was the second peak to be measured in the
Karakoram Range. It is also Earth’s secondhighest
mountain.
50 Kathmandu BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
ruler united several small kingdoms to
form what is now Nepal. He made
Kathmandu the capital.
In 1934 an earthquake destroyed many
buildings in Kathmandu. The city began
to grow rapidly in the late 1900s. Starting
in the late 1990s the city was often
the site of fighting between government
troops and rebels.
#More to explore
Himalayas • Nepal
Kaw
The Kaw are Native Americans who
once lived along the Kansas and Saline
rivers in what is now Kansas. They are
also known as the Kansa or the Konza.
Both the state of Kansas and the Kansas
River are named after the tribe.
The Kaw lived in villages of cone-shaped
lodges that were large enough to house
two or three families. They grew corn,
beans, and other vegetables. After they
were introduced to horses in the early
1700s, the Kaw began to hunt bison
(buffalo) on horseback. They used bison
skins to make clothing and to cover the
tepees they used for shelter while on the
hunt.
The Kaw believed that there were mysterious
spirits called wakans that could
help them in their lives. Kaw boys
looked for these spirits while taking part
in a ceremony called the vision quest.
The Kaw first lived in eastern North
America, along the coast of the Atlantic
Ocean. They later moved westward
along with other related tribes, including
the Omaha, the Osage, the Quapaw,
and the Ponca.
European explorers began to arrive in
Kaw territory in the early 1600s. The
settlers carried new diseases, such as
smallpox, that killed many of the Kaw.
The settlers also wanted the Kaw’s land.
By the mid-1800s the Kaw had signed
agreements that gave most of their territory
to the U.S. government. The Kaw
moved to a reservation in what is now
Kansas. In 1873 they moved to a reservation
in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
In the early 20th century, the
reservation was divided into small, privately
owned pieces of land.
By the end of the 20th century there
were about 1,000 Kaw. Most lived in
Oklahoma.
#More to explore
Native Americans • Omaha • Osage
• Ponca • Quapaw
A group of Kaw meets with a representative
of the U.S. government in the 1800s.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Kaw 51
Kazakhstan
The largest nation in central Asia is
Kazakhstan. It is named for the Kazakhs,
a people who once roamed the region’s
vast grasslands. The capital is Astana.
Kazakhstan shares borders with Russia,
China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and
Turkmenistan. The Tian Shan mountain
range lies along the border with China.
Much of the south and center is desert.
Grasses and shrubs grow on the plains
and in the desert. Antelope and elk live
on the plains.Wolves, bears, snow leopards,
and saiga (a hoofed animal) live in
the hills.
The Kazakhs, a Muslim people, make
up more than half of the population.
About one third of the people are Russians.
Other ethnic groups include
Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Germans, and
Tatars. The main languages are Kazakh
and Russian.
Kazakhstan’s economy is based on its
petroleum (oil) and natural gas. Kazakhstan
also mines iron ore, copper, zinc,
and gold. Its industries produce iron and
steel, food products, and machinery.
Farmers raise wheat, vegetables, cotton,
and livestock.
Over the centuries the Mongols and
others ruled parts of Kazakhstan. In the
1400s many Uzbeks arrived. They lived
as nomads, or wanderers, and became
known as Kazakhs. The Kazakhs soon
ruled an empire in central Asia.
By 1848 Russia controlled the Kazakhs’
land. In 1920 Kazakhstan became part
of the Soviet Union. After the Soviet
Union collapsed Kazakhstan declared its
independence in 1991.
..More to explore
Astana • Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics • Uzbekistan
Young women dressed in traditional clothing
and fur hats attend a ceremony in
Astana, Kazakhstan.
Facts About
KAZAKHSTAN
Population
(2008 estimate)
15,655,000
Area
1,052,090 sq mi
(2,724,900 sq
km)
Capital
Astana
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Almaty,
Qaraghandy
(Karaganda),
Shymkent
(Chimkent),
Taraz, Astana
52 Kazakhstan BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Keller, Helen
Helen Keller was both blind and deaf.
But despite these disabilities, she became
a skilled writer and speaker.
Helen Adams Keller was born on June
27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
When she was 19 months old, she got
very sick. The disease left her unable to
see or hear.
When Helen was 6, she got a teacher
named Anne Sullivan. Sullivan used
Helen’s sense of touch to teach her. She
handed Helen a doll. Then she traced
the letters of the word doll on the palm
of Helen’s hand. Helen guessed the connection
between the letters and the
object she was holding. She learned that
things had names.
With Sullivan’s help, Helen made rapid
progress. Soon she could read sentences
by feeling raised words on cardboard. A
few years later she learned Braille. Braille
is a special system of writing for the
blind that uses raised dots instead of
printed words. People read Braille with
their fingertips.
Learning to speak was a bigger challenge.
Helen did it by touching the lips
and throat of a person who was speaking.
