DK Geography of the World 0789410044
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V i '
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A
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E
THE
DK
GEOGRAPHY 1
OF THE
J
WORLD V I f
s
e
a
o
n
] U N I T E D
PHILIPPINES
ARGENTINA
El NEW
ZEALAND
S
c : a n a d a
BRUNEI
PA R A G U AY
K A Z A K H S T A N
B A H A M A S
S U D A N
K I N G D O M
UNITED OF
S TAT E S AMERICA
C H I N A
THE
B H U T A N
DK
R U S S I A N F E D E R A T I O N
B
GEOGRAPHY
I T A L Y
V E N E Z U E L A
S W E D E N
-
P A N A M A
OF THE
w
G H A N A
I\^ORY
PORTUGAL
n
WORLD
COAST
B R A Z I L
B E L G I U M
K E N Y A
M E X I C O S P A I N
N O R W A Y
I N D I A C H I L E
SAUDI
ARABIA N E T H E R L A N D S
G E R M A N Y
JAMAICA
F R A N C E
SOUTH
AFRICA
INDONESIA
S E N E G A L
THAILAND
s
I
P I *
A U S T R A L I A
i AZERBAIJAN
T U V A L U
K I R I B A T I
M A L A Y S I A
MONGOLIA
i ADK
PUBLISHING
BOOK
www.dk.com Senior Art Editor
Senior Editor
Rachael Foster
Susan Peach
Art Editors
Editors
Marcus James, Tina Robinson, Jane Tetzlaff
Marie Greenwood, Fran Jones, Veronica Pennycook
US Editor Camela Decaire
Deputy Art Director Miranda Kennedy Deputy Editorial Director Sophie Mitchell Senior DTP designer Mathew Birch
DTP designer Amudena Diaz Cartographyjan Clark, Robin Giddings Picture research Rachel Leach Research Robert Graham
Special photography Andy Crawford Production Catherine Semark, Louise Barratt Chief consultant Dr. David Green Consultants
Dr. Kathy Baker, Professor Mark Blacksell, Dr. Tanya Bowyer-Bower, Dr. Robert Bradnock, Dr. Edward Brown, Dr. Brian Chalkley, Professor Roman Cybriwsky, Professor Dennis Dwyer, Professor Aan Gilbert, St.John Gould, Professor Ian Hamilton, Robert Headland, Dr. Michael Heffernan, Professor Eleanore Kofman, Keith Lye, Professor Robert Mason, Professor W.R. Mead, Professor William Morgan, Susan Murrell, Jenny Nemko, Dr. Rewi Newnham, Professor Robert Potter, Dr. Jonathan Rigg, Dr. David Simon, Dr. David Turnock,John Wright and Nicholas Awde, Dr. Ted Yates
Authors Simon Adams, Anita Ganeri, Ann Kay Additional text by Arm Kramer, Claire Watts First American Edition, 1996 46810 9753
Published in the United Slates by
DK Publishing, Inc., 95 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Copyright ©1996 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London All rights resei-ved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the priorwritten permission of the copyright owner. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. Distributed by Houghton Mif in Company, Boston. library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data DK geography of the world. —1st American ed. p. cm. Includes
index.
Summaiy: Maps and text describe countries around the world and the ways of life of the inhabitants. ISBN 0-7894-1004-4
1. Geography—Juvenile literature. [1. Geography.] G133.D58 1996 910--dc20 96-15129 CIP A
i
Colour reproduction by Colourscan, Singapore Printed and bound in Spain by Artes Gra cas Toledo, S.A.U.
fi
C
fl
D.L. 10:227-2000
o
Contents How to Use This Book
52
Cuba and Jamaica
1 0
The Physical World
54
The Bahamas, Puerto Rico,
1 2
Moving Continents
1 4
Climate and Vegetation
1 6
World Population
18
The Political World
5
Lesser Antilles
58
Northern Sonth America
6 0
Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana Colombia and Ecuador
64
Peru and Bolivia
66
Brazil
70
Sonthern South Ameriea
72
Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile
74
Argentina
76
The Atlantie Oeean
78
E U R O P E
8 0
Peoples of Europe
8 2
Scandinavia and Finland
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
8 3
Norway
84
Denmark and Sweden
Peoples of Central and
8 6
Finland
87
The British Isles
NORTH
2 2
Peoples of North America
24
Canada
3 0
United States of Ameriea
38
Mexieo
4 2
56
62
2 0
4 0
Haiti, and Dominican Repnblic
AMERICA
South America 4 4
Central America and the Caribbean
88
United Kingdom
4 6
Guatemala and Belize
9 0
Ireland
4 8
H o n d u r a s , E l S a l v a d o r,
91
The Low Conntries
and Niearagua
9 2
Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg
5 0
Costa Riea and Panama
94
Germany
138
Russian Federation
97
France
144
Turkey and Cyprus
98
France, Monaco, and Andorra
146
The Middle East I
1 0 0
Spain and Portugal
148
Syria and Lebanon
101
Spain
150
Israel and Jordan
102
Portugal
152
The Middle East II
103
Italy
154
Iraq and Iran
104
Italy, Malta, Vatican City,
156
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar
158
United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen
160
Central Asia
162
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan,
and San Marino 1 0 6
Switzerland and Austria
107
Switzerland and Liechtenstein
108
Austria
109
Slovenia and Croatia
111
Belarus and the Baltic States
112
Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
164
Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan
166
The Indian Subcontinent
114
Central Europe
168
Pakistan and Bangladesh
11 6
Poland and Czech Republic
170
India
11 8
Slovakia and Hungary
172
Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan
120
Ukraine, Moldova, and the
174
East Asia
176
China
179
Hong Kong and Macao
Caucasian Republics 122
Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia
124
The Balkans
180
Taiwan and Mongolia
125
Yugoslavia and Bosnia &Herzegovina
182
North Korea and South Korea
126
Macedonia and Albania
184
Japan
128
Romania and Bulgaria
188
Mainland Southeast Asia
130
Greece
190
Thailand and Myanmar (Burma)
192
Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos
194
Malaysia and Singapore
196
Maritime Southeast Asia
198
Indonesia and Brunei
2 0 0
The Philippines
2 0 2
The Indian Ocean
i
i
and Tajikistan
132
A S I A
134
Peoples of Asia
A
f
Edward Is.
' . /
n
A
fi
^
(
THE
B
C
D
E
F
G
1
K
L
M
THE
PHYSICAL
WORLD
Wa t e r ; 7 1 %
Only 29 percent of
Continents
the Earth’s surface
The seven continents that make up
island. The
percentage area of
\the world’s land mass are, from
Europe:
Und: 29%
each continent is
\largest to smallest: Asia, Africa,
7%
shown here.
nL North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.
T F
,JThe polar regions, not completely
k3visible on the at map, surround Wthe North and South poles and are
aNC6«
Australia: 5%
Earth’s surface
I
jshown on the globes left and below.
Asia:
Africa:
30%
2 0 %
North South America: America 16.5 1 2 %
Antarctica: 9 . 5 %
f: E A S T
BERfAN
. — .
0
CHUKCHI
BEAUFORT
1
SEA
- V
9
7
Great Bear L.
ARCTIC
f
CIRCLE
T
'■
1
i I
3
Hudson
LABRADOR V
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SEA !
4 V
'.Newfoundland i (■■■ ■ r :
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(^°Midway Js. tM.,.,.
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Marqueshs Is. »
''^>3*"^Samoi J'lC
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THE
L
S 0 U T H
THINGS TO LOOK FOR ON
9
I. A
MAP
0 . ^
A M E R I C A
Highest point on Earth: Mt. Everest, China/Nepal, 29,029 ft (8,848 m)
10
MapH
t
, T u b u a i
Lowest point on Earth: Mariana ---
J-J,
ihOPIC
Trench, Paci c Ocean, 35,840 ft
of
CAPRICORHJt*
(10,924 m) below sea level Map L8 J
( i
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r-v ^
11
Longest river: Nile, Egypt/Sudan/ Uganda, 4,187 miles (6,738 km)
'v4:
Map E
I
f
-
Largest lake: Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan/Iran/Turkmenistan/ N
I
L
A N T. . I C . . . . ‘
146,101 sq miles (378,400 sq km)
MapF
O C E A N [
Largest ocean: Paci c Ocean, 63,804,540 sq miles (165,241,000 sq km) Map Q7
Bounty Is.
Aniipodes;
13 Falkland
Is
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P
fi
fi
:
i
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6
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7
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12
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A u c k l a n d
A
Kazakhstan/Russian Federation,
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e
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Awto-o” ..
! 1 I
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Cape H o r n
w
X
Y
A
CONTINENTS ' f y. - . - -
f .
-!h i f .
'i \
Earth's crust
Liquid
Moving continents
outer core
Upper mantle
The hot
■S
inner core
Lower
is solid. ^
Xhe continents that make up most of the Earth’s land surface
?
are always on the move, shifted around by forces deep inside the
mantle
yj
I
Earth. This is known as continental drift. Movement, or drift,
takes place because of intense heat generated within the Earth.
1
■i f :
.‘■M >
t-
1
The heat is carried upward where it disturbs the cool, rocky
‘i
% %
"i
j
i
surface, or crust, forcing sections of it, called plates, to move. Each year the continents, parts of the plates, drift nearly half an inch (about acentimeter), some getting closer together, others moving farther apart, some grinding past each other. As this happens, many of the Earth’s natural features
'
-
’j
●
m . . .
are created or changed.
INSIDE
THE
EARTH
The Earth is not asolid ball, but is made up of many different layers. The crust which forms
200 million years ago
panthala.ssaI
In THE BEGINNING
the continents and the ocean
oors is athin
layer of rock that covers the Earth like ashell. The mantle beneath is 1,864 miles (3,000 km)
P A N r H A l . A S . I A
z
thick and made of hot rock, some of which is 180 million years ago
Scientists believe that some
molten (liquid). At the center is the core, the
hot metallic center of the Earth. This is liquid
300 million years ago all the land on Earth was joined together in one “supercontinent” called Pangaea. It
on the outside and solid on the inside.
VM3RASI4
was surrounded by agiant ocean, Panthalassa. About
TETHYS
SEA l O RT U
200 million years ago, as the plates moved, Pangaea began to split into two great landmasses, Laurasia in
IROPE ASIA
A M I
NU
the north, and Gondwanaland in the south. These were
A F R I C A
(ndi
.^SOUTIi
separated by the Tethys Sea. As the plates continued to move, the two landmasses split and moved farther apart, eventually forming the continents on the map below.
AI
JSTI
65 million years ago
■' X
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jan 12“F (-ITC) July 70”F (21°C) [an
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Goose Bav’
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Cochrane
Va l - d ’ O r O
7
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Longest river: Colorado, US/Mexico, 1,400 miles (2,253 km) Map 11 Highest point: Mt. McKinley (Denali), 20,320 ft (6,194 m) Map C Largest lake: Great Salt Lake, 1,361 sq miles (3,525 sq km) MapJ World’s largest land gorge: Grand Canyon, 217 miles
D
6
(349 km) long, 6,234 ft (1,900 m) deep Map JIO
Boise, Idaho -
Coeur f d'Alene'
Spokane*'
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Jan 1.9 in (48 mm)
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BL.^K ROfK BESitRT .
Great SaltL
Winnemucca ●
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The Sonoran Desert was
o
AP Falls
„A"/^^'P«ca.eUo Twin Falls^
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LIVING IN THE DESERT ;
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CiioseL. ;
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Sun
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B u r n s
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once home only to creatures adapted to the heat. Today, Phoenix,
]an 30“F (-VC) July 74°F (23X)
^ ■_>0'
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a.
.< .
^ n
●
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,9 f
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Arizona, is one of the
o r r c T i Y
L . Ta h o e .
C ‘
fastest-growing US cities, despite its location in the
Santa
CRAM^FTI^tr -
O
O
C o l
middle of the desert.
San Francisco
Between 1960-1990, its
A
population grew by more
than 300 percent. Part of the reason why the Colorado River 'ISH fails to reach the ocean is because ^ -5
of demands for water from Phoenix.
■
11
^OpAVEDESERj
Cactus plants can survive the
A R I Z O N A ^
'San%ernardino Ana "a .
desert heat. —-
\
12
^Oceanside
■I
\ The collared lizard of
\
4 -
i f
"3
^Tucson
\
\the southwestern deserts
hides under arock at night and comes out in the morning to warm up in the sun.
13
Ra C/jp r'C
K a u a i
Niihau^ 41'
kHilo
1 1
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1
0
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This extraordinary road runner ,rarely ies, but can run very brake, or as arudder to »change direction.
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10
20
300 km
1 T
T
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^fast. It uses its long tail as a
0
200 miles
72°F (22“C) 77°F (25°C) 4.1 in (104 mm) 0.9 in (23 mm)
H a w a i i
100 200 300 km
fl
[an July Jan July
Lanai^'^^ H A W A I I
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14
15
Honolulu, Hawaii
O
10
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D E S E R T
San Diego
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PHOENIX
SONORAN *Mesa
Sea
0
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0
0
fi
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N O R T H A M E R I C A ♦ U N I T E D S TAT E S O F A M E R I C A
miles 15
200
■
US: CENTRAL STATES
Ears of the type of wheat used for
making bread
Famous for cowboys and cattle ranches, the central states of the US are also the country’s
“bread basket” and oil re nery. This vast region
includes high mountains, fertile plains, and the Mississippi River system. Texas and Oklahoma have major oil and gas elds, while coal is mined in Wyoming and Montana. The Rocky Mountains contain important national parks, such as Yellowstone and Glacier, and are rich in mineral resources. Hot summers and cold winters, as well as \iolent hailstorms and tornadoes, make the region’s climate one of extremes. TORNADO ALLEY Several hundred tornadoes a
year strike ‘Tornado Aliev,”
Missouri. They occur when hot air from the Gulf of
Mexico hits cold, dry air from Canada. The violent
storms, known as “twisters,' cut through towns and
countryside, destroying everything in their path.
P
Atwisting column of rising air forms beneath athunder cloud.
.column
ii
and
Today, most Americans live in cities and towns, but at the start of this
sucks
century, two out of every
tU; up dirt and objects - \ y
Tornadoes can travel at 112 mph (180 km/h).
1
RURAL AMERICA
The air spirais up the
f :
ve adults
lived on farms. There are still many small towns with populations of less than 10,000 people. These towns are often in farming country and are where people go for supplies, to attend school, church, or special
\
events, such as this fair.
Hats keep
t 1;
Grains of wheat
The great plains Once home to millions of buffalo, the vast open plains between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River
Plains produce more wheat and corn than anywhere else on Earth. Farming is highly mechanized, with huge machines to harvest the grain. In drier parts, the land can be farmed only if it is irrigated, often using water taken from anatural underground reservoir, called an aquifer.
Kansas, Oklahoma, and
f
a
I
are now planted with cereal grains. Farmers on the Great
an area tliat runs through
off the sun
Cowboy country
and the rain and were
Cattle are raised on the Great Plains and
once used to
foothills of the Rocky Mountains. In
c a r r y w a t e r.
summer, cowboys on horseback used to
drive the cattle to fresh pastures; in winter,
Leather
they herded them back to the ranch to be
I
cuffs
sold at auction for food. Hollywood lms
■^k
^turned cowboys into heroes, but life in
m
the saddle was not easy. Pay was poor, wand men often spent 15 hours aday on
r.
horseback in scorching heat or driving rain. Today, ranches are smaller and
cowboys and horses may be ferried from
1
\ranch to pasture by truck and trailer.
t
Alasso is
;]
used to
rope cattle.
A
W t
rider from cattle horns.
Boots have
Fringe helps / to drain away any rainwater.
Spurs
From Minnesota in the north to its
CITIES OF THE DEAD Cemeteries in New Orleans are built
enormous delta in the Gulf of Me.xico, the the central states. It is one of the World’s f-w.
grounds are called
keep feet rmly in the stirrups.
Cities of the Dead.
busiest waterways, suitable for cargo boats for almost 1,802 miles (2,900'km). This
oods. The burial
heels to
mighty Mississippi’River ows through
a
above ground to protect them when the Mississippi
:
Chaps protect the
'IK':
Mississippi river
X
view of the river shows it owing through t v
Iowa, where it forms anatural border with
Illinois and Wisconsin. In the south, severe Awreath of
owers.
ooding often occurs after heavy rains.
f T Z ' - - . - - - : ,
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N O R T H A M E R I C A ♦ U N I T E D S TAT E S O F A M E R I C A
A
B
D
C
♦UNITED
AMERICA
E
S TAT E S
F
OF
G
AMERICA
I
H
1
■ L. Sakakawea
>
M i n o t
Fort Peck,
2
t :
O
K A N S A S
:
■^Moky H/LLS
.Bbert
Longest river: Missouri, 2,714
fSs o
u r i
JEFFERSON St- Louis C I T Y
P u e b l o
Highest point: Mt. Elbert, 14,432 ft
M I S S O U R I
W i c h i t a
(4,399 m) MapE
●Spring eld
Largest lake: L. Pontchartrain 625 sq miles (1,619 sq km) Map Lll
8
e
Kansas City \
T O l >T5
O
miles (4,367 km) Map 1
●
Farmington
>
Tulsa
y /
OTtOdioj
SANTA Efe
o
Albutpierque
9
>
o
A R K A N S A S
.●
Norman
M
, O K L A
N E W
F o r t
A
iU
'^^UTTLE ROC»
S m i t h
● L a w t o n
M E X I C O Q.
2
^Fayetteville
lOMA
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Amarillo
5W
Pine!
L u b b o c k
jji
s
Dallas
5.-^'
10
A , A , C D
Fort Worth
as Cru^s^
Shreveport
Abilen^
CD
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p
I W a c o
T E X A S
■ V
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\ B ATO N ROUGE'
E LV ^ L \ R D S PL
AT E
-L.. . Beaumont.
O
AV
o
A U S T I N
Houston San Antonio
I
)
^New Orleans
o
/
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i
12 0
I 13
S!
Corp Christi ■ Laredo ° ■
Houston, Texas Jan 53°F (12°C)
v. _
'It
July SS-F (27”C)
L
Jan 3.5 in (89 mm) July 3.9 in (99 mm)
14 OUT
OF
THE
GROUND
The US is the world’s third largest producer of crude oil and the world leader in
petroleum products, such as fuel oil. Oil was discovered in Texas in the early 1900s, bringing great wealth to the state. Today, Texas is the second largest oil-producing state after Alaska. Magnesium,
15
0
10
20
5
,S00 km
10
miles 1,5
iron, and uranium are also mined there.
0
5
0
7
0
0
35 fi
c
0
hrs
Mississippi
A
f
I
0
\
0
NORTH
200
A ^ 0
\
D e l t a
AMERICA
♦UNITED
S TAT E S
OF
AMERICA
US:EASTERN STATES Excellent harbors, eertile land, and rich
RULING
COUNTRY
of laws, known as a constitution, that sets out how the country should be
governed. The center of government is Washington, DC, where the President
some of the country’s largest cities, such as New York
and his family live in
and Washington, DC, as well as the once-great industrial centers of Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland
I
THE
The US has awritten set
mineral resources have made this region one of the most densely populated in the country. It was along the East Coast that the rst settlers from Europe arrived in the 16th cenfury. Today, the area includes
The White House. The President is the head of state and is chosen in
on the Great Lakes. Earther south, farmers use the
elections that are held
land to cultivate cotton, tobacco, and vegetables
once every four years.
grown for their oil. Hurricanes are athreat to people living on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
The White House has been the home of
every US president since 1800.
Big BUSINESS in new york Originally afur-trading post at the mouth of the
Hudson River, New York is now the country’s nancial capital. Wall Street, so called because it marked the line of the old city wall, is the j
home of the New York Stock Exchange
■-mfL
-
Einancial deals worth billions of dollars are
m
■vj.
made there every day, and on the trading
I
oor screens display up-to-date information f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d . N e w Yo r k i s k n o w n a s T H E A P PA L A C H I A N S
The Appalachian Mountains run through North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. For many years, coal was mined here and used to power
V
“the city that never sleeps,” and many people are still out at 4a.m. The city is also famous for its museums, theaters, restaurants, and parks.
steel mills. Today, many mines and factories
have closed, eliminating jobs. Despite aplan to open up the area to tourists, Appalachia remains
-.-U.
! i ^
fcj
/ {
I
I't
This huge machine picks the cotton bolis from the plant.
. i ● ●
one of the poorest parts of the US.
I'; ^
Flower buds
~
form on the
r
I.---
cotton plants..
The sign on this blues club in Memphis, Tennessee, is shaped like agiant guitar.
I!
Flowers turn THE
BIRTH
pink and then fall off.
OF THE BLUES
This part of the US
is the birthplace of some of the world’s
most popular music. Jazz and blues were based on the
spiritual and work songs of the black population. Country music began as poor white people’s music in Kentucky
After the
The cotton boll
opens into a uffy ber ready for harvesting.
Motown grew up in Detroit, or Motor
To w n .
into fabric for
invented in 1898.
and abroad. ,—
shirts, pants, and
does the hard work. Soy beans, used mainly for oil, are now the biggest crop in tbis region.
towels, which are sold at home
.
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eld to fabric
In the mid-1800s, the southern states produced 80 percent of the world’s cotton and grew rich on the pro ts. Cotton was grown on huge plantations, then handpicked by black slaves who had been brought Cotton is still an important crop, although modern machinery now
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Cotton -from
by force from Africa. Slavery was nally abolished in the US in 1865.
Cotton is woven
Neon, used to light up so many buildings across America, was rst
fl
ower
falls off, atiny seed ripens and grows into apod, or boll.
a n d Te n n e s s e e , and the soul label
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NORTH
♦UNITED
AMERICA
S TAT E S
F
OF
G
AMERICA
H
I
K
J
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
0
Jan 30°F (-1°C) July 74°F (23“C)
100 1
L
200 1
T
300 km
T
1
0 UNITED OF
200 miles
S TAT E S .AMERICA
Jan 3in (76 mm) July 4.2 in (107 mm)
0
C
A
M A I N E
i lA
.U'
M
a.s ❖. G r e a t
;●Holguii
Cl If of
Guael^nayabOj
Inagual
● B a \ ' a m o
^
Caribbean are descendants /5X-
Cai
of the African slaves brought over to work the plantations. Europeans, Asians, Syrians,
Turks Is.6
T
URKS & C A K OS ISLANDS
de duba
and Lebanese also form a
(UK)
Guantanamo
part of Caribbean culture.
4;^Port-de-Paix
Bay (US)
M o n t e c r i s t i
A
ICA
I
●Pjierto Plata
q&M|ranciscodeMacaris
Jerer
Spanish
PORT-Al
>*●
GSTOl
tWEl'N-
0
I-'/*
Choco Indians, but their THE
numbers were severely
once
held
considerable
power in the area and traded, mainly by canoe, along the Caribbean coast. Important chiefs were carried by hammock. Today, the Cuna live in small villages and depend on agriculture for aliving.
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®
Hammocks are
develops from clays, sand, and silt deposited
made of woven
from these rivers is called
ber from plants that grow on
alluvial soil, and is good for growing crops such as the vegetables shown here. With poorer soils the land is used for afew years and then left until its natural fertility returns. This system of land
the coast.
Embroidered clothing designs, known as molas, are afeature of the Cuna culture.
use is called roza.
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SOIL
rivers. The soil that
of European explorers in the 16th century. The Cuna
GOOD
Panama has many
reduced after the arrival
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CENTRAL
'.T7j
Find out mor Bananas: 48
Coffee: 50, 62, 66 Export dependency: 281 Peoples of the continent: 42
AND
SOUTH
AMERICA
♦CURA
Cuba )>
More than 200 rivers wind their way across Cuba, watering the lush green scenery of the Caribbean’s largest island. The land is made up of mountains, rolling hills, and at plains, all covered in afertile soil that is ideal for growing sugar, tobacco, and avariety of tropical fruits and vegetables. Most Cubans are descended from the early Spanish settlers, or from Africans brought over later to work as slaves on the plantations. In recent decades, the socialist policies of the long-standing leader Fidel Castro have kept
, / C U B A
Capital city: Havana Area: 42,803 sq miles (110,860 sq km) Population: 10,800,000
Of cial language: Spanish
Cuba isolated from much of the world.
Major religions: Christian
Cuban politics
42%, other 58% Government;
One-party state
)k
Currency: Cuban peso Adult literacy rate: 96%
,0QUE
I.
In 1959, Fidel Castro and agroup of rebels overthrew the ruling dictator, Fulgencio Batista. Since then, Cuba has been acommunist state, aided
Life expectancy: 76 years
by the Soviet Union until its breakup in the early 1990s. Many
1,^
People per doctor; 270
)EL
Televisions: 207 per 1,000 people
MUSIC
AND
DANCE
Cuba’s lively music re ects its mix of Spanish and African in uences. The Spanish brought distinctive melodies, along with the guitar and violin, and the Africans brought avery different style, as well as various drums and short wooden sticks called claves. The music has
gradually fused to create rhythms such as the mambo and salsa.
Athriving Afro-Cuban jazz scene has also developed.
^of Castro’s social policies have ^been successful. Housing and
Dark brown
sugar has
Cigars are stored in boxes
health care have greatly improved, and most people can
made from cedar wood to
now read and write. However,
remove ali
keep them fresh.
the US remains hostile to the
the syrup.
not been re ned to
communist government.
^Cuba’s warm days and cool nights are
ve different
types of tobacco.
re ned. Rum is made from
the distilied Juice of sugarcane.
ml/
Sugar is stored inside the stalk, in a rm puip.
avor of the leaf before it is sent to one of
from at least
partiaily
(sunshine.
leaves are picked when pale green and hung up to dry for 40-45 days. They are then sorted and packed for the fermentation process, which mellows the
Agood cigar is made
been
/rain as weli as
jideal for growing tobacco. Tobacco
A
Light brown sugar has
Sugarcane is a giant grass that needs pienty of
^CUBAN CIGARS
Cuba’s famous cigar factories. Cigars are rolled by hand by men and women working at long wooden tables.
'M
TV’'
Adark syrup _ known as
by-product of cane juice.
The largest city in the Caribbean, Cuba’s capital, Havana, has apopulation of
Sugar industry
more than 2million. It was
Sugar has long been important to Cuba and still
founded by the Spanish in
makes up 75 percent of the country’s earnings from
1515 and some areas of
exports. By the 1800s, the sugar industry was already booming, fueled by African slaves who worked by hand on the vast colonial plantations. Today, the methods are more modern and the cane is usually cut down by machine or bulldozer. However, during the early 1990s, poor weather reduced the sugar harvests and there were also problems with obtaining
the city are extremely old, with cobbled streets and
elegant colonial buildings. Today, parts of Havana have become run down and
in
need
of
improvement. However, housing policies mean there are no shantytowns around the city. Havana is amajor port and exports most of Cuba’s sugar, tobacco, and tropical fruit.
fuel from the former Soviet
U n i o n . To o v e r c o m e t h i s o i l
crisis, many of the mills started to use bagasse, a by-product of sugarcane, to run their machinery.
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Ovtlftl
moiasses is a
Havana
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CENTRAL
Find out mor Breakup of the ussr: 136
Cities: 17, 43 Peoples of the continent: 42 Political systems: 270-271
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA ♦JAMAICA
JAMAICA The beautiful island of Jamaica is aplace
I
of strong contrasts. On the one hand, there is
iJAMAICA/
the relaxed attitude of people enjoying the
national passions -cricket and reggae music. On the other hand, there is tension between 'A r
the few powerful families and the many poor living in violent slums. This side of life is rarely seen by the tourists who ock here each year. In addition to tourism, the mineral
JAMAICA
Capital city: Kingston Area: 4,243 sq miles
(10,990 sq km Population: 2,374,193 Of cial language: English Major religions: Christian
bauxite, used to make aluminum, is a
Rastafarianism
valuable source of income. Sadly, the
The Rastafarian religion began among
landscape is damaged by
the poor of Kingston, Jamaica, in the
democrac
the bauxite mines, which leave red mud
Selassie, the former Emperor of
Currency:
lakes with an acid
also believe that God (Jah) will lead
Adult literacy rate: 99%
content that kills
Life expectancy: 73 years
vegetation.
black people back to Ethiopia, the promised land. Rastafarians do not
60%, other 40 Government: Multiparty
Jamaican dollar
1930s. Members believe that Haile
Ethiopia (Ras Tafari), was agod. They
usually eat pork, they are against violence, and wear their hair in long
People per doctor: 2,040 Televisions: 130 per 1,000 people
dreadlocks. Their clothes are often
green, yellow, and red because these are the colors of the Ethiopian
ag.
REGGAE MUSIC
The driving rhythms of reggae music can be heard everywhere across the island. Its songs often tell of hardship and political struggle, and are linked to Rastafarianism. Reggae developed in Jamaica from ska, which was ablend of African, European, and South
American styles. Jamaican singer Bob Marley (1945-81) made reggae music popular around the world.
Island industries Avariety of industries bring money to Jamaica, from oil re ning to clothes manufacturing. Various minerals are mined, with bauxite being the most
Kingston Jamaica’s capital city and chief port, Kingston, is one of the largest urban centers in the Caribbean. Founded by the British, the city
rst
grew as amajor port for shipping cane sugar to Europe. However, an earthquake in 1907 damaged the city. It has now been rebuilt with modern hotels, banks, and
nancial of ces.
important. One rapidly growing industry is data processing, which involves typing data into computers
and sending it to companies in the US. Unlike many other Caribbean countries, however, Jamaica’s data
processing companies are mostly owned by Jamaicans, and not by large foreign organizations.
Crowded shantytowns also exist on the western
side of the city. Violence frequently breaks out here, connected either to political unrest or to
the long-established trade in illegal drugs. FARMING THE LAN
^
The breadfruit tree
produces fruit with apuip that is eaten as avegetable
Dasheen is grown for its edible
Not everyone in Jamaica works in industry ^
root and leaves.
or tourism -agriculture is also important. cr-^ Plantations growing sugar, bananas, coffee, C.~7.. and cocoa employ large numbers of
Okra Is used In
or farm their own small plots of land,
soups and stews
producing food for themselves, as shown here,
or eaten as a
■
vegetable.
(/■.●●●. A..
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%
y
more
Growth of cities: 17 Religion: 274-275 Sugar: 52
’ /
L . 53
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out
Ethiopia: 218
people. Many Jamaicans also sh for aliving with alittle left over to sell at local markets.
Find
THE
BAHAMAS
s
The BAHAMAS
i
This long line of about 700 coral islands snakes its way across the warm Caribbean Sea. PUERTO
RICO
It was on the island of San Salvador tha
Christopher Columbus
M
,
rst set foot when he
7
arrived in the “New World” of the Americas in
\
W/.
1492. The Spanish, who called the islands Bajamar, meaning “shallow seas,” were followed by British settlers, and the islands remained aBritish colony until 1973. Today, the islands are aparadise for vacationers of every nationality. They are also amajor nancial center, because tax laws make it pro table
THE BAHAMAS
Capital city: Nassau Area: 5,359 sq miles (13,880 sq km) Population: 300,000
Of cial language: English Major religions: Christian
JUNKANOO FESTIVAL At the end of each year, the streets come alive with the dancing and
music of the Junkanoo parades. This festival forms alink with the
country’s past. It is said that when an African chief, given the name John Canoe (Junkanoo), came here as aslave, he was granted the right
for banks and foreign businesses to have of ces here.
95%, other 5%
to celebrate in true African style.
Government: Multiparty democracy
Main overseas
Currency: Bahamian
J
dollar
-»
Adult literacy rate: 98%
I ^ 1
!(
Canada
UK
Germany Others
tourists 1994
ir»-
I
Life expectancy: 72 years
M
People per doctor: 1,060
»
Televisions: 224 per 1,000 people
Jt.
1
1
AL .lAuiL.ty I
■; Ut_LjL _Uti>! i
1,254,21 99,02
a 1
PUERTO RICO*
29,39
28,49
1 0 4 , 9 1 5
To u r i s t d e s t i n a t i o n People from all over the world come to play on the white sandy beaches and in the warm
.hi
" I
Capital city: San Juan
' f a *
w a t e r s o f t h e B a h a m a s . To u r i s m i s v i t a l t o
Area: 3,459 sq miles
the economy and at least half the local people work in jobs linked to the tourist
(8,959 sq km Population: 3,500,000 Of cial language: Spanish
>^A
%
^
85%, other 15%
trade, in hotels, shops, and restaurants. The city of Freeport on Grand Bahama is
the largest tourist resort, with adeep-water harbor for cruise ships. However, passengers often eat and sleep on their ship, which does not help the local economy.
Major religions: Christian .
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: US dollar *Puerto Rico is not an
independent country. It is a self-governing commonwealth state of the US.
Puerto
rico
SpanishisthemainlanguageofPuertoRico,butthe country is strongly American in avor. Colonized by
Spain in the years after Columbus, the Spanish stayed in control until the 1890s, when the US took over.
The cultivation of tobacco, sugar, and tropical
fruits remains important despite the increasing
number of factories set up by US manufacturers. Most people have agood standard of living with
Operation bootstrap This plan, which began in 1948 with backing from the US, was
|H||g)^ set up to tackle the island’s
economic problems. Attracted by low taxes and cheap labor, many .US companies moved here. IOver the years, the plan
"has helped raise living
5standards on the island.
excellent education and
The main industries
health-care programs.
include petrochemicals, textiles, and medicines.
PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO
Puerto Ricans are mainly of Spanish and African descent. Most live in
cities, with one-third in the capital of San Juan. Overcrowding forces others into housing projects outside the main cities. Some people choose to move to the US.
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CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA ♦THE BAHAMAS AND PUERTO RICO
Find out mor Coral islands: 202 Education: 277 Health:
216
Peoples of the continent: 42
1
CENTRAL
AND
SOUTH
AMERICA
♦HAITI
AND
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
H a i t i H A I T I
The poorest country in the western world, Haiti DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
A
"
H A I T I
Capital city: Port-au-Prince Area: 10,714 sq miles (27,750 sq km) Population: 6,800,000 Of cial languages: French, French Creole
Major religions: Christian 96%, other 4%
shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican
Republic. Arevolution by African slaves in I79f, led by Toussaint Ouverture, broke French rule, and Haiti became the rst black republic. Recent decades were dominated by the cruel dictatorship of Francois Duvalier, known as “Papa Doc,” and his son, “Baby Doc.” Political unrest continues and the country
ART
AND
C U LT U R E
Many Haitians try to make extra money by selling craft goods, such as straw hats and woodcarvings, and by acting as unof cial tourist guides. Since the 1930s, artists have been noted for producing simple, bold paintings in astyle derived
suffers from great poverty. Many Haitians practice the religious cult of voodoo, which blends traditional African beliefs with Roman Catholicism. Followers
believe in powerful spirits, and dancing to the beat of sacred drums is part of the voodoo ritual.
from the decorations in voodoo
temples.
