Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Parsis

(Encyclopedia)Parsis or Parsees both: pärˈsēz, pärsēzˈ [key], religious community of India, practicing Zoroastrianism. The Parsis (numbering about 75,000) are concentrated in Maharashtra and Gujarat states, e...

Neyshabur

(Encyclopedia)Neyshabur nāshäbo͝orˈ [key], city (1991 pop. 135,681), Razavi Khorasan prov., NE Iran; also called Nishapur. It is the trade center for a farm region where cotton, fruit, and grain are grown. Manu...

North, Oliver Laurence

(Encyclopedia)North, Oliver Laurence, 1943–, American military officer and broadcasting personality, b. San Antonio, Tex. Raised in Philmont, N.Y., he entered the U.S. Marines, graduated from Annapolis (1968), se...

Casey, William Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Casey, William Joseph, 1913–87, American public official, b. New York City. After graduating from Fordham (B.S., 1934) he obtained a law degree from St. Johns Univ. (1937). During World War II he be...

Baghdad

(Encyclopedia)Baghdad or Bagdad both: băgˈdăd, bägdädˈ [key], city (2020 pop. 7,144,000), cap...

migration

(Encyclopedia)migration, of people, geographical movements of individuals or groups for the purpose of permanently resettling. Normal internal migration has been characterized by a population shift from rural t...

Obama, Barack

(Encyclopedia)Obama, Barack (Barack Hussein Obama 2d), bəräkˈ ho͞osānˈ ōbäˈmə [key], 1961–, 44th president of the United States (2009–17), b. Honolulu, grad. Columbia (B.A. 1983), Harvard Law School ...

Hormoz

(Encyclopedia)Hormoz ôrˈ–, ôr– [key], island (1989 est. pop. 2,500), 5 mi (8.1 km) long and 3.5 mi (5.6 km) wide, S Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz (Hormoz), between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Salt...

Hamadan

(Encyclopedia)Hamadan hämädänˈ [key], city, capital of Hamadan prov., W Iran, at the foot of Mt. Alwand. ...

fatwa

(Encyclopedia)fatwa, in Islamic law, an opinion made by a judicial/religious scholar (a mufti) on a legal, civil, or religious matter. The fatwa is usually a valuable source of information on any subject for privat...