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Nuclear Regulatory Commission

(Encyclopedia)Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), an independent U.S. government commission, created by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 and charged with licensing and regulating civilian use of nuclear energ...

Valley, The

(Encyclopedia)Valley, The, town (2001 pop. 1,169), capital of the British dependency of Anguilla, in the West Indies. Located in the approximate center of the island, it is Anguilla's main town and its administrati...

Downs, The

(Encyclopedia)Downs, The, roadstead, c.8 mi (13 km) long and 6 mi (9.7 km) wide, between North Foreland and South Foreland, off Deal, Kent, SE England, in the English Channel. It is protected, except from strong so...

Potteries, the

(Encyclopedia)Potteries, the, area, c.9 mi (15 km) long and 3 mi (4.8 km) wide, Staffordshire, W central England, extending northwest-southeast in the upper Trent valley. The area includes Stoke-on-Trent and part o...

Weald, the

(Encyclopedia)Weald, the wēld [key], area between the North Downs and the South Downs, SE England, forming part of the counties of East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey, and Kent. Formerly forested and once noted for i...

Irish Land Question

(Encyclopedia)Irish Land Question, name given in the 19th cent. to the problem of land ownership and agrarian distress in Ireland under British rule. The long-term result of conquest, confiscation, and colonization...

belladonna

(Encyclopedia)belladonna bĕlədŏnˈə [key] or deadly nightshade, poisonous perennial plant, Atropa belladona, of the nightshade family. Native to Europe and now grown in the United States, the plant has reddish,...

Lizard, The

(Encyclopedia)Lizard, The, peninsula, Cornwall, SW England. Its southern extremity (the southernmost point of Great Britain) is called Lizard Point or Lizard Head. The coast has colored serpentine rocks, small cove...

Education, United States Department of

(Encyclopedia)Education, United States Department of, executive department of the federal government responsible for advising on educational plans and policies, providing assistance for education, and carrying out ...

Dominic, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Dominic, Saint dŏmˈənĭk [key], 1170?–1221, Castilian churchman, named Domingo de Guzmán, founder of the Dominicans. He studied at Palencia and became a canon, then prior of canons, of the cathe...