. In 1952 they began

a rebellion. A group called the Mau Mau

led the struggle. The British stopped the

Mau Mau rebellion in 1960. But the

people of Kenya continued to push for

freedom. Kenya became an independent

country in 1963.

After independence, Kenya had a strong

government. It banned political parties

that disagreed with it. Other countries

criticized the government’s actions. In

1992 Kenya held its first elections since

the 1960s with candidates from more

than one political party. After that, Kenya’s

government improved.

..More to explore

Nairobi

Impalas graze in Nairobi National Park in

Kenya.

Facts About

KENYA

Population

(2008 estimate)

37,954,000

Area

224,961 sq mi

(582,646 sq km)

Capital

Nairobi

Form of

government

Republic

Major cities

Nairobi, Mombasa,

Kisumu,

Nakuru, Eldoret,

Machacos

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kenya 59

Key, Francis

Scott

Many citizens of the United States know

the words to the most famous song written

by Francis Scott Key, “The Star-

Spangled Banner.” Key wrote the song

during theWar of 1812. It later became

the U.S. national anthem.

Key was born in western Maryland on

August 1, 1779. He studied at home

until age 10. He then went to school in

Annapolis. Later he studied law at St.

John’s College. After graduating, Key set

up a law practice in Georgetown, in

what is nowWashington, D.C.

In August 1814, during the War of 1812

between the United States and Great

Britain, the British set fire to the Capitol

and other buildings inWashington,

D.C. Afterward they captured a friend

of Key’s namedWilliam Beanes. As a

lawyer, Key went to ask the British to

free Beanes. The British agreed but held

both men on a ship overnight.

During the night Key watched the British

attack Fort McHenry, which guarded

Baltimore, Maryland. At dawn Key saw

the U.S. flag still flying over the fort. It

had not fallen to the British. Relieved,

Key began to write a poem about the

battle.

Key published the poem under the title

“Defence of Fort M’Henry.” People

soon began singing the poem to the

tune of an English drinking song, “To

Anacreon in Heaven.” The song, now

called “The Star-Spangled Banner,”

became popular across the country. The

U.S. Army and Navy later used it as

their anthem.

In 1833 Key became an attorney for the

District of Columbia. He also kept writing.

He published The Power of Literature

and Its Connection with Religion in

1834. Poems appeared in 1857, long

after Key’s death in Baltimore on January

11, 1843. In 1931 the U.S. Congress

made “The Star-Spangled Banner”

the national anthem.

#More to explore

National Anthem •War of 1812

Keys, Florida

#see Florida Keys.

The first printed sheet music of Francis Scott

Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner”

appeared in 1814.

60 Key, Francis Scott BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Khartoum

Population

(1993 census),

city, 947,483;

(2008

estimate), urban

area,

8,000,000

Khartoum is the capital of Sudan, a

country in northeastern Africa. The city

lies where the Blue and White Nile rivers

meet to form the main stream of the

Nile River. Two other cities, Omdurman

and North Khartoum, lie just across the

rivers. Omdurman is the largest city in

Sudan. It is also the place where the

country’s lawmakers meet.

Khartoum is Sudan’s center of

transportation and trade.Many people

in the city work for the government.

Factories there make cotton cloth and

other products.

Khartoum began in 1821 as an Egyptian

army camp. It soon grew into a town.

Egypt and Great Britain shared control

of the area.

In the 1880s local Muslim forces

rebelled against foreign rule. They captured

Khartoum in 1885. British and

Egyptian troops took back the city in

1898. Khartoum was the center of British

and Egyptian rule of Sudan until

1956. In that year Sudan became an

independent country with Khartoum as

its capital.

..More to explore

Nile River • Sudan

Khwarizmi, Al-

Al-Khwarizmi was an Arab mathematician

and astronomer of the AD 800s. He

is known as the Father of Algebra.

Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

was born in about 780. Historians

believe that either he or his ancestors

came from Khwarezm, a region in central

Asia. The region is now part of the

countries called Turkmenistan and

Uzbekistan.

As an adult al-Khwarizmi lived in Baghdad,

in what is now Iraq. There he

worked at the House ofWisdom, a center

for scientific research. Al-Khwarizmi

studied the works of Arab, Greek, and

Indian scholars.

A man walks past a mosque in

Khartoum, Sudan.

“Khartoum”

means

“elephant’s

trunk” in the

Arabic

language.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Khwarizmi, Al- 61

Al-Khwarizmi invented new ways to

solve mathematical problems. One of

the books he wrote explained a problemsolving

system that is now known as

algebra. The word algebra comes from

the Arabic word al-jabr, which appears

in the title of al-Khwarizmi’s book.

European universities used the book to

teach mathematics from the 1100s to

the 1500s.

Another one of al-Khwarizmi’s books

introduced Arabic numerals to Europe.

Arabic numerals are the 10 digits (0, 1,

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) that most people

use today.

Al-Khwarizmi was interested in more

than mathematics. He also wrote important

books on astronomy and geography.

He died in about 850.

#More to explore

Numbers and Number Systems

Kidney

All living things must remove wastes

from their bodies. Reptiles, birds, mammals,

and some other animals remove

some of these wastes through two body

parts called kidneys. Kidneys are part of

the urinary system. They take out extra

water and wastes from the blood. These

wastes leave the body in the form of

urine.

Structure

Human kidneys are reddish brown and

shaped like beans. They sit in the lower

back, one on each side of the backbone.

Each kidney is about 4 to 5 inches (10

to 12.5 centimeters) long.

The inner curve of the kidney has a dent

in the middle called the hilus. The hilus

is the point where blood vessels enter

and leave the kidney. These blood vessels

include a renal artery and a renal vein.

The word renal means “kidney” in the

Latin language. Blood enters the kidney

A postage stamp honors the

mathematician known as

Al-Khwarizmi.

62 Kidney BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

through the renal artery and leaves

through the renal vein.

Also at the hilus is a funnel-shaped

structure called the renal pelvis. The

renal pelvis is a hollow area that collects

urine. A tube called the ureter leads

from the renal pelvis out of the kidney.

The ureter runs down to the bladder.

Blood flows through the kidneys in tiny

blood vessels called capillaries. The capillaries

lead to tiny tubes called nephrons,

which make urine. Each kidney

has at least a million nephrons.

How KidneysWork

Every few minutes all the blood in the

body runs through the kidneys. The

nephrons remove water and some substances

from the blood. Some of these

substances are waste. Others are nutrients,

or things that are useful to the

body. The nephrons pass the nutrients

and most of the water back into the

blood. The wastes and the extra water

stay in the nephrons. This liquid is the

urine. Drop by drop, the urine passes

from the nephrons into the renal pelvis.

From there it goes into the bladder,

which stores the urine until it leaves the

body.

Sometimes wastes, especially salts,

remain in the kidneys. These salts can

form hard lumps called kidney stones.

Medicines can help to dissolve these

stones.

..More to explore

Blood • Urinary System

Kiev

Population

(2006 estimate)

2,718,000

Kiev is the capital of the country of

Ukraine. It is one of the largest cities in

eastern Europe. Kiev has a port on the

Dnieper River. The city is Ukraine’s

center of culture and business.

The economy of Kiev depends on trade,

industry, and businesses that provide

services. Many people in Kiev work in

government or business offices. Other

people work in publishing, engineering,

or manufacturing. Factories in Kiev

make tools, electronics, chemicals,

foods, and other goods.

Kiev was founded several hundred years

ago. In the late 800s Vikings from

The Church of Saint Andrew, in Kiev,

Ukraine, was built in the 1700s. It is known

for its five green and gold domes.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kiev 63

northern Europe took over the area.

They made Kiev the capital of their

kingdom, called Kievan Rus. The city

grew into a center of trade, culture, and

politics. A Mongol army destroyed Kiev

in 1240. The city was later rebuilt.

In the late 1700s Russia took control of

the area. Kiev became the center of a

movement to gain independence for

Ukraine.

The Soviet Union took over Ukraine in

the 1920s. In the 1940s, during World

War II, German and Soviet troops

fought in Kiev. Large sections of the city

were destroyed. The Germans killed

many residents of Kiev, mainly Jews.

After the war Kiev again became a center

of industry and culture. In 1991

Ukraine became an independent country

with Kiev as its capital.

#More to explore

Ukraine • Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics •WorldWar II

Kigali

Population

(2003 estimate)

656,200

Kigali is the capital of Rwanda, a country

in east-central Africa. It is a hilly city

more than 5,000 feet (1,500 meters)

above sea level. Kigali lies on the Ruganwa

River. It is the largest city in

Rwanda by far.

The economy of Kigali is based mainly

on trade. Factories in the city process tin

and foods. Other factories make shoes,

clothing, and chemicals.

In the early 1900s Kigali was part of

Germany’s colonies in East Africa. Belgium

took control of the region in 1919.

In 1962 Rwanda became an independent

country with Kigali as its capital.

Rwanda’s two main ethnic groups, the

Hutu and the Tutsi, have a long history

of conflict. In 1994 groups of Hutu

killed hundreds of thousands of Tutsi in

Kigali and elsewhere in the country.

#More to explore

Rwanda

An open-air market in Kigali,

Rwanda, offers fruits and vegetables

for sale.

64 Kigali BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Kilimanjaro,

Mount

Located in northeastern Tanzania,

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest point

in Africa. Though it lies in the tropics,

its peak is covered with ice and snow

year-round.

Mount Kilimanjaro is made up of three

inactive volcanoes. Kibo is in the center,

Mawensi is to the east, and Shira is to

the west. Kibo is the highest peak,

reaching a height of 19,340 feet (5,895

meters). Mawensi rises to 16,893 feet

(5,149 meters). Shira is 13,000 feet

(3,962 meters) high. Parts of the lower

slopes are densely forested. Elephants,

buffalo, monkeys, and oxlike antelope

called eland live in the forests.

People live only on the lower slopes.

They grow bananas, millet, and coffee

and raise cattle. On the southern and

eastern slopes, the Chaga people have

developed an irrigation system for watering

their crops.

Europeans learned of Kilimanjaro when

German missionaries spotted it in 1848.

Climbers first reached Kibo’s peak in

1889. Today thousands of hikers try to

climb Kibo each year. The town of

Moshi, at the southern foot of the

mountain, is a base for climbers.

#More to explore

Tanzania • Volcano

King, Martin

Luther, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr., led the civil

rights movement in the United States.

He used nonviolent, or peaceful, protest

to get equal rights for African Americans.

He was awarded the Nobel peace

prize in 1964.

Early Life

King was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on

January 15, 1929. His father was a Baptist

minister. At age 15 Martin entered

Morehouse College in Atlanta. He

graduated in 1948.

King studied for three years at a seminary

(school for ministers) in Pennsylva-

Mount Kilimanjaro extends nearly 50 miles

(80 kilometers) from east to west.

King learned

nonviolent

methods partly

from the

example of

Mahatma

Gandhi of

India.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA King, Martin Luther, Jr. 65

nia. There he learned about nonviolent

protest. King later received a degree

from Boston University in Massachusetts

in 1955. While in Boston he met

Coretta Scott. They married in 1953

and had four children.

Civil Rights Movement

In 1954 King became pastor of a Baptist

church in Montgomery, Alabama. In

December 1955 an African American

woman named Rosa Parks refused to

give her seat on a Montgomery bus to a

white man. She was arrested for breaking

a segregation law. Such laws were

meant to keep blacks and whites separate.

To protest her arrest, King encouraged

African Americans not to ride city

buses. This was called the Montgomery

bus boycott. The boycott was successful.

In 1956 the U.S. Supreme Court

banned racial segregation on public

transportation.

In 1958 King organized a group called

the Southern Christian Leadership Conference

(SCLC). The SCLC led many

nonviolent protests against segregation.

In August 1963 King and other leaders

brought together about 250,000 people

for a gathering called the March on

Washington. Here King delivered his

famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

King’s actions helped get the Civil

Rights Act of 1964 passed. In 1965

King led a march in Selma, Alabama, in

support of African American voting

rights. Soon the Voting Rights Act of

1965 was passed.

Final Years

In 1966 King turned to other problems.

He fought racism in Northern cities and

spoke out against the VietnamWar. He

planned a Poor People’s March toWashington,

D.C.

In 1968 King went to Memphis, Tennessee,

to help city workers who were on

strike. On April 4 a white man shot and

killed him. King was only 39 years old.

King’s reputation grew after his death.

In 1986 the United States set aside the

third Monday in January as a holiday to

honor him.

#More to explore

African Americans • Civil Rights

Movement • Parks, Rosa

King Arthur

#see Arthur, King

Civil rights leader Martin Luther

King, Jr., is pictured giving a

speech after leading a march in

Selma, Alabama.

66 King Arthur BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Kingfisher

Kingfishers are brightly colored birds

that often fish for their food. There are

about 90 kinds of kingfisher throughout

the world. Most of these live in warm

regions near rivers or lakes.

Kingfishers have plump bodies that are

about 4 to 18 inches (10 to 46 centimeters)

long. Their feathers come in many

colors. Many kingfishers have blue

feathers on their back and reddish or

white feathers on their belly. Some have

a crest, or tuft of upright feathers, on

top of their head. A kingfisher’s short

tail allows the bird to turn easily when it

is underwater. The daggerlike bill is useful

for spearing fish, insects, and other

food.

Kingfishers hunt for fish by swooping

down and diving into the water.

Sometimes they hunt on land for

lizards and insects. Kingfishers are also

known for chasing and attacking each

other in the air.

Kingfishers spend their time alone until

it is time to mate. During the mating

season, the birds pair up to build nests

for their eggs. They make nests in the

hollows of trees or dig tunnels in banks

of earth. After the eggs hatch, the parents

raise their young together. When

the babies are old enough, the parents

go off on their own again. Kingfishers

can live as long as 15 years.

#More to explore

Bird

King Philip’s

War

In King Philip’sWar Native Americans

tried to stop the settlers of New England

from taking their land. They fought well

but lost the war. After it ended, the

English settlers felt free to take even

more land.

Metacom, called King Philip by the

English, was grand sachem (chief ) of the

Wampanoag people. TheWampanoag

lived in what are now the U.S. states of

A kingfisher sits on a twig.

An illustration shows English settlers attacking

Native Americans in 1675, during King

Philip’s War.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA King Philip’s War 67

Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Metacom

and the neighboring English settlers

did not trust each other. In 1671

the English demanded that the

Wampanoag surrender their guns. Metacom

then became convinced his people

could no longer live side by side with

the English. He persuaded the Nipmuc

and other Native American tribes to

help him fight the settlers.

In 1675 threeWampanoag men killed a

Native American for helping settlers.

