Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Zeebrugge

(Encyclopedia)Zeebrugge zāˈbrŭˌgə [key], outer port of Bruges (Brugge), West Flanders prov., NW Belgium, on the North Sea. Zeebrugge was developed c.1900 to replace the silted-up port of Bruges; it is connecte...

Smith, Margaret Chase

(Encyclopedia)Smith, Margaret Chase, 1897–1995, U.S. senator from Maine (1949–73), b. Skowhegan, Maine. She taught school briefly and then worked (1919–28) on the Skowhegan weekly newspaper. In 1930 she marri...

rare earths

(Encyclopedia)rare earths, in chemistry, oxides of the rare-earth metals. They were once thought to be elements themselves. They are widely distributed in the earth's crust and are fairly abundant, although they we...

Barranquilla

(Encyclopedia)Barranquilla bärängkēˈyä [key], city, capital of Atlántico dept., N Colombia, on the Ma...

Qom

(Encyclopedia)Qom kôm [key], city (1991 pop. 681,253), Tehran prov., W central Iran. Located in a semiarid region, it is an industrial and transportation center. Its manufactures include textiles, glass, pottery, ...

potassium nitrate

(Encyclopedia)potassium nitrate, chemical compound, KNO3, occurring as colorless, prismatic crystals or as a white powder; it is found pure in nature as the mineral saltpeter, or niter. (The name saltpeter is also ...

Polotsk

(Encyclopedia)Polotsk pôˈlətsk [key], city (1989 pop. 76,837), W Belarus, on the Western Dvina River at its confluence with the Polota. It is a large rail junction and agricultural trade center. Manufactures inc...

germanium

(Encyclopedia)germanium jərmāˈnēəm [key] [from Germany], semimetallic chemical element; symbol Ge; at. no. 32; at. wt. 72.63; m.p. 937.4℃; b.p. 2,830℃; sp. gr. 5.323 at 25℃; valence +2 or +4. Pure german...

wire

(Encyclopedia)wire, metal filament, strand, or solid rod usually having a round cross section. Metals and alloys used for wiremaking are chosen for high tensile strength and ductility or for their electrical conduc...

composite material

(Encyclopedia)composite material or composite, any material made from at least two discrete substances, such as concrete. Many materials are produced as composites, such as the fiberglass-reinforced plastics used f...