Monday, September 25. 2017The Earth
What is the difference between the geographic poles and the magnetic poles? The earth has a natural magnetic field and behaves as a magnet, influencing a mariner’s navigational compass. The north and south poles (magnetic) are points on the Earth’s magnetic axis. The earth spins on its geographic axis and not on its magnetic axis.
Continue reading "The Earth" Friday, September 15. 2017Which is the largest river in the world?
Amazon is the largest river in the world because it contains more water than any other river on the earth — it contains about 25% of all the water (excepting sea water) that runs off the Earth’s surface. The Amazon rises high up in the Andes Mountains in Peru, flows across a length of 6,448 km from Northern Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean and on the way it is fed by about 15,000 tributaries and sub-tributaries. The true source of Amazon was discovered in 1971 by Loren McIntyre in the snow-covered Andes of Southern Peru. The Amazon begins with snowbound lakes and brooks, and from the confluence of two major headstreams, the Maranon and Ucayali, the river is called Amazon. The Amazon was first discovered in 1499 by Vicente Yanez Pinzon — a Spanish sea captain who was a part of Columbus’ crew on his great voyage. As Pizon was sailing out of sight off the coast, he discovered that he was voyaging through fresh water. He moved shorewards to investigate and anchored in the mouth of the vast river. One of the most intriguing things about the Amazon is that its tributaries are distinctly of different colours. The true source of the main river is 5,240 metres above the sea-level in Peruvian Andes, and this starts off as white or dirty yellow. All the tributaries to the Amazon which run through the Andes are similar in colour as they carry heavy quantities of whitish soil in their waters. Many of its other tributaries which originate in northwest Brazil and Venezuela are apparently black in colour. In fact, these rivers are very clear and dark red in colour because they flow over ancient bare rock formations, and are relatively free of sediment but laden with iron. Of late, Amazon has been categorized as the longest river of the world along with river Nile. A latest survey of the length of Amazon puts it at 6,750 km which exceeds the length of Nile by 80 km. But which is longer is more a matter of definition of length of a river than the simple measurement of length.
Friday, September 15. 2017Which is the oldest city in the world?From the available historical sources, Jericho is considered to be the oldest city in the world. It is located on the west side of Jordan near Israel. It is situated 825 ft below the sea level, some six miles north of the Dead Sea. The Archaeologists have uncovered 17 layers of settlements dating back to 5000 B.C. or earlier, signifying its continuity over the years.
In the biblical history, it is known as the first town captured by Israel and that its wall fell to blast of their trumpet. Jericho is mentioned in the Old and new Testaments. Herod the Great established a winter residence there and died there in 4th B.C. There is evidence to prove the visit of Mesolithic hunters around 9000 BC, and of a long period of settlement by their descendants. To begin with their habitations included flimsy huts. From these huts solid houses were developed and the settlement spread to cover an area of about 10 acres. By 8000 BC the inhabitants had developed into an organized community capable of building a massive stone wall around the settlement. The construction of such a huge wall suggests that a population of around 2000-3000 persons inhabited the town. Thus, within a period of 1000 years, there had been a development from a wandering-hunting way of life to an agricultural settlement. For the next 2000 years, Jericho passed through the Neolithic stage. During 5000 BC people of this place started using pottery. Over the next 2000 years, occupation was sparse and possibly intermittent. At the end of the 4th millennium BC, an urban culture once more appeared in Jericho as in the rest of Palestine. Jericho became a walled town again with its walls rebuilt many times. About 2300 BC there was once more a break in the urban life. Jericho of the Crusader period was on yet a third site, a mile east of the Old Testament site and here the modern town grew up. Its major expansion, however, came after its incorporation into Jordan in 1949.
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