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sandbur

(Encyclopedia)sandbur or bur grass, any species of the genus Cenchrus of the family Poaceae (grass family), sandy-soil plants of tropical and temperate regions. At maturity the sharp spines and burlike seeds make t...

Tromelin Island

(Encyclopedia)Tromelin Island trōmlăNˈ [key], c.1 sq mi (2.6 sq km), in the Indian Ocean c.260 mi (420 km) E of Madagascar, part of the Scattered Islands district with the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. A ...

Harris, Townsend

(Encyclopedia)Harris, Townsend, 1804–78, American merchant and diplomat, b. Sandy Hill, N.Y. A merchant in New York City for many years, he became (1846) a member of the board of education, served as its presiden...

Dithmarschen

(Encyclopedia)Dithmarschen dĭtˈmärshən [key], region, SW Schleswig-Holstein, N Germany, between the Elbe and Eider rivers. It is chiefly an agricultural region, with extensive cattle raising in the west. The ea...

Ordos

(Encyclopedia)Ordos ôrˈdōs [key], Mandarin Erdesi, sandy desert plateau region, c.35,000 sq mi (90,650 sq km), Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, N China; almost encircled by the great northern bend of the Huang...

beach grass

(Encyclopedia)beach grass or marram grass mârˈəm [key], any species of the genus Ammophila, perennial grasses used to control the shifting of sand dunes, thereby protecting sandy coastal areas. The European beac...

Biscay, Bay of

(Encyclopedia)Biscay, Bay of bĭsˈkā [key], arm of the Atlantic Ocean, indenting the coast of W Europe from Ushant island (Île d'Ouessant) off Brittany, NW France, to Cape Ortegal, NW Spain. The bay is noted for...

fiddler crab

(Encyclopedia)fiddler crab, common name for small, amphibious crabs belonging to the genus Uca. They are characterized by a rectangular carapace (shell) and a narrow abdomen, which is flexed under the body. They ar...

Pine Barrens

(Encyclopedia)Pine Barrens, coastal plain region, c.3,000 sq mi (7,770 sq km), S and SE N.J.; composed chiefly of sandy soils, swamp-edged streams, pine stands, and tracts of cranberries and blueberries. Originally...

Weill, Sanford I.

(Encyclopedia)Weill, Sanford I. wīl [key], 1933–, American business executive, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. A graduate of Cornell (1955), Sandy Weill went to work for a New York brokerage house, and in 1960 helped found a ...