Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Kikuyu kĭko͞oˈyo͞o [key], Bantu-speaking people, numbering about 6 million, forming the largest tribal group in Kenya. The Kikuyu live in the highlands NE of Nairobi. Before the British conquest t...

(Encyclopedia) Ter-Petrossian, Levon, 1945–, Armenian political leader, president of Armenia (1991–98), b. Aleppo, Syria, grad. Yerevan State Univ. (1971), Leningrad Oriental Studies Institute (Ph.D., 1987). A s...

(Encyclopedia) Seminole War, in U.S. history, armed conflict between the U.S. government and the Seminoles. In 1832 the U.S. government signed a treaty with the Seminoles, who lived in Florida, providing for their r...

(Encyclopedia) amputation ămˌpyətāˈshən [key], removal of all or part of a limb or other body part. Although amputation has been practiced for centuries, the development of sophisticated techniques for treatme...

(Encyclopedia) picketing, act of patrolling a place of work affected by a strike in order to discourage its patronage, to make public the workers' grievances, and in some cases to prevent strikebreakers from taking ...

(Encyclopedia) threat, in law, declaration of intent to injure another by doing an unlawful act, with a view to restraining his freedom of action. A threat is distinguishable from an assault, for an assault requires...

(Encyclopedia) Natives, North American, peoples who occupied North America before the arrival of the Europeans in the 15th cent. They have long been known as Indians because of the belief prevalent at the time of Co...

(Encyclopedia) Maurya mouˈəryə [key], ancient Indian dynasty, c.325–c.183 b.c., founded by Chandragupta (Chandragupta Maurya). He conquered the Magadha kingdom and established his capital at Pataliputra (now Pa...

(Encyclopedia) Kalam, A. P. J. Abdul (Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam), 1921–2015, Indian scientist and political leader, studied St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli (grad. 1954), Madras Institute of Technol...

(Encyclopedia) Tromelin Island trōmlăNˈ [key], c.1 sq mi (2.6 sq km), in the Indian Ocean c.260 mi (420 km) E of Madagascar, part of the Scattered Islands district with the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. A ...