Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Markham, Sir Clements Robert

(Encyclopedia)Markham, Sir Clements Robert märˈkəm [key], 1830–1916, English geographer and writer. While in the navy he served on a British expedition (1850–51) to the Arctic to search for the explorer Sir ...

Thule , town, Greenland

(Encyclopedia)Thule känäkˈ [key], town (1995 pop. 627), N Greenland, on the north side of Inglefield Gulf. The name of Thule was originally attached to the main settlement for the Thule Eskimos, founded in 1910 ...

Siberian husky

(Encyclopedia)Siberian husky, breed of medium-sized, muscular working dog whose origins date back thousands of years in Siberia. It stands from 20 to 231⁄2 in. (50.8–59.7 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs fro...

jumping mouse

(Encyclopedia)jumping mouse, rodent slightly larger than the common mouse, found in North America and N Asia, also called the kangaroo mouse. Its long hind legs and tail enable it to leap distances up to 12 ft (3.7...

phalarope

(Encyclopedia)phalarope fălˈərōpˌ [key], common name for members of the family Phalaropodidae, shore birds, called “little swimming sandpipers.” Phalaropes, small, dainty birds with webbed toes, are the mo...

pipit

(Encyclopedia)pipit, common name for a group of chiefly Eurasian and African birds that together with the wagtails constitute a subfamily of songbirds related to the Old World warblers and thrushes. Pipits are trim...

Negro, Río, river, Argentina

(Encyclopedia)Negro, Río rēˈō nāˈgrō [key], river, c.400 mi (640 km) long, formed in central Argentina by the confluence of the Neuquén and the Limay rivers, and flowing E across Río Negro prov. (N Patagon...

M'Bour

(Encyclopedia)M'Bour əmbo͞orˈ [key], town, W Senegal, on the Atlantic Ocean. Ilmenite, rutile, and yirconium are extracted from the titanium ore mined nearby. M'Bour also processes and trades peanuts grown in th...

Anu

(Encyclopedia)Anu āˈno͞o [key], ancient sky god of Sumerian origin, worshiped in Babylonian religion. The son of Apsu (the underworld ocean) and Tiamat (primeval chaos), Anu was king of the great triad of gods, ...

Timaru

(Encyclopedia)Timaru tĭmˈəro͞o [key], city (1996 pop. 27,323), E central South Island, New Zealand, on the Pacific Ocean. It is the main port for the S Canterbury Plains. Frozen meats and other products are exp...