The three Icelandic Cod Wars that took place in 1958, 1973 and 1975 were precipitated by concerns on the part of Iceland that the stocks of cod fish were being seriously depleted by over-fishing. With timber, agriculture, fuel or mineral deposits being the few natural resources in Iceland, the country relies heavily on its stocks of cod fish and the …

Termites are soft-bodied insects belonging to the family Isoptera. They are sometimes called white ants but they are likes aunts only in that both species live in social colonies. They live in the tropics and temperate countries and make various kinds of nests. Some make galleries in decaying tree trunks, some makes nests below the ground, but the most spectacular …

Stoas in ancient Greek architecture are covered walkways or porticos for public use. Early stoas were open at the entrance with columns lining the side of the building, creating an enveloping, protective atmosphere, and were usually of Doric order. Some famous stoas are Stoa Poikile, Stoa of Attalos, Stoa Basileios (Royal Stoa).

Sponges are very primitive many-called animals. They live in both fresh and sea water and encrust rocks and underwater objects in strange lumpy masses. Some spread over considerable areas, others hang in finger-like clusters, while others stand erect, branching irregularly up to 5 feet in height. Sponges are interesting because they represent a more advanced stage of development that the …

Solenodons are curious rat-sized creatures with long snouts. They were once found in North America but the only survivors of this ancient group are found on two islands of the West Indies, one species on Cuba and another on Haiti. Solenodons are members of a primitive group of mammals called insectivores. These were the first placental mammals and in general …

They are stocks of companies which manufacture or deal with cigarettes, alcohol, weapons and sex-related products. They could be directly involved in the business or associated with such activities. Such companies are also called sin businesses.

The volcanoes of Hawaii and Sicily’s Mount Etna are called ‘quiet volcanoes’. This is because they contain fluid, runny magma. Gases and steam can easily escape from runny magma and so ‘quiet’ volcanoes do not explode. Instead, they emit long streams os blazing hot lava. The lava often flows great distances before it cools and hardens.

The praying mantis is an insect belonging to the family Mantoidea. The name “mantis” means “a diviner” and the insect has always been surrounded by superstition and legend because of its habit of remaining motionless or swaying gently backwards and forward with its head raised and front legs outstretched as if in prayer. In fact it is a ferocious killer …

A national park near the city of Melbourne in Australia has been given the name Organ Pipes National Park, because of the peculiar geological formation called Organ Pipes existing there. The organ pipes in the above park are a set of vertical rocks which look like the pipes of a pipe organ. These rocks are supposed to be more than …

People how move around making use of land, which is unfit for farming are called nomads. The term is applied especially to people, whose livelihood depends on animals. Some, like the Lapps of northern Europe, follow the yearly migration of animals, such as reindeer. Others, like the Bakhtiari in Iran, drive herds of domesticated animals from place to place in …