Aurora Borealis

Aurora BorealisThe auroras, also known as the Northern Lights, are naturallyoccurring lights that create intriguing and spectacular displays in the sky.

The aurora borealis is named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek term for “wind of the north,” boreas.WHAT THEY ARE?

HOW THEY APPEAR?

The aurora lights frequently appear as diffused glow lightingup the horizon. The most amazing sight is when the northern lights appears as waves across the sky; it is almost as if the lights are dancing.

Auroras also occur on other planets in our solar system including Jupiter, Saturn,Uranus, Neptune and Mars.

WHAT IT’S THEM CAUSE?

Aurora is caused by the collision of energetically charged particles with atoms in the high altitude thermosphere withinour atmosphere.

Edmund Halley first proposed that the northern lights formed according to the Earth’s magnetic field in 1716.

WHERE I CAN SEE THEM?

This natural phenomenon usually occurs in areas known as the 'auroral zone' near the poles of the Arctic in the north and Antarctic in the south.

Auroras in the southern hemisphere are called aurora australis.

WHAT COLORS THEY HAVE?

The most common are: pale green and pink

Other colors: red, yellow, green, blue, and violet

Scientists in Canada have been studying the northern lights for more than 170 years.

USAORIGINAL NAME

United States of America

Did you know… The US has the world's largest economy.

LANGUAGE

English

Did you know that… The most common letter in English is "e".

FOOD

Characteristic dishes such as apple pie, fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and hot dogs derive from the recipes of various immigrants.

Did you know…  In America alone, 50 billion burgers are eatenin one single year! 

RELIGION

Religious affiliation in the U.S. (2014)[230]

Affiliation % of U.S.population

Christian 70.6  

Protestant 46.5  

Evangelical Protestant 25.4  

Mainline Protestant 14.7  

Black church 6.5  

Catholic 20.8  

Mormon 1.6  

Jehovah's Witnesses 0.8  

Eastern Orthodox 0.5  

Other Christian 0.4  

Non-Christian faiths 5.9  

Religious affiliation in the U.S. (2014)[230]

Affiliation % of U.S.population

Jewish 1.9  

Muslim 0.9  

Buddhist 0.7  

Hindu 0.7  

Other Non-Christian faiths 1.8  

Unaffiliated 22.8  

Nothing in particular 15.8  

Agnostic 4.0  

Atheist 3.1  

Don't know/refused answer 0.6  

Total 100  

Religious affiliation in the U.S. (2014)[230]

Affiliation % of U.S.population

Did you know… Most scholars say Jesus never viewed himself ascreating a new religion per se, just reforming Judaism.

CULTURE

The United States is home to many cultures and a wide varietyof ethnic groups, traditions, and values. Aside from the Native American, Native Hawaiian and Native Alaskan populations, nearly all Americans or their ancestors settled or immigrated within the past five centuries.

Did you know… The seven rays on the crown of the Statue of Liberty represent the seven continents.

ANTHEM

FLAG

Did you know… The American flag’s official colors are “Old Glory Red,” “White,” and “Old Glory Blue.”

A DAY LIKE TODAY…

The Day Henry Clay Died June 29, 1852 Henry Clay became known as "the Great Compromiser" when he used his skills as a negotiator to maintain a balance betweenthe free and the slave states. Clay helped to draft three pieces of legislation that postponed the Civil War, including"The Missouri Compromise" and "The Compromise of 1850."

(I put this because June 29 that day will be our presentation)

Did you know… The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

AustraliaOriginal name

Commonwealth of Australia

Did you know… It is the 6th largest country in the world, occupying an entire continent of some 7.6 million square kilometres.

LANGUAGE

English

Did you know… The longest English word without a true vowel (a, e, i, o or u) is "rhythm".

FOOD

“Lamington”

The lamington is often referred to as the “National Cake of Australia.” The National Trust of Queensland even named the lamington one of Australia’s favorite icons.

Did you know… The world-famous Australian lamington is over acentury old.

RELIGION

Religion in Australia[238]

ReligionPerce

ntRoman Catholic    25.3%Anglican    17.1%Other Christian    18.7%Buddhism    2.5%Islam    2.2%Hinduism    1.3%Judaism    0.5%Other    0.8%No religion    22.3%Undefined or not stated

   9.4%

Did you know… Pope John Paul II traveled to more than 129 different countries, logging more than 750,000 frequent flyermiles, which is about three times the distance to the moon.

CULTURE

Since 1788, the basis of Australian culture has been stronglyinfluenced by Anglo-Celtic Western culture. Distinctive cultural features have also arisen from Australia's natural environment and Indigenous cultures. Since the mid-20th century, American popular culture has strongly influenced Australia, particularly through television and cinema.

Did you know… The Indigenous 'Dream Time' is the foundation for tens of thousands of years of spiritual aboriginal art, traditions, legends, myths, folklore and culture.

ANTHEM

FLAG

Did you know… Australia's national flag is one of only two inthe world that has a seven pointed star on it. The only otheris the flag of Jordan

IMPORTANT FACTS IN THE HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA Australia's first television station was Channel 9, whichopened in Sydney in 1956.

One in every four persons is either a first or secondgeneration settler to Australia, a trend started after WorldWar II.

The first ever car to be mass produced in Australia was theFX Holden (model 48-215). This was produced at FishermansBend, Victoria in 1948.

Australian women won the right to vote in 1902.

