10. King Rama I (King Buddha Yot Fu Chulaok) built the Grand Palace. It is important because it is a popular tourist attraction and it’s the home for the Emerald Buddha.
9. King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn Phra Chulachomklao-Piya Maharaj) introduced railways for the first time. The purpose of this is, it helped improve economy of Thailand because transportation became easier.
8. King Rama VI (Phra Vajiravudh – Phra Mongkut Klao Chaoyuhua) adopted surnames for the Thai people. This made it easier for identification in legal documents causing less chaos.
7. King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn Phra Chulachomklao-Piya Maharaj) provided the Thai people with standard syllabus which helped the children have better education with little money.
6. King Rama VI (Phra Vajiravudh – Phra Mongkut Klao Chaoyuhua) brought the compulsory education for the primary school children which helped improve the literacy rate in Thailand.
5. King Rama I (King Buddha Yot Fu Chulaok) established the Capital City
‘Krungthep’ which is still the Capital of Thailand. This helped the Thai citizens avoid
invasions from Burma.
4. King Rama VI (Phra Vajiravudh – Phra Mongkut Klao Chaoyuhua) changed the
flag design and color which is used today. It represents Thailand with tricolor in the
world today with Nation,
3. King Rama IV (King Mongkut-Phra Chom Klao) signed treaties with America, France, and other European Countries. This is important because it helped avoid Thailand from being colonized by Britain and France.
2. King Rama IX (King Bhumibol Adhulyadej) is improving poor people’s living conditions. It is important because it is reducing the poverty in Thailand.
1. King Rama VII (King Prajadhipok Phra Pok Klao Chaoyuhua) helped establish Constitutional Monarchy. This is important because it gave the people of Thailand the right to vote for their political leaders.
Done by: Jane, Shaali and Keun-sub
Friday, February 15, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The Shang Dynasty
Dates of power
The Shang Dynasty (also called the Yin Dynasty) is estimated to have ruled from 1766-1027 B.C. (2) . Shang built their cities in northern China around the eastern parts of the Yellow River, so they are called the Yellow River civilization as well (3) .
Map of Shang Dynasty (1)
Reasons for take-overShang Dynasty was established by King Tang after overthrowing the dictorial rule of Jie, the last emperor of the Xia. Shang Tang spent 17 years fighting against the Emperor Jie before he overthrew the Xia Dynasty. Jie abused his power and increased oppression. He exploited the resources of the people to build palaces and pavilions for himself. People were filled with anger, and Shang Tang seized this opportunity, took a revolt and finally overthrew the Xia Dynasty and established the Shang Dynasty(4) .
Shang Tang, the first emperor of Shang Dynasty (5)
Leaders of the civilizationThe Shang Dynasty lasted over 600 years and was reined by 30 different emperors. Tang, the first emperor of the period, overthrew Xia dynasty and set up the Shang Dynasty. Pan Geng, the nineteenth Shang King is popularly known for moving the capital to Yin, and the dynasty was referred to as the Yin Dynasty. Zhou was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. He is one of the cruelest Kings in the history of China who is known for the torture (6).
King Zhou of Shang (10)
A leader from another civilization
In Egypt, during the 18th Dynasty which lasted from 1540 – 1307 BC, Akhenaten reigned for few years but brought important religious reforms to the civilization. During this dynasty, Egypt was in turmoil as the Egyptian religion was changed and most temples were closed, favoring one new god, the solar-deity Aton (7) .
Statue of Akhenaten (7)
AccomplishmentsShang people had a great number of technological advances. One of the most important advancement was the invention of writing. They are the first Chinese people to have written records. The writing system contained over 3,000 symbols which were written vertically on oracle bones which usually came from cattle or animal bones, or they were written on tortoise shells, bronze wares or bamboo strips (1). The other major development was bronze making, and because of this Shang Dynasty is known as the Bronze Age. This led to the making of bronze weapons, daggers, spears, and armor. The Shang people invented the yoke, harness, and spoked wheel which led to the two-horse war chariot. They were the first to make ivory carvings, jade ornaments, and silk textiles. Shang people made advancement in math and science as well. They developed the decimal system and a 12 month calender with 365 and a quarter days. The chopstick we use today was invented during the Shang Dynasty (8).
