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anteater

(Encyclopedia)anteater, name applied to various animals that feed on ants, termites, and other insects, but more properly restricted to a completely toothless group of the order Edentata. There are four species cla...

Winton, Tim

(Encyclopedia)Winton, Tim (Timothy John Winton), 1960–, Australian writer, generally regarded as the preeminent Australian novelist of his generation. Most of his books have been set in his coastal Western Austra...

Leichhardt, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig

(Encyclopedia)Leichhardt, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig frēˈdrĭkh vĭlˈhĕlm lo͞odˈvĭkh līkhˈhärt [key], 1813–1848?, Prussian explorer of Australia. He led (1844–45) an expedition from Moreton Bay to Port ...

Launceston

(Encyclopedia)Launceston lônˈsĕstən, lŏnˈ– [key], city (2016 pop. 65,274), on Tasmania, SE Australia, where the North Esk and South Esk rivers join to form the Tamar estuary; founded 1806. Launceston is the...

gum tree

(Encyclopedia)gum tree, name for the eucalyptus (see myrtle) in Australia and for several other trees, e.g., the sweet gum, of the family Hamamelidaceae (witch hazel family), and the black gum or tupelo in North Am...

Geelong

(Encyclopedia)Geelong jēlôngˈ [key], city, amalgamated since 1993 with neighboring cities and shires int...

dominion

(Encyclopedia)dominion, power to rule, or that which is subject to rule. Before 1949 the term was used officially to describe the self-governing countries of the Commonwealth of Nations—e.g., Canada, Australia, o...

Shute, Nevil

(Encyclopedia)Shute, Nevil (Nevil Shute Norway), 1899–1960, English novelist, b. Ealing, Middlesex, grad. Oxford, 1922. After serving in World War I, he was manager of a construction company until 1938. He fought...

pyrolusite

(Encyclopedia)pyrolusite pīˈrōlo͞ozīt [key], naturally occurring manganese dioxide, MnO2, a black mineral that crystallizes in the tetragonal system but is usually found in earthy or massive deposits. It is th...

Riverina

(Encyclopedia)Riverina rĭvˌərēˈnə [key], region, 26,560 sq mi (68,790 sq km), New South Wales, SE Australia. Located S of the Lachlan River in the south central part of the state, Riverina is a rich agricultu...