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: Gourde
■● m
II
Soil erosion Farming is the main occupation here and
Adult literacy rate: 56% Life expectancy: 55 years
most Haitians live on small plots of land,
People per doctor: 7,140 Televisions: 5per 1,000 people
growing food and keeping goats. They make very little money and pressure for more land to farm means that trees are
constantly being cut down. Some wood
D O M I N I C A N R E P U B L I C
is turned into charcoal, shown here,
Capital city: Santo Domingo
and used as fuel in rural areas. Goats
Area: 18,815 sq miles
The exposed soil has now become so severely eroded that crop yields are poor.
overgraze on the remaining woodland.
(48,730 sq km Population: 7,500,000
It has been estimated that one-third of
Of cial language: Spanish Major religions: Christian 95%, other 5%
the land in Haiti is no longer arable.
democracy
DOMINICAN
Currency: Dominican Republic pes Adult literacy rate: 84%
REPUBLIC
Government: Multiparty
Life expectancy: 67 years People per doctor: 930 Televisions: 84 per 1,000 people
Island of Hispaniola
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
The landscape of mountains and forests in the Dominican Republic
may be similar to that of its island neighbor, but other aspects of life
H A I T I
are very different. Spain was the main colonial power here
per 1,000 people
per 1,000 people
9telephones per 1,000 people
86 telephones per 1,000 people
1.7 years
4.3 years
SANTO
DOMINGO
The capital city of Santo Domingo was founded by Columbus’s brother, Bartolome, in 1496. The city became the main base from which Spain launched its conquest of the region. The city has many recently restored colonial buildings dating back to the 16th century.
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at school
ECONOMY
People in the Dominican Republic have abetter standard of living than those in Haiti, where most cannot even afford health-care. The economy is stronger in the
natural resources, with
Republic because it is boosted by earnings from tourism
deposits of silver, platinum,
industries, such as
uranium, and nickel, and the
largest gold mine in the C a r i b b e a n . To u r i s m a n d
sugar are the most important source of foreign earnings. 55
fi
at school
THE
R E P.
84 cars
and US in uences are also
strong. The people and the culture are amix of Spanish, African, and native peoples. The country is rich in
DOMINICAN
4oars
and mining and by agovernment that encourages new textiles. In recent
years vacation resorts have sprung up across the country, creating] obs. Many Haitians come here in search of work.
Find out mor Dictatorship: 271 Peoples of the continent; 42 Religion: 274-275
Soil erosion: 55, 244
SOUTH
Lesser
AMERICA
♦LESSER
ANTILLES
Antilles
The ISLANDS OF the Lesser Antilles stretch
-C5i -
l e s s e r a n t i u . e s
C R I C K E T
in agentle curve from the Greater Antilles
Cricket is the national
game of the Englishspeaking islands. Children learn to play ^on sun-dried turf that
island of Puerto Rico in the north, down to the coast of South America. Once
S T. K I T T S A N D N E V I S
European colonies, most of the islands are now independent. However, the background of African, European,
Capital city: Basseterre
and Asian in uences has resulted
Area: 139 sq miles (360 sq km)
in avibrant and distinctive culture,
Population: 44,000 ANTIGUA
AND
B A R B U D A
Capital city: St.Johns Area: 170 sq miles (440 sq km) Population: 63,880
dVs--
highlighted in music and festivals. Bananas, which thrive in the heat and
high rainfall, remain amajor export,
Iallows the ball to be B“bowled” at high
Ispeeds. As adults Ithey can play for the PWest Indies team, drawn
from
the
best players on each island. The team has
included many great bowlers and batsmen.
although some producers are at risk from
B r i a n L a r a f r o m Tr i n i d a d h a s
hurricanes, which can devastate the land.
played for the West Indies cricket team since 1990.
D O M I N I C A
T R A N S P O R TAT I O N
Capital city: Roseau
In the past, people and goods
Area: 290 sq miles
were transported by boat
(750 sq km
between the islands. Today,
Population: 83,000 S T.
I
LUCIA
Capital city: Castries Area: 239 sq miles
(620 sq km Population: 153,000 S T. V I N C E N T A N D THE GRENADINES
ships are still the most economic way to move
cargo, and ports, such as Castries in St. Lucia, handle
the islands’ exports. Many islands have no railroads and main roads are often con ned
to the coasts, making the interior dif cult to reach. Antigua, Barbados, Martinique, and other islands now have
Capital city: Kingstown
large airports capable of handling jumbo jets.
Area: 131 sq miles (40 sq km) Population: 117,000 B A R B A D O S
Capital city: Bridgetown Area: 166 sq miles
To u r i s m The main industry in the
(430 sq km
Caribbean is tourism, which
Population: 300,000
provides work for local people in restaurants, hotels, shops,
GRENADA
Capital city: St. George’s Area: 131 sq miles
(340 sq km Population: 84,000 TRINIDAD
AND
T O B A G O
Capital city: Port-of-Spain Area: 1,981 sq miles (5,130 sq km)
and beach stalls. However the
work is mainly seasonal since most visitors only come to escape cold at home. Also many hotels
are owned by foreign companies, and money does not always remain on the islands. Some local
governments are trying to reduce their dependence on tourism.
Population: 1,300,000
Food from the land
t t
SCARLET IBIS
■■ ■■■ S3
The Caribbean is ahaven for colorful bird life,
notably the scarlet ibis of
Trinidad
and
Tobago. The ibis lives
Because of the shortage of land, most island farms are small. Farmers grow food for themselves, and sell awide range of crops in local markets, including yams, sweet potatoes, okra, and salad crops, as well as fruits such as mangoes, limes, coconuts, and bananas. They also grow cash crops for
Curved beak for
digging in mud
in the islands’ mangrove swamps,
export. The main crop varies from island to island, with nutmeg grown in Grenada, coffee in Trinidad, arrowroot
ying off during the day to feed on crabs and other small sea creatures that live in the coastal mud ats.
in St. Vincent, and sugar and bananas almost everyw'here.
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CENTRAL AND
Industry
LESSER ANTILLES
r
INDUSTRIES
The most industrialized
Antigua and Barbuda
country in the area is Trinidad and Tobago, which has petrochemical,
Cotton production, tourism, rum
I 4 m *
iron, and steel industries based on its resen’es of oil
c >
4aa
J
Dominica
CO c o
Barbados, the other islands
Bananas, citrus fruits,
have few mineral resources and
essentiai oils
rely on bananas, sugar, cotton, and cocoa for export. In recent
St. Lucia
*‘v)
>
years, all the islands have tried to produce awider range of exports. and Martinique an oil re nery.
V:;
Light industrial parks have been set up on anumber of islands.
Co ■YC'
lAKE
La Brea, in the .soutli of Trinidad, boasrs one of the world's most
Bananas, cement works, food processing Barbados
Ji 0 4
a n t i l
unusual sights. Near the town is a lake
Bananas, tourism, eiectricai parts St. Vincent and THE Grenadines
St. Vincent now has a our mill,
PITCH
St. Kitts and Nevis
Sugar, cotton production, tourism
6
and natural gas. Apart from
Sugar, tourism, electrical parts
m
i
Grenada Bananas, cocoa,
lled not with water, but with
tourism
Q)
natural pitch, ablack, sticky tar
T r i n i d a d a n d To b a g o
that is mainly used for surfacing
Oii re ning, sugar,
roads. The lake, which is 200 It
chemicals
< 2 3
(60 m) deep, is the world’s largest
single supply of natural pilch. It is thought to be linked to the underground rocks that su]5ply
SOUTH
nearbv South .-America with oil.
AMERICA The Jinnah Memorial Mosque i n Tr i n i d a d s e r v e s t h e M u s l i m
community. People are called to prayer from the minarets.
ISIAND MUSIC
Almost every Caribbean island
resounds with the beat of calypso
Minaret
music, which has its origins in the
slave songs brought from M'est Africa. Calypso has astrong beat and lyrics
' IY ."
about social and political problems.
In recent years .wen, amixture of soul and calypso, has started to become popular with younger people. steel band music originated in Trinidad, using pans or drums made from large oil drums.
This steel band is playing music for tourists in Tobago.
ISIAND SPICES The island of Grenada is
the world’s second largest
Ginger comes
■I\
The single brown nutmeg seed is protected within agreen fruit.
from the thick
underground
PEOPLE OF THE CARIBBEAN
stem of this
Most people who live on the islands are a
owering plant.
Indonesia, and grows almost one-quarter of the world’s total crop. Nutmeg, aspice used to avor food, originated in
from the Indian .subcontinent. Shipped over to
I
work in the plantations, the immigrants brought their religions with them, setting up Hindu temples and Mtislim mosques and continuing
The oil from nutmeg
the East Indies, and was
to obsen'e their own religious customs.
can be added to
/perfume and soap.
introduced to Grenada by the Dutch in the 19th century. The trees
ourished in the
Find
fertile volcanic soil, warm
pepper, and cloves are also grown on the island.
Spices: 198, 264
t^PGround nutmeg T' tcan be used
Ginger root can be
in cooking.
used fresh or dried. ■i t
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Hurmcanes: 44 ijj;
57 fi
out
Bananas: 48
temperatures, and high annual rainfall. Ginger, cinnamon,
mixture of descendants of African slaves,
Europeans, and local Carib Indians. The exception are the people of Trinidad, where almost 40 percent of the population is originally
producer of nutmeg, after
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CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA ♦LESSER ANTILLES
car.
Sugar: 52
i
Northern south America The llama is
Arching around the rain forests of the great Amazon River, the
ANIMALS
countries in northern South America are dominated hy the Andes Mountains. Running north to south from Venezuela to Ecuador, and then through Chile, the mountains were once home to the Inca
THE
The Quechua have lived high in the Andes in Bolivia, Peru, and
Ecuador for hundreds of years. The Quechua were once farmers,
used to carry goods.
'1!!
ANDES
f t
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people of the
\i"'
Andes have relied 'j® y i
on agroup o W versatile mammals ’
and carved out ahuge empire. British, Erench, and Dutch colonies were also established in the northeast. Except for Erench Guiana, these are now independent, although not without problems. Extremes of wealth and poverty, overcrowded cities, and the illegal drugs trade are features of most countries in this region. QUECHUA INDIANS
OF
For centuries, the
Empire. In search of gold, the Spanish arrived in the 16th century
1
til 'I.
■'i.-l
for food and clothing. The wild guanaco and vicuna, as well as the domesticated llama and
alpaca, are treasured for their wool and meat. Vicuna wool is as ne as silk, while coarse llama wool is used to make
blankets, ropes, and other goods. The Altiplano, or high plain, Is used for growing potatoes and grazing animals.
L a k e Ti t i c a c a s t r a d d l e s the border between Peru and Bolivia.
The Andes Is the
longest unbroken mountain chain over
9,850 ft (3,000 mj tall in the world
and shared common land equally Tbetween men and women. Today
‘many Quechua have moved to the cities in search of work. Those who
remain farm tiny plots of land.
Cultivating the Andes
3,850 ft
3,000 m)
Fertile land is in such short supply in the Andes that every available scrap of soil must be
Potatoes, wheat, and barley grow in the cool highland areas
used. Farmers often cut terraces into
the hillsides to get the maximum use from their land. Crops are
of the Andes. ti y
grown to suit the temperature,
7 /
/
6,550 ft (2,000 m)
/
which is hot and humid on
the lower slopes near the coast, but gets £ cooler as the
Sugarcane
Sugarcane, coffee, tobacco, and corn
VV >
iK-A i
ourish in the
m
3,280 ft
mountains rise
temperate zone.
Potato plant
(1,000 m)
upward. On the high
Bananas, cocoa,
plains heyond the Andes
cotton, and rice ah
w , I
grow well in the
only the potato will ripen
warm climate of
successfully. This artwork shows a
the lowlands.
section of the Andes from Peru to Bolivia.
Sea level Bananas
World drug routes u s
To Europe
u s
"o
■/ / .
To eastern
A
The drug trade
t o
k To N o r t h Africa
For many centuries, people in this region have chewed the leaves of the coca plant to reduce
hunger. Today the leaves are processed to make
T o
cocaine, an illegal drug much in demand in
western
US and Canada
S O U T H A M E R I C A /'
Main growing areas 1
Main traf c routes
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waterfall in the world. It was
crops, which need tending. Growing coca is also more pro table than growing food. As aresult, large quantities of coca are grown in isolated areas
was
of the Andes. Once re ned into cocaine, the
5 8 fi
FALLS
Angel Falls is the highest discovered in 1935 by Jimmy Angel, an American pilot who
drug is smuggled out of the region.
fl
ANGEL
North America and Europe. Coca bushes thrive
on poor soil and need little attention, unlike food
/
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CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA ♦NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA
ying across Venezuela in
search of ariver he had once
prospected for gold. Instead he ew over avast waterfall that
plunges 3,215 ft (980 m) into t h e C h u r u n R i v e r b e l o w.
■V
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Jan 8in (203 mm) July 10 in (254 mm)
Ciudad Bolivar >gCiudad ( Guayana
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ikales'.i
{
Pop^yan SanAgustin.
^Jan 79T (26°C)
(26.5°C
VENEZUE-L
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Georgetown, Guyana V E N E Z U E L A
\GuriRes.
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Margarita I.
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Jan 2.3 in (58 mm) July 2in (51 mm)
SEA
^CARACAS
o
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^
example, supplies the quinine used to treat malaria. Other plants have properties that help ght cancer.
it'
%
r L -
LOSS
of years. But the rain forest is afragile environment
obtained from the
plants that provide the basis for many valuable IK products, such as rubber, varnish, paint, cosmetics, and most importantly,
V
r
Quinine is
POWTR
The forests contain
i
on Earth. It covers about one-third of
♦BRAZIL
OF
FOREST
Vital areas of forest are lost through logging, cattle ranching, and relocation (moving people). Building roads also opens up the interior to further destruction. If the present rate of deforestation continues, there will be no forest left by the end of the century.
and
people are under serious threat as vast areas of the forest are cut down. This village chief is Native Indian homelands
f r o m t h e Te m b e t r i b e .
R E L O C AT I O N
The Brazilian government recently cleared large areas of forest and encouraged landless people to buy small plots of land for farming. But the soil is shallow and rapidly
-tC; - a . „
w
il
r f
L Indian
. 4
tribes
L O G G I N G
At one time there were about
5million native Indians living in the rain forest; today, fewer than 200,000 remain. The
T h o u s a n d s o f e b o n y.
I
largest of these tribes are located on the above map. Most live as shifting cultivators, which means they settle for awhile to hunt and grow basic food crops, and then move on. This way the forest soil can recover its fertility. Since the arrival of people from
C AT T L E
BREEDING
About 30 percent of Brazil’s rain forest has been cut down for cattle ranches. But the land
can only support cattle for afew years. Then the ranchers have to move on and clear another site.
■teak, and mahogany trees are cut down each
year for export. People are now encoura ged to buy furniture made of softwoods, such as
pine, which take less time to regrow.
Plan of Brasilia
outside the forest, the Indians have been at risk from diseases, such as in uenza and
Business districts
measles, to which they have no resistance. T. Government
buildings Residential a r e a s
Brasilia The city of Brasilia was built in the late 1950s as
M I N I N G
In the last 20 years large deposits of gold and other minerals have been discovered in the Amazon rain
forest. At Carajas, ahuge iron mountain was accidentally discovered when ageologist crashlanded his helicopter. The rock contains massive amounts of iron ore, as well as manganese and copper. Mining is one of Brazil’s major industries, despite the damage it does to the rain forest.
part of agovernment scheme to encourage people to move into the interior of the country. It became Brazil’s capital in I960, taking over from Rio de Janeiro. The city is laid out in the shape of an airplane, with the business district in the center, residential areas in the wings, and the government in the cockpit. Bold architecture, such as the glass cathedral shown here, is afeature of this modern city.
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69
Find out mor
Cities: 17, 43 Coffee: 50, 62 Rain forests: 15, 204 R o m a n C AT H O i . i c s : 2 7 4
AND
SOUTH
♦SOUTHERN
AMERICA
SOUTH
AMERICA
Southern south America From the tropical interior of Paraguay, through the warm Mediterranean climate of central Chile, to the freezing conditions around the glaciers of Argentina, southern South America is aregion of great contrasts. Four countries -Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay -make up this half of the continent, often called the “southern cone” because of its shape. An important land resource is the pampas, avast fertile plain that stretches across Argentina and Uruguay, where huge
ATA C A M A
quantities of wheat are grown. During the 1970s, all
DESERT
This desert in northern Chile is the
four countries were known for their brutal military dictatorships. These have since been overturned,
driest place on Earth, often with no rain for years on end. Wlien rain does fall, devastating ash oods are
and the countries are now run as democracies.
often the result. The Atacama is a
barren wilderness of sun-baked rock
Main migration routes from 1860-1926
and shifting sand dunes where the nighttime temperature can fall dramatically in just one hour. The only paved road across this desolate desert is the Pan-American Highway.
Migrant groups Many people from Europe have settled in South
America. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, poverty in Italy drove laborers to Argentina
INDIAN
the countries in the south have
only afew native Indian groups, with Paraguay home to the largest proportion. Uruguay has no Indian population at all. The main surviving roups include the Kolia of Argentina, awn here, the Mataco and Mapuche
many never went home. Workers also left Spain for Argentina and Uruguay. AGerman religious group, the Mennonites, moved to
Paraguay from Canada to nd freedom of worship, and the Welsh set up a community in Argentina to escape English rule and preserve their language.
. ' ^ 1
PEOPLES
,Unlike northern South America,
for the wheat harvest;
of central and southern Chile, and the
Ache, who live in Paraguay.
Where people live In the past 50 years there has been agreat shift as people have moved from the country to the cities in search of work. In Argentina
and Uruguay, city populations were already swollen by large numbers of immigrants. In
each country, the capital city has grown very quickly while the population in other cities has remained fairly small. One-third of Argentinians, for example, live in the capital city of Buenos Aires, shown here. Since the 1970s, the move to
the cities has begun ehi p to slow down
E
H
_
r
86% Growth of cities
75%
Cattle breeding In Argentina and Uruguay, cattle breeding for beef exports is amajor source of income. Vast herds of cattle graze the pampas, many feeding on alfalfa plants, which produce aleaner meat. The main breeds are Aberdeen Angus and Herefords, brought over from Europe during the last century. Sheep are grazed in the cooler area of Patagonia, and both Argentina and Uruguay are among the world’s top wool-producing nations.
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78%
About 11 million people
65% 3 7 %
now live in Buenos Aires.
58% 48%
The chart shows
35%
IS] 1990 □ 0791 □ 0591
the percentage of people living in cities in 1950, 1970, and 1990.
Argentina
Paraguay Chile
70 .
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CENTRAL
Uruguay
B
C
AND
SOUTH
D
AMERICA
E
10 1
♦SOUTHERN
F
20 km
5
G
SOUTH
AMERICA
H
I
K
J
Asuncion, Paraguay
300
L
Buenos Aires, Argentina 1
^Jan74°F (23°C)
Jan 83°F (28“C) July63”F (17°C)
100150200miles
July50°F (10°C)
P A R A G U A Y
Jan 3.1 in (79 mm) July 2.2 in (56 mm)
Jan 5.5 in {140 mm)
~!0 July 2.2 in (56 mm) / Arica
2 Jilayor Pablo Lagcrenza
●
Fuerte , OUmpo Iquique p
\
FUadel a
OLiy
> :
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I TA I P U
,G
DAM
U AY
& 0 ^s6
0
() V
Faeroe
h.
/
Highest temperature: Seville, Spain, 122°F (50°C)
S
c:
9
10
11
12
13
A
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’
78
d
i
.
EUROPE
This is ariver vailey before the arrival of agiacier. Glaciers are huge masses of ice that grind away land as they move slowly forwards.
The lake district The 15 lakes of the Lake District in northwestern England lie in U-shaped valleys extending outward like the spokes of awheel from an uplifted dome of low mountains. Long ago, the valleys contained rivers, but during the Ice Age these were deepened by the movement of glaciers. Most were dammed by eroded rock left behind when the glaciers melted. The erosion of the main valleys has cut off tributary valleys and left them “hanging” above the main valleys, often with waterfalls cascading from them.
«●
. ' f r. Wi
NORTHERN
When glaciers I retreat, at the end of an Ice Age for example, they
Ahanging valley on the side of the
main valley
leave behind
U-shaped valleys. Ullswateris alake that lies in aU-shaped valley.
Northern
FORESTS
Athick band of dense coniferous
■r : '
plains
forest, known as taiga, covers northern Europe. Conifers (trees that have cones), such as spruce and pine, keep their leaves all year round and can withstand heavy snow. They also provide winter food and shelter for many animals.
A..
The North European Plain stretches from southern England across Erance and Germany as far as Russia, ending at the Ural Mountains. Most of the Plain is
Shchugor●
low-lying, and in the Netherlands it even lies partly below sea level.
'
Some of the world’s most fertile Lowest
farmland is found here, as well as
temperature:
Ust’Shchugor, Russian
^●Kamn ■' R e s .
Federation, -67°F (-55-C)
important deposits of coal, oil, and natural gas. This is Europe’s most densely populated area and contains many major cities.
Wheat, sugar beets, and apples are grown on the plains of northern France.
Foxes are often
%●found in the
elds
and woodlands of
JFa:
l i
Europe, although many 'now live in towns. They -eat almost anythingTHINGS ON
TO LOOK THE MAP
from rabbits to FOR
apples or worms.
Area: 4,000,000, sq miles (10,400,000 sqkm) Highest point: Mt. El’brus, Russian Federation, 18,510 ft
THE
(5,642 m) MapKl
The region around the
Longest river: Volga, Russian
Mediterranean Sea has a
THE
Federation, 2,194 miles
distinctive climate of
(3,530 km) Map L
hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.
The Danube, western Europe’s longest river, ows easnvard from its source in Germany to its mouth
Russian Federation,
These conditions are
on the Black Sea. It serves as a
7,100 sq miles (18,389 sq km)
perfect for growing crops such as citrus fruits, grapes, and
trade route between the nine
Largest lake: L. Ladoga,
MapJ Largest island: Great Britain, 88,745 sq miles (229,850 sqkm) MapD9
N
O
P
MEDITERRANEAN
countries that lie along Its course. The Danube delta, where the river divides into numerous channels, is
olives, shown here in
southern Spain. Many trees, such as cork oaks,
an important wetland area. About 300 different bird species have
develop thick bark as a protection against the heat.
been recorded in the delta, as well as boars, deer, and wild cats.
8
l
fi
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79 7
DANUBE
Peoples oe Europe
■' m j m
Europe is acrowded continent. It is the second smallest of the continents by area, yet it has the second highest population. As aresult, population densities are very high, and most Europeans live in cities. Europe is also crowded with countries more than 40 different nations jostle for position on the continent. Con icts between these countries have often
erupted into war -two world wars have taken place on European soils this century alone. Yet, despite these problems, Europe is by and large arich continent, and many European countries are among the wealthiest in the world. Some pockets of poverty exist, but in general the population enjoys ahigh standard of living compared to most other parts of the world. Much of this wealth has come as aresult of industrial growth, and because of the large colonial empires established by many European countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Population: approximately 578,240,000 people (This gure does not include the
EUROPEAN
CITIES
Alarge proportion of Europeans live in cities. The most densely populated part of Europe lies in the west and forms abelt that stretches more or
less continuously from southeastern Britain, through northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and into Germany. In these densely populated areas, individual cities can merge into one another, forming what are known as conurbations. The largest of these is in the German industrial region known as the Ruhr. By contrast, in eastern Europe agreater proportion of the population lives in country areas.
Largest country: Russian Federation -the European
Russian Federation.)
part covers 1,527,349
Number of countries: 42
) /
Most densely populated country: Netherlands,
1,062 people per sq mile (410 per sq km)
I C E L A N D
Faeroe
r
/
< ( / / \ (
Is
en)
Least densely populated country: Iceland, 8people per sq mile (3 per
I f
I
R U S S I A N F E D E R A T I O N
sq km)
\ /
ELARUS
I
\
K E Y
P O L A N D
1 N E T H E R L A N D S
I
GERMANY
2 B E L G I U M 3 L U X E M B O U R G
C p.
4 S W I T Z E R L A N D
U K R A I N E sj
5 L I E C H T E N S T E I N 6 M O L D O V A 7 A N D O R R A
>FRANCE
8 M O N A C O 9SAN
s
NtARINO
10
VAT I C A N
11
SLOV'ENIA
12
C R O AT I A
13
BOSNIA
A
ROMANIA
- . T- ^ '
Netherlands:
■ n
QTY
■' \
;
AND
„
9^
i F
(1,062)410 14
/
;UL^RIA-
15 16
M
lEORl
H E R Z E G O V I N A 14
Y U G O S L AV I A
5(SPAIN T-'"
AI.B.4NIA MACEDONIA
\ a 0.
L Z \\
G i b r a l t ^ (UK)
y- Smallest country: Vatican City, 0.17 sq miles (0.44 sq km)
-"ARMENL
imCET.U
CD
;erbaijan
AZERBAm
0 :
4
Germany: 583 (225)
6
●1
●
.MALTA
>
Poland:
319(123) P O P U L AT I O N
World
DENSITY
Over 578 million Europeans are crammed into an area little
Population density chart
more than the size of Australia. As aresult, European countries have some of the highest population densities in the world. In the Netherlands, for example, there are 1,062 people per sq mile (410 per sq km). Population densities in eastern Europe are lower, but even these are above the world average.
The gures on the chart show the number of people per sq mile (per sq km). Countries outside Europe are included as acomparison.
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EUROPE
USA
..
average
70(27) 106(41)
||T' i&i
f
M
EUROPE
THE
TWO
EUROPES
Economically, Europe can be divided into two main sets of countries.
Western Europe contains some very rich countries, such as Germany, Switzerland, and France, which have
strong economies. By contrast, eastern Europe contains former communist countries such as Poland,
Hungary, and Romania, which are much poorer. They are still struggling to adjust their economies in order to compete in world markets. Age of population
The changing
Germany (Europe)
P O P U L AT I O N
n
f
16.7
Compared to Asia and Africa, the populations of most European countries are stable -they are not increasing or decreasing to any great
Kenya (Africa)
t 68.7%
14.6%
47.9%
49.1% India
(Asia)
During the period of communist ruie, many peopie in eastern Europe had to wait in line to buy food.
f t
n
n
3%
Cultural
f t
3 6 , 5 %
extent. Birth rates are low,
melting
pot
Europe’s wealth and relative political ility have attracted large umbers of migrants to its shores, many from former
and average life expectancy is
very high -about 75 years in
tif Ages 0-14
colonies. As aresult, most
most countries, compared to less than 60 years in India and
f t
countries, particularly in western Europe, contain large numbers of people
Ages 15-64
most of Africa. As aresult of
these two factors, Europe’s population is relatively elderly, with alarge number of people aged over 65 years.
from
^1 Ages 65+
ethnic
minorities.
In
France, for example, north Mricans from Algeria and other
former
colonies
have
settled in cities such as Marseilles and Paris. The UK's population contains migrants from many countries, including the Caribbean, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Former Czechoslovakia split apart peacefully in 1993, when the Czech Republic and Slovakia voted to separate.
New European countries
Former CZEto REPUBLIC
Yugoslavia has been shattered S L O V A K I A
by war since 1991, as
various regions have declared themselves
elected by the people of the EU, meets in this building in Strasbourg, France
countries. S I
I I A
The European Parliament,
independent
\
l A T I A
BOSNIAUND V'lIGO.SI.AVIA
ierzegiAina Y U G O S L AV I .
The EUROPEAN UNION
MACEDQtSIA
In 1957, ve European countries agreed to form the European Economic Community (EEC). They believed that economic cooperation would reduce the
New European countries have also been formed from the former USSR -see
likelihood of war between the
page 136. SPLITTING
A PA RT
Europe is afragmented continent made up of more than 40 independent countries. Even within individual countries there are sometimes separate groups, such as the Basques in Spain, who claim some form of independence from the national government. New countries are still being formed. The former USSR, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia are among the European countries that have split apart in recent years, sometimes violently.
The stars
on the ag of the European Union represent the member countries.
fi
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%
81
member countries and would bring prosperity to the peoples of Europe. Since that time, more countries have joined, and the EEC has been renamed the European Union (EU). Today it consists of 15 member states and in addition to
closer economic cooperation, there are moves to encourage greater political union.
i-r
AND
FINLAND
Scandinavia
1
I
I
1
0;50
75
50 100 150 200 250 km 1 = ^ 1
100
125
150
. I
miles F I N L A N D
North Cap i—7^'^
AND FINLAND
C
-
S0r0ya ' I
2 3
Ringed
The NORTHERN EUROPEAN countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are together known as Scandinavia. Along with neighboring
K a r a s i o t
3
Finland, all four countries have small
v V
C-,
populations and enjoy ahigh standard of living
^ ■
with extensive social welfare systems that
I
K i r i i n a C
Bod0|r *
bodankylsi
\
N
distribute wealth evenly among the people.
4 ,r
O
o
Gallivare
&
o ^
Much of Norway, Sweden, and Finland
Jokkmokk
is covered by forests of pine, spruce,
A
Vfga*’.,. ‘
0
and birch trees, riddled with lakes
.
iC'ddjmr
'iA
Arvidsj
gouged out by glaciers during the last Ice Age. Norway and
● o K e m i
5
N: Vik,
-■
i
^
.
V
Skellcftea
Sweden are mountainous,
ei^^e
rv'-
S t
Hitrq'^^i
li.
®
Sm0la-
while Finland and
.Kokkola
U n i e a
irondhei
M o l d e
i
fertile Denmark
m
stereund
are low-lying.
R ms®
^,j^^nosand Sundsvall
^Hudiksvall
U H e h a n i m e r
Copenhagen, Denmark Jan 32T (OX) July 64°F (18X)
Rauma.'#
MjstwiHamar L. Y
Hario
Flonefoss o
^rammcn o
^Stavang^' *^andnes c
Pori ●
●2^ora
o
Jan 1.9 in {49 mm) July 2.8 in (71 mm)
.OSLO
^Falun
.
Borlange
^avle
0°
Porsghinn
Vanfaa
Uppsala^
Karbtad
cV^rds ,-^brrtalje
9 . O r e b r o
idal
Hameenlinna®
V s
ani
M o s s
\L.V
Jdnkdping ,
Jan 0.9 iri (22 mm) July 2.1 in (53 mm)
^astervik
oVarberg Vi x j o
oHalmstad O
K a l m a r
●nd
r
THINGS TO LOOK FOR ON THE J-LtP
H a n d
Longest river: Kemijoki, Finland,
''H*Wr^Halsi„gborg _
Highest point: Mt. Galdhopiggen, Norway,
.yn' r-”- ■
8,101 ft (2,469 m) MapE
.Bornholma-IN
i»I -
Televisions: 290 per 1,000 people
iSS&Jnijhr
m m i 'HI
IRISH
a
PUBS
Much social life in Ireland
At,
centers around the pub, or bar, where people meet to
wiTitTp
i f
liiii
''YWm
I:''S’^
&
drink, chat, and exchange news. Stories from Irish histoiv
fd'Sii
!
are told through .songs, and bars are often alive with the
n
i l l
sound of folk music. Irish stout -
astrong, dark beer with acreamy, pale head -is the favorite drink. The largest brewery in Europe is
Bustling O’Connell Street is Dublin’s major roadway.
Dublin The capital of Ireland, Dublin, is steeped in the
found in Dublin, opened by the Guinness family 200 years ago.
country’s history. This compact city was the focus for the revolt against British rule and it was here, in 1922, Many Irish peat bogs are adistinctive domed
shape.
that the Irish state was born. In recent years, Dublin has attracted manufacturing and service industries, as
well as many people from other parts of the country that have come here in search of work. The peat is cut out in blocks and then stacked and left to dry. Peat is still
w
hand In many ./J parts of Ireland. ^ thousands
RACEHORSES
ne Irish
thoroughbreds are world famous and frequently win major international laces. The animals, bred on stud farms, are valuable sources of income for the Irish
economy. Buying and selling horses is also p(tpiilar, and countiv horse fairs are afamiliar sight.
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Pea ‘ ‘ Ireland has few natural resources, such as coal or '* oil, that produce energy. What it does have are huge peat bogs. Peat consists of dead, rotted plants that have been compressed and can be burned as fuel. Some villages have their own peat supplies, and there are also vast government-owned areas that are dug out by mechanical cutters. These provide fuel for large power stations that generate electricity. 9 0
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years, mud and plants compress to form peat.
The lush pastures of Ireland provide excellent grazing land for racehorses. These
gathered by ^
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Find out mor B e e r B R E W i N c ; : 11 7
Coal .VND oil: 96, 152, 162 Northern Ireland: 89 Religions: 274-275
LOW
COUNTRIES
The low countries
THINGS TO LOOK FOR ON THE MAP 1
Longest river: Meuse, France/Belgium/ Netherlands, 560 miles (901 km) Map J8
TheTHREECOUNTRIESINTHISREGION-Belgium,the
Highest point: Botrange, Belgium,
Netherlands, and Luxembourg -are known as the Low Countries because much of their land is at and low-lying.
2,277 ft (694 m) Map JI Largest lake: Ijsselmeer, Netherlands, 467 sq miles (1,210 sq km) Map 15
The Low Countries are also called “Benelux” after the
2
Is.
economic union they formed in 1948. The Benelux union allows the free ow of goods between the three countries, although each keeps its own currency and tax system. These are the most densely populated countries in Europe, yet their people generally enjoy
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traditional heavy industries, such as coal mining, are declining, they are being replaced by modern manufacturing
-
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industries and service activities, such
Haarlei^ ●
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Jan 2.7 in (68 mm) July 3in (77 mm)
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LUXEMBOURG
Jan 2.4 in (61 mm) July 2.4 in (61 mm)
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13 3
■PSP*'' Rotterdam
F
G
H
is the world’s
with the coast. The most useful rivers for
Mosel, and Meuse. At the mouth of the
Rhine River stands the port of Rotterdam. Stretching for 12 miles (20 km )along the river, the port can handle 300 cargo ships at atime. Canals are also important for linking the ports with the rivers and inland areas.
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The region’s at plains are used for grazing dairy cattle and for growing owers and vegetables. reclaimed from the sea by enclosing areas with earth barriers, called dykes, and draining out the water. The only areas of high land are the forested Ardennes Mountains, which run across the south of
Belgium and into Luxembourg.
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Much of the farmland has been
transportation and trade are the Rhine,
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FA R M L A N D
Some of Europe’s most important rivers ow through these countries, linking the interior
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busiest and largest port.
