there are an American Red Cross, a British
Red Cross, and a Pakistan Red Crescent.
Each society is independent and
offers its own services. The societies provide
medical help, food and water, and
shelter to victims of earthquakes, floods,
and other natural disasters. They also
help people during times of war. During
peacetime, the societies teach first aid
and safety skills. Many also run blood
banks.
The International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) was the first Red
Cross group. It is based in Switzerland.
The ICRC helps people affected by wars
or other violent conflicts. Because it
never takes sides in wars, most countries
trust this group. Countries often allow
the ICRC to work in areas where other
groups are not allowed.
A Swiss man named Jean-Henri Dunant
started the Red Cross movement. In
1863 he helped to form an international
group of people to help wounded soldiers.
These helpers began using a red
cross as their symbol. The group became
known as the ICRC in 1875. In 1901
Red Cross workers in South Korea prepare
aid kits to be sent to North Korea. North
Koreans needed help after a train accident
injured many people.
A woman
named Clara
Barton
founded the
American Red
Cross in 1881.
36 Red Cross and Red Crescent BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Dunant shared the first Nobel peace
prize for his work.
#More to explore
Nobel Prize • Switzerland
Red Sea
The Red Sea separates the Arabian Peninsula
from northeastern Africa. It was
named for the changing color of its
water. Normally the water is blue-green.
Sometimes, though, red algae turn the
water reddish brown.
The Red Sea is long and narrow. On the
east it is bordered by the Arabian countries
of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The
African countries of Egypt, Sudan, and
Eritrea lie to the west. In the south a
passageway called a strait connects the
Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and then
with the Arabian Sea. In the north the
Suez Canal connects the Red Sea to the
Mediterranean Sea.
The Red Sea is one of the world’s
busiest trade routes. Ships carry
passengers and goods between Europe
and Asia through the Suez Canal. The
sea also contains deposits of oil and
other minerals.
The Red Sea is one of the first large
bodies of water mentioned in recorded
history. Egyptians used the sea for trade
as early as 2000 BC. The Suez Canal was
opened in 1869. It made trade and
transportation on the sea much easier.
#More to explore
Arabian Peninsula • Suez Canal
Redwood
The redwood is the world’s tallest type
of tree. One tree was measured at 367.8
feet (112.1 meters) tall. Many redwoods
grow to heights of more than 300 feet
(90 meters).
The redwood grows in Oregon and
California. It is found in foggy areas
near the Pacific coast. A related tree is
the dawn redwood. It grows in central
China. Two other trees are sometimes
called redwoods: the giant sequoia of
There are a number of coral reefs in the
Red Sea.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Redwood 37
California and the Japanese cedar of
eastern Asia.
The redwood has a huge trunk. It can be
10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 meters) across. The
trunk may have no branches for the first
100 feet (30 meters). This is because the
redwood sheds its lower limbs as it
grows. The leaves on the lower branches
are dark green and pointed. Short
needles grow near the tree’s top. The
redwood has small cones. They are only
about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) long.
A redwood may live for more than
1,500 years. Its long life is partly due to
the tree’s thick bark. Redwood bark can
be more than 12 inches (30 centimeters)
thick. It helps the tree to resist disease
and parasites, or harmful animals. The
bark also resists fire.
Redwood timber is used to make furniture,
shingles, and fence posts. Several
state parks have been created to protect
the trees. In 1968 Redwood National
Park was established in California.
#More to explore
Giant Sequoia
Reformation
A religious movement known as the
Reformation swept through Europe in
the 1500s. Its leaders disagreed with the
Roman Catholic church on certain religious
issues and criticized the church’s
great power and wealth. They broke
away from the Catholic church and
founded various Protestant churches.
Today, Protestantism is one of the three
major branches of Christianity. As the
Reformation spread across Europe, it
also inspired movements for political
and social change.
Origins and Spread
In the early 1500s almost everyone in
western and central Europe was Roman
Catholic, and the church was very
powerful. The Reformation began in
1517. In that year a German priest
named Martin Luther circulated a list
of doubts he had about certain Catholic
beliefs and practices. Soon after, Luther
came to reject the authority of the
church and its leader, the pope. He
thought that people could learn all
religious truths directly from the Bible.
Luther also believed that people are
saved by their faith alone, not by works
they do. He called for the end of most
of the sacraments, or rituals, of
Catholicism.
The redwood tree that grows in California
and Oregon is sometimes called the coast
redwood. Its scientific name is Sequoia sempervirens.
