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World Meteorological Organization

(Encyclopedia)World Meteorological Organization (WMO), specialized agency of the United Nations; established in 1950 with headquarters at Geneva, it became affiliated with the United Nations a year later. It replac...

Bican, Josef

(Encyclopedia)Bican, Josef, 1913–2001, Czech soccer player, b. Vienna. A forward with over 800 competitive goals, he is considered by many to be soccer's greatest scorer. Known as “Pepi,” Bican joined Rapid V...

Biobío

(Encyclopedia)Biobío bēˈō– [key], river, c.240 mi (390 km) long, rising in the Andes of central Chile and flowing NW to the Pacific Ocean near Concepción. It forms a natural divide between middle and souther...

thunder

(Encyclopedia)thunder, sound produced along a path of a lightning flash, caused by the rapid heating and expansion of the adjacent air; lightning can heat air to temperatures as much as five times hotter than those...

thirst

(Encyclopedia)thirst, sensation indicating the body's need for water. Dry or salty food and dry, dusty air may induce such a sensation by depleting moisture in the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat. Relief t...

Roseville

(Encyclopedia)Roseville. 1 City (1990 pop. 44,685), Placer co., N central Calif., a suburb of Sacramento in the foothills of the Sierra; inc. 1909. Marked by rapid growth in the late 20th cent., Roseville is in an ...

pothole

(Encyclopedia)pothole, in geology, cylindrical pit formed in the rocky channel of a turbulent stream. It is formed and enlarged by the abrading action of pebbles and cobbles that are carried by eddies, or circular ...

speculation

(Encyclopedia)speculation, practice of engaging in business in order to make quick profits from fluctuations in prices, as opposed to the practice of investing in a productive enterprise in order to share in its ea...

Maduro Moros, Nicolás

(Encyclopedia)Maduro Moros, Nicolás nēkōläsˈ mädo͞oˈrō mōˈrōs [key], 1962–, Venezuelan trade union and political leader. He was trained as a union organizer in Cuba, and later became a leader in an un...

Amsterdam, city, Netherlands

(Encyclopedia)Amsterdam ămˈstərdămˌ, Dutch ämstərdämˈ [key], city (2021 pop. 1,157,519), constitutional capital and largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Nort...