Ajaria, autonomous republic in Georgia, in the southwestern corner of that country, adjacent to the Black Sea and the Turkish frontier. It is largely mountainous with the exception of a narrow coastal strip. Batumi is the capital and largest city. Area 1,112 square miles (2,880 square km). Pop.

Patna: …the 5th century bce by Ajatashatru, king of Magadha (South Bihar). His son Udaya (Udayin) made it the capital of Magadha, which it remained until the 1st century bce. The second Magadha dynasty, the Maurya, ruled in the 3rd and early 2nd centuries bce until the city was sacked in…

Web application: History and development: …interactivity did not arrive until AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML), a new programming model named by user-experience designer Jesse James Garrett in his 2005 paper “Ajax: A New Approach to Web Application.” Programmers realized that by breaking an application into multiple tiers, they could use existing software to separate the…

Ajax, in Greek legend, son of Telamon, king of Salamis, described in the Iliad as being of great stature and colossal frame, second only to the Greek hero Achilles in strength and bravery. He engaged Hector (the chief Trojan warrior) in single combat and later, with the aid of the goddess Athena,

Ajax, in Greek legend, son of Oileus, king of Locris; he was said to be boastful, arrogant, and quarrelsome. For his crime of dragging King Priam’s daughter Cassandra from the statue of the goddess Athena and violating her, he barely escaped being stoned to death by his Greek allies. Odysseus knew

Peter Sellars: His controversial production of Ajax (1986) took the form of a post-Vietnam military trial. Among his many striking opera productions, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni was staged in an urban ghetto, his Così fan tutte in a diner, and his Marriage of Figaro in a corporate high-rise. He collaborated…

Graf Spee: …consisting of the cruisers Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles, commanded by Commodore H. Harwood. At 6:14 am Harwood’s three ships attacked, but in a little more than an hour the Graf Spee had damaged the Exeter and driven off the other two cruisers. The Graf Spee then made off in the…

Ajax, Dutch professional football (soccer) club formed in 1900 in Amsterdam. Ajax is the Netherlands’ most successful club and is best known for producing a series of entertaining attacking teams. Ajax was promoted to the top Dutch league, the Eredivisie, for the first time in 1911. Under the

Ajax, in Greek legend, son of Telamon, king of Salamis, described in the Iliad as being of great stature and colossal frame, second only to the Greek hero Achilles in strength and bravery. He engaged Hector (the chief Trojan warrior) in single combat and later, with the aid of the goddess Athena,

Ajax, in Greek legend, son of Oileus, king of Locris; he was said to be boastful, arrogant, and quarrelsome. For his crime of dragging King Priam’s daughter Cassandra from the statue of the goddess Athena and violating her, he barely escaped being stoned to death by his Greek allies. Odysseus knew

Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz was a Polish logician and semanticist who was the chief contributor to the Warsaw school of philosophy and logic, which analyzed the relationship of language and knowledge. He is credited with developing in 1920 the first deductive theory for the study of logic based on

monosodium glutamate (MSG), white crystalline substance, a sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid, that is used to intensify the natural flavour of certain foods. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is an important ingredient in the cuisines of China and Japan and is used commercially in broths, soups,

bridge: Ōsaka Harbour: …as the Konohana is the Ajigawa cable-stayed bridge, with a span of 344 metres (1,148 feet) and an elegantly thin deck just over three metres deep.

Indian philosophy: Background: …and by materialists, such as Ajita Keshakambalin, who, besides denying virtue, vice, and afterlife, resolved being into material elements. Protests were also voiced by Nigantha Nataputta, who believed in salvation by an ascetic life of self-discipline and hence in the efficacy of deeds and the possibility of omniscience, and, finally,…

ajiva, in the Jainist philosophy of India, “nonliving substance,” as opposed to jiva, “soul” or “living matter.” Ajiva is divided into: (1) ākāśa, “space,” (2) dharma, “that which makes motion possible,” (3) adharma, “that which makes rest possible,” and (4) pudgala, “matter.” Pudgala consists of

ajiva, in the Jainist philosophy of India, “nonliving substance,” as opposed to jiva, “soul” or “living matter.” Ajiva is divided into: (1) ākāśa, “space,” (2) dharma, “that which makes motion possible,” (3) adharma, “that which makes rest possible,” and (4) pudgala, “matter.” Pudgala consists of

