invaded. Latvia finally gained independence
in 1991.
..More to explore
Riga • Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics
A castle in Cesis, Latvia, was built by German
knights in the 1200s.
Facts About
LATVIA
Population
(2008 estimate)
2,266,000
Area
24,938 sq mi
(64,589 sq km)
Capital
Riga
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Riga, Daugavpils,
Liepaja, Jelgava,
Jurmala
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Latvia 115
Laurel
Many types of flowering plant are
known as laurels. The true laurel is a
shrub or a small tree that is also called
the bay laurel or sweet bay. It belongs to
a large family of plants known as the
laurel family. Some of the other plants
called laurels belong to this family, but
others are in different families.
Bay Laurel
The bay laurel first grew in regions
around the Mediterranean Sea. Today it
also grows in other parts of Europe and
in the Americas. The bay laurel has stiff,
fragrant leaves. It is evergreen, which
means that it keeps its leaves year-round.
The bay laurel also grows small, yellowish
green flowers and green, purple, or
black berries.
People use dried leaves of the bay laurel,
called bay leaves, to flavor stews, sauces,
and pickles. In ancient Greece the winners
of athletic and poetry contests wore
crowns of bay laurel.
Other Laurels
Like the true laurel, all the other plants
known as laurels are evergreen. The
Canary Island, or Azores, laurel is closely
related to the true laurel. The California
laurel is not as closely related, but it
belongs to the laurel family.
Several plants in the heath family are
known as laurels. They include the
mountain laurel, the sheep laurel, and
the pale laurel. These shrubs are highly
poisonous to animals. Other laurels in
the heath family include ground laurel
and great laurel.
Other plant families also include plants
called laurels. The cherry laurel and the
Portugal laurel belong to the rose family.
The spurge laurel is in the thyme family.
The Japanese laurel belongs to the dogwood
family. The New Zealand laurel,
or karaka, is related to holly.
#More to explore
Greece, Ancient • Plant
Law
All modern governments have sets of
rules called laws. Laws are based on ideas
about what is right and wrong. Governments
punish people who do not obey
laws. People who work with laws are
called lawyers. The collection of all the
laws in a country or a region is called the
law.
Where Laws Come From
In the past, many laws were based on
tradition, or the common practices of a
The bay laurel
was sacred to
the ancient
Greek god
Apollo.
Small flowers bloom on a branch of bay
laurel.
116 Laurel BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
people. Other laws came from rulers or
lawgivers. Units of government called
legislatures make most modern laws.
The United States and many other
countries have several levels of
legislatures—for example, local, state,
and national. All of them make laws.
The United Kingdom and some other
countries, including the United States,
do not get all their laws from legislatures.
They also get laws from the decisions
of judges.
Branches of Law
There are two main branches of law:
criminal and civil. Criminal law deals
with crime. The government usually
puts people accused of breaking criminal
laws on trial in a court. If the court finds
an accused person—called the
defendant—guilty, he or she is punished.
Punishment may be a fine of
money, a prison term, or death.
Civil law deals with disagreements
between people. People file a lawsuit in a
civil court if they think someone has
treated them unfairly. The person who
files the suit is called the plaintiff. Usually
the plaintiff wants money from the
other person—called the defendant.
History of Law
Hammurabi, the king of Babylon in
Mesopotamia, created one of the first
codes, or collections, of written laws in
about 1800 BC. In the democracies of
ancient Greece the citizens agreed on the
laws that would govern them.
Many modern countries use either the
English or the French system of law.
Colonists brought English laws with
them to North America and other
places. In Europe and Latin America,
many countries base their laws on the
Napoleonic Code. The French emperor
Napoleon I introduced this code of laws
in 1804.
#More to explore
Crime • Government • Legislature
Leaf
The leaf is one of the most important
parts of a plant. Leaves produce food for
the plant through a process called photosynthesis.
The leaves of different
plants vary widely in size, shape, and
color.
A stone carving shows Hammurabi,
the king of Babylon, standing
before a god. Hammurabi
created one of the first collections
of written laws in about
1800 BC.
Lawyers, also
called attorneys,
give
people advice
about laws.
They also represent
people,
businesses,
and governments
during
lawsuits.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Leaf 117
Structure
Most leaves have a broad, flat part called
a blade. Usually, a stalk attaches the
blade to the plant’s stem. This stalk is
called a petiole. A leaf that has only one
blade is called a simple leaf. A compound
leaf has two or more blades
attached to the petiole.
Veins inside a plant’s leaves work much
like blood vessels inside an animal’s
body. They carry water and food to and