Settlers then killed the three men. These

events set off the war. It spread over

much of New England. Settlers and

Native Americans destroyed each other’s

villages.

In the spring of 1676 the Native Americans

ran short of food. The winter had

been harsh and the fighting had kept

them from attending to their crops.

Nevertheless, Metacom kept on fighting.

He was killed in August 1676. Some

fighting continued after that. However,

it was clear that the settlers had won.

King Philip’sWar was the biggest war in

New England during the 1600s. Native

Americans attacked more than half of

New England’s 90 settlements. In addition,

about 3,000 Native Americans and

600 English settlers died. After the war,

the weakened Native Americans of

southern New England were no longer

able to stop the English from taking over

their lands.

..More to explore

Metacom •Wampanoag

Kingston

Population

(2001 census),

city, 96,052;

(2006

estimate), urban

area, 585,300

Kingston is the capital of Jamaica, an

island country in the Caribbean Sea.

The city lies along a scenic natural harbor

on the island’s coast.

Kingston is Jamaica’s main port and

center of business. The city has a busy

shipping industry. It is also a major tourist

center. In addition, many people in

Kingston work for the government.

Kingston was founded in 1692. In that

year an earthquake destroyed the town

of Port Royal. The people who survived

the earthquake built Kingston nearby.

The city grew quickly, mainly because of

its harbor.

Devon House in Kingston was the home of

one of the few black millionaires in Jamaica

in the 1800s.

About 12

white settlements

were

destroyed in

King Philip’s

War.

68 Kingston BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Great Britain ruled Jamaica for many

years. The British made Kingston their

capital on the island in 1872. The city

survived several fires and, in 1907, a

violent earthquake.

In 1962 Jamaica became an independent

country. Kingston remained the capital.

..More to explore

Jamaica

Kingstown

Population

(2006 estimate)

18,200

Kingstown is the capital of Saint Vincent

and the Grenadines, an island

country in the Caribbean Sea. The city

is located on the coast of Saint Vincent,

the country’s largest island. It is the

main market and port in the country.

Kingstown has the oldest botanical gardens

in theWestern Hemisphere. They

were created in the 1760s. The city also

has a fort and several churches from the

1800s.

People have lived on Saint Vincent

Island for hundreds of years. Great Britain

took control of the island as well as

the nearby Grenadines in the 1700s. In

1979 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

became an independent country. Kingstown

became the country’s capital.

..More to explore

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Kinshasa

Population

(1998

estimate), city,

4,787,000;

(2004

estimate), urban

area,

7,273,950

Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic

Republic of the Congo, a country

in central Africa. It is one of Africa’s

largest cities. Kinshasa is a center of education

and culture.

Kinshasa is a major port on the Congo

River. Much of the Democratic Republic

of the Congo’s business and industry

is based in the city. Factories there make

A tailor sews in his shop in Kinshasa,

Democratic Republic of the Congo.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kinshasa 69

fabrics and process foods, drinks, and

chemicals.

People have lived along the Congo River

for thousands of years. In 1881 the

explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley

established a trading post there. He

named it Leopoldville after King

Leopold II of Belgium.

Belgium soon took over the area.

Leopoldville grew into a town. In 1923

it became the capital of a colony called

the Belgian Congo. The country became

independent in 1960. Leopoldville was

its capital. The city was renamed Kinshasa

in 1966.

Some of the Democratic Republic of the

Congo’s government offices were moved

to the city of Lubumbashi in 2000. Kinshasa

remained the home of the country’s

president.

#More to explore

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Kiowa

The Kiowa are a Native American

people who probably first lived in what

is now Montana. In the 1700s they

moved to the Great Plains. The Kiowa

were powerful warriors. They defended

their land from U.S. settlers and troops

longer than most other Plains Indian

tribes did.

After arriving on the plains the Kiowa

were introduced to horses. On horseback

Kiowa hunters followed roaming

herds of bison (buffalo). Bison meat

became their major source of food. They

used bison hides to make clothing and

covers for their tepees. The Kiowa did

not farm.

The Kiowa formed alliances with other

Native American tribes. The Kiowa and

their allies attacked travelers, traders,

and settlers who entered their lands.

They also raided settlements in Texas

and Mexico. But U.S. settlers started

taking over Kiowa land anyway. In 1867

some Kiowa leaders agreed to give up all

their land except for a small reservation

in what is now Oklahoma. Many Kiowa,

however, continued to fight U.S. troops.

They were defeated in 1875. Then most

Kiowa moved to the reservation. At the

end of the 20th century there were

about 9,000 Kiowa.

#More to explore

Native Americans

Directly across

the Congo

River from

Kinshasa is

Brazzaville.

Brazzaville is

the capital city

of the Republic

of the Congo.

Elk Tongue of the Kiowa poses with his

daughter in about 1891.

70 Kiowa BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Kiribati

The Republic of Kiribati consists of 33

islands in the central Pacific Ocean. It is

part of the region called Oceania. Most

of the islands are low atolls, or coral reefs

surrounding a lagoon. The capital is

Bairiki, on Tarawa Atoll.

Geography

Kiribati includes three island groups—

the Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix Islands,

and most of the Line Islands—and

Banaba Island. The islands are spread

over about 2 million square miles (5

million square kilometers). Kiritimati

(Christmas Island), in the Line Islands,

is the world’s largest coral atoll. It

makes up nearly half of the country’s

land area. Kiribati has hot weather yearround.

Plants and Animals

Coconut palms are among the few

plants that grow in Kiribati. Breadfruit

trees and pandanus palms also grow on

some of the islands. Kiribati’s animals

include seabirds and a variety of fish.

People

Almost all the people of Kiribati are

Micronesians. Nearly everyone is Christian.

Most people speak Gilbertese, but

English is common on Tarawa Atoll.

Most of the population lives in the Gilbert

Islands. People usually live in huts.

Economy

Most people in Kiribati are farmers or

fishers. The main crops are coconuts,

taro, bananas, breadfruit, and papayas.

Kiribati sells copra (dried coconut meat)

and fish to other countries.

History

Great Britain took over the Gilbert

Islands in 1892. Japan occupied Kiribati

during WorldWar II. The United States

and Britain tested nuclear weapons on

Kiritimati in the 1960s. Kiribati gained

independence from Britain in 1979.

..More to explore

Bairiki • Oceania

Men farm seaweed in the shallow waters

off the coast of Tabiteuea, Kiribati.

Facts About

KIRIBATI

Population

(2008 estimate)

97,200

Area

313 sq mi (811

sq km)

Capital

Bairiki

Form of

government

Republic

Major villages

Betio, Bikenibeu,

Teaoraereke,

Bairiki

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kiribati 71

Kite

Kites are popular toys on windy days. A

kite is made of paper, plastic, or cloth

stretched across a light, often wooden

frame. They fly high in the air at the

ends of long strings.

Kites come in many sizes and shapes.

Many simple kites are flat and shaped

like diamonds. More complex kites

might be shaped like boxes or even like

animals.

Flying a Kite

Getting a kite into the air can take two

people. One person holds the kite facing

the wind. Another person stands some

distance away and holds the kite’s string.

If the string is tight, the wind will push

against the kite and raise it. The wind’s

force keeps the kite up.

Many children and adults fly kites for

fun. Some form clubs that hold kiteflying

events. In many Asian countries,

kite flying is part of festivals.

History

People flew the first kites about 3,000

years ago, probably in China. These

kites were strips of bamboo covered with

silk.

Later, scientists used kites to study

weather. In the American colonies in

1752 Benjamin Franklin flew a kite with

a key attached in a thunderstorm. The

key drew electricity from the storm,

proving that lightning was a form of

electricity. Such experiments are dangerous,

however. Ordinarily kites should

never be flown during bad weather.

Kites also teach aerodynamics—how

solid objects move through the air.

Inventors of early airplanes based many

of their ideas on kites.

Military forces have used kites, too.

During the early 1900s kites carried

cameras and even soldiers to spy on

enemies. DuringWorldWar II (1939–

45) soldiers practiced shooting down

planes by shooting at kites.

#More to explore

Airplane • Toy

Klamath and

Modoc

The Klamath and the Modoc were two

neighboring Native American peoples.

They traditionally lived in what are now

Oregon and California. They were separate

tribes, but their languages and cul-

Kites come in many different shapes. tures were similar.

72 Kite BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Both tribes got much of their food by

fishing. They also hunted small animals

and gathered roots, berries, and seeds.

During the winter Klamath and Modoc

families kept warm in earth-covered

homes. While on hunting and fishing

trips in the summer, they camped in

shelters made of poles and mats.

The Klamath and the Modoc had little

if any contact with people other than

Native Americans until the early 1800s.

By the 1850s many settlers were invading

Klamath and Modoc lands. In 1864,

after years of fighting, the tribes agreed

to give most of their territory to the U.S.

government. Along with other Indian

groups, they moved onto a reservation

in southern Oregon.

A group of Modoc fled the reservation

and were eventually sent to live in

Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). They

became known as the Modoc Tribe of

Oklahoma. In Oregon the Klamath, the

Modoc, and the Yahooskin Band of the

Snake Indians together become known

as the Klamath Tribes. At the end of the

20th century there were about 500

Modoc and fewer than 3,000 Klamath.

#More to explore

Native Americans

Knee

The biggest joint in the human body is

the knee. A joint is a place where bones

meet. The knee lets the leg straighten

and bend. It also supports the weight of

the body above it.

The Human Knee

Two large bones, the femur and the

tibia, meet at the knee. The femur is the

A photograph from the 1920s shows a

Klamath woman preparing food.

Humans, chickens, and all other animals

that have a backbone and legs have knees.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Knee 73

thigh bone, and the tibia is the shin

bone. Ligaments, or tough strands of

tissue, connect the bones to each other.

A layer of springy tissue called cartilage

cushions the ends of the bones. A

smaller bone called the patella, or kneecap,

sits at the end of the femur. The

patella protects the front of the knee

joint.

A large muscle group in the thigh comes

together at the knee. It makes the leg

straighten. When the leg is straight, the

knee’s ligaments tighten. This prevents

the lower leg from rotating. Other

muscles in the thigh make the leg bend.

Knees of Other Animals

All vertebrates, or animals with a backbone,

that have legs also have knees. In

many animals, including birds and

horses, it looks as if the knees of the

hind legs bend backward. These joints

are actually ankle joints, not knees. The

knees, which are higher on the leg, bend

forward like human knees.

#More to explore

Bone • Leg • Muscle

Knight

Today the king or queen of England

makes people knights to honor good

work. Male knights are called Sir.

Female knights are called Dame. Hundreds

of years ago knights were very

different. They served an important role

in society during the period called the

Middle Ages (AD 500–1500). A knight

then was a fighter of wars. He rode a

horse and served a lord, or powerful

landowner.

In the Middle Ages, a knight started

training at about the age of 7. He was

sent to live in the house of a lord.

There he was a page. A page did odd

jobs. He also learned different skills,

including reading, writing, and

hunting. At about age 12 he became a

squire. A squire served a knight and

learned how to use swords and spears.

He also learned how to get around in

body armor. At about age 21 the squire

promised to serve a lord. Then the

squire became a knight.

Knights were important during the Crusades.

The Crusades were wars between

Christians and Muslims. Knights, who

were Christian, traveled to the Middle

East to fight Muslims between 1095 and

1291. Several orders, or organized

groups, of Christian knights formed

The word

knight comes

from the Old

English word

cniht, which

means

“horseman.”

A picture from the 1300s shows knights on

horseback returning from a tournament.

Tournaments were contests in which knights

showed off their skills and bravery.

74 Knight BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

during this time. Some of these orders

became rich and powerful.

During the late Middle Ages there were

changes in the way people fought wars.

New weapons came into use that could

be used from long distances. These

included crossbows and cannons. They

made knights less important. By the

1500s knighthood had become an

honor that had almost no connection to

fighting.

#More to explore

Crusades • Middle Ages

Knitting

Knitting is the making of textiles, or

cloth, by interlocking, or connecting,

loops of yarn. The yarn is usually wool or

cotton, but almost any type of fiber can

be knitted. Knitted cloth may be plain.

Or it may contain many colors of yarn

knitted together in attractive patterns.

Knitting is different from weaving.

Woven cloth does not have interlocking

loops. Instead two sets of yarn cross each

other in an over-under pattern. The

interlocking loops make knitted cloth

more stretchy than woven cloth. For this

reason socks, tights, and other formfitting

clothes are usually knitted, not woven.

Knitting by hand is a popular hobby. A

knitter begins by looping yarn onto two

or more needles. Knitting needles come

in different lengths and widths. The

knitter then uses the needles to stitch

many loops of yarn together. Today

most knitted cloth is made on large, fast,

computer-controlled machines.

People have been knitting since ancient

times. Early fishermen knitted fishnets.

Knitted cloth from thousands of years

ago has been found in Egyptian tombs.

Throughout history home knitters have

made sweaters, shawls, mittens, and

socks for their families.

#More to explore

Clothing • Fibers • Textile

Koala

The koala is a small, furry animal of

eastern Australia. It is sometimes called a

“bear” because it looks like a living

teddy bear. But the koala is not really a

bear. It belongs to the group of animals

called marsupials, which carry their

young in a pouch. The scientific name

of the koala is Phascolarctos cinereus.

The koala has a sturdy body with pale

gray to yellowish fur. It is about 24 to 33

Queen

Elizabeth I,

who ruled

England from

1558 to 1603,

wore knitted

silk stockings.

Many people enjoy knitting sweaters,

scarves, and other types of clothing as a

hobby.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Koala 75

inches (60 to 85 centimeters) long. It

has small, yellow eyes; a round, black,

leathery nose; and big, fluffy ears.

The koala lives mostly in eucalyptus

trees. It has strong claws and toes that

help it to grasp branches. The koala eats

the leaves of only a few types of

eucalyptus tree. It can be hard for a

koala to find food because it is such a

picky eater.

A female koala has one baby at a time.

The baby is called a joey. The mother

carries the joey in her belly pouch for a

few months. Then the joey climbs onto

its mother’s back. It clings to her until it

is about 1 year old.

The koala was once hunted by the millions

for its fur. Then governments

passed laws to protect it. But the koala is

still threatened by disease and by the loss

of its natural habitat.

#More to explore

Eucalyptus • Marsupial

Konigsburg, E.L.

The U.S. author E.L. Konigsburg has

written several novels for young people.

She has won two Newbery Medals, the

top honor for children’s fiction. Konigsburg’s

books deal with the important

and everyday problems of children.

