Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Guadarrama, Sierra de

(Encyclopedia)Guadarrama, Sierra de syārˈrä ᵺā gwäᵺäräˈmä [key], mountain range rising from the plateau of central Spain, N of Madrid, and extending c.120 mi (190 km) between the Tagus and Douro rivers...

hidalgo, in Spanish nobility

(Encyclopedia)hidalgo hēdälˈgō [key] [contraction of Span. hijo de algo=son of something], term designating the lowest degree of Spanish nobility, a rank above the ordinary gentry but below the great lords. The...

Ayolas, Juan de

(Encyclopedia)Ayolas, Juan de hwän dā äyōˈläs [key], d. 1537?, Spanish conquistador, explorer of the Río de la Plata country. He accompanied Pedro de Mendoza on his expedition of 1535–36. Sent to look for ...

Great Smoky Mountains

(Encyclopedia)Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Appalachian system, on the N.C.–Tenn. border; highest range E of the Mississippi and one of the oldest uplands on earth. The mountains are named for the smokelike ...

Medicine Bow Mountains

(Encyclopedia)Medicine Bow Mountains, outlying eastern range of the Rocky Mts., SE Wyo. and N Colo. It extends from Medicine Bow town, Wyo., NW of Laramie, southward c.100 mi (160 km) to Cameron Pass, Colo. Peaks i...

Notre Dame Mountains

(Encyclopedia)Notre Dame Mountains, section of the Appalachian system, extending c.500 mi (800 km) from the Green Mts. of Vermont into the Gaspé Peninsula, Canada. Worn low by erosion, the ancient mountains have a...

Blue Mountains, Australia

(Encyclopedia)Blue Mountains, region of New South Wales, SE Australia. Located W of Sydney, this elevation is actually a plateau forming part of the Great Dividing Range. ...

Saint Elias Mountains

(Encyclopedia)Saint Elias Mountains, section of the Coast Ranges, SW Yukon, Canada, and SE Alaska, rising to 19,551 ft (5,959 m) at Mt. Logan, Canada's highest peak. Kluane National Park is there. ...

Browse by Subject