Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

albatross

(Encyclopedia)albatross ălˈbətrôs [key], common name for sea birds of the order of tube-nosed swimmers (Procellariiformes), which includes petrels, shearwaters, and fulmars. The wandering albatross, Diomedea ex...

Agassiz, Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Agassiz, Alexander ăgˈəsē [key], 1835–1910, American naturalist and industrialist, b. Neuchâtel, Switzerland; son of Louis Agassiz, stepson of Elizabeth Cary Agassiz. He came to the United Stat...

sequoia

(Encyclopedia)sequoia sĭkwoiˈə [key], name for the redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and for the big tree, or giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), both huge, coniferous evergreen trees of the bald cypress fami...

Uralic and Altaic languages

(Encyclopedia)Uralic and Altaic languages yo͝orălˈĭk, ăltāˈĭk [key], two groups of related languages thought by many scholars to form a single Ural-Altaic linguistic family. However, other authorities hold ...

Oslo

(Encyclopedia)Oslo äzˈlō, äsˈ–, Nor. o͝osˈlo͝o [key], city (1995 pop. 482,555), capital of Norway, of Akershus co., and of Oslo co. (175 sq mi/453 sq km), SE Norway, at the head of the Oslofjord (a deep i...

Easter Island

(Encyclopedia)Easter Island, Span. Isla de Pascua, Polynesian Rapa Nui, remote island (2020 est. pop. 5,000), 66 sq mi (171 sq km), in the South Pacific, c.2,200 ...

Notre Dame Bay

(Encyclopedia)Notre Dame Bay, arm of the Atlantic Ocean, c.40 mi (60 km) long and 50 mi (80 km) wide, NE Newfoundland, N.L., Canada. The Exploits River empties into it. The bay has an irregular shoreline and contai...

Mar del Plata

(Encyclopedia)Mar del Plata mär ᵺĕl pläˈtä [key], city (1991 pop. 519,707), E central Argentina, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the most popular seaside resorts in South America. Fishing and fish proces...

Kongsfjorden

(Encyclopedia)Kongsfjorden kôngsˌfyôrˈdən [key] [Kings Bay], inlet of the Arctic Ocean, 14 mi (23 km) long, NW Spitsbergen, Svalbard. Ny-Ålesund is on the inlet. The scenic fjord is often visited by tourist v...

Tokyo, University of

(Encyclopedia)Tokyo, University of, at Tokyo, Japan; founded in 1877. In the 1920s it became one of the first Imperial universities and remains one of the most prestigious in Japan. It offers degrees in letters, la...