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Wei, river, China

(Encyclopedia)Wei wā [key], river, c.450 mi (720 km) long, rising in SE Gansu prov. and flowing E through Gansu and Shaanxi provs. to the Huang He. Its wide, alluvial valley was the site of some of the earliest ce...

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...

Bermejo

(Encyclopedia)Bermejo bərmāˈhō [key], river, c.650 mi (1,050 km) long, rising in N central Argentina, flowing SE along the border with Bolivia and through N Argentina to Pilar, Paraguay. Through much of its cou...

Uruguay , river, South America

(Encyclopedia)Uruguay yo͝oˈrəgwā, gwī, Span. o͞oro͞ogwiˈ, o͞oro͞owīˈ [key], river, c.1,000 mi (1,610 km) long, rising in S Brazil and flowing in an arc W, SW, and S to the Río de la Plata, an estuary; ...

Rio Branco

(Encyclopedia)Rio Branco, city (1996 pop. 228,907), capital of Acre state, NW Brazil, on the Acre River. Rubber and Brazil nuts are its chief products; there is also some farming. Rio Branco has air connections wit...

Desaguadero

(Encyclopedia)Desaguadero dāsägwäᵺāˈrō [key], river, c.200 mi (320 km) long, flowing SE from Lake Titicaca to Lake Poopó, W Bolivia. It is used for irrigation in its northern course. Its flow diminishes to...

Funchal

(Encyclopedia)Funchal fo͞onshälˈ [key], city, capital of Funchal dist., on Madeira island, Portugal. A busy ...

Fortaleza

(Encyclopedia)Fortaleza fo͝ortəlĕˈzə [key], city, capital of Ceará state, NE Brazil, a port on the At...