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Borden, Sir Robert Laird

(Encyclopedia)Borden, Sir Robert Laird, 1854–1937, Canadian political leader, prime minister during World War I, b. Grand-Pré, N.S. Called to the bar in 1878, he won a reputation as a constitutional lawyer. He w...

African Union

(Encyclopedia)African Union (AU), international organization established in 2002 by the nations of the former Organization of African Unity (OAU). The AU is the successor organization to the OAU, with greater power...

Bakassi

(Encyclopedia)Bakassi bäkäˈsē [key], peninsula, c.400 sq mi (1,000 sq km), E Cameroon, on the Cameroon-Nigeria border, at the SE end of the Gulf of Guinea. The swampy peninsula and associated small islands are ...

covenant

(Encyclopedia)covenant kŭvˈənənt [key], agreement entered into voluntarily by two or more parties to do or refrain from doing certain acts. In the Bible and in theology the covenant is the agreement or engageme...

Concert of Europe

(Encyclopedia)Concert of Europe, term used in the 19th cent. to designate a loose agreement by the major European powers to act together on European questions of common interest. The concert emerged after the Congr...

European Investment Bank

(Encyclopedia)European Investment Bank, nonprofit bank created in 1958 by the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (now part of the European Union [EU]). The bank makes or guarantees loans to E...

Évian-les-Bains

(Encyclopedia)Évian-les-Bains āvyäNˈ-lā-băN [key] or Évian, town (1993 est. pop. 7,027), Haute-Savoie dept., E France, on Lake Geneva. It is a fashionable spa at the foot of the Alps. Évian-les-Bains's mine...

Hays, Will H.

(Encyclopedia)Hays, Will H., 1879–1954, American politician and motion-picture executive, b. Sullivan, Ind.; his original name was William Harrison Hays. Hays became active in Indiana political affairs, was chair...

lockout

(Encyclopedia)lockout, intentional closing up of a company, factory, or shop by an employer to prevent employees from working during a strike or labor dispute. The term lockout is sometimes confused with the term s...

Pinto, Fernão Mendes

(Encyclopedia)Pinto, Fernão Mendes fĕrnouNˈ mĕnˈdĕsh pēnˈto͝o [key], c.1509–1583, Portuguese traveler. For some 20 years he traveled in Africa and Asia, journeying to far places and experiencing great ha...