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Figueres Ferrer, José

(Encyclopedia)Figueres Ferrer, José ōlˈsān [key], 1954–, was president of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998. ...

Brasília

(Encyclopedia)Brasília bräzēlˈyä [key], capital city and federal district of Brazil (2,264 sq mi/5,864 sq ...

San Pablo

(Encyclopedia)San Pablo săn păbˈlō [key], city (1990 pop. 25,158), Contra Costa co., W Calif., on San Pablo Bay, a suburb of Oakland; inc. 1948. One of the oldest Spanish settlements in the region, the city is ...

madrigal

(Encyclopedia)madrigal, name for two different forms of Italian music, one related to the poetic madrigal in the 14th cent., the other the most common form of secular vocal music in the 16th cent. The poetic madrig...

Bonifácio, José

(Encyclopedia)Bonifácio, José zho͞ozāˈ bônēfäˈsēō [key], 1763–1838, Brazilian statesman and scientist. He studied in Europe and gained international fame as a geologist before returning (1819) to Brazi...

Organization of American States

(Encyclopedia)Organization of American States (OAS), international organization, created Apr. 30, 1948, at Bogotá, Colombia, by agreement of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican R...

Turrialba

(Encyclopedia)Turrialba to͞orēälˈbä [key], active volcano, 10,958 ft (3,340 m) high, E central Costa Rica. Its last major eruption was in 1866; it subsequently was inactive until 2010. On its lower slopes is t...

Puntarenas

(Encyclopedia)Puntarenas po͞ontärāˈnäs [key], town (1995 est. pop. 40,706), capital of Puntarenas prov., W Costa Rica, on the Gulf of Nicoya. Formerly the country's principal port on the Pacific, it has been s...

Cleveland Orchestra

(Encyclopedia)Cleveland Orchestra, one of the foremost orchestras in the United States. It gave its first performance in 1918 under Nikolai Sokoloff, who was conductor until 1933. In 1931, the orchestra moved from ...

Walnut Creek

(Encyclopedia)Walnut Creek, residential city (1990 pop. 60,569), Contra Costa co., W Calif., in the San Francisco Bay area; inc. 1914. It is the trade and shipping center of an extensive agricultural area where wal...