Rivers
12
OUK^'‘
Jan 33“F(UC) July 64°F (18X)
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♦THE
EUROPE
m
H
1ST
Netherlands
N E T H E R L A N D S
j
This small, densely populated country
is also referred to as Holland, the name of
two of its provinces. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Dutch merchants and sailors
traveled far and wide, trading in gold and spices. The empire they established stretched
NETHERLANDS
Capital cities: Amsterdam,
The Hagu Area: 14,410 sq miles
(37,330 sq km
from Southeast Asia to the Caribbean. Trade
Amsterdam
is still of great importance to the Netherlands
This historic city is the capital of
today, since several large international companies are Dutch, and exports make up
Population: 15,300,000 Of cial language: Dutch Major religions: Christian
about half the country’s income. The Dutch
66%, Muslim 2%, other 32%
are known for their tolerance and for
the Netherlands and is much visited
by tourists. In the 17th century, Amsterdam was acenter of world trade. Merchants built the network
of canals that crisscross the city and
their liberal social attitudes.
Government: Multiparty
the tall, narrow houses that line the
democracy
canals. Today, Amsterdam is a
Currency: Netherlands guilder
world center for diamond cutting
More than half amillion
people in Amsterdam use abicycle to travel
Adult literacy rate: 99%
and polishing.
to school or work.
Life expectancy: 77 years People per doctor: 410
CYCLING
Televisions: 500 per 1,000 people
The extreme
Tulips were rs
easiest and most popular ways of getting around. Country areas have long❖
5>
VJf riburg
Kaiserslautern
Munich
Jan 29°F (-2°C) July 65°F (18“C)
Erlangen ●
r
Largest lake: L. Muritz, 45 sq miles (117 sq km) Map J3
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\,Bajreuth OBamberg
Mainz *r Darmstadt
%
Highest point: Zugspitze, 9,718 ft (2,962 m) Map H12
o
aden
X pi.
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iprlitz
Chemntiz
Zwickau i
' V
uV
France/Netherlands 820 miles (1,320 km)
9
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FOR ON THE MAP
8
'Gotha^ Erfurt
^ologne
LOOK
Bautzen
Dresden^-
Leverkusen! TO
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^Jan 2.4 in (60 mm)
THINGS
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Jan 35T (3°C) Julv66°F(19°C)
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75miles
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Jan 1.8 in (46 mm) July 2.9 in (73 mm)
/ c
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I
Jan 31 °F (-0.5X) July 66“F (19°C)
< /
Nuremberg ●
Heidelberg
Jan 2.3 in (59 mm) July 5.5 in (139 mm)
CHeilbroim
iK^lsruhe
World’s busiest canal:
●●forzheim
Kiel, 61 miles (98 km)
long Map G2
10
??1 Munich
A
●Freiburg iir Brcisgau
11
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Logrono
^
Roses
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Braganfa
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Braga
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PORTUGAL
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VAT I C A N
Jan 48.5°F (9“C) July 77°F (25°C)
\
^amp^b:Foggia● ●I*
Frosinone
Cm^
Brindisi, Italy
-J^.Var^o
/
LOME
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THINGS TO LOOK FOR ON THE MAP
10
Longest river: Po, 405 miles
(652 km) Map B Highest active volcano in Europe: Mt. Etna, 10,705 ft
11 S a n t '
C o s e r
(3,263 m) Map H1 „„ \'y^^yCagliari
Largest lake: L. Garda, 143 sq miles (370 sq km) MapD3
A n t i o c o
i
I T A L Y
/Stromboli
Filicudi ^.^aftna
L
Alicudi
V u l c a n o
12
Valletta, Malta
Palermo
Jan 54°F (12°C) July 78T (25°C)
SJcJi 'I y
Jan 3.5 in( 90 mm) July 0in (0 mm)
13
C a t a n i a
I
Pantellert
14 LANDSCAPE R
A
£
The Alps sweep across the north
of the region, and theApennin
15 l.ampione^
0
10
5 0
central spine down the length of Italy, continuing beneath the sea to Sicily. Once covered
150 km
2
5
7 miles
100
in dense forest, much of the
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♦ I TA LY
EUROPE
H
region’s hills are now rocky scrubland, while the lowlands are used for growing crops.
EUROPE
♦ I TA LY
I t a l y
I T A L Y
Ancient traditions and historic
O'
wealth have left Italy arich legacy of art and architecture. Although Italy is one of
I
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the world’s leading industrial powers today, there is agreat divide between the wealthy, industrial north and the poorer, agricultural
I T A L Y
T O U R I S M
Capital city; Rome
south. This economic division affects many
Some of the world’s most stunning sights can
Area: 116,320 sq miles (301,270 sq km)
aspects of Italian life and is one of the reasons behind the country’s rapid turnover
and churches of Florence, where the great
Population: 56,411,290
of governments. Most people throughout Italy follow the Roman Catholic religion.
Of cial language: Italian Major religion: Christian 100%
be found in Italy’s cities. Tourists ock to the ancient ruins of Rome and to the palaces revolution in art knotvii as the Renaissance
.. rt
Government: Multiparty democracy Tall vines scramble up rows of posts and any
Currency; Italian lira Adult literacy rate: 97%
O P E R A
available fnjit trees.
SThe three great national hL. passions are fast cars,
Life expectancy: 77 years People per doctor: 210
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^
performerssuchas names
is unique in its being a part of everyday life, and not apastime for the wealthy
of vines and land left
for grazing cattle
.
'1%
■
w, a s i t o f t e n i s e l s e w h e r e .
.Li'1
Small, family-run farms cover
‘‘the Italian countryside, and
m m m i On many small farms, a variety of different crops are grown mixed up together in what is known as polyculture. Grapes and fruits, vegetables, and cereals are main crops.
many farmers work part-time. In the fertile northern plain
Crops such as potatoes are grown in the soli
surrounding the Po River, smallscale farmers get the most from
beneath vines.
their land by growing avariety of different crops close together. Cereals, fruit trees, grapes, and vegetables are widely grown. and there are olive groves in the south. Italy is aleading producer
Vi n e r o o t s r e a c h
down to adeep layer of soil
Apopular meal is pasta with tomatoes,
■■S
of fruit, wine, and olive oil.
and often Parmesan cheese.
Parmesan cheese is made from cow’s milk
in the north of Italy.
Industry Once an agricultural nation, Italy is now aleading industrial country. Since it does not have many natural resources, Italy imports raw materials and uses its highly skilled workforce to turn
them into manufactured
goods, like the computers shown here. Italy is aworld
Tomatoes grow well in the warm
Pasta oomes in
sun around Naples.
many shapes.
leader in industrial and
product design.
FA M I LY M E A LT I M E S
To Italians, life revolves around the family, and large, extended networks of different
Find out mor
generations usually live within close proximity. Meals are important family gatherings, and the food differs from region to region. In the north,
European cities: 80 Olive growing: 131 Roman catholics: 274
pasta is often replaced by rice or polenta, made
from corn our. Olive oil and fre,sh vegetables are also important in Italian cooking.
Afamily enjoying alunch together of pasta and fresh vegetables on the southern Italian island of Lipari
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pworldwide. Italian opera
corn IS grown in a block between arow
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Luciano Pavarotti are
Phousehold
Acereal crop such as
P
S
invented in Italy and ●
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soccer -and opera. Opera was virtually
Televisions: 420 per 1,000 people
The hard, strong-tasting
il
was born in the 15th century. The northern ski resorts and lakes are also popular. Tourism is vital to Italy’s economy.
Wine making: 99
S'
E U R O P E ♦ M A LTA , VAT I C A N C I T Y, A N D S A N M A R I N O
M A LTA
S A N M A R I N O
\
O'
Due to its strategic position on Mediterranean \
Capital city: Valletta
shipping routes, Malta has been ruled by many powers over the centuries. It nally became an independent country in the 1960s. Perhaps because of this history, the Maltese people cling to astrong sense of national identity, mostly following Roman Catholicism and speaking their own language. The country consists
Area: 124 sq miles
of two main islands, Malta and
(320 sq km
Gozo, and asmaller
i
V A T I C A N C I T Y
C " M A L T A
M A L T A
Population: 400,000
island called Comino.
Of cial languages: Maltese and English
,!TT'
/
The busy Grand Harbor i of Malta’s capital, Valletta,
100%
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: Maltese lira
is asign of how vita J shipping is to the Maltese 'j economy. This has been
Adult literacy rate: 87%
Televisions: 740 per 1,000 people
attraction
is
the
Vand Byzantine empires, and
.IIl" .E s
1
Flater as an Italian and British
j
Malta’s position on the trade route between Europe and Africa. Many ships still come here to use the port and facilities for ship re tting.
People per doctor: 890
KAnother
a*, country’s imposing architecture, alegacy of its history as part of the Roman
true for centuries due to
Life expectancy: 76 years
■^J
colony. Because of poor soil, farming produces little income. However, light industry, such as clothes manufacturing, is growing in importance.
CITY
Capital city: Vatican City Area: 0.17 sq miles (0.44 sq km)
Va t i c a n
Population: 1000
The world’s smallest
Of cial languages: Italian and Latin
city
independent state, Vatican City lies at the heart of Rome. This tiny
Major religion: Christian 100%
state is the center of the Roman
Government: Ruled by the Pope
Catholic Church and the home of
Currency: Italian lira
the Pope. States ruled by the Pope once stretched right across Italy -
No gures available for remaining statistics SAN
Amajor source of Malta’s income is provided by tourism. Visitors are drawn by its sheltered beaches Land coves and its good climate.
s
SHIPPING
Major religion: Christian
VAT I C A N
T O U R I S M Mtl
t h e Va t i c a n i s t h e l a s t s u r v i v o r.
MARINO
Capital city: San Marino
Many visitors are drawn by its
Area: 24 sq miles (61 sq km) Population: 23,000
religious signi cance and its rich cultural legacy. The Vatican has its own ag, national anthem, stamps, and coins, as well as anewspaper and radio station.
Of cial language: Italian Major religions: Christian 96%, other 4%
Government: Multiparty
Aspectacular view from St. Peter's basilica The Pope delivers his messages and blessings to packed crowds in this grand piazza.
democracy
Currency: Italian lira No gures available for remaining statistics
San MARINO
Situated in Italy’s mountainous north, San Marino is Europe’s smallest republic. It is also one of the oldest, possibly founded around ad 900. During the Middle Ages Italy was divided into powerful “city-states,” such as Venice and Florence. These states gradually became absorbed into other, larger territories, but San Marino held on to its independence. Despite its tiny size, the republic boasts asoccer team good enough to be entered for the World Cup.
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T O U R I S M
The fairy-tale fortress of Rocca Tower, perched high on arocky outcrop,
Find out mor Political swTEMs: 270-271
overlooks San Marino.
Roman catholics: 274
With few resources, the
SMA1.L EUROPEAN STATES: 80-81
republic relies heavily on athriving tourist trade.
♦SWITZERLAND
AND
AUSTRIA
Switzerland and Austria Home to Europe’s tallest mountains, the Alps, this region includes Switzerland, Austria, and the tiny state of Liechtenstein. The mountains have shaped the way Switzerland and Austria are organized politically since communication has been dif cult. Each is split up into individual
1
districts with great control over their own affairs.
2
With no direct access to the sea and few
natural resources, all three countries have
had to maintain good relations with their neighbors and develop specialized industries. M O U N TA I N S
AND
3
L\KES
Idyllic scenes ot towns and villages next to peaceful lakes are just one of the sights that inspire so mtiny tourists to visit this part of the world. Europe’s largest lakes and its Innsbruck, Austria highest mountains Jan 27“F (-3"C) are found in these
jvily6(TF(19°C)
two countries.
'iKPl
O
Stocj^ei
●Freistadt Sankl
VIENNA ^
P
Wels^
D
H i
Scharding Baden^
●Amsletten
W i e n e r
Steyr*
Braunau am Inn
Neustadt*
Ncun^ij^en ● I A
® G m i i n a p n
> -
6
c c
^^pfenberg
L I F C H T E N S T E I N
Jan 2.9 in (74 mm) July 5.4 in (136 mm)
4
' G m i i n d
Zurich, Switzerland Jan 3UF (U(i) July 6(5 F(20‘'C)
BLIC
A U S T R I A
Jan 2.1 in (54 min)
WJuly 5.3 in (134 mm)
» J L -
L . C V n « / n n ff
Schal
?r ^ i l t e l f e l d
d»j
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● g
*^^Jiid^nburg
Sankt Gallcn
7
● Z u r i c h
'j.. faitel
Ziiric.h.
Lucerne^ L. Lucfny'; 8
THINGS TO LOOK, FOR ON THE MAP
Longest river: Rhone, Switzerland/France, 505 miles (813 km) Map C9
9
Highest point: Diifour Spitze, Switzerland/ Italy,
15.204 ft (4,634 m) Map C Largest lake: L. Constance, Switzerland/Austria/ Germany, 208 sq miles (540 sci km) Map E7 S W n / . E R L . - \ N D
I
For centuries, narrow mountain passes have been the main links with
,I
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I.
Ski resorts are built
ALPINE
in the snowy peaks where few plants
The different plants found at different levels on the Alps show how vegetation is affected by climate. On the upper, colder slopes only much hardier plants
can
surrounding countries.
grow.
V E G E TAT I O N
than those farther dotvn can suivive. Unlike the decidttous trees on the lower
C O . M M U N I C AT I O N S
slopes, cttnifer trees have downward sloping brandies so they can shed heavy snow. Above the tree line there is scrubland where only small, owering plants
The towering Alps cut through these two countries, forming a
ina.ssive wall separating
Un
northern Europe from
the
and shrubs can thrive.
higher slopes patches of
the Mediterranean countries farther south.
conifer trees
In the past, people had to cross the mountains via steep
are cleared for small farms.
passes that were often blocked by snow'. Today, tunnels and high bridges provide year-round access for road and rail transportation -Sw'iss engineering linns have become world experts in tunnel construction.
The lower slopes are used as meadowland
where cows can graze
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.
EUROPE
Vines and crops such as fruit are grown in the fertile valley bottom.
10
EUROPE
♦SWITZERLAND
AND
LIECHTENSTEIN
Switzerland
S W I T Z E R L A N D
Switzerland has been aneutral country
LIKCHTEN.STEIN
SWITZERLAND
Capital city: Bern Area: 15,940 sq miles (41.290 sq km) Population; 6,873,687 Of cial languages;
[i'lHirii
%
I
pooled its few resources to create a ourishing economy. Its neutrality and political stability have helped make it amajor nancial center.
Geneva Many of Switzerland’s banks
German, French, and
and businesses are based in the
Italian
M A N U F A C T U R I N G
Major religions; Christian
Even though it has virtualh-
92%, other 8%
no raw materials, Switzerland
Government: Multiparty democracy
has made itself amajor industrial power. The Swiss have askilled workforce specializing in producing high-value, lightweight products.
Currency; Swiss franc Adult literacy rate: 99%
■S'
since 1815, and has stayed out of all the wars that have affected Europe since that time. It is acountry of isolated mountain communities in which people speak several different languages. Despite this, Swtzerland is remarkably uni ed in many ways and has
■The pharmaceutical industry is important.
beautiful lakeside city of Geneva. This city is also home to many international organizations, attracted here by Switzerland’s political stability and its neutral
status. These include the Red Cross,
Since Switzerland is asmall cotintry.
the World Health Organization, and the European headquarters
Life expectancy: 78 years People per doctor: 630
Swiss companies have had to export goods in order to nd large
Televisions; 400 per 1,000 people
markets. Many businesses now have
As many as 50
branches worldwide.
million watches
of the United Nations.
are exported each year.
L I E C H T E N S T E I N
A G R I C U LT U R E
Capital city: Vaduz
Fanning is not easy in such mountainous terrain, but the fertile valleys are used extensively, and fruit and grape vines are grown on warmer, south-facing slopes. Dairy farming is atraditional way of life here. Cattle, sheep, and goats graze on the upland slopes in the warmer months, and are brought down to the valleys for the winter. Their milk is used to produce avariety of
Area: 62 sq miles (160 sq km) Population: 29,868 Of cial language: German
Major religions: Christian 95%, other 5%
Government: Multiparty' democracy
cheeses, .such as Emmental, or Swiss chesse.
Currency; Swiss franc No gure.s available for remaining statistics
French-speaking Swiss people at astreet market in Lausanne
SWISS LANGUAGES
Liechtenstein
Four different
languages are spoken in Switzerland,
Nestling in the RHINE valley between Switzerland and Austria, this tiny German-speaking principality is
one of very few small European states to hold on to its independence. It is not totally independent, though, as Liechtenstein’s Swiss neighbors pro-vide its currency, as
well as its postal and telephone services, and also direct the country’s foreign policy. THE
“ C l
one celebrates the
¥
Stamp sales make up about 10 percent of the state's income each year.
FUERSTENTuS^,R
anniversary ot the prince and princess.
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Italian are the of cial
languages, btit a fotirth, “Romansch,”
spoken in remote
Alpine villages, has been given the status of anational language.
ECONOMY
economy, and investors are drawn here by liberal banking laws and political stability. Intensive agriculture, athriving small-scale manufacturing industity', and tourism bring in large amounts of revenue. Its varied economy makes this is an extremely wealthy state.
107 fi
German, French, and
Financial seiv'ices are vital to the
ii .r1Q43
Liechtenstein
produces highly decorative postage stamps that are much sought after by collectors. This
Europe’s most multi¬ lingual countiy.
Find out more Intf.rnationai, organizations: 272-273 Rich and poor: 278-279 Service industries: 281
EUROPE
♦AUSTRIA
Austria
A U S T R I A
TheSMALL,MOUNTAINOUSrepublicof
iv^l
Austria was once the center of the vast
O'
Austro-Hungarian Empire. It
\ ,
rst became
an independent country in 1955. The Alps
.0
cover much of western Austria and fertile
lowlands stretch across the east. Dairy herds graze on the mountain slopes and
A U S T R I A
Capital city; Vienna
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crops such as cereals and fruit grow well in
Area: 32,375 sq miles (83,850 sq km)
91%, Muslim 2%, other 7%
●ii'
the north. Austria is ahighly industrialized
Vienna
nation, with major cities such as Linz
Austria’s capital city was once the
producing iron, steel, heavy engineering products, and chemicals. Austriajoined
glittering capital of the Austro-Hungarian
Population: 7,812,100 Of cial language; German Major religions; Christian
iUk.,
l i
the European Union in 1995.
Govermnent; Multiparty democracy
Water is coilected in
Currency; Austrian schilling
areservoir high up in the mountains.
m
Adult literacy rate; 99%
Empire. In the late 1700s and 1800s,
Vienna was one of the most sophisticated cities in Europe. Today, the splendid architecture from that era attracts many visitors. Others come to soak up musical history -the imperial city was amagnet for composers, such as Beethoven, who hoped to win commissions from the
Life expectancy; 76 years People per doctor; 230
Austrian aristocracy or from the
Televisions; 470 per 1,000 people
emperor himself.
m t m
ia'
■
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HYDROELECTRIC POWER
>
Austria has little coal and no oil of its own,
●-/tA-
%
so other ways of producing power have been developed. Plentiful rivers and steep Alpine valleys provide an opportunity to harness the power of moving water to generate electricity. This is known as hydroelectric power. In the mountains, as water is released from an upper to alower reservoir, it powers generators that produce electricity.
-j-a-
-The movement of the turbine drives an
eiectricity generator.
Steep roofs are built to shed heavy winter snowfalls.
The water falls down to amotor called aturbine.
The energy of the falling water drives the turbine. ^
t .
Tourism in the Austrian Alps 59%
57%
&
43% t -
41%
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hiking. Some of the world’s best ski
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To u r i s m Tourism accounts for nearly 15 percent of the country’s income. In addition to exploring Austria’s historic cities, visitors come to go skiing and
M
This chart shows
the percentage of tourists visiting
resorts are found here, and favorite
M O U N TA I N H O U S E S
summer haunts include the huge lakes nestling in the Alps. Conservation
Alps built their steep-roofed houses
measures are being introduced to
plentiful. Animals, hay, and
protect the land from damage by large
Austria in the winter o r s u m m e r. W i n t e r
numbers of visitors.
visitors go skiiing; summer visitors
go hiking. Austrians drin
VA R I E D F O O D
Austrian food blends arange of in uences -the result of all the d i ff e r e n t c o u n t r i e s t h a t o n c e f e l l
within the empire. For example, the famous Wiener Schnitzel (Viennese
cutlet) is abreaded and fried piece of veal or pork that may have originated in Italy. Viennese coffee
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same building. Hay was kept under the roof; cattle were kept in the
Dobostorte is arich, layered cake of sponge and chocolate cream,
basement; and the farmer’s family
topped with caramel.
housing can still be seen in some
lived in between. This kind of
Find out mor
People enjoy acoffee break with lavish
Alpine LANDSCAPE: 106
cakes mid¬
morning or
European union: 81, 273
afternoon.
Hydroelectric powtr: 262 Danube river: 78
108 !
humans were often housed in the
is changing the face of rural areas.
houses are famous worldwide for their
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from wood because trees were
farming villages, although tourism
coffee with milk, whipped cream, or strong and black.
vast selection of cakes and pastries.
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In the past, Austrian farmers in the
♦SLOVENIA
EUROPE
AND
C R O AT I A
Slovenia and Croatia The countries of Slovenia and Croatia stretch from the snow-clad Alps in the north to the sunny Adriatic coast in the south. The area is crossed by the Sava River which ows past the capital cities of Ljubljana and Zagreb, across a
fertile plain, eventuallyjoining the Danube. In the west the Karst region of Slovenia has given its name to atype of scenery associated with limestone rock formations and deep caves. Some caves, such as those at Postojna, are as large as cathedrals. Ruled by Austria and Hungary for centuries, both countries retain strong cultural ties with Europe. At the end of
H : m -
Walled city of dubrovnik This ancient Croatian port, with its narrow streets and massive walls, was founded by the Romans in the 7th century. Protected by its forti cations, Dubrovnik grew into athriving city with trade links throughout the region. The wealth brought by trade encouraged astrong artistic tradition which persists today. Most of the damage from the recent war with Yugoslavia has now been repaired.
World War I, Slovenia and Croatia were
incorporated into the newly formed Yugoslavia but declared themselves independent in 1991. B
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Ljubljana, Slovenia
U S T ^ ●rat
SLOVENIA
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Kopriviiica ^ Corica
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SLOAC
EN1A
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Bjelovar
Postojna
Vi r o v i t i c a
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Rijeka
R
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Dubrovnik, Croatia
Slavonski Pozega '' Dakovo '
Jan 46T (8°C) July 77“F (25°C)
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THINGS ON
TO
LOOK
THE
FOR
MAP
6
CROATIA
Longest river: Drava, Slovenia/Croatia, 450 miles
(724 km) MapF2 Highest point: Triglav, K
n
r
n
7
Slovenia, 9,395 ft (2,864 m)
m
Map D2 Largest lake: L. Vransko,
Croatia, 13 sq miles (33 sq km) MapF7
SOUTHERN
ALPS 9
Much of northern Slovenia consists of the
high mountains and steep-sided valleys of the southern Alps. Small towns and villages, many of which retain their winding streets and wooden buildings, nestle in the valleys on sheltered slopes. The rugged terrain and snow-covered mountains, which in previous centuries helped preserve the isolation of such places, now attract tourists to this part of Slovenia
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10
EUROPE
S L O V E N I A
♦SLOVENIA
AND
C R O AT I A
Slovenia XhE small, alpine country of
IRIDING SCHOOLS
As long ago as 1580,
Slovenia lies at the northeastern end
astud farm was set
of the Adriatic Sea. Formerly ruled by Austria, and later part of Yugoslavia, Slovenia regained its independence in 1991 without involvement in the
S L O V E N I A
Population: 1,900,000
Austria with its main maritime outlet.
Of cial language:
■V
horses
to
the
HSpanish Riding School in Vienna.
violence of the ensuing war. It maintains astrategic position in this corner of Europe, and its ports provide
Capital city: Ljubljana Area: 7,820 sq miles (20,250 sq km)
.up in wliat is now Slovenia to supply
|F The farm eventually ibred the famous
snow-white Lippizaner horse. Today they are considered the
nest
riding horses in die world.
Slovene
Major religions: Christian 98%, other 2%
Slovene people
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: Tolar
Despite being ruled for almost athousand years by German-speaking Austrians, the Slovenes have kept their Slav language and folk culture. Colorful embroidery and
No Figures available for remaining statistics C R O AT I A
Capital city: Zagreb Area: 21,830 sq miles (56,540 sq km)
distinctive headwear, as worn
by women at this wedding, are part of that culture. Most people live in small towns or in one of the numerous villages scattered across the country. Only 300,000 people live in Ljubljana, making it
Population: 4,600,000
Of cial language: Croatian
Major religions: Christian 89%, Muslim 1%, otlier 10%
ECONOVfY
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: Kuna No
'S
Widespread forests provide wood for sawmills, furniture-, and papermaking industries in Slovenia. In recent years, license agreements with companies in western Europe have allowed local factories to produce arange of cars, trucks, motorcycles, and refrigerators.
gures avaihilile for
remaining statistics
second smallest capital in Europe.
Slovene women attend avillage wedding.
I The islands along the Adriatic coast are popular with tourists.
Croatia The crescent-shaped country of Croatia was part of Hungary until it was joined to Yugoslavia in 1918. It was the rst province to declare its
independence. Almost immediately, war erupted with Serbia. Until that time, the economy had prospered. Mineral wealth provided the basis for industry while vast areas of fertile land were used for crops. Although the war devastated much of the country, the economy is beginning to recover.
To u r i s m along coastline with hundreds of islands, bays, and secluded beaches, backed by the dramatic Dinaric Alps, has drawn tourists to Croatia for many years. In 1990 more than 4.6 million people visited the country, the equivalent of Croatia’s entire populadon. Despite atemporary drop in tourism, visitors from abroad -particularly Italy, Germany, and Slovenia -are now returning.
C R O AT I A N
The
ax plant
is harvested
Linen
when the lower
obtained by crushing the stalks of the ax plant.
stalk starts to
turn yellow.
ber is
its seeds, which are used for linseed oil.
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CROPS
The fertile river vtilleys in the north have awarm climate that is ideal for growing friiiLs such as plums, apricots, and grapes. Flax is also grown, both for its ber, which i.s made into linen clothing and canvas, and for
Find out mor Breakup of uigoslavla:
81, 124 Oil and coal: 96, 152, 162 Timber indu.stry: 26
THE
B A LT I C
Belarus andT H E
S TAT E S
THINGS TO LOOK FOR Ta l l i n n , E s t o n i a
ON
)an 20T' {-7°C) juIvtU T{16°0
B A LT I C S TAT E S
|an 1.5 in (39 mm)
Tucked away in the northwestern
Gaizin Kalns, Latvia, Xtiis.ui
Estonia/Russiaii
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and acool, moist climate.
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resources in this thinly populated area. The peoples represent many different cultural groups and have suffered centuries of hardship from invasions and uprisings.
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There are few natural
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B E L A R L S
L I T H U A N 1
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K A L I N I N G R A D
L-VIA’IA
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with hills, lakes, and marshes
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The countries are low-lying,
2
Federation, 1,400 sq miles (3,626 sq km) Map 13
L N
E S T , 'Saarena^
Sea. The fourth, Belarus, lies inland.
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LITHUANIA
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Vilnius, Lithuania
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I N D E P E N D E N C E
The three Baltic State.s’ struggle for independence during the 1980s plated alarge part in the USSR's breakup into many separate republics in 1991. At one point, as aform of protest, tlie people of these states formed a
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irsA
FARMING
AND
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m FISHING
Lack of good farmland and acold, damp climate limit the range of crops that can be grown in this region. The main crops are cereals, potatoes, and sugar beets. Cattle graze on the wet pastures. Fishing is an important industry in the Baltic States.
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s' notv trt'ing to forge closer links with neighboring countries, especially Finland and Poland. Tawny owls nd shelter in the region’s dense forests. At night they y over farmland, hunting for prey.
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massive human chain across their
Ilands. These Baltic peoples are
111 S
11
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Largest lake: L. Peipus,
Haap.salu ]
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Lithuania -border the chilly Baltic
100
1,024 ft (312 m) Mal> H6
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the states -Estonia, Latvia, and
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This poor, rural republic is sparsely
K B E L A R U S
t
populated and has few natural resources. However, living conditions have improved
greatly since the 1960s when adrive began to develop industry and to provide better housing. B E L A R U S
Capital city: Minsk Area: 80,154 sq miles (207,600 sq km) Population: 10,199,709
Of cial language: Belorussian
In 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine seriously affected people’s health across the country. Two hundred years of Russian rule ended in 1991 with the breakup of the former USSR, and Belarus became an independent republic.
Major religions: Christian 68%, other 32%
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: Belarian rouble
Adult literacy rate: 98% Life expectancy: 71 years People per doctor: 250 Televisions: 27 per 1,000 people
Dried chanterelle mushrooms
Glassmaking Glass is actually cooled liquid sand. It is made from sand, limestone, soda, and waste glass. These four ingredients are
Mushrooms
ourish
fed into afurnace
been called the
where they are heated to produce molten glass.
national sport.
PRIPET
MARSHES
Huge areas of southern Belarus are covered in misty, marshy land. The Pripet Marshes form the largest expanse of marshland in Europe. Much of this area is forested with pine, alder, aspen, and oak trees, which supply agrowing timber industry. Animals such as elk, lynx, wild boar, and grouse have made the marshes and forests their home.
in the country's thick, damp forests, and mushroom-picking is so popular it has
LOCAL
FOODS
Mushrooms and potatoes are staple foods. Potatoes cooked in different ways are eaten for b r e a k f a s t , l u n c h , a n d d i n n e r. Mushrooms and sour cream are
served with meat dishes, such as
Industry Boletus or cepe
Heavy industries such as oilre ning and machinery manufacturing are important to Belarus.
mushrooms
baked rabbit or pork. In addition to being enjoyed fresh, mushrooms may be dried or sailed and pickled.
The furnace is
heated up to 2,550°F(t,400"C)
Under the former USSR,
to melt the raw
large factories were located here to process
ingredients.
raw materials from Russia and Ukraine. Reserves of
useful minerals, such as
oil, rock-salt, and types of sand have been discovered. The sands are used to
As glass cools, it can be carefully shaped. To make sheets of glass, the liquid glass is oated on ariver of molten tin. To make bottles, the glass is poured into bottle-shaped molds.
i
make high-quality glassware.
Minsk The centrally placed capital city has ahistory
Alump of molten / glass called agob is dropped into amold.
r P The liquid glass / sinks to the far end.
T
fh]
\
1.
Air is blown in to
make the glass ll the mold.
The glass bottle
of changing fortunes. Although it was
devastated by bombing in World War II, in peaceful times Minsk has blossomed as a center of government, education, culture, and
communications. Recently, industrial growth has brought rapid expansion to the city. It is
is left to cool
also the headquarters of the Confederation
and set before
of Independent States (CIS), an organization
being taken out
that brings former Soviet states together.
of the mold.
E D U C AT I O N
During the rule of the USSR, almo.st everyone in Belarus was taught to read and write. Education was free between the ages of 7and 17. This
rm educational foundation
has led to the development of astrong literary and musical heritage within the republic.
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EUROPE
_Find out more— Education: 277 European cities: 80 Former ussr: 134
Oil: 135, 152, 281
E U R O P E ♦ E S T O N I A , L AT V I A , A N D L I T H U A N I A
E S T O N I A
Estonia
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ALAND OF FORESTS, low hills, and 0
if Wil
lakes, Estonia is the smallest of the
\
Baltic States. Once afarming nation,
L I T H U A N I A
a:
the Soviets transformed Estonia into an
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L
(45,125 sq km
urban, industrialized region. Today its industries include timber, shipbuilding, and food processing. Since becoming independent from the former USSR in 1991, tensions have sprung up between
Population: 1,118,829
native Estonians and the third of the
Roughly one-third of the people of Estonia live in or around the capital city of Tallinn. Aregular ow of
population that is Russian.
streets of the city’s old quarter.
E S T O N I A
Capital city: Tallinn Area: 17,423 sq miles
Of cial language: Estonian
I.' a
i a
TA I . L I N N
tourists comes to wander around the narrow, medieval
Major religion: Christian 100% Government: Multiparty
democracy
L AT V I A
Currency: Kroon Adult literacy rate: 99% Life expectancy: 71 years People per doctor: 210 Televisions: No gures available
Sandwiched between the other Baltic States, Latvia’s central position, with easy access to the coast and three major
L A T V I A
Area: 24,938 sq miles (64,589 sq km) Population: 2,666,567 Of cial language: Latvian Major religion: Government: Multiparty democracy
Currency: Lats Adult literacy rate: 99% Life expectancy: 71 years People per doctor: 210 Televisions: No
The cool, damp climate is well suited to dairy farming and meat production. Since becoming independent from the USSR in 1991, Latvia has concentrated
on developing its farming,
shing, and
timber industries, which had been
Christian 100%
L I T H U A N I A
Capital city: Vilnius Area: 25,174 sq miles (65,200 sq km) Population: 3,689,779 Of cial language: Lithuanian
■
The capital has been an important trading port .since the Middle Ages. This is perhaps the most lively capital Latvia has strong historic links with Germany, and this can be seen at every turn in Riga -in the buildings, the fashions, and the many German visitors.
production under the Soviets.
Amber can be cut or
A y is
polished to make jewelry.
attracted to the tree’s
sticky resin and then
Inmanyways,LITHUANIAstandsapart
caught as it
from the other Baltic States. Eirst, most of
a m b e r.
hardens into
its people are native Lithuanians, whereas Estonia and Latvia have
large Russian populations. Secondly, life here tends to be
A M B E R
Lithuania, where it is found in sands
Government: Multiparty democracy
of the country, away from the coast. The third major
Currency: Litas
difference lies in the fertile
Adult literacy rate: 98%
soil, which makes farming
Life expectancy: 73 years
vital to the economy.
available
FOLK
amber comes from the shores of
dating back 50 million years. Amber is afossilized tree resin, found in
chunks of different shapes and sizes. Some is opaque and brown, but the most sought-after amber is yellow or gold. One small piece may contain the remains of insects or plants, trapped forever in the golden re.sin.
TRADITIONS
The songs, dances, music, and crafts of their folk histoiy have great value for tile people of the Baltic States. Keeping folk traditions alive became especially important as away of maintaining asense of identity under Soviet rule. Now, eacli country has annual folk festivals and parades.
