Peninsula lies along the western side of
the strait. Major ports along its shores
include Gallipoli, Eceabat, and
Canakkale, all in Turkey.
The Dardanelles came under Turkish
control in 1453 and remained in Turkey’s
hands untilWorldWar I. After the
defeat of Turkey in 1917, the Dardanelles
became part of a neutral zone
under the control of the League of
Nations. In 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne
returned the region to Turkey.
Dar es Salaam
Population
(2002 census),
metropolitan
area,
2,336,055
Dar es Salaam serves as the capital of
Tanzania, a country in East Africa.
Dodoma was named the new capital in
1974. But many of Tanzania’s government
offices were still in Dar es Salaam
in the early 21st century.
Dar es Salaam is much larger than any
other city in Tanzania. The city lies on
the Indian Ocean. It is Tanzania’s main
port and center of manufacturing. It is
also a popular tourist destination.
The sultan (king) of nearby Zanzibar
founded Dar es Salaam in 1862. A German
company took control of Dar es
Salaam in 1887. It soon became the
capital of the German colonies in East
Africa. The city began to grow.
InWorldWar I (1914–18) Germany
lost its African colonies. Dar es Salaam
became the capital of the new British
territory of Tanganyika. The new country
of Tanzania was formed in 1964. Dar
es Salaam was its official capital until
1974.
#More to explore
Tanzania
Fishermen sell their catch at a fish market in
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
16 Dar es Salaam BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Darwin, Charles
Charles Darwin was an English scientist
who studied nature. He is known for his
theory of evolution by natural selection.
According to this theory, all living things
are struggling to survive. The living
things that have the most helpful traits
for their environment tend to survive.
These living things then pass along their
helpful traits to their young. In this way,
animals change, or evolve, over hundreds
of years. He described his ideas in
his important book, On the Origin of
Species by Means of Natural Selection
(1859).
Charles Robert Darwin was born on
February 12, 1809, in Shropshire,
England. He did poorly throughout
school. Nevertheless he attended the
University of Edinburgh and the University
of Cambridge. A professor at
Cambridge encouraged Charles’s interest
in natural history.
In 1831 Darwin joined an expedition to
explore the coasts of South America. On
December 27, 1831, Darwin and the
others set sail on the HMS Beagle. Darwin’s
goal was to study the natural history
of the areas they were to explore.
The observations he made during the
five-year trip led him to wonder how
new species, or types, of plants and animals
developed. To explain this process
Darwin formed his theory of natural
selection.
Darwin first presented his theory in
1858. The idea of evolution was not
new then, but Darwin’s theory
explained how evolution occurred.
When Darwin published On the Origin
of Species in 1859, the book was an
immediate success. However, it was not
popular with people who believed that
God created everything in the world all
at one time. He continued writing about
his theory in several other books.
Charles Darwin died on April 19, 1882.
#More to explore
Evolution
Date
Dates are small, sweet fruits that grow in
large bunches on date palm trees. A
single bunch may contain as many as
1,000 dates. Dried dates have a very
high amount of sugar—at least half of
their total weight.
Date palms can be found in hot, dry
climates. They grow in North Africa, the
Middle East, South Asia, and the southwestern
United States. Egypt, Iraq, Iran,
Although he is
famous for
writing about
plants and
animals, during
his trip on
the Beagle
Darwin also
studied the
forces that
build up
mountains.
Charles Darwin
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Date 17
and Saudi Arabia are the largest producers
of dates.
Date palms grow to a towering height of
about 75 feet (23 meters). Rough, overlapping
stubs, or leaf bases, cover the
surface of the tree trunk. These stubs,
which point upward, are the remains of
old leaves. A crown of shining leaves
sprouts from the top of date palms.
These leaves, or fronds, can be as long as
16 feet (5 meters).
The fruits are about 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to
7.5 centimeters) long. They are usually
oval. When dates are ripe, their color
ranges from golden brown to black.
Dates contain one long, slender seed,
called a stone.
Dates have been an important food for
thousands of years, especially for people
in the deserts of the Middle East. Dates
are an excellent source of energy and
fiber. They also contain potassium and
iron. The trunks and leaves of date
palms may be used for fuel or to make
furniture, baskets, or rope.
#More to explore
Fruit • Palm
Davis, Jefferson
While Abraham Lincoln was president
of the United States, Jefferson Davis was
president of the Confederate States of
America. The Confederate states were
Southern states that decided they did
not want to be part of the United States
anymore. They disagreed with the other
states about many things, especially slavery.
Their disagreements led to the
American CivilWar.
Davis was born on June 3, 1808, in