Konigsburg’s original name was Elaine

Lobl. She was born on February 10,

1930, in New York City. She grew up in

Pennsylvania and earned a degree in

chemistry. After graduation she married

David Konigsburg.

E.L. Konigsburg began writing novels

after her children were in school. Her

first book, Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth,

William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth,

was published in 1967. The novel is

about the character Elizabeth’s loneliness

at a new school, where she does not

fit in. When she meets Jennifer, another

outsider, the two girls become friends.

The idea for the story came from the

experiences of Konigsburg’s daughter,

who had to adjust to school in a new

place.

Also in 1967, Konigsburg published

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.

Frankweiler. In the book, the heroine

Claudia runs away from home with her

brother, Jamie. They hide in the Metropolitan

Museum of Art in New York

A koala sits on a eucalyptus branch.

76 Konigsburg, E.L. BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

City. There they solve a mystery about

an important statue. Konigsburg illustrated

the book in addition to writing it.

It won the Newbery Medal.

Konigsburg later published several other

novels. She won her second Newbery

Medal in 1997. That award was for The

View from Saturday, a book of short stories.

#More to explore

Fiction • Literature for Children

Kootenai

The Kootenai (or Kutenai) are a tribe of

Native Americans. They probably once

lived on the Great Plains, in the middle

of North America. Long ago, however,

they moved west across the Rocky

Mountains. There they settled in Idaho,

Montana, and British Columbia,

Canada.

The Kootenai got much of their food by

fishing. They fished with spears and

nets. They also built canoes from logs

and bark. The Kootenai also hunted. In

the 1700s they got horses. They rode

their horses east over the Rockies to

hunt bison (buffalo) on the Great Plains.

The Kootenai adopted some customs of

the other Indians they met there. Like

Plains Indians, the Kootenai wore clothing

made from animal skins and lived in

tepees while hunting.

In the early 1800s U.S. traders began

arriving in Kootenai territory. The

Kootenai were friendly to the newcomers.

In 1846 the border of the United

States and Canada was set. The border

split Kootenai land between the two

countries. Some Kootenai on the U.S.

side moved north to Canada. Others

settled on reservations in Idaho and

Montana. The Canadian Kootenai

settled in British Columbia.

At the end of the 20th century there

were about 1,200 Kootenai. Half lived

in the United States and half lived in

Canada.

#More to explore

Native Americans

Koran

The Koran (or Qur#an) is the holy book

of Islam. According to Muslim

tradition, God revealed the Koran to

the prophet Muhammad in visions and

messages over a period of 20 years. In

Islam, the book is regarded as the true

word of Allah, or God. It is the final

authority in Islamic social, religious,

and legal matters.

A Kootenai group poses in front of a tepee

in the early 1900s.

Each chapter

of the Koran

has a title

taken from

an important

word in the

chapter,

such as

“The Poets.”

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Koran 77

The Koran was written in Arabic. It is

divided into 114 chapters called suras,

each of which includes a prayer and

verses.

Message

During the time of Muhammad, Arabs

worshipped many gods. The Koran

emphasizes that there is only one God,

Allah. Allah’s message to Muhammad is

both a warning and a promise. The

warning is to all who refuse to believe in

the one God. Those who believe in

Allah and do Allah’s will are promised a

reward that will last forever.

Resurrection, or rising from the dead, is

an important subject of the Koran.

Other topics include angels and devils

and heaven and hell. There are also

chapters about marriage and divorce

laws. Other sections tell the duties of

parents to their children, of masters to

their servants, and of the rich to the

poor. The Koran also includes stories

about prophets and people in the Bible.

History

Islam teaches that Muhammad received

his first vision in AD 610. From time to

time he received more messages from

God, until he died in 632. Muhammad

and his followers memorized the

messages and sometimes wrote them

down.

The year after Muhammad’s death,

many people who knew the Koran by

heart were killed in a battle. Muslims

feared that knowledge of the Koran

would be lost, so they collected all the

messages and wrote them down.

#More to explore

Islam • Muhammad

A woman reads the Koran.

A page of the Koran has been

beautifully decorated and written

out by hand. Artists have taken

great care in producing special

copies of the holy book.

78 Koran BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Korea, North

The Korean peninsula is a block of land

that sticks out from East Asia. The

nation of North Korea sits on the

northern half of the peninsula. South

Korea covers the southern half. The

people of North Korea and South

Korea share a long history and a

common language. However, the two

Koreas have been enemies since the late

1940s. North Korea’s capital is

Pyongyang.

Geography

North Korea shares borders with China,

Russia, and South Korea. The East Sea,

which is also called the Sea of Japan,

forms North Korea’s east coast. The

Yellow Sea forms the country’s west

coast.

Mountains and valleys cover most of

North Korea. The country’s highest

point, Mount Paektu, is in the northeast.

North Korea’s two longest rivers

are the Yalu and the Tumen. They run

along the border with China.

The winters in North Korea are long,

cold, and snowy. The summers are warm

and rainy. Tropical storms called

typhoons sometimes strike during the

rainy season.

Plants and Animals

Forests of fir, spruce, larch, and pine

trees grow in the northern mountains.

In the southern mountains there are

forests of oak, pine, elm, beech, and

poplar trees.

Small numbers of deer, mountain antelope,

goats, tigers, and leopards live in

the forests. Many birds, including wild

pigeons, herons, and cranes, live in the

valleys. Rabbits and other small mammals

are common. In the rivers there are

many carp and eels.

People

Nearly all the people of North Korea are

ethnic Koreans. A tiny number of Chinese

also live in the country. All Koreans

speak the Korean language. More than

half of the people live in cities.

Most North Koreans follow no religion.

Smaller groups of people follow traditional

Korean beliefs or a religion called

Chondogyo. Chondogyo combines

Buddhism, Christianity, and Confucianism

(ancient Chinese teachings).

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Korea, North 79

Economy

The North Korean government controls

the economy. Most of the people work

in factories or on farms. The factories

produce iron and steel, chemicals,

machinery, food products, cloth, and

other goods.

North Korea’s farms produce mainly

rice. Other crops include potatoes, corn,

cabbages, and soybeans. Fish and pigs

are also important sources of food.

However, North Korea does not produce

enough food to feed its people. Hundreds

of thousands of people died of

starvation in the late 1990s.

History

People have lived on the Korean peninsula

for more than 12,000 years. These

early people settled along rivers and the

seacoast. Sometime after 3000 BC the

ancient kingdom of Choson rose up in

the northwest. The Han Dynasty, or

Han ruling family, of China conquered

Choson in 108 BC.

The Three Kingdoms

By AD 400 three Korean states controlled

the peninsula. Koguryo ruled the

north, Paekche ruled the southwest, and

Silla ruled the southeast. They are

known as the Three Kingdoms.

The Three Kingdoms battled each other

for centuries.With help from China,

Silla defeated the Paekche and Koguryo

kingdoms in the AD 600s. Silla then

controlled most of Korea.

by 400 936 1392 1910 1948 1950 2000

Three

Kingdoms rule

ancient Korea.

The Koryo state

unites Korea.

The Choson

state takes

control.

Japan takes

over Korea.

North Korea

and South

Korea gain

independence

as separate

countries.

The Korean

War begins.

The leaders of

North and

South Korea

meet.

T I M E L I N E

Women wear traditional Korean clothing

during a festival in Pyongyang, North Korea.

80 Korea, North BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

During the peacetime that followed,

Korea made advances in astronomy,

medicine, metal casting, sculpture, and

cloth making. Ships from Silla and

China traded many products.

Koryo and Choson Periods

The Koryo state united Korea again in

936. The Koryo ruled from what is now

the city of Kaesong, North Korea.

In 1392 a Korean general took power.

He named his state Choson, after the

ancient kingdom. The Choson capital

was in the south, at what is now Seoul,

South Korea.

Division into North and South

Korea

In 1910 Japan made Korea into a Japanese

colony. The Japanese brought modern

ways, but they treated the Koreans

very poorly. During WorldWar II

(1939–45) Japan forced Koreans to fight

in the Japanese army. Japan lost control

of Korea at the end of the war. In 1945,

the Soviet Union took over the northern

part of Korea. The United States sent its

forces into the south.

North Korea became an independent

country in 1948, one month after South

Korea. Like the Soviet Union, North

Korea adopted a Communist form of

government.

The KoreanWar

In 1950 North Korea started the Korean

War by invading South Korea. The

United States and other countries helped

South Korea. China, a Communist

country, helped North Korea. The war

ended in 1953 with the peninsula still

divided.

North Korea After theWar

North Korea’s government ruled

harshly. After President Kim Il-sung

died in 1994, his son Kim Jong Il came

to power.

In 2000 the leaders the two Koreas met

for the first time. They agreed to work

toward a peaceful, reunited Korea. However,

the relationship between the two

countries remained tense.

..More to explore

Communism • Korea, South • Korean

War • Pyongyang

A lake lies near the top of Mount Paektu, which is the highest point in North Korea. Much

of the country is mountainous.

Facts About

NORTH KOREA

Population

(2008 estimate)

23,867,000

Area

47,399 sq mi

(122,762 sq km)

Capital

Pyongyang

Form of

government

Republic

Major cities

Pyongyang,

Nampo, Hamhong,

Chongjin,

Kaesong, Sinuiju

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Korea, North 81

Korea, South

For many centuries Korea was a single

state on the Korean peninsula. The

Korean peninsula is a piece of land that

sticks out from East Asia. In the mid-

1900s Korea divided into two countries:

North Korea and South Korea. South

Korea, also known as the Republic of

Korea, covers the southern half of the

peninsula. Seoul is South Korea’s capital

and largest city.

Geography

South Korea’s only land border is with

North Korea. South Korea’s eastern border

lies along the East Sea, or Sea of

Japan. The Yellow Sea is to the west. The

East China Sea is to the south. A large

island named Cheju lies off South

Korea’s southwest coast.

Low mountains cover most of South

Korea. The country’s highest peak is

Mount Halla on Cheju Island. South

Korea’s three largest rivers are the Naktong,

the Han, and the Kum. The lowlands

near the rivers provide the

country’s best farmland.

South Korea has cold, dry winters. Its

summers are hot and humid. The southern

coast is the wettest part of the country.

Plants and Animals

Evergreen forests of camellia, camphor,

and other trees grow on the southern

coast and on Cheju Island. Pines, oaks,

maples, and birches also grow in South

Korea.

Deer and rabbits are among the most

common animals. Many types of birds,

reptiles, and fish also live in the country.

South Korea’s national parks protect

some plants and animals.

People

Almost all the people of South Korea are

ethnic Koreans. They speak the Korean

People walk down a busy street in Seoul,

South Korea.

82 Korea, South BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

language. There is also a small group of

Japanese people. Most South Koreans

live in cities and towns. Many of the

cities are very crowded.

Half of the population follows no religion.

About one in four South Koreans

is Christian. About the same number of

people are Buddhists.

Economy

The South Korean economy depends

on services and manufacturing. Services

include banking, education, stores, the

military, transportation, and entertainment.

Huge companies called chaebol control

much of the country’s industry. Factories

in South Korea make cellular phones,

televisions, and other electronic equipment.

They also make cars, ships,

machinery, cloth, and chemicals.

Agriculture is a smaller part of the

economy. Rice is the most important

crop. Other crops include cabbages,

onions, and fruits. Farmers also raise

large numbers of pigs, cattle, and chickens.

Fish come from the sea or from fish

farms.

History

By 10,000 BC people had settled on the

Korean peninsula. The ancient kingdom

of Choson was founded after 3000 BC. It

was located in the northwest. In 108 BC

Choson fell to the Chinese.

The Three Kingdoms

In the 1st century BC the Three Kingdoms

were founded. They were Koguryo

in the north, Paekche in the southwest,

and Silla in the southeast. By AD 400

they controlled the peninsula.

The first astronomical observatory in Asia

was built in Kyongju, South Korea, in the

600s.

Statues at a museum in South

Korea show men in traditional

Korean clothes.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Korea, South 83

The Three Kingdoms often fought each

other. In the AD 600s Silla joined forces

with China. It then conquered Paekche

in 660 and Koguryo in 668. Most of

Korea was then under Silla rule.

A period of peace followed. This time

was marked by great achievements in

such areas as medicine, sculpture, and

cloth making. Silla and China were

major trading partners.

Koryo and Choson Periods

In the 800s Silla lost control of parts of

Korea. In 936 the Koryo state united the

peninsula. Its capital was located in the

north, at what is now Kaesong, North

Korea.

Koryo was invaded several times in the

1200s. In 1392 it was overthrown by a

Korean general. He founded the Choson

Dynasty. Its capital was located in the

south, at what is now Seoul, South

Korea.

Division into North and South

Korea

Korea became a Japanese colony in

1910. Japan tried to modernize Korea.

However, it ruled harshly. Japan was

defeated in WorldWar II. Under a wartime

agreement, the United States took

over the southern part of Korea. The

Soviet Union took over the north.

South Korea became a separate, independent

country in 1948. Several weeks

afterward, North Korea also became

independent.

The KoreanWar

In 1950 North Korea invaded South

Korea. The invasion started the Korean

War. The United States and other countries

sent armies to help South Korea.

China supported North Korea.

About 1,800,000 Koreans were killed

during the war. In 1953 the war ended,

with the peninsula still divided into

North Korea and South Korea. Ever

since, armies have guarded both sides of

the border.

South Korea After theWar

South Korea changed its system of government

several times. During the 1960s

and 1970s, army leaders controlled the

government. They did not allow anyone

to challenge their power. They killed or

arrested many people who disagreed

with them.

In 1979 President Park Chung Hee was

assassinated. In 1980 many people protested

against the military government.

Finally, in 1987, the constitution was

changed to allow all the people to elect

the president.

South Korea began to develop better

relations with other countries. The 1988

Summer Olympic games took place in

Seoul. North Korea and South Korea

both joined the United Nations in 1991.

The leaders of the two countries met for

the first time in 2000. They agreed to

work together.

..More to explore

Korea, North • KoreanWar • Seoul

Facts About

SOUTH KOREA

Population

(2008 estimate)

50,187,000

Area

38,572 sq mi

(99,900 sq km)

Capital

Seoul

Form of

government

Republic

Major cities

Seoul, Pusan,

Inchon, Taegu,

Taejon

84 Korea, South BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

KoreanWar

North Korea and South Korea fought

the KoreanWar from June 1950 to July

1953. Other countries, notably the

United States and China, also were

involved. It was the first major battle

over Communism. Communism is a

political and economic system in which

the government owns all property. Communism

was first established in the

Soviet Union. The United States and

others were opposed to Communism.