Find out mor European cities: 80
Folk TRADITIONS: 116, 118 Former USSR: 134 Shipbuilding: 183
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RIG
Up to 90 percent of the world’s
People per doctor: 220 Televisions: No gures
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concentrated in the interior
Major religion: Christian 100%
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overshadowed by large-scale factory
Lithuania
" m n i M v i m r T A i i r . ’
gures
available
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Capital city: Riga
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EUROPE♦CENTRAL
Central
EUROPE
Europe
The very heart OE Europe consists of acompact block of
R O M A N C AT H O L I C I S M The celebration of saints’
four countries -Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. Great plains and basins extend across this region, broken by low mountain ranges in the south. Over centuries, the country borders within Central Europe have been redrawn many times. This is partly because the at landscape provides an easy target for invaders, and partly because four mighty empires have surrounded the area: Russia, AustroHungary, Prussia, and the Ottoman Turks. After World War II Central Europe came under the communist control of the former Soviet Union, only gaining its independence since the late 1980s.
days and religious festivals is aregular feature of life in Central Europe, where Roman Catholicism is the
main religion. This region was
invasions have led its
people to cling to their sense of national identity, and Roman Catholicism is
an important part of this.
Each year, thousands of people visit the Black Madonna at Czestochowa,
AHungarian musician in traditional costume
FOLK
d
How coal and lignite are formed
This major waterway links Slovakia and Hungary to Germany and the Rhine River in the west, and to the Black Sea in the southeast. In the past, the
In swamps millions of years ago, plants died and were
■■ c o v e r e d
V-fKj
Danube has been avital trading route for Central
in
P o l a n d ’s h o l i e s t s h r i n e .
MUSIC
Weddings, harvest festivals, Christmas, and other kinds of family and religious occasions are marked by music, song, and dance. Local styles vary tvidely, but traditions are particularly strong in rural areas. In Poland, for example, most musicians are amateurs, only picking up their instruments after a thard day’s work in the elds. Slovakian folk music traditions survive mainly in the mountain tillages, and are associated tvith brightly colored folk dress.
F,
The DANUBE RIVER
rst converted to
Christianity about 1,000 years ago. Repeated
mud.
The dead plant material was
gradually compressed into peat.
Over centuries, layers of peat and rock sediment are
Europe, although river traf c has declined recently as trade 'with the former Soviet Union has fallen off sharply. However, the waters have
laid down.
Achunk of iignite,
been dammed to produce an important source of
also known as
hydroelectric power -adam at Gabcikovo now provides 15 percent of Slovakia’s electricity.
brown coal
Cabbage is very popular and is often eaten stuffed, or pickled as sauerkraut.
Underlying bedrock r'-x-Pi
served with
The weight of all the layers pushes
most main
downward.
Potatoes are
i
Root vegetables such as beets are used to make
courses.
harder black coal.
It is burned in power stations to produce much of the region’s electricity. However, lignite is very rich in sulfur, and, when it is burned, its fumes join with moisture droplets in the air to produce amild form of sulfuric acid, or “acid rain,” which eats into stone buildings and destroys
FOOD
The more northerly area.s of Central Europe tend to have warm summers but ver\’ cold
winters. Plummeting temperatures have made heavy, warming foods popular here. In uences are strongly German, Austrian, and Russian, and potatoes, dumplings, soups, and meat stews are favorite dishes. To the south, Hungary has a more exotic tradition, featuring highly spiced foods such as goulash -its famous beef stew.
Meat, such as this Polish salt pork called oczek, is a centra! part of most meals.
plant life. Air pollution in this region is made even worse by vehicle exhaust fumes -although car ownership is relatively unusual, the cars on the road are frequently old models running on inef cient engines.
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Over time, lignite may eventually become
Lignite Brown coal, or lignite, is the main fuel in Central Europe.
thick soups.
HE.\RTY
The pressure turns the peat into lignite.
A
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EUROPE
C
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RUSSIAN
R E D E R AT I O N
%
%
G d a n s k
Suwalki^
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Bydgoszcz To r j i d
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P o z n a
Jan 27T (-3°C) July 66.5°F (19.5^0)
D5
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Y
W l o c i a w e k .
Warsaw, Poland
4
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W A R S A W
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Jan 1.1 in (27 mm) July 3.8 in (96 mm)
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Ostrava
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S L t T VA K L A
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Bmo, Czech Republic
I
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-
.Koiice
Jan 29“F (-2“C) July 67“F (19.5°C)
9
n
'Banska
o
■Bystrica ( B a n s k a
Jan 1.2 in (30 mm) July 3.2 in (81 mm)
l e c
H U N G A R Y
^lia\^lica
M i s k o l c
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10 THINGS ON
TO THE
LOOK
FOR
11
D e b r e c e n
BUDAPEST
MAP
.
Longest river: Vistula, Poland, 678 miles (1,091 km) Map H2
Szolnok
s
3)'
Highest point: Gerlachovka, Slovakia, 8,711 ft (2,655 m)
QDebrecen, Hungary
Map 1 S L O V E N I A
Largest lake: L. Balaton, Hungary, 231 sq miles 12
S f
(598 sq km) Map Gil
Jan 27°F (-3“C) July 70°F (21°C) Jan 1.3 in (.34 mm)
WJuly 2.2 in (56 mm)
Abison cow WILD
FOREST
ANIMALS
feeding her calf in
FOREST
Bialowieza National Park in
Bialowieza National
Poland is northern Europe’s largest area of woodland. Wild
Park, Poland
Woodland covers aquarter of Central Europe. In some places, the forest dates back many thousands of years -there are
animals native to the forest
include elk, deer, wolves, and bears, and conservation
campaigns have done much to protect them. Special anima V breeding programs have . been set up here, and it is now the only natural breeding place for wild bison in Europe.
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AREAS
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centuries-old oaks near Poznan, in Poland, Acid rain has harmed
trees across the region,
^Jk especially in Poland,
m
Mr w'here almost half the (A,-, trees have been affected. Ancient forest in
Ll
Bialowieza National Park, Poland
115 0
●
EUROPE♦CENTRAL
S
p-
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♦POLAND
P o l a n d Poland is amix of scattered farming P O L A N D
I3£i P O L A N D
Capital city: Warsaw Area: 120,720 sq miles (312,680 sq km) Population: 38,500,000
Of cial language: Polish Major religions: Christian 95%, other 5%
Government: Multiparty democracy
villages and magni cent medieval towns. This mainly at country is larger than the other three countries of Central Europe put together. Once aland of many different peoples, warfare, migration, and border changes in 1945 have made the majority of people now Polish-speaking Roman Catholics. During the 1980s, Poland broke free from Soviet communist control and began the dif cult journey toward amore democratic political system.
Currency: Zloty Adult literacy rate: 99% Life expectancy: 72 years
Machinery: 26%
People per doctor: 490
/■:
Televisions: 300 per 1,000 people
Recent politics It was atrade union leader, Lech
Walesa, who led the countr)’ away from communism. He became
president of anewly democratic Poland in 1990. Ten years earlier, workers at the Lenin Shipyard in
Gdansk had been protesting against poor conditions under Soviet rule, and the Solidarity trade union, led by Walesa, formed amouthpiece for their discontent. The change to democracy, however, brought a new era of political instability. Food: 18%
Metai goods: H E AV Y
I
INDUSTRY
-J-
Major exports include vehicles, machinery for industry and farming, and crops such as potatoes and other vegetables. Poland is also amajor world exporter of coal
n
Union, Poland was part of a vast centralized economy. For example, iron would be shipped
liiUi
an
into Poland, where it was then made
into goods such as tractors for export to other parts of the Soviet Union. However, with
Ihe
the arrival of democracy, the country has tried to move swiftly to afree-market economy, and it is struggling to transfer the huge, old-fashioned Soviet-style factories to private ownership. Painted
Wooden box
wooden eggs
carved with a
are exchai
Polish exports, 1993
15%
'ill
Under the former Soviet
t
m
AT R A D I T I O N A L .
and metals.
Katowice
Steelworks in Poland
WAY
OF
Te x t i l e s :
Fuels: Chemicals: Other:
8%
10%
10%
1 3 %
I.IFE
This nation of small-scale farmers clung ercely to its local traditions throughout the years of Soviet control. As aresult, unlike other countries under Soviet rule, the many small farms were not merged into larger state-run farms. Today, traditions such as horse-drawn plowing are still common in parts
at Easter.
if-
of Poland. Local folk arts and crafts
ourish, too.
nbroidery and woodcarving are often used to decorate household objects, and wooden furniture may be colorfully painted. A G R I C U LT U R E
Medieval krakow The superb medieval buildings found along
The main
About aquarter of the nation’s workforce is employed in agriculture. The most important products are potatoes, sugar beets, cereals, and livestock. Some farms sjtecialize in commercial crops, but most grow some crops for selling and some for feeding the family. This is partly because most farms are still small and privately owned, often operated part-time, frequently by elderly or retired owners.
market square in
Krakow
the city streets of Krakow are areminder that
Poland was amajor power during the 15th and 16th centuries, before it was divided up among other countries. Poland has some of the
nest old churches,
palaces, and public buildings in Europe. Many were lost or damaged during World War II, but Krakow’s buildings escaped relatively unscathed. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most air-polluted cities in Europe, due mainly to the nearby Nowa Huta Steelworks.
Find out mor A i r p o l l u t i o n : 11 4 Political SWTEMS: 270-271 Roman catholics: 274 Soviet union: 136
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EUROPE
♦CZECH
REPUBLIC
Czech republic As CENTRAL EUROPE’S most industrialized V/
C Z E C H
REPUBLIC /
r
k
CZECH
REPUBLIC
country, the Czech Republic has amodern economy and agood standard of living. From 1918 until 1993, the Republic was part of the union forming Czechoslovakia. By the 1950s, Czechoslovakia was under
Capital city; Prague
Soviet control, but democratic elections
Area: 30,260 sq miles
in 1990 led to its peaceful split into two countries -the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Much of the Republic lies on a high, mountain-ringed plateau, and its people have astrong national identity.
(78,370 sq km Population; 10,302,215
Of cial language: Czech Major religions: Christian 72%, other 28%
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: Czech koruna
The main
Adult literacy rate: 99% Life expectancy: 71 years
grain crops are wheat, rye, barley, hops,
People per doctor: 310
and canola.
.7? a i E , , .
Televisions: 470 per 1,000 people
Bridges over the Vltava River in Prague PRAGUE
Not far from the historic core of this ancient city, one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe, a booming commercial center has sprung up. The capital is now host to ever-increasing numbers of visitors, coming for both pleasure and business. However, as elsewhere in Central Europe, air pollution is amajor problem. It is caused mainly by factories in the commercial quarter, and in the extensive industrial suburbs beyond.
The brewing process in the Czech Republic
Agriculture In contrast to Poland, most of the
agricultural land in the Czech Republic is worked by large farms owned by the state or by cooperatives. But, as in Poland, the changeover from acommunist to a
Czech farms are very productive, with the highest
grain yields in Central Europe. Alarge proportion of this grain is fed to livestock, since the Republic concentrates on meat and milk production.
Malted barley grains and water
When heated.
are fed into the
the barley is
the starch in converted
mash tun.
into sugar. Dried hops are added for avor
capitalist economy has proved dif cult for farmers as they ght to compete in an open “market economy.”
Ye a s t i s a d d e d . It converts the
sugar into alcohol.
T H E A T E R
It is extremely appropriate that the Czech Republic’s rst pre.sident, Vaclav Havel, was akso aplayivright, since this region has apowerful
The mixture is boiled with
theatrical tradition that stretche.s
back to the 13th centtiry.
The beer
hops for
stays in the fermenting
1-2 hours.
tank for about
Contributions in other areas
aweek
—
of the arts, notably music, literature, and
The beer
lm,
's bottled
have come from this
or stored in casks.
region as well.
Industry
The Smetana
Beer is one of the best-known products to come out of this highly industrialized country. Its centuries-old brewing traditions
Concert Hall, in
9
Prague, was named after a T
●
Czech composer.
have created such famous brands as Pilsner, made in Plzen since 1925, and Budweiss.
Intricate, highly
Industry in general has along history here. As long ago as the 1200s,
decorated
I
glassware BOHEMIAN CLAS
t ■
'
For centuries, the
*ih-.
mountains were excavated for ne sands found in this
region, once known as Bohemia, have been used for glassinaking. Medieval craftsmen were praised for their breathtaking stained glass windows. Bohemian glass is renowned for its -- high quality and delicacy and is still made today.
their rich mineral deposits, and mining is still amajor employer. Other important industries produce vehicles, explosives, plastics, and textiles.
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EUROPE
Beer is awell-
known export.
Find out mor A i r P O L L U T I O N : 11 4 G i a s . s m a k i n g : 11 2 New EUROPEAN COUNTRIES: 81 Political SYSTEMS: 270-271
EUROPE♦SLOVAKIA
Slovakia d.
Once the eastern part of Czechoslovakia, this small, beautiful country is much more rural than its highly industrialized neighbor, the Czech Republic. When Czechoslovakia broke free of Soviet control in 1990, the Slovaks felt they were being dominated by the wealthier Czechs and campaigned for independence, which came in 1993. The Slovakian economy wasihit hard by the split because it relied on Czech money and
S L O VA K I A
S L O VA K I A
Capital city: Bratislava Area: 19,100 sq miles (49,500 sq km) Population: 5,274,335 Of cial language: Slovak Major religions: Christian 72%, other 28%
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: Slovak koruna
resources. In this mountainous land, the Slovak
Bratislava
population is divided between different valleys, and the country lacks ageographical focus. Most people speak Slovak, but various dialects are still spoken in the more isolated areas.
This city is one of the youngest capitals in the world -it became the new capital of its new country in 1993. This former residence of
an archbishop has been made into the parliament buildings. Bratislava is the only large city in Slovakia and historically has better links with Hungary than with the rest of Slovakia. However, the city’s good
Adult literacy rate: 99% Life expectancy: 71 years Jwo women
People per doctor: 310
dress up in their
Televisions: 300 per 1,000
nationai costume.
people
communications and modern
Amap of main industries
industry have helped attract interest from foreign investors. FOLKl.ORE
F E S T I VA L S
*Slovaks love to celebrate with traditional
1
music, dancing, and dress. Folk traditions are important, and are different from those of the neighboring Czechs. While Czechs look
Bratislava
north for their roots, Slovaks look sotith and
Ilimber
east, toward Hungary and Russia. Unusually, the communist rulers encouraged folk customs here in order to foster asense of regional pride.
WMining I N D U S T RY
Today, one-third of the workforce has Jobs in industry as Slovakia ghts for a place in the industrialized world. This has not been easy, especially as the large industries set up by the former communist rulers have been dif
cult to
break up. Mining and metal production has along history in Slovakia, and mines at Banska Stiavnica claim to be the
rst
in Europe to have used gunpowder, in 1657. Much of eastern Slovakia is still
forested, .so timber and papermaking are also important.
The well-forti ed walls of Orava
Village life This is acountry of mountain villages and small towns.
Slovakian farms are either tiny, family-run affairs, or they are large businesses run by the state or agroup of people called cooperatives. As in the Czech Republic, the main crops are potatoes, sugar beets, and cereals, and many livestock are
kept. Although Slovakia is traditionally rural, only asmall proportion of the population is now employed in agriculture. There has been agreat drive to develop industry, and I many people are moving from the country to the towns.
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Castle were built to guard the trade route with Poiand.
Tr a d i t i o n a l wooden houses in
Cicmany, Slovakia
UNSPOILED
iSt
lANDSCAPE
The natural beauty of Slovakiaks countryside give.s it huge potential as atourist destination as long as it remains unspoiled. Here are stunning mountain landscapes, castles perched on rocky outcrops, ancient walled towns, and mineral-rich spas. Great efforts are being made to develop the tourist trade, since there are as yet few facilities for visitors.
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Cereals: 34, 122, 162 New EUROPEAN countries: 81 P o t a t o e s : 11 0 Soviet UNION: 136
t
H u n g a r y (01
ABROAD,FERTILEPLAINsweepsacrossmuchof
r
this country, while gentle hills and low mountains
are found in the northern and western parts. The most southern country in Central Europe,
H U N G A R Y
£ k H U N G A R Y
Capital city; Budapest Area: 35,919 sq miles
(93,030 sq km Population: 10,374,823 Of cial language; Hungarian (Magyar) Major religions: Christian 93%, other 7%
Hungary has been home to many different peoples, including Germans, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, Romanians, and Gypsies. Most Hungarians, however, are descended from the Magyars, who were erce nomadic horsemen. After World War II, the communists established
aharsh rule here, putting down arebellion in 1956. Ademocratic government is now in place.
Government: Multiparty democracy
iirif
by hot summers and short, mild winters, awide variety of crops are found here. Cereals
‘j.'vV's'L
-w'
at avast
ower farm
THERMAL
SPRINGS
AND
S PA S
The grand architecture of Budapest’s old Turkish baths is adistant echo of
the country’s past as part of the Ottoman Empire. There are baths and spas right across Hungary, centered on the hundreds of warm springs that gush naturally from the ground. Since ancient times, people have
ocked to bathe in these mineral-rich
waters, often seeking to cure their ailments.
ourish, as in
other parts of Central Europe, but Hungary also produces
Sn-
Televisions: 410 per 1,000 people Flowers being gathered
Since this fertile land is warmed
m
Adult literacy rate: 99% Life expectancy: 70 years People per doctor; 340
A G R I C U LT U R E
a
i^i
Currency: Forint
sun owers, fruits, and ■'TA7 i
vegetables, as well as olives, gs, and grapes -there is athriving wine trade. However, the changeover j
A
run by acooperative
from
Paprika is used -In many recipes, and Hungary grows over 40 percent of the world's paprika.
. - A
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Goulash was
/
acommunist
to
a
capitalist economy has caused problems. The parliament buildings
originally abasic dish eaten by shepherds.
on the Danube River
in Budapest
CUISINE
Paprika >
The varied crops produced in Hungaiy mean that it has developed some distinctive dishes. Hungaiy'’s national dish is afamous beef and vegetable mix called goulash, sened as astew or athick soup. Ahot red pepper called paprika is added to give goulash its spicy avor. Other examples of the rich and heavy
Budapest If you 'were to take acruise ship through Budapest along the great Danube River, you would discover that the capital is actually two cities. Buda, on one bank of the river, is the old royal capital, lled with ancient buildings. Across the water lies Pest, the heart of modern business and political life, where the government buildings are found. Budapest has more foreign ■visitors than any other Central -S European capital, and almost two-thirds of foreign money invested in Hungary is centered in the city.
^cuisine include carp in paprika sauce, pastn' lled with liver pate, and grilled meats served with stuffed peppers.
Asauce of tomatoes, paprika, onions, and sour cream is served with
sh, as well as on meat dishes
such as goulash.
Industry
I ’ >●■1
j- /:
Hungary’s many industries produce metals,
A
chemicals, and vehicles as well as texdles
and electrical goods. Since ademocratic government gained control in 1990, the country has had to compete in aworldwide market. Many rms have been privatized, and some industry has declined. However, Hungary’s population has highly developed skills, especially in science and engineering, and it attracts more foreign investment per person than any other country in Central Europe.
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A ' CERE.VLS: 34, 122, 162 European plains: 79
V,
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£ 119
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♦HUNGARY
EUROPE
Political systems: 270-271 Wine making: 99
E U R O P E ♦ U K R A I N E , M O L D O VA , A N D T H E C A U C A S I A N R E P U B L I C S
E
Ukraine, moldova, and™
F
Kiev, Ukrauie )an 19“F (-7°C) July 68°F (20”C)
CAUCASIAN REPUBLICS
Jan 2.3 in (58 mm) July 3.6 in (91 mm)
The grassy steppe lowlands of Ukraine and Moldova lie in the east of Europe. Farther east, the three mountainous Caucasian Republics of Georgia, Armenia,
C
B
D
and Azerbaijan lie betw^een the Black Sea and the Caspian
4 «
U S
A
Sea, cradled by the Caucasus Mountains. From the 17th
^*1
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century on, the Russian Empire dominated this region, and in this century it became part of the USSR, regaining independence only in the 1990s. Fertile farmland and
)
Chernobyl
eRivne
A
awealth of natural resources have made this area
Knrojsteri' L u t s ’ k
one of the richest parts of the former USSR. The
L’ v i ’
region’s mountains give it protection from the
Te r n o p i r Khmel’nyts’kyy
extreme cold of the Russian winters, and this
has helped encourage alarge tourist industry,
Ivano-
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particularly along the Black Sea coast.
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M O L D O VA
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are from
o
different
MykoL la ●
ethnic groups.
M O L D O VA
B i l h o r o d -
i
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Simferopol, Ukraine
PEOPLES
Jaii31°F (-rC) July71°F (22“C)
The people of Ukraine and Moldova are mo.stly European and Slavic, while more than 50 different
Jan 1.8 in (45 mm) July 2.5 in (64 mm)
ethnic groups exist in the Caucasian Republics. The USSR tried to wipe out differences between the peoples of its empire by forcing them to use the Russian language
r '
and by suppressing local culture.
However, many of the people of
This coal mine is at Donetsk, in 'the Ukraine’s Donbass region.
this region have aproud and ancient histoiv and hav
i
struggled to hold on to their o
own languages and culture. [ fS\
Natural RESOURCE \
Large deposits of coal, gas, and oi
/
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this area. In addition to coal from the Donbass
Basin in Ukraine, and oil and natural gas from the Caspian Sea off Azerbaijan, nuclear reactors, hydroelectric schemes, and wind-power plants have been built in the region. Metal ores such as iron, manganese, lead, zinc, copper, and
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^Gas
eld
AOil eld
120 e
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Power station
uranium are also mined here.
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have made this region aleading producer of energy. In 1990, aquarter of all the energy used in the USSR came from
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E U R O P E ♦ U K R A I N E , M O L D O VA , A N D T H E C A U C A S I A N R E P U B L I C S
1 I
H
K
THINGS
TO
LOOK
L
FOR
ON
FA R M I N G
M
THE
The Caucasus Mountains protect the three republics from cold northerly winds and allow farmers to cultivate many exotic crops that cannot be grown elsewhere in the region. Crops such as tea, vines.
MAP
Longest river: Dnieper, Russian Federation/ Belarus/Ukraine, 1,420 miles (2,285 km)
MapG5
nuts, tobacco, and cotton are sold
Highest point: Shkhara, Georgia, 17,071 ft (5,203 m) Map 012
to countries of the former USSR.
Cattle and sheep are grazed on the high mountain pastures.
Largest lake: L. Sevan, Armenia, 546 sq miles (1,414 sq km) Map Q14
&
A
'
Jan 1.9 in (47 mm) BOSNIA
MJuly 2.4 in (61 mm)
AND
2 i c a
YUGOSL/WIA
H E R Z E G O V I N A
Sombor l a d n
feadka Topola
vojvod’ina Zrenja^ 0 A T n
I
/ Banja Luka ^
Vr S a c
Doboj /
Jan 31 “F (-1°C)
' ' t A , ■^ ' * W s " .
July 68°F (20°C) Jan 2.6 in (66 mm) July 2.8 in (71 mm)
iELGRADEyA*
4
4
Zvornik
...
Arandelovac ^tika Plana
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vAoko«,% ,f '
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/ Pandevo
Gradanica
1 H K J t - Z E O O V WA
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Sarajevo, Bosnia
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lOuHanovo '
f .
Longest river: Sava,
.
and Herzegovina/Yugoslavia, 583 miles (938 km) Map G4
9
9,013 ft (2,747 m) MapJ8
> A.KAN
A
Largest lake: L. Scutari, Yugoslavia/Albania, maximum size 205 sq miles (531 sqkm) Map H7
the mountains that dominate this area, as shown here in
Montenegro. However, thin mountain soils are not well-suited
0
50 T
0
25
100
10
opje, Macedonia Jan 34°F (1°C)
150 km
T
50
75
July 73T (23°C) Jan 1.5 in (39 mm) July 1.1 in (29 mm)
100 niiUks
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Titov Vru, Macedonia,
coniferous trees cloak the slopes of
-
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Highest point:
Forests of deciduous and
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8
Ti t o v Ve l e s
Slovenia/Croatia/Bosnia
to agriculture and only in the fertile plains surrounding the Danube, are crops grown in large quantities. Arange of vegetables, such as cabbages, peppers, and beans, is grown there, while cattle graze on mountain pastures.
7 f . O
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ON THE MAP
LANDSCAPE
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KOSOVO, ^roSevac
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EUROPE
ssi
M A C E D O N I A
11
AND
BOSNIA
AND
HERZEGOVINA
Yugoslavia
Y U G O S L AV I A
When the eormer Yugoslavia broke up in 1991, the states of Serbia and Montenegro combined to form the new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Its capital city, Belgrade, lies on the Danube River, which winds its way across at farmland. The new country claimed to be the successor state of the former Yugoslavia,
TJERZEGOd^NA V
s
Y U G O S L AV I A
Capital city; Belgrade
and helped local Serbs ght in Croatia and
Area: 39,449 sq miles (102,173 sq km ) Population: 10,580,892 Of cial language: Serbian
Bosnia. Since the war ended, the future seems
People
more hopeful, and recent elections point
More than 60 percent of the people are Serbs, with Hungarians in the northern region of Vojvodina,
toward areturn to peaceful conditions.
Major religions: Christian 70%, Muslim 19%, other 11%
and Albanians in and around the
Industry in Yugoslavia
Government: Multiparty
Pancevo
Belgrade
democracy
i A ® = 0 =
Currency: Dinar
*
No gures available for remaining statistics BOSNIA
S
« ■
Kragujevac 4Chemical aMetallurgy ^Light engineering OHeavy engineering :(j; Electronics
AND
H E R Z E G O V I N A
Capital city: Sarajevo Area: 19,741 .sq miles (51,130 sq km)
*
Te x t i l e s
II
Food processing
9
A
O
Paracin
southern region of Kosovo. Most people speak Serbian, which can be written in two ways. Serbs write in the Cyrillic alphabet, as used for Russian. Croats write using the Roman alphabet, as used for English. Voting ballots, being handed in here, are printed in both versions.
Krusevac Green and DISHES
red peppers
Pharmaceuticals
Population; 4,200,000 Croat
WS^ grilled lamb with
Serbia was once the industrial heartland
of the former Yugoslavia, with extensive engineering, food, and textile industries. Reserves of coal, as well as hydroelectricity
50%, Muslim 40%, other 10%
Government; Multiparty
SERBIA
iHf in Serbia. Raznjici,
INDUSTRY
Major religions: Christian
OF
Awide variety of tasty dishes are eaten
Of cial language: Serbo-
sweet peppers, shown here, is usually served with abowl of yogurt. Meatballs
Raznjici is made with skewers of griiied lamb. Skewer
democraq'
from the Danube and Drina rivers,
served with onions and cream,
Currency: Bosnian dinar
provided power, while oil deposits in the
called cevapcki, and vegetables such as cabbage stuffed with meat, onions, herbs, and garlic, are all popular dishes.
north supplied one-third of oil needs.
No gures available for
However, tire pressure of sanctions has
remaining statistics
now severely damaged Serbian industry.
Bosnia and Herzegovina The TWIN state of Bosnia and Herzegovina
ETHNIC
CLEANSING
was the last of the former republics of Yugoslavia to declare independence, in 1992. For centuries,
Serbs ghting in Bosnia undertook apolicy of ethnic cleansing. This involved removing, or “cleansing,”
the area contained amixture of Muslim Bosnians,
Muslims and Croats from areas
Catholic Croats, and Orthodox Serbs, andjews. After independence, outbreaks of violence eventually led to acivil war. Although apeace treaty was signed in Dayton, Ohio, at the end of 1995, an uneasy peace
they inhabited alongside Serbs. Thousands of non-Serbs were
murdered. Others were frightened into leaving their homes and seeking safety in more welcoming countries. Many Muslims sought refuge in Germany and Turkey. Bosnian refugees in Europe 1995
prevails here.
Germany: 330,000 Sweden:
Tu r k e y : 36,800
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81, 124
aprimitive existence, often with no food, heat, or proper housing.
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86,445
B r e a k u p o f Yu g o s l a v i a :
killed. Those that remained led
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Muslim girls and women traditionally w e a r a h e a d s c a r f t o c o v e r t h e i r h a i r.
CITY OF SARAJEVO By 1990, the ancient town of Sarajevo had grown into alarge, modern city. But war exposed the city to Serb gun re from the surrounding ^hills, and many citizens were
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♦ Y U G O S L AV I A
EUROPE
Religions: 274-275 Danube river: 79
I
M A C K D O M A
*MACEDONIA
AND
ALBANIA
MACEDONIA The landlocked country of Macedonia has had astormy history and now faces many threats to its survival. Yugoslavia and Bulgaria both claim it is part of their culture, while Greece is sensitive to what happens to its neighbour. Outbreaks of
M A C E D O N I A
Capital city: Skopje Area: 9,929 sq miles (25,715 sq km) Population: 1,900,000
Of cial language: Macedonian
Major religions: Christian 86%, Muslim 14%
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: Dcnar No gures available for remaining statistics A L B A N I A
Capital city; Tirana Area: 11,100 sq miles (28,750 sq km) Population: 3,300,000
Of cial language:
v i o l e n c e h a v e o c c u r r e d b e t w e e n t h e d i ff e r e n t
ethnic groups within Macedonia. In this part of the Balkans, the warm climate allows the
carp
its location also means that fuel, machinery, and manufactured goods have to be imported.
Lakeland areas The mountainous area of southwestern Macedonia
Earthquakes
contains two of Europe's most
The capital city of Skopje
When the country had more
beautiful freshwater lakes.
is located where several s
tourists, visitors
geological fault lines meet, i
enjoy the scenery and visit the ancient towns along the shores.
earthquakes. In fact, earth | tremors in Skopje ar
&
Both lakes are teeming with
frequent, and the city has *
Major religions: Muslim
in its history. In 1963 an 3
70%, Christian 30%
earthquake registerin
Government; Multiparty democracy Currency: New lek
6.8 on the Richter scale
t
ocked to Lake
Ohrid, and to Lake Prespa, to
making it alikely place for J!
been destroyed four times d
No gures available for
Freshwater
cultivation of early fruit crops and industrial crops such as rice, cotton, and tobacco. However,
Albanian
remaining statistics
sh, particularly carp, trout, and eels, which are used for local
j
sh dishes. Colonies of
pelicans and cormorants also
feed on sh from Lake Prespa.
destroyed much of the city. Fortunately, the Turkish area, parts of which date from 1392, survived the destruction.
Albania
Employment in 1994 Jobs are scarce in Albania, and rates of pay are low. About two-thirds of those with jobs work in agriculture, while the rest work in industry or sen/ices, such as education. Recently, thousands of people
One of the poorest countries in Europe,
Albania is mostly rugged mountains. For much of its history, the country was ruled by the
have moved to
Greece or Italy to
Ottoman Turks, who withdrew in 1913 leaving
look for work.
no roads, railways, or industries. During this century, Albania has been ruled by afascist king a n d a c o m m u n i s t d i c t a t o r. S i n c e e l e c t i o n s i n FA M I LY
1991, the move toward democracy has been
^ A
marred by corruption, and unrest has forced
many Albanians to ee the country.
Sewices: Industry 1 8 %
2 6 %
Agriculture: 5 6 %
C O M M U N I S M
From 1944-198.5, .Mbania was led by the communist leader Enver Hoxha. Under his rule, Albania was cut off from the rest of
LIFE
Tlie family is an important part of Albanian life and, until recently, men were encouraged b) the state to father large families. From an early age, Albanians are taught the importance of the promised
word, Gown as besa. To break one’s word, in abusiness deal for
example, is considered adisgrace.
Europe. The borders with Yugoslavia and Greece were sealed, and no contact with Italy
was permitted. .Ml trade after 1960, through ports in Dunes and Vlore, was with China. The
Communists developed heavy industi-y at the expense of agriculture, leaving the coimtiy poor and undeveloped. This mural at Tirana Museum represents the people’s struggle.
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EUROPE
Find out mor
Earthquakes: 13 Hydroelectric power: 108 Mediterranean c;limate: 15 PolitiCjM. systems: 270-271
BULGARIA
Divided by the mighty Danube River, which
T O U R I S T AT T R A C T I O N S
Picturesque landscapes and colorful folk traditions make Romania popular with tourists. The legend of Count Dracula, from the forested region of Transylvania, shown here, attracts tourists
ows eastward along most of the shared border
to the Black Sea, Romania and Bulgaria have much in common. The most fertile land is found
rf,
in the valley of the Danube, while forests of oak,
who come to visit his castle. Black Sea beaches as well as mountain ski resorts cater to both summer and winter visitors.
pine, and r grow on the sides of the Carpathian and the Balkan mountains. For hundreds of
years. Black Sea ports, around areas such as to trade routes and they remain important for international shipping. A
B
ON D
E
F
G
I I
I
V
2
(2,850 km) MapFl Highest point: Musala, Bulgaria, 9,597 ft (2,925 m)
Jan 1.8 in (46 mm) July 2.1 in (53 mm)
Map FI
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ir Si
1
MAP
Germany/Austria/Hungary/ Yugoslavia/Romania/ Bulgaria, 1,771 miles
'M' July 73°F (23°C)
,
THE
Longest river: Danube,
^Jan 27”F (-3“C)
' . - t 0
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Bucharest, Romania
R O M A N L V
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THINGS TO LOOK FOR
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Constanta and Burgas, have provided access
3
Largest lake: L. Razim, Romania, 151 sq miles (390 sq km) Map L8
K R A 1 N E
(f
Satu Mare
A
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4
Suceava?
^Baia Mare
10
^acon%0‘
11 R h o d e s
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iSigns of Greece's rich classical past are revealed in its many ANCIENT
GREEK
HISTORY
ancient ruins, such as this
temple of Apollo at Delphi.
The remains of temples and other buildings from Greece’s long and complex history can still be seen today. From about 2000 BC,
Find
advanced civilizations existed on Crete and on
the mainland at Mycenae. By the 5th century BC, powerful city states emerged, including Athens and Sparta. Philosophers, mathematicians,
A
out
more
European union: 81, 273
a;
S
Mediterranean landscape: 79 Orthodox
architects, and dramadsts contributed to arich
church:
274
Wine making: 99 «
culture that spread around the Mediterranean.
