Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Benin, Bight of

(Encyclopedia)Benin, Bight of, northern arm of the Gulf of Guinea, c.550 mi (885 km) wide, W Africa, between Cape Three Points, S Ghana, and the Niger River delta, SW Nigeria. The bight was an important area for sl...

Tornio

(Encyclopedia)Tornio tôrˈnēō [key], Swed. Torneå, city (1996 pop. 23,285), Lapland prov., NW Finland, at the mouth of the Torneälv on the Gulf of Bothnia. It is a trade center and export point for forest prod...

San Lorenzo

(Encyclopedia)San Lorenzo, town, S Honduras, on the Gulf of Fonseca. Its satellite, Henecán is the chief Pacific port of Honduras. Henecán's modern port facilities and deepwater harbor and channel approach were c...

Monotheletism

(Encyclopedia)Monotheletism or Monothelitism both: mənŏthˈə lĭtĭzˌəm [key] [Gr.,=one will], 7th-century opinion condemned as heretical by the Third Council of Constantinople in 680 (see Constantinople, Thir...

Indian Ocean

(Encyclopedia)Indian Ocean, third largest ocean, c.28,350,000 sq mi (73,427,000 sq km), extending from S Asia to Antarctica and from E Africa to SE Australia; it is c.4,000 mi (6,400 km) wide at the equator. It con...

Palestine Liberation Organization

(Encyclopedia)Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), coordinating council for Palestinian organizations, founded (1964) by Egypt and the Arab League and initially controlled by Egypt. Composed of various guerrill...

Darjeeling

(Encyclopedia)Darjeeling or Darjiling both: därjēlˈĭng [key], town, West Bengal state, NE India, ne...

Chapais, Sir Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Chapais, Sir Thomas shäpāˈ [key], 1858–1946, Canadian politician and historian, b. Quebec prov.; son of Jean Charles Chapais (1811–85). Thomas Chapais became professor of history at Laval Univ....

Faliero, Marino

(Encyclopedia)Faliero or Falier, Marino märēˈnō fälyāˈrō, fälyārˈ [key], 1274–1355, doge of Venice (1354–55). As commander of Venetian forces he defeated (1346) Louis I of Hungary at Zara, and later ...

John Paul I

(Encyclopedia)John Paul I, 1912–78, pope (1978), an Italian (b. Canale d'Agordo) named Albino Luciani; successor of Paul VI. Born into a poor, working-class family, he trained at local seminaries and at the Grego...