Kids Around The World
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Under the Taliban, the Muslim fundamentalist group that ruled Afghanistan for 6 years, there were many strict rules. For example, girls were not allowed to go to school. When the Taliban were overthrown in 2001, life remained hard. Many families still live in crowded mud houses, with no heat in winter and not enough food. Many kids still can’t go to school because they have to do chores like getting water or taking care of farm animals. Still, kids find time to have fun. They play games like hide and seek and topay-danda, a kind of stickball. Kite flying was forbidden under the Taliban but has become popular again.
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World Almanac for Kids
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Native Canadian children
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The first people in Canada were the Micmac Indians and the Inuit, or Eskimos, who came to Canada from Asia thousands of years ago. Many native people still live there. In the 1600s, Canada was settled by French and British fur traders. Today it is a bilingual country. English and French are both official languages, and many Canadians can speak both languages. Canada is bigger than the United States but has only one-ninth as many people. Three out of four people live in urban areas, but there is plenty of open space. Most of the land is covered in snow all winter. Ice hockey, skiing, and curling are popular sports.
Even though it is mostly desert, Egypt is an agricultural country because of the fertile area around the Nile River. It is a major producer of cotton and corn. Most Egyptians are Muslims -- people who practice the religion known as Islam. Family life is important to Egyptians. From a young age, boys and girls there are raised very differently. Boys work with their fathers in the fields or in their businesses, while the girls help take care of the children and do household chores like sewing and cooking. Except for working at carpet weaving and other crafts, girls aren't usually seen in public places of business.
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World Almanac for Kids
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England, along with Scotland and Wales, make up Great Britain, which along with Northern Ireland is the nation officially known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (It's often called Great Britain for short.) During its long history many people from northern and western Europe settled in England. More recently, immigrants from former British colonies in Asia and Africa have also come. The United Kingdom has a queen and royal family, but it is also one of the world's oldest democracies. Children in England lead similar lives to kids in the U.S., and love soccer and rugby (a sport similar to American football). They must take a big test when they are 16, to see whether they can go on to college or not. It's usually cool in England, especially at the beach. But in the summer of 2003, there was a record heat wave. The temperature in London reached 100° F for the first time!
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World Almanac for Kids
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Guatemala is a mostly rural country in Central America, with mountains, lakes, and jungles. Maya Indians make up nearly half of the population; the rest are mainly people of mixed Indian and Spanish descent called mestizos. Most are Catholic. Spanish is the official language, but 20 Mayan languages are also widely spoken. The customs and traditions of the Mayans are still a big part of the culture. Their hand-woven clothing is very bright and colorful, like the clothes these boys are wearing. The patterns on the clothing can tell a lot about people's lives, such as which village they are from and whether or not they are married.
With over a billion people, India has the second biggest population in the world, just behind China. It is also the birthplace of two major world religions--Buddhism and Hinduism. About 800 languages are spoken in India--12 are official--including English because the country was ruled by Great Britain for many years in the 19th and 20th centuries. Elephants still roam freely in parts of India, but are often hit by cars or cause damage to villages. Working elephants, used in logging, began wearing "rear reflectors" for safety in 2003. Indians of all ages love to go to the movies. India's movie-making town is in the city of Mumbai (Bombay) and is called "Bollywood." In the spring many people celebrate the festival of Holi, known as the "carnival of colors." Children, friends, and neighbors run out onto the streets and throw colored water or powder all over each other.
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World Almanac for Kids
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Indonesian children
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Indonesia is made up of more than 13,000 islands. It has people from many different ethnic groups. They speak over 250 languages. Most of Indonesia’s 230 million people are Muslims. Families in rural areas often live in small houses on platforms, with a ladder to get in and out. This helps protect from floods. Relatives usually live near each other and do lots of things together. Indonesian kids like video games, cartoons, and Harry Potter. Their favorite sports include soccer, badminton, and a kind of volleyball called sepak takraw.
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World Almanac for Kids
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Jamaican children
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Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean Sea. Most Jamaicans are descendents of slaves brought from West Africa for Spanish and British colonists. Most of the people today speak a dialect, or local version, of English. It is a mixture of English with African languages, Spanish, and French. Storytelling is a big part of the traditional culture. Anansi the spider, who uses his cleverness to outsmart bigger opponents, is famous in Jamaican folklore. Jamaica enjoys warm weather all year round and is a popular vacation spot. Kids there like to play soccer, go snorkeling, and compete in track and field. Dominoes is a popular game.
