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Montes, Ismael

(Encyclopedia)Montes, Ismael ēsmäēlˈ mōnˈtās [key], 1861–1933, Bolivian statesman, president of Bolivia (1904–9, 1913–17). He interrupted the study of law in 1879 to fight against Chile in the War of t...

Latin America

(Encyclopedia)Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. The 20 republics are Arge...

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

(Encyclopedia)Santa Cruz de la Sierra ᵺā lä sēĕrˈä [key], city (1992 pop. 697,278), capital of Santa Cruz dept., central Bolivia, on the Piray River. A trade and processing center for sugar, rice, cotton, f...

chinchilla

(Encyclopedia)chinchilla chĭnchĭlˈə [key], small burrowing rodent of South America. It lives in colonies at high altitudes (up to 15,000 ft/4,270 m) in the Andes of Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. One of the costlies...

Charcas

(Encyclopedia)Charcas chärˈkäs [key], Spanish colonial audiencia and presidency in South America, known also as Upper Peru and Chuquisaca. Charcas roughly corresponded to modern Bolivia but included parts of pre...

Uyuni, Salar de

(Encyclopedia)Uyuni, Salar de sälärˈ dā o͞oyo͞oˈnē [key], salt flats (c.4,250 sq mi/11,000 sq km), Potosí dept., SW Bolivia, in the altiplano. The Río Grande de Lípez flows into the flats in the southeas...

pantanal

(Encyclopedia)pantanal pəntənälˈ [key], lowland region of SW Mato Grosso state, Brazil, bordering the Paraguay River and extending to the the western edge of the Brazilian Plateau. Parts of the pantanal extend ...

Brazil nut

(Encyclopedia)Brazil nut, common name for the Lecythidaceae, a family of tropical trees. It includes the anchovy pear (Grias cauliflora), a West Indian species with edible fruit used for pickles, and several lumber...

Guevara, Che

(Encyclopedia)Guevara, Che (Ernesto Guevara) chā gāväˈrä, ārnĕsˈtō [key], 1928–67, Cuban revolutionary and political leader, b. Argentina. Trained as a physician at the Univ. of Buenos Aires, he took par...

Arequipa

(Encyclopedia)Arequipa ärākēˈpä [key], city (2020 pop. 923,000), alt. c.7,550 ft (2,300 m), capital of Arequipa dept., S Peru, on the Chili River. One of Peru's largest cities, it ...