The New

ChildrenÕs
Encyclopedia

DK Publishing

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 LONDON, NEW YORK,
Contents
MELBOURNE, MUNICH, and DELHI
INTRODUCTION 4
Senior editors Carrie Love, Caroline Stamps,
Deborah Lock, and Ben Morgan
Senior designers Rachael Smith and Tory Gordon-Harris SPACE 6
Editors Fleur Star, Joe Harris, Wendy Horobin, Lorrie Mack
Designers Clemence Monot, Mary Sandberg, The universe 8
Sadie Thomas, Lauren Rosier, Gemma Fletcher, Galaxies 10
and Sonia Moore Balls of gas 12
The solar system 14
US editor Margaret Parrish
Flying rocks 18
Packaging services supplied by Bookwork
Eye spy space 20
Publishing manager Bridget Giles
The Apollo program 22
Art director Rachael Foster 24
Exploring space
Production controller Claire Pearson The red planet 26
Production editor Siu Chan
Jacket designer Natalie Godwin
Jacket editor Mariza O’Keeffe EARTH 28
Picture researcher Liz Moore
Our unique world 30
Consultants Peter Bond, Dr. Lynn Dicks, Angus Konstam, Dynamic planet 32
Dr. Kim Dennis-Bryan, Dr. Donald R. Franceschetti, Roger Volcanoes and earthquakes 34
Bridgman MSc, Dr. Dena Freeman, and Dr. Penny Preston Making mountains 36
Rocks and minerals 38
First American Edition, 2009 Rock and mineral guide 40
Published in the United States by Riches from the Earth 42
DK Publishing, 375 Hudson Street Erosion 44
New York, New York, 10014 A look at time 46
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited Precious water 48
The world’s oceans 50
09 10 11 12 13 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Atmosphere and climate 52
CD293—04/09 Extreme weather 54

ENVIRONMENT and ECOLOGY 56

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American
Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be A shared planet 58
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted Habitats 60
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, Deserts 62
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior Grasslands 64
written permission of the copyright owner. Forests 66
Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. Mountains 68
Polar regions 70
A catalog record for this book Fresh water and wetlands 72
is available from the Library of Congress Oceans and sea life 74
ISBN: 978-0-7566-5197-8 Coral reefs 76
Climate change 78
Color reproduction by Media Development Looking to the future 80
and Printing Limited, United Kingdom
LIVING WORLD 82
Printed and bound by Star Standard, Singapore
Life on Earth 84
Discover more at 86
Plant life
www.dk.com Types of plant 88

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

Plant reproduction 90 Islamic golden age 196
Animal life 92 Aztecs and Incas 198
Mammals 94 Colonial America 200
Mammal record breakers 96 The slave trade 202
Killer carnivores 98 The age of empire 204
Amphibians 100 Industrial Revolution 206
Reptiles 102 World War I 208
Birds 104 World War II 210
Penguins and birds of prey 106 Revolutions! 212
Fish 108 In the news 214
Invertebrates 110 What is a government? 216
Amazing arthropods 112
Incredible insects 114 SCIENCE 218
Bugs and beetles 116
Marine invertebrates 118 What is science? 220
What are you doing here? 120 Mighty atoms 222
Microlife 122 Solid, liquid, or gas? 224
Animals of the past 124 Mixing chemicals 226
It’s elementary 228
CONTINENTS of the WORLD 126 Energy 230
Feel the force 232
Our world 128 Gravity 234
North America 130 Electricity and magnetism 236
Life in North America 132 Science of sound 238
South America 134 Light fantastic 240
Life in South America 136 Spectrum 242
Africa 138 Evolution 244
Life in Africa 140 Genes and DNA 246
Europe 142 Forensic science 248
Life in Europe 144
Asia 146 TECHNOLOGY 250
Life in Asia 148
Australasia and Oceania 150 Inventions and discoveries 252
Life in Australasia and Oceania 152 Modern medicine 256
World flags 154 Electric cars 258
Through a lens 260
CULTURE 156 Global village 262
Is this real? 264
World religions 158 Robotics 266
Celebrations 162 Nanotechnology 268
World art 164
Modern art 166
Writing and printing 168 THE HUMAN BODY 270
Education 170
Music 172 Your body 272
The orchestra 174 Bones 274
Let’s perform 176 Mighty muscles 276
Sports 178 Blood flow 278
Architecture 180 Think! Act! 280
Sensing the world 282
Take a breath 284
HISTORY and POLITICS 182 Food flow 286
The start of life 288
Tales from the past 184 Stay healthy 290
Early people 186
Ancient Egypt 188 Glossary 292
Greeks and... Romans 190 Index 296
Medieval period 192 Credits and acknowledgments 303
China’s dynasties 194

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

Introduction

E very child needs a book that answers his or her questions about the world: how it was made, what
makes plants grow, why the Sun shines, how the human body works, what happened in the past,
and why other countries are different from their own. Properly stimulated, this early thirst for knowledge
can become a lifelong process of discovery and understanding. This encyclopedia aims to encourage
young readers to make these discoveries for themselves by presenting clear and concise information
in an exciting visual manner that draws them in and entices them to read on.

This brand new Children’s Encyclopedia is divided into thematic chapters. All the major topics are
represented: space, Earth science, the environment, animals and plants, countries of the world, culture,
history, science and technology, and the human body. Stunning photographs and illustrations accompany
the text, which is packed with fascinating facts, timelines, and special features. Cross references lead the
reader to related topics that help cover the subject in more depth and from new angles. Unique features
focus on items of special interest, such as an orchestra or time zones, or collections of bugs or minerals.
With so much to look at and find out about, this book will prove to be a valuable reference that young
readers will treasure for years to come.

( p. 110–111) When you see this symbol in the book, turn to the pages listed to find out more about a subject.

4
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 BUGS AND BEETLES

Bugs and BEETLES Seven-spotted

ladybug
Cocinella
septempuntacta

Beetles Leaf beetle

Calligrapha
dislocata

LIVING WORLD
The word “bug” is often used to

LIVING WORLD
mean any creepy-crawly, but it is
actually an order of a particular kind of
insect. This order is called Hemiptera, and it has
82,000 species. Beetles are not the same as bugs:
they have their own order, Coleoptera. There are Ten-spotted
Stag beetle
Lucanus cervus
Weevil
370,000 beetle species—that’s one-third of all Eupholus bennetti
ground beetle
Thermophilum
known insect species. decemguttatum
Lantern bug Tortoise beetle
Eugenysa regalis
Phrictus quinquepartitus
BUGS

7/7
All the insects you see
here are life-size. The
giant water bug is the
Cotton stainer world’s longest bug,
bug Cicada but it’s dwarfed by the Assassin bug
Dysdercus decussatus Angamiana aetherea Eulyes illustris
Hercules beetle.

Diving beetle
Dytiscus marginalis
Shining
fungus beetle Hercules beetle
Scaphidium Dynastes hercules
quadrimaculatum
Bed bug
Water scorpion Squash bug Giant water bug (magnified x 2) Leaf hopper Click beetle
Nepa sp. Coreus marginatus Lethocerus grandis Cimex lectularius Cicadella viridis Chalcolepidius limbatus
Giant
harlequin beetle
Acrocinus longimanus

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF IT’S A BUG? HOW CAN YOU TELL IF IT’S A BEETLE?
Bugs have two pairs of Lacewing Adult Beetles have elytra that Beetles have complete metamorphosis: they start life as a
nymph lacewing
wings and a beaklike meet in the middle of larva, then change to a pupa, and finally become an adult.
mouth for piercing Bugs have incomplete the body. Elytra are hard Larva and pupa look different from the adult.
and sucking up food. forewings that fold over ... pupa... ... and adult
metamorphosis: they start life
as nymphs that look similar to the soft hindwings,
the adult form, but without Elytra forming a protective
A stink bug preys on Black
a caterpillar. wings or reproductive organs. jewel beetle
case. Stag beetle larva...

116 117

u COLLECTIONS look at a particular

group of things such as beetles and bugs
( p. 116–117), flags, and mammals.

ALGIERS E U R O P E
Ceuta (to Spain) Melilla
Tanger (to Spain) TUNIS M
Madeira Constantine ed

Africa
Malta
(to Portugal) RABAT ns ite The Red Sea divides
tai TUN ISIA rran
Casablanca CO oun ean Sea Africa from Asia. At the
OC as M Gulf of
Nile
Delta
northernmost end, the
Canary Islands O RA t l TRIPOLI Sirte Benghazi Alexandria Port Said Suez Canal allows ships
(to Spain) M Suez Canal to travel between the
Africa is often called the “birthplace of humankind.” ra
tta on CAIRO
Qa pressi
Sinai Red Sea and the
ALGERIA Mediterranean.

E a i le
LAÂYOUNE De Western
That’s because human beings originated from Africa LIBYA

N
ste
Desert

Re
r
WE ST E RN

n
d S rt
several million years ago, although humans as we SA H A RA EGYPT

De

CONTINENTS OF
CONTINENTS OF
(disputed)

ea
se
Ahag Libyan Aswân

THE WOLRD
THE WORLD
gar
would recognize them only emerged about 200,000 years ago. Today, Desert
Lake Nasser The easternmost part of the
continent is known as the
Nouâdhibou Ti b e
about 1 in 8 of the world’s population live in Africa. MAURITANIA
S a h a ë
r
sti
a Nubi an “Horn of Africa,”

r
De s e r t because it is shaped like

në
Të
NOUAKCHOTT an animal’s horn.
CAPE VERDE
How many people?
Seneg MALI
AFRICAN FACTS NIGER

A
al

Nig
PRAIA DAKAR SEN ERITREA
The population of Africa is thought to be

SI
EG

er
KHARTOUM
O

Covers approximately 20 percent of Earth’s around 14 percent of the total world AL S a h e l ASMERA

A
NIAMEY f
land area population. Nigeria is the most populated BANJUL GAMBIA BURKINA Zinder
CHAD El Obeid lf o

Blu
BISSAU BAMAKO FASO Gu e n

e
O

Number of countries 53 +dependencies
African country. Lake Chad DJIBOUTI DJIBOUTI Ad

Nile
Raas
OUAGADOUGOU
SUDAN

Black Volta
GUINEA- G U

e
O

Biggest country Republic of Sudan NDJAMENA

ite Nil
BISSAU IN SOMALILAND Xaafuun
E NIGERIA Eth i op i an (not internationally

BENIN
O

Smallest country The Seychelles

GHAN

OON
CONAKRY recognized) Horn

Wh
O

Languages 1,000s SIERRA CÔ T E Ma ssi f ADDIS ABABA

TOGO
D ' I VO I RE ABUJA Moundou Hargeysa of Africa
FREETOWN LEONE N d e s Bongo
O

Population of continent Estimated at LI (IVORY COAST) Sudd Hi gh lands

ER
BE

iger
CENTRAL

A
RI YAMOUSSOUKRO Lagos wa
ama

A
778 million
E T H I O P I AS

AM
2 MONROVIA A Ad ighlands AFRI CAN REPUBLI C

LI
O

Largest African city Egypt’s capital, Cairo LOMÉ PORTO-NOVO H C heb
Abidjan Ubangi eli

A
O

Highest point Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at ACCRA BANGUI
MALABO Lake Turkana

M
SO
19,341 ft (5,895 m) (Lake Rudolf )
O

Longest river Nile, running through Population density 0 km 1000
SAO TOME EQUATORIAL
YAOUNDÉ Congo MOGADISHU
UGANDA
Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt into the People per km² (0.39 mi²)
0 miles 1000 & PRINCIPE GUINEA KE NYA
Mediterranean Sea, at 4,145 miles (6,671 km) SÃO TOMÉ LIBREVILLE Kisangani KAMPALA
below 50
Basin Lake Kismaayo

O
O

Biggest lake Lake Victoria, bordering
50-90 GABON

NG
NAIROBI Victoria
Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya. The lake contains
100-149 The Great Rift Valley DEM . R EP. KIGALI RWANDA
Kilimanjaro
INDIAN

CO
more than 3,000 islands, many inhabited. This huge valley cuts right 5895m
Kasa C ONGO

Great
150-199 BUJUMBURA

Lu
BRAZZAVILLE Mombasa
BURUNDI Masai

ala
200-299 through eastern Africa, from ngo i Ilebo
OCEAN
Co

ba
KINSHASA Steppe Pemba
above 300 Ethiopia to Mozambique. It (toCabinda
Angola) Matadi Kalemie Lake DODOMA
Tanganyika Zanzibar
Kananga SEYCHELLES

Cua

Ri
THE SAHARA contains a chain of vast lakes, Dar es Salaam
TANZ ANIA

ngo

ft
V Aldabra
OASIS There “Sahara” comes from the Arabic including Lakes Tanganyika, LUANDA Cu al Lake Rukwa Group
anza Lake Mweru ley
are about 90 big Victoria and Nyasa—some of MALAWI
oases scattered word for “desert.” The Sahara the deepest lakes in the world. ANGOLA Lubumbashi a COMOROS
Ruvum
across the Sahara. stretches across North Africa and Bié Kitwe
Lake Nyasa
MORONI
These are places Huambo LILONGWE

Zambezi
where underground covers parts of 11 countries. FAMOUS PLACES Plateau
ZAMBIA
Mayotte

l
Nacala

ne
(to France)
water comes to the Much of it consists of vast seas E

Cu

an
Lubango LUSAKA
O

Hottest place: the highest U

an

AR
Za
surface, allowing

h
IQ

do
mb
of sand, with dunes up to 600 ft

Cub

eC
temperature ever recorded was Victoria Falls ezi

SC
plants to grow.  DESERT MAMMAL Cunene ng HARARE

a
o

B
(180 m) high. 136 °F (57.8 °C) at Al ‘Aziziyah in Etosha

iqu

GA
This fennec fox keeps cool ANTANANARIVO

AM
Pan Okavango ZIMBABWE
by losing heat through its Libya in 1922. Delta

mb
NAMIBIA

DA
Beira

MOZ
huge ears. BOTSWANA Bulawayo

Moza
Na

MA
O

The Ngorongoro Crater in Kenya WINDHOEK
K alah ari

mib
L
is a circular valley, enclosed by

ATOC
Toliara

im
No
sso GABORONE TSHWANE/
mountain walls. It is the remains of

pop
b

Deser
A VARIED LANDSCAPE De se r t PRETORIA

o
LA EA
SAHARA an ancient volcano. The crater is MAPUTO
Africa’s varied landscapes include Johannesburg MBABANE

t
home to a huge variety of animals. SWAZILAND
SOUTH

NTN
three deserts—the Sahara (Earth’s Kalahari Or
ange River MASERU Madagascar is the world’s
largest desert) in North Africa, and Namib O

The Okavango River does not flow
BLOEMFONTEIN LESOTHO Durban fourth-largest island. It is

IC
the Kalahari and Namib in the into the sea. Instead, it ends in a home to many unique
Desert* AFRICA erg
south. There are also large areas Dry grassland large inland swamp, known as the rake nsb animals, such as lemurs and
Great K
Tropical grassland aroo D fossas, which are not found
of forest and grassland. Tropical forest Okavango Delta, in Botswana. East London
CAPE TOWN
*Red areas indicate the extent of the named deserts.
Mediterranean
Cape of Port Elizabeth anywhere else in the world.
Mountain
Good Hope
139

u DETAILED MAPS accompany features about

countries and continents ( p. 128–153). These
are packed with facts and figures about the
geography, people, and cultures of the region.

ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE

Islamic golden age TELL ME MORE...

WHO’S WHO?
■ Muhammad (570-632) He was the

founder of the Islamic religion and the first

Muslim political leader.
In the 7th century, Muhammad established the Islamic ■ Ali ibn Abi (599-661) He was the son-
Minarets are the

HISTORY AND POLITICS

HISTORY AND POLITICS

In 661, the Muslims divided highest points in

state in the Arabian Peninsula. In the centuries after his over who to choose as the next
in-law of Muhammad and became the first
the mosque.
Imam in 656. Traditionally, a
death, the Islamic empire expanded rapidly, spreading religious leader. The Shiites ■ Harun al-Rashid (766-809) The fifth muezzin calls
accepted the descendants of everyone to prayer
Abbasid caliph, who was the subject of
the faith and laws of Islam based on his teachings. Ali (Muhammad’s son-in-law),
the stories The Thousand and One Nights, from the minaret.
known as Imams, while the
Sunnites chose the descendants also called The Arabian Nights.
■ Saladin (1137-1193) A Muslim sultan
of the Umayyads, titled Caliphs.
MECCA (governor) of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and
Palestine, who captured Jerusalem and
Muhammad was born in Mecca (now in Saudi defeated the crusaders in 1187.
, PROPHET OF ISLAM At the age
Arabia). After being forced out of the city due to of 40, Muhammad had the first of
his teachings, he returned eight years later with many revelations about the word of
God. His teachings were to become d KAABA According to Islamic
his army to take control and establish the city as intertwined with the politics and social tradition, this cube-shaped building u QIBLAH Muhammad
the center of the faith of Islam. aspects of an Islamic state. His name is in Mecca is said to be the house of instructed Muslims to pray five The Grand
shown here in stylized form. God. Muslims (followers of Islam) times a day, facing the direction, Mosque in Mecca
are expected to visit it at least once or qiblah, of the Kaaba in Mecca.
in their lifetimes. This instrument was used to figure
out the direction (qiblah).

TAKE A LOOK: ISLAMIC ARTIFACTS

The Islamic civilization had a distinctive made great advances in mathematics,

style in art, crafts, and architecture, and astronomy, and medicines.

TAKE A PICTURE

u ISLAMIC ART u ASTROLABE They u OTTOMAN VASE The Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem
Calligraphy and mosaics perfected this instrument for Flowers and large leaves was completed in 691 and is the oldest
of glazed tiles were used calculating a person’s position were widely used as existing Islamic building in the world.
to decorate buildings. by using the Sun and stars. decorative patterns.

TIMELINE OF ISLAMIC EMPIRE

622–632 MUHAMMAD 661–750 UMAYYAD 750–1258 ABBASID 1258 RISE OF THE SULTANS 1369–1506 TIMURID 1516–1924 OTTOMAN
Muhammad took The caliphs of the EUROPE Baghdad was made the Mongol invaders captured Timur, a Turkic-Mongol The Ottoman Turks
control of Mecca Umayyad family Islamic capital and Baghdad and converted warrior, conquered the ruled over the Islamic
and established expanded the the city became the to Islam, while local rulers, Islamic lands and one of state and expanded
■ Baghdad called sultans, governed his descendants founded their empire into
the Islamic Islamic Empire world’s center of trade,
civilization. (shown in green). learning, and culture. Egypt, Syria, the Mughal Empire in eastern Europe
■ Mecca
AFRICA and Palestine. northern India. (shown in green).
Silver and copper basin
196

u GENERAL ARTICLES focus on particular

topics of interest ( p. 196–197). Many have
timelines that chronicle key stages in development,
fact boxes, and picture features.

ELECTRIC CARS

Electric cars Suzuki pixy

Three-wheeled, low-speed city car
O

Top
O

Range
O

Made
speed Less than 20 mph (30 km/h)
20 miles (30 km)
in Japan
Microcab
Useful for short journeys
O

Top
O

Range
O

Made
speed 40 mph (64 km/h)
50–100 miles (80–160 km)
in United Kingdom
The life car
Stylish and speedy fuel-cell sports car
O

Top
O

Range
O

Made
speed 85 mph (140 km/h)
200 miles (320 km)
in United Kingdom
Most cars use gasoline, made from oil, which Suzuki has created a single-seater Fuel cell cars are being used as taxis Built from lightweight aluminum, this
causes pollution and adds to global warming. electric pod that is great for short in Birmingham, England. They are Morgan uses five times less energy than
journeys. Two of the Pixy pods can incredibly light and can travel for an ordinary steel-bodied car. It speeds
TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY

Oil supplies are running out, too. That’s why sit in a fuel-cell coach that recharges 100 miles (160 km) before they need from 0 to 60 mph (0 to100 km/h) in 7
 Open the hood of an electric car them as it moves. The larger coach
car designers are turning to electric engines, and you won’t find a gas engine. can go on longer journeys.
to stop and refuel. seconds!
Instead, there’s an electric motor
which can use energy from cleaner sources. (shown below in a cutaway).
Copper coils Electric motor Gears make car
of motor wheels turn at
HONDA FCX CLARITY right speed

This might look like an ordinary car but it’s powered

in what could be a much cleaner way. In a normal Drive shaft
car, the engine burns gasoline, releases energy, and turns axles
makes pollution. But in this car the fuel tank is
replaced by a kind of battery called a hydrogen fuel Venturi Astrolab
7/7
cell. This takes hydrogen from a tank and oxygen Axle drives High-performance car powered by sunlight
from the air, reacts them together, and produces left wheel
O

Top speed 75 mph (120 km/h)
Few electric cars are 100
electricity. The only waste product is steam, so if the Axle drives O

Range 60 miles (110 km)
percent eco-friendly, because
Stationary right wheel O

Made in France
hydrogen comes from a clean source there is no part of motor their batteries have to be charged
pollution at all. Turning part of motor This solar car has no engine or using electricity. Most electricity still
fuel cell. Instead, it’s covered in comes from power plants
solar panels with lenses on top. burning dirty fuels. These
These capture sunlight, turn it make pollution and add to
into electricity, and store it global warming.
in batteries.

Tesla roadster
Fast, quiet, and less polluting
TESLA ROADSTER
O

Top speed 130 mph (210 km/h) Batteries
O

Range 250 miles (400 km)
O

Made in US Electric
motor
The Tesla is designed for people
who love ordinary cars but want
them to be environmentally
friendly as well. Its
TAKE A LOOK: HOW IT WORKS powerful electric
motor can O
100 percent electric.
1 The hydrogen tank stores enough fuel to power accelerate almost O
Powered by 6831 laptop batteries.
the car for 280 miles (450 km).
5 as fast as a gas- O
The lithium-ion battery pack takes
2 The fuel cell chemically reacts hydrogen from the 4 driven Ferrari! three and a half hours to charge.
tank with oxygen from the air to make electricity.
O
Burns no oil.
3 The rechargeable battery stores energy released when 1 O
Accelerates from 0–60 mph
the car brakes and helps the fuel cell power the car.
TESLA
ROADSTER (0-100 km/h) in only 4 seconds.
4 The power drive unit works like a gearbox. It makes 2 3 The Tesla’s rear wheels
more electricity flow from the battery to the motor.
are powered by an
5 The electric motor is light and compact and electric motor and
turns the front wheels to drive the car along. batteries at the back. Air cooling pipe
258 259

u FACT FILES take an in-depth look at one

topic, such as electric cars ( p. 258–259). They
detail all you need to know about the subject.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 SPACE
SPACE

The universe was born in a Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago.
Space begins 60 miles (100 km) above the Earth.
There are 8 planets, 5 dwarf planets, and 165 known moons in our solar system.
The Sun is orbited by billions of asteroids, comets, and Kuiper Belt objects.
The first artificial satellite, Sputnik, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957.

Which star is Which planet

our nearest star? is the king of
Find out on pages 12-13 the planets? Find out
on pages 16-17

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Definition: Space includes
the entire universe—planets,

SPACE
moons, stars, and galaxies.
Since its birth in the Big Bang,
space has been expanding
outward continuously.

About 500 people have flown in space since 1961.

A teaspoonful of material from a neutron star would weigh 10 billion tons on the Earth.
A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape.
The temperature at the center of the Sun is 27,000,000°F (15,000,000°C).
When a dying star explodes, it releases as much energy as the Sun emits in its lifetime.

When did the Which rovers

Hubble go into landed
orbit? Find out on Mars in 2004?
on pages 20-21 Find out
on pages 26-27

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 The universe EXPANDING UNIVERSE
Across the visible universe, galaxies
are found to be moving away from
each other—a little like spots on an
The universe is unbelievably huge. It is everything inflating balloon. However, it is
we can touch, feel, sense, measure, or detect. It actually space that is expanding. The
farther away from us galaxies are,
includes people, plants, stars, galaxies, dust clouds, the faster they seem to
be moving.
SPACE

light, and even time. Scientists believe our universe

has existed for almost 14 billion years.

- ELECTRON + PROTON
QUARKS
TIME BEGINS - ONE SECOND -

NEUTRON
TIME 10-43 seconds 10-32 seconds 10-6 seconds 3 minutes
TEMPERATURE 1827°F (1027°C) 1813°F (1013°C) 188°F (108°C)

1 Moments after the

Big Bang, the cosmos
goes through a superfast
2 Postinflation,
the universe is a
seething, hot soup of
3 A rapidly cooling
cosmos permits
quarks to clump into
4 Still too hot to form
into atoms, charged
electrons and protons
“inflation.” It expands from electrons, quarks, and protons and neutrons. scatter light: the universe
smaller than an atom to the other particles. is a superhot fog.
size of a grapefruit in a tiny
fraction of a second. -

+
-
+
-
-

SPACE FACT FILE Astronomers measure distance in light-

years. One light-year is the distance light
O Light from distant galaxies has taken travels in one year. Visible light travels at
more than 12 billion years to arrive—so 186,000 miles/second (300,000 km/
we see them as they were before the second) in space. It takes a long
Earth was born. time for light to reach
O There are more stars in the universe us from distant stars
than there are grains of sand on all of and planets.
Earth’s beaches. Telescopes are like
O In its first second, the universe grew time machines,
from smaller than an atom to about 1,000 allowing us to see
times the size of our solar system today. what things
looked like in
the past.

8
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 HYDROGEN ATOM
PROTOGALAXY
- +
HYDROGEN NUCLEUS

HELIUM ATOM
-

- -

SPACE
HELIUM NUCLEUS - +
-

+
- + PRESENT DAY

300,000 years 1 billion years 13 billion years

18,000°F (10,000°C) -325°F (-200°C) -450°F (-270°C)

- 5 Electrons combine
with protons and
neutrons to form atoms,
6 Gravity makes
hydrogen and
helium gas come - 7 As galaxies cluster
together under
gravity, the first stars
mostly hydrogen and together to form clouds die and spew heavy
helium. Light can finally where the first stars elements into space:
travel long distances are born. Larger clouds these will eventually
across the universe. and groups of young form into new stars
stars form the and planets.
- first galaxies.
+
- -

-
- - +

In 1974, a coded radio message

7/7
(right) was sent toward the M13
star cluster from the huge Arecibo
radio telescope (left). The message

will take about 25,000 years to get
there, so we may get a reply 50,000 Does ET really exist?
years from now! The only place known to support
life is Earth. But scientists believe
that life could exist on other worlds if
they possess liquid water and the right
temperature. As telescopes become

From the top the symbols more powerful, scientists expect to
represent the numbers from one to find huge numbers of
ten, some atoms, molecules, DNA, Earth-like planets. Some
a human, the basics of our solar
system and information about the
may support life.
sending telescope.
9
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Galaxies
GALAXY SHAPES
O

Spiral Galaxy Spinning
spiral galaxies have long,
curved arms. Young stars,
Scattered across the universe are billions of pink nebulas, and dust are
found in the arms.
galaxies, each containing millions or even
O

Barred Spiral Barred
billions of stars. They come in many different spirals have long, trailing
shapes and sizes. Modern telescopes can now
SPACE

arms and a central bar. The

center of the bar is thought
see very old galaxies that were born not long to be where stars are born.
after the birth of the universe.
O

Elliptical Galaxy These
galaxies are round and made
SHAPES AND SIZES up of older stars. Many are
found in galaxy clusters.
Some galaxies are “elliptical” or almost round,
Most are thought to hold
like huge balls. Some are spirals, with long, supermassive black holes.
curved arms. Many small galaxies are
“irregular,” with no special shape. Small O
Irregular Galaxy
galaxies may contain a few million stars and Galaxies with no
recognizable shape are
measure less than 3,000 light-years across. irregular. They are small,
The galactic supergiants contain billions with lots of young stars
of Suns and are more and bright nebulas.
than 150,000 light
years across.

THE WHIRLPOOL
GALAXY This is a huge, well
defined spiral galaxy, 31 million
light-years away. Its smaller
satellite galaxy can be seen.
There are thought to be
supermassive black holes at the
center of most spiral galaxies.
10
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 GALAXIES

The Antennae
nuclei (yellow) are
colliding to form
one giant galaxy

SPACE
ANTENNAE
GALAXIES A well-
known collision involves
the two Antennae galaxies.
They are 45 million light-
years from Earth and were
lit up by bursts of star
formation as they collided.

Colliding galaxies
Most galaxies are separated by vast
distances, but sometimes galaxies collide.
In fact, the very common elliptical
galaxies are thought to have grown
through collisions with other galaxies
long ago. During collisions, the clouds
of gas between the stars are forced
together, triggering the birth of new
stars. One of the best known examples
is the Antennae galaxies.

GALAXY FACTFILE

 SATELLITE GALAXIES Most large  GALAXY CLUSTER Galaxies form  BLACK HOLE Most galaxies have
galaxies have smaller, satellite galaxies in clusters because of their huge gravitational supermassive black holes at their centers.
orbit around them. The Andromeda galaxy pull. They often pull each other out of Their gravity is so strong that not even light
has many satellite galaxies, two are shown in shape and may collide. can escape. We can only see the hot gas, dust,
this photo. The Milky Way has several dozen. and stars getting pulled in.

11
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 O

TAKE A LOOK

Constellations Only a few thousand stars

can be seen without a telescope. All of these
Balls of gas
are in our own galaxy. Ancient people saw A star is a huge, glowing ball of hydrogen gas
patterns and shapes (constellations) in them
and named them that shines because of nuclear reactions in its
after mythological
creatures or
core. The hottest stars die within a few million
years. Red dwarf stars are the coolest and live
SPACE

people. The most

famous are the
12 zodiac the longest.
constellations.
They form a belt
across the sky.

The small orange dots

are stars that are still
forming.
 URSA MAJOR The
seven brightest stars,
located in the Bear’s
hindquarters
and tail, form
the well-known
Big Dipper. The clouds are
There are four many different
young, massive colors because
stars at the they are made up
center of the of different gases
Orion Nebula. and dust particles.

Orion Nebula
This galaxy is 15,000 light-
years away from Earth.

STAR BIRTH

Most stars are born inside

O

giant dust clouds called
nebulas. Parts of these clouds
collapse and as they shrink,
the gas and dust get hotter and
forms a star. When nuclear
reactions begin in its core,
radiation makes the surrounding
material glow. Eventually, this is blown
away and the star appears.
GHOST HEAD
NEBULA An extremely
hot, newborn star lights up
the nearby gas and dust. The Ghost Head Nebula is a star-forming
region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a
satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. The “eyes of
the ghost” are two very hot, glowing blobs of
gas that are heated by nearby, massive stars.

12
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
The Sun FACT FILE
O

Diameter 863,746 miles (1,390,000 km) O
Betelgeuse, a red supergiant, is about
O

Mass (Earth=1) 330,000 700 times the size of the Sun.
O

Core temperature 27,000,032°F
O
Neutron stars are only about 12 miles
(15,000,000°C)
(20 km) across, but so heavy that one
O

Distance from Earth
93,000,000 miles (150,000,000 km)
teaspoonful would weigh a billion tons.
O
Brown dwarfs are stars that weren’t

The Sun is our nearest star. hot enough for nuclear reactions to begin.
Without the Sun, the Earth

SPACE
would be frozen and lifeless.
The Sun was born in a cloud of Brown dwarf
gas and dust about 4.6 billion (right) with a
nearby orbiting
years ago and is now halfway object (red).
through its life.

THE SUN
The Sun is a yellow dwarf, a fairly
ordinary star made mainly of
7/7
The color of a star is a guide
hydrogen. Hydrogen is changed
to helium at its center (the core).
to its surface temperature. When this happens, huge
The hottest stars are blue or
white, stars like the Sun are
amounts of radiation are released.
yellow, and cool stars are
orange or red.

Huge plumes of hot gas

sometimes stream away
from the Sun. They are
called prominences.

STAR DEATH
O
Planetary nebulas Small stars expand to become red giants.
When they run out of fuel they collapse. Their outer layers are
puffed out in rings called planetary nebulas. Each star creates
a different shape, such as a cat’s eye (below), a butterfly, or a
ring. The central star shrinks to a tiny, hot white dwarf.

Before After
O
Supernovas When big stars run out of fuel, they collapse.
Their outer layers explode into space in a supernova (right).
These can briefly outshine an entire galaxy, but are rare
events. The photograph on the left shows the same star ten
days before a supernova. Medium-sized stars become neutron
 The Cat’s Eye Nebula is made up of many gas clouds ejected by a
stars. Massive stars create black holes.
dying star.

13
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 The solar system
The solar system is our local area of
space. As its center is the Sun, our MERCURY EARTH
nearest star, which accounts for
SPACE

almost all (99.9 percent) of the solar THE SUN VENUS MARS
system’s mass. The Sun’s gravity keeps
the planets in their orbits.

y
ur

th
us
N

erc

s
ar
r
n
SU

Ea
M

M
Ve
DISTANCE FROM THE SUN
The red line to the right shows the All of the planets and
asteroids go around the 0 150 (250)
distance of each planet from the Sun Sun in near-circular
in millions of miles and kilometers. orbits in the same INNER PLANETS
direction (west to east).
Mercury is closest and Neptune The four planets nearest the
is farthest away. Earth is about Sun are called the inner
93 million miles (150 million km) planets. They are also known as
from the Sun. the rocky planets because they
are balls of rock and metal.
They are dense and have
central cores made of iron.

LUNAR AND SOLAR ECLIPSES

In any year there can be up to seven solar
or lunar eclipses, when light from the Sun People at the center of the Moon’s shadow
or Moon is blocked for a short time. Solar experience a total solar eclipse.
eclipses are more common, but are seen
only in a narrow area. Lunar eclipses can
be seen anywhere on Earth where the The Sun
Moon is shining in the sky.
The Moon
A “diamond ring
effect” appears just
before or just after SOLAR ECLIPSE The Earth
an eclipse of the
Sun. Then the O A lunar eclipse happens when O A solar eclipse happens when the
Sun’s corona the Earth passes between the Sun Moon passes between the Earth and the
(atmosphere) can and the Moon, so that the Earth Sun, casting a shadow on the Earth. A
be seen around casts a shadow on the Moon. total eclipse lasts for up to eight minutes.
the Moon.

14
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 THE SOLAR SYSTEM

 SCALE OF THE PLANETS

The Sun is thousands of times
JUPITER bigger than all of the planets rolled
SATURN into one. Jupiter is by far the largest
planet. It is so big that all of the
other planets will easily fit inside it.

SPACE
URANUS NEPTUNE

ne
us
rn
r

tu
ite

an
tu

p
p

Ur

Ne
Sa
Ju

600 1,000 900 1,500 1,250 2,000 1,500 2,500 1,800 3,000 2,200 3,500 2,500 4,000 2,800 4,500

OUTER PLANETS
The four planets farthest away from the
Sun are called the outer planets. They are
huge balls of gas (mainly hydrogen and
helium) and liquid and are known
as the gas giants. Uranus and
Neptune are also known as
the ice giants.

FAST FACTS
O
Only six planets were known before
telescopes were first used to look at the
sky in 1609.
O
The planets were born in a huge cloud

of gas and dust about 4.5 billion years ago.

O
About 4 billion years ago the Sun was
ORBITING THE SUN
25 percent dimmer than it is today. The solar system includes eight
O
Halley’s comet doesn’t orbit the Sun in planets, five dwarf planets, more
the normal clockwise direction. It travels than 150 moons, and millions

ASTEROID
from beyond Neptune to inside the orbit BELT Between more comets and asteroids. These
of Venus. Mars and Jupiter is the asteroid belt.
O
Excluding the Sun, Jupiter and Saturn It separates the inner planets from the bodies are all orbiting the Sun.
contain 90 percent of the solar system’s outer planets. About 15,000 asteroids
mass. have been found and named. They are
thought to be rocks that never clumped
together to form planets.
15
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Mercury Saturn
Messenger of the Roman gods Roman god of agriculture
O

Earth days to orbit Sun 88 O

Earthyears to orbit Sun 29½
O

Discovery date Unknown O

Discovery date Unknown (but
(but known since ancient times) known since ancient times)
O

Number of moons None O

Number of moons 60
O

Location First planet from the Sun O

Location Sixth planet from the Sun

The solar system’s smallest planet, Saturn is an enormous gas giant,

and the densest, temperatures on made mainly of hydrogen gas. It is
SPACE

Mercury range from a freezing— so light that it would float—if you

279°F (173°C) to a blistering 801°F could find a big enough ocean! Its
(427°C). Unlike Earth, Mercury has rings are made of billions of small,
no atmosphere, so the planet cannot icy chunks orbiting the planet. They
retain heat. are the remains of a moon that got
too close to Saturn and broke apart.

Venus Neptune Jupiter

Roman goddess of love Roman god of the sea King of the Roman gods
O

Earth days to orbit O

Earthyears to orbit O

Earth years to orbit
Sun 224.7 Sun 165 Sun 12
O

Discovery date Unknown O

Discovery date 1846 O

Discovery date Unknown
(but known since ancient times) O

Number of moons 13 (but known since ancient times)
O

Number of moons 0 O

Location Eighth planet from the Sun O

Number of moons 63
O

Location Second planet from the Sun O

Location Fifth planet from the Sun

This is an icy planet. That’s because

Venus is almost the same size as the it is 30 times farther away from the The solar system’s largest planet,
Earth, but you wouldn’t want to visit Sun than Earth. A day on Neptune Jupiter is a gas giant made mainly of
Venus. Its atmosphere is incredibly lasts 16 hours and 7 minutes. hydrogen. It has many storms in its
dense and the temperature is so high Neptune has huge storms and very deep, cloudy atmosphere. The largest
you would be fried to a crisp. The strong winds. It also has six dark, of these, which has been blowing for at
planet is covered in acid clouds that thin rings. least 300 years, is called the Great Red
trap heat. Spot. Jupiter has more moons than any
other planet.

Uranus Mars Earth

Greek god of the sky Roman god of war
O

Earth years to orbit Sun O

Earth days to O

Earthdays to orbit Sun
just over 84 orbit Sun 687 365.2
O

Discovery date 1781 O

Discovery date O

Number of moons 1
O

Number of moons 27 Unknown (but known since O

Location Third planet from the Sun
O

Location Seventh planet from the Sun ancient times)
O

Number of moons 2 Earth is the only planet known
Uranus was discovered in 1781 by O

Location Fourth planet from the Sun to support life. It has the right
William Herschel. Much of the planet temperature for life because it’s
is thought to be made of water and Mars is one of the closest planets to us neither too close to the Sun, nor too
ice. It has 11 thin, dark rings. The in space. It is barren and mainly far from it. Earth is the only planet
planet spins on its side, like a top that covered with dust and rocks. Two ice with oceans on its surface. It is also
has fallen over. This is probably the caps cover the poles. It is about half the the only planet with lots of oxygen—
result of a huge impact long ago. size of the Earth, but has no flowing the gas that keeps us alive.
water, which means there is no life.

16
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Moon
Luna TAKE A LOOK: PHASES OF THE MOON
O

Days to orbit Earth 27.3
As the Moon orbits Earth, it seems to
O

Discovery date Unknown (but known in
change shape night after night. We
ancient times)
say it goes through phases. This is
O

Location Only moon of the Earth
because we see different amounts of
The Moon orbits Earth at an the Moon’s sunlit side. At new Moon
it is dark and cannot be seen (except
average distance of 238,855 miles
during a solar eclipse). At full Moon
(384,400 km)—a journey of three the entire Earth-facing side is lit up

SPACE
days by spacecraft. It was born when by the Sun ( p. 31).
a huge Mars-sized object crashed
into the young Earth. The
MOONS The period from full
dark patches on its surface Moon to full Moon lasts 29½ days.
that make up the face of
“the man in the Moon”
are old seas of lava.

7/7
The Moon has no HIDDEN FAR SIDE The
atmosphere. Moon always keeps the same
side pointing toward Earth.
We never see the “far side.” Earth and Mars have had
many ice ages in the past. When
they get colder, ice sheets spread out
THE OCEAN PLANET from the poles and cover large areas.
Most of the Earth may have been
Earth is the only planet with oceans of water on its
covered in ice 600 million years ago.
surface. This water turns to gas, then forms clouds Ice ages happen because of
and rain (or snow). It is also the only planet we know changes in the orbits and tilt
with lots of oxygen—the gas that keeps us alive. Its of the planets.
powerful magnetic field shields Earth from harmful
particles and radiation from the Sun.

LIFE ON EARTH Life is

thought to have existed on Earth
for almost four billion years.

FAST FACTS
O
The planets of our solar system orbit
the Sun in nearly perfect circles.
O
Our nearest neighbor, Venus, is only

231⁄2 million miles (38 million km) away

during close approaches.
O
Use this simple sentence to remember

the order of the planets: My Very

Educated Mother Just Served Us
Noodles (My = Mercury, Mother = Mars).
O
Even today, comets and small asteroids

crash into the planets (including Earth).

One impact 65 million years may have
wiped out the dinosaurs.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 ASTEROIDS are small, rocky

Flying rocks bodies that orbit the Sun. Most of

them are found between the orbits
of Mars and Jupiter. They are
There are billions of rocks in the Milky Way leftovers from the birth of the
planets 4.5 billion years ago. The
that never became big enough to be planets. main asteroid belt contains tens of
They orbit the Sun and sometimes crash into thousands of asteroids. The first one,
Ceres, was discovered in 1801.
SPACE

each other and the planets. They can

create spectacular light shows in the
sky or even devastate whole planets.

Pluto
The Roman god of the underworld
O

Diameter 1,441 miles (2,320 km)
O

Mass (Earth=1) 0.002
O

Year to orbit Sun 248
O

Number of moons 3

Pluto was discovered in 1930. In

2006, astronomers decided it should
be classed as a dwarf planet. It is
smaller and lighter than the Moon
and its egg-shaped orbit means that
it sometimes comes
closer to the Sun
than Neptune.
Pluto is very
cold because it
is so far away
from the Sun. 7/7
Most meteorites are too small to
cause much damage. However,
65 million years ago, a 6 mile- (10 km-)
wide asteroid hit the Earth, causing
DWARF PLANETS massive earthquakes and tidal waves.
Other than Pluto, there are four dwarf A cloud of dust from the impact entered
planets—Haumea, Eris, Makemake, the atmosphere and blocked sunlight,
and Ceres. Ceres is the only asteroid big
enough to be classed as a dwarf planet.
causing plants and animals to die.
The other dwarf planets are much like This impact may have ended the
Pluto and are found in the outer solar age of the dinosaurs.
system beyond the orbit of Neptune.

18
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 FLYING ROCKS

COMETS orbit the
Sun in the outer solar
system and sometimes TAKE A LOOK: METEORS
appear in our skies. They
have two tails—of gas Look up at the sky on a cloudless night and you will
and dust—and a solid eventually see a meteor, or “shooting star.” Meteors
nucleus made of ice. The are particles of dust and rock that burn up as they
Hale-Bopp comet passed enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
near our Earth in 1997.
It was one of the
brightest comets of the
20th century.

SPACE
O

It’s strange to think that the Willamette meteorite (above), now

found in a museum, was once a brilliant fireball shooting toward

the Earth. It’s made of iron and nickel.

Meteor showers occur at the same time each year,

when the Earth passes through trails of dust left by
passing comets. Very rarely, a shower may produce
thousands of shooting stars that light up the sky.

METEORITES
Meteorites are small chunks of
rock that have come from
space and landed on the Earth’s
surface. Most of them are
pieces that have broken off
asteroids. A few have come
from the Moon and Mars.

METEOR CRATER
One of the youngest and best-
preserved craters on Earth is in
Arizona. It is 50,000 years old
and 600 ft (180 m) deep.

The crater is 4,000 ft (1,200 m) wide

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Eye spy space
People have been staring at the heavens
since prehistoric times. They measured
the positions of the stars and watched
the movement of the Sun, Moon, and
SPACE

planets across the sky. But there was a

limit to what could be learned with 7/7
In order to avoid becoming ill
the naked eye. with altitude sickness, people
visiting mountaintop observatories,
such as Keck I and II, have to stop
LICK TELESCOPE The James Lick and wait halfway up the mountain.
Telescope is an antique refracting This allows their bodies to adapt to
telescope built in 1888. It is the third the decrease in oxygen in the air.
largest example of this type of telescope
in the world. It is in California and is
4,209 ft (1,283 m) above sea level.

TAKE A LOOK
Optical telescopes can obtain images of far-
away planets and stars. Other telescopes
study the universe by capturing radio
waves, X-rays, and other types of radiation.

 MARS FROM HUBBLE This picture of

Mars was taken with the Hubble Space
Telescope. It shows the southern polar cap, the
orange deserts, and sheets of ice cloud.

20
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 EYE SPY SPACE

Keck I and II James Webb

Largest optical telescopes today Largest space telescope
■ Overall height 81 ft (24.6 m) ■ Length 72 ft (22 m)
■ Total moving weight 300 tons (270 metric tons) ■ Weight 14,300 lb (6,500 kg)
■ Total weight of glass 16 tons (14.6 metric tons) ■ Mission length 5–10 years
■ Location 13,800 ft (4,200 m) above sea level on ■ Location 1 million miles
Mauna Kea, Hawaii (1.5 million km) from Earth
The largest optical telescopes today are In 2013, the James
the identical Keck I and II, each with Webb Space

SPACE
33 ft- (10 m-) wide mirrors. They are Telescope will
on an extinct volcano in Hawaii. replace the
Their telescopes are linked so that the Hubble Space
light they collect can be combined. telescope. It will have a
Giant air conditioners run constantly 21 ft (6.5 m) mirror
during the day, keeping the dome (nearly three times bigger
temperatures at or below freezing. than Hubble’s).

Each main mirror is

made of 36 segments
Chandra Hubble space observatory
that act like a single Most powerful X-ray observatory Famous NASA-ESA observatory
piece of glass.
■ Length 451⁄3 ft (13.8 m) ■ Height 432⁄3 ft (13.3 m)
■ Weight 10,560 lb (4,800 kg) ■ Weight 23,855 lb (10,843 kg)
■ Mission length 10 years ■ Mission length 23 years
■ Location Earth orbit ■ Location Earth orbit

Today, large space observatories, like Launched in 1990, the world’s most
Chandra, are used to study very hot famous space telescope has a 71⁄2 ft
X-ray objects such as supernovas, (2.4 m) mirror. It is named after
white dwarfs, and active galaxies. American
X-rays are captured by four pairs of astronomer
cylindrical mirrors. Edwin Hubble,
who showed
that the universe
is expanding.

Very Large Array Allen Telescope Array Giant Magellan

27-dish radio telescope 350-dish radio telescope Seven mirror optical giant
■ Size 27 dishes, each 82 ft (25 m) across ■ Size 350 dishes, each 20 ft (6.1 m) across ■ Height Seven 271⁄2 ft (8.4 m) mirrors
■ Length of each railroad arm 13 miles (21 km) ■ Location Hat Creek, California ■ Total moving weight more than 1,100 tons
■ Location Socorro, New Mexico (more than 1,000 metric tons)
Currently under construction the array ■ Location Cerro Las Campanas, Chile

The Very Large Array is currently the is planned to contain 350 dishes inside
world’s largest radio telescope array, a 2⁄3 mile- (1 km-) wide circle. They will Due to be completed in 2017, the
consisting of 27 dish be linked and act as a single dish to Giant Magellan
antennae. The dishes study the distant will produce
can be moved universe images ten times
along the arms and sharper than the
of a Y-shaped search for Hubble Space
railroad alien life. Telescope.
network.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 The Apollo
program
In the early 1960s, Russia was ahead
SPACE

in the space race, so President

Kennedy announced that American
astronauts would land on the Moon
before 1970. In July 1969, after
spending 25 billion dollars on the
Apollo program, they did.

GETTING THERE
O The astronauts’ journey to the
Moon would not have been
possible without the Saturn V,
the most powerful rocket ever
built. The huge, three stage
rocket towered 360 ft (110 m)
above the Florida launch pad.
After the first two stages ran out
of fuel, they were released and
the third stage was used to boost
the Apollo spacecraft and its crew
toward the Moon.

First man on the Moon Apollo 11

was the first manned mission to
land on the Moon. On July 20,
1969, the lunar module Eagle
landed and Neil Armstrong made
the first lunar footprint.

APOLLO TIMELINE
1966 1967 1968 1969
February 26 January 27 October 11 July 20
First unmanned test flight of Gus Grissom, Edward White, and First manned Apollo 11 makes
Saturn 1B rocket. It eventually Roger Chaffee were killed on the Apollo flight tests December 21 the first manned
carried the first manned Apollo launch pad by a fire in their Apollo the Command Module First manned flight landing on the
test flight to orbit the Earth. spacecraft during a launch test. in Earth orbit. around the Moon. Moon.
22
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 THE APOLLO PROGRAM
APOLLO SPACECRAFT
For the three-day trip between Earth and the Moon, the Apollo TAKE A LOOK
crew spent most of their time in the cone-shaped Command Scientists wanted to
Module (CM). The crew also returned to Earth in the learn more about the
Command Module and landed by parachuting into the ocean. Moon, so astronauts
collected lots of soil
and rock samples.
d COMMAND MODULE
One astronaut stayed in the . Bending in spacesuits
CM in orbit around wasn’t easy, so tools

SPACE
the Moon. The were designed to pick
others went down things up. Altogether,
to the Moon’s 838 lb (380 kg) of
surface. rocks were brought to
Earth and stored in a
special room.

Dish antenna for

communications
with Earth.
, LUNAR MODULE The Moon
lander was officially called the lunar
module. The crew lived in the upper
of the two sections. It was this section
that blasted off from the Moon and
carried them back to the CM.
A camera took pictures
and sent them back
to Earth.

The Moon buggy

Walking and carrying
samples was hard
work, even in the
Moon’s low gravity
(everything weighs
one-sixth of what it
does on the Earth).
The wheels were So NASA gave the last
solid and made of
wire mesh.
three Apollo crews a lunar
rover to drive. Crews traveled
farther and could carry more.

1970 1971 1972 1975

April 13 July 26 July 17
An oxygen tank Launch of December 19 Apollo-Soyuz docking: first
exploded on Apollo Apollo 15, the Splashdown of Apollo joint US-Russian
13, canceling its first mission 17, the last manned manned
Moon landing. with a rover. mission to the Moon. mission.
23
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 The International Space Station

Exploring space is the most expensive and ambitious

space project ever flown. The 500
ton (450 metric ton), station is
being built in Earth orbit by the
The Space Age began in 1957, with the launch US, Russia, Japan, Canada, and
11 European countries.
of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite,
by the Soviet Union. In 1961, Yuri
Gagarin became the first person to
SPACE

fly in space.

. LARGEST
OBJECT The
International Space International Space Station (ISS)
Station is the largest object
ever to orbit the Earth.

THE FIRST SPACE STATIONS

FAST FACTS Space stations are places where people can
■ Valeri Poliakov holds the record for the live and work in space for long periods of
longest space mission—437 days. time. The first space station, Salyut (Salute) 1,
■ Mir flew just under 2 billion miles was launched by the Soviet Union on April
(3 billion km) in its lifetime.
19, 1971. Six more
■ Mir space station was home to 111

people (1986–2001). Salyuts were launched

■ The shuttle Challenger blew up in 1986, until 1986—two of
71 seconds after launch. them mainly for
■ The shuttle Columbia broke apart during
taking spy
its return to Earth in 2003.
■ About 160 space walks are required to
photographs.
complete the International Space Station.
■ More than 90 percent of the world’s . SALYUT 7 SPACE
population can see the ISS when it STATION The 22 ton FOOTBALL FIELD .
flies overhead. (20 metric ton) Salyut 7 When it is finished in
space station was launched 2010, the ISS will be
■ The ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes.
in 1982 and burned up about the size of a
during reentry in 1991. football field.

TIMELINE OF SPACE EXPLORATION

1950s 1960s
1959 1963 1969
1957 First pictures 1961 First woman 1965 First man to
First man-made of the far side First human in space, Alexei Leonov walk on the
satellite, Sputnik, of the Moon in space, Valentina makes first Moon, Neil
in space. (Luna 3). Yuri Gagarin. Tereshkova. space walk. Armstrong.
24
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 EXPLORING SPACE
Space shuttle In 1981, a new space
age began when the first reusable
d SPACE SHUTTLE LANDING BACK TO THE MOON
The shuttle lands on a runway at a
spacecraft blasted off from Cape speed of 215 mph (345 km/h). If it ■ The United States, Russia, Europe, and
Canaveral, Florida. Five US space misses the runway it can’t go around Japan are planning to send people back to
shuttle orbiters have been and try again. A tail parachute the Moon by 2020. The US is developing
built. They come back helps to slow it down.
the Ares I and V rockets. Ares I will carry a
to Earth like crewed spacecraft called Orion, which will
giant gliders. carry six people to the International Space
Station and eventually on to the Moon.

SPACE
u THE SPACECRAFT ORION will
dock with the International Space Station.

Space tourism Almost all of the

astronaut and cosmonaut flights have
been funded by tax payers. However,
space tourism is becoming increasingly
popular. The first real space tourist was
millionaire businessman Dennis Tito,
who paid $20 million for a week
on board the ISS.
Dennis TitoTito
Dennis

WOW!
Just 12 astronauts have walked
on the Moon. They are the only
people ever to have set foot on d VIRGIN GALACTIC is
another world. Nearly 500 people selling tickets for suborbital
have flown around the Earth since flights to an altitude of
42 miles (68 km).
Gagarin’s historic flight. Most have
come from Russia or the
United States.

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

1977 Voyager 2004
1973 2, then 1 are 1986 1998 Cassini-
Skylab launch— launched to First section of First part of Huygens in
the first US Jupiter, Saturn, Mir space station the ISS orbit around
space station. and beyond. launched. launched. Saturn.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 The red planet
Aside from Earth, Mars is the most
GIANT CANYONS
suitable planet for humans to live on. The Valles Marineris are more
It looks red because iron minerals in than 2,500 miles (4,000 km)
its surface rocks have rusted. In the long—10 times the length of
SPACE

the Grand Canyon—and

past, it was much more like extend a fifth of the way
Earth than it is today. around Mars. The canyon is
about 5 miles (7 km) deep and
more than 375 miles (600 km)
wide in the center.
These dark
circles are
volcanoes.

VALLES MARINERIS
The canyon system was
Volcanoes Mars has the largest discovered by the
volcanoes in the solar system. The most Mariner 9 orbiter (after
impressive is Olympus Mons, which is which it was named).
375 miles (600 km) across and more
than 16 miles (26 km) high. The volcano
hasn't erupted for millions of years.

POLAR ICE CAPS

There are ice caps at both Martian poles,
O


but they are much smaller than the Earth’s.
Each pole is different. The northern sheet is
about 2 miles (3 km) thick and mainly water North
ice. The southern polar cap is colder but polar
thicker, and made of water ice with a coating ice cap
of carbon dioxide ice. The polar caps melt
and shrink in summer, then grow in winter
when the temperature drops.

TIMELINE OF MARS EXPLORATION

1960s 1970s
1960 1962 1964 1969 1971
Korabl 4 Mars 1 (USSR) Mariner 4 (US) Mariner 7 (US) Mariner 9 (US) the 1973
(USSR) did not lost contact on the first success was a success first successful Mars Mars 5 (USSR) 1976
reach Earth way to Mars. returned 21 and returned orbiter. Orbiter got 22 Viking 1 (US) made the first
orbit. images. 126 images. days of data. successful landing on Mars.
26
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 THE RED PLANET
WHERE IS THE WATER?
Today, Mars is very cold and the air is too
thin for liquid water to exist on the surface.
7/7
Mars has two small moons,
However, huge, winding channels suggest that
Phobos and Deimos. They are
large rivers raged over the surface long ago. thought to be asteroids that were
The water was probably released in sudden captured by Mars long ago. Phobos is no
floods, possibly when underground ice more than 17 miles (27 km) across with
melted. These river channels have large craters on its surface. Deimos is
just 7 miles (12 km) across and has

SPACE
been dry for billions of years. a smoother surface.
Northern plains
Mars Explorers Many robotic
spacecraft have been sent to Mars but
failed. The successful Viking missions in
the 1970s included two orbiters and two
landers. The first rover was part of the Phobos
Mars Pathfinder mission of 1997. Today,
there are two large rovers on Mars
(Spirit and Opportunity) which are still
returning images and data to Earth.

Southern highlands

SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY ROVERS

Two American automated (robotic) rovers
landed on Mars in January 2004 to search for
evidence of water.

1980s 1990s 2000s

2003 2008
1988-89 1998 Europe’s Mars Phoenix (US) landed
Phobos 1 and 2 Nozomi Japan’s first Express orbiter in Martian Arctic and
(USSR) were 1997 Mars explorer began taking operated for over
both lost on Mars Pathfinder (US) delivers failed with fuel detailed pictures 5 months (before its
route to Mars. first successful rover to Mars. problems. of Mars. batteries went flat).
27
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 EARTH
EARTH

The Earth formed from the gas and dust of a nebula 4.5 billion years ago.
Earth’s inner core is as hot as the surface of the Sun.
It spins on its axis at about 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h).
Seventy percent of Earth’s surface is covered in water. Most of this is salt water.
At the moment, Earth is the only planet in the universe known to support life.

How does How hard is

water shape fluorite?
a coastline? Find out on page 41
Find out on page 45

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Definition: Earth is the
planet on which we live.

EARTH
Unlike other planets in our
solar system, it is covered
with liquid water, which
makes it look blue.

Winds traveling around the Earth can be faster than 200 mph (320 k/ph).
The highest tsunami on record was 1,720 feet (525 meters) tall.
A manned submersible has reached an ocean depth of about 7 miles (11 km).
Stromboli volcano (off the coast of Sicily) has erupted continuously for 2,000 years.
Earth is surrounded by a thick atmosphere, largely composed of the gas nitrogen.

How can What causes

wind create huge Earth’s seasons
rock sculptures? to change?
Find out on page 46 Find out on page 53

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Our unique world The atmosphere
Among all the planets in the solar system, Earth gives us our weather,
provides us with
is the only one known to support life. It is a oxygen, and protects
us from harmful
perfect distance from the Sun, has a breathable solar energy.
EARTH

atmosphere, and is bathed in life-giving water.

The crust shapes
EARTH’S STRUCTURE the continents
and seafloor.
Earth may look like a solid ball of rock, but
if you slice through it you can see it is made
up of different layers. At the center is a hot
metallic core. It is surrounded by the stony
mantle, which is like sticky
caramel. On top is a
thin crust that
The outer mantle is
forms the fused to the crust.
continents
and ocean The inner mantle has
floor. a temperature of about
5,400ºF (3,000ºC.

The outer core is made

of molten metal.

The temperature of the

inner core is about
10,800ºF (6,000ºC).

EARTH’S CORE
The core is a mixture of iron and
nickel mixed with lighter elements.
The pressure at the center is so high
that the inner core remains solid.
TIMELINE OF LIFE ON EARTH
EARLY EARTH FIRST LIFE EXPLOSION OF LIFE
416 million years ago:
4.5 billion years 630 million years 540 million years ago: the first land animals appear.
ago: Earth forms 4.2 billion years ago: complex Cambrian explosion—sudden
into a red-hot ball ago: Earth (multicellular) appearance of many new species 500 million years ago:
of liquid rock. develops a crust, 3.5 billion years ago: animals evolve. with teeth, feet, intestines, Earth’s atmosphere
and oceans form. first living cells. spines, and hard shells. becomes breathable.
30
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 OUR UNIQUE WORLD
Magnetic field Our Earth acts
like a huge bar magnet, which is
why it has north and south
poles. The magnetic field is
thought to be produced by
movement in the liquid
outer core. The molten
metal carries an electrical
charge, which generates an
electromagnetic field as

EARTH
it swirls around.
TAKE A PICTURE

Auroras are created when high-energy

DAY AND NIGHT particles are drawn in at the poles by the
Our planet doesn’t stand magnetic field. This energizes atoms in the
still. Every 24 hours it revolves atmosphere, which show as curtains of light.

once around its axis, so that half

the planet is in sunlight and the Phases of the moon If you look at
other half is in darkness. If it the night sky you will see that the
WAXING appearance of the Moon changes over
didn’t rotate, one side would have GIBBOUS
the course of a month. As the Moon
permanent day and the other, FIRST orbits the Earth, the angle between it
permanent night. QUARTER and the Sun shifts, so that the amount of
the Moon’s face that is lit by the Sun
FULL
changes. It is difficult to see a new
MOON Moon since the light is shining
on the side we cannot see. A
slender crescent then appears
and gradually increases
(waxes) until the full face
is lit. It then starts to
decrease (wane) back
WANING WAXING into darkness.
GIBBOUS CRESCENT

EARTH

SUN

LAST
NEW
QUARTER
MOON

We only ever see the same face of the

Moon because for every orbit it makes WANING
around Earth it spins once on its axis. CRESCENT

PANGAEA AGE OF THE DINOSAURS HUMANKIND

145 million years ago: the 65 million years ago: 250,000 years
225 million years ago: all
modern continents begin mass extinction of ago, modern
land joined into one
to take shape. species, including the humans
continent, Pangaea.
dinosaurs. appeared.
225 million years ago: the
age of the dinosaurs begins. Today
31
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Dynamic planet
7/7
Earth has had a solid outer
skin for at least 4.4 billion years.
Earth’s surface is constantly changing. The rocks it is Even though the rocks that currently
made from have been recycled many times. Even make up the surface are much younger,
scientists have found that some of them
though we rarely feel it moving, the signs that our contain tiny crystals of a mineral called
planet is active are all around us. zircon. Dated at 4.4 billion years,
EARTH

they are the oldest crystals

known on Earth.

 MAGMA erupting
onto the surface cracks
as it cools. The whole
of the planet once
looked like this.

RISING HEAT
Below the surface, the mantle moves very slowly.
Scientists think that currents of heat rise from
the lower mantle, cool as they near the surface,
and then sink back down again. This has
a dragging effect on the surface layers,
carrying them along like a conveyor belt.

Earth’s metal core provides the heat.

It contains radioactive elements
that give out heat as they become
more stable. Even though the inner
core is very hot, the huge pressure
keeps it solid. The slightly cooler
outer core is liquid.
32
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 DYNAMIC PLANET
EARTH’S CRUST
The uppermost surface of
Earth is called the crust. Eurasian plate
N. American plate
It has two layers: Pacific
a light top layer and a plate
slightly thinner but African plate
Pacific plate
denser bottom layer.
The crust is broken into S. American plate

EARTH
Australian
pieces that fit together plate
like a jigsaw puzzle. These
plates float on the mantle.
As the mantle moves,
the plates go with it. Antarctic plate

Divergent boundaries At the points where Plates moving in

the mantle currents rise upward, the plates opposite directions.
above them get pulled apart (diverge).
Some of the mantle melts to form magma Plates slide past
and fills the gap between the plates. Each each other at
time this happens the plates move apart. transform
Sometimes the plates simply slide past boundaries.
each other without any volcanic activity.
These are called transform boundaries. Oceanic crust
forms as the
Magma rises up
magma cools
Volcanoes form from the mantle.
and solidifies.
where the land
is pushed up.
Direction of Ridge forms along
continental divergent boundary.
plate.

The oceanic Convergent boundaries When two plates

plate starts to meet (converge), one of the plates is pulled
melt and rises under the other. If a continental plate meets
to the surface
as magma.
an oceanic plate, the denser oceanic plate
gives way. If two oceanic plates meet, the
cooler, older plate is dragged under. Should
The oceanic plate two continental plates collide, the rocks on
is pulled under both sides bend and fold to form mountains.
the continental plate. Direction of
oceanic plate.

TAKE A LOOK: PLATE MOVEMENTS

The continents have

not always been in the N. America N. America N. America
positions they are today.
Since Earth’s crust cooled
they have split, collided,
rotated, and reformed.  About 225 million years  Over time, the plates  Today, the continents look
They are still moving ago all the continents were beneath began to pull the like this, but they are still on
about 6 in (15 cm) a year. joined together. continents apart. the move.

33
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Volcanoes and
earthquakes
EARTH

People have always been terrified by

the fiery power of volcanoes and
earthquakes shaking the ground.
Although these are just the natural
movements of our planet, they can
be highly destructive.
VOLCANOES
Volcanoes form when molten rock pushes
up through the Earth’s crust. When molten  MOLTEN LAVA

rock is underground it is called magma, Lava that does not

contain much gas flows
but when it flows onto the surface it is over longer distances.
called lava. Some volcanoes erupt gently,
but others can be explosive, blasting gas,
ash, and rock into the air. Volcanoes may
erupt at regular intervals, while others
lie dormant for centuries.

Parasitic cones form over Vent

fractures in the crust.
Sills are formed when
magma pushes between
existing rock strata.
Side vent

 SHIELD  CINDER CONE

VOLCANO These are Most volcanoes are
broad, low-profile cones. cinder cones. They are
Lava erupting They are formed when made of ash and lava
from a side vent. Underground runny lava flows over a blown into fragments
Dykes form in long distance before it by escaping gas.
magma chamber
fissures in the rock. cools and hardens.

34
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 VOLCANOES AND EARTHQUAKES
EARTHQUAKES
Earthquakes occur when two blocks of the Earth’s
crust slip past each other. The place where
this happens is called a fault.
Because the blocks do not
slide easily, a large amount of
energy is released when
they move. This ripples

EARTH
away like waves on a
pond, shaking the
ground above. Energy wave
Ash clouds blast fine particles high Fault line
up into Earth’s atmosphere, where The epicenter is
they can affect the world’s weather the source of the
for months. earthquake.

ON SHAKY GROUND
When the ground shakes, buildings
RING OF FIRE and other structures may collapse.
The strength of an earthquake is
measured using the Richter scale.
This earthquake in Kobe, Japan,
measured 7.3 on the scale. It lasted
for only 20 seconds, but it made
200,000 buildings fall down.

TSUNAMI
Tsunamis are giant ocean waves
O


O

The “ring of fire” lies around the rim of caused by a sudden movement of the
the Pacific Ocean. It is an area where a ocean floor. Sometimes colliding plates
number of crustal plates meet, resulting get stuck. When they finally release, it
in frequent volcanic and earthquake can trigger an earthquake, which gives the
activity. There are 452 volcanoes in the overlying water a huge shove. The waves
ring, and 80 percent of the world’s grow stronger as they cross the ocean and
largest earthquakes occur in this area. cause devastation when they hit land.
Bangladesh
 BEFORE Banda Aceh in Indonesia was
21⁄2 hours
close to the epicenter of the 2004 earthquake
and was the first place the tsunami struck.
India
2 hours

Malaysia
Sri Lanka 30 minutes
1½ hours

Epicenter
 COMPOSITE Indonesia
VOLCANO These cones 15 minutes
rise steeply toward the  AFTER Most of the northern shore was
 WORLDWIDE WAVE The tsunami
summit. They are the most submerged by the tsunami. More than
of 2004 began with an earthquake off the
deadly type because they
coast of Indonesia. The wave was eventually 230,000 people in eleven countries died
usually erupt explosively. when the waves hit land.
felt as far away as Iceland and Chile.

35
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Making mountains
Mountain ranges cover about a fifth of the Earth’s
FACT FILE
land surface. They have built up over millions of
O

Mountains are home to approximately
years, as massive tectonic plates crash into one one-tenth of the world’s people.
O

Mountains occur in 75 percent of the
another. Many ranges, such as the Himalayas,
EARTH

world’s countries.
are still being pushed upward. O

Many mountains are permanently

capped in ice and snow.

Shifting sand This experiment below O

For every 330 ft (100 m) you climb
LIFT AND FOLD
uses layers of sand on a sheet of paper upward, it gets 2°F (1°C) cooler.
Most mountains are fold O

The strongest wind recorded on a
to show how rock strata buckle and
mountains, which have been double over as a mountain forms. mountain was 231 mph (372 km/h) on
created by the movement of Each layer of sand represents a layer Mt. Washington, New Hampshire.
tectonic plates across the Earth’s of the Earth’s crust. The paper is pulled
surface. When two tectonic plates along slowly, at a rate of ½ inch (1 cm)
per 100 seconds. As the paper moves,
push against each other, the rock it drags the sand with it. This is similar
of the Earth’s crust lifts up and to the way the Earth’s slowly flowing
folds over on itself. The folds get upper mantle pulls along the crust.
bigger and bigger over time.
 MOUNTAIN MACHINE The

 SEDIMENTS Layers of sediment are laid

paper and sand are held between fixed
down evenly on top of the paper. wooden blocks inside a tank.

 ZIGZAGS The moving paper makes wrinkles in the bottom layer

of sand. These are magnified into Z-shaped folds in higher layers.