Ajivika, an ascetic sect that emerged in India about the same time as Buddhism and Jainism and that lasted until the 14th century; the name may mean “following the ascetic way of life.” It was founded by Goshala Maskariputra (also called Gosala Makkhaliputta), a friend of Mahavira, the 24th

Ajivika, an ascetic sect that emerged in India about the same time as Buddhism and Jainism and that lasted until the 14th century; the name may mean “following the ascetic way of life.” It was founded by Goshala Maskariputra (also called Gosala Makkhaliputta), a friend of Mahavira, the 24th

Tall al-ʿAjjul, ancient site in southern Palestine, located at the mouth of the Ghazzah Wadi just south of the town of Gaza (modern Ghazzah). The site, often called “ancient Gaza,” was excavated between 1930 and 1934 by British archaeologists under the direction of Sir Flinders Petrie. Although the

Veszprém: …in Herend and crystal in Ajka. In the aftermath of the political changes in 1989, the county’s economy became more reliant on the tourism industry centred on Lake Balaton, especially at Veszprém, Balatonfüred, and Balatonalmádi. Veszprém’s industrial legacy put it at the centre of the news in October 2010, however,…

ʿAjmān: …site of the city of ʿAjmān, the capital and major urban settlement. ʿAjmān emirate also includes two interior exclaves (noncontiguous sections) on the Musandam Peninsula, the horn of the Arabian Peninsula. They are tiny Al-Manāmah, 37 miles (60 km) east-southeast of ʿAjmān city, and Maṣfūṭ, 56 miles (90 km) southeast…

ʿAjmān, constituent emirate of the United Arab Emirates (formerly Trucial States, or Trucial Oman). It is the smallest emirate of the country and is composed of three sections. The principal portion, on the Persian Gulf coast, is completely surrounded by the emirate of Al-Shāriqah and is the site

Ajmer, city, central Rajasthan state, northwestern India. The city is on the lower slopes of Taragarh Hill, on the summit of which stands a fortress. Ajmer was founded by Ajayadeva, an 11th-century Rajput ruler. It was annexed to the Delhi sultanate’s Slave dynasty in 1193. Upon payment of tribute

Ajmer, city, central Rajasthan state, northwestern India. The city is on the lower slopes of Taragarh Hill, on the summit of which stands a fortress. Ajmer was founded by Ajayadeva, an 11th-century Rajput ruler. It was annexed to the Delhi sultanate’s Slave dynasty in 1193. Upon payment of tribute

Ajmer, city, central Rajasthan state, northwestern India. The city is on the lower slopes of Taragarh Hill, on the summit of which stands a fortress. Ajmer was founded by Ajayadeva, an 11th-century Rajput ruler. It was annexed to the Delhi sultanate’s Slave dynasty in 1193. Upon payment of tribute

Akshay Kumar: Early films: Ajnabee (2001; “Stranger”) marked a shift for the actor, and his role as a philandering husband and murderer won him his first Filmfare Award, for best villain.

jnana: Its opposite, ajnana (also called avidya), is the false apprehension of reality that keeps the soul from attaining release; it is a form of mistaken knowledge, which has a large measure of validity as far as the realities of the present world are concerned but conceals the…

Ajo, town, Pima county, southwestern Arizona, U.S. Spaniards mined in the area in the 1750s, and the Ajo Copper Company (1854) was the first incorporated mining concern in the Arizona Territory. Copper and silver were the most valuable minerals mined in the area. The mines remained dormant from

organosulfur compound: Reactions: …an unsaturated sulfoxide disulfide called ajoene, which has anticlotting (antithrombotic) properties. When an onion bulb is cut or crushed, an odourless substance in the bulb, S-1-propenylcysteine S-oxide, is similarly transformed into 1-propenesulfenic acid, CH3CH=CH―S―O―H, which rearranges to (Z)-propanethial S-oxide, CH3CH2CH=S+O−, the so-called lacrimatory factor, or tear-inducing substance, of the onion.

pierced work, in metalwork, perforations created for decorative or functional effect or both; the French term for such work is ajouré. Both hand-operated and mechanical tools such as saws, drills, chisels, and punches are used. The principal present-day exponents of this ancient technique are

Endre Szemerédi: …1983 the trio devised the Ajtai-Komlós-Szemerédi (AKS) sorting network, which is an algorithm for sorting n objects in a particular order in log n time steps, the least amount of time theoretically possible.

