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dowry

(Encyclopedia)dowry douˈrē [key], the property that a woman brings to her husband at the time of the marriage. The dowry apparently originated in the giving of a marriage gift by the family of the bridegroom to t...

manorial system

(Encyclopedia)manorial system sēnyôrˈēəl [key], economic and social system of medieval Europe under which peasants' land tenure and production were regulated, and local justice and taxation were administered. ...

Carlton Club

(Encyclopedia)Carlton Club, British political and social club (founded 1832). Located in London, it was long the center of the Conservative party organization. Since World War II the club has been primarily social....

Wakayama

(Encyclopedia)Wakayama wäkäˈyämä [key], city (1990 pop. 396,553), capital of Wakayama prefecture, SW Honshu, Japan, on the Inland Sea. It is a railroad hub and a manufacturing center where petroleum, cotton an...

Akita, city, Japan

(Encyclopedia)Akita äˈkētä [key], city, capital of Akita prefecture, NW Honshu, Japan, on the Sea of Japan. A producer of petroleum products and chemicals, Akito city also has a lar...

Niigata

(Encyclopedia)Niigata nēˈgätä [key], city (1990 pop. 486,097), capital of Niigata prefecture, N Honshu, Japan, on the Sea of Japan at the mouth of the Shinano River. It is the main port for the west coast of Ho...

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(Encyclopedia)Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), organization established by the Bangkok Declaration (1967), linking the nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Subsequent...

Atyrau

(Encyclopedia)Atyrau go͞orˈyĭf [key], city, W Kazakhstan, on the Ural River and near the Caspian Sea. A port, rail center, and an industrial base of the Emba basin oil fields, it has...

Shikoku

(Encyclopedia)Shikoku shĭkōˈko͞o [key], island (1990 pop. 4,240,265), 7,247 sq mi (18,770 sq km), S Japan, separated from Honshu and Kyushu by the Inland Sea. The smallest of the major islands of Japan, its hig...

Vigo

(Encyclopedia)Vigo vēˈgō [key], city (1990 pop. 279,986), Pontevedra prov., NW Spain, in Galicia, on an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. A naval base and one of the most active ports of Spain, it has the country's m...