Greenacres Passport
2010-2011 Volume 1 Where in the World is Mr. Young? Index September…………………………Spain October…………………………Morocco November ……………………………USA December……………………Antarctica January…………………………Scotland February……………………………Korea March…………………………………Japan April………………………………Pakistan May ………………………………Vietnam June……………………………Australia
September: Spain
Spain is in Europe and takes up most of the Iberian Peninsula It stretches from the Pyrenees Mountains bordering France in the North to the Strait of Gibraltar which separates Spain from Africa. To the East lies the Mediterranean Sea, to the West Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Spain is ruled by a constitutional monarchy which means that a born King and an elected President share the power. Spain won the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The story of Don Quixote was written by Miguel de Cervantes in the early 1600s and is considered the first modern novel. The capital is Madrid
October: Morocco
Morocco is located in in the northwest of Africa. Its main coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. It is separated from the rest of the continent by the Sahara Desert, and the Atlas Mountains. It Borders the countries of Mauritania and Algeria. It also borders Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. The Saharan Berber tribes call themselves Imazighen or “man of noble origin”. They live mainly in oases in the desert. They are skilled in various crafts and their Berber rugs are world famous. It is also known as the Kingdom of Morocco and is also a constitutional monarchy, but the prime minister is appointed by the monarch The capital is Rabat. It’s largest city is Casablanca (the name of a famous movie) It is slightly larger than California
November: United States of America
The United States is located in the continent of North America. It borders with Canada to the north, Mexico to the South, Atlantic Ocean to the east and Pacific Ocean to the west. It has 50 states, 48 of which are contiguous and it owns several territories located in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The capital is Washington DC and its currency is the US dollar. You can see the motto “In God We Trust” on all the bills. Monks Mound is located near Collinsville, Illinois. Barringer Meteor Crater is near Winslow in the Arizona desert Riverbluff Cave is found in Greene County Missouri The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in the west of the USA that stretches from Canada to New Mexico The Crazy Horse Memorial is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Wright Brothers invented the first successful airplane. The Wills tower was formerly known as the Sears tower and held the spot of tallest building for almost 25 years. Niagara Falls are on the border with Canada
December: Antarctica
Antarctica is the icy continent that holds the South Pole. It is covered by permafrost (permanently frozen ground) and is surrounded by water. It is the world’s largest desert. It only gets about 2 inches of rain or snow fall a year. It is also the coldest, windiest and driest place on Earth. There are no permanent human residents but there are about 4000 seasonal visitors each year. There is no official flag because it is not a nation and it is not ruled by a single government, but its use is ruled by the guidelines set through the Antarctic Treaty signed in 1959 by 46 countries. It states that this place would be used only for peaceful purposes, such as scientific research. It currently uses the design of a plain white map on a blue
background as a symbol of neutrality.
January: Scotland
Scotland is one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom. It was a former kingdom located on the northern third of the island of Great Britain. In 1707 the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England merged to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1801 that merged with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 part of Ireland left the UK to form its own Irish Free State. Scotland remains part of the kingdom now known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But since 1999, it has its own Parliament that is responsible for the social work service, education, health service and local government. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh and the official language is English. The other main language is Gaelic. Alba is the Gaelic name for Scotland. The currency is the pound sterling. They drive on the left side of the road. The national animal of Scotland is still the Unicorn. It was found in the royal coat of arms of the original kingdom. The motto of Scotland is: “Wha Daur Meddle wi’ Me?” or “No one assails me with impunity”. February: Republic of Korea
Korea is located in the northeastern part of Asia. It is a peninsula that is 750 miles long. The peninsula is surrounded by over 3000 volcanic islands. People have been living in Korea for at least 10000 years. The first Europeans to come here were sailors on a Dutch merchant ship that ran aground on Jeju Island in 1656. In 1894, Japan and China sent soldiers there to put down an uprising, Afterwards, they and Russia fought for control of Korea which Japan won in 1910. When Japan lost in World War II, its territories, including Korea, were taken over by the Allies. Soviet troops occupied the north, while US troops stayed in the South effectively dividing the country. In 1950 the communist in the north invaded the south starting the Korean War. It raged until 1953 with many Korean, American and Chinese casualties, but never officially ended so the Koreas remain divided The official name of South Korea is the Republic of Korea. It is headed by a president who is elected every 5 years.
