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swan

(Encyclopedia)swan, common name for a large aquatic bird of both hemispheres, related to ducks and geese. It has a long, gracefully curved neck and an extremely long, convoluted trachea which makes possible its far...

caribou, in zoology

(Encyclopedia)caribou, name in North America for the genus (Rangifer) of deer from which the Old World reindeer was originally domesticated. Caribou are found in arctic and subarctic regions. They are the only deer...

Drake's Bay

(Encyclopedia)Drake's Bay, inlet of the Pacific Ocean, formed by the San Andreas fault, W Calif., NW of San Francisco. Point Reyes forms its outer arm. The bay was visited by Sir Francis Drake in 1579. ...

Davis Strait

(Encyclopedia)Davis Strait, c.400 mi (640 km) long and c.180 mi (290 km) wide at the narrowest point, between Greenland and Baffin Island, NE Canada, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Baffin Bay. Large amounts of i...

Clydebank

(Encyclopedia)Clydebank, town, West Dunbartonshire, W central Scotland, on the north bank of the Clyde River. The chief industry until the 1970s was shipbuilding. The...

Hauraki Gulf

(Encyclopedia)Hauraki Gulf houräˈkē, –răˈkē [key], large inlet of the Pacific Ocean, N North Island, New Zealand, forming the entrance to Auckland harbor. Numerous islands are found in the gulf; Great Barri...

Fortunate Isles

(Encyclopedia)Fortunate Isles or Isles of the Blest, in classical and Celtic legend, islands in the Western Ocean. There the souls of favored mortals were received by the gods and lived happily in a paradise. Belie...

Fortune Bay

(Encyclopedia)Fortune Bay, arm of the Atlantic Ocean, c.80 mi (130 km) long, S Newfoundland, N.L., Canada. Its shores are lined with many fishing villages. The French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon are at its m...

Mollendo

(Encyclopedia)Mollendo mōyĕnˈdō [key], town (1993 pop. 26,724), S Peru, a port on the Pacific Ocean. Mollendo exports wool and has industries producing cement, textiles, canned fish, and cheese. It is also a po...

Nichinan

(Encyclopedia)Nichinan nēchēnänˈ [key], city (1990 pop. 49,178), Miyazaki prefecture, SE Kyushu, Japan, on the Pacific Ocean. It is an important fishing port, agricultural center, and manufacturing center for p...