works to protect
human
rights. The
organization
was awarded
the Nobel
peace prize in
1977.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Human Rights 97
The Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights investigates
abuses of human rights throughout
the world. The office works with
several other UN groups to protect the
rights of men, women, and children
everywhere.
#More to explore
Civil Rights • Holocaust • Slavery
• United Nations •Women’s Rights
Hummingbird
A hummingbird is a small bird with a
long, slender bill. Many hummingbirds
have brightly colored, glittery feathers.
Often the males are more colorful than
the females. The birds are named for the
humming sound made by the rapid
beating of their wings.
There are about 320 kinds of hummingbird.
They live only in the Americas.
Most of them live in the warmer parts of
South America. About 12 kinds are
found regularly in the United States and
Canada.
All hummingbirds are small, and many
are tiny. The largest of these birds is only
about 8 inches (20 centimeters) long. It
is called the giant hummingbird. The
bee hummingbird is slightly longer than
2 inches (5 centimeters). It is the smallest
living bird of any kind.
Hummingbirds have long wings and
muscular bodies. They can fly forward,
sideways, straight up or down, and even
backward. Hummingbirds also hover, or
hang in one place while beating their
wings. Some small hummingbirds beat
their wings 80 times per second.
Hummingbirds feed mainly on nectar, a
sweet liquid made by flowers. The bird
hovers in front of the flower and reaches
inside with its long, curved bill. Hummingbirds
drink nectar at the rate of
about 3 to 13 licks per second.
Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt holds a
copy of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. Roosevelt helped to create the declaration.
A green violet-ear hummingbird feeds on
nectar from an orchid.
98 Hummingbird BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Grains of pollen often stick to hummingbirds
while they are feeding. They
carry the pollen from flower to flower.
This helps the plant to reproduce.
#More to explore
Bird
Hun
The Huns were one of the most feared
groups of their time. They were fierce
warriors who fought skillfully with bow
and arrow on horseback. In the AD 300s
and 400s they controlled a huge empire
in Europe.
The Huns came from a place in eastern
Asia known as Mongolia. They were
animal herders who had no settled
homes. They moved westward across the
grasslands of central Asia with their animals.
The Huns arrived in southeastern
Europe in about AD 370. During the
next 70 years they conquered peoples
there and in central Europe. They
attacked both the eastern and western
parts of the Roman Empire.
For many years the Huns did not have a
central leader. The first known king to
rule the Huns was Rugila, or Rua. He
took control sometime before 432. After
he died in 434 his nephews Bleda and
Attila took over. The two shared power
until 445, when Attila killed Bleda.
Attila became one of the world’s most
famous warriors. He attacked the Byzantine
Empire and greatly damaged it. In
451 he invaded Gaul but was defeated.
During his reign Attila expanded the
Hun Empire.
After Attila died in 453 his many sons
divided up the Hun Empire. They began
fighting among themselves. Then the
people of the empire rebelled. The Huns
were defeated in 455. By the end of the
century the Huns were no longer a
united group.
#More to explore
Rome, Ancient
A painting shows Attila the Hun and his men on horseback.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Hun 99
Hungary
Foreign powers controlled the central
European country of Hungary for more
than 600 years. After moving away from
a Communist form of government in
1989, Hungary drew closer to the countries
of western Europe. The capital is
Budapest.
Geography
Hungary borders Slovakia, Ukraine,
Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and
Austria. The Danube and the Tisza are
Hungary’s major rivers. Lake Balaton, in
the west, is the largest lake in central
Europe.
A low plain, called the Great Alfold,
covers the central and eastern parts of
Hungary. A smaller plain, the Little
Alfold, is in the northwest. The plains
are separated by highlands. Transdanubia
is a region of hills in the southwest.
In the northeast are the Northern
Mountains. They contain the country’s
highest point, Mount Kekes, at 3,327
feet (1,014 meters).
Hungary has a continental climate,
meaning that summers are hot and
winters are cold. The Great Alfold
contains the driest part of the country.
The southwestern highlands are the
wettest.
Plants and Animals
Over the years most of Hungary’s forests
have been cleared for farming. Today
forests cover about one fifth of the land.
Beech trees grow at the highest elevations.
Poplar and oak trees are common,
and willows grow along many riverbanks.
The building where Hungary’s government
makes laws is near the Danube River in
Budapest.
100 Hungary BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Deer and wild pigs live in the forests at
high elevations. Partridges, pheasants,
hares, and rodents are common in the
lowlands. Bream, pike, perch, and many
other kinds of fish are found in the rivers
and lakes.
