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Asturias, Miguel Ángel

(Encyclopedia)Asturias, Miguel Ángel mēgĕlˈ ängˈhĕl ästo͞oˈryäs [key], 1899–1974, Guatemalan novelist, poet, and diplomat. Living in Paris in the 1920s, Asturias was influenced by Romain Rolland, Valé...

Middle Country

(Encyclopedia)Middle Country: see Middle Kingdom. ...

Samoa, country, SW Pacific Ocean

(Encyclopedia)Samoa, formerly Western Samoa, officially Independent State of Samoa, constitutional monarchy (2015 est. pop. 194,000), South Pacific, comprising the western half of the Samoa island chain. There are ...

Yucatán, peninsula, North America

(Encyclopedia)Yucatán yo͞okətănˈ [key], peninsula, c.70,000 sq mi (181,300 sq km), mostly in SE Mexico, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. It comprises the states of Yucatán, Campeche, and ...

America, in geography

(Encyclopedia)America [for Amerigo Vespucci], the lands of the Western Hemisphere—North America, Central (or Middle) America, and South America. The world map published in 1507 by Martin Waldseemüller is the fir...

Barrios, Justo Rufino

(Encyclopedia)Barrios, Justo Rufino ho͞oˈstō ro͞ofēˈnō bärˈyōs [key], c.1835–1885, president of Guatemala (1873–85). He took part in the successful revolution of 1871 and was elected to office. He imp...

Arzú, Álvaro

(Encyclopedia)Arzú, Álvaro (Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen), 1946–2018, Guatemalan lawyer and political leader. He was director of the Guatemalan tourism office (1978–81) before he was first elected mayor of ...

Atitlán

(Encyclopedia)Atitlán ätētlänˈ [key], volcanic lake, 53 sq mi (137 sq km), 17 mi (27.3 km) long and 11 mi (17.7 km) wide, SW Guatemala. One of the most magnificent lakes of Central America, it is set among lof...

Motagua

(Encyclopedia)Motagua mōtäˈgwä [key], river, c.250 mi (400 km) long, rising in S central Guatemala and flowing NE to the Gulf of Honduras. The longest river within Guatemala, it waters a valley where hemp and b...

Colom Caballeros, Álvaro

(Encyclopedia)Colom Caballeros, Álvaro, 1951–, Guatemalan political leader, president of Guatemala (2008–12), b. Guatemala City. An industrial engineer, he became a textile entrepreneur. Entering politics in t...