๐ณ Plants ๐ฝ Vegetables and crops
Cotton
๐ In short
Cotton is a plant whose soft white fibers are made into many clothes we wear every day: shirts, trousers, socks, towels and sheets. Most people in the world wear cotton clothes.
๐คฉ Did you know?
- The cotton harvest starts 6 to 10 months after planting.
- Alexander the Great's army brought cotton to Europe around 300 BC.
- Cooking oil is also made from cotton seeds.
- The Arabic word โqutnโ passed into many languages, like โcottonโ in English.
๐ Find out more
๐ A flower that becomes a ball
Cotton is grown in hot countries. Its pretty flowers open then fall, and in their place a green fruit called a boll grows. When it's ripe it splits open and fluffy white fibers come out, like cotton wool.
๐ From field to shirt
Cotton is picked by hand or machine, the seeds are removed, the fibers are cleaned and spun into thread, the thread is woven into cloth, and the cloth is dyed and sewn into clothes.
๐ก Why do we love it?
Cotton is soft and comfortable, soaks up sweat and lets the skin breathe, so it's great for hot countries. And it's easy to wash.
๐ฏ Egyptian cotton
Egyptian cotton is famous around the world for its long, soft, strong fibers, and the finest fabrics and sheets are made from it.
๐ธ More pictures
๐งฉ Test yourself
1 What do we call the cotton fruit the fibers come out of?
2 Which cotton is famous for its long, soft fibers?
3 Alexander the Great's army brought cotton to Europe around ?? BC.
4 Which picture shows โCottonโ?
๐ณ Discover more
๐ท Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons ยท Public domain
- Thiagupillai ยท CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bubba73 ยท CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bubba73 ยท CC BY-SA 4.0
