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Hamitic languages

(Encyclopedia)Hamitic languages, subfamily of the Hamito-Semitic family of languages, a now-abandoned system of classification for languages of N Africa and SW Asia. The Egyptian, Berber, Cushitic, and (sometimes) ...

garnierite

(Encyclopedia)garnierite gärˈnēərītˌ [key], pale apple-green mineral, chemically a hydrous silicate of nickel and magnesium. An important ore of nickel, it is found in New Caledonia, Russia, and S Africa. In ...

Algoa Bay

(Encyclopedia)Algoa Bay ălgōˈə [key], arm of the Indian Ocean, indenting Eastern Cape, South Africa. The Portuguese arrived in the late 15th cent., and it was used as an anchorage. Port Elizabeth is on the shor...

Pillars of Hercules

(Encyclopedia)Pillars of Hercules, ancient mythological name for promontories flanking the east entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. They are usually identified with Gibraltar in Europe and with Mt. Acha at Ceuta i...

Tsavo National Park

(Encyclopedia)Tsavo National Park tsäˈvō [key], 8,034 sq mi (20,808 sq km), SE Kenya; est. 1948. Located on the semiarid plains, it is a sanctuary for the large animals of E Africa. The Mzima Springs are found t...

Transantarctic Mountains

(Encyclopedia)Transantarctic Mountains, mountain chain stretching across Antarctica from Victoria Land to Coats Land; separating the E Antarctic and W Antarctic subcontinents. Mt. Markham (14,275 ft/4,351 m high), ...

Nubian Desert

(Encyclopedia)Nubian Desert, eastern region of the Sahara Desert, c.157,000 sq mi (407,000 sq km), NE Republic of Sudan, NE Africa, between the Nile and the Red Sea. The arid region, largely a sandstone plateau, ha...

Tana, river, Kenya

(Encyclopedia)Tana täˈnä [key], river, c.500 mi (800 km) long, rising near Mt. Kenya, central Kenya, E Africa, and flowing E then S across Kenya to the Indian Ocean. There are hydroelectric plants and irrigation...

Leclerc, Jacques Philippe

(Encyclopedia)Leclerc, Jacques Philippe ləklĕrˈ [key], 1902–47, French general. His real name was Philippe, vicomte de Hauteclocque, but he adopted the name Leclerc in World War II. Commanding the Free French...

guinea fowl

(Encyclopedia)guinea fowl gĭnˈē [key], common name for any of the seven species of gallinaceous birds of the family Numididae, native to Africa and Madagascar. The helmeted guinea fowl, Numida meleagris, from wh...