Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

begin to take on new responsibilities and

gain new freedoms. They act and think

more independently. They also start to

find a balance between family and

friends. These changes mean that adolescents

are on their way to becoming

adults.

..More to explore

Child Development • Reproductive

System

Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea separates Italy from the

Balkan Peninsula of eastern Europe. It

was probably named after the port town

of Adria, which prospered during

ancient Roman times.

The Adriatic is about 500 miles (800

kilometers) long and has an average

width of 100 miles (160 kilometers). Its

maximum depth is 4,100 feet (1,250

meters). The sea has a high salt content.

The climate is Mediterranean. This

means that it has clear, warm, and dry

summers and mild, humid winters.

The Adriatic extends from the Gulf of

Venice, in the north, southeastward to

the Strait of Otranto, which leads to the

Ionian Sea near Albania. Its western, or

Italian, coast is low and straight. The

eastern coast is rocky and mountainous.

The countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia

and Herzegovina, and Montenegro

border the sea to the east.

The Adriatic is an important part of

tourism in the region. Many holiday

Bosnia and

Herzegovina’s

seacoast on

the Adriatic is

only 12 miles

(20 kilometers)

long.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Adriatic Sea 31

 

resorts are located on its shores. The

fishing catch on the Adriatic includes

lobsters, sardines, and tuna.

Advertising

Whenever people give information to

the public about an event, a product, or

a service, they are using advertising. A

piece of advertising is called an advertisement,

or ad.

The goal of most advertising is to make

the public want to buy whatever is being

advertised. People also use advertising to

make the public form opinions about

things. For example, an ad could try to

make the public believe that a company

treats its workers well. Another ad could

try to make voters choose a certain candidate

for president.

Ads appear almost everywhere. They are

found in newspapers and magazines.

They appear on television, radio, and

the Internet. Ads are also posted as signs

in all kinds of public places.

The Media and Advertising

When advertisers want many people to

see or hear their ads, they pay the media

to have the ads published or broadcast.

Newspapers and magazines publish, or

print, ads between their articles. Television

and radio networks broadcast, or

play, ads during their programs. (Television

and radio ads are also called commercials.)

Web sites, buses, movie

theaters, and many other places also

display ads in exchange for money.

Control of Advertising

Advertisers are regulated, or controlled,

in several ways. Governments usually

pass laws to make sure that ads are

truthful and do not offend consumers.

Also, the media usually set their own

rules that advertisers must follow.

History of Advertising

Signs were the first form of advertising.

Even thousands of years ago people created

hand-lettered signs to advertise

their goods and services. The invention

of the printing press in the 1400s

expanded this type of advertising. Merchants

could print dozens of the same

posters and fliers to advertise what they

were selling. In the 1600s and 1700s

newspapers appeared in Europe, the

Americas, and Japan. Advertising then

became even more widespread.

Today advertising is a huge part of business

around the world. A major corpora-

Bright advertisements compete for attention

in New York City.

32 Advertising BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

tion may spend hundreds of millions of

dollars a year just on advertising.

#More to explore

Magazine • Newspaper • Radio

• Television

Aegean

Civilization

The earliest European civilization arose

sometime after 3000 BC, in the region of

the Aegean Sea. It took place on the

islands and the mainland of what is now

the country of Greece. This civilization

went through several stages. It began on

the island of Crete. That early part is now

called theMinoan civilization.On the

mainland of Greece it developed later.

That is now calledMycenaean

civilization.

Minoans

The Minoan civilization lasted from

about 2500 BC to about 1400 BC. The

Minoans are named for their legendary

king Minos. Their capital city was Knossos.

The palace at Knossos was enormous,

covering 5.5 acres (2.2 hectares)

of ground. Large towns spread around

other Minoan palaces. Houses were

often two stories high. They were built

with stones, timber, and mud bricks.

The Minoans painted their pottery and

walls with images of plants, flowers,

animals, and goddesses. They worshipped

a mother goddess.

The wealth of the Minoans was based

on seafaring and trading, especially trade

with the Middle East and Egypt. Pottery

made on Crete has been found in Egypt,

and ancient Egyptian pottery has been

found on Crete. A powerful navy protected

Knossos.

Mycenaeans

The Mycenaean civilization developed

in the 1500s BC, when Greek-speaking

people settled down on the Greek mainland.

The Mycenaeans conquered the

Minoans in about 1400 BC. Their civilization

is named after Mycenae, its most

important city.

A king headed the society. Kings built