Maya civilization - Writing system. Main article: Maya hieroglyphics The Maya writing system (often called hieroglyphics from a vague superficial resemblance to the Ancient Egyptian writing, to which it is not related) was a combination of phonetic symbols and logograms. It is most often classified as a logographic or (more properly) a logosyllabic writing system, in which syllabic signs play a significant role. It is the only writing system of the Pre-Columbian New ...

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Maya civilization, Maya civilization - Origins, Maya civilization - Political structures, Maya civilization - Art, Maya civilization - Architecture, Maya civilization - Urban design, Maya civilization - Building materials, Maya civilization - Building process, Maya civilization - Notable constructions, Maya civilization - Writing and literacy, Maya civilization - Writing system, Maya civilization - Writing tools, Maya civilization - Scribes, Maya civilization - Literacy, Maya civilization - Mathematics, Maya civilization - Religion, Maya civilization - Agriculture, Maya civilization - Decline of the Maya, Maya civilization - Rediscovery of the Pre-Columbian Maya, Maya civilization - List of Maya sites, Maya civilization - Most important sites, Maya civilization - Other important Maya sites, Maya civilization - Reference

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Like the Aztec and Inca who came to power later, the Maya believed in a cyclical nature of time. The rituals and ceremonies were very closely associated with hundreds (possibly thousands) of celestial/terrestrial cycles which they observed and inscribed as separate calendars (all of infinite duration). The Maya shaman had the job of interpreting these cycles and giving a prophetic outlook on the future or past based on the number relations of all their calendars. If the interpretations of the shamen spelled bad times to come, sacrifices would ...

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Maya civilization, Maya civilization - Origins, Maya civilization - Political structures, Maya civilization - Art, Maya civilization - Architecture, Maya civilization - Urban design, Maya civilization - Building materials, Maya civilization - Building process, Maya civilization - Notable constructions, Maya civilization - Writing and literacy, Maya civilization - Writing system, Maya civilization - Writing tools, Maya civilization - Scribes, Maya civilization - Literacy, Maya civilization - Mathematics, Maya civilization - Religion, Maya civilization - Agriculture, Maya civilization - Decline of the Maya, Maya civilization - Rediscovery of the Pre-Columbian Maya, Maya civilization - List of Maya sites, Maya civilization - Most important sites, Maya civilization - Other important Maya sites, Maya civilization - Reference

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The ancient Maya had diverse and sophisticated methods of food production. It was formerly believed that slash and burn (swidden) agriculture provided most of their food but it is now thought that permanent raised fields, terracing, forest gardens, managed fallows, and wild harvesting were also crucial to supporting the large populations of the Classic period in some areas. Indeed, evidence of these different systems persist today: raised fields connected by canals can be seen on aerial photographs, contemporary rainforest species compositio ...

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Maya civilization, Maya civilization - Origins, Maya civilization - Political structures, Maya civilization - Art, Maya civilization - Architecture, Maya civilization - Urban design, Maya civilization - Building materials, Maya civilization - Building process, Maya civilization - Notable constructions, Maya civilization - Writing and literacy, Maya civilization - Writing system, Maya civilization - Writing tools, Maya civilization - Scribes, Maya civilization - Literacy, Maya civilization - Mathematics, Maya civilization - Religion, Maya civilization - Agriculture, Maya civilization - Decline of the Maya, Maya civilization - Rediscovery of the Pre-Columbian Maya, Maya civilization - List of Maya sites, Maya civilization - Most important sites, Maya civilization - Other important Maya sites, Maya civilization - Reference

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In the 8th and 9th centuries CE, Classic Maya culture went into decline, with most of the cities of the central lowlands abandoned. Warfare, ecological depletion of croplands, and drought or some combination of those factors are usually suggested as reasons for the decline. There is archaeological evidence of warfare, famine, and revolt against the elite at various central lowlands sites. There is also conclusive geological evidence, found in shells recovered from Lake Chichancanab (in modern Quintana Roo state in Mexico) by a team from the ...

