Major cities
Sofia, Plovdiv,
Varna, Burgas,
Ruse
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Bulgaria 149
Bunche, Ralph
U.S. diplomat Ralph Bunche won the
Nobel peace prize in 1950. A diplomat
is a person who helps countries to make
agreements. Bunche won the Nobel
prize in honor of his efforts to make
peace in the Middle East.
Ralph Johnson Bunch (his family added
the final “e” later) was born on August 7,
1904, in Detroit, Michigan. In about
1916, after his parents died, he moved
in with his grandmother in Los Angeles,
California. Bunche was a good student
and a good athlete. He earned a degree
from Harvard University in 1934. He
then taught at Howard University in
Washington, D.C.
DuringWorldWar II Bunche helped to
plan the United Nations (UN), a peaceful
organization of many countries. He
joined the UN staff in 1947. In 1949
Bunche helped Israel and several Arab
nations to make a peace agreement. For
this work he won the 1950 Nobel prize
for peace. Bunche later led other peace
missions. He also worked on the UN
program for peaceful uses of atomic
energy.
Bunche was involved in the civil rights
movement as well. He wanted to help
fellow African Americans gain rights to
such things as better jobs and education.
He was one of the leaders of the
National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP) for
more than 20 years. In 1963 he received
the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Bunche died on December 9, 1971, in
New York City.
#More to explore
Arab-IsraeliWars • Civil Rights
Movement • Nobel Prize • United
Nations
Bunyan, Paul
Many years ago in U.S. lumber camps,
loggers dreamed up wild stories about a
mythical lumberjack, Paul Bunyan.
According to these “tall tales,” neither
giant mosquitoes nor rains that lasted
for months bothered Bunyan or his
companion, Babe the Blue Ox. Other
stories told how Bunyan created the
Grand Canyon. The Great Lakes were
said to have formed when his huge footprints
filled up with water.
The tales of Paul Bunyan first appeared
in print in 1910 in a newspaper. Two
books published in the 1920s helped to
turn Bunyan into a national folk hero.
#More to explore
Storytelling
Bunche was
the first African
American,
and the first
black person
from any
country, to win
a Nobel prize
in any category.
Giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the
Blue Ox greet visitors to a park in California.
150 Bunche, Ralph BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Burkina Faso
Located inWest Africa, Burkina Faso
was once named Upper Volta after the
branches of the Volta River that flow
through it. Ouagadougou is the capital.
Burkina Faso is surrounded by Mali,
Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and
Niger. Much of the land is flat. The climate
is generally hot and dry, but there
is a rainy season. The north is part of the
Sahel, a semidesert region. The south is
semitropical, with wetlands and forests.
Grassland or desert covers much of the
country.Wildlife includes antelope,
lions, elephants, buffalo, hippopotamuses,
monkeys, and crocodiles.
Nearly half of the people belong to the
Mossi ethnic group. Others include
Fulani, Lobi, Bobo, and Mande. French
is the official language, but most people
speak More. About half of the people are
Muslims. The rest follow traditional
religions or Christianity. More than 80
percent of the people live in small towns
or villages.
Most of the people are farmers. Sorghum,
millet, corn, and cotton are the
main crops. Farmers also raise goats,
sheep, cattle, and chickens. Manufacturers
make sugar, cooking oil, flour, beverages,
and bicycles. The country also has
deposits of gold and manganese.
In the 1400s Mossi and Gurma peoples
set up kingdoms in the area. In the late
1800s France took control of the region.
It created the colony of Upper Volta in
1919. Upper Volta gained independence
in 1960. Since then, the military has
overthrown the elected government several
times. In 1984 the government
renamed the country Burkina Faso,
which means “Land of Incorruptible
People.”
..More to explore
Africa • Ouagadougou
Burkina Faso has many small villages.
Facts About
BURKINA FASO
Population
(2008 estimate)
14,391,000
Area
103,456 sq mi
(267,950 sq km)
Capital
Ouagadougou
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Ouagadougou,
Bobo-Dioulasso,
Koudougou,
Ouahigouya,
Banfora
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Burkina Faso 151
Burma
#see Myanmar.
Burn and Scald
A burn is damage to the skin caused by
fire, hot surfaces, chemicals, electricity,
or radiation. Radiation is energy that
comes from the sun, tanning lamps,
X-rays, some cancer treatments, and
other sources. Burns caused by hot liquid
or steam are called scalds.
How Burns Affect the Body
Doctors classify burns based on how
many layers of skin are damaged. Firstdegree
burns affect only the outer layer,
called the epidermis. They make the
skin red and sore. Sunburns are firstdegree
burns. Second-degree burns
damage the epidermis and some of the
underlying layer, called the dermis.
They are red and painful, and they may
blister.
Third- and fourth-degree burns are very
serious. Third-degree burns damage all
of the epidermis and the dermis. Sometimes
they reach the fatty tissue beneath.
