- Great Swamp (swamp, New Jersey, United States)
Great Swamp Fight: …Narragansett winter camp in the Great Swamp near West Kingston, Rhode Island. The Narragansett had endeavored to remain neutral in the fight, but because they refused to surrender any Pokanoket living among them they were declared enemies by the English, who assumed without evidence that they harbored Philip as well.
- Great Swamp Fight (North American history [1675])
Great Swamp Fight, critical battle of King Philip’s War, fought on December 19, 1675, in which the Native peoples of New England fought English settlers and their Mohegan and Pequot allies in what is believed to be the bloodiest conflict per capita in U.S. history. Sometimes called the “Great Swamp
- Great Swamp Massacre (North American history [1675])
Great Swamp Fight, critical battle of King Philip’s War, fought on December 19, 1675, in which the Native peoples of New England fought English settlers and their Mohegan and Pequot allies in what is believed to be the bloodiest conflict per capita in U.S. history. Sometimes called the “Great Swamp
- Great Table diamond (gem)
Daryā-e Nūr: …the major portion of the Great Table diamond, seen by the French jewel trader Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in Golconda in 1642. The other piece of the Great Table is thought to have been recut as an oval, pink, 60-carat brilliant called the Nūr ol-ʿEyn (meaning “light of the eye”).
- Great Telescope (telescope, Birr, Ireland)
William Parsons, 3rd earl of Rosse: …largest reflecting telescope, the “Leviathan,” of the 19th century.
- Great Temple (archaeological site, Egypt)
Abu Simbel, site of two temples built by the Egyptian king Ramses II (reigned 1279–13 bce), now located in Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), southern Egypt. In ancient times the area was at the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt, facing Nubia. The four colossal statues of Ramses in front of the main
- Great Temple Mound (earthwork structure, Georgia, United States)
Ocmulgee National Monument: …used for religious ceremonies; the Great Temple Mound, measuring 50 feet (15 metres) in height, is the largest mound on the site. Artifacts such as copper and shell ornaments and evidence of more than 100 burials have been uncovered in the Funeral Mound. Both the Funeral Mound and the Lesser…
- Great Temple of Amon (temple complex, Karnak, Egypt)
Thutmose I: 1760 bce) temple of Amon at Thebes. He erected an enclosure wall and two pylons at the western end, with a small pillared hall in between. Two obelisks were added in front of the outer pylon. Thutmose created the axial temple, which became standard for the New…
- Great Temple of Confucius (temple, Qufu, China)
Qufu: The Great Temple of Confucius in the town was built in 1724. Inside the large ceremonial hall of the temple is a large statue of Confucius, surrounded by statues of his disciples. The temple itself stands within a larger oblong walled enclosure that covers about 49…
- Great Temple of Ptah (temple, Memphis, Egypt)
Memphis: Foundation and Early Dynastic Period: The great temple of Ptah was one of the city’s most prominent structures. According to an Egyptian document known as the “Memphite Theology,” Ptah created humans through the power of his heart and speech; the concept, having been shaped in the heart of the creator, was…
- Great Tenasserim River (river, Myanmar)
Tenasserim: …and is bisected by the Great Tenasserim River, which flows south to the Andaman Sea. Swamp forests are found on the east coast. The Tenasserim plains to the north are drained also by short and rapid rivers, which enter the Gulf of Martaban. The ethnic composition of the area consists…
- Great Theatre of the World, The (play by Calderón)
Western theatre: Spain’s Golden Age: 1635; The Great Theatre of the World) through the hierarchical concept that every man plays his part before God. This theme was also reflected in Calderón’s finest play, La vida es sueño (1635; Life Is a Dream).
