Nambicuara, South American Indian people of the northern Mato Grosso. Once estimated at more than 20,000, the population was devastated by introduced diseases; it had grown to more than 1,000 individuals by the early 21st century. Their language is apparently unrelated to any other. Nambicuara

E.M.S. Namboodiripad was an Indian communist leader and theorist who served as chief minister of Kerala state from 1957 to 1959 and from 1967 to 1969. Namboodiripad was born to an upper-caste Nambudiri Brahman family in a small village near Perinthalmanna, in what is now central Kerala. He was

E.M.S. Namboodiripad was an Indian communist leader and theorist who served as chief minister of Kerala state from 1957 to 1959 and from 1967 to 1969. Namboodiripad was born to an upper-caste Nambudiri Brahman family in a small village near Perinthalmanna, in what is now central Kerala. He was

Yoichiro Nambu was a Japanese-born American physicist who was awarded, with Kobayashi Makoto and Maskawa Toshihide, the 2008 Nobel Prize for Physics. Nambu received half of the prize for his discovery of spontaneous broken symmetry in subatomic physics, which explained why matter is much more

Nambucca Heads, town and promontory, north-coastal New South Wales, Australia. It is located at the mouth of the Nambucca River. The name of the town and of the river is derived from an Aboriginal term meaning “entrance to the waters.” The Nambucca River flows some 70 miles (115 km) through heavily

Nambudiri, one of the dominant Brahman castes of the Indian state of Kerala. Orthodox in the extreme, its members regard themselves as the true repositories of the ancient Vedic religion and of the traditional Hindu code. The Nambudiri caste follows a distinctive marriage alliance with the

Nambudiri, one of the dominant Brahman castes of the Indian state of Kerala. Orthodox in the extreme, its members regard themselves as the true repositories of the ancient Vedic religion and of the traditional Hindu code. The Nambudiri caste follows a distinctive marriage alliance with the

Himalayas: …Kashmir region, and Namjagbarwa (Namcha Barwa) Peak (25,445 feet [7,756 meters]), in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Between those western and eastern extremities lie the two Himalayan countries of Nepal and Bhutan. The Himalayas are bordered to the northwest by the mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush

Himalayas: …Kashmir region, and Namjagbarwa (Namcha Barwa) Peak (25,445 feet [7,756 meters]), in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Between those western and eastern extremities lie the two Himalayan countries of Nepal and Bhutan. The Himalayas are bordered to the northwest by the mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush

Pac-Man: …the Japanese arcade game manufacturer Namco Limited introduced the world to Pac-Man. The lead designer was Iwatani Tohru, who intended to create a game that did not emphasize violence. By paying careful attention to themes, design, and colours, Iwatani hoped that Namco could market an arcade game that would appeal…

Seoul: City layout: …city; Dongdaemun (“Great East Gate”); Namdaemun (“Great South Gate”), a designated national treasure whose wooden superstructure was destroyed by fire in 2008 (the rebuilt gate was reopened in 2013); and Seodaemun (“Great West Gate”). Outward from these gates the city extends toward the neighborhoods (dong) of Mia and Suyu to…

Seoul: Finance and other services: …Dongdaemun Market and the smaller Namdaemun Market, located near the downtown of the North City. Comprising numerous individually owned shops, these markets serve not only Seoul but the entire country. There are also large department stores and shopping centers in Gangnam, the downtown South City area.

Arunachal Pradesh: Recreation: Namdapha National Park, near Dibrugarh on the south-central border, has a wildlife sanctuary inhabited by tigers and leopards. In Naharlagun the botanical garden at Polo Park sits atop a ridge overlooking the town. Other places valued for their unique scenery and natural environment are Ziro,…

Sir Ernest Oppenheimer: Two years later he formed Consolidated Diamond Mines of South West Africa, Ltd. (reformed as the Namdeb Diamond Corp. in 1994). This diamond prospecting corporation was so successful that he gained control of the De Beers Consolidated Mines, which once dominated the world diamond market, and in 1930 established The…

Namdev was a leading poet-saint of the Indian medieval period, who wrote in the Marathi language. Namdev was the son of a tailor and thus of low caste. According both to his somewhat hagiographical biography (composed some three centuries after his death) and to information gleaned from his

Namdhari, an austere sect within Sikhism, a religion of India. The Namdhari movement was founded by Balak Singh (1797–1862), who did not believe in any religious ritual other than the repetition of God’s name (or nam, for which reason members of the sect are called Namdharis). His successor, Ram

name, a word or group of words used to refer to an individual entity (real or imaginary). A name singles out the entity by directly pointing to it, not by specifying it as a member of a class. It is possible to refer to the same entity, for example, a river, in two distinct ways: (1) “The Colorado

Christianity: The saintly life: …through the name and the name day, which, as the day of rebirth (i.e., baptism), is of much greater significance than the natural birthday.

film: Film acting: … (1975), a medieval monk in The Name of the Rose (1986), and a Prohibition-era Chicago policeman in The Untouchables (1987), but he was most identified with the sophisticated British secret agent James Bond, whom he played in seven films.