Denisova Cave, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Anui River valley roughly 60 miles (100 km) south of Biysk in the Altai Mountains of Russia. The cave contains more than 20 layers of excavated artifacts, indicating occupation by hominins as long ago as 280,000 years before the present

bugleweed, (genus Ajuga), genus of about 40 species of Eurasian plants of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Bugleweeds are commonly used in landscaping, and some creeping species, used as ground covers, are widely naturalized. The plants, which can be annuals or perennials, have attractive flowers that

bugleweed: Ground pine, or yellow bugle (A. chamaepitys), is shorter and has yellow flowers and three-parted needlelike leaves that are pine-scented.

bugleweed: Carpet, or common, bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) forms colonies of rosettes of dark green oval leaves in damp meadows or woodlands. It produces short spikes of blue, or occasionally pink or white, flowers on stems up to 30 cm (12 inches) long and uses stolons (runners)…

African dance: The religious context: …similar organization is called the Ajun, whose elders deal with hysterical disorders in women by exorcising evil spirits in initiation ceremonies. During a three-month period in a house shrine, the sufferer is taught songs and dances that have a therapeutic function culminating in a ceremony in which the initiate publicly…

African dance: The religious context: …the society to perform the Ajun-Kpa dance. The female spirit mediums of the Kalabari in the Niger delta, using dance and song as an essential part of their therapy, are also credited with powers of healing.

Somaliland: Historical region: …Adal, centred at Seylac, and Ajuran, centred at Mogadishu.

Mecca: City site: …the peaks of which include Mount (Jabal) Ajyad, which rises to 1,332 feet, and Mount Abū Qubays, which attains 1,220 feet, to the east and Mount Quʿayqʿān, which reaches 1,401 feet, to the west. Mount Hirāʾ rises to 2,080 feet on the northeast and contains a cave in which Muhammad…

surah: …30 equal sections known as ajzāʾ (singular juzʾ; Persian and Urdu sipāra, or pāra). These break up the surahs arbitrarily, without regard to content, into 30 parts in order to facilitate the systematic reading of the entire Qurʾān in 30 days, or one lunar month.

Warsaw Uprising: …Polish underground, known as the Home Army, was anxious because the Soviet Union had already assumed direct control of eastern Poland and had sponsored the formation of the Polish Committee of National Liberation to administer the remainder of Soviet-occupied Polish territory. Hoping to gain control of Warsaw before the Red…

akund floss, downy seed fibre obtained from Calotropis procera and C. gigantea, milkweed plants of the Apocynaceae family (formerly in Asclepiadaceae). Small trees or shrubs, these two species are native to southern Asia and Africa and were introduced to South America and the islands of the

Ak Koyunlu, Turkmen tribal federation that ruled northern Iraq, Azerbaijan, and eastern Anatolia from 1378 to 1508 ce. The Ak Koyunlu were present in eastern Anatolia at least from 1340, according to Byzantine chronicles, and most Ak Koyunlu leaders, including the founder of the dynasty, Kara Osman

Justice and Development Party, political party that came to power in Turkey in the general elections of 2002. In spite of the party’s nonconfessional mandate, the AKP draws significant support from nonsecular Turks and has faced objections from some segments of Turkish society that it harbours an

Justice and Development Party, political party that came to power in Turkey in the general elections of 2002. In spite of the party’s nonconfessional mandate, the AKP draws significant support from nonsecular Turks and has faced objections from some segments of Turkish society that it harbours an

Samarkand: …the 15th century belongs the Ak Saray tomb with a superb fresco of the interior. Rīgestān Square, an impressive public square in the old city, is fronted by several madrasahs (Islamic schools): that of Timur’s grandson, the astronomer Ulūgh Beg (1417–20), and those of Shirdar (1619–1635/36) and Tilakari (mid-17th century),…

Kurmanbek Bakiyev: …in December 2007, his party, Ak Zhol (Bright Path), won 71 of the 90 seats. Mismanagement of Kyrgyzstan’s hydroelectric resources led to an energy crisis in 2008, and allegations of corruption and nepotism plagued Bakiyev and his allies. As Bakiyev’s term progressed, opposition figures also accused him of intimidation and…

AK-47: …rifles from the AK family—the AK-12 and the AK-15—as eventual replacements for the AK-74M. The AK-12 retained the 5.45-mm calibre that had been introduced with the AK-74, but the AK-15 reverted to the Soviet-era 7.62-mm round. Both weapons featured a modernized chassis that allowed for the mounting of scopes, forward…

