some facts about cotton

Published: 11-02-09

Cotton plants belong to the Gossypium genus and are native to the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, including Africa, the Americas, Pakistan and India. The English 'cotton' originates from Arabic qutn. The most widely spread variety is Gossypium Hirsutum which is an indigenous species to the Americas and Mexico where its cultivation has been traced back some 8000 years. Cotton fabrics clothed the people of ancient Egypt, China and India, while the Moors introduced cotton cultivation to Spain in the 9th century. Imports of cotton fabrics to England began on a small scale in the 15th century and grew in the 17th century when the East India Company brought fabrics from... India. Current use of cotton ranges from clothing to coffee filters, money bills, fishnets and bookbinding to name a few.