Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Amadas, Philip

(Encyclopedia)Amadas or Amidas, Philip both: ămˈədăs [key], 1550–1618, English navigator. With Arthur Barlowe he was sent by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584 to explore the North American coast. Their favorable rep...

Huntington Beach

(Encyclopedia)Huntington Beach, city (2020 pop. 198,711), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific coast, across from Santa Catalina Island, in an oil-producing area; inc...

Hallandale

(Encyclopedia)Hallandale hălˈəndālˌ [key], city (2020 pop. 41,217), Broward co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic ...

escarpment

(Encyclopedia)escarpment or scarp, long cliff, bluff, or steep slope, caused usually by geologic faulting (see fault) or by erosion of tilted rock layers. An example of a fault scarp is the north face of the San Ja...

Flinders, Matthew

(Encyclopedia)Flinders, Matthew, 1774–1814, English naval captain and hydrographer, noted for his charting and coast surveys of Australia and Tasmania. From 1795 to 1799 and again from 1801 to 1803 he made valuab...

Aunis

(Encyclopedia)Aunis ōnēsˈ [key], small region and former province, W France, on the Atlantic coast. It is now part of the Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sèvres depts. and includes the islands of Ré and Oléron. La...

Loire-Atlantique

(Encyclopedia)Loire-Atlantique lwär-ätläNtēkˈ [key], formerly Loire-Maritime, department (1990 pop. 1,058,100), NW France, in S Brittany, on the Atlantic coast. The main cities are Nantes (the capital) and Sai...

lotus-eaters

(Encyclopedia)lotus-eaters or Lotophagi lətŏfˈəjīˌ [key], a fabulous people who occupied the north coast of Africa and lived on the lotus, which brought forgetfulness and happy indolence. They appear in the O...

North Atlantic Drift

(Encyclopedia)North Atlantic Drift, warm ocean current in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a continuation of the Gulf Stream, the merging point being at lat. 40°N and long. 60°W. Off the British Isl...

Babeldaob

(Encyclopedia)Babeldaob or Babelthuap, volcanic island, 143 sq mi (370 sq km), largest island of Palau, in the W Caroline Islands, W Pacific. In 2006, Palau's capital was moved from the island of Oreor (Koror) to M...

Browse by Subject