‘Where on Earth?: Rivers’ (II)by Susie Brooks
This week, we’ll continue with ‘Where on Earth?: Rivers’ by Susie Brooks.
10. In India and Bangladesh, 450 million people rely on the Ganges. They use its water for farming, fishing, industry, transport, washing, drinking and even praying.
11.The river Ganges starts its journey high up in the Himalayan mountains. The Ganges provides water for crops such as rice, oilseed, lentils, tea, sugarcane, wheat, cotton, jute and more. Note that it takes 3400L of water to produce 1kg of rice.
12. Diving bell spiders are the only spiders that can live underwater. They surround themselves in a bubble-like web so they can breath air. They bite, and can bring on a fever.
13. Piranhas are armed with razor-sharp teeth and a mighty appetite for meat. They can strip flesh off a bone in seconds.
14. River blindness is caused by tiny blackflies that live in tropical waters. First they bite you, then they squirt in little grubs that grow into harmful worms inside your body.
15. Shanghai, at the mouth of the Yangtze river, China, is the world’s busiest port. In 2013, 776 million tonnes of cargo passed through it, on more than 2000 container ships per month. Europe’s busiest port is Rotterdam, where the Rhine meets the North Sea.
16. China’s Three Gorges Dam is the biggest hydro plant in the world. Built on the Yangtze river, it can generate as much electricity as 15 nuclear power stations and supply more than 50 million homes.
17. Dams can be controversial because to build them, you have to drown a lot of land. The Three Gorges project wiped out 13 cities and displaced 1.2 million people. Dams also disrupt river wildlife.
Source: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/seaside-scene-with-rowing-boat-in-foreground-possibly-cornwall-8987/search/actor:wilcox-leslie-arthur-19041982/page/2/view_as/grid
Source: https://www.taylorandgraham.com/artists/292-guy-carleton-wiggins/works/10017-guy-carleton-wiggins-the-rabbit-hunter/
