Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

peoples came from the north

between the AD 400s and 900s. They

drove out the San.

Great Zimbabwe

The Bantu speakers built a city of stone

in the southeast. It was the center of a

rich trading empire from about 1100 to

about 1500. The stone ruins at the site

are called Great Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe

is a Bantu word meaning “stone

houses.”

Rhodesia

During the 1800s whites from South

Africa and other Europeans settled on

the land. In 1889 an Englishman named

Cecil Rhodes formed the British South

Africa Company to start a colony and

encourage trade. By 1897 the company

controlled the region. The British called

the land Southern Rhodesia in honor of

Rhodes.

In 1923 Southern Rhodesia became a

self-governing British colony. Even

though most of the people of the colony

were black, a small group of white

people held all the power. In 1953

Southern Rhodesia joined with Northern

Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Nyasaland

(now Malawi) to form the Central

African Federation. The federation

broke up in 1963. Zambia and Malawi

gained independence, but Southern

Rhodesia went back to being a colony.

In 1964 the colony was renamed Rhodesia.

Independence

In 1965 Rhodesia’s white government

tried to declare independence from

Great Britain. Black leaders in Rhodesia

soon formed groups that attacked the

white government. After years of fighting,

the government allowed blacks to

vote in elections in 1979.

Black leaders won more elections in

1980. Rhodesia became the independent

country of Zimbabwe. One of the black

leaders, Robert Mugabe, became Zimbabwe’s

first prime minister. Mugabe

became president in 1987. He held

power into the 21st century. In 2000 his

government began taking land away

from white farmers.

..More to explore

Great Zimbabwe • Harare

Facts About

ZIMBABWE

Population

(2008 estimate)

11,350,000

Area

150,872 sq mi

(390,757 sq km)

Capital

Harare

Form of

government

Republic

Major cities

Harare, Bulawayo,

Chitungwiza,

Mutare,

Gweru

106 Zimbabwe BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Zodiac

The zodiac is a belt of space around

Earth. It occupies the path that the sun

appears to take around Earth in the

course of a year (although it is actually

Earth that is moving around the sun).

Twelve well-known groups of stars,

called constellations, lie in the zodiac.

Their names are Aries (the ram), Taurus

(the bull), Gemini (the twins), Cancer

(the crab), Leo (the lion), Virgo (the

virgin), Libra (the balance), Scorpius

(the scorpion), Sagittarius (the archer),

Capricornus (the goat), Aquarius (the

water bearer), and Pisces (the fish).

Ancient peoples saw how the sun

appeared to pass in front of each constellation

for about one month of the year.

(During this time the constellation was

not visible in the night sky.) Most of the

constellations represent animals. Therefore

the ancient Greeks called the zone

zodiakos kyklos, “circle of animals,” or ta

zodia, “the little animals.”

Each sign was associated with specific

dates. The dates have changed because

the path of Earth has changed over the

years. Astrologers still use the old dates.

Astrologers are people who claim to be

able to predict the future based on the

positions of the stars and the planets in

the sky.

Zoo

A zoo is a place where animals are kept

and shown to visitors. Zoos give people

the chance to see animals that they

might not see anywhere else.

How Zoos Display Animals

In most zoos the animals are kept in

houses. Sometimes the houses are connected

to fenced-in outdoor spaces. Animals

that live peacefully together in

nature are sometimes put together in

displays. Cages, fences, and other barri-

Visitors to the San Diego Zoo walk through

a glass-walled exhibit called the Hidden

Jungle. There they see a variety of butterflies,

birds, insects, and plants.

A chart shows the 12 signs of the zodiac.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Zoo 107

 

ers keep the animals from escaping. The

barriers also keep zoo visitors from getting

too close to the animals.

Zoos usually try to make the animals’

surroundings look like natural habitats.

Plants, trees, rocks, and other things

animals would see in nature are included

in the displays. Often these things are

artificial instead of natural. Inside zoo

buildings, light and temperature are set

to the liking of the animals. For

example, animals that are active at night

are kept in buildings that are dark during

the day and lighted at night.

Open-range zoos are large, outdoor

zoos. In these zoos animals are kept in

more natural conditions. Many openspace

zoos have displays with just one

type of animal, such as a group of lions.

Others have displays with mixed groups

of animals. Some open-range zoos are so

large that visitors can drive through in

cars.

Purposes of Zoos

Zoos have a number of purposes. They

try to teach visitors about the habitats

and behavior of animals. They also work

to protect endangered species, which are

animals that are in danger of dying out

in the wild. Some zoos help endangered

animals to reproduce. Sometimes the

animals are then returned to the wild.

History

Zoos date back to ancient times. Rulers

of ancient China, Egypt, Greece, and

Rome kept collections of animals. Some