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Alexander VI, pope

(Encyclopedia)Alexander VI, 1431?–1503, pope (1492–1503), a Spaniard (b. Játiva) named Rodrigo de Borja or, in Italian, Rodrigo Borgia; successor of Innocent VIII. He took Borja as his surname from his mother'...

Pocahontas

(Encyclopedia)Pocahontas pōkəhŏnˈtəs [key], c.1595–1617, Native North American woman, daughter of Chief Powhatan. Pocahontas, meaning “playful one” (her birth name was Amonute, and her family called her ...

Gonsalves, Ralph Everard

(Encyclopedia)Gonsalves, Ralph Everard, 1946–, Vincentian political leader. Gonsalves practised law in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for several years, becoming deputy leader of the Unity Labor party (ULP) in ...

Jarring, Gunnar

(Encyclopedia)Jarring, Gunnar gŭnˈär yärˈĭng [key], 1907–2002, Swedish diplomat. He entered diplomatic service during World War II and was minister to India (1948–51), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka; 1950–51), a...

Ashgabat

(Encyclopedia)Ashgabat əshkhəbätˈ [key], formerly Ashkhabad, city (2020 pop. 846,000), capital of Turkmenistan, near the border with Iran, on the Trans-Caspian RR. The city has text...

Hussein, Saddam

(Encyclopedia)Hussein, Saddam sädämˈ ho͞osānˈ [key], 1937–2006, Iraqi political leader. A member of the Ba'ath party, he fled Iraq after participating (1959) in an assassination attempt on the country's pri...

Kamina

(Encyclopedia)Kamina kämēˈnä [key], city (1984 pop. 171,008), Haut-Lomami prov., S Congo (Kinshasa). It is an administrative and transportation center. A major military airfield is located there. Kamina was use...

European Monetary System

(Encyclopedia)European Monetary System, arrangement by which most nations of the European Union (EU) linked their currencies to prevent large fluctuations relative to one another. It was organized in 1979 to stabil...

Gorgan

(Encyclopedia)Gorgan jo͝orjänˈ [key], town, N Iran, E of the Caspian Sea. The surrounding region yields ...

Sefid Rud

(Encyclopedia)Sefid Rud sä– [key], river, c.450 mi (720 km) long, rising in NW Iran and flowing generally east to meet the Caspian Sea at Rasht. A storage dam on the river was completed in 1962. The Sefid Rud ha...