Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

cavy

(Encyclopedia)cavy kāˈvē [key], name for 14 species of South American rodents of the family Caviidae, including the domestic guinea pig. The wild cavies are usually small, rounded, and tailless, with fur of a un...

Oregon Trail

(Encyclopedia)Oregon Trail, overland emigrant route in the United States from the Missouri River to the Columbia River country (all of which was then called Oregon). The pioneers by wagon train did not, however, fo...

Annam

(Encyclopedia)Annam ənămˈ, ăˈnăm [key], historic region (c.58,000 sq mi/150,200 sq km) and former state, in central Vietnam, SE Asia. The capital was Hue. The region extended nearly 800 mi (1,290 km) along th...

Long Island, island, United States

(Encyclopedia)Long Island (1990 pop. 6,861,454), 1,723 sq mi (4,463 sq km), 118 mi (190 km) long, and from 12 to 20 mi (19–32 km) wide, SE N.Y.; fourth largest island of the United States and the largest outside ...

Waziristan

(Encyclopedia)Waziristan wəzēˈrĭstänˌ [key], region (1981 est. pop. 545,000), 4,473 sq mi (11,585 sq km), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North-West Frontier Province), Pakistan, on the Afghanistan border. An ex...

Maitland

(Encyclopedia)Maitland, city (2016 pop. 77,305), New South Wales, SE Australia, on the Hunter River. It is a railroad junction and agricultural center with light manufacturing. Maitland began as a convict settlemen...

Massapequa

(Encyclopedia)Massapequa măsəpēkˈwə [key], uninc. city (1990 pop. 22,018), Nassau co., SE N.Y., on the south shore of Long Island. It is chiefly residential. ...

Torrens, Lake

(Encyclopedia)Torrens, Lake, shallow salt lake, 2,230 sq mi (5,776 sq km), central South Australia state, Australia. In a rift valley, it is 120 mi (193 km) long and is Australia's second largest lake. It becomes p...

Scheveningen

(Encyclopedia)Scheveningen skhāˈvənĭngˌən [key], urban district, The Hague, South Holland prov., W Netherlands, on the North Sea. It is a popular bathing resort and fishing center. ...

Avon, former county, England

(Encyclopedia)Avon, former county, SW England, bordering the Severn estuary and the Bristol Channel. Created in 1974 from S Gloucestershire, Bristol, and N Somerset. it was dissolved in 1996 into four unitary autho...