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piccolo

(Encyclopedia)piccolo, small transverse flute pitched an octave higher than the standard flute. Its tone is bright and shrill, and it can produce the highest notes in the orchestral range. The piccolo is used in or...

Rocky Mountains

(Encyclopedia)Rocky Mountains, major mountain system of W North America and easternmost belt of the North American cordillera, extending more than 3,000 mi (4,800 km) from central N.Mex. to NW Alaska; Mt. Elbert (1...

Teutoburg Forest

(Encyclopedia)Teutoburg Forest, Ger. Teutoburger Wald, hilly range, in NW Germany, stretching roughly between Osnabrück and Paderborn. It is forested, and it rises to 1,465 ft (447 m) S of Detmold. Near Detmold is...

short waves

(Encyclopedia)short waves, radio waves whose frequencies range from about 3 to 25 megahertz (Mhz), corresponding roughly to the high-frequency band (see radio frequency). When they impinge on certain layers of the ...

Sierra Maestra

(Encyclopedia)Sierra Maestra syāˈrä mäāˈsträ [key], rugged mountain range, SE Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. Consisting of connecting ranges with local names, the Sierra Maestra is the highest system ...

Consumers' Union

(Encyclopedia)Consumers' Union, product testing and rating organization founded (1936) to provide consumers with information and counsel regarding major retail goods and services. Through its monthly Consumer Repor...

Gogebic

(Encyclopedia)Gogebic gōgēˈbĭk [key], east-west mountain range, 80 mi (129 km) long and .5 to 1 mi (.8–1.6 km) wide, extending from the W Upper Peninsula, N Mich., into N Wis. It is known for its iron deposit...

Doab

(Encyclopedia)Doab dōˈăb [key], term applied in India to a tract of land between two converging rivers. The Doab, unqualified by the names of any rivers, designates the tract in Uttar Pradesh state between the G...

Tyana

(Encyclopedia)Tyana tīˈənə [key], town of ancient Cappadocia, at the northern foot of the Taurus range, in present S central Turkey. A powerful military fortress and a prosperous commercial center as early as t...

Vail

(Encyclopedia)Vail vāl [key], town (1990 pop. 3,569), Eagle co., W central Colo., on Gore Creek, in the Gore Range of the Rocky Mts.; founded as a ski resort 1962, inc. as a town 1966. Surrounded by the White Rive...