Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

kinglet

(Encyclopedia)kinglet, common name for members of a subfamily of five species of Old and New World warblers, similar to the thrushes and the Old World flycatchers. Kinglets are small birds (4 in./10 cm) with soft, ...

Guaraní

(Encyclopedia)Guaraní gwäränēˈ [key], indigenous group living in the eastern lowland area of South America, related to the Tupí of the Rio São Francisco and the Tupinambá on the Atlantic coast. The Guaraní...

Maximilian, 1832–67, emperor of Mexico

(Encyclopedia)Maximilian, 1832–67, emperor of Mexico (1864–67). As the Austrian archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, he was denied a share in the imperial government by his reactionary brother, Emperor Francis Joseph...

Chagas' disease

(Encyclopedia)Chagas' disease, disease of South and Central America caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It usually affects children and young adults and is transmitted by the feces of infected insects, typica...

altar

(Encyclopedia)altar, table or platform for the performance of religious sacrifice. In its simplest form the altar is a small pile, with a square or circular surface, made of stone or wood. Its features vary accordi...

León, city, Mexico

(Encyclopedia)León, city (1990 pop. 758,270), Guanajuato state, central Mexico. It is located in a fertile river valley c.5,600 ft (1,700 m) high, but with a mild, temperate climate. Frequent floods, which in 1888...

Mérida, city, Mexico

(Encyclopedia)Mérida māˈrēᵺä [key], city (1990 pop. 523,422), capital of Yucatán state, SE Mexico. It is the chief commercial, communications, and cultural center of the Yucatán peninsula. Founded (1542) b...

Manzanillo, city, Mexico

(Encyclopedia)Manzanillo, city (1990 pop. 67,697), Colima state, SW Mexico. One of Mexico's chief Pacific ports, Manzanillo has a fine harbor and modern rail and highway connections with Mexico City. It handles man...

Hidalgo, state, Mexico

(Encyclopedia)Hidalgo ēᵺälˈgō [key], state, 8,058 sq mi (20,870 sq km), central Mexico. Pachuca de Soto is the capital. Cross...

Guadalajara, city, Mexico

(Encyclopedia)Guadalajara gwäˌᵺälähäˈrä [key], city, capital of Jalisco state, SW Mexico, second largest city of ...