Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Libyan Desert, northeast part of the Sahara Desert, NE Africa, in SW Egypt, E Libya, and NW Sudan; called the Western Desert in Egypt. It is a region of sand dunes, stony plains, and rocky plateaus. T...

(Encyclopedia) Painted Desert, badlands on the northeastern bank of the Little Colorado River, NE Ariz., stretching c.200 mi (320 km) SE from the Grand Canyon; includes Petrified Forest National Park. Striking bands...

(Encyclopedia) Ukrainian language, also called Little Russian: see Russian language; Slavic languages. ...

(Encyclopedia) Spencer, city (1990 pop. 11,066), seat of Clay co., NW Iowa, on the Little Sioux River; inc. 1880. The city lies in a fertile farm area. Beef is processed, and Spencer's manufactures include work clot...

(Encyclopedia) Abu-Simbel ĭpˈsämbo͞olˈ [key], village, S Egypt, on the Nile River. Its two temples were hewn (c.1250 b.c.) out of rock cliffs during the reign of Ramses II. To avoid the rising waters caused by ...

(Encyclopedia) Marmaduke, John Sappington märˈmədo͞okˌ [key], 1833–87, Confederate general in the American Civil War, b. Arrow Rock, Mo. He served in the expedition against the Mormons and in Western army pos...

(Encyclopedia) Meager, Mount, volcano, 8,793 ft (2,680 m) high, SW British Columbia, Canada, 90 mi (150 km) N of Vancouver. It is the northernmost of the Cascade Range volcanoes and the second highest peak of the Mo...

(Encyclopedia) Capitol Reef National Park: 241,904 acres (97,971 hectares), S Utah. The park features a dome-shaped white rock, said to resemble the U.S. Capitol, and a maze of deep canyons, arches, and monoliths cu...

(Encyclopedia) Fichtelgebirge fĭkhˈtəlgəbĭrˌgə [key], mountain knot, in SE Germany, between Bayreuth and the Czech border; rises to 3,447 ft (1,051 m) in Schneeberg peak. The rugged mountains are composed mai...

(Encyclopedia) sodium nitrate, chemical compound, NaNO3, a colorless, odorless crystalline compound that closely resembles potassium nitrate (saltpeter or niter) in appearance and chemical properties. It is soluble ...