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Homeland Security, United States Department of

(Encyclopedia)Homeland Security, United States Department of (DHS), executive department of the federal government charged with protecting the security of the American homeland as its main responsibility. Its prima...

Veterans Affairs, United States Department of

(Encyclopedia)Veterans Affairs, United States Department of, federal executive department established to operate programs to benefit veterans and their families. The department was established in 1989; its predeces...

Prince of Wales Island, United States

(Encyclopedia)Prince of Wales Island, 2,231 sq mi (5,778 sq km), off SE Alaska; largest island of the Alexander Archipelago. The island is heavily forested, but has little arable land, no source of freshwater, and ...

Columbia, river, Canada and the United States

(Encyclopedia)Columbia, river, c.1,210 mi (1,950 km) long, rising in Columbia Lake, SE British Columbia, Canada. It flows first NW in the Rocky Mt. Trench, then hooks sharply about the Selkirk Mts. to flow S throug...

Flathead, river, Canada and the United States

(Encyclopedia)Flathead flătˈhĕd [key], river, c.240 mi (390 km) long, rising as the North Fork, in SE British Columbia, Canada, and flowing generally SE through NW Montana, to Coram, where it is joined by the Mi...

Kootenai, river, Canada and the United States

(Encyclopedia)Kootenai ko͞oˈtĭnā [key], river, 407 mi (655 km) long, rising in the Rocky Mts., SE British Columbia, Canada. It flows S into NW Montana, NW through N Idaho, then N into Canada. There it flows thr...

Yukon, river, Canada and the United States

(Encyclopedia)Yukon yo͞oˈkŏn [key], river, c.2,000 mi (3,220 km) long, rising in Atlin Lake, NW British Columbia, Canada, and receiving numerous headwater streams; one of the longest rivers of North America. It ...

territory

(Encyclopedia)territory, in U.S. history, a portion of the national domain that is given limited self-government, usually in preparation for statehood. Territorial governments have been similar in form to those of ...

Indian National Congress

(Encyclopedia)Indian National Congress, Indian political party, founded in 1885. Its founding members proposed economic reforms and wanted a larger role in the making of British policy for India. By 1907, however, ...

African National Congress

(Encyclopedia)African National Congress (ANC), the oldest black (now multiracial) political organization in South Africa; founded in 1912. Prominent in its opposition to apartheid, the organization began as a nonvi...