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Fahd bin Abdul Aziz

(Encyclopedia)Fahd bin Abdul Aziz fäd ĭbˈən ăbdo͝olˈ ăzēzˈ [key], 1923–2005, king of Saudi Arabia (1982–2005). A son of Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, Fahd served as education minister (1953�...

Howland Island

(Encyclopedia)Howland Island, uninhabited island (.73 sq mi/1.89 sq km), central Pacific near the equator, c.1,620 mi (2610 km) SW of Honolulu. The island was discovered by American traders and was claimed by the U...

Ickes, Harold LeClaire

(Encyclopedia)Ickes, Harold LeClaire ĭkˈēz [key], 1874–1952, American statesman, b. Blair co., Pa. As a Chicago newspaper reporter and later as a lawyer, he became interested in local reform politics. Original...

Gruening, Ernest Henry

(Encyclopedia)Gruening, Ernest Henry grēnˈĭng [key], 1887–1974, American political leader, governor of Alaska (1939–53), and U.S. Senator (1959–69), b. New York City. He became interested in journalism and...

Johnston Atoll

(Encyclopedia)Johnston Atoll, atoll, 2.8 sq mi (7.25 sq km), central Pacific, c.700 nautical mi (1,300 km) SW of Honolulu, central Pacific, an uninc. territory of the United States. It consists of four islands and ...

Mečiar, Vladimír

(Encyclopedia)Mečiar, Vladimír, 1942–, Slovakian political leader. A member of the Communist party of Czechoslovakia, Mečiar was ousted in 1970 after having supported party reforms following the Warsaw Pact in...

Majid, Ali Hassan al-

(Encyclopedia)Majid, Ali Hassan al- äˈlē hāˈsän äl-mäjēdˈ [key], 1941–2010, Iraqi general and Ba'athist, cousin of Saddam Hussein. After Hussein took power (1979), Majid played a pivotal role in the Ba'...

Kerala

(Encyclopedia)Kerala kĕrˈələ [key], state (2001 provisional pop. 31,838,619), 15,003 sq mi (38,858 sq km), SW India, on the Arabian Sea. Thiruvananthapuram is the capital. A wet tropical climate and coastal low...

Kola Peninsula

(Encyclopedia)Kola Peninsula kōˈlə, Rus. kôˈlə [key], peninsula, c.50,000 sq mi (129,500 sq km), NW European Russia, in Murmansk region. Forming an eastern extension of the Scandinavian peninsula, it lies bet...

Bruttium

(Encyclopedia)Bruttium brŭˈtēəm [key], ancient region, S Italy, roughly occupying the present Calabria, the “toe” of the Italian peninsula. Bruttium faced Sicily across the Strait of Messina. Inhabited in t...