 HIGHER AND HIGHER The sand folds

 CROSS SECTION This cliff face in
Dorset, England, shows how rock strata build up on top of each other, making
twisted and folded over as the African and large loops.
European plates collided millions of years ago.
This same collision gave birth to the Alps.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 MAKING MOUNTAINS
TYPES OF MOUNTAIN FAMOUS MOUNTAINEERS
Not all mountains are fold
■ Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing
mountains. Some are formed
Norgay were the first climbers to reach
by eruptions from volcanoes, the summit of Mount Everest. They did so
and others are made up of on May 29, 1953. Hillary was a New
massive blocks of rock pushed Zealander, and Norgay was Nepalese.
■ Lino Lacedelli and Achille
up as Earth’s crust cracks.
Compagnoni were Italian mountaineers
Mountains are given their and the first people to conquer K2. They

EARTH
jagged appearance by heavy reached its peak on July 31, 1954.
TAKE A PICTURE
erosion, which strips the rock ■ Richard Bass was the first person to

away from their sides. The Matterhorn is an easily recognizable climb the “Seven Summits”—the tallest
peak in the Alps. It was first climbed in 1865 mountains on each of the world’s seven
by an English mountaineer, Edward Whymper. continents. He finished on
Going up The higher you climb, April 30, 1985.
the air becomes thinner and the
temperature gets colder. The tree
line marks the cut-off point
beyond which it is too cold for
trees to grow. MT EVEREST
(SAGARMATHA)
Nepal–China
29,029 ft (8,848 m)
K2
(MT GODWIN
AUSTEN)
Pakistan–China
28,251 ft (8,611 m)

A SAVAGE MOUNTAIN One

in four people die when they try
to reach the summit of K2.
ACONCAGUA
Argentina
22,835 ft (6,960 m)

KILIMANJARO MT MCKINLEY
Tanzania United States
19,341 ft (5,895 m) 20,322 ft (6,194 m)

MELTING ICE-CAP
It is estimated that the
ice-caps on Mount
Kilimanjaro will have MONT BLANC
melted by 2020. MT FUJI France–Italy
Japan 15,770 ft (4,807 m)
12,388 ft (3,776 m)
MATTERHORN
(CERVINO) AN ACTIVE VOLCANO The
MT COOK Italy–Switzerland last eruption of Mount Fuji was in
14,692 ft (4,478 m) 1707–1708, when it erupted for 16
(AORAKI) days. Some scientists believe that it
New Zealand may erupt again soon.
12,349 ft (3,764 m) OTHER NAMES Mountains often
have different names in different
NAMED BY AN EXPLORER languages. The Matterhorn is
Mount Cook was named by the VESUVIUS so-called in English and German,
explorer Captain James Cook. Its Italy but in Italian it is called Cervino
original, Maori name is Aoraki. 4,190 ft (1,277 m) and in French, Mont Cervin.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Rocks STONE CYCLE
Earth’s rocks are
endlessly recycled,
but it takes
Our planet is a big ball of rock. Rock is what millions of years
for rocks to form
gives the Earth its features—mountains, and change.
canyons, and plains. Rocks can be massive,
or as small as a grain of sand. All of them
EARTH

started life deep inside the mantle. Igneous rocks

WHAT IS A ROCK?
Rocks are usually made up of several
different minerals. Looking closely at a
rock can tell you a lot about its history.
The shapes of crystals or grains in the rock
and how they fit together reveal whether
the rock is one of three types: igneous,
Sedimentary rocks Metamorphic rocks
metamorphic, or sedimentary.

Igneous rocks began as molten rock

deep inside Earth. They are the most
common rocks in the Earth’s crust.
Some were erupted onto the surface
as lava; others solidified underground.
The speed at which they cooled is
shown by the crystals they contain—
big crystals indicate slow cooling.

Metamorphic rocks These began

as other types of rock but have
been altered by great heat,
pressure, or both, deep inside
the Earth’s crust. Most of the
minerals in the original rock
have changed. These rocks often
show folded or squashed bands.

Most sedimentary rocks are made

of small particles of other rocks,
transported by water, wind, or
ice. The particles may all be the
same size or a mixture of sizes.
These build up in layers, and
pressure from new layers above
squashes them into hard rock.

38
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
Minerals
When Earth first formed, it inherited many
different chemical elements. Over billions
of years, these elements combined to form
thousands of different chemical compounds.

EARTH
WHAT IS A MINERAL? How minerals form Most
Minerals are the building blocks minerals form when molten
rock or a hot solution cools and
of every type of rock. They consist forms crystals. The crystals that
of a single chemical element or form are affected by pressure
a compound of mixed elements. and temperature, so a mineral
There are about 4,000 different can look different depending
on how it crystallizes. However,
minerals, but only 100 occur in some minerals, such as coal and
any great quantity. chalk, start off as living
organisms.
Types of mineral The common
minerals that make up Earth’s
crust are called “rock-
forming minerals.” They DIAMOND
is made of pure
are mostly compounds of carbon. It is the
the elements silicon and hardest mineral
oxygen. Other minerals on Earth.
are “ore minerals”—
they contain large CHALCOPYRITE
amounts of mainly is a copper and iron WHAT USE IS A MINERAL?
metallic elements that sulfide ore seen here
are very useful to us. mixed with clear Minerals have a huge range
quartz crystals. of practical uses…
O

They can be mined to
CRYSTALS extract metals (for example,
copper, gold, or silver).
Most minerals are crystals. The atoms in
O

Minerals like potash and apatite can
the minerals are arranged in regular
be used as plant fertilizers.
patterns, which give crystals their simple
O

Crystals can be cut and polished into
geometrical shapes. The crystal structure
affects many of the mineral’s gemstones (diamond, ruby, emerald).
physical properties, such as O

Colored minerals are used as pigments.

hardness, and how the O

Some minerals are used in bath or

crystal fractures. beauty products.

 GALENA is the
name given to lead
sulfide. Its crystals are
 CINNABAR is a sulfide cubic in shape. If it is
of mercury that forms hit with a hammer, the
hexagonal crystals. crystals break off into
smaller cubes.

39
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Rock and mineral guide
Collecting rocks and minerals can be a rewarding KEY
hobby. Rocks are identified by features like color, Rocks are graded by the size
texture, and mineral content. Minerals are classified of their grains, as either fine,
medium, or coarse. The size
by crystal structure, hardness, and how they break.
EARTH

limits for each category vary

depending on whether rocks
are igneous, metamorphic, or
IGNEOUS ROCKS sedimentary ( p.38).
F = fine
M = medium
C = coarse

F M C Anorthosite

F Obsidian
F Pumice

C Peridotite

M C Kimberlite C Granite C Pegmatite

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

F Chalk F M Siltstone F M C Limestone C Tillite C Conglomerate

METAMORPHIC ROCKS

F Slate

F M Quartzite F M C Marble F M C Serpentinite M C Schist M C Gneiss

40
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 ROCK AND MINERAL GUIDE

MOHS’ SCALE
One way of telling the difference between similar-looking minerals is to test their hardness. This is measured by scratching
minerals against each other. A hard mineral can always scratch a softer one. The hardest mineral is diamond.

EARTH
1. Talc 2. Gypsum 3. Calcite 4. Fluorite 5. Apatite 6. Feldspar 7. Quartz 8. Topaz 9. Corundum 10. Diamond
softest hardest

ORES

Silver: 2.5–3
Sulfur: 1.5–2.5 on Mohs’ scale Malachite
Gold: 2.5–3
(contains copper):
3.5–4

Illmenite (contains
titanium): 5–6 Magnetite (contains iron): 5–6 Cobaltite (contains cobalt): 5.5 Rhodonite (contains manganese): 5.5–6.5

SEMIPRECIOUS STONES

PRECIOUS STONES
O

Gemstones are divided into precious and
semiprecious stones based on value.
The four that qualify as precious are diamond,
emerald, sapphire, and ruby.
Lapis lazuli: 3–5.5
Jade: 6–7

Olivine: 6.5–7

Diamond Emerald
Agate: 7

Sapphire Ruby
Amethyst: 7 Tormaline: 7 Zircon: 7.5

41
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Riches from the Earth
Many useful materials are hidden away below the
Earth’s surface. Some of these rich resources, such
as precious metals and gemstones, have been used
since ancient times. Others, such as fossil fuels, are
EARTH

more recent discoveries, but equally important.

MINING
FAST FACTS People need to dig up the
O
South Africa is one of the world’s resources from the Earth’s crust  DRILLING FOR GOLD A miner
leading mining nations, holding large drills for deposits of gold at a mine in
before they can use them. This South Africa. The rock face lies deep
reserves of gold, diamonds, and other
is called mining. There are two underground, and the work is physically
valuable mineral resources.
main techniques, depending demanding and very dangerous.
O
By 2015, the world demand for oil will

be about 96 million barrels a day. on the types of mineral being Underground mining Any minerals
O
Saudi Arabia is the world’s extracted. They are surface buried deep beneath the Earth’s
leading oil producer. surface must be extracted using
mining, or quarrying, and
O
Mining kills and injures more underground mining techniques.
workers than any other industry. underground mining.
Miners use heavy machinery to drill
deep shafts under the ground. They
lay rails to carry the minerals, drilling
HEMATITE, gear, waste material, and the miners
the mineral form
 IRON MINE
of iron oxide, is themselves to and from the rock face.
Iron ore mines in identified by its Underground mining is dangerous
Brazil are some of rusty red streaks. work and much more expensive than
the most productive
in the world.
surface mining.

Surface mining The largest mines

are strip mines, which extract
minerals on or near the Earth’s
surface. Miners use explosives,
diggers, and heavy machinery to
dig huge holes in the ground.
Most of the world’s mining output
is through surface mining. This
type of mining is much safer
than underground mining.
42
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 RICHES FROM THE EARTH
FOSSIL FUELS ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
Coal, oil, and natural gas
are fossil fuels. These vital O Oil spills from tankers
spread over vast distances
resources formed from the in ocean currents. These
remains of animals and plants environmental disasters
that lived millions of years devastate marine wildlife
such as fish and seabirds.
ago. Over time, the vast pressure
O Burning fossil fuels in car engines
and temperature under the ground and power plants pumps huge volumes

EARTH
changed the remains into coal, oil, of carbon dioxide into the air, which is
and natural gas. Fossil fuels now leading to global warming.
provide most of the world’s power. O Oil exploration destroys habitats
in wilderness areas, decimating local
populations of animals and plants.

Coal This hard black

solid forms when peat
deposits become buried
underground. Peat is a
rich type of soil formed
from plants and their
decaying remains. Over
millions of years, the
weight of the top
layers of peat pushes
down on the lower
Seam of coal levels. This squeezes
the peat, which first
Compressed peat
Decaying plants forms lignite turns into a mineral called
form peat lignite and eventually into coal.

Oil This thick black liquid forms

from the remains of marine animals
and plants that lived millions of years
ago. The dead bodies were buried Oil rig
under the seafloor and then slowly
transformed into crude oil, which
became trapped in layers of rock.

Oil
 STRIKE IT LUCKY An oil worker guides reservoir
a giant hydraulic pump into position to extract Rock layer traps the
the crude oil from an oil well. Decaying remains decaying remains
of marine life
43
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 Erosion LANDSLIDE!

Earth’s landscape is constantly changing, as rock and

soil are worn away by the destructive effects of
water, wind, ice, and gravity. Erosion can be sudden,
such as when a landslide happens. But gradual
EARTH

erosion can be just as dramatic, for example, as

rivers carve deep valleys into the Earth’s surface.
Huge amounts of rock, soil,
WIND EROSION TELL ME MORE... and mud can suddenly slip
As wind flows across the land, it down hillsides under the effects
lifts up and carries countless What happens to the sediment of gravity, tearing down trees and
transported by erosion? Much of it burying homes. Landslides may
grains of sand and other tiny mixes with organic remains and be caused by activities such as
particles. These particles, called becomes soil. Rivers drop sediment tree-felling. Trees’ roots hold soil
sediment, may be blown against as they lose speed. In time, sediment in place, so when forests are cut
may become buried and harden into down, landslides become
rocks at high speeds, grinding new rock.
away at their surfaces. Over many more likely.
years wind erosion has the effect
of wearing rock into new shapes
and resculpting the landscape.  WIND SCULPTURES

Wind erosion happens most in Wind erosion wears down

soft rock faster than hard rock.
dry, desert regions. As the soft rock disappears,
strange shapes are revealed.

The caprock at
the top of this
pillar is harder
than the
mudstone
underneath.

Wind erosion will

eventually wear
away the mudstone
to the point where
the caprock falls off.

44
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 EROSION
WATER EROSION
As rainwater flows downhill, it TAKE A LOOK: THE POWER OF WATER
picks up small fragments of rock. Rivers constantly erode away the rock of their own beds, which gradually
These fragments wear channels changes their courses. This can create features such as oxbow lakes.
into the earth, gradually carving
out the beds of rivers. In the same Oxbow
lake
way, ocean waves and tides grind
Sediment
down the rocks of the shoreline,

EARTH
creating bays, headlands, cliffs, Erosion
and rock pillars called stacks.
u STEP 1 As a river flows u STEP 2 The bends u STEP 3 Sediment
As the coastline is around a meander, it erodes gradually change shape, deposited by the river cuts
eroded, the harder the outside of each bend. until a shortcut is created. off the meander.
rock is left as
headlands.

. TWELVE
APOSTLES These rock
formations off the coast of
Victoria, Australia, were
created by the sea eroding
limestone headlands.

Waves are steered into The headlands are worn

the headlands by the into stacks by constant
shape of the coastline. wave erosion.

ICE EROSION
About 10 percent of Earth’s land
surface is covered by slow-moving
masses of ice called glaciers. As
glaciers move, rocks trapped in
the ice scour the land, wearing it u DEPOSITION The sediments
smooth. Water can also split rocks transported by rivers and by ocean
tides can be deposited in large
as it freezes, since water in cracks quantities, creating new land
expands as it turns to ice. features such as this spit.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 A look at time
What time is it right now? The answer depends on where you
are. If it’s noon in Santiago, Chile, it will be midnight in Perth,
Australia. To make sense of this, the world is divided into 24
time zones, and clocks in each zone are set to the same time.
EARTH

RUSSIA covers eleven

time zones, because it
stretches all the way
EUROPE from Europe to Asia.

ASIA

AFRICA

GREENWICH MERIDIAN
All time zones are measured in TIME ZONES
relation to this line, which runs AUSTRALIA
Greenwich meridian through Greenwich, England. O Places to the west of the
international date line are one day
ahead of places to the east.
Party time! One of the first O
Many countries move an hour MIDNIGHT SUN
populated places to celebrate ahead in the summer so there is At points near the North
the New Year each year is more light in the evenings. This is and South poles, the Sun
Kiribati in the Christmas called daylight saving time. However doesn’t set at all at certain
Islands. Hawaii, which is times of the year.
the practice isn’t always popular
to the east of the with farmers, who need light in the
international dateline, is early morning.
one of the last places to
join the party.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 A LOOK AT TIME

THE TIME BELOW IS...

WOW!
Some countries are split into several time zones, whereas
others lie in just one. If you fly from one side of the
United States to the other, you’ll find a time zone Your internal body clock
tells you when to wake and
difference of four hours. In contrast, China has just one
sleep. Plane passengers who cross
official time across the whole country, despite its size. several time zones may experience
jet lag, which makes them tired
during the day, but restless

EARTH
at night.

INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE

This imaginary line separates one day
from the next.The International Date NORTH
Line used to run through the islands of
the Republic of Kiribati, so that it was AMERICA
a different day on different islands. TIME ZONE LINES
In 1995, the line was moved east to are not as straight as
put Kiribati in a single time zone. shown here. Some shift
east or west to take in a
Hawaii country’s borders.

Kiribati
THE POLES
■ The world’s time zones meet SOUTH
at the North and South poles. AMERICA
By walking around the poles
themselves, it’s possible to travel
through all the world’s time zones
in a matter of seconds.

Time traveler The system of

worldwide, standardized time zones
was first proposed by Canadian
Sir Sandford Fleming in 1878.
He pointed out that the world is
divided into 360 degrees of longitude
(imaginary lines running from north to
south), and that these could be split into
24 time zones of 15 degrees each. One time zone
47
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Precious water O

FAST FACTS
The Caspian Sea is the largest inland
body of water in the world.
Without water, life on Earth could not exist. This O
Lake Baikal in Siberia is the world’s

deepest freshwater lake and the largest

vital resource fills the world’s oceans, lakes, and rivers by volume.
or soaks into the earth to form groundwater. A small O
Lake Superior in North America

has the largest surface area of any lake in

fraction of the world’s water exists as ice
EARTH

the world.
O
The Dead Sea on the border of Israel
or water vapor in the air, or is held and Jordan is the world’s lowest lake and
inside the bodies of animals and plants. also one of the saltiest.

FRESH WATER
The salty seas and oceans make up 97 percent
of the world’s water. The rest is fresh water, and
7/7 nt
The Earth’s oceans Only 3 perce
at er
most of it is locked away in the polar ice caps contain 324 million of Earth’s w
.
and glaciers. The fresh water we drink comes cubic miles (1.36 billion is fresh water
from lakes, ponds, and rivers and accounts for cubic kilometers)
just 0.6 percent of the world’s water supply. of water.
Water runs down
the slopes to form The clouds
streams and rivers. release water
Water cycle Water moves through a continuous As the air rises and
as precipitation
cools over land, the
cycle between the oceans, the atmosphere, and (rain or snow).
water condenses
the land. The water cycle provides fresh water, in clouds.
which is essential to life on Earth.

Plants release
water into the air
by a process called
transpiration.

The Sun warms the

ocean, and fresh
water evaporates
into the air.

Some water soaks

through the soil to
form groundwater.

The reservoir that forms

behind a dam supplies
people with water.

Rivers channel A dam interrupts the water

Most of the the water back
world’s water is cycle by delaying the return
toward the ocean. of water to the ocean.
held in the oceans.

48
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 PRECIOUS WATER

WORLD’S LONGEST RIVERS

The world’s longest rivers
(by continent) are:
O Nile: Africa’s longest river,
at 4,135 miles (6,650 km).
O Amazon: At 4,000 miles
(6,400 km), the longest river
in South America.

EARTH
O Yangtze: Asia’s longest river,
at 3,915 miles (6,300 km).
O Mississippi: At 3,902 miles
(6,275 km), the longest river
in North America.
O Volga: Europe’s longest river,
at 2,294 miles (3,692 km).
 The Nile River was the lifeblood O Murray–Darling: At

of the ancient Egyptians, providing 1,701 miles (2,739 km), the

the water to grow their crops. longest river in Australia.

Underground water Some

of the water that falls as rain
seeps into the soil and into
the rocks below to become
groundwater. Some rocks
soak up water and form a
saturated layer called the
water table. But water can
also leak through cracks in
rocks and form pools in Solid water Some water falls from clouds as
underground caves. snow. In the polar regions, and high in the
mountains, the snow builds up in layers that

BLIND CAVEFISH push down to form an icy mass called a glacier.
These fish live in deep The glacier flows to the sea and breaks up into
caves and rely on touch, icebergs, which gradually melt, and the water
rather than sight, to sense
cycle starts all over again.
their surroundings.

WATER SAVE FRESH WATER

O

There are approximately
O

Running faucets uses up a lot
75,000 dams in the United
States alone. of water, so turn them off when
O

Las Vegas gets
you have finished.
O

Only flush the toilet when
85 percent of its water
from Lake Mead—the you have to.
O

Take a shower instead of
vast reservoir behind
the Hoover Dam. a bath because it uses up
O

At 1,000 feet (300 meters) tall,
much less water.
O

Keep waste water from
Nurek Dam in Tajikistan is the
 WATER SUPPLY Lucky Peak Dam sinks and bathtubs and use it to
world’s tallest dam.
traps water from the Boise River in Idaho. water plants in the garden.

49
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 The world’s oceans
Earth is known as the “blue planet,” after the oceans North Sea
Average depth 308 ft (94 m)
that cover two-thirds of its surface. Much of the
ocean remains mysterious because the dark, cold
conditions make its deep waters difficult to explore.
EARTH

Arctic Ocean
Average depth 3,248 ft (990 m)

MIGHTY OCEANS TELL ME MORE... Mediterranean Sea

Our oceans are in constant Average depth 4,921 ft (1,500 m)
motion. They are driven by Twice a day the sea level rises and falls.
This movement is called a tide. It is
flowing currents that mix warm caused by the gravitational effects of
and cold water, which in turn the Moon, Sun, and Earth. When
these combine, a bulge of water forms World oceans
affect our climate. There are five The depth of the ocean varies
on either side of Earth, causing a high
great oceans. In order of size, tide. When it passes, the tide goes out. enormously. On average, the
these are the Pacific, Atlantic, Southern Ocean is the deepest,
Indian, Southern, and Arctic but many oceans have submarine
canyons running through them.
oceans. Smaller areas are
The deepest of these is the Mariana
called seas. Trench in the Pacific. At 35,829 ft
(10,920 m) deep, you could fit in
d WAVE POWER Waves
Mount Everest with room to spare.
contain a huge amount of
energy. This energy can be Caribbean Sea
captured and turned into Average depth 4,960 ft (1,512 m)
electricity.

Atlantic Ocean
Average depth 10,925 ft (3,330 m)

Indian Ocean
Average depth 12,762 ft (3,890 m)

Pacific Ocean
Average depth 14,041 ft (4,280 m)

Southern Ocean
Average depth 14,763 ft (4,500 m)

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 THE WORLD’S OCEANS
Ocean circulation The circulation of the
ocean partly controls climate, because warm Arctic Ocean
or cold air masses move with ocean currents.
The Gulf Stream takes warm, salty water from North Sea
the Caribbean to the Nordic seas and brings
mild weather to northern Europe. Without Pacific N. America Mediterranean Sea
Ocean Atlantic
the Gulf Stream, winters in Lisbon, Portugal, Ocean Pacific
would be more like winters in New York, Africa Ocean
Caribbean Sea
which is a similar distance from the North Indian
S. America
Pole. Around Iceland, the Gulf Stream’s salty

EARTH
Ocean
water gets cold and heavy and sinks down, Warm surface currents Australia
sucking more warm water from farther south
Cold deep currents
to replace it. That deep cold water flows from
the Arctic to the Southern Ocean, where it The Gulf Stream Southern Ocean
meets an even deeper cold current flowing
eastward around Antarctica. Similar processes Antarctica
take place in the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Beach Continental shelf Continental slope Sea mount
Continental rise Submarine canyon Abyssal plain
Midocean ridge

Continental margins The land does Waves Waves are caused by winds blowing over
not stop when it meets the ocean. The the ocean. These produce smooth, large waves
continental shelf extends out for about called swells. As they get closer to shore
650 ft (200 m) then slopes sharply they begin to pile up. The depth
down to the ocean floor. Although large between the wave and the
areas of the floor, or abyssal plain, are seafloor becomes shallower,
flat, it is not featureless. There are deep causing the wave to break
canyons and trenches, volcanic sea into a foamy crest that
mounts, and spreading ocean ridges. Breaking crashes onto the beach.
wave crashes
onto beach.
 BUOYED UP Some “seas” are
DEEP, BLUE SEA Waves pile up as actually salty lakes.The Dead Sea is so salty
they near land. Ocean swell you can float without making any effort.
Life at the bottom of the
deep ocean is hard. Salt water As everyone knows,
The weight of water
seawater tastes salty, and will make you
above is so heavy it
can crush organisms
thirsty if you try to drink it. Not only is
that use lungs to common salt (sodium chloride) found
breathe. It is dark in seawater, but many other minerals
because light cannot as well. There is even a little dissolved
reach very far, which also gold. Scientists estimate there could be
makes it cold. Animals that live here as much as 50 million billion tons
need special adaptations to help (tonnes) of dissolved salts in the sea.
them survive. If this were spread on the land it would
measure 500 ft (150 m) deep.
51
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Atmosphere TAKE A LOOK
The atmosphere consists of
five layers—the troposphere,
stratosphere, mesosphere,
Life on Earth could not exist without the thick blanket ionosphere, and exosphere.
of gases that surrounds the planet. This “atmosphere” is a Space shuttle
complex, dynamic system that interacts with the oceans,

EXOSPHERE
Satellites
land, and the Sun to create our weather and climate.
EARTH

PROTECTING EARTH Other gases

The atmosphere plays a vital role 300 miles (500 km)
in protecting life on Earth. It Oxygen
absorbs much of the Sun’s

IONOSPHERE
harmful rays but allows , WHAT’S IN THE AIR?
enough through to warm Nitrogen Around 20 percent of the
Northern
atmosphere consists of oxygen,
up the planet. It protects the which we need to breathe.
lights

planet from meteor showers. Most of the rest is nitrogen, 50 miles (80 km)
but a tiny fraction is made up
The atmosphere also holds oxygen

MESOSPHERE
of other gases, such as carbon
and water, which are essential for life. dioxide and methane. Shooting
stars

30 miles (50 km)

STRATOSPHERE
WOW!
A satellite o
rbiting
Airplanes
altitude of
Earth at an
,500 miles 6 miles (10 km)
roughly 12
) will be
(20,000 km
an
traveling at
TROPOSPHERE

0 0 mph
amazing 8,5 ).
/h
(14,000 km
Clouds

OZONE LAYER TIGHT SQUEEZE Gravity

,
squeezes 99 percent of the gases
■ Ozone forms a thin layer in the atmosphere into the first
around Earth, about 15 miles 25 miles (40 km) above Earth’s
(25 km) above the surface. surface. The rest extends 600 miles
(1,000 km) out into space.
■ The ozone layer protects
life from the harmful ultraviolet
(UV) radiation in sunlight.

u HOLE A satellite ■ Harmful gases in aerosols and other

image reveals the systems destroy ozone, creating holes in

ozone hole (purple). the ozone layer over the polar regions.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE

Climate O

FAST FACTS
For the last 50 years, the average
temperature on Earth has been increasing
The climate of a particular area is the different by about 1⁄8 of a degree every ten years.
This is known as global warming
patterns of weather and temperature over time. ( p. 78–79).
Factors that influence climate include distance O
The change in temperature is causing

the glaciers and ice caps to melt.

from the equator and the sea, height above sea

EARTH
level, and the surrounding landscape. Northern summer occurs
when the North Pole
tilts toward the Sun.
SEASONS
The seasons are annual changes in
Sun
climate that occur in the northern and
southern hemispheres. There are four
seasons in temperate regions—spring,
summer, fall, and winter. They are due
to the differences in day length and the
strength of the sunlight as Earth orbits  FULL TILT The seasons
the Sun. In many tropical and occur since Earth tilts on its
subtropical areas, there are two Southern summer axis as it orbits the Sun. This
occurs when the has little effect at the equator,
seasons—dry and wet. North Pole tilts where there is only one season.
away from the Sun.
Dry air sinks over
Warm air rises at the world’s deserts.
the equator until WEATHER MACHINE
it hits the top of The Sun heats Earth’s surface, which warms the
the troposphere
and can rise atmosphere. Warm air rises, and cool air moves in
no farther.
to replace it, causing winds. Warm air rises in the
Westerlies tropics. Cool air moves in from the north and
south. Since Earth rotates on its axis, the winds
Trade winds bend, creating huge swirling weather patterns.

Doldrums TEMPERATE
This zone experiences
changes in temperature
Doldrums and rainfall during
the year, but none
Trade winds are too extreme.

POLAR The Arctic

and Antarctic polar
regions experience
Westerlies freezing conditions
and little rainfall.

TROPICAL This
Very cold air sinks at The area where the
zone lies north and
the poles and flows trade winds die out is south of the equator
outward, creating known as the doldrums. and is generally hot
winds called easterlies. The circulating air Sailing ships may and humid.
patterns are called “cells.” become stranded here.

53
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Extreme
weather
These days we can watch the weather from
space and even forecast it, but the one thing
EARTH

we cannot do is control it. Weather is one of

the great powers on our Earth and in its extreme
form is an awesome, deadly natural force.

HURRICANE
Also known as
cyclones and typhoons,
these enormous swirling storms
rip away buildings and wash away
roads. In 2005, the 175 mph
(280 km/h) winds of Hurricane
Katrina caused catastrophic
flooding in New Orleans,
Louisiana, killing over 1,500 people.

 THUNDERSTORMS Huge storms form  LIGHTNING High up in a thunder cloud  FLOOD Flooding causes more damage and
when warm air rises and cools, causing huge icy raindrops collide and create an electric kills more people than any other catastrophe
clouds to grow higher and higher. As the water charge. The bottom of the cloud is negatively caused by extreme weather. In 1997, more
vapor cools, it falls down as heavy rain. charged and the top is positive. Electricity jumps than 250,000 people were driven from their
between the two and that’s lightning. homes in Bangladesh.
54
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 EXTREME WEATHER

PREDICTING WEATHER
Weather can be very unpredictable,
but most of the time forecasts warn us
of extreme weather and can help save
lives. Weather satellites orbit the Earth
continuously, taking photographs.
There are about 10,000 weather
stations all over the world, on land
and at sea, gathering data on clouds,

EARTH
temperature, air pressure, wind
direction and speed, and so on. They
pass the information to huge
 FIRE All it takes is dry, parched earth
computers, allowing meteorologists to and a bolt of lightning for a devastating
predict how the weather will change. forest fire to rage across miles and miles
of land. If a fire hits urban areas it can
destroy homes and claim many lives.

FAST FACTS
O
There are about 2,000 thunderstorms
happening in the world right now.
O
Lightning kills 100 people every year.

O
Australia suffers from about 15,000

 SNOW A snowstorm can be lots of fun
bushfires each year. but can also be deadly. A blizzard can bury
O
Arica, Chile, is one of the driest places cars and even houses. In 1999, a heavy
on Earth. From 1903 to 1918 it had no rain. snowfall caused an avalanche and buried the
O
A tidal wave, or tsunami, hit Indian town of Galtür, Austria, under 33 ft (10 m)
Ocean shorelines in 2004. It killed an of snow.
estimated 230,000 people ( p. 35).

HAILSTONES
Hail forms inside huge
cumulonimbus clouds and
often falls during a storm.
Most of the time hailstones
are no bigger than
marbles, but in
June 2003 a
hailstone measuring
7 in (17.8 cm) wide fell
in the United States. That’s
the size of a soccer ball!

TORNADO A
tornado is a whirling
funnel of air that moves
across the ground and
destroys everything in its
way. The United States
suffers from more tornadoes
than any other country.
55
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY

AND ECOLOGY

Only simple organisms, such as algae, can survive in the Dead Sea since it is so salty.
Bacteria live in the mud of the Mariana Trench, 3⁄4 miles (11 km) under the sea.
Tropical rain forests get more than 70 in (180 cm) of rain a year.
Antarctica is the driest and coldest desert in the world.
Grassland covers more than half of Earth’s land surface, but most is used for farming.

What is the greatest threat What important

to Australia’s coral reef? role do fungi
Find out on pages 76–77 play in a forest?
Find out on pages
66–67

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Definition: Environment

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
is the natural surroundings or
conditions in which a plant,
organism, or animal is found.
Ecology is the study of species
in their environment.

Only 3 percent of the world’s water is fresh water. More than 65 percent of this is ice.
The volume of water in the Pacific Ocean is the same size as the Moon.
The biggest hot desert is the Sahara. It covers one-third of the area of Africa.
The Aral Sea has almost dried up because the rivers that supply it have been diverted.
Eighty percent of forests have been cut down by humans in the past 10,000 years.

How do cacti Why do

survive in the zebras prefer
desert without water? to live in herds?
Find out on pages 62–63 Find out on pages
64–65

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 O

Ecology
WHAT IS ECOLOGY?

is the study of the relationships

between animals and plants and the
environment they live in. Ecologists divide
A shared planet
the world up into a series of environmental
Humans are not the only species on the planet.
regions called biomes, which are based on We share it with at least 1.6 million other types
climate and inhabited by similar types of
of animal and plant. The way that living things
ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY

animal and plant. Within these biomes are

smaller areas called ecosystems, which interact is highly complex, but vital for survival.
have their own groups of animal and plant
that have adapted to the particular
conditions found there.

LIVING WORLD
There are very few places on Earth where life
does not exist. Even extreme places, such as
the icy poles or hot volcanoes, are populated
by organisms. Scientists describe the whole
of the living world as the biosphere.

JUST THE JOB Habitat Thorny devils Migration Some birds Population The
Animals and plants have change the color of their and animals travel great number of lemmings
skin when they are cold distances every year to find changes according to
adopted different strategies or alarmed. food or to breed. food availability.
to survive in their
environments. Some have
specialized to live in one
particular habitat, others
can survive in many. Often,
they have changed physically
or adapted their lifestyles to
suit the conditions.
58
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 A SHARED PLANET

FOOD CHAINS  SUN The  KRILL Billions  COD Fish  SEAL Hungry  KILLER
All animals eat other living energy that shines of these shrimplike eat krill and seals chase schools WHALE
things to get the nutrients they down from the Sun creatures feed on plankton in the of fish, such as These large predatory
need for energy and to build is absorbed by plankton in the upper layers of herring and mammals eat seals.
phytoplankton. cold polar seas. the ocean. young cod.
their bodies. This energy starts
with sunlight, which is used by
plants and phytoplankton. This

ENVIRONMENT
is the start of a food chain,

AND ECOLOGY
where energy is transferred
from plants to a series of bigger
and more predatory animals.

THE CARBON CYCLE

Carbon is a vital element to all life on Earth. Its atoms move in

a natural cycle between land, water, and the atmosphere. Animals
and plants are part of that cycle. Many systems on Earth work in
a similar way, recycling vital ingredients such as nutrients, water,
and oxygen.
Burning gas from oil
Plants take in CO2 during deposits releases CO2
the day and emit it at night.
Animals give Marine algae and
off CO2 and phytoplankton absorb
methane. Volcanoes and release CO2
emit CO2
CO2 in rain
washes carbonates
out of rock.

Carbon
is washed
into lakes.
Carbon accumulates in
sediments when plankton die.

Carbon in the form of Dead plants can be Pumping oil Marine animals breathe
 THE CRABS of Christmas Island will oil and coal gives off slowly compressed under and gas releases out CO2 and release
cross roads, tennis courts, and golf courses CO2 when it is burned. rock and turn into coal. stored carbon. carbon when they die.
to get to the sea during the breeding season.

Lifestyle Pandas are only Numbers Small plants Cooperation Many plants Dominance Trees put more
found in small areas of grow quickly and produce need insects to pollinate effort into growing tall so
China where their main lots of seeds so they have them. The insect benefits they can get more light and
food, bamboo, grows. more chance of survival. from their nectar. nutrients than other plants.

59
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Habitats
All living things need a place where they can live
and breed successfully. This place is called a Mountains Near cold and
rocky mountaintops animals
habitat. Habitats can be as big as a prairie or as
ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY

need a warm coat and nimble

small as a puddle. There can be many different feet to survive.
habitats in a single area of land or sea.

Forests These are home to

a wide variety of plants and
animals that live at different
levels among the trees.

Coasts Animals that live here

have to cope with the sea
A home of their own Every animal and plant needs particular conditions coming in and out twice a day
for it to thrive. Plants need the right temperature, rainfall, and soil to grow and constant battering by waves.
in. Animals need shelter, food, and space to roam around. An organism
will often adapt its lifestyle or even how it looks and behaves to suit its
surroundings. This process is called evolution.

FRAGMENTATION OF HABITAT

Fragmentation happens when land is

Mangroves The roots of
cleared for farming or other uses, so
mangrove trees are surrounded
the original habitat is broken up. The
by salty water, but they make
creatures that lived there are left
good hiding places for fish.
with small islands of habitat that
leave them vulnerable to predators
because there is less cover when
they search for food. Conditions
important to plants, such as light
or wind levels, may also change
significantly.
Coral reefs Reefs provide
homes for hundreds of species.
They are created by the skeletons
of small marine animals.
60
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 HABITATS
BIOMES OF THE WORLD
Ecologists group similar types of ecosystem into areas
called biomes. Each type of biome, such as a tropical
rain forest, has the same sort of climate and habitat as
other rain forests around the world, but the species it
contains may be different. Hot, wet, tropical biomes
have many more species than cold or dry ones.

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
Boreal forest Coral reef Rain forest Mountain Freshwater Evolution Every part of the world has
Desert Temperate Polar Grassland species that do not live anywhere else.
The northern forest These are called native species and have
hemisphere has evolved to suit the local conditions.
a wide range of
Europe These tree ferns only grow wild in
biomes, but those
lying on the N. America New Zealand.
Asia
equator have a ATLANTIC
greater diversity OCEAN Invaders When new species
of species. are introduced to an
Africa
Equator area they can have a
S. America devastating effect on
INDIAN
OCEAN Australasia the ecosystem. Cane
PACIFIC and Oceania toads (right) were
OCEAN brought in to eat
SOUTHERN
OCEAN beetles in Australian sugar
Antarctica fields, but became pests as they
also eat other animals.

BIODIVERSITY

FAST FACTS
O
Nearly 1.65 million species of plant
and animal are known to exist.
O
Almost 1 million of those species

are insects.
O
More amphibians face extinction than

any other animal group.

O
About 5,000 new species are

discovered every year, mostly insects.

O
Rain forests are the most biodiverse

regions on Earth.

Biodiversity is a measure of the variety of species in an ecosystem. All Many species face
species have a role to play in the ecosystem. To understand an ecosystem extinction.These
properly, scientists have to identify all the organisms living there and find groups are the
Woody plants 33%

most threatened.
Amphibians 30%

out how they interact. These researchers are collecting moths. Then they
Mammals 21%

can protect any species or groups of species that are important to

Corals 11%
Birds 12%

that ecosystem.

Percentages of threatened species

61
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 TELL ME MORE...
The Saguaro cactus is one of the
tallest in the world—it can grow
as high as 40 ft (12 m) and live
Deserts
for up to 200 years. Only found We think of deserts as being hot, but some of them
in Arizona, California, and
northern Mexico, it needs more are very cold. What deserts ARE is dry. Any place
ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY

water than some cacti, but it’s

fairly tolerant of frost. that gets less than 10 in (25 cm) of rain or snow
per year (such as the Antarctic ice sheet) is a desert.

WARM DESERTS
The thing about hot deserts is that they’re hot all the
time—cold deserts can be frosty in winter and
boiling in summer. There is not much moisture,
This is the so there are very few clouds. At night, with
Sonoran Desert in no cloud “blanket,” the temperature can
the southwestern drop dramatically.
United States.

CACTIFIT FOR
PURPOSE Golden
The “body” of a cactus plant barrel cactus
DESERT IN BLOOM is actually a swollen, water-
Once in a while, there is a rare and storing stem. The “prickles”
precious shower of rain, and the desert are a kind of leaf that
bursts into bloom. (See above, Anza- allows very little water to
Borrego State Park, California.) This is evaporate. In some desert
because seeds lie dormant—sometimes for plants, it’s the leaves that
years. When water falls, they germinate, swell and store water—
flower, and create new seeds. these are called succulents.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 DESERTS

LOOK CLOSER: DESERT FEATURES

Deserts have formed in many
O


different landscapes, wherever
water is in short supply. Because
there aren’t many plants on the
surface, deserts are vulnerable
to weathering and erosion.
 DUNES form large  ARCHES Erosion  EARTH Natural  BUTTES form

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
Also, the huge variation in
“sand seas” called ergs. and sandstorms can salts can cement rocks when a plateau has
temperature can cause massive The wind sculpts their puncture a rocky ridge together into “desert been eroded to leave a
rocks to crack. graceful shapes. to form an arch. pavement.” flat hill with steep sides.

COLD DESERTS
The coldest and most northern of all the world’s deserts,
the Gobi Desert (shown here) stretches across China and
Mongolia. Like many cold deserts, it sits on a high plateau,
where the temperature is naturally lower than at sea level.

SANDSTORMS
Strong, dry winds blow across
the desert, carrying clouds of
sand that reduce visibility to
almost zero. Roads and wells
are often covered completely,
and a violent storm can
dehydrate—or even suffocate—
animals and people. Sandstorms last for hours, and
some can even go on for days.

DESERT ANIMALS
From insects and reptiles
to huge mammals, most
desert animals have highly
specialized characteristics
that are precisely suited to
their extreme conditions. FENNEC FOXES use JERBOAS keep THORNY
Some get their water from their huge ears to help cool by sealing DEVILS have skin
the food they eat, for them locate prey. The large themselves in an that absorbs water
surface area also allows underground den. like blotting paper.
example, while others heat to escape.
sleep during the hot days.
63
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Grasslands
Grasslands spring up in places that are too dry for forests to grow but get enough
water to stop them from becoming deserts. Almost half of the Earth’s land surface
ENVIRONMENT

is covered by grasslands. They support a wide variety of animals, but the wide
AND ECOLOGY

open spaces offer little protection from predators for larger animals.

TROPICAL GRASSLANDS
SAVANNA TREES
Also called savannas, tropical grasslands have distinct wet and dry The leaves and small branches
seasons. Although it is warm all year round, rain only falls for six to of savanna trees provide
important food for browsing
eight months of the year. During a drought the grass can catch fire, animals such as giraffes.
but this is good for regenerating the savanna.

CHEETAHS are perfectly

camouflaged against the
savanna grass.

TEMPERATE GRASSLANDS
WILD BISON
Temperate grasslands (called prairies in North America) have hot summers have been replaced by
and cold winters. Although they get rain throughout the year, there is too cattle as farmers have
turned prairie into land
little for trees or shrubs to survive. However, the rich soil is good for the for agricultural grazing
hundreds of wild flower species that grow among the grasses. and cereal crops.

64
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 GRASSLANDS

FACTFILE
LIFE ON THE PLAIN
The huge quantities of grass out on the prairie support some of the
O

Elephant grass can grow to 26 ft (8 m)
worlds biggest herbivores, such as elephants, rhinos, and giraffes.
high—tall enough to hide an elephant!
O

Cheetahs probably evolved in Asia.
It also offers a hiding place for smaller animals and cover for
Until about 20,000 years ago, their relatives Meerkat
predators to stalk their victims.
were commonplace in Europe, India, China,
and North America, not just in Africa. They Burrowers Many small animals live in burrows. These protect

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
disappeared from many areas after the last them from the hot sun and cold nights, and help them escape
ice age. from predators. Some animals live in burrows dug by other species.
O

The lack of trees mean that many birds
Aardvark
have to build their nests in burrows. Prairie dogs
O

Grasslands are found on every continent

except for Antarctica.

Grazers Most grazing animals live in large herds that offer protection from
predators. They have long legs for running and strong teeth for chewing
tough grass. Often they have to migrate to find fresh grass in the dry season.
Kangaroo Bison

Zebra

Predators These rely on stealth to obtain

food. They frequently hunt in packs to isolate an animal
from a herd or to scare other predators from a kill.

Lion
Jackal
TURKEY VULTURES Wolf
soar over the American
prairies, sniffing the wind
for dead animals to eat.

Hyena

LOOK CLOSER: AMAZING GRASS

O

Grasses are one of the biggest
families of flowering plant. They are
well suited to dry conditions since
they can store food in their roots.
Because their leaves grow from
below ground, grasses can survive
being nibbled by animals as long as  FOXTAILS These  BUFFALO GRASS  SPINIFEX Properly  WHEAT Cereal
grasses have spiked seeds This short, hardy grass is known as Triodia, this crops were originally
their roots are not disturbed. Their
that attach to passing found on the plains of hummock grass covers wild grasses cultivated
tiny flowers are pollinated by the animals for dispersal. North America. the Australian bush. for food by humans.
wind rather than insects.

65
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Forests TELL ME MORE...

The Amazon rain forest in South

America covers an area almost as
Trees are the biggest plants on the planet. Forests of them big as Australia. An area of
2.5 acres (1 hectare) may
cover large areas of land and provide shelter for other contain more than 750 types of
tree and 1,500 other plants.
plants and animals. They will flourish anywhere that is
ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY

Almost a sixth of all flowering

plants and one-seventh of all
warm and wet enough during their growing season. bird species live there. The trees
keep their leaves all year long.

RAIN FOREST
There are two types of rain forest—
temperate and tropical. Both are
found in areas of very high rainfall,
which helps the trees grow tall and
fast. Rain forests are full of animals
and plants. In fact, about half of
all species on the planet live in rain
forests. Despite all the plant
material, the soils in these regions
are thin and poor in nutrients.

BOREAL FOREST
Boreal forests are found in northern
countries that have long, snowy
winters. Most of the trees that grow
here are conifers, such as pine,
spruce, and larch. Instead of flat
leaves they have thin needles that
help them save water and resist
strong winds. Their branches slope
downward so that snow slides off.

 DYING LEAVES
turn brown in
TEMPERATE FOREST
the fall. Mixed, mainly broadleaf woodlands
grow in regions that have long, warm
summers and cool, frosty winters.
They drop their leaves in winter,
which allows flowering plants
such as bluebells and aconites to
grow in early spring before it gets
 LEAVES fall from deciduous trees too shady. The leaves break down to
in the fall when light levels and the
temperature drop. This allows trees to save form a deep, rich soil. Many of these
energy and conserve water over the winter. forests have been cleared for farming.
66
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 SLEEP AND FORESTS
DREAMS
 BUTTERFLIES are
important pollinators UNDER THREAT: DEFORESTATION
of rain forest flowers
high up in the Forests face a number of threats. Large areas of the Amazon
canopy. The rain forest are being cleared to provide land for cattle
caterpillars of
this postman ranching and soybean production. Other forests are logged
butterfly feed for their valuable timber or for fuel. This can have a
on passion devastating effect on the forest ecosystem. Animals lose
flower vine their homes and food supply, and the changing conditions

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
leaves. affect plant growth. Some forests are planted to produce wood,
but these lack much of the native wildlife of natural forest.

RAIN FOREST LAYERS

EMERGENTSthe tallest trees are
home to butterflies, eagles, and bats.
CANOPYthis layer is full of animals,
birds, climbing plants, and orchids.
UNDERSTORYprovides homes for
snakes and lizards and cover for predators.
SHRUB LAYERconsists of saplings
and broad-leaved shrubs.
FOREST FLOORreceives little light
and is covered in decaying plant material.
 CONIFERS
protect their
seeds in cones.

 SQUIRRELS are experts at breaking open

Cone cones. Their sharp teeth can gnaw through the
woody casing to expose the seeds.
Seeds

FUNGI
are useful in
forests. They
break down
rotting trees
and leaves and
provide food
for animals
and insects.
67
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Mountains
No other place on Earth shows such a dramatic
variation in habitats as you can find on the slopes
of a mountain. The warm, sheltered valleys abound
ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY

with animal and plant life, but freezing winds batter

the exposed peaks. Only the hardiest of species can
survive in this extreme environment.
RICH RESOURCES
Almost 25 percent of the Earth’s land surface area is covered by
mountains. They feed most of the world’s river systems and are rich
in mineral resources. Few people live high up in the mountains,
but many use them for activities such as climbing and skiing.

MOUNTAIN HIGHS AND LOWS

O

Standing at a height of 29,029 ft (8,848 m), Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on the
land. It is part of the enormous range called the Himalayas in Central Asia.
O

Mauna Kea, in Hawaii, is the world’s highest mountain, rising up 33,474 ft (10,203 m)

from the ocean floor. Only 13,796 ft (4,205 m) is visible above sea level.
O

Oxygen levels drop sharply with increasing altitude. Many animals produce more red

blood cells, or have larger hearts, to carry more oxygen around their bodies.
O

A “dead zone” occurs above 20,000 ft (6,000 m). Few animals can survive in the dead

zone due to the high winds and freezing temperatures.

O

The Himalayan pika lives at an altitude of 16,800 ft (5,250 m)—the highest of any

known mammal in the world.

THE HIGH LIFE Hardy birds,

such as the colorful ptarmigan, can
withstand the harsh environment on
the upper slopes of the mountain.

FLOWER SLOPES
Highland vegetation such as bell
heather supports a range of
herbivores, which, in turn,
are food for predators such
as the gray wolf.

RIVER VALLEY Mountain

streams trickle down through the
valley floor, forming a rich habitat
for bank voles and other animals.

68
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 MOUNTAINS
MOUNTAIN MAMMALS
TELL ME MORE…
Despite the rugged terrain and
Mountains contain a rich range cold air, many mammals make
of habitats. Lush alpine meadows
give way to conifer forests, while
their homes in the mountains.
the snow-capped peaks dominate They must adapt to survive, so
above. The main reason for the many grow thick winter coats to
variation is the sharp drop in
keep warm. Others migrate up

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
temperature with altitude—
about 11°F (6°C) for every 3⁄5 mile and down the slopes through the
(1 km) in winter. year to avoid the worst weather.

 MOUNTAIN GOAT Thick winter coats

protect these agile, muscular herbivores as
they scramble up steep mountain slopes.

 SNOW LEOPARD The predatory snow

leopard has thick fur and small, rounded
ears to conserve body heat.

BUILDING MOUNTAINS
Mountains form when vast sheets of rock, called tectonic
plates, collide beneath the Earth’s surface. Depending on
which plates collide, the land is either pushed up to form
mountains or molten rock rises to the surface to form
volcanoes ( p. 32–33, p. 34–35). Volcanoes are more
regularly shaped than mountains
that have been folded and bent.
Mountains tend to have poor,
rocky soils and little grows
near their peaks. Despite the
danger of volcanoes, their ash
turns into fertile soil for
growing crops.

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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Polar regions
Imagine living in a place where for six months of the year, there is no day, and
the other six months, there is no night. Add to this freezing cold temperatures
ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY

and you have two of the most inhospitable places on Earth—the North and
South poles. Surprisingly, they are teeming with life.

H THE ARCTIC FAST FACTS

O RT
N LE The Arctic is a huge raft of floating ice The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and
PO
O

surrounded by land. At the North Pole the shallowest of the five major oceans.
O
Antarctica is covered by 90 percent
ice remains frozen all year, but farther
of the world’s ice to an average depth of
south the ice breaks up and melts in the 1 mile (1.6 km).
summer. There are concerns that climate O
There are more than 70 lakes under the

change may melt the sea ice permanently. Antarctic ice sheet.
O
The coldest recorded polar temperatures

are −90°F (−68°C) in the Arctic and −129°F

(−89°C) in the Antarctic.
 ICE looks blue because
it absorbs red light and
reflects back the blue.

Walking on top of the world

More animals live in the Arctic than Antarctica.
This is because the winter ice provides a bridge
to Russia and North America and more varied
food sources. Land predators, including polar
bears and humans, also take advantage of the
seals and fish that live beneath the ice.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 POLAR REGIONS

HUMAN INFLUENCES
O

People have lived in the Arctic for thousands of years.
Native peoples, such as the Inuit and Yupik, have learned to
survive the cold and live on a diet of mainly fish and meat.
However, there is oil beneath the surface of the Arctic and
Antarctica, which makes them a target for prospectors.
Antarctica is protected from exploitation by treaty, but the

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
shrinking ice of the Arctic is opening it up for exploration.
Oil and gas pipelines already cross Alaska and Siberia,
which has led to oil spills and environmental damage.

UT
H THE ANTARCTIC THE TUNDRA
SO LE The Antarctic differs from the Arctic Tundra is the name given to cold,
PO
because there is land beneath the ice. windy regions where the soil is
Nothing lives in the interior, and it is frozen most of the year. The plants
classed as a cold desert because it is so that grow here are low and stunted,
dry. Freezing winds help make it the but mosses, lichens, and small shrubs
coldest place on Earth. can survive the freezing conditions.

 CARIBOU scrape
away snow in search of
lichen and moss.

Migration Every summer huge herds of

elk and caribou cross the tundra in search
of food. Arctic foxes and hares stay all year.

A safe refuge
There are no predatory land mammals on
Antarctica, which makes it an ideal place
for colonies of seals, penguins, and
Winter coats Some animals that live on
seabirds to breed. Despite it being so
the tundra change their coat from brown
cold, the water is full of plankton, krill,
to white to hide them when it snows.
and fish to feed their young.
71
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Fresh water TAKE A LOOK: LIFE OF A RIVER

Fresh water covers less than one

percent of the Earth’s surface. Falling
ENVIRONMENT

rain flows back to the ocean in

AND ECOLOGY

u SOURCE Rivers start u MOUTH When they reach

out as fast-flowing streams. the sea, rivers are slow and wide.
streams and rivers, or gathers to
form ponds, lakes, and wetlands. ■ The ecology of a river changes as it runs from the hills
to the sea. At its source, the water is too fast for plants
to take root, but invertebrates and fish thrive in the well-
oxygenated conditions. As it slows, a wider variety of
plants take root in mud brought down from the hills.
Freshwater habitats
Animals make homes and hunt along its banks.
The creatures that live in freshwater habitats face
many challenges. There might be flooding or the
water can shrink to almost nothing, silt up with
mud, or be choked by pollutants. Many animals
have adaptations that help them cope. Salmon
(right) spend part of their lives at sea and have a
special mechanism that allows them to change
from fresh to salt water and back again when they
return to their home river to breed.

Food chains
Food chains in rivers depend on
inputs from the land around. This
can be nutrients from farmland or
fallen leaves, which provide food
for algae and bacteria. These
are eaten by insect
larvae and snails,
which are
then eaten
by fish u POND LIFE
and frogs. A sample of water
from a pond shows
how many species
live there, such as
insects, snails,
tadpoles, and
Water snail pond weed.

FISH HAVENS
Nearly 40 percent of fish
species live in fresh water.
Many fresh waters contain
unique species, such as this
African cichlid, because rivers
and lakes rarely connect for
species to colonize new areas.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 7/7
Wetlands Archerfish (below) live in
mangrove swamps around Indonesia.
They prey on insects that land on the
leaves and roots of mangrove trees.
Wetlands are among the richest habitats After selecting a target from under the
water, the fish sticks its snout out and
on Earth. They include permanently wet blasts the insect with a jet of water.

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
The insect falls into the water
swamps and marshes, and bogs and fens and is gobbled up by the fish.
that have waterlogged soils. The water
can be fresh or salty.
WATERY ROOTS
Wetland plants have adapted to cope with the wet
conditions. Many can float, or have waxy leaves that resist
water. Their leaves also transport oxygen to submerged
roots to keep them alive. Some roots can survive being
exposed to the air or changes from fresh to salt water.

HERONS stalk wetlands for

fish hiding among plant roots.

Swimmers
Capybaras are rodents that live in the Pantanal, a large
wetland in South America. Like most semiaquatic
mammals their ears, eyes, and nostrils are on top of
their heads so they can stay alert while swimming.

TAKE A LOOK: WETLAND LIFE

Wetlands are home to many

O


species of insect, amphibian, and
reptile that need water to feed or
reproduce in. This in turn attracts
hungry birds and larger animals
that prey on them. Many  MAMMALS The
 PITCHER PLANTS REPTILES Caimans  BIRDS Still,
mammals have also adapted to These trap insects to Okavango Delta in and alligators are the wetland waters make
wetland life, including beavers, obtain nutrients they Africa is an ideal home chief predators in ideal fishing grounds
hippos, and water buffalo. can’t get from the soil. for water-loving hippos. many swamps. for waterbirds.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Oceans and sea life
Not only do oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, but
they’re also incredibly deep—easily the biggest habitat on the planet. What’s
ENVIRONMENT

more, they offer their residents a fairly stable temperature—and plenty of water!
AND ECOLOGY

WOW!
The biggest fish in the
ocean is the whale shark.
This monster can grow up
to 60 feet (18 m) long—
bigger than a bus!

TAKE A LOOK: INGENIOUS FEEDERS

■ Earth’s oceans
accommodate a wide variety
of exotic creatures. Many of
these have developed unique
adaptations that allow them
to search for food and devour
u SQUID grab prey
prey in their watery
using the suckers at
environment. the ends of their two
long tentacles.

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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 OCEANS AND SEA LIFE

OCEAN LAYERS COASTS

Coastlines provide many different
ZONES AND HABITATS habitats. High up on rocky
In fact, the ocean is not just one habitat, but many. The first shores, tough creatures such as
few feet (1 m) from the top—the surface layer—is the richest barnacles survive crashing waves
in both nutrients and vital gases from the atmosphere. But the and exposure at low tide. In
surface layer is also vulnerable to pollution and floating litter, coastal mud, buried bivalves

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
which can damage ocean life. Below this lie five more layers: like clams filter food from
the water.
THE SUNLIT ZONE gets enough sunlight for
photosynthesis to take place. If the water is clear, it
can extend to 650 ft (200 m), but it’s often much
shallower. The base of all food chains is here.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE gets just

enough light so that ocean creatures can
hunt, but not enough for photosynthesis.

THE DARK ZONE gets virtually no light, and the

only food is fallout or “snow” from above.Temperatures
are low (35–39°F / 2–4°C), and pressure is high.

THE ABYSSAL ZONE contains the vast,

 ROCKPOOL ecosystems contain algae and
muddy, seabed plains (abyssal plains) after
which it’s named, but very little life of any kind. seaweed. Limpets feed on algae, and starfish
feed on limpets, mussels, and other shellfish.

THE HADAL ZONE extends below the abyssal zone over

 FISHING is difficult to
less than two percent of the ocean floor. Only two human
beings have ever been there, and we know little about it. control because no one owns
the open sea, and its vast
waters are hard to police.

MAN THE DESTROYER

Modern, intensive fishing boats
can inflict serious harm on ocean
ecosystems. Often, they take too
many of one popular fish or
scoop up endangered species
unintentionally with their catch.

BLACK SMOKERS
At hydrothermal vents, water
heated under the sea dissolves
minerals from the rocks. When it
erupts through the ocean floor,
it forms crusty “chimneys”
 SEA ANEMONES  SEA SLUGS scrape  ANGLER FISH that can reach several
cling to rocks, and algae off hard surfaces use the dorsal spine
shoot at their prey using small sharp teeth on their heads like a yards (meters) in
with poison barbs. called denticles. fishing rod. height.

75
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Coral reefs
Sometimes called “rain forests of the sea,” coral reefs are
spectacular marine ecosystems that thrive in warm, clear,
ENVIRONMENT

shallow waters. Ecotourists love to visit the reefs to see

AND ECOLOGY

the colorful and amazing variety of animals that live

and hunt here.

RICH PICKINGS
Ocean predators such as
dolphins (left) and sharks
(right) lurk in coral reefs.
They feed on the small
creatures who live there.

FAST FACTS
■ Corals are actually simple animals with
tiny plantlike cells living inside them.
■ The Great Barrier Reef, off northeastern

Australia, is about 1,430 miles (2,300 km)

long.
■ Excess CO in the atmosphere is making
2
the ocean more acidic, which could
damage coral.
■ Fossil reefs have been discovered dating

from more than 500 million years ago.

THREATS TO CORAL
The reef is damaged by anchors TAKE A LOOK
scraping its surface and
■ The main reef-forming
explosives thrown into the water organisms are known as hard or
to kill fish. Coastal developments stony corals. Each one, called a
coral polyp (right), secretes
release harmful sediment into the
limestone from its gut cavity,
water, and stress, such as higher and this builds up on the rock
temperature, can cause coral to underneath. Some corals exist
as single, large polyps, but most
expel the algae in their body, so
live in large colonies.
they turn white.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 CORAL REEFS
ALL SHAPES AND SIZES BIRTH OF AN ATOLL
Coral reefs come in different forms. An atoll starts life as a fringing reef
The most common is the fringing reef around a volcanic island. As the
(such as this one in the Indo-Pacific volcano weakens and sinks (or sea
Ocean), which grows off many levels rise), the coral grows and
tropical coasts. Corals can’t grow above turns into a barrier reef. Eventually,
water, so the reef ’s flat top usually lies the volcano disappears, leaving an

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
just below the surface. Barrier reefs atoll—a ring of established coral
grow parallel to a coastline, but farther reef around a central lagoon.
out, while atolls (see right) form coral
rings in the middle of the sea.
1 Fringing reef
forms around
volcanic island.

2 Barrier reef grows

around sinking
volcano.

3 Volcano disappears
leaving atoll with
central lagoon.

CROWN OF THORNS
The world’s largest starfish (it has a leg span of 12–16 in/
30–40 cm), the crown of thorns feeds mainly on corals.
Because of this, it can cause serious harm to coral reefs.
The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, for
example, has been severely
damaged by hungry crown of
thorns. These prickly
creatures hurt people,
too—their spines are
poisonous, so stepping on
one can cause severe pain
and sickness.

Tentacle Mouth

Gut
Connecting cavity
tissue to
other polyps

 BRAIN CORAL  FAN CORAL  STAGHORN coral  SOFT CORALS

is arranged in wiggly feathers into delicate grows in the shape of have tiny, individual
Limestone
lines that look like the shapes and provides a branches, which look polyps and can look
exoskeleton surface of a brain. home for tiny creatures. like tiny antlers. like branching bushes.

77
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Climate change
One of the biggest concerns facing our planet is the possibility of climate
change. Although Earth has swung between extreme heat and cold throughout
its existence, human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels, may be
ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY

interfering with the natural cycle and heating up the atmosphere.

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Trying to predict what will happen as our planet
warms up is not easy. We know that ice at the
poles is melting and this is making sea levels rise.
Warmer temperatures are likely to change other
aspects of the weather. Some countries, such as
those in North Africa, may become hotter and If global
warming makes
drier, while other areas such as the glaciers melt,
Northern Europe, may become all the water
locked in them
colder and wetter. There will will enter the
probably be more intense storms, sea. Sea levels
will rise, and
droughts, and flooding. many areas will
be submerged.

GLOBAL WARMING

Earth is getting warmer. Scientists have

been measuring the temperature and have
noticed that the global average is slowly
increasing. This coincides with the increase PPM

of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over 360

the last 200 years. It is set to keep climbing. 340
320
Carbon dioxide levels (parts per million) 300
280
260
YEAR
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000

58°F
(14.5°C)
57°F
Temperature levels (14°C)
56°F
(13.5°C)
55°F
YEAR (13°C)

1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000

78
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 CLIMATE CHANGE

GREENHOUSE GASES SAVING ENERGY

Almost everything humans do in everyday
■ The atmosphere helps keep the Earth warm. Gases such as water life requires energy. Most of our energy
vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane trap heat from the Sun and comes from burning coal, gas, or oil,
keep the surface warm enough to support life. However, if these
gases increase, Earth could turn into a giant greenhouse. but these produce greenhouse gases.
To prevent this from happening, scientists
Heat from the Burning fossil fuels is adding are looking at new ways to save energy

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
Sun enters the more “greenhouse” gases to the
atmosphere. Some atmosphere. If we add
and cleaner ways of making it.
is reflected back too much it could
from the surface, have a huge impact
but most of it is on the climate. Preventative measures We can all do our bit
trapped by the to prevent global warming by using energy
gases in the saving devices, switching off lights, and
atmosphere. turning the heating down a few degrees.

d Wind-up radios save on d Fluorescent bulbs

batteries and electricity. use less energy than
ordinary bulbs.

Beware of the burps!

One of the most worrying
greenhouse gases is methane.
Huge quantities of it are
produced in rice paddies and
also by cows, which belch it
out as a by-product of eating Alternative fuels Transportation is one of the
grass. Methane is 21 times biggest sources of greenhouse gases. Scientists are
better at warming Earth than trying to develop new vehicles that use hydrogen,
carbon dioxide. Each cow biofuels, and electricity instead of polluting gasoline.
can produce up to 53 gallons
(200 liters) of methane a , This car runs on
day—that’s a lot of gas. batteries that have
been charged by
electricity. It also
has a solar panel
UNDER THREAT in its roof.

Climate change is not just a threat to humans. Many

animals and plants will also suffer through changes to
their environment. Reduced rainfall can be serious for
trees, for example, or wetland habitats. The most Eco living Houses can be built that need less energy
vulnerable species are those that only live in one small to run them. This one is kept warm by the soil around
area or are unable to move it and is lit by special tubes that reflect and magnify
quickly. This includes some sunlight. Solar panels and
of the world’s rarest species. windmills can be used to
provide electricity.

. The Costa Rican golden

toad is thought to
have been driven to
extinction by climate
change, even though it
lived on a nature reserve.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Looking to the future
Humans are the dominant species TELL ME MORE...
on the planet. We make use of all Human 9
of the Earth’s resources, but there is population
ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY

8
changes The number of 7
a limit to how long these will last if people on Earth has

POPULATION (BILLIONS)
been growing rapidly. There 6
we continue using them up at our are currently around 6.7 billion, but 5
current rate. It is in our own best there could be more than 9 billion by
2050. All these people will need food,
4

interest to find ways of living that water, and places to live, which could put 3
a huge strain on resources. 2
do not harm the environment and YEAR 1
protect the animals and plants that 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

live here, too.

POLLUTION PREVENTION
For years, humans have been dumping the
waste products of industrial processes on the
ground, in rivers, or into the air. By using new
and cleaner technologies we can reduce the
amount of toxic substances produced and
find ways to make them less damaging
to the environment.

7/7
An increasing number of
people live in cities. Since 2008,
at least half of the world’s
Recycling Humans use and waste an enormous population has been living in
amount of the Earth’s resources. Most trash is put cities rather than in the
in large holes in the ground, but we are rapidly countryside. By 2030, it is
running out of space. A better way to save resources expected that two-thirds will
is recycling. Paper, plastics, metal, glass, and textiles be city dwellers.
can all be recycled and used again.

80
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 LOOKING
SLEEP
TO AND
THE DREAMS
FUTURE

Earth is getting warmer. Scientists have

been measuring the temperature and have UNDER THREAT: PROTECTING SEEDS
noticed that the global average is slowly More than one-third of all flowering plants are
O


increasing. This coincides with the increase vulnerable to extinction. Many of these species
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over could be valuable to humans, but are being
the last 200 years. It is set to keep climbing. wiped out before their uses can be discovered.
Scientists are now going around the world

ENVIRONMENT
AND ECOLOGY
looking for plants and taking their seeds for
storage in seed banks. This way, they can grow
new plants if their original habitat is destroyed.

CONSERVATION
Wild areas are important, but many are
being destroyed or raided for their
resources. Organizations around the world
are trying to protect wildlife and habitats
by building sanctuaries for endangered
species, such as the orangutan, and
preserving key areas, including wetlands
and forests.

Ecotourism Traveling to a
new place is fun, but tourism
has an impact on the people,
animals, and plants that live
there. Ecotourism helps
protect the future of national
parks and other protected
areas by encouraging TAKE A LOOK
operators to plan resorts
in a way that looks Tourists bring wealth to an area. When
after the local wildlife itself is a tourist attraction, local
wildlife and businesses are likely to look after the habitat.
environment.

Reforestation Many of
the world’s original forests
have been cut down.
Forests are a vital
ecosystem, so in some
areas new woodlands are
being developed using
native trees. If managed
sustainably, they will
provide an income for
local people and a safe
home for wildlife.

81
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
LIVING WORLD

LIVING WORLD

KEY TO SYMBOLS
The following symbols are used in this chapter: Status These triangles show if the animal is
Habitat The type of place where the animal is endangered, as listed on the IUCN Red List
typically found in the wild. ( p. 85 for more information). A purple triangle
Life span The average maximum age of the species shows there is not enough data to assess the animal.
in the wild, which might be different from specimens
See how large (or small)
kept in captivity. A question mark is used when an animal is compared
there is no data available. to an adult human.

What features How many

make carnivores types of feather
such efficient predators? do birds have?
Find out on pages 96–97 Find out on pages
104–105

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Definition: Animals,

LIVING WORLD
plants, fungi, protists, and
bacteria are the five main
groups—or kingdoms—of
life on Earth. These life-forms
make up the living world.

Tropical forest and rain Seas and oceans Polar regions and tundra Animal life span in the wild
forest
Temperate forest, Coastal areas, including Mountains, highlands, Animal not endangered
including woodland beaches and cliffs scree slopes
Coniferous forest, Coral reefs and waters Caves Animal numbers are
including woodland immediately around them declining
Grassland habitats: moor, Rivers, streams, and all Urban Animal endangered
savanna, fields, scrubland flowing water
Desert and semidesert Wetlands and still water: Parasite Animal status unknown
lakes, ponds, marshes,
bogs, and swamps

How do When did

strawberry synapsids roam
plants reproduce? North America?
Find out on pages 90–91 Find out on pages 124–125

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Life on Earth THE FIVE KINGDOMS
Scientists organize all life-forms
using a classification system.
At the top of the system used in
Life on Earth is hugely varied. Sunflowers and this book are five broad groups,
called kingdoms. Every living
sharks look like they have nothing in common, thing fits into a kingdom based
on its cell structure and the way it
LIVING WORLD

but all living things share certain features: they gets energy. Kingdoms are divided
are made up of cells; they need energy to survive; into smaller and smaller groups,
based on shared characteristics.
they have a life cycle; and they can reproduce. The smallest grouping is species.

Animals are living things that are Plants are also multicelled. The cell Fungi are multicelled organisms that
made up of many cells (multicelled). walls are made of cellulose. Plants do not need sunlight to grow. Many
They get energy by eating food. make their own food through a fungi live underground—all that can
process called photosynthesis. be seen above ground are the parts
that make spores for reproduction,
which are called mushrooms.
PHYLUM:
Chordates—Animals
with some form of spine.

CLASS: Mammals—These
are chordates that nurse their LIFE CYCLE DUCKLING
young with milk. Most give
birth to live young.
All living things have a time when
they grow and a time when
ORDER: Carnivores—These
mammals have powerful jaws they die. They also
and specialized teeth for killing reproduce, which
and eating meat.
ensures the survival
EGG
FAMILY: Felids—These are of the species.
carnivores that have extending Animals lay eggs
claws. The common name for
Felids is “cat.” or give birth to live
young, plants and
GENUS: Panthera—These
are large cats that can roar as
fungi produce
well as purr. seeds or spores, and
bacteria and protists
SPECIES: Panthera usually divide in two
pardus—This name identifies
the roaring cat as a leopard.
to reproduce. ADULT DUCK

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 LIFE ON EARTH

FOOD CHAINS
Fennec fox
Gerbil Vulpes zerda
Meriones sp.
Desert shrub
Fagonia sp.
Striped hyena

LIVING WORLD
Hyaena hyaena
 PRODUCERS such as  PRIMARY  SECONDARY  SCAVENGERS AND
plants are the first stage in a CONSUMERS, such as CONSUMERS are DECOMPOSERS Scavengers eat
food chain. Plants need energy gerbils, are the first animals in carnivores—animals that dead animals, helping to break down
from sunlight, nutrients from a chain. They are herbivores— eat meat. organic matter. Maggots, fungi, and
the soil, and water to grow. animals that eat only plants. bacteria are major decomposers.

FAST FACTS
O

The word “organism” refers to any
living thing.
O

There are different ways of classifying

organisms. They change as more

information is discovered about species.
O

All living things are linked to others.

