The name under which the he wrote his many sea-faring novels was Joseph Conrad. He was born in the Ukraine in Russia on December 6, 1857. His boyhood was passed in Caracow in Poland. There he learned to speak and write French fluently and first began to take a great interest in the sea. At the age of 17 he …

The term refers to conditions that all countries of the European Union had to adhere to while adopting the Euro as a common currency. To do so, the countries had to show that their economic condition was stable and their fiscal deficit did not exceed 3%. Initially, Poland and some other countries did not join because of their poor growth …

David Villa — Top scorer at UEFA EURO 2008 and a fixture at the sharp end of the Spanish attack, David Villa is currently one of the world’s hottest striking properties. A born competitor with an unquenchable thirst for finding the net, Villa always has the goal in his sights whether playing as an out-and-out forward, in a withdrawn role …

Crystal Attenborough — The Northern Territory’s leading athlete, Crystal re-emerged for the 2005-06 Australian domestic season and has since established herself as one of the nation’s leading female sprinters. Australian Championships 100m: 2005 (U23) – 1st, 2006 – 2nd, 2007 – 3rd (2nd Australian), 2008 – 7th (5th Australian), 2009 – 6th 200m: 2005 – 4th, (1st U23), 2006 – …

Angela Merkel was born Angela Dorothea Kasner in Hamburg on 17 July 1954, the daughter of Horst Kasner, a Lutheran pastor, and his wife, Herlind, a teacher of English and Latin. Her mother was once a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany. She has a brother, Marcus and a sister, Irene. Merkel was educated in Templin and at …

Poplar, White — Populus alba (White Poplar) is a species of poplar, most closely related to the aspens (Populus sect. Populus). It is native from Spain and Morocco through central Europe (north to Germany and Poland) to central Asia. It grows in moist sites, often by watersides, in regions with hot summers and cold to mild winters. It is a …

Currant — The currant is a hardy shrub in the genus Ribes, of the family Saxifraga. The genus includes about 150 species, of which the European black currant and the red currant are most important in cultivation. The European black currant is an alternate host for white pine blister rust, and planting is prohibited in many states to protect white …

Tarpan — The Tarpan, Equus ferus ferus, was the Eurasian wild horse. The last specimen of this species died in captivity in Ukraine in 1918 or 1919. Polish farmers often crossed the tarpan with their domestic horses. The result was a small horse breed, the Konik. Such animals, as the Konik, and also the Sorraia Horse preserved in Portugal, are …

Sable — The sable (Martes zibellina) is a small mammal, closely akin to the marten, living in southern Russia near the Ural Mountains through Siberia and Mongolia to Hokkaidō in Japan. Its range in the wild originally extended through European Russia to Poland and Scandinavia. It has achieved fame for its fur, which is integrated into various clothes fashions (for …

Beaver — Beavers are semi-aquatic rodents native to North America and Europe. They are the only living members of the family Castoridae, which contains a single genus, Castor. Genetic research has shown the European and North American beaver populations to be distinct species and that hybridization is unlikely. Beavers are best known for their natural trait of building dams in …