Japan controlled Korea until the end of

WorldWar II (1939–45). After Japan

lost the war, the Soviet Union took over

in the north, while the United States

took over in the south. The 38th parallel

of latitude (38° north) was the dividing

line between the two parts. In 1948 the

country was officially divided into

North Korea and South Korea.

On June 25, 1950, the North Koreans,

supported by the Soviets, attacked

southward across the 38th parallel. This

began the KoreanWar.

The United States and 15 other countries

sent troops to help South Korea.

The North Korean army drove the

South Koreans and early U.S. forces

back to the southeast tip of the Korean

Peninsula. Then fresh U.S. troops

arrived. By October 1, 1950, the North

Koreans had retreated to the north of

the 38th parallel.

South Korea and its allies then advanced

into North Korea. This angered China, a

Communist country on North Korea’s

northern border. On November 25,

1950, Chinese troops entered the war.

By December 15, they had driven the

allies back south of the 38th parallel. By

June 1951, after several more battles, the

battle line stood mostly north of the

38th parallel.

Peace talks began in July 1951. On July

27, 1953, both sides signed an agreement.

The boundary between North

and South Korea was set very close to

the battle line of June 1951. The Korean

War took the lives of about 1,300,000

South Koreans, 1,000,000 Chinese,

500,000 North Koreans, and 37,000

Americans. Korea remained divided into

the 21st century.

..More to explore

Communism • Korea, North • Korea,

South

The Korean War Veterans

Memorial in Washington, D.C.,

honors Americans who served in

the Korean War.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Korean War 85

Kosovo

Kosovo is a self-declared country in the

Balkans region of southeastern Europe.

It was a province of Serbia until 2008,

when the people of Kosovo declared

their independence. Pristina is the capital

of Kosovo.

Kosovo is bordered by Serbia to the

north and east, Macedonia to the south,

Albania to the west, and Montenegro to

the northwest. Its land consists largely of

two basins situated between mountains.

The land is good for growing crops. The

people of Kosovo grow grains including

wheat, barley, and corn. They also grow

fruits and vegetables. They grow tobacco

to be sold.

More than 90 percent of the people of

Kosovo are Albanians. Most of the rest

are Serbs. Islam is the main religion.

Kosovo once lay at the heart of the Serbian

empire. Then the whole region was

conquered by the Ottoman Turkish

army in 1389, and the two regions

gained separate identities. Serbia won

independence from Turkey early in the

1800s and regained control of Kosovo in

1912. In 1918 Serbia became part of a

kingdom that was later renamed Yugoslavia.

Kosovo remained a part of Serbia

even after the rest of Yugoslavia broke

apart in the early 1990s.

At about that time, Kosovo’s Albanians

began a movement to gain independence.

A group called the Kosovo Liberation

Army (KLA) began an armed

rebellion in 1996. In response, the Serbian

government attacked the Albanians.

By 1998 widespread fighting had

broken out between the KLA and Serbian

troops. In March 1999 the North

Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

launched a bombing campaign against

the Serbians to try to stop the attacks on

the Albanians. The fighting ended in

June 1999.

The United Nations then took charge of

running the province. By early 2008

Kosovo was determined to break away

from Serbia. The province formally

declared independence in February. The

United States and several members of

the European Union (EU) recognized

Kosovo’s independence. Serbia, Russia,

and a number of other countries did

not.

..More to explore

Pristina • Serbia • Yugoslavia

Facts About

KOSOVO

Population

(2008 estimate)

2,143,000

Area

4,212 sq mi

(10,908 sq km)

Capital

Pristina

Form of

government

Multiparty transitional

republic

Major cities

Pristina, Prizren,

Ferizaj, Mitrovice,

Gjakove, Peje

86 Kosovo BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Kremlin

Several cities in Russia were built around

fortresses called kremlins. Russians built

kremlins for defense during the Middle

Ages. A kremlin was often located along

a river. A wall, a moat, and towers usually

separated it from the surrounding

parts of the city. Kremlins contained

cathedrals (churches) and palaces for

princes and bishops. They also held government

offices and ammunition.

The most famous kremlin is located in

central Moscow. It is often called just

the Kremlin. The Kremlin is shaped like

a triangle. Its east side faces the famous

plaza called Red Square. Another side

faces the Moscow River. The Kremlin

has long been a symbol of Russia’s

power.

A Russian prince started building the

Kremlin in 1156. It was first built of

wood. In the 1300s it was rebuilt using

white stone. Its red brick walls and great

palaces, cathedrals, and towers were

added later. Several of the palaces are

now museums.

The Kremlin lost its importance as a fort

in the 1620s. But it was the center of

Russian government until 1712, when

the capital was moved from Moscow to

Saint Petersburg. Moscow once again

became the capital in 1918 following the

Russian Revolution. The Kremlin

became the base of government when

Russia became part of the Soviet Union

in 1922. After the Soviet Union collapsed

in 1991, the Kremlin remained

the center of Russia’s government.

..More to explore

Moscow • Russia • Union of Soviet

Socialist Republics

Krill

Krill are shrimplike animals that live in

the ocean. They belong to the group of

animals called crustaceans, which also

includes shrimp, crabs, and lobsters.

There are about 85 species, or types, of

krill. They are an important source of

food for fish, squid, whales, seabirds,

and other animals, especially around

Antarctica.

Krill can grow to about 2.5 inches (6

centimeters) in length. Like other crustaceans,

krill have a hard covering

known as an exoskeleton. A krill sheds

this outside covering many times as it

grows. The body is almost see-through,

with small, reddish spots. Krill have

many legs, which they use for swimming

and gathering food. Most krill have special

organs, or body parts, on their

Behind the red brick walls of the Kremlin

are many churches, palaces, and government

buildings.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Krill 87

underside that give off light. This makes

them visible at night.

Krill swim together in large groups

called swarms. Some swarms are so thick

that they make the water look pink.

Krill spend much of their time deep in

the ocean away from enemies. At night

they go to the water’s surface to feed on

plants or tiny animals. Krill are able to

go without eating for months at a time.

Fishers catch krill to use as food for

people and land animals. They are a rich

source of vitamin A.

#More to explore

Crustacean

Kuala Lumpur

Population

(2000 estimate)

1,297,526

Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia,

a country of Southeast Asia. It is the

largest city in Malaysia. It is also the

country’s center of business and culture.

In 1999 Malaysia’s government began

building a city called Putrajaya to be the

new capital.

The economy of Kuala Lumpur depends

on manufacturing and services such as

banking, health care, and tourism. Factories

in the city make computer parts,

electronics, furniture, foods, and other

products.

Kuala Lumpur was founded by Chinese

tin miners in 1857. The British soon

took over the area. In the late 1880s

Kuala Lumpur became the capital of a

region called the Federated Malay States.

In 1957 the western part of Malaysia

became independent. Kuala Lumpur

was its capital. The rest of Malaysia

became independent in 1963. Then

Kuala Lumpur became the capital of all

of Malaysia. The city grew very quickly.

#More to explore

Malaysia

Ku Klux Klan

The Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, is a terrorist

group in the United States. Terrorist

groups seek to achieve their goals by

creating fear through violence. The Klan

The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia, were the world’s tallest buildings

when they were built in the late 1990s.

88 Kuala Lumpur BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

formed after the CivilWar ended in

1865. Its purpose was to frighten newly

freed African Americans and to take

away their rights. By the 1990s the Klan

had broken up into small groups, mostly

in the Southern states.

The early Klan was called the Invisible

Empire of the South. Its leaders had

such titles as GrandWizard, Grand

Dragon, and Grand Titan. Klan members

wore white robes and hoods to hide

their faces and to frighten people. They

went out at night to scare, whip, and kill

former slaves. Sometimes they burned

homes and barns. After their raids Klan

members often left behind a burning

cross as a symbol of the Klan.

The Klan’s membership went up and

down over the years. It reached a peak of

about 4 million members in the 1920s.

At that time the Klan’s list of enemies

grew to include Catholics, Jews, immigrants

(people from other countries),

and others.

The Klan grew again in the 1960s. It

was the time of the civil rights movement,

which worked to gain equal rights

for African Americans. Klan members

protested this movement by attacking

African Americans in the South.

Since then the number of Klan members

has fallen to a few thousand people. The

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

and other police groups have watched

the Klan and worked to prevent its

members from hurting people. Courts

have sent some Klan members to jail for

crimes that they committed many years

earlier.

..More to explore

African Americans • Terrorism

Kurd

The Kurds are an ethnic group that lives

mostly in a mountainous region called

Kurdistan. Kurdistan lies in southwestern

Asia where the countries of Turkey,

Iran, Syria, and Iraq meet. Kurds also

live in other nearby countries. They

speak a language called Kurdish.

Kurds have lived in the same territory

since prehistoric times. Early Kurds

moved from place to place while herding

sheep and goats. Some Kurds still bring

their animals to mountain pastures in

the summer and return to their villages

in winter. Many Kurds, however, are

farmers who stay in one place. Some

Kurds have moved to cities.

In the 600s most Kurds became followers

of the religion known as Islam.

People who practice Islam are called

Many Kurds now live in cities, but some still

lead traditional lives of animal herding.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kurd 89

Muslims. There are two types of Muslims:

Sunnites and Shi!ites. Most Kurds

are Sunnites. They have had problems in

regions governed by Shi!ites.

Many Kurds want to have their own

country. The governments of those

countries in which they live—especially

Turkey and Iran—have sometimes tried

to force the Kurds to give up their language

and culture. The government of

Iraq drove millions of Kurds out of their

homes in the 1980s and 1990s. Kurds

have often rebelled against the governments

of Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. They

hoped to win political and cultural freedom.

#More to explore

Islam

Kush

The ancient kingdom of Kush (also

spelled Cush) ruled a region in Africa

south of Egypt. The region was then

called Nubia. Now it is a part of the

country of Sudan. Kush began as an

Egyptian colony. It rose to rule over

Egypt and much of the Nile River valley.

Kush combined Egyptian and other

African cultures.

The people of Kush, called Kushites,

were black Africans. Most Kushites were

farmers, but there were also craftsmen

and traders. The Kushites sometimes

captured other people.

Kush was a rich kingdom. It had gold

mines. It also had rich farmland. In

addition, Kush was in a good location to

trade with other peoples. The Kushites

could ship goods on the Nile River.

They could also transport goods on

roads to the Red Sea.

Nubia was originally part of ancient

Egypt. During the 1400s BC Egypt

divided Nubia into two parts. Kush was

the southern part. During the 700s BC

the Kushites took control of Egypt. In

the 600s BC, however, the Assyrians

from Asia drove them back to Nubia.

After that, Kush was a smaller kingdom

on the middle Nile for almost 1,000

years. The kingdom of Aksum finally

wiped out Kush in about AD 350.

#More to explore

Aksum • Egypt, Ancient • Nubia

• Sudan

Kutenai

#see Kootenai.

© 2006 Encycldoipa. Britannica, Inc.

The Kushites

sold gold,

incense, ivory,

ebony, oils,

ostrich feathers,

and leopard

skins to

other peoples.

90 Kush BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Kuwait

Despite its small size, the Middle Eastern

country of Kuwait has some of the

largest oil reserves in the world. The

capital is Kuwait city.

Kuwait borders Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The Persian Gulf is to the east. Kuwait is

a hot, flat desert with no lakes or rivers.

Kuwait’s plants are mainly scrub and

low bushes. Saltwater plants grow along

the coast. The animals of the desert

include foxes, small mammals called

civets, gazelles, lizards, and snakes.

Most of Kuwait’s people are Arabs.

Many of them were born in neighboring

Arab countries or in South Asia and

came to Kuwait to work. Arabic is the

main language, but English is common.

Most Kuwaitis follow Islam. Almost all

the people live in or near Kuwait city.

The economy of Kuwait depends on the

sale of its oil. Kuwait also produces

natural gas, food products, clothing, and

metal products. Agriculture is limited to

growing small vegetable crops.

Nomads, or wandering peoples, lived in

what is now Kuwait for many centuries.

In 1756 a member of the Sabah family

became sheik, or ruler, of Kuwait. The

Sabah family ruled the country into the

21st century. In 1899, however, Great

Britain took over Kuwait’s foreign affairs.

In 1961 Kuwait gained independence.

In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait. The invasion

led to the Persian GulfWar. United

Nations forces, led by the United States,

drove Iraqi troops out of Kuwait in

1991.

..More to explore

Kuwait • Middle East • Persian Gulf

War

Water towers dot the sky in

Kuwait’s capital.

Facts About

KUWAIT

Population

(2008 estimate)

3,530,000

Area

6,880 sq mi

(17,818 sq km)

Capital

Kuwait (city)

Form of

government

Constitutional

monarchy

Major cities

As-Salimiyah,

Qalib ash-

Shuyukh,

Hawalli, Kuwait

(city)

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kuwait 91

Kuwait

Population

(2005

estimate), city,

32,403; urban

area,

1,810,000

The city of Kuwait is the capital of a

country that is also named Kuwait. The

city lies on a bay of the Persian Gulf, in

the Middle East. Its name comes from

the Arabic work kut, meaning “fort.”

Many government, business, and banking

offices are located in Kuwait city.

Kuwait University is also there. The city

and its suburbs have large oil and chemical

industries.

A group of Arab families founded

Kuwait city in the early 1700s. For more

than 200 years the city’s people made a

living mostly by fishing and gathering

pearls.

The country started producing oil in the

middle of the 1900s. As a result Kuwait

city grew much bigger and wealthier.

In 1990 troops from neighboring Iraq

captured Kuwait city. The Iraqis took

everything of value there, including food

supplies. Many people fled. The invasion

of Kuwait led to the Persian Gulf

War of 1991. Iraq lost the war. Kuwait’s

people then moved back and repaired

the damage to the city.

..More to explore

Kuwait • Persian GulfWar

Kwakiutl

The Kwakiutl are the people of several

related Native American groups. They

traditionally lived on or near Vancouver

Island in what is now British Columbia,

Canada.

The Kwakiutl built their villages along

the water. They lived in large rectangular

houses made from cedar wood. They

made dugout canoes from the trunks of

cedar trees. The Kwakiutl got most of

their food by fishing and hunting deer

and moose.

The Kwakiutl were famous for their

ceremonial feasts known as potlatches.

The family hosting a potlatch gave fine

gifts to their guests. Potlatches were held

to celebrate important occasions, such as

a marriage or the birth of a child, or to

make up for some offense against the

tribe.

Modern skyscrapers rise above the city of

Kuwait, Kuwait.

