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San Salvador, island, Bahamas

(Encyclopedia)San Salvador, island of the Bahamas, West Indies. Many historians believe that it was the first land sighted by Columbus in the New World in 1492. The indigenous population called it Guanahani, and it...

San Stefano, Treaty of

(Encyclopedia)San Stefano, Treaty of săn stĕfˈənō [key], 1878, peace treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, at the conclusion of the last of the Russo-Turkish Wars; it was signed at San Stefano (now Ye�...

San Andrés and Providencia

(Encyclopedia)San Andrés and Providencia, district (1990 est. pop. 39,949), 21 sq mi (54 sq km), Colombia, comprising two small islands and seven groups of coral reefs and cays in the Caribbean 125–200 mi (201�...

San Benedetto del Tronto

(Encyclopedia)San Benedetto del Tronto sän bĕnədĕˈtō dĕl trŏnˈtō [key], city (1991 pop. 42,693), Marches, central Italy, on the Adriatic. It is an important sea port. ...

San Cristóbal, city, Venezuela

(Encyclopedia)San Cristóbal sän krēstōˈbäl [key], city (1990 pop. 220,675), capital of Táchira state, W Venezuela, in a mountainous region near the Colombian border. It is a commercial, transportation, and i...

Richmond–San Rafael Bridge

(Encyclopedia)Richmond–San Rafael Bridge, W Calif., c.4 mi (6 km) long, part of the network of bridges serving the San Francisco Bay area; completed in 1957. It provides an essential link between the east side of...

earthquake

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Worldwide pattern of earthquake activity: The dots indicate the epicenters of all earthquakes recorded during a recent 10-year period. CE5 earthquake, trembling or shaking movement of the ea...

tort

(Encyclopedia)tort, in law, the violation of some duty clearly set by law, not by a specific agreement between two parties, as in breach of contract. When such a duty is breached, the injured party has the right to...

Panamint Range

(Encyclopedia)Panamint Range pănˈəmĭnt [key], rugged fault-block mountains, SE Calif., near the Nev. line. Telescope Peak (11,045 ft/3,367 m high) is the tallest peak. The range forms the western boundary of De...

joint, in geology

(Encyclopedia)joint, in geology, fracture in rocks along which no appreciable movement has occurred (see fault). Nearly vertical, or sheet, joints that result from shrinkage during cooling are commonly found in ign...