Yelü Dashi: …first emperor (1124–43) of the Xi (Western) Liao dynasty (1124–1211) of Central Asia.

Western literature, history of literatures in the languages of the Indo-European family, along with a small number of other languages whose cultures became closely associated with the West, from ancient times to the present. Diverse as they are, European literatures, like European languages, are

echidna: Long-beaked echidnas: …other respects it resembles the western long-beaked echidna. The species inhabits a tiny pocket of highland forest in the Cyclops Mountains near Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia. Aside from a single specimen collected by a Dutch botanist in 1961, no other members of the species were known until images captured on a…

Longmyndian: …major subdivisions are recognized: the Western Longmyndian and the underlying Eastern Longmyndian. The Western Longmyndian consists of the Wentnor Series, purple sandstones, conglomerates, and some greenish siltstones and shales; thicknesses of about 4,800 metres (15,700 feet) of Wentnor rocks have been measured. The Eastern Longmyndian is subdivided into the overlying…

primate: Distribution and abundance: The estimated number of western lowland gorillas (G. gorilla gorilla), a species thought to be critically endangered, increased when a population of more than 100,000 was discovered in 2008 in the swamps of the Lac Télé Community Reserve in the Republic of the Congo.

Ethiopia: Relief of Ethiopia: …are the Western Highlands, the Western Lowlands, the Eastern Highlands, the Eastern Lowlands, and the Rift Valley. The Western Highlands are the most extensive and rugged topographic component of Ethiopia. The most spectacular portion is the North Central massifs; these form the roof of Ethiopia, with elevations ranging from 14,872…

short-horned grasshopper: Major genera and species: The western lubber grasshopper (Brachystola magna), also called the buffalo grasshopper because of its size, has much smaller, pinkish wings. The slender grasshopper (Leptysma marginicollis), found in the southern United States, has clear wings. Melanoplus, the largest short-horned grasshopper genus, contains many of the most common…

Madurese language: include Eastern, or Sumenep, and Western, including Bangkalan and Pamekasan. Sumenep is the standard dialect for educational purposes.

Austronesian languages: Western Malayo-Polynesian (WMP): Although Western Malayo-Polynesian is a convenient cover term for the Austronesian languages of the Philippines, western Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, Java-Bali-Lombok, Sulawesi), mainland Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and at least Chamorro and Palauan in western Micronesia, it is in effect a catchall category for…

Western philosophy: Western Marxism: The framework of 19th-century Marxism, augmented by philosophical suggestions from Lenin, served as the starting point of all philosophizing in the Soviet Union and its eastern European satellites. Much of Lenin’s thinking was also devoted to more-practical issues, however, such as tactics of…

meadowlark: …eastern Canada to Brazil, the western meadowlark (S. neglecta) from western Canada to Mexico (introduced to Hawaii). The former has a simple four-note whistle and the latter an intricate fluting. Meadowlarks consume insects in summer and weed seeds in fall and winter. The nest is a grass dome hidden in…

Western Michigan University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S. It comprises Haworth College of Business, the Graduate College, Lee Honors College, and colleges of arts and sciences, aviation, education, engineering and applied sciences, fine arts, and

John Herman Randall, Jr.: In his first major work, The Western Mind, 2 vol. (1924), revised and reissued as The Making of the Modern Mind (1926), Randall reconstructed the times and conditions, as well as the historical experience and traditions, that gave rise to certain philosophical systems. His Career of Philosophy in Modern Times,…

Zamboanga City: …is also the site of Western Mindanao State University (founded 1918). Incorporated in 1936, the city was largely rebuilt after World War II.