92 Kuwait BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

In the late 1700s British, American, and

Russian traders began to arrive in the

Kwakiutl’s land. They brought goods

such as steel tools. They traded these to

the Kwakiutl in exchange for furs. In the

mid-1800s settlers and missionaries

began to arrive. They brought diseases

that killed many Kwakiutl.

Both the missionaries and Canadian

officials wanted the Kwakiutl to give up

their old ways. Potlatches were outlawed

by the Canadian government between

1889 and 1951. In the early 21st century

there were more than 4,000 Kwakiutl

living in Canada.

#More to explore

Native Americans • Smallpox

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is a celebration of African family,

community, and culture. This African

American holiday was created in

1966 by a professor named Maulana

Karenga. It is based on African harvest

festivals. Its name comes from the African

language Swahili and means “first

fruits.” Kwanzaa takes place each year

from December 26 to January 1.

The symbols of the festival come from

different African cultures. The symbols

include a candleholder, seven candles,

ears of corn, gifts, and a unity cup. The

celebrants use the unity cup to salute

their ancestors and to show unity in the

family and community.

Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one

of seven principles, or ideas. The principles

are unity, self-determination, collective

responsibility, cooperative

economics, purpose, creativity, and

faith. Each night, one or more of the

seven candles is lit. Then, one of the

seven principles is discussed. Kwanzaa is

also celebrated with a community feast

on December 31.

Chief Hamasaka of the Kwakiutl

holds a ceremonial staff and

rattle.

A family dressed in traditional African

clothing lights candles for Kwanzaa. Other

symbols of Kwanzaa, including an ear of

corn and the unity cup, are on the table.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kwanzaa 93

Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz Republic, also known as

Kyrgyzstan, is an independent nation in

Central Asia. Until 1991 it was part of

the Soviet Union. The capital is Bishkek.

Geography

Kyrgyzstan borders Kazakhstan, China,

Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The massive

Tian Shan mountain system runs

throughout Kyrgyzstan. Its highest point

is Victory Peak, at 24,406 feet (7,439

meters) tall. In general, Kyrgyzstan’s

summers are hot and its winters are

cold. The lowest and highest areas are

deserts.

Plants and Animals

Evergreen forests grow in the lower valleys

and on some mountain slopes.

White spruce, larch, juniper, and walnut

trees are common. In the forests live

brown bears, wild pigs, lynx, gray

wolves, and ermines. Mountain sheep

and goats, deer, and snow leopards live

in the valleys. Hares, yellow gophers,

and large-eared hedgehogs live in the

deserts.

People

Most of the people are Kyrgyz. The largest

minority groups are Uzbeks and Russians.

Most people speak Kyrgyz, a

Turkic language, or Russian. About

three fourths of the people are Muslims.

More than half of the population lives in

rural areas.

Economy

About half of Kyrgyzstan’s workforce

works in agriculture. They raise sheep,

cattle, and horses. Crops include wheat,

potatoes, sugar beets, cotton, and

tobacco. Mines provide gold, coal,

antimony, and mercury. Industries

produce machinery and cloth.

Kyrgyzstan also uses waterpower to

produce electricity.

History

The ancient Kyrgyz were nomads, or

wanderers. Beginning in the 1200s the

Mongols, China, and neighboring Muslims

ruled the Kyrgyz region at different

times. In the late 1800s Russia gradually

took control. The Kyrgyz lands became

part of the Soviet Union in 1924. Kyrgyzstan

declared its independence in

1991. Protesters forced out Kyrgyzstan’s

first president in 2005.

..More to explore

Bishkek • Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics

Facts About

KYRGYZSTAN

Population

(2008 estimate)

5,281,000

Area

77,199 sq mi

(199,945 sq km)

Capital

Bishkek

Form of

government

Republic

Major cities

Bishkek (Frunze),

Osh, Dzhalal-

Abad, Tokmak,

Karakol

94 Kyrgyzstan BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Lacrosse is the oldest team

sport in North America. Native

Americans invented the game.

(See Lacrosse.)

Rainstorms, melting snow, and

earthquakes can cause landslides.

(See Landslide.)

The word laser stands for “light

amplification by the stimulated

emission of radiation.”

(See Laser.)

In ancient Greece the winners

of athletic and poetry contests

wore crowns of bay laurel.

(See Laurel.)

A plant’s leaves use energy

from the sun to make food.

(See Leaf.)

The scientific name of the llama

is Lama glama.

(See Llama.)

L ll

Labor

Most people have to work to get food,

clothing, housing, and other things.

Their work is called labor. Even people

who do not work depend on the labor of

others.

Types of Labor

In the simplest societies people work in

small groups of family members or tribal

members. Not everyone does the same

work, however. For example, in some

societies men hunt animals and fight

enemies while women gather plants and

care for children. This is called a division

of labor.

In the past, many societies divided labor

between free workers and slaves. Slaves

got the worst jobs and could not leave

them. They did not receive pay. Their

owners punished them if they did not

obey orders. People throughout history

and in many different societies have

owned slaves. Between the 1500s and

the 1800s, Europeans made many Africans

into slaves and took them to work

in the Americas.

Like slaves, workers called serfs had to

work for no pay. There were many serfs

in Europe during the Middle Ages (from

about AD 500 to about 1500). Serfs did

farm work on land owned by more powerful

people, called lords. Unlike slaves,

serfs could not be sold. However, they

were not free to leave the land.

In the towns of Europe in the Middle

Ages, some products required special

skills to make. The people who made

and sold them were called craftsmen. A

group called a guild controlled each

craft. There were guilds for weavers,

blacksmiths, bakers, painters, and many

other types of craftsmen. A young person

learned a craft as an unpaid helper

called an apprentice. Adult workers,

called journeymen, got pay. A business

owner was called a master.

A great change in the way people

worked began in the 1700s, during the

Industrial Revolution. Inventors created

machines that made it easy to produce

many goods quickly in factories. Many

people went from working on farms and

in craft workshops to working in factories.

Factory workers did not need special

skills, so the guilds disappeared.

Factory workers usually worked long

hours in unhealthy working conditions.

Before 1833,

children as

young as 4

years old were

put to work in

Great Britain’s

cloth industry.

An illustration shows serfs working the land

during the Middle Ages.

96 Labor BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Their pay was very low. Many children

worked in factories, too.

Labor Movements

Workers soon began movements to

demand better treatment from their

employers. Many workers formed

groups called labor unions, or trade

unions. Unions often call for workers to

strike, or stop working, until employers

meet their needs.

United States

In the United States, skilled craft workers

formed the first labor unions. Several

nationwide labor groups started after the

American CivilWar. For example, trade

unions founded the American Federation

of Labor (AFL) in the 1880s.

In the 1930s the U.S. government

finally gave workers real help. The

National Labor Relations Act of 1935

gave workers the right to join a union.

Other laws stopped child labor, helped

unemployed workers, made wages

higher, and shortened working hours.

In 1936 several unions formed the Congress

of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

The CIO supported workers in big

industries like steel, automobiles, and

rubber. By the end of the 1930s, unions

represented almost 30 percent of U.S.

workers.

The AFL and the CIO joined together

in 1955. The new organization, called

the AFL-CIO, was a leading force in

U.S. politics. The AFL-CIO worked for

job safety, equal rights for women and

minorities, and bigger pensions (payments

to retired people).

In the last part of the 20th century,

union membership decreased in the

United States. This was partly because

companies were moving factory jobs

outside the United States. Early in the

21st century, only 8 percent of workers

for private companies belonged to

unions. However, more than 35 percent

of government workers were in unions.

Europe

European workers also had a long

struggle for better pay and better

working conditions. In Europe,

however, labor unions usually combined

with political parties, or groups, that

supported socialism. Socialism is a

political system in which the

government owns certain kinds of

businesses. The goal of socialism is to

spread wealth more evenly. In many

The first

nationwide

union in the

United States

was for printers.

It was created

in 1852.

In the past most people worked on farms or

in their homes. Today factories and other

businesses employ many people.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Labor 97

countries, socialist parties got

governments to provide generous

benefits to workers. Union membership

was higher in Europe than in the

United States.

AfterWorldWar II (1939–45), many

countries in eastern Europe had Communist

governments. Communism is a

political system in which the workers

share all property, based on their abilites

and needs. Labor unions actually had

little power in Communist countries.

The governments controlled the unions

completely.

However, in the early 1980s workers in

Poland formed a union that became very

powerful. The union was named Solidarnosc

(Solidarity). At first the government

banned the union. But the

workers continued to hold protests and

strikes. They asked for a role in the government

in addition to better working

conditions. Eventually the government

allowed Solidarity members to participate

in elections. This led to the end of

Communist rule in Poland.

Other Regions

In Asia and Africa, workers often

started labor movements during the

time their countries were fighting for

independence from European powers.

In South America, labor unions

sometimes joined with governments to

protect workers.

Several countries formed the International

Labour Organization (ILO) in

1919. It is now an agency of the United

Nations. The ILO protects the rights of

workers and unions. It also helps countries

to create fair labor laws.

#More to explore

Communism • Industrial Revolution

• Slavery • Socialism

Labor Day

Labor Day is a holiday that honors all

workers. It also signifies the end of summer.

The holiday is celebrated on the

first Monday in September in the

United States and Canada.Workers of

all kinds enjoy the day off. It is a time

for them to celebrate all that their work

has made possible. The holiday is sometimes

observed with parades and

speeches, as well as political rallies.

Other countries honor workers on May

Day, which is celebrated on May 1.

Labor Day was first celebrated in the

United States in New York City on September

5, 1882. At that first Labor Day,

workers paraded in order to show their

unity and desire for fair working conditions.

The peaceful demonstration

involved all types of workers, from

Demonstrators marching in Poland carry

banners with the name of the Solidarity

trade union.

98 Labor Day BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

seamstresses to bricklayers. They waved

banners bearing such slogans as, “Labor

built this republic and labor shall rule

it.” In June 1894 President Grover

Cleveland signed a bill into law making

Labor Day a national holiday.

Canadian workers first held parades in

Ontario in 1872. In 1894 Canada made

Labor Day a national holiday.

#More to explore

Festival and Holiday • Labor • May Day

Labrador

#see Newfoundland and Labrador.

Lace

Lace is a beautiful and delicate textile, or

fabric. It is used to make clothing and to

decorate household objects, such as curtains

and pillows.

There are many different styles of lace.

Each has a different pattern of flowers,

leaves, or other designs. Today lace is

usually made by a machine. However,

lace makers make the most artistic kinds

of lace by hand, using either needles or

bobbins (spools).

Needle lace requires a needle and a

single thread. The lace maker stitches

the lace on top of a pattern attached to a

piece of cloth. When the lace is finished,

the lace maker cuts the stitches holding

it to the cloth.

Bobbin lace requires a number of

threads wound around different bobbins.

The lace maker sticks a pattern of

pins into a cushion. The lace maker then

twists and crosses the threads around the

pins to form the lace.

Before 1800, lace making was a popular

art in Europe, especially in Italy, France,

and Flanders (now part of Belgium).

This handmade lace took a long time to

make, and only skillful people could do

it. For these reasons, lace was very

expensive. In the 1800s people began

Many towns hold parades to celebrate

Labor Day.

The most delicate and artistic kinds of lace

are made by hand.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Lace 99

using machines to make lace. Lace then

became more affordable.

#More to explore

Clothing • Textile

Lacrosse

The game called lacrosse is the oldest

team sport in North America. Native

Americans played it before the arrival of

Europeans. The French who arrived in

the 1600s noticed that the stick used to

play the game looked like a crosier. A

crosier is a staff, or rod, carried by

church leaders called bishops during

religious ceremonies. The name lacrosse

came from the word crosier.

Playing Field and Equipment

Lacrosse is played between two teams on

a long, rectangular field. There are goals

at each end. The goals are made of nets

fastened over a tall frame. There are 10

players on men’s teams and 12 players

on women’s teams.

The main equipment is a rubber ball

and long sticks called crosses. Crosses

have a net pocket at one end to catch

the ball. Each player carries a crosse during

the game.

Players wear a helmet with wire face

mask, shoulder pads and hip pads, and

protective gloves. They also wear shoes

with cleats, or tiny spikes, which dig

into the ground and prevent slipping.

Rules

The object of the game is to score points

by making goals. The players on one

team try to score goals by throwing the

ball into the goal of the opposing team.

Players may use the crosse to pass the

ball to other players, or they may carry

the ball in the crosse. They may also

knock the ball out of opponents’ crosses

or try to block their way. Each team has

a player called the goalkeeper, who

defends the goal. Goalkeepers may use

their hands to smack the ball away. The

other players may not touch the ball

with their hands.

Lace makers weave their patterns out of

many pieces of thread. They use small sticks

called bobbins to move the threads around.

A lacrosse player uses his crosse to carry

the ball past a player from the other team.

100 Lacrosse BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

History

The Iroquois people played the first

games of lacrosse. Teams sometimes

included as many as 1,000 men, and the

goals might be placed several miles

apart. The games could also last many

days, from sunrise to sunset.

#More to explore

Iroquois • Sports

Lafayette,

Marquis de

The Marquis de Lafayette was a French

soldier and nobleman who loved freedom.

He became a hero for the United

States during the American Revolution.

He also helped to lead the French Revolution.

Early Life

Lafayette was born on September 6,

1757, in Chavaniac, France. His original

name was Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-

Roch-Gilbert du Motier. He inherited

great wealth from his mother and a

castle and the title of marquis from his

father.

American Revolutionary

Young Lafayette decided to help the

American colonies fight the British in

the American Revolution. He arrived in

the colonies in 1777. The colonists

made him a major general.

Lafayette fought bravely and skillfully.

He also got the king of France to send

6,000 soldiers to help the colonists. In

1781 Lafayette helped defeat the British

commander, Lord Cornwallis, at Yorktown,

Virginia. This event ended the

fighting.

French Revolutionary

Lafayette then returned to France. In

1789 he helped write the Declaration of

the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

This document expressed the ideas

behind the French Revolution. During

the revolution, Lafayette led the new

national guard of Paris.

Some of the revolutionaries had extreme

ideas. They wanted to kill the king and

take property away from the landowners.

Lafayette did not share those views.

When the extreme rebels took power in

1792, Lafayette had to leave the country.

After Napoleon Bonaparte came to

Lafayette is an

honorary citizen

of the

United States.

Only a few

other people

have received

this honor.

A painting shows the Marquis de

Lafayette on a horse. Lafayette

was a hero in the American and

French revolutions.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Lafayette, Marquis de 101

power in 1799, Lafayette returned to

France and settled down as a farmer.

Later Life

The monarchy was later restored in

France. In 1830 Lafayette took part in

his third revolution. He helped to overthrow

King Charles X. Lafayette died in

Paris on May 20, 1834.