- great tinamou (bird)
tinamou: General features: …larger species, such as the great tinamou (Tinamus major). The head is small and the bill medium-sized, relatively thin, and slightly downcurved. The short, rounded wings are inconspicuous on the standing bird, and the primary flight feathers are hidden by the full plumage of the flanks. The bare legs are…
- great tit (bird)
great tit, (Parus major), small, colorful woodland songbird identifiable by its vibrant body coloration and black head and chin, as well as its distinctive two-syllable vocalization, often described as its “tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher” call. Great tits have a vast geographic range that stretches
- great titmouse (bird)
great tit, (Parus major), small, colorful woodland songbird identifiable by its vibrant body coloration and black head and chin, as well as its distinctive two-syllable vocalization, often described as its “tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-cher” call. Great tits have a vast geographic range that stretches
- Great Tōhoku earthquake
Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011, severe natural disaster that occurred in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. The event began with a powerful earthquake off the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island, which caused widespread damage on land and initiated a series of large tsunami
- Great Tomb of Verghina (tomb, Verghina, Greece)
Western painting: Hellenistic period (c. 323–1st Century bc): …the new period is the Great Tomb at Vergina, the exact date of which should lie between the death of Philip II of Macedon, in 336 bc, and the death of his son Philip III, in 317 bc. The facade of the tomb is decorated with a large wall painting…
- Great Tomb of Vergina (tomb, Verghina, Greece)
Western painting: Hellenistic period (c. 323–1st Century bc): …the new period is the Great Tomb at Vergina, the exact date of which should lie between the death of Philip II of Macedon, in 336 bc, and the death of his son Philip III, in 317 bc. The facade of the tomb is decorated with a large wall painting…
- Great Topics of the World (essays by Goldbarth)
Albert Goldbarth: …essays, including those collected in Great Topics of the World (1996) and Many Circles (2001), and the novel Pieces of Payne (2003).
- Great Tradition, The (work by Hicks)
Granville Hicks: His book The Great Tradition (1933; rev. ed. 1935) evaluated American literature since the Civil War from a Marxist point of view.
- Great Tradition, The (work by Leavis)
F.R. Leavis: In The Great Tradition (1948) he reassessed English fiction, proclaiming Jane Austen, George Eliot, Henry James, and Joseph Conrad as the great novelists of the past and D.H. Lawrence as their only successor (D.H. Lawrence: Novelist, 1955). He stressed the importance these novelists placed on “a…
- Great Train Robbery (British history)
Great Train Robbery, (August 8, 1963), in British history, the armed robbery of £2,600,000 (mostly in used bank notes) from the Glasgow–London Royal Mail Train, near Bridego Bridge north of London. The 15 holdup men, wearing helmets, ski masks, and gloves, were aided by two accomplices—an anonymous
- Great Train Robbery, The (film by Crichton [1978])
Sean Connery: …Robin and Marian (1976), and The First Great Train Robbery (1978; also released as The Great Train Robbery). In 1981 he made a memorable appearance as King Agamemnon in Terry Gilliam’s time-travel fantasy Time Bandits, and two years later he delighted Bond fans by returning to the role of 007…
- Great Train Robbery, The (novel by Crichton)
Michael Crichton: …diverged from science fiction with The Great Train Robbery (1972; film 1979), a heist thriller set in Victorian England, and Eaters of the Dead (1976; film 1999), a historical narrative incorporating elements of the Beowulf myth. Congo (1980; film 1995) weaves factual accounts of primate communication with humans into a…
- Great Transformation, The (work by Polanyi)
Karl Polanyi: The Great Transformation (1944) concentrated on the development of the market economy in the 19th century, with Polanyi presenting his belief that this form of economy was so socially divisive that it had no long-term future. The second volume, Trade and Markets in the Early…
- Great Trek (South African history)
Great Trek, the emigration of some 12,000 to 14,000 Boers from Cape Colony in South Africa between 1835 and the early 1840s, in rebellion against the policies of the British government and in search of fresh pasturelands. The Great Trek is regarded by Afrikaners as a central event of their
- Great Tri-State Tornado (United States history)
Tri-State Tornado of 1925, tornado, the deadliest in U.S. history, that traveled from southeastern Missouri through southern Illinois and into southwestern Indiana on March 18, 1925. The storm completely destroyed a number of towns and caused 695 deaths. The tornado materialized about 1:00 pm local
- Great Trigonometric Survey (topographical survey, India)
trigonometry: Application to science: Known as the Great Trigonometric Survey, it lasted from 1800 to 1913 and culminated with the discovery of the tallest mountain on Earth—Peak XV, or Mount Everest.
