Tag Archives: Europe

Alps

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Alps

Just a bunch of mountains.

  • The Alps is a range of mountains that form a crescent shape in Europe, that covers a distance of 1,200 km (750 miles).
  • The Alps can be found in Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Monaco.
  • The Alps is the home of many glaciers.
  • There are 13,000 species of vegetation and 30,000 species of wildlife, many of which are native to the Alps.
  • A mummified man was found in the Alps at the Austrian/Italian border in 1991, said to be 5,000 years old.
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Alps
Image courtesy of Michal Marcol/ Free Digital Photos
  • Fourteen million people live in the Alps region, and the area attracts approximately 120 million visitors every year.
  • In the Alps there are 82 official summits that are at least 4,000 m (13,123 ft) high, and the  highest peak is Mont Blanc which is 4,810 meters (15, 780 feet) high and is on the French and Italian border.
  • The Alps have been the source of many minerals and crystals, which has included copper, gold, iron, cinnabar, quartz and amethyst.
  • It is suggested that between 40,000 to 80,000 men died in World War I due to avalanches on the Alps.
  • The Alps provide water that those in the region drink; use for irrigation purposes; and create hydroelectric power in over 500 power plants, that can produce up to 2900 kilowatts of electricity per hour.
Bibliography:
Alps, 2013 Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alps>

Protea

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Protea

There are so many interesting flowers.

  • Proteas are also known as sugarbushes.
  • Protea flowers are native to South Africa.
  • Proteas are named after the Greek mythology god ‘Proteus’ who can change it’s form, as there are many different looking proteas.
  • Proteas were introduced to Europe in the 1700s by keen botanists.
  • Proteas are from the family Proteaceae.

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  • The South African cricket team is named after the protea; calling themselves ‘The Proteas’.
  • The protea genus has approximately 100 species, all evergreen, ranging from small shrubs to large trees.
  • Proteas flower in autumn, winter and spring and are very popular as cut flowers and are widely used by florists.
  • Protea leaves often feel like leather.
  • Protea flowers are pink, cream or red in colour.
Bibliography:
Plant Profile: Protea 2011, Gardening Australia, <http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866643.htm>

Moscow

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Moscow

Large city, large population, large money.

  • Moscow is the capital city of Russia, although it was replaced by Saint Petersburg as the capital for more than 200 years from 1712-1917.
  • Moscow is a major city of Europe since it has high political, economical, cultural and scientific standards.
  • Moscow is the 6th largest city in the world, with a population of 11,503,501 in 2010.
  • Moscow has extensive underground rail transportation networks, known in English as the “Moscow Metro”, which includes 188 stations, the deepest being 84 metres (276 ft) underground.
  • Moscow was named after the Moskva River, and the name ‘Moscow’ means ‘city by Moskva River’ in old Russian.
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Moscow
Image courtesy of Cescasawin/ Free Digital Photos
  • Moscow’s earliest known recorded reference as a place was in 1147, and it was a minor town at the time.
  • In Moscow, the temperatures in the weather range from -25°C to 30°C (-13°F to 86°F).
  • Christianity is the main religion of Moscow, most people following the Russian Orthodox Church.
  • Moscow is known for the amazing architecture of the “Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat” or “Pokrovsky Cathedral”, commonly known as “Saint Basil’s Cathedral“.
  • Moscow has 96 parks and 18 public gardens, and has more than three times the number of green ‘park’ space per person than each of Paris, London and New York.
Bibliography:
Moscow 6 March 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow>

Steamroller

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Steamroller

Before diesel.

  • Steamrollers were rollers that flattened roads.
  • Steamrollers were powered by steam, although the term steamroller is still applied to the more modern rollers run by diesel.
  • Steamrollers flattened surfaces due to the mass of the vehicle and the cylindrical like drums, called rolls.
  • Steamrollers typically had three rolls and were controlled by gears.
  • Steamrollers are often seen in action at steam shows.
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Steamroller
Image courtesy of Mr Pbps/Flickr
  • The most famous steamroller manufacturer was the British company, Aveling and Porter.
  • Britian was the largest steamroller producer and exported many of the machines to other countries.
  • Part of the M1 motorway, the highway from London to Leeds, England, was built by steamrollers.
  • Sometimes stemrollers had scraper bars fitted, that removed foreign material from the surface of the roll.
  • Steamrollers have been popular in movies, music and books, including the Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends series and Bob the Builder episodes.
Bibliography:
Steamroller 27 February 2013 , Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamroller>

Leaning Tower of Pisa

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Leaning Tower of Pisa

Don’t knock it over!

  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a tilted, free-standing bell tower that is part of Pisa’s cathedral.
  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located in the city of Pisa, Italy and is famous for its tilt to one side.
  • During the construction process in 1178, the Leaning Tower of Pisa began to tilt since the ground was too soft on one side to support the weight of the building
  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa’s height is 55.9 – 56.7 meters (183.3 – 186 inches) and has a total of 296 steps to reach the  top.
  • Before restoration in the late 1900s, the Leaning Tower of Pisa had a tilt of 5.5°, and after the restorations the tilt was reduced to 3.99°.

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Leaning Tower of Pisa
Image courtesy of Matt Banks/ Free Digital Photos
  •  The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built from 1173 – 1372 in three stages, although work stopped for more than 100 years during that time.
  • Since the Italian government was afraid of the Leaning Tower of Pisa collapsing, similar to another tower incident in 1989, they removed earth from underneath the tower, which helped to stabilise the tilting.
  • The Leaning Tower of Pisa has seven bells installed in the tower.
  • Since monitoring began in 1911, it was discovered that the Leaning Tower of Pisa was moving at 1.2 mm (o.o5 inches) per year.
  • No one actually knows who the true identy of the architect is, that designed the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Bibliography:
Harris, W n.d, Will the Leaning Tower of Pisa ever fall?, How Stuff Works,   <http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/will-leaning-tower-of-pisa-fall.htm>

Scone

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Scone

Yum Yum!

  • A scone is a small, single serve, cake-like bread.
  • Scones are generally made from wheat, barley or oats, and are best mixed by hand.
  • Scones are believed to have originated from Scotland.
  • Scones are pronounced ‘s-con’ or ‘s-cone’.
  • Scones were originally round and flat instead of the modern bulky round shape.

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  • Scones were originally made with unleavened oats.
  • Scones commonly include raisins, currents, cheese or dates in the batter.
  • Some people in Australia add pumpkin to the batter to make delicous pumpkin flavoured scones.y
  • The English Oxford Dictionary says the term ‘scones’ used for the cake was first used in 1513.
  • Scones are commonly served with jam and cream.
Bibliography:
Scone 18 February 2013, Wikipedia,<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scone>

 

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