Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Great Southern Reef

(Encyclopedia)Great Southern Reef, rocky reef complex, c. 27,000 sq mi (70,000 sq km), extending almost 5,000 mi (8,100 km) along S and SW Australia coast, from Brisbane to Perth. The reef's temperate marine ecosys...

Prince Rupert

(Encyclopedia)Prince Rupert, city (1991 pop. 16,620), W British Columbia, Canada, on Kaien Island, in Chatham Sound near the mouth of the Skeena River, S of the Alaska border. A railroad and highway terminus and an...

Parícutin

(Encyclopedia)Parícutin pärēˈko͞otēn [key], active volcano, c.8,200 ft (2,500 m) high, Michoacán state, W central Mexico. In one of the most spectacular eruptions of modern times, Parícutin burst forth from...

Jespersen, Otto

(Encyclopedia)Jespersen, Otto ŏˈtō yĕsˈpərsən [key], 1860–1943, Danish philologist. Professor of English language and literature at the Univ. of Copenhagen and later rector there, Jespersen first earned a ...

Arce Catacora, Luis Alberto

(Encyclopedia)Arce Catacora, Luis Alberto, 1963–, Bolivian government official and political leader. Trained as an economist, Arce held several positions at Bolivia's central bank (1987–2006) before becoming mi...

Bax, Ernest Belfort

(Encyclopedia)Bax, Ernest Belfort, 1854–1926, English socialist philosopher. He studied music and philosophy in Germany. In England, influenced by Marxist and other radical thought, he became active in socialist ...

Simi Valley

(Encyclopedia)Simi Valley sēˈmē, sĭmˈē [key], city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. Highly residential, the city also produces a variety...

buffalo grass

(Encyclopedia)buffalo grass, low perennial grass (Buchloe dactyloides) of the plains regions, one of the most important range grasses. Its dense matted growth is valuable also in erosion control. Buffalo grass usua...

Bose, Sir Jagadis Chandra

(Encyclopedia)Bose, Sir Jagadis Chandra, or Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose jəgäˈdēs chŭnˈdrə bōs, chŭnˈdər [key], 1858–1937, Indian physicist and plant physiologist, educated in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and at...

temporary worker

(Encyclopedia)temporary worker, an employee, hired through a specialized employment agency, who generally works less than a year on one assignment, regardless of the number of hours worked per week. Temporary worke...