- Great Triumvirate (United States history)
Henry Clay: Public office of Henry Clay: …constituted what contemporaries called “the Great Triumvirate.” It marked their contribution to the Senate’s intellectual power and oratory in ways that may never be equaled. In 1957 a special committee headed by Sen. John F. Kennedy solidified the triumvirate’s reputation when it named Clay, Webster, and Calhoun as among…
- Great Uhuru railway (railway, Tanzania-Zambia)
Tanzania: Transportation: The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) rail line, running between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri-Mposhi on the Zambian border, was built with Chinese aid in the early 1970s. It provided the main outlet to the sea for Zambia’s copper exports prior to the political changes in South…
- Great Union (flag of Great Britain)
- Great Union Flag (historical United States flag)
Grand Union Flag, American colonial banner first displayed by George Washington on Jan. 1, 1776. It showed the British Union Flag of 1606 in the canton. Its field consisted of seven red and six white alternated stripes representing the 13 colonies. The Stars and Stripes officially replaced it on
- Great United States Motorized Circus (American circus)
circus: History: …which began with the short-lived Great United States Motorized Circus in 1919. During the 1920s motor transport also proved successful for such companies as the Downie Bros. Circus and the Seils-Sterling Circus. At first there was a tendency within the profession to belittle the truck shows, but most accepted the…
- Great Valley Region (region, North America)
Great Appalachian Valley, longitudinal chain of valley lowlands of the Appalachian mountain system of North America. Extending from Canada on the northeast to Alabama, U.S., on the southwest, it includes the St. Lawrence River valley in Canada and the Kittatinny, Cumberland, Shenandoah, and
- Great Victoria Desert (desert, Australia)
Great Victoria Desert, arid wasteland in southern Australia that is Australia’s largest desert. A vast expanse of sand hills, partly fixed by Triodia (Spinifex) grass and salt marshes, it lies in Western Australia and South Australia, extending from the Gibson Desert on the north to the Nullarbor
- Great Vienna Coup (whist)
bridge: Bridge problems: …at whist was the “Great Vienna Coup,” with which the expert whist players had difficulty even when they could see all four hands. Execution of this and similarly difficult plays is commonplace among contract bridge players far below the highest rank.
- Great Vowel Shift (linguistics)
Great Vowel Shift, in historical linguistics, a series of significant and parallel changes in the articulation of English long vowels (i.e., vowels whose articulations are stressed and relatively longer than those of other vowels), extending from approximately the 15th to the 18th century and
- Great Waldo Pepper, The (film by Hill [1975])
George Roy Hill: Later work: Hill next directed Redford in The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), a drama about a barnstorming pilot in the 1920s. Despite generally positive reviews, the film received a tepid response from moviegoers. He then reunited with Newman for Slap Shot (1977), a profane but rousing profile of a lowly minor-league hockey…
- Great Wall of China (wall, China)
Great Wall of China, extensive bulwark erected in ancient China, one of the largest building-construction projects ever undertaken. The Great Wall actually consists of numerous walls—many of them parallel to each other—built over some two millennia across northern China and southern Mongolia. The
- Great Wall, The (film by Zhang [2016])
Matt Damon: Later credits: After the disappointing fantasy thriller The Great Wall (2016), Damon starred in the dark comedy Suburbicon (2017) as a father with dubious motives. His other credits from 2017 included Downsizing, a sci-fi satire in which he portrayed a man who undergoes a medical procedure that causes him to shrink. Damon…
- Great Wallendas, the (acrobatic troupe)
Karl Wallenda: …Rico) was the founder of the Great Wallendas, a circus acrobatic troupe famed for their three-man-high pyramid on the high wire.
- Great War (1914–1918)
World War I, an international conflict that in 1914–18 embroiled most of the nations of Europe along with Russia, the United States, the Middle East, and other regions. The war pitted the Central Powers—mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey—against the Allies—mainly France, Great Britain,
- Great War and Modern Memory, The (work by Fussell)
historiography: Military history: In The Great War and Modern Memory (1975), Paul Fussell made full use of these documents to produce an account of life in the trenches. Although the literary output of soldiers in World War II was much less significant, the American writer Studs Terkel, using techniques…
- Great War for Civilisation: the Conquest of the Middle East, The (work by Fisk)
Robert Fisk: …Nation: Lebanon at War (2001), The Great War for Civilisation—the Conquest of the Middle East (2005), and The Age of the Warrior: Selected Essays (2008). Fisk’s work was profiled in the documentary This Is Not a Movie (2019).
