These articles may recommend keeping
cleaning products out of reach or
covering electrical outlets.
Workplaces also have rules that are
designed to keep workers safe. These are
called occupational safety measures. For
example, factories may require employ-
Special seats and seat belts help keep children
safe while riding in cars.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Safety 7
ees to wear a helmet or safety goggles to
protect themselves from injury.
#More to explore
Law
Sahara
The Sahara is the largest desert on
Earth. It covers about 3,320,000 square
miles (8,600,000 square kilometers) in
northern Africa. The Sahara includes at
least part of 10 countries—Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania,
Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan—
plus the territory ofWestern Sahara.
The Sahara is the hottest region in the
world during the day in summer. Temperatures
above 120° F (49° C) are common.
The air becomes much cooler
when the sun sets. Rain is very rare.
When rain does fall, it often comes in
powerful storms.
Features
Much of the Sahara’s surface is rocky.
There are flat plains and raised land
called plateaus. There are also some
mountains. Sand covers only about one
quarter of the Sahara. In some places the
sand is piled high in hills called dunes.
The Nile and the Niger rivers cross the
edges of the Sahara. No other streams
flow year-round. Dry streambeds, called
wadis, fill with water only when it rains.
In some places there is a supply of
underground water. These places are
called oases. The water comes to the
surface through openings called springs.
People also dig wells to get underground
water.
Plants and Animals
Many of the Sahara’s plants and animals
depend on the water found at oases.
Shrubs, rough grasses, and palm trees
make up much of the region’s plant life.
Olive, cypress, and acacia trees grow in
the highlands. Animals of the desert
include gerbils, hedgehogs, gazelles,
baboons, hyenas, and foxes. Scorpions
and snakes are common.
Palm trees grow in an oasis of the Sahara
in the country of Algeria.
8 Sahara BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
People
Some people of the Sahara are nomads.
They raise camels, sheep, and goats.
They roam from place to place in search
of grass for their animals to eat. Today,
however, most of the people of the
Sahara stay in one place, mostly near
oases. They grow fruit, especially dates,
and grains such as millet, barley, and
wheat. People trade animal skins, wool,
fruits, and salt in oasis villages.
..More to explore
Africa • Desert • Nomad
Saint
A saint is a person who is believed to be
especially close to God. Some saints are
prophets, or messengers of God. Others
are healers, doers of good deeds, or martyrs.
A martyr is someone who is killed
for belonging to a religion. Sainthood is
an official status in some religions. In
other religions people become saints
simply because many people honor
them.
Saints are venerated—honored with
special acts of devotion—in two of the
three branches of Christianity. In
Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy
a person can be declared a saint
after his or her death. Roman Catholics
and Eastern Orthodox Christians believe
that saints have special powers to help
people. They venerate the remains of the
saints and certain objects associated with
the saints. They also honor each saint
with a special feast day. Most Protestants
do not venerate saints.
Muhammad, the great prophet of Islam,
said that there are no saints. But Muslims
do honor certain holy people who
they believe are especially close to God.
These holy people are thought to have
special powers to bless people and to
perform miracles. Such a person is
known as wali, meaning “friend of
God.” Muslims also honor martyrs.
All Buddhists honor saints, which
include the Buddha himself. Buddhists
believe in a cycle of birth, death, and
rebirth; after death, one’s soul is reborn
in another being. In general, Buddhists
honor as saints people who have freed
themselves from this cycle of rebirth and
those who have helped others free themselves
from the cycle.
Hinduism recognizes a great variety of
saints, including sadhus and avatars.
Sadhus are holy people who go without
Stained-glass windows in many
Roman Catholic churches have
images of saints, such as Saint
Dominic.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Saint 9
nearly everything except what they need
to survive, such as a little food and a few
simple belongings. An avatar is believed
to be a god reborn into human or animal
form.
..More to explore
Buddhism • Christianity • Eastern
Orthodox Churches • Hinduism • Islam
• Martyr • Roman Catholicism
Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine is a city in northeastern
Florida, near the Atlantic Ocean. Settled
in 1565, it is the oldest city in the
United States. It was named for the
Catholic leader Saint Augustine of
Hippo.
Saint Augustine has kept many historical
features. Many buildings still look like
they did when Spain ruled Florida as a
colony hundreds of years ago. The Spanish
fortress Castillo de San Marcos is a
national monument. It is the oldest fort
in the country.
Saint Augustine’s main industry is tourism.
Many people hold jobs in hotels
