When Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic in 1942, he thought that the Earth was much smaller than it actually is. As a result, he believed that he had reached India and that the people in the Caribbean islands were Indians. In fact, the ancestors of these people came from north-eastern Asia, perhaps 40,000 years ago. They spread southwards and …

Many hundreds of years ago, Russia was full of different tribes and races of people who had made their way from the great plains, or steppes; and mountain ranges of Asia. One of these races – the Cossacks – settled along the banks of the River Don which flows into the Sea of Azov, near the Black Sea. At the …

Most languages of Europe belong to the Indo-European language family; another major family is the Finno-Ugric. The Turkic family also has several European members, while the North and South Caucasian families are important in the southeastern extremity of geographical Europe. Basque is a language isolate directly related to ancient Aquitanian, while Maltese is the only national language in Europe, but …

This enormous mound in northern Australia houses a termite colony. It is made of chewed up vegetable pulp mixed with earth and cemented together to form a hard protective home for the termites. Inside they live within a maze of air conditioned tunnels for they are able to regulate the temperature and humidity inside the mound. Termites are social insects. …

It is the atlas moth. This huge insect, which lives in the tropical rain forests of Asia, has a wingspan of 30 cm (12 in).

The archerfish from South-east Asia has the remarkable ability of shooting down insects from overhanging vegetation with water pellets. Its aim is quite accurate and it can usually dislodge a beetle or a fly about four feet away, so that it falls in the water. The archer fish then pounces on the insect and eats it. It is interesting to …

The dingo is one of the very few dogs in the world that is unable to bark. It is not a silent dog, however, as it makes up for not barking by howling and whining very loudly indeed. Dingoes are a very ancient breed of wild dog from Australia. They are probably quite closely related to the primitive dogs from …

It is said that hookahs in a sophisticated fashion were first used in Persia during the reign of Shah Jamashap, but gypsies and bedouin tribes used it in a crude form since ancient times all over West Asia. In ancient India, tobacco smoking was common, and the chillum and hookah were popular. It was made from empty coconut shells and …

The Gobi desert, the extensive area of southern Mongolia and northern China and the largest desert in Asia, is also known as Shamo. It’s the Chinese word for ‘sand desert’. The Gobi extends 1,600 km from East to West and 1,000 km from North to South. It is bound by Da Hinggan Ling (Greater Khingan Range) on the East, Altun …

Caviare is the role of the female members of the sturgeon family. These fish are found in northern and central Asia, Europe and North America. The best quality black caviare comes from sturgeon caught during the winter months in the estuaries of rivers which flow into the Baltic Sea. It is regarded as a great delicacy and has been known …