I 131
A S I A :
ASIA
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Stretching from the frozen Arctic to the
A,.;
hot Equator, Asia is by far the world’s largest
2
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and most mountainous continent. Much of
the land is barren, with vast, empty^ deserts in southwest and central Asia, and the remote,
windswept plateau of Tibet to the north of the Himalayan mountains. Asia also has some of the world’s most fertile plains and valleys beside rivers that include the Mekong, Indus, and Euphrates. In Southeast Asia, the land is mainly mountainous or covered in tropical rain forests that are teeming with wildlife. Away from the mainland,
3
Siberia
4
Most of Siberia, the Asian part of Russia, is bitterly cold in w i n t e r. I n t h e n o r t h l i e s t h e
tundra, where part of the soil
k>
of the last Ice Age. Beneath its surface there are vast supplies
side of the Equator,
o f m i n e r a l s . To t h e s o u t h l i e s
as
6
the world’s largest coniferous
of islands, many of them volcanic.
o 5
has been frozen since the end
ittered on either lie thousands
Jnqpic^F
forest. This cold forest makes
way for adry grassland area, known as steppe, which forms Russia’s main farming region.
Highest temperature: Tirat Zevi, Israel, 129°F (54'’C)
(rgJ 7 K H J R G H I Z S T E P P E
V
THE
-■
YA N G T Z E
RIVER
From its source in the Tanggula Mountains on the plateau of Tibet, the Yangtze River ows through mountainous land for most of its course. On its nal stages, it follows the southern edge of the Great Plain of China until it reaches the East China Sea. In the
atter
areas, the Yangtze .supplies water for irrigation. In the past, ooding has caused thousands of deaths. ABactrian
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I R A N I A N P L AT E A U
camels has
CENTRAL DESERTS Unlike most deserts, the Ta k l a M a k a n a n d G o b i in central Asia have hot
%
summers, but extremely cold winters. Much of .j
their landscape is made ' up of bare rock, with
B I A J ^
huge expanses of shifting sand. Vegetation is sparse except in river valleys, as shown here in the Takla Makan.
Some animals, including wild camels, can survive cold winters in the Gobi.
f . n k s h a d v
T h E H I M A L AYA S The Himalayas, right, form amassive land barrier between the Indian Subcontinent
and Tibet. The range is permanently snowcapped and contains the world’s highest peak. Mount Everest. The mountains began to form about 50 million years ago when amoving plate, carrying the Subcontinent, began to push against the Eurasian plate. When the plates collided, the edge of the Indian plate was forced under the Eurasian plate, and the seabed in between was folded up to form the Himalayas.
EURASIAN P L AT E A
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A S I A
250 500 750 1000 1250 km
Lowest temperature:
PENINSULA
Wrangel I. C H U K C H I SEA
i O L O Y
I B E R I A L
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K A Z A K H UPLANDS
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LOOK
FOR
MAP
3
Area: 17,251,315 sq miles (44,680,718 sq km) Highest point: Mt. Everest, China/Nepal, 29,029 ft (8,848 m) Map HI I
j
Longest river: Yangtze, China, 3,430 miles
(5,520 km) Map KIO Largest lake: Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan/Iran/ Tu r k m e n i s t a n / K a z a k h s t a n / Russian Federation,
%
146,101 sq miles (378,400 sq km) Map D8 Largest island: Borneo, 286,969 sq miles (743,250 sq km) Map K14
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The ring of
Rnrnp.n
re
Volcanoes erupt so often on the rim of
,C
land and islands around the Paci c that the ' . i n e a B A N D A
1
A R A F U R A S E A
region is called the “Ring of Fire.” The most famous eruption took place in 1883, when the volcanic island of Krakatoa, west of Java, erupted. The explosion was so loud it was heard in Australia. In 1928, anew volcano burst into life on the island. It was named
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Anak Krakatoa, meaning “son of Krakatoa.
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Peoples oe asia i
n.
t \ i , , L w a
ta?! J
OfALLTHECONTINENTS,Asiahasthelargestpopulation with the greatest variety of cultures. The history of civilization here stretches back for many thousands of years. Cities and writing, the development of which are closely connected, rst appeared in Asia. More than 5,000 years ago the earliest cities, such as Babylon, emerged in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, an area that is now known as Mesopotamia. Today, Asia contains two-thirds of the world’s population, much of which is concentrated in the
'
A ■J
t':
stone reliefs in Persepolis, capital of the ancient Persian Empire E A R LY
C I V I L I Z AT I O N S
The world’s earliest civilizations grew up around river valleys in Asia in an area known as the fertile crescent, which stretches in an arc from the Persian Gulf to the
Mediterranean Sea. Many cities here can trace their history back for several thousand years.
southern and eastern regions of the continent. Although most of the people are farmers, city populations are growing very rapidly.
G
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Population: approximately 3,497,760,000 people {This gure includes the whole of
R
S ; ) 1 I
the Russian Federation.) Number of countries: 48
U
S
S
I
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N
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A
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I
O
N
●) 1
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Largest country: Russian Federation -the Asian part covers 5,190,909 sq miles (13,444,468 sq km)
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K A Z A K H S T A N M O N G O L I A
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populated country:
Mongolia, 4people per sq mile (1 per sq km)
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S A U D I A R A B I A
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Smallest
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Andaman
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-ong (UK)
Most densely populated country:
Hong Kong, 15,017 people per sq mile (5,798 per sq km)
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(Ind)
116 sq miles (300 sq km)
P H I L I P P I N E S
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LANKA
aUys\
i R U N E I
M A L D I V E S a
;INGAP0RE
EMPTY
PLAINS
Although Asia has ahuge population,
many areas are hardly peopled at all. At just \, 4people per sq mile (1 per sq km), Mongolia has the world’s lowest population density.
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ASIA
Growing cities
Population density
P O P U L AT I O N
Alarge proportion of Asia’s population still lives in the countryside as farmers, but the number living in cities is rising steeply. The largest cities in Asia now have populations of more than 10 million. These super-cities, along with many other cities in the continent, are destined to grow even faster as people move from the countryside to towns.
The gures on the
Large areas of the Middle East and central Asia are empty wilderness, unsettled by people
chart show the number
of people per sq mile (per sq km). Countries outside Asia are included as a
Bangladesh: 830(2,150)
China:
capital, New Delhi. India is one of the world's most densely populated countries.
because of their extreme
dryness or cold temperatures. Most of the population is concentrated in the fertile river
comparison.
This crowded street scene is in India's
DENSITY
W o r l d ;124(321)
valleys and coastal lowlands of south and east Asia. Apart from the two island city-states of Hong Kong and Singapore, Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in Asia with 2,150 people per sq mile (830 per sq km).
O m a n
LARGEST CITIES IN ASIA
Tokyo, Japan
18,1 million
Shanghai, China Calcutta, India
13.4 million
Bombay, India
11 . 2 m i l l i o n
Seoul, South Korea
11 . 8 m i l l i o n
11 m i l l i o n ABedouin man in Jordan
may have more than one wife and many children .
Population
growth
Two out of every three people in the world live in Asia. Seven of the world’s ten most populated countries are located here, with China and India
heading the list. Between them these two countries account for about 40 percent of the world’s population. In mainland China astrictly enforced government policy to restrict family size to just
In China, afamily with just one child receives
one child has slowed the rate of
free education and a
population growth, but elsewhere in the continent it is still very high. By the year 2000, India’s population
housing allowance
will have risen to over 1billion and
Indonesia’s will be over 220 million.
4^.-- fctfr -.
RfVER
VA L L E Y S
The rst peoples settled in fertile river valleys where they could grow crops. They built irrigation systems to channel water from rivers to the crops. Today, rivers are still important to the people of southern and eastern Asia. In addition to irrigation, rivers are used for shing and for drinking, and are dammed to produce hydroelectric power. Rivers often provide acountry’s main means of transportation, and some
World’s top rice-growing countries (1991) Vietnam:
Rice
4%
Other: 20%
Thailand:
China:
4 %
36%
Half the world’s population depends on rice as a .principal source of food, so arice shortage can cause
\terrible famine. This plant, native to Southeast Asia, has been cultivated in the region for at least 7,000
^years. In recent decades, new varieties of rice have India: 21%
/been developed to help feed Asia’s growing population. These new strains of rice are part of the “Green Revolution,” which applies scienti c knowledge to plant
Bangladesh:
are the focus around which
breeding and uses technology to increase productivity.
Indonesia: 9%
countries have grown up.
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-SKsv
ASIA
Peoples oe asia ii Althoughsomeasiancountries,suchasJapanand China, have been independent for along time, others have only recently emerged from colonization. At the start of this century, much of the Middle East, the whole Indian Subcontinent, and large areas of Southeast Asia were controlled
by European powers. Nationalist movements grew up across Asia and the countries regained their independence. Many countries here have had very fast economic growth. Together with the recent pressures for change, this means that societies across the region are now evolving rapidly.
The
former
I N D E P E N D E N C E
Each year, many countries in the region celebrate
their freedom from colonial rule in independence day celebrations, like those in Pakistan shown above. Some countries, such as India, gained their independence through peaceful protest, while erce ghting occurred in others, such as Myanmar. These countries are now struggling to forge a sense of national unity.
USSR
This map shows the former USSR and the 15 republics that it divided up into. o
USSR (Much of this area is now the Russian Federation.)
Breakup The Soviet Union, or USSR,
was the world’s largest nation. However, in 1991, the USSR split up into 15 republics, which set up their own governments. Nine of the republics are in Europe and the other six are in Asia. They are no longer part of alarge, centralized economy, and so are struggling to compete in a world market. The USSR’s collapse also freed some eastern European countries from Soviet control. Chechnya's capitai, Grozny, was heavily bombed by the Russian Federation in 1994. WORLD
RELIGIONS
Ethnic groups
Asia was the birthplace religions, including
Fighting between ethnic groups is still continuing in several parts of the former
Hinduism, Buddhism,
USSR. The Russian Federation, for
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Religious beliefs still have astrong in uence on the people of the region today. Religions often emphasize modesty
example, includes some regions where the Russian population is in the minority and greater numbers of people belong to native ethnic groups. In Chechnya, only about a third of the population is Russian. Since the breakup
of all the main world
in wealth and the
importance of donating to charity for spiritual
of the USSR, the Chechens
reward rather than
have been ghting for independence. However,
any personal gain.
the Russian Federation This temple is in Thailand, where
/Most young
Buddhism is the
is not prepared to grant independence to any of
main religion.
these territories. It could
lead to the breakup
men in Thailand live in a
of Russia itself.
monastery as monks for afew months.
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Pressures for change In Asian societies today, traditional rural ways of life and religious beliefs con ict with an increasingly money-oriented society, in uenced by the West. As Asian societies become more open to Western in uences, so the
pressures on traditional ways of life will intensify. Societies react to pressures for change in different ways. In Iran, for example, religious leaders \dolently opposed the growing in uence of Western ideas, leading to the setting up of arepublic based
OIL
These Islamic fundamentalists in Iran were supporting the government of Ayatollah Khomeini.
4
MIDDLE
EAST
of all the natural gas occur here. Countries have become wealthy through the export of oil and natural gas throughout the world. New cities have sprung up, such as Dubai (shown above), and foreign workers have arrived in great numbers.
under Ayatollah Khomeini. The in uence of the US and
THE
transformed their fortunes. More than half the world’s known reserves of crude oil and athird
on traditional Islamic values
capitalism can be seen on the streets of Tokyo, in Japan.
AND
Before oil was discovered, many desert countries in the Middle East were very poor. Oil has
Shaded areas
Asia’s tiger economies
on the map show Southeast
Asia's newly industrializing countries.
:EA
lONG KONG,
LITTLE TA I WA N
c? WESTERN
PHILIPPINES
INFLUENCE
In some societies, change happens gradually and without violent demonstrations. In Japan, for example, economic development was seen by its rulers as away of avoiding becoming dependent on European nations. Japan has therefore accepted Western capitalism while still managing to preserve many traditional Japanese values. Even China, so long closed to Western ideas, is now beginning to embrace capitalism.
AfLAND
MALAYSIA 's
TIGERS
In the last 20 years, following in the footsteps ofjapan, the economies of many Southeast Asian countries have developed at arapid pace. Because of the speed and dynamism of economic growth, these newly industrializing countries have been nicknamed the “Little Tigers.” Cheap and plentiful labor, along with very strict governments that sti e any unrest, have encouraged foreign investment and the development of manufacturing industries.
Kazakh people in northern China outside atent known as ayurt Women
Role of women
in
the
workforce
This chart shows the
Women’s lives differ hugely over such alarge condnent, in uenced by each nation’s culture, religion, and politics.
percentage of men and women in the workforce in
92%
ve
countries. 75%
In some areas, such as in India and the Islamic countries
of the Middle East, the vast
majority of the workforce
54%
i s m a l e . Ye t I s l a m i c w o m e n in Southeast Asian countries
such as Indonesia often work
I
outside the home. In other
areas, such as communist NOMADIC
China
EXISTENCE
The collapse of the USSR has led to arevival of traditional ways of life among the nomads of central Asia. Goods that were made in factories,
and
such as felt, which is used to line the inside of nomads’ tents, ceased to be
available and now have to be made by hand using traditional methods. The same is true when it comes to moving. In recent years, many nomads have moved their belongings around in vehicles, but gasoline is now in very short supply, so nomads have returned to using camels and horses.
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and
the
North
former
Korea
republics of the USSR, women make up a large proportion of the workforce and carry out most
household
chores.
7 i ff
38%
communist
31% 25%
North Japan Indonesia India)Saudi Korea
Arabia
ASIA
♦RUSSIAN
F E D E R AT I O N
s
E
Russian
k:'
Perm
Jan 2°F (-17°C) July 65°F (19°C)
R U S S I A N
Stretching across two continents -
B
Europe and Asia -and extending halfway around the globe, the Russian Federation is by far the largest country in the world. Because of the bitterly cold climate and harsh living conditions, this vast land is sparsely populated. However, Russia has areas of fertile land, rich mineral deposits,
C
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G
federation
?r
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D
F E D E R A T I O N
Janl.6 in (40 mm) July 3.5 in {89 mm
St. Petersburg Jan 14”F (-10°C) July63“F {17°0
't'.
Jan 1.4 in (35 mm ) July 2.8 in (72 mm) Murnransk* s K O L A
BARENTS
SEA
and abundant natural resources. The
I
country was once the head of apowerful
s
communist state, the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). After the collapse of communism in 1991, many parts of the old Soviet Union declared independence. The government of the newly formed
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struggling to establish aWesternstyle democracy and economy.
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Russian Federation is now S '
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S
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Surrounded by high red-brick walls, the Kremlin (fortress) contains four gilt-
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,
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FOR
MAP
Longest river: Lena, 2,648 miles
(4,261 km) MapN Highest point: KJyuchevsk, 15,585 ft
(4,750 m) Map T Largest lake; Baikal, 12,150 sq miles
(31,468 sq km) Map M
ii'
World’s largest straits: Tatar Strait, 497 miles (800 km) long Map S9
1
I J l
i-% VOLGA
Political change The Moscow Kremlin re ects the
northwest of Moscow and
I ows 2,193 miles (3,530 km)
changing political face of Russia. Once the home of the tsars (emperors), who ruled Russia for many centuries, it later became the headquarters of the world’s rst communist government in 1917. The government created the USSR, which became an industrial and military superpower, but at great cost to its people. The communist state collapsed in 1991, and the Kremlin is now the symbolic home of
Mtsouthward to the Caspian
■■'J 'ISea. The Volga is th most important inland a* waterway in Russia. Hundreds of ships use it every day to transport goods to vast industrial
^sites that lie alongside the 'river. Six huge dams have created astring of reservoirs providing water and electricity for the people who live on or near its banks.
the new rulers of the Russian Federation.
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RIVER
The mighty Volga River rises
ASIA
♦RUSSIAN
F E D E R AT I O N
K
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Pioner ^ October ^ Revolution
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Israeli leaders, giving Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which represents the
A
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kStrip. In 1967, Israel captured and reached between Arab and /
●
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Many went to live in the neighboring Arab
M,occupied these areas. Recently, peace agreements have been
A
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were driven from their homes and land.
Israeli settlements \
y
●Major cities
A
below sea level. Salt deposits rise up like pillars out of the water. No sh can live there, which is how the
lake got its name. Mud from the shore of the Dead Sea is said to
have healing properties.
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ASIA ♦THE MIDDLE EAST I
ASIA ♦THE MIDDLE EAST I
A
B
C
D
E
Haifa, Israel
1
Jan57°F(14°C) July 82”F (28”C) Jan 6.9 in (175 mm; Inly 0in (0 mm 2
3 L E B A N O N
4 THINGS ON
5
TO
LOOK
THE
FOR
MAP
Longest river; Euphrates, Iraq/Syria/Turkey, 1,749 miles (2,815 km) MapK Highest point: Mt. Qornet es Saouda, Lebanon, 10,127 ft
B E I R 1
I S R A E L
S Y R I A
(3,087 m) MapF 6
Dayr az Zawr, Syna
Largest lake: Dead Sea, Israel/ Jordan/West Bank, 405 sq miles (1,049 sq km) Map E
D A M A s r ; i y 5 5
Jan 44"F (7°C) July 92"F (34°C)
G O Z v LV
SHEIGHTS
J a n 1 .6 in (41 mm) July 0in (0 mm)
World’s oldest walled town:
Jericho, West Bank Map E8
Dar‘a
●
As Suwayda'
7
A1Mafraq* Petah 1iht M o s u l
^6'7 ” ●i
p
Qazvtn ●
Kara
^Sanandaj
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Jan 1.8 in (46 mm) July 0.1 in (3 mm)
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s ■
QoHeh-ye-Damavand
Bakhtaran
Mashhad^
^Scmnan
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KUWAIT
^ S f f T- E K AV I R :■!» B A H R A I N
r* Kerman
●
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^Id
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Zahedan* UNITED ARAB EaMIRATES
._/az M m: Salt Lake
75 c n
4Su
-
OMAN
S C A T
SAUDI ARABIA
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 10
Jan 58°F (15°C) July 93°F (34°C) Jan 0.1 in (3 mm) July 0in (0 mm)
11 y i : m e n
0
12
A1
Miikha
Muslims, the followers of Islam, believe in one God, Allah, and in Mohammed,
his prophet. Mohammed was born in Mecca, in modern-day Saudi Arabia. The Muslims’ holy book is the Koran, which contains Allah’s teachings as revealed to Mohammed. Adevout Muslim reading the Koran
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0
ASIA ♦THE MIDDLE EAST II
CITIES
The Middle East has some of the most rapidly growing cities in the world. This is because of the enormous wealth brought to the region by the discovery of oil and by the growth in population. These large cities are built along the lines of many modem cities in Western countries, with high-rise apartment and of ce buildings of glass, steel, and concrete.
ASIA ♦IRAQ
IRAQ
Iraq
This ziggurat is in Ur, once athriving city in Mesopotamia.
Iraq is one of the largest and most
L
i
IRAQ Capital city: Baghdad Area: 169,235 .sq miles (438,320 sq km) Population: 19,335,199
Of cial language: Arabic Major religions: Muslim 97%, other 3%
Government: One-party dictatorship Currency: Iraqi dinar Adult literacy rate: 62% Life expectancy: 66 years
powerful countries in the Middle East. Most of its people are Muslim and Arabic speaking. There are also around 4million Kurds living in the north. Apart from the fertile plains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, most of Iraq is mountainous or covered in desert. Only about asixth of the country is suitable for farming and much of Iraq’s food is imported. Since Iraq became arepublic in 1958, it has experienced great political unrest. During the 1980s abitter war was fougbt against Iran, and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait led to the Gulf War
(1990-91) and to intervention
The fertile crescent extends
through Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Into northern Egypt. M E S O P O TA M I A
Many ancient peoples settled in Mesopotamia (part of which is now Iraq) because it lay in the fertile crescent of land formed by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The area has many ancient ruins, including stepped, pyramidlike structures called ziggurats, found at Babylon and Ur. The steps led to atemple at the top.
by an international force.
People per doctor: 1,810
Saddam hussein Since 1979, Iraq has been
Televisions: 72 per 1,000 people
ruled by Saddam Hussein. Under his dictatorship, many ordinary Iraqis, especially the Kurds, have suffered badly. The government is backed by the army and the secret , service, which help
prevent any politica I opposition. Saddam’s / invasion of Kuwait jWU
some
Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, lies
countries, and led
on the banks of the Tigris River. It
to Iraq’s isolation
is the largest city in Iraq and the country’s center of business and government. Acity of contrasts, it is amixture of ancient mosques,
modern high-rise buildings, and packed bazaars. Baghdad has been acenter of Islamic culture
for more than athousand years.
Iraq’s most important natural resources are oil and natural gas. Oil production began on alarge scale in 1945 and now dominates
was condemned by the West and by B A G H D A D
Piping oil
the economy. Because Iraq has only ashort stretch of coastline along the Persian Gulf, it relies on pipelines through Turkey, Syria, and Saudi Arabia to export its oil.
Arab
in world affairs.
The Marsh Arabs wind their way The huts, or mudhifs, are made of reeds
bound tightly together.
Marsh Arabs The Marsh Arabs have hunted and
shed
in the marshes of southern Iraq for more
than 5,000 years. Today, their lifestyle is threatened by
the government’s decision ( to drain the marshes, using the water for growing crops. The unique emironment
and
wildlife of the
Find
marshes will also
drainage plans continue.
The white pelican is one rare species of bird that makes its
Jhe reed huts are
Dictatorship: 271 Kurds: 144
built on platforms
h o m e i n t h e m a r s h l a n d s i n w i n t e r.
made of mud.
On.: 137, 152, 281
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more
Ancient SITES: 134
vanish if the
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out
I r a n Iran is the largest NON-ARAB country in the Middle East; its people are Persian in origin. In ancient times, Iran was called Persia, and it was at the center of agreat empire. The Persian Minaret
ilanguage has survived from that time and is spoken by
Imost Iranians. The country consists of ahuge, central plateau ringed by the Zagros and Elburz I R A N
mountains. In 1979, tbe last Shah, or
Capital city: Tehran
Population: 61,600,000
king, of Iran was overthrown by an Islamic revolution and the country was declared a republic. Today, oil is Iran’s biggest export.
Of cial language: Farsi Major religions: Muslim
Mosque
Area: 636,293 sq miles (1,648,000 sq km)
99%, other 1%
Mosques are Muslim places of worship. All mosques have at least one tall tower, or minaret, from which the faithful are called to prayer. Many mosques are beautifully decorated with abstract patterns and verses from the Koran, the ,holy book of Islam. Artists avoid representing living things because Muslims believe nothing
Government: Islamic
republic Currency: Iranian rial Adult literacy rate: 56% Life expectancy: 67 years People per doctor: 3,140 Televisions: 65 per 1,000 people
*should be worshiped apart from God, and that HGod is the only creator of life.
QANAT IRRIGATION Less than half of the Iranian countryside is suitable
for farming, and then only if it is well irrigated, or watered. Traditional irrigation methods include dams, wells, and qanats. Aqanat is an underground channel that transports water from asource to an area that can be farmed. Some qanats are more than 25 miles (40 km) long. The wells are used as ventilation and
repair shafts, as well as to draw water.
Shepherds leading their ock of sheep through the Elburz Mountains
In recent years, Iran has tried to become less dependent on food imports and has started growing more crops, such as cereals, tea, and cotton. Herds of cattle, sheep, and goats continue to be kept by many farming families.
i
kvV
"1-
A G R I C U LT U R E
Islamic fundamentalists carrying posters of Ayatollah Khomeini
The ayatollah Ayatollah Khomeini was a key gure in the Iranian
Rainwater runs down
and seeps into the
ground.
The water
ows along an underground channel that
slopes gently downward.
Aseries of wells
are used to dig
Asettlement often
revolution and remained
grows up near the mouth of aqanat
Iran’s political and religious
the channel and then to draw water from it.
PERSIAN
Persian carpets. Each consists of thousands of pieces of wool knotted into elaborate patterns. The weavers always make adeliberate mistake in their work because, as Muslims, they believe that nothing is perfect except God. Carpets are Iran’s second largest export, after oil.
I
Y
Graceful patterns f
of
This woman is weaving a carpet on avertical loom.
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owers and leaves
combined with abstract shapes are afeature of Persian carpets.
155 fl
leader until his death in
1989. The Shah had tried to introduce Western ideas to
Iran, but Khomeini wanted
the country to be governed by traditional Islamic laws
CARPETS
Iran is famous for its handwoven
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ASIA ♦IRAN
and values. His ideas still dominate
Iran.
Find out mor
Carpet making: 144, 165, 210 Irrigation: 156, 217 Islam: 275 Political swtems: 270
O
Saudi Arabia
'
Saudi Arabia is by far the largest country in S A U D I AHARt.A
SAUDI ARABIA
Capital city: Riyadh Area: 829,995 sq miles (2,149,690 sq km) Population: 15,431,000
Of cial language: Arabic Major religion: Muslim
the Arabian Peninsula. Some 90 percent of this Muslim nation is covered by the hot, dry, sandy Arabian Desert, including the vast Rub‘Al Khali, or Empty Quarter, in the south. There are no permanent rivers, and years may pass without any rainfall. The discovery of huge oil reserves has made Saudi Arabia extremely rich and powerful, and has enabled it to develop and improve its
industry, agriculture, and standard of living.
100%
O P E C
Saudi Arabia has the largest oil reserves in the world. Oil accounts for almost 90 percent of the country’s exports. Saudi Arabia is akey member of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). OPEC sets guidelines for the production and export of oil, and protects the interests of its member countries.
Government: Absolute
monarchy
Currency: Saudi riyal
Mecca
Adult literacy rate: 64%
Mecca, the birthplace of the prophet Mohammed and the holiest city of Islam, is in the west of Saudi Arabia. Each year, more than amillion pilgrims from all
Life expectancy: 69 years People per doctor: 660 Televisions: 269 per 1,000 people
over the world
women
wear
ock to Mecca to visit the
sacred Ka’ba shrine in the Great Mosque. Muslims are expected to undertake the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once
Many Islamic a
veil, or burqa
in their lives. a - .
The Ka'ba stands on the remains of an ancient shrine, which, according to the Koran (the Muslim holy book), was built by Abraham. WAT E R I N G
Women’s role
and unsuitable for
growing food. Farmers rely on irrigation to water
Itheir Recent elds.
projects have been so
traditional Muslim dress, with
successful that farmers
along robes and veils covering 3their heads and faces. In Saudi IArabia, women are not allowed
.can now grow melons,
^tomatoes, wheat, and ^barley in the desert.
'! to work with men nor to drive
■|\ Disk-shaped elds are crea
Icars, although every girl has
8by sprinklers that rotate to
Ithe right to agood education.
For centuries. Bedouin
Camels are ideally
ABedouin tent is
suited to desert life
made from long strips of tightly woven goat hair.
and are highly valued by the Bedouin.
LAND
Aland is scrubby, barren,
estricted lives by Western standards. Many women wear
The bedouin
THE
Much of Saudi Arabia’s
Women in Saudi Arabia and some other Muslim countries live
Swater the land. The tent is divided
Modern Bedouin use cars and
into male and
trucks for transportation as well as camels and horses.,
female quarters.
nomads have roamed the deserts of Saudi Arabia in search of food and water for their animals. Some Bedouin are
camel herders; others
keep sheep and goats. The Bedouin
traditionally live in tents that are light and easy to transport. Today, their way of life is endangered because the government is encouraging people to settle in towns
Bedouin
and cities.
camels and horses.
Find women
weave tent cloth.
drapes, and cushion covers, and saddle
bags for their
Long, loose-titting robes protect the skin U from sun, and keep the body cool during the day.
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ASIA ♦SAUDI ARABIA
out
more
Desert nomads: 181, 209 Deserts: 13, 132, 152 Islam: 275
Oil: 137, 152, 281
A S I A ♦ K U W A I T, B A H R A I N , A N D Q ATA R
O
K u w a i t
'
K U W A I T
Kuwait lies at the northern end of the Persian Gulf. It is asmall country, largely covered by sandy desert. Huge oil reserves have made Kuwait rich, and oil re ning has become its chief industry. In 1990, at the start of the Gulf War, Kuwait was occupied by Iraq. It was liberated in 1991 by
B.AHRAIN.
QATAR.
K U W A I T
Capital city: Kuwait
an international force.
Kuwait ’swealth
Of cial language: Arabic
Until the discovery of oil in the 1940s, Kuwait was apoor, underdeveloped country. The wealth gained by selling
Major religions: Muslim 85%, other 15% Government: Absolute
oil has transformed it into one of the
monarchy with parliament Currency: Kuwaiti dinar
most prosperous nations in the
world. Its people enjoy ahigh jA standard of living, with fre Q ® '
Adult literacy rate: 74% Life expectancy: 75 years
education, free health care and social services, and no income tax W k m '
People per doctor: 690 Televisions: 271 per 1,000 people
m S*;.
P O L L U T I O N
Kuwait suffered badly during its invasion by Iraq. Many of its oil wells were set on re, causing enormous damage to the economy and the environment. Ahuge slick of oil spilled into the Gulf, poisoning the water and killing wildlife. Abandoned ammunition and unexploded mines littered the desert. The cleaning up process continues today.
Area: 6,880 sq miles (17,820 sq km) Population: 2,212,000
V,
Kuwait's wealth is re ected in
its impressive buiidings, such as these water towers that
M
u
dominate Kuwait City's skyline.
B A H R A I N
B a h r a i n
Capital city: Manama Area: 263 sq miles (680 sq km) Population: 518,000 Of cial language: Arabic
Bahrain is made up of asmall group of
Major religions: Muslim
islands in the Persian Gulf. Little rain falls,
85%, Christian 7%, other 8%
so farming is only possible on irrigated, or watered, land. Bahrain was one of the
Government: Absolute
monarchy Currency: Bahrain dinar
oil reserves are now running out.
Adult literacy rate: 79% Life expectancy: 71 years
Linked islands
PEARLING
People per doctor: 930
The main island of Bahrain is linked
As Bahrain’s oil runs low, traditional
Televisions: 414 per 1,000 people
industries, such as pearling, are once again growing in importance. The pearl season lasts from June to September. Divers descend on weighted ropes, equipped only with nose-plugs, knives, and collecting bags. The most valuable pearls are bright white, tinged with pink.
Q ATA R Capital city: Doha Area: 4,247 sq miles (11,000 sq km) Population: 500,000 Major religions: Muslim 95%, other 5%
Qatar
Government: Absolute
monarchy
Currency: Qatar riyal Adult literacy rate: 76%
Qatar is along peninsula of
land jutting out into the Persian Gulf It is mainly desert with a hot, dry climate. Oil production and re ning form the basis of its economy. The government is trying to encourage the growth of shing and agriculture to reduce the country’s dependence on oil.
Life expectancy: 70 years People per doctor: 530 Televisions: 445 per 1,000
people
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by aseries of road causeways to the neighboring islands of A1 Muharraq
A
and Sitrah, and to the Saudi Arabian mainland, with which Bahrain has
close relations. Bahrain island is only 30 miles (48 km) long, and the other
Apearl taken from an oyster shell.
Of cial language: Arabic
fi
rst
Arab states to discover oil in the 1930s. Its
islands are even smaller.
An Indian
WORKERS
construction
In the 1940s, the smaller oil states such as
worker
Qatar and Kuwait encouraged workers from other parts of the Middle East, India, and Pakistan to work in their rapidly growing oil
FROM
ABROAD
industries. Their own labor forces were
simply too small to cope. Today, these migrant workers outnumber the local Qatari people.
Find out mor Deserts: 15, 132, 152 Gulf war: 152, 154 Irrigation: 155, 156, 217 Oil: 137, 152, 281
O
E M I R AT E S A N D
OMAN
United arab emirates
'
I
XHEUNITEDARABEMIRATES(UAE)liesonthesouthern coast of the Persian Gulf. Three-quarters of this U A E
O M A N
2 UNITED
ARAB
E M I R AT E S
Capital city: Abu Dhabi Area: 32,278 sq miles
(83,600 sq km Population: 1,630,000
Islamic country is sandy desert, with ahot, dry climate all year round. Only atiny proportion of the land is suitable for farming and most food has to be imported. Oil was discovered in 1958 and has turned the UAE into one of
the world’s most prosperous countries, with a high standard of living for most people. There are many huge oil re neries along the coast.
I
Of cial language: .Arabic
Abu Dhabi
Major religions: Muslim
T O U R I S M
96%, other 4%
The UAE has agrowing tourist industry. Some 50,000 people arrive each year, mainly from Europe and Japan. Most visit in
Government: Federation of monarchies
Currency: UAE dirham Adult literacy rate: no gures available
Seven states The United Arab Emirates is a
federation of seven small states, or
emirates, each ruled by an emir, or sheik. The emirs have absolute power over their own states, but they also meet regularly to make decisions affecting the whole federation. Abu Dhabi is the largest of the emirates and its capital is also that of the UAE.
winter when it is warm, but not too hot. Attractions
Life expectancy: 71 years People per doctor: 1,020
include luxury hotels and duty-free shops, traditional
Televisions: 110 per 1,000 people
markets,
ne beaches, and
trips into the desert. Al Mamza Beach Park, Dubai
O M A N
Capital city: Muscat Area: 82,030 sq miles (212,460 sq km)
Islamic festivals
Government: Absolute
The two most important festivals of the Islamic year are Id al-Fitr and Id alAdha. Id al-Fitr literally means “the breaking of the fast.” It celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramadan, during
monarchy
which Muslims must fast from
Currency: Omani rial
dawn to dusk. Id al-Adha is the
Adult literacy rate: 41 % Life expectancy: 69 years
festival of sacri ce. Prayers are followed by the sacri ce of a sheep, cow, or camel.
Population: 1,618,000
Of cial language: Arabic Major religion: Muslim 100%
People per doctor: 1,060
Televisions: 755 per 1,000 people
AMusiim famiiy ceiebrating Id al-Fitr (ieft) The feast consists of typicai Middie Eastern foods, such as those shown on the right.
Apricots and dates Dried apricots
Lentiis are used
to make soups.
LOST
Oil is Oman’s
^Fishing iK The Oman coasdine is 1,056 miles food. Omani
shermen catch
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tted with outboard
motors for greater speed. 1 5 8
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SANDS
border. Some experts believe that this is the lost city of Ubar.
(1,700 km) long, and shing is a
canoes
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THE
valuable source of income and
ianchovies, cutde and cod, sh.
shermen
OF
a b o u t 3 0 0 0 B C n e a r t h e Ye m e n
They use traditional dugout
Omani
CITY
Archaeologists have excavated awatering hole and the remains of acity dating from
^large amounts of sardines, tuna,
main export.
eaten with amain
sands of southern Oman.
Much of the land is desert, dotted with oases, but
People also raise goats, sheep, and cattle.
Zucchini is often
lies buried under the desolate
southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
limes, tobacco, and wheat.
appetizers.
According to Arabian legend, amagni cent city called Ubar
The sultanate (kingdom) of OMAN lies on the parts of the coastline are more fertile. Here farmers grow dates, pomegranates,
are often eaten as
meat dish.