AK-47: …AK family—the AK-12 and the AK-15—as eventual replacements for the AK-74M. The AK-12 retained the 5.45-mm calibre that had been introduced with the AK-74, but the AK-15 reverted to the Soviet-era 7.62-mm round. Both weapons featured a modernized chassis that allowed for the mounting of scopes, forward grips, and other…

AK-47, Soviet assault rifle, possibly the most widely used shoulder weapon in the world. The initials AK represent Avtomat Kalashnikova, Russian for “automatic Kalashnikov,” for its designer, Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, who designed the accepted version of the weapon in 1947. Almost from the

assault rifle: 8 kg), and the AK-74 version, following later trends in the West, switched to a 5.45-mm cartridge.

AK-47: …version of the AK-74, the AK-74M, was the main infantry weapon of the Russian army into the 21st century.

Budapest: Early settlement and the emergence of medieval Buda: …became Óbuda, a settlement named Ak-Ink (“Ample Water”) was established by the Celtic Eravisci. This became Aquincum when the Romans established a military camp and civilian town there at the end of the 1st century ce. Becoming the seat of the province Pannonia Inferior (c. 106) and then acquiring the…

Qyzylorda, city, south-central Kazakhstan, on the Syr Darya (ancient Jaxartes River). Originally founded in the early 19th century as the Kokand fort of Ak-Mechet, it was renamed Perovsk after its capture by the Russians in 1853. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 the name of Ak-Mechet was

Simferopol: …to the Tatar settlement of Ak-Mechet, after the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. Simferopol has a wide range of food-processing industries and makes wine and tobacco products. There are also light engineering and consumer-goods industries; products have included machine tools, armatures, television sets, clothing, and footwear. The city has several…

Nebraska: Cultural life: Each October the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben (Nebraska spelled in reverse), an Omaha civic organization founded in 1895, crown a king and a queen of Quivira. This event commemorates the search through the plains in 1541 of the Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado for the legendary Seven Golden…

Timurid dynasty: Of the Ak-Saray, Timur’s palace built between 1390 and 1405 at Kesh, only the monumental gates remain, again with coloured-tile decoration.

Himalayas: People of the Himalayas: …groups—the Abor or Adi, the Aka, the Apa Tani, the Dafla, the Khampti, the Khowa, the Mishmi, the Momba, the Miri, and the Singpho. Linguistically, they are Tibeto-Burman. Each

Bambuti: …populations of Ituri Pygmies—the Sua, Aka, Efe, and Mbuti—each of which has formed a loose economic and cultural interdependency with an agriculturalist group. They are nomadic hunters and gatherers living in small bands that vary in composition and size throughout the year but are generally formed into patrilineal groups of…

Roe v. Wade: However, in the documentary AKA Jane Roe (2020), a dying McCorvey claimed that she had been paid by antiabortion groups to support their cause.

Jukun: The king, called Aka Uku, was—until he became a member of northern Nigeria’s house of chiefs in 1947—a typical example of a semidivine priest-king.

Yamana Mochitoyo was the head of the most powerful warrior clan in western Japan in the 15th century. Yamana’s attempts to increase his family’s rank and influence brought him into conflict with a rival clan in eastern Japan and resulted in the Ōnin War (1467–77), which was followed by a century of

Al-ʿAqabah, port town, extreme southwestern Jordan. It lies on the Gulf of Aqaba, an inlet of the Red Sea, just east of the Jordan-Israel frontier on the gulf. It is Jordan’s only seaport. Because of freshwater springs in the vicinity, it has been settled for millennia; King Solomon’s port and

Akademgorodok, scientific research city located near Novosibirsk at the northeast corner of the Novosibirsk Reservoir, south-central Russia. Akademgorodok is home to numerous research institutes and is the seat of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is, after Moscow and St.

