the mountains receded into the distance
41Europe, 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.… …
42cañada — /keuhn yah deuh, yad euh/, n. Chiefly Western U.S. 1. a dry riverbed. 2. a small, deep canyon. [1840 50; < Sp, equiv. to cañ(a) CANE + ada n. suffix] * * * Canada Introduction Canada Background: A land of vast distances and rich natural resources …
43Canada — /kan euh deuh/, n. a nation in N North America: a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 29,123,194; 3,690,410 sq. mi. (9,558,160 sq. km). Cap.: Ottawa. * * * Canada Introduction Canada Background: A land of vast distances and rich natural… …
44Antarctica — /ant ahrk ti keuh, ahr ti /, n. the continent surrounding the South Pole: almost entirely covered by an ice sheet. ab. 5,000,000 sq. mi. (12,950,000 sq. km). Also called Antarctic Continent. * * * Antarctica Introduction Antarctica Background:… …
45Spain — /spayn/, n. a kingdom in SW Europe. Including the Balearic and Canary islands, 39,244,195; 194,988 sq. mi. (505,019 sq. km). Cap.: Madrid. Spanish, España. * * * Spain Introduction Spain Background: Spain s powerful world empire of the 16th and… …
46Oregon Trail — For other uses, see Oregon Trail (disambiguation). Oregon Trail The route of the Oregon Trail shown on a map of the western United States from Independence, Missouri (on the eastern end) to Oregon City, Oregon (on the western end) …
47Lesotho — /leuh sooh tooh, soh toh/, n. a monarchy in S Africa: formerly a British protectorate; gained independence 1966; member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 2,007,814; 11,716 sq. mi. (30,344 sq. km). Cap.: Maseru. Formerly, Basutoland. * * * Lesotho… …
48Swiss plateau — Satellite image of the Swiss plateau between the Jura and the Alps The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau (plateau suisse in French, Schweizer Mittelland in German, altipiano svizzero in Italian) constitutes one of the three major landscapes in… …
49Mesopotamia, 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… …
50Islāmic world — Introduction prehistory and history of the Islamic community. Adherence to Islām is a global phenomenon: Muslims predominate in some 30 to 40 countries, from the Atlantic to the Pacific and along a belt that stretches across northern… …
