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quassia

(Encyclopedia)quassia kwŏshˈə [key], name for several tropical trees and for a bitter extract from their bark. The extract containing complex terpenoid compounds called quassinoids is used medicinally as a bitte...

Pando, José Manuel

(Encyclopedia)Pando, José Manuel hōsāˈ mänwĕlˈ pänˈdō [key], 1848?–1917, Bolivian statesman, president of Bolivia (1899–1904). He earned military fame in the War of the Pacific, and in 1898 he joined ...

Wise, Henry Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Wise, Henry Alexander, 1806–76, American political leader and Confederate general in the Civil War, b. Accomac, Va. A lawyer, he was successively a Jackson Democrat, a Whig, and a Tyler Democrat in ...

Sousa, Martim Afonso de

(Encyclopedia)Sousa, Martim Afonso de mərtēmˈ əfônˈzō dĭ sōˈzə [key], 1500?–1564, Portuguese colonial administrator. A military man, he was commissioned in 1530 to drive the French corsairs from the Br...

agrimony

(Encyclopedia)agrimony ăgˈrĭmōˌnē [key], any plant of the genus Agrimonia, perennials of the family Rosaceae (rose family) native to north temperate zones, to Brazil, and to Africa. They are found wild in the...

boat-billed heron

(Encyclopedia)boat-billed heron or boatbill, a tropical New World heron, Chochlearius chochlearius. With shorter legs and a squatter appearance than most herons, this bird is remarkable chiefly for its broad bill, ...

Latin America

(Encyclopedia)Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. The 20 republics are Arge...

Mercosur

(Encyclopedia)Mercosur or Mercosul, officially the Common Market of the South, Latin American trade organization established in 1991 to increase economic cooperation among the countries of E South America. It is co...

Montes, Ismael

(Encyclopedia)Montes, Ismael ēsmäēlˈ mōnˈtās [key], 1861–1933, Bolivian statesman, president of Bolivia (1904–9, 1913–17). He interrupted the study of law in 1879 to fight against Chile in the War of t...

Maceió

(Encyclopedia)Maceió məsāôˈ [key], city (1991 pop. 629,041), capital of Alagoas state, E Brazil, on a narrow strip of land between a lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. Its port is at Jaraguá. Industries include s...