Oracle Bobe (11)
Agriculture had great importance during Shang Dynasty. They grew wheat, barley, and millet. They also raised pigs, dogs, sheep, oxen, and silk worms (8). Fishing industry grew as people fished in the fresh waters. With the development of bronze making, artisans made pottery and bronze wares. This led to the development of handicraft industries. As the agriculture and handicraft industries grew, the commodity exchange was promoted and economy flourished during the Shang Dynasty (6).
Bronze ware of Shang Dynasty (6)
There was an important social change caused by the religion followed by Shang people. The Shang worshipped the "Shang Ti." He was a supreme god over lesser gods like the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, and other natural forces and places. Ancestor worship became a part of the Shang religion, and sacrifices to the gods and the ancestors were also a major part .When a king died, hundreds of slaves and prisoners were often sacrificed and buried with him. This was the first dynasty to have the slave-owning system and these slaves were often sacrificed. Also, the Shang had a unique form of descent. Rather than passing from father to son, the Shang form of descent passed from the eldest brother to the youngest brother (1) .Shang Dynasty God (12)
Reasons for fallDi Xin or Zhou, the last king of Shang, was known to be cruel and tyrant. He made up many cruel laws and means of torture, and he exploited the slaves and common people, building luxurious palaces. King Zhou started to set aside the old nobles and favored the ones he liked which caused dispute within the nobility. Taking advantage of the opportunity, King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty launched an attack and overthrew the Shang Dynasty, similar to the overthrow of Xia dynasty(9).
Zhou Wen Wang , founder of Zhou Dynasty (14)
Bibliography
- "Shang Dynasty." Dynasties of Ancient China. 7 Jan 2008 www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/ancient_china/shang.html.
- Dharmananda, Subhuti. "Chinese dynasties ." 7 Jan 2008
- Hooker, Richard. “ The Shang.” Ancient China. 6 Jun 1999. 7 Jan 2008
- "The Xia Dynasty ( 2070-1600 BC )." China History. chinavoc. 8 Jan 2008
- Saxer, Antoinette. "Poetry and Politics in China." 8 Jan 2008
- "Shang Dynasty." Travel China Guide. 8 Jan 2008
- Kinnear, Jacques. "18th Dynasty." The Ancient Egypt Site. 15 feb 1997. 8 Jan 2008
- "The Shang Dynasty." NetRadio . 9 Jan 2008
- "The Shang Dynasty ( 1600-1406 BC )." China History. chinavoc. 8 Jan 2008
- Yuan, Haiwang. "Da Ji." 5 Oct 2003. 9 Jan 2008
- 9 Jan 2008.
- 9 Jan 2008. home.insight.rr.com/chinawebquest/process.html
- 9 Jan 2008.orbat.com/site/history/volume4/442/zhou%20dynasty/zhou%20dynasty_2.html
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
BHUJ EARTHQUAKE
Six years ago, on 26th January 2001, a powerful earthquake measuring a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale devastated the state of Gujarat in Western India. It is the second most deadly earthquake to strike India, the largest being in 1737. The earthquake struck at approximately 8.46am local time, its epicenter located 80 kilometers north-east of the city of Bhuj (1).
Gujarat earthquake epicenter (7)
Most earthquakes occur along the edges of the oceanic and continental plates where two plates are running past each other or sliding past each other.When two plates rub or collide against each other, immense pressure builds up. Earthquake results with severe ground shaking when the rocks separating the plates break (3). The Bhuj earthquake took place because of the tremendous pressure released after a collision margin took place. This collision margin is formed by the movement of Indian tectonic plate in the north direction and collision with the Eurasian tectonic plate. Bhuj earthquake is considered an intraplate earthquake which is an earthquake within the tectonic plate because it occurred a great distance from any plate boundary (2). As a result, a fault ruptured through the small town of Manfara, about 50 miles east of Bhuj. Earthquakes can also occur along faults. Faults are cracks in the earth caused by the bumping and sliding of two plates which can be near or from the plate boundaries (4).