Oman
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ASIA ♦UNITED ARAB
Find out mor
Deserts: 15, 132, 152 Islam: 275
Oil: 137, 152, 281 Oil wealth: 137,278
YEMEN
Ye m e n The COUNTRY OF YEMEN was formed in 1990 w h e n N o r t h a n d S o u t h Ye m e n w e r e r e u n i t e d .
Yemen lies at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. It is more fertile than other
Y E M E N
Capital city: San’a Area: 203,850 sq miles (527,970 sq km) Population: 12,533,000 Of cial language: Arabic Major religions: Muslim 97%, other 3%
Middle Eastern countries, with good farmland in the western highlands where there is regular rainfall. The coast and mountains of the east are hot, dry, and barren. Yemen is apoorer, less developed country than its neighbors, although the discovery of oil in the 1980s may help increase its prosperity in the future.
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: Yemen riyal
T r a d i t i o n a l Ye m e n i
The upper oors are used as living quarters.
tower houses are
Adult literacy rate: 41 %
scattered throughout
Life expectancy: 52 years
the terraced hills.
THE
PORT
OF
ADEN
Aden is one of the biggest cities in Yemen and the country’s main port. Because of its location on the Gulf of Aden, it has been the region’s chief trading city since ancient times. Today, it is an important industrial center, with ahuge oil re nery, factories, and an international airport.
The terraces are built up into the mountains
People per doctor: no
gures available Televisions: 29 per 1,000 people
The
rst
oor is
often used for
storage.
Ye m e n i t e r r a c e s In many places the mountain slopes of Yemen are terraced to provide extra space for crops. Some terraces are more than 1,300 years old. More than half the people of Yemen are farmers. They grow cereal crops, such as wheat and sorghum, along with citrus fruits and dates, and raise
sheep, goats, and cattle. Coffee and cotton are grown mainly for export.
Animals, such as goats and sheep, are kept on the ground oor of ahouse.
Coffee is often served in
Avariety of crops, such as coffee and cotton, are grown o n t h e Ye m e n i t e r r a c e s .
traditional Bedouin pots.
Tribal society
COFFEE AND QAT Coffee is thought to have originated as adrink in Yemen I ' “V and the country produces
lit:''
a
I
Most Yemeni people are Muslim Arabs belonging to various tribal groups. Each
Jsome of the world’s nest
yquality beans. Yemen is also
*
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'famous for aplant called qat. Its leaves contain amild drug and are often chewed. Qat parties are an important part
people live in large, closely knit, extended families. Tribal men often wear aceremonial dagger, or jambiya strapped to the waist.
San’a
A
I ,jiQ
|l!Uar»aj 'j
decorated with friezes. An international conservation effort has been launched to
protect this unique city and preserve it for the future.
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Several generations of the same family usually share the same house. The tribal
San’a, the capital of Yemen, is an ancient city famous for its traditional Yemeni-style architecture. In the old city you can still see clusters of 400-year-old multistory mud and asB-;’" brick tower houses, their outer walls often
%
tribe elects asheik as its leader and has its own
customs, costumes, and folklore. Within atribe.
o f Ye m e n i s o c i a l l i f e .
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ASIA*
tradition is particularly strong in northern Yemen. Find out mor Ancient sites: 134
Coffee: 50, 62, 66 Oil: 137, 152, 281 Terr/VCE farming: 173, 201
ASIA
I
♦CENTRAL ASIA
Central asia
i
Centralasialiesfarfromtheworld’soceans.Thewinds|
i
I i 41 5
are dry and there is little rainfall, so the area is generally arid. | With cold, dry winters, and hot, dry summers, lack of water is a problem for farmers. The north consists of a at, grass-covered plain, or steppe. In the center of the region are two vast deserts, the Kyzyl Kum (“Red Sands”) and the Kara Kum (“Black Sands”). In the south are long chains of snowcapped mountain ranges that join the neighboring Himalayas. The entire region, apart from Afghanistan, used to be part of the Soviet Union. Industrialization and collective farms brought huge changes
Abillboard displaying acommunist poster in Uzbekistan I N D E P E N D E N C E
In 1991, the communist state of the Soviet Union
fell apart and the central Asian countries became independent. While the countries were under
Soviet rule, many Russian people setded there,
to aregion once occupied mainly by nomads.
and Russian replaced the local languages. Today,
the peoples of central Asia are reestablishing their own languages and national identities.
Nomadio herders in the hilis
of Afghanistan This girl’s hat from Uzbekistan is embroidered with
goid thread.
Chad's hat from Afghanistan
ALAND OF MANY PEOPLES
There is agreat variety of people living in central Asia. The original inhabitants i n c l u d e t h e K a z a k h s , Tu r k m e n s , a n d
Uzbeks, related to the Turks, and the Tajiks and Afghans, related to the Iranians. Each group has its own distinctive style of hat, often woven in silk with brightly colored geometric patterns. Silver ornaments adorn
Nomadic lifestyle Many people living in central Asia are nomads, moving
this Turkmen girl's hat. The Aral Sea in 1960
from place to place with their animals in search of new pastures. Nomads live in tents and have few belongings,
making traveling easy and quick. They live by herding animals such as camels, goats, and sheep, which give
them milk, meat, and wool, some of which they sell, but most of which they use themselves. Nomads mostly stay in the open country, but they visit the towns and cities occasionally to sell their products. DRILLING
FOR
Fishing village Fishing village on the coast /
stranded inland
The Aral Sea in 1995
central Asia are sitting on huge reserves of oil and gas. Kazakhstan is slowly exploiting one of the world’s biggest oil elds under the Caspian Sea,
The lake is about half Its
original size. By 2010, It L may have almost disappeared.
Shrinking sea
while Turkmenistan is
The Aral Sea, once the fourth
beginning to make use of a vast reservoir of natural gas trapped beneath its land. Exploitation of these riches is hampered by lack of investment and apoorly
largest freshwater lake in the world, is shrinking. Fishing villages that once stood on the sea coast are now stranded inland,
depriving villagers of their livelihood. This environmental disaster has been caused by water being drained for irrigation projects from the Amu Darya River, which ows into the Aral Sea. Fluge areas of useless land have been laid bare. Wind storms are common, sweeping up polluted dust and dumping it on the surrounding countryside.
skilled workforce. - ● p . t * - .
Miners drilling for oil in the Tengiz oil eld in Kazakhstan
9
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MJuly 0.1 in (3 mm)
Islam Caviar served
home to avariety of sh, such as sturgeon, from which atype of caviar ( sh eggs) comes. However, pollution of the waters by industrial waste has led to adrop in the numbers
of
on
toast
Throughout central Asia, Islam is the main religion. It arrived in the region in the early 8th century. While central Asia was part of the Soviet Union, Islam was suppressed. Traditiona « Muslim wedding ceremonie C were forbidden. Throughou i this time, however, people continued to worship in secret. With the end of communism, Islam
sh.
has gained strength in every country.
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(378,400 sq km) Map B 683 miles (1,100 km) MapES
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countries. The lake is
(7,495 m) Map H
K a r a k u m C a n a l , Tu r k m e n i s t a n ,
11
The large.st inland lake in the world, the Caspian Sea covers 146,111 sq miles (.378,400 sq km) and borders live .41
Highest point: Communism
World’s longest irrigation canal: Gouul-e-Zereh
K4
Longest river: Amu Darya, Afghanistan/Tajikistan/
World’s largest lake: Caspian Sea,
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ASIA ♦CENTRAL ASIA
♦ K A Z A K H S TA N
ASIA
Kazakhstan
KAZAKHSTAN’
Stretching from the Caspian Sea to China, Kazakhstan is avast country, almost the size of western Europe. It is also one of the most underpopulated
I
countries in the world. With vast
mineral reserves, fertile soil, and astable K A Z A K H S T A N
Capital city: Astana Area: 1,049,1.50 .sq miles (2,717,300 ,sq km) Population: 16,536,511
Of cial language: Kazakh Major religions: Muslim 47%, other 53%
Government: Democracy Currency: Tenge Adult literacy rate: 98%
;
government, Kazakhstan has the potential to be awealthy country. However, industrial and agricultural pollution, and the presence of many ageing nuclear weapons left behind by the former Soviet Union, have caused considerable environmental problems.
The virgin lands In the 1950s the Russian government increased grain production by cultivating the vast grassland steppes, or plains, of Kazakhstan. Huge farms were set up to grow corn and wheat on
At the processing plant, the coal is cleaned and dried and sorted into different sizes
In the lter bed, any remaining pieces of rock
Life expectancy: 69 years
land that had been barren. Millions of
and clay are removed.
Russians migrated or were forced to move to this empty region, known as the “Virgin Lands.” The program
People per doctor: 250
Televisions: No
gures
available
Trucks transport the extracted coal along ahauling road.
Rich in
met with mixed success. It left
Kazakhstan self-suf cient in grain and other crops, but it led to enormous environmental damage.
M I N E R A L S
Mining is the most important industry in Kazakhstan. The country has huge coal and iron-ore reserves, the world’s
largest chrome mine, one of
its biggest gold elds, an
g
plentiful supplies of copper g zinc, lead, uranium, an
K
other minerals. Most coal in
Kazakhstan comes from open-pit mines, where coal is extracted near
the surface of the ground, rather than from deep mine shafts.
Machines dig the coal out
of the pit. Surface rock is loosened
Agovernment building in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan.
I
h
i
Steps are cut into the sides of the pit so that
by explosives so that the digging machines can
the coal can be
remove the rock and
reached safely.
reach the coal.
S PA C E
RACE
hf-'i-
Hi.stoiy was made in Kazakh.stan in 1957, when the world’s
THE
W'.’
rst
arti cial .satellite,
.Sputnik /, was launched
from
farmers and have worked hard to the
preseive the natural beauty of the
Baykonur
jland, setting up reserv'es to protect
Cosmodrome, or
Ithe wildlife and environment. The
space station, in
’rest of the population consists
the center of the THE
CITY
OF
mainly of Russians, Germans, and
coimtiy. The rst person in space, Yuri Gagarin, was
APPLES
Ukranians.
Almaty means “father of apple trees,” and the sent into orbit former capital is known for its apple orchards. around the Earth The city nestles at the foot of the Tien Shan from Baykonur in mountains in the far south of the countiy. It has 1961. The site is still many parks and fountains, and narrow' canals called aryk.t run along the sides of streets to cool used today by the the city during the hot summers. The capital was Russian government for recently moved to Astana (Akmola) in the north. its space program.
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KAZAKHS
Native Ktizakhs make up only about 40 percent of the total population of their countr)' and live mainly in the west and south. Many are
. A
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Find out more '3
CKRF.At„s: 34, 122 Coal mining: 96, 114 P o i ’ u i AT i O N d e n s i t y : 1 3 5
Steppe (grassiands): 15
AND
TA J I K I S TA N
i
Uzbekistan
,UZBEKISTAN
T
y? iTjafr.,
[TAJIKISTAN
■
●
Uzbekistan is one of the wealthiest and one of the more populated countries in
s:
central Asia, It also has avaried landscape. While two-thirds of the land is made up of
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desert and arid steppe land, there are also fertile areas, fast- owing rivers, and snowy
U Z B E K I S TA N
Capital city; Tashkent Area: 439,733 sq miles (1,138,910 sq km)
mountaintops. The ancient cities of the Silk Road are beginning to attract large numbers
N AT U R A L
of tourists, and foreign investors are helping
and uranium. Ahuge pipeline used for
78%, other 22
develop the country’s huge mineral and energy resources. Uzbekistan is also the world’s fourth largest producer of cotton,
Government: Democracy
known locally as “white gold.
Population: 19,905,158 Of cial language: Uzbek Major religions: Muslim
GAS
Uzbekistan is rich in natural resources. It has
plentiful supplies of oil, natural gas, coal, gold, exporting natural gas stretches from Bukhara to the Urals in Russia. Much of the local
industry, producing machinery, chemicals, and aircraft, is based on energy from gas.
Currency: Som
Adult literacy rate: 97%
Islamic cities
Life expectancy: 69 years
The Silk Road is an old trading
People per doctor: 280 Televisions; No gures
route that linked China with
available
central Asia, the Middle East, and
Europe. Ancient Islamic cities,
Capital city: Dushanbe
once major trading centers, are found along its route. These
Area: 55,251 sq miles
include Samarkand, which
TA J I K I S TA N
(143,100 sqkm
contains many ne examples of
Population; 5,108,576 Of cial language: Tajik
Islamic architecture, Bukhara, an
Major religions: Muslim
Muslims, and Tashkent, the
85%, other 15%
capital of Uzbekistan, known as
Government: Democracy
the “city of fountains.”
important place of pilgrimage for
Currency: Rouble Adult literacy rate: 97% Life expectancy: 70 years People per doctor: 350 Televisions; No
gures
TA J I K I S TA N
M e a n
available
The poorest of the former Soviet Union states, Tajikistan is amountainous country with only about six percent of its land available for farming. Most people work on the land, growing ^ In the Pamir mountain
region, adifferent tribal group is found in almost every valley.
fruit, cotton, and tobacco and herding animals, or work in small factories producing textiles, silk, and carpets. Since
independence in 1991, Tajikistan
■, , ' A ^
.
has been split by armed con ict between the government and Irebel groups.
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BPamir VALLEY PEOPLES 100,000 people live in the ;Pamir mountain region, growing
grain and fruit in the deep valleys, or herding sheep and yaks on the bleak high plains in the east. Because
^of the remoteness of the area and the
isoladon of the valleys from each other, ff- there is abewildering variety of peoples, languages, and dialects.
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♦ U Z B E K I S TA N
ASIA
Pistachios FERTILE
VA L L E Y S
In spring, melted snow from the Ti e n S h a n a n d P a m i r m o u n t a i n s
ows down into the Fergana and other river valleys of Tajikistan, bringing with it rich, fertile mud. Irrigation channels direct this water into the surrounding elds, enabling farmers to grow avariety of crops, such as those above.
Find out mor
Cotton: 36, 215, 216 Gas: 198, 211 Islvm: 275 Islamic architecture: 155
T U R K M E N I S T A N
I"
♦ T U R K M E N I S TA N
AND
K Y R G Y Z S TA N
Turkmenistan Almost 90 percent of Turkmenistan
c K V R G r a S TA N
consists of the vast Kara Kum (“Black Sands”)
Desert, where temperatures reach more than 122°F (50°C). Afertile strip of land stretches around the southern borders of the desert; T U R K M E N I S TA N
Capital city: Ashgabat Area: 188,455 sq miles (488,100 sq km) Population: 3,533,925
Of cial language: Turkmen
Major religions: Muslim
here people grow cotton and other crops for export. Since Turkmenistan became independent in 1991, Turkmen has replaced Russian as the state language, and Islam is once again the major religion. The country is poor and isolated from the rest of the world, but possesses huge reserves of natural gas.
A S H G A B AT
In 1948, the bustling market town of Ashgabat was totally destroyed by ahuge earthquake. The town was completely replanned and rebuilt, and is now the capital city of Turkmenistan. Ashgabat is acenter for food processing and silk, lace, and carpet manufacturing.
85%, Christian 10%, other 5%
Government: Democracy Currency: Manat Adult literacy rate: 98% Life expectancy: 66 years People per doctor: 290 Televisions: No
gures
available K Y R G Y Z S TA N
Capital city: Bishkek Area: 76,640 sq miles (198,500 sq km) Population: 4,290,442 Of cial language: Kyrgyz Major religions: No gures available Government: Democracy Currency: Som Adult literacy rate: 97% Life expectancy: 68 years People per doctor: 280 Televisions: No available
gures
The TURKMENS
A .
The Turkmen people live in various parts of central Asia and many follow a nomadic lifestyle. In
Ashgabat
Karakum
Canal
Turkmenistan, however,
many Turkmens have settled as farmers and
expert horse breeders. They visit local horse fairs and buy and sell horses for export to neighboring countries. The Turkmens
are known for producing prized racehorses, such as the Akhal-Teke, abreed
able to move quickly in desert conditions.
●Main towns
1^ Cotton
KARAKUM
CANAL
The world’s longest irrigation canal stretches from the Amu Darya River in the east to beyond Ashgabat in the west, adistance of 683 miles (1,100 km). Known as the “River of Life,” the Karakum
Canal provides water for alarge area of arid land so that cotton
and other crops can be grown.
Gold nugget
Kyrgyzstan Known as the Switzerland of central Asia because of its mountainous landscape, over half of Kyrgyzstan is 8,200 ft (2,500 m) or more above sea level. The
The Kyrgyz people practice Islam. They speak aTurkic language and live anomadic life in the countryside.
snowcapped Tien Shan Mountains dominate the countryside, but the river valleys are fertile and green. Most people are farmers. Animal breeding is particularly important because there is so little land to farm.
The KYRGYZ PEOPLE The population is more than half native Kyrgyz. These nomadic people are
M O U N TA I N
RICHES
The mountains of Kyrgyzstan are rich in minerals. Cold and mercury are mined for export, while coal, oil, and gas are exploited for domestic use. The fast- owing rivers are ideal for generating electricity, and new hydroelectric power stations have been built.
known for their skilled horsemanship.
The largest minority group are Russians, who live in the towns and, until
independence in 1991, ran the economy. As aresult of rising nationalist feeling among the Kyrgj'z, many Russian people have now returned to Russia.
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Deserts: 15, 132, 152 Gas: 163, 198, 211 Nomads: 160
USSR breakup: 136, 160
ASIA
♦ A F G H A N I S TA N
(ilr
Afghanistan
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Afghanistan occupies an important position between central Asia to the north and the Indian A F G H A N I S TA N
a
Subcontinent to the south. As aresult, the country
has been fought over for centuries, especially by Russian and British armies. Afghanistan is aland of L A F G H A N I S TA N
Capital city: Kabul Area: 251,770 sq miles (652,090 sq km) Population: 20,500,000
contrasts, made up of high, grassy plains, low, at, stony desert, and high mountain peaks. The country has few roads and no railroads, and almost three-quarters of this bleak land is inaccessible. In the last 20 years, the country has been in the grip
ISLAMIC
government. Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world.
99%, other 1%
Government: Islamic
republic Currency: .Afghani Adult literacy rate: 32% Life expectancy: 43 years
Some mujahideen groups are based in the hills of Afghanistan Mujahideen comes
People per doctor: 6,430
from the Arabic
Televisions: 8per 1,000 people
word for “ ghter."
The Turkmen nomads in the north
of the country live in reddish-brown, dome-shaped tents.
The mujahideen
The Pushtoon nomads of the south live in black
In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded
tents spread low over the ground.
Afghanistan to prop up the new communist government. Islamic rebels, known as the mujahideen, retaliated hy launching afull-scale war. By 1989 they had forced the Soviet army to withdraw, and by 1992 had taken over the entire country. Once in power, they introduced strict Islamic laws. However, ghting between the main mujahideen groups has led to a
1
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T E N T S
Some Afghans are nomads, or kochis as they are known locally. The different groups can be distinguished by the unique designs of the felt or animal-skin tents they live in, each design having been passed down through countless generations.
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Highest point: Mt. Everest, on border of China/Nepal/Tibet, 29,029 ft (8,848 m) Map DI2 Largest lake: Qinghai Hu, China 1,722 sq miles
i i i r
M O N G O L I A
(4,460 sq km) Map H World’s largest square: Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China 4,269,027 sq ft (396,606 sq m) Map M8
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AFRICA
ride on
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♦NORTHWESTERN
AFRICA
!
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♦MOROCCO
Berber wedding
M o r o c c o
c e r e m o n y
Morocco’s warm climate, sandy beaches M O R O C C O
\
M O R O C C O *
Capital city: Rabat I
Area: 269,757 sq miles (698,670 sq km) Population; 27,()()0,000 Of cial language; Arabic Major religions: Muslim 99%, other 1%
Government: Monarchy with democratic system Currency: Moroccan dirham
and stunning mountain scenery make it a popular destination for vacationers. Tourism, along with agriculture and phosphate production, is vital to the country’s economy. In 1956, Morocco gained its independence from the French, who had governed it since 1912. It is one of the few Arab countries to
be ruled by aking, Hassan II. Since coming to the throne in 1961, King Hassan has won international recognition for his strong leadership. The main issues facing Morocco today are Islamic fundamentalism and the undecided fate of the Western Sahara region
Berbers S i n c e t h e A r a b i n v a s i o n s o f t h e 11 t h
century, the local Berber people have lived in villages high up in the Atlas Mountains.
Most
Berbers
converted
to Islam, but kept their own culture and way of life. They call themselves Imazighen, or “people of the land.” Today, about athird of Moroccans are Berber-speaking, although most also speak Arahic
and
i
French.
in the south.
Adult literacy rate: 52% Life expectancy: 63 years People per doctor: 4,840 Televisions: 74 per 1,000 people
I
C I A
*Figures include Western
,
Sahara
ili
siyMta
An ISLAMIC CITY The ancient Moroccan jU
city of Fez is agood example of atraditional Islamic town. Each part V has been designed with aa
f /
■:.h‘
%
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m
Carpets with symbolic patterns and ornate
■ ■
^
purpose, as set out in the ^ i
metalwork lanterns are
made by local people.
Koran, the Muslim holy
book. The streets are narrow
i-NVs. ‘
to provide shade, but wide enough to let apair of fully laden camels pass through. Houses have small, high windows on street walls to guard their owners’ privacy. In the city center stands the largest mosque, surrounded by the souks, or markets.
ARTS
V ●
AND
CRAFTS
Millions of tourists visit Morocco each year to relax on the beaches along the Atlantic coast or to explore the historical cities of Fez and The numerous, carefully planned streets in the old city of Fez look chaotic from adistance.
Marrakesh. The cities’ colorful .soi/fa, or markets,
are atreasure chest of traditional goods and handicrafts, such as Moroccan leather, silver
jewelry', and handwoven carpets.
E C O N O M Y
WESTERN
Morocco’s economy depends on three major industries -tourism, agriculture, and phosphates. Farm products make up about athird of exports. The main crops are cereals, vegetables, citrus fruits, and dates. Irrigation systems pipe water to many dry areas for farming. Morocco is the world’s third largest producer of phosphates, which are
SAHARA
This is adesert region south of Morocco with
apopulation of some 200,000 people. It was formerly ruled by Spain.
r - A
Since 1976, Morocco has
A
been ghting awar for control of the region
!
r
and its valuable mineral
used to make chemicals and
fertilizers. Large factories process the phosphates for export.
resources. Opposing the Moroccans
are
the
Polisario, aguerilla force
Asupporter of the Polisario in the Western Sahara
want complete independence for the Western Sahara.
-1
Aphosphate-processing factory in the south of Morocco
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of desert tribesmen who
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AFRICA
C/VRPET vlxking: 144, 155, 165 Irrigation: 155, 156, 217 Isiam: 275 Mon/VRCHy: 270-271
i
♦ALGERIA
Algeria Stretching from the mediterranean coast deep
A L G E R I A
Capital city: Algiers Area: 919,590 sq miles (2,381,740 sq km) Population: 27,100,000 Of cial language: Arabic Major religions: Muslim 99%, other 1%
Government: Milltaiy government
into the Sahara Desert, Algeria is the second largest country in Africa. It won independence from France in 1962, after abitter, eight-year struggle that claimed one million lives. During French rule, tens of thousands of Europeans arrived, many of them later leaving after independence. Since then, Algeria has played an important part in world affairs as amember of the United Nations and the Arab League. The main challenge facing the military government today comes from the rapidly growing number of Islamic fondamentalists wbo
Currency: Algerian dinar Adult literacy rate: 61 %
support tbe setting up of an Islamic government.
People per doctor: 2,330 Televisions: 74 per 1,000 people
■■
-dp
-n'"--
u . 1 l*si
ALGIERS
Algiers, the capital of Algeria, is the countiy’s largest city and most important port. The city was founded in the 10th century by Muslims from Arabia. It was seized
by the Turks in 1518 and by the French in 1830. The French
Life expectancy: 66 years The leaves of
Arabs selling local produce
date palms
at amarket in
are used for
Ghardaia,
thatching.
Algeria
in uence can still be seen in these
buildings in the modern part of the city along tlie Bay of Algiers. The old city, with its narrow streets, mosques, and markets, stands on the slopes of the Sahel Hills.
I
;
A
Algerian exports 1991 Gas and gas products: 60% Oil and oil products: 3 6 %
m
Other: 4% ETHNIC
MIX
About 27 million people live in .Algeria. Although the vast majority of Algerians are Arabs, about a fth of the ]oopulation is
T
Dates
descended from the earlier Berber settlers.
can be
Arabic is the of cial language and Islam the main religion. Of the million or so Europeans who settled in Algeria before independence, only afew thousand remain. These include people of French, Spanish, and
eaten in
(many ways.
Wood is 1 u s e d f o r t i m b e r.
Date palms are grown at desert oases, where water comes up to the surface.
Italian descent.
Farming Algeria cannot grow enough crops to feed its rapidly increasing population and has to import about three-quarters of the food population earns its living by farming. Major crops include cereals, citrus fruits, grapes, olives, and tobacco. Figs and dates are important, too. Algeria is one of the world’s leading producers of dates and of cork, which is made from cork oak bark. Dates are
eaten fresh, dried, or ground into our. Roasted and ground date stones are made into date coffee.
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Algeria’s economy is dependent on its oil and gas resen-es. These come from
large deposits in the Sahara Desert. Oil production began in 1958. By 1979, it reached
1.2
million
barrels aday. Although falling world oil prices in
the 1980s and 1990s caused
E1B15 TERRORIST
adrop in oil production, the exploitation of natural gas has since increased. Algeria supplies both France and Spain with gas. Find out mor
AT TA C K S
Islamicfundamentalists,likethesemembersofth^Islamic
Salvation Front (FIS), are in open revolt against Algeria’s militaiy government. Thousands of Algerians have died in recent years as aresult of terrorist violence. Westerners have also been attacked
and bombs have been planted in Baris and other French cities.
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Economy
had
it needs. However, about half the
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AFRICA
C O L O N LV L p e r i o d : 2 0 7 Islam: 275
On. &gas: 137, 152, 163, 211 Sahara: 204, 209
♦TUNISIA
Tunisia T U N I S I A
Northwestern Africa’s smallest country, Tunisia lies between Libya to the south and Algeria to the west. Throughout its history, Tunisia has had close links with Europe. It was
at the heart of the ancient empire of Carthage in the 4th century BC, and later became part of
T U N I S I A
the mighty Roman Empire. In the 7th century
Capital city: Tunis Area: 63,170 sq miles (163,610 sq km) Population: 8,600,000
Of cial language: Arabic Major religions: Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, other 1%
ad, Tunisia was colonized by Muslim Arabs, and in the early 1880s by Erench forces. It became independent in 1956. The government has since been restructured and amulti¬
TUNISIAN
Adult literacy rate: 68% Life expectancy: 67 years People per doctor: 1,870 Televisions: 81 per 1,000 people
Bnghtiy dyed wooi
with roast chicken
win soon be woven
and sausages
into carpets.
A■'
FOOD
Industry
Traditional food is in uenced by Arabic, Turkish, and French cooking.
Until the collapse of world oil prices in the 1980s, Tunisia’s major exports were oil and gas. Today, textiles and agricultural products have become much more important. Tunisia is
The national dish is couscous, amix o semolina, meat, and vegetables. Spicy stews cooked in clay pots, called tajines, are also popular. For dessert, people eat fruit, dates stuffed with almond paste, or baklava, asweet nut and honey pastry. To drink, there is strong black coffee or mint tea. Many Tunisian men go to cafes in the evening to meet friends and drink coffee.
also one of the world’s
leading producers of calcium phosphates, used to make
Agiass of strong,
To u r i s m
Germany: 15%
couscous served "a "
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*
K a d u n a
Res.
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Cl
N I Q E R I
4^ Jlr^
Bauchi
NIGERIA
●Minna
●Ilorii
ABUJA
●V
o
Dimlang
Ogbomoshqi
o
*Oshogbo Lokoja Ibadan
M a k u r d i
B B E N I N
/ A
^■
Abeokuta B e n i n
#nugu
Citjo P U R T O L O M E
[ B F. H
IA
N O V O
r
^
o
Kano, Nigeria J a n 81”F (27”C)
O n i t s h a
B i g h t o f Be
n i n
^July 78.5°F (25.5°C)
S e k o n d i
Ta k o r a d i
Jan 1.1 in (28 mm) July 11 in (279 mm)
7^ IVORY COAST
G H A N A
Food crops The cereals millet and rice are grown widely across West Africa. Millet is common in the drier north, but where
there is more rainfall, rice and root vegetables such as yams and cassava can be grown. Among the region’s popular dishes are peanut stew and Jollof Rice, a Senegalese recipe that mixes rice with tomatoes, onions, and spices and is served with fried meat. Cassava and yams are also favorites, boiled and eaten with goat, chicken, or sh.
Y a m s
Millet grains
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221 0
0
TO
P
Highest point: Dimlang, Nigeria, 6,400 ft (2,042 m) Map Oil
N i o r o
J
O
Sierra Leone, 2,548 miles (4,100 \.m)MapE9, Mi
t
●
N
Heanuts (groundnuts)
♦ M A U R I TA N I A
AND
NIGER
.
t
'srr 1 ■V . M A U R I T A N I A
Mauritania
#2
Covering an area twice the size of Spain, but with
M G E R
>V*i
'C
i:
u
t
apopulation smaller than Madrid’s, Mauritania is one
V
Ste-v
of the emptiest countries in the world. In recent years, many of the people have left the countryside to live
^ L '
and work in the towns, and Nouakchott, the capital, M A U R I T A N I A
Capital city: Nouakchott Area: 395,953 sq miles (1,025,520 sq km) Population: 2,200,000 Of cial language: French Major religion: Muslim 100%
Government: Multiparty democracy
has grown from 20,000 people in 1960 to 500,000 today. The country is dominated by the Arab Maures (Moors) from the north, but their political control is
resented by the black peoples from the south. Mining is an important industry -Mauritania is rich in phosphates, copper, gold, and other minerals. Drought is amajor problem in this region.
4
iloSJ
FISHING Fleets from all over tlie world come
to
sh off the coast of Mauritania,
where some of the richest
sh
stocks in M'est Africa are found. V
Currency: Ouguiya
5
Adult literacy rate: 35% Life expectancy: 47 years
Projects like this one for planting ^ 'trees and grass
to hold the soil in
piace are heiping stop erosion.
People per doctor: 11,900 Televisions: 23 per 1,000
By law, all sh caught here must he landed and processed in Mauritania before they are exported to overseas markets. However, over shing of the seas by eets of trawlers has led to concern
about the future of the industry.
people Areas at risk of deserti cation N I G E R
Capital city: Niamey Area: 489,188 sq miles (1,267,000 sq km)
M A U R l T . < t M A M A L I
N I G E R
Population: 8,500,000
Of cial language: French Major religions: Muslim 85%, traditional beliefs 14%, other 1%
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: CFA franc Adult literacy rate: 31% Life expectancy: 46 years People per doctor: 33,330 Televisions: 5per 1,000 people
The SAHEL Two-thirds of Mauritania is covered by the Sahara, and only the land along the Senegal River is suitable for farming. The semi-desert land in between, known as the Sahel, is the grazing land for nomadic farmers. This area suffers from frequent droughts and from soil erosion, made worse by people cutting down the few trees for rewood and by overgrazing cattle. For
S^BVery high risk High 1risk
This map shows the areas
Medium 1 risk
of West Afrioa that are at
risk of turning into desert.
these reasons -both natural and human -the Sahel
is gradually becoming more desertlike.
. N i g e r TheVASTSTATEOFNIGERiscompletely
THE
TUAREG
As aresult of frequent droughts in northern Niger, many Tuareg lost all their animals and were forced
to give up their nomadic lifestyle. Many moved south to the towns in search of food and work. In reaction
to this enforced move, .some
Tuareg are campaigning for acountrv of their own.
surrounded by other countries. Its main link to he sea is the Niger River, the only major river in the country. Most of Niger’s 8million people live in the semi-desert Sahel region, which stretches in anarrow ribbon across the south of the country. North of the Sahel lies the vast and inhospitable Sahara, home to the nomadic Tuareg peoples. Niger has few natural resources apart from uranium, which brought in considerable wealth during the 1980s. Most of the people, however, remain poor, earning their living herding ocks or growing crops in the few fertile parts of the country.
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[
AFRICA
FA R M I N G
Every year, the Niger River As the
oods.
oodwaters retreat, local
farmers quickly plant crops of cereals, rice, vegetables, peanuts, and cotton in the fertile soils left
behind. The banks of the Niger also provide pasture for cattle and other livestock reared for meat and milk.
Find out mor Niger river: 205 Sahel: 220
Soil erosion: 55, 244 Tuareg: 209
XT
M a l i The landscape of mali ranges from the vast desert plains of the Sahara in the north, through the semi-
M A L I
desert Sahel region in the center, to wetter savanna in the south. Athin belt of fertile
M A L I
Capital city: Bamako
land stretches on either side
Area: 478,837 sq miles (1,240,190 sq km) Population: 10,100,000
of the Niger and Senegal rivers. The country gets its name from the great Muslim empire of the Malinke people,
Of cial language; French Major religions; Muslim 90%, traditional beliefs 9%, Christian 1%
Government: Multiparty democracy
Currency: CFA franc Adult literacy rate: 36% Life expectancy: 45 years People per doctor: 20,000 Televisions; 1per 1,000 people
which
Mosques Islam arrived in Mali with merchants traveling across the Sahara from the Arab north. By the 13th century, Mali was entirely Muslim, with mosques built in most towns. Mosques like this one at Mopti are constructed of clay around awooden framework that sticks out in
ourished in this
turrets above the roof. The wooden beams jutting out
region in the 13th and 14th centuries. Today, Mali is a poor country where most people make their living from farming or herding cattle.
through the walls allow villagers to climb all over the building to carry out its annual repairs. T I M B U K T U
Founded by Tuareg nomads
:
i n 11 0 0 , Ti m b u k t u b e c a m e
^.one of the most famous
i" cities in Africa. Because of its position on the trade route
The Niger River at Bamako, in southern Mali
across the Sahara, it soon
developed into amajor town. Arab traders from the north
brought salt, cloth, and horses to exchange for gold and slaves from the south. By 1400, Timbuktu had become amajor center of Islamic learning.
Granaries are built of thick
clay to keep the grain cool and free of rats.
Dogon houses are made of clay, often with terraces above the main living area. V W r. - t '
GROWING
■ t'T :■ ■ A
■
f'
Outer wall
THE
to store pots and baskets.
