Ivy clings to walls and trees with disks
that grow from the stems. As the stems
reach the top of their support, they
either grow to the side or hang. Leaves
with three to five sections grow from the
stems. Ivy does not harm trees as long as
the plant is not allowed to grow too
much. If it does grow wildly, it may
strangle the tree. Ivy is also used as a
ground cover beneath large trees where
grass has difficulty growing. It is also a
popular houseplant.
Some ivy growing on brick walls can be
good. It encourages dryness and
warmth. It also protects the wall from
bad weather and adds beauty. However,
if the ivy starts growing through cracks
in the wall, the wall may be damaged.
Several other plants are called ivy though
they are not related to the true ivies.
These include poison ivy and Virginia
creeper.
Ivy often covers brick buildings.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Ivy 175
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eBook edition January, 2010
Jakarta is the capital of
Indonesia, a country in
Southeast Asia.
(See Jakarta.)
Jamestown was the first permanent
English colony in North
America.
(See Jamestown.)
During the 1100s in Japan,
warriors called samurai set up
a military government.
(See Japan.)
In 1917 the Original Dixieland
Jass Band made the first jazz
recording.
(See Jazz.)
Thomas Jefferson wrote the
famous line “all men are created
equal.”
(See Jefferson, Thomas.)
Some jellyfish are more than 6
feet (2 meters) across.
(See Jellyfish.)
J
Jackal
Jackals are wolflike animals that are
related to dogs. At night jackals howl to
communicate with each other. The howl
can be quite bothersome to humans.
People often describe the noise as sounding
like loud crying or a siren.
There are three species, or types, of
jackal. The golden jackal is found from
eastern Europe and North Africa to
southern Asia. The black-backed jackal
and the side-striped jackal are found in
southern and eastern Africa. Jackals live
in open spaces such as grasslands.
An adult jackal is about 3 feet (1 meter)
long, including the tail. It weighs about
15–24 pounds (7–11 kilograms). A jackal’s
fur color depends on what species it
is. The golden jackal is usually yellow to
pale gold. The black-backed jackal is
rusty red with a black back. The sidestriped
jackal is grayish with a whitetipped
tail and a stripe on each side of
the body.
Jackals live alone, in pairs, or in groups
called packs. They hide during the day
and come out at dusk to hunt. They eat
small animals and plants. Packs of jackals
can catch sheep and antelope. Jackals
also follow lions that are hunting. Once
the lion has eaten and gone, the jackals
move in and eat the scraps that are left.
..More to explore
Dog
Jackson
Population
(2000 census)
184,256;
(2007 estimate)
175,710
Jackson is the capital of the U.S. state of
Mississippi. It is the state’s largest city. It
lies along the Pearl River.
Jackson is a center of manufacturing and
transportation. Goods made in the surrounding
areas are shipped out from
Jackson. Many residents work for the
government or in communications.
A French Canadian named Louis Le
Fleur built a trading post on the site of
Jackson in 1792. It was called Le Fleur’s
Bluff. In 1822 it became the capital of
Mississippi. It was then renamed after
Andrew Jackson, the seventh president
of the United States.
During the American CivilWar, Union
troops burned down Jackson. The city
Black-backed jackals are widespread in
southern Africa.
4 Jackal BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
then became known as Chimneyville.
Jackson recovered slowly after the war. It
grew rapidly during the 1900s.
#More to explore
Mississippi
Jackson, Andrew
Known as Old Hickory, Andrew Jackson
served two terms as the seventh president
of the United States. Jackson was
the first president to have grown up
poor and on the western frontier. He
made the presidency more powerful and
helped to found the Democratic Party.
Early Life and Career
Andrew Jackson was born on March
15, 1767, in the western Carolinas,
probably in what is now South
Carolina. A few days before Andrew
was born, his father died. His mother
and two brothers died during the
American Revolution.
Jackson studied law at an office in Salisbury,
North Carolina. After 1788 he
worked as a lawyer in a what later
became Tennessee. Jackson married
Rachel Donelson Robards in 1791.
They later adopted Robards’ nephew
