NEW REVISED EDITION 2010 THE BEST GIFT THAT YOU CAN GIVE TO A CHILD This encyclopedia is the best source of information and reference in a single volume, particularly for students of classes III to VIII. It provides the best of GK to its readers. Every piece of information is authentic - culled together from several areas of knowledge ranging from encyclopedias, fact books, year books, official government releases, internet and other reliable sources - and verified for accuracy. Salient Features: * The best reference book for students, teachers and parents * Includes the most up-to-date facts & figures * Alphabetical order of entries in each chapter * 'Believe It or Not' boxes contain over 100 amazing facts * Quiz at the end contains 200 important questions * Over 100 lavish & spectacular illustrations * Index contains around 200 direct & cross entries ------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS: 01. Common abbreviations 02. Famous books (India) 03. Famous books (World) 04. Hello India 05. Presidents of India 06. Prime Ministers of India 07. Indian states and their capitals 08. Indian states and their languages 09. Dances of India 10. Countries and their capitals 11. Countries and their currencies 12. Countries and their natives 13. Countries and their languages 14. Countries and their religions 15. Continents and countries 16. Changed names of some places 17. Geographical epithets 18. Riverside cities 19. Cities associated with industries 20. Number of players 21. Names of playgrounds 22. National games 23. Olympic Games 24. World Cup Soccer 25. World Cup Cricket 26. Famous sportspersons 27. Sports cups and trophies 28. Sports terms 29. Sports measurements 30. Sports stadiums in India 31. Places associated with sports 32. First in India 33. First in the world 34. Popular titles of famous personalities 35. Nationalities of famous personalities 36. Famous founders 37. Popular slogans 38. Animal records 39. Animal facts 40. National parks and sanctuaries 41. Famous sites (India) 42. Famous sites (World) 43. India's superlatives 44. World's superlatives 45. Seven Wonders of the ancient world 46. Museums in India 47. United Nations 48. Nobel Prize 49. Indian Nobel Laureates 50. Bharat Ratna 51. National Awards 52. Inventions 53. Scientific discoveries 54. Scientific instruments 55. Branches of science 56. The planets 57. Body facts 58. Vitamins 59. Diseases and human body 60. Festivals of India 61. Major religions 62. Important days 63. Important events in Indian history 64. Important events in world history 65. Fictional characters and their creators 66. Defining places 67. Different subjects 68. Professionals 69. Important terms 70. World records held by India(ns) 71. Newspapers and periodicals 72. The top 5 73. Miscellaneous 74. Quiz 75. Answers 76. Index ------------------------------------------------------------- EXCERPT: CHAPTER 45 : SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD---------------------- The Seven Wonders of the ancient world were seven outstanding objects that were built in ancient times. Today, only the pyramids are still standing. All the rest have been destroyed by earthquakes, fire or invaders. These Seven Wonders are arranged here in the order in which they were built. The Pyramids of Egypt (Giza, Egypt; built from 2700 to 2500 BC) They were built as royal tombs for the Egyptian pharoahs. There are many ancient pyramids in Egypt, but the greatest are the three at Giza. The largest of these is the Great Pyramid of Cheops which stands about 146 m high. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Iraq; built around 580 BC) These were spectacular gardens, rising in a series of terraces (rather than hanging). They were built by king Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife. Nothing remains of them. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Greece; made around 457 BC) It was a wooden statue of the king of the gods, Zeus, covered with gold and ivory. This 12 m high majestic seated figure was created by the sculptor Phidias. The Temple of Artemis (or Diana) at Ephesus (Turkey; built around 400 BC) It was one of the largest temples in the ancient world built mostly of marble in honour of a Greek goddess, Artemis. Some of its marble columns are in the British Museum in London. The Tomb of Mausolus (Turkey; built around 353 BC) This was a magnificent tomb of Mausolus, a ruler of Caria, built at Helicarnassus by his widow. It was a very massive tomb of white marble. The Colossus of Rhodes (Greece; built around 280 BC) It was a huge, bronze statue of Sun god Helios, stood at the entrance of the harbour of Rhodes. It was about 30 m high. The Pharos of Alexanderia (Egypt; built around 270 BC) This was the largest lighthouse of the ancient world, built on the island of Pharos in the harbour of Alexandria by Ptolemy II. It was about 135 m tall. It had a wood fire burning on top and its light could be seen 65 km away. CHAPTER 48 : NOBEL PRIZE---------------------------- Nobel Prize, named after Alfred Bernhard Nobel, is the most prestigious award in the world. The six Nobel Prizes are awarded each year to those who, in the opinion of judges, have contributed the most in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace and economics. The first prizes were awarded in 1901. The Nobel Prize for economics was established by the Swedish National Bank and awarded for the first time in 1969. The Nobel Prizes are awarded annually on December 10, the death anniversary of the founder. He left 9 million US dollars to set up the prizes. The interest that this money earns each year is used for the prizes. The value of each of the six prizes is about 1 million US dollars. Besides the cash prize, each award consists of a gold medal and a diploma bearing a citation. The peace prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway. The other prizes are presented in Stockholm, Sweden. A candidate may not apply directly for a prize. A qualified person must submit each name in writing. Two or three people may share a prize. Sometimes, prizes are not awarded or awarded in a latter year. The peace prize has been omitted most frequently. For the literary prize, the Swedish Academy considers only works that have appeared in print. The academy usually selects an author for his or her complete work rather than for one book. ------------------------------------------------------- !-- Begin Web-Stat code 2.0 http -- !-- End Web-Stat code v 2.0 --