Social Science Questions & Answers

The first definite and documented lighthouse in the world was the Pharaohs of Alexandria built in 200 BC, although beacons were certainly used before that. The oldest working lighthouse in the world is at La Coruqa in north-west Spain near the town of Ferol. A lighthouse has been on this site since the time of the Roman emperor Trajan. The …

Historians consider the dance form that is today known as belly dance the oldest form. It originated 6,000 years ago and was practised by many ancient cultures. Even though the modern belly dance has many negative connotations and is considered to be seductive, it had a totally different purpose in ancient times. Originally, it was performed only by women, for …

The Sumerian civilization is the oldest civilization known to mankind. The term ‘Sumer’ is today used to designate southern Mesopotamia. In 3000 BC, a flourishing urban civilization existed. The Sumerian civilization was predominantly agricultural and had community life. The Sumerians were adept at building canals and in irrigation. Excavated objects such as pottery, jewellery and weapons show they were also …

All western languages, as well as the written languages of Africa, are based on the Roman alphabet, which was developed in about the 7th Century BC. Then it had only 21 letters; J, U, W, Y and Z were added later.

It must be the domestic turkey. Some have been known to drown in a heavy rain shower because they didn’t realize that it would be dry and safe inside their hutches! Others are so brainless that they can’t even remember how to eat, and must be fed by the farmer.

It is very difficult to evaluate intelligence in terms of animals such as birds. In the wild, there are birds that use small sticks in their beaks to poke insects from the bark of trees and, in urban areas of some countries, others which peck the tops from milk bottles, in order to reach the cream. Both these examples must …

In terms of numbers of species, the answer is insects. Although no one is really sure just how abundant they are, for new species are discovered almost every year. Estimates of the number of different species of insect range from well over a million to nearly three million. Whatever the true number, there are at least three times as many …

Kansai International Airport in Japan which is 1700 metres long is the longest building in the world. In the ’60s, when the Kansai region was rapidly losing trade to Tokyo, planners proposed a new airport near Kobe and Osaka. Osaka International Airport, located in the densely-populated suburbs of Itami and Toyonaka, was surrounded by buildings; it could not be expanded, …

The biggest members of the wild dog family are timber wolves, which grow to a length of 1.4 (4 ft) and weigh about 68kg (150lb). Timber wolves generally live in packs, or groups, and patrol a territory. Within the pack there is a very definite social structure, with dominant and submissive members. Wolves communicate with each other by a complicated …

The Arapaima from South America is generally thought to be one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world. The biggest one found is said to have been 15 feet in length with a weight of over 400 pounds. Most are between 7 and 8 feet long with a weight of 200 pounds, but even this is a colossal size …