Lafayette fought bravely and skillfully.
He also got the king of France to send
6,000 soldiers to help the colonists. In
1781 Lafayette helped defeat the British
commander, Lord Cornwallis, at Yorktown,
Virginia. This event ended the
fighting.
French Revolutionary
Lafayette then returned to France. In
1789 he helped write the Declaration of
the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
This document expressed the ideas
behind the French Revolution. During
the revolution, Lafayette led the new
national guard of Paris.
Some of the revolutionaries had extreme
ideas. They wanted to kill the king and
take property away from the landowners.
Lafayette did not share those views.
When the extreme rebels took power in
1792, Lafayette had to leave the country.
After Napoleon Bonaparte came to
Lafayette is an
honorary citizen
of the
United States.
Only a few
other people
have received
this honor.
A painting shows the Marquis de
Lafayette on a horse. Lafayette
was a hero in the American and
French revolutions.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Lafayette, Marquis de 101
power in 1799, Lafayette returned to
France and settled down as a farmer.
Later Life
The monarchy was later restored in
France. In 1830 Lafayette took part in
his third revolution. He helped to overthrow
King Charles X. Lafayette died in
Paris on May 20, 1834.
#More to explore
American Revolution • French
Revolution
Lake
A lake is a large body of water that is
surrounded by land. Lakes contain less
than 1 percent of the world’s freshwater,
but they are a very important freshwater
source. Almost all of the world’s freshwater
is either frozen in huge masses of
ice or buried underground. Lakes contain
more than 98 percent of the freshwater
that is available for use.
How Lakes Form
Ice sheets called glaciers formed many
lakes, especially in North America,
Europe, and Asia. Thousands of years
ago glaciers covered large parts of these
continents. The glaciers moved slowly
over the land. They dug basins, or holes,
in places where the rocks at the surface
were weak. The basins that filled up
with water became lakes. Other lake
basins formed in places where melting
glaciers left dirt behind. The dirt built
up to form basin walls.
Some lakes have been formed by volcanoes.
Some volcanoes have blown off
their tops in huge explosions. Others
have had their centers collapse. Both of
these events form large pits called craters.
These craters can become lakes.
Crater Lake, in the U.S. state of Oregon,
is a well-known example of this kind of
lake.
The water in lakes can come from a variety
of sources. The main sources of lake
water include precipitation (rain or
snow), rivers and streams, and melting
ice and snow. Groundwater (water
below Earth’s surface) can reach lakes
through openings called springs.
Saltwater Lakes
Not all lakes contain freshwater. The
Dead Sea, in Israel and Jordan, is the
world’s saltiest natural lake. Another
body of salt water is the Great Salt Lake
in the U.S. state of Utah. It is all that
remains today of what was once a much
larger freshwater lake. The lake shrank as
the climate became drier and the water
began to evaporate. The lake contained
salt from rivers that flow into it. As the
water evaporated, the salt was left
A sailboat floats on a lake in Wisconsin. behind.
102 Lake BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Why Lakes Are Important
Freshwater lakes have many important
uses. Cities and towns depend on them
for drinking water. In dry areas farmers
use lakes to water their crops through
irrigation systems. Lake water is used to
create power in hydroelectric plants.
Boaters and swimmers use lakes for recreation.
#More to explore
Glacier • Irrigation •Water
Lakota
#see Sioux.
Lamprey
Lampreys are fish that look like eels.
They live in mild waters throughout the
world, except in Africa. There are more
than 20 species, or kinds, of lamprey.
Some live in freshwater and others live
in salt water.
Lampreys do not have bones or jaws.
The skeleton is made up of a material
called cartilage. Adults are about 6 to 40
inches (15 to 100 centimeters) long.
They have one or two fins on the back
and a single tail fin. They breathe
through gill openings on the sides of the
body. The mouth is round with horny
teeth.
All lampreys hatch from eggs laid in
freshwater. They begin life as wormlike
organisms called larvae. After several
years the larvae change form and
become adults. This process is called
metamorphosis.
As adults some lampreys become parasites.
Parasites are organisms that live on
or inside another organism to get what
they need to live. The lamprey attaches
itself by its mouth to the side of a fish. It
makes a hole in the fish’s body and
sucks its blood and body fluids. The fish
may or may not die.
Some lampreys stay in freshwater, but
others swim out to sea. The lampreys
that move into the sea return to freshwater
to lay their eggs. Lampreys die soon
after laying their eggs.
#More to explore
Eel • Fish • Parasite
Landslide
A landslide is a large amount of earth,
rock, and other material that moves
down a steep slope. Landslides happen
when a layer of earth or rocks separates
