Cumberland Plateau

Westernmost of three divisions of the Appalachian Mountains, U.S., extending southwestward for 450 miles (725 km) from southern West Virginia to northern Alabama. The plateau is 40 to 50 miles (65 to 80 km) wide and lies between the Appalachian Ridge and Valley region to the east and the rolling plains to the west. It merges with the Allegheny Plateau on the north and with the Gulf Coastal

Cumberland Plateau

Westernmost of three divisions of the Appalachian Mountains, U.S., extending southwestward for 450 miles (725 km) from southern West Virginia to northern Alabama. The plateau is 40 to 50 miles (65 to 80 km) wide and lies between the Appalachian Ridge and Valley region to the east and the rolling plains to the west. It merges with the Allegheny Plateau on the north and with the Gulf Coastal

Ogre-faced Spider

Any member of the family Dinopidae (or Deinopidae; order Araneida). One pair of eyes is unusually large, producing an ogrelike appearance. The spiders occur throughout the tropics. One genus, Dinopis, the net-casting spider, carries a web that is thrown over prey.

Gra�a Aranha, Jos� Pereira Da

Brazilian novelist and diplomat, best remembered for his novel Cana� (1902; Canaan, 1920), in which he explored the conflicts of the Brazilian ethnic melting pot through the varied perspectives and problems of two German immigrants. With its philosophical digressions and lyrical descriptions, Cana�, a �novel of ideas,� was influential in

Moss

(class Bryopsida, or Musci), any of at least 10,000 species of small, spore-bearing land plants (division Bryophyta) distributed throughout the world except in salt water. Valvate mosses constitute the subclass Andreaeidae, and peat mosses compose the subclass Sphagnidae. The large subclass Bryidae constitutes most species of mosses, but the subclass Polytrichidae

Berar

Also spelled �Birar, � cotton-growing region in east-central Maharashtra state, western India. The region extends for approximately 200 miles (320 km) east-west along the Purna River basin and lies 700 to 1,600 feet (200 to 500 m) above sea level. Berar is bounded on the north by the Gawilgarh Hills (Melghat) and on the south by the Ajanta Range. Historically the name Berar was given to a province of varying extent, but it no longer

Sea Bass

Any of the numerous fishes of the family Serranidae (order Perciformes), most of which are marine and found in the shallower regions of warm and tropical seas. The family includes about 400 species, many of them well-known food and sport fishes. Although the term sea bass may be used for the family as a whole, the fishes themselves

Bashkir

The Bashkirs settled their land under the Mongol khanate of Kipchak from the 13th to the 15th century.

Catechism

A manual of religious instruction usually arranged in the form of questions and answers used to instruct the young, to win converts, and to testify to the faith. Although many religions give instruction in the faith by means of oral questions and answers, the written catechism is primarily a product of Christianity. Some early handbooks of instruction were prepared

Kahr, Gustav, Ritter Von

Kahr was appointed provincial governor of Upper Bavaria in 1917. Shortly after the abortive Kapp Putsch against the Weimar Republic in March 1920, Kahr

Alcuin

Anglo-Latin poet, educator, and cleric who, as head of the Palatine school established by Charlemagne at Aachen, introduced the traditions of Anglo-Saxon humanism into western Europe. He was the foremost scholar of the revival of learning known as the Carolingian Renaissance. He also made important reforms in the Roman

Wyszynski, Stefan

After study at Warsaw, Lomza, and Wloclawek, Wyszynski was ordained on his 23rd birthday, Aug. 3, 1924, and was assigned to the basilica at Wloclawek. After gaining a doctorate in sociology and ecclesiastical law at the Catholic University of Lublin, he studied further in France,

Brecht, Bertolt

Until 1924 Brecht lived in Bavaria, where he was born, studied medicine (Munich, 1917 - 21), and served in an army hospital (1918). From this period date his

Cheese

Nutritious food consisting primarily of the curd, the semisolid substance formed when milk curdles, or coagulates. Curdling occurs naturally if milk is not used promptly: it sours, forming an acid curd, which releases whey, a watery fluid containing the soluble constituents; and it leaves semisolid curd, or fresh cheese. In some areas, cheese is still made simply by

Botanical Garden

German �Botanischer Garten, � botanical garden founded in 1914 by the German botanist Karl von Goebel in Munich. The garden's vast array of greenhouses, completed in 1958, includes 17 for display and 8 for service functions. The palm house is particularly notable. Other significant greenhouse collections are composed of alpine plants, insectivorous plants, cacti, African succulents, Crassula, and Mesembryanthemeae.