- Great War for the Empire (North American history)
French and Indian War, American phase of a worldwide nine years’ war (1754–63) fought between France and Great Britain. (The more-complex European phase was the Seven Years’ War [1756–63].) It determined control of the vast colonial territory of North America. Three earlier phases of this extended
- Great Week (Christianity)
Holy Week, in the Christian church, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, observed with special solemnity as a time of devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ. In the Greek and Roman liturgical books, it is called the Great Week because great deeds were done by God during this week. The name
- Great Wenchuan Earthquake (China)
Sichuan earthquake of 2008, massive and enormously devastating earthquake that occurred in the mountainous central region of Sichuan province in southwestern China on May 12, 2008. The epicentre of the magnitude-7.9 quake (measured as magnitude 8.0 by the Chinese) was located near the city of
- Great Western (ship)
Great Western, earliest regular transatlantic steamer. On its maiden voyage, the Great Western left Bristol, England, on April 8, 1838, and arrived in New York City 15 days later (half the time that sailing ships usually took). Designed by the British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Great
- Great Western (Canadian railway)
Toronto: Early settlement: …the Northern, Grand Trunk, and Great Western railways in the 1850s, connecting Toronto to the rich farmland of southern Ontario and timber resources to the north. These rail lines also facilitated the transportation of goods and people between Toronto and Montreal, thus improving the St. Lawrence and transatlantic trade. In…
- Great Western Mountains (mountains, Tasmania, Australia)
Great Western Tiers, mountains in central Tasmania, Australia. They form the northern and eastern border of the Central Plateau. Basaltic in composition, their fault-formed scarps rise to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) near the River Mersey in the northwest; from Mount Ironstone, the highest peak (4,736 feet
- Great Western Railway (British railway)
Swindon: …market town, but, when the Great Western Railway built its main engineering works there, the population rapidly increased to 45,000. During the 1950s the town decided to accept overspill population and industry from Greater London, about 75 miles (120 km) to the east. Considerable redevelopment and rapid growth ensued. However,…
- Great Western Schism (Roman Catholic history)
Western Schism, in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, the period from 1378 to 1417, when there were two, and later three, rival popes, each with his own following, his own Sacred College of Cardinals, and his own administrative offices. Shortly after the return of the papal residence to Rome
- Great Western Steamship Company (British company)
ship: The Atlantic Ferry: …Railway Company set up a Great Western Steamship Company in 1836, and the ship designed by Brunel, the Great Western, set sail for New York City on April 8, 1838. Thus began a flow of shipping that earned in the second half of the 19th century the sobriquet “the Atlantic…
- Great Western Tea Company (American company)
Kroger Co., American chain of supermarkets and related retail businesses. In the early 21st century, Kroger was the world’s third largest retailer and the largest chain of freestanding supermarkets in the United States. Corporate headquarters are in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Kroger Co. traces its
- Great Western Tiers (mountains, Tasmania, Australia)
Great Western Tiers, mountains in central Tasmania, Australia. They form the northern and eastern border of the Central Plateau. Basaltic in composition, their fault-formed scarps rise to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) near the River Mersey in the northwest; from Mount Ironstone, the highest peak (4,736 feet
- Great White (American rock band)
The Station nightclub fire: …that the hard rock act Great White would be headlining an evening of 1980s retro rock music at The Station, fans turned out in force. The warm-up acts went down well, and, by the time Great White took the stage, shortly after 11:00 p.m., the crowd’s spirits were high. The…
- great white egret (bird)
egret: The great white egret, Egretta (sometimes Casmerodius) alba, of both hemispheres, is about 90 cm (35 inches) long and bears plumes only on the back. The American populations of this bird are sometimes called American, or common, egrets.
- Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge (wildlife refuge, Florida, United States)
Florida Keys: …keys has been designated the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge, and another refuge is located immediately west of Key West. Big Pine Key, largest of the lower keys, is a refuge for the tiny key deer and has unusual displays of cacti.
