Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Halleck, Henry Wager

(Encyclopedia)Halleck, Henry Wager, 1815–72, Union general in the American Civil War, b. Oneida co., N.Y., grad. West Point, 1839. He entered the Corps of Engineers and became an expert on fortifications; his Ele...

Great Salt Lake

(Encyclopedia)Great Salt Lake, shallow body of saltwater, NW Utah, between the Wasatch Range on the east and the Great Salt Lake Desert on the west; largest salt lake in North America. Fed by the Weber, Jordan, and...

Petraeus, David Howell

(Encyclopedia)Petraeus, David Howell pĕtrāˈəs [key], 1952–, American military officer and government official, b. Cornwall, N.Y., studied West Point (B.S., 1974), U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (...

Timurids

(Encyclopedia)Timurids tĭmo͝orˈĭdz [key], dynasty founded by Timur (or Tamerlane). After the death of Timur (1405) there was a struggle for power over his empire, which then extended from the Euphrates River to...

Lookout, Cape

(Encyclopedia)Lookout, Cape, point of a sandy reef (Core Banks), off E N.C., SW of Cape Hatteras. The reef guards the port entrance to Beaufort and Morehead City. A lighthouse on the point was built in 1859 and is ...

focus

(Encyclopedia)focus, in optics, the point at which rays converge after reflection by a concave mirror or refraction by a convex lens, also known as a real focus. The point from which rays appear to diverge after re...

Malay Peninsula

(Encyclopedia)Malay Peninsula məlāˈ, māˈlā [key], southern extremity (c.70,000 sq mi/181,300 sq km) of the continent of Asia, lying between the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Malacca on the...

Arctic Circle

(Encyclopedia)Arctic Circle, imaginary circle on the surface of the earth at 661⁄2°N latitude, i.e., 231⁄2° south of the North Pole. It marks the northernmost point at which the sun can be seen at the winter ...

Antarctic Circle

(Encyclopedia)Antarctic Circle, imaginary circle on the surface of the earth at 661⁄2°S lat., i.e., 231⁄2° north of the South Pole. It marks the southernmost point at which the sun can be seen at the winter s...

Pelotas

(Encyclopedia)Pelotas pəlôˈtəsh [key], city (1991 pop. 291,100), Rio Grande do Sul state, S Brazil, an inland port on the São Gonçalo canal. It is a major export point for the stock-raising region of S Rio Gr...