City of Westminster, inner borough of London, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames at the heart of London’s West End. The City of Westminster is flanked to the west by Kensington and Chelsea and to the east by the City of London. It belongs to the historic county of Middlesex. The

Mongolian languages: The Eastern and Western groups: …dialects of Inner Mongolia) and Western Mongolian (Oirat and Kalmyk) occurred at a later stage than that between the peripheral, archaizing languages and the central group. So many features—the loss of initial /h/, reduction of vowel sequences to long vowels, development of rounded vowels in noninitial syllables, assimilation of /i/…

Mono: The Western Mono, who resided in the pine belt of the Sierra Nevada mountains, had a culture similar to that of the nearby Yokuts. The Owens Valley Paiute (previously called the Eastern Mono) were more similar to their neighbours from the Great Basin culture area.

Western music, music produced in Europe as well as those musics derived from the European from ancient times to the present day. All ancient civilizations entered historical times with a flourishing musical culture. That the earliest writers explained it in terms of legend and myth strongly

native cat: The western native cat (D. geoffroii) of the savannahs of southwestern and central Australia is almost the same size but has a relatively longer tail. The northern native cat (D. hallucatus) of tropical regions is generally smaller, as is the New Guinea native cat (D. albopunctatus),…

Springfield: …American International College (1885), the Western New England College (1919), and the Springfield Technical Community College (1964). The city’s Basketball Hall of Fame commemorates James Naismith, who invented the game of basketball in Springfield in 1891. Eastern States Exposition Park in West Springfield is the site of one of the…

Springfield: …American International College (1885), the Western New England College (1919), and the Springfield Technical Community College (1964). The city’s Basketball Hall of Fame commemorates James Naismith, who invented the game of basketball in Springfield in 1891. Eastern States Exposition Park in West Springfield is the site of one of the…

Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia, spanning roughly the eastern three-fourths of the western half of the island of New Guinea as well as a number of offshore islands—notably, Sorenarwa (Yapen), Yos Sudarso (Dolak), and the Schouten Islands. Papua is bounded by the Pacific Ocean

New Mexico: Education: …Portales University) in Portales, and Western New Mexico University (1893) in Silver City. Northern New Mexico Community College at El Rito, originally established in 1909 to train Spanish speakers to become teachers, has branches at Española and Santa Fe. The state universities have established branch campuses, while some cities have…

Abby Wambach: …partner and teammate on the Western New York Flash in the newly formed National Women’s Soccer League. In 2016, however, the couple divorced. Later that year Wambach released the memoir Forward, in which she discussed her struggles with alcohol and prescription drugs. In 2017 she married author and blogger Glennon…

Niantic: The Western Niantic lived on the seacoast from Niantic Bay, just west of New London, to the Connecticut River. Once one tribe, they were apparently split by the migration of the Pequot into their area.

Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin: Language: Western Numic languages are spoken by the Owens Valley Paiute (Eastern Mono), several Northern Paiute groups, and the Bannock. Central Numic languages are spoken by the Panamint (Koso) and several Shoshone groups, including the Gosiute, Timbisha, Western Shoshone, and Comanche

Oder River: Physiography: …left canalized branch, called the Western Oder, passes through Szczecin and enters the Szczecin Lagoon directly, while the right branch, the Eastern Oder (in its final section called the Regalica), passes east of Szczecin via the large Lake Dąbie and then also enters the Szczecin Lagoon.

Denver omelet, an omelet with ham, onion, and bell pepper; cheese is sometimes included. Historians have speculated that the dish was originally served on bread as a sandwich, created by 19th-century cattle drivers in the American West or by Chinese railroad cooks as a sort of transportable egg foo

University of Western Ontario, Public university in London, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1878. It has faculties of applied health sciences, arts, business administration, dentistry, education, engineering, graduate studies, journalism, law, library science, medicine, music, nursing, science, and

Oregon: Education of Oregon: …University (1929), in La Grande; Western Oregon University (1856), in Monmouth; Southern Oregon University (1882), in Ashland; and Portland State University (1946). The system also encompasses two specialized universities: the Oregon Institute of Technology (1947), which has several campuses around the state, and Oregon Health and Science University (1887). The…

Pacific Islands: Foreign intervention and control: The British responded with the Western Pacific Order in Council (1877), which granted the governor of Fiji authority over British nationals and vessels in a wide area of the western Pacific. The problem still remained, however, of non-British nationals in islands that had neither native kings nor European governors, especially…

railroad: The transcontinental railroad: …the last transcontinental line, the Western Pacific Railroad to Oakland, California, was opened.