Most earthquakes occur along (8)
Collision of Indian plate and Eurasian plate(2)
Bhuj earthquake affected, directly or indirectly, 15.9 million people out of a total Indian population of 37.8 million. 19,727 people died and 166,000 people were injured. Around 600,000 people were left homeless, with 348,000 houses destroyed and an additional 844,000 damaged. The worst damage was caused in eastern Kachch, 75% of the city destroyed, 12,250 animals’ dead, and the town of Bhachau was almost completely destroyed (1). These rural villages are mostly made up farmers who depend hugely on agriculture and cattle. They are too poor to move or unwilling to leave the culture and heritage of the place. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat's commercial capital and a city of 4.5 million, about 50 multistory buildings collapsed and several hundred people were killed. There was significant damage to infrastructure with facilities such as hospitals, schools, electric power and water systems, bridges and roads damaged or destroyed. Several hospitals collapsed in Bhuj killing medical professional and patients, causing difficulty in treating the injured people. Over 70% of the schools in the region were also destroyed, which could otherwise be used for relief efforts. All telecommunication link of the epicenter region with the rest of state was disrupted, so credible information about the impact of this earthquake was not available to the concerned authority at the state and central government for several hours after the earthquake (5).
The remains of Bhachau (7)
Most deaths were caused by the buildings collapsing, a result of the corrupt builders using inferior materials during constructions. And poor farmers with large families’ incapability for spending money for good constructions of houses lead to more damage. If the buildings were strongly constructed, many deaths could have been avoided. The government of India was not prepared for such a disastrous earthquake that the relief aids couldn’t be sent immediately. If they were prepared, relief teams could have arrived quickly and saved lives of many injured or trapped under the buildings. If the rural villages had more telephone communication, information to the government would have reached quicker and not taken several hours.
Earthquakes tend to have a greater impact in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) than More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs). Buildings in More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs) are more likely to withstand an earthquake, because they might have seismic isolators and deep foundations to withstand tremors. Where as, in LEDCs the buildings are often of poor design because of cost. This is one reason why earthquake damage in LEDCs is usually greater. MEDCs are more likely to have well trained emergency services that act quickly in contrast to LEDCs which lack plans in response to disasters. This means people are not rescued as quickly as in MEDCs. LEDCs often have to rely on aid from MEDCs to assist in responding to earthquakes which can take up to several days to arrive (6).
In the case of Bhuj earthquake, though India relied on international aids, the relief efforts within the country started even before the aids arrived. The national and state governments quickly provided assistance in forms of cash, medical supplies, shelters, food, clothing, transport and relief workers. More than 185 non-government organizations (NGOs) provided assistance with trained personals and volunteers. Search and rescue teams soon arrived from Switzerland, United Kingdom, Russia and Turkey to find and rescue survivors buried under debris. Relief teams and supplies arrived from 38 countries as well as United Nations agencies and many international NGOs such as the Red Cross. Money from various countries was donated to NGOs to rebuild the damaged areas. In Gujarat, people are designing and building their new homes with great care to with stand further earthquakes and cyclones. . The windows are strengthened with steel frames and are lower to provide better ventilation. Water collection, surface pools and shallow wells are being built in remote villages as they depend on water transported by trucks (7).
Red Cross volunteers handing out supplies of food
and household equipment at Chotadinara (7)
January 26, 2001 calamity in Gujarat has taught some bitter lessons to the people and government of India. This incident showcased the poor constructions of building due to costs and lack of government assistance. All of the activities by NGOs and governments have positively impacted well over 250 villages and towns in Gujarat and support development of the entire region through many rehabilitation, outreach and healthcare programs. International aid proved to be a great help for the relief efforts. Till date, there is some to be rebuilt in Gujarat as the state is still recovering.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. 6 January 2001 Bhuj earthquake, Gujarat, India." 22 Nov 2007 .cires.colorado.edu/~bilham/Gujarat2001.html
2. George , Pararas-Carayannis. "THE EARTHQUAKE OF 25 JANUARY 2001 IN GUJARAT, INDIA." Disaster pages. 22 Nov 2007 . www.drgeorgepc.com/Earthquake2001India.html
3. "How earthquakes happen." 25 February, 2007 22 November,2007 .http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4126809.stm
4. "Fault (geology)." Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 2007. 22 Nov 2007 . en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fault_%28geology%29
5. 22 Nov 2007 . www.civil.iitb.ac.in/BhujEarthquake/Chapter.01.pdf
6. "What factors influence the effects and response to tectonic activity? ." Internet Geography. 22 Nov 2007 . www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topics/earthquakes_impact_response.html
7. "Indian Gujarat Earthquake, 26 January 2001." Global Education. 24 February, 2007. 22 Nov 2007 . www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/go/pid/1248
8. www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/images/plates.gif
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