Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Mackenzie

(Encyclopedia)Mackenzie, river, c.1,120 mi (1,800 km) long, issuing from Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada, and flowing generally NW to the Arctic Ocean through a great delta. Between Great Slave Lake...

Antsiranana

(Encyclopedia)Antsiranana dē-āˈgō-swärˈĕs [key], town, N Madagascar, on Antsiranana Bay. The bay, an arm of the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's finest natural harbors; its lo...

Kuroshio

(Encyclopedia)Kuroshio, ocean current: see Japan Current. ...

poi

(Encyclopedia)poi, slightly fermented, sticky food paste eaten in the Pacific islands, usually accompanied with meat, fish, or vegetables. It is made by grinding or pounding the roasted, peeled roots of the taro. ...

Michener, James Albert

(Encyclopedia)Michener, James Albert mĭchˈnər [key], 1907–97, American author, b. New York City, grad. Swarthmore, 1929. His short-story collection Tales of the South Pacific (1947; Pulitzer Prize) was adapted...

Pardo, Manuel

(Encyclopedia)Pardo, Manuel mänwĕlˈ pärˈdō [key], 1834–78, president of Peru (1872–76). After assisting José Balta in establishing a constitutional government, Pardo succeeded him as president. To recove...

Baker Island

(Encyclopedia)Baker Island, uninhabited island, 1 sq mi (2.6 sq km), central Pacific, near the equator, c.1,650 mi (2,660 km) SW of Honolulu. The arid coral island was discovered in 1832 by Capt. Michael Baker, an ...

Prado, Mariano Ignacio

(Encyclopedia)Prado, Mariano Ignacio märyäˈnō ēgnäˈsyō präˈᵺō [key], 1826–1901, president of Peru (1865–67, 1878–79). He aided Ramón Castilla in the revolution of 1854. Indignant at the treaty t...

Wake Island

(Encyclopedia)Wake Island, atoll with three islets (Wake, Wilkes, and Peale), 3 sq mi (7.8 sq km), central Pacific, between Hawaii and Guam. It is a U.S. military base and scientific research center under the juris...

Browse by Subject