Pahari languages: …spoken in Uttarakhand state; and Western Pahari, found around Simla in Himachal Pradesh state. The most important language is Nepali (Naipali), also called Khas-kura and Gorkhali (Gurkhali). Because many of the inhabitants of Nepal speak Tibeto-Burman languages, Nepali has borrowed many Tibeto-Burman idioms.

Lahnda language, group of Indo-Aryan dialects spoken in and around the western districts of Punjab province in Pakistan. The Punjabi word lahnda, literally meaning “west,” was first used in this sense by Irish linguist Sir George Grierson in the Linguistic Survey of India (1903–28) as a convenient

Sukhavati, in the Pure Land schools of Mahayana Buddhism, the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amitabha, described in the Pure Land sutras (Sukhavati-vyuha-sutras). According to followers of the Pure Land schools, which are widespread throughout East Asia, rebirth in Sukhavati is ensured by invoking

University of Pittsburgh: …chartered in 1886 as the Western Pennsylvania Medical College, joined the university in 1892. The school’s name was changed to the University of Pittsburgh in 1908. The central feature of the main campus is its Cathedral of Learning, a 42-story Gothic skyscraper. Notable alumni include dancer Gene Kelly, filmmaker Werner…

peony: Brown’s, or western, peony (P. browni) ranges from California to Montana, and California peony (P. californica) is found only along the Pacific coastal mountains of California and Mexico.

phoebe: …of western North America is Say’s phoebe (S. saya), a slightly larger bird with buff-hued underparts.

pipistrelle: subflavus) and western (P. hesperus) pipistrelles of North America.

Taronga Zoo: …opened a drive-through park, the Western Plains Zoo, near Dubbo, about 300 miles (480 km) from Sydney. This zoo exhibits large marsupials, herds of ungulates, large flightless birds, and waterfowl.

Australia: The Western Plateau: The Precambrian western core area, known geologically as a shield or craton, is subdivided by long, straight (or only slightly bowed) fractures called lineaments. Those fractures, most obvious in the north and west, delineate prominent rectangular or rhomboidal blocks, some of which have…

poison oak: Pacific, or western, poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) is found in western North America, ranging from Baja California, Mexico, to British Columbia, Canada. Atlantic poison oak (T. pubescens) is native to the southeastern United States and is commonly confused with poison ivy (T. radicans). These species…

pond turtle: …best known are emydids: the Pacific, or western, pond turtle (Clemmys marmorata) and the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis).

Western Port, circular bay, about 20 miles (32 km) across, indenting the south coast of Victoria, Australia, southeast of Melbourne. An inlet of Bass Strait, it is separated from Port Phillip Bay (12 miles [19 km] west) by Mornington Peninsula. Phillip Island (40 square miles [100 square km]) lies

Pyrenees: Physiography: …the Central Pyrenees, and the Western Pyrenees. The different vegetation, the linguistic divisions of the people, and—to a point—certain ethnic and cultural distinctions appear to confirm this classification.

Andes Mountains: …the Cordillera Oriental and the Cordillera Occidental—are characteristic of most of the system. The directional trend of both the cordilleras generally is north-south, but in several places the Cordillera Oriental bulges eastward to form either isolated peninsula-like ranges or such high intermontane plateau regions as the Altiplano (Spanish: “High Plateau”),…

Western red cedar, (Thuja plicata), an ornamental and timber evergreenconifer of the cypress family (Cupressaceae), native to the Pacific coast of North America. Western red cedar trees and shrubs are pyramidal in form. The trees may grow up to 60 metres (about 200 feet) tall and 6 metres in

Paraguay: Land of Paraguay: …and the Región Occidental (Western Region), also called the Chaco Boreal.

