The New Childrens Encyclopedia

149

TECHNOLOGY

Japan is a world leader in

manufacturing televisions, music

players, game consoles, cameras,

and other electronics. India is

one of the world’s

largest exporters

of software and

other computer

services.

DID YOU KNOW? FASCINATING FACTS

3

The world’s deepest lake

is Lake Baikal in Russia, at

5,371 ft (1,637 m). It contains

more water than the five

North American Great Lakes.

2

Asia was the birthplace

of all the world’s major

religions, including Judaism,

Christianity,

Islam, Hinduism,

and Buddhism.

4

Japan is home to

10 percent of all the

active volcanoes in the

world. It has about 40

active volcanoes, while

another 148 are dormant.

5

The Indian railroad

system is the world’s

largest employer, with

more than 1.6 million

members of staff.

1

The Himalayas contain

14 peaks that are over

26,000 ft (8,000 m) high—

there are no other

mountains this high

elsewhere

in the world.

MUSIC AND

DANCE

This girl is

performing a

classical Indian dance.

These are often inspired

by traditional Hindu

stories and poems.

The dancer’s moves

and hand gestures

tell the story.

WILDLIFE

Tigers are only found in eastern

and southern Asia. The tiger is

now an endangered animal,

because large areas of its habitat

have been

destroyed

and it is often

hunted for

its skin.

MANUFACTURING

From clothes to cars, lots of the

goods sold in Western countries

are made in Asia. Many companies

have factories in Asia because it is

cheaper to employ workers there

than in the West.

ANCIENT AND MODERN

There are huge differences in people’s

lifestyles around the continent. Many

Asians live in big modern cities

such as Tokyo and Beijing. But

in other areas, people such as

the Bedouin are living much

as their ancestors did hundreds

of years ago. Many Bedouin

still live in tents and move

from place to place.

In parts of Mongolia,

nomadic farmers live in

traditional felt tents,

called yurts.

CONTINENTS OF

THE WOLRD

In Japan, many people live

in apartment buildings.

FARMING

About half of all Asians make their

living from farming, and rice is the

continent’s biggest crop. It has to

be grown in wet conditions, often

in a flooded paddy field.

FOOD

Rice is the staple (main) food for

many people in Asia. It is served

with many Chinese, Thai, and

Indian dishes, such as curry or

stir-fried foods.

OIL

About 80 percent

of the world’s easily

accessible oil is in

the Middle East,

and money from

oil has made some

of the countries

in this region

extremely rich.