The Name of the Rose, novel by Italian writer Umberto Eco, published in Italian in 1980. Although the work stands on its own as a murder mystery, it is more accurately seen as a questioning of the meaning of “truth” from theological, philosophical, scholarly, and historical perspectives. With a

insurance: Perils insured: In named-peril policies, no coverage is provided unless the property is damaged by a peril specifically listed in the contract.

Namur, city, capital of Namur province, Wallonia Region, south-central Belgium. It lies at the junction of the Sambre and Meuse (Maas) rivers. Once a pre-Roman oppidum (fortified town), it became the seat of the counts of Namur from 908 until it passed to Burgundy in 1421. Namur is dominated by its

history of the Low Countries: Struggle for independence: other territories as Brabant, Hainaut, Namur, and Holland began to expand and form principalities, helped by the weakening of the German crown during the Investiture Contest (a struggle between civil and church rulers over the right to invest bishops and abbots). The Concordat of Worms (1122) ruled that bishops were…

Exodus, the liberation of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt in the 13th century bce, under the leadership of Moses; also, the Old Testament book of the same name. The English name of the book derives from the Septuagint (Greek) use of “exodus” to designate the deliverance of the Israelites

William Turner: …version of the Libellus entitled The Names of Herbes (1548) was written in English, containing German and French synonyms, and included unorthodox and vivid original observations. He served as the dean of Wells Cathedral from 1550 until the accession of Queen Mary in 1553 sent him into exile. After her…

China: Confucianism and philosophical Daoism: …notions was called mingjiao, “the doctrine of names” (“names” in ancient Confucian parlance designating the various social functions—father, ruler, subject, etc.—that an individual could have in society). The other trend was marked by a profound interest in ontological and metaphysical problems: the quest for a permanent substratum (called ti,…

Mira Nair: Feature films: … of manners, and the drama The Namesake (2006), which centers on Indian immigrants in the United States, was based on a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri.

The Namesake, first novel by English-born American writer Jhumpa Lahiri, published in 2003. It explored similar themes to those in her debut work, a collection of short stories entitled Interpreter of Maladies (1999), which had earned her the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The story begins in an

Haná Valley: …regional liquor resembling bourbon whiskey); Náměšt’ na Hané, where the annual Hanácké Dožínky (“Haná Harvest Festival”) is held; and Litovel, with a municipal museum containing Haná costumes and embroidery. Tourism is important for the region’s economy. The reservoir behind the Plumlov Dam, west of Prostějov, provides swimming and water sports…

Assam: Cultural life: …known as the satradhikar) and namghar (prayer hall). Satras, which are also centers of performing arts, have been looking after the religious and social well-being of the people since the 15th century. The first satra was founded in Majuli, one of the largest inhabited river islands in the world, by…

Tenzing Norgay was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer who in 1953 became, with Edmund Hillary of New Zealand, the first person to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak (approximately 29,035 feet [8,850 meters]; see Researcher’s Note: Height of Mount Everest). There is

Sikkim: History: …Sikkim was established in 1642, Phuntsog Namgyal, the first chogyal (temporal and spiritual king), came from the Bhutia community. The Namgyal dynasty ruled Sikkim until 1975.

Kanchenjunga: …of Kanchenjunga was made by Rinzin Namgyal, one of the pandit (“learned”) explorers of the mid-19th century, who made a circuital sketch. In 1848 and 1849 Sir Joseph Hooker, a botanist, was the first European to visit and describe the region, and in 1899 the explorer-mountaineer Douglas Freshfield traveled around…

Namib, a cool coastal desert extending for 1,200 miles (1,900 km) along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Namibe (formerly Moçâmedes) in Angola southward across Namibia to the Olifants River in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It reaches inland 80 to 100 miles (130 to 160 km) to the foot

