Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

#see Decorative Arts.

Asante

#see Ashanti.

Ash

Several types of ash tree are valued for

their hardwood or their beauty. There

are about 70 different species, or types,

of ash tree. They are members of the

same scientific family as olive trees, jasmines,

and lilacs.

Most ash trees grow in the northern half

of the world. They grow best where it is

neither extremely hot nor cold. They

usually need plenty of sunshine.

Several different types of art are on display

in the Hermitage museum in Saint Petersburg,

Russia.

196 Arts BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Some ashes are considered shrubs, but

most are trees. Ash trees are typically

small to medium in height. However,

some types may grow taller than 100

feet (30 meters). Most ashes have a

strong, straight trunk with gray bark.

The spreading branches usually form a

rounded shape. The green leaves are

made up of several parts called leaflets.

In autumn the leaves of most ashes turn

yellow or purple before they are shed for

the winter. The flowers are usually small

and grow in clusters. Each seed has a

papery wing shaped like a dragonfly

wing.

Several kinds of ash tree have strong,

tough wood. These hardwood ashes

include the white, green, black, blue,

and Oregon types in North America

and the European type in Europe.

Their wood is used to make such

products as baseball bats, hockey sticks,

tennis rackets, oars, furniture, tool

handles, and barrels. Ash trees are also

often planted in cities to provide shade

and color.

#More to explore

Olive • Tree

Ashanti

The Ashanti, or Asante, people formed a

powerfulWest African kingdom in the

1700s and 1800s. The kingdom grew

wealthy from the slave trade and conquered

many peoples. In 1874, however,

the kingdom became a colony of Great

Britain. The Ashanti territory is now

part of the country of Ghana.

The rise of the Ashanti began in the

1670s, when Ashanti ruler Osei Tutu

crushed all opponents in the region. He

then declared himself Asantehene, or

king. The next ruler, OpokuWare, continued

the Ashanti’s conquests. During

his reign, from 1720 to 1750, the

empire reached its peak.

An Ashanti chief wears fine

clothing and gold jewelry.

The spreading branches of an ash tree give

the tree a rounded shape.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Ashanti 197

 

Throughout the 1700s, the Ashanti supplied

captives to British and Dutch slave

traders on the coast. In return, the Europeans

provided the Ashanti with firearms

that they used to make more

conquests. Great Britain outlawed the

slave trade in 1807. After that, the

Ashanti had to rely more heavily on

other trade items, such as gold, ivory,

and cocoa.

Serious trouble came when Britain

expanded its own empire inland. In

1874 British forces captured Kumasi,

the capital of the Ashanti. The Ashanti

soon lost their hold over the groups they

had ruled over. In 1902 Ashanti lands

were made part of a British colony called

the Gold Coast. In 1957 the Gold Coast

became the independent country of

Ghana.

The Ashanti people still live in a region

centered on Kumasi. Kumasi is a busy

and prosperous city. But most Ashanti

live in villages. They are mainly farmers

who produce plantains, bananas, cassava,

yams, and cacao.

#More to explore

Ghana • Slavery

Ashe, Arthur

Tennis champion Arthur Ashe was an

African American who triumphed in a

traditionally white sport. He was ranked

among the top 10 players in the world

for 12 years.

Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr., was born in

Richmond, Virginia, on July 10, 1943.

He started playing tennis as a child.

Between 1955 and 1963, Arthur won

11 national youth championships. At

the same time, he worked hard in

school. He won a scholarship to attend

the University of California at Los Angeles

(UCLA).

Arthur Ashe returns a ball during

the U.S. National Championships

in 1965.

198 Ashe, Arthur BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

In 1968 Ashe won the U.S. Open tournament.

The tournament is one of the

four major events in tennis each year.

The others areWimbledon (in

England), the French Open, and the

Australian Open. Ashe’s win was the

first ever for an African American man

in one of these tournaments. Afterward,

he regularly reached the semifinals and

finals of the tournaments. Ashe won the

Australian Open in 1970. In 1975 he

won the top prize at Wimbledon.

Ashe retired after suffering a heart attack

in 1979. In 1983 he had another heart

attack and required surgery. It is thought

that blood that he received at this time

was infected with HIV. HIV is the virus

that causes the disease AIDS. As a result

he contracted the disease. However, he

continued to display the same determination

he showed on the tennis court.

He took the side of refugees, underprivileged

children, and people with AIDS.

He died of AIDS on February 6, 1993.

..More to explore

AIDS • Tennis

Ashgabat

Population

(2007 estimate)

744,000

Ashgabat is the capital of the central

Asian country of Turkmenistan. The city

lies at the foot of a mountain range. It is

also at the edge of a desert, in an area

called an oasis. An oasis is a part of a

desert that has enough water for people

to live.

Ashgabat is one of Turkmenistan’s centers

of industry and transportation. The