Azerbaijan

We just learned about the country of Armenia.

Let's learn a little about the country of Azerbaijan!

This country is in the area of Europe and Asia called Eurasia.
It is south of Russia, north of Iran, and east of Armenia.
On the east side of the country is the Caspian Sea.
It is about 33,000 square miles, and about 10 million people live there.


(from: wikipedia - azerbaijan)

The flag of Azerbaijan is blue, red, and green with a crescent moon and star in the middle.
The blue and the moon and star are for the Turkish people who live all over the world.
The red is for progress, and the green is for the religion of Islam.

(from: wikipedia - azerbaijan)

To eat in Azerbaijan you might have plov, which is rice with some other things added like meat or vegetables.


(from: wikipedia - pilaf)

There is a carpet museum in Azerbaijan, with over 10,000 things on display showing the history of weaving and carpets and how they were used through history.


(from: wikipedia - azerbaijan carpet museum)

There is an ancient building called the Maiden Tower that goes back to around 1100 AD.
It has many stories from history about legends and mysteries that happened here.


(from: wikipedia - maiden tower (baku))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Antarctica

Armenia

We just learned about the country of Andorra

Let's learn a little about the country of Armenia!

This is a small country in an area called Eurasia, meaning some people think of this area as Europe and others think of it as Asia.
It is east of Turkey, south of Georgia, north of Iran, and west of Azerbaijan.
The country is about 11,000 square miles and has about 3 million people living there.


(from: wikipedia - armenia)

The Armenian flag is 3 horizontal stripes.
Red - for the mountains, for freedom, for the Christian people, and for the Armenian Genocide
Blue - for the skies
Orange - for courage and hard work


(from: wikipedia - flag of armenia)

To eat in Armenia you might have kibbeh which is a type of spicy meat, served with yogurt

(from: wikipedia - armenian cuisine)

The Etchmiadzin Cathedral was built around 300 AD, and is the oldest cathedral in the world.

(from: wikipedia - etchmiadzin cathedral)

Armenia is home to the world's oldest leather shoe, and the world's oldest winery.
In 2007 scientists found a cave with these things they believe were made aound in 4000 BC.

(from: wikipedia - areni-1 winery)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Half Tower

Andorra

We just learned about the country of Albania.
Let's learn a little about the country of Andorra!

This is a very small country right in between France and Spain.
It is only 180 square miles, and only about 77,000 people live there.

(from: wikipedia - andorra)

The flag of Andorra has vertical blue, yellow, red stripes, with the coat of arms of Andorra in the middle.
The coat of arms has four parts, made up from the banners of old royal families who first founded the country.

(from: wikipedia - flag of andorra)

There is a spa in Andorra called "Caldea" that is the largest spa in Europe, that is 18 floors and 6,000 square meters

(from: wikipedia - andorra)

A lot of the country of Andorra is mountains, so there is a big ski resort called Soldeu that has over a hundred miles of ski slopes.

(from: wikipedia - andorra)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Caltrop

Albania

We just learned about Thurston Island and a whole lot of other things about the continent of of Antarctica!

We've learned before about some countries in the continent of Europe.

Let's learn a little about the country of Albania!

Albania is just north of the country of Greece, and east of Italy across the Mediterranean Sea.
It is 11,000 square miles and has about 2.8 million people living there.
Tirana is the capital city and biggest city in the country.

Because of where it is on the map, it has some very cold weather up in the mountains, and very warm weather in the southern parts on the sea.

(from: wikipedia - albania)

The flag of Albania is red with a black double headed eagle on it.
The red is for bravery and strength, and the eagle was the symbol of some of the early royal rulers of the land.


(from: wikipedia - flag of albania)

To eat in Albania you might have Speca të ferguara, which is a layered pie with roasted peppers, usually served with pita bread.

(from: wikipedia - albanian cuisine)

The ancient Greek city of Apollonia is now part of Albania, and there are some ancient Greek ruins there.