Moçâmedes, city and port, southwestern Angola. It was founded in the mid-19th century and settled primarily by Portuguese settlers, some fleeing from the unrest in Portugal’s former colony of Brazil. Located on an arid coastal strip from which rises the steep Huíla escarpment, Moçâmedes was cut off

Namib, a cool coastal desert extending for 1,200 miles (1,900 km) along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Namibe (formerly Moçâmedes) in Angola southward across Namibia to the Olifants River in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It reaches inland 80 to 100 miles (130 to 160 km) to the foot

Moçâmedes: …interior until construction of the Moçâmedes Railway was begun in 1905 to Serpa Pinto (now Menongue), 470 miles (755 km) east. Though the interior developed, the port, which was dependent on fishing, had little activity until the discovery of iron ore at Cassinga (Kassinga) and the completion of a 56-mile…

Namibia, country located on the southwestern coast of Africa. It is bordered by Angola to the north, Zambia to the northeast, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the southeast and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It ranges from arid in the north to desert on the coast and in the east.

national flag consisting of diagonal stripes of blue, red, and green separated by narrower white stripes. In the upper hoist corner is a golden sun. The flag has a width-to-length ratio of 2 to 3.From the 1960s the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) was the leading group working toward

history of Namibia, a survey of the important events and people in the history of Namibia. The country, located on the southwestern coast of Africa, was originally inhabited by the San peoples and was home to other groups as well before being subjected to German rule beginning in the 19th century,

Namibia, country located on the southwestern coast of Africa. It is bordered by Angola to the north, Zambia to the northeast, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the southeast and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It ranges from arid in the north to desert on the coast and in the east.

Namibia: Independence: The Namibian Defense Force—which included members of PLAN as well as the former South West African Territory Force—was created with the assistance of British military advisers.

Namibia, country located on the southwestern coast of Africa. It is bordered by Angola to the north, Zambia to the northeast, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the southeast and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It ranges from arid in the north to desert on the coast and in the east.

Sir Lewis Bernstein Namier was a British historian, who was most noted for his work on 18th- and 19th-century Europe. Namier immigrated to England in 1906 and studied at Balliol College, Oxford. He took British nationality and legally adopted an Anglicized name before World War I, in which he

enamelwork: Japan: …working for the factory of Namikawa Sōsuke of Tokyo in the late 19th century were most successful in this technique. Another Namikawa of Kyōto worked in true cloisonné. The factory of Jubei Ando of Nagoya has produced more variations. These developments have carried the art of enamel very far from…

Namiki Gohei I was a playwright of Kabuki kyōgen (farces) who left more than 100 plays written during a 40-year career. He studied with the dramatist Namiki Shōzō and by 1775 was chief playwright for the Hayakumo-za Kabuki theatre, where he introduced the system of naming each play with its own

Tokutomi Roka: Namiko), a melodramatic tale of tragic parental interference in a young marriage. Shizen to jinsei (1900; “Nature and Man”), a series of nature sketches, and the semiautobiographical Omoide no ki (1901; Footprints in the Snow) confirmed his decision to pursue his own literary career. Through…

name, a word or group of words used to refer to an individual entity (real or imaginary). A name singles out the entity by directly pointing to it, not by specifying it as a member of a class. It is possible to refer to the same entity, for example, a river, in two distinct ways: (1) “The Colorado

Saul Kripke: Naming and Necessity: Kripke’s most important philosophical publication, Naming and Necessity (1980), based on transcripts of three lectures he delivered at Princeton in 1970, changed the course of analytic philosophy. It provided the first cogent account of necessity and possibility as metaphysical concepts, and it…

Alawite, any member of a minority esoteric sect of Islam living chiefly in Syria. The Assad family that ruled Syria from 1971 to 2024 are Alawites and made the community politically dominant there, although the state and its policies were largely secular under Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar

Alawite, any member of a minority esoteric sect of Islam living chiefly in Syria. The Assad family that ruled Syria from 1971 to 2024 are Alawites and made the community politically dominant there, although the state and its policies were largely secular under Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar

Himalayas: …Kashmir region, and Namjagbarwa (Namcha Barwa) Peak (25,445 feet [7,756 meters]), in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Between those western and eastern extremities lie the two Himalayan countries of Nepal and Bhutan. The Himalayas are bordered to the northwest by the mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush

Nammazhvar was a South Indian poet-saint who was the most important and prolific of the Azhvars, Vaishnavite singers and poets. Their works of ecstatic love and personal experience of God, written in the Tamil vernacular, popularized the bhakti (devotional) path. Nammazhvar was born into a low

