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costume

(Encyclopedia)costume, distinctive forms of clothing, including official or ceremonial attire such as ecclesiastical vestments, coronation robes, academic gowns, armor, and theatrical dress. The use of ornament pre...

Niger, country, Africa

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Niger nīˈjər, nēzhârˈ [key], officially Republic of Niger, republic (2015 est. pop. 18,045,729), 489,189 sq mi (1,267,000 sq km), W Africa. It borders on Burkina Faso and Mali in the west...

Afroasiatic languages

(Encyclopedia)Afroasiatic languages hămˈĭtō-səmĭtˈĭk [key], family of languages spoken by more than 250 million people in N Africa; much of the Sahara; parts of E, central, and W Africa; and W Asia (especia...

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Congo, Democratic Republic of the, formerly Zaïre zīˈēr, zäērˈ [key], republic ...

Netherlands

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Netherlands nĕᵺˈərləndz [key], Du. Nederland or Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, officially Kingdom of the Netherlands, constitutional monarchy (2015 est. pop. 16,938,000), 15,963 sq mi (41,34...

philosophy

(Encyclopedia)philosophy [Gr.,=love of wisdom], study of the ultimate reality, causes, and principles underlying being and thinking. It has many aspects and different manifestations according to the problems involv...

Central African Republic

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Central African Republic, republic (2020 est. pop. 4,829,767), 240,534 sq mi (622,983 sq km), central Africa. The landlocked nation is bordered b...

Paris, city, France

(Encyclopedia)Paris pârˈĭs, Fr. pärēˈ [key], city (1999 pop. 2,115,757; metropolitan area est. pop. 11,000,000), N central France, capital of the country, on the Seine River. It is the commercial and industri...

Persia

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Persian Empire (c.500 b.c.) Persia pûrˈzhə, –shə [key], old alternate name for the Asian country Iran. The article Iran contains a description of the geography and economy of the modern ...

Kyrgyzstan

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Kyrgyzstan kērgĭstänˈ [key], officially Kyrgyz Republic, republic (2015 est. pop. 5,865,000), c.76,600 sq mi (198,400 sq km), central Asia. It borders on China in the southeast, on Kazakhst...