indirect contacts
11Japan — /jeuh pan /, n. 1. a constitutional monarchy on a chain of islands off the E coast of Asia: main islands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. 125,716,637; 141,529 sq. mi. (366,560 sq. km). Cap.: Tokyo. Japanese, Nihon, Nippon. 2. Sea of, the… …
12Europe, history of — Introduction history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates.… …
13western Africa, history of — Introduction history of the region from the 11th century to the present. A reasonable body of sources for the writing of western African history begins to be available about AD 1000. Three centuries earlier, the Arabs (Arab) had… …
14Mesopotamia, history of — ▪ historical region, Asia Introduction history of the region in southwestern Asia where the world s earliest civilization developed. The name comes from a Greek word meaning “between rivers,” referring to the land between the Tigris and… …
15Lobbying — includes all attempts to influence legislators and officials, whether by other legislators, constituents or organized groups. [ [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lobbying Merriam Webster Dictionary.Com entry on lobbying] ]… …
16toucher — 1. toucher [ tuʃe ] v. tr. <conjug. : 1> • XIIe; tucher, tuchier 1080; lat. pop. °toccare, rad. onomat. tokk I ♦ V. tr. dir. A ♦ (Entrer en contact, avec mouvement). 1 ♦ (Êtres vivants) Entrer en contact avec (qqn, qqch.) en éprouvant les… …
17international relations — a branch of political science dealing with the relations between nations. [1970 75] * * * Study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies and political… …
18United Kingdom — a kingdom in NW Europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland 1801 1922. 58,610,182; 94,242 sq. mi. (244,100 sq. km). Cap.: London. Abbr.: U.K. Official name, United Kingdom of Great… …
19ancient Greek civilization — ▪ historical region, Eurasia Introduction the period following Mycenaean civilization, which ended in about 1200 BC, to the death of Alexander the Great, in 323 BC. It was a period of political, philosophical, artistic, and scientific… …
20contact — 1. The touching or apposition of two bodies. 2. A person who has been exposed to a contagious disease. [L. con tingo, pp. tactus, to touch, seize, fr. tango, to touch] balancing c. 1. the contacts between upper and lower dentures on the balancing …