Japan is made up of four large islands and lots of smaller ones. Most of the people live in big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. Japanese is the official language, but many people speak English when conducting business. Most people are Buddhist and also practice the Japanese religion Shinto. The Japanese love to read and are proud of their 100% literacy rate. The main part of their diet is rice and fish, but fast food like McDonald's is very popular among young people. Japanese kids also love baseball and Western music, and like to dress in jeans and T-shirts. Children have 240 school days every year, including a half-day on Saturdays (compared to about 180 a year in the U.S.)
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World Almanac for Kids
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Jordan is a kingdom located in the Middle East, and is bordered by Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Its history goes back thousands of years, and it has had many different rulers. Most of the people are Arabs who practice Islam. Roughly 90% of the people live in the cities, although some Bedouin nomads still live in tents in the desert. About half of the population is Palestinian. Since much of the country is too dry for farming, and lacks natural resources, Jordan depends a lot on foreign aid and tourism. Family life is very important in Jordan, and children live with their extended families. Almost half of the population is under the age of 20. Each year, thousands of tourists flock to the ruins of Petra, an ancient city over 2,000 years old, carved from red sandstone cliffs.
Nepal is a small kingdom in Central Asia, between India and China. Part of the country lies in the tallest mountain range in the world--the Himalayas. Most of the people are Hindus. Visitors come from all over the world to climb the world's tallest mountain, Mt. Everest. Despite its dramatic scenery, Nepal is one of the poorest nations in the world. Half of all the children have to leave school before the fifth grade to go to work. Nepal has an interesting holiday called Tihar, a festival of lights, during which brothers and sisters, or children who are the same age, put red powder on each other's foreheads as a blessing, and then exchange gifts.
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World Almanac for Kids
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Nigerian children
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Nigeria has more people than any other country in Africa. Nigerians have big families, and they value family life and education. Christianity and Islam are the major religions. Western culture has influenced many areas of their life, from business to music to food. The children like to watch American shows on satellite TV. But they still like dressing in their colorful native costumes. Nigerians love soccer and other competitive sports, and they enjoy meeting friends and shopping in the markets. These markets are colorful and crowded. Besides fruits and vegetables, they sell live chickens, goats, and cows!
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World Almanac for Kids
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Peruvian children
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In all, four out of five people in Peru are native or part native in ancestry. Many speak local languages at home, such as Quechua, the language of the ancient Incas. Most Peruvians are Catholics, and seven out of ten live in urban areas. Peruvians often live in extended families, with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Soccer and volleyball are popular sports. In some villages where electricity is scarce, there is a TV in the town plaza which everybody can watch
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World Almanac for Kids
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A Russian girl
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Russia is almost twice as big as the U.S. and extends over two continents (Europe and Asia), but has fewer people. Most Russians live in the western part and three out of four live in cities, often in apartment buildings. Russia was part of the former Soviet Union, a Communist country, and the government controlled many aspects of life. Now it is a democracy, but the economy is not doing well and times are hard. All over Russia, "Day of Knowledge" celebrations are held for students on September 1, the traditional start of the school year. Politicians -- even the President -- give speeches at schools around the country. If the first falls on a day off, kids still go to their schools for concerts, games, sports, and other activities. Chess, gymnastics, ice hockey, soccer, skiing, and skating are some of the most popular activities for kids in Russia.
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Aram A Schevy
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Children in Romania
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One of the most famous kids from Romania was Nadia Comaneci, who won five medals (three were gold) as an Olympic gymnast in 1976 when she was only 14. Romania is also famous for its medieval castles and the legendary Count Dracula, based on the real-life noble Vlad Dracula, nicknamed "Vlad the Impaler."
Besides ethnic Romanians, about 500,000 Roma people (Gypsies) live in Romania. The Roma came from northern India in the 12th century. They are the largest minority group in Europe with 7 to 9 million across the continent. Roma-rights groups are working for equal treatment in Romania, much like African-Americans did in the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s.
Most Roma families live in very poor conditions, and schools are often in buildings without central heat or plumbing. Despite that, children still learn, play with siblings and friends, and enjoy life.
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AP Images
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South Korean children
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Korea is located on a peninsula in Asia between China and Japan. It was once called the Hermit Kingdom by European traders who first visited in the 1800s. Buddhism is the main religion, and there are many temples where people can go to worship their ancestors. A set of more than 80,000 wood blocks used to print Buddhist scriptures, the Tripitaka Koreana, was made in the 13th century and is kept at the Haeinsa Temple. Kids in Korea are high-tech, and almost everybody has a cell phone and a high-speed Internet connection. The national Korean dish, kimchee, is made with cabbage and is very spicy.
Países: Niños de todo el mundo (Spanish Version)