The skin turns leathery and feels numb.
Fourth-degree burns go even deeper.
They destroy the fatty tissue and may
damage the muscles or bone below.
They turn the skin black.
Serious burns cause a condition called
shock. The victim grows pale and is confused
and anxious. Later the blood pressure
drops sharply, and the person may
collapse. Shock happens because a burn
damages the blood vessels in the skin.
This causes the blood to lose important
fluid. This change in the blood affects all
body systems.
Treatment
People can usually treat first-degree
burns themselves. The first thing to do is
to run cool water over the burn. This
stops the burning process. Then they
should clean the burn with soap and
water. Small burns can be left uncovered
to heal. Larger burns can be covered
with a bandage.
Large second-degree burns and all more
serious burns should be treated quickly
by a doctor. Doctors give the person
fluids to stop shock and drugs to prevent
infection.
#More to explore
Fire • Skin
152 Burma BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Burundi
Burundi is a country in central Africa. It
has lost hundreds of thousands of people
to violence between its Hutu and Tutsi
ethnic groups. The capital of Burundi is
Bujumbura.
Burundi is bordered by Rwanda, Tanzania,
and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. Burundi lies close to the equator.
Areas near the equator usually have
a hot climate. But Burundi’s high mountains
keep temperatures mild. There are
dry and rainy seasons each year.
Trees cover the mountain slopes. Grasslands
cover the lower areas.Wildlife
includes lions, leopards, crocodiles, buffalo,
warthogs, and baboons.
More than 80 percent of the people are
Hutu. Only about 15 percent are Tutsi,
but they have traditionally controlled
the government and the military. The
official languages are Rundi and French.
Christianity is the main religion.
The people of Burundi live mainly by
farming. Coffee and tea are important
exports. Farmers also grow bananas,
sweet potatoes, cassava, beans, sugarcane,
and corn. A few manufacturers make
beverages, cooking oil, and sugar.
The first people in what is now Burundi
were probably the Twa Pygmies. The
Hutu likely arrived by the 11th century.
The Tutsi followed 300 or 400 years
later. Tutsi kings then took control of
the region.
In the early 1900s Germany and then
Belgium gained control of the area. In
1962 part of the territory became the
independent monarchy of Burundi.
Fighting soon broke out between the
Tutsi and Hutu. Burundi’s civil war
continued into the 21st century.
..More to explore
Africa • Bujumbura
Drummers in Burundi often perform at
important events.
Facts About
BURUNDI
Population
(2008 estimate)
8,691,000
Area
10,740 sq mi
(27,816 sq km)
Capital
Bujumbura
Form of
government
Transitional
government
Major cities
Bujumbura,
Gitega, Muyinga,
Ngozi, Ruyigi
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Burundi 153
Bush, George
After serving two terms as vice president,
George Bush became the 41st
president of the United States in 1989.
The main event of Bush’s presidency
was the Persian GulfWar.
Early Life
George HerbertWalker Bush was born
on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts.
His family later moved to Greenwich,
Connecticut. George was the
second of five children born to Prescott
Sheldon Bush and DorothyWalker
Bush. His father was a banker and later a
U.S. senator.
In 1942 Bush joined the U.S. Naval
Reserve. As a Navy pilot, he flew many
missions in the Pacific duringWorld
War II. In 1945 Bush married Barbara
Pierce. After the war he attended Yale
University and earned a degree in economics.
Bush then moved to Texas,
where he helped start three companies
dealing in oil and drilling equipment.
Political Career
As a member of the Republican Party,
Bush ran for the U.S. Senate in 1964
June 12,
1924 1966 1976 1980 1988 1991 1992
Bush is born
in Milton,
Massachusetts.
Bush is elected
to the U.S.
House of
Representatives.
Bush becomes
the head of
the Central
Intelligence
Agency.
Bush is elected
vice president
under President
Ronald
Reagan.
Bush is elected
president.
The United
States and
allies defeat
Iraq in the
Persian Gulf
War.
Bush loses the
presidential
election to Bill
Clinton.
T I M E L I N E
George Bush was the 41st president of the
United States.
154 Bush, George BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
but lost. Two years later he was elected
to the House of Representatives. In
1970 he gave up his House seat to run
again for the Senate. Again he lost.
President Richard Nixon then made
Bush the U.S. ambassador to the United
Nations. From 1974 to 1976 he represented
the United States in China. Bush
then spent a year as director of the Central
Intelligence Agency.
In 1979 Bush ran for president. He
withdrew from the race in 1980 to
become Ronald Reagan’s vice presidential
running mate. The Reagan-Bush
team easily defeated President Jimmy
Carter and Vice PresidentWalter F.
Mondale. Reagan and Bush were
reelected in 1984.
Presidency
In 1988 Bush again decided to run for
president. He chose Senator Dan
Quayle as his running mate. Bush
defeated the Democratic candidate,
Michael Dukakis, and was sworn in as
president in January 1989.