March: Japan
Japan is located in eastern Asia. It is slightly smaller than California. It is an archipelago (string of islands) and consists of a chain of 4 major islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu), and multiple smaller ones. The official number of islands counted by the government in 1986 was 6,852. Only 430 have people living in it. Its nearest neighbors are Russia in the northwest and Korea and China in the southwest. About four fifths of Japan is covered with mountains. The Japanese Alps runs down the center of the largest island (Honshu). Mount Fuji is the highest peak (12,389 ft.) and is an inactive volcano. People first came here about 30,000 years ago when the main islands were still connected to Siberia and Korea by bridges of dry land. Japan is the only country in the world with a reigning Emperor. He has no real political power but is still respected as a symbol of the country’s traditions and unity. There have a parliamentary government. Tokyo is the capital and it is one of the most crowded cities in the world. The official language is Japanese. Japanese food consists mainly of rice, fish and vegetables with very little red meat which helps them stay healthy.
April: Pakistan
Pakistan is a country in South Asia. It is next to the Arabian Sea and borders India on the east, Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China on the north. It is just under twice the size of California. The capital is Islamabad and the official languages are Urdu and English. The currency is called Pakistani rupee. The climate is mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in the northwest arctic in the north where it is mountainous. K2, also known as Mount Godwin Austen, is the second highest mountain in the world. The icy peak sits on the border of Pakistan and China. It is considered one of the hardest peaks to climb. Wildlife here includes boars, deer, porcupines, crocodiles, jackals, hyenas, wildcats, sheep, goats, Himalayan bears, leopards, etc. There is a lot of poaching that goes on so there are also wildlife sanctuaries that protect the animals. Most of the population lives along the Indus River. The Indus Valley civilization first settled there around 3000- 1500 BC and carried on trade. In 711 AD, Islam came to the region. In 1526 AD the Mogul Empire began and unified much of the Indian subcontinent. In 1858 AD the British conquer the Mogul Empire in the region and take control of India. In 1947 India gains independence and is divided along religious lines into two countries. Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India
May: Vietnam
Vietnam is on the eastern edge of a peninsula known as Indochina located in Southeast Asia and borders with China to the north and Laos and Cambodia to the West. It is shaped like the letter S and at its narrowest point it is only 30 miles wide. Hanoi is the capital and the currency is the dong. Many rare and unusual animals live here including giant catfish, Indochinese tigers, Saola antelopes and Sumatran rhinos. There are many parks and reserves to protect them but their survival is in doubt because much of their habitat has been cleared. Tropical forests once covered most of the country but logging has reduced it to about 19%. As a communist country Vietnam has no official religion. But people are free to worship if they want to and many follow the “three teachings” of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Vietnam’s first civilization started in the Red River Valley about 5000 years ago. In 111 BC it became part of the Chinese empire until 939 AD when Ngo Quyen, a Vietnamese commander, drove the Chinese out. In 1890 France took over Vietnam and then Japan. When World War II ended in Japanese defeat, Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the Vietnamese Communist party declared Vietnam and independent nation. French attempted to retake Vietnam and started a war that ended in 1954 with the division of the country in to a communist North and a non-communist South. In 1957 communist rebels in the south called Viet Cong rose up and started a war between North and South and other countries including the US, Russia and China. It lasted until 1975 when the communist overran the south and took its capital, Saigon. June: Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a continent, a country AND an island. It is the world’s smallest and flattest continent and it is often called “the Land Down Under” because it is south of the equator. Its government is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is the British monarch, but in practice the head of state is the governor- general, who performs functions in the monarch’s absence. The head of government is the prime minister. Its name comes from the Latin word australis which means “southern”. Australia is surrounded by the Arafura Sea, Gulf of Carpentaria, Torres Strait, Coral Sea, Timor Sea, Tasman Sea, and the Indian Ocean. Its neighbors include Indonesia to the northwest, Papua New Guinea to the northeast, New Zealand to the southeast and across the Indian Ocean to the south is the continent of Antarctica,. When Australians say “The bush” they are talking about any wild place with trees or plants. When they travel to the deserts of their country they say they are going to “the outback.” Australia sits in the middle of a tectonic plate which is why it doesn’t have the strong earthquakes and volcanoes that happen in other areas of the world. It has been about 100 million years since such eruptions took place in Australia. This is also why it is the flattest continent. Its mountains, which were once as high as the Himalayas, were worn down long ago. Some of Australia’s rocks are 3 billion years old. Canberra is the capital of Australia. The site was chosen in 1908, and an international contest was held to design the “planned city”. The Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin were selected.
Greenacres
Elementary School
41 Huntington Ave Scarsdale, NY 10583
Phone (914) 721-2740