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5b2b0944fd90c028ec34b5a5ce8ca31b | https://www.britannica.com/place/Ahmadi | Aḥmadī | Aḥmadī
…of the deepwater port at Aḥmadī, several miles north. This port, with modern facilities for ships drawing up to 26 feet (8 metres) of water, is built in the lagoon of Al-Kathīb Bay and is protected from winds by a hook-shaped spit that culminates in Cape Al-Kathīb. The old port…
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fe2558948c33cee5061f79abaa4fde7a | https://www.britannica.com/place/Ahuachapan | Ahuachapán | Ahuachapán
Ahuachapán, city, western El Salvador, on the small Molino River (with a hydroelectric station) at the foot of La Lagunita Volcano. Originally called Güeciapam by the Indians, it was renamed Agüecha before becoming the town (1823) and the city (1862) of Ahuachapán. A manufacturing and distributing centre (t... |
62685902c058765350740fe9912bb7c8 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aiken-South-Carolina | Aiken | Aiken
Aiken, city, seat of Aiken county, western South Carolina, U.S. Aiken lies 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Augusta, Georgia. It was chartered in 1835 and named for the railroad entrepreneur William Aiken. The city was originally a health resort. During the American Civil War the Confederate forces of General Jose... |
dd86cf957e41ece5564320da18e549c0 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Ain-Beida | Aïn Beïda | Aïn Beïda
Aïn Beïda, formerly Daoud, town, northeastern Algeria. It is situated on a plateau at the eastern edge of the Sétif plains. The plateau, once occupied by a large lake, now has several shallow depressions containing saline lakes. Sheltered on the east by wooded hills, Aïn Beïda is in a grain-producing area ir... |
49c6859fe8b06be0570a4528a48b2efb | https://www.britannica.com/place/Ain-River | Ain River | Ain River
Ain River, river, eastern France, flowing 124 miles (200 km) southward from the Jura Plateau through Jura and Ain départements. The river emerges from its gorge near Pont-d’Ain, having powered several hydroelectric stations (the largest of which is the Barrage de Vouglans). The Ain then crosses the Dombes l... |
5d62262fb4b17b570e2ac694b8c9188f | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aiud | Aiud | Aiud
…century bc) was situated at Aiud, and remnants of Daco-Roman villages have been found at Aiud, Sebeş, and Alba Iulia. Vineyards are worked in the Mureş River valley. Corn (maize) is grown in southern areas, and wheat is cultivated in the north. Mercury, gold, silver, and other nonferrous metals are…
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7b467f4e55cf083960f0b526644693f5 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aix-en-Provence | Aix-en-Provence | Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence, city, Bouches-du-Rhône département, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes région, southern France, north of Marseille. Lying on the plain 1 mile (1.6 km) from the right bank of the Arc River, it is on the crossroads of main routes to Italy and the Alps.
The conquering Roman proconsul Sextius Calvinus b... |
1e40d2a3365644b80de5537365f29364 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aja-states | Aja states | Aja states
…country southwestward to the small Aja states on the coast in which the Europeans had established trading posts. A measure of control was also asserted more directly to the south over other Yoruba peoples and kings in the forest. Here a boundary was established with the kingdom of Benin, which…
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4e6331faf2c2f3744ed473ab33560f52 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Ajka | Ajka | Ajka
…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, howeve... |
362b84e921e40da2fa311626911fa461 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Ajmer | Ajmer | Ajmer
Ajmer, also spelled Ajmere or Ajmir, 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 pay... |
62a102100fb36a5d8eabb1e7d016e7c1 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Akademii-Nauk-Range | Akademii Nauk Range | Akademii Nauk Range
Akademii Nauk Range, Akademii also spelled Akademiia, or Akademiya, Russian Khrebet Akademii Nauk (“Academy of Sciences 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 sedimen... |
6875f3bb0b4a1b1ef3973217a2fba781 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Akaka-Falls | Akaka Falls | Akaka Falls
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 Honomu on... |
261bc40e16160600ce75c5b31db043a7 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Akan-states | Akan states | Akan states
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 transfor... |
4a29e26b666456d63fda635aea63b5c6 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Akapana | Akapana | Akapana
…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 feat... |
ee192e7b68c12abdc905565059eb7602 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Akaroa | Akaroa | Akaroa
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 harbour.”
