Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) convict labor, work of prison inmates. Until the 19th cent., labor was introduced in prisons chiefly as punishment. Such work is now considered a necessary part of the rehabilitation of the criminal; ...

(Encyclopedia) New York, city (2020 pop. 8,336,817), land area 304.8 sq mi (789.4 sq km), SE N.Y., largest city in the United States and one of the largest in the worl...

(Encyclopedia) Hyderabad hīˈdərəbădˌ [key], former princely state, S central India. The former princedom of Hyderabad is now divided among the states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana. The Mughal empire...

(Encyclopedia) Pecos, river, 926 mi (1,480 km) long, rising in N N.Mex. near the Truchas peaks and flowing SE across E N.Mex. and W Tex. to the Rio Grande; drains c.38,300 sq mi (99,200 sq km). In New Mexico, dams a...

(Encyclopedia) Holland, city (2020 pop. 34,378), Allegan and Ottawa counties, SW Mich., near Lake Michigan, on Lake Macatawa, in a dairy and poultry area; founded 1847...

(Encyclopedia) York, city (1990 pop. 42,192), seat of York co., SE Pa., on Codorus Creek, in an agricultural area; laid out 1741, inc. as a city 1887. It is a market, trade, processing, and distribution center in th...

(Encyclopedia) Zion zīˈən [key], city (1990 pop. 19,775), Lake co., extreme NE Ill., on Lake Michigan; inc. 1902. Largely residential, the city has some light industry. Zion was founded in 1901 by John Alexander ...

(Encyclopedia) Glasgow. <1> City (2020 pop. 15,014), seat of Barren co., S central Ky.; inc. 1799. It is an agricultural trade center that relies on dairy, ...

(Encyclopedia) De Smet, Pierre Jean pyĕr zhäN də smĕtˈ [key], 1801–73, Jesuit missionary in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, b. Belgium. He emigrated to the United States in 1821, served his novitiate in Florissan...

(Encyclopedia) alabaster, fine-grained, massive, translucent variety of gypsum, a hydrous calcium sulfate. It is pure white or streaked with reddish brown. Alabaster, like all other forms of gypsum, forms by the eva...