Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

473 results found

Thiers, Adolphe

(Encyclopedia)Thiers, Adolphe ädôlfˈ tyĕr [key], 1797–1877, French statesman, journalist, and historian. After studying law at Aix-en-Provence, Thiers went (1821) to Paris and joined the group of writers that...

Seychelles

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Seychelles sāshĕlzˈ [key], officially Republic of Seychelles, republic (2015 est. pop. 94,000), c.110 sq mi (285 sq km), comprising approximately 100 islands in the Indian Ocean, c.600 mi (9...

Baghdad

(Encyclopedia)Baghdad or Bagdad both: băgˈdăd, bägdädˈ [key], city (2020 pop. 7,144,000), cap...

Sudan

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Sudan so͞odănˈ [key], officially Republic of the Sudan, republic (2015 est. pop. 38,648,000), 718,723 sq mi (1,861,484 sq km), NE Africa. It borders on Egypt in the north, on the Red Sea in ...

Greek literature, modern

(Encyclopedia)Greek literature, modern, literature written in Greek in the modern era, primarily beginning during the period of rebellion against the rule of the Ottoman Empire. In general, 20th-century Greek lit...

Peloponnesian War

(Encyclopedia)Peloponnesian War pĕlˈəpənēˈzhən [key], 431–404 b.c., decisive struggle in ancient Greece between Athens and Sparta. It ruined Athens, at least for a time. The rivalry between Athens' maritim...

Ghana, country, Africa

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Ghana, officially Republic of Ghana, republic (2015 est. pop. 27,583,000), 92,099 sq mi (238,536 sq km), W Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital and largest c...

secret police

(Encyclopedia)secret police, policing organization operating in secrecy for the political purposes of its government, often with terroristic procedures. Many states, including Chile, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Romania,...

Russian Revolution

(Encyclopedia)Russian Revolution, violent upheaval in Russia in 1917 that overthrew the czarist government. The civil war between the Bolsheviks (Reds) and the anti-Bolsheviks (Whites) ravaged Russia until 1920. ...

Zambia

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Zambia zămˈbēə [key], officially Republic of Zambia, republic (2015 est. pop. 15,066,000), 290,584 sq mi (752,614 sq km), central Africa. It borders on Congo (Kinshasa) in the north, on Tan...

Browse by Subject