In 1838... |
bfa91e8f0ea30e2dfa00d72b86f7df0e | https://www.britannica.com/place/Akjoujt | Akjoujt | Akjoujt
The copper deposits of Akjoujt are extensive, with a copper content of more than 2 percent. Exploitation was begun in 1969 by Somima (Société Minière de Mauritanie). The firm was nationalized in 1975, but operations were suspended in 1978. Subsequent reactivation of the mine has been to work tailings…
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07f2517e5d17550e5f3f97aa314627fc | https://www.britannica.com/place/Akrotiri-British-military-enclave-Cyprus | Akrotiri | Akrotiri
Akrotiri, British military enclave in south-central Cyprus that was retained as a “sovereign base area” by the United Kingdom under the London Agreement of 1959 granting the independence of Cyprus. Located southwest of Limassol, the enclave comprises Akrotiri Peninsula, the southernmost part of the island, a... |
dd4a25c83a187aacb1fb3b8b44ac6628 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aksum-ancient-kingdom-Africa | Aksum | Aksum
Aksum, also spelled Axum, powerful kingdom in northern Ethiopia during the early Christian era.
Despite common belief to the contrary, Aksum did not originate from one of the Semitic Sabaean kingdoms of southern Arabia but instead developed as a local power. At its apogee (3rd–6th century ce), Aksum became the g... |
11c26e8e69a69533d50fb5062a928cd9 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Abbasiyyah-Canal | Al-ʿAbbāsīyah Canal | Al-ʿAbbāsīyah Canal
… and a northern one (Al-ʿAbbāsiyyah Canal) to Port Said. This supplied drinking water in an otherwise arid area and was completed in 1863.
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8d6121221593d8d129063091b096644c | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Ahmadi | Al-Aḥmadī | Al-Aḥmadī
Al-Aḥmadī, town, southern Kuwait. The oasis town was built after 1946 with the development of the oil field in which it is located. Al-Aḥmadī is the headquarters of the Kuwait Oil Company. Pipelines link it with Mīnāʾ (port) al-Aḥmadī, on the Persian Gulf to the east, where a refinery and tanker terminals ar... |
74a3bf6de5282ec258ed857ca4617933 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Andalus | Al-Andalus | Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus, also called Muslim Spain, Muslim kingdom that occupied much of the Iberian Peninsula from 711 ce until the collapse of the Spanish Umayyad dynasty in the early 11th century. The Arabic name Al-Andalus was originally applied by the Muslims (Moors) to the entire Iberian Peninsula; it likely refers... |
8793412d79082b6774c10c41770c4e30 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Arid | Al-ʿĀriḍ | Al-ʿĀriḍ
Al-ʿĀriḍ, central area of north-central Najd region, Saudi Arabia, in the arid Ṭuwayq Plateau. It consists of a number of important oases, of which Riyadh, the national capital, is the most important.
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191404102b94c93e46a34a481abca8b3 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Ayn-United-Arab-Emirates | Al-ʿAyn | Al-ʿAyn
Al-ʿAyn, also spelled Al-Ain, city in Al-Buraymī oasis, southeastern Abū Ẓaby emirate, United Arab Emirates. The oasis city consists of houses of dried earth in a large palm grove; it also has a modern mosque and many gardens. Al-ʿAyn is situated in a large expanse of fertile land at the foot of Mount Ḥafīt. G... |
fe9cc0763d9929c1d2c192962cb95e7e | https://www.britannica.com/place/al-Azbakiyyah | Al-Azbakiyyah | Al-Azbakiyyah
…design of the districts of Al-Azbakiyyah (with its large park), ʿAbdīn, and Ismāʿīliyyah—all now central zones of contemporary Cairo. By the end of the 19th century these districts were well-developed, but with the beginning of British rule of Egypt in 1882 they were transformed into a colonial enclave.