This is how a food chain works: if parts

are missing, the chain may collapse. This
Protists are basic life-forms. Most Bacteria are the simplest form of life. could lead to species dying out.
protists are single-celled and are They are single-celled organisms that O

Bacteria can be harmful or helpful:
microscopic, but some group are too small to see without a E. coli bacteria cause disease, but
together and are more easily seen, microscope. Bacteria can live in the penicillin can cure some illnesses.
such as algae on a pond. air, in water, and even inside bodies. O

The organism that makes bread go

moldy is a fungus.

THREATENED SPECIES

In every kingdom, there are species More than one

Nearly 30 percent of
that are under threat of extinction. out of every five
amphibians are under threat.
There are many reasons why a species fails mammal species are
Poison dart frogs are being wiped
to continue, from habitat loss to disease threatened with
out along with their forest habitat.
to poaching ( p. 80–81). extinction, including the
Pére David deer.
Which species are at risk?
The International Union for the  Plants are also at risk, Most of the animals in this chapter
Conservation of Animals (IUCN) has with more than 8,000 appear on the IUCN Red List.
researched more than 1.5 million animal species under threat, Those with red triangles are at risk
and plant species to create their Red List of including the of extinction, and may already be
Threatened Species. They found that: lady’s slipper extinct in the wild. Yellow triangles
O
in 2008, nearly 1,000 animals and plants orchid. show species that are vulnerable—
became extinct or extinct in the wild; they risk becoming endangered in
the near future. Green triangles
O
more than 16,000 other species are mean there is little or no risk of them
under threat of extinction. becoming endangered at present.

85
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Plant life
LARGEST AND SMALLEST

O

The world’s largest plant is

the giant redwood tree, at
up to 275 ft (84 m) tall with a
There are 400,000 identified species of trunk 36 ft (11 m) in diameter.
plant in the world. From the tallest The largest flower head is
that of the titan arum from
redwood tree to the smallest duckweed,
LIVING WORLD

Sumatra, which grows to

and the plainest moss to the most exotic about 10 ft (3 m) tall.

orchid, plants all play a vital role in O

Some plants are too small
to see clearly without a
sustaining life on Earth. magnifying lens. The tiniest
flowering plant is a duckweed
WHAT IS A PLANT? known as watermeal.
A whole plant is about 1/32 in
A plant is an organism made up
(1 mm) long.
of many cells that is able to
manufacture its own food. Most
plants do this using sunlight,
carbon dioxide, and water to make The flower contains Leaves collect sunlight
the reproductive parts and contain the tiny
carbohydrates. of flowering plants. structures that make
food for the plant.

The stem provides support Some plants, such as daisies,

for the leaves and flower have simple leaves: a leaf
head and carries water, that has just one flat blade.
minerals, and food to
all parts of the plant.

The main root, or taproot, anchors

the plant in the ground. Together
with the side roots, it absorbs water
and minerals from the soil. Other plants have
compound leaves,
made up of smaller leaflets.

PLANTS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE...

O
Without plants O
Plants and algae O
Plants have
there would be form the base of most many other uses.
very little oxygen food chains. Nearly Without them
in the air for us to everything we eat there would be no
breathe. Plants comes from plants, or lumber for building
help reduce the from animals that eat or burning, and no
Greenhouse Effect plants. Animals that cotton, coal, paper,
( p. 78–79) by eat only plants are or rubber. Many
using up some of the extra called herbivores. medicines, toiletries, and
carbon dioxide we produce. dyes also come from plants.

86
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 PLANT LIFE
Photosynthesis
All living things need food for energy but, unlike animals, TAKE A LOOK: TRANSPIRATION
plants make their own food. The plant’s leaves absorb sunlight The surface of a leaf is covered in
and a gas called carbon dioxide from the air, while the roots microscopic pores called stomata. When
take up water. Inside the leaf, energy from the sunlight is a stoma opens it allows carbon dioxide
into the leaf for photosynthesis, and also
used to turn the carbon dioxide and water into sugary food water vapor to escape in a process called
for the plant. The process is called photosynthesis, which

LIVING WORLD
transpiration. The lost moisture is
means “making things with light.” The plant also creates replaced by water drawn up through the
roots. Water from the soil contains many
oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis, which it releases of the minerals that the plant needs.
through its leaves.
Guard cell Stoma

At night the plant takes some of

the oxygen back in to help it
burn its own sugars for energy.

OXYGEN
The plant’s leaves absorb
CARBON DIOXIDE

carbon dioxide from

the air and use it in  OPEN STOMA Each stoma or pore is
photosynthesis. flanked by a pair of guard cells, which open
and close to control the amount of gas and
water vapor passing in and out of the leaf.

 INSIDE A LEAF
Photosynthesis takes place
within tiny structures called
chloroplasts, inside leaf cells.
Chloroplasts are green
because they contain a
pigment called chlorophyll.
Plants need water to stay
strong and healthy. Water Leaf colors
is carried around a tree in
minute tubes called xylem. Leaves contain a variety of pigments.
In spring and summer the green pigment
chlorophyll masks the colors of the
others. In winter, lack of sunlight forces
deciduous trees to stop photosynthesis.
The chlorophyll in their leaves is broken
Tree roots can take up as much space down, allowing other colors—yellow, red,
underground as branches do above it. and brown—to show.
They give the tree stability and take
up water and minerals.
WATER
87
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 SPORES

Types of plant Spores are tiny cells that

can divide to form a
many-celled body. This
There are two main groups of plant: those body contains sex cells
that make seeds in order to reproduce, and that can be fertilized
and grow into a
LIVING WORLD

those that are seedless. Seedless plants new plant.

reproduce from spores.
Ferns store spores in capsules
on the underside of their leaves.

SEEDLESS PLANTS

■ Mosses ■ Liverworts ■ Horsetails ■ Ferns

12,000 species 6,000–8,000 species 20–30 species Around 12,000 species
Mosses do not have roots. Liverworts are the earliest known We can tell from fossils that Ferns are typically found in damp,
Instead, they take in water form of plant life. They are today’s horsetails look very shaded places. They come in a
through their leaves, which generally small, leafy-looking similar to those living 300 million great variety of shapes and sizes,
means they can grow without plants that grow in damp places, years ago. Modern horsetails are from dainty miniatures to great
soil. They attach to bare ground, and sometimes in water. The small plants but the ancient ones tree ferns with fronds (leaves) up
trees, and rock using rootlike umbrellalike structures are grew up to 150 ft (45 m) high and to 16 ft (5 m) long.
hairs called rhizoids. reproductive bodies. formed great forests.

PLANT EVOLUTION
Seedless plants are the oldest plants I’M A SURVIVOR
7/7

Ginkgo biloba is the sole surviving

on the planet, first appearing about species of a group of plant that once
475 million years ago. Flowering grew all over the world, but today
plants are the youngest, a mere grows wild only in China. Ginkgo fossils have been
found that are 160 million years old—and they show

130 million years old.

that the plant has not changed in all that time.

TIMELINE OF PLANT EVOLUTION

475 MILLION YEARS AGO 390360 MYA 360290 MYA 135 MYA
Liverworts and mosses— Ferns Conifers—the first
the first seeded plants
seedless
plants
Flowering Plants

88
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 TYPES OF PLANT

CONIFERS BROADLEAF TREES

The group of trees known as conifers produce seeds on cones rather than Trees that produce
in flowers. Most conifers are “evergreen” plants, which don’t drop their their seeds in flowers
leaves in the winter. There are 630 species of conifer, including cypresses, rather than cones
firs, pines, larches, and the tallest trees in the world, coastal redwoods. tend to have broad
Yew trees are unusual, coneless conifers. leaves. Most broadleaf trees are
“deciduous”—they lose their leaves

LIVING WORLD
in winter to save energy.

Cypress Korean fir Norway spruce Yew

Cupressus macrocarpa Abies koreana Pinus abies Taxus baccata

FLOWERING PLANTS Types of flower

Three-quarters of all known plant species are Flowers contain the organs
that a plant uses to make
flowering plants, also known as angiosperms. seeds and pollen.
This group includes a huge range of plants,

SIMPLE Tulips have
from trees and grasses to garden flowers, simple flowers. They are
built around a circle, and
and from cacti to carnivorous plants. all the petals look the same.

COMPLEX Orchid
flowers are complex. They
have the same parts as
TOUGH FLOWERING PLANTS simple flowers, but they
develop into all kinds of
Some flowering plants have O

Poor soil unusual forms to attract
extraordinary abilities to survive Carnivorous plants cannot the right kind of
in harsh environments. pollinating insect.
get all their nutrients from
O

No soil the soil, so they supplement
Parasitic plants their diet with meat. When
COMPOSITE
such as mistletoe a fly lands on a Venus flytrap, the leaves Gerberas produce
can grow without close up and the plant releases juices composite flowers. The
head is not one flower,
soil, because they that help it digest the fly’s body.
but made up of hundreds
tap into a host plant of little florets.
and steal its
O

No water
nutrients instead.
Cacti grow in very dry
SPIRE Gladioli flowers grow in
Epiphytes such as
places. After rain, the tall spires or inflorescences. The
bromeliads also grow on other plants, flowers open one at a time, starting
cactus absorbs and
usually to help them reach sunlight, but do from the bottom.
stores enough water in
not damage their hosts.
its thick stem to survive
the next dry spell.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Plant reproduction WOW!
7/7
Flowering plants and cone-bearing plants (such as Pollinators such as insects and
bats may be attracted to flowers
conifers) are seed producers. Most flowering plants by their scent—but that doesn’t
mean the flower smells nice to
LIVING WORLD

reproduce through seeds but some have vegetative us. Rafflesia flowers fill the air
reproduction, too. In order to produce seeds, with the smell of rotting meat
to attract flies. Yuck!
a flower must first be pollinated.
In a simple plant,
petals grow in a
WHAT IS A FLOWER? circle, or whorl. The filaments
and anthers
Flowers contain a plant’s together are called
sexual organs. Flowers are stamens. They are
the male parts
often brightly colored or of the plant.
scented to attract pollinators.
The anther is
where pollen
Sepals grow on the outer whorl.
is produced.
In some flowers, they look the
same as the petals.

The filament
supports the anther.

The stigma, style, and ovary

together are called the
carpel. They are the female
parts of the plant.
The stigma
receives pollen. The ovary
is where seeds The style connects the
are produced. stigma to the ovary.

TAKE A LOOK: GERMINATION

O Seeds contain everything a plant

needs to grow: an embryo and a food Testa Plumule
supply, which are protected inside a Seed leaf
hard coat called a testa. Embryo

O In the right conditions—usually a

dark, damp, and warm place, such as Radicle
in soil—the seed will germinate. First,
the seed absorbs water. Then the
embryo starts to grow, using its food  ROOT As the embryo  SHOOT The first shoot,  SEED LEAF Some
store. A root appears, followed by a starts to grow, the testa called the plumule, grows plants have just one seed
shoot. Seed leaves are attached to this splits and the first root, upward. The plumule leaf, but others have two.
shoot; the first true leaves don’t appear called a radicle, grows reaches above ground, and They contain the remains
until later. downward. becomes the plant stem. of the seed’s food store.

90
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 PLANT REPRODUCTION

PLANT REPRODUCTION
O Flowers attract insects, birds, and mammals, which come Stigma
to feed on nectar. Bees also collect pollen. Once a plant is
fertilized, the flower is no longer needed. The petals die and fall off.

LIVING WORLD
Style
Ovary

 POLLINATION When a  FERTILIZATION The bee  SEEDS The pollen grows down  DISPERSAL In order to grow,
bee visits a flower to drink visits a second sunflower and the style to the ovary, where it seeds need to leave the plant.
nectar, it picks up pollen from transfers the pollen to the fertilizes an egg cell. A new plant Birds eat the tasty seeds and pass
the flower’s anthers. stigmas. This fertilizes the plant. starts to form. This is the seed. them through, dispersing them.

SEED DISPERSAL
O Many plants produce fruit that
encourage animals to eat and
disperse their seeds, but not all...

 HITCHING A RIDE Burrs  FORCE When the seeds are  WATER Coconut palms use  WIND Dandelion seeds are
become hooked onto animal fur. ready, Himalayan balsam flowers the sea to disperse their seeds. light and fluffy. Like tiny
Their host carries them away, burst open. The force sends the Coconuts have been known to parachutes, they catch the wind
then they fall off to the ground. seeds flying out. drift for huge distances. to disperse far and wide.

VEGETATIVE REPRODUCTION
O Some flowering plants don’t only reproduce through

seeds. Instead, they form plantlets that are genetically

identical to the parent plant.

 STOLONS Strawberries have  TUBERS such as Jerusalem  RHIZOMES Irises spread  BULB Onions and tulips
stolons—stems that grow along artichokes store food for the through underground stems grow from bulbs, which are buds
the ground. New plants grow parent plant, but they can also called rhizomes. The rhizome that are surrounded by very
from leaf nodes along the stolon. sprout and grow into new plants. divides and forms new plants. swollen leaves.

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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Animal life
There are more than 1.2 million identified species
of animal, making this the largest kingdom of  THOSE ARE ANIMALS?
LIVING WORLD

living things. It’s usually easy to tell an animal from a

plant—animals are the ones that move
around. But this isn’t always the case. Corals
WHO’S WHO? look like plants and have limited movement.
Most animals are invertebrates: they have no backbone. Animals with However, they take in food to get energy and
they have nerves that control their reactions
backbones are known as vertebrates, and they can be divided up into (such as shrinking away from danger).
different classes. These things are what make them animals.
Vertebrates
Invertebrates

 MAMMALS  BIRDS There are  REPTILES  FISH This is an  INVERTEBRATES

There are more than about 9,500 species The 8,000 species of  AMPHIBIANS informal group of An informal grouping
5,000 species of of bird. They are reptile are recognized Most of the 6,000 three different classes, of about 29 major
mammal. What warm-blooded, have by their scaly skin. species of amphibian which together have groups (phyla), the
makes this class wings and a bill, and They are cold- live part of their lives 29,000 species. All invertebrates include
unique is that the a body covered in blooded and lay in water and part fish are cold-blooded all those animals that
young feed on milk feathers. All birds eggs to reproduce. on land. They are and live in water. do not have a backbone.
from their mothers. lay eggs and cold-blooded. Worms, insects, shrimps,
Mammals are most can fly. jellyfish, and octopuses
warm-blooded, most are all invertebrates.
have a hairy body,
and most give birth
Leopard Rhinoceros
to live young. tortoise beetle

RECORD BREAKERS BIGGEST, HEAVIEST, LOUDEST  STRONGEST

At up to 100 ft (30 m) long, the blue whale is The rhinoceros beetle
easily the biggest animal on Earth. It’s also the can lift 850 times its
heaviest, weighing 135 tons (120 metric tons), own weight. If the
and the loudest. At 188 decibels, its calls are beetle weighed as
louder than a jet engine. A blue whale’s heart  SMALLEST much as a human
is the size of a small car and its largest blood VERTEBRATE it could lift at least
vessel is wide enough for a small person to Australia’s infantfish is less two fully loaded
crawl inside. Blue whales are threatened with than ½ in (1 cm) long. double-decker buses.
extinction due to overhunting in the past.
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 ANIMAL LIFE

The bodies of TELL ME MORE... ON THE OUTSIDE

vertebrates, such Animals have different body coverings that protect them
as apes, are Animals need oxygen to survive.
Many species that live on land have
from heat and cold, from waterlogging or drying out, and
supported by an
internal skeleton lungs to breathe air; those that live from all kinds of attack. Birds are the only animals to have
made of bone or underwater, such as fish, have gills feathers; reptiles and most fish have scales; and mammals are
cartilage. to filter oxygen from the water. the only animals to have hair on their bodies.
Invertebrates may Aquatic birds and mammals have

LIVING WORLD
have a hard
lungs and must surface
external skeleton,
to breathe air.
a shell, or a soft
body (
p. 110–111).

Bright colors and ... as a warning that the ... or as camouflage so

patterns can be used to animal is foul-tasting the animal blends in
attract mates... or poisonous... with its surroundings.

Solitary or social?
Some animals are solitary: they
hunt, eat, sleep, and live alone
and only seek out other members
THE INSIDE STORY of their species to mate and
produce offspring. Other animals
Animals come in an live in pairs or groups, which
enormous variety of forms. increases their chances of survival.
Yet on the inside, most of  SOCIAL Elephants live in large herds Members of a group may work
them share certain
SOLITARY together to find food, defend a
Pandas live territory, rear young, or keep
features. Aside from the alone watch for predators.
simplest creatures, all
animals have a body
made up of many cells. Body heat
Ectothermic
These cells are organized Mammals and birds are warm-blooded, or animals such as
into tissues. In complex endothermic—they generate their own body lizards can be seen
heat using energy from food and can control basking in the
animals, these tissues form their body temperature. Most morning sunlight
organs that perform other animals are ectothermic, in order to warm
their bodies.
particular jobs that help which means they cannot
keep the whole body control their temperature
naturally. When they want to
functioning. warm up they sunbathe, and if
they are too hot they seek shade
to cool down.

FASTEST The peregrine

falcon can swoop at a
breathtaking 220 mph  MOST DEADLY A  BIGGEST KILLER  LONGEST LIFESPAN
(360 km/h) in unpowered single sea wasp jellyfish Female Anopheles A Madagascan radiated tortoise
flight. The fastest creature on has enough venom to kill mosquitoes kill more like this one is known to have lived
land is the cheetah, and in 60 men. The venom of than a million people at least 188 years. Bowhead whales
water is the sailfish. Both can cone snails and some fish each year by infecting may survive even longer, maybe as
reach 70 mph (110 km/h). is even more toxic. them with malaria. long as 250 years.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Mammals
Mammals are vertebrates that feed their
young on milk produced by the mother.
LIVING WORLD

The milk is made in her mammary

glands, which is why the group is called
“mammals.” Most mammals give birth
to live young.
WHAT IS A MAMMAL?
All mammals have a lower
jaw made up of just one
bone. This is how scientists
identify mammal fossils, HYENA
SKULL
long after mammary
glands and hair have disappeared. Mandible, or
jawbone

 ALL EARS Grazing

impala must live in the
open where their food grows.
They are wary animals with
large eyes and mobile ears
tuned to signs of danger.

Browsers and grazers

Nearly all hoofed mammals are herbivores—they eat only
plants. Some are browsers, which means they nibble leaves
HAIR and shoots from trees and shrubs; others are grazers that
eat mainly grass. Plant matter, especially grass, is hard to
Mammals are the only animals to have hair.
digest, so many of these animals ruminate, or chew the cud.
Hair is made from keratin, the same material
After swallowing a meal, they lie
found in fingernails, fish scales, and bird
down to rest while
feathers. A dense coat of hair is called fur; its
bacteria in their
main purpose is to keep the animal warm.
stomachs weaken
Hair also appears in other forms, such as
the tough plant cell
protective spines (as in hedgehogs and
walls. Then the animal
echidnas) and the sensitive facial whiskers of
regurgitates its food (now
other mammals.
called cud) and chews it again
Short-beaked echidna to help release nutrients.
Tachyglossus aculeatus

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 MAMMALS
ORDER, ORDER!
MONOTREMES
There are more than 5,000 species of mammal,
arranged into 28 orders. The members of an order There are five species of mammal that don’t give birth
to live young, but instead lay eggs. They are called
tend to be descended from a shared ancestor and
monotremes and include the duck-billed platypus.
are united by similar anatomy or lifestyle. For Once hatched, young monotremes feed on their
example, camels, deer, hippopotamuses, giraffes, mother’s milk, just like other mammals.
cattle, whales, and dolphins are all families within

LIVING WORLD
the order Cetartiodactyla.

BATS
Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly
(not just glide). All bats have wings, which are,
in fact, delicate webbed hands. Hearing is very
important to bats: they can find prey and avoid
PRIMATES
obstacles in total darkness by
listening to the way their calls Monkeys, lemurs, apes, and humans are
echo off nearby objects. all primates. Primates have grasping
hands and forward-facing eyes. The
great apes (including chimpanzees,
gorillas, and the orangutan) are
POUCHED MAMMALS humans’ closest relatives.

There are
more than
330 species of
pouched mammal
in seven orders,
including kangaroos,
opossums, and the koala.
Commonly called marsupials,
these mammals give birth to
very tiny young. The newborns
SAFE
INSIDE
crawl inside their mother’s
A joey in
pouch, where they feed on its mother’s
milk and continue to grow. pouch.

CARNIVORES
There are 12 families of meat-eating mammals grouped
LESSON TIME
Polar-bear cubs learn into one order called carnivores. They have bodies that
to hunt by watching are adapted to hunting and eating flesh.
their mother. Leopard
Panthera pardalis

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 Mammal record breakers
Mammals come in a staggering variety of forms Human beings 66

and have mastered almost every habitat on Earth. Humans (species Homo sapiens)
are mammals from the great
LIVING WORLD

They walk, run, swim, burrow, and fly, and one ape family. We can live to
around 125 years, but the
species, our own, has even been to the Moon. worldwide average is
66 years. We inhabit
every continent
except Antarctica,
making us
the most
widespread
mammals.
?

Hog-nosed bat
Craseonycteris thonglongyai
■ Length 1¼ in (30 mm)
The biggest mammal
The world’s smallest mammal
on land reaches full
is also known as the
size at about 20 years
bumblebee bat. It weighs
of age, but its tusks 30
about half as much as a
keep on growing.
cube of sugar. Giraffe
Giraffa sp.
■ Height 17½ ft
(5.3 m)
The tallest
mammal’s long
legs and neck
90 allow it to reach
leaves on high
Blue whale branches.
65 Balaenoptera
musculus
African savanna elephant ■ Length 100 ft
Loxodonta africana (30 m)
■ Weight 6½ tons (6 metric tons)

50

Mountain gorilla
Gorilla beringei
■ Weight 440 lb (200 kg)
Compared to
the size of its
body, a male
gorilla has the
longest arms of
any mammal. 43
With a body that is 50 percent fat after Ringed seal
feeding on its mother’s fatty milk, a ringed Phoca hispida
seal pup is the fattest wild mammal. ■ Length 4¼ ft (1.3 m)
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 MAMMAL RECORD BREAKERS
26 6 12

Sea otter Striped skunk Three-toed sloth

Enhydra lutris Mephitis mephitis Bradypus variegatus
O

Length 4¼ ft (1.3 m) O

Length O

Length 2 ft (60 cm)
2¼ ft Sloths are the slowest
(68 cm)
mammals, averaging
0.1 mph (0.16 km/h)
when moving among

LIVING WORLD
With 800,000 hairs per square inch (125,000 The stinking spray from a skunk trees. They often remain
hairs per cm2), sea otter fur is waterproof, is used as a defense against motionless for hours.
warm, and the densest fur of any mammal. predators—and makes it the
smelliest mammal.
14

Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
O

Length 4½ ft
(1.35 m)

Camels are the Over short distances, a cheetah can sprint at up to 60 mph
biggest drinkers. (95 km/h) in pursuit of prey, making it the fastest mammal.
Bactrians can drink
120 pints (57 liters)
in one session.

40

Bactrian camel 15
Camelus bactrianus Scimitar-
O

Height 7½ ft (2.3 m) horned oryx
Oryx dammah
The blue whale is the O

Length 5½ ft
largest living animal (1.7 m)
on Earth. Its voice carries These antelope
up to 500 miles (800 km) have been hunted to
through the ocean. extinction in the wild,
making them among
the rarest mammals.

Gray whales make the longest 40 Rhinos have the thickest

74
migration: an annual round-trip skin, which acts as armor.
White rhinoceros
Gray whale of 12,500 miles (20,000 km) In vulnerable places like
Ceratotherium simum
Eschrichtius robustus from the Arctic to breeding the shoulders it can be
O

Length 14 ft (4 m)
O

Length Up to 50 ft (15 m) grounds off Mexico. almost 2 in (5 cm) thick.
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 Killer carnivores O

ON THE MENU
Carnivores Different carnivore species
eat different prey. Lions hunt in prides to
kill large animals such as wildebeest;
Many animals are described as carnivorous: it means otters hunt alone, feeding on fish and
shellfish.
that they eat meat. But there is also an order of O
Herbivorous carnivores Pandas are
LIVING WORLD

largely herbivorous—they rarely eat meat

mammals called carnivores, which have unique at all, but fill up on plants. They have flat
features such as sharp cheek teeth. Many can kill cheek teeth for chewing bamboo, rather
than sharp teeth for tearing meat.
prey bigger than themselves. O
Omnivorous carnivores Many

carnivores, including foxes and skunks,

are omnivorous—they eat all kinds of
BUILT TO HUNT food, from plants to birds’ eggs to frogs…
A typical carnivore has a body that is adapted to hunting. In fact, almost anything they can find.
It has good eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell to locate
prey, and can run fast or for long distances to give chase.
Cats have sharp claws to grab prey and bring it down,
while powerful jaws and teeth bite to kill.

TAKE A LOOK: JAWS AND CLAWS

Killer carnivores have four sharp cheek teeth, Upper carnassial Temporalis muscle
called carnassial teeth, which can cut through tooth
hide, meat, and bone. A huge muscle called
the temporalis muscle gives enough power
for the teeth to break bones or suffocate
prey. Sharp claws are equally important
Upper
for some carnivores. Lions and other
Scavengers Not all carnivores are cats use their claws to hold
canine
Masseter
predators. Hyenas are very good at onto prey, in defense, for muscle
hunting, but they will also scavenge— climbing, and for grip Lower carnassial
eat an animal that is already dead, when running. Lower canine tooth
killed by others or by natural causes. Lion’s sharp claws HYENA SKULL

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 KILLER CARNIVORES

Snow leopard Red panda Least weasel

Panthera uncia Ailurus fulgens Mustela nivalis

? 14 1

■ Length 3¼–4¼ ft (1–1.3 m) ■ Length 20–25 in (50–64 cm) ■ Length 9½ in (24 cm)
■ Weight 55–165 lb (25–75 kg) ■ Weight 6½–13 lb (3–6 kg) ■ Weight 9 oz (250 g)
■ Location Central, southern, and eastern Asia ■ Location Southern and ■ Location North America, Europe, and
south eastern Asia northern, central, and eastern Asia
The endangered snow leopard has a thick tail

LIVING WORLD
that’s around the same length as its body. This Red pandas are not pandas, nor any other Weasels eat mostly mice and voles.
gives the cat balance when climbing mountain type of bear. They are more closely related They can track their prey through thick
slopes and hunting for prey, such as to raccoons. However, like giant pandas, grass and under snow, and are small
wild sheep. they mostly eat bamboo. Red pandas are rare enough to squeeze into mouse
and solitary (they live alone). They are known burrows. Weasels are usually brown
for being shy, and spend most of the time and white, but those that live
hidden up in trees, where they find food, hide in the far north turn
from predators, and even sunbathe in the completely white in the
winter. It can get very cold in the pandas’ winter, so they are
natural habitat—temperate mountain forests. camouflaged in snow.

Lion Eurasian badger Giant panda

Panthera leo Meles meles Ailuropoda melanoleuca

15 ? 26

■ Length 5½–8¼ ft (1.7–2.5 m) ■ Length 35 in (90 cm) ■ Length 5¼–6¾ ft (1.5–2 m)

■ Weight 330–550 lb ■ Weight 75 lb (34 kg) ■ Weight 155–350 lb (70–160 kg)
(150–250 kg) ■ Location Europe and eastern Asia ■ Location Central China
■ Location Sub-Saharan Africa
and South Asia Badgers live in groups in setts—underground Giant pandas are easily
dens and tunnels they dig out recognized, but rarely seen:
Lions are the only big cats with their strong claws. there are thought to be fewer
to live in groups, called Badgers are nocturnal than 1,600 left in the wild.
prides. There may be up to (active at night), but They are also known as
10 lionesses and their cubs have poor eyesight, so bamboo bears, after
in a pride, with two or three hunt mainly by smell. their main source
male lions. Lionesses often Their main diet is of food.
work together to hunt and kill earthworms.
prey for the pride.

Gray wolf Tiger Brown bear

Canis lupus Panthera tigris Ursus arctos

16 26 47

■ Length 4¼–6½ ft (150–200 cm) ■ Length 9¼ ft (2.8 m) ■ Height 10 ft (3 m)

■ Weight 44–130 lb (20–60 kg) ■ Weight 575 lb (260 kg) ■ Weight 1,700 lb (780 kg)
■ Location North America, eastern Europe, and Asia ■ Location Southern and ■ Location Northern North America, northern and
eastern Asia eastern Europe, and northern Asia
All domestic dogs have evolved from the gray
wolf, the largest member of the dog family. Tigers ambush their prey, Brown bears feed on forest fodder:
Gray wolves hunt in packs to kill large animals. which includes deer and nuts, berries, and small
Each pack has a territory where it lives and cattle. They silently prowl in animals, such as river
hunts, and wolves will howl to stop other tall grasses, camouflaged by salmon. The bears can
packs from straying into their stripes. With a sudden become aggressive
their patch. pounce, the tiger leaps onto when protecting
its prey, bringing it down their cubs.
and killing it by breaking its
neck or biting its throat,
suffocating it.

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 Amphibians
Most amphibians begin life in water breathing
with gills and then venture onto land as adults,
LIVING WORLD

where they breathe using lungs and through

their skin. They live in damp
places, and most return
to the water to breed.
There are three groups
of amphibian: frogs
and toads, newts and  GLASS FROG—Frogs have
delicate skin. A glass frog’s skin lacks strong
salamanders, and caecilians. pigment and is almost transparent.

FAST FACTS
Gills, lungs, and skin
O There are around 6,000 amphibian species.
Some salamanders spend their whole lives
O Amphibians are cold-blooded, and have
in water and may keep their tadpole gills
no hair or scales.
even as adults (although they do have
O Most adult amphibians are carnivorous,
lungs as well). Others live entirely on
eating insects, worms, and even birds and
land, where some manage without lungs.
snakes. Tadpoles start life as vegetarians.
They absorb oxygen directly into their
O All amphibians lay eggs. Some lay just
bloodstream through their thin skin.
one or two eggs at a time, but others can
Keeping the skin moist helps the oxygen
lay up to 50,000.
pass through.

Bright colors
FROM EGG TO ADULT warn predators
Young amphibians such as this frog hatch
as larvae (tadpoles) that look nothing like  2. TADPOLE This young
their parents. The series of changes that tadpole has yet to develop
take place as a larva grows into an external gills. The gills become
adult is called metamorphosis. internal as the limbs develop.

1. SPAWN
Frog and toad eggs
are laid in clusters
or strings protected  3. FROGLET
by a special jelly. The tadpole first grows
back legs, then front
limbs. The tail begins

4. FROG to shrink until the
The adult lives youngster resembles
mostly on land but a tiny version of  POISON! Amphibians have
is also happy in the adult. glands in their skin that ooze
water. It breathes toxins. The foul taste deters
using lungs and potential predators and may kill
through its skin. them. Some tree frog toxins are used
to make deadly poison-tipped darts.

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 AMPHIBIANS

Golden poison European Tiger

dart frog common frog salamander
Phyllobates terribilis Rana temporaria Ambystoma tigrinum

2–5 5–8 16

■ Length 11⁄4–13⁄4 in (3–4.5 cm) ■ Length 21⁄4–31⁄2 in (6–9 cm) ■ Length 6–12 in (15–30 cm)
■ Weight 1⁄8–1⁄4 oz (3–5 g) ■ Weight 1–11⁄4 oz (25–35 g) ■ Weight 4–6 oz (100–150 g)
■ Location Colombia, South America ■ Location Europe ■ Location Most of North America

LIVING WORLD
This frog’s striking colors carry a serious A familiar animal in Europe, the common Like most amphibians, this large
warning. The toxin that secretes from glands frog lives and breeds in pools and damp salamander begins life in
in its skin is the most deadly poison produced places. In climates with harsh winters it water. Most metamorphose
by any vertebrate animal, and predators will may hibernate for several months in a into land-dwelling adults but
avoid contact with moist burrow or in mud at the bottom some manage to mature and breed
the frog at all costs. of a pool. Prey, including slugs, worms, without ever leaving the water.
There are three and insects, are whipped On land, tiger salamanders live
varieties of poison into the frog’s in grasslands or woodland edges,
dart frog—gold (like large mouth where they hunt insects, worms,
this one), green, with its sticky and even mice and frogs.
and orange. tongue.

Oriental fire-bellied frog Emperor newt Caecilian

Bombina orientalis Tylototriton shanjing Gymnopis multiplicata

20 ? ?

■ Length 13⁄4–31⁄4 in (4–8 cm) ■ Length 20 in (17 cm) ■ Length 20 in (50 cm)
■ Weight 3⁄4–1 oz (20–30 g) ■ Weight Exact weight unknown ■ Weight Exact weight unknown
■ Location China, Russia, and Korea ■ Location Yunnan Province, China ■ Location Tropical forests

The magnificent colors of the fire-bellied This handsome newt is at risk in its native This strange legless and eyeless
frog earn the species its name and warn China, where it is collected for food, the creature belongs to the smallest group
predators about the poison glands in its skin. pet trade, and for use in traditional of amphibians, the caecilians. They spend
The frogs live in humid forests and spend medicine. Adults live on land most of the their lives burrowing through the warm,
most of their time wallowing in shallow year, but return to the shallow pool where damp leaf litter or soil of tropical forests.
water. Their vision is limited to detecting they were born to find a mate and lay eggs, Earthworms happen to be the caecilian’s
movement, so potential which are deposited carefully on water favorite prey, which they hunt by smell,
prey that does not weeds. The name “shanjing” means using short tentacles to pick up the
move may be lucky mountain spirit in earthworm’s faint chemical signals.
and get away. Mandarin. Rather than spawning eggs, this species
gives birth to live young that look like
miniature adults.

TAKE A LOOK: FROG FEET

Amphibians usually live in

damp, humid, or sheltered
places, which helps them
keep their skin moist. Their
ability to swim, walk, hop,
climb, and even glide
means they are able to live
a wide variety of lifestyles.
The frogs shown here have
feet adapted to very u STICKY FEET Tree u DIRTY FEET Burrowing u WEBBED FEET Common
different habitats. frogs have sticky toe pads frogs have strong feet for loosening frogs have webbed, flipperlike
to provide extra grip. and shoveling soil. hind feet to help them swim.

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 Reptiles
Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrates
that have tough skin covered in scales.
LIVING WORLD

The scales are made of keratin—the same Panther chameleon

material as mammal hair and bird feathers. Furcifer paradalis

There are nearly 8,000 species of reptile,

grouped in four orders. The biggest order
is snakes and lizards.
Western diamondbacked
rattlesnake Crotalus atrox
FEARSOME FANGS
Some snakes have venom glands
just behind their fangs. Venom is
used to kill prey, and sometimes in
defense. Baring fangs is a warning
TAKE A PICTURE
to attackers to back off.
A dione ratsnake (Elaphe dione) begins
“sloughing” its skin. Snakes shed their
skin up to eight times a year.

BENDING BACKBONE
A snake’s backbone is incredibly Thorny devil
Moloch horridus
flexible. Tree boas coil around
branches to rest and to spot
prey. Desert vipers squeeze
under rocks for shade.
Sidewinding snakes zip across
Emerald tree boa (juvenile) the ground in S-shaped waves.
Corallus caninus

REPTILE EGGS
Although some snakes and lizards give
birth to live young, most reptiles reproduce SNAKE Young
by laying eggs. Some look like birds’ snakes coil up tightly
eggs—they have hard, rounded shells—but inside a shell. Some
most eggs have softer, leathery shells. The can be up to seven
hatchlings break through their shells using times longer than TAKING A STAND
a sharp “egg tooth,” which then falls out. their egg. A reptile’s legs stick out at right
angles to its body (unlike
mammals’ and birds’, which
TORTOISE
Large tortoises and do not). This gives them a
 LIZARD Leopard geckos lay a turtles, such as leopard very sturdy frame for walking
clutch of two long, sticky eggs in their tortoises, lay almost
underground burrows. perfectly round eggs. on uneven land.

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 REPTILES

SNAKES LIZARDS
Despite having no limbs, snakes Jacobson’s organ There are 4,500 species of lizard, from the enormous
are incredible predators. There are Nostril komodo dragon to the tiny pygmy chameleon. Most
around 2,900 species of snake, of them have long tails. Some lizards, mostly skinks,
and 300 of these are venomous. have an interesting defense technique: if a predator
Other snakes are constrictors: catches their tail, it can break off so the lizard can run
they coil around their prey free. Eventually the tail will grow back.

LIVING WORLD
and squeeze until it suffocates. Tongue

 JACOBSON’S ORGAN
A snake often hunts by SMALLEST & LARGEST

smell and by tasting the air— At up to 10 ft (3 m) long, the komodo
picking up scents with its dragon is 60 times the length of the
tongue. It uses its Jacobson’s 2 in (5 cm) pygmy chameleon.
organ to analyze the scent for
signs of prey.

DEADLY GRIP A rock

python kills a gazelle.

CROCODILES AND ALLIGATORS

There are 23 species of crocodilian,
Shorter,
which have flat, wide bodies, powerful broader snout
tails, and menacing jaws. They have eyes
ALLIGATOR
on the tops of their heads and nostrils
Upper and lower
on the tops of their noses so they can see teeth visible
and breathe while lying submerged in
water, which is where they wait to
ambush prey. Fish, and mammals that
Long, narrow CROCODILE
come down to a lake or river to drink, snout
are the main targets: caught in the
crocodile’s immense jaws, mammals are
dragged into the water and drowned. GHARIAL
The crocodile can safely open its mouth
 CAUGHT Crocodiles that live in the  SNOUTS Alligators have shorter, wider
under water: it has a flap of skin that it
Grumeti River, Africa, take advantage of the snouts than crocodiles; gharial snouts are the
closes across the back of its throat. narrowest. Only the alligator’s top teeth can
wildebeeste migration that crosses the river.
be seen when its mouth is shut.

TORTOISES AND TURTLES TUATARAS

The 255 species of tortoise, turtle, and There are just two species of tuatara.
terrapin are easily recognized by their They look a lot like iguanas (which are
hard shells. They move slowly, and so lizards), but tuataras are found only on
most are herbivorous (eat plants), since islands off the coast of New Zealand,
they are too slow to catch prey. Turtles are coming out of their burrows at night
more likely to be carnivorous (eat meat): to hunt insects. Tuataras have changed
they lie in wait for fish to swim past, then little in the 100 million years since
snap their jaws around the prey. their prehistoric ancestors died out.
 LAND AND SEA Tortoises live on land,
but turtles are water-based.
Tuatara
Sphenodon
LONG NECK The common snake-necked punctatus
turtle uses its long neck to lunge at prey.

103
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Birds Long, stiff flight feathers
give wings the shape needed
to create lift.

There are around 9,700 species

of bird. Like mammals, they are Smaller than flight
feathers, contour
LIVING WORLD

warm-blooded vertebrates, but feathers give the bird its

streamlined body shape
in flight.
unlike most mammals, they lay
eggs, their bodies are covered in
feathers, and most can fly.
Under the contour
feathers on the bird’s
FEATHERS FOR FLIGHT body, a layer of short,
fluffy down feathers
A bird’s feathers not only help to keep the keeps the bird warm.
bird warm, but also play an important role in
flight by giving the wings and tail the correct
shape. Feathers are made of a substance called
keratin—the same protein found in your
hair and fingernails.
Most birds have excellent
Chisel-shaped eyesight. Hawks such as
bill this one can spy prey from
The bird uses its great distances.
Red-tailed hawk
tail feathers as both Buteo jamaicensis
brake and rudder.
Woodpecker

Bill shapes
Birds have no teeth or jaws.
Conical Instead, they have a bill made of
Barbet bill tough, horny keratin. The bill serves Birds use their talons as Bird bones
many purposes: it can be a deadly weapons and to help them Most animal bones are filled with spongy
weapon for stabbing and tearing, grip perches. Water birds
marrow, but bird bones are hollow, which
a tool for probing, crushing, or have webbed toes to help
Sharp, them swim efficiently. makes them light. They are also strong,
slim bill drilling, and a delicate filter. Most thanks to the supporting struts inside.
Puff bird birds also use their bills for grooming.

WOW!
FLIGHTLESS BIRDS

Not all birds fly. Flightlessness can

be a feature of birds that have few All birds lay eggs.
natural predators, such as the New One reason why is that the
Zealand kiwi. Flying would use a female would struggle to fly
vast amount of energy in very large with a brood of heavy chicks
birds such as ostriches, rheas, developing inside her. Most
emus, and cassowaries. Instead, birds incubate their eggs by
they invest their energy in running sitting on them. Mother
fast. They also grow too large for birds usually lay a single
most predators to tackle. Male common ostriches egg at a sitting.
Struthio camelus

104
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 KEEPING ORDER Ruby-throated Hyacinth macaw
There are 29 orders of bird, including: hummingbird Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus

Archilochus colubris
O
Swifts and hummingbirds These fast 50
flyers have tiny legs and feet. 6–9
O

Length 3¼ ft (100 cm)
O
Parrots There are 352 parrot species,
O

Wingspan 4 ft (130 cm)
including macaws and budgerigars. O

Length 2¾–3½ in (7–9 cm)
O

Weight 31⁄3–41⁄2 lb (1.5–2 kg)
O

Wingspan 3–4 in (8–11 cm)
O
Rheas Flightless rheas have large O

Location Central South America
O

Weight 1⁄16–1⁄4 oz (2–6 g)

LIVING WORLD
wings, but weak flight muscles. O

Location North and Central America This is the world’s largest
O
Waders, gulls, and auks Puffins are parrot, though the flightless
This tiny jewel of a bird uses its specially
one of 344 species in this varied order. kakapo from New Zealand is
adapted bill to sip nectar from tube-shaped
O
Gamebirds Peafowl are part of this heavier. Sadly, it is also one of
flowers, while it hovers on wings that beat
ground-dwelling order. the rarest of its kind,
about 50 times
O
Flamingos The only birds that feed since it suffered
per second.
with their heads upside-down. greatly from
Hummingbirds
O
Waterfowl Webbed feet help ducks
overcollection for the pet
are among the smallest
trade. Its habitat has shrunk
and other waterfowl to swim. warm-blooded animals
as loggers and farmers fell its
O
Owls There are 194 owl species. on Earth.
native forests.

Rhea Atlantic puffin Common peafowl

Pterocnemia pennata Fratercula arctica Pavo cristatus

15 17 35

O

Height up to 40 in (100 cm) O

Length 12 in (30 cm) O

Length Male 6–7½ ft (1.8–2.3 m)
O

Weight 44 lb (20 kg) O

Wingspan 24 in (60 cm) Female 31⁄4 ft (1 m)
O

Location South America O

Weight 16 oz (450 g) O

Wingspan 4½–5¼ ft (1.4–1.6 m)
O

Location High Arctic to O

Weight 8¾–13 lb (4–6 kg)
Rheas are South the Mediterranean O

Location India and Pakistan
America’s version of
the ostrich. They favor Puffins are not the best The male peafowl (a peacock)
open habitats where they flyers and are awkward is famous for his magnificent
can see trouble coming. on land, too—but they are tail, which he displays to show off
A male will mate with several expert swimmers, hunting fish his health and vigor. The female
females and care for all the under water. Outside the (peahen) has dowdy brown plumage
resulting eggs himself, in one breeding season they spend and a short tail. Peafowl eat a varied
large nest. all their time at sea. diet of seeds, flowers, and insects.

Lesser flamingo Plumed whistling duck Sokoke Scops owl

Phoenicopterus minor Dendrocygna eytoni Otus ireneae

33 15 ?
1 1
O

Height 31 ⁄2–35 ⁄2 in (80–90 cm) O

Length 16–23½ in (40–50 cm) O

Height 61⁄2–7 in (16–18 cm)
O

Wingspan 31⁄4 ft (100 cm) O

Weight 1–3¼ lb (0.5–1.5 kg) O

Weight 13⁄4 oz (50 g)
O

Weight 4½ lb (2 kg) O

Location Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea O

Location Kenya and
O

Location Africa Tanzania
The plumed whistling duck is named for the
Colonies of lesser ornate plumage on its flanks (sides), and its One of the world’s
flamingos form a spectacle distinctive call, which resembles the noise smallest owls, the
when they gather in their created by blowing air past a blade of Sokoke Scops owl
thousands to breed in the grass trapped specializes in catching
alkaline lakes of the Rift between two beetles and other insects.
Valley. Each pair produce one thumbs. It eats grass It hunts by night and
egg in a nest of baked mud. and weeds. hides by day in thickets
Flamingos feed on blue-green algae, of scrub. Loss of this
which they filter from the water habitat means the
using a specially adapted bill. owl is threatened
Webbed foot with extinction.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Penguins
Agile and speedy in the water,
penguins more than make up for
LIVING WORLD

their inability to fly. These birds

hunt fish, krill, and squid in the Adélie penguin
Pygoscelis adeliae
waters of the southern hemisphere.
16
In the warmer months, they come
O

Height 16–30 in (40–75 cm)
onto land to breed in large colonies. O

Weight 10–12 lb (4–5.5 kg)
O

Location Antarctica

Swimming One of the smallest and most

Emperor penguins have sleek, abundant of all penguins, the
streamlined bodies and flattened Adélie spends most of the winter
at sea but then comes ashore in the
wings, or flippers, to cut through
summer to breed. Mating pairs
the water. Dense feathers and a build nests in large colonies, which
thick layer of blubber keep them offers protection from egg thieves
warm in the icy Antarctic waters. such as skuas (seabirds).

Huddling
When they are seven weeks old,
emperor penguin chicks huddle
together in a “creche” to keep
warm. The fluffy gray down
feathers of the chicks also trap
body heat, insulating them from
the cold Antarctic winds.

Yellow-eyed penguin Rockhopper penguin Emperor penguin

Megadyptes antipodes Eudyptes chrysocome Aptenodytes forsteri

23 10 20

O

Height 26–28 in (66–70 cm) O

Height 20 in (50 cm) O

Height 43 in (110 cm)
O

Weight 12 lb (5.5 kg) O

Weight 5½ lb (2.5 kg) O

Weight 77–88 lb (35–40 kg)
O

Location New Zealand O

Location Sub-Antarctic O

Location Antarctica

Fewer than 4,000 of These small, crested Emperor penguins breed in

these rare penguins penguins take their the winter. The female lays
live on the islands common name from the a single egg and leaves it
of southern New way they hop as they with the male. The male
Zealand. The move around their rocky rests the egg on his feet,
striking yellow eye- colonies on the islands of under his belly, and
stripe gives them the sub-Antarctic. incubates it for about
their common name. 21⁄2 months.

106
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
Birds of prey
MASTER FISHER
The osprey is a skilled
hunter, perfectly adapted
for catching fish.

These spectacular birds are some of

the most efficient predators of the

LIVING WORLD
animal world. Most have large eyes,
excellent hearing, and a keen sense
1. EYE IN THE SKY The osprey
of smell, which they use to good patrols a stretch of water in search
of fish, hovering and gliding 230 ft
effect when hunting. The smallest (70 m) or more above the surface.
species hunt insects, but
large raptors, such as
eagles, can kill a young deer.
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
2. GOTCHA! The osprey spots a fish
25 near the surface and plunges down
into the water, grabbing both sides
O

Height 20–23½ in (50–60 cm) of its prey with long, curved talons.
O

Weight 3¾ lb (1.5 kg)
O

Diet Fish
O

Location Worldwide (except Antarctica)

This spectacular bird of prey

lives near freshwater rivers
and lakes and coastal
waters, where it has a
plentiful supply of its 3. DINNER TIME The osprey
favorite food: fish. returns to the nest to feed its young.
The male is the main provider of
food for the female and her chicks.

Peregrine falcon Griffon vulture Bald eagle

Falco peregrinus Gyps fulvus Haliaeetus leucocephalus

15 ? 20
O

Length 13–20 in (34–50 cm) O

Length 37–43 in (94–109 cm) O

Length 28–38 in
O

Weight 1–3¼ lb O

Weight 13¼–22 lb (6–10 kg) (71–96 cm)
(0.5–1.5 kg) O

Diet Carrion O

Weight 6½–14 lb (3–6.5 kg)
O

Diet Small birds O

Location North Africa, O

Diet Fish, small mammals,
O

Location Worldwide southern Europe, and Asia birds, and carrion
(except Antarctica) O

Location North America
The Griffon vulture
The fastest bird of prey does not kill. It is a Bald eagles are expert
hunts at high speed, scavenger, feeding fishers, swooping down to
reaching a dizzying on carrion (dead grab fish from the water.
220 mph (360 km/h) animals)—often They may also steal the
in a “stoop” (dive). the leftovers of catch of another eagle.
predatory animals.
107
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Fish FISH ORDERS
Fish are grouped into three orders:
O
Jawless fish, such as lampreys,

have a suckerlike mouth and no scales.

Fish are the biggest and oldest group of vertebrate. Their bodies are supported by
They were the first animals to have backbones, notochords—a basic kind of spine that
is like a flexible rod.
evolving 500 million years ago. There are around
LIVING WORLD

O
Cartilaginous fish include sharks,

skates, and rays. Their skeletons are

25,000 species of fish, all of which are cold-blooded made of cartilage and their scales
and have bodies that are adapted to living in water. resemble tiny teeth.
O
Bony fish are the biggest class of fish.

They have skeletons made of bone.

Dorsal fins give the fish stability, helping it to
Also called the tail fin, the make sudden changes in direction and stopping
caudal fin acts as a paddle, it from rolling from side to side. This fish has The gas-filled swim bladder helps the
providing “thrust” to propel two dorsal fins, but other fish might have three fish control its buoyancy. By inflating or
the fish forward. separate dorsal fins or just one. deflating its swim bladder, a fish can rise
up or sink in the water.
The trunk, or back end, of the The skeleton of a bony
fish is packed with swimming fish comprises a
muscles. It’s these muscle blocks backbone made up of
that make many fish good to eat. vertebrae, fine rays to
support the fins,
and a skull.

Horny scales grow from

the skin, providing a There are two sets of paired fins. The pelvic
flexible protective covering. The gills contain a great many fins (shown) help “steer” the fish up and down
The anal fin provides blood vessels. Oxygen and in the water, while the pectoral fins (not
stability as the fish swims. other gases are exchanged here. shown) may be used for steering and propulsion
or even for “walking” along the seabed.

REPRODUCTION
TAKE A LOOK: GILLS
While some fish mate and give birth to live
MALE MOM Seahorses young, most reproduce by releasing eggs
are unusual in that the Fish obtain oxygen using their gills. Water
into the water. This is called spawning.
female lays her eggs in the Often fish will gather at special spawning is taken in through the mouth, flows over
male’s pouch and he carries sites where their young will have the best the gills, and out under the gill covers on
the young until they hatch. chance of survival. the sides of the head. Most cartilaginous
fish do not have gill covers.
Esophagus
Gill filaments
Gill arch

Mouth

 LARVAE Some species hatch as small,  SPAWNING Many species release vast Direction
fully formed fish, but others hatch as larvae amounts of eggs at a time, to increase the of water
Gill
and will change as they grow. chances of some surviving. movement
cover

108
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 FISH

Blue spotted Common fangtooth Giant

Anoplogaster cornuta
stingray sea bass
Taeniura lymma Stereolepis gigas

O

Length 6–7 in (15–18 cm)

O

Weight Unknown
O

Length 27 in (70 cm); up to 61⁄2 ft (2 m) incl. tail O

Depth 1,600–16,000 ft (500–5,000 m) O

Length 8¼ ft (2.5 m)
O

Weight Up to 65 lb (30 kg) O

Location Oceans worldwide O

Weight 880 lb (400 kg)
O

Depth Shallow water to 65 ft (20 m) O

Depth 15–150 ft (5–45 m)

LIVING WORLD
O

Location Indian Ocean, western Pacific, Red Sea Also known as the ogrefish, this ugly-looking O

Location Eastern Pacific, from California to Mexico,
fish usually lives at great depths. and Japan
This relatively common fish lives around It detects prey, mainly other
tropical coasts and reefs, where it feeds on These huge fish lurk close to kelp-fringed drop
fish, using its lateral line
mollusks and crustaceans hidden on the offs on the rocky coasts of California, Mexico,
organs—lines of
sandy seafloor. Like most rays, it “flies” and Japan. An individual may live to the great
pressure-sensitive
through the water using wavelike movements age of 100 years, but the species breed so
cells on the sides
of its large pectoral fins, which give the body slowly that losses due to overfishing take
of its body that
its disk shape. The long tail bears a sting, decades to make up.
pick up vibrations
used in self-defense. in the water.

Clown anemonefish Puffer fish Banded moray eel

Amphiprion ocellaris Diodon sp. Gymnothorax rueppellii

O

Length 3–4 in (8–11 cm) O

Length 36 in (90 cm) O

Length 32 in (80 cm)
O

Depth Up to 50 ft (15 m) O

Weight Exact weight unknown O

Weight Exact weight
O

Location Seas around O

Depth 6–160 ft (2–50 m) unknown
southeast Asia and northern Australia O

Location Tropical and O

Depth 3–130 ft (1–40 m)
subtropical Atlantic, Pacific, and O

Location Tropical Indian
These brightly colored little fish live in the Inflated
Indian Oceans and Pacific Oceans
shallow sheltered lagoons created by coral
reefs. They gain protection from predators When threatened, the puffer Like other morays,
by hiding among the tentacles of fish inflates its body into a this species is an
Deflated
anemones, which other fish avoid because spiked ball, making it aggressive ambush
of their deadly stings. No one knows for impossible for all but the hunter. By day it hides in
sure how anemonefish keep from being largest predators to swallow. But even large dark crevices on shallow
stung. Anemonefish begin life as males and predators may avoid eating puffer fish: they reefs and at night lurks in the
change into females once they have reached not only taste awful, but some are also entrance to its lair, waiting to
a certain size. poisonous. strike at passing fish or shrimp.

African lungfish Red-bellied piranha Great white shark

Protopterus annectens Pygocentrus nattereri Carcharodon carcharias

O

Length Up to 61⁄2 ft (2 m) O

Length 13 in (33 cm) O

Length Up to 23 ft (7 m)

O

Weight Up to 38 lb (17 kg) O

Weight 2 lb (1 kg) O

Weight Can reach over 6,600 lb (3,000 kg)
O

Location West and Central Africa O

Location South America O

Depth 0–4,300 ft (0–1,300 m)
O

Location Oceans worldwide
Lungfish live in the swamps and backwaters of Famed for their powerful bite and wickedly
sluggish rivers, which often dry up completely sharp teeth, these ferocious freshwater fish Probably the most feared fish in the seas, the
in the dry season. When this happens, the fish live in large schools. Their usual prey great white is a predator of large fish, squid,
survives up to a year in a cocoon of mud, includes other fish and aquatic and seals. Great white sharks are protected,
breathing air with primitive lungs and waiting invertebrates, although they will attack since they were overfished in the past.
to emerge with the next rains. other animals. Their sensitive hearing and
lateral line organs allow them to home in
on disturbances caused by struggling
prey. Piranhas in turn are hunted and
eaten by people.

109
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Invertebrates In addition to no
TAKE A LOOK

backbones, invertebrates
Earthworm

There are thought to be 5 million species also have no true jaws.

of invertebrate roaming the planet— Garden

snail Tenebrionid beetle
LIVING WORLD

that’s 95 percent of all animal life on

Earth. They are the world’s most
successful animals and can be found
on land, in the sea, in the air, and even WHAT IS AN INVERTEBRATE?
Animals without backbones are called
inside your body! invertebrates. They have no internal skeleton;
instead, some have an exoskeleton (a hard outer
cover, like a crab or a beetle), some live inside a
There is a huge variety of invertebrate.
shell (such as snails and clams), and some are
The differences lie not just in the way they look, but divided into soft segments (such as worms).
also in their behavior and even the way they move.

 SPONGES … Yet octopuses are very  ANTS are social … But tarantulas  CORAL looks … But
are invertebrates intelligent. A female in animals that work live and hunt like a plant monarch
of the simplest captivity learned to together for alone. and barely butterflies
kind: they don’t open jars by copying survival… moves, can fly
even have a her keeper. rooted to the 2,500
head or a seabed… miles
brain… (4,000
km) on
migration
New clothes, please! every
Exoskeletons don’t year.
grow even when the
body inside them
does. So as an
invertebrate gets
bigger, it needs to
shed its shell Crab with
pincers raised
and make a
new one.

110
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 INVERTEBRATES
WITHOUT
INVERTEBRATE GROUPS INVERTEBRATES, the planet
In a classification tree of the animal kingdom ( p. 84–85), there is no would not survive. Krill (a type of
group called invertebrates. There is one called vertebrates (it is part of the crustacean) form the basis of the
chordates phylum and is split into mammals, birds, etc.)—but there are
more than 30 different main groups of invertebrate, including:
food chain in polar seas. Insects such
as ants and beetles, and their larvae,
MOLLUSKSsquid, snails,
help clean up the planet. Other

LIVING WORLD
bivalves (50,000 species) Squid, slugs,
and oysters are all mollusks. Most insects, such as bees, are essential
mollusks have a shell and a radula—a
ribbonlike “tongue” covered in scaly for pollination ( p. 90-91).
denticles.
ECHINODERMSstarfish, sea
urchins, sea cucumbers (7,000 species)
Nearly all echinoderms live on the
seafloor. They have spiny bodies, which
are usually divided into five equal parts.

ANNELIDSearthworms,
leeches, polychaetes (12,000 species)
Annelid worms have bodies that are
divided into segments.  KRILL
Without krill, entire species of fish
would disappear. These tiny creatures
CNIDARIANSjellyfish, corals, form the main part of many marine
hydras (8,000–9,000 species) All animals’ diets, including the whale
cnidarians have basic bodies with shark, the world’s biggest fish.
stinging tentacles, a very simple nervous
system, and just one opening: the mouth.

ANTS
Decomposers such as
ARTHROPODSinsects, ants break up dead
arachnids, crustaceans (1,000,000 animals and plants.
species) Arthropods, such as this beetle, The pieces that aren’t
have an exoskeleton—a hard outer eaten are more easily
cover. Their exoskeleton and body are absorbed into the
divided into parts. ground, releasing
SPONGES (5,000–10,000 species) nutrients for plants.
It was once thought that sponges were
plants, but they are simple animals. They
are fixed to the seabed and filter food  DUNG BEETLE
from the water as it washes over them. Without dung beetles rolling away
animal droppings, all kinds of places
from African savannas to Australian
farmland would be knee-deep
Making sense  BUTTERFLIES can in dung. Less dung means
Simple invertebrates, such as sea anemones, have taste with their feet. fewer places for flies to
Chemical sensors on the breed, so there are
simple senses: they can detect food and reach insect’s feet “taste” what fewer fly-borne
toward it, and they can sense danger and shrink it lands on, so it knows diseases.
from it. More advanced invertebrates have superior if it’s standing on
senses. Flies see lots something it can drink,
of images through such as nectar.
compound eyes, so
they can notice the
slightest movement;
and grasshoppers
have eardrums in
their abdomens.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Amazing arthropods
With more than a million species, arthropods
make up the largest phylum (main group) in 7/7
There are as many
LIVING WORLD

the animal kingdom. They were the first creatures arthropods on Earth as all
other animals put together.
to walk on land, more than 400 million years ago.

INSECTS ARACHNIDS
Insects have three pairs of legs, and a body made up of Arachnid bodies are made up of two parts.
three parts: a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. This They have four pairs of legs, and two pairs
is the biggest group of arthropods; in fact, 90 of mouthparts: one set look like legs or
percent of all animal species are insects. claws for grabbing prey, while the other
Bugs, butterflies, bees, and beetles set form pincers or fangs for
are all insects. stabbing and killing. They have
no antennae. Spiders,
scorpions, ticks,
and mites are
all arachnids.

WING PATTERNS help some
THE IMPERIAL SCORPION uses its
species to hide and evade predators. sting in defense and its claws to catch prey.

CENTIPEDES AND MILLIPEDES CRUSTACEANS

These arthropods have a long body Most crustaceans live in water—
divided into many segments. Centipedes including crabs, lobsters, shrimp,
have one pair of legs per segment and and barnacles—although woodlice
millipedes have two pairs per segment. live on land. The species can look
Centipede means “100 feet” and millipede very different: a blue lobster grows
means “1,000 feet,” but different species can to 3 ft (1 m) long, but acorn
have between a dozen and 750 legs. barnacles are a tiny
1
⁄2 in (15 mm) across.

THE GIANT
LIVE LOBSTERS range in

DESERT centipede color, but most are bluish-brown.
has a painful, They turn orangey red when they
venomous bite. are cooked.

HORSESHOE CRABS SEA SPIDERS

While they look like crustaceans, Sea spiders are not spiders
horseshoe crabs are actually at all, although they do have
related to arachnids: they have long, spiderlike legs. Most
four pairs of legs, two pairs of have four pairs of legs, but
mouthparts, and no antennae. some have five or six pairs.
These animals have scarcely They have two pairs of eyes.
 HORSESHOE
changed in the 300 million CRABS are close relatives
years they have existed. to extinct trilobites.
SEA SPIDERS live deep below the waves.

112
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 AMAZING ARTHROPODS
SPIDER ATTACK
There are more than 40,000 species of spider, and BEWARE OF
all of them are venomous. Most are harmless to THE SPIDER
people—their venom is deadly only to their prey.

LIVING WORLD
Trapped! Many spiders
do not hunt, but wait for
prey to come to them.
Using sticky silk spun
from a gland in its
abdomen, the orb weaver
spider creates a web to
trap passing insects. The
victim is then killed with
a deadly bite.

Red-kneed tarantula
Euathlus smithi

30
Do not disturb Spiders
O

Length 4 in (10 cm) don’t usually attack people,
O

Legspan 7 in (18 cm) but some are dangerous if
O

Prey Insects, mammals, lizards
they are disturbed and bite
O

Location western central Mexico
in self-defense.
The red-kneed tarantula hunts at Mediterranean black
night. It can sense smells, tastes, widow spiders have
and vibrations through the ends of  FATAL FANGS Tarantulas bite into enough venom to kill a
its legs. Females live to 30 years; their prey with hollow fangs, injecting human. Females usually
males live 3–6 years. potent venom to paralyze their victim. have the deadliest bite.

Four-spot orb weaver Peacock parachute spider Fen raft spider

Araneus quadratus Poecilotheria metallica Dolomedes plantarius

? 12 ?
O

Length 1 3
⁄4– ⁄4 in (8–17 mm) O

Length 1
2 ⁄2 in (6 cm) O

Length Females 1⁄2–1 in (17–22 mm)
1 3
O

Legspan Up to 3 in (7 cm) O

Legspan 7 in (18 cm) Males ⁄2– ⁄4 in (13–18 mm)
O

Prey Small flying insects O

Prey Insects, baby birds, lizards O

Legspan Up to 31⁄2 in (9 cm)
O

Location Europe and Asia O

Location Southern India O

Location Europe

Orb weavers spin webs in This spider is also known as the Gooty This spider uses its feet
grasses or scrub. Females sapphire because of its blue coloring. to sense the movement of
can change color over While females live to 12 years, males prey in pools of water—
several days to live only 3–4 years. It is very rare and then it runs across
camouflage themselves. faces extinction because of habitat loss. the water to catch it.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 TELL ME MORE...

Incredible insects An insect’s body is made up of

three parts: the head, thorax,
and abdomen. These parts are
linked by the exoskeleton, the
Insects are the most successful animals on circulatory system, soft tissue,
and nerves, which control
Earth. There are more than one million the insect’s body functions.
known species, but scientists think there
LIVING WORLD

may be millions more still to be ad

He
The thorax is packed The head contains
discovered. Many other with muscle to power sense organs such as
the legs and wings. eyes and antennae.
life-forms rely on insects:
rax
Tho
most plants use them as
pollinators, and lots of
animals are insect-eaters.

The abdomen omen

Abd
contains most of the
digestive system and the
reproductive system.

Insects have
one pair of
antennae, or
feelers, which
they use to explore their
environment. Insects use
their feelers in many
Most insects have two
different ways: to touch,
pairs of wings. In this
smell, taste, and even hear
wasp the front and hind
(by picking up vibrations
wings are linked. In beetles
in the air).
Adult insects respire and many bugs the front
(breathe) by taking in wings form hard cases called
air through spiracles— elytra, which protect the softer
openings along the hindwings below.
thorax and abdomen.

TAKE A LOOK: INSECT MOUTHS

Different types of insect eat very
Labium
different foods, and so the mouthparts
of each species are suited to different Proboscis
styles of feeding. Some insects have Spongelike Piercing stylet
jaws shaped into pincers to kill their labellum
prey, or tiny clippers for cutting plant
leaves. In many other insects the  SPONGER Flies  SUCKER Butterflies  STABBER Mosquitoes
jaws are replaced by other soak up liquid foods uncurl their long, thin have needle-sharp stabbing
specialized mouthparts. through a spongy tube. proboscis to use as a straw mouthparts for piercing
for sucking up nectar. skin and sucking up blood.

114
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 LADYBUG LIFECYCLE INCREDIBLE INSECTS

1. EGG LAYING Insects Warning colors

reproduce by laying eggs.
After mating, a female Many insects protect
themselves from predators Monarch
ladybug lays her eggs on a Danaus plexippus
leaf. About a week later, the by storing toxins in their
larvae emerge. bodies. They then warn
predators by displaying
bright colors, usually red,

LIVING WORLD
2. HATCHING The orange, or yellow.
larvae look nothing Monarch and viceroy
like their parents! butterflies, which look
They have a soft similar, both benefit from
body covering,
called a cuticle, a color and pattern that
which soon say “I taste really bad!” Viceroy
hardens and Limenitis archippus
turns dark.
Insect camouflage
Another great way of
avoiding being eaten
3. GROWING The larva is to make yourself
must eat lots of food to invisible. Many insects
grow. Over about four are masters of disguise,
weeks it will kill and eat able to hide in full view
hundreds of sap-sucking
aphids. of predators by blending
in perfectly with their
background. Can you
spot this moth?
Rustic sphinx moth Manduca rustica
4. PUPATING When the
larva is ready to pupate, it IS IT A BEE OR WASP?
fixes itself to the underside
of a leaf and sheds its skin, There are many differences between these similar-looking insects.
revealing a soft cuticle
underneath. This “pupal O There are about 20,000 O There are around 75,000
cuticle” takes about a week bee species. species of wasp.
to turn hard and dark. The
O Social bees live in colonies in O Social wasps live in nests made
larva does not move during
this time. nests made of beeswax. out of paper, which they make by
O Bees feed on nectar and chewing wood.
pollen from plants. O Wasps eat other insects.
O Bees have hairier bodies O Wasps are more brightly colored
5. EMERGENCE
A week later, the pupal than wasps. than bees.
cuticle splits open and a O A bee can sting only once— O A wasp’s sting can be used many
new adult ladybug crawls the sting is ripped out of the times. Like bees, only females have
out. To begin with, its body bee’s abdomen and left behind a stinger. It is adapted from her
and wing cases are soft
and lack the typical in the victim. The bee will die ovipositor—the tube through which
bright color and spots. soon after. she lays her eggs.

6. ADULT The new adult’s

wing cases expand and
harden into a protective
shield. The color darkens
and the distinctive ladybug
spots appear. The
cycle can now Bees feed on nectar... ... but wasps eat other insects.
begin again.
115
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 Bugs and
beetles
The word “bug” is often used to
LIVING WORLD

mean any creepy-crawly, but it is

actually an order of a particular kind of
insect. This order is called Hemiptera, and it has
82,000 species. Beetles are not the same as bugs:
they have their own order, Coleoptera. There are
370,000 beetle species—that’s one-third of all
known insect species.
Lantern bug
Phrictus quinquepartitus
BUGS

7/7
All the insects you see
here are life-size. The
giant water bug is the
Cotton stainer world’s longest bug,
bug Cicada but it’s dwarfed by the Assassin bug
Dysdercus decussatus Angamiana aetherea Eulyes illustris
Hercules beetle.

Bed bug
Water scorpion Squash bug Giant water bug (magnified x 2) Leaf hopper
Nepa sp. Coreus marginatus Lethocerus grandis Cimex lectularius Cicadella viridis

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF IT’S A BUG?

Bugs have two pairs of Lacewing Adult
nymph lacewing
wings and a beaklike
mouth for piercing
Bugs have incomplete
and sucking up food.
metamorphosis: they start life
as nymphs that look similar to
A stink bug preys on the adult form, but without
a caterpillar. wings or reproductive organs.

116
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 BUGS AND BEETLES
BEETLES Seven-spotted
ladybug
Cocinella
septempuntacta

Leaf beetle
Calligrapha
dislocata

LIVING WORLD
Stag beetle
Ten-spotted Lucanus cervus
Weevil ground beetle
Eupholus bennetti Thermophilum
decemguttatum
Tortoise beetle
Eugenysa regalis

Diving beetle
Dytiscus marginalis
Shining
fungus beetle Hercules beetle
Scaphidium Dynastes hercules
quadrimaculatum

Click beetle
Chalcolepidius limbatus
Giant
harlequin beetle
Acrocinus longimanus

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF IT’S A BEETLE?

Beetles have elytra that Beetles have complete metamorphosis: they start life as a
meet in the middle of larva, then change to a pupa, and finally become an adult.
the body. Elytra are hard Larva and pupa look different from the adult.
forewings that fold over ... pupa... ... and adult
the soft hindwings,
Elytra forming a protective
Black case.
jewel beetle Stag beetle larva...

117
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Marine invertebrates
Huge numbers of invertebrates live Day octopus
Octopus cyanea
in the sea. Some, such as corals and
LIVING WORLD

sponges, live fixed to the spot, but

O

Size Body: 6¼ in (16 cm); arms 32 in (80 cm)
others, including jellyfish and squid, O

Location Indo-pacific region

drift in midwater. Starfish and crabs Unlike most other octopuses this
animal hunts by day, using changing
creep and scuttle on the seabed body patterns to disguise itself. Its
everywhere from sunlit shallows preferred foods include clams, shrimp,
crabs, and fish.
to pitch black depths.