(from: wikipedia - apollonia (illyria))

The famous nun Mother Teresa was from Albania.

(from: wikipedia - mother teresa)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Czech Hedgehog

Thurston Island

We just learned about Berkner Island.

Another island in Antarctica is Thurston Island.

This is the third smallest Antarctic island after Alexander Island and Berkner Island.

It is 134 miles long and 56 miles wide.

Up until 1960 people thought this island was actually connected to the main part of Antarctica, which would make it a peninsula, but they later discovered it was actually an island, just surrounded by ice.



(from: wikipedia - thurston island)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dragon's Teeth

Berkner Island

We just learned about the largest island in Antarctica, Alexander Island.

The second largest island is Berkner Island.

This island is about 200 miles by 100 miles, and 17,000 square miles, bigger than the US state of Maryland.

Even though it is an island, the rock part of the island is below the water, and on top of the rock is a big bunch of ice that makes up the island.
If all of the ice melted, the island would be under water.

During the cold parts of the year the island is surrounded by ice, so it doesn't always look like an island.



(from: wikipedia - berkner island)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Witch Tower

Alexander Island

We just learned about the Cirque Glacier.

Another part of Antarctica is Alexander Island.

This is the biggest island on Antarctica, and it is the second largest island in the world that no one lives on, just after Devon Island which is up by the north pole.

It is about 240 miles long, and 50 miles wide.
That is bigger than each of the US states of Rhode Island, Deleware, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Hawaii.

Even though it is an island, most of the time it is connected by ice to the rest of Antarctica, so it doesn't always look like an island.




(from: wikipedia - alexander island)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Trou de Loup

Cirque Glacier

We just learned about the Piedmont Glacier.

Another kind of glacier is a Cirque Glacier.

This kind of glacier drains into a bowl shaped valley.


(from: wikipedia - cirque glacier)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Abatis

Piedmont Glacier

We just learned about what a Fjord is.

Another type of Glacier is a Piedmont Glacier.

Just like the other glaciers, when these melt the land around it can make them into a different shape.

If the valley where the glacier flows is a low flat plain, then it spreads out and looks sort of like a seashell or fan shape.


(from: wikipedia - glacier morphology)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Fujian Tulou

Valley Glacier

We just learned about the Outlet Glacier.

Another type of glacier is a Valley Glacier.

Sometimes when glaciers melt, the edge of the glacier is by a valley, a low place with a hill on either side.

So when the melted water flows out, the hills and the valley make sure the water flows in one way.


(from: wikipedia - glacier morphology)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Battery Tower

Outlet Glacier

We just learned about the Antarctic Glaciers.

There are a lot of different types of glaciers. One type is called a Outlet Glacier.

This type of glacier is usually on the outside of another glacier called an inland glacier.
The inland glacier drains water to the outlet glacier, that then drains water when it melts to some other place.

It is an outlet glacier because it is at the end of a glacier and gives the water an outlet to leave the glaciers and go onto land or an ocean.


(from: wikipedia - helheim glacier)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hoarding

Antarctic Glaciers

We just learned about the Ross Gyre.

Another part of Antarctica is the number of Antarctic Glaciers.

We know that the Antarctic Ice sheet goes over all of Antarctica, but there are a lot of smaller ice sheets that people have given names to and put on maps. There are thousands of different glaciers of different types in Antarctica, like outlet glaciers, valley glaciers, cirque glaciers, tidewater glaciers and ice streams.

Each different type of glacier have different shapes and do different things for the ice and water in Antarctica.

The biggest glacier in Antarctica is the Lambert Glacier.

It is 50 miles wide, over 250 miles long and over a mile and a half deep!


(from: wikipedia - lambert glacier)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Yett

Ross Gyre

We just learned about the Weddell Gyre.

Another gyre in Antarctica is the Ross Gyre.

This one is just like the Weddel Gyre, but it is in the Ross Sea which is on the other side of the Antarctic Peninsula from the Weddell Sea.


