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Alfonso X, Spanish king of Castile and León

(Encyclopedia)Alfonso X (Alfonso the Wise), 1221–84, Spanish king of Castile and León (1252–84); son and successor of Ferdinand III, whose conquests of the Moors he continued, notably by taking Cádiz (1262). ...

Ambon

(Encyclopedia)Ambon ämˈbōn [key], island, c.300 sq mi (775 sq km), E Indonesia, one of the Moluccas, in the Banda Sea. It is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Corn and sago are...

eunuch

(Encyclopedia)eunuch yo͞oˈnĭk [key] [Gr.,=keeper of the couch], castrated human male, particularly a chamberlain of a harem in Asia. The custom of employing eunuchs as servants in wealthy or royal households is ...

Tso Tsung-t'ang

(Encyclopedia)Tso Tsung-t'ang dzô dzo͞ong-täng [key], 1812–85, Chinese general and statesman of the Ch'ing dynasty. He directed (1852–59) resistance to the Taiping Rebellion in his native Hunan and later org...

Vajpayee, Atal Bihari

(Encyclopedia)Vajpayee, Atal Bihari äˈtäl bihärˈē väjˈpīˌ [key], 1926–2018, Indian politician, prime minister of India (1996, 1998–2004). He began his career as a journalist, entering politics as an u...

Oromo

(Encyclopedia)Oromo gălˈə [key], traditionally pastoral tribes who live in W and S Ethiopia and N Kenya. They number more than 25 million. About half are Muslim, about a third Ethiopian Orthodox, and about a six...

Ouattara, Alassane

(Encyclopedia)Ouattara, Alassane äläsänˈ wäˈtärä [key], 1942–, Ivorian economist and politician, grad. Univ. of Pennsylvania (M.A. 1967, Ph.D. 1972). A Muslim from N Côte d'Ivoire, he worked at the Inter...

grille

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Grille grille, in architecture, a system of bars, usually of decorative metalwork, forming an openwork barrier or enclosure. In its usual materials of wrought iron or bronze, it has been favor...

Kano, city, Nigeria

(Encyclopedia)Kano käˈnō [key], city (1991 est. pop. 595,000), N Nigeria. It is the trade and shipping center for an agricultural region where cotton, cattle, and about half of Nigeria's peanuts are raised. Kano...

Abubakar, Atiku

(Encyclopedia)Abubakar, Atiku ätēˈko͞o äbo͞obäkärˈ [key], 1946–, Nigerian politician, grad. Ahmadu Bello Univ. Law School (1969). A Muslim and member of the Hausa ethnic group, he worked in the governmen...