#More to explore

American Revolution • French

Revolution

Lake

A lake is a large body of water that is

surrounded by land. Lakes contain less

than 1 percent of the world’s freshwater,

but they are a very important freshwater

source. Almost all of the world’s freshwater

is either frozen in huge masses of

ice or buried underground. Lakes contain

more than 98 percent of the freshwater

that is available for use.

How Lakes Form

Ice sheets called glaciers formed many

lakes, especially in North America,

Europe, and Asia. Thousands of years

ago glaciers covered large parts of these

continents. The glaciers moved slowly

over the land. They dug basins, or holes,

in places where the rocks at the surface

were weak. The basins that filled up

with water became lakes. Other lake

basins formed in places where melting

glaciers left dirt behind. The dirt built

up to form basin walls.

Some lakes have been formed by volcanoes.

Some volcanoes have blown off

their tops in huge explosions. Others

have had their centers collapse. Both of

these events form large pits called craters.

These craters can become lakes.

Crater Lake, in the U.S. state of Oregon,

is a well-known example of this kind of

lake.

The water in lakes can come from a variety

of sources. The main sources of lake

water include precipitation (rain or

snow), rivers and streams, and melting

ice and snow. Groundwater (water

below Earth’s surface) can reach lakes

through openings called springs.

Saltwater Lakes

Not all lakes contain freshwater. The

Dead Sea, in Israel and Jordan, is the

world’s saltiest natural lake. Another

body of salt water is the Great Salt Lake

in the U.S. state of Utah. It is all that

remains today of what was once a much

larger freshwater lake. The lake shrank as

the climate became drier and the water

began to evaporate. The lake contained

salt from rivers that flow into it. As the

water evaporated, the salt was left

A sailboat floats on a lake in Wisconsin. behind.

102 Lake BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Why Lakes Are Important

Freshwater lakes have many important

uses. Cities and towns depend on them

for drinking water. In dry areas farmers

use lakes to water their crops through

irrigation systems. Lake water is used to

create power in hydroelectric plants.

Boaters and swimmers use lakes for recreation.

#More to explore

Glacier • Irrigation •Water

Lakota

#see Sioux.

Lamprey

Lampreys are fish that look like eels.

They live in mild waters throughout the

world, except in Africa. There are more

than 20 species, or kinds, of lamprey.

Some live in freshwater and others live

in salt water.

Lampreys do not have bones or jaws.

The skeleton is made up of a material

called cartilage. Adults are about 6 to 40

inches (15 to 100 centimeters) long.

They have one or two fins on the back

and a single tail fin. They breathe

through gill openings on the sides of the

body. The mouth is round with horny

teeth.

All lampreys hatch from eggs laid in

freshwater. They begin life as wormlike

organisms called larvae. After several

years the larvae change form and

become adults. This process is called

metamorphosis.

As adults some lampreys become parasites.

Parasites are organisms that live on

or inside another organism to get what

they need to live. The lamprey attaches

itself by its mouth to the side of a fish. It

makes a hole in the fish’s body and

sucks its blood and body fluids. The fish

may or may not die.

Some lampreys stay in freshwater, but

others swim out to sea. The lampreys

that move into the sea return to freshwater

to lay their eggs. Lampreys die soon

after laying their eggs.

#More to explore

Eel • Fish • Parasite

Landslide

A landslide is a large amount of earth,

rock, and other material that moves

down a steep slope. Landslides happen

when a layer of earth or rocks separates

from the layer below it. The force of

gravity pulls the loose layer downward.

A lamprey (top) feeds on a rainbow trout.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Landslide 103

Landslides can be highly destructive.

They can bury or sweep away everything

in their path. They can block rivers or

cover entire towns.

A landslide needs a steep slope to get its

start. Rain, wind, waves, and other natural

processes can wear away the surface

of a slope. This wearing away, or erosion,

can make a slope too steep to support

the rocks and earth on top. Erosion

can also loosen or weaken the material

on a slope. This makes it easier for gravity

to pull the material down the slope.

Besides erosion, other forces can lead to

landslides. Rainstorms, melting snow,

and earthquakes can weaken the material

on a slope. Earthquakes, volcanoes,

and the use of construction equipment

or explosives can force material down a

slope.

Rockfalls, mudflows, and avalanches are

similar to landslides. A rockfall involves

large rocks falling from the top of a

slope or a cliff. A mudflow is a thick

stream of mud and other material that

moves quickly downward. An avalanche

is the sudden downward movement of

snow or other material.

#More to explore

Avalanche • Erosion • Gravity

Language

Language is a system that people use to

communicate, or share information.

Language includes speaking, writing,

and making gestures, or body movements.

Early human ancestors began

using spoken language several million

years ago. Humans began writing about

5,000 years ago. Language made it possible

for human societies to develop.

Humans are born with the ability to

understand language.Without any special

training, children learn to speak by

listening to other people’s speech. Other

forms of language, such as writing and

sign language, must be taught.

A landslide destroyed part of a town near

San Salvador, El Salvador, in 2001. An

earthquake caused the landslide.

Three girls use language to communicate.

Children usually begin to speak between

ages 1 and 2. They understand some language

even earlier.

104 Language BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Building Blocks of Language

The most basic part of language is a

sound. Sounds can be combined into

words, words can be combined into

sentences, and so on.

Every language has several types of

words. The most basic types of words

are nouns and verbs. Nouns represent

people, places, things, and ideas. Verbs

describe action.

Every language has its own rules of

grammar as well. These rules control

the order of words in a sentence. The

order of the words gives the sentence

meaning.

Not all languages are spoken. In sign

language, hand movements stand for

letters, words, and sentences. Many

people who use spoken language also

communicate through gestures. For

example, in many countries, nodding

the head up and down means “yes.”

Languages of theWorld

There are thousands of languages

throughout the world. Some are spoken

by millions of people. Mandarin Chinese,

English, and Spanish are the most

widely spoken languages in the world.

Most countries have a standard, or official,

language so that citizens can understand

each other. Some countries have

more than one standard language.

Canada, for example, has two standard

languages: English and French.

Many languages are related. People who

study languages group related languages

together. English, German, and Swedish

belong to the Germanic group. French,

Spanish, and Italian are called Romance

languages. The Slavic language family of

eastern Europe includes Russian and

Polish. Chinese belongs to the Sino-

Tibetan language family of Asia.

How Language Changes

At times people need to speak with others

who do not know their language. For

example, Europeans who came to the

Americas hundreds of years ago needed

a way to speak with Native Americans.

Over time they began to use a simplified

mixture of their languages. These mixtures

are called pidgin languages. When

a pidgin language replaces the original

language of the group, it is called a creole

language.

A sign in the U.S. state of California says

“polling place” in seven languages. English

is at the top. Chinese, Japanese, and

Korean are on the left. Spanish, Tagalog,

and Vietnamese are on the right.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Language 105

Even people who share the same language

may develop different ways of

speaking. People in different parts of a

country may pronounce words differently

or use local expressions. These

varieties of the same language are called

dialects.

Languages often blur together. Countries

have borders, but languages and

dialects do not. One language may borrow

words from another language. Many

English speakers use such words as pajamas

(from Hindi), pasta (from Italian),

karate (from Japanese), and fiesta (from

Spanish).

Languages grow and change as people

use them. People often shorten existing

words. For example, “cellular phone”

was shortened to “cell phone.” Also,

people create new words all the time.

..More to explore

Communication • Grammar • Sign

Language • Sound • Speech •Writing

Lansing

Population

(2000 census)

119,128;

(2007 estimate)

114,947

Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of

Michigan. Lansing itself was called

Michigan until 1848. The city lies in a

shallow valley that is shaped like a cup.

The Grand and Red Cedar rivers flow

through the city.

The state Capitol stands in Capitol

Square, in the center of the city. The

building was completed in 1878.

Businesses that provide services are

important to Lansing’s economy. Many

people there work in government,

banking, insurance, computers, and

education. Michigan State University is

in the nearby city of East Lansing.

Factories in Lansing make cars and

other products.

Lansing was settled in the 1830s. In

1847 the state capital was moved to

Lansing from Detroit. The site at that

time was still mostly wilderness. In the

early 1900s a company started to make

cars called Oldsmobiles in Lansing.

After that the city’s industries began to

grow.

..More to explore

Michigan

Michigan’s state Capitol is in a park in the

center of Lansing.

106 Lansing BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Laos

Laos is a country of Southeast Asia. It

was once a powerful kingdom. Later it

was ruled by Thailand and then France

before regaining its independence. Vientiane

is Laos’ capital and largest city.

Laos borders China, Vietnam, Cambodia,

Thailand, and Myanmar. The

Mekong River forms part of Laos’ western

border. Lowlands lie along the

Mekong. Forested mountains cover the

rest of the land.

Teak trees grow in the south. In the

north are tropical rain forests. Elephants,

tigers, leopards, monkeys, bears, and

deer live in the forests.

Most of Laos’ people live in rural areas.

The Lao-Lum people form the largest

ethnic group. The next largest groups

are the Lao-Theung (or Mon-Khmer),

the Lao-Tai, and the Lao-Soung. Most

people are Buddhists or spirit worshippers.

The main language is Lao.

Laos is a poor country with an economy

based on farming. The chief crop is rice.

Other crops include sugarcane, corn,

sweet potatoes, and pineapples. Many

people fish and raise pigs, water buffalo,

and cattle. Laos also produces clothing,

wood, coffee, and tin.

The rulers of Lan Xang (Kingdom of the

Million Elephants) unified Laos in the

1300s. Later kingdoms fell under the

rule of Siam (now Thailand). France

ruled the region from the late 1800s.

Laos gained independence in 1954. In

1975 a Communist group called the

Pathet Lao took control. The new government

ruled harshly, and many people

fled. A new constitution in 1991 gave

the people more freedom.

..More to explore

Mekong River • Vientiane

People can climb to the top of the Patuxai

Arch in Vientiane, Laos, for a clear view of

the city.

Facts About

LAOS

Population

(2008 estimate)

5,963,000

Area

91,429 sq mi

(236,800 sq km)

Capital

Vientiane

Form of

government

People’s republic

Major cities

Vientiane, Savannakhet,

Pakxe,

Xam Nua

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Laos 107

La Paz

Population

(2001 census),

city, 789,585;

(2005

estimate), urban

area,

1,527,000

The South American country of Bolivia

has two capitals: La Paz and Sucre. The

country’s president and lawmakers meet

in La Paz. It is the administrative capital.

The Supreme Court of Bolivia meets in

Sucre, the legal capital.

La Paz is the highest national capital in

the world. It lies more than 10,000 feet

(3,050 meters) above sea level. Most of

La Paz is located within a canyon.

La Paz is a center of business and industry.

Many people in the city work in

government and business offices,

schools, hotels, stores, and banks. Factories

in La Paz make processed foods,

cloth, jewelry, and other goods.

Aymara Indians have long lived in the

La Paz area. Hundreds of years ago the

Inca had a village on the site. A Spanish

conqueror founded the city in 1548. He

named it Nuestra Senora de La Paz,

which means “Our Lady of Peace.”

Spain ruled the area until 1825. In that

year Bolivia became an independent

country. La Paz became its administrative

capital in 1898.

..More to explore

Bolivia • Sucre

Larch

Larches are trees that belong to the pine

family. They are conifers, which means

that they grow cones. Most conifers are

evergreens, or trees that keep their leaves

all year long. Larches are unusual

because they shed their leaves in the

autumn.

Larches grow mainly in cool areas in

the northern half of the world. One

species, or kind, of larch grows only in

the Himalaya Mountains of southern

Asia.

Skyscrapers line the streets of La Paz, Bolivia.

108 La Paz BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Larches have needle-shaped leaves that

grow in clusters. New cones on the trees

are bright red. Later the cones turn

brown.

There are 10 to 12 species of larch. The

most common North American larch is

the eastern larch, also called the tamarack

or hackmatack. It takes about 100

to 200 years for the eastern larch to

become fully grown. In that time it may

reach a height of 40 to 100 feet (12 to

30 meters). Two other kinds of larch, the

western larch and the European larch,

grow even taller. The European larch

may grow as tall as 140 feet (42 meters).

The wood of larches is strong, hard, and

heavy. It is used to make ships, telephone

poles, and railroad ties.

#More to explore

Conifer • Pine • Tree

La Salle, Sieur de

The French explorer known as the Sieur

de La Salle was the first European to

travel down the Mississippi River to the

Gulf of Mexico. He claimed for France

all the land that was drained by the

river.

Early Life

La Salle was born on November 22,

1643, in Rouen, France. His original

name was Rene-Robert Cavelier. In

1666 he went to Canada and traded for

furs. Native Americans told him of a

broad river that ran from the Great

Lakes region to the sea. This was the

Mississippi.

Explorations

In 1669 La Salle traveled south from

Lake Ontario. He did not reach the Mississippi,

but he may have reached the

Ohio River. In 1673 he helped to build

Fort Frontenac on Lake Ontario.

Larches’ needle-shaped leaves change color

and fall off in the autumn.

An illustration from the late 1600s shows

the Sieur de La Salle at the coast of the Gulf

of Mexico.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA La Salle, Sieur de 109

In 1674 and 1677 La Salle visited

France. King Louis XIV gave him the

title of Sieur de La Salle, which means

Sir La Salle.

In 1682 La Salle reached the Mississippi

from the Illinois River. He floated all the

way to the river’s mouth at the Gulf of

Mexico. There, on April 9, 1682, he

claimed the entire Mississippi River valley

for France. He named it Louisiana

after his king.

Last Voyage

La Salle then returned to France. The

king gave him permission to build a fort

at the mouth of the Mississippi and to

invade the Spanish land of Mexico.

La Salle’s expedition set out from France

planning to sail through the Gulf of

Mexico to the mouth of the Mississippi.

On the way, several of La Salle’s ships

were lost. Many men became ill.Worst

of all, La Salle could not find the Missis-

A map shows the route taken by the Sieur de La Salle down the Mississippi River. It also

shows the route of La Salle’s last, failed voyage.

110 La Salle, Sieur de BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

sippi River. He finally landed at Matagorda

Bay, in what is now Texas. His

men grew so angry that they murdered

La Salle on March 19, 1687.

#More to explore

Louisiana • Mississippi River

Laser

A laser is an instrument that can produce

a powerful beam of light. The

word laser stands for the scientific words

that explain how a laser beam is produced:

“light amplification by the stimulated

emission of radiation.”

In the 1950s scientists in the United

States and the Soviet Union came up

with the ideas needed to build lasers. A

U.S. scientist built the first laser in

1960. Since then scientists have built

many more types of lasers.

