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Hormoz

(Encyclopedia)Hormoz ôrˈ–, ôr– [key], island (1989 est. pop. 2,500), 5 mi (8.1 km) long and 3.5 mi (5.6 km) wide, S Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz (Hormoz), between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Salt...

Middle East

(Encyclopedia)Middle East, term traditionally applied by western Europeans to the countries of SW Asia and NE Africa lying W of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Thus defined it includes Cyprus, the Asian part of T...

Zanzibar, city, Tanzania

(Encyclopedia)Zanzibar zănˈzĭbär, zănzĭbärˈ [key] or Stone Town, city (2012 pop. 223,033), capital of the semiautonomous archipelago of Zanzibar and of Zanzibar West region, Tanzania, on the west coast of Z...

Albuquerque, Afonso de

(Encyclopedia)Albuquerque, Afonso de əfôNˈzō dĭ əlbo͞okĕrˈkə, –də älˌbəkĕrˈkə [key], 1453–1515, Portuguese admiral, the effective founder of the Portuguese Empire in the East. He first went to ...

Persian Gulf

(Encyclopedia)Persian Gulf, arm of the Arabian Sea, 90,000 sq mi (233,100 sq km), between the Arabian peninsula and Iran, extending c.600 mi (970 km) from the Shatt al Arab delta to the Strait of Hormuz, which link...

oryx

(Encyclopedia)oryx ôrˈĭks [key], name for several small, horselike antelopes, genus Oryx, found in deserts and arid scrublands of Africa and Arabia. They feed on grasses and scrub and can go without water for lo...

Tyler, Wat

(Encyclopedia)Tyler, Wat, d. 1381, English rebel. His given name appears in full as Walter; his surname signifies the trade of a roof tiler. He came into prominence as the leader of the rebellion of 1381, known as ...

siege

(Encyclopedia)siege, assault against a city or fortress with the purpose of capturing it. The history of siegecraft parallels the development of fortification and, later, artillery. In early times battering rams an...

Arab League

(Encyclopedia)Arab League, popular name for the League of Arab States, formed in 1945 in an attempt to give political expression to the Arab nations. The original charter members were Egypt, Iraq, Jordan (then know...

United Arab Emirates

(Encyclopedia)CE5 United Arab Emirates, federation of sheikhdoms (2015 est. pop. 5,780,000), c.30,000 sq mi (77,700 sq km), SE Arabia, on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The federation, commonly known as ...

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