Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Selkirk, Thomas Douglas, 5th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Selkirk, Thomas Douglas, 5th earl of, 1771–1820, Scottish philanthropist, founder of the Red River Settlement. Emigration to America seemed to him the best solution for the poverty of his countrymen...

Saint Bernard, breed of dog

(Encyclopedia)Saint Bernard, breed of massive working dog developed in Switzerland in the 18th cent. and perfected by British breeders during the 19th cent. It stands from 25 to 29 in. (64–74 cm) high at the shou...

wrasse

(Encyclopedia)wrasse răs [key], common name for a member of the large family Labridae, brilliantly colored fishes found among rocks and kelp in tropical seas. Wrasses, related to the parrotfishes (which are includ...

Gangneung

(Encyclopedia)Gangneung or Kangnung gängˈno͝ongˈ [key], city, Gangwon (Kangwon) prov., NE South Kor...

Neva

(Encyclopedia)Neva nēˈvə, Rus. nyĭväˈ [key], river, 46 mi (74 km) long, NW European Russia, connecting Lake Ladoga with the Gulf of Finland, an inlet of the Baltic Sea. St. Petersburg is situated in its delta...

Samcheok

(Encyclopedia)Samcheok or Samchok sämˈchôkˈ [key], city (1995 pop. 83,815), Gangwon (Kangwon) prov., E South Korea, a port on the Sea of Japan (or East Sea). It is a large industrial center in the heart of a ri...

Asia

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Asia āˈzhə [key], the world's largest continent 17,139,000 sq mi (44,390,000 sq km) and most populous (2015 est. pop. 4,419,898,000), with nearly three fifths of the world's total population...

Texel

(Encyclopedia)Texel tĕkˈsəl, tĕˈsəl [key], island (1994 pop. 13,022), 71 sq mi (184 sq km), North Holland prov., NW Netherlands, in the North Sea, the largest and southernmost of the West Frisian Islands. It ...

Dewdney, Anna

(Encyclopedia)Dewdney, Anna, 1965–2016, American children's book author and illustrator, b. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., as Anna Elizabeth Luhrmann, B.A. Wellesley, 1987. After illustrating adult and children's books ...

Denison Dam

(Encyclopedia)Denison Dam, 17,200 ft (5,243 m) long, on the Red River along the Texas–Okla. border, NW of Denison, Tex. The dam, built by the U.S. Corps of Engineers for flood control and hydroelectric power, was...

Browse by Subject