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Gromyko, Andrei Andreyevich

(Encyclopedia)Gromyko, Andrei Andreyevich grōmēˈkō, Rus. əndrāˈ əndrāˈyəvĭch grəmĭˈkə [key], 1909–89, Soviet diplomat. A member of the Communist party from 1931, he entered (1939) the diplomatic s...

Hawke of Towton, Edward Hawke, 1st Baron

(Encyclopedia)Hawke of Towton, Edward Hawke, 1st Baron touˈtən [key], 1705–81, British admiral. He entered the navy in 1720 and first saw fighting as commander of a ship in the battle of Toulon (1744). He was p...

South Georgia

(Encyclopedia)South Georgia, island, c.1,450 sq mi (3,760 sq km), S Atlantic Ocean, c.1,200 mi (1,930 km) E of Cape Horn. A dependency of the Falkland Islands from 1908 to 1985 (along with the South Sandwich Island...

philately

(Encyclopedia)philately fĭlătˈəlē [key], collection and study of postage stamps and of materials relating to their history and use. Collecting stamps began soon after the first postage stamp was issued in 1840...

Walvis Bay

(Encyclopedia)Walvis Bay wôlˈvĭs [key], municipality (1991 pop. 12,100), W central Namibia, on Walvis Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. Walvis Bay is Namibia's most important port and the terminus of a railroad...

biometrics, in security and personal identification

(Encyclopedia)biometrics, in security and personal identification, the electronic verification of individuals using biological traits, such as iris or retinal scanning, fingerprints, or face recognition, and the te...

Bornu

(Encyclopedia)Bornu bôrˈno͞o [key], former Muslim state, mostly in NE Nigeria, extending S and W of Lake Chad. It began its existence as a separate state in the late 14th cent. From the 14th to the 18th cent. Bo...

Ghent, Treaty of

(Encyclopedia)Ghent, Treaty of, 1814, agreement ending the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain. It was signed at Ghent, Belgium, on Dec. 24, 1814, and ratified by the U.S. Senate in Feb., 1815. ...

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan

(Encyclopedia)Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan kōˈnən, kŏnˈən [key], 1859–1930, British author and creator of Sherlock Holmes, b. Edinburgh. Educated at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, he received a medical degree...

bustard

(Encyclopedia)bustard bŭsˈtərd [key], a heavy-bodied, ground-running bird of the family Otididae. Various species are found throughout the arid regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and S Europe. Bustards range in...