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308e13b76e42ab1f3c37a6c8ea275f6c | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Azl-Island | Al-ʿAzl Island | Al-ʿAzl Island
…a large yard operated on Al-ʿAzl Island. Light industries include the production of building materials, furniture, soft drinks, plastics, and a wide range of consumer goods. The government has a significant financial stake in all these modern industries. In addition to the aluminum smelter operated by A... |
852a844126e24ad1e6bd80594bfa0284 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Bahah | Al-Bāḥah | Al-Bāḥah
Al-Bāḥah, town, southwestern Saudi Arabia. The town is situated on a mountainous plateau at an elevation of 7,014 feet (2,138 metres) and is surrounded by terraced hillsides, which are covered with juniper. It is known as the gateway to the ʿAsīr region, a prosperous agricultural area just north of Yemen. Al-... |
6bd9fd7b56a6bba35286503f7e4d97b8 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Batinah | Al-Bāṭinah | Al-Bāṭinah
Al-Bāṭinah, narrow, well-populated coastal plain in northeastern Oman, fronting the Gulf of Oman for about 150 miles (240 km) and extending from Oman’s border with the United Arab Emirates near Shināṣ southeast to Al-Sīb. The coastal plain varies in width between 10 and 30 miles (15 and 45 km) and is crosse... |
0d31dc4cdeba735c6b25fd21f9b2bad0 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Buhayrah | Al-Buḥayrah | Al-Buḥayrah
Al-Buḥayrah, also spelled Beheira, muḥāfaẓah (governorate) of the Nile River delta, Lower Egypt. It embraces the whole of the delta west of the Rosetta Branch, with a considerable desert region to the south. The capital and largest city is Damanhūr; other principal towns are Idkū, Kafr Salim, and Rosetta (... |
4e1c65924382a6be61d65618d6c18128 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Damazin | Al-Damāzīn | Al-Damāzīn
Al-Damāzīn, also spelled El-Damazin, town, southeastern Sudan, on the western bank of the Blue Nile River. Irrigation made possible by the Ruṣayriṣ (Roseires) dam to the east of Al-Damāzīn has increased the agricultural potential of Sudan. Industries include flour mills, sugar refineries, and oilseed mills.... |
debc87f6e6b92496890008a57ca54d52 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Daqahliyyah | Al-Daqahliyyah | Al-Daqahliyyah
Al-Daqahliyyah, muḥāfaẓah (governorate), northeastern Nile River delta, Lower Egypt, bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. Its triangular area, with the “point” to the south, is traversed by the Damietta branch of the Nile. Its name, an Arabicized form of the Coptic Tkehli, comes from the small village of... |
24f0dcd063a7a50e8edf3709ff225a6e | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Fashir | Al-Fāshir | Al-Fāshir
Al-Fāshir, town, western Sudan, located 120 miles (195 km) northeast of Nyala. A historical caravan centre, it lies at an elevation of about 2,400 feet (700 metres) and today serves as an agricultural marketing centre for the cereals and fruits grown in the surrounding area. It is linked by road with Al-Juna... |
949ea559ce3e76e3e3a2838f663a94a1 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Fustat-historical-city-Egypt | Al-Fusṭāṭ | Al-Fusṭāṭ
Al-Fusṭāṭ, also spelled al-Fostat, capital of the province of Egypt during the Muslim caliphates of the Umayyad and Abbasid and succeeding dynasties, until captured by the Fāṭimid general Jawhar in 969. Founded in 641 by the Muslim conqueror of Egypt, ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, on the east bank of the Nile River, sout... |
85ce20a2c1d63b19f2d8ad42b77efa09 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Hammad | Al-Ḥammād | Al-Ḥammād
…of the stony plains is Al-Ḥamād, which stretches from Al-Nafūd northward into the Syrian Desert. Chert plains were formed on the surface during the Oligocene in the Al-Ḥamād and in the Al-Malsūniyyah region east of the Khurayṣ oil field. The gravel plains resulted from deposits left during the Pleistocene Ep... |
f8f5673bda00b83d6c79e6cf8953a707 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Hasakah | Al-Ḥasakah | Al-Ḥasakah
Al-Ḥasakah, also spelled Hassaka, or Hasakeh, town, northeastern Syria. The town lies on the banks of the Khābūr River (a tributary of the Euphrates) at its confluence with the Jaghjaghah. Under the Ottoman Empire it lost its importance, but it revived with the settlement there of Assyrian refugees from Ira... |
3935c28104aa77451e9f300eca73e6f7 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Jabal-Al-Akhdar | Al-Jabal Al-Akhḍar | Al-Jabal Al-Akhḍar
…Hajar), the vast massif of Jabal Al-Akhḍar (Green Mountain), the Jabal Nakhl, the Al-Ḥajar al-Sharqī (Eastern Hajar), and the Jabal Banī Jābir. Al-Ḥajar reaches its greatest height at Mount Shams (9,777 feet [2,980 metres]); its average elevation is about 4,000 feet (about 1,220 metres).