- Great White Hope, The (play by Sackler)
The Great White Hope, play by Howard Sackler, later adapted as a film, loosely based on the life of turn-of-the-century African American boxer Jack Johnson. The title refers to the hopes some fans had for a white boxer to end Johnson’s reign as heavyweight champion and is a symbol of racism and
- Great White Hope, The (film by Ritt [1970])
Martin Ritt: Films of the 1970s: Ritt’s version of The Great White Hope (1970), adapted from the Broadway play by Howard Sackler about the triumphs and struggles of the great African American boxer Jack Johnson, featured the stars of the original stage production, James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander. Both were nominated for Academy
- great white shark (fish)
white shark, (Carcharodon carcharias), any member of the largest living species of the mackerel sharks (Lamnidae) and one of the most powerful and dangerous predatory sharks in the world. Starring as the villain of movies such as Jaws (1975), the white shark is much maligned and publicly feared.
- Great White Spot (storm system, Saturn)
Saturn: Composition and structure: …in impressiveness to this “Great White Spot” (so named in analogy with Jupiter’s Great Red Spot) have been observed at about 30-year intervals dating back to the late 19th century. This is close to Saturn’s orbital period of 29.4 years, which suggests that these storms are seasonal phenomena.
- Great White Throne (monolith, Utah, United States)
Zion National Park: The Great White Throne, a giant monolith on one canyon wall, rises 2,394 feet (730 metres) above the canyon floor. Among the park’s other sites are Emerald Pools, Weeping Rock, and the Temple of Sinawava, all in Zion Canyon, and Kolob Arch, in the Kolob Canyons…
- Great White Wonder, The (unofficial album by Dylan)
Bob Dylan: Changing image: Meanwhile, rock’s first bootleg album, The Great White Wonder—containing unreleased, “liberated” Dylan recordings—appeared in independent record stores. Its distribution methods were shrouded in secrecy (certainly Columbia, whose contract with Dylan the album violated, was not involved).
- Great Wild Goose Pagoda (shrine, Xi’an, China)
Chinese architecture: The Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) dynasties: …(190-foot-) high Dayan Ta, or Great Wild Goose Pagoda, of the Ci’en Temple in Chang’an, on which the successive stories are marked by corbeled cornices, and timber features are simulated in stone by flat columns, or pilasters, struts, and capitals.
- great willow herb (plant)
fireweed, (Epilobium angustifolium), perennial wildflower, in the evening primrose family (Onagraceae), abundant on newly clear and burned areas. Its spikes of whitish to magenta flowers, which grow up to 1.5 m (5 feet) high, can be a spectacular sight on prairies of the temperate zone. Like those
- Great World (theater center, Shanghai, China)
Shanghai: Cultural life: The Dashijie (“Great World”), founded in the 1920s, is Shanghai’s leading theatrical centre and offers folk operas, dance performances, plays, story readings, and specialized entertainment forms typical of China’s national minority groups. The city also has many workers’ and children’s recreational clubs and several large motion-picture…
- Great World, The (novel by Malouf)
David Malouf: The Great World (1990), about POWs in World War II, won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (now Commonwealth Book Prize). Malouf’s other novels include Harland’s Half Acre (1984), Remembering Babylon (1993), and Conversations at Curlow Creek (1996). Ransom (2009) is a retelling of the Iliad by…
- Great Yarmouth (district, England, United Kingdom)
Great Yarmouth: Great Yarmouth, town and borough (district), administrative county of Norfolk, England. The borough stretches for 15 miles (24 km) along the North Sea on the eastern side of the county and includes agricultural tracts and marshes in its hinterland. The town of Great Yarmouth is…
- Great Yarmouth (England, United Kingdom)
Great Yarmouth, town and borough (district), administrative county of Norfolk, England. The borough stretches for 15 miles (24 km) along the North Sea on the eastern side of the county and includes agricultural tracts and marshes in its hinterland. The town of Great Yarmouth is the borough’s
- great yellow gentian (plant)
gentian: Gentiana lutea, the yellow gentian, is found in Europe and western Asia and is the source of a flavouring in liqueurs.
- Great Yen dynasty (Chinese history)
An Lushan: An Lushan’s rebellion: …proclaimed himself emperor of the Great Yen dynasty.
