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fjord

(Encyclopedia)fjord or fiord fyôrd [key], steep-sided inlet of the sea characteristic of glaciated regions. Fjords probably resulted from the scouring by glaciers of valleys formed by any of several processes, inc...

Poyang

(Encyclopedia)Poyang or P'o-yang both: pô-yäng [key], shallow lake, c.1,000 sq mi (2,590 sq km), N Jiangxi prov., SE China; one of China's largest lakes. It serves as a natural overflow reservoir for the Chang (Y...

Hot Springs National Park

(Encyclopedia)Hot Springs National Park, 5,549 acres (2,247 hectares), W central Ark.; est. 1921; nearly surrounded by the city of Hot Springs. Visited by Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto in 1541, the springs, lon...

Humboldt, river, United States

(Encyclopedia)Humboldt, river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, rising in several branches in the mountains of NE Nev. It meanders generally west to disappear in Humboldt Sink, W Nevada. Along with its tributaries, the Humb...

Han, rivers, China

(Encyclopedia)Han. 1 River of S China, 210 mi (338 km) long, rising in W Fujian prov. and flowing S through Guangdong prov. to the South China Sea at Shantou; navigable for about 100 mi (160 km) upstream. The dense...

baths

(Encyclopedia)baths, in architecture. Ritual bathing is traceable to ancient Egypt, to prehistoric cities of the Indus River valley, and to the early Aegean civilizations. Remains of bathing apartments dating from ...

swim bladder

(Encyclopedia)swim bladder, large, thin-walled sac in some fishes that may function in several ways, e.g., as a buoyant float, a sound producer and receptor, and a respiratory organ. The swim bladder, or air bladde...

Tantalus

(Encyclopedia)Tantalus tănˈtələs [key], in Greek mythology, king of Sipylos, son of Zeus and father of Pelops and Niobe. He was admitted to the society of the gods, but his abominable behavior aroused their ang...

sodium sulfate

(Encyclopedia)sodium sulfate, chemical compound, Na2SO4. It is a white, orthorhombic crystalline compound at ordinary temperatures; above 100℃ it assumes a monoclinic structure, and above about 250℃ it assumes ...

pickle

(Encyclopedia)pickle, general term for fruits or vegetables preserved in vinegar or brine, usually with spices or sugar or both. Vegetables commonly pickled include the beet, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, olive, ...