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37afeab0041010791d982898baaae690 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Jawf-Saudi-Arabia | Al-Jawf | Al-Jawf
Al-Jawf, town and oasis, northern Saudi Arabia. It lies at the northern edge of the Al-Nafūd desert near the source of the Wadi Al-Sirḥān. Formerly considered a part of the Jabal Shammar region, the oasis now lies within the northern reaches of the Hejaz. The town is strategically located on an ancient caravan... |
64bf995079053a9c17d015d4fc097c3a | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Kut | Al-Kūt | Al-Kūt
Al-Kūt, also called Kūt al-ʿAmārah, city, capital of Wāsiṭ muḥāfaẓah (governorate), eastern Iraq. It lies along the Tigris River about 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Baghdad. A relatively new city, Al-Kūt serves as a river port and agricultural centre for nearby farms. It is best known as the site of a notable... |
e7ae33cd9b375f1a0430f5e5850f6edc | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Maydan | Al-Maydān | Al-Maydān
Al-Maydān, an entire district encompassing several quarters and villages, developed south of the walled city. The saturation of lucrative trades in the city centre led to an increase in the building of khāns there. This construction boom culminated in two monumental khāns, erected south of…
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7fbbda5e3bcebbdaddf7ddb19cea9f73 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Minufiyyah-Canal | Al-Minūfiyyah Canal | Al-Minūfiyyah Canal
…source of irrigation water is Al-Minūfiyyah Canal, which flows from the Delta (Al-Khayriyyah) Barrage on the Nile via the Shibīn and Baquriyyah canals. Most of the population lives in villages and small towns. The principal centres are Shibīn al-Kawm (capital of the muḥāfaẓah), Minūf, and Ashmūn—al... |
1a2ed2d184004063c7c9a98933c821e3 | https://www.britannica.com/place/al-Morgan | Al-Morgan | Al-Morgan
…the largest is the Al-Morgan field, located approximately 125 miles (200 km) south of Suez, have produced most of Egypt’s petroleum since the 1970s, and additional fields in the Gulf of Suez have started production. The Eastern Desert also yields asbestos, manganese, phosphates, uranium, and gold. Al-Quṣayr,... |
bb96cf5f7695fe518cb4700c9f66eef3 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Mukalla | Al-Mukallā | Al-Mukallā
Al-Mukallā, port, southeastern Yemen, on the Hadhramaut coast of the Gulf of Aden. The largest settlement and the only important port in the eastern part of the country, it is a centre of the fishing industry and has a fish-canning plant and a fish meal factory. It is also a marketplace for the interior. Fi... |
637a073a0f0fdf103cb35e1c115939fe | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Raqqah | Al-Raqqah | Al-Raqqah
Al-Raqqah, Raqqah also spelled Raqqa or Rakka, town, northern Syria, on the Euphrates River just west of its confluence with the Balīkh River. Al-Raqqah is on the site of an ancient Greek city, Nicephorium, and a later Roman fortress and market town, Callinicus. It flourished again in early Arab times when t... |
fee573b81ed99c32ed8d8dd3cbe6ef17 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Sahil | Al-Sāḥil | Al-Sāḥil
Al-Sāḥil, also spelled Sahel, Latin Byzacium, coastal plain in the eastern Mediterranean littoral of Tunisia that includes a sandy coast with large bays and lagoons of the Mediterranean and is situated between the sea and the steppe country of central Tunisia. The region extends from the town of Al-Nafīdah on... |
1ff5d5b50dc405f8398561225d6b3fdf | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Taif | Al-Ṭāʾif | Al-Ṭāʾif
Al-Ṭāʾif, also spelled Tayif, city, western Saudi Arabia. Lying at an elevation of 6,165 feet (1,879 metres) on a tableland southeast of Mecca, it is the country’s principal summer resort. Once the seat of the pagan goddess Allat, it is revered now as the site of the tomb of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās, a cousin of... |
a8d068f5bdcfa7c56666f6100530bf90 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Tur | Al-Ṭūr | Al-Ṭūr
Al-Ṭūr, town, capital of Janūb Sīnāʾ muḥāfaẓah (governorate), southwestern Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Suez. Al-Ṭūr has been an administrative centre and seaport since the Roman and Byzantine periods. In the town the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (527–565) built a monastery, its ... |
7f688fc5e7b9148961a7b253c2fc6d40 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Wadi-al-Jadid | Al-Wādī al-Jadīd | Al-Wādī al-Jadīd