Western Reserve, in American history, territory of some 6,000 square miles (15,500 square km) along the southern shore of Lake Erie in what is now northeastern Ohio. After the Revolutionary War, when the United States was formed, most of the former colonies had claims to unsettled lands in the West

Case Western Reserve University, independent, coeducational research university in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. The university operates professional schools of law, medicine, and dentistry, as well as Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case School of Engineering, Mandel School of Applied Social

Hiram College, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Hiram, Ohio, U.S., about 35 miles (55 km) southeast of Cleveland. It is a liberal arts college affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Along with B.A. degrees in arts, sciences, religion, philosophy,

Case Western Reserve University, independent, coeducational research university in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. The university operates professional schools of law, medicine, and dentistry, as well as Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case School of Engineering, Mandel School of Applied Social

garter snake: earthworms, and amphibians; the western ribbon snake (T. proximus) is especially fond of frogs. They do not lay eggs but generally breed in early spring and give birth in late summer.

Western Rift Valley, (Africa), branch of the East African Rift System

roe deer: …species of roe deer: the European, or western, roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and the larger Siberian roe deer (C. pygargus). Despite their Old World distribution, roe deer are more closely related to New World deer than to Old World deer. They are well adapted to cold environments, and they range…

Babe Didrikson Zaharias: …she had used the unorthodox Western roll to achieve the highest jump; she was awarded the silver medal instead. Her Olympic success brought her national attention, not all of which was complimentary. At the time, women were not encouraged to compete in sports, and Didrikson faced much sexism as well…

boogie-woogie, heavily percussive style of blues piano in which the right hand plays riffs (syncopated, repeating phrases) against a driving pattern of repeating eighth notes (ostinato bass). It began to appear at the beginning of the 20th century and was associated with the southwestern

saddle: The Western, sometimes called the Moorish, saddle has a high horn on the pommel, in front of the rider, which is useful for securing a lariat, and a large cantle, in back of the rider, to provide a firm seat for cattle-roping operations. The English, or…

Western Sahara, territory occupying an extensive desert Atlantic-coastal area (97,344 square miles [252,120 square km]) of northwest Africa. It is composed of the geographic regions of Río de Oro (“River of Gold”), occupying the southern two-thirds of the region (between Cape Blanco and Cape

Samoa, country in the central South Pacific Ocean, among the westernmost of the island countries of Polynesia. According to legend, Samoa is known as the “Cradle of Polynesia” because Savai‘i island is said to be Hawaiki, the Polynesian homeland. Samoan culture is undoubtedly central to Polynesian

Denver omelet: The sandwich variety, called a Denver (or western) sandwich, is still common.

Western Schelde, estuary, flowing westward for about 50 km (30 miles) through the Delta Islands in the southwestern Netherlands to the North Sea. The former islands of Walcheren and Zuid-Beveland (now a peninsula) are located to the north of the estuary. The Zeeuws Vlaanderen region, consisting

Western Schelde, estuary, flowing westward for about 50 km (30 miles) through the Delta Islands in the southwestern Netherlands to the North Sea. The former islands of Walcheren and Zuid-Beveland (now a peninsula) are located to the north of the estuary. The Zeeuws Vlaanderen region, consisting

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

North America: The Western sclerophyllous scrub forest: In the hills of southern California and throughout much of the American Southwest, the Western sclerophyllous scrub forest occurs. There, the small trees and shrubs must be adapted both to dry, hot summers when the tropical continental air is dominant and…

jay: …coerulescens), found in Florida; the western scrub jay (A. californica), found throughout western North America; and the island scrub jay (A. insularis), found only on Santa Cruz Island, off the coast of California. They are locally called “blue jays,” but they lack the crests of C. cristata.

scrub-bird: …western, or noisy, scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus), discovered in dry brushlands of Western Australia in the 1840s, was believed extinct after 1889 but was rediscovered in 1961. The 18-centimetre (7-inch) rufous scrub-bird (A. rufescens), discovered in the 1860s in wet forests of New South Wales, 2,500 miles (4,000 km) away…