Nammazhvar was a South Indian poet-saint who was the most important and prolific of the Azhvars, Vaishnavite singers and poets. Their works of ecstatic love and personal experience of God, written in the Tamil vernacular, popularized the bhakti (devotional) path. Nammazhvar was born into a low

Fernando Goncalves Namora was a Portuguese writer who wrote neorealist poetry and fiction, much of it inspired by his experience as a doctor in a remote mountainous area of Portugal. Namora studied medicine at the University of Coimbra and established a practice in the rural Beira Baixa region. He

Manchester, city, Hillsborough county, southern New Hampshire, U.S. It lies along the Amoskeag Falls (named for the Indigneous Amoskeag people who once inhabited the area) of the Merrimack River, the 55-foot (17-metre) drop of which provides hydroelectric power. Manchester is the state’s largest

Édouard Lalo: …(1876); and for his ballet Namouna (1882). Namouna foreshadowed the ballets of Diaghilev in that it merited attention more for its musical score than for its choreography. There followed the Symphony in G Minor (1887) and the final version of his opera Le Roi d’Ys (1888; libretto by Edouard Blau).…

Namp’o, city, South P’yŏngan do (province), southwestern North Korea. It is about 30 miles (50 km) southwest of P’yŏngyang, on the estuary of the Taedong River. Formerly a fishing village, it developed rapidly after it became an open port in 1897. The harbour can accommodate ships of 20,000 tons

Nampa, city, Canyon county, southwestern Idaho, U.S. It lies in the centre of the Boise Valley. Founded in 1886 on the main line of the Union Pacific Railroad at the junction of a branch to Boise (20 miles [32 km] east), it was a hamlet in the sagebrush desert until irrigation made farming possible

Haiti: Democratic aspirations: Henri Namphy took charge, promising free elections and democratic reforms. The first attempt at elections, in November 1987, ended when some three dozen voters were killed. In January 1988 Leslie Manigat won elections that were widely considered fraudulent, and Namphy overthrew him in June. A…

Merina: King Andrianampoinimerina (or Nampoina; ruled 1787–1810) was the first Merina monarch to consolidate his power and make Merina a unified kingdom. His armies, commanded by his son Radama, secured control over much of the central highlands.

mobile telephone: Development of cellular systems: …in 1991, was known as narrowband AMPS, or NAMPS. In NAMPS systems each existing 30-kilohertz voice channel was split into three 10-kilohertz channels. Thus, in place of the 832 channels available in AMPS systems, the NAMPS system offered 2,496 channels. A second approach, developed by a committee of the Telecommunications…

Nambudiri, one of the dominant Brahman castes of the Indian state of Kerala. Orthodox in the extreme, its members regard themselves as the true repositories of the ancient Vedic religion and of the traditional Hindu code. The Nambudiri caste follows a distinctive marriage alliance with the

Trøndelag: …river in the region, the Namsen, flows through Namdalen (valley) in the north, while the Nordland Railway and highway, which link northern and southern Norway, also traverse the valley.

World War II: The invasion of Norway: …troops were landed also at Namsos and at Åndalsnes, to attack Trondheim from the north and from the south, respectively. The Germans, however, landed fresh troops in the rear of the British at Namsos and advanced up the Gudbrandsdal from Oslo against the force at Åndalsnes. By this time the…

Mesopotamian religion: Myths: At first Enlil had Namtar, the god of death, cause a plague to diminish the human population, but the wise Atrahasis, at the advice of Enki, had human beings concentrate all worship and offerings on Namtar. Namtar, embarrassed at hurting people who showed such love and affection for him,…

Himalayas: …Kashmir region, and Namjagbarwa (Namcha Barwa) Peak (25,445 feet [7,756 meters]), in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Between those western and eastern extremities lie the two Himalayan countries of Nepal and Bhutan. The Himalayas are bordered to the northwest by the mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush

Mozambique: Relief: The 7,936-foot (2,419-meter) peak at Mount Namúli dominates the Mozambican highland, which constitutes much of the northern interior.

history of the Low Countries: Struggle for independence: other territories as Brabant, Hainaut, Namur, and Holland began to expand and form principalities, helped by the weakening of the German crown during the Investiture Contest (a struggle between civil and church rulers over the right to invest bishops and abbots). The Concordat of Worms (1122) ruled that bishops were…

Namur, city, capital of Namur province, Wallonia Region, south-central Belgium. It lies at the junction of the Sambre and Meuse (Maas) rivers. Once a pre-Roman oppidum (fortified town), it became the seat of the counts of Namur from 908 until it passed to Burgundy in 1421. Namur is dominated by its

sieges of Namur, two campaigns (1692 and 1695) during the War of the Grand Alliance (1689–97) against the city of Namur, strategically located at the juncture of the Sambre and Meuse (Maas) rivers, 55 km (35 miles) southeast of

Etosha National Park: The German colonial fort of Namutoni (originally built in 1901, destroyed in 1904, and reconstructed between 1905 and 1907), at the eastern end of the pan, resembles a fort of the French Foreign Legion. It has been restored for use as a tourist camp for the park.