Drottningholm Theatre

Swedish, �Drottningholmsteater� 18th-century court theatre of the Royal Palace of Drottningholm, near Stockholm, Swed. It is preserved with its original sets and stage machinery as a theatrical museum. Built in the 1760s by the architect Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz, it was the home of several French and Swedish acting companies and prospered especially during the enlightened reign of the playwright-king

Stealth

Research in antidetection technology began soon after radar was invented. During World War II, the Germans coated their U-boat snorkels with radar-absorbent material. In the postwar era, researchers sought to discover the nature of �radar

Spotted Tail

Spotted Tail was not a member of a ruling family, but he won the chieftainship over the hereditary claimant on the basis of his prowess as a warrior. In 1855 he, along with two other warriors,

Aryballos

Small, narrow-necked, spherical or globular Greek vase. Commonly used as a scent or oil bottle, particularly by athletes at the baths, the aryballos derives from the globular wine pourer (oinochoe) of the Geometric style (9th century BC), evolving its distinctive shape in the early Proto-Corinthian style (8th century BC). From the many aryballoi that have been found dating from

Middlesbrough

When the Stockton and Darlington Railway was extended east of Stockton in 1830 to the site where Joseph Pease

Gabes, Gulf Of

Arabic �Khalij Qabis, �French �Golfe De Gab�s, �Latin �Syrtis Minor, � inlet, on the east coast of Tunisia, northern Africa. It is 60 miles (100 km) long and 60 miles wide and is bounded by the Qarqannah (Kerkena) Islands on the northeast and by Jarbah (Djerba) Island on the southeast. Except for the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Venice, it is the only part of the Mediterranean with a substantial tidal range (about 8 feet [2 1/2 m] at spring tides), causing the uncovering

Permafrost, Offshore structures

One of the most active and exciting areas of permafrost engineering is in subsea permafrost. Knowledge of the distribution, type, and water or ice content of subsea permafrost is critical for planning petroleum exploration, locating production structures, burying pipelines, and driving tunnels beneath the seabed. Furthermore, the temperature of the seabed must

Lance Missile

The Lance is about 20 feet (6 m) long and is launched from a light trailer or a modified personnel carrier. It is propelled by a liquid-fueled rocket engine to ranges of 5 to 75 miles (8 to 120 km), depending on the warhead.

Lance Missile

The Lance is about 20 feet (6 m) long and is launched from a light trailer or a modified personnel carrier. It is propelled by a liquid-fueled rocket engine to ranges of 5 to 75 miles (8 to 120 km), depending on the warhead.

Lower Canada

In Canadian history, the region in Canada now known as Quebec. Known as Lower Canada from 1791 to 1841, the region became known as Canada East (q.v.) with the Act of Union of 1841. See also Quebec.

Grafton, Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke Of

Grandson of the 2nd duke, Charles Fitzroy (1683 - 1757), and great-grandson of the 1st, he was educated at Westminster School and Peterhouse, Cambridge. He was secretary of state in 1765 under the Marquess of Rockingham but retired the following year. William

Euro

The euro's origins lay in

Pacific League

One of the two leagues of professional baseball teams in Japan (the other being the Central League). The Pacific League was founded in 1950. It has six teams, some of whose names and hometown designations have changed over the years. The league consists of the Chiba Lotte Marines, Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, Kintetsu Buffaloes, Nippon Ham Fighters, Orix Blue Wave, and Seibu Lions. The

Hooton, Earnest A(lbert)

American physical anthropologist who investigated human evolution and racial differentiation, classified and described human populations, and examined the relationship between personality and physical type, particularly with respect to criminal behaviour. He established Harvard University as a principal

Hooton, Earnest A(lbert)

American physical anthropologist who investigated human evolution and racial differentiation, classified and described human populations, and examined the relationship between personality and physical type, particularly with respect to criminal behaviour. He established Harvard University as a principal