OCTOPUS ANATOMY
Octopuses belong to a group of mollusks
called cephalopods, thought to be the
smartest of all invertebrates. Some The octopus’s eight arms
bear rows of suckers that
cephalopods have an external shell, but grip onto rocks—and also
in others the shell is internal. Most of onto prey.

an octopus’s organs are inside its head,

including its digestive system and gills.

OCTOPUSES
generally crawl on the
seabed, but also use
arm movements and a
form of jet propulsion
to swim in open water.

TAKE A LOOK: COLORFUL CHARACTERS

Octopuses can change color rapidly,

adopting different patterns to
communicate emotions and to
camouflage themselves on the
seafloor to avoid predators. If the
 MOUTH The octopus’s mouth
camouflage doesn’t work, they squirt
is a stretchy circular opening.
out a jet of ink. Hidden in the Inside is a sharp beak made of
cloud, they can escape from danger.  ESCAPE An octopus releases
horn, used for tearing up prey.
ink over a potential threat.

118
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 MARINE INVERTEBRATES

Red general starfish Horned ghost crab Yellow tube sponge

Protoreaster linckii Ocypode ceratophthalmus Aplysina fistularis

O

Diameter Up to 12 in O

Width 2½-3 in (6–8 cm) O

Height Up to 24 in (61 cm)

(30 cm) O

Location Indian and Pacific Oceans O

Location Tropical seas
O

Location Indian Ocean
Ghost crabs live on sandy beaches, Sponges are among the simplest of
Like most starfish, the

LIVING WORLD
where they feed on organic matter animals. Yellow tube sponges have a
red general is a slow- washed up by the tide. They scuttle chimney-shaped body supported by
moving predator. It creeps over reefs and burrow at such speed that they a flexible skeleton made of protein.
and rocks on hundreds of tiny, sometimes seem to disappear. Some other species
suckered, tube feet, hunting small may have more
clams, tubeworms, sponges, and other rigid skeletal parts.
fixed invertebrates. It feeds by Water is drawn in
covering the prey with its body and through pores
pushing its stomach out through its in the tube.
mouth (in the middle of the star).

Sea slug European lobster Elkhorn coral

Chromodoris kuniei Homarus gammarus Acropora palmata

O

Length 2 in (5 cm) O

Length 24–40 in (60–100 cm) O

Size Up to 10 ft (3 m) across

O

Location Western Pacific Ocean O

Location European coasts O

Location Caribbean Sea

Sea slugs, also known as nudibranchs, This powerful This brittle structure is not a single
are shell-less relatives of snails. They cousin of shrimp animal, but a colony of thousands, all
are carnivorous and hunt by gliding and crabs lurks growing on a stony base that they
through coral reefs in search of prey in rocky lairs by build themselves. Each tiny coral
that cannot escape, such day, emerging at animal, or polyp, has a simple
as sponges, night to hunt smaller invertebrates bag shape, with a mouth at the
barnacles, and fish using its sensitive antennae top surrounded by
and and large claws. Like other tiny tentacles.
corals. crustaceans, lobsters must shed their
rigid body armor in order to grow.

Dahlia anemone Lion’s mane jellyfish

Urticina felina Cyanea capillata

O

Width 10–14 in (25–35 cm) O

Width Up to 6½ ft (2 m)

O

Location Northern hemisphere coastal waters O

Location Cool northern seas

The dahlia anemone’s colorful, Named for the mass

flowerlike body grows attached of brown frills on
to a rock or other hard surface. its central arms, the
The tentacles bear tiny lion’s mane jelly is
stinging cells that common in northern
paralyse small seas and is often washed
animals. Food ashore in storms. Jellyfish lack
caught this any kind of brain, but their simple
way is passed design has been successful for
to the mouth. 500 million years.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 What are you doing here?
Birds that can’t fly and reptiles that appear to; snakes that live in the sea
and fish out of water... Sometimes animals just don’t seem to behave
LIVING WORLD

how you might expect them to!

Only birds, bats, and insects are  FLYING GECKO

capable of true flight, but several Flaps of skin, webbed feet,
other kinds of animal have developed and a flat tail help the gecko
the ability to control long glides control glides from tree to tree.
AIR

through the air.

 GOLDEN TREESNAKE
By spreading its rib cage, this
amazing snake turns its whole
body into a ribbonlike glider.

EMU
Sometimes life on land is the The Australian emu
has huge, powerful
best option even for animals you
LAND

legs, but no wings.

would normally expect to see in
the air or under water.

The surface of water is an

important barrier for most
OF WATER

animals, but some species use

SURFACE

it to their advantage to escape

predators or to surprise BASILISK
 FLYING FISH LIZARD
unwary prey. Big feet and amazing
Flying fish skim over the
waves at up to 37 mph speed allow this reptile
(60 km/h), but to sprint over still
predators cannot follow. water.

 PENGUINS
Penguins gave up flight
UNDERWATER

Many air-breathing animals visit but have perfected the art

of swimming under water.
the underwater realm, which is a
great place to find food. Some,
such as penguins, must return to
land to breed, but others
manage this in water, too.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?
A DIFFERENT APPROACH
TAKE A LOOK: FROM SEA TO TREE
We’re used to seeing certain animals in particular
The coconut crab is the largest places, but in the struggle for life, many animals
arthropod on land. It it a
find that they can gain an advantage by exploiting
confident but careful climber and
can climb up palm trees to a completely different environment. They may
collect fresh coconuts. It will have developed their extraordinary behavior as
crack these open with its huge
a way of finding food, of escaping predators, or

LIVING WORLD
claws to get to the flesh inside.
Coconut crab Birgus latro simply to stay alive.

FLYING SQUIRREL FLYING FROG

A flap of skin along the Long, strong toes support
squirrel’s flanks acts as a webs of skin on the flying
controllable parachute. frog’s umbrellalike feet.

CASSOWARY MUDSKIPPER
The forest-dwelling The mudskipper crosses
cassowary uses its big feet mud flats using its fins to
for running and fighting. drag its body over the sand.

Many animals spend at PERIODICAL CICADA

Periodical cicada larvae spend
UNDERGROUND

least part of their lives

their early lives underground
underground, where before emerging all together
there are few predators. after 13 or 17 years.
Some animals survive
unfavorable conditions

AFRICAN LUNGFISH
such as droughts by When tropical rivers dry up,
hibernating these amazing fish burrow
underground. and survive by breathing air
in a small damp chambers in
the hard baked mud.

WATER SPIDER
MANATEE

Hairs on the water These gentle vegetarians
spider’s body trap air, live and breed in shallow
which the spider tropical seas.
breathes while under
water. It’s just like SEA SNAKE
diving with an Sea snakes spend their
air tank. whole lives in water and
are often seen hundreds
of miles from land.
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Microlife
Some living things, such as elephants and oak trees, are difficult to miss
if you’re standing next to one, but others are much harder to see. There
LIVING WORLD

are thousands of species of microscopic organism living in the air, on

land, and in water all around you, and on
your body, too!

KRILL are tiny

WHAT’S IN THE WATER? crustaceans that eat
plankton. Large
In addition to fish and other marine marine animals,
creatures, our oceans, rivers, and lakes are including whales,
teeming with plankton—microscopic life feed on the krill,
making them a vital
that drifts with the current. Plankton link in the food chain.
includes tiny animals (zooplankton) and
plantlike life-forms (phytoplankton). Many
creatures eat plantkon, and in this way
whole aquatic ecosystems depend on it.

ALGAE Most
phytoplankton is
made up of algae.
Many algae are made
up of just one cell, like
these diatoms.

TAKE A LOOK: ALGAE

Single-celled algae belong to BLOOMING GLOWING

a group of organisms known Algal blooms are a Several algae are
as protists. Like plants, these sign of nature out of bioluminescent: they
algae make food from balance. The bloom give out light when
sunlight, using a process blocks sunlight, uses up they are disturbed.
called photosynthesis nutrients, and starves This alga, Noctiluca,
or poisons other plants can make the sea
( p. 87). and animals. glow an eerie green.

122
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 MICROLIFE
Flagellum Penicillin colony
BRILLIANT BACTERIA Bacterial
Bacteria are an essential part of cell  POWERFUL PENICILLIN
Cytoplasm
life on Earth. Some types live in If you have an illness, your
soil and release nitrates, without TELL ME MORE... doctor might give you penicillin.
This is an antibiotic—a
which plants would not grow and In 1862, French scientist medicine that kills bacteria.
the food chain would collapse. Louis Pasteur created a In 1928, scientist Alexander
Other types live in your way of killing bacteria Fleming found a dish of bacteria
intestines, helping you digest with heat. This process, with a type of mold growing

LIVING WORLD
your food. But bacteria can also called pasteurization, is on it. Where the mold grew,
the bacteria had died. From
be harmful, causing dangerous still used today.
this discovery, Fleming
diseases in all kinds of plants and Cell developed penicillin.
animals, including people. wall
Cell membrane

7/7
There are around 30,000
MINI MONSTERS
species of tick and mite, most of
Ticks and mites belong to the same which are less than 1⁄32 in (1 mm)
class of invertebrate as spiders, the long. They can be found in stored
 CRAB LARVA Many arachnids. They are parasites, living food such as flour and cheese; in
animals start life as and feeding on plants or other animal dung; and skin, hair, and fur.
microscopic larvae. Crab They feed on plants and on the
larvae find a place to settle as animals, known as hosts. Some
skin and blood of host
a tiny crab, where they can species destroy crops, while others animals.
then grow to be an adult.
pass on diseases.

MEAL
MITE
Many of the
foods you eat
probably contain
the remains of mites
like this one, which
feeds on stored cereal
products such as flour
and oatmeal.

Eyelash mites  A DUST MITE

GROWING You won’t be able to see them or feel can fit on the tip
Noctiluca algae are also of a needle.
responsible for “red tides.” them, but living on your face are
This tiny
These are usually caused, tiny, 7⁄1,000 in- (0.2 mm-) long mites creature eats
for example, by sewage or called Demodex folliculorum. The fragments of
fertilizer. Algae growing mites cling to eyelashes, to feed on dead skin and
in this way can kill other dead skin cells at the eyelash roots— hair found in
life-forms. house dust.
but don’t worry, they are harmless.
123
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Animals of the past
The most famous prehistoric animals have got to be the
dinosaurs—but they lived many hundreds of thousands
LIVING WORLD

of years after the first life-forms appeared on Earth. It is

thought that life first appeared on Earth around
3.8 billion years ago. They were small,
single-celled organisms called
prokaryotes. Some prokaryotes
survive today in the form
of cyanobacteria.

WHAT WAS A DINOSAUR?

The word “dinosaur” means “terrible
lizard.” These reptiles ruled the Earth for
more than 160 million years until around
65 million years ago. But not all dinosaurs 7/7
In Precambrian times,
were terrible: many were herbivorous, not prokaryotes grew in colonies that
carnivorous, and while many were huge spread out like mats, absorbing
sunlight so they could photosynthesize.
and ferocious, there were also some that
Billions of years later, their fossilized
were no bigger than a chicken. remains still exist. These stony

DINKY DINOSAUR platforms are called stromatolites,
The plant-eating Lesothosaurus is and some can be found off the
thought to be the smallest dinosaur. coast of northwest
Australia.
TIMELINE OF PREHISTORIC LIFE History is divided into different periods of time. MYA = million years ago.

PRECAMBRIAN CAMBRIAN ORDOVICIAN SILURIAN DEVONIAN CARBONIFEROUS

4.6 BYA545 MYA 545490 MYA 490445 MYA 445415 MYA 415355 MYA 355290 MYA

The first forms of life The first multicelled The first crustaceans Evolution of the first The “Age of Fishes,” Flying insects
appeared on Earth: and hard-bodied life and jawless fish fish with jaws, and when fish diversified and amphibians
simple, single-celled developed, including evolve. giant sea scorpions— rapidly. The first lived in swampy
prokaryotes. mollusks and arthropods the ancestors of amphibians evolved forests during
such as trilobites. modern arachnids. from fish, becoming this warm
the first vertebrates period, but
to live on land. reptiles ruled
the land.

124
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 ANIMALS OF THE PAST
HIP, HIP
There were two types of dinosaur, FAST FACTS
Bird-hipped
classified by the shape of their hip Iguanodon O
Scientists that study the history of life on
bones: bird-hipped (ornithischians), Earth are called paleontologists.
O
The term “dinosaur” only refers to a certain
and lizard-hipped (saurischians).
type of land-based reptile. Those that flew or
Birds actually evolved from the lizard- lived in the sea are not dinosaurs, but
hipped dinosaurs. ( p. 244.)

LIVING WORLD
Lizard-hipped different reptiles.
T. rex O
There are about 700 named dinosaur species.

O

The first dinosaur fossils were Iguanodon

What is a fossil? teeth and bones, found in England in the 1820s.

O
The first complete dinosaur skeletons were
Paleontologists use fossils to figure out what
early life-forms would have looked like. of 32 Iguanodons, found in a coal mine in
Most fossils form when the remains of an Belgium in 1878.
O
The first dinosaur to be named was the
animal or plant get buried in sediment
(sand or mud). Over time, the remains are Megalosaurus, in 1824.
O

The oldest dinosaur fossils discovered to
replaced by minerals in the sediment, which
keep the shape of the animal or plant. date are 230 million years old.

Fossil of a Pterodactylus

Tyrannosaurus rex Dimorphodon Dimetrodon

“King of the tyrant lizards” “Two-form tooth” “Two types of teeth”

O

Length 39 ft (12 m) O

Wingspan 4–8 ft O

Length up to 11½ ft (3.5 m)

O

Time Late Cretaceous (1.2–2.5 m) O

Time Early Permian
O

Fossil location North O

Time Early Jurassic O

Fossil location Europe and
America O

Fossil location Europe and North America
North America
Like all life-forms, Dimetrodon was a sail-backed
dinosaur species have Dimorphodon was not a dinosaur, but synapsid. The sail probably helped it
scientific names, which a pterosaur—a flying reptile. It had warm up and cool down. Synapsids
are written in Latin. The an enormous skull and were cold-blooded
name may reflect what differently sized teeth in its and scaly like
the species looked like, bill—large, pointed teeth at reptiles, but they
or a characteristic—as the front, and small teeth at the back. are actually the
with T. rex, one of the It ate fish, insects, and small animals, ancestors of
largest and fiercest but no one knows if it caught its prey mammals.
meat-eating dinosaurs. while flying or standing on all fours.

PERMIAN TRIASSIC JURASSIC CRETACEOUS TERTIARY QUATERNARY

290250 MYA 250200 MYA 200140 MYA 14065 MYA 651.6 MYA 1.6 MYA TO PRESENT

Sail-back synapsids The first dinosaurs, The first bird, Dinosaurs die out. The first appearance The first modern
appeared. early mammals, Archaeopteryx, evolved The first modern of many of today’s human.
turtles, and frogs from the mammals take over. creatures, from dogs
appeared. dinosaurs. and cats to apes and
elephants.

125
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 CONTINENTS
CONTINENTS OF
THE WORLD

of the WORLD

People naturally inhabit all continents except one: Antarctica.

The Arctic is not a continent because it is not solid land—it is mostly frozen sea.
Asia, the biggest continent, stretches from the Arctic circle to the equator.
North and South America were named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
Africa contains 53 countries (including islands)—more than any other continent.

At what event Which

does a cowboy countries
test his skills? are the richest in
Find out on pages the world?
132—133 Find out on pages
144—145

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Definition: The continents

CONTINENTS OF
THE WORLD
are Earth’s major landmasses.
There are seven continents:
North America, South
America, Africa, Europe, Asia,
Australasia, and Antarctica.

Europe holds the world’s smallest country: Vatican City, Italy, is 1⁄5 sq mile (.44 sq km).
South America’s largest country, Brazil, covers more than half the continent’s area.
When the Earth first formed, all the continents were joined into one big one.
There are areas of desert on all seven of Earth’s continents.
Aside from Antarctica, Australasia is the most sparsely populated continent.

In what Where in the

mountain world does classical
range would you dancing look like this?
find llamas? Find out on pages 148—149
Find out on
pages 136—137

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Our world
Just one-third of the Earth’s surface is land; the rest is
covered by water. The land is divided into seven vast
landmasses (continents): North America, South America,
CONTINENTS OF
THE WORLD

EARTH A night map shows those parts of


Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia, and Antarctica. the world with plentiful electricity supplies.
30°W 0° 30°E 60°E 90°E 120°E

Arctic Circle

60°N

E U R O P E

A S I A
30°N

Tropic of Cancer

A F R I C A

Equator

AT L A N T I C INDIAN

OCEAN OCEAN
Tropic of Capricorn

30°S

60°S
SOUTHERN OCEAN
Antarctic Circle

A N T A R C T I C A
30°W 0° 30°E 60°E 90°E 120°E
128
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 OUR WORLD
FAST FACTS
KEY TO MAPS
O

World population 6,756 million
(January 2009) Capital city N North compass
O

Independent countries 193
State city
O

Dependent territories 50
O

Continents 7 State border 0 km 500

O

Oceans 5 0 miles 500

O

Largest continent Asia
Coast line
Scale
O

Smallest continent Australasia

CONTINENTS OF
River
Note: Only main

THE WOLRD
Mountain languages are given.

150°E 180° 150°W 120°W 90°W 60°W

ARCTIC OCEAN

Arctic Circle

60°N

NORTH
AMERICA

AT L A N T I C 30°N

Tropic of Cancer

OCEAN

PA C I F I C
Equator

OCEAN SOUTH
AMERICA

Tropic of Capricorn
& OCEANIA
30°S

SOUTHERN OCEAN 60°S

Antarctic Circle

150°E 180° 150°W 120°W 90°W 60°W

129
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 North America ASIA

Stretching from the Arctic Circle to the tropics, Be

ring
Strait

North America is the third-largest continent.

CONTINENTS OF

UNITED STATES
Two countries, Canada and the United States, B ering

A
THE WORLD

le
u
ti OF AMERICA
Sea an
take up three-quarters of the continent, which also includes Is
la
nd
s
ALASKA
Mt. McKinley
20,322ft (6194m)
Mexico, seven Central American countries, and the Caribbean Islands. Anchorage

Gulf of
How many people? Alaska
NORTH AMERICAN FACTS  HAWAII The Hawaiian Islands lie
About 529 million people live in North
O

Covers 16.5 percent of Earth’s land area America, more than half of them in the in the central Pacific Ocean but are
part of the United States.
O

Number of countries 23 United States. Barbados is the most
O

Biggest country Canada densely populated country, with Kaua‘i Haw PAC I F I C
O

Smallest country St. Kitts and Nevis aii
1,658 people per square mile O‘ahu an O C E A N
O

Languages English, Spanish, French Is
(640 people per km²). Honolulu l a n
O

Population of continent Estimated at
ds
UNITED STATES
529 million OF AMERICA Maui
O

Largest North American city Mexico HAWAII
City, Mexico 0 km 200
Hawa i‘i
O

Highest point Mount McKinley (Denali)
Population density 0 miles 200
in Alaska, at 20,320 ft (6,194 m)
People per km²
O

Longest river the Mississippi-Missouri in (0.39 per square mile)
the US, at 3,740 miles (6,019 km)
below 50
O

Biggest lake Lake Superior, situated
50-90
between the US and Canada, is the world’s
100-149
largest freshwater lake, with a surface area of  INUIT PEOPLE have lived in
150-199
31,820 sq miles (82,400 sq km²) the Arctic for centuries, surviving
200-299
by hunting fish, seals, walruses,
above 300
and whales. Today, most Inuit live
THE POLAR REGION in towns or small settlements.
The climate in the Arctic is harsh—
average winter temperatures can be
as low as -40°F (-40°C), and in
midwinter the Sun never rises.
Parts of the region are permanently
covered by ice. Despite this, the
Arctic is home to many animals,
including polar bears and seals.

EXTENT OF THE ARCTIC

The Arctic region includes
Greenland, northern
Canada and Alaska, as
well as the northernmost
parts of Europe and
Asia, and a huge area
of frozen ocean around
the North Pole.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 N
ARCT
IC
OC
0 km 1000 EA
N FAMOUS PLACES
0 miles 1000
O

The Rockies are the highest and
The Bering Strait separates longest mountain range in North
Ellesmere
North America from Asia and Island Greenland America, stretching for 3,000 miles
is just 53 miles wide (85 km). (to Denmark)
(4,800 km) through Canada and the
Be au for t United States.
Baffi n
Se a

CONTINENTS OF
Ba y O

DeathValley, on the border of

THE WOLRD
D Nevada and California, is the
Baffi av
Victoria Island n I is continent’s hottest, lowest place.
sla
Ma

nd S NUUK
Mackenzi
cken

tr
O

The San Andreas Fault in

ai
zie M

YUKON Great Bear Foxe

e

t
TERRITORY Lake Basin California marks the place where
Labrador
ounta

NORTHWEST NUNAVUT two of the plates that make up the

TERRITORIES Hu d s o n S Sea
trait
Earth’s crust meet. Movement here
ns i

Yellowknife
Great Slave
causes frequent earthquakes.
R o

Lake
Lake Hu d son
NEWFOUNDLAND
BRITISH Athabasca Bay AND LABRADOR
c k

COLUMBIA C A N A D A Measured by the

ALBERTA
Reindeer Lake St.John’s length of its shoreline,
Newfoundland
Hudson Bay in
y

Edmonton MANITOBA QUÉBEC

Lake Winnipeg PRINCE northern Canada is
Vancouver EDWARD
ISLAND
St Pierre & Miquelon
(to France)
the world’s largest bay.
Island
M o

SASKATCHEWAN ONTARIO NEW

Vancouver BRUNSWICK e
N
Winnipeg
enc
Regina Québec

A
Seattle Halifax
wr
La

Lake Superior MAINE NOVA

WASHINGTON The Caribbean

E
Montréal
St.

SCOTIA
u n

MONTANA NORTH Lake Huron

There are more than

C
MINNESOTA NEW HAMPSHIRE
DAKOTA OTTAWA VERMONT
Boston
OREGON U N I T E D S TAT E S MICHIGAN Lake Ontario
7,000 islands, islets, and
O
Toronto MASSACHUSETTS
IDAHO WISCONSIN NEW YORK
RHODE ISLAND
SOUTH reefs in the Caribbean Sea.
t a

Lake Lake Erie

WYOMING DAKOTA CONNECTICUT
Michigan Detroit PENNSYLVANIA New York
M

Most are too small to be

iss

ri NEW JERSEY
ou

ains

Great Salt Lake IOWA Chicago Pittsburgh Philadelphia

C

CALIFORNIA
ad o NEBRASKA INDIANA OHIO DELAWARE inhabited, but the bigger ones
i n

or
unt

NEVADA UTAH ILLINOIS WASHINGTON DC

make up 13 countries and a
Col

San Francisco Denver Indianapolis WEST MARYLAND

Mo

VIRGINIA VIRGINIA
Mount Whitney number of dependent territories.
T

COLORADO Saint Louis

KANSAS
n

14,495ft (4418m ) KENTUCKY

s

ia

MISSOURI NORTH
In the summer months, the
ippi

N
ch

Las Vegas
O F A M E R I C A CAROLINA
la

Los Angeles TENNESSEE

siss

Caribbean is often hit by huge

pa

SOUTH
Mis

OKLAHOMA Memphis A p
L A

ARIZONA
San Diego CAROLINA
Tijuana
NEW MEXICO ARKANSAS Atlanta tropical storms, called hurricanes,
MISSISSIPPI GEORGIA
Dallas that can do great damage.
Lo

ALABAMA
A T
we

TEXAS
LOUISIANA FLORIDA
r

New Orleans Anguilla (to UK)

Ca

Houston Orlando
Chihuahua ST KITTS & NEVIS
Gu o r n

Mississippi
Rio

British Virgin Islands

l

Delta (to UK) ANTIGUA &

if

Gra

NASSAU Virgin Islands (to US)

lf

BARBUDA
P

Miami
nd
of

BAHAMAS Turks & Caicos Guadeloupe

e
A

Gulf of Islands (to UK) (to France)

ia
C
O

Puerto Rico
C

Monterrey
I
al

Guantanamo Bay DOMINICA

Durango HAVANA (to US) DOMINICAN (to US)
F Mexico
if
C

E CU B A REPUBLIC Martinique
or

A I ME X ICO HAITI SAN JUAN (to France)

ni

N C Tampico Montserrat ST LUCIA

a

PORT-AU-PRINCE SANTO (to UK)

León Mérida DOMINGO
Cayman Islands JAMAICA Navassa ST VINCENT & BARBADOS
Yucatan (to UK) Island (to US) THE GRENADINES
Guadalajara KINGSTON GRENADA
MEXICO CITY Peninsula
Aruba TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Villahermosa BELIZE (to Neth.) PORT-OF-
BELMOPAN Caribbean SPAIN
Acapulco
Netherlands Antilles
GUATEMALA HONDURAS Sea (to Neth.)
GUATEMALA CITY TEGUCIGALPA
THE ARCTIC OCEAN NICARAGUA
SAN SALVADOR
contains large areas of floating EL SALVADOR
sea ice. This forms when the The Panama Canal MANAGUA
PANAMA CITY
Lake Nicaragua Panama Canal
S O U T H A M E R I C A
SAN JOSÉ
temperature drops to about allows boats to travel between
COSTA RICA PANAMA
28.8°F (-1.8°C) and causes the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans,
the seawater to freeze. without going around South America.
131
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Life in North America
The first people crossed from Asia to modern-day
FAMOUS NORTH AMERICANS
Alaska thousands of years ago. Today’s North
O

Barack Obama (born 1961) The first
Americans include the descendants of Native peoples,
CONTINENTS OF

African-American president of the United

THE WORLD

European settlers, and African slaves. States, elected in 2008 after promising to
bring change to the country.
Cattle ranching O

Amelia Earhart (1897–1937) American

The cowboys made famous in movies INDUSTRY pioneer of flying, and the first woman to fly
were ranch hands employed to round North American companies solo across the Atlantic (in 1928).
up and drive the large herds of cattle have been responsible for the O

Frida Kahlo (1907–54) Mexican artist

in the American West. Cattle are still who is famous for her self-portraits,
invention of the silicon chip, the
raised for their meat in the United painted in vibrant colors.
States and Canada. microprocessor, the iPod, O

Sir Frederick Banting (1891–1941)
and many other advances in and Charles Best (1899–1978) Canadian
computer technology. scientists who discovered insulin, a drug
now used to treat millions of people who
LANDSCAPE suffer from diabetes.
North America contains a huge
variety of landscapes. Many areas
are popular tourist destinations.

 RANCH Cattle are now raised on large

ranches, like this one in Alberta, Canada.

RODEO A rodeo is a
series of events, such as
riding a bucking
horse or bull, that
are designed to test
the skill of a cowboy. E
IC TUR
E AP it
TAK e o p le vis alls
p rf
TAKE A PICTURE 0 m illion p of wate
2 grou
und
The Grand Can y e a r, aro massive r.
yon is a steep-
sided gorge in Each a Falls, a ian borde
the US state of ar d
Arizona. It has Niag US-Cana
of the rock by been cut out t h e
the Colorado
River. on
MANHATTAN
New York City is the
biggest city in the US.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 LIFE IN NORTH AMERICA

MUSIC CAR CULTURE DID YOU KNOW?

The United States is the birthplace FASCINATING FACTS
People in the United States and
of some of the world’s most Canada own a lot of cars—19
Canada’s 151,000-mile
popular styles of music, including
jazz, rock and roll, blues, hip-hop,
million new ones were sold in 2007,
and in the US there is more than one 1 (243,000-km) coastline is the
longest of any country in the world.
car on the road for every licensed
and country music. Jazz, blues, driver. Many of these vehicles are
and rock all evolved from the 151

CONTINENTS OF
built in Detroit, Michigan, although
(24 ,000

THE WOLRD
blending of African and European the US car industry has lost ground to 3,0 mil
00 e
foreign competitors in recent years. km s
musical styles that started in )

communities in the South.

Basketball SPORTS
is a sport using a The most
ball and hoops and
popular
two teams of five
players. The game was spectator
Alaska used to
first played in the sports in the 2 belong to Russia.
The United States
1890s. United States are American towns are designed around the
car, with streets laid out in a grid pattern. bought it from the
basketball, baseball, Russians in 1867 for a
football, and ice hockey. Fans bargain price of just two
NATIVE AMERICANS cents per acre (.0040 km²).
often show intense dedication
Native Americans are the descendants
to their local teams, even
of the original inhabitants of North
wearing costumes and face
America. There are about two million
paint. In Mexico and Central America is
America, soccer is the most
Native people living in the US today
and one million in Canada.
3 named after the
Italian Amerigo
important sport.
Vespucci, who was
one of the first
European explorers
to travel to the
New World.

The five Great

Football is a contact sport in which tackling is When Europeans first arrived in North America in
4 Lakes on the
US-Canadian border
essential, so players wear helmets and pads to the 1500s, they thought they were in Asia and
protect themselves from injury. called the Native people Indians. The term are the largest group
“American Indian” was born. of freshwater lakes
in the world. They
cover an area about
the same size as
the United Kingdom.

Chocolate first appeared in

5 Mexico and Central America at
least 1,600 years ago, as a bitter-
tasting drink called xocolatl.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 South America
South America is the fourth-
largest continent. It contains the
world’s longest mountain range,
CONTINENTS OF
THE WORLD

biggest rain forest, driest desert, and highest

waterfall. It is also home to a vast range of plants Population density
People per km² (0.39 mile²)
and animals, and to 382 million people.
below 50
50-90
SOUTH AMERICAN FACTS THE AMAZON 100-149
150-199
■ Covers approximately 12 percent of Earth’s
The Amazon is the world’s 200-299
land area second-longest river and the above 300
■ Number of countries 12 largest by volume. It pours so How many people?
■ Biggest country Brazil About six percent of the total world
■ Smallest independent country Surinam
much water into the Atlantic that
population live in South America.
■ Languages Spanish, Portuguese, French, drinkable water can be drawn out Brazil is the largest country and has
Dutch, and many native Indian languages
■ Population of continent Estimated at
of the ocean three-quarters of a the biggest population, while Colombia
382 million mile (1 km) from the river’s mouth. and Ecuador are the most densely
■ Largest South American city Sao Paulo, populated countries.
Brazil
■ Highest point Cerro Aconcagua in
Argentina, at 22,833 ft (6,959 m)
■ Longest river the Amazon is
approximately 4,000 miles (6,437 km) long
■ Biggest lake Lake Titicaca, situated
between Peru and Bolivia

THREATENED ZONES
u FOREST The Amazon is u CATTLE RANCHING
The total area lost to forest clearance in
surrounded by the biggest tropical rain Vast areas of forest are being
the Amazon is at least 227,000 miles² forest on Earth, home to a huge cut down each year to clear
(587,000 km²)—that’s bigger than France. variety of wildlife and groups of land for cattle ranches,
native peoples. threatening the area’s
delicate ecosystem.

ANIMALS IN THE AMAZON

One in ten of the world’s known species
of plant and animal live in the Amazon
rain forest, including:
■ 40,000 species of plant

■ 3,000 species of fish

■ 1,294 species of bird

■ 427 species of mammal

. HABITAT The weather
in the rain forest is hot and ■ 428 species of amphibian

humid all year round. ■ 378 species of reptile

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 The Orinoco is one of the N
The area around Lake Maracaibo
in Venezuela contains large largest rivers in South America
deposits of oil. (though no river there comes
C a r i b b e a n S e a close to the length of the
0 km 500
Amazon!). It is 1,330 miles
Barranquilla Maracaibo Valencia CARACAS
(2,140 km) long.
Gulf of 0 miles 500
Cartagena
AMERICA Darien Lake Barquisimeto
Maracaibo
Ciudad Guayana Venezuelan
territorial
s oco
Cúcuta
o Orin claim
n

lena
Gulf GEORGETOWN
of l
a VENEZUELA

gda

CONTINENTS OF
G GUYANA PARAMARIBO
Panama L

Ma
Medellín ui A

THE WOLRD
CAYENNE
BOGOTÁ an SURINAM T
a French
Cali Hi
Surinamese
territorial Guiana L A
COLOMBIA Boa Vista
gh claims (to France)
O N
lan T I

co
C

Bran
ds E A C
Esmeraldas Macapá
Caq
Río Negro N
QUITO ueta A m a z o n Represa
Balbina azon
Am
ECUADOR Putum Amazon Belém

ns
ayo Manaus São Luís

Tocanti
Guayaquil Amazo Santarém
B a s i n j

ós
pa
n

us

a
eir
Iquitos r

Ta
Pu

ad
M Fortaleza
uá

Xi n
Jur

gu
Ucayali

Natal
A

ins
Tocant
aia
Trujillo P E R U Rio Branco Porto Velho Represa de

u
Palmas Sobradinho Recife

Arag
n

s
e Dio

The highlands of Callao d B R A Z I L

ed

Colombia are one of

s
o
Planalto de

nd
ncisc
LIMA
Madr

the wettest places in the Mato Grosso Salvador

la
e

Fra
P

BOLIVIA

gh
world, with one town, BRASÍLIA

ão
Cuiabá S

Hi
A

Tutunendo, averaging Lake LA PAZ

Arequipa Titicaca s Goiânia

an
Santa Cruz
C

448 in (11,394 mm) of

ili
rain each year.
I F

Arica

az
Lago SUCRE
Paragua
a Desert

Poopó PA Campo Grande

Br
Pil
The Atacama Desert RA Belo Horizonte
I C

c om

á
G ran
y

o
ay

This desert stretches along U Pa

o
ac

AY

the western coast of Chile

Atacam

Antofagasta São Paulo

Ch
s

Salta Rio de Janeiro

ASUNCIÓN
and is the driest place on
O C

Curitiba
ra
G

Ciudad del Este

Earth. In some parts of the Resistencia The Pampas is a
e

Atacama, no rainfall has huge grassy plain that

E

Florianópolis
E A

ná

stretches across northern

A

ever been recorded.

Para

La Serena Porto Alegre Argentina and Uruguay.

N
N

Córdoba
Uruguay
L

FAMOUS PLACES Cerro Aconcagua Mendoza Rosario U RU G U AY

22,830ft (6959m)
I

Valparaíso SANTIAGO
O

Cape Horn is the southernmost BUENOS AIRES R MONTEVIDEO
n
I

ío

tip of South America. The seas

T

d
pa

el
aP

around the cape are extremely Concepción

Pa m

lata

Mar del Plata

N

dangerous because of high winds, Colo

C

rado
H
A

Río Bahía Blanca

huge waves, and strong currents.
I

Ne
T

Valdivia gro
E

N
N
A

O

At about 4,400 miles (7,000 km) A

a

L
G
C

long, the Andes are the world’s

i

T
A O
n

longest mountain range. They

R
o

extend through seven countries. Gulf of

San Jorge
g
A

Golfo de
a

O

Lake Titicaca (between Bolivia Penas

t

and Peru) lies 12,500 ft (3,812 m)  MACHU PICCHU The Inca people built
P a

above sea level, making it the Bahía Falkland STANLEY

this city in the Andes over 500 years ago. It is
Islands
Grande known as the “Lost City of the Incas” because
world’s highest navigable lake. it was forgotten for centuries, until Hiram
Punta Arenas Tierra
del Fuego Bingham rediscovered it in 1911.

Cape Horn
135
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Life in South America
Dramatic landscapes, including the Andes
MANED WOLF
This long-legged wolf
mountains, lively cities, music, dancing, exuberant lives in Uruguay.

carnivals, and passionate soccer crowds are just

CONTINENTS OF
THE WORLD

some of the things to see in South America.

LANDSCAPE WILDLIFE
South America contains almost This continent is home to a huge
every kind of landscape, including variety of animals: tropical parrots
rain forest, grassland, desert, and and snakes in the rain forest, bears
mountain. and condors in the Andes, and
anteaters and cavies on the
Pampas grasslands.

FAMOUS SOUTH AMERICANS

O

Eva Peron (1919–1952), often known
as Evita, was married to the Argentinian
president, Juan Perón. She helped many
 LLAMA People who live in the
poor people and campaigned for better
Andes keep llamas for their wool and
conditions for workers.
use them to carry heavy loads.
U RE O

Pele (born 1940) Brazilian former
TAKE A PICT soccer player, considered by many to be
ela is
Angel Falls in Venezu the greatest soccer player of all time.
At 3,212 ft (979 m),
terfall. It was named O

Gabriel Garcia Marquez (born 1927)
the world’s highest wa 1933.
ot, Jimmy Angel, in Colombian novelist who was awarded the
after an American pil
Nobel Prize for literature in 1982.
O

Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), born in

Venezuela, was a key leader in the

successful struggle for independence of
much of South America, including Peru,
Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

 FAVELA Rio is not all beaches and RIO DE JANEIRO Famous for its
skyscrapers. Many of its inhabitants live dramatic setting on the Atlantic coast,
in poverty in shantytowns called favelas. Brazil’s second-largest city is overlooked
by a giant statue of Christ the Redeemer.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 LIFE IN SOUTH AMERICA

FOOD FARMING
Meat forms an important part Almost a third of all the world’s
of the South American diet. coffee is grown in Brazil. Other
One traditional dish in Paraguay, important South American crops
Uruguay, and Argentina is a include bananas, cocoa, and
PANAMA HAT
barbecue of sausages, steaks, and sugarcane. Chile
Despite the name, these
chicken, called asado. A tea called and Argentina are

CONTINENTS OF
brimmed straw hats do not

THE WOLRD
“mate” is popular in Southern important wine
actually come from Panama—
Brazil and is drunk from a gourd producers.
they are made in Ecuador.
through a silver straw.

TOURISM
Many people visit
Rio to see the
carnival or to
relax on the MUSIC
famous beaches.
The samba, tango, and bossa nova
Other popular are just some of the famous dances
tourist that come from South America.
attractions include Iguacu Falls This couple is dancing the tango, a
dramatic dance that originated in the
and the ancient Inca city of slums of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
Machu Picchu in Peru. Tango music is played on a type of
accordion called a bandoneon,
accompanied by a piano and violin.
INDUSTRY SOCCER
Venezuela has some of Soccer is a passion for people in
the world’s largest oil many South American countries—
and gas reserves and the from children playing soccer in the
petroleum industry streets up to fanatical support for
accounts for 80 percent the big teams. Brazilian soccer is
of its exports. In Brazil, famous for its fast-flowing and
many cars run on attacking style of play. The national
ethanol, which is a fuel team has won the World Cup
made from sugar cane. a record five times.

DID YOU KNOW? FASCINATING FACTS

Argentina was

1 Chile is the longest

and thinnest country 3 There are nearly
137 million Roman
5 named by the first
Spanish settlers, who
in the world. It is Catholics in Brazil—more went there in search
2,610 miles (4,200 km) than in any other country of silver and gold.
long but only in the world. The name comes from
112 miles The city of Ushuaia is the La Paz in Bolivia is the the Latin word for
(180 km)
at its
2 southernmost city in the
world. It is situated on the
4 world’s highest capital
city at 11,942 ft (3,640 m)
silver, argentum.

widest island of Tierra del Fuego at above sea level.

point. the southern tip of Argentina.
137
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Madeira

Africa
(to Portugal)

Canary Islands
(to Spain)
Africa is often called the “birthplace of humankind.”
LAÂYOUNE
That’s because human beings originated from Africa
W E S T ER N
several million years ago, although humans as we SAHARA
CONTINENTS OF

(disputed)
THE WORLD

would recognize them only emerged about 200,000 years ago.

Nouâdhibou
Today, about 1 in 8 of the world’s population live in Africa. MAURITANIA
CAPE VERDE NOUAKCHOTT
Seneg
AFRICAN FACTS How many people?

al
PRAIA DAKAR SEN
The population of Africa is thought to be EG
AL
O

Covers approximately 20 percent of Earth’s around 14 percent of the total world
land area BANJUL GAMBIA
population. Nigeria is the most populated
O

Number of countries 53 +dependencies BISSAU
African country. GUINEA- G U
O

Biggest country Republic of Sudan IN
BISSAU E
O

Smallest country The Seychelles
CONAKRY

A
O

Languages 1,000s SIERRA
FREETOWN LEONE
O

Population of continent Estimated at LI
BE
778 million RI
N MONROVIA A
O

Largest African city Egypt’s capital, Cairo
O

Highest point Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at
19,341 ft (5,895 m)
O

Longest river Nile, running through Population density 0 km 1000

Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt into the People per km² (0.39 miles²)
0 miles 1000
Mediterranean Sea, at 4,145 miles (6,671 km)
below 50
O

Biggest lake Lake Victoria, bordering
50-90
Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya. The lake contains
100-149
more than 3,000 islands, many inhabited.
150-199
200-299
above 300
THE SAHARA
OASIS There “Sahara” comes from the Arabic
are about 90 big
oases scattered word for “desert.” The Sahara
across the Sahara. stretches across North Africa and
These are places
where underground covers parts of 11 countries.
water comes to the Much of it consists of vast seas
surface, allowing
plants to grow.
of sand, with dunes up to 600 ft
 DESERT MAMMAL
This fennec fox keeps cool (180 m) high.
by losing heat through its
huge ears.

A VARIED LANDSCAPE SAHARA

Africa’s varied landscapes include
three deserts—the Sahara (Earth’s Kalahari
largest desert) in North Africa, and Namib

the Kalahari and Namib in the

Desert*
south. There are also large areas Dry grassland
Tropical grassland
of forest and grassland. Tropical forest
Mediterranean
*Red areas indicate the extent of the named deserts. Mountain

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 ALGIERS E U R O P E
Ceuta (to Spain) Melilla
Tanger (to Spain) TUNIS M
Constantine Malta ed
ite The Red Sea divides
RABAT
ains rran
CO unt TUN I S I A
ean Sea Africa from Asia. At the
Casablanca
O C s Mo Gulf of Delta
northernmost end, the
R a Nile
O tl TRIPOLI Sirte Benghazi Alexandria Port Said Suez Canal allows ships
M A ra
Suez Canal to travel between the
tta on CAIRO Sinai Red Sea and the
Qa pressi
ALGERIA Mediterranean.

E i le
De Western

ast
N
LIBYA Desert

Re
ern

dS t
EGYPT

De

CONTINENTS OF
ea
ser
Ahag Libyan Aswân

THE WOLRD
gar Lake Nasser The easternmost part of the
Desert continent is known as the
Ti b e
S a h a ë
r
sti
a Nu bian “Horn of Africa,”

r
Të
në Deser t because it is shaped like
an animal’s horn.
MALI
NIGER

A
Nig

ERITREA

SI
er

KHARTOUM
S a h e l ASMERA

A
NIAMEY f
BURKINA Zinder
CHAD El Obeid lf o

Blu
BAMAKO FASO Gu e n

e
Lake Chad DJIBOUTI DJIBOUTI A d

Nile
Raas
OUAGADOUGOU
SUDAN
Black Volta

e
NDJAMENA

ite Nil
SOMALILAND Xaafuun
NIGERIA Eth i o pi a n (not internationally
BENIN
GHAN

OON

recognized) Horn

Wh
CÔTE Ma ssif ADDIS ABABA
TOGO

D'IVOIRE ABUJA Moundou Hargeysa of Africa

N de s Bo n go
(IVORY COAST) Sudd Hi g h la n ds
ER

C EN TR AL
iger
A

YAMOUSSOUKRO Lagos wa

A
ama E T H I O P I AS
AM

Ad ighlands A F R IC AN R EP UBLIC

LI
LOMÉ PORTO-NOVO H C Ubangi heb
eli

A
Abidjan ACCRA BANGUI
MALABO Lake Turkana

M
SO
(Lake Rudolf )
SAO TOME EQUATORIAL
YAOUNDÉ Congo MOGADISHU
UGANDA
& PRINCIPE GUINEA K E N YA
SÃO TOMÉ LIBREVILLE Kisangani KAMPALA
Basin Lake Kismaayo
O

GABON
NG

Victoria NAIROBI
The Great Rift Valley DE M . RE P. KIGALI RWANDA
Kilimanjaro
INDIAN
CO

This huge valley cuts right 19,340ft (5895m)

Kasa CON GO
Great

BUJUMBURA
Lu

BRAZZAVILLE Mombasa
BURUNDI Masai
ala

through eastern Africa, from ongo i Ilebo

Steppe OCEAN
ba

Cabinda C KINSHASA Pemba

Ethiopia to Mozambique. It (to Angola) Matadi Kalemie Lake DODOMA
Kananga Tanganyika Zanzibar SEYCHELLES
Cua

Ri

contains a chain of vast lakes, Dar es Salaam

TA N Z A N I A
ngo

ft

V Aldabra
including Lakes Tanganyika, LUANDA Cu al Lake Rukwa Group
Victoria and Nyasa—some of anza Lake Mweru ley
MALAWI
the deepest lakes in the world. ANGOLA Lubumbashi
Ruvum
a COMOROS
MORONI
Bié Lake Nyasa
Kitwe
Huambo LILONGWE
Zambezi

FAMOUS PLACES Plateau Mayotte

ZAMBIA
el

Nacala (to France)

nn

E
Cu

Lubango LUSAKA
O

Hottest place: the highest U
ha
an

AR
Za
IQ
mb
do
Cub

eC

temperature ever recorded was Victoria Falls ezi

SC

Cunene ng HARARE
a

o
B

136°F (57.8°C) at Al ‘Aziziyah in Etosha

iqu

GA

ANTANANARIVO
AM

Pan Okavango ZIMBABWE

Libya in 1922. Delta
mb

NAMIBIA
DA

Beira
MOZ

Bulawayo
BOTSWANA
Moza
Na

MA

O

The Ngorongoro Crater in Kenya WINDHOEK

Ka la h a ri
mib

L
is a circular valley, enclosed by
ATOC

Toliara
im
No

sso GABORONE TSHWANE/

pop

mountain walls. It is the remains of b

Deser

De s e r t PRETORIA
o
LA EA

an ancient volcano. The crater is MAPUTO

Johannesburg MBABANE
t

home to a huge variety of animals. SWAZILAND

SOUTH
NTN

Or
ange River MASERU Madagascar is the world’s
O

The Okavango River does not flow
BLOEMFONTEIN LESOTHO Durban fourth-largest island. It is
IC

into the sea. Instead, it ends in a home to many unique

AFRICA rg
large inland swamp, known as the en sbe animals, such as lemurs and
Great K
aroo Drak
Okavango Delta, in Botswana. East London
fossas, which are not found
CAPE TOWN
Cape of Port Elizabeth anywhere else in the world.
Good Hope
139
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Life in Africa
Home to the world’s longest river and its biggest
FAMOUS AFRICANS
O

Nelson Mandela (born 1918) Former
political prisoner who became South
Africa’s first fully democratically elected
president in 1994.
desert, to one of the oldest tourist attractions, and O

Kofi Annan (born 1938) Secretary

General of the United Nations (1997–2007).

to some of the most dramatic wildlife on the
CONTINENTS OF

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.

THE WORLD

O

Desmond Tutu (born 1931) Former

planet, Africa is a fascinating continent. archbishop of Cape Town in South Africa,
and an anti-apartheid campaigner.
O

Haile Gebreselassie (born 1973)
LANDSCAPE
Ethiopian long-distance runner who has
Africa contains a huge variety of
broken numerous world records.
landscapes, from snow-capped
mountains to baking deserts.
Northern Africa is mostly desert, Traditional African villages
while farther south are grassy Most Africans live in the countryside,
plains, called savannas, and often in small villages. Many homes,
like these in a Shona village, are made
dense rain forest.
from mud. People live very simply,
TAKE A PICTURE with no access to electricity.
Africa’s highes
t mountain is
Kilimanjaro in Mount
Tanzania, at 19
Its peak is alw ,340 ft (5,895
ays covered in m).
snow.

 NAIROBI Only around

one out of every five Africans
lives in a big city like
MANY Africans
Nairobi, the capital make their living
E
IC TUR of Kenya. from farming or
E AP rica
in Af in
herding. This
TAK st la
k e
lake Samburu man in
h e l arge hwater Kenya is herding
t s
ia is st fre his goats.
e V ictor nd large
Lak e seco
th
and
orld.
the w

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 LIFE IN AFRICA

FARMING
WILDLIFE
Africa is famous for its zebras,
About 60 percent of African workers giraffes, lions, and other large
are subsistence farmers, farming their animals. But it is also home to
own land and growing crops such as
barley, cassava, corn, sorghum, and many other creatures, from the
sweet potatoes to feed their families. 500 different species of fish that
Many also produce “cash crops,” such live in Lake Malawi to colonies

CONTINENTS OF
as coffee, which are sold to make

THE WOLRD
money. Larger farms usually grow of penguins in South Africa.
cotton, cocoa, or rubber as cash crops.

TOURISM
Diamonds About half of all
diamonds come from southern
Africa, especially South Africa
and Botswana. The largest
diamond ever found, the
Cullinan, was mined in
South Africa in 1905.

Some places in Africa use wind pumps to

pump water from the ground, because many
areas are not connected to a national INDUSTRY
electricity supply. The main African industries are MUSIC
mining for gold, diamonds, and Most African music features
FOOD copper, as well as oil production. complex rhythms, created
The main ingredients of most The biggest oil producers are through patterns of drumbeats.
African dishes are the staple crops Nigeria and Libya. African musicians also play flutes,
grown on local farms—corn, xylophones, and stringed
cassava, yams, rice, beans—along instruments.
with various green vegetables. TOURISM
One popular dish eaten across
Each year, about 3 million people
West Africa is Jollof rice. It is visit the ancient pyramids at Giza in
MBIRA This
made from rice with tomatoes, Egypt, making them Africa’s number African instrument is
onions, spices, and chili, all one tourist attraction. Many people made of metal keys
also travel to Africa to see the set on a wooden
cooked in one pot, and is often continent’s spectacular wildlife. soundboard. The
served with cooked meat or fish. musician plucks the
keys with his fingers.

DID YOU KNOW? FASCINATING FACTS

The world’s five fastest

1 One of the toughest

races on Earth is the 3 Many African children
don’t get the chance
5 land animals are the
cheetah, pronghorn
Marathon des Sables to go to school. In Mali in antelope, wildebeest, lion,
(Marathon of the West Africa, for example, and Thomson’s gazelle.
Sands), which takes only one out of every Four are found in Africa.
place each year in three children goes to The pronghorn is native to
Malaria is a huge At 4,184 miles
Morocco. Entrants
run 156 miles
2 killer in Africa. Many
people die as a result of
elementary school.
4 (6,695 km), the Nile is
the world’s longest river.
North America.

(254 km) across the

mosquito bites, which It flows north through
desert in six days.
pass on this disease. 10 African countries.
141
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Europe
Unlike many of the other continents,
Europe is not a separate landmass—it is
CONTINENTS OF

joined to Asia. Europe’s eastern boundary

THE WORLD

2
is formed by the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea.
Russia falls into both Europe and Asia.
0 km 500

0 miles 500
EUROPEAN FACTS How many people?
The 731 million Europeans make up about
■ Covers approximately 7 percent of Earth’s 11 percent of the total world population.
land area Russia has the largest population, while the most
■ Number of countries More than 50
densely populated country is the Netherlands.
■ Biggest country Russia (note that part of
Russia also lies in Asia)
■ Smallest country Vatican City Population density
■ Languages More than 50 People per km² (0.39 miles²)
■ Population of continent Estimated at
731 million below 50
■ Largest European city Moscow 50-90
■ Highest point Mount Elbrus in Russia at 100-149
18,510 ft (5,642 m) high 150-199 u ST. BASIL’S CATHEDRAL
■ Longest river the Volga in Russia is 200-299 This beautiful cathedral, with its
2,292 miles (3,688 km) long above 300 onion-shaped domes, stands in
■ Biggest lake Lake Ladoga in Russia Red Square in Moscow, Russia.

THE ALPS d ALPS Mont Blanc is the

Extending through seven countries, the Alps highest peak in the Alps at
15,774 ft (4,808 m).
are the largest mountain system in Europe.
A Coruna
They are a popular vacation destination
in both summer and winter for skiing,
Porto
mountaineering, and walking. Du
ero

L
A
Valladolid
Tagus UG
RT

LISBON
PO

S P
Seville

Málaga
Gibraltar
(to UK)

RESCUE DOG
Specially trained German
shepherd dogs are used in
the Alps to find missing
people. They can smell a
person buried under snow.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 FAMOUS PLACES
O

Surtsey, a small island off Iceland,
was formed by the eruption of an
underwater volcano. It rose above
sea level in 1963–68, making it one
Svalbard Novaya
of the world’s youngest islands. (to Norway) Zemlya

O

The Low Countries—Belgium and The northeastern part of Europe, Kara

CONTINENTS OF
Sea
known as Scandinavia, includes

THE WOLRD
k Strait the Netherlands—are so low that
n mar the countries of Norway, Sweden,
De some of the land actually lies below
Denmark, and Finland.
sea level and has to be protected by

U
huge dikes. Barents
REYKJAVÍK Sea

r
ICELAND

Y
The island of Iceland is extremely Murmansk

a
volcanically active. It is home to
A

l
several volcanoes and many geysers.

N
W

White
Sea R U S S I A N
E
Faeroe Islands Nor wegian Arkhangel’sk

M
(to Denmark) Sea
or th
R

N
er n D
a
D

o
vin
ni

AT L AN T IC Trondheim a
th

A
Bo

Shetland

u
O CEAN FINLAND
of

Islands
O

Lake
E

S
f

n
Onega
F E D E R A T I O N
Gul

Outer Bergen Tampere

Hebrides Lake

I
OSLO HELSINKI Ladoga
N

Åland

a
Stavanger

A
SCOTLAND STOCKHOLM St Petersburg
Vänern TALLINN
Glasgow Ufa

i
NORTHERN ESTONIA Kazan’
Vättern
S

IRELAND Edinburgh North Gothenburg

n
Se

Belfast Nizhniy Novgorod

IRELAND Isle Sea Aalborg Gotland RIGA

s
of Man U N I T E D DENMARK
DUBLIN LATV IA Samara Orenburg
ti
c

(to UK) MOSCOW

Manchester
COPENHAGEN l
WA L E S KINGDOM Ba LITHUANIA Vitsyebsk
Birmingham Kaliningrad RUSS. FED. VILNIUS
Cardiff ENGLAND NETHERLANDS Hamburg (Kaliningrad)
Elb Gdansk Saratov
MINSK
Od er

LONDON AMSTERDAM e
THE HAGUE Vi BELARUS Voronezh
Channel English Channel BELG BERLIN s tu
l
Islands Lille IU Poznan a WARSAW
M

(to UK) S BRUSSELS GERMANY P OL A ND

R hi

le Havre
ein

LUXEMBOURG
ne

Frankfurt Wroclaw
e

PARIS KIEV Kharkiv Volgograd Vo

am Main lg a
LUXEMBOURG PRAGUE Krakow
L oi r
Nantes e CZECH
REPUBLIC L’viv U K R A I N E Astrakhan’
Bay of Strasbourg

Caspian
Biscay F RAN CE Munich S L O VA K IA Dn
ies t
Dnipropetrovs’k Donets’k
Rostov-na-Donu
SWITZERLAND VIENNA BRATISLAVA
er

Bordeaux Clermont-Ferrand BERN LIECHTENSTEIN

Mont Blanc 15,771ft (4807m) AUSTRIA MOLDOVA er
BUDAPEST
ep

Sea of
Lyon s CHISINAU
ni

Bilbao D
p Milan LJUBLJANA A
HUNGARY Azov
Eb Py l NI Odesa Groznyy
Se
ne

re Toulouse Po VE a
A SLO ZAGREB ROMANIA Caucasus
ro

ne
R hô

Turin Venice Simferopol’

es C R O AT I A
Zaragoza Marseille BOSNIA BELGRADE Elbrus 18,510ft (5642m)
MONACO
MADRID ANDORRA ANDORRA SAN & HERZEGOVINA BUCHAREST
k S e a
I

S E R B I A Da n u b e
l a c
LA VELLA Corsica MARINO SARAJEVO

A I N Barcelona B
T

KOSOVO SOFIA
VATICAN MONTENEGRO (disputed)
Valencia CITY BULGARIA
A

Mallorca Menorca PODGORICA PRISTINA

ROME L
Ty

Ibiza Sardinia SKOPJE

Palma ds T
Is l a n
rr

TIRANA MACEDONIA Istanbul

Balearic e n Naples
The Mediterranean Sea
h

Salonica u
Y

Cagliari ia ALBANIA
M e d i n r
t e Se
a
Lárisa Aegean k Europe is divided from Africa
Sea e y
r Palermo GREECE by the Mediterranean, a sea
A F R r
A S I A
I C A a
n
Sicily
Ionian
ATHENS that is almost completely
Mount Etna, on the island e Sea surrounded by land. The
a n
of Sicily, is the largest MALTA
only way in and out to the
active volcano in Europe.
VALLETTA S e a Irákleio
Crete Atlantic Ocean is through
Etna erupts almost
continuously, making it
Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, is the Strait of Gibraltar, which
the only city to span two continents. is just 9 miles (14 km) wide.
one of the world’s most
Part is in Europe, and part in Asia.
active volcanoes.
143
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Life in Europe
Europe is only slightly bigger than the United
■
FAMOUS EUROPEANS
Mother Teresa (1910–1997) Albanian
Roman Catholic nun who was famous for
her humanitarian work.
■ Albert Einstein (1879–1955) Nobel-
States, but has more than twice the US Prize-winning German physicist, and one
of the most famous scientists of all time.
population. It is also crowded with countries—
CONTINENTS OF

■ Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Spanish

THE WORLD

around 50 are crammed into the tiny continent. painter and sculptor, who was the most
influential artist of the 20th century.
■ Louis Braille (1809–1852) French
EUROPEAN UNION
inventor of Braille, a system used by blind
The European Union (EU) is a people to read.
political and economic union of ■ Marie Curie (1867–1934) Polish

27 countries that operate as a scientist who researched radioactivity and

single market. This means that won two Nobel Prizes for her work.
people, goods, and money can
move freely between the various
countries. Sixteen of the member
states share a common currency,
the euro. The EU has its own
parliament, court of justice, and
central bank. I CTURE
TAKE A P
an 300
a m b o rd is o ne of more th
Ch in the
u ti fu l ch â te aux (castles)
bea
in France.
Loire Valley TAKE A PICTURE
Stonehenge is
ROME’S mix of old and new a circle of stan
d built in prehis ding stones,
buildings shows how the city has toric times, th
Salisbury Plai at stands on
The circle of stars on the EU flag evolved over centuries. n in Britain.
represent unity among the members.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 LIFE IN EUROPE
FOOD
WEALTH CROWDED CONTINENT
Pasta, pizza, croissants, moussaka, All the Europe is densely populated.
goulash, and profiteroles are just some European Overall, there are about 181 people
of the foods that originated in Europe
and are now popular worldwide.
countries have per square mile (70 per square
high standards kilometer), compared to just
of living, and 59 people per square mile
even poorer (23 per square kilometer) in North

CONTINENTS OF
THE WOLRD
Europeans are well off compared America. About three-quarters of its
to people in the developing population live in towns and cities.
Cheese from France
Sausages world. According to World Bank London,
from Germany statistics, the three richest UK

countries in the world are

Luxembourg, Norway, and
Tapas from Spain
Switzerland—all in Europe.

Pasta from Italy MUSIC

Europe is the
birthplace of
SPORTS
classical music,
Soccer, tennis, cricket,
opera, and the
golf, and rugby are played TOURISM
modern orchestra.
around the world, but were France is the most
These styles of
all invented in Europe. Rugby, visited country in the
music were
for example, was a variant of world, with almost
performed in
soccer invented at a school 82 million visitors in
concert halls or
in the UK in the early 2007. Tourists travel
opera houses, many
19th century. to Europe to see the
u MOZART
of them extremely
(1756-1791) grand buildings, with many historic
audiences paying to buildings and cities,
attend. Europe’s famous and to relax on the
composers include Mozart, Mediterranean
Haydn, Bach, Beethoven, Verdi, beaches.
and Puccini.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

DID YOU KNOW? FASCINATING FACTS
The three smallest

1 The Danube River

flows through 10 2 Europe’s
population 3 Europe is named after
Europa, a character in
5 states in Europe are:
Monaco (30,000
European countries and is shrinking. Greek mythology. She was a residents), San Marino
four European capital The average princess who was abducted (25,000 residents), and
cities (Vienna, number of births per woman by the god Zeus, who had Swiss people eat Vatican City
Bratislava, Budapest,
and Belgrade).
is just 1.52. Experts estimate
that by 2050 Europeans will
disguised
himself
4 more chocolate
than any other nation.
(900 residents).
Vatican City is just
make up just 7 percent of as a Each of them munches 0.17 miles²
the world’s population white through an average of (0.44 km²).
(currently 11 percent). bull. 251⁄2 lb (11.6 kg) of
chocolate in a year.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 FAMOUS PLACES

Asia O

Mount Pinatubo is an active

volcano in the Philippines. It
exploded in 1991 in one of the
biggest eruptions ever recorded.
Asia is the biggest continent,
O

The Dead Sea is actually an
covering about a third of Earth’s extremely salty lake on the border of
Israel and Jordan. It is the lowest
CONTINENTS OF

land area. It has the biggest

THE WORLD

place on Earth, at 1,312 ft (400 m)

population, and it contains the world’s biggest below sea level.

country, highest mountain, and largest lake. O

K2 is the second-highest mountain
on Earth, after Mount Everest. It is
located in Pakistan.

How many people? Ural’sk

ASIAN FACTS
More than 4 billion people live in Asia—
O

Covers 30 percent of Earth’s that’s about two out of every three people
land area
in the world. China has the biggest Caspian
O

Number of countries around 48
population, with 1.3 billion people. Black Sea
O

Biggest country Russia (although part of Sea GEORGIA Aktau
Istanbul T’BILISI
Russia also lies in Europe) AZERBAIJAN
O

Smallest country the Maldive Islands Population density ANKARA ARMENIA
(people per km² YEREVAN BAKU
O

Languages Unknown, but more than 200
(0.39 miles²) TURKEY
O

Population of continent Over 4 billion (over Mosul
below 50 CYPRUS
60 percent of the world’s population) NICOSIA SYRIA TEHRAN
O

Largest Asian city Tokyo, Japan 50-90 BEIRUT DAMASCUS Qom
100-149 LEBANON BAGHDAD
O

Highest point Mount Everest, on the border AMMAN
of Nepal and China, at 29,028 ft (8,848 m) 150-199 ISRAEL IRAQ IRAN
JERUSALEM JORDAN
O

Longest river the Yangtze River (Chang 200-299 KUWAIT Shiraz
above 300 KUWAIT The
Jiang) in China is 3,915 miles (6,300 km) long Gulf
SAUDI
O

Biggest lake the Caspian Sea is the BAHRAIN
world’s largest lake
ARABIA MANAMA QATAR
RIYADH
AFR DOHA ABU

Red
Jedda DHABI
Ara b ia n UAE
Pe n in su la
ICA
THE GANGES N
Sea A
The Ganges is the longest river in the Indian OM
EN
Subcontinent and a sacred river for Hindus. SANA YEM
 BATHING Aden
de n
Each year, thousands of pilgrims visit in the Ganges is said of A
Gu lf Socotra
Varanasi and other holy cities along its banks. to wash away sins. (to Yemen)

THE DELTA
This satellite picture
shows the Ganges delta
in Bangladesh. This area
is very low lying and
often floods.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 The Ural Mountains in
Russia form the
ARCTIC OCEAN The northern and central
Laptev part of Russia is known
boundary between East
Sea as Siberia. This region is
Asia and Europe. Siberian
bitterly cold
Sea
in the winter.
Central
Noril’sk
s Siberian a

Yeni
Anabar lym

Len
in
u n PE

Ko
se
Plateau nge

a
y
Ra
t a

’
Ob
O

a
RUSSIAN F E D E R AT I O N a Aldan
ym

CONTINENTS OF
ol
R

THE WOLRD
r Yakutsk

K
EU

West e Magadan
b
M o

Siberian S i t im

Vi
Ir t y s h
Plain Angara Sea of

Kam
Yekaterinburg
l

Okhotsk

cha
r a

Omsk Novosibirsk Lake

Baikal Amur

tka
Sak
U

Irkutsk

hal
ASTANA

in

O C I slands
Karaganda

AN C
Lake lt Khabarovsk
A

KAZAKHSTAN ULAN BATOR

ai

CE FI
I
Aral Balkhash
M
ou M O N G O L IA Harbin

P A le
Sea Kyzylorda ri
nt Hokkaido Ku
UZ en Almaty Urumqi ain G o b i lia Jilin
BE
KI
BISHKEK Ti an s o ng
o Vladivostok
Sapporo
TU
RK S TASHKENT Sh r M NORTH Sea of
KYRGYZSTAN Inne Japan
TA

KOREA
M

Dalian
er

(East Sea)
EN

DUSHANBE Takla Makan BEIJING

u
Riv
IS

nsh
PYONGYANG
TAJIKISTAN Desert SEOUL SOUTH
TA

JAPAN
low

ASGABAT oun tains l

N

Ho
Ye KOREA
Ku n l un M
Qingdao
AN Lanzhou TOKYO
Mashhad ST Yellow Pusan
NI KABUL Plateau
GH
A ISLAMABAD
(administered
by China, of Tibet CHINA Xi’an
e
Sea Hiroshima Osaka
AF
claimed
Hi by India) gtz Nanjing
Kandahar S a l we e n Chengdu N
Yan

Lahore ma Brahmaputra Chongqing Shanghai

lay

nds
Meko

as Mount Everest 29,035ft Wuhan

Delhi NE East

Is l a
PAKISTAN PA (8850m)
t L China
n

ser yu
g

BHUTAN
Indus

De NEW KATHMANDU Guiyang

uk
THIMPHU Fuzhou Sea 0 km 1000
ar DELHI
Ry

Ganges Kunming
Th Varanasi TAIPEI
Karachi Bhopal BANGLADESH Guangzhou 0 miles 1000
MUSCAT Ahmadabad DHAKA BURMA TAIWAN
INDIA Kolkata (MYANMAR) Kaohsiung
(Calcutta) HANOI Hong Kong
Nagpur NAY PYI TAW LA (Xianggang)
Ar ab i a n Mumbai OS V
God

I Hainan
Ba y E Philippine
a

Se a (Bombay) VIENTIANE Dao

va

TN

of Rangoon Luzon
ri

Sea
Me

Hyderabad
AM

THAILAND
ko

Bengal PHILIPPINES
ng

MANILA
Bangalore BANGKOK Legazpi City
Chennai
(Madras)
Andaman CAMBODIA South
Islands
(to India) PHNOM PENH China
Cochin Ho Chi Cebu
Minh City
Sea
INDIAN Nicobar Islands
(to India) Davao
COLOMBO BANDAR SERI
OCEAN SRI LANKA BEGAWAN Mindanao
MALE
Medan
MALAYSIA BRUNEI
MALDIVES KUALA LUMPUR
PUTRAJAYA Manado
SINGAPORE SINGAPORE
Balikpapan
Su

Borneo
Celebes Ambon Jayapura
m

Palembang
at

I N D O N E S I A
ra

Semarang Makassar New Gu in e a

JAKARTA
Java Flores Sea
DILI
Malang
EAST TIMOR
 DUBAI is the biggest city in the A belt of thousands of islands stretches from Timor
United Arab Emirates (UAE). Most of southeast Asia to Australia. There are more Ti m o r AUSTRALASI A
it has been built in the last 40 years. than 13,500 islands in Indonesia alone. Sea & OCEANIA
147
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Life in Asia FAMOUS ASIANS
O

Benazir Bhutto (1953–2007) Pakistani

politician. Bhutto was elected prime

Asia contains just about everything—great wealth minister twice, becoming the first woman
elected to lead a Muslim state, but she was
and extreme poverty, modern ways and ancient assassinated in 2007.
O

Yuri Gagarin (1934–68) Russian
traditions, empty deserts and overcrowded cities,
CONTINENTS OF

astronaut. He was the first person to travel

THE WORLD

small-scale farming and high-tech industry. into space and to orbit the Earth.
O

Tenzing Norgay (1914–86) Nepalese

mountaineer who in 1953 became one of

the first two men to reach the summit of
Mount Everest.
O

Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian

political and spiritual leader. He helped free

India from British control.

I CTURE
TAKE A P
in
ar Yangshou
li m e st o n e pinnacles ne ic h h a s
TOURISM These r, wh
e d by rainwate
China w e re fo rm undin ck.
g ro
Asia’s most-visited tourist attractions w o rn a w a y all the surro
gradually
are the Great Wall of China and the
Taj Mahal in India. There are more TAKE A PICTURE
modern attractions in Dubai, famous  MUMBAI is the biggest city Mount Fuji is
a volcano near
in India. It is the country’s The Japanese Tokyo in Japa
for its shopping and nightlife, and business center and home to the consider it a sa n.
and it often ap cred mountain
home to the world’s tallest hotel. Bollywood movie industry. pears in Japa
nese painting
s.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 OIL MUSIC AND
About 80 percent DANCE
of the world’s easily This girl is
accessible oil is in performing a
the Middle East, classical Indian dance.
and money from These are often inspired
oil has made some by traditional Hindu

CONTINENTS OF
MANUFACTURING

THE WOLRD
of the countries stories and poems.
From clothes to cars, lots of the
in this region The dancer’s moves
goods sold in Western countries
extremely rich.
are made in Asia. Many companies and hand gestures
have factories in Asia because it is tell the story.
cheaper to employ workers there
than in the West. FOOD
Rice is the staple (main) food for
ANCIENT AND MODERN many people in Asia. It is served
There are huge differences in people’s with many Chinese, Thai, and
lifestyles around the continent. Many Indian dishes, such as curry or
Asians live in big modern cities
such as Tokyo and Beijing. But stir-fried foods.
in other areas, people such as
the Bedouin are living much
as their ancestors did hundreds In parts of Mongolia,
of years ago. Many Bedouin nomadic farmers live in In Japan, many people live
still live in tents and move traditional felt tents, in apartment buildings.
from place to place. called yurts.