Compound
Entrance
7
DOGON
In the center of Mali, the
S o u t h o f Ti m b u k t u , t h e
Niger River splits into several
plain gives way to sandstone cliffs surrounding the Bandiagara plateau. Living in the cliffs are the Dogon people, who rst settled in the area in the 1500s. The Dogon worship their own gods, and have many legends about the creation
branches. This area is called
the river ’s inland delta, and is
one of the most fertile regions of the country. Here, as the river begins to ood, farmers plant aspecial “ oating” rice that grows up to 12 in (30 cm) aday to keep pace with the rising waters. \\Tien the crop is ready, the farmers harvest it
conditions in which they live, the Dogon are expert farmers, using every available strip of land to grow crops of rice, millet, and corn.
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at river
of the world. Because of the harsh
from boats.
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onions and
'A
The Niger River is the lifeline of Mali, owing through the country from west to east before turning south to pour into the Atlantic Ocean. Most people in the country live along its banks, using the river as asource of water and food and as amain means of transportation. The capital of Mali, Bamako, on the upper reaches of the river, is amajor port, shipping cement and fuel downriver, and receiving rice and peanuts for export in exchange. RICE
The
rooftops are used to dry
The NIGER
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i
/
♦MALI
AFRICA
The Dogon live in walled compounds built on steep hillsides for protection against attack from their enemies.
Find out mor Islam: 275 Malinke people; 225 Niger river: 203
Rice growing: 135, 176, 197
AFRICA
♦SENEGAL
AND
GAMBIA
Senegal The mighty SENEGAL RIVER dominates large areas of this country. Every year the
SENEGAL
river oods, and seasonal crops are grown on the fertile land that the
oodwaters leave
behind. Senegal is wealthy compared to
G A M B I A
1
other countries in this region. It was once an
important part of French West Africa, and
SENEGAL
Capital city: Dakar
still maintains close links with France. Among the mix of ethnic groups, such as the Wolof and Mandinke, there are still many French
Area: 75,950 sq miles (196,720 sq km) Population: 7,900,000
inhabitants. There is asimilar mix of
Of cial language: French Major religions: Muslim
religions -Islam exists side-by-side with traditional beliefs. Senegal’s beautiful, palm-fringed coastline makes tourism an important economic force here.
92%, traditional beliefs 6%, Christian 2%
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: CFA franc
D A K A R
The lively city of Dakar, Senegal’s capital,
perches on arocky peninsula that forms the westernmost point of Africa. This major port was once the capital of French West Africa, as can be seen from its grand colonial buildings. Today great poverty is found alongside the expensive restaurants and modern hotels on t h e s t r e e t s o f D a k a r.
Adult literacy rate:
Musical
Life expectancy: 49 years
People per doctor: 20,000
storytelling
History is aliving thing in West Africa. For centuries, history and other information has been passed on by word of mouth, from one generation to the next, through stories, poems, and songs. In Senegal, storytellers called griots travel from village to village. They play avariety
Televisions: 36 per 1,000 people G A M B I A
Capital city: Banjul Area: 4,363 sq miles (11,300 sq km) Population: 900,000
Of cial language: English Major religions: Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, traditional beliefs 1%
of traditional
Farming and
instruments, such
Nearly three-quarters of Senegal’s people work in agriculture. In the north, cereals such as millet and sorghum are the main food crops, and peanuts are avital cash crop. Rice
as the kora.
Government: Multiparty democracy
The kora has
21 strings.
is common in the wetter southern areas.
Currency: Dalasi
Front
Adult literacy rate; 30%
view of kora
Life expectancy: 44 years People per doctor: 11,690
The soundbox
Televisions: no
is made from a
available
gures
I
holiowed-out
Peanuts were once grown on nearly half the farmland, but sh is now taking over as the If \country’s main export. Acommon sight is
«''Lj shermen setting out in dugout canoes called pirogues, made from local trees.
M
gourd.
Gambia
T O U R I S M The tourist trade is the fastest
growing part of the Gambian economy. More and more Europeans are coming here to escape cold winters, attracted by the magni cent beaches. Gambia is particularly popular with visitors from the UK, because English is widely spoken in this former British colony. But fears are already mounting that the easy¬ going local lifestyle will soon be ruined by advancing tourism.
TheTINYCOASTALCOUNTRYofGambiaisalong, thin sliver of land carved out of Senegal, which surrounds it on three sides. At its widest point, Gambia measures no more than 50 miles (80 km)
from north to south. Like Senegal, Gambia has a wide ethnic mix and Islam is very important. Most of the people work in agriculture, relying heavily on the peanut crop. Women play amajor role in agricultural life. Rice growing is their main occupation, but near the coast, large areas of swampy rice land have been ruined by the buildup of salt in the soil. Many women now grow vegetables to sell in local markets.
Find out mor African cities: 206 Most tourists stay aiong the coast, but many take trips iniand to see the crocodiles, monkeys, and many species of birds that live along the Gambia River.
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shing
Colonial period: 207 Religion: 274-275
Rice GROWING: 135, 176, 197
GUINEA BISSAU
Guinea GUH
Once afrench colony, this fertile, hilly
EA
country is rich in minerals and has perfect weather conditions for growing many crops, including bananas, citrus fruits, and rice.
BISS. U
These factors could make Guinea arich G U I N E A
G U I N E A
Capital city: Conakry Area: 94,926 sq miles (245,860 sq km) Population: 5,600,000 Of cial language: French Major religions: Muslim 95%, traditional beliefs 4%, Christian 1%
country, but it is one of the poorest in the world, with alife expectancy of just 44 years
and only very basic medical and educational facilities. This is largely the result of the French leaving Guinea without nancial
support, poor management of the economy, and years of harsh political rule under Sekou
THE
GUINEA
HIGHLANDS
Thick forest covers the mountainous Guinea
Highlands in the south of the country. In addition to providing timber products, conditions in this highly fertile area are ideal for growing various crops, including coffee. Three of the region’s major rivers -the Niger, the Gambia, and the Senegal -have their sources here. Rich iron deposits exist here, and the whole area is nourished by abundant rainfall.
Toure, who was president from 1958-84.
Government: Provisional
government
Currency: Guinea franc Adult literacy rate: 27%
About three-quarters of Guinea's population lives in small villages like
Y
this one.
Life expectancy: 44 years
t
People per doctor: 50,000 Televisions: 7per 1,000 people GUINEA
BISSAU
Capital city: Bissau Area: 13,940 sq miles (36,120 sq km)
M I N I N G
Population: 1,000,000
mineral ore called bauxite. Ores are substances
Of cial language: Portuguese
from which metals can be obtained, and bauxite
The mountainous areas of Guinea are rich in a
is used to make aluminum. Guinea is the
world’s second largest producer of bauxite, after
Major religions: Traditional beliefs 54%, Muslim 38%, Christian 8%
People oe guinea
Government: One-party
Avaried mix of peoples, including the Malinke, Fulani,
Slate
Australia, and it accounts for more than 80
and Soussou, live in Guinea. Most of them are Muslim.
Currency: Guinea peso
The Malinke make up about athird of the population
Adult literacy rate: 39%
and are named after amountainous area on the Mali
Life expectancy: 43 years
border. This was once part of the great Mali Empire,
People per doctor: 7,260
which dominated West Africa in medieval times.
Televisions: no
Today, the Malinke are famous for their centuries-old storytelling and musical skills.
gures
available
Guinea bis sal
percent of the country’s earnings from exports. Guinea’s mountain regions yield other valuable minerals, including iron, gold, and diamonds.
PGanuts.
FEAN
Sandwiched between Senegal and
ALONG
THE
COAST
Like its neighbors, Guinea Bissau has spectacular beaches. Its coastline is
edged with mangrove swamps, mud ats, and estuaries leading to amaze of inland waterways. Ahuge variety of sh are found off the coast, and many people in this coastal region make their living from shing.
sold in local markets, but most are
used to extract peanut oil, used in food production, or crushed to make peanut butter.
poor, and heavily dependent on nancial aid from other countries. The people are a mix of ethnic groups, the largest of which is
Find out mor
the Balante, from the south. Most people ^
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and skinned. Some of the nuts are
independence, in 1974. Today it is very
scrape aImng by growing coconuts, cotton, peanuts, or cashew nuts. Timber and shing are also important.
UIS
As the name suggests, the actual nuts of the peanut, or groundnut, plant grow underground. The nut pods are pulled out of the ground and left to dry before being shelled
Guinea, this low-lying, swampy country is aparticularly unspoiled place. Once ruled by Portugal, Guinea Bissau was the rst Portuguese colony to gain
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AFRICA ♦GUINEA AND
Colonial period: 207 Islam; 275 Life expectancy: 276 Rich and poor: 298-299 Cashew nuts
♦SIERRA
LEONE
AND
LIBERIA
T
Sierra leone
/
In1787,THEBRITISHcolonizedthisregion
L I B E R I A
and created asettlement for freed African
slaves. This is how Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, got its name. Today, there are still SIERRA
afew descendants of the freed slaves, known
LEONE
as Creoles, living here. The main peoples, however, are the Mende in the south and the
SIERRA LEONE
Capital city: Freetown
Temne in the north. In recent years, con icts between the various ethnic groups have led to civil war. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world, and three-quarters
Area: 27,699 sq miles
(71,740 sq km Population: 4,500,000 Of cial language: English Major religions:
of the people make their living ^
Traditional beliefs 60%, Muslim 30%, Christian 10%
from small-scale farming
'
A
Farming Sierra Leone’s main cash
Government: Military
crops are cocoa, coffee, nuts, and palm kernels (seeds from
government Diamonds
Currency: Leone Adult literacy rate: 24%
" - r
Life expectancy: 42 years
which oil is extracted). The main U-S-'' '■●iff'
People per doctor: 14,290
M I N I N G
Rice
Sierra Leone’s ^
grains
food crop is rice, which is grown in the river valleys. “Dry” rice is grown in the soil on the valley sides, and “wet” rice is grown in ooded elds on the valley oor. Attempts have been made to raise production -for example, clearing mangrove swamps to make way for extra rice elds.
rich mineral
Televisions: 10 per 1,000 people
1
j■i ' * '
^
L I B E R I A
m
Capital city: Monrovia Area: 43,000 sq miles (111,370 sqkm) Population: 2,800,000 Diamonds
Of cial language: English
Cut diamond
found among the grave/ in
Major religions: Christian 68%, traditional beliefs 18%, Muslim 14%
deposits have made mining avital industry, with diamonds among the main products. Diamond mining methods vary from using fully mechanized diggers, to chipping gemstones out of rock by hand, or panning
for them in rivers. Other mineral
exports include gold, iron ore, bauxite (from which aluminum is made), and rutile (from which titanium is made).
rivers are called alluvial diamonds.
Government: Military
f-
government
Currency: Liberian dollar Adult literacy rate: 42% Life expectancy: 55 years
Liberia
People per doctor: 9,340 Televisions: 18 per 1,000 people
V ■-7 ■*- 'a*.
Liberia became an independent country
r-y- i:
in 1847 and has never been colonized,
making it the oldest independent republic in Africa. In the 19th century, the American
\
||M Colonization Society helped thousands of freed African slaves return from the US and
settle here. They gave Liberia its name, which means “freed land.” Links between the US
and Liberia remain strong today. Since 1990,
Tl'j Liberia has suffered from civil war, and the economy has virtually collapsed. C m L W A R
In recent years there have been clashes between Liberia’s different ethnic groups, which include the Kpelle, Bassa, and Kru peoples. These problems erupted into civil war in the early 1990s, which did agreat deal of damage to an already weakened economy. The war has forced about half the population to leave their homes, and many people have start'ed because of food shortages.
This camp at Pern is home to refugees from the war.
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AFRICA
THE
RUBBER
TRADE
One of Liberia’s strongest links with the US is its extensive, American-owned rubber
plantations. Over the years, these have employed huge numbers of people and have accounted for avery large slice of the country’s income from exports. The American Firestone company, which makes world-famous tires, has been at the forefront of this rubber production. Rubber is made from asticky substance called latex, which can be “tapped” from rubber trees by cutting slits in the bark. Find out mor
Diamonds: 150, 248 Refugees: 207
Rice growing: 135, 176, 197 Rubber: 194
AFRICA ♦IVORY COAST
s. i .' 'o ●'*
t.
1
Ivory coast
These
I h
IVORY
IVORY
C O A S T.
COAST
Capital city: Ya m o u s s o u k r o
Area: 124,503 sq miles (322.463 sq km)
*
Population: 13,400,000
Of cial language: French Major religions: Traditional beliefs 63%, Muslim 25%, Christian 12%
Ivory coast has areputation for
hardwoods
being one of the most politically and economically stable countries in Africa. Some of this may be explained by the fact that it had the same president, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, for 33 years, until his death in 1993. He encouraged the export of awide range of products, which can often help keep an economy healthy.
from Ivory
UMBER
Mahogany
cocoa plantations. Aprogram was recently started to help save the forests and plant new ones.
c o t t o n , f r u i t , t o b a c c o , a n d t i m b e r.
Life expectancy: 52 years
ties with France.
INDUSTRY
Ivory Coast once had vast areas of forest, containing ebony, mahogany, and other hardwood trees. Today hardly any is left. For years the country’s economy was heavily dependent on the timber industry. Timber exports were seen as vital for paying off foreign debts, and large areas of forest were cleared to make way for coffee and
crops. Other products include
Adult literacy rate: 56%
Currency: CFA franc
Coast.
Coffee and cocoa are the main cash
Ivory Coast was once aFrench colony, which gained independence in 1960, and still has strong
Government: Multiparty democracy
all come
People per doctor: 16,670 Televisions: 61 per 1,000 people
ETHNIC
GROUPS
More than 60 ethnic groups live sideby-side in Ivory Coast, with relatively few dashes. The Dan people, for example, live deep in the heart of the western forests and are famous for their carving skills. They make wooden masks that are worn by the members of special secret societies to keep their identities hidden. Only members of these societies are allowed to take part in the Dan stilt dances.
Pineapple
Ya m o u s s o u k r o The dome of the world’s largest Christian church rises up above the rooftops of Yamoussoukro, asmall town in the center of the country that recently became Ivory Coast’s capital city. Personally overseen by former president Boigny, the cathedral was completed in 1989 at huge cost. It seats 7,000 people and has an open-air area for another 350,000 -three times the city’s population. There has been much controversy about undertaking such an extravagant project in acountry with widespread poverty.
Coffee beans
Many of Abidjan’s banks and businesses are based in th i
The economy Compared to much of West Africa, Ivory Coast is afairly prosperous country. This is partly the result of a policy of growing avariety of crops. Ivory Coast is the world’s leading cocoa grower -in some years, it has produced about athird of the world’s cocoa exports. However, competition from southeast Asia may change this. It is also Africa’s biggest coffee producer and grows vast numbers of pineapples and bananas.
skyscraper
j
of the Platea
i|
World’s top ve cocoa producers
district
(1992/3) Figures show the share of total world cocoa
production.
O )
l O Cvl
C .O 0)
a CO
CO
c
?
historical ties with France. It was
c
o
-
CO
ABIDJAN This modern port, with its glittering glass skyscrapers, is the country’s largest city. Abidjan is fdled with smart shops and restaurants that show apowerful French in uence, reminding visitors of Ivory Coast’s
CO
-
also the countiy'’s capital until the
§
1 9 9 0 s , w h e n Ya m o u s s o u k r o
\took over that role.
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out
more
Christianity: 274
Cocoa: 228, 234 Coffee: 50, 62, 66 Logging: 69, 244
AFRICA
♦GHANA
Ghana Ghana should be arelatively wealthy '*'-A
G H A N A
G H A N A
Capital city: Accra Area: 92,100 sq miles (238,540 sq km) Population: 16,400,000 Of cial language: English Major religions: Traditional beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8%
country. Its many riches include fertile farmland, reserves of gold, bauxite, and oil, and ayoung population that is among the best educated in Africa. However, years of unstable government, low earnings from exports, and bad management of the economy have hindered Ghana’s development. More than 50 different ethnic groups live in Ghana, each with its own language and traditions. Among the largest groups are the Akan peoples, who include the Ashanti in the south of the country, the Dagomba
THE
from its colonial rulers. Ghana’s
who had led the resistance to British
rule. At rst Nkrumah was very popular, but he lost favor as the economy declined, and was eventually overthrown in 1966.
AKOSOMBO
DAM
the Akosombo Dam on the
Adult literacy rate: 63% Life expectancy: 55 years
IVolta River. When the dam
People per doctor: 25,000
I85,000 people had to be
’i
i \
tmoved from areas ooded by the lake. The dam’s power station generates electricity for factories in the city of Tema and for domestic use. Some power is exported to Togo and Benin. M A R K E T S
The ASHANTI
tr a d e r s a r e w o m e n , o f te n i n v o l v e d
because “marketing” is part-time and leaves the rest of the day free for other work. Many traders are monetarily very successful.
Amature cocoa tree
produces 20-30 fruit
oods ayear.
Cocoa pods grow directly from the trunk. They are harvested once
p?.
Ashanti gold head showing adefeated enemy general.
Every Ghanaian town has abustling market, drawing people in from the surrounding area. Here they can buy and sell awide range of goods, from food and animals to household supplies and even false teeth. Many of the market
Wo m e n t r a d e r s a t t h e m a r k e t i n A c c r a
■f .
was built in the 1960s, about
Televisions: 15 per 1,000 people
When Europeans rst visited Ghana in the 15th century, they named it the Gold Goast because of the gold offered to them in trade by the local people. The main gold workers were the Ashanti. The symbol of Ashanti unity was a golden stool, which they believed had come down from the sky. Gold from the Ashanti mines is still an important export for Ghana.
.■ ’ - A .
they have ripened to ayellow color.
Cocoa
rst
prime minister was Kwame Nkrumah,
One of the world’s largest arti cial lakes. Lake Volta, is formed by
Currency: Cedi
K
Cocoa trees need plenty of shade when they are young and water when they are mature. This is why they grow so well in
/
74
Each pod contains up to 40 pale pink beans 1covered in a
pink pulp.
the humid forests of southern Ghana.
Roasted
Here young cocoa plants are grown between rows of other food crops, which provide the necessary’ shade. The trees only begin to produce fruit after about seven years. Cocoa production is a major industry, accounting for up to 80 percent of the country’s exports, but Ghana now faces stiff competition from neighboring Ivory Coast and
cocoa beans I !
Cocoa beans are
fermented, roasted, and ground to produce achocolate liquid. This Is used to make cocoa
butter for cosmetics, or is reheated and molded to make blocks
from Southeast Asia.
of chocolate.
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In 1957, Ghana became the rst black African country to gain independence
in the north, and the Ewe in the southeast.
Government: Multiparty democracy
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I N D E P E N D E N C E
Find out mor
Cocoa; 227, 234 Colonial period: 207 Gold mining: 253 Trade dependency: 281
AFRICA
♦BURKINA
AND
TOGO
B u r k i n a
>■
B U R K I N A
Landlocked Burkina (formerly known as Upper Volta) is one of the world’s poorest countries. Like the other countries in the
sahel region, Burkina is at constant risk from TOCQ-
B U R K I N A
Capital city: Ouagadougou Area: 105,870 sq miles (274,200 sq km) Population: 9,800,000 Of cial language: French Major religions: Traditional beliefs 65%, Muslim 25%, Christian 10%
drought, and in recent years large amounts of grazing land have turned to desert as the Sahara has expanded southward. Burkina has few cities, and most of the people live in villages, making aliving from farming and herding. Burkina’s economy has suffered badly from political unrest. Because the country is so poor, almost one-third of the workforce must go abroad to nd jobs.
Adult literacy rate: 20% Life expectancy: 48 years People per doctor: 33,330 Televisions: 5per 1,000 people
fertilizer. The new
Capital city: Lome
Area: 21,927 sq miles
(56,790 sq km
Life expectancy: 54 years People per doctor: 12,500 Televisions: 6per 1,000 people
colonial ruler, France, and from the
European Union. The money is used for both large-scale projects, such as dams to generate hydroelectric power, and smaller schemes, like this well that
The Fulani carry many of their possessions in iarge bowis cailed calabashes, which are
t'-' -1
made from the dried
sheils of gourds.
eld can
Then it has to be left for at
The calabash
least another
rests on aroll
to tfj
Population: 3,900,000
Adult literacy rate: 45%
much of it from Burkina’s former
only be used for four to ve years before it is exhausted.
T O G O
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: CFA franc
million of aid comes into the country,
Lack of water and poor soil cause huge problems for Burkina’s farmers. Before any crops can be planted, afarmer has to clear the land, burning the scrub and plowing the ash into the ground to act as a
Currency: CFA franc
Traditional beliefs 70%, Christian 20%, Muslim 10%
aid. Each year more than $US400
A G R I C U LT U R E
democracy
Major religions:
Burkina is very dependent on foreign
provides clean water for avillage.
Government: Multiparty
Of cial languages: French, Kabye, and Ewe
Foreign aid
ve years _
of cloth.
recover.
- i i - .
Many farmers have avegetable garden where they grow food for their families. t :
The fulani The
Fulani
are
nomadic
cattle herders. They travel wherever there is grazing land, pitching huts or tents when they want to sleep. The Fulani live off the produce of their animals, eating mainly milk, butter, and cheese. Their wealth is measured by how many animals they own, so they rarely kill and eat them. Many Fulani have now abandoned this nomadic way of life and have settled in one place.
\The Fulani's
animals are mainly cattle, like these zebu, but they also keep goats, sheep, and, in the north of the region, camels. FARMING
TOGO Benin, Togo is aformer French colony that gained its independence in 1960. The population is amix of about 30 different ethnic groups; the two largest are the Ewe in the south of the country and the Dagomba in the north. Phosphates -minerals used to make fertilizers account for half of Togo’s exports, but the economy has been badly affected by changes in world phosphate prices. Togo’s capital city, Lome, is one of the major ports in West Africa.
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FISHING
^country, it produces nearly all its
Sandwiched between Ghana and
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AND
Although Togo is avery poor own food. About three-quarters of the population lives in the countryside and is employed in farming. Corn, yams, rice, and cassava are grown to eat, and cocoa, coffee, and cotton
to sell and export. Along the coast, many people make aliving from shing. Find out mor Fulani: 207 Phosphates; 210 Rich and poor: 278-279
Sahel: 220, 222
AFRICA
u
♦NIGERIA
Nigeria
; *■, /■
Nigeria is home to an amazing mix of more than 250 different peoples. The largest groups are the Hausa-Fulani, in the north, the
JNHU-RU
Yoruba in the west, and the Ibo in the east.
Nigeria could be one of Africa’s most successful economies. It has large reserves of oil, gas,
B E N I N
N I G E R I A
and minerals, and abundant farmland. The
Capital city: Abuja
population of 88 million is the largest of any
Area: 356,668 sq miles (923,770 sq km)
African country, and one of the best educated. Yet aseries of military coups has weakened the government, and con icts between the ethnic
Population: 88,514,501 Of cial lanEpiage:
English
groups led to civil war in 1967. Today, Nigeria
Major religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, traditional beliefs 10%
is struggling to pay off huge debts and to modernize its industry and agriculture.
Government: Military
¥
-IB
L A G O S
The city of Lagos is situated on acoastal island in
the southwestern corner of Nigeria. The island was rst settled in the 15th century by local Yoruba people. The town grew
rapidly as atrading port used by European merchants, and became the capiul of independent Nigeria in 1960. In 1992, the capital was moved to Abuja, in central Nigeria, but Lagos is still the largest city.
government
O i l
Currency: Naira Adult literacy rate: 52% Life expectancy: 52 years People per doctor: 66,670 Televisions: 32 per 1,000 people B E N I N
Capital city: Porto-Novo Area: 43,480 ,sq miles (112,620 sq km) Population: 5,100,000 Of cial language: French Major religions:
Main exports in 1992
Oil was rst produced in Nigeria in 1956, and within 20 years, the new industry dominated the economy. Today, it makes up about 98 percent of the country’s exports. Nigerian oil is high quality with alow sulfur content, making it ideal as aircraft fuel. However, it is dangerous for acountry to rely on just one product. When world oil prices fell in the 1980s, Nigeria suffered badly. Efforts are now being made to develop other products and lessen the country’s dependence on oil.
Oil: 98%
Traditional beliefs 70%, Christian 15%, Muslim 15%
The Niger Delta in the south of the country contains huge oil reserves, enough to last for at least another 25 years. Four huge re neries prepare the crude oil for export.
Government: Multiparty democracv
Currency: CFA franc Adult literacy rate: 25%
Others: 2%
o
Life expectancy: 46 years People per doctor: 14,290 Televisions: 5per 1,000 Farmers clear and
people
plow the land ready to plant crops.
Plantations In recent years huge plantations have been set up throughout Nigeria to produce crops in large quantities, mainly for export. Plantations make use of modern machinery to plant, grow, and process
^the crops, which include cotton, coffee, sugar,
cocoa, and oil palms. Today, Nigeria is one of the world’s largest producers of palm oil. Oil from the eshy ber of the palm nut is used in cooking oil, margarine, soap, candles, and paint. Fleshy
ber.
Kernel Palm nuts grow
in large bunches. When they are ripe, they are cut ^ ■>' 7,^c
oil palm tree
down and taken J to
factories
where
the oil Is extracted.
^xwt'vr'
Cross-section
m .
of apalm nut
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230
SMALL
FARMS
Most Nigerian farmers work on their own small farms. They use hoes, plows, and other simple tools to grow food crops such as cassava, rice, yams, and corn to feed their families. They also grow crops such as cocoa, oil palms, rubber, and peanuts (groundnuts) to sell. These are known as cash crops. Despite the recent investment in plantations, most of Nigeria’s cash crops are still grown on these small farms.
♦NIGERIA
AND
BENIN
Village life Most Nigerians are born and die in the same village, and think of it as home even if they move to abig city. Most of the villagers work as farmers, although each village usually has atraditional doctor, blacksmith, and carpenter. Villagers are almost self-suf cient, growing much of their own food, building their own houses, weaving cloth for clothes, and making pots for cooking. Anything they cannot make, they buy with money earned by selling goods in the local market.
I'fV,
Corrugated iron has
replaced traditional
building iin tf -f*i Cti:—-t-is '■ *
■* .
»
materials in
many villages.
■ns
It' *■-'
4b «?' ^JSl^ .^.^4
Migrants add to the overcrowding in Nigeria's cities,
Villagers return in the local town
part of the diet, is pounded in aclay pot j'l
and are often
with chickens,
to make '%
forced to live in
cloth, and other
shantytowns without proper
goods.
from the market
facilities or water
supplies. MOVING
TO
THE
CITY
Many young Nigerians leave their villages for afew years and move to acity. They go to study, or to earn money that they can send back to their families when pro ts from farming are low. This money may be used to buy food or books for a child going to school. Once the “migrants” have nished their studies or saved up enough money, they return home to their villages.
In the south of Nigeria most meals include yams or other vegetables. Yams have to be peeled, boiled, and mashed before they can be eaten.
W o m e n
carry babies in slings made of cloth.
rj Religion Nigeria is divided in its religious beliefs. In the north, people follow I s l a m , w h i c h w a s i n t r o d u c e d by A r a b
One of the main dyes is indigo, ablue color produced by pulping the leaves of the indigo vine.
traders from across the Sahara Desert
during the 11th century. Religious festivals, such as this Sallah procession
D Y E I N G
The Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria
to
are skilled cloth
mark
the
end
of
Ramadan
(the Islamic month of fasting) a r e important local events. Five hundred years later, European merchants brought Christianity into the south. Many Nigerians, however, still follow traditional African religions.
dyers, making intricate patterns from arange of
natural dyes. The cloth is usually dyed in earthenware pots, although the Hausa people in the northern city of Kano use large pits in the ground lined with alocal cement.
Benin
C O A S TA L
REGIONS
For centuries, the inhabitants
of stilt houses like these along
Squashed up against the western
the shores of Lake Ganvie have
border of Nigeria, Benin is along, thin country that stretches north from its
-i» made their living from
lagoons have become partly fsilted up, and many of the
Niger River. Originally called Dahomey (it was renamed Benin in 1975), the country gained its independence from France in 1960. Since then Benin has had aseries of military governments and been aone-party state. In 1991 it became the rst African nation to move from one-party rule to amultiparty democracy. Although it is apoor country, Benin has agrowing economy based on agricultural products such as cotton, cocoa, and coffee. r i j r - K S S T L
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shing.
But many former lakes and
narrow Atlantic Ocean coastline to the
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AFRICA
shermen have had to take
tup sea
shing or move to
the towns to
nd work.
Find out mor African citif.s: 206
Cocoa: 227, 228, 234 Oil: 132, 152, 281 Religion: 274-275
♦CENTRAL
AFRICA
Central
AFRICA
Africa
Faya, Chad 1
Jan 69°F (21°C) July 93°F (34“C) Jan 0in (0 mm) July 0in (0 mm)
In fertile central Africa, steaming
I
rain forests cluster around the Equator, and the mighty Congo River snakes its
2
/ V
way through Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire). In the
-
"A QS
●mVck,
1400s, Europeans began acruel slave trade here; by the late 19th century, the region was colonized. Independence
3
«~aya
I I
came in the 1960s, but democracy has C
been slow to arrive. The area
H
A
D
has met with mixed fortunes.
Countries range from stable
4
C H A D
THINGS TO LOOK FOR ON «Mao
J
S
B o i
prosperous Cameroon to the
A
H
E
Btldnc
L
Abeche^
'iful
Central African Republic, which has been crushed by poverty
THE
MAP 5
Longest river: Congo (Zaire), Zaire/Congo, 2,900 miles
Cc
(4,666 km) Map GI
DJAMENA '
Highest point: Mt. Stanley Democratic Rep. of Congo (Zaire), 6
16,765 ft (5,110 m) MapKll Largest lake: L. Tanganyika,
and harsh dictatorships. ,
Dem. Rep. of Congo (Zaire),
-
12,700 sq miles (32,893 sq km) Map KI2
Btrao*^
I
1,
7 ^ Moundou C A M E R O O N
« ^ d e l e
:!
- - C - -
Kaga-B^doro ^central ^RICAN ^.t ossaneoa Bria j
1# Ngaound^^—^ idyo , B a
100 200 SOO 400 oOOkm
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100
0
20
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300 miles
N
a
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★
★
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Sao tome
SAO TOME &PRINCIPE
P o r t - G e n d l
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M a k o k o u
Ar
o
? G A B O N
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V. A r w v
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(Angola)
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Various landscapes exist here. Close to the Equator, dense rain forests
v>5 /
*V:7 t n e
ourish in the hot, humid
climate with its year-round rains, although vast areas have been S leared for timber. Farther away )m the Equator, rain is seasonal, iucing scrub vegetation and and. Burning desert land lies in far north of the region, in Chad.
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232
Lubumbashi, Democratic
Republic of Congo (Zaire) Jan 72“F (22°C)
July SPF'tlg'C) ] Jan 10:5 in (267 mm) July 0in (0 mm)
H
^Uka^
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< ■
IH^A
CABIN'D
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●
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^Pointe-Noire ^
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(umba
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'CENTRAL
'Obo^
io2i
OGeinena
E b „I o w a
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BANGUI
O
GUINEA
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I%ambari ' /
^
Ya o u n d e %lbalmayoD . j«
M A L A B O
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Cameroon MI. aDouala
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A
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Ai
V’T
-■
f-'C 10
AFRICA
♦CAMEROON
Cameroon C A M E R O O N
In an area that has seen many troubles /
/
since independence, Cameroon is a relatively prosperous and stable success story thanks to sensible government
policies. Along with its southern neighbors, Gabon and Congo, the country has earned money from oil, and has used this to develop its economy. Many different peoples live in Cameroon, and its geography is just as varied. The humid coastal plain in the south gives
C A M E R O O N
Capital city: Yaounde Area; 183,570 sq miles
(475,440 sq km Population; 12,500,000
Of cial languages; French, English
.?
Major religions: traditional beliefs 51%, Christian 33%, Muslim 16%
Peoples With more than 130 ethnic groups,
^ drier central plateau,
Cameroon has one of the richest
while a nger of land points up to the marshes around Lake Chad.
mixes of peoples in Africa. These range from the Fulani cattle herders, who live in the north and follow
Government: Multiparty democracy
Islamic beliefs, to forest dwellers
farther south, who practice
Currency: CFA franc
Adult literacy rate: 57%
traditional religions. Most people are settled farmers producing enough for their
Women grind and sieve the miilet
Life expectancy: 55 years People per doctor: 12,500
grains to make acoarse
Televisions: 23 per 1,000 people
o u r.
r '
own needs, like this Hausa
!L *
Pearl millet grows to aheightof5-10ft (1.5-3 m).
I T
farmer tending his cattle.
Millet can also be used to make
beer. It is dried, pounded, and then brewed in large pots.
Growing millet Most farmers in Cameroon grow some crops, such as millet, for their own use
(subsistence farming), but also produce crops to sell. Millet is cultivated widely in northern Cameroon, where there is
less rainfall, because it grows well in poorer, drier soils. There has also been great investment in the production of commercial “cash” crops such as cocoa and coffee, oil palms, and bananas. This bow is basically awooden stick with
The gourds vibrate when
the strings are plucked or a piece of wood
strings stretched down its length and dried, hollowed-out gourds placed at
S O C C E R
intervals.
C a m e r o o n h a s A f r i c a ’s m o s t celebrated soccer team, known for
is drawn
some spectacular displays of skill on home territory and in the World Cup. The people of
■W
across them. ^
Cameroon love soccer -at M U S I C Traditional musical instruments of all
shapes and sizes, such as this bow, can be heard in
villages up and down the country. The most popular style of folk music in Cameroon is makossa, which mixes African sounds and soul music, and its
lively rhythms are perfect to dance to. Makossa is widely enjoyed by people all over central Africa.
Industry Cameroon has an expanding timber industry. The country has extensive forests, and
mahogany, ebony, and teak are all exported abroad. However, the industry is hampered by roads that are impassable during the rainy season. Much of the country’s wealth is based on its reserves of oil, and other natural resources
include bauxite, iron, and gold.
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lunchtime and in the evenings informal games spring up on any spare piece of open ground.
Find out mor Cocoa: 227, 228, 234 Logging: 69, 227, 244 Oil: 152, 230, 281 Oil palms: 230
Central
African
C E N T R A L A F R I C A N R E P U B L I C
REPUBLIC Situated at the core of Africa, the north of the Central African Republic (CAR) is
equatorial
arid, while lush rain forest covers the south.
G U I N E A
CENTRAL
AFRICAN
R E P U B L I C
Capital city: Bangui Area: 240,530 sq miles (622,980 sq km) Population: .3,300,000 Of cial language: French Major religions:
Drought and political unrest have caused great problems here. In 1965, Emperor Bokassa began a14-year reign of terror, which was followed by military dictatorship. The rst multiparty elections were held in 1993, but the economy is still
unstable, and this is
traditional beliefs 60%, Christian 35%, Muslim 5%
one of the poorest places in the world.