Al-Wādī al-Jadīd, English New Valley, desert muḥāfaẓah (governorate), southwestern Egypt. It includes the entire southwestern quadrant of the country, from the Nile River valley (east) to the frontiers with Sudan (south) and Libya (west). Its total area covers approximately two-fifths of Egypt. Until ... |
95cc5a3597bc3c67e047bc988a6cc10a | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Wahibah-Dunes | Āl Wahībah Dunes | Āl Wahībah Dunes
Āl Wahībah Dunes, Arabic Ramlat Āl Wahībah, sandy desert, east-central Oman. It fronts the Arabian Sea on the southeast and stretches along the coast for more than 100 miles (160 km). The desert consists of honey-coloured dunes that are dark red at their base and rise to heights of 230 feet (70 m). Th... |
9367b71ad4bdb9a94e3176a4d148f331 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Zubayr | Al-Zubayr | Al-Zubayr
Al-Zubayr, town, southeastern Iraq. Located just southeast of Lake al-Ḥammār at the terminus of a railway line to Baghdad, it has long been important in trade with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south. Before the founding of Baghdad in 762, Basra, Kufa, and Wasit were the largest and most important towns in ... |
aa36c40d8dabee5ab7bf3ce26ce29259 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-River | Alabama River | Alabama River
Alabama River, river in southern Alabama, U.S. It is formed by the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers, 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Montgomery, winds westward to Selma, and then flows southward. Its navigable length is 305 miles (491 km), and the river drains 22,800 square miles (59,050 square km). It receives ... |
c45d121edbe52ddbf8bba64238b2f5cb | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-state/Climate | Climate | Climate
The Alabama climate is temperate, with an average annual temperature of about 64 °F (18 °C), mellowed by altitude to some 60 °F (16 °C) in the northern counties and reaching 67 °F (19 °C) in the southern counties, although summer heat is often alleviated somewhat by the winds blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico.... |
e39d66d8e493006435e5d68f2be5b111 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-state/Cultural-life | Cultural life | Cultural life
Alabama is rich in rural cultural traditions. Storytelling in particular has attracted the attention of folklore specialists, and quilt making is also a highly developed art. Sacred music, in the form of gospel ensembles and shape-note, or “fa-so-la,” singing, remains a vital part of Alabama’s cultural li... |
5b45c8d825260919fa9d957f8de00dc8 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-state/Economy | Economy | Economy
Among the 50 states, Alabama is relatively poor, and median family income has remained well below the national average. Rural poverty skews the state average downward, however, concealing more-promising trends and the stronger economic base that exists in the urban areas. Much of this has been based on manufact... |
d59f8786165f822fd94deceb29cd1e51 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-state/Government-and-society | Government and society | Government and society
Alabama is governed by a bicameral legislature and a governor and cabinet. The legislature consists of the Senate, with 35 members, and the House of Representatives, with 105 members, who meet annually in regular sessions; members of both chambers are elected for four-year terms. The constitution... |
14ff8a3a78eeb109590d84b66fbf94fa | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alabama-state/The-Civil-War-and-its-aftermath | The Civil War and its aftermath | The Civil War and its aftermath
In 1861 Alabama seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America, which established its first capital in Montgomery. The state legislature conscripted soldiers and appropriated several million dollars for military operations and for the support of the families of soldi... |
cdb6757b7550c09f33e3c761d5107875 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaca-Huyuk | Alaca Hüyük | Alaca Hüyük
Alaca Hüyük, ancient Anatolian site northeast of the old Hittite capital of Hattusa at Boğazköy, north-central Turkey. Its excavation was begun by Makridi Bey in 1907 and resumed in 1935 by the Turkish Historical Society. Inside a sphinx gate, traces of a large Hittite building were discovered. Below the ... |
4ebb666dcc05a0edaca7ec70b03e0734 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alalakh | Alalakh | Alalakh