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Maya civilization, Maya civilization - Origins, Maya civilization - Political structures, Maya civilization - Art, Maya civilization - Architecture, Maya civilization - Urban design, Maya civilization - Building materials, Maya civilization - Building process, Maya civilization - Notable constructions, Maya civilization - Writing and literacy, Maya civilization - Writing system, Maya civilization - Writing tools, Maya civilization - Scribes, Maya civilization - Literacy, Maya civilization - Mathematics, Maya civilization - Religion, Maya civilization - Agriculture, Maya civilization - Decline of the Maya, Maya civilization - Rediscovery of the Pre-Columbian Maya, Maya civilization - List of Maya sites, Maya civilization - Most important sites, Maya civilization - Other important Maya sites, Maya civilization - Reference

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Tamil is a member of the Tamil language family, which includes the Irula, Kaikadi, Betta Kurumba, Sholaga, and Yerukula languages. This group is a subgroup of the Tamil-Malayalam languages, which falls under a subgroup of the Tamil-Kodagu languages, which in turn is a subgroup of the Tamil-Kannada languages. The Tamil-Kannada languages belong to the southern branch of the Dravidian language family. Malayalam, spoken by the people of Kerala state (which borders Tamil Nadu) closely resemble ...

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Tamil language, Tamil language - History, Tamil language - Classification, Tamil language - Geographic distribution, Tamil language - Legal status, Tamil language - Spoken and literary variants, Tamil language - Dialects, Tamil language - Writing system, Tamil language - Sounds, Tamil language - Vowels, Tamil language - Consonants, Tamil language - Special character, Tamil language - Phonology, Tamil language - Grammar, Tamil language - Parts of speech, Tamil language - Sentence structure, Tamil language - Vocabulary, Tamil language - Examples

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Like the other Dravidian languages, but unlike most of the other established literary languages of India, the origins of Tamil are independent of Sanskrit. Tamil has the longest unbroken literary tradition amongst the Dravidian languages. Tamil tradition dates the oldest works to several millennia ago, but the earliest examples of Tamil writing we have today are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BCE, which are written in an adapted form of the Brahmi script (Mahadevan, 2003), though many linguists see coded Tamil words in deciphering Indu ...

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Tamil language, Tamil language - History, Tamil language - Classification, Tamil language - Geographic distribution, Tamil language - Legal status, Tamil language - Spoken and literary variants, Tamil language - Dialects, Tamil language - Writing system, Tamil language - Sounds, Tamil language - Vowels, Tamil language - Consonants, Tamil language - Special character, Tamil language - Phonology, Tamil language - Grammar, Tamil language - Parts of speech, Tamil language - Sentence structure, Tamil language - Vocabulary, Tamil language - Examples

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Mermaids are present in many books and films, becoming one of the most popular creatures of pop culture. The first time a mermaid was envisioned within her own culture was apparently the one in The Little Mermaid of Hans Christian Andersen. This mermaid was embodied in a bronze sculpture in Copenhagen harbour and much later was turned into a Disney movie of the same name. The Anderson tale was also portrayed in the Faerie Tale Theatre series ...

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Mermaid, Mermaid - Legend and myth, Mermaid - Fiction, Mermaid - Sirenomelia, Mermaid - Hoaxes, Mermaid - Heraldry

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Vermont has many festivals, including the Vermont Maple Festival, the Enosburg Falls Dairy Festival, the Marlboro Music Festival, and the Mozart Festival. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra is supported by the state and performs throughout the area. The Poetry Society of Vermont publishes a literary magazine called The Green Mountain Troubadore which encourages submissions from members of various ages. Every year they hold various contests - one being for high school age young people. The Brattleboro-based Vermont Theatre Company presents ...

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Vermont, Vermont - Geography, Vermont - History, Vermont - Law and government, Vermont - Politics, Vermont - State government, Vermont - Federal representation, Vermont - Culture, Vermont - Economy, Vermont - Demographics, Vermont - Population, Vermont - Race and Sex, Vermont - Rankings, Vermont - Ethnicity, Vermont - Religion, Vermont - Important cities and towns, Vermont - Education, Vermont - Crime, Vermont - State song and symbols, Vermont - Sources and further reading

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In heraldry, the charge of a mermaid is commonly represented with a comb and a mirror, and blazoned as a 'mermaid in her vanity.' Mainly in Christian Heraldry though merfolk (i.e. mermaids and mermen) symbolized eloquence in speech. A shield and sword-wielding mermaid (Syrenka) is the official Coat of Arms of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. The personal coat of arms of Michaëlle Jean, Canada's Governor General, features two Simbi, mermaid-like spirit ...

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Mermaid, Mermaid - Legend and myth, Mermaid - Fiction, Mermaid - Sirenomelia, Mermaid - Hoaxes, Mermaid - Heraldry

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Nepal is of roughly rectangular shape, 850 km wide and 200 km broad, with an area of 147,181 km². Although Nepal shares no boundary with Bangladesh, the two countries are separated by a narrow strip of land about 24 km wide, known as the Chicken's Neck. Efforts are underway to try and make this area a free-trade zone. Nepal is commonly divided into three physiographic areas—the Mountain, Hill, and Terai Regions. These ecological belts run east–west and are bisec ...