WILDLIFE TECHNOLOGY
Tigers are only found in eastern Japan is a world leader in
and southern Asia. The tiger is manufacturing televisions, music
now an endangered animal, players, game consoles, cameras,
because large areas of its habitat and other electronics. India is FARMING
have been one of the world’s About half of all Asians make their
destroyed largest exporters living from farming, and rice is the
and it is often of software and continent’s biggest crop. It has to
hunted for other computer be grown in wet conditions, often
its skin. services. in a flooded paddy field.

DID YOU KNOW? FASCINATING FACTS

The Indian railroad

1 The Himalayas contain

2 Asia was the birthplace Japan is home to 5 system is the world’s
14 peaks that are over
26,000 ft (8,000 m) high—
of all the world’s major
religions, including Judaism,
4 10 percent of all the
active volcanoes in the
largest employer, with
more than 1.6 million
there are no other Christianity, world. It has about 40 members of staff.
mountains this high Islam, Hinduism, active volcanoes, while
elsewhere and Buddhism. another 148 are dormant.
The world’s deepest lake
in the world.
3 is Lake Baikal in Russia, at
5,371 ft (1,637 m). It contains
more water than the five
North American Great Lakes.
149
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 Australasia and Oceania
The region known as Australasia includes
the countries of Australia, New Zealand, Philippine
and Papua New Guinea. Australia is so Sea
CONTINENTS OF
THE WORLD

big that it is a continent in its own right. To the east lie

MELEKEOK
thousands of tiny Pacific Islands, known as Oceania. Babeldaob

PALAU

FACTS ABOUT THE REGION Ara

fur
a
Se
a
■ Covers approximately 6 percent of the
Earth’s land area ASIA
■ Number of countries 14 independent
countries and 16 dependencies
■ Biggest country Australia, which is
Ar a f u r a
also a continent Se a
■ Languages there are 25 official languages
INDIAN Darwin
in the region Timor
Arnhem
■ Population of the region estimated at OCEAN Sea
Land
around 30 million Population density How many people?
■ Largest city 4.3 million people live in People per km² (0.39 miles²)
About 30 million people live Broome
NORTHERN
Sydney, Australia
■ Highest point Mt. Wilhelm in Papua New
below 50 in Australasia and Oceania. TERRITORY
50-90 This is just 0.5 percent of the Great Sandy
Guinea is 14,793 ft (4,509 m) high
100-149 total world population. The Deser t
■ Longest river the Murray-Darling in
150-199 Alice Springs
Australia is 2,330 miles (3,750 km) long vast majority of people live
■ Biggest lake Lake Eyre in Australia
200-299
above 300
in Australia, which has a WESTERN AUST R
AUSTRALIA
population of 21 million.
Great Victoria SOUTH
Geraldton Desert AUSTRALIA
THE OUTBACK Kalgoorlie
lain
Away from the coasts, Australia is or P
2 Perth ll arb
Nu
mostly a hot, dry, desertlike plain, Great
d ULURU, or Ayers Rock, Albany Australian
known as the outback. Very few people is a large outcrop of sandstone Bight
live there, but it is home to many rock in the center of Australia. 0 km 1000

Local Aboriginal people

animals, including kangaroos, dingoes, consider it a sacred site.
0 miles 1000

wombats, and emus, and to huge sheep

and cattle farms.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 PACIFIC Huahine Tahiti,
Polynesia FAMOUS PLACES
OCEAN
MICRONESIA means ■ The Great Barrier Reef, off
Northern Mariana “small islands.” The Australia’s northeast coast, is
Islands
Isl a n d s

(to US)
islands in this group are the world’s largest coral reef.
coral reefs, or atolls. ( p. 76). It has built up over
ana

Saipan thousands of years.

ari

M The Pacific Islands

■ The town of Rotorua on New
i
M

Guam
(to US) HAGÅTÑA r c The thousands of islands scattered across
MARSHALL
Zealand’s North Island is famous

CONTINENTS OF
Bikini Atoll
o the Pacific are divided into three main
for its geysers and bubbling pools

THE WOLRD
Yap Caroline n ISLANDS groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and
Isla
nds e Ralik Chain of hot mud, caused by volcanic
Polynesia. Some of these islands
Chuuk
s Ratak Chain were formed by underwater
activity under the ground.
Pohnpei PALIKIR
Kosrae i volcanoes; others are the
M e l MICRONESIA a tips of circular coral KIRIBATI
a Tarawa reefs, called atolls. Kiritimati
n Tu POLYNESIA means
e NAURU
n

L
s
ga
“many islands”—there are

in
ru
PAPUA NEW GUINEA more than 1,000 of them.
New i KIRIBATI

e
So

om
Rabaul a
l

Is
Guinea on KIRIBATI
New

la
Mount Madang Is
Britain la
Wilhelm nd T UVA LU

nd
Lae s
14,793ft Solomon
(4509m) FONGAFALE Tokelau Penrhyn Marquesas

s
Se a
HONIARA SOLOMON (to NZ) Islands
To r re s St r a i t PORT MORESBY Guadalcanal No r t h e r n C o o k I s l a n d s Millennium Island
ISLANDS American
Wallis &

a
Samoa
Futuna SAMOA (to US)
VANUATU
G

Gulf of Co r a l (to France) Cook Tu a

APIA
re

PAGO

i
Soci mo
Carpentaria Se a Banks Vanua Islands ety tu
PAGO
at

Islands Levu Is Isl

(to NZ) an

s
Cairns la ds
B

G PORT-VILA Viti TONGA

ar

PAPEETE

nd
SUVA Souther n C
re Levu ook I

s
ri

Îl Niue slan Tahiti

a New Caledonia ds
er

(to NZ) AVARUA

es

FIJ I Fr ench
n
Lo

Townsville e (to France)

t

Mount Isa ef Rarotonga

ya

NUKU'ALOFA
y Polynesia
D

ut
é

NOUMÉA
iv

QUEENSLAND Rockhampton l (to France) Îles Gambier

id

Pitcairn
ALI A o
in

Islands
P (to UK)
g R

Brisbane
Lake Eyre
North P A C I F I C . THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE
ange

ng were the first inhabitants of Australia.

rl i
Da

NEW Today, in outback communities the

Port Augusta
ray
SOUTH WALES
Newcastle
O C E A N traditions are passed on.
Mur Sydney
CANBERRA
Adelaide AUSTRALIAN
Auckland
VICTORIA
CAPITAL TERRITORY NEW ZEALAND is one of
North
Geelong Melbourne Ta s m a n Hamilton
Island
the most isolated countries in
tra
it Co the world. It is about 1,250
Bass S Sea o
WELLINGTON miles (2,000 km) away from
k

Tasmania TASMANIA
St r a i t

its nearest neighbor, Australia.

ps

South
Al

Hobart
er n

Island Christchurch NEW

uth

ZEALAND
So

Dunedin
Stewart
Island
DINGOES are wild
.
dogs. They come from
. WILDLIFE domestic dogs that people
Kangaroos live in the brought to Australia.
bush, surviving on
grasses. They are most
active in the early
morning and evening,
when it is cooler.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Life in Australasia and Oceania
This region was one of the last parts FAMOUS AUSTRALASIANS
of the world to be settled by O

Howard Florey (1898–1968)
Australian pharmacologist who was
people. The Maori, for example,
CONTINENTS OF

awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in

THE WORLD

arrived in New Zealand only a developing the drug penicillin.

O

Cathy Freeman (born 1973) Australian
thousand years ago. The region is sprinter. At the Sydney Olympics in 2000
still sparsely populated, with an she became the first Aboriginal Australian
to win a gold medal in running.
average of just 10 people per square O

Ernest Rutherford (1871–1937)

New Zealand scientist and Nobel Prize

 KOALA These mile (4 per square kilometer). winner whose investigations revealed the
marsupials rarely
structure of the atom.
drink, obtaining
moisture from the O

Jonah Lomu (born 1975) New Zealand

leaves they eat. rugby player. Lomu is the all-time top try
scorer in the Rugby World Cup.

WILDLIFE
The region’s unique wildlife
includes marsupials (pouched
mammals), such as kangaroos
and koalas, and flightless birds,
such as emus and kiwis.
I CTURE
TAKE A P
an
Kiwi e to more th
a t B a rr ie r Reef is hom o f
The Gre 400 species
s of fish and
1,500 specie ds of plants.
ra l, a s w e ll as thousan
co
TAKE A PICTURE
New Zealand’
s southwest co
by many long, ast is puncture
narrow inlets, d
The most fam known as fjor
ous is Milford ds .
Sound.
 SYDNEY Australia’s biggest city is
built around a large harbor. The
Harbour Bridge is one of the country’s
most famous landmarks.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

MUSIC DID YOU KNOW?
This traditional Australian wind FASCINATING FACTS
instrument, called a didgeridoo,
Australia is the flattest of all the
is made from a hollow
tree trunk. It makes a
1 continents. Its highest point, Mount
Kosciuszko, is only 7,310 ft (2,228 meters)
droning sound. high—just a quarter of the height of
Mount Everest.

CONTINENTS OF
TOURISM

THE WORLD
Many people visit Australasia to
take part in outdoor activities, such
as snorkeling on the Barrier Reef,
surfing and windsurfing on
Australia’s beaches, and trekking No one knows exactly how many
 DIDGERIDOOS are
traditionally made from
in New Zealand. 2 islands there are in
the Pacific Ocean.
Eucalyptus trees. Estimates vary from
20,000 to 30,000.
SPORTS FARMING
The most popular spectator sports Sheep farming is important in both
New Zealand
in Australia and New Zealand are
cricket and rugby. New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand—in fact,
there are about five times as many
3 is the home of
bungee jumping.
is also famous for extreme sports, sheep as people in Australia. Wool One of the pioneers
such as bungee jumping, white and meat are among the countries’ of this extreme sport
water rafting, and snowboarding. biggest exports. was a New Zealander
named A. J. Hackett,
who demonstrated
it in 1987 by bungee
jumping off the Eiffel
Tower in Paris, France.

One of the world’s most deadly

4 spiders, the Sydney funnel-web,
lives in Australia. Its bite
 ALL BLACKS The New
Zealand rugby team is known as could kill, but, luckily an
the All Blacks. They perform a antivenom was invented in
fierce Maori dance, called a the 1980s, so there
“haka,” before each match. is a cure—so
long as you get
to the hospital
quickly.

About 820 different languages are

5 spoken in Papua New Guinea.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
tribesmen during a festival.

153
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 Every country in the world has its
World flags own flag. Countries use flags to
highlight their identity.
NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA
CONTINENTS OF

Antigua & Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada

THE WORLD

Barbuda

Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua

AFRICA

United States Uruguay Venezuela Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina

of America

Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana

Guinea

Malawi Mali Mauritania Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria

EUROPE

Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Albania Andorra

Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland

Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro The Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania
RUSSIA AND CENTRAL ASIA

Vatican City Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Russian Federation Tajikistan

Cambodia China East Timor India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel

Mongolia Nepal North Korea Oman Pakistan Papua New Philippines Qatar Turkey
Guinea
AUSTRALIA AND THE PACIFIC

United Arab Vietnam Yemen Australia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia
Emirates
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 WORLD FLAGS
■ Religion: the flags of many European ■ Regions: some countries that are made up ■ Tricolors: many flags consist of three
countries feature the Christian cross; of different regions show this in their flags. colored vertical stripes, known as a
the flags of many Islamic countries are The crosses of St. George, St. Patrick, and St. tricolor. These flags are inspired by the
based around the four traditional Arab Andrew in the UK flag represent England, red, white, and blue French flag, adopted
colors—red, white, green, and black. Ireland, and Scotland, respectively. during the French Revolution.

CONTINENTS OF
THE WOLRD
Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador

Panama Paraguay Peru St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and Suriname Trinidad and
The Grenadines Tobago

Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Chad Comoros Congo Democratic
Republic Republic of the Congo

Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar

Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe Senegal Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland

Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic

Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia

San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom
ASIA

Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Afghanistan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Burma

Japan Jordan Kuwait Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mauritius

Saudi Arabia Seychelles Singapore South Korea Sri Lanka Syria Taiwan Thailand

Nauru New Zealand Palau Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 CULTURE
CULTURE

The world’s most popular religion, Christianity, has more than 2.1 billion followers.
The Lascaux cave paintings in France have survived more than 30,000 years.
The most expensive painting sold to date was bought in 2006 for $140 million.
While 230 different languages are spoken across Europe, in Asia there are 2,197.
Classical composer Mozart started writing music when he was just 5 years old.

Why is meditation What did the

important to ancient
Buddhists? Romans use to
Find out on pages construct their
160–161 buildings?
Find out on pages
168–169
156
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Definition: What makes
one group of people different

CULTURE
from another? Whether it’s their
religious beliefs or the music
they listen to, culture reflects
the way in which people live.

The first Hollywood film studio was set up in an old tavern in 1911.
The world’s oldest dance form is belly dancing.
The idea of writing and performing plays started in ancient Greece…
… as did the original Olympic Games, in 776 BCE.
The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius. It means “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.”

When and where did How many

salsa dancing first musicians are there
appear? in an orchestra?
Find out on pages Find out on pages 174–175
176–177

157
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 World religions
A religion is a set of beliefs that explain where the
world came from, what happens after death, and how
we should live our lives. Religious people come
CULTURE

together to worship and take part in festivals. They

believe in an unseen, spiritual world that cannot be
explained by science.
Abrahamic religions
TELL ME MORE...
Judaism, Islam, and Christianity
The vast majority of people in the are part of the same “family” of
world are members of a religious religions, known as the Abrahamic
tradition. Roughly a third of the religions. All three consider
world’s population are Christians, Abraham as one of the forefathers
and a fifth are Muslims. Only of their faith. Islam and
12 percent of people describe Christianity have been spread
themselves as nonreligious. throughout the world by  THE ABRAHAM ICON in the

immigrants and missionaries. Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.

The six religions with the most

followers in the world are: Christianity Islam

JUDAISM
MENORAH The candles on this nine-branched

holder are lit during Chanukah, the Jewish festival
Judaism emerged more than 3,500 years ago in the of light. The central candle is used to light the eight
Middle East, among a tribe called the Israelites. outer candles—one for each day of Chanukah.
Jews believe that there is only one God, who
created the world and continues to care for it. TAKE A LOOK: PASSOVER

Passover is a festival that

celebrates the release of the Israelites from
Egypt, where they were held in slavery. Jews
 THE YALMULKE believe that God sent ten plagues against the
Some Jewish men wear Egyptians, the last of which killed all first-
a skull cap—called a born children and animals. The Israelites
yarmulke—to show  SEDER marked their houses with lambs’ blood and
their respect for God. This is a special meal God “passed over” without harming them.
in which symbolic After this, the Pharaoh released the Israelites.
foods are placed on a
special platter in the
middle of the table,
THE TORAH is the sacred text that including bitter herbs
Jews believe God dictated to Moses on to signify suffering
Mount Sinai. It includes the Ten and an egg to
Commandments, which show the represent rebirth.
Jewish people the right way to live.
Together with other sacred texts, it
makes up the Tanakh.

158
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 WORLD RELIGIONS
CHRISTIANITY THE CHALICE
Christians believe that Jesus Christ, a Holy Communion
is a Christian ritual
Jewish holy man born in Bethlehem, in which bread is
around 0 CE, was God in human form. eaten and wine is
According to Christian tradition he was drunk to remember
Jesus’ sacrifice. The
put to death by the authorities, but wine may be served
returned to life three days later. The in a chalice.
Christian Bible is made up of the Jewish

CULTURE
Tanakh—the Old Testament—and a new  THE SUPPER AT EMMAUS
This stained glass window shows
set of scriptures—the New Testament. Jesus, having risen from the dead,
sharing a meal with two disciples.
Catholicism There are
many different branches of  THE CROSS Saints are people
Christianity, the largest of Jesus Christ who lived especially
which is Roman Catholicism. died on a cross. holy lives. Some
The leader of the Roman Christians saints are linked
Catholic Church is the Pope. believe that
because of this
with specific
Catholics believe that the Pope sacrifice, his countries or causes.
is the successor to Saint Peter, followers will For example, Saint
who Jesus appointed as the first have eternal life Andrew is the
head of the Church. with God in patron saint of
Heaven. Russia and Scotland.

Hinduism Buddhism Sikhism Judaism

ISLAM The Qur’an Allah’s teachings, as

Islam was founded in Arabia in the dictated to Muhammad, were recorded
in a book called the Qur’an.
7th century CE by the prophet Muhammad. Muslims try to live by rules
Muslims believe in one God, Allah, who set down in the Qur’an.
sent 25 prophets down to Earth, the last The most important duties
one being Muhammad. Earlier prophets are known as the Five Pillars:
O

praying five times a day
included Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
O

giving to the needy

O

fasting during Ramadan

O

making a pilgrimage to Mecca

O

proclaiming your beliefs

MECCA, in Saudi
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during Arabia, is the most
which the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad. Throughout holy city in Islam, and
Ramadan Muslims neither eat nor drink between dawn and the birthplace of
sunset. This helps them to understand poverty and to focus Muhammad. Muslims
must face Mecca
their minds on prayer and reading the Qur’an. Ramadan ends whenever they pray,
with Eid ul-Fitr, the Fast-Breaking Festival. Believers visit the wherever they are in
mosque and eat traditional foods with family. the world.

159
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism have
their roots in South and East Asia. During the 20th century,
however, they spread across the world as a result of migration,
and today they are practiced in both East and West. In many
parts of the world, smaller, traditional religions are still
practiced alongside larger, world religions.
CULTURE

HINDUISM
Hinduism originated in India in about 2,500 BCE. Hindus believe that
souls are born again after death, and that good or bad deeds in this life
result in a good or bad rebirth. The greatest goal of Hinduism is to
find perfect peace and liberation by escaping the cycle of rebirth.

 DIWALI
 WORSHIP
Hindus believe in a multitude of gods, each Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights.
with a different role. Elephant-headed Ganesh  THE SACRED COW is greatly revered It marks the beginning of the Hindu
(above) is identified with wisdom. But most by Hindus. Killing cows is banned in India, new year. Families light oil lamps to
Hindus single out one God, such as Vishnu or and cows are allowed to wander wherever they invite Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth
Shiva, as creator and savior of the world. like, even through busy traffic. and purity, into their homes.

SIKHISM THE GOLDEN TEMPLE

in Amritsar, Punjab, India, is the
Sikhism was founded in the 15th most important holy place of the
century by Guru Nanak, in what is Sikh religion.
now Pakistan. Sikhs believe in one
all-powerful God, who is best
THE FIVE Ks
Followers of Sikhism
understood through meditation. outwardly show their
The holy book of the Sikhs is the devotion by keeping five
Guru Granth Sahib, which is the symbolic objects starting
with the letter K.
teachings of the first leaders of the
O

Kesh (uncut hair).
Sikh faith, the ten Gurus.
Sikhs do not cut

THE WORD OF GOD their hair and allow
This Indian Sikh man is working on a their beards to grow.
handwritten version of the Guru Granth O

Kara (a steel bracelet)

Sahib. This holy book is treated with utmost O

Kanga (a wooden comb)

respect: it is placed on a throne, and a sacred O

Kacch (a cotton

whisk is waved over it as it is read. undergarment)

O

Kirpan (a steel dagger)

160
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 WORLD RELIGIONS
BUDDHISM
Buddhism was founded in India in about 500 BCE. Buddhists do not
worship a god, but, instead, follow the teachings of a man named the
Buddha, who realized the true nature of reality. Like Hindus, Buddhists
believe in rebirth. The Buddha showed his followers how to escape rebirth
and suffering through good deeds and meditation.

 BUDDHA STATUES

CULTURE
Statues of the Buddha often show him
meditating in a cross-legged position. The Big
Buddha on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand,
was built in 1972 and is 50 ft (15 m) tall. It
can be seen from several miles away.

 BUDDHIST TEMPLES
Buddhist temples are home to monks and
 PRAYER WHEELS nuns who have chosen to follow a life of
Tibetan Buddhists use prayer wheels good deeds and meditation. The temples
printed with mantras, which are verses are designed to symbolize the five elements:
that bring about spiritual understanding. earth, air, fire, water, and wisdom, which
As the wheel is turned, the mantra repeats is respresented by the pinnacle at the top.
itself over and over again.

Traditional religions

SHAMANISM ABORIGINAL RELIGION

Shamanism is the ancient, Australian Aborigines
widespread belief that an traditionally believe that the
invisible world of good and land, the sea, animals, and
evil spirits exists all around us. plants were created by ancestor
Specially trained people called CONFUCIANISM spirits. These spirits, which live
shamans can perform rituals Confucius was a Chinese in a hidden world called the
that allow them to philosopher (551–479 BCE) Dreamtime or the Dreaming,
communicate with the spirit who stressed the importance continue to give life to our
world. The Chukchi people of of respecting elders, acting world. Stories and songs about
Eastern Siberia, for example, dutifully toward the family the Dreamtime have been
have shamans in their and state, and honoring passed down from generation
community who use drums to ancestors. His writings to generation for thousands
contact the spirit world. include the I Ching, which is of years.
used for telling the future.
161
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Celebrations FAMILY CELEBRATIONS

Celebrations are an incredibly important part of

religious, public, and family life. They bring people
together, give people something to look forward to,
CULTURE

and generally encourage joy and high spirits.

O

Family is an important part of human life,
and families all over the world get together
TELL ME MORE... LENT to celebrate events such as new babies,
birthdays, or weddings.
Chinese calendar In the Chinese O

Lent is a
calendar, each year is named after one Christian festival
of the 12 animals of the Chinese that lasts 40 days
zodiac: rat, ox, and 40 nights and
tiger, rabbit, leads up to Easter.
dragon, snake, Traditionally, it is
a time for fasting
horse, goat,
and praying as Christians remember the
monkey, rooster,
40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness.
dog, or pig.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DIWALI RIO CARNIVAL

O

Where India, and celebrated by Hindus all
over the world.
O

When Within the months of Asvina and
Kartika (October/November).
O

What happens Diwali is the Festival of
Lights. People light small lamps (diyas) and put
them around their houses and gardens. They
give each other gifts of candies and let
off fireworks.
O

Where China and Chinese O

What it’s celebrating Diwali celebrates O

Where Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
communities across the world. the return of Lord Ram from exile and his O

When Carnival goes on for four nights in
O

When It begins with the new crowning as king. According to legend people February, just before the beginning of Lent.
moon on the first day of the new lit lamps to light his way in the darkness. The O

What happens Everyone takes to the

year, which falls in January-February, Diwali lights also represent the “inner light” streets in carnival clothes, they dance or ride
and ends on the full Moon within people, their true essence or soul. on huge floats. The highlights of the carnival
15 days later. are a competition between samba schools
O

What happens Everyone and parading in amazing costumes in the
hangs lanterns in their windows and sambadrome.
dragon dances are performed in the O

What it’s celebrating Pre-Lent fun

streets. Families celebrate with a

special meal and honor their
ancestors. Red clothes are worn,
which represent happiness.

O

What it’s celebrating New
beginnings and the sowing of
new crops.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 FASNACHT (CARNIVAL) DAY OF THE DEAD WINTER CARNIVAL QUEBEC
O

Where Austria, Germany, Alsace (France),
and parts of Switzerland.
O

When The day before Ash Wednesday—
the last Tuesday before Lent.
O

What happens Families gather together for
a feast and many areas have processions to
welcome in the springtime. Honored members
of a town dress up as the carnival prince and

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peasant. Everyone else dresses up in anything
O

Where Mexico O

Where Quebec City, Canada
from clown costumes to witches or even fruit!
O

When November 1 and 2 O

When Last weekend of January until
O


What it’s celebrating It’s a time of
O

What happens People build altars in their mid February.
celebration before the self-denial of Lent. It
also goes back to pre-Christian times, when it homes, covered with photos and possessions O

What happens It’s the largest winter

was a way to drive out the evil spirits of winter of their dead relatives to guide the loved carnival in the world. People get together to
and encourage spring and good crops. ones home. enjoy night parades, concerts, dogsled rides,
O

What it’s celebrating Relatives who have and snow sculpture competitions.
died, but still live on in the memory. People O

What it’s celebrating It’s a rowdy
believe that on the Day of the Dead it is easier get-together to eat, drink, and have fun before
for souls of the departed to visit the living. Lent begins.

THANKSGIVING CHRISTMAS HALLOWEEN

O

Where United States
O

When 4th Thursday of November
O

What happens Families gather together
for a feast and traditionally eat turkey,
stuffing, and pumpkin pie.
O

What it’s celebrating Thanksgiving Day
is a holiday in the US. People celebrate the
successful harvest early European settlers of
the country experienced in 1621. The settlers
were taught by Native-American Indians to
share of the natural abundance of the Earth by
caring for crops, hunting, and fishing.

O

Where North America, Europe, Australasia, O

Where US, Canada,

and by Christians around the world. and across Europe.
O

When December 25 O

When October 31
O

What happens Families get together to O

What happens Children go “trick or
go to church, give each other presents, and to treating,” often dressed up as witches or
eat traditional foods such as roast skeletons. People carve faces in pumpkins
turkey and panettone. and light candles in them.
O

What it’s O

What it’s celebrating Halloween was
celebrating based on pagan customs when Celtic people
The birth of lit bonfires before winter, but it has come to
Jesus Christ. mean the evening before the Christian festival
 FIRST THANKSGIVING The Indians
joining in the feast of the New England Pilgrims. of All Saints Day.
Panettone

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 World art
Art tells us an enormous amount about the
history and culture of people. We can tell what
people did in everyday life and what they wore
TAKE A PICTURE
CULTURE

through their art. We can learn about their

religious beliefs, their sports, and their skills. Australian Aboriginal art dates back many
thousands of years, and contemporary pieces
are popular. The art is connected to the
sacred belief in Dreamtime. The painting
ANCIENT ART above is a modern mural on an urban wall.
A huge amount of art has been
found in tombs of the Pharaohs
that were built in ancient Egypt.
They give us an incredible
window into how people lived
up to 4,000 years ago.

The art of the Aztecs

In the 15th century the Aztecs created a short-
lived empire that was destroyed soon after the
Spanish invasion of 1519. They produced
jewelry in gold, jade, and turquoise, as well
as ceramics and textiles with angular,
geometric patterns.

Cave galleries
A series of famous Paleolithic paintings in the
Altamira cave near Santillana del Mar,
northern Spain, were developed over some
20,000 years, as descendents added to them.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 WORLD ART
Terra-cotta army Religious art
In 1974, one of the most extraordinary pieces of art ever Many pieces of art depict religious
found was discovered by farmers. It was a huge army of scenes. They might present religious
Chinese warriors made out of terra-cotta pottery. In figures from history, or religious
time, archeologists found more than 8,000 life-size symbols and traditions. The artists
statues guarding the tomb of the first emperor of often used gold leaf (thin sheets of
China, Qin Shi Huang, who ruled from 221–210 gold) and rich reds.
BCE. Some of the warriors even have horses.

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ANCIENT
SCULPTURE
Ancient Greek sculpture
heavily influenced Roman art.
This Roman marble sculpture, The
Disc Thrower, was based on an
original Greek bronze sculpture.

AFRICAN
SCULPTURE
African art covers a wealth
of styles and techniques RUSSIAN ICONS
used by the many different Icons are images or representations of a
cultures. Sculptures of religious figure. They are mainly painted
the human figure vary in the symbolic style of Byzantine art.
across the continent.

Sculpture
Sculpture has been around since
Art imitating life prehistoric people carved shapes into
SOUTH ASIAN ART
The ancient Greeks were interested in rock. While early peoples sculpted Thangkas (embroidered banners) and mandalas
ideals—statues that showed a perfect religious decorations and icons, the (diagrams) are often used for meditation. They
body. The ancient Romans were ancient Greeks made lifelike statues. have detailed patterns to convey spiritual ideas.
influenced by Greek art, but they were
more interested in portraiture: statues
that looked like a particular person, TAKE A LOOK: COLORS FROM NATURE
especially someone famous. They
believed that having a good image of Before we could buy paints, people had to White—from chalk
somebody’s face kept its ghost happy. make colors from nature. They often used Black—from charcoal
crushed rocks, minerals, plants, or insects. Golden Indian yellow—from
They mixed the powder or juice with egg the urine of cows that had been
yolk or animal fat to make paint. Over the fed mango leaves
centuries, artists have found their perfect Deep red—sometimes from the
color in all kinds of strange ways. crushed and dried bodies of female
scale insects (Dactylopius coccus)
Green—from the juice of parsley
flowers
Brown—from the inner bark of
the oak tree (Quercus tinctoria)
Dark violet—from crushed
elderberries
Dark brown—from the ink of a
small squid called a cuttlefish
(sepia officinalis)

165
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Four Ballerinas on the Stage

Modern art by Edgar Degas

Modern art is difficult to describe

because these days “anything goes,”
from a beautiful oil painting to
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wrapping a building up in fabric

or making a picture out of
elephant dung. Some specific
styles have emerged and many of
these were controversial at the time.
IMPRESSIONISM
In the 1870s, a group of artists
broke away from painting religious
or historical subjects and instead
painted everyday scenes in a new
style. These impressionists often THE TECHNIQUE
Short brushstrokes of pure
painted outdoors, aiming to capture color gave a sketchy,
the impression of light and create a patchy, spontaneous
painting that suggests a
snapshot of real life. The group included fleeting moment in time.
Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, and Edgar Degas.

POINTILLISM Georges Seurat

invented a technique called pointillism.
He used tiny dots of pure color that, when
standing back, seem to merge to make
new colors. This is known as
optical mixing.

THE TECHNIQUE From a

distance, this lady’s hat looks red.
But it is actually made up of red,
green, yellow, and blue dots.

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte

by Georges Seurat
TIMELINE OF MODERN ART
1860s1890s 1880s1905 1880s 1880s1890 19071920s
Impressionism Postimpressionist artists, Pointillism is a The work of Cubism is a form
began in France including Paul Gauguin, form of art where Expressionist artists of art that shows
when artists Paul Cézanne, and paintings are including Edvard several different
tried to capture Vincent Van Gogh, made up of dots Munch conveyed views of an object
a fleeting painted vibrant, bold, and of color. people’s feelings, such at once.
moment. often personal pictures. as joy or sorrow.
166
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 MODERN ART
CUBISM
Pablo Picasso, probably one of the most famous
modern artists, experimented with space by breaking
pictures up into distorted and weird shapes. Three
Musicians looks like a mixed-up picture but the
instruments the musicians are playing can be seen.
This style is called Cubism. It shows a scene from
several different points of view all at once.

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POP ART u In the 60s, Andy
Warhol celebrated
A new popular culture popular figures with
emerged with television, pop colorful screen-print
portraits. This one is
music, and movies in the 1950s Marilyn Monroe—
and 1960s. Pop Art became the he produced similar
images of Elizabeth
new movement and artists made Taylor, Elvis Presley,
simple, brightly colored prints and Jackie Kennedy.
of popular images, such as soup
cans and movie stars, that could
Three Musicians by Pablo Picasso
be printed again and again.

ART TODAY
Today, artists are
experimenting as much
as ever, pushing the
boundaries and finding
new techniques. New
Media artists use people’s
possessions and record
people’s emotions and
reactions using the new , NEW MEDIA David u INSTALLATIONS
Hockney has taken many Tracey Emin transported the
digital technologies. photographs and stuck them beach hut where she met her
together to make a bigger picture. boyfriend into an art gallery.

1910–1950 1920s 1950s–1960s 1970s–MODERN DAY

Abstract art distorts Surrealist artists, Pop art uses ideas and Modern art
the shape and color including Salvador Dali images from popular experiments with new
of subjects. Jackson and René Magritte, culture, such as food media. Dressed in
Pollock made began to paint in a packaging, comics, or suits, Gilbert and
pictures by splashing dreamlike style. This is famous people. George Del used
paint over a canvas Magritte’s 1964 self- themselves in their art
on the floor. portrait The Son of Man. as “living sculptures.”
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Writing and printing
Imagine a life without books, newspapers, comics, magazines, menus,
letters, and emails—it would be a very different place. Writing gives us
news, entertains us, and, more importantly, documents history and teaches
CULTURE

and spreads ideas. Printing allows one person’s ideas to be communicated

to millions of people at the same time.
ANCIENT WRITING
The earliest form of writing didn’t use letters,  Cuneiform script was carved
but pictograms—symbols that each into wet clay using a blunt reed.
represent a single word or sound. Some of Pictograms became simplified
the earliest writings are from ancient Egypt. into wedge-shaped markings.
Known as hieroglyphics, these pictograms
have been traced back 5,000 years. Nearby,
in Mesopotamia, people started to keep
accounts about taxes and crops using Methods of writing
cuneiform script on clay tablets. Modern pens are very different from
the original methods of writing, such
as reeds for carving clay, or a quill
(bird feather) dipped in ink for writing
on animal hide. The Romans used lead
pencils 2,000 years ago, but the
graphite pencils we use today were
invented in England in the 1500s. But
Hieroglyphics on the Temple of some traditions remain: Japanese script
Hathor, Egypt. is still written with a brush and ink.

TAKE A LOOK: WRITTEN LANGUAGE

There are about 6,800 different languages spoken in the world today and
CYRILLIC is
many of them have their own letters or characters when written down. used by many
Although there are many localized styles of writing in the world, there are Slavic people (in
five main types that dominate. eastern Europe),
such as Russians. It
is thought to have
evolved from the
older Greek script.

THE ARABIC
ALPHABET just uses
consonants, vowels are
 CHINESE is one of the  LATIN writing evolved  BENGALI script is indicated by signs
oldest written texts in the about 2,600 years ago. It is syllabic—rather than above or below the
world. It uses pictograms the most widely used letters, it has symbols for consonants. Arabic is
called characters. alphabet in the world. consonants and vowels. read from right to left.

168
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 WRITING AND PRINTING
PRINTING
THE GUTENBERG PRESS
The Chinese first invented Four hundred years after Pi Sheng, in 1455,
printing by blocks in the 7th Johannes Gutenberg of Germany invented
the mechanical printing press, which used
century. A word or whole page metal movable type. For the first time in
was carved onto a wooden block, Europe, books could be mass-produced, with
the Christian Bible being one of the first.
which was dipped in ink and
printed onto cloth. The block
could be dipped and printed

CULTURE
again and again, but each print
had to be done by hand.

7/7
Every day, millio
ns of
newspapers are
printed all over
the world. Japane
se newspaper
The Yomiuri Shim
bun has the
How do presses work?
 BAD MOVE In 1045, Chinese printer highest circulatio Like the earliest hand printing,
n in the
Pi Sheng invented movable type. Each block world, with an es presses use blocks carved in
timated
was carved with a character, and blocks could 10 million reader
s each day.
relief—with reversed, raised
be rearranged to make new pages. But with letters that print the right way
thousands of characters, it didn’t really work. around. Letter blocks, called
“type,” are set into a frame and
Color printing Cyan covered in ink, and the paper is
How many colors can pressed down on top.
you see on this page? Magenta
Technically, there are just Yellow BEST-SELLERS
four: cyan (C), magenta (M),
yellow (Y), and black (K). As Black The most popular books in the world are
the paper runs through the known as best-sellers.
CMYK printing rollers, a certain O

The biggest seller of all time is the

amount of each colored ink is printed Christian Bible, at an estimated 6 billion

onto the paper. At the end of the run, copies. It has been translated into 2,000
the layers of ink have built up languages.
to produce thousands of different shades. O
Mao Zedong’s Quotations from

Chairman Mao sold some 900 million

copies.
O
The seven Harry Potter books by J. K.

Rowling have sold more than 500 million

copies worldwide.
O
Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) by

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry has sold more

than 80 million copies.
O
Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit

has sold 45 million copies worldwide.

169
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Education
It’s an essential part of culture to pass on
knowledge to the next generation. In most
countries, this knowledge is taught in school.
CULTURE

What you learn in the classroom and beyond

 SCHOOL UNIFORM Many schools around the
gives you the skills that you will need for the world have surprisingly similar uniforms. Some schools
have unusual extras as part of their uniform—children
future. Without education, you would not be who live near the Sakurajima volcano in Japan have to
wear hardhats to school because the volcano hurls rocks
able to read this book. daily onto the nearby town.

IN SCHOOL TELL ME MORE...

Children have been going to school for thousands of
years. Archeologists discovered a school building in the Millions of children around the
world cannot go to school. This
ancient city of Ur (in modern-day Iraq)—a city that
is especially true in poor parts of
died out 2,500 years ago. School hasn’t changed very the world, where there are places
much since then. Across the world, children still sit without schools and teachers.
Some families can’t afford to pay
together in classes to be taught lessons by a teacher.
for schooling, so children have to
work or are kept at home to help.

A CLASS APART
Not all schools have the
same facilities. While
TAKE A PICTURE computers are used in
most American schools,
Pens and books are taken for granted in most this primary school in
schools—but in the developing world, there Senegal, Africa, has
might not even be one book per class. no electricity.

170
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 EDUCATION
What’s on the schedule? Right now,
somewhere across the other side of the TAKE A LOOK: TEACHING TRADITIONS
world, a child is being taught English,
math, and sports, just like you. But Community education is especially down cultural traditions, and most of
children from different countries may important when it comes to passing this is done outside of school.
learn things specific to their culture in
their school. For example, some boys
in Mongolia attend monastery schools
to learn to be Buddhist monks. They

CULTURE
also study nature, medicine, and art.

 WEAVING A Marsh Arab mother  HERDING A Nenet boy spends nine

teaches her girls a skill they will use to months a year at boarding school, and three
make clothes and rugs, and earn money. months at home learning caribou herding.

Always learning Education isn’t just

about math and spelling: you learn What happens next? Have you
many other things in school, possibly ever thought about what you
without even realizing it. When you would like to do once you
play sports, you are learning how to leave school?
 HAKA Students in New Zealand learn an
stay healthy, how to be part of a team, Some careers
important traditional Maori dance, the Haka.
and how to compete. When you study require a
history, geography, and religion, you college degree
Home schooling Lots of children learn about people and the different and professional
around the world are taught at ways of life around the world. And licensess, such as
home by their parents or tutors. when you interact with your architects and
Around 1 million children in the classmates and teachers, you learn lawyers. Practical
United States are home-schooled, how to develop relationships. careers, such as mechanics and
but in some countries, such as hairdressing, might offer
Brazil, Germany, and Hong Kong, apprenticeships—“on the job”
it’s illegal not to go to a formal training where you work with
school. Hundreds of children in (and so learn from) someone
remote, rural parts of Australia live who is already doing that job.
so far away from the nearest school,
it is impossible for them to go to
school. Instead, they learn through It doesn’t stop here! Education
The School of the Air, making online shouldn’t finish just because you’ve
or radio contact with a teacher. graduated high school. Going on to
 PLAYING SPORTS These children aren’t college improves your chances of
just learning the rules of soccer, but also how getting a job, and as you get older it’s
to stay fit and healthy. important to keep your brain active
to stay healthy. Lots of people attend

7/7
evening classes to brush up on old
skills or learn entirely new ones.
One out of every seven people in
the world cannot read. If people can’t
read, write, or do math, it will affect their
whole lives. But education can help people
escape poverty: children who go to school
get better jobs when they are older, live
 SCHOOL OF THE AIR A pupil is
guided through an online class at home. longer, and are healthier.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Music
Everyone enjoys music in some form,
whether they choose to play an instrument,
or sing, or simply listen. Music brings
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people together at all sorts of events.

 THE FIRST MUSIC We know that music has been
played and enjoyed for thousands of years because ancient
NOTATION drawings have been found showing musical instruments.
The most common way to write music today is
the five-line notation using dots, symbols, and Pitch is how high or
low a note sounds.
abbreviations. It is based on a system used by
Notes are grouped
Roman Catholic monks in the 10th century. into sets of eight,
When you learn a musical instrument, you known as an octave
learn to read music at the same time. and written on five
lines called a stave.

The “clef ” shows The “key signature” shows The speed of the music, or “tempo” is often
what notes are on which key the music is in. All music is divided into
written in Italian. Allegro means “quickly.”
the stave. This is equal measures, called The shape of each
the treble clef. “bars,” each of which has note tells the
The “rest” shows where the the same number of beats. musician how
musician should pause. long to play it.

When notes are National anthem Each country of the

next to each other world has its own cultural song, called
The “time signature” Dynamic markings indicate their hooks are
shows the musician the
their national anthem. They are often
how loud to play the music. sometimes joined
number of beats to a bar. sung at important national occasions,
“mf ” means moderately loud. together.
including sporting events.

TELL ME MORE...
When musicians in an orchestra
perform together, they need to make
sure they play their notes at the right
time. The conductor is the organizer
of the orchestra who directs using
THE SOUTH
visible gestures. AFRICAN national
anthem includes five
of the eleven official
national languages
including Africaans,
English, and isiZulu.
172
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 MUSIC
, FOLK MUSIC
A country or an MUSIC STYLES
indigenous people often
have their own style of Music changes all the time, reflecting how
music and dance, each new generation feels and reacts to an
known as folk music. ever-changing world.
■ Classical music is a general term for music

written to be performed in a concert hall. Often

it is composed for an orchestra, for a choir or
for opera.

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■ R&B or rhythm and blues was originally

performed by African-Americans in the 1940s. It was a mixture of

religious gospel music and blues (slow melancholy songs). R&B has
evolved over the decades into soul and funk-influenced pop music.
■ Jazz originated in the early 20th

. RELIGIOUS MUSIC century in the US. It was a blend of

Music is used a lot in African slave music played with
religious worship around European instruments. The saxaphone,
the world, whether in song, trumpet, and double bass are three of
like this Christian choir
the key sounds in jazz bands.
singer, or using instruments
like these Buddhist monks. ■ Rock’n’roll

In the 1940s and 50s in the US a whole new

sound emerged with bands using electric guitars,
bass guitars, and drums; this was known as
rock’n’roll.
■ Rock

music
emerged in
the 1960s and
includes lots of different styles from
punk rock to heavy metal.
SOUND OF THE PEOPLE ■ Reggae originated in Jamaica in the

1960s. Reggae has a slow, rhythmic style

A type of music can often be unique and is often associated with the Rastafarian
to the culture of a nation or people. religion.
■ The didgeridoo, an Aboriginal
■ Country music is a blend of traditional
instrument from Australia, is music from the Southern states of the United
considered to be one of the oldest States, and rock’n’roll. It is one of the
wind instruments in the world. It is biggest-selling styles of music today.
often used in Aboriginal ceremonies. ■ Dance The dawn of the
■ The sitar, a stringed instrument, is
computer age and highly
the best-known of all Indian sounds. developed synthesized sound
It has extra strings that lie beneath led to a new sound designed
the main strings that vibrate to give to fill dance floors. DJs mixing
it its shimmery sound. music using turntables live on
■ The djembe drum is a
the dance floor have become
goblet-shaped wooden drum covered big stars in themselves.
in a skin that is played by hand. The ■ Pop music, or popular music,
drum originated is not a particular style of music,
in west Africa but music that is made popular by
and is still an people buying it, playing it on the
important part of the culture in many radio, or paying to see it
west African countries. The rhythmic performed live. Pop music is
beat is often used in dance. designed to sell and do well in
the pop charts.

173
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 The orchestra WOODWIND
An orchestra is a collection of about 100 musicians
O Woodwind instruments
who play different instruments that are grouped make sound when air blown
into strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. into them vibrates. Players can
alter the sound by covering holes
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Each instrument plays a different part to make one with their fingers, or pushing down
on metal “keys” that cover holes
piece of music. the fingers cannot reach. The
clarinet is a woodwind instrument
PERCUSSION and there are more than 12 types
of clarinet, although not all are still
in use. The one shown here is a
O Percussion
bass clarinet, which produces a
instruments are
deep, mellow sound.
hit, banged,
scraped, or
shaken. When you
bang a percussion
instrument, such
as a drum, its
surface vibrates,
making the air inside ring with sound. This
sound adds a beat or drama to a piece of
music. Cymbals also vibrate to produce
TAKE A PICTURE sound—they are clashed together in a
swinging, brushing movement during the
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) was born
climax in orchestral music.
and raised in the Republic of Venice.
He composed music in the Baroque
style. His most well-known piece is
The Four Seasons, in which he tried to
capture the atmosphere of each season.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 THE ORCHESTRA

CONDUCTOR
TAKE A LOOK: SHEET MUSIC
O A key figure in most
orchestras, the conductor Each member of an
directs the musicians orchestra has their music
using hand and arm written down in front of
gestures. them as sheet music. The
modern five-line written
notation, widespread by
the seventeenth century,

CULTURE
was developed from a
system of dots used by
Roman Catholic monks in
 EARLY MUSIC NOTATION
the tenth century. This piece of music is the original score
for Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata,
finished in 1801.

BRASS STRINGS
O Brass instruments are long tubes that O String
open into a bell shape at one end. To instruments are
play them, the musician blows into the played by plucking
mouthpiece. Long tubes, such as that on or running a bow
a trombone, sound deep. Shorter tubes, across the
such as that on a horn, sound higher. strings. The
In addition to air, lots of liquid is blown double bass
in. This is let out through the spit valve. shown here is the
deepest member
of the string
family. The
thickest string
produces the
lowest note.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Let’s perform O

The
FAST FACTS
oldest known play was written by
Thespis 2,500 years ago.
Everyone enjoys the spectacle of a show, be it a O

William Shakespeare wrote about 38

plays in the 16th century, and they are still

play, an opera, a movie, or a dance. What these performed today.
performing arts have in common is that they O

The first animated cartoons were made

in the late 1920s. Mickey Mouse starred in

CULTURE

communicate between people, and reflect their one called Steamboat Willie in 1928.
O

The Ring Cycle (Der Ring des Nibelungen),
time and their culture. a series of operas by German composer
Richard Wagner, takes 18 hours to perform.
DANCE O

In the Middle Ages dancing was thought
Everywhere in the world, people love to to help cure people suffering from seizures
dance. A dance can be a performance, or spider bites.
part of a religious ritual, or
something to do for fun.
Most dances happen in
time to music or a beat.

SALSA This popular

form of dance probably
originated in Cuba in
the mid-20th century.

Street dance is any dance that people

have created for themselves, instead of
being formally invented. Types of street
dance include break-dancing and tango.

Religious dance Bharatanatyam is a Ballet requires great Tribal dance is important in many
Hindu dance performed by women. It is strength, skill, and traditional cultures. Dances are usually
the national dance of India. The steps are grace, and it involves performed to the rhythm of drums and there
incredibly precise—skilled dancers flow very specific and formal are special dances for all kinds of occasions—
from pose to pose with complex positions and movements. weddings, funerals, harvests, hunts, religious
movements of the feet, hands, arms, Classical ballets like ceremonies, and even to prepare for war.
neck, head, and even the eyes! Swan Lake and Giselle
feature only these
traditions, while
modern ballets (right)
are often much freer and
more expressive.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

THEATER
People have been taking to the stage
for thousands of years, performing
everything from comic and tragic
plays to pantomimes, operas, and
musicals. The oldest plays were
performed in ancient Greece and
included song and dance as well TAKE A PICTURE

CULTURE
as acting. Some of their outdoor Shadow plays use puppets and clever lighting
theaters still stand today. behind a fabric screen. The traditional shadow
theater of Indonesia, Wayang Kulit, is thought
to be over 800 years old.

THE LION
KING is a
musical play
based on the
animated
feature film by
Walt Disney.

7/7
An average
MOVING PICTURES
Hollywood feature
In 1895, the Lumière brothers astounded audiences with film is just over 100
the first “movies,” and cinema has been a popular form minutes long and uses
of entertainment ever since. Movies are made up of 10,000 ft (3,000 m) of tape,
a sequence of still images, which create the wound onto five
double reels.
impression of movement when they are shown in
rapid succession.

HOLLYWOOD is a part of the city of

Los Angeles, but the word is often used to mean
the whole American movie industry.
Hollywood movies are watched all over
the world, sometimes with subtitles or
“dubbed” into other languages.

Asian martial
arts movies
made the Bollywood is the name used to describe
names of stars the movie industry, which is based in
like Bruce Lee. They are famous for Mumbai (Bombay), India. Bollywood films
elaborate stunts and fight scenes, and are produced in the Hindi language at a
increasingly for special effects. rate of about 1,000 a year. They usually
include extravagant musical scenes.
177
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 Sports
Sports are good for health, but,
perhaps more importantly, many
sports are team events and bring people
CULTURE

together for competitive fun. After all,

everyone likes to win!

BALL GAMES
■ Tennis matches are played either
as singles, between two players, or
doubles, between four players.
■ Cricket is played by people in more
than 100 countries. The best teams
play in international test matches.
■ Table tennis, or ping-pong, became
u GOLF is played using a club to
Soccer is a typical team an Olympic sport in 1988. It is popular
sport where 11 players knock a small ball into a hole in as
around the world, with an estimated
try to kick the ball into few shots as possible.
300 million players.
their opponents’ goal.
■ Football is different from European

u SOCCER is arguably the most popular sport “football” (aka soccer). It uses a ball
in the world. People all over the world play it in with pointed ends, players wear
schools and parks, on the streets, or wherever they protective padding and are allowed to
can. Billions of people watch the Football World carry the ball to make passes.
Cup, held every four years, and for many ■ Rugby is played with
countries soccer has become part of their culture. an oval ball between
Soccer fans are fiercely loyal to their local or u VOLLEYBALL is played
teams of 15 players. between two teams of six players over
national teams.
a net. It was invented in the 1890s.

CONTACT SPORTS
■ Fencing contestants use . KARATE is a . SUMO WRESTLING
lightweight blunt-tipped Japanese martial was once part of the ancient
swords to hit target areas art. It uses moves Samurai warriors training and
on their opponent’s body. such as punching, is the traditional and ritualistic
kicking, and knee combat sport of Japan. Each
■ Wrestling dates back and elbow strikes. contestant tries to wrestle
thousands of years. It is a form the other to the ground
of hand-to-hand combat. or out of a 15 ft
(4.55 m)
, BOXING ■ Judo first appeared in Japan diameter
is a tough in the 1800s, but developed circle.
sport, from far earlier techniques.
demanding
huge upper- ■ Kung Fu Taolu is China’s
body strength. national sport, where it is
Boxers wear known as “wushu.”
padded gloves.

178
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 SPORTS

EXTREME SPORTS

O Surfing Surfers ride lightweight EXTREME

CLIMBERS
surfboards just ahead of a breaking
climb ice and rock
ocean wave. faces that appear
O Ski jumping involves skiing impossible.
down a steep hill, leaping, and
landing safely.

CULTURE
O Hang gliders use a triangular-
shaped wing to glide through the BMX is
 SKYDIVING Skydivers usually leap
from a small plane and freefall before air. They can stay up for many bicycle motocross.
opening a parachute to enable safe hours by finding rising air columns. It involves
landing. Worldwide, there are more than O Bungee jumping sees people
spectacular
450 skydiving drop zones. Instead of a jumps and
leap from a high spot and freefall
plane, some skydivers have jumped from hair-raising
to be saved by a strong elastic tricks.
helicopters or hot-air balloon baskets. rope secured to their ankles.

THE OLYMPIC
RACES RINGS The
interlocking rings
O Drag racing is the fastest land-
represent the
based sport. It originated in the US coming together of
and takes place between two highly athletes from all over
charged dragster cars. the world.
O Speed skaters can reach speeds
OLYMPIC GAMES
of 40 mph (65 km/h).
The Olympic Games is the most important
O Horse racing with powerful
thoroughbred horses may be over  FORMULA ONE F1 sporting event in the world. Every country is
flat ground or over jumps. Grand Prix races are fast invited to take part—athletes from 204
and exciting.
O Yachts of all sizes are used for
countries took part in the Beijing Olympics
competitive racing. in 2008. Winners receive a gold medal.

ROAD
CYCLISTS The original Olympic Games
may cover huge were first recorded in 776 bce
distances in a race and were held in Olympia,
such as the Tour
Greece. The first modern-
de France.
day Olympics were held in
Athens in 1896. As a
reminder of its origins, an
Olympic torch of fire is
carried from Olympia to
the Games by a series of
relay runners. It is used
to light an Olympic
 HURDLE RACES are a major
part of any athletic event. Competitors flame in the stadium.
race over 10 hurdles spaced over a set
distance. The sprint course is 100 m (328 ft)
ICE HOCKEY is
for women and 110 m (360 ft) for men. just one of more than
A longer course takes place over 1,300 ft 300 Olympic sports.
(400 m), but with the same number of
hurdles. Many schools enjoy hurdle races.

179
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 Architecture
Architecture is the design of buildings and other
structures, such as bridges. An architect’s job is to
make sure a building is well built and safe and
CULTURE

pleasant to use. It also has to be suitable for its

purpose—theaters need room for a stage and GETTING STARTED
dressing rooms, for example. Architects also try Before designing a building,
architects need to know what the
to make buildings look interesting and inspiring. building is for, where it is to be
built, and how much money can
CHANGES IN STYLE be spent on it. They then work
Every period of history is marked out what the building will be
by its own style of architecture. made from and the position and
This reflects changes in taste measurement of every wall, door,
and fashion and new building and window, which they record
techniques and materials. Most in great detail on drawings called
cities are a mixture of old and plans. Sometimes they make a
new buildings that show many scale model of the building, too.
different styles.

Ideal homes People live in

buildings that are suitable for
the environment in which they
live. Usually, they use local
materials, such as wood
and stone, or clay made
into bricks. Some are
even built into rocky
 STILT HOUSES Some hillsides or caves.
people who live along coasts The Inuit of the
and rivers build their houses Arctic make
on stilts to avoid flooding. temporary shelters
from ice because
 ANTONI GAUDI was a Spanish
BAMBOO HOUSES
The Gamo people of Ethiopia there is nothing else
architect with a distinctive style. His most
famous work is the Sagrada Familia, the make houses from split bamboo, to build with.
unfinished cathedral in Barcelona, Spain. which is woven and thatched.

TIMELINE OF ARCHITECTURE
ANCIENT EGYPT ANCIENT GREEKS ANCIENT ROME BYZANTINE GOTHIC
2590–2500 BCE 700–44 BCE 200 BCE–500 CE 330–1453 1100–1500
Pyramids of stone erected in the Ancient Greeks built The Romans used concrete Byzantine buildings Grand buildings of the
Nile valley as tombs for kings. temples with specific to construct many large are characterized by medieval period feature
proportions, known as buildings and structures. rounded domes on pointed arches, ribbed
the classical style. square bases and vaulting, and flying
arches supported buttresses to support
by columns. high walls.
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 ARCHITECTURE

GLASS BUILDINGS
TAKE A LOOK: DESIGN STYLES
O Traditional building materials
include wood, stone, and brick, but Some structures are instantly famous buildings, but each has
many modern buildings make use of recognizable because of their design. a different style according to the
large amounts of glass. Although glass Every major city has a number of period in which it was built.
is fragile, new construction techniques
involving steel or reinforced concrete
frames have allowed architects to
design light yet strong buildings.

CULTURE
Glass pyramid,
Paris

 TAJ MAHAL This  PALACE OF  NATIONAL

marble building is one WESTMINSTER When GALLERY, CANADA
of the finest examples of the original palace burned The gallery is a striking
17th century Indian down in 1834 it was modern structure of glass
architecture. rebuilt in the Gothic style. and granite.

Modern designs Computers enable  THE DESIGN of the

architects to design buildings that would Guggenheim Museum in the
not have been possible before. They can Spanish port of Bilbao is
quickly work out if a shape can be built, meant to resemble a ship.
and even allow the architect to walk
around a virtual building.

BAROQUE SKYSCRAPERS ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE BAUHAUS ECOLIVING

1650–1750 1890 1900–1940s Sydney Opera 1919–1933 1980s onward
The very grand, The first Organic architecture, with its House The German Houses are built to be
ornate style of skyscrapers are curved shapes inspired by Bauhaus school more energy efficient
Baroque design built in Chicago, nature, is promoted created designs and use environmentally
takes hold in following the by American based on clean friendly materials.
Italy, France, invention of architect Frank lines, cubic shapes,
and Spain. the elevator. Lloyd Wright. and flat roofs. 181
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
HISTORY AND POLITICS

HISTORY AND
POLITICS

About one million years ago, early people began to spread out across the continents.
Around 3000 bce, Egypt became the first superstate.
By 117ce, the Roman Empire stretched across western Europe and into Asia.
China has the oldest continuous known civilization, lasting at least 4,000 years.
In 622, Muhammad established the Islamic state in the Arabian Peninsula.

Why was Russia What was

renamed the rebuilt during
Union of Soviet the Ming Dynasty?
Socialist Republics? Find out on pages
Find out on page 213 194–195

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 HISTORY AND POLITICS
Definition: History and
Politics is the study of the
lives of people and the
activity of governments and
rulers in the past from
written records.

The United States Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.

By the 1900s, Great Britain’s empire covered one-quarter of the Earth’s land surface.
World War I ended at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918.
In August 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on two cities in Japan, ending WWII.
The United Nations was founded in 1945, seeking to achieve world peace.

When did Which areas

Mecca of the world
become the center are often in the
of Islam? Find out news? Find out on
on pages 196–197 pages 214–215

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Tales from the past
History is the study of things that have happened STUDYING ARTIFACTS
HISTORY AND POLITICS

in the past. This can be anything from the earliest O What is the object made from?:
people to events of the last few years. A little like The artifact shows the materials
available and the skills of the craftsmen.
detectives searching for clues, historians look at O Who would have used the object?:
evidence from the past known as primary sources. The artifact may give clues about the
status of people in society.
Digging for clues The work O What was the object used for?:

of archeologists help historians Historians may be able to figure out

to know more about early what the culture and the way of life for
people. During their the people was like from the artifact.
excavations of a site,
archeologists uncover and Bronze age
study early buildings and find pendant
and examine artifacts—objects
made by people from the past.

 MAYAN RUINS The Maya Archeology site After doing

civilization of central America was an aerial and surface survey of
successful between 200—900 CE. the area, the archeologists
Archeologists have found many 10th century BCE
steep-sided pyramids with steps begin excavating the site,
statue from the
leading up to a temple where removing the ground layer by Middle East
human sacrifices took place. layer and recording any
discoveries. Ancient
Greek vase

184
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 TALES FROM THE PAST

TAKE A LOOK: WRITTEN SOURCES

Since ancient times, official records of Many eyewitness accounts and Other sources are the diaries and
births, marriages, and deaths, census inscriptions have recorded important personal letters of ordinary people
results, and tax records have been kept. events and the lives of famous people. living through extraordinary events.

HISTORY AND POLITICS

u DOMESDAY BOOK In u SOLDIER’S JOURNAL u ANNE FRANK’S DIARY Between
1086, King William I of England The diary of a US infantry 1942 and 1944, a young Dutch Jewish
commissioned a survey of every soldier tells of his life during girl wrote a diary while in a secret
estate and village in the country. the Civil War (1861–65). annex, hiding from the German Gestapo.

d AT WORK AND PLAY Old photographs Since the

Photographs show the way of life mid-1800s, photography has
and the changes in clothing styles become increasingly popular.
and in technology, tools, Photos provide a visual
and machines.
source to historians studying
the lives of people. Since
recorded sound was
developed, historians can also
study oral accounts of people
talking about their lives and
reactions to events.
Early 1900s
Caterpillar tractor folding roll-film
used in France in the1920s camera

d X-RAY EXAMINATIONS
A medical X-ray of a 3,000 year
old Egyptian mummy may reveal
how the person died or more about
the process of mummification.

An X-ray of an Egyptian mummy

New technology Advances

in technology have provided
historians with lots more
information about artifacts.
Radio-carbon dating, X-rays,
and thermal scans can reveal
previously unknown details.

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 Early people
From the limited fossil records, historians can only make
HISTORY AND POLITICS

suggestions at the possible origins of humans. There were

many different hominids—“ape-men” that walked upright—
but over five million years all but one became extinct. Only
the successful Homo sapiens survived to roam the Earth.

OUT OF THE FORESTS

Many historians think that more
than five million years ago
NORTH (mya), apelike creatures moved
EUROPE AMERICA
Reached here out of the forests of Africa to live
about 40,000 ya on open ground. To survive,
ASIA
Reached here they learned to stand and walk
about 1 mya
PACIFIC upright to see farther and move
OCEAN
AFRICA quickly, leaving their hands free
Lived here SOUTH to carry possessions and learn
over 4 mya INDIAN AMERICA
OCEAN new skills. About one mya,
early people migrated out of
AUSTRALIA
Reached here about
Africa and spread out across
60,000 years ago (ya) the continents.

TIMELINE OF HOMINIDS
AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS HOMO HABILIS HOMO ERECTUS

Dated: over 4 mya Dated: 2.3–1.6 mya Dated: 1.8 mya–300,000 ya

Fossils found in Tools found with Fossils in Africa,
Africa with very low fossil remains Europe, and Asia
forehead and that had large found with long,
projecting face. skulls. low skulls and
large molar teeth.
186
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 EARLY PEOPLE

WHO’S WHO? TAKE A LOOK: STONE AGE

O

Lucy: A female skeleton aged 25 years O
Paleolithic period: People moved around following
found in Ethiopia and estimated to have lived the herds and used clubs and sharpened stones to hunt.
3.2 mya. She was about 3 ft 6 in (107 cm) tall.
O Mesolothic period: Hunters made bows and arrows
O

Nutcracker man: Teeth and skull fragments

HISTORY AND POLITICS

and the gatherers made baskets for collecting fruits and
found in Tanzania of a hominid estimated to
nuts. People continued to move around.
have lived 2 mya. With the biggest, flattest
cheek and thickest teeth enamel of any O Neolithic period: People became food producers so

hominid, he ate only nuts and seeds. were able to have a more settled lifestyle. They made
O

Peking man: One of 40 wooden agricultural tools and developed new crafts,
individuals found at a site in such as pottery.
China and estimated to have  FIRST TOOLS Pieces of flint
lived 500,000–300,000 ya. were shaped by chipping away
O

Old man: A 30-40 year old flakes, leaving a sharp edge.
skeleton with severe arthritis
found in France. Estimated Pebble hammer
for shaping flint
to have lived 50,000 ya,
he would have had an average
height of 5 ft 6 in (168 cm).

PEKING MAN
GATHERERS’ TOOLS

Historians have found Flakes of flint were attached
evidence that the Peking to wooden handles. These
man and his companions tools were used to
would have lived in caves, dig up edible roots
made tools, and used fire to and cut wood for fires.
keep warm and cook food.
A spark was
made by hitting
TELL ME MORE... an iron stone
against a flint.
As the early people moved
northward, they had to cope Bark for collecting
with a colder climate and survive fruits and nuts
the ice ages. Clothes were first
made from animal skins, but HUNTERS’ TOOLS
later, people discovered how to The metal tips of the arrows
Feathers
spin and weave wool. were dipped in poison made
from beetle larvae.

CARVINGS
Animal bones were
skillfully carved to show
pictures and to make Carving of
small sculptures. a mammoth

HOMO NEANTHERTHALENSIS HOMO SAPIENS

Dated: 250,000–30,000 ya Dated: 100,000 ya to present

Fossils found in Europe and Found all over the world, these skulls
Middle East with protruding have a rising forehead, prominent
jaw, receding forehead, and chin, and light bone structure and can
weak chin. hold a large brain.
187
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 A
SE
EA N
MEDITERRAN

Ancient Egypt Sahara

From about 6,000 years ago, cities began to appear Desert
HISTORY AND POLITICS

along the banks of large rivers. The civilizations in

Egypt and Mesopotamia (now Iraq) were the earliest. Nile River
Around 3000 BCE, Egypt was unified to become the
first superstate under the rule of a pharaoh (king).
The Nile River The first
Tombs for the pharaohs ancient Egyptians were able to
Vast, towering tombs were establish farming communities
built by the pharaohs for their in this otherwise desert
journey to the afterlife to landscape, all thanks to the
become a god. The largest Nile River. Annual
pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu flooding kept the land
(reign 2589-66 BCE) on either side of the
took about 20 years river fertile and
to build and was watered the
made from over crops.
two million
limestone
blocks.

Inside, passages led to

burial chambers
where the pharaoh
was buried with his One of the smaller
belongings. pyramids for Khufu’s wives

PYRAMIDS AT GIZA
The pyramids at Giza near Cairo, Egypt, were
built over 4,000 years ago. The Great
Pyramid is the only surviving monument of
the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
188
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 ANCIENT EGYPT

EGYPTIAN GODS AND GODDESSES

O Many gods and goddesses: The

ancient Egyptians believed that each
of their deities had a particular role
to play in keeping Egypt successful.

HISTORY AND POLITICS

O A living god: The first pharaohs were
thought to be a living version of the
god Horus—a hawk-headed god of the
sky that protected the pharaohs.
O Mural paintings: Images of the
deities meeting a pharaoh in the
afterlife were painted on the walls
of the pharaohs’ tombs. Anubis Isis Osiris

 GOLDEN MASK Egyptian social pyramid The pharaoh at the

The preserved body, or mummy, WHO’S WHO?
top controlled all land, people, and possessions,
of Tutankhamun was and the vizier, his most trusted adviser, oversaw all
O
Hatshepsut: (reign 1473-58 BCE) This
discovered with a magnificent
golden face mask on its head. successful queen assumed the role of a the pharaoh’s plans. The peasants at the bottom
pharaoh in place of her young stepson. worked in the fields, producing the crops collected
O
Tutankhamun: (reign 1333- 23 BCE) as taxes to feed everyone, but during the flood
This boy pharaoh’s splendid tomb was season joined the craftsmen, working on
discovered in 1922. building projects.
O
Rameses II: (reign 1279-13 BCE) Pharaoh
His long reign was a period of peace
and prosperity in Egypt. Vizier
O
Cleopatra VII: (reign 51-30 BCE)
Nobles Priests
This last pharaoh of ancient Egypt
was known for her great beauty Scribes Soldiers
and love affairs with the Romans
Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Craftsmen

Peasants (about 80% of the population)

TAKE A LOOK: ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ARTIFACTS

Historians have been able to discover much about the lives of ancient
Egyptians from the markings, possessions, and records found.

 ANKH Hieroglyphic  SCARAB DUNG BEETLE  PAPYRUS The inner

symbol meaning “life” Sacred symbol meaning “rebirth,” pith of this tall plant that
often shown being held relating to the god Khepri, who grew along the Nile was
by gods and pharaohs. pushed the Sun across the sky. used to make paper.

189
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 GREECE
PERSIA

Greeks and...
The ancient Greeks had one of the
HISTORY AND POLITICS

most advanced ancient civilizations.

EGYPT Historians know much about them from
SYRIA
their writings, artifacts, and the influence
Alexander the Great’s empire
King Alexander III (356-323 BCE), who ruled of their culture on other nations.
over the Greek city-states from 336 BCE, led a
12-year-long military campaign, enlarging the
GREEK POLITICS
ancient Greek Empire. He conquered the  PARTHENON A huge
Persian Empire, Syria, and Egypt, and statue of Athena, the city’s O
The Greeks formed a collection of
continued east as far as India. goddess, stood inside this large independent city-states.
temple—the most important
O
When a city needed to expand, they
building on the acropolis.
set up a new colony city around the
Mediterranean Sea.
O
The Greeks invented the democratic

system in which people voted for their

leader. However, only free men could vote.

ATHEN’S ACROPOLIS
The best-known acropolis
was built in the
city-state of Athens.

The propylaia
was the gateway
to the acropolis.
AN ACROPOLIS

O Site: An acropolis is an area

of a city sited on high ground
as a home for the city’s god.
O Buildings: The main
public and religious buildings
were built on the acropolis.
O Date: The buildings seen
today on the acropolis in
Athens were mostly built in
the mid-5th century BCE.

TIMELINE
1250 BCE 492–449 BCE 431–404 BCE 334–323 BCE
The early Greeks After a 50-year war, The Peloponnesian Alexander the
and the people of the Greek city-states War between the Great expanded
Troy fought a succeeded in rival city-states of the Greek
legendary defeating an Athens and Sparta Empire across
ten-year war. invading and their allies Persia.
Persian army. involved almost all
190 the Greek world.
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 GREEKS AND... ROMANS
The Roman Empire By 117 CE, the

Romans
Starting out as a people from a small town
Roman Empire stretched around the
Mediterranean Sea, up through western
Europe to Britain and across into Asia.
In the 3rd century, the empire was
divided between two emperors for

HISTORY AND POLITICS

ruled by a king in 753 BCE, the ambitious better control.

Romans ended up conquering a vast empire

by impressive military power.
GAUL

Rome O O
Constantinople
 THE ROMAN FORUM
At the center of every GREECE
Med
Roman city was an open iterranean Sea
space surrounded by the
EGYPT
main temples and
public buildings.
People gathered here
to do business.

TELL ME MORE...

The Roman Republic, formed in

509 BCE, was governed by a senate, TAKE A PICTURE
but senators came from wealthy
Aqueducts, such as the Pont du Gard in
families and only Roman citizens
could vote. Later, the empire was France, are just one example of the Romans’
ruled by unelected emperors. great engineering feats across their empire.