(from: wikipedia - ross gyre)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Portcullis

Weddell Gyre

We just learned that an Ocean Gyre is a way that water flows around in all the oceans.

One of the ocean gyres in Antarctica is called the Weddell Gyre.

The Weddell Sea is the water by the Antarctic peninsula.

The water in this gyre mixes the super cold water right by Antarctica with the warmer southern Atlantic ocean water that is north of Antarctica.



(from: wikipedia - weddel gyre)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Drawbridge

Ocean Gyre

We just learned about the Antarctic Convergence.

Another part of the geography of Antarctica is the Ocean Gyre.

A gyre is an area in the ocean where the water flows around in an oval shape.
Even though there are smaller waves everywhere, there is an overall flow of the water.

In the northern part of the globe it flows clockwise, and in the south it is counter clockwise.

The gyres mix up the cold and warm water in the ocean and also carry plants animals and even garbage all around the world.
The ocean gyres that go around Antarctica help carry the cold water away from Antarctica to the rest of the ocean.

These swirling waters are made by the earth spinning around, and the water, wind and land pushing everything around.


(from: wikipedia - ocean gyre)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Castle Keep

Antarctic Convergence

We just learned about the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

Another part of Antarctica is the Antarctic Convergence, also called the Antarctic Polar Front.

This is the line in the water around Antarctica where the cold water of Antarctica meets the warm water from the rest of the oceans.

Where the waters meet the cold water usually sinks down below, and the warm water goes to the top.
Because of this mixing, a lot of sea animals like krill live there, which also means a lot of other animals that eat krill come around.

The mixing of this cold and warm water has a lot of effects on the rest of the ocean.


(from: wikipedia - antarctic convergence)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bastion

Antarctic Circumpolar Current

We just learned about the Nunatuk rock formations.

Another part of Antarctica is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, also called the ACC.

In the ocean around Antarctica the water flows around it in a clockwise loop.

This water flow called a current is the largest ocean current in the world, mostly because it flows around and around without hitting any other land.
Most other ocean currents eventually run into other continents.

The looping current goes around Antarctica and the south pole like a circle, which is why it's called "Circumpolar".
With the water going around and around, it helps keep the warmer ocean water from getting to Antarctica.
This helps keep the south pole cold and the glaciers from melting.


(from: wikipedia - antarctic circumpolar current)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Butter Churn Tower

Nunatak

We just learned about the Onyx River.

Another part of Antarctica is a Nunatak.

This is a rocky part of a mountain that sticks up out of a glacier.

Nunataks are important because many times they are the only place that plants and animals can live in cold places like Antarctica.


(from: wikipedia - nunatak)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Outworks

Onyx River

We just learned about the Subglacial Lakes.

Another part of Antarctica is the Onyx River.

This is the longest river in Antarctica, at 32 kilometers long and ends up at Lake Vanda.
The water for this river is from meltwater, and goes toward the middle of Antarctica away from the ocean, during the summer months.

Water levels change depending on the season, and the river can flow as fast as 20 cubic meters per second. There were even some researchers from New Zealand that rafted down the river one time!

There are no fish in the river, but there are some tiny animals like bacteria and algea living there, along with some gulls that fly around.

Most of the time the water is just barely higher than the 32 degrees F it needs to melt, so it is really ice cold water!



(from: wikipedia - onyx river)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Roundel

Subglacial Lakes

We just learned about the Meltwater.

Another part of Antarctica is the Subglacial Lakes.

We know that sometimes the ice and snow melts and turns into ponds, rivers or lakes.
And sometimes these lakes are way deep down underneath the ice.

Antarctica has hundreds of lakes deep down underneath the glaciers, called "subglacial lakes".

The biggest one that has been discovered is Lake Vostok.
This is down underneath Vostok Station, and the water is over 2 miles below the ice.
Lake Vostok is 160 miles long, 30 miles wide, and 3,000 feet deep.
It has as much water in it as Lake Michigan.



(from: wikipedia - lake vostok)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Palisade