Western sculpture, three-dimensional artistic forms produced in what is now Europe and later in non-European areas dominated by European culture (such as North America) from the Metal Ages to the present. Like painting, Western sculpture has tended to be humanistic and naturalistic, concentrating

Australia: The Western Plateau: The Precambrian western core area, known geologically as a shield or craton, is subdivided by long, straight (or only slightly bowed) fractures called lineaments. Those fractures, most obvious in the north and west, delineate prominent rectangular or rhomboidal blocks, some of which have…

Botswana: Ethnic groups: …Birwa (both Northern Sotho), and Kalanga (Western Shona). With larger numbers to the east in Zimbabwe, some Kalanga have resisted full incorporation.

Maryland: Relief: …of the Chesapeake, called the Western Shore, is generally flat, but some low hills reach heights of 300 to 400 feet (90 to 120 metres). Most of the Coastal Plain is farmland with small rural communities, except for the urban areas of Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Salisbury, and Ocean City.

Mexico: Physiographic regions: The largely volcanic Sierra Madre Occidental, which forms the western border of the Mexican Plateau, has an average elevation of 8,000–9,000 feet (2,400–2,700 metres) and extends roughly 700 miles (1,100 km) from north to south. It has been highly incised by westward-flowing streams that have formed a series…

Black Hills: …and sacred territory of the Western Sioux Indians. At least portions of the region were also sacred to other Native American peoples—including the Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Arapaho—and the area had also been inhabited by the Crow. Rights to the region were guaranteed to Sioux and Arapaho by the Second Treaty…

skunk cabbage: The ill-smelling western, or yellow, skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanum), of the same family, having a large yellow spathe, is found from California to Alaska and eastward to Montana. Another skunk cabbage (Veratrum californicum) is the poisonous corn lily, or false hellebore, which grows from New Mexico and…

Sapindales: Sapindaceae: The fruits of Sapindus saponaria (soapberry), a tropical American species, contain saponins (chemical substances that produce soapy lather in water) and are used as soap. The genus name Sapindus means “soap of the Indians.” A number of members of Sapindaceae have saponins in their tissues. In the American…

eastern Africa: War in the Ogaden: …and 15,000 fighters of the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF). His forces began infiltrating into the Ogaden in May–June 1977, and overt warfare began in July. By September 1977 Mogadishu controlled 90 percent of the Ogaden and had followed retreating Ethiopian forces into non-Somali regions of Harerge, Bale, and Sidamo.

Botswana: Ethnic groups: …besides Tswana, that of the Khalagari (Western Sotho), has become so incorporated as to be almost indistinguishable from the Tswana. Even their name is now usually rendered in the Tswana form as “Kgalagadi.”

skunk: Natural history: …the spring, except in the western spotted skunk (S. gracilis), which breeds in the autumn but undergoes a period of delayed implantation lasting about 150 days.

Stephen Vincent Benét: …was also the basis for Western Star, an ambitious epic verse narrative on American history that Benét first planned in 1934 to consist of as many as five books but was left uncompleted at the time of his death. Book I, complete in itself and finished in 1942, was published…

Bruce Springsteen: Springsteen’s political messaging: …returned to the studio for Western Stars (2019), which sounded like nothing he had recorded before. Hearkening back to the lush sounds of country singer Glen Campbell in the early 1970s, the album contains story songs and elegantly written portraits of characters whose best days may be behind them but…

Western Colorado University, public coeducational institution of higher learning in Gunnison, Colorado, U.S. A liberal arts university, Western Colorado offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. The university provides a general education program that includes requirements in basic skills and

Western Colorado University, public coeducational institution of higher learning in Gunnison, Colorado, U.S. A liberal arts university, Western Colorado offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. The university provides a general education program that includes requirements in basic skills and

