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Cortina, Juan Nepomuceno

(Encyclopedia)Cortina, Juan Nepomuceno, 1824–94, Mexican military leader and politician. Born into a wealthy cattle-ranching family that moved to the Rio Grande Valley, Cortina joined the Mexican army in 1846 and...

Matamoros

(Encyclopedia)Matamoros, city (1990 pop. 266,055), Tamaulipas state, NE Mexico, near the mouth of the Rio Grande, opposite Brownsville, Tex. Matamoros, linked by rail and highway with the United States, is an inter...

National Marine Sanctuary Program

(Encyclopedia)National Marine Sanctuary Program, federally owned marine and Great Lakes reserves, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The program consists of 13 marine sanctu...

Nicaragua Canal

(Encyclopedia)Nicaragua Canal, proposed waterway between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. One often considered route would be 172.8 mi (278 km) long and would generally follow the San Juan River, then go throug...

Calbuco

(Encyclopedia)Calbuco, active volcano, 6,570 ft (2,003 m), Llanquihue prov., S central Chile, in the Andes on SE shore of Lake Llanquihue, 20 mi (32 km) NE of Puerto Montt. An explosive stratovolcano, Calbuco under...

Juan de Fuca Strait

(Encyclopedia)Juan de Fuca Strait wän də fyo͞oˈkə [key], inlet of the Pacific Ocean, 100 mi (161 km) long and 11 to 17 mi (18–27 km) wide, between Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and Washington state, li...

San Benedetto del Tronto

(Encyclopedia)San Benedetto del Tronto sän bĕnədĕˈtō dĕl trŏnˈtō [key], city (1991 pop. 42,693), Marches, central Italy, on the Adriatic. It is an important sea port. ...

Acoma

(Encyclopedia)Acoma or Ácoma both: ăkˈəmə [key], pueblo, alt. c.7,000 ft (2,130 m), Valencia co., W central N.Mex.; founded c.1100–1250. This “sky city” atop a steep-s...

San Pedro de Macorís

(Encyclopedia)San Pedro de Macorís sän pāˈᵺrō ᵺā mäkōrēsˈ [key], city (1993 pop. 123,987), SE Dominican Republic, on the Caribbean Sea at the mouth of the Higuamo River. It is the nation's leading sug...

Hispaniola

(Encyclopedia)Hispaniola ĕspänyōˈlä [key], second largest island of the West Indies, 29,530 sq mi (76,483 sq km), between Cuba and Puerto Rico. Haiti occupies the western third of the island and the Dominican ...