Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Ucayali

(Encyclopedia)Ucayali o͞okäyäˈlē [key], river, c.1,000 mi (1,610 km) long, formed by the confluence of the Apurímac and Urubamba rivers, E Peru, and flowing generally north through a mountain and jungle wilde...

Cáceres, Andrés Avelino

(Encyclopedia)Cáceres, Andrés Avelino ändrāsˈ ävālēˈnō käˈsārās [key], 1836?–1923, president of Peru (1886–90, 1894). He was a commander in the war with Chile (see Pacific, War of the) and continu...

hop

(Encyclopedia)hop, herbaceous perennial vine of the family Moraceae (mulberry family), widely cultivated since early times for brewing purposes. The commercial hop (Humulus lupulus) is native to Eurasia but is now ...

snipe

(Encyclopedia)snipe, common name for a shore bird of the family Scolopacidae (sandpiper family), native to the Old and New Worlds. The common, or Wilson's snipe (Capella gallinago), also called jacksnipe, is a game...

Sun Belt

(Encyclopedia)Sun Belt or Sunbelt, southern tier of the United States, focused on Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California, and extending as far north as Virginia. The term gained wide use in the 1970s, when the eco...

Ramaphosa, Cyril

(Encyclopedia)Ramaphosa, Cyril (Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa), 1952–, South African political leader, b. Johannesburg. A lawyer, he became involved in the antiapartheid Black Consciousness Movement while a university...

Nkoli, Simon Tseko

(Encyclopedia)Nkoli, Simon 1957–1998, anti-apartheid and LGBTQ rights activist. Born in Soweto, Nkoli (sometimes referred to as Nkodi) was an influential South Afri...

equator

(Encyclopedia)equator, imaginary great circle around the earth, everywhere equidistant from the two geographical poles and forming the base line from which latitude is reckoned. The equator, which measures c.24,902...

pyrrhotite

(Encyclopedia)pyrrhotite pĭrˈətīt [key] or magnetic pyrites, bronze-yellow to bronze-red mineral, a sulfide of iron sometimes containing nickel. It tarnishes easily and is somewhat magnetic. It crystallizes in ...

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

(Encyclopedia)African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Methodist denomination. It was founded in 1796 by black members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in New York City and was organized as a national body in 1821...