grounds were destroyed in invasions and
wars. Some buildings have been rebuilt.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Seoul 69
has many skyscrapers and an extensive
transportation system. The city hosted
the SummerOlympic Games in 1988.
#More to explore
Korea, North • Korea, South • Korean
War
Sequoia
The term sequoia refers to two different
North American trees: the giant sequoia,
also called the big tree, and the redwood.
Both trees were named in honor
of Sequoyah, a distinguished Native
American of the Cherokee people.
#More to explore
Giant Sequoia • Redwood
Sequoyah
Sequoyah was an important member of
the Cherokee group of Native Americans.
He invented a system of writing so
his people could read and write in their
own language.
Sequoyah was born in about 1760 or
1770 in what is now Tennessee. He was
probably the son of a British trader and
a Cherokee woman. Sequoyah was
raised by his mother and became a talented
artist. From 1813 to 1814 he
fought for the U.S. Army in the Creek
War. This was a war between the U.S.
government and the Creek Native
Americans.
In about 1809 Sequoyah began working
on a system of writing. The Cherokee
people had their own spoken language,
but they did not have a way to write in
it. Sequoyah hoped that a written language
would help the Cherokee to stay
independent from white settlers.
Sequoyah used symbols to stand for each
syllable used in the Cherokee language.
(A syllable is a unit of sound.) His
daughter helped him to pick out all the
syllables in the Cherokee language. By
1821 he had created a system of 86 symbols
that stood for all the Cherokee
syllables.
Sequoyah’s system, called a syllabary,
soon became popular with other Cherokee.
It was easy to use. The Cherokee
began to teach it in their schools. They
also published books and newspapers in
their own language.
Sequoyah’s people honored him for his
accomplishments. He died in 1843.
#More to explore
Cherokee • Native Americans •Writing
Sequoyah invented a system for reading
and writing the Cherokee language.
Sequoyah
used letters
from the
English,
Greek, and
Hebrew
alphabets to
create his
Cherokee
symbols.
70 Sequoia BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Serbia
Serbia is a country in southeastern
Europe. It was a republic, or state, of the
country of Yugoslavia for much of the
1900s. In the 1990s all of Yugoslavia’s
republics except Serbia and Montenegro
became independent countries. In 2006
Serbia and Montenegro each became
independent countries as well. The capital
of Serbia is Belgrade.
Geography
Serbia is in the Balkan region of Europe.
It shares borders with Kosovo and the
countries of Montenegro, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary,
Romania, Bulgaria, and Macedonia.
The Danube River flows through the
northern part of the country, which is
flat. The area south of the Danube is
mainly mountainous. Most of the country
has cold winters and warm summers.
Plants and Animals
Forests of oak and beech trees grow in
the lower areas. Pine and fir trees grow
in the mountains. The country’s animals
include deer, foxes, wolves, wild pigs,
bears, and many types of birds.
People
Serbs make up most of the population.
Small groups of Hungarians, Croats,
Bosniacs (Bosnian Muslims), Roma
(Gypsies), Montenegrins, and others
also live in the country.
Most Serbs are Eastern Orthodox Christians.
They speak Serbo-Croatian. About
half of the people live in cities or towns.
Economy
Manufacturing is an important part of
the economy. Factories make machinery,
metals, chemicals, food products, electronics,
cloth, cars, trucks, and other
goods. The mining industry produces
aluminum, copper, and lead.
Agriculture is also important. The major
crops are corn, sugar beets, wheat, and
potatoes. Farmers also grow grapes to
make wine. Pigs, sheep, and cattle are
the main livestock.
History
People have lived in the Balkan region
for thousands of years. Slavic peoples,
including the Serbs, settled in the area
by the 600s. The Ottoman Empire con-
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Serbia 71
quered the Serbs in 1389. Serbia gained
independence in the 1800s.
In 1914 a Serb assassinated Francis Ferdinand,
the archduke (prince) of Austria.
In response, Austria declared war on
Serbia. This conflict turned into World
War I.
Yugoslavia
After the war, in 1918, Serbia joined
with Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia,
Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
to form a new country called the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.
In 1929 the country was renamed Yugoslavia.
Communists took control of Yugoslavia
afterWorldWar II ended in 1945.
Yugoslavia had a strict Communist government
until the late 1980s.
CivilWar and Beyond
In 1991 and 1992 four of Yugoslavia’s
republics declared independence. Serbia
wanted to keep Yugoslavia together. The
republics fought a civil war until 1995.
At the end of the war the republics of
Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and Bosnia
and Herzegovina were independent
countries. Only Serbia and Montenegro
remained in Yugoslavia.
After the war Albanians in the Serbian
province of Kosovo also began fighting
for independence. In response, Serbs
attacked many Albanian villages. The