148 BCE 58 –50 BCE 27 BCE 476 CE

At the end of the Julius Caesar, the Augustus changed Attacks from
fourth Macedonian military leader the Roman barbarians caused
War, the Roman of the Roman Republic to an the Western
Republic finally Republic, empire and Roman Empire
defeated the conquered Gaul in became the first to collapse.
ancient Greeks. western Europe. emperor of Rome.
191
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 Medieval period
The word “medieval” means “the middle ages,”
HISTORY AND POLITICS

and covers a period of more than a thousand

years between the fall of the Roman Empire
(5th century) to the Renaissance (16th century).
During this time, Europe was all about who
The feudal system In many parts of
owned land—and so held the power. Europe, society was organized into a class
system, with the king at the top, who
owned all the land. Barons and
bishops were below him, then
the lesser lords (knights),
and, finally, the peasants.
3

TAKE A PICTURE

On Christmas Day, 800 CE, Charlemagne (742–

814) was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by 2
Pope Leo III. Charlemagne was an important
leader, establishing central government and
schools in monasteries, spreading Christianity,
and paving the way for modern Europe.

 BUILT FOR DEFENSE In an

age when land meant power, it was
important to protect what you had.
Cities, based around the lord’s castle,
were fortified with walls and a moat.

1 Raising the bridge and closing

the gates slowed down invaders.
No large city was complete
2 without a cathedral.

3 Afrom
lord could see enemy advances
his hill-top castle towers.

192
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 MEDIEVAL PERIOD

CRESTS Each guild had a

coat of arms. This one belongs to
the Merchant Adventurers of the
City of York. These cloth traders
funded ships for importing and
exporting goods worldwide.

HISTORY AND POLITICS

Power in numbers It wasn’t just the noblemen
who had power and influence. Craftsmen formed
guilds to protect their businesses, making sure they
had high wages and no competition. The guilds
built grand halls (such as the London Guildhall,
left) and influenced the day-to-day life of a city. But
guild masters often used the guilds to increase their
own wealth, rather than look after their members.

Fighting for control Europe in the Middle

Ages looked different from today. For example,
modern-day Spain was divided into four
separate kingdoms, and parts of France came
under the rule of different kings and princes—
including the English crown. Wars were not
uncommon, since kings sent (and often
accompanied) armies into battle
to take control of new land. The
longest war was between
England and France.

THE
HUNDRED
YEARS’ WAR
This series of battles
between England
and France
actually lasted
116 years, from
1337 to 1453.

TAKE A LOOK: TIMES OF CHANGE

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

THE REFORMATION
While warfare shaped the physical boundaries of countries during the Middle
O
During the Middle Ages, the Catholic
Ages, there were many other events that changed Europe at that time.
Church, with the pope at its head, was
very powerful throughout Europe.
O
But not everybody was happy with the

Church’s power and influence. The

opponents called themselves Protestants.
O
In 1517, German monk Martin Luther

spoke out about corruption of Church

officials. Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland and
John Calvin in France proposed similar
ideas for reforming the Church.
 WEAPONS OF WAR  BLACK DEATH  THE NEW WORLD
O
New, Protestant churches were set up
Kings often fought alongside In the 1340s, the Great Explorers like Marco Polo
their knights in major battles Plague killed one-third of and Christopher Columbus in northern Europe, ending the total power
over control of land. the population of Europe. opened world trade routes. of the Catholics in Europe.

193
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 China’s dynasties WHO’S WHO?
O

Confucius (551-479 BCE) Famous

Chinese philosopher whose teachings

have influenced China’s society.
Great Wall China can claim to have the O

Qin Shi Huang (ruled 221-210 BCE)
HISTORY AND POLITICS

oldest continuous known Proclaimed himself first emperor of

China after uniting the warring states.
The Yellow civilization, which has lasted at O

Wu Zhao (ruled 690-705) Only
River woman to rule as emperor and probably
least 4,000 years. Since the first murdered many people to rise to power.
city-states along the Yellow O

Hongwu Emperor (ruled 1368-1398)

Founder of the Ming dynasty after

River, China has expanded (and defeating the Mongols.
CHINA in 221 BCE united by at times contracted) under the O

Pu Yi (ruled 1908-1912) Last emperor

of China, abdicated aged six years old.

the first emperor Qin Shi Huang. control of a succession of ruling
monarchs until 1912. Periods of unity and disunity
have shaped the country’s politics and history.
 WATCH TOWERS
were positioned at
intervals along the
wall.

GREAT WALL OF CHINA

There have been a number of Great Walls
of China built to protect the northern
border from invading neighbors.
Qui Shi Huang (first emperor) instructed
the linking up of already-existing
fortifications to construct a Great Wall.
However, the sections of wall seen today
stretching over 4,000 miles (6,400 km)
were repaired, strengthened, and
expanded during the Ming Dynasty.

TIMELINE OF DYNASTIES
DYNASTIES 221–206 BCE QIN 206 BCE–220 CE HAN 265–420 JIN
Much of Chinese history can A short-lived dynasty The Silk Road— Paper and ink
be split into time periods of the during which the an important became more
dynasties, or royal families. Each traditional beliefs trading route— popular and
dynasty brought its own changes of Confucius were was established calligraphers
to the country. forbidden and his from China to the perfected their
books burned. Mediterranean Sea. writing style.
194
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 CHINA’S DYNASTIES
Forbidden City In 1420, the Ming emperor
and his household moved to a vast imperial
palace in the capital, Beijing. Court officials and
members of the imperial family were allowed  980 BUILDINGS
inside, but only the emperor had unlimited survive enclosed by a
access to all of the buildings. 26 ft (7.9 m) high

HISTORY AND POLITICS

city wall.

Middle kingdom Zhõngguó (pronounced

jung-gwo) meaning “Middle Kingdom,” was
first used by the rulers of the ancient Zhou
dynasty (1050-771 BCE), who believed their
country was the “center of civilization.”
Throughout China’s history, the name has had
different meanings and caused conflict between
dynasties. Only since 1911 has Zhõngguó
officially been used for the country’s name.

 COSTLY PROJECT Millions of soldiers,

prisoners, and local people were enlisted to
build the Great Wall and many thousands
died during the construction.

THE TERRA-COTTA ARMY

To prepare for his death, Qin Shi Huang (first

emperor) ordered that thousands of life-size
clay warriors, horses, and chariots were to
be made to guard his tomb and help him rule
his empire in his afterlife ( p.165).

618–907 TANG 1271–1368 YUAN 1368–1644 MING 1644–1912 QING

Women were given Gunpowder, Production Court officials wore
many of the same invented earlier by increased of the robes with a dragon
rights as men and the the Chinese, was very popular motif within the
educated Wu Zhao developed to be blue-and-white universe, symbolizing
became China’s used in powerful porcelain with the emperor as the
only empress. explosive cannons. painted scenes. “Son of Heaven.”
195
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 Islamic golden age TELL ME MORE...
In the 7th century, Muhammad established the Islamic
HISTORY AND POLITICS

In 661, the Muslims divided

state in the Arabian Peninsula. In the centuries after his over who to choose as the next
death, the Islamic empire expanded rapidly, spreading religious leader. The Shiites
accepted the descendants of
the faith and laws of Islam based on his teachings. Ali (Muhammad’s son-in-law),
known as Imams, while the
Sunnites chose the descendants
of the Umayyads, titled Caliphs.
MECCA
Muhammad was born in Mecca (now in Saudi
, PROPHET OF ISLAM At the age
Arabia). After being forced out of the city due to of 40, Muhammad had the first of
his teachings, he returned eight years later with many revelations about the word of
God. His teachings were to become
his army to take control and establish the city as intertwined with the politics and social
the center of the faith of Islam. aspects of an Islamic state. His name is
shown here in stylized form.

TAKE A LOOK: ISLAMIC ARTIFACTS

The Islamic civilization had a distinctive made great advances in mathematics,

style in art, crafts, and architecture, and astronomy, and medicines.

u ISLAMIC ART u ASTROLABE They u OTTOMAN VASE

Calligraphy and mosaics perfected this instrument for Flowers and large leaves
of glazed tiles were used calculating a person’s position were widely used as
to decorate buildings. by using the Sun and stars. decorative patterns.

TIMELINE OF ISLAMIC EMPIRE

622–632 MUHAMMAD 661–750 UMAYYAD 750–1258 ABBASID
Muhammad took The caliphs of the EUROPE Baghdad was made the
control of Mecca Umayyad family Islamic capital and
and established expanded the the city became the
■ Baghdad
the Islamic Islamic Empire world’s center of trade,
civilization. (shown in green). ■ Mecca learning, and culture.
AFRICA
196 Silver and copper basin

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE

WHO’S WHO?
O

Muhammad (570-632) He was the
founder of the Islamic religion and the first
Muslim political leader.
O

Ali ibn Abi (599-661) He was the son-
Minarets are the

HISTORY AND POLITICS

highest points in
in-law of Muhammad and became the first
the mosque.
Imam in 656. Traditionally, a
O

Harun al-Rashid (766-809) The fifth muezzin calls
Abbasid caliph, who was the subject of everyone to prayer
the stories The Thousand and One Nights, from the minaret.
also called The Arabian Nights.
O

Saladin (1137-1193) A Muslim sultan

(governor) of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and

Palestine, who captured Jerusalem and
defeated the crusaders in 1187.

 KAABA According to Islamic

tradition, this cube-shaped building  QIBLAH Muhammad
in Mecca is said to be the house of instructed Muslims to pray five The Grand
God. Muslims (followers of Islam) times a day, facing the direction, Mosque in Mecca
are expected to visit it at least once or qiblah, of the Kaaba in Mecca.
in their lifetimes. This instrument was used to figure
out the direction (qiblah).

TAKE A PICTURE

The Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem

was completed in 691 and is the oldest
existing Islamic building in the world.

1258 RISE OF THE SULTANS 13691506 TIMURID 15161924 OTTOMAN

Mongol invaders captured Timur, a Turkic-Mongol The Ottoman Turks
Baghdad and converted warrior, conquered the ruled over the Islamic
to Islam, while local rulers, Islamic lands and one of state and expanded
called sultans, governed his descendants founded their empire into
Egypt, Syria, the Mughal Empire in eastern Europe
and Palestine. northern India. (shown in green).

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Aztecs
At the end of the 1100s, a tribe of
HISTORY AND POLITICS

hunters and gatherers from northern

Mexico migrated south and, during
the 1200s, settled as farmers on the
islands of Lake Texcoco in the Valley Tenochtitlán
of central Mexico. Around 1325, the Aztecs began building their
vast capital city, Tenochtitlán, in the center of
Lake Texcoco. Several highways linked the
Map of empires island-city to the mainland. In
At the height of their the center was a complex of
Atlantic Ocean empires, the Aztecs religious buildings
ruled over about six surrounded by
million people in palaces, warrior
Pacific Ocean
central and southern schools, and a ball
Mexico and the Incas court for playing a
ruled over 12 million game called ulama.
people living along
the Pacific coast and in
Aztecs the Andes Mountains. The Great Temple

Incas
CULTURES ESTABLISHED
The Aztec and Inca tribes create
1300s settlements and increase in population.

Incas
A tribe of farmers led by their king, Knotted strings

Manco Cápac, settled in Cuzco in the

highlands of Peru during the 1100s.
Gold statue
Like the Aztecs, they were later to form
a strong and powerful warrior-nation.

FAST FACTS
u GOLD Many precious u QUIPU The Incas used

■ Inca kings were called capac. metals, such as gold, were ropes with different-sized knots
found in South America to record information about
■ The Inca language was quechua and and metalworking was a their expanding empire.
the Aztec language was nahuatl. popular craft.
■ Both civilizations worshiped many

gods and performed human sacrifices. , CACAO A bitter-

tasting chocolate drink
■ The Incas traded with goods and
was made using the beans
services and the Aztecs traded with of the cacao plant.
cacao beans and goods. u MANCO CAPAC
First ruler of the Incas Pod
Beans
198
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 AZTECS AND INCAS
WHO’S WHO?
O

Acamapichtli (reign 1376-96) A member of the ruling
family of a neighboring state who became the first king of
the Aztecs.
O

Montezuma I (reign 1440-69) This ambitious king greatly

HISTORY AND POLITICS

expanded the Aztec Empire through trade and conquest.
O

Montezuma II (reign 1502-20) The Aztec Empire reached  SACRIFICIAL KNIFE

 MASK OF A GOD its largest size during his reign and then the Spanish Aztec priests cut out the still-
Mosaic made from beating hearts from prisoners
conquest began. as a sacrifice to their gods.
turquoise gems
O

Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) Spanish adventurer who

overthrew the Aztec Empire in 1521 and claimed Mexico as

Montezuma I
land belonging to the Spanish crown.
Cortés arrives
Empire building The Aztecs Spanish conquest
became rich and powerful Hernán Cortés was
because they were extremely welcomed as an
successful at growing crops. honored guest by
They became a nation of Montezuma II to
feared warriors since their Tenochtitlán in 1519
large, conquering army as was the custom of
could be fed. Merchants the Aztecs. However,
could trade goods with Cortés arrested the
distant lands, creating king and two years
wealth for the Aztecs. later destroyed the city
and the Aztec Empire.

EMPIRES EXPANDED CIVILIZATIONS CONQUERED

The Aztecs and Incas extend their control The Aztec and Inca empires are destroyed
1400s over other tribes and gain more land. 1500s by the arrival of Spanish adventurers.

TELL ME MORE...
MACHU PICCHU Francisco Pizarro
Mountain city built by In search of gold Despite having only a small army,
Capac Yupanqui.
and other precious Pizarro was able to seize the Inca
metals in South ruler Atahuallpa after he refused
Inca conquests America, the Spanish to accept Christianity and the rule
Capac Yupanqui adventurer Pizarro of Spain on November 16, 1532.
(reign 1438-71) met the Incas. In
began the expansion 1533, he took control
of the Inca Empire. of Cuzco and claimed
A vast network of the land for Spain. Pizarro meets Atahuallpa
roads were built to
link their territory.

LLAMAS were valued

for their wool, their meat,
and for carrying goods
along the roads.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Colonial America
By the early 1600s, more and more Europeans
HISTORY AND POLITICS

were sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to establish

colonies in the eastern areas of North America.
Over the next 170 years these colonies grew.

POCAHONTAS
Reconstruction
As a young girl,
of the Mayflower TELL ME MORE... Pocahontas helped to
make peace between the
In November, 1620, a group Jamestown settlers and her
of Pilgrims from England on Native-American tribe.
board the Mayflower arrived
in North America after a
grueling 66-day journey.
They founded Plymouth
in Massachussetts.

The Plymouth settlers

The Mayflower pilgrims had come
to the “New World” so they could
worship freely without

7/7
persecution. Their new
life was tough and half
of the group died from The Thanksgiving festival now
disease or starvation celebrated in November in the
during the first winter. United States has its origins in the first
However, most of the Thanksgiving feast held in the fall of
local Native Americans 1621 by the Pilgrims and Native
were welcoming and Americans to celebrate their first
showed them suitable good harvest.
crops to grow.
TIMELINE OF COLONIAL AMERICA
1607 1608 1620
The Jamestown settlement in Virginia Quebec City is The Mayflower pilgrims
was the first permanent founded by the establish a settlement at
English settlement in French along Plymouth, Massachusetts.
North America. the Saint
Lawrence River.

200
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 COLONIAL AMERICA
Europe The original 13 colonies
North
America Atlantic
ocean MS Other British territories
NH
MS Massachussetts
NY MS
NH New Hampshire

HISTORY AND POLITICS

CN RI
PA NJ RI Rhode Island
CN Conneticut
MD DEL
NY New York
VA NJ New Jersey
The British colonies By 1733,
North
there were 13 colonies loyal to America NC
PA Pennsylvania
Britain along the east coast of MD Maryland
North America. In 1763, the SC DEL Delaware
French surrendered their land to GA VA Virginia
Atlantic
the British. In the 1760s, Britain ocean NC North Carolina
began to tax the American SC South Carolina
colonists, but their authority GA Georgia
over the New World was starting
to weaken, since the colonists no
longer needed their protection.

DECLARATION On July 4, 1776, the

Continental Congress of the American colonies
issued a Declaration of Independence, signed
by representatives of all 13 colonies. The united
colonies were free, independent states.

TAKE A PICTURE

The historic area of Williamsburg, which

became Virginia’s capital in 1698, has been
restored and re-creates colonial times.

Revolutionary War In the 1770s, the

American colonists began to rebel against
British rule and were especially angered by
the heavy tax on tea in 1773. Between
1775 and 1783, the colonists fought the
British army and won. The British were
forced to recognize their new independent
country—the United States of America.

1663 1763 1773 17751783

Companies were The French The Boston Tea Party The Revolutionary War was
established to trade surrendered their was a protest by when the 13 colonies rebelled
goods, such as fur colonies to Britain, some American against the
skins and tobacco, expanding the area colonists angered British and won
with Europe. the British by their high taxes independence.
controlled. paid to the British.
201
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 The slave trade
Slavery has been a feature of many societies, such as
HISTORY AND POLITICS

ancient Egypt and Rome. But it was the Atlantic slave

trade that made slavery a worldwide issue. It had its
roots in the Portuguese transportation of workers from
 BROOKS SLAVE SHIP This ship
Africa to Madeira, in 1470. By the time slavery was
was designed to carry around 450
slaves, but more than 600 were often
abolished 400 years later, around 12 million slaves
packed in, chained together. had been taken from Africa to the New World.

North America 3 Europe

Guns
Sugar
cane

Cotton Wine
Coffee
Atlantic
Ocean
1
Africa

2
Caribbean Sea
Slaves

South America

THE TRIANGULAR TRADE

The slave trade was all about money. European 1 EUROPE TO 2 AFRICA TO 3 AMERICAS TO
AFRICA The AMERICAS Called EUROPE Sugar,
traders exported goods to Africa, then used the Europeans traded “The Middle Passage,” rice, cotton, coffee,
ships to pick up a new cargo: people. They were copper, iron, cloth, people were snatched tobacco, and rum
wine, glassware, and from villages and fields from the plantations
taken to work on plantations in southern North guns with African and marched to the were brought back
America, South America, and Caribbean islands. landlords for people. coast to slave ships. to Europe.
202
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 THE SLAVE TRADE

An ankle fetter

HISTORY AND POLITICS

SLAVES FOR SALE
On arrival in the New World, slaves were
taken to markets, where they were sold by
auction to plantation owners. The slaves
were branded—burned with hot
irons—with the mark of their new
owner. Men, women, boys, and girls
were all put up for sale.
 NO ESCAPE From the moment
they were first seized in Africa, slaves
were forced to wear shackles such as
neck collars and ankle fetters. They
were chained together so that they
could not escape.

IN THE FIELDS Slaves were

made to pick crops such as cotton.

Forced labor Slaves were taken

to work on the plantations set up
by European settlers. Life was brutal,
with long hours, poor food rations, no
wages, and frequent beatings. Children
born to slaves became slaves themselves
and belonged to the plantation owner,
who could send them away from their
families to work on another plantation.

FROM SLAVERY TO CIVIL WAR

Confederate Union
By the late 18th century, people were soldier
general
campaigning for the end of slavery.
O The Abolition of Slave Trade Act was

passed in Britain in 1807, outlawing the

slave trade, but slavery itself didn’t end in
the British Empire until 1833, and in the
United States until 1865.
O Abolition was one of the main causes

of the Civil War (1861–1865), since the

Southern Confederate “slave states” did
not want to end slavery—but the Northern
Union states did.
 “THE MOSES OF HER O Abraham Lincoln was one of the key
PEOPLE” Harriet Tubman was antislavery figures in the United States. In
an escaped slave who led hundreds
1863, he signed the Emancipation
of other slaves to their freedom,
at great risk to herself. She later Proclamation, bringing an end to slavery.
became a leading abolitionist.
203
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 The age of empire United States

Since the 1600s, European countries had steadily gained land and
HISTORY AND POLITICS

influence over countries around the world. From the mid-1800s,

they competed against each other to control new trade markets,
increasing the size of their empires and becoming wealthy.
North America
Many people from
Europe immigrated
to the United States IMPORTS AND EXPORTS
or Canada to escape European countries imported raw materials
bad conditions at
home, such as the potato from their empires and exported manufactured
famine in Ireland. The goods back to their colonies.
arrival of these new settlers
led to the exploration of Europe
remote inland areas and
a route across the whole North
continent. America

RAILROADS
A vast network of tracks
were laid across countries
TELL ME MORE... and continents for the Africa
transporting of goods
In 1805, Meriwether Lewis and William by rail.
Clark were the first American explorers Coffee Sugar
to find a route through the Rocky cane Gold
Mountains to reach the western South
territories of America. Other explorers, America
traders, and settlers followed afterward.
Cocoa

SOUTH AMERICA
During the 1800s, many
of the countries in South
SOUTH AFRICA The
America became discovery of diamonds in
independent. Only the the mid-1800s transformed
British, French, and a poor colony into a much
Dutch had colonies with desired one and sparked
big plantations. conflicts in the area.

Africa
The “scramble for Africa” began in the
 BOER WAR In 1899, 1870s, when European countries
war in the south of Africa competed against each other to gain
broke out between the Dutch control of land on this continent. Explorers
settlers, known as Boers, and had found raw materials such as gold and
the British, seeking control of
the mineral-rich land.
diamonds, and there was land and people
available for setting up plantations.
204
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 THE AGE OF EMPIRE
Russia
Empire-builders
China The main European colonial INDEPENDENCE
powers were Great Britain, France,
the Netherlands, and Portugal.
By the end of the 19th century,
Great Britain’s empire covered

HISTORY AND POLITICS

one-quarter of Earth’s land surface.

This map Britain Italy

shows the France Netherlands
borders and
Spain Germany
empires in
The Commonwealth Games
1900. Portugal Ottoman Empire
After World War II, many
colonies started campaigning to
become independent countries.
TAKE A LOOK: TRADE During the 1940s through 1960s,
most gained independence,
Access to raw materials was very although the transition for some
important to the growing industrial countries, such as India, caused
 EGYPT
The Suez Canal, opened countries. It was simpler and violence. Many nations still have
in 1869, allowed an more profitable to own the links to their colonial power. The
easier and quicker access country where these came Commonwealth is an organization
route to India. from rather than negotiate of 53 countries that were once
Tea with the local rulers. Colonies part of the British Empire.
Suez Canal
also provided
cheap labor
India for the mines
and the
plantations. Cotton Rubber

Ivory
MALAYSIA
The British
government set up
very profitable tin
mines and rubber
plantations. Gold India
By 1900, Britain ruled the whole of
Gold Australia India. Many British administrators and

INDONESIA traders lived there with their families,
After the success of the Dutch East enjoying a privileged colonial lifestyle.
India Trading Company in the  AUSTRALIA Owners of tea plantations became rich,
17th and 18th century, the Dutch The discovery of gold in the town while the local workers lived in poverty.
government took control and set of Victoria in the 1850s led to a
up big plantations to grow crops gold rush. The European
such as coffee and spices. population grew very quickly.
THE FIRST
FLEET In 1788,
British navy ships
Australia transported
The British used convicts to establish their convicts to Botany
first colonies in Australia. Free settlers Bay in Australia.
began to arrive in 1793. The native
Aborigines were pushed off their land by
the new settlers and forced into the
Outback—an inhospitable, unfertile area
that the settlers did not want.
205
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 Industrial Revolution
Between 1750 and 1850, the development of
HISTORY AND POLITICS

power-driven machines transformed the lives of

people, first in Britain and then other European
countries and the United States. This period is
known as the Industrial Revolution.
Burning the coal to produce
steam to power the machines
produced choking smoke.

Child labor Children as young

as six years old worked
in the factories, until 1833,
when under-nines were banned.
They worked up to 12 to 14
hours a day with few breaks.
Sometimes, they were injured or
even killed by the machinery.

7/7
Before the Industrial Revolution,
most people worked as farmers in
the fields. Spinning and weaving were
done at home. The invention of
machines changed this. Thousands of
workers seeking more pay moved into
the towns to work in the newly built
factories that housed these  FACTORIES From the

big machines. 1790s, steam power replaced

the previously water-powered
machines. Inside the factories,
the noise of the machines was
deafening. Outside, the towns
were dirty and unhealthy places.
TIMELINE OF INDUSTRIAL INVENTIONS
1712 1764 1779
Thomas Newcomen built James Hargreaves invented the Samuel Crompton’s water-
the first commercially spinning jenny— powered, spinning “mule”
successful steam a mechanized was bought by
engine. It was used spinning wheel many factory
to pump water out that could spin owners.
of mines. eight threads at once.
206
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 INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

TELL ME MORE...

The Industrial Revolution caused

much unrest. Skilled textiles workers,
in particular, were angered by the
introduction of looms that could be

HISTORY AND POLITICS

worked by unskilled workers making
low wages, forcing them out of work.
One group, known as the Luddites,
destroyed the machines in cotton and
woolen mills.

WHO’S WHO?
O

James Watt (1736-1819) A Scottish
engineer who made improvements to the
Cotton gin The US became the steam engine in 1769 so that machines
world’s leading cotton producer, could be powered without water.
thanks to the invention of the cotton O

Eli Whitney (1765-1825) An American
gin by Eli Whitney. This machine inventor who designed the cotton gin
could quickly separate the cotton while staying on a plantation in the
fibers from the seeds, which had Southern states.
previously taken ages to do by hand. O

Francis Cabot Lowell (1775-1817)

An American merchant who established

the first textile mill in the United States.
O

George Stephenson (1781-1848)

An English engineer who built the first

TAKE A PICTURE public railroad line in the world.
O

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-
Canals were built to transport the heavy loads
to and from the factories. The boat lifts on the 1859) A British engineer who designed
Canal du Centre, Wallonia, in Belgium, show many tunnels, bridges, railroad lines,
the amazing engineering feats of this age. and ships.

Railroad mania In 1804,

Richard Trevithick added
wheels to his steam engine
so that it could run along
tracks. Within thirty years, a
network of railroads for
transporting raw materials,
goods, and people by steam
locomotives was constructed.
Traveling around was now
much quicker.

1785 1793 1801 1830

Textile-making could be done Cotton could be Joseph-Marie Jacquard’s The world’s first all-steam
much faster by Edmund produced much loom was the first passenger railroad opened in
Cartwright’s faster with Eli machine to be controlled by Britain.
power loom. Whitney’s punched cards—
cotton gin. an idea later used
in computing.
207
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 World War I O

Two
WHO’S WHO?
main groups battled each other—
the Allies led by the British, French, and
Russian armies, and the Central Powers
At the beginning of the 1900s, military and led by the German, Austro-Hungarian, and
HISTORY AND POLITICS

Turkish armies.
political tensions existed between some of the O

The British and French armies included

countries of Europe. The assassination of the heir many recruits from their colonies and
territories around the world.
to the throne of Austria-Hungary was the spark O

In total, nearly 30 countries were drawn

needed to fire up a war that involved the world. in to take part in the fighting.
O

The US joined the war in 1917.

MILITARY TRANSPORTATION

O Aircraft: Biplanes and triplanes were

used to fly over enemy lines to observe
Atlantic Ocean
their movements and take photographs.
O Vehicles: Horse-drawn vehicles were
gradually replaced by mechanical ones
to transport men and supplies to and
from the front line. Great Britain
Russia
O Tanks: The first tanks used in 1916 JUTLAND
were not very reliable, but a year later
they were leading the way across to the
Western Germany
enemy trenches, shielding the troops. Front
O Warships: Fleets of warships were
used to protect supply ships from VERDUN Austria-Hungary
attacks by the German U-boats. France
Italy Romania Black Sea
Serbi
gal

Bulgaria
tu

Turkey
a

German
Por

triplane GALLIPOLI (The Ottoman

Greece
Empire)
isia

Morocco Mediterranean Sea

Tun

Horse-drawn
ambulance Algeria
Libya Egypt

Allied powers World at war Although most of the

Central powers
fighting took place in Europe, there was
also fighting in the Middle East, in
Neutral nations Africa, and in the German colonies in
China and the Pacific Ocean.
Key battle sites

TIMELINE OF WORLD WAR I

1914 1915
The assassination of Archduke Francis The German’s
Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, caused zeppelins made
Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia. frequent nighttime
European countries took sides, and by bombing raids over
August The Great War had begun. British cities.

208
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 WORLD WAR I
THE FRONT LINE
CROSSING
By the end of 1914, a network of NOMAN’S LAND
Most attempts to
trenches zigzagged from the Belgian advance occurred
coast to the Swiss border, forming at dawn or dusk.
the Western Front. From these

HISTORY AND POLITICS

positions, the Allied troops tried to
push back the advancing German
army, but neither side made much
progress. Under fire from machine Gas attack
guns, the strip of land between A deadly chlorine
gas was used for
each other’s trenches was the first time in
impossible to cross. the battle for the
Trenchcoat Belgium town
of Ypres in 1915.

TAKE A PICTURE

More than half of the 65 million men who

fought in the war were killed or injured and
about 6.6 million civilians also died.

1916 1917 1918

The naval The US joined the Allies, At 11 a.m. on the 11th
battle of Jutland angered by the German day of the 11th month
was the largest U-boat attacks on (November), an armistice
fought in history. shipping in the (cease fire) took place. A peace
Atlantic Ocean. treaty was later signed.
209
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 TELL ME MORE...

The Nazi party, led by Adolf Hitler,

was voted into power in 1933. Hitler
promised the German people an end
World War II
to unemployment and hardship and
The peace treaty signed at the end of World War I
HISTORY AND POLITICS

wanted to restore the country’s pride (the Treaty of Versailles in 1919) forced Germany to
and military strength.
give up much of its land and wealth and restricted
the size of its army. Twenty years later, the Nazi
Party in Germany had rebuilt the nation, and their
leader, Adolf Hitler, was determined to rule Europe.
Adolf Hitler

Destruction Bombing raids by the Allied and

Axis powers caused huge destruction across
Europe, the USSR, and east Asia. The raids were
intended to target strategic buildings, such as
airfields, factories, ports, and railroads, but
often homes were destroyed, killing civilians
or forcing them to evacuate (leave the area).

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) Born in

Austria, Hitler became an influential
politician in Germany. After being
appointed chancellor in 1933, Hitler
created a one-party state and made
himself an all-powerful dictator.

FAST FACTS

O
The leaders of Britain (Winston

Churchill), the Soviet Union (Josef Stalin),
and the US (Franklin Roosevelt) met twice
during the war to discuss strategies.
O
Resistant groups of people from  GAS MASK Countries
German-occupied countries helped the feared that gas would be used
Allies by spying and acts of sabotage. by the enemy so many people
were issued with gas masks.
They were never needed.

TIMELINE OF WORLD WAR II

1939 1940 1941 1942
On September 1, Between June and October 1940, On December 7, Japan In August, the Germans began
German forces the German air force battled the attacked the US naval the six-month-long battle for
invaded Poland. British air force in the skies base at Pearl Harbor Stalingrad in the Soviet Union.
Britain and above Britain. in Hawaii. The US
France declared entered the war.
war on Germany.
210
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 WORLD WAR II

THE WORLD AT WAR

Soviet Union
Britain
Germany

HISTORY AND POLITICS

United States Japan
of America
Atlantic
(US)
Ocean Pacific
Pacific Ocean
Ocean

Allied powers (dots show

countries annexed by the USSR) Indian
Countries that joined the Allies Ocean
after the Pearl Harbor attack
Axis powers (dots show countries
that were conquered by them)
Neutral countries

World at war Until mid-1941, the two BATTLE OF STALINGRAD PEARL HARBOR
sides were the Axis (Germany, Italy, and BRITAIN After Germany invaded the The unexpected attack
some east European countries) and the conquering France in June Soviet Union in 1941. There by the Japanese air force on
Allies (Britain, France, and countries in 1940, Germany planned to was a huge loss of life on both the US naval base in Hawaii
take over Britain. The British sides, especially in the battle destroyed 19 ships and killed
their empires). Nations around the world air force was targeted first, for Stalingrad in the south. 2,403 soldiers. The United
became involved when Germany invaded but the German air force In 1943, the weakened States immediately declared
the Soviet Union and Japan’s attacks began. was unable to defeat it. German army surrendered. war on the Axis powers.
THE COLD WAR

 THE CAMPS
Auschwitz in
Poland was
one of eight
concentration
camps that had
gas chambers.
TAKE A PICTURE
The Holocaust The Nazi party was
very anti-Semitic (against Jews). They After the war, relations between the Soviet
forced Jews to wear badges with a Union and the US became very tense. Eastern
yellow star and, from 1942, sent and western Europe were separated. The
them to concentration camps. Many collapse of the Berlin Wall, Germany, in 1989
millions of Jews died from illness, became a symbolic end to this Cold War.
starvation, and in gas chambers.

1943 1944 1945

In May, the On June 6 (D-day), In May, Germany
Axis army in Allied forces invaded surrendered, but the war
North Africa the beaches of continued in east Asia. Japan
finally surrendered Normandy, France, surrendered only after atomic
to the Allies. and began to push bombs were dropped on two
back the Axis forces. cities in August.
211
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 The Year of Revolution A wave of

Revolution! unrest spread across many European

countries in 1848. With many starving
and unemployed, the demonstrators
wanted more rights and a greater say
 In March,
a peaceful
World history has been marked in how their countries were governed.
demonstration
in Vienna,
HISTORY AND POLITICS

by episodes when a sudden uprising Although the revolts fizzled out, they Austria,
were the sparks for later political reforms. turned violent.
of people driven by hardship has
overthrown those in power. An
alternative political system has been
established in the hope for a better life.

REVOLUTIONARY LEADERS

O
Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) was leader of the Bolshevik Social

Democratic Workers’ party and first head of the Soviet state.
O
Mohandas Ghandi (1869-1958) is considered the father of India.

O
Mao Zedong (1893-1976) was a Chinese communist leader and

the founder of the People’s Republic of China.

O
Fidel Castro (1926- ) has been president of Cuba since 1949

and is the world’s longest serving leader.

“LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY!” “WORKERS OF ALL

Despite France facing severe food and money LANDS, UNITE!”
1789 shortages, King Louis XVI and his wife Queen
Marie-Antoinette enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle. 1799 In 1848, a German political
writer, Karl Marx, published 1848
his thoughts on communism.

 LOUIS XVI The French Revolution

The storming of the Bastille Executed in 1793
On July 14, 1789, the starving  Napoleon After the death of Louis XVI,
people of Paris rioted when they wrote about the country became a republic,
33,000 letters. but there was a reign of terror,
heard rumors that King Louis
XVI had ordered the army to with thousands of people executed
suppress the commoners and at the guillotine. In 1799, the
wanted to raise taxes. army eventually gained control
under the dictatorship of its
general, Napoleon Bonaparte.

NAPOLEONIC
WARS Napoleon
crowned himself
emperor of the First
French Empire in 1804
and led successful
military campaigns
across Europe.
212
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 REVOLUTION!
India’s peaceful revolution The political Cuban revolution The revolutionary Fidel
figure Mohandas Ghandi returned to Castro led a small band of rebels and peasants in
India in 1914. He began a gradual The Indian spritual their two-year fight against the large army of the
campaign of urging Indians to boycott and political leader, dictator Fulgencio Batista. When Castro took
Mohandas Ghandi,
the British-run courts and schools and in 1947—the year
power in January, 1959, he made many reforms,
resign from government positions. In India finally won improving Cubans’ healthcare and education.

HISTORY AND POLITICS

1930, Ghandi led a 240 mile (386 km) independence from
march protesting against the tax on salt. the British.
Che Guevara was one
of Castro’s rebel group
leaders.

Fidel Castro

“BE THE CHANGE “SMASH THE OLD

YOU WANT TO SEE WORLD, ESTABLISH
IN THE WORLD.” A NEW WORLD.”
1914-47 Ghandi encouraged 1917 1956-58 Young people in China 1966-76
resistance through non- formed the Red Guards
violent civil disobedience. to promote Mao’s message.

China’s cultural revolution In 1966,  Everyone had to read

the leader of the Chinese Communist and carry around a
copy of Mao’s “Little
Party, Mao Zedong, launched a Red Book.”
campaign to make China a classless
society. Millions of educated and
privileged people were forced into
manual labor to be “reeducated”
and many thousands were killed.
Chairman Mao reimposed his control

 Workers and mutinied soldiers marched

on the streets of Petrograd (St. Petersburg).
The two revolutions Stirred up
by the Bolshevik socialist party,
the starving and war-weary Russians  HAMMER AND
demonstrated against the unpopular SICKLE BADGE
Czar (king) Nicholas II in February, In 1922, Russia was
renamed the Union of
1917, who then abdicated. In Soviet Socialist Republics
October, led by Vladimir Lenin, the (USSR). Their symbol
Bolsheviks overthrew the government represented the unity of
to form the first communist state. the workers and peasants. 213
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 In the news ■
FAST FACTS
On September 11, 2001, terrorists
linked with a group called Al-Qaeda
Every day, history is being made. Events affecting attacked buildings in the United States.
HISTORY AND POLITICS

These 9/11 attacks have led to a “War on

people’s lives and altering the politics of nations Terror” against Muslim militants.
around the world are reported in the newspapers, ■ Founded in 1945, the United Nations is

an international organization that seeks

or on the television and the Internet. to achieve world peace.

BREAKUP OF THE USSR CONFLICT IN AFGHANISTAN

In 1991, the
Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics
(USSR) was broken
up and some areas became
independent countries.
Since then, other areas have
wanted independence,
sometimes causing unrest.
The Taliban is an Islamic movement that
ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001. After
the 9/11 attacks (see Fast Facts), Al-Qaeda
leaders were believed to be sheltering in
Afghanistan and this led to the country being
attacked by the United States and its allies.
They overthrew the Taliban government,
but Taliban troops have continued to fight
against the new government of Afghanistan
PROTEST In 2008, people protested and against the US and allied troops that are
during the conflict between Russia and
the independent state of Georgia. still stationed there.

Russia, or the Russian Federation,

became the largest of the new
countries, continuing as a
communist state. Rebel fighters
from the Chechen Republic, or
Chechnya, have taken
u CHECHNYA JOBS hostages in an attempt to
Over 90 per cent of the get independence from
population of Chechnya Russia. In 2008, Russia
are unemployed. The and Georgia were u GULF OIL FIELD
dangerous work of The states around the Gulf have
climbing on to unstable
fighting over the control
become super rich due to the oil
ruins to collect construction of the areas of Abkhazia revenue. The 300-mile (483-km)
material is one of the few and South Ossetia. long oil field in Saudi Arabia is the
ways to make some money. world’s largest.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 IN THE NEWS
ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
After World War II, the state The West Bank and the
of Israel was created as a Gaza Strip are the two
unconnected regions of
home for Jewish people. The the Palestinian territories.
Palestinians also have claims A network of fences,

HISTORY AND POLITICS

to the land. Since then there trenches, and high
have been wars between Israel and its concrete walls have been
constructed as a barrier
Arab neighbors and in more recent years, u BREACHING THE WALLS
around the West Bank The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have
many suicide bombings and other and the Gaza Strip. made a number of attempts to cross into
attacks between Israel and Palestinians. Egypt, seeking food and supplies.

THE GULF REGION CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICA

The region around the Persian Gulf—a Fighting between rebel groups
large bay that extends from the Indian and government forces in some
countries in central and east
Ocean—is the world’s largest source of Africa have forced many
crude oil. Any conflict in the region is an thousands of refugees to flee their
immediate threat to oil supplies around the world. homes. The area is also prone to
Other countries are quick to intervene to environmental disasters, such as
droughts or floods, causing
safeguard the stability of the region
food and water shortages.
and their own oil supplies.

Refugees living in
vast camps rely on
food aid supplied
by charitable
organizations.

Coalition
troops continued
to be stationed in
The 2003 Gulf War Iraq to support the
In 2003, the world was concerned that democratic process
Iraq might be making dangerous and the rebuilding
biological and chemical weapons. A of the country.
US-led multinational force rapidly
defeated the Iraqi army and the
authoritarian president was replaced
by a new elected government.

TAKE A PICTURE
The United Nations (UN) organization aims to
develop friendly relations between the countries
of the world, bringing them together to solve
international economic, social, cultural, and
humanitarian problems.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 What is a government?
A government is a small group of people who make laws and decisions about
HISTORY AND POLITICS

how their country is run. They raise money from everyone in taxes and decide
how this money is to be spent, such as on hospitals, schools, the army, prisons,
and the building of new roads.

ONE-PARTY STATE WHO’S WHO?

In some countries, only
REPUBLIC O

President A head of state of a republic

one political party is OF CUBA with either extensive powers (as in the
allowed to exist; all others The Cuban US) or limited powers (as in Germany).
Communist
are banned. When there Party is the
O

Prime minister The head of

is an election, the one only recognized government in a parliamentary democracy.

party decides who the political party. O Dictator A ruler who has absolute

candidates will be and power.

the voters only get to O

Monarchy The hereditary rule of a

approve that choice. single person. An absolute monarch has

unchecked powers, while a constitutional
monarch has limited powers.
MONARCHY O

Opposition The parties that are not in

a government and may disagree with the

Many countries, like the UK, governing party.
O

Senate The upper house of a
have a king or queen who acts
as head of state but does not legislative assembly (as in the US).
O

Cabinet A group of ministers or others
govern the country. However,
there are a few countries where the monarch still that advises a head of government.
holds all the power and governs the country. These  KINGDOM OF O

Representative A person who is
BRUNEI elected to represent the public in
“absolute monarchs” are not elected, but when The Sultan of Brunei has
they die, power passes to their son or daughter. making laws.
absolute power.

MILITARY RULE

In some countries, if the THE UNION OF

government is weak or MYANMAR
unpopular, the army seizes In 1962, a military coup overthrew
the Burmese government and since
power and forms a military then a general has taken the
government. The country is position as head of state. All the
governed by a military junta— cabinet roles are held by military
a group of senior military officers. Ethnic struggles between the
officers, often with one Government (junta), the Karen
National Union, and the Mong Tai
particular general in control. Army have continued.

NONDEMOCRATIC
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 WHAT IS A GOVERNMENT?

MULTIPARTY DEMOCRACY

TAKE A LOOK: VOTING IN ELECTIONS

HISTORY AND POLITICS

In a democracy, all adults are allowed to
vote. On election day, they are given a
 THE CANDIDATES piece of paper with the names of the
In an election, candidates may be candidates on it. They vote by putting a
nominated by different political parties. cross or a number next to the candidate’s
The person who gets the most votes is name. The voters deposit their voting slips
elected and the party with the most elected into a locked ballot box. The votes are
candidates forms the government. counted and the candidate with the most
votes is elected to the position.
SYSTEMS OF
GOVERNMENT
A constitution is a written TYPES OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS:
document or unwritten
code that establishes the UNITED KINGDOM (UK) CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
structure and rules of the
political organization of a
country. Constitutional
democracies may take the
Parliament
form of republics, as in
House of Commons House of Lords
France and the US, or
Governing Party: Opposition Parties:
constitutional monarchy, as
Senior Unelected Senior
in the UK and Spain. The Prime Minister Opposition Leaders bishops Lay peers judges
country may have a
Cabinet Shadow Cabinets
presidential system (US),
a parliamentary system Members of parliament Opposition MPs
(UK), or a semipresidential
system (France).  UNITED KINGDOM UK The monarch acts as head of state, but the parliament is responsible
for making and changing the laws in the UK, which is done with the majority approval of both the
House of Commons and the House of Lords.
 PROTESTS
If people disagree with a bill, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (US) CONSTITUTION
they will often organize protests
to try to make their government
take notice or change it.

Executive Branch Legislative Branch Judicial Branch

The White House The US Capitol Supreme Court and
other courts of law
President Congress
Senate House of Representatives
Vice President
Elected Senators Elected Representatives

Cabinet

 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA US The United States is the oldest constitutional republic
and has three separate branches. The executive branch carries out the instructions of Congress, the
legislative branch creates and changes laws, and the judicial branch manages the system of justice.

DEMOCRATIC 217
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 SCIENCE
SCIENCE

The word science comes from the Latin scientia, meaning knowledge.
Scientific ideas were recorded by the philosopher Aristotle about 2,350 years ago.
Sound waves with a frequency of 20,000 Hz or more are known as ultrasound.
The universe is about 13.7 billion years old and is expanding at an increasing rate.
The Earth’s core is a solid iron sphere surrounded by a deep layer of molten iron.

How What is
does a terminal
nutcracker crush a velocity and how
walnut? Find out does it affect a
on page 233 skydiver? Find out
on pages 234—235

218
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Definition: Science helps us
understand the workings of

SCIENCE
the universe and everything in
it. We increase our knowledge
by observing, experimenting,
and testing theories.

Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2 explains that energy and matter are the same thing.
The Earth’s climate is changing as a result of carbon dioxide produced by human activity.
The instructions to make you are carried on about 25,000 genes in the DNA of your cells.
In 1514 Copernicus was the first to show that the Earth moves around the Sun.
Sound travels at a speed of 740 mph (1,190 km/h) through dry air that is 32°F (0°C).

Why do How do we get

objects electricity from
sitting in water solar panels? Find out
seem distorted on page 231
at the surface?
Find out on page 241

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 What is science? TAKE A LOOK:
COPERNICUS
One of the greatest ever scientific
O


theories was put forward by Polish
Science is the search for knowledge about the world astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus
in 1507. His idea was that Earth
and the way it works. Unlike other ways of explaining travels around the Sun, rather than
how the world works, science is based on experiments vice versa. At first, people thought
this was crazy because the Sun
SCIENCE

that test theories (ideas). moves across the sky each day, as
though it’s going around Earth.
But Copernicus discovered that
BEFORE SCIENCE this is an illusion caused by the
Earth spinning around.
In the past, people relied on ancient
stories to explain such things as how
life began, why the Sun appears to
cross the sky, what lies beyond the
oceans, and so on. These stories
often came from religious books or
from scholars who dreamed up
imaginative ideas without checking
them. Because the stories were never
JAPANESE MYTH says tested, there were hundreds of  COPERNICAN WORLD SYSTEM
that the gods stirred the ocean different versions, and every culture Pictures like this showed the Sun at the
to create the first island. center of the universe for the first time.
had a different version of the truth.

Testing theories
How does science work? Proving theories
Scientists begin with an idea, or “theory.”
Science began when people started to Although scientists can prove that a
Imagine you have a cold but get better
check their ideas about the world. bad theory is wrong, they can never
after drinking orange juice. You might
One of the first people to do this was prove that a good theory is absolutely
form a theory that orange juice cures
an English doctor named William right. Even if a theory seems correct,
colds. To test this, you could give orange
Gilbert (1544–1603). He performed someone could always do a new
juice to people with colds. If they get
many experiments on magnetism and experiment in the future and prove
better faster than people who don’t drink
eventually proved that it wrong. So theories
juice, the theory is
the Earth is like a always remain
strengthened.
giant magnet. theories.

Electron
OLD MARINERS
COMPASS Gilbert Proton
showed that compasses
point north because of the
ATOMIC
Earth’s magnetism. THEORY It is
still only a theory Neutron
Orange juice
TIMELINE OF SCIENCE that matter is made of atoms.

c.350BCE 1543 1665 1687 17301880

Aristotle is often called the Andreas Vesalius Robert Hooke was an Isaac Newton was a British Many scientists built
first scientist. His ideas helped was a Belgian English scientist. He scientist. He set on one another’s work
lay the foundations of modern who wrote a used an early telescope out new ideas to understand
sciences such as physics, seven-volume to show that cells are about motion electricity and turn it
chemistry, and biology. book about the building blocks of and gravity. into a useful source of
the body. all living things. power.
220
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
THE SCIENCES Biology
Since science began over 2,000 years ago, our knowledge
Biology is the
of the world has increased enormously. Science has led
scientific study
to many discoveries that have transformed society, of living things. Its
such as cures for diseases. It’s also led to amazing new many branches are devoted
inventions, such as telephones, televisions, space rockets, to different kinds of life,
and computers. These practical spin-offs of science are including botany (the study
of plants) and zoology (the study of
called technologies.

SCIENCE
animals). The most important idea in
biology is the theory of evolution by
Medicine Chemistry natural selection, which explains how
Medicine is the All substances are made living things came to exist in their
science of healing of chemicals, from your current form.
illnesses. In the past, hair and teeth to the air
people believed that around you and the
diseases were a punishment for
FOSSIL
paper in this book.
Preserved remains
bad behavior. Scientists now Chemists investigate of living things
know that most diseases are how atoms join helped scientists
caused by microscopic together in different to understand
organisms, ways to form evolution.
inherited genes, molecules, or how
or faults with molecules break Astronomy
a person’s apart and recombine
immune system. to form new Planet Earth is a tiny speck of matter
substances. in a vast universe of planets, stars,
galaxies, and colossal areas of empty
space. Astronomy is the study of this
Physics Geology gigantic realm beyond our own
planet. Thanks to rocket technology,
Physicists investigate energy and Geology is the astronomers can now study space
movement. They study the tiniest study of the Earth first hand.
particles of matter that make up and its interior.
atoms, and things that aren’t Geologists study
made of matter at all, such as how rocks form
time, light, gravity, and from chemicals
space. The work of physicists called minerals
led to the discovery of and how they break down or change
radio waves, which gave into new types of rock. Geologists also
us television and cell look at processes that happen deep
phone technology. underground in Earth’s interior.
These processes cause earthquakes
and volcanoes, and continually
reshape our planet’s surface
over long periods of time.

1869 18901956 19051915 1953 1989

Dmitri Mendeleyev Scientists developed Albert Einstein’s Francis Crick and James Internet Tim Berners-
was a Russian chemist. the atomic theory. theories of relativity Watson unraveled the Lee invented the World
He laid the foundations They knew how changed physics structure of DNA, the Wide Web, a new way
of modern chemistry atoms are put with new ideas genetic code inside of sharing information.
when he wrote the together and how about space, time, living things.
Periodic Table. they break apart. light, and gravity.
221
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Mighty atoms
Everything is made up of atoms. These incredibly
small particles are the building blocks of all matter, FAST FACTS
O
The period at the end of this sentence
from the rocks that make up our Earth, and the covers around 250 billion atoms.
SCIENCE

animals, plants, and other creatures that live on it, O
Elements are made up of atoms that

each have the same number of protons.

to the planets and stars in distant galaxies. O
Protons and neutrons consist of even

smaller particles called quarks.

INSIDE ATOMS
Atoms may be small, but they
contain even smaller particles.
Protons and neutrons cluster
ELECTRON
together in the nucleus at
the center of the atom.
Electrons move in a
cloud that surrounds
the nucleus. Strong
electrical forces
hold these small
particles together
inside atoms.

 ATOMS Just as the images

on a computer monitor consist
of tiny dots of light called
pixels, objects in the real world NUCLEUS
are made of tiny dots of matter
called atoms.

PROTON

NEUTRON

LOOKING AT ATOMS
Atoms are too small to see. In fact, they are much
smaller than the wavelengths of visible light, so
a microscope is not much use either. Instead,
scientists “see” atoms by taking pictures of the
electric fields around these tiny particles.
222
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
Glucose Alcohol Water
C6H12O6 C2H6O H2O
O

Also known O

Also known O

Covers around 70 percent
as dextrose as ethanol of Earth’s surface
O

First isolated O

Formed by the action of of O

Essential for life
from raisins in 1747 by yeast on natural sugars.
Andreas Margaff Without water, life on
The word alcohol is the common Earth could not survive. This simple
Plants make this simple sugar using name for ethanol, which is the type molecule makes up around 70 percent

SCIENCE
the energy in sunlight. Animals eat of alcohol found in beer, wine, and of the human body. Water is the only
these plants and other animals and spirits. In concentrated form it kills molecule that exists on Earth in three
then use the glucose in them as a germs. Doctors and nurses use it to different forms—as a solid (ice), a gas
source of energy to stay alive. clean the skin before an injection. (water vapor), and liquid (water).

Vitamin B7 Vitamin D Diamond

C10H16N2O3S C28H44O C
O

Also known as O

Also known O

Hardest known
biotin or vitamin H as cholecalciferol substance in nature
O

First isolated O

First isolated O

Highly prized as a
in 1941 by Vincent in 1922 by Edward gemstone for jewellery
Du Vigneaud Mellanby
Diamond is a rare form of carbon in
Vitamin B7 is one of Vitamin D is essential for which each carbon atom bonds with
eight molecules that make up the building strong bones. This molecule four other carbon atoms to form
vitamin B complex. This essential is made in the body when the skin is a tightly packed crystal structure.
vitamin is vital for cell growth. exposed to sunlight. Other sources Diamonds are very hard so they
Sources include liver, brewer’s yeast, include cereals and fatty fish. are used to make the tips of drills.
and dairy products.

MOLECULES Atoms stick together to form bigger  EACH DROP OF WATER

below is made up of three atoms—
particles called molecules. The force that holds them one oxygen atom (light blue) and
together is called a chemical bond. Atoms form chemical two smaller hydrogen atoms (white).
bonds by donating or sharing electrons with other atoms.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Solid, liquid, or gas?
Almost everything in the world exists in one of three states
of matter. Solids keep a fixed shape, liquids have no fixed
shape but fill the container in which they are held, and
SCIENCE

gases float around in space with no fixed shape or volume.

SOLID STATE
The atoms or molecules in a solid substance
are held together by electrical forces. They
are arranged in a repeating pattern called a
crystal lattice—similar to the way apples or  LIQUID The atoms
 SOLID The atoms or or molecules in a liquid
molecules in a solid are
oranges stack together in a grocery store. are packed less tightly
packed tightly together. This makes the solid dense and hard. than those of a solid.

SOLID TO LIQUID If you heat up an ice cube to its

melting point, the solid ice gradually turns into liquid
water. Ice melts at 32°F (0°C). Melting

Freezing LIQUID TO SOLID When the molecules in liquid

water lose energy, they freeze and turn into solid ice.
Water freezes at 32°F (0°C).

Carbon crystals A diamond is made up of

many carbon atoms, which line up to form a
crystal. The arrangement is so perfect that the
carbon atoms are held very tightly. This makes
diamond the hardest substance found in nature.
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 SOLID, LIQUID, OR GAS?
CHANGING STATES INTO THIN AIR
If you heat a solid enough, the atoms or
O

Some substances, such as iodine, can
molecules from which it is made get enough
change directly from a solid to a gas
energy to break apart and slide over each without first becoming a liquid. This
other. The solid melts and changes from is called sublimation.
the solid state into the liquid state. O

At room temperature, dry ice

(frozen carbon dioxide) sublimes to

Heat the liquid further, and it boils,
become carbon dioxide gas.
changing into the gaseous state.

SCIENCE
LIQUID STATE GASEOUS STATE
The atoms or molecules in a liquid The electrical forces between the atoms
substance can slide over each other, and molecules in a gaseous substance have
so a liquid can be poured into a broken down completely, so they will fill
container. But the electrical forces  GAS The atoms or the container in which they are held. Gases
molecules in a gas are
between the atoms or molecules in a held so loosely that they
cannot be poured like liquids, and many,
liquid stop them from pulling apart. fly away into space. but not all, are invisible.

LIQUID TO GAS If you heat liquid water up

to its boiling point, 212°F (100°C), the molecules
evaporate (turn into a gas) and escape into the air. Evaporation

Condensation GAS TO LIQUID When water vapor in

the air loses energy, the molecules stick
together and become liquid water.

Liquid metal At room temperature, Heating up Solid aluminum reacts with

nearly all metals are solids. But there liquid bromine to give solid aluminum
is one exception—mercury. Mercury has bromide. The reaction produces a lot of
a melting point of –36.4°F (–38°C), so it heat, and the excess bromine boils. This
stays liquid—even if you put it in a freezer. produces brown fumes of bromine gas.
225
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 Mixing chemicals
A few common substances are made of just one chemical, such as
pure water or pure salt. Most of the things that we come across
every day, however, are combinations of several chemicals.
SCIENCE

COMPOUNDS
Many substances undergo changes
when they are mixed together.
The chemical bonds that bind the
molecules to each other break apart
 OIL AND WATER
 DISHWASHING and then recombine to form new never combine because
LIQUID is a mixture
of soap, water, and substances called compounds. their molecules repel
other chemicals. each other.

MIXTURES
Some substances do not
react when they are added
together because they
cannot form chemical
bonds. These are called
mixtures. Mixtures can
easily be separated again
because the original
substances do not change.

TAKE A LOOK

Mixtures are made of different

O


elements or molecules. During
mixing, some of the substances
may become harder to see. In
coarse mixtures you can usually COARSE
  SUSPENSION  COLLOID These  SOLUTION When
spot each substance. Suspensions MIXTURE In some When small soil are like suspensions, one substance dissolves
may look like a single liquid, but mixtures the particles particles are mixed but the particles do in another it is called a
eventually they separate out. are large enough to with water they form a not sink to the bottom. solution. Seawater is a
Solutions are the most thoroughly be seen and separated suspension. Eventually In milk, tiny droplets solution of salt and
mixed—it is often difficult to tell easily. Gravel is a the heavier solids will of fat float in a water; air is a solution
there is more than one substance. coarse mixture. sink to the bottom. watery solution. of gases.

226
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 MIXING CHEMICALS

SEPARATING MIXTURES AND COMPOUNDS CHEMICAL

REACTIONS
It is much easier to separate a mixture than a When the atoms of two or
compound. Mixtures can be separated using more substances rearrange
physical methods, such as evaporation, filtration, themselves to form a new
flotation, or distillation. Separating compounds compound, we say that a
may require several steps before you get the substance chemical reaction has taken
you want, including mixing with other chemicals, place. Most chemical

SCIENCE
heating, and filtering. reactions are irreversible—
you cannot turn a cake
CHROMATOGRAPHY  IRON can be
This is used to identify colored back into eggs and flour. prevented from
substances in a mixture. A drop Some reactions can be rusting by coating
of the mixture is placed onto it with a less
chromatography paper and solvent reversed but may need heat reactive metal,
is then dripped onto it. As the or pressure to change back. such as zinc (left).
solvent travels across the paper, the
different substances travel across
the paper at different speeds.
Scientists can then figure out what
each substance is by the distance it
has traveled.
 PANNING FOR GOLD
Gold prospectors separate
grains of gold from river
gravel by swirling the gravel
around in a shallow pan.
The heavier gold sinks to
the bottom and can be
picked out.

Reversible reaction When iron is exposed to air

or water it starts to react. The metal reacts with
oxygen, which turns the iron into the reddish
brown iron oxides we call rust. However, if you
were to heat the iron oxides in a blast furnace they
would change back into iron and oxygen.

Irreversible reaction Burning wood

causes irreversible changes. The
carbon atoms in the wood react with
oxygen in the air to form ash, smoke,
and carbon dioxide. The wood also
loses energy as heat and light. Even if
you put all these things together in
 ALLOY This is a a test tube they would not change
solid solution in which back into wood. Another irreversible
one metal has dissolved change happens when food starts to
in another. Alloys are
often tougher and more rot. Tiny microorganisms feed on the
durable than the food and turn it into new substances.
original metals. This process is called decomposition.

227
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 It’s elementary
An element is a pure substance that cannot
be broken down into simpler chemicals. An
element is made of only one type of atom.
SCIENCE

So, the element hydrogen is made only of

hydrogen atoms, and gold of gold atoms.
WHERE DO ELEMENTS COME FROM?
Most scientists believe that much of the hydrogen and
some of the helium in the universe were formed in the
“Big Bang” that formed the universe. Hydrogen
has the smallest and simplest atoms, and
helium has the next smallest.

THE PERIODIC TABLE

Scientists recognize 117 Every element has a one- or two-letter
different elements, which H
symbol. For example, Kr is the
He
HYDROGEN
Symbol HELIUM

have been organized into 1

symbol for the element Krypton. Kr 2

Be Scientists use these symbols to write O

a chart known as the Li
36
Name B C N F Ne

Periodic Table. This table

LITHIUM
3
BERYLLIUM
4 down the chemical formulas for BORON
5
CARBON
6
NITROGEN
7
OXYGEN
8
FLUORINE
9
NEON
10
Atomic
Na Mg molecules and chemical reactions. number Al Si P S Cl Ar
was first devised in 1869 SODIUM MAGNESIUM Aluminum SILICON PHOSPHORUS SulfUR CHLORINE ARGON

by Russian chemist Dmitry 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

K Sc Ti V Cr Fe Co Ni Cu Ga Ge As
Mendeleyev, who organized POTASSIUM
Ca
CALCIUM SCANDIUM TITANIUM VANADIUM CHROMIUM
Mn
MANGANESE IRON COBALT NICKEL COPPER
Zn
ZINC GALLIUM GERMANIUM ARSENIC
Se
SELENIUM
Br
BROMINE
Kr
KRYPTON

elements with similar 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Sr Y Zr Ru Ag In
properties into groups. Rb
RUBIDIUM STRONTIUM YTTRIUM ZIRCONIUM
Nb
NIOBIUM
Mo
MOLYBDENUM
Tc
TECHNETIUM RUTHENIUM
Rh
RHODIUM
Pd
PALLADIUM SILVER
Cd
CADMIUM INDIUM
Sn
TIN
Sb
ANTIMONY
Te
TELLURIUM
I
IODINE
Xe
XENON

The elements are arranged 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

Cs Ba Hf Ta W Re Ir Pt Au Bi
by the size of their atoms. Cesium BARIUM
LANTHANIDES
or RARE-EARTH
HAFNIUM TANTALUM TUNGSTEN RHENIUM
Os
OSMIUM IRIDIUM PLATINUM GOLD
Hg
MERCURY
Tl
THALLIUM
Pb
LEAD BISMUTH
Po
POLONIUM
At
ASTATINE
Rn
RADON
55 56 57—71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86

Fr Ra ACTINIDES or
RARE-EARTH Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Metals are on
RADIOACTIVE
FRANCIUM RADIUM METALS DUBNIUM SEABORGIUM BOHRIUM HASSIUM MEITNERIUM ROENTGENIUM
87 88 89—103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 the left-hand
side and center
La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu of the Periodic
LANTHANUM
57
CERIUM
58
PRASEODYMIUM
59
NEODYMIUM
60
PROMETHIUM
61
SAMARIUM
62
EUROPIUM
63 64
TERBIUM
65
DYSPROSIUM
66
HOLMIUM
67
ERBIUM
68
THULIUM
69
YTTERBIUM
70
LUTETIUM
71
Table. On the
Ac Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
right-hand side
ACTINIUM THORIUM PROTACTINIUM URANIUM NEPTUNIUM PLUTONIUM AMERICIUM CURIUM BERKELIUM EINSTEINIUM FERMIUM MENDELEVIUM NOBELIUM LAWRENCIUM
are gases and
89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
nonmetal solids.

RADIOACTIVE DECAY
Some elements are made of atoms so
Compounds
Most chemicals are large they break apart spontaneously.
Water is a
not pure elements, but compound made This is called radioactive decay, and
compounds. A compound of two hydrogen the subatomic particles (smaller than
is a chemical made up of atoms and one
oxygen atom. atoms) and energy released by it can
two or more different
elements chemically
be dangerous. Each radioactive
combined. element has a half life, the time it takes
for half of its atoms to break apart.
228
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 IT’S ELEMENTARY

Au
GOLD
Gold Fe
IRON
Iron He
HELIUM
Helium
79 Aurum 26 Ferrum 2 Helium
■ Group Transition metals ■ Group Transition metals ■ Group Noble gases
■ Discovery date ■ Discovery date Unknown ■ Discovery date 1868
Unknown (prehistoric (prehistoric times) ■ Melting point -458ºF (-272ºC)
times) ■ Melting point 2,800ºF ■ Boiling point -452ºF (-269ºC)
■ Melting point 1,947ºF (1,538ºC)
(1,064ºC) ■ Boiling point 5,182ºF
■ Boiling point 5,173ºF (2,856ºC) (2,862ºC) Helium is the second most
abundant element in the

SCIENCE
Gold gets people excited. It has been Iron is a versatile and abundant metal. universe, after hydrogen. It was
prized and valued since prehistoric We use it to build bridges and make discovered in space, before we
times and turned into many crowns, machines and flatware. Iron is vital to found it on Earth. It weighs very
idols, and crosses over the centuries. your well-being. It gives red blood little and is used to make things
Gold never loses its shine and is easy cells their color and helps to carry float, such as airships and balloons.
to melt and mold. It is measured in oxygen around your body. The center It is also used in liquid form as a
carats—pure gold is 24 carats. of the Earth is made of iron. coolant in big scientific computers.

Hg
MERCURY
Mercury C
CARBON
Carbon U
URANIUM
Uranium
80 Hydragyrum 6 Carbo 92 Uranium
■ Group ■ Group Nonmetals ■ Group Actinides
Transition ■ Discovery date Unknown ■ Discovery date 1789
metals (prehistoric times) ■ Melting point 2,070ºF
■ Discovery date ■ Melting point (1,132ºC)
Pre-1500 BCE diamonds 6,917ºF (3,852ºC) sublimes 8,672ºF ■ Boiling point 7,468ºF (4,131ºC)
■ Melting point -38ºF (-39ºC) (4,800ºC)
■ Boiling point 674ºF (356ºC) Uranium is a naturally occuring
Carbon is vital to all living things, and radioactive metal and was named after
Mercury is poisonous, although in on Earth it is frequently exchanged the planet Uranus. It is refined and
ancient times it was thought to have between the air, living things, and the used in industry, nuclear power
healing and life-giving properties. soil, in a never-ending cycle. Carbon plants, and warfare. In the 1940s it
Early chemists (alchemists) once atoms can join together to make coal was used to make the atomic bomb
thought it held the secret to making and diamonds, as well as with “Little Boy,” which was dropped on
gold. At room temperature, mercury other elements to make more Hiroshima in 1945.
is a liquid. than 10 million compounds.

WHO’S WHO?
Ca
CALCIUM
Calcium P Phosphorus
20 Calcis PHOSPHORUS
15 Lucifer ■ Robert Boyle (1627–1691) was a
■ Group Alkaline earth ■ Group Nonmetals British scientist who laid the foundation
metals ■ Discovery date 1669, by for modern chemistry and proposed the idea
■ Discovery date German chemist Hennig Brand of elements.
Pre-100 CE ■ Melting point 111ºF (44ºC) ■ Henry Cavendish (1731–1810) was
■ Melting point ■ Boiling point 531ºF (277ºC)
the first scientist to prove water was
1,548ºF (842ºC) not an element, but a compound.
■ Boiling point 2,703ºF This fiery element is very
■ Joseph Priestly (1733–1804) was
(1,484ºC) reactive and so isn’t found
a clergyman and scientist. He discovered
naturally on Earth.
several gases, including oxygen.
Calcium is the most abundant Phosphorus is used to
■ Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833–1896)
metal found in living organisms and make matches, fertilizers,
was an explosives scientist. He created
is vital for many cellular reactions. and some weapons. It is
dynamite and founded the five Nobel prizes.
It is also a key component of bones also a component of DNA
■ Marie Curie (1867–1934) was famed
and shells, giving them strength. and helps to make energy
for her work on radioactivity, and discovered
Calcium is also found in milk, in your body.
polonium and radium.
chalk, and seaweeds.
229
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 Energy Freewheeling
Energy is the power behind our world. Although you turns potential
energy into
can’t see it, you can’t do much without it. Whenever kinetic energy.
things move, light up, change shape, get hotter or
SCIENCE

colder, or make noises, energy is involved.

STORED ENERGY
You can do two things with energy: store it or use it.
It takes lots of energy to ride a bike up a hill, but
that energy doesn’t disappear. It’s stored by your body
and by your bike in a form called potential energy.
TYPES OF ENERGY
You use this stored energy when you race back
Energy exists in many different forms.
down without pedaling. The potential
Almost everything we do involves
energy you stored is then converted
changing energy from one form into
into kinetic energy
another. When we’re “using” energy, we’re
(movement energy).
actually converting it into another form.

Kinetic Light Electromagnetic Heat Electrical Nuclear Gravitational

The energy moving A kind of kinetic Electromagnetic Hot things have Electricity is a Atoms can release Falling things, like
things have. Race energy carried by energy is also energy because their convenient form of energy from their this waterfall, release
cars have lots of invisible waves of carried by radio atoms or molecules energy that can be nucleus (central potential energy
kinetic energy. electricity and waves, X-rays, and move more quickly. carried along wires. core). stored using gravity.
magnetism. microwaves.

CHANGING ENERGY

Heat sensitive photograph There’s a fixed amount of RENEWABLE

energy in our universe. We can’t make any more or use ENERGY
any up. All we can do is change energy to other forms. Earth has limited amounts of
When a car brakes, its kinetic energy doesn’t vanish. It fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and
changes to heat in the brakes and wheels (glowing in this
heat-sensitive photograph). gas. Once we’ve used them, there will
be no more. There are unlimited
amounts of renewable energy. This
includes energy from the Sun, the
wind, and the oceans. We can
go on using renewable
energy forever.

230
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES Hydroelectric power Fossil fuels
Most of the energy people now Energy from moving rivers and seas Energy from coal, oil, and gas
use (80-90 percent) comes ■ Percentage of current energy use 6 percent ■ Percentage of current
from fossil fuels. The rest ■ Reserves left Unlimited energy use Oil 38 percent, coal
25 percent, gas 23 percent
comes from renewable energy Rivers flow from mountains and hills ■ Reserves left Oil 40 years,
and nuclear power. down to the sea. This means they gas 100 years, coal 250 years
release stored potential energy.
d TURBINES (water wheels) Hydroelectric power plants capture Although bad for the
behind these channels generate environment, fossil fuels

SCIENCE
this energy to make electricity.
electricity when water flows past them. are still the world’s main
energy source. Coal is
cheap for making
electricity, gas is
easy to pipe to
homes, and oil is
convenient for
powering vehicles.

Geothermal power Biofuels Solar energy

Energy from Earth’s internal heat Energy made using living plants and animals Energy made from the Sun’s light or heat
■ Percentage of current energy use 4 percent ■ Percentage of current energy use Less than
■ Percentage of current energy use Less than
■ Reserves left Unlimited 1 percent ■ Reserves left Unlimited
1 percent ■ Reserves left Unlimited
Growing plants and animals store Almost all the energy on Earth originally
Deep inside, Earth is hot molten rock.
energy we can use in the future. We comes from the Sun. We can tap the Sun’s
Some of this heat is released when
can grow crops to make oil or make energy directly to make electricity. Solar
volcanoes erupt. Geothermal energy
electricity by burning animal waste panels like these turn sunlight into
means using Earth’s inner heat to
such as chicken manure. Energy made electricity.
generate hot water and electricity.
this way is called biofuel.

