Bulletins Glossary
Amaz⌠nia
Also known as the Amazon Basin. This is the area drained
by the Amazon river and its tributaries. It covers the
area to the west of the Andes mountains, and south of the
Guyana highlands – including parts of Brazil, Peru,
Columbia, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Amaz⌠nia is about the
same size as the United States (excluding Alaska), and
includes over 1,100 rivers. [More]
Amazon River
The Amazon River is the world’s second longest
river, after the Nile. It starts high up in the Andes,
and merges with many other rivers before it finally flows
into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon River is over 6,000
km long.
Amazon
Riverboat
These are boats which travel up and down the Amazon
river and its tributaries, carrying passengers and cargo.
The most common type of riverboat is called a gaiola, and
is a wooden boat with two or three decks. [More]
Boa
Constrictor
Boa constrictors are big snakes which live in South
America and some other countries. They aren’t
poisonous, and usually aren’t harmful to people.
They eat rodents and birds – killing their prey by
curling themselves around an animal then crushing it
until it can no longer breathe. The boa constrictor then
swallows the animal whole. In captivity, boas are tame
and can be kept as pets. People in the Amazon sometimes
like to have a boa constrictor living in their house
because it keeps the house free of rats and other pests.
[More]
Brasφlia
This is Brazil’s capital city. The city was proposed
by the Brazilian President, Juscelino Kubitschek, as a
way to trigger development in Brazil’s remote
Central Plateau. Construction began in 1957, and the city
was officially opened in 1960, just three years later.
The city is famous for its design and its many unusual
buildings. [More]
Cuzco
Cuzco is a city in Andes mountains of Peru. It was
formerly the capital of the Inca Empire, and contains
many ancient buildings and monuments. It the oldest
continuously populated city in the Americas. [More]
Developing
Countries
Developing countries are countries with large undeveloped
territories where people are poor and don’t have
good access to basic services such as electricity and
water. These people often don’t have good houses or
education.
Equator
This is an imaginary line around the centre of the earth.
Countries located near the equator have very hot weather.
Eucalyptus
A species of tree native to Australia. It is planted in
Brazil and other countries because it grows fast, and is
suitable for producing paper and other materials.
Extinct
This means that the animals no longer exist. Dinosaurs
once lived in New Zealand and other countries, but they
all died out millions of years ago and there are no
longer any dinosaurs left. We know that dinosaurs existed
because of bones and fossils which have been found. New
Zealand’s most famous extinct animal is the Moa.
Incas
The Incas were a famous civilisation which lived in Peru
at the time that it was first visited by Europeans. The
Inca Empire was conquered by the Spanish. [More]
Internet
This is a network of computers, which allows people to
communicate worldwide. Common services that people use
are email and the worldwide web. People can connect to
the Internet by subscribing to a provider such as Xtra. [More]
Hides
These are animal skins. They are dried and used to make
clothing, or as trophies to hang on the wall.
Llama
Llamas are animals raised in the Andes mountains of Peru.
They are raised for their meat and wool, and also
commonly used as pack animals to carry heavy loads
through the mountains. They are related to camels, and
share the same reputation for getting bad tempered and
spitting. [More]
Malaysia
This is a country in Asia. It is located above Australia,
next to Indonesia.
Manaus
This is the biggest city on the Amazon river, and is home
to over a million people. The city is famous for its
opera house, and for being the centre of the Amazon
Rubber Boom at the end of the 19th century. [More]
Nomadic
Nomads are people who don’t settle in a permanent
home. They spend much of their lives travelling around,
and often sleep in tents or camps. The Australian
aborigines, gypsies, and some Arabian tribes are examples
of nomadic peoples.
Nutrients
Just like people, plants also need food to survive.
Nutrients are the substances absorbed by living things
which help them to grow and stay healthy.
Pythons
These are a type of snake living in Asia and Africa. They
are very similar to boa constrictors, and
also kill their prey by curling around them and
squeezing.
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests where there is a lot of rain
– and usually occur in hot tropical countries like
Brazil. In a hot climate, trees get thirsty and soak up
lots of water from the ground. This water is then
released into the air through the trees’ leaves in
processes called transpiration and photosynthesis. The
water vapour then forms clouds, causing it to rain. New
Zealand also has rainforests on the west coast of the
South Island – but the rain is caused by moist ocean
air being cooled as it approaches the Southern Alps.
Sap
This is the syrupy, sticky substance contained in the
wood of trees. The most famous sap, called latex, comes
from rubber trees. If you cut into the bark of a rubber
tree, milky-white latex sap slowly flows down the side of
the tree and is collected in a bowl. This latex is
processed to make rubber.
Smugglers
Smugglers are people who transport goods illegally. In
Amaz⌠nia people sometimes capture rare animals then try
to sell them to rich collectors. Often the animals are
treated cruelly and don’t survive. Most countries
have strict laws which are intended to protect rare
animals and to stop people trying to sell or harm them.
Species
This refers to different types of animals or
plants.
Super-Continents
Several continents connected together form an enormous
land-mass.
Tapir
Tapirs live in South America and Malaysia. They are about
the same size as a pig, and are covered with hair. They
aren’t harmful to man, but are often hunted for
their meat. Unfortunately, the destruction of their
habitat and over-hunting means that tapirs are now
endangered and may soon become extinct. [More]
Tropics
This is the area around the centre of the globe, between
the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (two
imaginary lines around the earth, which run parallel to
the equator). Countries within this area have very hot
weather.
 
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