- Great Yenisey River (river, Russia)
Yenisey River: Physical features: …the confluence of its headstreams—the Great (Bolshoy) Yenisey, or By-Khem, which rises on the Eastern Sayan Mountains of Tyva, and the Little (Maly) Yenisey, or Ka-Khem, which rises in the Darhadïn Bowl of Mongolia. From the confluence the Yenisey River runs for 2,167 miles (3,487 km), mainly along the border…
- Great Yugan (river, Russia)
Ob River: Physiography: …tributaries: the Tromyegan (right), the Great (Bolshoy) Yugan (left), the Lyamin (right), the Great Salym (left), the Nazym (right), and finally, at Khanty-Mansiysk, the Irtysh (left). In its course through the taiga, the middle Ob has a minimal gradient, a valley broadening to 18 to 30 miles (29 to 48…
- Great Zab River (river, Asia)
Tigris-Euphrates river system: Physiography of the Tigris: …the left-bank junctions with the Great Zab and Little Zab rivers. During flood time, in March and April, the two Zabs double the volume of the Tigris, but their flow is controlled by the Bakhma and Dukān dams. The rapids of Al-Fatḥah Gorge impede navigation.
- Great Zāb River, Battle of the (Islamic history)
ʿAbbasid caliphate: …last Umayyad caliph, at the Battle of the Great Zab River (750) in Mesopotamia and to the proclamation of the first Abbasid caliph, Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Saffāḥ.
- Great Ziegfeld, The (film by Leonard [1936])
Robert Z. Leonard: Dancing Lady to Ziegfeld Girl: Next was The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Leonard’s best and biggest hit. The lavish biopic of flamboyant showman Flo Ziegfeld starred MGM’s number-one team, Powell and Myrna Loy. However, it was Rainer in the tear-suffused role of Flo’s neglected wife, Anna Held, who stole the show, winning the…
- Great Zimbabwe (historical city, Zimbabwe)
Great Zimbabwe, extensive stone ruins of an African Iron Age city. It lies in southeastern Zimbabwe, about 19 miles (30 km) southeast of Masvingo (formerly Fort Victoria). The central area of ruins extends about 200 acres (80 hectares), making Great Zimbabwe the largest of more than 150 major stone
- Great Zimbabwe National Monument (historical city, Zimbabwe)
Great Zimbabwe, extensive stone ruins of an African Iron Age city. It lies in southeastern Zimbabwe, about 19 miles (30 km) southeast of Masvingo (formerly Fort Victoria). The central area of ruins extends about 200 acres (80 hectares), making Great Zimbabwe the largest of more than 150 major stone
- great-grandparent (kinship)
consanguinity: Lineal and collateral kin: A great-grandparent and great-grandchild are genetically related to the same degree as a pair of first cousins. The grandparent is, however, a lineal kinsman, whereas the cousin is collateral kin. In genetics the degree of consanguinity is the sole factor of significance, but in various communities…
- great-tailed grackle (bird)
grackle: …great-tailed and boat-tailed grackles (Cassidix mexicanus and C. major), the male has a long, deeply keeled tail: his total length may be 43 cm. These species are found in arid lands of the southwestern United States to Peru and in salt marshes from New Jersey to Texas. The latter…
- Greatbach, William (British engraver and potter)
cauliflower ware: About 1760, William Greatbach undertook the potting and modelling, jobbed out to him by Josiah Wedgwood, of cauliflower tureens and stands, lettuce pots, and pineapple teapots, which were returned to Wedgwood for glazing. Production was lively and was imitated by other Staffordshire potters, yet it died out…
- greater adelantado (Spanish governor)
Spain: Castilian institutions, society, and culture: …responsibilities, including the posts of adelantado mayor (governor) in Castile, Murcia, and Andalusia. In order to retain their favour, the Trastámara kings granted them vast territorial lordships as well as lordships over some of the principal municipalities. This was a serious loss for the monarchy, as the cities and towns…
- greater amberjack (fish)
carangid: The greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili), for example, reaches a length and weight of about 1.8 m (6 feet) and 70 kg (150 pounds). The members of the family are known by various common names. There are the moonfish, pompano, pilot fish, runner, jack (qq.v.), and others.…
- Greater Antarctica (region, Antarctica)
Antarctica: Structural framework: …long, stable Precambrian shield in East Antarctica and a much younger Mesozoic and Cenozoic mobile belt in West Antarctica—separated by the fault-block belt, or horst, of the Transantarctic Mountains. East and West Antarctica have come to be known respectively as the Gondwana and Andean provinces, indicating general affinities of each…
- Greater Antilles (islands, West Indies)
Greater Antilles, the four largest islands of the Antilles—Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico—their outlying islands, and the Cayman Islands, all lying north of the Lesser Antilles chain. They constitute nearly 90 percent of the total land area of the entire West
- Greater Arab Free Trade Area (economic community, North Africa and Middle East)
Arab integration: Arab integration and globalization: …international agencies, most significantly the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), which removed tariff and customs barriers between Arab countries and was promoted as an essential tool to prepare for the introduction of Arab states into the World Trade Organization and the Euro-Med partnership.