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Nepal, Nepal - History, Nepal - Geography, Nepal - Economy, Nepal - Government and politics, Nepal - Military and foreign affairs, Nepal - Subdivisions, Nepal - Demographics, Nepal - Culture

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Nepal is divided into 14 zones and 75 districts grouped into five development zones. Each district is headed by a chief district officer responsible for maintaining law and order and coordinating the work of field agencies of the various government ministries. Bagmati Bheri Dhawalagiri Gandaki Janakpur Karnali Kosi Lumbini Mahakali Mechi Narayani RaptiSee also:

Nepal, Nepal - History, Nepal - Geography, Nepal - Economy, Nepal - Government and politics, Nepal - Military and foreign affairs, Nepal - Subdivisions, Nepal - Demographics, Nepal - Culture

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Main article: Licchavi Between about 400 and 750 AD, Nepal's present capital Kathmandu was ruled by the Licchavi kingdom. Archaeological evidence for this period mainly consists of stonework inscriptions, reckoned on two separate, consecutive eras. The former, Åšaka era has an epoch corresponding to 78 AD, whereas the latter Aṃshuvarmā or Mānadeva 2 era reckons from 576. Whilst most such inscriptions list the dates and commissioners of stonework construction, some communicate royal edicts, religious mantras or hist ...

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History of Nepal, History of Nepal - Ancient History, History of Nepal - Modern History, History of Nepal - Toponymy, History of Nepal - Formation, History of Nepal - Rana Administration, History of Nepal - Democratic Reform, History of Nepal - Democratic Failure, History of Nepal - Civil War Begins, History of Nepal - 2001 to the Present

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Over the past two centuries, Vermont has seen both population explosions and population busts. First settled by farmers, loggers and hunters, Vermont lost much of its population as farmers moved West into the Great Plains in search of abundant, easily tilled land. Logging similarly fell off as over-cutting and the exploitation of other forests made Vermont's forest less attractive. Although these population shifts devastated Vermont's economy, the early loss of population had the beneficial effect of allowing Vermont's land and forest to rec ...

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Vermont, Vermont - Geography, Vermont - History, Vermont - Law and government, Vermont - Politics, Vermont - State government, Vermont - Federal representation, Vermont - Culture, Vermont - Economy, Vermont - Demographics, Vermont - Population, Vermont - Race and Sex, Vermont - Rankings, Vermont - Ethnicity, Vermont - Religion, Vermont - Important cities and towns, Vermont - Education, Vermont - Crime, Vermont - State song and symbols, Vermont - Sources and further reading

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Major cities and towns: Barre Bennington Brattleboro Burlington (largest city) Colchester Essex Hartford Manchester Middlebury Montpelier (state capital) Norwich Rutland St. Albans St. Johnsbury South Burlington Springfield Stowe Windsor Wealth of locations by per capita income: See a ...

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Vermont, Vermont - Geography, Vermont - History, Vermont - Law and government, Vermont - Politics, Vermont - State government, Vermont - Federal representation, Vermont - Culture, Vermont - Economy, Vermont - Demographics, Vermont - Population, Vermont - Race and Sex, Vermont - Rankings, Vermont - Ethnicity, Vermont - Religion, Vermont - Important cities and towns, Vermont - Education, Vermont - Crime, Vermont - State song and symbols, Vermont - Sources and further reading

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The public school system in Vermont is regulated by the Vermont State Board of Education, which consists of nine voting members and one non-voting member, appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the State Senate. One voting member is a high school student; the non-voting member is another Vermont high school student who is a junior member and will move into the voting student member position the following year. Colleges and universities include: Bennington College Burlington College Cast ...

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Vermont, Vermont - Geography, Vermont - History, Vermont - Law and government, Vermont - Politics, Vermont - State government, Vermont - Federal representation, Vermont - Culture, Vermont - Economy, Vermont - Demographics, Vermont - Population, Vermont - Race and Sex, Vermont - Rankings, Vermont - Ethnicity, Vermont - Religion, Vermont - Important cities and towns, Vermont - Education, Vermont - Crime, Vermont - State song and symbols, Vermont - Sources and further reading

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Vermont is one of twelve states that have no death penalty statute. After 1930 there were four executions; the last was in 1954. Capital punishment was effectively abolished in practice in 1964, with the statutes being completely removed in 1987. Current state law, however, allows children as young as ten years to be tried as adults, the lowest age limit currently specified by any of the 50 states. Crime ...

