Even though no one knows exactly where oranges come from, Southeast Asia is believed to be their first home. They are grown today in most of the warmer parts of the world. The ancient Greeks and Romans knew about oranges. It is possible that oranges were carried from India to Western Asia, and then to Europe.

The Spaniards took the sour oranges to the West Indies and from there to Florida, in America. Today, oranges are the most important fresh fruit in international trade. There are three different kinds of oranges: the sweet or common orange, the mandarin orange, and the sour or bitter orange.

One type of sweet orange is called the blood orange. It has a pulp with a deep red color. This type of orange is grown mostly in the Mediterranean region. Mandarin oranges are mainly found in Florida. Sour oranges are grown almost everywhere with Spain having the greatest number used for trade. These sour oranges are generally used to make marmalade.

However, they can be put to many other interesting uses, from making medicine to creating perfumes.

Oranges have many medicinal values. Oranges are the fruit with the greatest concentration of vitamin C. The skin of the orange helps to keep the fruit inside from becoming damaged and to remain clean. The thick, oily, and bitter skin does not allow any insects to get into an orange. Many kinds of useful oils can be extracted from the thick skin. Oranges are healthy and delicious.

A fish that is a great favorite with people is salmon. It begins its life in a small pool up a river. Far from the sea, the fish lays its eggs in a pool in the river. When the baby fish are a few inches long, they begin to swim down the river. As they grow bigger, they make their way towards the sea. They jump over rocks, often with their tails first. Suddenly, they find themselves in the sea. The fish live in the sea for three years. They swim far away from land. How do they find their way back? These fish have a wonderful sense of smell. They remember the scent of their journey easily because the river flowed to the sea and carried them there. After three years, most salmon swim toward the pools. As soon as they reach a pool, the females lay their eggs. They lay their eggs near the edge of the water and cover them with sand. Soon the eggs hatch, and the pool is full of small fish, getting ready for the long journey out to the sea.