- Greater Arcana (cards)
tarot: …divided into two groups: the major arcana, which has 22 cards, also known as trumps, and the minor arcana, which has 56 cards.
- Greater Armenia (ancient kingdom, Armenia)
Armenia: The Artaxiads: …Roman consent, as kings of Greater Armenia and Sophene, respectively, thus becoming the creators of an independent Armenia. Artaxias built his capital, Artashat (Artaxata), on the Aras River near modern Yerevan. The Greek geographer Strabo refers to the capital of Sophene as Carcathiocerta. An attempt to end the division of…
- Greater Australia (paleocontinent)
Sahul, paleocontinent made up of the present-day landmasses of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea and the land bridges (which were composed of nearby emergent sea basins) that connected them during the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago). Sahul existed from the onset of the
- greater bamboo lemur (primate)
lemur: Lemur diversity: …Hapalemur), and the highly endangered greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus) feed on bamboo stems in the eastern and northwestern rainforests of the island.
- greater bandicoot rat (rodent)
bandicoot rat: The greater bandicoot rat (Bandicota indica) is the largest, weighing 0.5 to 1 kg (1.1 to 2.2 pounds). The shaggy, blackish brown body is 19 to 33 cm (7.5 to 13 inches) long, not including a scantily haired tail of about the same length. Greater bandicoot…
- Greater Barsuki Desert (desert, Kazakhstan)
Kazakhstan: Relief: …amounts of sand form the Greater Barsuki and Aral Karakum deserts near the Aral Sea, the broad Betpaqdala Desert of the interior, and the Muyunkum and Kyzylkum deserts in the south. Most of these desert regions support slight vegetative cover fed by subterranean groundwater.
- Greater Bear, The (constellation)
Ursa Major, in astronomy, a constellation of the northern sky, at about 10 hours 40 minutes right ascension and 56° north declination. It was referred to in the Old Testament (Job 9:9; 38:32) and mentioned by Homer in the Iliad (xviii, 487). The Greeks identified this constellation with the nymph
- greater bilby (marsupial)
bilby, (Macrotis lagotis), small, burrowing, nocturnal, long-eared marsupial belonging to the family Thylacomyidae (order Peramelemorphia) and native to Australia. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, bilbies occupied habitats across more than 70 percent of Australia. At present, however, they are
- greater bird-of-paradise
bird-of-paradise: The greater bird-of-paradise (P. apoda) has been introduced into the island of Little Tobago, in Trinidad and Tobago off the coast of Venezuela.
- greater bulldog bat (mammal)
bulldog bat: The greater bulldog, or fisherman, bat (N. leporinus) is considerably larger, with a length of 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 inches) and a wingspan of up to 70 cm (27.5 inches). Greater bulldog bats weigh about twice that of the lesser. The short fur of both ranges in…
- greater cane rat (rodent)
cane rat: The greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus) and the lesser cane rat (T. gregorianus) both inhabit nonforested sub-Saharan Africa except for Namibia and most of South Africa and Botswana. The two species are found together in certain regions, but they occupy different habitats. The greater cane rat…
- Greater Caucasus (mountains, Eurasia)
Greater Caucasus, major range of the Caucasus Mountains, extending west-east for about 750 miles (1,200 km) from the Taman Peninsula on the Black Sea to the Abşeron Peninsula on the Caspian
- Greater Caucasus Geosyncline
Caspian Sea: Geology of the Caspian Sea: …the sagging edge of the Greater Caucasus Geosyncline (a downwarp of Earth’s crust), while the submerged Turan Platform in the east swells up in the feature known as the Kara-Bogaz (Garabogaz) Swell. The features of the Abşeron Peninsula region, along with the folded structures on the western side of the…