Databases
- Britannica Schools This link opens in a new windowBritannica School covers the core subject areas of English, Maths, Science and History. Interactive lessons, activities, games, stories, worksheets, manipulatives, study guides and research tools.
- Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre Plus This link opens in a new windowThis resource provides the largest collection of full text from leading regional and international newspapers and periodicals, full-text reference books, tens of thousands of full-text biographies, and a collection of images containing more than one million photos, maps, and flags.
Himalayas
- HimalayasThe highest mountain range on Earth, the Himalayas form the northern border of the Indian subcontinent in Asia. The mountains extend in a massive arc for about 1,550 miles (2,500 kilometers) from west to east with more than 30 peaks rising to heights greater than 24,000 feet (7,300 meters) above sea level. These include Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters), Kanchenjunga at 28,208 feet (8,598 meters), Makalu at 27,766 feet (8,463 meters), and Dhaulagiri at 26,810 feet (8,172 meters).
Himalayan Communities
- BhutanThe small country of Bhutan lies along the lofty ridges of the eastern Himalayas in south-central Asia. It is landlocked between India, on the east, south, and west, and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, to the north—a location that gives it considerable geopolitical significance. It was long isolated from the mainstream of world affairs by dense, steamy jungles in the south and rugged, snow-covered mountains in the north, as well as by the preference of its rulers. Bhutan now finds itself poised between the old and the new. It has begun to modernize and to open the country to outside influences while taking care to preserve its traditional culture and its unspoiled natural environment. It has also transformed itself from an absolute monarchy to a democratic constitutional monarchy. The capital and largest town is Thimphu Area 14,824 square miles (38,394 square kilometers). Population (2014 est.) 747,000.
- BhutanIn 1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding some border land to British India. Under British influence, a monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later, a treaty was signed whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs, and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. This role was assumed by independent India after 1947. Two years later, a formal Indo-Bhutanese accord returned to Bhutan the areas annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and foreign relations. In March 2005, King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK unveiled the government's draft constitution - which introduced major democratic reforms - and pledged to hold a national referendum for its approval. In December 2006, the King abdicated the throne in favor of his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK, in order to give him experience as head of state before the democratic transition. In early 2007, India and Bhutan renegotiated their treaty, eliminating the clause that stated that Bhutan would be "guided by" India in conducting its foreign policy, although Thimphu continues to coordinate closely with New Delhi. Elections for seating the country's first parliament were completed in March 2008; the king ratified the country's first constitution in July 2008. Bhutan experienced a peaceful turnover of power following parliamentary elections in 2013, which routed the incumbent party. The disposition of some 30,000 Bhutanese refugees - housed in two UN refugee camps in Nepal - remains unresolved.
- LhasaLong isolated from the outside world and perched high in the Tibetan Himalayas, Lhasa is the capital of Tibet, an autonomous region of China. For centuries it has served as the religious and political center of Tibet. Tibetan Buddhists consider the city to be a holy land.
- TibetLong known as the Roof of the World, Tibet was isolated for most of its more than 1,000-year history. It is composed of high plateaus and some of the tallest mountains in the world. Tibet is an autonomous region of China that is located along China’s southwestern frontier with India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar (Burma). The Tibet Autonomous Region is also bounded by the Chinese provinces of Yunnan to the southeast, Sichuan to the east, and Qinghai to the northeast and the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang to the northwest. The disputed territory of Kashmir lies to the west. The name of the Tibet Autonomous Region in Chinese is Xizang Zizhiqu. Its area is 471,700 square miles (1,221,600 square kilometers). The capital is Lhasa.