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genes. In fact, there is no scientific basis

for dividing people into races.

Cultural Anthropology

Cultural anthropology is a social science,

or a field of study concerned with

human societies. Cultural anthropologists

study many aspects of human cultures,

in different places and times.

These may include art, language, religion,

clothing, customs, and social

structure. Anthropologists try not to

judge a culture’s practices as good or

bad. Instead, they try to find out what

the practices mean to the people of that

culture. They also compare the practices

of various societies.

Some anthropologists study the bones and

other remains of humans.

Margaret

Mead of the

United States

was a famous

anthropologist.

She studied

the

peoples of

Oceania during

the mid-

1900s.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Anthropology 141

 

Archaeology is one type of cultural

anthropology. Archaeologists uncover

and study pottery, tools, and other

objects left by prehistoric and ancient

peoples. They try to learn how such

peoples lived.

In the 1800s and early 1900s most cultural

anthropologists were from western

Europe or the United States. They usually

traveled to another part of the

world, such as Africa or Asia, to study

different cultures. Today cultural anthropologists

from all around the world

study a wide variety of human groups.

For instance, they may study small fishing

villages, gangs in big cities, religious

groups, or large companies.

#More to explore

Archaeology • Biology • Culture

• Evolution • Genetics • Human Origins

• Social Science

Antibiotic

Doctors sometimes treat patients with a

type of medicine called an antibiotic.

Antibiotics treat illnesses and infections

caused by bacteria, or tiny organisms.

Antibiotics can come in the form of a

pill, a liquid, a cream, or a shot. One of

the first widely used antibiotics was

penicillin. It was discovered in 1928.

Doctors use antibiotics to cure serious

diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis,

and meningitis. Antibiotics can also

fight common problems such as acne

and strep throat. Antibiotics do not

work against common colds or other

illnesses caused by a virus.

Antibiotics work by killing bacteria or

by preventing them from multiplying.

Sometimes, however, not all the bacteria

die. The bacteria that survive are said to

have a resistance to the antibiotic. As

those bacteria multiply, they pass on the

resistance to new bacteria. The next time

those bacteria are exposed to the same

antibiotic, even fewer of them die. Eventually

the antibiotic does not kill enough

of the bacteria to make the illness go

away.

When enough types of bacteria become

resistant to an antibiotic, doctors no

longer use that antibiotic as medicine.

The number of resistant bacteria continues

to grow. Scientists are working to

find new antibiotics to replace the old

ones.

#More to explore

Bacteria • Disease, Human • Penicillin

• Virus

A special test shows whether or not antibiotics

can stop the growth of certain bacteria.

Tablets that contain antibiotics are placed

on a surface with bacteria on it. The clear

areas around the tablets show that the antibiotics

have stopped the bacteria from growing.

Antibiotics

should always

be used carefully.

Some

people have

bad reactions

to certain antibiotics.

142 Antibiotic BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Antigua and Barbuda

The Caribbean island country of Antigua

and Barbuda is known for its powdery

beaches. The capital is Saint John’s.

Geography

The country consists of three islands:

Antigua, Barbuda, and Redonda. Antigua

has rolling hills and volcanic rocks.

Near the coast are coral reefs. Barbuda is

a flat island 25 miles (40 kilometers)

north of Antigua. No one lives on

Redonda, a large rock southwest of

Antigua.

The country has a warm, tropical climate.

Droughts often occur on Antigua.

Plants and Animals

Barbuda has rain forests and lush vegetation.

With its drier climate, Antigua has

no forests but many kinds of cactus.

Barbuda is home to many large seabirds

called frigate birds.

People

Most of the country’s people are descendants

of African slaves. Small populations

of whites, Asians, and American

Indians also live there. Most people are

Christian. The official language is

English.

Economy

Tourism is very important to Antigua

and Barbuda’s economy. Transportation,

communications, financial services, real

estate, and construction are also important.

There is little manufacturing,

mainly of beer and T-shirts. Agriculture

and fishing play a small role in the

economy. The main crops are tropical

fruits.

History

The first inhabitants of Antigua and

Barbuda were the Ciboney people and,

later, the Arawak people. The explorer

Christopher Columbus landed on Antigua

in 1493.

The English took over the islands in

1632. They brought in Africans to work

as slaves on large sugar plantations. The

slaves won freedom in 1834.

The islands were part of the British Leeward

Islands colony until 1956. Great

Britain then managed their foreign

affairs until 1981, when Antigua and

Barbuda gained independence.

..More to explore

Arawak • Caribbean Sea • Columbus,

Christopher • Coral

Facts About

ANTIGUA AND

BARBUDA

Population

(2008 estimate)

87,500

Area

171 sq mi (442

sq km)

Capital

Saint John’s

Form of

government

Constitutional

monarchy

Major city

Saint John’s

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Antigua and Barbuda 143

 

Apache

The people known as the Apache

include several related Native American

groups. The Apache are familiar to many

people because of the WildWest stories

about Cochise and Geronimo. Both

men were famous Apache warriors who

fought to keep Apache lands free from

Mexico and the United States.

Historians believe that the ancestors of

the Apache lived in Canada. The Apache

probably migrated to the American

Southwest in about AD 1000. The traditional

Apache homelands are located in

what are now Arizona, Colorado, New

Mexico, Texas, and the Mexican states of

Chihuahua and Sonora.

The Apache were nomads who moved

from camp to camp depending on the

season and the food supply. They got

their food by hunting, gathering wild

plants, and farming. They also carried

out raids on other people to obtain

horses and supplies. The Apache made

dome-shaped shelters, known as wickiups,

by covering a wooden frame with

grass or branches.

Spanish explorers were the first non-

Indians to enter Apache lands. Mexicans

and Americans came later. American

settlement in Apache territory led to

fierce fighting between the Apache and

the U.S. military in the second half of

the 1800s. The last of the Apache wars

ended with Geronimo’s surrender in

1886. Some of the Apache settled in

Oklahoma; others moved to a reservation

in New Mexico. At the end of the

20th century there were about 57,000

Apache. Many lived on reservations in

the Southwest.

#More to explore

Geronimo • Native Americans