Bhamo: The Namwan Tract, southeast of Bhamo, was disputed between China and the British and later between China and the Myanmar government. The area was leased to the British in perpetuity in 1900; intermittent disputes over the area were not finally resolved until 1960, when China relinquished…

Nan, town, northern Thailand, in the Luang Phra Bang (Prabang) Range. Nan lies about 90 miles (145 km) northeast of Lampang along the Nan River and is a commercial centre for teak and agricultural products. An airport has scheduled flights to other Thai cities, and a road leads southwest to Den

Ling Canal, ancient canal in the northern part of the Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi, southeastern China. The Ling Canal was constructed to connect the headwaters of the Xiang River, flowing north into Hunan province, with the Li River, one of the headwater tributaries of the Gui River (itself

China: The Dong (Eastern) Jin (317–420) and later dynasties in the south (420–589): …479–502; Nan Liang, 502–557; and Nan Chen, 557–589—and all but Dong Jin are also known as Nanchao [Southern Dynasties] in Chinese history; the earlier kingdom of Wu, 222–280, is counted as the sixth dynasty.) Their annihilation (in 589) was postponed only by the internal division of the north and by…

Nanjing, city, capital of Jiangsu sheng (province), east-central China. It is a port on the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and a major industrial and communications centre. Rich in history, it served seven times as the capital of regional empires, twice as the seat of revolutionary government, once

South China Sea, arm of the western Pacific Ocean that borders the Southeast Asian mainland. It is bounded on the northeast by the Taiwan Strait (by which it is connected to the East China Sea); on the east by Taiwan and the Philippines; on the southeast and south by Borneo, the southern limit of

China: The Shiguo (Ten Kingdoms): …Bei (Northern) Han (951–979), the Nan Han (917–971), and the Wu-Yue (907–978), the last located in China’s most rapidly advancing area—in and near the lower Yangtze delta.

Ferdinand Verbiest was a Dutch Jesuit missionary and astronomer who became an influential official in the Chinese government. At a time when the Chinese were impressed with Western astronomical knowledge, Verbiest, a trained astronomer, took the place of his Jesuit predecessor, Adam Schall von

Ferdinand Verbiest was a Dutch Jesuit missionary and astronomer who became an influential official in the Chinese government. At a time when the Chinese were impressed with Western astronomical knowledge, Verbiest, a trained astronomer, took the place of his Jesuit predecessor, Adam Schall von

China: The Dong (Eastern) Jin (317–420) and later dynasties in the south (420–589): …420–479; Nan [Southern] Qi, 479–502; Nan Liang, 502–557; and Nan Chen, 557–589—and all but Dong Jin are also known as Nanchao [Southern Dynasties] in Chinese history; the earlier kingdom of Wu, 222–280, is counted as the sixth dynasty.) Their annihilation (in 589) was postponed only by the internal division of…

Nan Mountains, series of mountain ranges in southern China that forms the divide and watershed between Hunan and Jiangxi provinces and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) basin to the north and Guangdong province and the Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi and the Xi River valley to the south. The

Nan Madol, archaeological site and abandoned city off the east coast of the island of Pohnpei in Micronesia. The “Venice of the Pacific” is a term often used to describe Nan Madol. This is an apt comparison, given that Nan Madol and Venice are both based upon a network of canals and waterways.