GREAT BARRIER REEF

https://youtu.be/F_LnepMSuM4

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coralreef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometers (1,400 mi) overan area of approximately 344,400 square kilometers.

LOCATION

 The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coastof Queensland, Australia.

Did you know… The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outerspace.

ANIMALS

30 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises have beenrecorded in the Great Barrier Reef.

More than 1,500 fish species live on the reef, and severalspecies of snapper and coral trout.

49 species mass spawn, while 84 other species spawn elsewherein their range.

17 species of sea snake live on the Great Barrier Reef inwarm waters up to 50 metres deep and are more common in thesouthern than in the northern section. 

Six species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed:

the green sea turtle  leatherback sea turtle hawksbill turtle loggerhead sea turtle flatback turtle olive ridley . 

15 species of seagrass in beds attract the dugongs andturtles, and provide fish habitat.

Saltwater crocodiles live in mangrove and salt marshes on thecoast near the reef.

ETC.

Did you know… Around 10 percent of the world's total fishspecies can be found just within the Great Barrier Reef.

ENVIROMENT TREATS

Climate change, pollution, crown-of-thorns starfish andfishing are the primary threats to the health of this reefsystem. Other threats include shipping accidents, oil spills,and tropical cyclones.

Did you know… Warmer ocean temperatures put stress on coraland lead to coral bleaching.

TOURISM

Due to its vast biodiversity, warm clear waters andaccessibility from the tourist boats called "live aboards",the reef is a very popular destination, especially for scubadivers.

Did you know… Tourism to the reef generates approximatelyAU$5-6 billion per year.

FISHING

The fishing industry in the Great Barrier Reef, controlled bythe Queensland Government, is worth A$1 billion annually. Itemploys approximately 2000 people, and fishing in the Great

Barrier Reef is pursued commercially, for recreation, and asa traditional means for feeding one's family.

Did you know… More than 1,500 fish species live on the reef.

MexicoORIGINAL NAME

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

Did you know… Mexico City is built on a lake called Texcoco.

LANGUAGE

Spanish

Did you know…. The US has almost 40 million native Spanishspeakers.

By 2050 it will become the largest Spanish speaking countryin the world.

FOOD

Chilaquiles

Pozole

Tacos

Tostadas

Did you know… Mexico introduced chocolate, corn, and chilies to theworld.

RELIGION

Did you know…. Vatican City has the highest crime rate in the world!With a population around 500 people and a little over one crime per day.

CULTURE

Mexican culture reflects the complexity of the country's history through the blending of indigenous cultures and the culture ofSpain, imparted during Spain's 300-year colonization of Mexico.

Did you know… Mexico City has the most museums in the world, with morethan 160.

ANTHEM

FLAG

Did you know… An episode of the T.V. show South Park was canceledby MTV Mexico because the flag was shown in the cartoon and the special permit to do so had not been obtained.

IMPORTANT FACTS IN THE HISTORY OF MEXICOThe first printing press in North America was used in Mexico City in 1539

The National University of Mexico was founded in 1551 by Charles V of Spain and is the oldest university in North America.

Actor Anthony Quinn was the first Mexican to win an Academy Award for hisrole in the 1952 movies Viva Zapata.

The Zapotec civilization (600 B.C.-A.D. 800) established great cities along southern Mexico and developed the first writing system in the Americas.

ParicutinParícutin or Volcán de Parícutin is a dormant scoria-cone volcanoLOCATION Near the destroyed town of Paricutin in the state of Michoacán, Mexico.ERUPTIONSParícutin erupted from 1943 to 1952, unusually long for this type of volcano and with several eruptive phases.Did you know… 5 days after the volcano had grown and erupted,lava began flowing from the vent of the volcano onto the surrounding land.Dionisio Pulido reported that he and his family discovered a hot mound of soil growing in their cornfield on the night of February 20, 1943: At 4 p.m., I left my wife to set fire to apile of branches when I noticed that a crack, which was situated on one of the knolls of my farm, had opened . . . and I saw that it was a kind of fissure that had a depth of only half a meter. I set about to ignite the branches again when I felt a thunder, the trees trembled, and I turned to speak to Paula; and it was then I saw how, in the hole, the ground swelled and raised itself 2 or 2.5 meters high, and a kind of smoke or fine dust -- grey, like ashes -- began to rise up in a portion of the crack that I had not previously seen . . . Immediately more smoke began to rise with a hiss or whistle, loud and continuous; and there was a smell of sulfur.When night began to fall, we heard noises like the surge of the sea, and red flames of fire rose into the darkened sky, some rising 800 meters or more into the air, that burst like golden marigolds, and a rain like artificial fire fell to theground.SCIENTIFIC IMPORTANCE

The main scientific importance of the Parícutin eruption was that it was the first time that modern science was able to fully document the entire life cycle of a volcano.Did you know… It is the youngest volcano in the Western Hemisphere, and thought to be the youngest in the world.PARICUTIN TODAYToday the volcano is silent. Visitors can experience Paricutin by traveling to the nearby town of Angahuan that survived the eruption.INTERESTING FACTSThe thick smoke, ash, sulfur fumes and lava made it unsafe for the people in the villages of Paricutin and San Juan Parangaricutiro to stay. Over 7, 000 people had to leave their homes forever and live elsewhere.The first year of the volcano's existence was the most activewith 90% of the lava, sulphur and other gases released from underground. The volcano had grown to over 330 m high.The ash cloud from the volcano rose to 8km into the air and ash fell in the streets of Mexico 300km east of the volcano.