Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) second, abbr. sec or s, fundamental unit of time in all systems of measurement. In practical terms, the second is 1/60 of a minute, 1/3,600 of an hour, or 1/86,400 of a day. Since the length of the da...

(Encyclopedia) Saint Elias Mountains, section of the Coast Ranges, SW Yukon, Canada, and SE Alaska, rising to 19,551 ft (5,959 m) at Mt. Logan, Canada's highest peak. Kluane National Park is there. ...

(Encyclopedia) Janus jāˈnəs [key], in Roman religion, god of beginnings. He was one of the principal Roman gods, the custodian of the universe. The first hour of the day, the first day of the month, the first mon...

(Encyclopedia) French Revolutionary calendar, the official calendar of France, Nov. 24, 1793–Dec. 31, 1805. Its introduction was decreed by the Convention on Oct. 5, 1793, but it was computed from Sept. 22, 1792, ...

(Encyclopedia) Frigg or Frigga, Norse mother goddess and the wife of Odin (Woden). One of the most important goddesses of Germanic religion, she was queen of the heavens, a deity of love and the household. She was o...

(Encyclopedia) Nechako nĭchăkˈō [key], river, 287 mi (462 km) long, rising in Tetachuck and Ootsa lakes, central British Columbia, Canada, and flowing NE, then E to the Fraser River at Prince George. Kenney Dam ...

(Encyclopedia) Coué, Émile āmēlˈ kwā [key], 1857–1926, French psychotherapist. He is remembered for his formula for curing by optimistic autosuggestion, “Day by day, in every way, I am getting better and b...

(Encyclopedia) Campbell, Kim (Avril Phaedra Campbell), 1947–, Canadian political leader, prime minister of Canada (1993), b. Port Alberni, British Columbia. A litigation lawyer and originally a member of the Socia...

(Encyclopedia) Back, Sir George, 1796–1878, British explorer in N Canada. He accompanied Sir John Franklin on arctic expeditions in 1818, 1819–22, and 1824–27. On an expedition (1833–35) to search for the mi...

(Encyclopedia) Campobello kămˌpōbĕlˈō [key], island, 9 mi (14.5 km) long and 3 mi (4.8 km) wide, in Passamaquoddy Bay, N.B., Canada, just off the coast of Maine. The island passed to Canada by the Convention o...