In the late 20th and early 21st centuries
radio, television, movies, and the Internet
helped popular music to grow and to
change. These inventions made it possible
for millions of people to hear a
single song at the same time. They also
helped to make popular music into the
huge business that it is today.
#More to explore
Blues • Country Music • Jazz • Music
• Rap • Rock Music •World Music
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with sharp spines
called quills. The quills are stiff hairs
about 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) long
that act as armor to protect the porcupine.
Many people believe that porcupines
can shoot their quills, but this is
not true.
Porcupines live in Europe, Africa, Asia,
and throughout the Americas. Some
porcupines live on the ground and others
live in trees. They sleep in caves, in
holes in trees or on the ground, or in
hollow logs.
Porcupines are stout, short-legged animals.
They often move slowly. Their
color ranges from grayish brown
through dark brown to blackish. The
quills are generally white with black tips
or bands of yellow, orange, or black.
Some porcupines have more than
30,000 quills.
When threatened, a porcupine may
grunt and stamp its back feet in warning.
It also sticks up its quills and rattles
them. The quills come off easily and can
stick in the enemy’s skin. The quills can
seriously hurt or even kill other animals.
Porcupines are basically plant eaters.
Some like to eat the layer beneath bark
A porcupine drinks at a water hole in Africa.
The first
important U.S.
popular songwriter
was
Stephen Foster
(1826–64).
He wrote “Oh!
Susanna,”
“Swanee
River,” and
many other
songs that
people still
know.
128 Porcupine BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
and can damage trees. Others eat roots
and fruit and can ruin crops.
..More to explore
Rodent
Porpoise
Porpoises are the smallest members of the
large group of animals called whales.
People often confuse porpoises with their
close relatives, the dolphins. Porpoises
and dolphins have a similar appearance,
but a porpoise is usually smaller and
chubbier than a dolphin. It also has a
shorter and more rounded snout.
There are six species, or types, of porpoise.
Most live in the oceans and seas
north of the equator. The harbor porpoise
is one of the most common species.
It lives in the northern parts of the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans. South of the
equator, porpoises live along the coast of
South America and in the area of the
East Indies.
Porpoises grow to no more than 7 feet
(2 meters) long. The skin is smooth,
usually with a color pattern combining
black, white, and gray. Porpoises have
two flippers on their sides, and most
have a triangle-shaped fin on the back.
Porpoises are mammals and not fish.
Porpoises have lungs and need to come
to the water’s surface to get air. They
breathe through a single nostril, called a
blowhole, on the top of the head.
Porpoises generally swim together in
small groups of two to four. About 10 to
12 months after mating, a female porpoise
gives birth to a single offspring
called a calf. The harbor porpoise usually
lives for about 6 to 10 years, but other
types live longer.
..More to explore
Dolphin • Mammal • Whale
Port
..see Harbor.
Port-au-Prince
Population
(2003 census),
city, 703,023;
urban area,
1,977,036
Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti, an
island country in the Caribbean Sea. It
is the largest city in Haiti by far. It lies
on a bay of the Gulf of Gonave. The city
The harbor porpoise got its name because it
is often seen in bays and harbors.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Port-au-Prince 129
has suffered from many fires and violent
conflicts.
Haiti is a poor country. Many people in
Port-au-Prince do not have jobs. Factories
in or near the city process foods and
make clothing. Shipping also brings
money to Port-au-Prince. The city is
Haiti’s main port.
The French founded Port-au-Prince in
1749. At the time France ruled what is
now Haiti as a colony. They made Portau-
Prince the capital of the colony in
1770. Earthquakes damaged the city
twice in the 1700s.
In 1804 Haiti became an independent
country. Port-au-Prince was its capital.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries
Port-au-Prince was sometimes the site of
fighting. Several times rebel groups overthrew
or tried to overthrow the government
of Haiti in the city.
..More to explore
Haiti
Port Louis
Population
(2007 estimate)
148,940
Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius, an
island country in the western Indian
Ocean. It is on the country’s main
island, which is also called Mauritius.
Port Louis is the country’s largest city
and main port. It lies between mountains
and a harbor.
Shipping goods through the port is
important to the economy of Port Louis.
Industries in the city make clothing,
food products, and ships. Tourism also
brings money to Port Louis.
The French founded Port Louis in about
1736. It was a port for ships traveling
Haitians dance during a parade in Port-au-
Prince.
The waterfront of Port Louis, Mauritius, is
popular with tourists.
130 Port Louis BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
around southern Africa on the route
between Europe and Asia. The British
took control of the island in the 1800s.