Alalakh, modern Tell Açana, also called ʿAtshanah, ancient Syrian city in the Orontes (Asi) valley, southern Turkey. Excavations (1936–49) by Sir Leonard Woolley uncovered numerous impressive buildings, including a massive structure known as the palace of Yarim-Lim, dating from c. 1780 bc, when Alalakh was the... |
d6786e4cee8b1a066e2ae7a55de85db4 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alamo?utm_medium=mendel-homepage&utm_source=4up&utm_campaign=4up-1&utm_term=20210223 | Alamo | Alamo
Alamo, (Spanish: “Cottonwood”) 18th-century Franciscan mission in San Antonio, Texas, U.S., that was the site of a historic resistance effort by a small group of determined fighters for Texan independence (1836) from Mexico.
The building was originally the chapel of the Mission San Antonio de Valero, which had b... |
20fc0a51baa1234b4741899e728acd27 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alappuzha | Alappuzha | Alappuzha
Alappuzha, also called Alleppey, city, southern Kerala state, southwestern India. It lies on a narrow land spit between the Arabian Sea and Vembanad Lake, south of Kochi (Cochin), and is on the main road between Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).
Alappuzha’s port was opened to foreign trade by the Br... |
f1fd8445b44e92eebf31fb6dfe6665c5 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaska-Range | Alaska Range | Alaska Range
Alaska Range, one of the components of the Alaskan mountains and a segment of the larger Pacific mountain system of western North America. The range extends generally northward and eastward in an arc for about 400 miles (650 km) from the Aleutian Range to the boundary of Yukon territory, Canada, in southe... |
ee6f79ce2ad74470bdc5f0a55d7c8ae1 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaska/Alaska-since-statehood | Alaska since statehood | Alaska since statehood
Alaskans voted in favour of statehood in 1946 and adopted a constitution in 1956. Congressional approval of the Alaska statehood bill in 1958 was followed by formal entry into the union in 1959.
During the 20th century nearly 40 earthquakes measuring at least 7.25 on the Richter scale were record... |
05bbbb10d046bc973f33a517cbefe38b | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaska/Climate | Climate | Climate
Alaska is known for its variable climate, which is influenced by ocean currents. The western coasts are bathed by the Alaska Current, which carries relatively warm Pacific waters northward and westward along the southern Aleutian Islands. Those warm oceanic waters enter the Bering Sea and then flow eastward alo... |
2ddee5d8d53088b344045319886be152 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaska/Economy | Economy | Economy
The Alaskan economy is conditioned strongly by the state’s continuing status as a frontier. While the high costs of labour and transportation and complicated environmental and land-use constraints still tend to discourage outside investment, major improvements in infrastructure have lowered the costs of economi... |
4855b5b3fd7adf1c5de8d74a903c624b | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaska/Government-and-society | Government and society | Government and society
The state constitution was adopted and ratified in 1956 but did not become operative until official statehood was declared in 1959. The governor and lieutenant governor are the only elected executive officers and serve four-year terms. The 40-member House of Representatives and 20-member Senate a... |
6e2756bcad9168fcdad2eca4a6901823 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaska/Land | Land | Land
Alaska comprises eight distinct physiographic and environmental regions. Much of the mainland panhandle region, a narrow strip of land 25 to 50 miles (40 to 80 km) wide lying east and south of the St. Elias Mountains, is composed of the Boundary Ranges. There are several large ice fields there, and the peaks inclu... |
712d69355a4d32c8b1deeb78889155bf | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaska/Services-labour-and-taxation | Services, labour, and taxation | Services, labour, and taxation
Services are the dominant economic activity of the state. Alaska has had an upsurge of tourism since the mid-20th century. More than one million tourists annually arrive in Alaska, usually by cruise ship. The most-popular tourist destination is Denali National Park and Preserve, in the so... |
11619aca870bd57a090f83011fa00732 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaskan-Mountains | Alaskan mountains | Alaskan mountains
Alaskan mountains, three principal mountain groups of far northwestern North America—the Brooks Range, Alaska Range, and Aleutian Range—found in the U.S. state of Alaska.