Nuclear power
Wave power Energy made from Wind power
Energy from the oceans and tides atomic reactions Energy from air currents moving across Earth

■ Percentage of current energy use Less than ■ Percentage of current ■ Percentage of current energy use Less than
1 percent ■ Reserves left Unlimited energy use 6 percent 1 percent ■ Reserves left Unlimited
■ Reserves left Raw uranium,
Wind moving over the oceans stores 80 years Wind turbines work like propellers
energy in waves. Waves have kinetic in reverse. As their rotors spin in the
energy (because they move) and Atoms are made of tiny
particles held together wind, they turn small generators
potential energy (because they’re inside and make electricity.
above the normal sea surface). We can by energy. Large atoms
use the energy in breaking waves and can release this energy by splitting
shifting tides to generate electricity. apart. Small atoms can release
energy by joining together.
Most nuclear power
plants make electricity
by splitting apart
large uranium
atoms.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Feel the force
Forces are at work all the time, pulling you down
to the ground, stopping you from slipping over, and
pushing you one way and then the next. Forces act
SCIENCE

on everything, from the tiny nuclei inside atoms to

the planets and stars that make up the universe.
PULLING AND PUSHING HIDDEN
FORCES Usually
A force is a push or a pull. For example, your hand you must touch an
applies a pulling or pushing force to open and close object to push or
a door. Forces act on all objects all of the time. They pull on it. But some
make them move or change their speed or direction. forces act on things
without touching them.
For example, this magnet
Your hand applies a pushing force
on a toy car to make it move. pulls on these paper clips
with a magnetic force.

A boxer’s fist lands a

powerful blow on a
punching bag.

Action and reaction

When the boxer punches the
punching bag, his or her fist
applies a force to move it.
But the punching bag applies
an equal but opposite force
on the boxer’s fist to slow
it down.
232
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 FEEL THE FORCE

LOTS OF LEVERS
FRICTION FORCES Roll a ball along
the ground and eventually it will come to
YOUR FINGERS
a stop. Friction acts on the ball to slow it grip the chopsticks at
the pivot point. This
down. Try to push a heavy box along the reduces your gripping
floor. Friction provides grip, making it force but magnifies
Fulcrum
your finger movements.
hard to get the box moving.

SCIENCE
MAGNIFYING FORCES
People use machines to magnify forces.
Machines called levers move around a
fixed point called a fulcrum. Most levers
magnify forces, but they act over a shorter
distance than the force you put in. Simple
Disk brakes levers include chopsticks, a pair of pliers,
create friction and a nutcracker.
on the brake disk
to slow the car.
Fulcrum

INERTIA When there are no forces acting
PLIERS convert the

on an object, it will either stay still or keep weak force of your hand
on one side of the lever
moving in a straight line at the same speed. into a stronger gripping
This is called “inertia.” In practice, friction force on the other side
of the lever. Fulcrum
usually slows down a moving object.

A NUTCRACKER
crushes a walnut by turning
RUNAWAY CART! the weak force of your hand
When you let go of into a stronger force nearer
a shopping cart it the fulcrum.
continues moving
under its own inertia.

BALANCED FORCES
WHO’S WHO? When two or more forces act
O

Aristotle (c. 384–322 BCE) The ancient on an object, they combine to
Greeks were the first to study forces. produce a single “net force.” In
Aristotle came up with theories about how some cases, the forces combine to
forces make objects move.
make a larger net force. In other
O

Archimedes (c. 287–212 BCE) built war

machines with levers to strengthen forces. cases, the forces work against each
O

Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) The other, resulting in a weaker net
Italian scientist studied forces by rolling force. Sometimes the two forces
different balls down ramps and shooting cancel each other out completely.
cannonballs through the air.
O

Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727) The

English scientist came up with three laws TUGOFWAR If both

of motion to explain how forces affect the teams pull on a rope with the
motions of objects. same force, the net force is zero
and nobody moves.

233
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Gravity
Gravity is the force of attraction that pulls
things together. On Earth, we experience it as
the force that pulls us down onto the surface
SCIENCE

of the planet. In the universe, gravity is the

force that pulls planets in orbit around stars.
WEAK OR STRONG?
Gravity may seem impressive, but it is
Weight and mass
Weighing scales measure actually the weakest known force in the
the pulling force that universe. It takes objects the size of planets
Earth’s gravity exerts on and stars to produce a noticeable effect.
your body. Gravity exerts The Sun’s gravity is strong enough to hold
more pulling force on a
body with greater mass, so all the planets of the
the scales would register a solar system in
higher weight for a person orbit around it.
with greater mass.

GRAVITY AT WORK
Take up skydiving and you will soon feel the full
effects of gravity at work. When you jump out of a
plane, gravity makes your body accelerate toward the
ground. At the same time, air rubs against your body,
creating friction, or drag, which works against gravity.
Eventually the two forces balance, and you stop
accelerating—you have reached “terminal velocity.”
According to legend,
Galileo dropped balls
of different weights
from the Leaning Tower
of Pisa to show they hit
the ground at the
same time.

Gravity
and Galileo
The first scientist to
study gravity seriously was an Italian  TERMINAL
named Galileo Galilei (1564–1642). He VELOCITY The highest
did lots of experiments and concluded that velocity reached by skydivers
with an unopened parachute is
in the absence of air resistance all falling about 125 mph (200 km/h).
objects would accelerate downward at the Opening a parachute slows the
same rate. It is the air resistance, called skydiver down by increasing drag.
drag, that allows some objects to reach the
ground more slowly than others.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 GRAVITY

NEWTON EINSTEIN

 SCIENCE GENIUS APPLE IDEAS  WARP FACTOR Albert  RELATIVE SUCCESS

Sir Isaac Newton was the Legend has it that Einstein came up with another Einstein came up with his
first person to figure out Newton came up with theory to explain gravity. He theory in 1916. A few years
that the force of gravity his theories about suggested that a big mass, such as later, astronomers showed he
keeps the Moon trapped in gravity when he saw a planet, warps space and time was right, when light from a
orbit around the Earth. an apple fall from a in the same way as a heavy ball distant star was shown to
tree. He showed that resting on a rubber sheet. bend as it passed the Sun.
the force that pulled

SCIENCE
the apple to the ground
was the same force that
pulled the Moon into
the Earth’s orbit.

The warping effect creates

the force of gravity.

Center of gravity
Gravity pulls down
on an object through a
point called the center of
gravity. An object will tip
over if its center of gravity is
too high or moves outside the
base of the object. All-terrain
vehicles have a very low center
of gravity so they can drive up
and down steep slopes.

Vomit Comet Astronauts appear to float

weightlessly in an aircraft as the plane
follows the path that an object in free fall
would take. In fact, the astronauts and
the aircraft are accelerating at the same
rate, but there is no contact between them.
The plane is nicknamed the “Vomit Comet”
because it makes some astronauts feel sick.

EXPLODING STARS
Stars are powered by nuclear reactions. In the
core of the Sun, hydrogen atoms combine to
form helium, releasing extreme heat. When the
Sun runs out of hydrogen in its core, the core
will collapse. The collapse of the core of a larger
star might release enough energy that the star is
seen as a supernova. The outer parts of the star
are blown into space.
235
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Electricity
Everything in the universe is made up of atoms that
Neutron we can’t see. Each atom has particles that transport an
Proton
Electron
electric charge. Electricity powers items we use every
SCIENCE

day, from lights to computers. It is carried to our

Charge carriers Atoms contain
particles that carry electrical charge. homes by a series of cables and power plants.
Protons are found in the nucleus
and carry a positive charge. CHARGED CLOUDS
Neutrons are also found in the
nucleus, but are uncharged.
Lightning strikes when static
Electrons orbit around the nucleus. electricity builds up in a
storm cloud. Negative charge
collects at the bottom of the
cloud, while positive charge
builds up near the top.
Eventually, the negative
charge shoots down to the
ground in a bolt of lightning.

TELL ME MORE...
Static electricity can be very handy
if you are a farmer. Crop spraying
Static electricity The buildup of delivers pesticide as a spray of fine
static electricity can make your hair droplets. The spray
stand on end. If you touch the metal is given an electric
dome of a Van de Graaf generator, charge so that the
positive charge transfers to your body, droplets repel each
including your hair. The hairs repel other and spread
each other, making them stand on end. out over the crops.

BATTERIES
provide power Current electricity NERVES
Electrons can flow through
metals and other conductors. The nerves inside your body
PAPER CLIP work like electric wires.
acts as a switch This flow of electrical charge
They carry messages to and
is called current electricity,
BULBS from the brain to different
and it can be used to light parts of your body in the
light up
up our homes and power form of electric signals.
electrical devices such as
microwaves and televisions.
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 ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

Magnetism
Whenever there is electricity, there is magnetism.
This mysterious, invisible force draws some metal
objects together or pushes them apart.

SCIENCE
WHAT CAUSES MAGNETISM? Natural magnet Earth is a giant
Compass aligns with
The same moving electrons that create the magnetic field of
natural magnet whose magnetic
the bar magnet. field makes compass needles point
electricity also create magnetism. This
toward the magnetic North Pole.
force acts through an invisible magnetic Earth’s magnetic field extends
field. You can see this field of force if thousands of miles into space,
you scatter some iron filings around forming a vast area
a bar magnet. known as the
magnetosphere.
Like poles push apart

S N N S

 LIKE POLES REPEL

Magnets have north and south
poles. If you push the same poles
together they repel each other.
S N S N

 UNLIKE POLES ATTRACT

Push opposite poles together and
a powerful force of attraction
will snap the magnets together.

MAGNETIC NORTH POLE MAGNETIC SOUTH POLE

Electromagnetism Magnetism
and electricity are united by the
force of electromagnetism. If A motor turns
you move a magnet next to a the blades of a
wire, electricity flows through food processor
the wire. Similarly, whenever
electrons flow through a wire,
they create a magnetic field
around the wire. Moving motor Electrons flowing through
a wire coil can make a magnet move in and
ELECTRICITY flowing out of the coil. Electrical energy changes into
through the loops of electric wire
inside an electromagnet generate kinetic energy. This is how an electric motor
a powerful magnetic field to lift works. Electric motors power devices ranging
scrap metal. from computers to kitchen appliances.

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 Science of sound
Sound is a form of energy. It passes
through air, water, and solid objects
as invisible waves. We can hear sound
SCIENCE

because the waves make the delicate

skin of our eardrums vibrate. The
Good vibrations Objects can give
vibrations are converted to nerve out sound energy when they vibrate.
signals in our brains. This vibrating guitar string causes
TUNING
molecules of air to bump into each FORKS vibrate
other. The collisions between at a particular

7/7  PEAKS AND molecules spread like ripples in a frequency, so it

TROUGHS pool, carrying the sound outwards always gives out
The height, or sound at the
Sound waves travel through air in all directions. same pitch.
“amplitude”, of
at about 1,190 km/h (740 mph). peaks and troughs
This is slower than light waves, which in a sound wave
is why we hear the sound of a distant dictates loudness. Peak
jet aircraft or explosion after we see it.
Sound travels faster under water,
about 5,000 km/h (3,125 mph),
though the exact speed varies
with temperature. Trough

SOUND WAVES FREQUENCY 0.5 HERTZ The string

is vibrating with a long wavelength.
We can’t see sound waves,
but we can get a good idea FREQUENCY 1 HZ Vibrations in
how they work by watching double time give shorter wavelengths.
the way a wave travels along
FREQUENCY 1.5 HZ At this higher
a glowing string. The end of frequency the wavelength shortens again.
the string is vibrated by a
machine called an oscillator. FREQUENCY 2.5 HZ High frequency
sound waves make high-pitched sounds.

TAKE A LOOK: DECIBEL SCALE

We measure the loudness of sound

using the Decibel scale. This is what
mathematicians call a “log scale”,
meaning the quietest sounds
measure 0 dB, a sound ten times
louder is 10 dB, a sound 100 times
 0 dB  15 dB  60 dB  90 dB
louder is 20 dB, and a sound 1,000 The tiny sound of a A whispered A normal The sound of a high-
times louder is 30 dB. finger brushing skin. conversation. speaking voice. speed train passing by.

238
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 SCIENCE OF SOUND
Seeing with sound Sound waves bounce Bat calls The echolocation
off objects in the same way light waves do. calls produced by bats are
Dolphins and bats are able to use these loud but so high pitched
echoes to picture objects around them. that most people cannot
With the aid of computer-imaging hear them at all. Bats have
software that converts sound waves into incredibly sharp hearing
pictures, we can do the same. Echolocation and use faint echoes from
Seeing with sound nearby surfaces to pinpoint
prey or detect obstacles.

SCIENCE
FIRST PHOTO
Advanced ultrasound
scanners can produce
amazingly detailed
images such as this
unborn baby.

ULTRASOUND SCANNERS
send out high-pitched waves and
pick up the echoes to create an image.

Sonogram
A sound diagram

PITCH AND TONE

The way we hear a sound depends on the
shape of the sound waves. The spacing of
The “sonic shock” caused by a
waves affects the frequency or pitch of the supersonic aircraft causes water in
sound. Closely packed waves indicate high the atmosphere to condense, forming
a visible cone, or collar, of vapor.
pitch, while stretched out waves are low-
pitched. A clear-toned sound like a bell
creates smooth waves, while harsh tones such
as drumbeats make jagged-looking waves.

Breaking the sound barrier

When a supersonic aircraft breaks the speed of
 100 dB  110 dB  120 dB
sound, it overtakes its own sound waves, pushing
The blast of a car horn. The sound of a The roar of a jet them closer together to create a “sonic boom”.
thunderstorm overhead. aircraft taking off. A whipcrack is a type of sonic boom, caused when
the whip tip breaks the sound barrier.
239
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Light fantastic
Energy takes many forms. Light is one we are familiar with
because our eyes are specially adapted to detect it. However
seeing light is one thing – understanding it is more tricky.
SCIENCE

HOW DOES LIGHT TRAVEL?

Puzzlingly, light behaves as though it is

LIG
made of both waves and particles. Like

HT P
S
T WAVE
waves, light can be reflected and refracted,

ARTICLES
and its wavelength can be measured. Other

LIGH
types of wave need something (a “medium”),
to ripple through, but light can travel
across a vacuum.

Shadows
Light travels in a straight line, and
cannot bend round obstacles. The space
behind an obstacle looks dark because
the only light reaching it is that reflected
from other objects nearby.

Filament

Where does light come from?

Atoms that are excited by a collision return to
their normal state by emitting light energy. The
atoms in a heated lightbulb filament shed their
excess energy by flinging out tiny packets of light
called photons, causing the filament to glow.

THE SPEED OF LIGHT

O

Light is the fastest moving thing in the Universe. It travels across empty space at the
unimaginable speed of 300,000 km/second (186,411 miles/second).  ALL A BLUR
O

One light year is the distance light can travel in one year. This is about 9.5 trillion km Fast-moving objects
(5.9 trillion miles). Light years are used to measure colossal distances across space. appear blurred because
The Sun is a mere 499 light seconds away. light travels much
O

Albert Einstein worked out that if there was a way to travel at close to light speed,
faster than our brain
takes to interpret what
time would slow down and you would age more slowly. we are seeing.

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 LIGHT FANTASTIC
REFLECTION When light strikes an
The break in the
object, some of it is bounced back or straws is an REFRACTION When light
“reflected”. The angle of reflection is illusion caused
crosses the boundary between
by refraction.
always the same as the angle at which two media with different
the light hits the surface, so on a smooth densities (such as air and water),
surface we see a perfect reflection, or it bends, or “refracts”. This is why
mirror image. If the surface is curved or objects standing in water appear
uneven, the image is distorted.

SCIENCE
distorted at the surface. If you try to
touch a coin or pebble in a bucket of
water, it will not be exactly where
your eyes tell you it is.

Lenses A lens is a transparent

object with curved surfaces that
refract light in a predictable way.
An object close behind a bulging
or “convex” lens will appear
magnified while one seen
through a dished or “concave”
lens will appear reduced in size.
Telescopes, microscopes, and
spectacles all use lenses.

IMPERFECT eyesight can be

corrected with artificial lenses.

SHORT SIGHT is
when the eye focuses an
image too far forward.
It is corrected with a
concave lens.
Concave lens

LONG SIGHT
FIREWORKS causes the image to
The atoms of different focus too far back, so
materials emit light of the retina only detects
different colors or a blur. It is fixed with
wavelengths. Firework Convex lens a convex lens.
makers use this to create
wonderful displays. Heat haze
Refraction can happen when
light passes through air of
mixed density. Cool air over
hot ground contains layers of
variable density, and light
passing through the layers is
bent, causing a shimmering
heat haze. In extreme cases the
effect results in a “mirage” – a
watery-looking reflection of
the sky.

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 Spectrum WOW!
To remember the colors of
the visible spectrum in order,
RAINBOWS
We see rainbows when white
light is refracted as it passes
The universe is full of electro- memorize this phrase: “Roy G. through different media,
Biv”, for Red, Orange, Yellow, such as drops of water or
magnetic radiation, which travels Green, Blue, Indigo, thin layers of oil. Sunlight
in waves. Our eyes see a small and Violet. passing through rain or mist
SCIENCE

range of these waves as visible from a fountain creates

rainbows, and we see them
light, but we can also detect produced by solid materials
the effects of other such as crystal or perspex.
radiation types.

Prism
When waves strike the surface of a
White light contains different medium at an angle,
a mixture of visible they are bent by an amount that
wavelengths. differs slightly for different
wavelengths. The bending is
known as “refraction”.
Because short
wavelengths refract
more than long
ones, the different
wavelengths of the
spectrum are
separated by
the prism.

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM The wavelengths of different types

of electromagnetic radiation range
The visible spectrum is a small part of a much larger from shorter than an atom to
spectrum of energy waves. We have found technological millions of miles long.
uses for most types of electromagnetic radiation.
WAVELENGTH

GAMMA RAYS X-RAYS ULTRAVIOLET (UV) VISIBLE RAYS

Gamma radiation X-rays pass Ultraviolet Visible light

is immensely through our rays damage waves make the
powerful. In large bodies. We our cells. world a colorful
quantities it can use them Sunscreen or a place for us
damages our cells to take pictures suntan can help to experience
and DNA. of our insides. filter them out. and enjoy.

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 SPECTRUM

COLOR VISION

Color vision Objects appear

colored to our eyes because their
surfaces reflect some wavelengths of
light but not others. Plants have
chemicals called pigments that color
their fruits and flowers, making
them attractive to the animals that

SCIENCE
A tomato absorbs Lemons reflect red and Blackberries absorb Green peppers reflect
disperse their pollen and seeds. Most green and blue light green light, which we all colors of light, green light and
fruit-eating animals see in color. and reflects red. see as yellow. reflecting very little. absorb red and blue.

Adding color Subtracting color

Televisions produce Paints create colors by absorbing
hundreds of colors by Magenta light rather then emitting it.
mixing red, green, and Mixing the primary paint
blue light in different colors of magenta, yellow,
quantities. Blending and cyan creates new colors
these three primary by reducing the range of
wavelengths to create wavelengths that are
new colors is known Yellow Cyan reflected. This is called
as color addition. color subraction.

You see green light

because the ink used here
absorbs all other color
wavelengths.

Unstoppable waves
Electromagnetic radiation is everywhere.
Visible light is bouncing off this page,
allowing you to see the words and pictures  COLOR PRINTING
printed in different colors. But other kinds The microscopic dots used in
of electromagnetic wave are passing straight color printing come in four
through the pages and through your body colors, but blend to create the
without you even noticing. illusion of thousands more
( p.168–169).

INFRARED (IR) MICROWAVE RADIO WAVES

Warm objects Microwaves Data, sound, radio, and TV

emit IR radiation. make certain and pictures can sets convert the
IR cameras see molecules move be transmitted waves back into
heat as white or very fast and as radio waves. images and sound
red. Cool objects give out lots of Devices such for us to see
appear blue. heat energy. as telephones, and hear.

243
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 The father of evolution

Evolution The English naturalist

Charles Darwin first
proposed the theory of
evolution after studying
Over long periods of time, all species of hundreds of different
animals, plants, and fossils.
organism slowly change. This gradual He realized that many
change, called evolution, is driven by the species were related and had
a common ancestor. Modern
SCIENCE

process of natural selection. This process DNA testing is now proving

allows organisms that are best suited to their that his theory was correct.

environment to survive and reproduce.

ARTIFICIAL SELECTION
NATURAL SELECTION In the wild, species evolve by natural
Darwin observed that most animals and plants produce selection. However, humans have been
more offspring than survive to become adults. He realized helping evolution by choosing animals and
that nature was selecting those with the characteristics plants with desirable characteristics and
best adapted to their surroundings, allowing them to breeding them to produce sheep with more
pass on their characteristics to future generations. wool, cows that give more milk,
and crops that have better
yields. This process is
called artificial selection.

Domestic dogs All dogs are

descended from wolves. Over
time, humans selectively bred Broccoli
them for things like hunting (flowers)
or herding ability, speed, and
size, so that we now have
hundreds of different species.

 SURVIVAL TACTICS
ADVANTAGE Having Cauliflower

Frogs produce hundreds of a long neck allows the (flowers)
eggs but only a few grow giraffe to eat leaves that
into adult frogs. other species cannot reach. Gray wolf

Adaptation Darwin’s theory can explain

why a giraffe has a long neck. In These dogs all
Wild cabbage
the search for food, those that have a little bit
could reach a little higher had of wolf in them.
an advantage over those with
shorter necks. Over time, new
generations developed longer
and longer necks.

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 EVOLUTION
THE FOSSIL RECORD Family trees Scientists trace
Fossils show that life on Earth has changed evolution by examining fossils and
seeing where they fit on the family
throughout its history. Each major layer tree. Many elephant fossils have been
of rock contains species that are slightly found that show how these animals
different to those below or on top of it. developed tusks and a long trunk,
Although it is not easy to find fossils that but not all are direct ancestors of
modern elephants.
show every change in a species, this birdlike
Archaeopteryx (right), is a clear example that

SCIENCE
birds evolved from feathered dinosaurs.

Phiomia

Brussels sprouts
(large buds) Asian
elephant

Red cabbage
(leaves) Gomphotherium Deinotherium
Moeritherium

EVOLUTION AND GENES

Organisms use DNA to pass on their characteristics
to the next generation. DNA is divided up
into sections called genes. Every gene is a
code for a particular characteristic, such as DNA This complicated
hair, feathers, skin, or scales. chemical is the blueprint for
Green cabbage
life. Slight alterations in an
(leaves)
organism’s DNA can result
in gene changes called
mutations that are either
helpful or unhelpful to the
Medium survival of that species.
Woodpecker finch ground finch

HOW LIFE BEGAN

Cabbages These
vegetables may look
different but they are all Vegetarian finch Warbler finch It remains a mystery how
descended from the wild life began. Earth was so
cabbage. Cabbages, New species When Darwin hot that life began in the
cauliflowers, broccoli, visited the Galápagos Islands, he oceans, perhaps around
and Brussels sprouts noticed that all the finches looked vents in the ocean floor
have been bred for like a species on the mainland but (right). Simple molecules
their leaves, had different beaks. He realized began to copy themselves,
flowers, or that all these new species had then formed into cells
buds. evolved from the same parents, but and colonies, and finally,
their beaks had changed to suit the complicated organisms.
food sources on each island.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Genes and DNA
7/7 Unless you are an identical twin, your body is built
There are about 30,000 genes according to a unique set of biological instructions,
in the human genetic code. Some
appear just once and others repeat your own genetic code. These instructions, or genes,
SCIENCE

many times. About 99 percent of

human genes are identical to
are present in all cells and are passed from parent
chimpanzee genes. Even more to offspring.
amazingly, you share about
75 percent of your genes DNA FOR DUMMIES
with a dog!
Genes are made of a substance called Deoxyribose
Nucleic Acid, or DNA. DNA is a very long molecule,

DNA has two chains, linked
found packed up tightly in the chromosomes in the
by molecules called bases, which nucleus of every cell. Cell membrane
always pair up the same way. Nucleus
Guanine pairs with cytosine;
thymine with adenosine. The
order spells out the genetic code.

DNA

 CELL All living things

are made of cells. When cells
 CHROMOSOMES Human divide, the nucleus divides,
Chromosomes beings normally have 46 chromosomes too, and the genetic message
in every cell, except gametes (egg and is duplicated in each
sperm cells), which have just 23. new cell.
IN THE GENES
If a person inherits two different
genes from their parents, often one
will dominate the other. For
example, the gene for brown eyes
+ =
overrides the one for blue eyes.

TIMELINE OF MEDICINE
1859 1860 1869 1953
Charles Darwin’s Gregor Mendel’s Friedrich Miescher James Watson and Francis
book Origin of experiments on pea extracts DNA from Crick discover the structure of
Species outlines plants prove the cells. He calls it DNA and show
the importance of existence of genes. “nuclein.” how it can
inherited traits in copy itself.
evolution.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 GENES AND DNA

FACT FILE
TAKE A LOOK: GENOME
■ Scientists can “cut and paste” genes
■ A genome is the entire genetic code from one species into another to create
inside an organism. The first genetic useful characteristics. The genetically
code to be sequenced in full was that of altered organism is described as
a virus known as bacteriophage phi “transgenic.” Transgenic bacteria are
X174, in 1975. In 1984, the first used to produce useful drugs, and
bacterial genome was sequenced, and in transgenic mice are used to research
1990 scientists began to sequence the cures for many diseases.

SCIENCE
human genome. The project took 13
years to complete. They found that the
genes were padded out by sequences of
“junk DNA,” which had no obvious
function. The human genome contains
about three billion base pairs and codes
for roughly the same amount of data
u THE CHROMOSOMES in this
that can be fit on one CD.
preparation have been treated to
make a particular gene glow green.

GM crops Genes can be transferred

u GLOW FOR IT These mice were
into plants to create transgenic, or
given a jellyfish gene to make them glow
“genetically modified” (GM) crops. in the dark.
GM technology has been used to
produce rice enriched with
vitamins, corn and cabbages that
produce their own insecticides,
and soybeans that survive being Cloning means using DNA from
treated with weedkillers that kill an organism to create an identical
all other plants. new individual, or clone. Some
clones occur naturally—many plants
and some simple animals reproduce
u CYSTIC FIBROSIS is caused by by cloning, and identical twins
a mutation in a gene controlling the are clones. Artificial cloning
production of sweat and mucus. can be used to grow new
organs for transplant
patients.
Genetic diseases Some genes
contain errors that cause them to
malfunction. These faulty genes can
cause diseases such as cystic fibrosis
and sickle cell anemia. Most disease . DESIGNER
genes are “recessive,” like the gene for BABY
u CHEMICAL CURE In the future, Would you pick
blue eyes, meaning the disease only GM crops should reduce the need to treat and choose which
develops if a child inherits a faulty fields and orchards with chemicals that genes to pass on to
copy from both parents. may harm the environment. your children?

1961 1970 1990 1996 2003

Marshall Nirenberg Frederick Doctors use gene The first The completed sequence of
deciphers the genetic Sanger begins therapy for the first experimentally the human genome is
code hidden in the sequencing time, treating a four- cloned mammal, published.
order of the bases. DNA. year old girl suffering Dolly the sheep,
from an is born.
immune disorder.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Forensic science
Forensic science helps the police fight crime. Most people think of murder
investigations when they talk about forensics, but forensic scientists deal with
a range of crimes. Some are computer specialists who trace “cybercriminals”
on the Internet, for example, while others are art experts who identify forgeries.
SCIENCE

CRIME SCENE DO NOT ENTER CRIME SCENE

CRIME SCENE
Crime scene investigators collect the evidence
at a crime scene. They look for any clues that might
secure a conviction, from bloodstains and body fluids
to fibers and footprints. Crime scene investigators
photograph all the evidence and then take it
back to the crime lab for further analysis.

Post mortem After any suspicious

death, a doctor called a pathologist
will do a post mortem. This involves
cutting open the body to find out the
cause and time of death. If the
corpse has been dead for a long
time, the time of death can be
established by studying the
kinds of insects present.
CRIME SCENE
Forensic scientists seal a body
inside a body bag. The corpse
will be stored at a mortuary
until the post mortem.

DEAD BODY TIMELINE

336 HOURS 0+ HOURS 024 HOURS 50365 DAYS
Rigor mortis There is a chemical Bacterial decay Bacteria start Insect invasion Bare bones All
change in the muscles that makes to break down Insects such as flies that is left of
the corpse stiffen up. This starts the body. In lay eggs inside the the dead body
about three hours after death and warm, moist body. When the are the hard
lasts about 36 hours. conditions, the larvae hatch, they parts such as
soft, fleshy parts start to feed on the the skull, teeth,
rot very quickly. rotting remains. and bones.
248
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 FORENSIC SCIENCE

FINGERPRINT FEATURES DNA fingerprinting

If you look at your fingertips, you will Everyone has a unique DNA
sequence (except for identical
notice they are covered in tiny ridges. twins). Forensic scientists can
The ridges form distinct patterns of turn a DNA sample into a
arches, loops, and whorls. No two fingerprint by breaking the
people have been found to have the DNA into small fragments
same prints (not even identical twins) and then making these spread
through a sheet of gel to

SCIENCE
Double loop Whorl Arch
so they can be used for identification. form a series of bands.

DO NOT ENTER CRIME SCENE DO NOT ENTER

Leaving prints Digital data d IRIS SCANS The scanner

Criminals leave prints Dusting brush Long gone are the days of using records the features of the iris,
ink to record fingerprints on which is unique to each
on everything they touch. person.
Prints left in blood stains show up paper. Instead, the police use
clearly. Other visible marks can be left electronic scanners to record the
on soft materials such as soap. Latent prints digitally. The police store
prints are made by the prints on a database, which
natural skin oils. can then be used to match the
These prints show prints found at crimes scenes.
up when forensic A new development is iris
scientists dust scanning, which looks at
the crime scene. the colored tissue
around the pupil.
. DUSTING FOR . FINGER SCAN
PRINTS A forensic A scanner records
scientist dusts a window the pattern of arches,
to reveal a set of prints loops, and whorls that
hidden on the glass. make up a fingerprint.

Cybercrime
TAKE A LOOK: FACE FROM THE PAST Crime involving computers is on
the increase. The crimes often
Forensic scientists have studied skeletal extremely important. It has helped the
remains. They can help forensic artists police solve crimes that happened
involve people stealing credit-card
to build up a 3-D image of the face decades ago. It also reveals what people details and pretending to be
from the skull. Facial reconstruction is from ancient civilizations looked like. someone else. Computer experts
are helping the police to track
down these cybercriminals.

u DEPTH MARKERS u FACE SCULPTURE u SKIN DEEP The artist

The artist makes a cast of the The artist uses a modeling adds a layer of clay to form
skull. Pegs act as depth tool to build up the muscle the skin. The head is now
markers for skin and muscles. layers with modeling clay. fully reconstructed.

249
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TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY

Technology began about 3 million years ago when people invented the first tools.
Computers work at least a million times faster than they did in the 1940s.
A single DVD can store as many words as over 10,000 thick books.
There are over 600 million cars on the planet—roughly one for every 11 people.
A space rocket makes 10 times more power at liftoff than an airplane’s jet engines.

When was What is the

the hot-air range of
balloon invented? the Venturi
Find out on Astrolab?
page 254 Find out
on page
259

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Definition: Technology

TECHNOLOGY
solves practical problems to
make our lives easier. It often
uses science to find ways to
improve things like medicines
or communications.

A vaccine for the measles has saved 7 million lives in developing countries since 1999.
Fiber-optic cables send messages fast enough to go 5 times around the world in a second.
Engineers have managed to fit more than 2 billion transistors on a single computer chip.
The IBM computer firm has filed the most patents (invention ideas) for 15 years in a row.
Over half the world’s oil is used for transportation.

How does What is virtual

a digital snowboarding?
camera work? Find out on pages 264—265
Find out on pages
260—261

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 Inventions and 3000 BCE

discoveries
COTTON
Cotton fabrics
were first
made in the
TECHNOLOGY

valley of the
Indus River.
Since people began living in simple dwellings,
inventions have been a part of technological
development. From the first use of stone for  3500 BCE
ROAD
tools to the worldwide dependence on One of the first
roads to be
computers, people are always built was the
Persian Royal
finding something new. Road in 3500
BCE. It was
1,785 miles
7500 BCE  3500 BCE
(2,857 km).
WHEAT AND BRICK
BARLEY have been
6000 BCE People started making
used to feed people for DRUM strong, waterproof bricks
thousands of years. Drums have been used for thousands by baking them in a kiln
It is thought that it of years. The remains of drums as instead of just letting the
was first grown in old as 6000 BCE have been found mud they were molded
the Middle East. by archeologists. from dry in the Sun.

10,000 7500 5000

BCE BCE BCE

 3500 BC
WHEEL
Without the invention
 10,000 BCE of the wheel we wouldn’t
WHISTLE  4000 BCE be able to do lots things
Archeologists have found SCALES today. Early wheels were
whistles dating from Early scales were beam made from planks of
10,000 BCE. The balances. A straight length wood and were used in
whistle may well have of metal or wood was held Mesopotamia. They were
been the first musical from its center, pans were most likely to have been
instrument. hung from either end and developed by potters
 7000 BCE an object was weighed in who desired to make
FIRE Although fire has one pan against weights completely rounded pots.
been used for millions of in the other pan.
years, it was only nine  3500 BCE
thousand years ago POTTER’S
when people discovered WHEEL
how to make it. Originaly potters
had to mold pots
7000 BCE with their bare
CHISEL hands. With the
About nine thousand  5000 BCE invention of the
years ago people started to PLOW Seeds grow potter’s wheel pots
make stone chisels. The better in soil that has been were a lot easier
chisel gave the user more prepared by a plow. Early plows to make.
control when carving soft were pushed or pulled by people to
materials, such as wood. prepare the ground.
252
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 INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES

TECHNOLOGY
 2500 BCE
 1000 BCE
ARCH
3000 BCE MAGNET
 The first arches were built
RAMP Magnets get their name
in Mesopotamia. The top
Around 3000 BCE people from Magnesia, where they
of two walls were built
started to use a mechanical were first found in their
until they met each other  2000 BCE
aid called a ramp to help mineral form (magnetite).
in the middle to form CHARIOT
with building work. Heavy an arch. Chariots were developed
stone blocks were easier to from oxcarts. Chariots
pull up a ramp than to lift were faster than carts,
straight up. since they only had  700 BCE
two wheels and were SHADOW CLOCK
much lighter. The ancient Egyptians were
among the first to develop a
 2500 BCE clock. The Egyptian shadow
INK clock had to be turned in the
Ink was originally made opposite direction halfway
from soot and glue. It came through the day. It had a
as a dry block, it had to be straight scale to show hours
mixed with water. of the day.

2500 2000
BCE BCE

 2500 BCE
MIRROR
Early mirrors  2000 BCE
 2900 BCE
were disks of LOCK
DAM
polished bronze The ancient
The earliest dam was
or copper. The Egyptians
built by the Egyptians.
first glass mirrors invented locks
They built a mound to
came nearly that were made
act as a dam to stop
4,000 years later.  2500 BCE from a piece of  1700 BCE
the city of Memphis
WELDING wood and pins. RUNNING WATER
from flooding.
Welding was first Most of the locks Minoans in Crete were
used to join pieces we use today are the first to build drains
of metal together based on the and pipes so they could
3000 BCE to make jewelry. concept of the have running water in
CANDLE original locks. the palace of Knossos.
Candlesticks dating
from 3000 BCE
have been found in 900 BCE
Egypt and Crete. ALPHABET WITH
Candles are made VOWELS AND
from putting thin CONSONANTS
cords in liquid wax. The Greeks adapted
the ancient Palestinian
alphabet (with symbols
for consonants) and
made their own, which
included vowels
and consonants.
253
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 The golden age of invention and discovery came in  1876
TELEPHONE
the last two hundred years. New scientific theories Alexander Graham Bell
holds the patent for the
helped people invent things that changed the world. telephone. He was the first
to make it successful, but
there is evidence that others,
 1565 such as Antonio Muecci,
PENCIL  1800 invented it first.
Conrad Gesner
TECHNOLOGY

ELECTRICITY
of Switzerland The Italian scientists
is credited with Luigi Galvani and
inventing the Alessandro Volta
pencil, but may invented the first
only have been device to give a
writing about continuous flow
 1280 an existing of electricity.
EYEGLASSES invention.
English scientist 1878
Roger Bacon came LIGHTBULB
 1700s
up with the idea of Thomas Edison and
INDUSTRIAL
using a magnifying Joseph Swan came
REVOLUTION
glass as a reading up with the idea of
Jobs moved from farms
aid. In 1301, two the electric lightbulb
into factories, where
Italian inventors independently. No
new machines greatly
took it a step need for candles
increased production.
further by and gas lamps—
inventing life would be much
eyeglasses. easier for everyone.

1500 1800
CE CE

 1455  1868 TYPEWRITER

PRINTING PRESS Christopher Scholes and

Johannes Gutenberg’s partners patented the
 1608 typewriter. The American
invention allowed TELESCOPE
multiple copies of company Remington and
Hans Lippershey is Sons took their invention
books to be printed, generally credited
making them available into production in 1873.
with inventing the
for everyone to read. first telescope, but
Galileo was the
first person to use
it for astronomy.

Movable type  1783  1895 XRAY

using metal HOTAIR BALLOON Wilhelm Röntgen’s
letters made The French Montgolfier discovery of X-rays
printing quick brothers invented the earned him the first
and cheap. first hot-air balloon, Nobel Prize for
but they promised  1827 Physics in 1901.
their father they MATCHES
would not fly it. John Walker dipped a
wooden stick in a mixture
of chemicals and the first
friction match came to light.

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 INVENTIONS AND DISCOVERIES
1982
CD
The first compact discs hit
the stores in 1982. They have
continued to be a popular way
of storing data in digital form.

2001
MP3 PLAYERS

TECHNOLOGY
 1903 Apple launched its first
POWERED FLIGHT portable MP3 player,
The pioneers of powered flight were  1979
called the iPod. Within
Orville and Wilbur Wright, who CELL PHONE
two years, they were
took to the skies in a plane known The first commercial
becoming integrated
as the Wright Flyer. Their cell phone was
with cell phones.
historic flight over the sands of about the same size
Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, as a brick. It was  1983
lasted only 12 seconds. developed and INTERNET
launched in The Internet grew
 1928 Japan, but the out of a network
SLICED BREAD  1977 idea had been of computers that
When Otto Rohwedder PERSONAL around for linked universities
invented a bread slicer, COMPUTERS more than and the military  2005
many bakers thought the Our lives have been 20 years. across the United EREADER
idea was silly because the transformed by PCs. States. Today, it is E-books, which are
bread would go Almost every office, used for the World read on e-readers, are
stale. Little school, and home in Wide Web, email, the digital equivalent
did they the developed world and much more. of printed books. They
know! now includes PCs for are popular in Japan.
everyone to use.

1900 2000
CE CE

Penicillin  1957
FIRST SPACE SATELLITE
1997
mold
The Soviet Union launched DOLLY THE
the first artificial satellite, SHEEP
Sputnik 1, on October 14. Scientists at the
Within a month, they had  1982 Roslin Institute in
launched a dog named Laika FIRST Scotland cloned
into space aboard Sputnik 2. ARTIFICIAL the first mammal
 1928 HEART and named her after
ANTIBIOTICS A dentist from country and western
Sir Alexander Fleming Seattle became singer Dolly Parton.
discovered penicillin, the first person
but left it to others to to be implanted
turn it into a practical with an artificial FAST FACTS
treatment that saved heart.
O
German-born U.S. scientist Albert
millions of lives.
Einstein started his career studying new
inventions in a patent office in Switzerland.
1938 O
The first electric washing machine
1980 NOTES a
BALLPOINT POSTIT r Silver discovered was invented by U.S. engineer Alva Fisher
PEN D r. Sp ence 1 968— in 1907.
in
able glue
A Hungarian named reposition use for it. In O
Thomas Edison is credited with more
o
Laszlo Biro invented but had n lleague Art Fry than 1,000 new inventions during his
the ballpoint pen, 97 4, h is co kmark
1 op his boo this,
to st life and is one of the most successful
but World War II used it m
g out. Fro
put back production from fallin ote was created. inventors of all time.
tn
until 1943. the Post-i
255
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 Modern
SLICE OF SURGERY
The image of a surgeon has
changed from backstreet doctors
to computer-controlled robots such

medicine
as the da Vinci Surgical System,
which can perform routine surgical
procedures with precision.
TECHNOLOGY

Medicine has come a long way since the Greek

philosopher Hippocrates laid the foundations for
modern medicine nearly 2,500 years ago. Advances
in all areas of medicine are now helping us live
longer, healthier, and happier lives.

 THROUGH THE KEYHOLE Surgeons

MEDICINE IN MINIATURE
use an endoscope to look inside a patient’s body. Making things smaller allows doctors to see and do more.
In the future, nanotechnology could revolutionize medicine,
with developments such as nanorobots.
SEEING INSIDE THE BODY
A man swallows a capsule endoscope.
As the capsule passes through the body, White
it relays images of the man’s insides to a blood
video screen so doctors can study them. cell

 PLASTIC FANTASTIC Skin grafting is one

of the most common procedures in plastic surgery.

Nanorobotic surgeons
Miniature devices called
nanorobots could be used to help
surgeons repair the body from the
inside out. The nanorobots could
circulate in our blood and attack
harmful germs.
 HEART SURGERY is now routine thanks Red blood
to advances in technology. cell Nanorobot

MEDICINE THROUGH TIME

6,500 BCE 1590 CE 1867 CE 1895 CE 1901 CE
Trepanation was a form Dutch father and son Sterilization X-rays are discovered by Karl Landsteiner
of primitive surgery that Hans and Zacharius practices Wilhelm Röntgen and discovers the
involved drilling Jannsen invent the first pioneered later used to look inside ABO human
holes in the microscope, and by doing by Joseph the body without the need blood group
skull to release so open up the invisible Lister. for invasive surgery. system.
“evil spirits.” world of the cell.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 MODERN MEDICINE

TAKE A LOOK: STEM CELLS

It is now possible to grow new tissues and
organs from stem cells rather than wait for
transplants. Stem cells are primitive cells that
can divide and produce any type of cell in
the body. The body will not reject tissues and
organs grown from stem cells because they

TECHNOLOGY
come from the patient’s own body.

, STEM CELL u EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS u SKIN FROM STEM CELLS

Doctors use stem cells In the laboratory, scientists isolate the The stem cells are used to generate new
taken from the body. stem cells from a developing embryo. skin for use in transplant surgery.

BODY REBUILDING
When the body cannot repair itself, doctors WHO’S WHO?
use technology to rebuild it. Advances ■ Hippocrates (c. 460–c. 377 BCE)

include miniature retinal implants that becomes the founding father of modern
medicine. Hippocrates suggests that
can restore sight and prosthetic limbs disease has natural causes rather than
under direct control of the brain. being a punishment from the gods.
■ William Harvey (1578–1657) studies

the circulatory system and shows how the

heart pumps blood around the body.
■ Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910)

becomes the first woman to graduate with

u SPRINT CHAMP
a medical degree from Geneva College in
South African Oscar
Pistorius is a sprinting New York in 1849.
champion with spring- ■ Dr. Crawford Long (1815–1878) uses
loaded legs. ether as an anesthetic during surgery.
■ Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955)

discovers penicillin. In 1940, Howard

Walter Florey (1898–1968) and Ernst
. MIND
Chain (1906–1979) mass-produce
CONTROL penicillin as an antibiotic.
Former US marine ■ John Heysham Gibbon Jr. (1903–
Claudia Mitchell uses 1973) invents the first heart-lung machine
her brain to move her in 1935. He performs the first open-heart
prosthetic arm.
surgery on a human in 1953.
■ Christiaan Barnard (1922–2001) a

South African surgeon, performs the first

successful heart transplant in 1967.

1950 CE 1957 CE 1985 CE 1996 CE 2007 CE

Surgeons from The first practical For the first time, Scientists clone the first Doctors make
Chicago perform the transistorized surgeons use a robotic mammal—Dolly the Sheep huge strides
first successful organ pacemaker was assistant called PUMA (died 2003). in stem cell
transplant—the made by Earl 560 to help take a tissue research.
kidney of a woman Bakken. sample from the brain.
named Ruth Tucker.
257
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Electric cars
Most cars use gasoline, made from oil, which
causes pollution and adds to global warming.
TECHNOLOGY

Oil supplies are running out, too. That’s why

 Open the hood of an electric car
car designers are turning to electric engines, and you won’t find a gas engine.
Instead, there’s an electric motor
which can use energy from cleaner sources. (shown below in a cutaway).
Copper coils Electric motor Gears make car
of motor wheels turn at
HONDA FCX CLARITY right speed

This might look like an ordinary car but it’s powered

in what could be a much cleaner way. In a normal Drive shaft
car, the engine burns gasoline, releases energy, and turns axles
makes pollution. But in this car the fuel tank is
replaced by a kind of battery called a hydrogen fuel
cell. This takes hydrogen from a tank and oxygen Axle drives
from the air, reacts them together, and produces left wheel

electricity. The only waste product is steam, so if the Axle drives

Stationary right wheel
hydrogen comes from a clean source there is no part of motor
pollution at all. Turning part of motor

TAKE A LOOK: HOW IT WORKS

1 The hydrogen tank stores enough fuel to power
the car for 280 miles (450 km).
The fuel cell chemically reacts hydrogen from the 5
2 4
tank with oxygen from the air to make electricity.
3 The rechargeable battery stores energy released when 1
the car brakes and helps the fuel cell power the car.
4 The power drive unit works like a gearbox. It makes 2 3
more electricity flow from the battery to the motor.
5 The electric motor is light and compact and
turns the front wheels to drive the car along.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 ELECTRIC CARS

Suzuki pixy Microcab The life car

Three-wheeled, low-speed city car Useful for short journeys Stylish and speedy fuel-cell sports car
O

Topspeed Less than 20 mph (30 km/h) O

Topspeed 40 mph (64 km/h) O

Topspeed 85 mph (140 km/h)
O

Range 20 miles (30 km) O

Range 50–100 miles (80–160 km) O

Range 200 miles (320 km)
O

Made in Japan O

Made in United Kingdom O

Made in United Kingdom

Suzuki has created a single-seater Fuel cell cars are being used as taxis Built from lightweight aluminum, this
electric pod that is great for short in Birmingham, England. They are Morgan uses five times less energy than
journeys. Two of the Pixy pods can incredibly light and can travel for an ordinary steel-bodied car. It speeds

TECHNOLOGY
sit in a fuel-cell coach that recharges 100 miles (160 km) before they need from 0 to 60 mph (0 to100 km/h) in 7
them as it moves. The larger coach to stop and refuel. seconds!
can go on longer journeys.

Venturi Astrolab
7/7
High-performance car powered by sunlight
O

Topspeed 75 mph (120 km/h)
Few electric cars are 100
O

Range 60 miles (110 km)
O

Made in France
percent eco-friendly, because
their batteries have to be charged
This solar car has no engine or using electricity. Most electricity still
fuel cell. Instead, it’s covered in comes from power plants
solar panels with lenses on top. burning dirty fuels. These
These capture sunlight, turn it make pollution and add to
into electricity, and store it global warming.
in batteries.

Tesla roadster
Fast, quiet, and less polluting
TESLA ROADSTER
O

Topspeed 130 mph (210 km/h) Batteries
O

Range 250 miles (400 km)
O

Made in US Electric
motor
The Tesla is designed for people
who love ordinary cars but want
them to be environmentally
friendly as well. Its
powerful electric
motor can O
100 percent electric.
accelerate almost O
Powered by 6831 laptop batteries.
as fast as a gas- O
The lithium-ion battery pack takes

driven Ferrari! three and a half hours to charge.

O
Burns no oil.

TESLA O
Accelerates from 0–60 mph

ROADSTER (0-100 km/h) in only 4 seconds.

The Tesla’s rear wheels
are powered by an
electric motor and
batteries at the back. Air cooling pipe
259
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Through a lens
Cameras are everywhere. Cell phones often include CARDS MEMORY
can store

them, they are used in security systems, in space thousands of digital images.

exploration, medical equipment, and in

TECHNOLOGY

An inbuilt flash
A control dial allows
speed cameras. Cameras are devices that the photographer to have
provides light when
it is too dark to take
control over settings.
capture still or moving images. lets the user check
The digital screen a photo.
and review images.
GOING DIGITAL
Digital cameras are similar to film
cameras except that they store the
images on a memory card. Their
lenses focus the image onto an
electronic sensor (CCD or CMOS)
that converts the light into electrical
charges. The charges are measured
to give digital values. Computer
chips process the data to construct
the image, which is then stored on
a memory card.

A circuit board processes information

from the sensor into a digital format.

TAKE A LOOK: SENSOR

A digital camera requires a sensor in order to
work. A shutter allows light to pass through
the lens to a sensor. The sensor is a grid of
millions of pixels.
Each pixel measures the amount of light that
Autofocus system
hits it through a green, blue, or red filter. makes sure an image
is clear.
The measurements are changed into digital
information that is used to make the final
digital image.

TIMELINE OF CAMERAS

Tenth century 1500s–1800s 1840s 1880s

The concept of a camera obscura is credited Artists used more developed Simple photographic cameras Photographic film was made in the
to Abu Ali Al-Hasan. It works by light camera obscuras to trace images were in use by the 1840s and 1880s. It was made from a strip of plastic
passing through a hole and hitting a surface, of scenes onto paper. The were little more than a wooden coated with crystals of a silver compound.
where it forms an upside-down image. In invention of the camera obscura box with a hole cut to hold a Cameras were developed to include an
later models mirrors were used to reflect the led to the development of lens. Images were recorded on automatic shutter mechanism allowing
image so that it appeared the right way up. modern-day cameras. a glass or metal plate. the right amount of light in the lens.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 THROUGH A LENS

FACT FILE
Movie cameras are similar to still- Professional studio cameras are Video cameras and camcorders
image cameras except that the film used in television. They split the light These initially used analogue and
runs continually. Each frame of film into red, green, and blue and detect then digital tape to record and store
captures a slightly different image so each color separately, which gives a information. Now they use optical
that when the frames are run back better quality image. The pictures are disks or memory cards. Camcorders
through a projector you get the sent to a separate recorder. Most are mainly used for home movies.

TECHNOLOGY
illusion of continuous movement. studio cameras are mounted on Over the years they have become
Movie cameras can also record sound special carts, but they can also be smaller and lighter and can be
at the same time. attached to moving vehicles. carried in one hand.

 INSTANT PRINTS
Polaroid cameras take pictures that
develop themselves, producing a photo
a minute or so after
it has been taken.

Lenses can be changed over to obtain a required

effect. Wide angle lenses, as the name suggests,
are used to take wide shots.

Filters control the

light coming
through the lens.

7/7
The first CCTV (closed-
circuit television) camera that
was installed in the UK was in
1949. It was put in Guy’s
Hospital, London, United
Kingdom. There are
approximately 20 million
CCTV cameras in
Light needs to
travel through the the world.
lens in order to
capture an image.

1920s 1970s 1990s

Small cameras with Cameras were made with The technology for digital
interchangeable lenses automatic exposure and cameras was invented in the
were developed in the 1920s. electronic autofocus in the 1970s. 1970s and it was developed in
This allowed photographers the 1980s, but it wasn’t until
to take a wider range the 1990s that digital cameras
of photographs. came into popular use.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Global village
Technology is helping to bring our planet together.
People on the other side of the world live up to
12,500 miles (20,000 km) away, but you can email
TECHNOLOGY

or phone them in seconds. Hundreds of millions of

computers in more than 200 countries are now
connected into a giant network called the Internet.

INTERNET
The Internet is the name for the telephone, satellite,
and cable connections that link the world’s computer
systems. In theory, every computer in the world can
be indirectly connected to every other one. There is
no central control system for the Internet. This means
it can survive major failures very easily.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 GLOBAL VILLAGE
ELECTRONIC MAIL
Electronic mail (email) is a way of sending written messages
between computers. Invented in 1971, it has now become
one of the world’s favorite forms of communication—
especially for work. No one really knows,
but it’s thought that somewhere
between 100 and 500 billion emails

TECHNOLOGY
are sent worldwide each day.

7/7
The World Wide Web is like a
huge library you can use over the
Internet. It has around 200 million
separate websites containing well over
20 billion text pages, photographs,
and music and sound files.

CELL PHONES
Ordinary phones are fixed in place because they
have to be connected with wires. Cell phones
can go anywhere because they send signals with
radio waves. There are more than three billion
cell phones in the world. They’ve proved to be a
big hit in developing countries, where traditional
telephone networks cost too much to build.

NEWS
When letters were the fastest way to
communicate, it could take months for news
to go around the world. Now, with satellite
and Internet technology, you can watch events
happening live. Using a website, you can even set
up your own personal newspaper, called a blog.

BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER

The Internet has created new ways for people
to connect. Social networking websites, where
people make friends and share interests, are
very popular. A website called Facebook has
over 150 million members worldwide. If it
were a country, it would be one of the ten
biggest nations on Earth.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Is this real?
Virtual reality (VR) uses computers to create
the illusion of being in a completely different
environment. VR stimulates the senses with
TECHNOLOGY

artificial sights and sounds, tricking the brain

into thinking the experience is real.

INTERACT
A woman wears

7/7
VR systems allow users to
VR glasses and
uses a wand to
interact with a
see virtual objects, but some virtual world.
enable a sense of touch, too. A
user wears a special pair of gloves
with small inflatable bladders
inside them that allow the
person to actually feel
virtual objects.

HAVING FUN WITH VR

In most VR systems, headsets or glasses project the
image of the virtual world in front of the user’s eyes.
VR GAMES
Virtual reality
People interact with the virtual world using
recreates the devices such as joysticks, tracking balls, control
sensation of wands, voice-recognition software, data gloves,
snowboarding.
and treadmills.

VIRTUSPHERE INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

The “VirtuSphere” is a ball that moves Architects, manufacturers, and
on rollers, so the user can walk on designers use VR to test new
an unlimited amount of space. products or building designs.
The user wears a wireless Testing in the virtual world
headset to track movement eliminates any problems before
and create a picture of actual work is performed.
the virtual world.
USING VR The VirtuSphere
has many uses, ranging from
military training to virtual tours
of museums.

WALK IN THE PARK

An architect uses VR to look at a
proposed design for a
new park.
264
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 IS THIS REAL?

TRAINING DOCTORS
AND SOLDIERS
The military uses virtual reality to
simulate dangerous battle scenes
without putting the lives of any
soldiers at risk. And in hospitals,

TECHNOLOGY
trainee surgeons practice virtual
surgery on computer screens
without harming live patients.  VIRTUAL SURGERY A surgeon views a  WAR GAMES A soldier fights on the
VR image of a patient’s head prior to surgery. virtual battlefield to train for real combat.

FLIGHT SIMULATION
Pilots train in flight simulators—
one of the earliest forms of virtual
reality. The pilot sits inside a life-
size replica of a cockpit and views
computer-generated images of the
outside world. The controls of the
simulator respond in the same way
as those of a real aircraft.

FLIGHT SIMULATOR
Using VR, a pilot can learn to fly
without putting lives in danger.

SPACE EXPLORATION
The American space agency NASA used virtual reality to help with the design
of a Mars rover vehicle before it sent the latest rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, to
the surface of Mars. Astronauts also use VR to prepare for space missions.

MARS ROVER An engineer uses

virtual reality to help understand the
problems of navigation on the rocky
surface of the red planet.

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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Robotics Space exploration
O

Name
O

Cost
Mars Exploration Rover
$820 million

In 2003, NASA deployed two robotic

vehicles called rovers to explore the
Robots are machines that can do the kind of jobs surface of Mars. The robots work in
that people do but never get tired or bored. Some conditions that are far too difficult
TE CHNOLOGY

for human astronauts.

robots work in dangerous places. Others have
artificial intelligence, making them smart enough
to solve problems and learn from experience.
ROBOTIC SURGERY
Surgeons use robots to do operations that would be too
difficult for human control. They study the operation site
on a TV screen and guide the robot by remote control.
Spy plane
DA VINCI is a surgical
O

Name MQ-1 Predator Drone
robot used to perform complex
surgical procedures. O

Cost $4 million

The Predator Drone is an unpiloted

7/7
aerial vehicle used for surveillance. It
is controlled, via a satellite link, by a
In 2001, surgeons used pilot on the ground and is equipped
robotic surgery to remove with two Hellfire missiles.
a patient’s gall bladder. The
surgeons were based in the
United States, but the
robot and patient were
in France.

Bomb disposal
TAKE A LOOK: FACIAL EXPRESSIONS O

Name Remotec HD-1
O

Cost Around $110,000
Engineers at the Massachusetts The robot copies human expressions by
Institute of Technology in the United moving parts of its “face” and can learn This robotic bomb disposal unit
States developed a robot called Kismet. by talking and interacting with people. is equipped with a color camera and
a telescopic arm and pincer to
disarm explosive devices such as
land mines without risking lives.

 HAPPY Kismet can simulate human  SURPRISE The robot can learn from
emotions such as happiness by copying the experience but will appear “surprised” in
smiles of people it talks to. unusual situations.

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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 ROBOTICS

Industrial robots
O
First used 1960s
O

Cost Varies according to use

Industrial robots such as those used

in car assembly lines are computer-
controlled machines that do the same
jobs over and over again. They are

TECHNOLOGY
fast and accurate and do not get
tired like human workers do.

Domestic robots
O
Name Robomow
O

Cost About $1,600

Some robots are designed to take

the hard work out of domestic chores
such as mowing the lawn. Robomow
is a robotic lawn mower that uses
sensors to avoid trees and other
hazards in its path.

TELL ME MORE...

The Roomba robotic vacuum

cleaner was introduced by
ROBOTIC ANIMALS the US company iRobot
in 2002. It works by sensing
In the 2000s, Sony developed a robotic obstacles such as furniture
dog called AIBO, shown above playing and walls and avoiding them.
soccer in the 2004 RoboCup soccer
event. AIBO is a complex robot that can
see and hear and has a sense of balance
and touch. The robot moves and behaves
almost like a real dog, for example, by
chasing a ball. Sony no longer makes
AIBO because the company did not
sell enough to make a profit.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Nanotechnology
 MICROMECHANICS Scientists
have already made machine parts on
the scale of micrometers (millionths of a
meter). The parts are shown below next
to a fly’s leg to show how small they are.

The word nanotechnology describes the development

of devices on the scale of atoms. Scientists hope to
TECHNOLOGY

use this new technology to produce some amazing

inventions, from nanorobots used in surgery to
nanomaterials that could take people to the Moon.
WHAT’S IN A NAME? Fly’s leg
The word nano means one-billionth. So
there are one billion nanometers in one
meter (3 feet). Nanotechnology is the
study of devices that are billionths
of a meter (3 feet) in size. To
give you an idea of exactly
how small that is, one
nanometer would be
100,000 times smaller
than the width of a
human hair.

ROTATING PARTS
Individual carbon and
hydrogen atoms arranged
in a circle could form the
bearings for rotating
parts in a nanomachine.

NANO FACTS
O By weight, carbon nanotubes are

more expensive than diamond or gold. Carbon

O In the future, nanotechnology may be nanotube
used to assemble individual molecules
into the parts for electronic devices
such as laptops and cell phones.

O Other electronic devices using

nanosized parts include flexible digital

screens and sensors that may detect Nanomaterials Scientists are getting
chemicals in the air. very excited about structures called
O Scientists hope to build nanosensors to carbon nanotubes. These tiny tubes of
weigh molecules as small and as light as carbon atoms are stronger than
a strand of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). diamond and extremely long compared
O Nanotechnology is being used to make with their width. They are better
“smart drugs” that target individual conductors of electricity than
cancer cells and kill specific germs. metal, which makes them ideal
for future electronics.
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 NANOTECHNOLOGY

7/7
Scientists are looking at
the possibility of using
strong nanomaterials to
build very tall skyscrapers.

TECHNOLOGY
Carbon nanotubes are one
possibility. The carbon
atoms in these tiny tubes
form hexagon shapes,
making them extremely
strong and lightweight.
Engineers could use the
carbon nanotubes as the
supporting structures
 ONE IDEA that’s out of for the skyscrapers.
this world is to use carbon
nanotubes to build a space
elevator that could transport
people on Earth to the Moon.

NANOTECHNOLOGY IN ACTION
A ROBOT FLY is similar Common fly Robotic fly

in size to a real fly, but the
Scientists have already made tiny electric electronic components inside the
motors, gears, and springs that are just a few robot fly are nanometers across.
hundred nanometers across. In the future, they
hope to connect these miniature parts to make
nanomachines and nanorobots. These devices
could be used to help surgeons repair the human
body from the inside or they could circulate in
our blood and attack harmful germs.

Everyday nanotechnology While Robotic ants Scientists are using microrobotic ants to study
the future uses of nanotechnology the behavior of real ants. Nanotechnology helps in the
may lie with hi-tech industries such manufacture of the tiny electronic circuits that control the
as electronics and robotics, this movement of the robots.
emerging technology has already
found uses in many everyday items,
ranging from clothing and paints to
cosmetics and health-care products.

A WATERREPELLENT fabric is
covered with a layer of nanoparticles.
The water forms a near-perfect sphere
NANOPARTICLES as it touches the waterproof layer and
in sunscreen ensure even rolls away from the fabric. The droplets
coverage and do not leave collect dirt as they roll over the surface
white marks on the skin. and so they clean the fabric, too.
269
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 THE HUMAN
THE HUMAN BODY

BODY

At rest, a child’s heart beats about 85 times a minute.

The left lung is slightly smaller than the right lung.
A human being takes about 23,000 breaths each day.
There are about three million pain sensors in a human body. Most are in the skin.
Your ears will grow about 1⁄4 in (6.55 mm) in 30 years.

Which organs are How fast

these? do nerve
Find out on page 287 impulses travel?
Find out on page 281

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 THE HUMAN BODY
Definition: The human
body is an amazing machine.
Humans are mammals who
breathe air and eat plants
and animals to nourish their
bodies and provide energy.

You blink more than 9,000 times a day.

In most places, your skin is about 1⁄16 in (2 mm) thick.
In a fingernail-sized patch of skin, there can be up to 600 sweat glands.
On average, a human body contains enough iron to make a nail 1 in (2.5 cm) long.
A drop of blood contains around 5 million red blood cells.

How many How many bones are

nerve cells are in an adult human skeleton?
in a human brain? Find out on
Find out on pages page 274
280–281

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

 THE HUMAN BODY

272
The nervous system is
composed of the brain, the
spinal cord, nerves, and sense
The main part of
Your body the nervous system
organs. This is
what controls
Six billion human beings share planet is the brain.
everything the
Earth. Each is unique. We all share certain body does,
The main part of much of it
characteristics, however, notably our basic the respiratory
automatically.
system are the lungs.
body systems, from our circulatory to our
respiratory system. Body systems are
made up of groups of tissues and
organs that work together.

SKIN, HAIR, AND NAILS

The respitory
Our skin, hair, and nails form a protective covering and
tract draws air
together form a body system called the integumentary system.
into the lungs,
Your hair and nails grow through your skin, which is the body’s extracting oxygen
largest organ. Dead skin cells are constantly shed from the required for life,
surface of the skin. then expels waste
carbon dioxide.
FAST FACTS Dead The system also
O

Human hair will grow
hair enables people

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

between 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) to speak.
Epidermis
and 1⁄3 inch (8 mm) every
four weeks.
O

On average, a person Hair
sheds about 1 lb (0.5 kg) of follicle
dead skin cells each year.
O

An adult human’s skin Dermis
weighs approximately
11 lb (5 kg).
O

Skin is waterproof. Hair bulb
O

Fingernails grow four times

faster than toenails. Papilla

 Each of the body’s The skeletal system is the
systems has its moveable skeleton that provides
TAKE A LOOK: CELLS own job to do. If a frame for your body and that
all are functioning protects your internal organs.
Every living thing begins life as a single cell. properly, they will An adult has 206 bones.
Your body is made up of millions of cells so work together to
small that, on their own, they can only be seen ensure the body’s
under a microscope. Cells group together to overall health.
form tissues, which in turn make up our organs. There are about 10 body
systems, but it’s difficult
to state an exact figure,
since the muscular system
and skeletal system are
sometimes combined and
referred to as one system.

Skin covers your body.

It contains hair follicles,
 Skin cells nerve endings, sweat
glands, and tiny blood
Nucleus
vessels called capillaries.
Fats and
sugars are
broken down
Cell here.
Cell membrane

O

Epithelialcells form a protective

outer layer to the human body.

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

The heart is at
the center of the
O

Fatcells are blob shaped. circulatory system.
They get larger as the body stores
more fat.
The muscular system is The cardiovascular or
O

Nerve cells transfer electrical made up of muscles attached circulatory system
signals around the body to and from to bones by tendons, smooth pumps blood around The digestive
the brain. muscles in your organs, and your body. Blood system processes
heart muscle. Muscles need transports oxygen and the food you eat,
O

Smooth muscle cells are found in a regular blood supply to other vital substances to taking out the
the intestine. bring them the oxygen your organs and tissues nutrients your
and energy they require and then removes waste tissues need and
O

Photoreceptor cells are found in to work efficiently. products. getting rid of the
the eyes.
waste. It is basically
YOUR BODY

273
a long tube.

THE HUMAN BODY

 Pieces of the skull

Bones Your skull is not made

up of one bone, but of
a large number of
bones. The pieces of the
Your bones form a framework for your upper skull lock together
to form an incredibly
body called a skeleton. If you did not have strong casing for your
THE HUMAN BODY

a skeleton your body would flop all over brain, while fourteen bones
form your facial bones. The
the place. Bones also protect your soft shape of your facial bones
and their muscles determines
internal organs (such as your heart) and what you look like.
work with muscles to make you move.
The kneecap
(patella) protects
 INSIDE A JOINT the front of
The ends of your bones (in the knee
FAST FACTS
blue below) are covered by
smooth cartilage and The thigh bone
O

There are 206 bones in the human body. separated by fluid, so (femur) is the
O

Compared to a steel bar of the same the bones easily slide largest bone in
weight, bone is six times stronger. over each other. the body.
O

Your largest bone is your femur. Your

smallest bone is the stirrup bone, which

is in your ear. It’s no larger than a grain
of rice.
O

About eighty bones make up the human

skull, backbone, and ribs. The pelvic (hip)

O

You need calcium in your diet to make
girdle supports
abdominal organs
your bones hard.
and anchors the legs.
O

You have the same number of neck

bones as a giraffe: seven.

O

A baby’s skeleton is largely formed of
An inner layer of
cartilage (the stuff that makes your nose spongy bone is light in
flexible). weight but also strong.
O

The thigh bone (femur) is the longest

bone in your body. It is about a quarter of

your height.
O

More than a quarter of your bones are

in your hands.
Arteries (red) supply
nutrients and oxygen
to the bone’s cells.

Blood cells are made

in the bone marrow.

Inside a bone
Bones are made up of
layers, with hard, compact
bone on the outside and spongy bone
The heel beneath. The spaces in some bones are filled
(calcaneus) is with jellylike bone marrow. Bone marrow
a short bone. stores fat and also produces new blood cells.
274
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 BONES
BONES AND JOINTS

7/7
Bones are living tissue that contain blood
vessels, nerves, and cells. They are strong,
but light, and if they get broken, they can There are four main types
of bone: long (such as the
heal themselves. You can bend and move thigh bones), short (such as the
your body because you have lots of joints. heel bones), flat (shoulder

THE HUMAN BODY

These are where two bones meet and bones), and irregular (such as
move over each other. your vertebrae). There are
also small, round bones
Ulna with a funny name:
sesamoid (such as
Collar bone the kneecap).
(clavicle)
Radius

Shoulder blade
Upper arm bone (scapula)
(humerus)

Breastbone (sternum)
TAKE A LOOK: X-RAYS
Ribs help you If you have a broken bone, an X-ray
breathe. They also
allows your doctor to see what is
protect the heart
happening beneath the skin.
and lungs.

Spine or backbone
(vertebral column).
This is the body’s THE FIRST XRAY was taken in 1895
central support. by German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen. He
took an X-ray of his wife’s hand that clearly
showed the shadows of the bones and the
TYPES OF JOINT lighter shadowing caused by the soft tissues.
Some joints (such as your elbows) allow O

Hinge joints are found in your knees.
you to bend in one direction. Others (such O

There’s a pivot joint at the top of your
as your shoulders) allow circular movement. spine.
O

Saddle joints are found at the base of O

Gliding joints are found in the ankles

your thumbs. and wrists.

O

Ball-and-socket joints are found in your

shoulder.

PINNING A BONE A bone can heal

itself if broken, but after an especially bad
break a surgeon may put a metal pin along
Saddle Ball-and- Hinge Pivot Gliding or the bone to hold it rigid while it mends.
joint socket joint joint joint plane joint A fracture can take up to eight weeks to heal.

275
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 Mighty muscles
Muscles are tissues that move parts of the body by
contracting, or getting shorter. You have around
THE HUMAN BODY

650 skeletal muscles layered over your skeleton

and these make up about half of your weight. This large, powerful
They are attached to bones by stringy tendons. muscle, the gluteus
maximus, straightens
the hip when you,
walk, run, stand up,
TYPES OF MUSCLE or climb a hill.
There are three types of muscle: skeletal muscles move bones
when you want them to. Most muscle is skeletal muscle.
Cardiac muscle keeps the heart beating. Smooth muscle is
found inside hollow organs such as the digestive tract. You can’t
control the actions of smooth muscle—they are automatic.

