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A Cup of Tea
Tea is a plant of Chinese origin
which gave rise to the most widely consumed beverage
in the world, from the far East to Latin America.
It was first consumed by human beings nearly 5,000
years ago.
Descriptions of the history of
tea found on the Internet cite the legend of Chinese
Emperor Shen Nung, an herbalist who discovered tea
by chance one day as he sat under a wild tea tree,
leaves from the tree fell into a pot of boiling water,
and he decided to try the brew.
China is considered the birthplace
origin of tea or "cha", which was spread
throughout Asia, and later the world, by merchants
and monks.
According to a website that provides
answers to frequently
asked questions about tea, there are 3,000 varieties
today, although true tea is always brewed from the
leaves of Camellia sinensis, the scientific name for
the plant.
There are three basic types of
tea, depending on the degree of fermentation of the
leaves: green, black and oolong. Most of the tea consumed
in the West is black.
Many varieties of tea are known
by their place of origin, and tea-lovers are familiar
with their specific flavors, aromas and characteristics.
The widespread consumption of
tea has led to the cultivation of the plants across
the world. More than 35
nations in Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania
are listed as tea producers on a website that reports
their share of the competitive global market, which
has given rise to institutions like the tea
council that links a number of the main exporters.
Tea
- home page
Origin
of tea
Tea
in the world
The
Tea Council
The
world of tea
Frequently
asked questions about tea
Tea
producing nations
Mangroves
Mangroves populate the coasts
of many tropical and subtropical areas of the world,
serving as the backbone of an ecosystem that sustains
a great wealth of biodiversity. However, their future
is threatened by deforestation and the degradation
of their habitat.
Mangrove forests grow in areas
where there is abundant water, a mix of fresh and
sea water, an ecosystem
of marshes or swamps.
According to one Internet site
explaining the taxonomy
of this unique tree, there are some 100 species within
the mangrove family, all of which are vascular plants.
Resistant to salinity, mangroves
grow in coastal areas, such as estuaries, and their
wood is highly prized. They normally have extensive
roots, some of which extend from the trunk and are
partially exposed to the air and partially submerged
in its watery environs.
These trees produce nutrients
that allow a great variety of air, land and aquatic
life forms to flourish. The loss of the ecosystem
they create means a reduction in biodiversity, coastal
erosion, and poor water quality, according to organizations
that promote mangrove conservation and sustainable
use.
Some of these groups are leading
intensive campaigns to save the mangrove, such as
the Mangrove
Action Plan, which reports that there was a time
when three-quarters of the world's tropical and subtropical
coasts were populated by these trees. Today, just
a portion of that area remains, and at least half
is threatened with destruction.
According to the United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
mangrove forests cover a total of 181,000 square km
in different parts of the world.
Mangrove
Action Plan
Mangrove
Art by Kids
Wetlands
and rainforests: Mangroves
FAO:
Information on Mangroves
Taxonomy
of Mangroves
Mermaids
The manatee and the dugong are
strange-looking sea animals belonging to the same
natural order: sirenids. They have existed on Earth
for millions of years, but their future is quite gloomy.
These mammals are adapted to
the aquatic ecosystem, where they spend their entire
lives because they are incapable of movement on land.
According to information found on the Internet, their
earliest ancestors date back 60 million years.
Although their likeness to the
mermaids of myth may seem unlikely, it is true that
ancient seafarers confused them with mermaids when
they first saw these unique beasts. The website Discovering
the Mermaid cites a passage from Christopher Columbus's
travel log in 1493, when he wrote that he had seen
three mermaids that were not as beautiful as stories
claimed, but did have somewhat of a human face.
Sirenids
are sea mammals with corpulent bodies. Four species
have been identified: the West African manatee, the
Amazon manatee, the Caribbean manatee and the dugong.
There was another, known as the Steller sea cow, but
hunters exterminated the species.
Threats to this family of "mermaids"
arise mostly from the loss or deterioration of their
natural habitat as a result of human activities. The
problems range from poor water quality to illegal
hunting. International treaties protect all sirenids.
A quick look at the Internet
shows that there is worldwide concern about the future
of these animals, evident in the existence of organizations
like Savethemanatee.org and Sirenian.org.
This year, the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP) launched a global
alert to protect the dugong.
Species
Profile: Manatee
Online
Zoologist: Sirenids
UNEP/Dewa:
Dugong Report
Sirenews
Save
the Manatee
Sirenian.org
UNEP
- Kids Only: Manatee and Dugongs
Manatees:
Discovering the Mermaid
Global
Alert to Save the Dugong
Dugong
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