Kathy Power, age 12, of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, for her question:
WHY ARE THE STREETS OF VENICE FULL OF WATER?
Venice is one of Italy's most famous cities and one of the world's most popular tourist centers. It is located on the Adriatic Sea and is the capital of Venetia, one of the 20 political regions of Italy. It has a population of 364,000 people. Great collections of priceless works of art and many examples of fine architecture help make the city great.
Venice is made unique among cities by the fact that it is actually made up of 120 small islands that are clustered into a group two and a half miles off the coast of Italy. The streets are indeed full of water they are canals. People in the city use boats instead of automobiles.
More than 150 canals make up the city's transportation network. You can reach the city on a causeway from the mainland by train, bus or automobile, but general transportation after that comes in flat bottomed boats called gondolas and, more frequently now, motorboats.
More than 400 bridges cross the canals and link the islands of Venice. Alley like roads called calli run between the buildings.
The Grand Canal, if you were to translate Venice to the average town, would be Main Street. It winds through the heart of Venice and overlooking it are grand mansions built of marble and stone that were constructed between the 1100s and the 1800s.
Rialto Bridge crosses the Grand Canal in the center of the city and from this point to Saint Mark's Square runs a narrow street that is the leading shopping area. At the end is the Cathedral of Saint Mark, one of the world's most outstanding examples of Byzantine architecture. Especially beautiful is the bell tower called the Campanile. Examples of Renaissance style architecture are built on the other sides of the square. Tourists and natives spend many hours at the sidewalk cafes located here.
About 6,000 students study at the University of Venice. The Academy of Fine Arts has an outstanding collection of famous paintings and also famous is the Fenice, a large theater where operas and plays are presented regularly.
Houses in Venice are built on wooden piles driven into the mud, since solid ground isn't available. New construction has been on the mainland communities of Marghera and Mestre since all available land in the island area was filled hundreds of years ago.
The tourist industry is Venice's main source of income. More than 3 million visitors come to the city each year. Fine crystal and glassware is made in the mainland communities of Marghera and Mestre. Excellent lace and embroidery work also comes from the area and brings in revenue.