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Vermont, Vermont - Geography, Vermont - History, Vermont - Law and government, Vermont - Politics, Vermont - State government, Vermont - Federal representation, Vermont - Culture, Vermont - Economy, Vermont - Demographics, Vermont - Population, Vermont - Race and Sex, Vermont - Rankings, Vermont - Ethnicity, Vermont - Religion, Vermont - Important cities and towns, Vermont - Education, Vermont - Crime, Vermont - State song and symbols, Vermont - Sources and further reading

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The state song and state symbols are designated by act of the state legislature and confirmed by the governor. Vermont's state song is "These Green Mountains," written by composed by Diane Martin and arranged by Rita Buglass Gluck. This song was officially designated as the state song on May 22, 2000, when Governor Howard Dean signed No. 99 of the Acts of 2000 into law. This song replaced "Hail to Vermont!," which was written by Jose ...

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Vermont, Vermont - Geography, Vermont - History, Vermont - Law and government, Vermont - Politics, Vermont - State government, Vermont - Federal representation, Vermont - Culture, Vermont - Economy, Vermont - Demographics, Vermont - Population, Vermont - Race and Sex, Vermont - Rankings, Vermont - Ethnicity, Vermont - Religion, Vermont - Important cities and towns, Vermont - Education, Vermont - Crime, Vermont - State song and symbols, Vermont - Sources and further reading

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Vermont - Population. The U.S. Census Bureau reports Vermont's 2000 population as 608,827, and estimates its 2004 population as 621,394. Vermont - Race and Sex. Vermont's population is: 96.2% White 0.9% Asian 0.9% Hispanic 0.5% Black 0.4% Native American 1.2% Mixed race and: 51.0% female 49.0% male < ...

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Vermont, Vermont - Geography, Vermont - History, Vermont - Law and government, Vermont - Politics, Vermont - State government, Vermont - Federal representation, Vermont - Culture, Vermont - Economy, Vermont - Demographics, Vermont - Population, Vermont - Race and Sex, Vermont - Rankings, Vermont - Ethnicity, Vermont - Religion, Vermont - Important cities and towns, Vermont - Education, Vermont - Crime, Vermont - State song and symbols, Vermont - Sources and further reading

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Nepal has a estimated population of 27.7 million as of July 2005, with a growth rate of 2.2%. 39% of the population is 14 years and below, 57.3% are aged between 15 and 64, and 3.7% above 65. The median age is 20.07 (19.91 for males and 20.24 for females). There are 1,060 males for every 1,000 females. Life expectancy is 59.8 years (60.9 for males and 59.5 for females). Total literacy rate is 45.2% (6 ...

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Nepal, Nepal - History, Nepal - Geography, Nepal - Economy, Nepal - Government and politics, Nepal - Military and foreign affairs, Nepal - Subdivisions, Nepal - Demographics, Nepal - Culture

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World production of rice [3] has risen steadily from about 200 million tons of paddy rice in 1960 to 600 million tons in 2004. Milled rice is about 68% of paddy rice by weight. In the year 2004, the top three producers were China (31% of world production), India (20%), and Indonesia (9%). World trade figures are very different, as only about 5-6% of rice produced is traded internationally. The largest three exporting countries are Thailand (26% ...

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Rice, Rice - Rice cultivation, Rice - Preparation as food, Rice - Cooking rice, Rice - History of rice cultivation, Rice - World production and trade, Rice - Cultivars, Rice - International Year of Rice

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Rice cultivation is considered to have begun simultaneously in many countries over 6500 years ago. Two species of rice were domesticated, Asian rice (Oryza sativa) and African rice (Oryza glaberrima). It is believed that common wild rice, Oryza rufipogon, was the wild ancestor of Asian rice [2]. O. sativa appears to have originated around the foothills of the Himalayas, with O. sativa var. indica on the Indian side and O. ...

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Rice, Rice - Rice cultivation, Rice - Preparation as food, Rice - Cooking rice, Rice - History of rice cultivation, Rice - World production and trade, Rice - Cultivars, Rice - International Year of Rice

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The seeds of the rice plant are first milled to remove the outer husks of the grain; this creates brown rice. This process may be continued, removing the germ and the rest of the husk, called bran at this point, creating white rice. The white rice may then be buffed with glucose or talc powder (often called polished rice), parboiled, or processed into flour. The white rice may also be enriched to add nutrients, especially those lost during the milling process. While the cheapest method of enriching involves adding a powdered blend of ...

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Rice, Rice - Rice cultivation, Rice - Preparation as food, Rice - Cooking rice, Rice - History of rice cultivation, Rice - World production and trade, Rice - Cultivars, Rice - International Year of Rice

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