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Gusmão, Xanana

(Encyclopedia)Gusmão, Xanana), 1946–, East Timorese independence leader, b. Portuguese Timor as José Alexandre Gusmão, later known as Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão. He served in the Portuguese army (1968–71), then...

Hawke, Bob

(Encyclopedia)Hawke, Bob (Robert James Lee Hawke), 1929–2019, Australian statesman. A Rhodes scholar at Oxford, he gained a reputation as a skillful labor mediator during his tenure at the Australian Council of T...

stilt

(Encyclopedia)stilt, common name for some members of the family Recurvirostridae, shore birds including the avocet. Stilts, as their name implies, have the longest legs of any bird except the flamingo. They frequen...

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization

(Encyclopedia)Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), alliance organized (1954) under the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty by representatives of Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Pakistan, ...

Carrington, Peter Carington, 6th Baron

(Encyclopedia)Carrington, Peter Carington, 6th Baron, 1919–2018, British politician. Educated at Eton and Sandhurst, he succeeded to the peerage in 1938. After serving with distinction in World War II, he took hi...

boomerang

(Encyclopedia)boomerang bo͞oˈmərăngˌ [key], special form of throwing stick, used mainly by the aborigines of Australia. Other forms of throwing sticks were used by the peoples of ancient Egypt, Ethiopia, and I...

Bradman, Sir Donald George

(Encyclopedia)Bradman, Sir Donald George, 1908–2001, Australian cricketeer, widely considered the sport's greatest player and one of the world's most outstanding athletes, b. Cootamundra. His 20-year-long cricket...

Northern Territory

(Encyclopedia)Northern Territory, territory (2016 pop. 228,833), 520,280 sq mi (1,347,525 sq km), N central Australia. It is bounded on the N by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea, and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Darwin i...

exploration

(Encyclopedia)exploration, travel to a part of the earth that is relatively unknown to the traveler's culture, historically often motivated by a desire for colonization, conquest, or trade. See also space explorati...

Australian terrier

(Encyclopedia)Australian terrier, breed of small, hardy terrier perfected in Australia c.1885. It stands about 10 in. (25.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 12 to 14 lb (5.5–6.4 kg). Its weather-resistant...