International Standard Book Number: 978-1-61535-363-7
eBook edition January, 2010
Madagascar is known as the
Great Red Island because it has
rich, red soil.
(See Madagascar.)
The Portuguese explorer
Ferdinand Magellan and his
crew were the first Europeans
to sail across the Pacific Ocean.
(See Magellan, Ferdinand.)
Nelson Mandela spent almost
30 years in prison before
becoming South Africa’s first
black president.
(See Mandela, Nelson.)
Everything touched by Midas, a
figure from ancient Greek and
Roman mythology, turned to
gold.
(See Midas.)
A molecule is the smallest unit
of a substance that has all the
properties of that substance.
(See Molecule.)
Mm
Macau
Macau is a special administrative region
of China. Macau is part of China, but it
controls many of its own affairs.
Part of Macau is a small piece of land
connected to China’s southern coast.
The capital city, also called Macau, covers
most of that land. The region of
Macau also includes two nearby islands
in the South China Sea.
Most of the people who live in Macau
are Chinese. There are also some
Portuguese. Most Chinese in Macau
practice Buddhism. The Portuguese are
mainly Roman Catholic.
Trade is very important to Macau’s
economy. Macau is a free port. That
means that ships from anywhere in the
world may use the port without paying
special taxes. Tourism and gambling also
bring a lot of money to Macau.
People have lived in what is now Macau
for at least 4,000 years. The rulers of
China controlled the area over the centuries.
Portuguese ships started arriving
in Macau in 1513. Portugal used Macau
as a base for trading with China and
Japan. The Portuguese put a governor in
charge of Macau, but the Chinese held
most of the power.
In 1974 Portugal gave Macau more control
over its own affairs. Macau was officially
returned to Chinese rule in 1999.
..More to explore
Buddhism • China
Macdonald, John
John Macdonald was the first prime
minister of Canada. He was born on
January 11, 1815, in Glasgow, Scotland.
His family moved to what is now
Ontario in 1820. Alexander attended
school there and became a lawyer in
1836.
At that time the land that is now
Canada consisted of various territories
ruled by Great Britain. In 1841 the British
Parliament combined CanadaWest
(now Ontario) and Canada East (now
Quebec) to create the Province of
Canada. Macdonald was elected to the
assembly of the Province of Canada in
1844.
Great Britain ruled several other territories
as well. Macdonald worked to bring
them all together into one country. In
1867 the British North America Act
created the Dominion of Canada. It
included the Province of Canada, Nova
Scotia, and New Brunswick. Macdonald
became its first leader, or prime minister.
Under Macdonald’s leadership, the
dominion soon expanded to include the
provinces of Manitoba (1870), British
Columbia (1871), and Prince Edward
Island (1873). In 1873 Macdonald was
forced to resign because the government
was accused of taking bribes. However,
he returned as prime minister five years
later and served until his death on June
6, 1891, in Ottawa, Ontario.
..More to explore
Canada
4 Macau BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Macedonia
Macedonia is a small country in southeastern
Europe. It is part of a region
called the Balkans. Its capital is Skopje.
Macedonia borders Serbia, Kosovo, Bulgaria,
Greece, and Albania. The Vardar
River flows through the center of the
country. Many mountains cover the
land.
Forests cover the mountains of Macedonia.
Wolves, bears, lynx, wild pigs,
lizards, and other animals live in the
country.
Most of the people are ethnic Macedonians.
They speak a language called
Macedonian. Other ethnic groups
include Albanians, Turks, Roma (Gypsies),
and Serbs. More than half of the
people are Eastern Orthodox Christians.
Nearly one third are Muslims.
Many Macedonians work in services,
including communications, government
work, and health care. Industry and
agriculture are also important to the
economy. Factories make cloth, metals,
construction materials, and other goods.
Mines provide lead and coal. Farmers
grow wheat, potatoes, wine grapes,
tomatoes, and tobacco.
People lived in the region of Macedonia
as early as 7000 BC. By the 300s BC King
Philip II ruled an empire that included
nearly all of Greece. His son Alexander
the Great expanded the empire. Later
other groups conquered Macedonia. By
the 1300s most of Macedonia belonged
to the Turkish Ottoman Empire.
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and
Slovenes took over Macedonia in 1918.
The kingdom was renamed Yugoslavia
in 1929. Macedonia gained independence
in 1991.
..More to explore
Alexander the Great • Balkan Peninsula
• Skopje
The Monastery of Saint Naum in southern
Macedonia was built in the 900s.
Facts About
MACEDONIA
Population
(2008 estimate)
2,039,000
Area
9,928 sq mi
(25,713 sq km)
Capital
Skopje
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Skopje, Bitola,
Prilep,
Kumanovo,
Tetovo
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Macedonia 5
Another example is a doorknob. A doorknob
is a wheel that turns an inner shaft
(axle) that moves the latch.
A screw is a thin rod with edges, or
threads, that curve around it. Turning a