HOW MUSCLES WORK

Skeletal muscles get shorter and fatter
when working—they stretch when relaxed.
They work because your brain tells them to.
If you want to reach out to grab something,
your brain tells your arm muscles to work. Biceps
contracted
The muscles shorten, pulling the arm bones.
Muscles work in pairs, because they work Triceps
by pulling. So in your arm, your biceps contracted
works to bend your arm and your
triceps straightens it.

Muscles cover the

skeleton and give
the body its shape.

7/7
Muscles need oxygen to
The extensor digitorum make energy. If starved of
longus straightens your oxygen, perhaps during a burst of
The calf muscle toes and helps to lift the
activity, they produce energy without
(gastrocnemius) foot up when you walk.
bends your foot it and a waste product called lactic
downward when acid builds up in the muscle cells.
you point your toes. This can cause painful
muscle cramps.

276
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 MIGHTY MUSCLES
The sternocleidomastoid bends
your head forward. If just one
The forehead muscles
side contracts, it makes the head
contract to make
turn or tilt.
frown lines.

THE HUMAN BODY

Tendons These are what
link muscles to bones,
working with muscles to pull
bones into position. They are
like cords and are incredibly
strong. Some tendons in your
hands stretch up to muscles
near the elbow, providing
huge flexibility and control.

The chest muscle

(pectoralis major) pulls
your arms in toward your
body and is also used to
rotate the upper arms.

FAST FACTS TAKE A LOOK: MUSCLE FIBERS

O

Your largest and strongest muscles Muscles are made up of
are in your back, helping you to stand. bundles of long cells,
O

The word muscle comes from the organized into tissues called
ancient Romans, who thought that muscle fibers. Each fiber is
muscle movements looked like incredibly thin—much
mice running under the skin. thinner than a human hair.
The ancient Roman word for This is a magnified image of
mouse was musculus. skeletal muscle fibers.
O

Surprisingly, you use more

muscles to smile than you use

to frown! It takes 12 muscles to
smile and 11 to frown.
O

The first drawings of human

muscles were published in 1543

by Belgian scholar Andreas
Vesalius in his book On the
Structure of the Human Body. INSIDE EACH
O

Your tongue is made up of MUSCLE FIBER are long
threads of protein. This image
muscles.
has been magnified almost
400 times.

277
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 THE HUMAN BODY

WHAT BLOOD DOES It takes a blood cell

Blood delivers oxygen, water, about one minute to
circulate your body.
Blood flow and nutrients to your body’s
Think of your arteries and veins as a road organs and takes away waste
network for your body. Blood flows carbon dioxide. It also takes
The heart pumps blood
white blood cells to where they along a network of
through this network, just as trucks move blood vessels.
are needed, to fight infection,
along highways, carrying and delivering and clots to stop bleeding and
the essentials that your cells need and form a seal to repair damage if
removing waste products. Your arteries you cut yourself. There’s
more? Yes! It allows you
and veins are your body’s transportation, to maintain a steady
or circulatory, system. body temperature.

BLOOD CIRCULATION BLOOD GROUPS

Blood is pumped around the body by This represents Blood is not all the same.
the heart, which is the hardest the head and There are four different
upper body. groups, and each group
working muscle in the body. It
is given a letter. You
follows a figure-eight route. The
Left lung might be type A, B, AB,
shorter loop (green arrows)
or O. AB is the rarest. If
takes blood from the a person has to have a

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

heart to the lungs blood transfusion, they
and back. The have to receive the same
longer loop (yellow blood group.
arrows) takes blood
to other parts of the
body, then returns
Right Heart
it to the heart. lung

This represents
the liver. The femoral
artery
An adult body supplies
This represents the This represents contains about blood to the
the lower 10½ pints thigh.
digestive system. body. (5 liters) of
blood.
 Your heart What goes into blood?
Pulmonary
and how it works Superior vena valve Blood is made up of red blood
cava cells, white blood cells, platelets,
O

Beats per day Approx 100,000 and plasma. Plasma is mostly
O

Average weight Male: 101⁄2 oz water but also carries dissolved
(300 g) Female: 9 oz (200 g) Aorta
proteins, glucose,
O

Length 5 in (12 cm)
O

Width 3½ in (9 cm) Pulmonary minerals,
artery hormones, and
The muscular human heart carbon dioxide.
is about the size of a fist. It Right
atrium Plasma
pumps blood around your (about
body that takes oxygen to Right 50-55%)
White blood This is the body’s
the cells and removes waste. ventricle cells and platelets longest vein.
A heart has four chambers: (about 1-2%) Blaood flows
two lower ventricles, and through it from
the foot and
two upper atria. If your Red blood cells lower leg on its
(about 40-45%) journey back
heart stops, no other part Thick cardiac to the heart.
of your body can work. muscle

Blood clots
TAKE A LOOK: BLOOD VESSELS If you fall over and cut your knee, the cut area
scabs over and heals. This happens in a series of
There are three types of blood vessel: arteries, veins, and steps, as shown below.
capillaries. Blood begins its journey around the body in a
large artery, called the aorta. Arteries have thicker walls than Injury site
other vessels because the blood flow is at higher pressure. Blood clot

(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

Severed vessel
BODY
1 INJURY When skin is 2 CLOTTING Platelets CIRCULATION
cut, it bleeds because of stick together and a blood Stretched out, your
damage to the blood vessels. clot begins to form. blood vessels would
reach 93,000 miles
(150,000 km).
Plug of tissue Scab
That’s about four
times around Earth.
 ARTERIES  VEINS carry  CAPILLARIES Scar
carry oxygen-rich oxygen-poor blood are microscopic,
blood away from to your heart. Many with walls just one New tissue
your heart. They veins have valves to cell thick. They
have thicker walls stop the blood from link your arteries
than veins or running backward. to your veins. 3 PLUGGING The clot 4 SCABBING The plug hardens
capillaries. forms a plug that stops to form a protective scab, which
BLOOD FLOW

blood from leaking out. eventually falls off.

THE HUMAN BODY

 Think! Act!
Your brain is a complex organ. It’s a bit like a big
FAST FACTS
computer but more adaptable. It controls all you
THE HUMAN BODY

O
An adult brain weighs about 2 lb 9 oz

do. It makes you think. It allows you to learn. (1.3 kg).
It stores your memories. It makes you who you are. O
Signals travel along neurons at about

250 mph (400 km/h).

O
80 percent of your brain is water.

O
Your brain uses about 20 percent of

WHAT IS YOUR BRAIN?
your energy.
Your brain is a collection of about a
hundred billion nerve cells called neurons.
These are linked to each other and they
share and pass information all day and
all night throughout your life.

7/7
Your brain has a joke center,
which allows you to understand why a
joke is funny. This means that some
people with damage to the front of their
Message transfer Messages brains, (particularly on the right-hand
constantly arrive in your side) just don’t find jokes funny. Given
brain from your body, sent in a joke with a choice of different
the form of electrical signals punchlines, they can’t tell which
along nerves. Your brain is the funny one.
processes those messages and
sends out instructions telling
your body what to do.

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS)

A bundle of nerves called the spinal cord runs from The central nervous
the brain down your back, protected inside a column system allows you to
of bones, the backbone. The brain and spinal cord make voluntary actions
form your central nervous system. such as eating, reading,
and walking, as well as
controlling many actions
Cross-section itself. For example, you aren’t
of spinal cord aware of the muscles working
in your stomach—they
Spinal nerve work automatically.

THE SPINAL CORD The spinal

transports information from the
FITTING TOGETHER cord is as
brain to the rest of the body and This model shows how the brain, thick as your
back via pairs of spinal nerves. spinal cord, and eyes link up. little finger.

280
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 THINK! ACT!
Neurons are thin cells that
carry electrical signals called
nerve impulses. A neuron
has a cell body, with short,
spreading projections
called dendrites. An
axon connects to

THE HUMAN BODY

other neurons.

The axon, a nerve fiber,

takes electrical impulses
away from the cell body to
other neurons. The nucleus of the
cell controls the
cell’s activity.

Cell body Dendrites pick

up nerve signals.

BRAIN CELL The nervous system is made up of

OR NEURON
the CNS and the peripheral nervous
system, which consists of nerves that
branch to the rest of your body. It’s
hardworking and fast; a nerve impulse
travels from the big toe to the spinal
cord in one-hundredth of a second.
The thalamus
passes messages The heavily folded
between the brain cerebrum is the
and spinal cord. largest part of your YOUR BRAIN

HARD HAT brain.
The human brain is Sight, hearing, speaking, and thinking
soft and squishy so it are controlled in different areas of the
is protected in a bony cerebrum. Hearing uses an area linked to
case called the skull. the ears’ nerves. Sight involves a small
area linked to the eyes’ nerves. Thinking
and speaking use large areas of the brain.
The cerebral cortex Heat scans show the different areas.
is the surface of the
cerebrum.

Parts of the brain

The main regions of the The hypothalamus SIGHT HEARING
brain are the cerebellum, plays a part in thirst,
the brain stem, and the hunger, and temperature
cerebrum. The cerebrum control.
is responsible for many The cerebellum The brain stem works
complex everyday activities, deals with at the same level when SPEAKING THINKING
from eating to speaking. movement. you’re asleep and awake.
281
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Sensing the world
Humans have five senses: sight, hearing, touch, SIGHT
smell, and taste. Your senses tell you about the The eye works like a camera. Light
THE HUMAN BODY

from an image passes through the

world around you. They work because billions cornea, is adjusted by the lens behind
of nerve cells flash messages to your brain, it, and forms an upside-down image
which interprets the messages and tells you on the retina at the back of the eye.
This is translated by the brain.
what you are sensing, whether good or bad.
SIGHT
Inner ear Skull bone INSIDE THE EAR O Messages about the
Cochlea Your ear is made up image travel from your
Middle ear
of three main parts—
eye to your brain as
the ear (auditory)
canal, the middle nerve impulses. Your
ear, and the brain turns the
inner ear. messages into the
detailed image that
BALANCE, TOO! you see.
Your ear helps you to
balance. Hair cells in the
inner ear tell your brain The image is focused
about your body’s position on the retina upside
Eardrum Ear canal and movements. down.
Outer ear Cornea
HEARING
Sounds are made up of vibrations, which are funneled When the brain
gets messages from the
inside the ear by the outer ear. Soundwaves first travel down retina, it turns the
the ear canal and vibrate the eardrum. These vibrations Retina Lens Iris image right way up.
reach the cochlea. From here, messages pass to the brain,
which interprets the vibrations as the sounds we recognize.
TAKE A LOOK: IRIS
Merkel’s disk TOUCH Your eye will react differently depending on
You have about three million how bright the light is that is shining into
Meissner’s corpuscle it. How it reacts is controlled
pain sensors, and most of
by the iris, a ring of muscle.
Pacinian corpuscle these are in your skin. Your Iris
fingertips are particularly Pupil
Dermis
sensitive. You also have touch
IRIS AND PUPIL
Free nerve receptors that detect light The colored part of your
eye, called the iris, has a Dim light
ending touch, pressure, vibration, hole in the middle called
heat, and cold. the pupil. In bright light,
the pupil shrinks to prevent
too much light from getting
TOUCH SENSATIONS Skin layers into your eye. In dim light,
are full of touch receptors. Some receptors the pupil expands to allow
are contained in a capsule, while others more light into your eye. Bright light
are free nerve endings.
282
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 SENSING THE WORLD
SMELL
Your nose can recognize up to 10,000
different smells. Receptors high up in the
nasal cavity pick up smell molecules in the
air that you breathe in and send signals to
The gustatory cortex
your brain. If your brain hasn’t come is the taste center for

THE HUMAN BODY

across the smell before, it will remember analyzing tastes.
it so that you recognize it the next time.

TELL ME MORE... Smells are

sorted by the
O Smell and taste work together. The
olfactory bulb
flavor of food depends more on smell in the nose.
than taste. This is why it’s difficult to
taste food if you have a blocked nose.

O
Your senses of smell and taste

protect you. If you smell smoke, it
warns you of fire. You can smell if
food has spoiled. Poisonous food
often tastes bitter to make sure you
spit it out.

TASTE
It is now thought to be a myth that
you can taste particular flavors at Taste sensors are found
on the surface of the
different places on your tongue. We tongue and in the
have five basic tastes: sweet, sour, lining of the mouth.
salty, bitter, and umami (a savory
taste), and these can usually be
picked up all over your tongue.
 SENSE ORGANS This view inside the
head shows the position of the smell and taste
organs. They send nerve messages to the brain.

Surface of the
tongue. FAST FACTS
O
Children have around 10,000 taste buds, but the number of
Taste hair taste buds declines with age.
O
People who can’t smell are called “anosmic.”
O
If you only had one eye from birth, the world would look
Taste cell
two-dimensional.
 TASTE RECEPTORS O
There are 100 touch receptors in each of your fingertips.
The surface of your tongue is covered Supporting
O
Girls usually have more taste buds than boys.
with tiny bumps (papillae). Some of cell
O
The sense of smell is thought to be 20,000 times more
these contain taste buds, made up of
taste cells that have tiny taste hairs. powerful than the sense of taste.
These hairs detect chemicals in food, Diagram of taste bud Nerve fiber
and your brain tells you the flavor.
283
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Take a breath
You need to breathe constantly to take in oxygen. BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT
You do this by breathing in air, which is taken
THE HUMAN BODY

down your windpipe and into your lungs, where

the oxygen is removed and enters the blood. At the
same time, carbon dioxide passes into the lungs.
Left bronchus
Windpipe (trachea)

What happens inside your lungs?

Inside each lung, air tubes (known Diaphragm moves Diaphragm moves
as bronchi) get smaller and down as we inhale. up as we exhale.
smaller, becoming bronchioles, Breathing is helped by your ribs
each of which end in clusters moving up and out. A dome-shaped
of small, flexible air sacs, or muscle called the diaphragm also
bags, called alveoli. This is helps the process. It flattens a little
known as the bronchial to increase the size of your chest
tree, because it resembles cavity when you breathe in.
an upside-down tree.
Terminal bronchiole
Each of the branching
networks ends in a
bronchiole, which leads
into groups of alveoli.

TAKE A LOOK: CHEST SECTION Capillary

Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to

make room for the heart, which is positioned Diagram shows
toward the left side of the chest cavity. The heart’s groups of alveoli.
position can be seen in a scanned cross-section of
the chest, taken from above.  ALVEOLI Oxygen passes  BRONCHIOLI This greatly magnified

Rib Vertebra through the walls of the image shows the end of a bronchiole (in blue)
alveoli into capillaries surrounded by a group of alveoli. There are
(thin-walled blood vessels: more than 300 million alveoli in the two lungs.
( see p.279–280).

FAST FACTS

O

Flattened out, a pair of lungs would cover a tennis court.

O

An average person takes about 12 to 15 breaths a minute when at rest.

After physical activity they take in about 60 breaths a minute.

O

The trachea is about 4 in (11 cm) in length.

O

Your lungs act like giant sponges. They take in air instead of water.
1 1
Area of right lung O

Each minute around 1 ⁄3-1 ⁄2 gallons (5 and 6 liters) of air pass into and out
Area of left lung
is slightly larger. Heart is slightly smaller. of your lungs.

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 TAKE A BREATH

Nasal cavity THE ROUTE IN

When you breathe in, air first travels
Pharynx down your pharynx (throat), then your
larynx (voice box), before entering your
trachea (windpipe) to get to your lungs.
The epiglottis moves over

THE HUMAN BODY

the entrance to the larynx
About 20 C-shaped rings of cartilage
when swallowing. hold the trachea open.

The larynx links

Making sounds, too the throat to the
Breathing is also connected trachea.
with making sounds. Two
membranes, the vocal cords, The trachea
stretch across the larynx. When branches into two
you breathe out, air passes over tubes, or bronchi,
one for each lung.
the vocal cords, making them
vibrate. Your lips and tongue
shape these sounds into speech.

Muscles between the

ribs help to move
them up and out
as you breathe in.

 CILIA The trachea is lined

with millions of microhairs.
These are called cilia and they
beat with a wavelike motion
to propel mucus, microbes,
and dust up the trachea to be
coughed up.

Interior of left lung showing

the branching arteries (red),
veins (blue), and airways
(bronchi, shown in gray).

Heart

7/7
We take a breath some 23,000 times
each day. Each breath results in a
constant flow of oxygen to the cells.
You cannot survive for long
without this supply.

The diaphragm separates the

chest cavity from the abdomen.

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 Food f low Salivary glands
We eat to refuel our bodies. We need fuel Saliva is produced by
glands in the mouth.
from food to provide energy, as well as for It makes food
THE HUMAN BODY

growth and repair. Digestion is the process slippery and begins

the process of
by which the food we eat is broken down digestion. About
to extract the nutrients we need. Waste 3 pints (1.5 liters) of
saliva is secreted into
matter is then passed out of the body. the mouth each day.

TAKE A MOUTHFUL THE STOMACH AND HOW IT WORKS

Digestion begins with ingestion when you
take in and chew food, mixing it with saliva Three muscle Whan food arrives
layers enable the
to make it easier to swallow. Swallowing stomach to twist
your stomach
stretches to
moves the food into the esophagus, from into different store it.
where it goes into the stomach. shapes.

Incisor Acid and food

Premolar are churned
Canine together.

Molar
Longitudinal Circular Oblique Churned food is
Beneath the tough passed into the small
surface enamel, ■ Inside the stomach Food enters intestine.
each tooth has its your stomach about eight seconds
own blood supply. after you swallow. It is mixed with u A GOOD CHURNING
acids (called gastric juice) and A meal spends up to four
churned into a semiliquid. Up to hours in your stomach before
6 pints (3 liters) of gastric juices are being passed slowly on into
What’s in a tooth? made in the stomach every day. the small intestine.
Humans have four types of
teeth: chisel-shaped incisors
cut, while pointed canines Soft palate
tear. The flatter premolars closes nasal
and molars crush and grind. Food bolus cavity
These are the largest teeth. Tongue
Pharynx
Pharynx
Tongue Food bolus
Epiglottis Epiglottis folds
Down it goes down to cover
Once food has been chewed, it is Larynx trachea
swallowed as a ball called a bolus.
It is prevented from entering the Trachea Trachea
larynx and trachea by the epiglottis, Esophagus Esophagus
a flap of cartilage. u CHEWING FOOD The bolus u SWALLOWING FOOD On
of food is about to be swallowed. swallowing, the epiglottis moves
The epiglottis is in its usual position. down to close entry to the trachea.

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 FOOD FLOW
Food enters the BEYOND THE STOMACH
mouth where the
tongue assesses After leaving the stomach, food
whether it is sweet, enters the small intestine. This is
savory, hot or cold.
where nutrients are absorbed
Food is swallowed from the food for use by your
and passes into the
body. Material that isn’t digested

THE HUMAN BODY

esophagus. It is
passes into the large intestine,
7/7
moved by muscle
contractions called where it’s turned into feces.
peristalsis.
Why does your stomach
“growl” when empty? If you are
hungry, your stomach receives
signals from the brain to begin Built-in protection
digestion. The muscles begin to work The stomach wall is deeply
and acid is mixed in the stomach folded and pitted. Mucus
without food. This produces is constantly secreted to
vibrations we hear as growls. prevent the stomach’s
acids from digesting itself.
Gastric pit
The pancreas
constantly releases The large intestine is where
digestive juices into
The liver is thought to have the small intestine. Mucus
the last nutrients are extracted,
more than 250 different together with water. Undigested
functions. Among these, it material is combined with
processes nutrients, removing other waste products and
what your body needs. It also moved on to the
stores glucose (which gives you
rectum before
energy) and breaks down
harmful substances. passing out of
the body.

The gall bladder stores The large

bile, a digestive juice. intestine is
Bile is used to break wider than the
down fats. small intestine.

FAST FACTS: DIGESTION

The small intestine is a O
The stomach can store about
long tangled tube that 3 pints (1.5 liters) of food.
produces many O
A meal takes 18–30 hours to
different enzymes to pass through the human body.
digest food. The tube O
The small intestine is about
is covered inside 17 ft (5 m) in length.
with tiny, fingerlike O
The large intestine is about
projections called 5 ft (1.5 m) in length. SOLID OR LIQUID
Solid food takes longer
villi. These O
The liver, the body’s largest
to break down, which
increase the internal organ, produces about means that a meal stays
intestine’s surface 2 pints (1 liter) of bile a day. in the stomach for much
area for the O
The large intestine contains longer than a drink,
absorption millions of bacteria. which may pass through
of nutrients. in minutes.

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 The start of life A
B
A
C
D
C

Human life begins after a sperm fertilizes an egg

and the egg develops in the uterus (the womb).
THE HUMAN BODY

A fertilized human egg takes about nine months to

 REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS
grow into a baby ready for birth. In the uterus, the Women have two ovaries (A), where eggs,
or ova, are stored, and a uterus (B), where
fetus depends on the placenta (the tissue that links a baby is nourished and grows until birth.
Men have two testes (C), where sperm are
the mother’s and fetus’s blood) for all its needs. made. They also have a penis (D) through
which the sperm travel to get to the eggs.

FERTILIZATION
Millions of sperm swim toward the egg,
propelled forward by flexible tails, but usually
only one will fertilize it. On contact, the sperm
and egg merge to create a single cell—the
fertilized egg. The cell then begins to divide.

1 WITHIN 36 HOURS the 2 THREE TO FOUR DAYS

fertilized egg has divided into two after fertilization, there is a cluster
cells. Twelve hours later it has of 16 to 32 cells. The cluster enters
Each sperm has a divided into four cells, and so on. the uterus.
rounded head and
a long tail.

After an egg is 3 ABOUT SIX DAYS after 4 ABOUT EIGHT DAYS after
fertilized it begins fertilization, the cell cluster forms fertilization, an embryo begins to
to form a barrier a hollow cavity. It attaches itself form. New cells will form tissues
to other sperm.
to the lining of the uterus with and organs as a baby develops.
rootlike growths.

ULTRASOUND SCAN
O

This is a scan of a fetus inside the womb,
taken between four and six months into
pregnancy. It was produced using sound waves
to form a picture, which was then turned into a
three-dimensional (3-D) image. 3-D scans first
appeared in 1987.

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 THE START OF LIFE
GROWING EMBRYO Placenta
Cells continue to divide as the embryo
develops. They become specialized, with the
head, brain, body, and heart taking shape
first, followed by the arms (initially as buds)
and, finally, the legs. From eight weeks after

THE HUMAN BODY

fertilization, the baby is known as a fetus.

Heart Developing ear Developing eye

Umbilical
cord The umbilical
cord connects
the fetus to
the placenta.

At 3 weeks the At 4 weeks the A transparent

embryo is 1⁄16-1⁄8 in embryo is 3⁄ in sac encloses the
(2-3 mm) long. (4-5 mm) long. amniotic fluid.

Growing embryo Three The chorion is the

main protective sac.
weeks after fertilization, the
embryo is smaller than a pea Amniotic
and looks a little like a tadpole. Birth canal (vagina) fluid
At eight weeks, the embryo
looks more human, but is
only the size of a strawberry.
 At 8 weeks the
The fetus is fully developed at embryo starts to move At 36 weeks the fetus
24 weeks. The last stage of and is 1-11⁄ in has turned head down.
(25-30 mm) long. It fills the uterus.
development is growth.

TAKE A LOOK: PREGNANCY

 DURING the first  DURING the second  DURING the third Newborn babies adapt quickly
three months of pregnancy, trimester, the mother’s trimester, the mother’s to life in the outside world. The
called the first trimester, breasts continue to intestines and organs are
the mother’s breasts enlarge, her heart rate pushed up. She may feel umbilical cord, by which it was
become larger. Many increases, and her tired, have back pain, attached to its mother during
pregnant women feel sick enlarging womb shows as and get breathless when pregnancy, is cut. The baby takes
around this time. the fetus grows inside. walking around. its first breaths, forcing its
circulation to start working.
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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 TELL ME MORE...
Run and jump, eat a varied
diet, and drink lots of water.
All these things will help
your body to stay as healthy
Stay healthy
as it can. You have just one body for life, so it makes
sense to look after it. Giving your body the
THE HUMAN BODY

best chance you can means it will work better for

you. That begins with a healthy, mixed diet.

EAT A RAINBOW
Foods can be divided into groups, such as grains and
cereals and meat and fish. It is good to eat a range
of foods every day, and choose from all the
major food groups, eating more of some
and less of others (for example, you
should eat more fruit than meat or
fish). Thinking of food groups
as a rainbow of colors can
help to separate foods
into these groups.

 
OIL/SUGAR MEAT, FISH, DAIRY products, FRUIT is a VEGETABLES GRAINS Bread,
Small quantities BEANS, AND such as cheeses source of are rich in fiber rice, and pasta, as
of oil are needed LENTILS and yogurts, are vitamins, water, and in the well as potatoes,
in the diet. A provide protein a rich source of and fiber, as well vitamins and are largely
good source is for growth and calcium, which as natural sugars. minerals our carbohydrate,
oily fish, such as repair, as well helps your bones bodies need for the body’s main
salmon. Try to as vitamins and and teeth. growth and source of energy.
limit sugar. minerals. repair.

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 STAY HEALTHY
HEALTH PROBLEMS KIDNEYS
It’s not always easy for someone to stay well. There may not be
access to clean drinking water, or food may be restricted. O

Your two
Malnutrition, which is when somebody doesn’t have enough kidneys are at
the back of your
of one or more of the food groups, is a serious problem
abdomen.
in some parts of the world. But if your immune O

The kidneys

THE HUMAN BODY

system is working well, it will act to protect your control the
body from illness, fighting off the viruses and amount of fluid
bacteria that may cause you harm. in the body and filter liquid waste from
your blood.
O

Filtered waste is removed to the bladder
WHAT MAKES US SICK and then expelled as urine.

White blood cells These cells fight

bacteria and viruses that might make you
sick. Some produce antibodies that work
to kill germs. Babies are born
with antibodies they inherit
from their mother, but they
O Bacteria are single- O Viruses are far smaller O Fungi usually cause
celled organisms. Most than bacteria. They attack infection on the skin’s
begin to develop their own
are harmless, but certain our cells from the inside, surface, like dandruff, as they grow.
bacteria invade our taking them over. Colds but other fungi can
bodies to cause illness. and flus are the result of cause serious illness
Tuberculosis is caused a viral infection. inside the body by Red
by bacteria. damaging the cells. blood cell

White blood cell

Allergies Sometimes
the immune system
doesn’t work properly,
identifying things as a HOW TO STAY HEALTHY
threat and attacking
them when they O

Vitamins and minerals are found
aren’t. This can in many foods, and are essential
cause an allergic to general body health.
reaction. A person
might begin sneezing, O

Exercise helps

for example, when in strengthen the heart, lungs, and

contact with pollen muscles. It also helps to keep the
or dust. body supple.

O

Water is needed
HAYFEVER for all of the body’s
Increasing numbers of processes to function
people around the world properly. Dehydrated cells will
are suffering from allergies,
not perform at their best.
such as hayfever. Hayfever
is an allergic response to
plant pollen. This can be O

Good hygiene helps to keep
worse at particular times germs away. Brushing teeth helps combat
of year, when the pollen tooth decay by cleaning teeth of the bacteria
count is high. that cause it.

291
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 Glossary Chromosomes Packages of DNA found
inside the nucleus of most cells.

Colloid A suspension of fine particles

dispersed in a liquid.
Alveoli Tiny sacs in the lungs through Biofuel Any fuel made from biological
which oxygen and carbon dioxide pass to matter, such as plants or animal waste. Colony A group of organisms that live
and from the blood. together.
Biome Any of Earth’s major ecosystems
GLOSSARY

Altitude Height above sea level. with a particular climate and vegetation. Condensation The change of state from
a gas to a liquid or a liquid to a solid.
Amphibian Cold-blooded vertebrate Black hole A collapsed star in which the
such as a frog or newt. pull of gravity is so strong that not even Continent One of several large
light can escape it. landmasses on Earth.
Apprenticeship Working under a skilled
craftsperson to learn a trade. Calligraphy The art of decorative Climate The average weather conditions
writing. over a long period of time.
Artifact Object made by human
workmanship. Camouflage A color or pattern on an Cloning The process of producing
organism’s body that allows it to blend in genetically identical animals or plants.
Arteries Blood vessels that carry oxygen- with its surroundings.
rich blood away from the heart. Communism A political theory based on
Canopy The uppermost leafy layer of a the common ownership of property.
Artificial intelligence A branch of tree or forest.
science that aims to create intelligent Crystal A solid in which the atoms or
machines. Canyon A deep, narrow valley with steep molecules from which it is made are lined
sides. up in a regular pattern.
Astrolabe An ancient instrument used to
calculate the position of stars in the sky. Capillaries Tiny blood vessels that Cubism A style of art that shows a scene
connect arteries to veins. from several different points of view all
Atmosphere The mass of air that at once.
surrounds the Earth. Carnivore An animal that eats only meat.
Deities Gods and goddesses.
Atoll A ring of coral reef surrounding a Cells The building blocks of almost all
central lagoon. living organisms. Democracy A system of government in
which people elect their leaders.
Bacteria Single-celled microorganisms Ceramic Any object made from clay and
that can be helpful or harmful. hardened by heat. Diaphragm A sheet of muscle that
separates the lungs from the stomach.
Big bang The cosmic explosion that Chlorophyll The green pigment in
created the universe billions of years ago. plants that helps them absorb sunlight for Dictator A ruler who has absolute power.
photosynthesis.
Biodiversity The range of different
organisms that live in a particular area.

292
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 GLOSSARY

Distillation Purifying a liquid by boiling Filtration The

it and then collecting the vapour. process of separating
liquids from solids using a
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid, the filter.
molecule that contains the blueprint
for life. Fossil fuels Fuels formed from the
remains of animals and plants that lived
Echolocation Seeing objects with sound millions of years ago. Habitat The
by bouncing sound waves off them and place in which an

GLOSSARY
detecting the reflections. Friction The force that opposes animal or plant lives
movement. in nature.
Ecosystem The community of organisms
living in a particular area. Fuel cell A device like a battery Herbivore An animal that eats
that generates electricity from fuel only plants.
Elytra The hard forewings of beetles, and oxygen.
earwigs, and some bugs. Hominids The family of primates to
Fungi A large group of organisms, which humans belong.
Embryo Organism in the earliest stage including mushrooms and yeasts, that
of its development. feed by breaking down the bodies of Impressionism A 19th-century style of
other organisms. art characterized by highly finished pieces
Epiphyte A plant that grows on another of art that reflected the artist’s response to
plant without damaging it. Galaxies Groups of dust, gases, and stars what they saw.
that fill the universe.
Evaporate To change from a liquid to Inertia The tendency of an object to
a gas. Genes Stretches of DNA that contain the remain at rest or in constant motion
code needed to build a particular protein. unless a force is applied to it.
Evolution The gradual development of
living things over a long period of time. Genome The entire genetic makeup of Invertebrate An animal without
an organism. a backbone.
Exoskeleton An external skeleton that
supports and protects an animal’s body. Gills Feathery structures on the bodies Joints The meeting point of bones.
of amphibians and fish through which
Extinct No longer existing on Earth. oxygen is absorbed from the water. Keratin Tough protein found in animals’
hair, nails, claws, hooves, horns, feathers,
Famine Severe shortage of food, causing Gourd A large, fleshy fruit with a and scales.
widespread hunger. hard skin.
Lagoon An enclosed body of water
Fertilization When male and female sex Gravity The force that pulls objects cut off from the sea by a reef or other
cells unite to form an embryo. together. landform.

Fetus The developing young of an animal Greenhouse gases Gases in Earth’s Lava Molten rock flowing on the surface
before it is born. atmosphere that trap heat from the Sun of Earth.
and warm the planet.
Magma Molten rock flowing under the
surface of Earth.

Mammals Warm-blooded, furry animals

that feed their young with milk.

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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Mantle Thick rocky layer of Earth Omnivore An animal that eats all kinds Pharaoh The title given to the ancient
between the crust and the core. of food, both plant and meat. kings of Egypt.

Marsupial A mammal that rears its Opera A dramatic work set to music. Photosynthesis The process by which
young in a pouch or fold of skin, usually plants make their own food using the
on its front. Orchestra A group of musicians playing energy from sunlight.
different types of instrument, from string
Matter Anything that has mass and takes and brass to woodwind and percussion. Phylum The biggest division within a
up space. kingdom of living things. A phylum is
GLOSSARY

Organism An individual member of further divided into classes, orders,

Meditation The process of emptying the a species. families, genera, and species.
mind of thoughts allowing the body
to relax. Ozone Colorless gas that forms a layer in Phytoplankton Tiny plants and algae
the Earth’s atmosphere, absorbing some that drift in the ocean and form a source
Metamorphosis A change in body form of the harmful ultraviolet radiation of food for larger marine animals.
shown in animals such as insects and in sunlight.
amphibians as they grow into adults. Pigment A substance that colors
Parasite An organism that lives on other materials.
Microchip The part of a computer another organism and feeds off it.
made from silicon on which is etched Pilgrim Someone who travels to a sacred
electronic circuits. Peat A rich type of soil formed from place as an act of religious devotion.
plants and their decaying remains.
Migration Moving from one place to Pixel A tiny piece of information that
another according to the seasons, usually Periodic Table A table that organizes all makes up an image on a screen.
to find food or to breed. the known elements in order of increasing
atomic number. Pointillism A painting style that uses
Mineral Solid material found in nature, small dots of color.
usually as a crystal. Peristalsis The muscle contraction in the
walls of the esophagus and intestines that Pollinators Animals that carry pollen
Mirage Optical illusion in which hot air helps us swallow food. from one flower to another.
distorts the reflection of an object.
Persecution The harrassment of an
Monarchy A ruling system in which individual or group because of their
a king or queen is the head of a country race or beliefs.
but does not necessarily govern it.

Mosaic An image created by using small

pieces of colored glass or stone.

Nanotubes A sheet of carbon atoms

rolled up into a tube with a diameter of
1 or 2 nanometers.

National anthem The official song sung

in celebration of a particular country.

Nebula A gas cloud in space from which

stars are born.

Neurons Nerve cells.

Nutrients Substances your body needs to

live and grow.

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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 GLOSSARY
Pollutants Any substance that Reservoir A large artificial lake used to Tendons The strips of fibrous tissue that
contaminates the environment. store water. connect muscles to bones.

Post mortem The medical examination Rodents Mammals with large incisors Textiles Cloth or fabric produced by
of a dead body to establish the cause used to gnaw hard substances. weaving or knitting.
of death.
Ruminate To regurgitate food and chew Tissues Collections of cells that work
Poverty Not having enough money it again—sometimes called “chewing together to do the same job.
to take care of basic needs such as food the cud.”

GLOSSARY
and clothing. Transgenic A genetically modified
Savanna Tropical grassland with distinct organism that contains a gene from
Predator An animal that hunts wet and dry seasons. another species.
other animals.
Scavengers Organisms that feed on the Transpiration The loss of water by
Prey An animal that is hunted by remains of dead organisms. evaporation from plant leaves and stems.
other animals.
Shaman A religious leader in some tribes Tricolor A flag with three colored stripes.
Prophet A person who recieves divinely who is thought to have the power to
inspired revelations. heal people. Tsunami A large wave created by a
volcano or earthquake, usually under the
Prosthetics The branch of medicine that Species A group of similar organisms surface of the ocean.
deals with the manufacture of artificial that can breed and produce fertile
body parts. offspring. Veins Blood vessels that carry oxygen-
poor blood back to the heart.
Pupating A stage in an insect’s life cycle Spores The reproductive structures of
when the larva breaks down inside a pupa some plants and fungi. Velocity Speed in a given direction.
and transforms into an adult.
Stem cell A type of cell that can multiply Venom poisonous liquid produced by
Reflection When light bounces off a and develop into different types of cell. some animals, such as snakes and spiders.
surface and then travels in a different
direction. Sublimation When a solid changes Vertebrate An animal with a backbone.
directly into a gas (or gas into solid)
Refraction When light bends as it travels without first becoming a liquid. Viruses Tiny particles that take over cells
from one substance to another. and reproduce inside them.
Succulent A plant such as a cactus that
Refugee A person who flees his or her has fleshy tissue to conserve water. Viscosity The “thickness” of a fluid.
own country to escape danger.
Sultan The ruler of a Muslim country. Vizier A high-ranking official in a
Reptiles Group of cold-blooded Muslim government.
vertebrates that breathe air using lungs, Supernova The bright explosion that
such as snakes and lizards. occurs as a star collapses.

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(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Acknowledgments Allen Russell 133c; Andre Seale 134c; Alex Segre 233cl; Simon Jarratt 243bc; JJamArt 164bl; 104cr, 116cr, 186bc, 186fbl, 187tc, 224br, 245,
The publisher would like to thank the 145tr; Dmitry Shubin 214c; Stefan Sollfors 113bl; Sylwia Kapuscinski 176bl; Kevin Schafer 1bl, 3 245 (Gomphotherium), 245 (Moeritherium);
following for their kind permission to Norbert Speicher 268c; Keren Su / China Span (Parthenon), 73cl, 105cl, 121t, 183tr, 190clb; Stephen Oliver 47br; Oxford University Museum
148b; John Sundlof 217bl; Liba Taylor 289br; Matthias Kulka 290—291b, 291tc; Frans Lanting of Natural History 40 (Peridotite); Courtesy of Sam
reproduce their photographs: Tree of Keygrove Marketing Ltd 249cla; Courtesy of
Travelshots.com 46fclb; Martyn Vickery 193tl; 2br, 59ftr, 66—67t, 73br, 81clb, 81tr, 84ca, 84cra;
View Stock 253ca; Visual & Written SL 72r; Danny Lehman 58bc, 163tc; Charles & Josette The Science Museum, London 38c, 40 (Obsidian),
(Key: a-above; b-below/bottom; Visual&Written SL 112br; Visum Foto GmbH Lenars 198tr; James Leynse 249crb; Massimo Listri 40 (Pumice), 169fcra, 220bl; St. Mungo, Glasgow
144b; David Wall 208cl; John Warburton-Lee 168fbr; Gerd Ludwig 85bc; Alen MacWeeney Museums 159fcr; Courtesy of the U.S. Army
c-center; f-far; l-left; r-right; t-top) Photography 180crb; Richard Wareham Fotografie 165crb; David Madison 179c; Lawrence Manning Heritage and Education Center—Military History

INDEX
1ftr, 3c, 133cl; Wasabi 177cb; WidStock 43cr; 232c; James Marshall 136c; Robert Matheson 292- Institute 185tc, 202cra; Courtesy of The American
akg-images: 208br, 210tl, 253crb; RIA Nowosti World History Archive 204tl; Worldspec / NASA 293; Buddy Mays 97tr; Mary Ann McDonald 94cr; Museum of Natural History 187c; Courtesy of the
213bl; Alamy Images: Bryan & Cherry Alexander 126—127; Ancient Art & Architecture Momatluk-Eastcott 82-83; Moodboard 163clb, University Museum of Archaeology and
130crb, 149tl, 171tr; Arco Images 91ca, 99tc; Collection: C M Dixon 187tl; Anglo Australian 249fbr; Arthur Morris 3ftl, 106t, 107tr; Kevin R. Anthropology, Cambridge 187crb; Wilberforce
ARCO Images GmbH 51br, 124t, 142bl, 151br; Observatory: 7tr, 13bc, 13br; Ardea: Steve Downer Morris 162cl; NASA 52bl; David A. Northcott House Museum, Hull City Council 203tl; Jerry
Arco Images GmbH / Wittek, R. 93fbr; Olivier 96tl; Kenneth W. Fink 97cr; The Bridgeman Art 101cl; Richard T Nowitz 163cr, 200bl, 201cl; Tim Young 61cr, 102c, 117ftr, 138c; David Doubilet:
Asselin 170cb; avatra images 112cla; B.A.E. Inc Library: 190br; Capitol Collection, Washington, Pannell 178tl; Paul A. Souders 3tr, 57tc, 64t, 73bc, 74c; ESA: 21t; FLPA: Ingo Arndt / Minden
52cr; Bill Bachmann 151cr, 171bl; Stephen Bisgrove USA 201c; Look and Learn 191t, 207t, 252clb; 173clb, 219tl, 236cl; Douglas Pearson 157ca, 181tc; Pictures 116tl; Nigel Cattlin 116bl, 116crb; R.
145cl; Blickwinkel 32t, 98bc, 115br, 115cla, 117cl; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Philadelphia Museum of Art / © Succession Dirscherl 103cra; Michael & Patricia Fogden /
Steve Bloom Images 94l; Oote Boe Photography William Sturgis Bigelow Collection 220tl; Private Picasso/DACS 2009 167tl; Michael Pole 87; Radius Minden 79bl; Mitsuaki Iwago / Minden Pictures
185c; BrazilPhotos.com 134cb; Scott Camazine Collection 188cl; Private Collection / © Michael Images 163br; Enzo & Paolo Ragazzini 184b; Roger 95ca; Heidi & Hans-Juergen Koch 102cr; Gerard
91cl; Steve Cavalier 108cl; Chris Cheadle 45bl, Graham-Stewart 202tl; Bryan and Cherry Ressmeyer 21cl, 24crb, 158br, 170tr, 221cl, 265b; Lacz 99tl; Chris Newbert / Minden 109cr; Norbert
132tl; Classic Image 197bc; David Coleman 181bc; Alexander Photography: 161cl; Carnegie Reuters 5tc, 21c, 25c, 44t, 162bc, 172bl, 205tr, Wu / Minden Pictures 106cl, 302-303; Pete Oxford
Derek Croucher 37tc; David Noble Photography Observatories—Giant Magellan Telescope : 209cr, 239fbr, 253tl, 255br, 266tr; Reuters / Rafael 102cl; Schauhuber/Imagebroker 117fbr; Mark
127tr, 145cr, 148tc; David R. Frazier Photolibrary, Giant Magellan Telescope 21br; Corbis: 174cla, Perez 216ca; Neil C. Robinson 224clb; Roger Sisson 113br; Jan Vermeer / Minden Pictures 106br;
Inc. 87br; Danita Delimont 136tr; David Dent 211bl, 211cl, 259tl; Alinari Archives 165bl; Ressmeyer / NASA 26cl; Jenny E. Ross 4tr, 95bl; Tom Vezo / Minden Pictures 112cl; Albert Visage
29bl, 44b; Redmond Durrell 109bc; Chad Ehlers Theo Allofs 49, 63br; The Andy Warhol Foundation Pete Saloutos 256cl; Jacques Sarrat / Sygma 174— 120c; Tony Wharton 121bl; Shin Yoshino 84clb;
29tc, 31tr, 52cra; Elvele Images Ltd. 107cr, 107cra; for the Visual Arts 167tr; ANSA / ANSA 257tr; 175; Alan Schein 239bl; Phil Schermeister 61cl; Courtesy of Friendly Robotics: 267cr; R Gendler:
Eye Ubiquitous 63c; David Fleetham 109br; Free H. Armstrong Roberts 221br; Art on File 79br; Herb Schmitz 120-121; Denis Scott 18; Denis Scott 1ftl, 11bl; Getty Images: 55br, 115c, 136bl, 167br,
Agents Limited 177tr; Tim Gainey 91tl; Geophoto The Art Archive 191bc, 192tl, 212t; Anthony / Comet 92bl; Smithsonian Institution 198c; Joseph 180tl, 185tr, 214tr, 215tr, 247bc, 257c, 257cl; Peter
/ Natalia Chervyakova / Imagebroker 119bl; Mike Bannister / Gallo Images 108bl; Dave Bartruff Sohm / Visions of America 201cra; Ted Soqui Adams 137br; AFP 141bl, 157fcla, 159fbr, 173bc,
Goldwater 149tc; Tim Graham 133tc; Sally & 213crb; Bettmann 2cr, 3br, 24bc, 34c, 163bl, 255ca; Stapleton Collection 252t; George Steinmetz 173tr, 183br, 211cr, 215br, 215cl, 215cr, 247c,
Richard Greenhill 171br; David Gregs 126-154 169cla, 193bc, 200cr, 203bl, 203cl, 204bl, 206br, 264br; STScI/NASA 6-7; Jim Sugar 45c; Sygma 251tc, 255cra, 267l; AFP Photo / Jamie Mcdonald /
(sidebar); Robert Harding Picture Library 3ca, 206t, 207bc, 209t, 210bc, 210br, 213tr, 221bl, 84cla, 134clb, 173cra, 255cb; Sygma / (c) Tracey Pool 179cb; Doug Allan 149bc; William Albert
38clb, 38tr, 136b; Martin Harvey 141tr; Shaun 246bl, 254cl, 254crb, 257bl, 275cr; Stefano Emin, courtesy White Cube (London) 167crb; Allard 127br, 149tr; Theo Allofs 65cl, 151bc;
Higson 165tl; Bert Hoferichter 181tr; Holmes Bianchetti 220tr; Jonathan Blair 19b; Blend Images Ramin Talaie 25crb; Paul Thompson / Ecoscene Altrendo 62c; Tito Atchaa 238bc; Rob Atkins 230
Garden Photos 193tc; Horizon International Images 162tr; Gary Braasch 81bc; Tom Brakefield 84cl, 161br; Penny Tweedie 3bl, 161cr, 171tc; (skyline sunset); Aurora / Ian Shive 110cr (coral);
Limited 38t, 52tr; Peter Horree 180cl; Chris Howes 85cb, 98t; Brand X / Southern Stock 269bl; Brand Underwood & Underwood 181bl, 205cr; Vanni Aurora / Jurgen Freund 92tr; Aurora / Sean Davey
/ Wild Places Photography 140tr; IGG Digital X / Triolo Productions / Burke 117crb; Bojan Archive 181tl; Steven Vidler 177bl; Visuals 103bc; Paul Avis 239bc; Axiom Photographic
Graphic Productions GmbH 176bc; Image Register Brecelj 203tr; Andrew Brookes 228-229; Brunei Unlimited 284cr, 291ca, 291tl; Werner Forman Agency 183tc, 199clb; Daryl Balfour 140tc, 244bl;
052 235cr; Image Source Pink 176cl; Image Source Information / epa 216cb; Burstein Collection 198cr, 199tl; Michele Westmorland 121cl; Nick Jim Ballard 12; John W Banagan 2cra, 45r, 238fbr;
Pink / IS752 157bc; imagebroker 141tl, 196cl; 253cb; Car Culture 79crb; Angelo Cavalli / Zefa Wheeler 163tr; Ralph White 245br; Steve Wilkings Anthony Bannister 65tc; Tancredi J Bavosi 234bl;
Images and Stories 180c; Images of Africa 160c (background); CDC / PHIL 93br; Ron 4tl, 50; Douglas P. Wilson / Frank Lane Picture Walter Bibikow 231bl; Steve Bly 49tr; Steve Bonini
Photobank 29tr, 39tr, 127tl, 140b, 140cr; Interfoto Chapple 52ca; Christie’s Images 3ftr, 212br; Agency 123bc; Keith Wood 43bl; Lawson Wood 67tr; Philippe Bourseiller 77fbr; John Bracegirdle
Pressbildagentur 134b, 137ca, 196t, 196-197, Christie’s Images / © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, 110fcl (Sponges); Michael S Yashamita 35c; Zefa 67cr; Per Breiehagen 130b; The Bridgeman Art
253bl; Interfoto Pressebildagentur 168-169 London 2009 167bc; Ralph A. Clevenger 109tr; 84bl, 224bc, 242t; Jim Zuckerman 273bl; Library 133cr, 165tr, 189br, 193br, 196br, 196cr,
(background); J L Images 132-133b; Huw Jones W. Cody 167bl; Construction Photography 42b; F. Deschandol & Ph. Sabine: 117bc, 117br; DK 212bl, 252crb; The Bridgeman Art Library / Anton
167cl; Juniors Bildarchiv 113tc; Juniors Bildarchiv / Gianni Dagli Orti 165c, 189bc; Fridmar Damm Images: Roger Bridgman 260cl; British Library Agelo Bonifazi 159t; The Bridgeman Art Library /
F349 93crb; Jupiterimages 39cr, 52ftr; Anthony 71tr, 89bc, 145bl; Tim Davis / Davis Lynn Wildlife 168bc, 168br, 212bc; British Library Board 168fbl; German School 3cb, 159ftr, 169tc; The Bridgeman
Kay / Flight 52crb; Steven J. Kazlowski 96bl; 97tc; Deborah Betz Collection 221bc; P. Deliss/ British Museum 172t, 184cr, 184crb, 184tr, 199tr; Art Library / Italian School 158b (background);
Georgios Kollidas 253br; Karl Kost 149cr; H Godong 294-295; Sebastien Desarmaux/Godong Geoff Dann / Jeremy Hunt—modelmaker 280br, The Bridgeman Art Library / Ludwig van Beethoven
Lansdown 121cr; Leslie Garland Picture Library 162cra; DLILLC 120b; DLILLC / Davis Lynn 281cl; Courtesy of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo 175ftr; Jan Bruggeman 240—241; Frank & Joyce
45bc; Mark Lewis 151t; Tony Lilley 145br; The Wildlife 4-5, 97cra; Doc-stock 111 (Leech); Edifice 189cl; ESA–ESTEC 25fbr; Rowan Greenwood 5tl, Burek 75bc; JH Pete Carmichael 110cr (Tarantula);
London Art Archive 145bc; Suzanne Long 164tr; 253clb; EPA 1fbl, 54br, 55cr, 162br, 162ca, 162cr, 161cla; Imperial War Museum 210c; Simon James Luis Castaneda Inc 111bc; Angelo Cavalli 63tc,
Lou-Foto 168fcra; Dirk V Mallinckrodt 91c; Mary 185br; Frederic Soltan 37t; Michael Freeman 185tl; 191bl; Jamie Marshall 63tr, 161ca, 183tl, 213tc; 137bl; Paul Chesley 81cla; China Span / Keren Su
Evans Picture Libray 207c, 207crb; Medical-on-line Stephen Frink 111 (Clams), 121br, 122-123t; Jose Judith Miller / Ancient Art 168tc; Judith Miller / 169cb; John Coletti 69br; Jeffrey Coolidge 80bl,
256cb; Mettafoto 260t; Mira 49bl; Mirrorpix 171tl; Fuste Raga 148tl, 180bl, 181c; The Gallery Sloan’s 182bc, 195br; Judith Miller / Wallis and 230 (plugs), 232t, 243br; Gary Cornhouse 262tr;
Jeff Morgan 172br; NASA 49tl; Nature Picture Collection 166bl, 166cl, 166t, 191br, 212clb; Wallis 195fbr; Courtesy of The Museum of London Livia Corona 137tr; Daniel J. Cox 59fbl, 69cr;
Library 173cl; Ron Niebrugge 97tl; North Wind David Gard / Star Ledger 172—173; John 187cr; Museum of the Order of St. John, London DEA / G. Cozzi Cozzi 140tl; Derek Croucher
Picture Archives 192-193b, 199br, 200br, 201bc, Gillmoure 162—163; Lynn Goldsmith 156—157; 168bl; NASA 25bl, 25clb, 25tc; National Maritime 101tc; Mark Daffey 73bl; Stefano Dal Pozzolo—
206c, 244t; Michael Patrick O’Neill 134cr; Edward Frank Greenaway 120tl; Martin Harvey 119tc, 120- Museum, London 183bl, 196cb; National Museum Vatican Pool 159fcla; Geoff Dann 165cl; Peter
Parker 113c; pbpgalleries 173tl; David Pearson 121ca; Lindsay Hebberd 157cla; Lindsay Herbberd of Kenya 186br; Courtesy of the Natural History David 75br; De Agostini Picture Library 3fbl,
149br; Photos 12 261tl; PHOTOTAKE Inc 266tl; 163cl; Historical Picture Archive 164c; Jack Museum, London 39bc, 40 (Limestone), 40 39cra, 182-183c, 189t, 190c; Digital Vision 52-53,
Pictures Colour Library 173bl; Chuck Place 126bl, Hollingsworth 129t; Julie Houck 122bl; Carol (Pegmatite), 40 (Siltstone), 40 (Tillite), 41, 41 59bc, 59bl, 60cr, 200cl, 204cr, 205cb, 217tr, 230
132cl; Print Collector 197bl, 199cra, 208bl, 209bl; Hughes 111br; Hulton Collection 211cb; Richard (Agate), 41 (Calcite), 41 (Lapis lazuli), 41 (radio), 238br, 240r, 242bl; Digital Vision / Rob
Rolf Richardson 177t; Jeff Rotman 112cra; Hutchings 170bl; Image 100 241tr; Image Source (Magnetite), 41 (Quartz), 41 (Sulfur), 68br, 69c, Melnychuk 158bl; DigitalGlobe 35br, 35crb;

303
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
 Reinhard Dirscherl 1tr, 109cl; Domino 231tl; Gabrielle Revere 291bl; Curtis W Richter 69tr; (Arizona State University) 235bl; ESA/S. Beckwith Nancy Pierce 249bl; Philippe Plailly 14bl; Doug
Elsa 179br; Bob Elsdale 110b; Grant Faint 230 Riser / John & Lisa Merrill 102crb; Riser / Michael (STScI) and the HUDF Team 10b; Andrew Plummer 46—47; Paul Rapson 237bl, 249cl; John
(racing car); Tim Fitzharris 56—57; Tim Flach 79cl; Blann 174ca; Patrick Riviere 92br; Robert Harding Fruchter and the ERO Team [Sylvia Baggett Reader 186bl; John Sanford 17tr; Chris Sattlberger
David Fleetham 110cl (Octopus); Robert Fournier World Imagery / Steve & Ann Toon 93bl; Robert (STScI), Richard Hook (ST-ECF), Zoltan Levay 241tl; Friedrich Saurer 23crb; Science Pictures Ltd.
77br; FPG / Keystone 235tl; David R Frazier 55tr; Harding World Imagery / Thorsten Milse 93tr; Lew (STScI)] 11bc; Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/ 123cr; Seymour 242br; Dr. Seth Shostak 21bc;
James French 159ca; Robert Frerck 164br; Ziyah Robertson 205cl; Marc Romanelli 231cl; Michael STScI) 20br; Johnson Space Center 23bl, 23clb, Sinclair Stammers 186fbr; George Steinmetz 194—
Gafic 214l; Roger Garwood & Trish Ainslie 59— Rosenfeld 126bc, 145t; Martin Ruegner 219br, 23tr; JPL-Caltech/UA/Lockheed Martin 27br; 195; W.T Sullivan III 128t; Mark Sykes 225bl;
59t; Ezio Geneletti 225cra; Georgette Douwma 231cr; Andy Sacks 236c; Dave Saunders 42t; Kevin JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona 26br; Kennedy Andrew Syred 90b, 123bl, 246c; David Taylor 39br;
60br, 77cr, 83tc, 92fcr; Daisy Gilardini 65clb, 70bl, Schafer 61tr; Gregor Schuster 263tl; Louis Space Center 19tl; naturepl.com: Aflo 86bl; Ingo TEK Image 240l; Geoff Tompkinson 5tr, 274c;
70—71b; Tim Graham 4ftr, 127bl, 136tl; George Schwartzberg 95cr; Zen Shui / Laurence Mouton Arndt 113cr; Eric Baccega 99br; Peter Blackwell US Air Force 269br; US Department of Energy
Grall 74br, 100br, 111 (Beetle); Jorg Greuel 60tr, 231c; Gail Shumway 83tl, 101bl; Alan Smith 132cr; 103tl; Jurgen Freund 91cr; David Hall 119cl; Tony 211br; US Geological Survey 26cb, 26—27ca;
68bl; Jan Greune 68-69; Christopher Groenhout Philip & Karen Smith 37cr, 230 (dam); Paul Heald 104b; Michael D. Kern 102tr; Kim Taylor Jim Varney 248cl; Jeremy Walker 88tl; Wellcome
124bl; Jeffrey Hamilton 229c; Robert Harding Souders 65crb; Bob Stefko 65br; Stockbyte 60cra, 116clb, 117cra; Luiz Claudio Marigo 105br; Rolf Dept. of Cognitive Neurology 281br; Dr. Keith
World Imagery 78cla; GK Hart / Vikki Hart 243bl; 65tr, 250—251, 264—265; Stocktrek Images 24— Nussbaumer 89; Andrew Parkinson 98bl; Philippe Wheeler 123cra, 123tc, 123tr; Dirk Wiersma 38tl;
Gavin Hellier 146br, 148tr, 149bl, 219tc, 225cr; 25; Stone / Frank Krahmer 71bl; Stone / Clement 89bl, 89tl; Premaphotos 111bl, 116bc; Jeff Charles D. Winters 225bc, 226t; Dr. Torsten
Masanobu Hirose 51; Bruno De Hogues 176br; Freudenthal Verhagen 92cl; Stone / Jody Dole 60- Rotman 118bl; Anup Shah 103c; David Shale Wittmann 236br; Dr. A. YazdaniI & Dr. D.J.
Ross M Horowitz 63ftr; Simeone Huber 147; 61 (insects); Stone / Louis Fox 179bl; Stone / Theo 118br; David Tipling 106cr; Dave Watts 95t; Hornbaker 268br; Victor Habbick Visions 251tr,
INDEX

Hulton Archive 173crb, 185cl, 199cla, 200tr, Allofs 2fbr, 93ca; STR / AFP / Jiji Press 178; Studio NHPA / Photoshot: James Carmichael Jnr 113bc; 256cr, 269t; SeaPics.com: 109tc, 112crb, 118t,
205br, 206bc, 207bl, 209bc, 210cr, 210-211, 219tr, Paggy 162tl; Keren Su 99cr, 195cr; Jim Sugar / James Carmichael Jr. 85cr; Stephen Dalton 121cla, 121bc; Gary Bell 93bc; Rudie Kuiter 108clb;
235tr; Daniel Hurst 231tr; Ichiro 238bl; Image Science Faction 1tl, 29tl, 34; Harald Sund 59br; 121cra; Daniel Heuclin 117tl; Cede Prudente SOHO/EIT (ESA & NASA): 6bl, 13tr; Still
Source 176c, 251br, 264t; The Image Bank / Barros Taxi / Ken Reid 46fbl; Ron & Patty Thomas 4tc, 120tr; James Warwick 84tl; PA Photos: AP Photo Pictures: Randy Brandon 43tl; Swissdent
& Barros 175tc; The Image Bank / Bob Stefko 93tc; 53cr, 62cb; David Tipling 59tl; Travel Ink 72tr; 250br, 257tc, 259c, 262l, 266cr; Carl Bento / AP Cosmetics AG (www.swissdent.com): 269bc;
The Image Bank / Frans Lemmens 92cr; The Image Travelpix Ltd. 68cl, 261br; Yoshikazu Tsuno 3crb, 92cb; Deutsche Press-Agentur 264tr; US Army Tesla Motors: 1br, 259bl, 259br; TopFoto.co.uk:
Bank / Gavin Gough 160fbr; The Image Bank / 261tr; Pete Turner 52b, 241b; Shiva Twin 80—81; 265tr; Laurie Hatch Photography: 20; 252ca; The Granger Collection 254bl; University
Tim Graham 161t (background); Imagewerks Japan Joseph Van Os 53crb, 68c; Gandee Vasan 54bc; Photolibrary: 173tc; Michael Fogden / Oxford of Dundee Archive Services: Michael Peto
258; Alexander Joe / Afp 178crb; Steven Kaziowski Visuals Unlimited 229cr; Visuals Unlimited / Joe Scientific (OSF) 101cr; Image100 171c, 171cr; Collection: 93l; Virtusphere, Inc.: 264bl;
70c; Ken King 110cl (Ants); Ted Kinsman 1bc, McDonald 92c; Ami Vitale 160cr; Zelda Wahl North Wind Pictures 202br; Oxford Scientific Wellcome Library, London: Kate Whitley 282br;
243fbl; Jonathan Kitchen 231bc; Tim Kiusalaas 141c; Andrew H. Walker 177tl; Jeremy Walker (OSF) 108bc; Alain Pol 280; Lew Robertson 165bc; Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: 23br
230t; Frank Krahmer 138cl; Cameron Lawson 60bc; Caroline Warren 1tc, 60tl; Bridget Webber PrairieHill Photography USA: 115bc; Science &
224cl; Lester Lefkowitz 94br; Frans Lemmens 63bc; 230 (cooling towers); Westend61 49br; Stuart Society Picture Library: 252cr, 252cra; Science Jacket images: Front: Alamy Images: Vic Pigula ftr.
Darryl Leniuk 234br; Ron Levine 267tr; Look / Westmorland 77bl; Ralph Wetmore 236cr; Andy Photo Library: 256bc, 256br; AJ Photo 256tl; Getty Images: DAJ tr; Photographer’s Choice /
Bernard van Dierendonck 179tr; Look / Jan Greune Whale 229cl; Darwin Wiggett 133crb; Win- ALIX 247cl; Charles Angelo 119br; A. Barrington Cristian Baitg bl; Taxi / Micheal Simpson tl. NASA:
57tl; Ken Lucas 72bc; Zac Macaulay 77bc; Macduff Initiative 135; WireImage 173br, 173c, 173fbr; Arte Brown 246br; John Bavosi 246cr; Juergen Berger JSC-ES&IA fbr. naturepl.com: Aflo c.
Everton 38cr, 163c; Spike Mafford 65cr; Roine Wolfe 58bl; Ted Wood 63cr; World Perspectives 257br; Andrew Brookes / National Physical Photolibrary: Corbis ftl. Science Photo Library:
Magnusson 58br; Ray Massey 232b; Kent Mathews 54—55t, 130bl, 146bl; David Wrobel 75bl; Laboratory 249cr; Carolyn Brown 188bl; BSIP, Bernhard Edmaier br. Back: Getty Images:
233bc; Khin Maung Win / AFP 216bc; Ian Norbert Wu 60crb, 73r, 141br; Zap Art 262-263 Cavallini James 284bl; Dr. Jeremy Burgess 87tr, Photonica / A.T. White c; Taxi / Jeff Sherman ftl;
McAllister 65cb; Dennis McColeman 250bl, 254cb; (Background); Andy Zito 263ftr (Global Village4); 88tc, 115clb; Claude Nuridsany & Marie Perennou Taxi / Space Frontiers ftr. naturepl.com: Kim Taylor
Joe McDonald 120cr; Walter B McKenzie 116cl; Polly Greathouse: 266bc, 266bl; Honda (UK): 121clb; Russell Croman 31bc, 31bl, 31br, 31cl, tl. Spine: Science Photo Library: Andrew Syred t.
Ian Mckinnell 251tl, 262—263; Kendall Honda.com 258 (all); Imagestate: AGE Fotostock 31cr, 31cra, 31tc (moon phases), 31tl, 53tr; Andy Front Flaps: Science Photo Library: Paul Whitehill.
McMinimy 111 (Jellyfish); Medioimages / 187; Jose Fuste Raga 195t; iRobot Corporation: Crump 256c; Christian Darkin 269cra; Michael Back Flaps: Science Photo Library: Daniel
Photodisc 161ftr; A. Messerschmidt 261tc; Roberto 267br; iStockphoto.com: 156-180 (sidebar), Donne, University of Manchester 249bc, 249br; Sambraus.
Mettifogo 218bc, 234—235c; Arthur Meyerson 255bl, 262cb, 263clb, 263tr; Terry J Alcorn 197cr; John Durham 87l; Eye of Science 277bc; Peter All other images © Dorling Kindersley
214—215b; Donald Miralle 178fbl; Alan R Moller Aldra 110tc; Kimberly Deprey 127tc, 132c; Alf Faulkner 85cl; Dante Fenolio 49clb; Mauro For further information see: www.dkimages.com
55bl; Laurence Monneret 81cr; Bruno Morandi 3tl, Ertsland 205c; Arthur Carlo Franco 105tr; Bradley Fermariello 248tr; Clive Freeman / Biosym
144t; Bryan Mullennix 111cr; Darlyne A. Murawski Gallup 201br; Boris Hajdarevic 204-205c; Kemie Technologies 223b, 298-299; Mark Garlick 15bc; Dorling Kindersley would also
113tr, 122cl; Narinder Nanu / AFP 160bc; NASA 167cra; Eric Hood 271tc, 282crb; Gertjan Hooijer GE Medical Systems 239tl; Pascal Goetgheluck like to thank:
265tl; National Geographic 28—29, 53br, 59tc, 91tr; Scott Kochsiek 30crb; Richard Laurence 93c; 269cr; Johnny Greig 261bl; Neal Grundy 238-239c; Editorial assistance: Penny Arlon, Richard Beatty,
59tr, 107tl, 111 (Starfish), 111tr, 184tl, 230 Shaun Lowe 6-26 (sidebar), 9t; Eileen Morris Steve Gschmeissner 85ca, 285tr, 286tr; Gusto Dr. Amy-Jane Beer, Alex Cox, Leon Gray, Sue
(saucepan), 231br; National Geographic / Alison 189bl; Pete Muller 105tc; Kevin Panizza 119tr; Jan Images 257bc, 275br; Tony & Daphne Hallas 19cl; Malyan, Penny Smith, and Chris Woodford
Wright 160t; National Geographic / Frans Lanting Rysavy 29br, 53cra; Dennis Sabo 111 (Sponges); David A. Hardy 228t; David Hardy 11br; Roger Design assistance: Natalie Godwin, Emma Forge,
92fcl; National Geographic / Michael S. Quinton sgame 291cr; Baris Simsek 218-219; Stephen Sweet Harris 237t; George Holton 186t; The International Tom Forge, Poppy Joslin, Katie Newman, Anna
71fbr; National Geographic / Paul Nicklen 57tr, 202c; Stefanie Timmermann 254bc; Dean Turner Astronomical Union 14—15cr; Makoto Iwafuji Plucinska, Laura Roberts-Jensen, Pamela Shiels,
71cl, 71cr; National Geographic / Roy Toft 96cl; 56-80 (sidebar); Joan Vicent Cantó Roig 119c; 247tr; Adam Jones 38br; Manfred Kage 268tr; and Sarah Williams
Marvin E. Newman 73c; Kyle Newton 239br; Andrey Volodin 262br; Sandra vom Stein 28-54 James King-Holmes 247br, 247tl, 265c; Edward Proofreader: Anneka Wahlhaus
Paul Nicklen 76bl; Laurie Noble 137cr; Thomas (sidebar); Duncan Walker 197br, 218-246 (sidebar); Kinsman 90c, 221tc, 238c, 238cb; Ted Kinsman Indexer: Chris Bernstein
Northcut 68clb; Michael Ochs Archives 173ca; jason walton 182-214 (sidebar); Dane Wirtzfeld 230bl; K.H. Kjeldsen 123br; Mehau Kulyk 270br,
Stan Osolinski 73fbr; Panoramic Images 2crb, 56bl, 178cra; Dan Wood 17b; x-drew 191cr; Serdar Yagci 281tr; Andrew Lambert Photography 225tr, 238t;
64b, 66—67c, 76—77, 83tr, 110fcr (Butterfly), 190fbr; Tomasz Zachariasz 110tr; The Kobal Martin Land 36cl; Lawrence Lawry 88br; Dr.
304; Grove Pashley 229br; Danilo Pavone 91fcr; Collection: Different Tree Same Wood 177br; Najeeb Layyous 288br; Leonard Lessin 79cr; David
Jose Luis Pelaez 79fcr, 242bc; Per Magnus Persson Golden Harvest 177bc; Stefan Kröpelin, Mack 288l; Dr. P. Marazzi 248bc; Richard Marpole
227cr; Photodisc 49c, 81tl, 256clb; Photodisc / University of Cologne: 138br; Mary Evans Picture 88tr; Tom Mchugh 109bl, 121crb; Medi-mation
InterNetwork Media 35tl; Photodisc / Sami Sarkis Library: 187clb, 198bl; Courtesy of the NAIC - 271c; Medical RF.com 257tl, 279c; Prof. P. Motta /
60bl; Photographer’s Choice / Derek Croucher 92 Arecibo Observatory, a facility of the NSF: Dept. of Anatomy / University ‘La Sapienza’, Rome
(ladybird); Photographer’s Choice / Harald Sund Arecibo Observatory / NSF 7tl, 8-9b; NASA: 2ftr, 271tl, 277br; Louise Murray 266br; NASA 3cr, 7br,
71tl; Photographer’s Choice / Kevin Schafer 103tr; 2tr, 7tc, 10ftr, 12bl, 22cb, 22t, 23bc, 25cra, 235cb; 23, 27bl, 27cr; NASA / ESA / B Whitmore / STScI-
Photographer’s Choice RR / Harald Sund 93tl; ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI / AURA 11t; NASA / JPL 234t; NASA / JPL-Caltech
Photonica / Theo Allofs 71br; Picture It Now / AURA) 10cr; ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team / STScI 12c; National Library of Medicine 247bl;
Handout 178—1179t; Paul Piebinga 72tc; (STSCI/AURA) / J. Blakeslee (Washington State National Museum, Denmark 256bl; NREL / US
Christopher Pillitz 78b; Popperfoto 211bc, 213tl; University) 10cra; ESA and The Hubble Heritage Department of Energy 43tr; David Nunuk 21bl;
Terje Rakke 75cb; Gary Randall 149cl; James Team (STSCI/AURA) / P. Knezek (WIYN) 10tr; Claude Nuridsany and Marie Perenou 115bl, 115cl,
Randklev 66—67b; Rapsodia 142b; Mitch Reardon ESA, HEIC, and The Hubble Heritage Team 115fbl; Gregory Ochocki 51bl; Omikron 283bl;
150—151b; Dan Regan 179cra; Rich Reid 62bl; (STScI/AURA) 13bl; ESA/J. Hester and A. Loll David Parker 282tr; Alfred Pasieka 270-271;

304
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.