MOVING THINGS FROM HERE TO THERE Every day people animals and goods are moved from place to place around the globe This process is called transportation Since almost 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water ships do a lot of this work Ships are large boats that can carry passengers or cargo for long distances over water Before the invention of the airplane crossing oceans and large bodies of water could only be done by Ships carry goods that are bought sold and traded around the world 4
ship Although there is faster transportation now ships are as important today as they have ever been Commercial ships move almost four billion tons of cargo every year Food wood and minerals are taken from farms forests and mines to factories around the world There they are used to make millions of products ranging from anvils to zippers These new manufactured goods are then shipped around the world Large cargo vessels may take weeks or even months to reach their destinations If 75 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by water how much of its surface is covered by land Think About It 5
THE PARTS OF A SHIP Ships are basically large boats so they have many of the same parts The front of a ship is called the bow The back is the stern A ship’s left side is known as the port side The right is the starboard side A ship’s frame or body is called the hull The keel is like the ship’s backbone It keeps the ship from tipping over A rudder is a flat panel Ships are carefully designed to operate safely and efficiently 6
that is moved from side to side to provide steering control Ships usually have many decks The decks are like the floors of a building Cabins for passengers engine and control rooms and spaces for cargo are often on different decks An engine inside the ship provides energy to propellers at the back of the ship The propellers propel the ship through the water When the ship is not moving a heavy metal anchor may be lowered into the water This keeps the ship from floating away A large amount of electronics and computer equipment is needed to control and navigate today’s large ships Propel means to push or drive forward 7