How LasersWork

A laser is usually made up of a tube with

mirrors at both ends. One mirror is

partly transparent (see-through). Inside

the tube is some type of material, such

as gas, crystal, or liquid.

A powerful lamp or some other source

of energy adds energy to the material.

Then the material produces light. The

light bounces back and forth between

the mirrors at the ends of the tube. As it

does so, it causes the material in the tube

to produce more light. Some of this

light escapes through the partly transparent

mirror.

The escaped light is known as a laser

beam, or laser light. Laser light is different

from sunlight or light from a lamp,

which is called white light. White light

contains a mixture of all the wavelengths,

or colors, of light. Laser light

contains only one color. In addition,

white light spreads out and gets weaker

as it travels away from its source. Laser

light travels from its source in a straight

line. This helps it keep its strength over

very long distances.

Uses

Construction workers and scientists use

lasers to measure distances. Laser light

can also carry telephone signals and

other information over long distances.

In this case it travels through special

cables, called fiber-optic cables.

Doctors sometimes use laser beams

instead of scalpels (knives) to cut into

people. The energy of a laser beam can

also close cuts without stitches.

Another common use of laser light is to

make and read compact discs—CDs and

Laser radar

measured the

distance from

Earth to the

Moon in the

1960s.

The light that escapes out of one end of a

laser’s tube is called a laser beam.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Laser 111

DVDs. Some types of computer printers

use lasers, too.

#More to explore

Compact Disc • Energy • Fiber Optics

• Light

Latin America

Latin America is a region made up of

Mexico, Central America, and South

America. Some of the islands of the

West Indies, in the Caribbean Sea, also

are included. The area is known as Latin

America because most people speak languages

that came from Latin (the language

of the ancient Romans). These

languages include Spanish, Portuguese,

and French.

People

Many Latin Americans have a mixture of

American Indian, European, and African

ancestry.Most people speak Spanish or

Portuguese. People in French Guiana

and parts of theWest Indies speak

French.Millions of American Indians

speak their native languages.Most Latin

Americans are Roman Catholic.

History

American Indian peoples lived in what is

now Latin America for thousands of

years before Europeans arrived. These

peoples included the Maya, the Aztec,

the Inca, and many others.

In 1492 Christopher Columbus landed

in theWest Indies. This voyage marked

the beginning of European exploration

in the Americas. The Spanish conquered

much of Latin America in the 1500s.

Many American Indians died while

fighting the Europeans or from the diseases

they brought from Europe.

Eventually, Spain ruled Mexico, Central

America, much of South America, and

parts of theWest Indies. Portugal ruled

Brazil. France claimed what is now

French Guiana and several islands in the

A Roman Catholic church in Guatemala is

colorfully decorated. Latin America has a

mixture of European and American Indian

cultures.

112 Latin America BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Caribbean. Many Europeans settled in

these areas. They brought their languages,

their Roman Catholic religion,

and their culture to the region. Europeans

also brought in many Africans as

slaves.

Most of Latin America gained independence

from Europe in the 1800s. But in

many places in the region, people with

European roots still held more power

than people with American Indian or

African ancestors.

#More to explore

Central America • Mexico • South

America •West Indies

Latinos

#see Hispanic Americans.

Latitude and

Longitude

Latitude and longitude are a system of

lines used to describe the location of any

place on Earth. Lines of latitude run in

an east-west direction across Earth.

Lines of longitude run in a north-south

direction. Although these are only

imaginary lines, they appear on maps

and globes as if they actually existed.

Latitude

Lines of latitude (also called parallels)

circle the Earth parallel to the equator.

The equator is an imaginary line that

lies halfway between the North Pole and

the South Pole. It runs east-west all the

way around Earth. Lines of latitude

describe positions north and south of

the equator.

A group of musicians plays together in Mazatlan, Mexico.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Latitude and Longitude 113

Lines of latitude are measured in degrees

(°). Degrees are broken down into

smaller units called minutes (') and seconds

(''). The equator is 0°. The North

Pole is 90° north (N), and the South

Pole is 90° south (S). Lines of latitude

north of the equator are numbered from

1° to 89° N. Lines of latitude south of

the equator are numbered from 1° to

89° S.

There are other important lines of latitude

besides the equator. For example,

the Arctic Circle (66° 30' N) and the

Antarctic Circle (66° 30' S) surround

the cold regions around the North and

South poles. The area between the

Tropic of Cancer (23° 27' N) and the

Tropic of Capricorn (23° 27' S) is called

the tropical zone or the tropics. It is

known for its generally hot weather.

Longitude

Lines of longitude run between the

North Pole and the South Pole. These

lines are also called meridians. Like lines

of latitude, meridians are measured in

degrees, minutes, and seconds.

The north-south line that marks 0° longitude

passes through Greenwich,

England, in Great Britain. This is called

the Greenwich, or prime, meridian.

Other lines of longitude describe positions

east and west of the prime meridian.

Lines of longitude east of the prime

meridian are numbered from 1° to 179°

east (E). Lines of longitude west of the

prime meridian are numbered from 1°

to 179° west (W). The 180th meridian,

or 180°, is the line of longitude exactly

opposite the prime meridian.

How the TwoWork Together

Latitude and longitude together can

describe the exact location of any place

on Earth. For example,Washington,

D.C., lies 39 degrees north of the equator

and 77 degrees west of the prime

meridian. Its position is 39° N, 77°W.

#More to explore

Equator • Map and Globe

Lines of longitude run north and south.

Lines of latitude run east and west.

114 Latitude and Longitude BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Latvia

The eastern European country of Latvia

lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic

Sea. For much of its history Latvia has

been controlled by foreign powers. In

1991 it achieved independence from the

Soviet Union. The capital is Riga.

Geography

Latvia is between the two other Baltic

countries, Estonia (to the north) and

Lithuania (to the south). Russia and

Belarus are to the east. The land includes

flat lowlands and hills.Winters are cold,

and summers are cool and rainy.

Plants and Animals

Forests cover much of Latvia. They are

home to elk, boars, foxes, hares, lynx,

badgers, and ermines (a type of weasel).

People

Ethnic Latvians, or Letts, make up more

than half the population. They speak

Latvian. Russians form the next largest

group. More than half of the people are

not religious; most of the others are

Christians. Most people live in cities.

Economy

Services, including education, transportation,

and banking, are the main economic

activities. Manufacturing is also

important. Latvia produces wood, metals,

clothing, and machinery.

History

The first people in what is now Latvia

were the ancient Balts. In the 800s the

Vikings took control of the region. Germany,

Poland, and Sweden later ruled.

By the end of the 1700s Russia controlled

all of Latvia.

In 1917 Latvia declared its independence.

In 1940 the Soviet Union

invaded. Latvia finally gained independence

in 1991.

..More to explore

Riga • Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics

A castle in Cesis, Latvia, was built by German

knights in the 1200s.

Facts About

LATVIA

Population

(2008 estimate)

2,266,000

Area

24,938 sq mi

(64,589 sq km)

Capital

Riga

Form of

government

Republic

Major cities

Riga, Daugavpils,

Liepaja, Jelgava,

Jurmala

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Latvia 115

Laurel

Many types of flowering plant are

known as laurels. The true laurel is a

shrub or a small tree that is also called

the bay laurel or sweet bay. It belongs to

a large family of plants known as the

laurel family. Some of the other plants

called laurels belong to this family, but

others are in different families.

Bay Laurel

The bay laurel first grew in regions

around the Mediterranean Sea. Today it

also grows in other parts of Europe and

in the Americas. The bay laurel has stiff,

fragrant leaves. It is evergreen, which

means that it keeps its leaves year-round.

The bay laurel also grows small, yellowish

green flowers and green, purple, or

black berries.

People use dried leaves of the bay laurel,

called bay leaves, to flavor stews, sauces,

and pickles. In ancient Greece the winners

of athletic and poetry contests wore

crowns of bay laurel.

Other Laurels

Like the true laurel, all the other plants

known as laurels are evergreen. The

Canary Island, or Azores, laurel is closely

related to the true laurel. The California

laurel is not as closely related, but it

belongs to the laurel family.

Several plants in the heath family are

known as laurels. They include the

mountain laurel, the sheep laurel, and

the pale laurel. These shrubs are highly

poisonous to animals. Other laurels in

the heath family include ground laurel

and great laurel.

Other plant families also include plants

called laurels. The cherry laurel and the

Portugal laurel belong to the rose family.

The spurge laurel is in the thyme family.

The Japanese laurel belongs to the dogwood

family. The New Zealand laurel,

or karaka, is related to holly.

#More to explore

Greece, Ancient • Plant

Law

All modern governments have sets of

rules called laws. Laws are based on ideas

about what is right and wrong. Governments

punish people who do not obey

laws. People who work with laws are

called lawyers. The collection of all the

laws in a country or a region is called the

law.

Where Laws Come From

In the past, many laws were based on

tradition, or the common practices of a

The bay laurel

was sacred to

the ancient

Greek god

Apollo.

Small flowers bloom on a branch of bay

laurel.

116 Laurel BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

people. Other laws came from rulers or

lawgivers. Units of government called

legislatures make most modern laws.

The United States and many other

countries have several levels of

legislatures—for example, local, state,

and national. All of them make laws.

The United Kingdom and some other

countries, including the United States,

do not get all their laws from legislatures.

They also get laws from the decisions

of judges.

Branches of Law

There are two main branches of law:

criminal and civil. Criminal law deals

with crime. The government usually

puts people accused of breaking criminal

laws on trial in a court. If the court finds

an accused person—called the

defendant—guilty, he or she is punished.

Punishment may be a fine of

money, a prison term, or death.

Civil law deals with disagreements

between people. People file a lawsuit in a

civil court if they think someone has

treated them unfairly. The person who

files the suit is called the plaintiff. Usually

the plaintiff wants money from the

other person—called the defendant.

History of Law

Hammurabi, the king of Babylon in

Mesopotamia, created one of the first

codes, or collections, of written laws in

about 1800 BC. In the democracies of

ancient Greece the citizens agreed on the

laws that would govern them.

Many modern countries use either the

English or the French system of law.

Colonists brought English laws with

them to North America and other

places. In Europe and Latin America,

many countries base their laws on the

Napoleonic Code. The French emperor

Napoleon I introduced this code of laws

in 1804.

#More to explore

Crime • Government • Legislature

Leaf

The leaf is one of the most important

parts of a plant. Leaves produce food for

the plant through a process called photosynthesis.

The leaves of different

plants vary widely in size, shape, and

color.

A stone carving shows Hammurabi,

the king of Babylon, standing

before a god. Hammurabi

created one of the first collections

of written laws in about

1800 BC.

Lawyers, also

called attorneys,

give

people advice

about laws.

They also represent

people,

businesses,

and governments

during

lawsuits.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Leaf 117

Structure

Most leaves have a broad, flat part called

a blade. Usually, a stalk attaches the

blade to the plant’s stem. This stalk is

called a petiole. A leaf that has only one

blade is called a simple leaf. A compound

leaf has two or more blades

attached to the petiole.

Veins inside a plant’s leaves work much

like blood vessels inside an animal’s

body. They carry water and food to and

from the leaves. Veins also provide the

strong support that gives a leaf its shape.

The veins of broad leaves usually form a

netlike pattern throughout the leaf. Narrow

leaves usually have veins that lie

parallel to each other.

Different types of leaves may be

rounded, oval, spear shaped, heart

shaped, or triangular. Some leaves look

almost like fingers on a hand. Others

are shaped like needles. Some leaves

have smooth edges. Other leaves have

tiny points, called teeth. Leaves may

also have waxy or hairy coverings for

protection.

Photosynthesis

Inside all leaves are substances called

pigments, which give leaves their colors.

Green leaves get their color from a green

pigment called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll

helps with the job of photosynthesis. It

absorbs energy from sunlight. The leaves

use this energy to make sugars, which

are food for the plant.

Falling Leaves

Plants lose leaves and grow new ones

throughout their lives. But many trees,

called deciduous trees, shed all their

leaves during cold or dry seasons. Trees

Most plants

twist and bend

their leaves to

face the sun.

This helps

them absorb

more sunlight.

Leaves come in many different shapes. They may grow in several different arrangements.

118 Leaf BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

do this because they stop growing during

these times.

In autumn or during a dry season, the

leaves of deciduous trees lose their

chlorophyll. As the leaves’ green color

fades, red, yellow, or orange pigments

become visible. Meanwhile, a weak

layer of cells develops at the base of

each leaf’s petiole. This weak layer

causes the leaf to loosen and then fall

off. The leaves grow back when the

seasons change again.

#More to explore

Photosynthesis • Plant • Tree

League of

Nations

The countries that won World War I

(1914–18) set up an organization called

the League of Nations. They wanted

the League to be a place where

countries could settle disagreements by

talking instead of fighting. However,

the League was not strong enough to

keep World War II from breaking out

in 1939.

The first meeting of the League of

Nations was held in Geneva, Switzerland,

in 1920. Representatives from 42

countries attended. More than 20 other

countries joined later. U.S. President

WoodrowWilson wanted the United

States to join the League, but the U.S.

Congress disagreed. The United States

never joined.

The League’s goal was to prevent wars.

The member countries agreed to discuss

with the League any dispute that might

lead to war. The members also agreed to

act together against a country that was

making trouble. In addition, the League

tried to get countries to reduce their

number of weapons.

In the 1920s the League settled several

disputes between nations. In the 1930s,

however, the League faced new challenges.

Japan, Italy, and Germany

invaded other countries. The League

could not stop them. The invasions led

to WorldWar II.

The League’s failure to prevent the war

showed how weak it had become. The

League did not meet during the war.

After the war, in 1946, it was replaced

by a new organization, the United

Nations.

#More to explore

United Nations •Wilson,Woodrow

•WorldWar I

Representatives from many countries attend

a League of Nations meeting in about 1930.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA League of Nations 119

Lebanon

The Middle Eastern nation of Lebanon

lies on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean

Sea. Lebanon has a large population

for its small area. Problems between

its Muslim and Christian people led to a

long civil war that lasted from 1975 to

1991. Lebanon’s capital and largest city

is Beirut.

Geography

Lebanon borders Israel and Syria. Along

the Mediterranean coast is a narrow

plain. The Lebanon Mountains, which

rise to 9,800 feet (3,000 meters), run

down the middle of the country. The

Anti-Lebanon Mountains form Lebanon’s

border with Syria. Between the

two mountain ranges lies the high, fertile

Bekaa Valley. The valley receives

water from the Litani, the only river in

Lebanon that flows throughout the year.

