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Back, Sir George

(Encyclopedia)Back, Sir George, 1796–1878, British explorer in N Canada. He accompanied Sir John Franklin on arctic expeditions in 1818, 1819–22, and 1824–27. On an expedition (1833–35) to search for the mi...

Arnhem Land

(Encyclopedia)Arnhem Land, 37,100 sq mi (96,089 sq km), N Northern Territory, Australia, on a wide peninsula W of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The great majority of the region belongs to the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Rese...

Vetch, Samuel

(Encyclopedia)Vetch, Samuel, 1668–1732, British soldier and colonial administrator, b. Scotland. He settled in Albany, N.Y., in 1699 and became a trader with the Native Americans. Author of a plan to capture Fren...

Tolentino

(Encyclopedia)Tolentino tōlāntēˈnō [key], town (1991 pop. 18,346), in the Marche, central Italy, on the Chienti River. In 1797, Pope Pius VI signed at Tolentino a humiliating treaty with Napoleon Bonaparte, un...

Pichincha

(Encyclopedia)Pichincha pēchēnˈchä [key], active volcano, 15,918 ft (4,852 m) high, N Ecuador, near Quito. Its most serious recent eruption was in 1998–2001. On its lower slopes, in the decisive battle of Pic...

Etruria

(Encyclopedia)Etruria ĭtro͝orˈēə [key], ancient country, W central Italy, now forming Tuscany and part of Umbria. It was the territory of the Etruscans, who in the 6th cent. b.c. spread Etruscan civilization t...

Giant's Causeway

(Encyclopedia)Giant's Causeway, headland on the north coast of Moyle dist., N Northern Ireland, NE of Coleraine; est. as a national trust territory in 1961. Extending 3 mi (4.8 km) along the coast, it consists of t...

Nettilling Lake

(Encyclopedia)Nettilling Lake nĕchˈĭlĭng [key], freshwater lake, 1,956 sq mi (5,066 sq km), S Baffin Island, Nunavut Territory, Canada; one of the largest lakes entirely within Canada. It is located in an arcti...

Auyuittuq National Park

(Encyclopedia)Auyuittuq National Park ouyo͞oˈətək, –ətŭkˌ [key], c.8,290 sq mi (21,470 sq km), E Baffin Island near Pangnirtung, Nunavut Territory, Canada; est. 1972. Located on the Cumberland Peninsula, i...

Axel Heiberg Island

(Encyclopedia)Axel Heiberg Island ăkˈsəl hīˈbərg [key], 13,583 sq mi (35,180 sq km), in the Arctic Ocean, N Nunavut Territory, Canada, W of Ellesmere Island. It was named by the Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdr...