Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Magellan, Ferdinand məjelˈən [key], Port. Fernão de Magalhães, Span. Fernando de Magallanes, c.1480–1521, Portuguese navigator who sailed for Portugal and Spain. Born of a noble family, he was ...

(Encyclopedia) Baja California Span.: bäˈhä kälēfōrˈnyä [key] or Lower California, peninsula, c.760 mi (1,220 km) long and from 30 to 150 mi (48–241 km) wide, NW Mexico, separating the Gulf of California f...

(Encyclopedia) Greenland Sea, arm of the Arctic Ocean, off the northeast coast of Greenland between Svalbard and Jan Mayen Island. It is the main outlet of the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic. Because of drifting arcti...

(Encyclopedia) Tuvalu to͞ovälˈo͞o [key], independent Commonwealth nation (2015 est. pop. 11,000), 10 sq mi (26 sq km), composed of nine low coral atolls, formerly known as the Ellice (or Lagoon) Islands, scatter...

(Encyclopedia) Nouméa no͞omāäˈ [key], town (1992 est. pop. 75,000), chief port and capital of the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, on New Caledonia island, South Pacific. Local industry, dominated by...

(Encyclopedia) Nimitz, Chester William nĭmˈĭts [key], 1885–1966, American admiral, b. Fredericksburg, Tex. A graduate of Annapolis, he was chief of staff to the commander of the submarine force of the Atlantic ...

(Encyclopedia) Suva so͞oˈvä [key], city (1993 est. pop. 80,000), capital of Fiji, on the southeastern coast of Viti Levu island, S Pacific. It is a major shipping and commercial center of the S Pacific producing ...

(Encyclopedia)  CE5 South America, fourth largest continent (2015 est. pop. 416,436,000), c.6,880,000 sq mi (17,819,000 sq km), the southern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. It is divided political...

(Encyclopedia) Van Horne, Sir William Cornelius, 1843–1915, president (1888–99) and chairman of the board (1899–1915) of the Canadian Pacific Railway, b. Illinois. He worked on U.S. railways before becoming (1...

(Encyclopedia) Tetepare, tāˈtəpäˌrā [key], raised coral island 46 sq mi (118 sq km), S Western prov., Solomon Islands, SW Pacific, separated from New Georgia by the Blanche Channel. It is the largest uninhabit...