China: The dynastic succession: Their so-called Nan (Southern) Ming dynasty principally included the prince of Fu (Zhu Yousong, reign name Hongguang), the prince of Tang (Zhu Yujian, reign name Longwu), the prince of Lu (Zhu Yihai, no reign name), and the prince of Gui (Zhu Youlang, reign name Yongli). The loyalist…

Nan Mountains, series of mountain ranges in southern China that forms the divide and watershed between Hunan and Jiangxi provinces and the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) basin to the north and Guangdong province and the Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi and the Xi River valley to the south. The

China: The Shiguo (Ten Kingdoms): …Nan (Southern) Tang (937–975/976), the Nan Ping (924–963), the Chu (927–951), the Qian (Former) Shu (907–925), the Hou (Later) Shu (934–965), the Min (909–945), the Bei (Northern) Han (951–979), the Nan Han (917–971), and the Wu-Yue (907–978), the last located in China’s most rapidly advancing

China: The Dong (Eastern) Jin (317–420) and later dynasties in the south (420–589): …five—Dong Jin, 317–420; Liu-Song, 420–479; Nan [Southern] Qi, 479–502; Nan Liang, 502–557; and Nan Chen, 557–589—and all but Dong Jin are also known as Nanchao [Southern Dynasties] in Chinese history; the earlier kingdom of Wu, 222–280, is counted as the sixth dynasty.) Their annihilation (in 589) was postponed only by…

Nan River, river in northern Thailand, rising in the northern portion of the Luang Phra Bang Range on the Laotian border and flowing south for 390 miles (627 km). It receives the Yom River near Chum Saeng. Just above Nakhon Sawan the Ping and the Nan rivers combine to form the Chao Phraya River

Xia Gui: Life: …dynasty is known as the Southern Song period (1127–1279). During this period, the centre of painting and the concentration of major artists was in the Imperial Painting Academy. Accordingly, the leading masters of the 12th and the first half of the 13th centuries, with a few exceptions, were the court…

Ten Kingdoms: …were the Wu (902–937), the Nan (Southern) Tang (937–975/976), the Nan Ping (924–963), the Chu (927–951), the Qian (Former) Shu (907–925) and Hou (Later) Shu (934–965), the Min (909–945), the Nan Han (917–971), and the Wu-Yue (907–978), the latter near the Yangtze delta; the one northern state was the Bei…

Bahāʾ ad-dīn Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn al-ʿĀmilī: His best-known poem, Nān u-ḥalwā (“Bread and Sweets”), describes the experiences of an itinerant holy man who may well be al-ʿĀmilī himself on the Mecca pilgrimage. Kashkūl (“The Beggar’s Bowl”), containing both stories and verses, was translated widely. His major work of astronomy is Tashrīhuʾl-aflāk (“Anatomy of the Heavens”).

Abbas Kiarostami: …a director, the lyrical short Nān va kūcheh (1970; Bread and Alley), which featured elements that would define his later work: improvised performances, documentary textures, and real-life rhythms. His first feature, Mosāfer (1974; The Traveler), about a rebellious village boy determined to go to Tehrān and watch a football (soccer)…

Nam Viet, ancient kingdom occupying much of what is now northern Vietnam and the southern Chinese provinces of Kwangtung and Kwangsi. The kingdom was formed in 207 bce, during the breakup of the Ch’in dynasty (221–206 bce), when the Ch’in governor of Yüeh (now Kwangtung and Kwangsi provinces)

Nam Viet, ancient kingdom occupying much of what is now northern Vietnam and the southern Chinese provinces of Kwangtung and Kwangsi. The kingdom was formed in 207 bce, during the breakup of the Ch’in dynasty (221–206 bce), when the Ch’in governor of Yüeh (now Kwangtung and Kwangsi provinces)

Grand Canal: …centuries has been called the Southern Grand Canal (Nan Yunhe). This ancient waterway was first constructed as early as the 4th century bce, was rebuilt in 607 ce, and has been used ever since.

Chongqing: Suburban and outlying districts: …municipality’s core districts, including Jiangbei, Nan’an, Shapingba, Jiulongpo, and Dadukou. These districts have developed into major shopping and commercial centres. Shapingba also has emerged as a regional cultural centre, home to several of the municipality’s major institutions of higher learning. Jiangbei district is a centre of automobile and machinery production,…

Chao Nanthasen was the ruler (1781–95?) of the Lao principality of Vientiane who conquered the rival Lao state of Luang Prabang in 1791. In 1781 the Siamese, who had captured Vientiane in 1778, chose Nanthasen to succeed his father, King Siribunyasan. Like the rulers of Luang Prabang and

Nanchang, city and capital of Jiangxi sheng (province), China. The city is situated on the right bank of the Gan River just below its confluence with the Jin River and some 25 miles (40 km) south of its discharge into Lake Poyang. The city was founded and first walled in 201 bce, when the county

Southern Dynasties, (ad 420–589), four succeeding short-lived dynasties based at Jiankang (now Nanjing), which ruled over a large part of China south of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) during much of the Six Dynasties period. The four dynasties were the Liu-Song (420–479), the Nan (Southern) Qi