The mountain ranges of Alaska give their state a rugged and beautiful terrain across its entire expanse. They include the highest ... |
b2170bad3cecb8e346922645f1b4d712 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alaskan-Mountains/People-and-economy | People and economy | People and economy
As a marginal environment in a mostly harsh climatic region, the Alaskan mountains have few areas suitable for settlement. Where they occur, settlements are limited to lower elevations or intermontane valleys. Only the coast mountains of southern Alaska and the panhandle support sizable populations. ... |
96ccff5f91fb72812b29a07b06b53714 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alatri | Alatri | Alatri
Alatri, town, Lazio (Latium) regione, central Italy. It lies in the Cosa River valley, at 1,647 feet (502 m) above sea level, just north of Frosinone city. Said to have been founded in 1830 bc as Alatrium (mentioned by the Greek geographer Strabo), it belonged to the confederation of the Hernici, an ancient peo... |
c8fb30c125a040cd6829e3b96531c291 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alay-Range | Alay Range | Alay Range
…southwest the Hisor (Gissar) and Alay ranges of Tajikistan extend into part of the Tien Shan, making the Alay, Surkhandarya, and Hisor valleys boundaries of the system, along with the Pamirs to the south. The Tien Shan also includes the Shū-Ile Mountains and the Qarataū Range, which extend far to…
The Gissa... |
fee4c98e849ca5d5a664e5d34c7bbffa | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alba-county-Romania | Alba | Alba
Alba, judeƫ (county), western Romania, occupying an area of 2,410 square miles (6,242 square km). The Western Carpathians rise above the settled areas in intermontane valleys. The county is drained westward by the Mureş River and its tributaries. Neolithic artifacts have been found at Alba Iulia (the county capit... |
4c8461ab9b11c0a3f8e7c2d58733d833 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albania/Climate | Climate | Climate
Like other Mediterranean countries, Albania has characteristically warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Local climatic variation can occur, however, from one region to another. The western part of the country, which is under the influence of warm maritime air from the Adriatic and Ionian seas, has more-mode... |
a70630a78e66b0b2e77af9582fd7cf06 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albania/Constitutional-framework | Constitutional framework | Constitutional framework
The constitution of the Republic of Albania was promulgated on November 28, 1998. It replaced an interim document from 1991 that had first sanctioned a multiparty political system and officially guaranteed Albanian citizens the freedoms of speech, religion, press, and assembly.
Albania is a par... |
cbb91b9fa553519d03a483e7575405ae | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albania/Economy | Economy | Economy
Before 1991 the ruling communist party directed the country’s entire economy through a series of five-year plans. All means of production were under state control, agriculture was fully collectivized, industry was nationalized, and private enterprise was strictly forbidden. In addition, a provision of the const... |
9b610cbe047ffba1f49f601b44145b4b | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albania/Languages | Languages | Languages
The Albanian language, called shqip or shqipe by Albanians, is of interest to linguists because, as a descendant of the extinct Illyrian tongue, it is the only surviving member of its branch of the Indo-European language family. Influenced by centuries of rule by foreigners, the Albanian vocabulary has adopte... |
8bb38a4ed998fed33314aec2c868608b | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albania/Medieval-culture | Medieval culture | Medieval culture
In the latter part of the Middle Ages, Albanian urban society reached a high point of development. Foreign commerce flourished to such an extent that leading Albanian merchants had their own agencies in Venice, Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik, Croatia), and Thessalonica (now Thessaloníki, Greece). The prosper... |
5fb4e7ff8196d7cc5864a1b15f5f4f70 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albania/People | People | People
Albania has one of the most homogeneous populations in Europe, with non-Albanians accounting for less than one-tenth of the total population. The largest minorities are Vlachs; Greeks, concentrated mainly in the southeast; and Macedonians, living along the eastern border.
