Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Henry the Navigator

(Encyclopedia)Henry the Navigator, 1394–1460, prince of Portugal, patron of exploration. Because he fought with extraordinary valor in the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta (1415), he was created duke of Viseu by his ...

Mali

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Mali mäˈlē [key], officially Republic of Mali, independent republic (2015 est. pop. 17,468,000), 478,764 sq mi (1,240,000 sq km), the largest country in W Africa. Mali is bordered on the nor...

Great Lakes, lakes and region, E Africa

(Encyclopedia)Great Lakes, group of freshwater lakes lying along the Great Rift Valley, E Africa, including Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika, Nyasa, Turkana, Albert, Kivu, and Edward. Lakes Victoria, Albert, and Edward e...

duiker

(Encyclopedia)duiker dīˈkər, dāˈ– [key], name for members of a group of small, light antelopes, found in thick brush and forest over most of Africa. All stand under 25 in. (64 cm) high at the shoulder. They ...

Senghor, Léopold Sédar

(Encyclopedia)Senghor, Léopold Sédar lāôpôldˈ sādärˈ säNgôrˈ [key], 1906–2001, African statesman and poet; president (1960–80) of the Republic of Senegal, b. Joal. The son of a prosperous landowner,...

M'Bour

(Encyclopedia)M'Bour əmbo͞orˈ [key], town, W Senegal, on the Atlantic Ocean. Ilmenite, rutile, and yirconium are extracted from the titanium ore mined nearby. M'Bour also processes and trades peanuts grown in th...

Ahidjo, Ahmadou

(Encyclopedia)Ahidjo, Ahmadou ämäˈdō ähēˈjo͝o [key], 1924–89, president of Cameroon (1960–82). A Muslim Fulani chief's son, he served with the French during World War II. Entering politics in the French...

Sahel

(Encyclopedia)Sahel sähĕlˈ [key], name applied to the semiarid region of Africa between the Sahara to the north and the savannas to the south, extending from Senegal and Mauritania on the west, through Mali, N B...

bush baby

(Encyclopedia)bush baby or bushbaby, name for several small, active nocturnal primates of the Galagidae family, found in forested parts of Africa. Bush babies are also called galagos. The smallest are about 1 ft (3...

Senegambia

(Encyclopedia)Senegambia sĕnˌĭgămˈbēə, –gämˈ– [key], short-lived (1982–89) confederation of Senegal and The Gambia. ...

Browse by Subject