Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Turkana, Lake

(Encyclopedia)Turkana, Lake, c.2,500 sq mi (6,475 sq km), NW Kenya and SW Ethiopia, E Africa, in the Great Rift Valley; alt. 1,230 ft (375 m). Surrounded by desolate, volcanic mountains, the 170-mi-long (274-km) al...

Bras d'Or Lake

(Encyclopedia)Bras d'Or Lake brä dôr [key], arm of the Atlantic Ocean, c.360 sq mi (930 sq km), indenting deeply into Cape Breton Island, N.S., SE Canada, and occupying much of the interior. A narrow channel link...

decorations, civil and military

(Encyclopedia)decorations, civil and military, honors bestowed by a government to reward services or achievements, particularly those implying valor. The practice of bestowing such decorations dates back at least t...

Kirkwood, Samuel Jordan

(Encyclopedia)Kirkwood, Samuel Jordan, 1813–94, American politician, b. Harford co., Md. Moving to Ohio in 1835, he served (1845–49) as prosecuting attorney for Richland co. and was a member (1850–51) of the ...

Francis, David Rowland

(Encyclopedia)Francis, David Rowland, 1850–1927, U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1896–97), b. Richmond, Ky. He established a large grain business in St. Louis, entered politics, and served (1885–89) as mayor ...

Amakusa Islands

(Encyclopedia)Amakusa Islands ämäko͞oˈsä [key], archipelago, c.340 sq mi (880 sq km), Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures, in the East China Sea, off W Kyushu, Japan. There are about 70 islands in the group. Sh...

Fairbanks

(Encyclopedia)Fairbanks, city (2020 pop. 32,515), Fairbanks North Star Borough, E central Alaska, on the Chena River near its confluence with the Tanana; inc. 1903. F...

Sifton, Sir Clifford

(Encyclopedia)Sifton, Sir Clifford, 1861–1929, Canadian political leader, b. Ontario. A lawyer in Manitoba, he sat (1888–96) in the provincial legislature and then served (1896–1911) in the Canadian House of ...

Park, Mungo

(Encyclopedia)Park, Mungo, 1771–1806, British explorer in Africa, b. Selkirk, Scotland. After serving as a surgeon with the East India Company, he was employed by the African Association to explore the course of ...

Thompson, Jacob

(Encyclopedia)Thompson, Jacob, 1810–85, U.S. Representative (1839–51) and Secretary of the Interior (1857–61), b. Caswell co., N.C. Thompson was a prosperous lawyer and prominent Democrat of Oxford, Miss. He ...