Western Michigan University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S. It comprises Haworth College of Business, the Graduate College, Lee Honors College, and colleges of arts and sciences, aviation, education, engineering and applied sciences, fine arts, and

University of Maine: …when it was opened as Western State Normal School in 1864. Notable graduates of this school include the twin brothers Francis Edgar Stanley and Freelan O. Stanley, manufacturers of steam-powered cars, and John Frank Stevens, a chief engineer of the Panama Canal.

the Steppe: Physical features: …these may be called the Western Steppe. It extends from the grassy plains at the mouth of the Danube River along the north shore of the Black Sea, across the lower Volga, and eastward as far as the Altai Mountains. The conventional division between Europe and Asia at the Ural…

Niger-Congo languages, a family of languages of Africa, which in terms of the number of languages spoken, their geographic extent, and the number of speakers is by far the largest language family in Africa. The area in which these languages are spoken stretches from Dakar, Senegal, at the

Bob Wills: …songwriter whose Texas Playboys popularized western swing music in the 1930s and ’40s.

taipan: The fierce snake, which is also called the inland taipan or western taipan (O. microlepidotus), is smaller and can grow up to 1.7 metres (5.5 feet) in length. A third species, the Central Ranges or western desert taipan (O. temporalis), was discovered in the central mountain…

tanager: rubra), and western tanager (P. ludoviciana). A less showy bird, the hepatic tanager (P. flava), has a greater breeding range: from southern Arizona to central Argentina. The most striking tropical genus is Tangara: about 50 small species sometimes called callistes. An example is the paradise tanager (T.…

tarsier: In Indonesia and Malaysia the Western tarsier (Tarsius bancanus) has huge bulging eyes, making the head broader than it is long; it also has the longest feet, and its tail is tufted at the tip. It thrives in both old-growth and secondary forests but can also be found in low…

Tatar language: …Tatar (spoken in Tatarstan) and Western or Misher Tatar. Other varieties include the minor eastern or Siberian dialects, Kasimov, Tepter (Teptyar), and Astrakhan and Ural Tatar. Kazan Tatar is the literary language.

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

Impatiens: The western touch-me-not (I. noli-tangere) is native to western North America, Europe, and Asia.

Turkmenistan: Relief: …of Turkmenistan’s territory, subdivided into western Turkmenistan and the Karakum. The Karakum is one of the world’s largest sand deserts, taking up the entire central part of Turkmenistan and extending northward toward Kazakhstan.

Ukraine: World War I and the struggle for independence: …state, shortly thereafter named the Western Ukrainian National Republic, embracing Galicia, northern Bukovina, and Transcarpathia. On November 1 Ukrainian forces occupied Lviv. This act touched off a war with the Poles, who were themselves resolved to incorporate Galicia into a reconstituted Polish state. The Poles took Lviv on November 21,…

The Western Union Company is a global financial services firm specializing in money transfers. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Western Union’s roots date back to 1851, when it established itself as a telegraph company in Rochester, New York. Although its growth in the American telegraph industry

The Western Union Company is a global financial services firm specializing in money transfers. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Western Union’s roots date back to 1851, when it established itself as a telegraph company in Rochester, New York. Although its growth in the American telegraph industry

University of Pittsburgh, coeducational state system of higher learning in Pennsylvania, U.S., comprising a main campus in Pittsburgh and branches in Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown, and Titusville. The Pittsburgh campus is a comprehensive research institution of higher learning and includes 16

King Country, geographical region in North Island, New Zealand. Lying west of Lake Taupo and south of Hamilton, it embraces an area of 7,000 sq mi (18,000 sq km). It is bordered by the Waikato River (northeast), the Tasman Sea (west), the Ohura River (southwest), and by the Kaimanawa Mountains

Tynedale: …limestone area commonly called the western uplands, with an elevation of 1,000 feet (300 metres), rises in the northeast to an extension of the igneous-based and peat-covered Cheviot Hills, with an elevation of more than 1,500 feet (450 metres). In the south, below the South Tyne valley, the area extends…