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: CFA franc
Small
Life expectancy: 47 years
RIVER
ROUTES
The CAR is surrounded by land and has no railroad system and few well surfaced roads, so its
Of cial language: Spanish Major religions: Christian 90%, other 10%
rivers are vital for transportation and trade. Nearly three-quarters of trading goods are shipped down the 4,350 miles (7,000 km)
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: CFA franc Adult literacy rate: 52%
also found here. Flooding caused by heavy seasonal rains, however, is aconstant threat
to any kind of mining.
huts
made
from
forests. These are the
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Population: 400,000
developing other industries, too, since gold, iron ore, copper, and uranium are
deep in the country’s rain
Televisions: 4per 1,000 people
Capital city: Malabo
I N D U S T RY
Alarge part of the country’s income comes from diamonds. There is potential for
banana leaves are found
People per doctor: 26,000
Area: 10,830 sq miles (28,050 sq km)
This woman is sifting diamonds from ariverbed.
Pygmies
Adult literacy rate: 40%
of inland waterways. Many goods travel to Brazzaville in Congo. Here they are loaded onto trains
homes of apeople known as pygmies, called this because they rarely grow taller than about 5ft (1.5 m). Pygmies are “hunter-gatherers,” living on food collected from the rain forest. They are ashining example of people living in harmony with the natural world, not
damaging the environment.
and taken to the Atlantic coast.
Life expectancy: 47 years People per doctor: No gures available Televisions: 9per 1,000 people
Hippopotamus tooth
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Animal bone
Cowrie ,, V' sheli 5
The economy and people of Equatorial Guinea have suffered badly because of brutal leadership. Macias Nguema ruled as acruel dictator during the 1970s, but amore moderate government came to power in the 1990s. This tiny, beautiful
country, which includes ve islands, is now working hard to rebuild its economy.
TRADITIONAL
MEDICINE
Tr a d i t i o n a l m e d i c i n e i s s t i l l
widely practiced in Africa. Animal bones, shells, and wooden sticks are used in
public healing ceremonies. The healer will often sing and dance around the
patient, using chants to cry out to the spirits for help.
Farming Although the hot climate and fertile volcanic soil of the largest island, Bioko, are perfect for
growing crops, there are few good roads and
the workforce is unskilled. Concentrating on
growing cocoa for export has left little land for people to grow food for themselves.
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A F R I C A ♦ C E N T R A L A F R I C A N R E P U B L I C A N D E Q U AT O R I A L G U I N E A
I
Find out mor
Cocoa; 227, 228 Diamonds; 150, 226, 248 Hunter-gatherers; 201 Political systems; 270-271
SAG
TOME AND
PRINCIPE
Chad
‘x;had
Much of chad falls inside awide belt of hot, dry
grassland called the Sahel, which extends across the
/
/
African continent. Drought is afrequent occurence in the Sahel. This has proved adisaster for the
-^SAO TOME^ AND
country because its economy is heavily dependent
PRINCIPE
on agriculture. Politically, Chad is an unstable place, and recent decades have seen aseries of military coups and civil wars.
C H A D
Capital city: N’Djamena Area: 495,752 sq miles (1,284,000 sq km) Population; 6,000,000
THE
KANIMBO
Chad’s northern deserts stretch up into the Arab lands of North Africa, so
the country is amixture of Arabic and
Of cial language: French
black African in uences. More than
Major religions: Muslim
Camels being brought to drink
44%, Christian 33%, traditional beliefs 23%
at the waters of Lake Chad
Govermnent: Multiparty democracy
100 languages are spoken. One of Chad’s many peoples is the Arabic and Muslim group made up of the Kanimbo nomads in the arid north.
Currency: CFA franc Adult literacy rate: 33%
1 ) !
People per doctor: 33,330
TOME
k
Of cial language:
Lake Chad today
Disappearing waters
P R I N C I P E
Capital city: Sao Tome
are left behind as the waters of the lake retreat
AND
Area; 372 sq miles (964 sq km) Population: 117,504
Areas of damp, fertile land
/
Televisions; 1per 1,000 people SAG
Original size of the lake, more than one million years ago
/
Life expectancy: 47 years
Lake Chad was once ahuge expanse of water that formed the meeting point of Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria. In the past, water poured into Lake Chad from surrounding rivers, but as the climate has become drier (over
Portuguese
the past 10,000 years), the lake has dried up. The shrinking lake poses aserious problem for the local people, who rely on its sh for food.
Major religions: Christian 99%, other 1%
Government: Multiparty democracy
Gourds are one of the
crops grown on the fertile land surrounding Lake Chad. When cut and
dried, gourds can be carved and decorated. /
Currency: Dobra
Sao tome and
Adult literacy rate: No gures available Life expectancy: 67 years People per doctor: 1,940 Televisions: No available
PRINCIPE
gures
TheVOLCANICislandsofSaoTomeandPrincipe lie off the coast of Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Dense tropical forest cloaks the upper slopes while lower down farms and large plantations growing cocoa and sugar can be found. The islands were
The creole people of Sao Tome and Principe are called lhos de terra, which is Portuguese for “sons of the earth."
ruled by Portugal until 1975. Today, the people make aliving from farming and shing, and cocoa remains avital crop.
m
Creole
&
z
culture
No one was living on these islands when the Portuguese rst landed in the 1400s. Soon apopulation was built of slaves imported from the mainland. Today, one of the main groups of people combine both African and Portuguese ancestry, and have created a“creole” culture with a
distinctive language and style of building.
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AFRICA ♦CHAD AND
VOLCANIC
LANDSCAPE
This part of Africa lies on afault line acrack in the Earth’s crust. Molten
rock can seep through this crack and cool to form volcanoes. These islands
are the peaks of such volcanoes. Their soil is enriched by volcanic ash, which makes it extremely fertile.
Find out mor Cocoa: 227, 228, 234 Peoples of Africa: 206-207
Sahel: 220, 222 Volcanoes: 13
AFRICA ♦GABON AND CONGO
iH tiaia..™.
Gabon
-V'i
11
G A B O N
Sitting astride the equator, with plentiful rain all year round, three-quarters
■m i
of Gabon is covered with tropical rain forest. Timber is an increasingly valuable resource,
C O N G O
I
although Gabon’s biggest earner is oil. This should have made Gabon awealthy country,
G A B O N
Capital city: Libreville Area: 103,347 sq miles (267,670 sq km) Population: 1,300,000 Of cial language: French Major religions: Christian 60%, traditional beliefs 40%
but most people are very poor. This is partly
LIBREVILLE
The capital city, Libreville, means “free town
because after independence in 1960, a
in French, and was founded in 1849 as a haven for freed slaves. French in uence is
one-party state was created that wasted much
strong because Gabon was colonized by
of the wealth. In 1990 Gabon became a
multiparty democracy.
France during the 1800s. Libreville is a bustling modern city, where some people enjoy great wealth, in contrast to the poverty suffered by most people on the city streets.
Mineral rich Oil and manganese became important exports in
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: CFA franc
the 1960s. This manganese mine is in southeastern Gabon. The country is one of the world’s biggest producers of the mineral, which is used to make paints, batteries, and steel. There are also large
Adult literacy rate: 62% Life expectancy: 53 years People per doctor: 2,790 Televisions: 37 per 1,000 people
reserves of uranium and iron ore, but these have
yet to be developed to their full potential.
C O N G O
m
Capital city: Brazzaville Area: 132,040 sq miles (342,000 sq km)
I'
I
Population: 2,400,000
PEOPLE
Of cial language: French Major religions:
Although just 1million people live in Gabon, there are about 40 different ethnic groups here, each speaking their otvn dialect. The largest group is the Fang, known for its warriors and skilled wood-carvers. Many people in Gabon
Traditional beliefs 50%, Christian 48%, Muslim 2%
Government: Multiparty democracy
moved here from other African countries in search of work.
Currency: CFA franc Adult literacy rate: 59% Life expectancy: 52 years People per doctor: 8,320 Televisions: 6per 1,000 people
Animal
Congo [
stretchea
■
Congo’s eastern border follows the course of
Oil is of vital importance to Congo, bringing in 90 percent of the country's export income.
skin
across the top and secured with pegs
the Congo River and the Ubangi, its main tributary, or offshoot. Oil reserves have made Congo one of the richest countries in Africa. Although ordinary people have bene ted from this -more than those in Gabon -many still scratch out aliving from farming, producing just enough to feed themselves. Cassava, astarchy root vegetable, is the major food crop.
i
D R U M B E A T
As in other parts ■, S
f.
of Africa, music is a
vital part of life, and drumbeats form the backbone of this
music. Many drums are wooden, and the one shown here is almost as tall as its
players. One popular style in the region is called Congo Music, which is similar to
Oil
■i W '
wealth
The government has wisely invested the money that comes from oil in the economy, in projects such as dams, paper mills, transportation systems, and reforestation. Although industry is limited, there is a
^1
skilled workforce. Most industries are
found around the towns and cities,
especially Congo’s capital, Brazzaville.
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236
*■-
soul music.
Find out mor
Cassava: 221, 240 Oil: 152, 230, 281 Political systems: 270-271
Rain forests: 15, 69, 204
'J
Democratic republic
Shells sewn onto material made from
vegetable
bers
OF CONGO (ZAIRE) ii^ocR.vncr
/
Jf ’Bl.lCOF/
f)N('.0 IZAlRl;)
D E M , R E P. O F C O N G O
Capital city; Kinshasa Area: 90.5,.563 sq miles (2,345,41 Osq km) Population; 41,200,000
Of cial language; French Major religions; Christian 70%, Miuslim 10%, traditional beliefs 10%, other 10%
Apart from atiny nger of land that stretches to the coast, the vast country of the Democratic Republic of Congo is landlocked. The Congo, or Zaire, River snakes its way through the country, providing awatery lifeline for its people. The climate is warm and wet, and most people are farmers. Since independence from Belgium in 1960, the Democratic Republic of Congo bas suffered from civil war, aharsh dictator, and falling prices for its products. These problems have made it one of the world’s poorest countries.
Government: Multiparty democracy
m m . AFRICAN
ART
The Democi atie Republic of Congo is famous for its distinctive art. The Kuba people of tlie country’s cential region, wliose ancestors date back many centuries, use shells, beads, and raf a ( bers from palm letives) to create geometric ]3atterns. AKuba chiefwould have worn the haunting mtisk shown above in ordei
to take on some of the power of agreat spit it. Boats stop at river ports for repair work and to refuel.
\
1,^., Ahydroelectric dam has
Currency: New zaire
been built on the Congo at Inga. The dam harnesses the power of the water to create electricity.
Adult literacy rate: 74% Life expectancy: 52 years People per doctor: No gures available
O p
O
f ● T.
V
/
■
9*
*
V
ji'Ji.J-, ■■
. i .
9''
Tugboat pushing logs along the river
Televisions: 1per 1,000 people
●Hi
14-
The course of
the Congo River
Congo (zaire) river The people here call the Congo River the Zaire. One of the largest rivers in the
t
Kisangani
world, this wide ribbon of water forms the
nation's transportation system, cutting a great upside-down “U” through miles of forest. People traveling from place to place crowd into motorized boats and )
;Traders taking /
EQUATOR'.
'A their produce to
■) ■(
¥ariver
People travel downstream in dugout canoes produced by
market
(
g.
V -
inshasa
ri 5^.
l o c a l c r a f ts m e n o r i n
J:
passenger boats with
dugout canoes. Some large boats are even
outboard motors.
oating health clinics or bars. The X1,000
river’s sh provide vital food, while crops
The curving Congo
are grown on the fertile riverbanks.
River crosses the
Equator tv/ice.
Mining wealth The Democratic Rep. of Congo’s mining industry seems to hold the key to greater wealth in the future. There are vast seams of copper,
-v!iNa«3
carats
Diamond
production in Dem. Rep. of Congo
r25.000
20,000
15,000
cobalt, gold, uranium, silver, and diamonds
here, and reserves of oil lie just off the coast. Copper mining, shown below, is very important,
■●.'I
10,000
but when the price of copper fell in the 1970s, the economy virtually collapsed.
5,000
i
1948 1970 1980 1990 1991
The Democratic Rep. of Congo is one of the biggest producers of diamonds in the world. Together with copper and cobalt, they provide nearly 80% of the country's export earnings.
MARKETS
Colorful, bu.stling river ports are meeting
points for trade and travel along the Congo
Find out more
River. Stores selling travel provisions or farming
Copi’F.R mining: 73, 245
tools nestle alongside markets where people from riverside villages come to sell their goods. Markets are ;iot only based on land. Traders
Diamonds: 150, 226, 248 Hydrof.i.f.ctricity: 108, 262
often sell their fresh vegetables and sh directly
Poi,rri(:.M. .systems: 270-271
from their dugout canoes.
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AFRICA ♦DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (ZAIRE)
AFRICA
♦CENTRAL
EAST
AFRICA
Central east aerica ALINEOFDRAMATICHIGHLANDS,volcanicmountains,gorges, and vast lakes runs through this region from Uganda in the north to Malawi in the south. This is part of ahuge split in the Earth’s crust known as the Great Rift Valley. Much of the rest
of the landscape is at grassland, called savanna -the perfect environment for big game animals, which draw thousands of tourists to countries such as Kenya and Tanzania. Growing tea and coffee provides another important
Savanna landscape
source of income for the seven
Golden grasses that can grow up to 13 ft (4 m) tall cover the at savanna. Rains come only once ayear, so
countries of the region. Mining and small-scale farming have always been important, and other industries are now increasing.
the grasses make the most of whatever water is available by spreading long
roots deep into the soil. Needlelike leaves on acacia trees minimize water
loss, while baohab trees can store water
ANIMALS
OF
THE
S AVA N N A
Herds of giraffes, elephants, ;antelopes, and zebras wander
in their swollen trunks. To protect this landscape and its wildlife, vast areas have been turned into game parks, such as the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Masai Mara in Kenya.
across the savanna in search
Iof pasture and water. They are
Masai warriors and
iclosely watched by cheetahs.
women wear jewelry usualiy bead necklaces, large earrings, and copper bracelets.
lions, and leopards, waiting to ikill any weak animals. Finally, jackals and vultures will move
- A i * *
i t '
in to
Most Masai men have more than one wife. Each wife lives in a
nish off the rarca.s.ses.
separate hut with her children.
Farming in the highlands Most farmers in this region produce only enough food to feed their own families. either from small plots of land or from cattle herding. In the highland areas, which
Te a I S m a d e
from the leaves of the tea bush. Pickers have to
have acool, moist climate, the volcanic soils ar
^
particularly fertile and companies own large farm \
: \
push their way into the bushes
where tea and coffee are grown for export. However,
\
to reach the freshest
as the population has grown, farms have been divided up into impossibly small units. The soil has begun to erode, too, since farmers cultivate even the steepest slopes.
shoots, so they wear rubber aprons to protect themselves. i:. -:
..O'
i d o l a
Jan 2.6 in (66 mm) July 1.2 in (.31 mm)
Chipata
THINGS
C
K a b w e
ON
Kariba
LKariba ■
THE
LOOK
FOR
MAP
13
Highest point: Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 19,341 ft (5,895 in) MapJ6
Lnsaka, Zambia
ChSma
TO
Jan 71°F (22°C) July61°F (16°C)
victoria
Z A M B I A
14
Largest lake: L. Victoria, Tanzania/Ugancla/Kenya, 26,828 sq miles (69,484 sq km) Map G6
in (231 mm) July 0in (0 mm)
%
15
MAGAV\’I
A
D
E
F
G
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Longest river: Luangwa, Zambia/Mozambique, 500 miles (804 km) Map Gll
OI'USAKA
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:
AFRICA
I
,i
K
I ,
♦UGANDA
AFRICA
T
Uganda
U G A N D A
Before independence in 1962, Uganda was aprosperous country -Winston Churchill called it the “Pearl of Africa.” But by 1986, the country lay
shattered and bankrupt. From 1971-79, President Idi Amin ruled Uganda as adictator. Thousands of people were persecuted or murdered. Europeans and Asians were expelled and their property seized.
U G A N D A
Capital city: Kampala Area; 91,073 sq miles (235,880 sq km)
International aid was cut off when other countries
Population; 16,582,700
In 1979, Amin was deposed, but the disruption
Of cial language: English
c o n t i n u e d u n t i l 1 9 8 6 , w h e n P r e s i d e n t Yo w e r i
Major religions: Christian
Museveni came to power. His government restored peace and has begun to rebuild the economy and reestablish democracy.
realized how corrupt Amin’s government was.
66%, traditional beliefs 18%, Muslim 16%
Government: One-party state
Currency: New Uganda Shilling
Kampala is said to be
Adult literacy rate: 51% Life expectancy: 43 years
built on seven hills.
The cassava plant grows up to 3ft (90 cm) tall. It is grown for Its roots, which
People per doctor: 25,000
The city center lies on just one of them Nakasero Hill.
can be eaten as a
Televisions: 10 per 1,000 people
IN
LAKE
VICTORIA
Vast, shallow Lake Victoria is
shared by Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. Huge Nile perch sh were introduced to the lake 30 years ago to increase sh production and provide sport shing for tourists. Since then the perch have spread to every corner of Lake Victoria and have devoured most of its
original species.
vegetable or ground to make
FISHING
our.
Farming Fertile, volcanic soil and high levels of rainfall make more than four- fths of Uganda’s land suitable for farming. Large plantations produce the coffee, cotton, and tea that make up 90 percent of the country’s exports. Although 90 percent of Ugandans work on farms, most are involved in
small-scale farming, growing crops such as corn, millet, cassava, and
K A M PA L A
sweet potatoes for their
People in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, rarely go out without an umbrella, since most days see aheavy downpour in the afternoon. Kampala has an average of 242 days ayear with violent thunderstorms. By evening, the rain has stopped and the air is cool. Kampala suffered much destruction during and immediately after Amin’s period in power, but is now being restored with the help of foreign investment.
Sweet potato (lett) and cassava (right)
own use or to sell in
are
local markets.
common
vegetables in this region.
W h a t H a v e Yo u H e a r d About AIDS ? What
Does
It
Mean?
What We
Can
Do
For
People Who How
Does
Harm
Have It
Can
Be
It
Cured?
tli
Can
Get
It?
^What Does It \.\ Look Like? What
How
Causes
Can
It?
We
o
Stop It?
Don’t LEARN
W I L D L I F E
Uganda has one of the highest
GUESS
THE
the
TRUTH
Which
/
Of
Us
Ha-s It?
Answers! ABOUT
AIDS!
e
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li of hippos and pelicans. Much of
is infected. AIDS is |
sexually transmitte I disease, and as yet ther
*
Uganda’s wildlife was wiped out during the years of con ict, and today there are not many places in Mrica where you are likely to see so many hippos.
is no cure for it, so doctors
are trying to teach people how to avoid catching it. Special campaigns, like this poster produced by UNICEF, are aimed at educating children
2 4 0 fl
can take aboat trip down the kKazinga Channel to see thousands
the world. In some parts of the country about 20 percent of the populatio ;
of the risk of AIDS.
fi
In Ruwenzori National Park, tourists
numbers of AIDS sufferers in
Us?
How
Who
It?
Aids awareness
Find out mor
Coffee: 50, 62, 66 U\KE victoria: 204 Political swTEMs: 270-271
Tea: 172, 238
● V -
R W A N D A
\
B U R U N D I
♦RWANDA
AND
BURUNDI
Rwanda Since1993,Rwandahasrarelybeenout of the news. War between the two main
/
(
R W A N D A
Capital city: Kigali Area: 10,170 sq miles (26,340 sq km) Population: 7,164,994 Of cial languages: French and Kinyai'wanda Major religions:
ethnic groups -the Tutsi and Hutu -has torn Rwanda apart and wrecked its economy, leaving it one of the poorest countries in the world. Before the war, Rwanda’s main export was coffee. Today, although 95 percent of the people still work on the land, few crops are grown for export. The country’s instability has also hindered attempts to develop manufacturing and mining industries.
Traditional beliefs 50%, Christian 45%, other 5% There are only
Government: One-party
about 650
state
gorillas left in
Ciurency: Rwanda franc
the world. The
Adult literacy rate: 52% Life expectancy: 47 years
mountain gorilla is found only In this region of
People per doctor: 50,000
Africa.
Televisions: No
gures
Ethnic warfare The worst ethnic violence in Africa’s
recent history has dominated Rwanda and Burundi since 1993, resulting in the loss of at least 200,000 lives. This is not anew con ict, but one that has
continued over many centuries, as the minority but powerful Tutsi tribe struggles to maintain control over the majority but less powerful Hutu. The recent struggles have ruined Rwanda’s economy and sent 1.5 million people eeing from the country.
available B U R U N D I
M O U N TA I N
Capital city: Bujumbura
Volcanoes National Park in
Population: 6,000,000
H E A L T H
Of cial languages:
Rwanda is one of Africa’s most densely populated countries and the population continues to grow.
French and Kirundi
Major religions: Christian 60%, traditional beliefs .39%, Muslim 1%
Government: Multiparty democracy Currency: Burundi franc
GORILLAS
One of the last known refuges for the mountain gorilla is the
Area: 10,750 sq miles (27,830 sq km)
Rwanda. Even though the gorilla is protected here, it is still in danger of extinction by poachers, and its habitat is threatened by farming.
Most Rwandan women have at least six children,
compared to an average of only one or two in developed countries. However, few Rwandans live to be over 50. Diseases such as malaria and AIDS are
common, and medical facilities are in short supply and are rarely free, so few people can afford them.
Adult literacy rate: 52% Life expectancy: 48 years People per doctor: 16,670 Tele-visions: 1per 1,000 people
Burundi ●Mlf.
Until independence in 1962, Burundi and neighboring Rwanda formed one country. Like Rwanda, Burundi is home to both
Tutsi and Hutu people, and the wars between these tribes have been part of Burundi’s history, too. In 1972, about 10,000 Hutu were killed by Tutsis. Almost as densely populated and poor as its neighbor, Burundi is struggling to cope with the huge numbers of refugees who have
DRUMMING
ed from war-torn Rwanda.
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£ \ "'Vi P O P U L AT I O N
PRESSURE
Most people in Burundi make aliving from farming. So many people live in the most fertile areas that land is very scarce. Plots of land are usuallyjust large enough to support afamily in good years, but bad weather or disease can lead to widespread famine. In some areas, the land is so over-used that the soil has begun to erode. Find out mor
GROUPS
In Burundi, stories, songs, and music are passed down from generation to generation rather than written down in aformal way. Tutsi folk dancing is one of the highlights of traditional culture, as are the groups of 12 to 15 drummers who play together with no other instruments.
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AFRICA
Health:
276
Popuuvtion: 16-17, 206 Refugees: 207
Soil erosion: 55, 244
AFRICA
K E N YA
♦ K E N YA
Kenya
■< u s r - ‘ t
Unlike many AFRICAN countries, Kenya has been stable and relatively democratic since it gained its independence from Britain in 1963. Under British rule, large farms were created in many areas to produce cash crops,
N A I R O B I
Lions, giraffes, and cheetahs roam the plains that surround Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, with the skyscrapers of the modern city as abackdrop. This is the largest city in eastern Africa, with apopulation of about amillion people. It developed after European colonization as a convenient stopping place on the railroad from Uganda to Kenya’s main port of Mombassa.
and anetwork of roads and railroads was K E N Y A
Capital city: Nairobi Area: 224,081 sq miles (580,370 sq km) Population: 26,100,000 Of cial language: Swahili Major religions: Christian 66%, traditional beliefs 26%, Muslim 6%, other 2%
Government: Multiparty democracy
built to link ports and towns. Today, Kenya is one of Africa’s richest countries, producing crops such as coffee and tea for export, and welcoming tourists to its vast game reserves. Side-by-side with this, many people still make their living from small farms or cattle herding. Kenya has one of the world’s fastest growing populations, which has led to increasing poverty, rivalry over iite''
Currency: Kenya shilling Adult literacy rate: 71%
land, and some ethnic violence.
Life expectancy: 59 years
Kenya’s main crops
■11 On game
People per doctor: 71,430 Televisions: 10 per 1,000 people
reserves such
as Kenya's
The main farming area, shown enlargea on the map beiow, is
Masai Mara and
K E N Y A
Amboseii Natiohai
in the southwest of
□
Coffee
Park, tourists can photograph wild animals close up.
the country.
Te a
□ o □
Sisal
□
Forest
Rice
Other
C o ff e e ^ beans
Farming THE
4
.'ft.
(1,
M,
Y 'j
(if?
A
felt
To u r i s m
Sugarcane
AND
● 1 . ^
\
ECONOMY
Tropical beaches and some of Africa’s best game reseives attract thousands of tourists to Kenya. Tourism is vital to the country’s economy, and the government has invested in roads, airports, and hotels to make Kenya one of the easiest and most comfortable African countries for
■a
/
tourists to visit. Because most people come to see the animals on game reserves, the government has placed ahigh priority on protecting wildlife and stamping out poaching.
Farming is Kenya’s chief export earner,
but much of the country is far too dry to C grow crops. In the highlands -where there is more rain -tea, coffee, wheat, corn,
sisal, and sugarcane are grown. Where less water is available, dairy and meat cattle are
farmed on large ranches. Dams and lakes provide water to irrigate land for growing market garden
beans
crops, such as green beans, which are exported
K E N YA N
AT H L E T E S
_Athletes from Kenya’s Rift Valley area
^excel at running long-distance races.
by air to foreign supermarkets.
„They have won ve out of the last seven Olympic 3,000-m steeplechase
i
K E N YA N
Wi
j f- events, and Kenyan Moses Kiptanui,
PEOPLES
shown here, holds the world records for the 3,000-m and the 3,000-m
These villagers belong to Kenya’s largest tribe, the Kikuyu, who live around Mount Kenya. The Kikuyu god, Ngai, is believed to live
●Ip Ilf.
■
- 2
■I i.f.
steeplechase. The runners’ skill may stem from the high altitude they live and train in, or perhaps from years of running long distances to school.
on the mountain, so the
Kikuyu traditionally built their houses with the doors
Find out mor
facing the mountain. Like nvo-thirds of the country’s 70 tribal groups, the Kikuyu speak Bantu. Small numbers
African cities: 206 Highland farming: 238
Population: 16-17, 206
of Asians, Arabs, and ■'it
Rift valley: 204
Europeans also live in Kenya.
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242
Ta n z a n i a
;
Tanzania was created in 1964, when
T A N Z A N I A
the mainland country of Tanganyika and the island of Zanzibar united. Until recently, Tanzania had asocialist government that
tried to encourage people to work together
1
O L D U VA I
on schemes such as state-run plantations. Although some of these schemes have been successful, Tanzania is much poorer than neighboring Kenya, and is one of the least
TA N Z A N I A
Capital city: Dodoma Area: 364,900 sq miles
(945,090 sq km
different peoples live here, most of whom speak Swahili, alanguage developed as a
Of cial languages: English and Swahili Major religions: Traditional beliefs 42%, Muslim 31%, Christian 26%, other 1%
.1 i
I
r, li
GORGE
The steep sides of Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania were carved out of the at Serengeti Plain hy the ow of water over millions of years. Here, archaeologists have unearthed fossils of the earliest humans, dating back 2million years. Yet more ancient footprints of humanlike creatures have been discovered, too, left by two adults and achild walking across the still-soft
urbanized countries in Africa. About 120
Population: 25,635,000
I
!t
lava that formed the plain 3.5 million years ago.
I
Making sisal
ber
means of communication The outer leaves of
between Africans and
Government: One-party state
fx'jj;,]
foreign traders.
C u r r e n c y : Ta n z a n i a n
the sisal plant are cut off close to the
stalk when they
The sisal
ber is
usually obtained by crushing the leaves between
rollers. The pulp is removed, leaving strands of white
reach their full
shilling
ber over 3ft
length.
(1 m) long.
Adult literacy rate: 55% Life expectancy: 51 years
The strands of
People per doctor: 33,330
and then hung out to dry.
ber are washed
Televisions: 2per 1,000 people DAR
ES
SALAAM
Although Tanzania’s capital is now the inland city of Dodoma, the old capital, Dar es Salaam, remains the
country’s biggest city and port. It is also the end of the
The name Dar es Salaam means
Ta n Z a m r a i l r o a d , w h i c h c a r r i e s
goods from land-locked Zambia to the sea.
“Haven of Peace. ”The city is still fairly small, with few high-rise buildings and many low, red-tiled roofs.
Sisal One of Tanzania’s main crops is sisal, aplant with leaves that are used to make rope and twine, and also mats, brushes, hats, and baskets. Sisal ropes are particularly useful on board ships since they do not rot in seawater. However, Tanzania’s
string made from sisal
sisal trade is now under threat because many products made with sisal in the past can now be made with synthetic substitutes. Z A N Z I B A R O f f Ta n z a n i a ’ s c o a s t l i e s t h e i s l a n d of Zanzibar. In the 18th and 19th
centuries, the port of Zanzibar, on the island’s western side, was used
as an Arab trading post. African slaves passed though here, en route to the Arab world. The island’s
!
main crop, cloves, was also shipped out of the port. The clove tree was only introduced to the island in 1818, but today Zanzibar is the world’s largest producer.
Ta n z a n i a n v i l l a g e s The country’s population used to be scattered in small villages. Then, in 1970, the government started a program to resettle the population in larger villages of about 250 households. By grouping people together in this way, it is easier and more economic to provide schools,
Find out mor Early people: 206 Political systems: 270-271
water, and other services, and to distribute fertilizers and
seeds. Today, 75 percent of Tanzanians live in villages in the countryside, more than in any other African country.
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The buildings and style of clothes re ect Zanzibar's continuing Arabic avor.
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♦ TA N Z A N I A
AFRICA
P o p u i ATi O N d i s t r i b u t i o n : 2 0 6 TANZA.M R.A1LRO.AD: 245
Malawi Lying on aplateau at the southern end of the Great Rift Valley, Malawi is one of the most stable countries in this
M A L A W I
Capital city: Lilongwe Area: 45,745 sq miles (118,480 sq km) Population: 10,700,000 Of cial languages: Chewa and English Major religions: Christian 75%, Muslim 20%, traditional beliefs 5%
Government: Multiparty democracy
region of Africa. Its six major tribal groups live together peacefully. Malawi’s economy is based on agriculture, but the government is trying to encourage the growth of agricultural processing industries, such as food canning and cooking oil manufacture, as well as mining and other heavy industries. Although relations with its neighbors have been tense, Malawi still accepted more than amillion refugees during Mozambique’s recent civil war.
Lake nyasa More
than
one-
fth
of Malawi’s total area
is taken up by Lake Nyasa, one of the largest and deepest
Fishermen collect these
brightly colored sh, called cichUds, for export to aquariums around the world.
lakes in the world.
Ahuge
shing industry has developed
around the lake, which is home to more
than 500 species of sh. Asardinelike sh called the usipa is one of the main
Currency: Malawian
catches. The
kwacha
and sold throughout Malawi, providing the main source of protein for anation of nearly 11 million people.
Adult literacy rate: 54% Life expectancy: 45 years
Many people grow just enough food to feed
People per doctor: 50,000
family. If there Is any extra produce, they
Televisions: No available
gures
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themselves and their
sh are dried on the shore
sell it in local markets like this one.
Farming Farming is the most important business in Malawi. Tobacco, tea, and sugar make up 85 percent of exports, and more than
80 percent of Malawi’s population makes aliving by farming. To increase the land available to farm, swamps have been drained and woodland has been cleared.
Rivers have been dammed and wells dug to water dry grasslands. Poor harvests can lead to extreme hardship among Malawi’s people.
PEOPLE
OF
MALAWI
Malawi is one of the least urbanized countries in
Soil erosion
Wind blows Wa t e r r u n s d o w n
the hillside, washing the soil away to form gulleys.
Africa, with 88 percent of its population living in villages in the countryside, mostly near seasonal wetlands called dambos. Villages are small and are usually made up of people who are closely related. Unlike many other African countries, Malawi’s main ethnic groups, the Chewas, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Tonga, Ngonis, and Yao, live together peacefully.
HASTINGS
Iree
down, wind and rain
Iopinions were not tolerated and
wear away the soil.
tmany people were tortured or
Forests Forest and woodland cover nearly half the country, but huge areas have been cut down for fuel and to clear land for farming. Malawi has no oil and little coal, so the most popular fuel is charcoal, made by partially burning wood so that it becomes smokeless and slow-burning. Where more land is needed for farming, trees are cut down and burned, and crops are grown in the ashes. Such land is fertile for only ashort time because the forest soil is quickly eroded.
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BANDA
For 30 years after achieving independence in 1964, Dr. Hastings Banda was president of Malawi, ruling the country virtually alone. His government helped the country become strong Land self-reliant, but other political
roots
help bind the soil together.
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♦MALAWI
AFRICA
/imprisoned. In 1993, calls for democracy led to Banda’s downfall.
Find out mor
Deforestation: 69, 227, 233 Peoples of Africa: 206-207 Political swtems: 270-271 Refugees: 207
♦ZAMBIA
ZAMBIA Zambia occupies abroad plateau scattered with mountains and deep valleys. After
/
independence from Britain in 1963, political v i o l e n c e b a se d o n tri b a l d i ffe r e n ce s r o cke d
ZAMBli^
the country until 1972, when President
\
Kenneth Kaunda declared aone-party state. In 1991, Kaunda was defeated in the
Z A M B I A
Capital city: Lusaka Area: 290,563 sq miles (752,610 sq km) Population: 8,900,000 Of cial languages: English, Bemba, and Nyanja Major religions: Christian 63%, Hindu 36%, traditional beliefs 1%
Government: Multiparty democracy
rst
democratic elections in 19 years. Today,
the country is less affected by ethnic con ict than many African states, even though there are 14 main tribal groups. Zambia is the world’s fourth largest producer of copper, and the country’s economy depends almost entirely on the fortunes of this industry. railroad _
\
kwacha
Adult literacy rate: 75% Life expectancy: 46 years
Mineral deposits in
U'-'i
—
j
People per doctor: 11,110 Copper
Televisions: 31 per 1,000 people
The copper belt
Cobalt
railroad linking Zambia’s copper belt with the capital, Lusaka. The makeshift
K a s a m a
\
and disease is widespread. Most people here have jobs in the copper industry. In fact, 42 percent of Zambians live in the towns, making it one of the most urbanized countries in Africa. Many Zambian families have been citydwellers for three or four generations,
S-
Zambia
Cities Achain of shantytowns lies along the
shacks have no water, power, or drains, Ta n Z a m
Currency: Zambian
which is rare for Africa. Z A M B I A L u s a k a X '
Zambia’s
TA N Z A M R A I L R O A D Landlocked Zambia has to
exports (1990)
rely on roads and railroads i Copper:
Li\ingstone
85%
t