What the Grand and Dogger Banks are

As you often hear the word bank, which is an institution for money transactions, you may wonder whether the above mentioned banks are also two such places. No, they are very different 'banks' found in the sea! Some of you may have learnt about them at school.

Around the continents are shallow seas covering the continental shelves. These seas contain most of the world's chief fishing grounds.

It is some of these prime fishing grounds that are known as banks. The Grand Banks off the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada, extend across 360,000 square km. The Dogger Bank is in the North Sea, about 160 km east of the coast of North Yorkshire in northern England, and is best known for its cod and herring.

Which birds have the most and least feathers

You must be aware by now that it is feathers that make birds such unique creatures. Feathers come in various shapes and sizes and serve different purposes. Feathers weigh about two to three times as much as the bird's skeleton and account for five to seven per cent of a bird's body weight.

Even though these proportions remain the same for all birds, smaller birds have fewer feathers than their larger cousins. The tiny ruby-throated humming bird, the world's smallest bird, for example, has just 940 feathers, but the much larger thundra swan has over 25,000!

What 'shock waves' are

When there are reports of earthquakes, you may have heard the word 'shock waves' being used. If you've wondered what exactly they are, these shock waves are a result of energy caused by an earthquake. The source of the waves is called the 'focus' of the quake, and the point on the surface above the focus is referred to as the 'epicentre.'

There are two kinds of shock waves known as 'Body' waves and 'Surface' waves. 'Body' waves travel through the rock beneath the surface, causing it to compress, expand and move up and down. 'Surface' waves reach Earth's surface and have a rolling motion similar to ocean waves.

Who attacked Rome with elephants

A military leader from Carthage in North Africa named Hannibal led 10,000 soldiers and 38 elephants through Spain and across the Alps, to attack Rome in 218 BC.Hannibal won three important victories, but only 12 elephants out of the 38 survived!

What was painted on ancient Egyptian coffins

You may have heard how the ancient Egyptians who believed in life after death preserved the bodies of the dead in 'mummy' form. These bodies were usually placed in a nest of two or three coffins.

Each of these coffins were painted with hieroglyphs (word pictures), gods, pictures of the person's life, and spells to keep away the evil spirits.