Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Germiston

(Encyclopedia)Germiston jûrˈmĭstən [key], city, now part and seat of Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality, Gauteng prov., NE South Africa, on the Witwatersrand. The chief industries are gold mining and processi...

Mahotella Queens

(Encyclopedia)Mahotella Queens mäˌhətĕlˈə [key], South African vocal group formed in 1964 by songwriter Robert Bopape. One of the most popular dance bands in South Africa, they often perform with the support ...

Dar es Salaam

(Encyclopedia)Dar es Salaam därˈ-ĕs-sälämˈ [key] [Arab.,=haven of peace], city (2021 est. metro area pop. ...

millet

(Encyclopedia)millet, common name for several species of grasses cultivated mainly for cereals in the Eastern Hemisphere and for forage and hay in North America. The principal varieties are the foxtail, pearl, and ...

Orange River

(Encyclopedia)Orange River, chief river of S Africa, c.1,300 mi (2,090 km) long, rising in the Maluti Mts., N Lesotho. It flows SW through Lesotho, then meanders northwest and west through central South Africa, for...

Afrikaans

(Encyclopedia)Afrikaans ăfˌrəkänsˈ [key], member of the West Germanic group of the Germanic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages (see Germanic languages). Although its classification is still dis...

Seychelles

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Seychelles sāshĕlzˈ [key], officially Republic of Seychelles, republic (2015 est. pop. 94,000), c.110 sq mi (285 sq km), comprising approximately 100 islands in the Indian Ocean, c.600 mi (9...

Johannesburg, City of

(Encyclopedia)City of Johannesburg, City of, metropolitan municipality (2011 pop. 4,434,827), Gauteng prov., NE South Africa. Johannesburg is the municipal seat; other communities include Soweto, Roodepoort, Alexan...

Kilimanjaro

(Encyclopedia)Kilimanjaro kĭlˌĭmənjäˈrō [key], highest mountain of Africa, NE Tanzania. An extinct volcano, it rises in two peaks, Uhuru (Kibo; 19,340 ft/5,895 m, Africa's highest point) and Mawenzi (17,564 ...

Bruce, James

(Encyclopedia)Bruce, James, 1730–94, Scottish explorer in Africa. He explored Roman ruins in N Africa (1755) from Tunis to Tripoli and visited Crete, Rhodes, and Asia Minor. In 1768 he traveled down the Red Sea a...