Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

405 results found

Gill, Sir David

(Encyclopedia)Gill, Sir David gĭl [key], 1843–1914, Scottish astronomer, educated at the Univ. of Aberdeen. He made observations of the transits of Venus and Mars and investigated the solar parallax. As astronom...

South Portland

(Encyclopedia)South Portland, port city (1990 pop. 23,163), Cumberland co., SW Maine, on the Fore River and Casco Bay, part of the Portland metropolitan area; separated from Falmouth (now Portland) as part of the t...

mast

(Encyclopedia)mast, large metal or timber pole secured vertically or nearly vertically in a ship, used primarily for supporting sails and rigging. The mast is as old as sailing vessels, and the oldest sailboats dep...

Kaffraria

(Encyclopedia)Kaffraria kəfrărˈēə [key], former name for what is now SE Eastern Cape prov., E South Africa. The region was inhabited by the Xhosa, who fought a series of wars with the Boers and then the Britis...

Karroo

(Encyclopedia)Karroo or Karoo both: kəro͞oˈ, kä– [key], the semiarid plateaus of South Africa. The Little Karroo, in Western Cape, is located N of the Langeberg and Outeniqua Ranges and extends c.200 mi (320 ...

Provincetown

(Encyclopedia)Provincetown, resort town (1990 pop. 3,374), Barnstable co., SE Mass., on the tip of Cape Cod, with a harbor on Cape Cod Bay; inc. 1727. The principal industries are tourism and fishing. The Pilgrims ...

Wildwood

(Encyclopedia)Wildwood, city (1990 pop. 4,484), Cape May co., SE N.J., on an island off Cape May; settled 1882, inc. as a city 1911. It has large commercial fisheries and is a popular summer seaside resort with man...

Bourne

(Encyclopedia)Bourne, town (2020 pop. 20,452), Barnstable co., SE Mass., crossed by Cape Cod Canal; settled 1627, inc. 1884. Bourne Bridge (1935), across the canal, m...

Groote Schuur

(Encyclopedia)Groote Schuur khro͝oˈtə skür [key] [Afrik.,=large barn], estate, Cape Town, Western Cape, SW South Africa. The main building of the estate, which is a good example of Dutch colonial architecture, ...

North Sydney

(Encyclopedia)North Sydney, town (1991 pop. 7,260), NE Cape Breton Island, N.S., Canada, on the north shore of Sydney Harbour. It was the coal-shipping port for the nearby Sydney Mines and a winter base for the Cap...