Akademii Nauk Range, mountain range, western Pamirs, central Tajikistan. The mountains, extending north-south, are approximately 68 miles (110 km) in length and are composed mostly of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, together with some granite. Glaciation from permanent snowcaps extends over an

Akademii Nauk Range, mountain range, western Pamirs, central Tajikistan. The mountains, extending north-south, are approximately 68 miles (110 km) in length and are composed mostly of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, together with some granite. Glaciation from permanent snowcaps extends over an

Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80, overture composed by Johannes Brahms on the occasion of his receiving an honorary doctorate of music from the University of Breslau (now the University of Wrocław in Wrocław, Poland). The work was composed in 1880 and first performed on January 4, 1881. No doubt

Akademii Nauk Range, mountain range, western Pamirs, central Tajikistan. The mountains, extending north-south, are approximately 68 miles (110 km) in length and are composed mostly of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, together with some granite. Glaciation from permanent snowcaps extends over an

African music: Interlocking: …in the music of the akadinda xylophone. Here a group of three musicians plays a short pattern of equally spaced notes in parallel octaves. Three musicians sitting opposite them interlock with another pattern that fits two equally spaced notes between each note of the first group’s pattern. In numerical notation…

Rwanda: Plant and animal life: …match the resources of the Akagera National Park. This picturesque park contains significant populations of buffalo, zebra, impala, and other range animals, as well as baboons, warthogs, lions, and hippopotamuses. Rare species, such as the giant pangolin (an anteater), are also

Kagera River, most remote headstream of the Nile River and largest tributary of Lake Victoria, rising in Burundi near the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika. It is formed at the confluence of its two headstreams—the Nyawarongo (Niavarongo) and the Ruvubu (Ruvuvu)—which in turn are fed by streams

Japanese Communist Party: Its newspaper, Akahata (“Red Flag”), published in daily and weekly editions, has a large national circulation.

Kurosawa Akira: Later works of Kurosawa Akira: Akahige (1965; Red Beard) combines elements of entertainment with a sentimental humanism. In the 1960s, however, Japanese cinema fell into an economic depression, and Kurosawa’s plans, in most cases, were found by film companies to be too expensive. As a result, Kurosawa attempted to work with Hollywood…

Japanese Alps: …also includes the Kiso and Akaishi ranges to the south.

Hawaii: Constitutional framework: Daniel Inouye, of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, also known as the Akaka Bill, which would establish a Native Hawaiian governing body to negotiate with the state and federal governments on issues relating to land, assets, and natural resources. Although the bill has not been passed by the…

Akaka Falls, waterfall, Hawaii county, northeastern Hawaii island, Hawaii, U.S. A central feature of Akaka Falls State Park (65 acres [26 hectares]), it is easily reached by foot trail. The waterfall is located 14 miles (23 km) north of Hilo in a canyon 4 miles (6.5 km) inland from the village of

Mazie Hirono: Daniel Akaka. She defeated Lingle in the general election and assumed office in 2013. She easily won reelection in 2018, and earned a reputation as a determined critic of the policies of Pres. Donald Trump. A liberal Democrat, Hirono typically voted with her party’s leadership.…

African dance: Masquerade dancers: The Nago and Akakayi ancestral masqueraders of the Gwari wear close-fitting head and body coverings, which permit rapid, staccato movements while dancing at the “second burial” (i.e., the post-burial celebrations) of a leader of the community. The Egungun ancestral masqueraders of Yorubaland appear in a wide variety of…

Akal Takht, the chief centre of religious authority of Sikhism. It is located in the city of Amritsar in Punjab state, northwestern India. Similar seats of authority (takhts) are located at Anandpur and Talwando Sabo (near Bathinda) in Punjab, Patna in Bihar state, and Nanded in Maharashtra state.

Indian philosophy: Jain philosophy: Other important figures are Akalanka (8th century), Manikyanandi, Vadideva, Hemchandra (12th century), Prabhachandra (11th century), and Yasovijaya (17th century).

Mrinal Sen: Akaler Sandhane (In Search of Famine, 1980), the story of a film crew documenting the 1943 Bengal famine, won the Silver Bear (Special Jury Prize) at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1981.

Akali, a movement in Sikhism. Akali also refers to any member of suicide squads in the armies of the Sikhs in India. The Akali suicide squads first appeared about 1690. Earlier in that century the Mughals had executed Arjan and Tegh Bahadur, the fifth and ninth Gurus, respectively, and the

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), regional political party in Punjab state, northwestern India. It is the principal advocacy organization of the large Sikh community in the state and is centred on the philosophy of promoting the well-being of the country’s Sikh population by providing them with a

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), regional political party in Punjab state, northwestern India. It is the principal advocacy organization of the large Sikh community in the state and is centred on the philosophy of promoting the well-being of the country’s Sikh population by providing them with a

South Asian arts: Śaṅgam literature: …are classified by theme into akam (“interior”) and puṟam (“exterior”), the former highly structured love poems, the latter heroic poems on war, death, personal virtues, the ferocity and glory of kings, and the poverty of poets. Both the akam and the puṟam had well-defined tiṇais (genres) that paralleled one another:…

Shimonoseki: The Akama Shrine hosts an annual festival in April commemorating the defeat at the city site of the Taira (Heike) clan in the 12th century. Pop. (2000) 301,097; (2010); 280,947.