Lebanon’s coast has warm, dry summers

and mild, rainy winters. Summers in the

Bekaa Valley are hot and dry, and winters

are cool. Lebanon receives more rain

than most Middle Eastern countries.

Plants and Animals

Lebanon was once heavily forested. But

loggers cut down many trees over thousands

of years. Today forests cover about

8 percent of the land. Among Lebanon’s

plants are brush and low trees, including

oaks, pines, cypresses, firs, and junipers.

Lebanon is famous for its cedar trees,

but today they grow only in protected

mountain groves.

Lebanon’s animals include deer, wildcats,

hedgehogs, squirrels, martens

(small weasel-like mammals), and hares.

Flamingos, pelicans, cuckoos, and various

birds of prey also live there.

The city of Sidon, Lebanon, lies on the coast

of the Mediterranean Sea. Christian knights

built castles in Sidon in the 1200s.

120 Lebanon BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

People

Most Lebanese are Arabs. There are

small groups of Armenians and Kurds.

Arabic is the main language, but many

people speak English and French. Muslims

make up more than half of the

population. Most of the rest of the

people are Christians. A smaller number

of people are Druze—followers of a religion

that combines elements of Islam,

Christianity, Judaism, and other faiths.

About 90 percent of Lebanese live in

cities, mainly along the coast.

Economy

Services, including banking and tourism,

are Lebanon’s most important economic

activities. Manufacturing is also

important. Lebanon produces cement,

food products, jewelry, clothing,

machinery, chemicals, and wood products.

Agriculture is concentrated along the

Mediterranean coast and in the Bekaa

Valley. Major crops include potatoes,

tomatoes, cucumbers, citrus fruits,

onions, grapes, apples, and olives. Goats

and sheep are the main livestock.

History

In early times the Phoenicians, Greeks,

Romans, and Byzantines ruled what is

now Lebanon. In 1516 the Turks made

the region part of the Ottoman Empire.

AfterWorldWar I France governed

Lebanon. The country became independent

in 1943.

After independence, tensions grew

between Christians and Muslims. In

1970 the Palestine Liberation Organization

(PLO) moved its headquarters to

Lebanon. The PLO launched attacks on

Israel from Lebanon. Lebanese Muslims

allied with the Palestinians against Israel

and the Lebanese Christians. The Lebanese

Muslims also wanted more power

in Lebanon’s Christian-dominated government.

In 1975 the conflict escalated into civil

war between Muslims and Christians.

The following year Syrian forces entered

Lebanon to support the Christians. In

1982 Israeli forces also invaded. The

Israelis and an international peacekeeping

force helped to drive the PLO out of

Lebanon. In 1984 the international

peacekeepers left the country. Fighting

between Lebanon’s religious groups continued,

however.

The civil war ended in 1991, but violence

continued in southern Lebanon,

especially between Israeli forces and the

radical Muslim group known as Hezbollah.

In 2000 Israel finally withdrew its

forces from southern Lebanon. Syria

pulled out its troops in 2005. About

300,000 Palestinian refugees remained

in Lebanon, however.

In 2006 Hezbollah captured two Israeli

soldiers. This led to heavy fighting

between Israel and Hezbollah. Beirut

and southern Lebanon were greatly

damaged during the conflict.

..More to explore

Beirut • Middle East • Palestine

Liberation Organization

Facts About

LEBANON

Population

(2008 estimate)

4,142,000

Area

4,016 sq mi

(10,400 sq km)

Capital

Beirut

Form of

government

Republic

Major cities

Beirut, Tripoli,

Sidon, Tyre (Sur),

An-Nabatiyah,

Juniyah

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Lebanon 121

Lee, Robert E.

General Robert E. Lee led Southern

armies during the American CivilWar

(1861–65). Even though his side had

fewer soldiers and less money than the

Union (the North), he scored many victories.

Early Life

Robert Edward Lee was born in Stratford,

Virginia, on January 19, 1807. His

father was Henry Lee, a hero of the

American Revolution. Robert graduated

from the U.S. Military Academy in

1829.

Career

Lee served for 36 years in the U.S.

Army. He fought in the MexicanWar

(1846–48). He also captured John

Brown, the leader of an antislavery

revolt, in 1859.

In 1861 a group of Southern states

formed their own government after

separating from the United States. The

new government was called the Confederacy.

Virginia joined the Confederacy,

and it soon became clear that the two

sides were going to war. Lee wanted to

defend his home state, so he left the

U.S. Army. He took command of the

Army of Northern Virginia in June

1862.

Lee won great victories in Virginia. One

was the second battle of Bull Run

(August 1862). Another was the battle

of Chancellorsville (May 1863).

Lee invaded the North twice, but

Northern forces stopped him both

times. The second defeat—at Gettysburg,

Pennsylvania, in July 1863—was a

turning point in the war.

After Gettysburg, Lee defended northern

Virginia. He finally surrendered to

General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox

Court House, Virginia, on April 9,

1865.

Later Years

Lee was a hero to Southerners even in

defeat. He became president ofWashington

College at Lexington, Virginia.

The school was later renamed Washington

and Lee University. Lee died on

October 12, 1870, in Lexington, Virginia.

#More to explore

American CivilWar • Confederate

States of America

General Robert E. Lee is pictured

in the uniform of the Confederate

Army.

122 Lee, Robert E. BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

Leg

The limbs called legs support an animal’s

body and allow it to move. Animals

use legs to walk, run, and jump.

Humans have two legs. Other mammals,

such as horses and cats, have four

legs. Their two front legs are called forelegs,

and their two back legs are called

hind legs. Other animals have four, six,

eight, or even hundreds of legs.

Legs of Mammals

The legs of all mammals share the same

basic structure. A knee joint links the

upper and lower segments of each leg.

At the bottom of each leg is a foot.

Muscles make the legs move. Bones

make them strong.

On four-legged mammals, the legs are

attached underneath the body. The hind

legs of these mammals resemble the legs

of humans. Three long bones are found

in hind legs and in human legs: the

tibia, the fibula, and the femur. The

tibia and the fibula connect the ankle to

the knee. The femur connects the knee

to the pelvis.

The forelegs of four-legged mammals

can be compared to human arms. Like

arms, forelegs can hit, pull, and dig. But

forelegs also support and move the body.

The bone in the upper foreleg is called

the humerus. The humerus connects the

scapula (shoulder blade) to the knee.

The radius and the ulna connect the

knee to the ankle.

Most animals that live on land have legs. Legs support an animal’s body and allow it to

get around.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Leg 123

Legs of Other Animals

Amphibians, reptiles, and arthropods—

which include insects, spiders, crustaceans,

and centipedes—also have legs.

Like mammals’ legs, most have muscles,

joints, and segments. However, these

animals’ legs are usually attached to the

sides of the body, not underneath. Most

amphibians and reptiles have four legs.

Arthropods have from three to about

200 pairs of legs. Arthropods’ legs have a

hard outer covering instead of bones

inside.

Birds have two hind legs, also with

muscles, bones, joints, and segments.

They are located under the body. Instead

of forelegs, birds have wings.

#More to explore

Arm • Bone • Foot • Knee • Muscle

Legislature

The group within a government that

makes the laws is called a legislature.

Republics and most modern monarchies

have legislatures. States and provinces

have them too. Old-fashioned monarchies

do not need legislatures because

the ruler makes the laws.

Many countries have adopted legislative

systems similar to that of either the

United States or Great Britain. The

United States legislature is called Congress.

Great Britain’s legislature is called

Parliament.

The United States separates the legislative

branch from the rest of the government.

In the United States, the president

is not allowed to be a member of Congress.

In Great Britain it is different. The

prime minister has to be a member of

Parliament.

Many legislatures consist of two groups,

or houses. In the United States and

Great Britain, the lower house has members

who are elected from districts. The

residents of a district vote for a member

to represent them. The upper houses are

chosen by other methods.

Israel, like many other small countries,

has a one-house legislature. Israel’s legislature

is called the Knesset. There are no

election districts. People vote for a party

rather than a candidate. A party gets the

same share of Knesset members as its

share of the nationwide vote. This system

allows small parties to have members

in the legislature.

Legislatures may have other duties

besides making laws. The U.S. Congress,

for example, must approve officials

and judges who have been appointed by

the president. It also has the power to

Members of Israel’s legislature stand after

hearing a speech by a foreign leader. The

legislature is called the Knesset.

124 Legislature BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

remove government officials from office

or to declare war.

#More to explore

Congress of the United States

• Government • Parliament

Legume

Legumes are flowering plants of the pea

family. The pods, or fruits, of these

plants are also called legumes. There are

more than 18,000 species, or types, of

legume. Some well-known legumes

include beans, peas, peanuts, and soybeans.

Legumes grow all over the world. Most

types grow naturally in warm or tropical

areas. Most of the legumes that are valuable

as crops are grown in mild climates.

Legumes can grow as herbs, vines,

shrubs, or large trees. Most have soft

green stems and flowers with five petals.

The flowers later grow into pods, which

hold the plant’s seeds. Pods come in a

variety of shapes, sizes, and textures. A

pod releases its seeds by splitting open

along two seams.

Legumes are an important source of

food because they are high in protein.

Beans, peas, and peanuts are legumes

that people commonly eat. Soybeans are

used to make such foods as tofu, soy

milk, ice cream, and soy sauce. Soybeans

are also used to feed livestock. Alfalfa

and clover are used as livestock feed, too.

Legumes also are useful in improving

the soil. They do this by adding nitrogen

to the soil. Nitrogen is a nutrient that is

important to all living things. The air

has a lot of nitrogen, but most organisms

cannot use it in that form. Most

plants get their nitrogen from the soil.

But legumes can take nitrogen from the

air. In the roots of legumes, special bacteria

turn the nitrogen into a form that

plants can use. When legumes are

plowed into the soil, they release nitrogen.

Other plants can then take up the

nitrogen through their roots.

#More to explore

Bean • Pea • Peanut • Plant

Leif Eriksson

Leif Eriksson was probably the first

European to visit North America. He

was a Viking. The Vikings were warriors

The protein

content of soybeans

is twice

as high as that

of meat.

Peas are legumes. The pods of a pea plant

split open to release the seeds, or peas,

inside.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Leif Eriksson 125

from northern Europe who traveled far

by sea during the Middle Ages.

Leif was born on the island of Iceland

sometime before AD 1000. He grew up

on the nearby island of Greenland. His

father, Erik the Red, had started a

Viking settlement there.

There are two different tales of Leif’s

North American voyage. According to

one tale, he got lost while on a mission

to bring the Christian religion to Greenland.

He landed on an unknown shore

that he called Vinland because he saw

grapevines there. Vinland might have

been where Nova Scotia, Canada, is

today.

According to a second tale, another

Viking saw Vinland first and told Leif

about it. In about AD 1000 Leif got

together a group of explorers. The group

reached Vinland and other places as

well. Leif called one place Helluland.

Helluland might have been the part of

eastern Canada that is now called Labrador.

Leif named another place Markland.

Markland might have been the

island of Newfoundland. Many scholars

believe the second tale is closer to the

truth.

Leif returned to Greenland after his

famous voyage. Other Vikings later

started settlements in North America.

Scientists have found traces of a Viking

settlement on the island of Newfoundland.

These settlements did not last

long, however. They were gone long

before the next group of Europeans

arrived in the area in the late 1400s.

#More to explore

Americas, Exploration and Settlement of

the • Vikings

Lemming

Lemmings are small rodents that

resemble mice. They live in the northern

parts of North America, Europe, and

Asia. They are known for migrating, or

An illustration from the 1800s shows Leif

Eriksson and his Viking ship at sea.

Lemmings usually live on their own or in

small groups. But sometimes large numbers

of lemmings gather together and move to a

new area.

126 Lemming BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

moving from place to place, in huge

groups.

Lemmings are about 4 to 7 inches (10 to

18 centimeters) long, including the

short tail. The body is chunky, which

helps the animal stay warm in cold

weather. The soft fur is grayish or reddish

brown on top and lighter below.

The fur gets thicker in winter to help

keep them warm. Many lemmings living

in the Arctic have fur that turns white in

winter.

Lemmings live in holes that they dig in

the ground. In winter they tunnel under

the snow. Lemmings eat mosses, roots,

and grasses.

Every three or four years the number of

lemmings increases greatly. Scientists are

not sure why. When the lemming population

grows, some lemmings migrate to

new areas.

Many people believe that lemmings purposely

drown themselves during their

migrations by plunging into the sea.

This is untrue. In fact, lemmings try to

avoid water. But sometimes a river or

another body of water gets in their way.

Then they might drown accidentally

while trying to swim.

#More to explore

Migration, Animal • Rodent

Lemon

Lemons are tart, yellow fruits that grow

on a small tree or spreading bush. Like

limes, oranges, and grapefruit, lemons

are citrus fruits. The lemon plant’s scientific

name is Citrus limon.

Lemons grow in many warm regions of

the world. Major lemon-growing countries

include India, Argentina, Spain,

Iran, and the United States. In the

United States most lemons grow in California

and Arizona.

Lemon trees grow to about 10 to 20 feet

(3 to 6 meters) high. They produce

sweet-smelling flowers that are white on

top and reddish purple on the bottom.

The fruits, or lemons, grow from these

flowers.

Lemons are shaped like an oval with a

bump on one end. Their rind, or skin, is

thick. It starts out green and turns yellow

when the fruit is ripe. Inside each

fruit is juicy flesh called pulp.

The juice of lemons is tart because it

contains a substance called citric acid.

Lemon juice is rich in vitamin C as well.

People use lemon juice to flavor pastries,

pies, vegetables, fish, and many other

foods. They mix it with water and sugar

Ripe lemons hang from a lemon tree.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Lemon 127

to make lemonade, a popular warmweather

drink. People also use lemons to

make fruit jellies, soaps, perfumes, and

medicines.

#More to explore

Citrus Fruit • Grapefruit • Lime

• Orange

Lemur

Lemurs are mammals known for their

large eyes and monkeylike bodies. They

belong to the group of animals called

primates, along with lorises, tarsiers,

monkeys, apes, and humans. There are

about 18 species, or types, of animal in

the lemur family. But the term lemur

also applies to about 50 related species,

including dwarf lemurs, mouse lemurs,

koala lemurs, indris, and aye-ayes.

Lemurs are found only on the islands of

Madagascar and Comoros off the eastern

coast of Africa. Most lemurs live in

trees in forests. But the ring-tailed lemur

lives in rocky areas.

Most lemurs have foxlike faces and long

back legs. They range in length from

about 2.5 inches (6 centimeters) in one

kind of mouse lemur to nearly 27.5

inches (70 centimeters) in the indri.