Shimonoseki, city, southwestern Yamaguchi ken (prefecture), far western Honshu, Japan. It occupies a strategic position on the Kanmon (Shimonoseki) Strait between Honshu and Kyushu. Kitakyūshū lies opposite Shimonoseki across the strait. The city, the most populous in the prefecture, was formerly

Akan, ethnolinguistic grouping of peoples of the Guinea Coast who speak Akan languages (of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family). They include the speakers of the Akyem, Anyi, Asante (Ashanti), Attié, Baule, Brong, Chakosi, Fante (Fanti), and Guang languages; some scholars also consider Twi a

Akan languages, dialect cluster of the Nyo group within the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Its principal members are Asante (Ashanti), Fante (Fanti), Brong (Abron), and Akuapem. The Akan cluster is located primarily in southern Ghana, although many Brong speakers live in eastern

Akan states, historical complex of gold-producing forest states in western Africa lying between the Comoé and Volta rivers (in an area roughly corresponding to the coastal lands of the modern republics of Togo, Ghana, and, in part, Côte d’Ivoire). Their economic, political, and social systems were

Brassicales: Akaniaceae and Tropaeolaceae: Akaniaceae and Tropaeolaceae both have large zygomorphic flowers with eight stamens and an ovary with three compartments, with the ovules at the apex of each. Geographically and morphologically they might otherwise seem an unlikely pair.

Brassicales: Akaniaceae and Tropaeolaceae: Akaniaceae and Tropaeolaceae both have large zygomorphic flowers with eight stamens and an ovary with three compartments, with the ovules at the apex of each. Geographically and morphologically they might otherwise seem an unlikely pair.

Quapaw, North American Indian people of the Dhegiha branch of the Siouan language stock. With the other members of this subgroup (including the Osage, Ponca, Kansa, and Omaha), the Quapaw migrated westward from the Atlantic coast. They settled for a time on the prairies of what is now western

Alicante, port city, capital of Alicante provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Valencia, southeastern Spain. It is located on Alicante Bay of the Mediterranean Sea. Founded as Akra Leuke (“White Summit”) by Phocaean Greeks (from the west coast of Asia Minor) in

Tiwanaku: …buildings of Tiwanaku include the Akapana Pyramid, a huge platform mound or stepped pyramid of earth faced with cut andesite; a rectangular enclosure known as the Kalasasaya, constructed of alternating tall stone columns and smaller rectangular blocks; and another enclosure known as the Palacio. A notable feature of the Kalasasaya…

Acaraí Mountains, low range on the border of Brazil (Pará state) and southern Guyana. The mountains, which rise to about 2,000 feet (600 metres) above sea level, run in an east–west direction for about 80 miles (130 km) and form part of the northern watershed of the Amazon Basin. The whole area is

Akari, Japanese satellite observatory that carried a 67-cm (26-inch) near- to far-infrared telescope. On February 22, 2006, Akari (“Light” in Japanese) was launched from the Uchinoura Space Center in Japan. Its mission was to produce an infrared map of the entire sky that would improve on the map

Greece: Western Greece: Ípeiros and Akarnanía: Western Greece consists of Ípeiros (Epirus) and Akarnanía (Acarnania), which is the area north of the Gulf of Korinthiakós to the Albanian frontier, and is often considered to include the offshore Iónia (Ionian) Islands. The distinctiveness of western Greece is enhanced by the fact…

Acarnania, district of ancient Greece bounded by the Ionian Sea, the Ambracian Gulf, Mount Thyamus, and the Achelous River. Corinth founded several colonies on the coast of Acarnania in the 7th and 6th centuries bc. Originally a tribal unit, Acarnania developed into a federal state with generals

Akaroa, community, eastern South Island, New Zealand. It is situated on the shore of French Bay, inside Akaroa Harbour, which is a rocky inlet on the Banks Peninsula formed when the sea breached the erosion-enlarged crater of an ancient volcano. The town’s name derives from the Maori for “long