The two main subgroups of Albanians are ... |
66213e72de424fbb27041190c17bf6ac | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albany-county-New-York | Albany | Albany
Albany, county, east-central New York state, U.S., bordered by the Mohawk River to the northeast and the Hudson River to the east. The terrain rises from the Hudson valley lowlands in the east to the Helderberg Mountains in the centre of the county; Alcove Reservoir is in the south. Parklands include Thompson’s... |
8e1a6e66ba4b264d59bddd1724817dd0 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albany-River | Albany River | Albany River
Albany River, river, north central Ontario, Canada, rising in Lake St. Joseph at an elevation of 1,218 ft (371 m) and flowing generally eastward into James Bay. For 250 mi (400 km) of its 610-mi course, the river is navigable, and it served as an important route during the fur-trading days, when boats sa... |
85dde586ea335931b4364c5c74e8bc93 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albazino | Albazino | Albazino
…expelled from their fortresses of Albazin and Nerchinsk by the Qing army before Kangxi’s reign. But the Russians restored the two fortresses and were building many more in that region, and Kangxi prepared to deal them a blow. In 1685 Qing forces attacked Albazin and captured it in a few…
…Russian fort was bui... |
f5d6ef48a6cbfc05067b3eac9e70ce23 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albert-Nile | Albert Nile | Albert Nile
Albert Nile, also called Mobutu Nile, the upper Nile River in northwestern Uganda. The Albert Nile issues from the north end of Lake Albert, just north of the mouth of the Victoria Nile. It flows 130 miles (210 km) north past Pakwach to the South Sudanese border at Nimule, where it becomes the Al-Jabal Riv... |
72115f412fd897d0aa146f934d183497 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alberta-Basin | Alberta Basin | Alberta Basin
Alberta Basin, large, petroleum-rich sedimentary basin along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in western Canada. It extends from British Columbia through Alberta and Saskatchewan into Manitoba. The basin was formed when the Earth’s crust sank along the continental side of the Rocky Mountains durin... |
d8f8fcaf5dd4d9a02576fae04672db98 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albion-island-Europe | Albion | Albion
Albion, the earliest-known name for the island of Britain. It was used by ancient Greek geographers from the 4th century bc and even earlier, who distinguished “Albion” from Ierne (Ireland) and from smaller members of the British Isles. The Greeks and Romans probably received the name from the Gauls or the Cel... |
8784234086fd82c06af65f0898418a49 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albuquerque/History | History | History
Archaeological evidence indicates that humans have lived in the area of what is now Albuquerque for at least 10,000 years, making it one of the longest continuously settled sites in the Americas. When Spanish explorers under conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado entered the area in 1540, the Tiwa people we... |
0287e5814407792cd5f2cf38ea2a69d9 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Albuquerque/People | People | People
Because Albuquerque was a distant outpost of the Spanish empire, its residents were mostly of Hispanic or mixed Hispanic–Native American ancestry until the late 19th century. Influxes of Protestant settlers (generally of northern European descent) throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries reduced the pre... |
41af719bd0af8b61baa29f8453a7d6e9 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alcala-de-Guadaira | Alcalá de Guadaira | Alcalá de Guadaira
Alcalá de Guadaira, city, Sevilla provincia (province), in the Andalusia comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), southwestern Spain. It is just southeast of Sevilla city, on the Guadaira River. The town is popularly known as Alcalá de los Panaderos (Alcalá of the Bakers) because of its large numb... |
866448bc41221122fdb97b5a9a78f5ab | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alcamo | Alcamo | Alcamo
Alcamo, town, northwestern Sicily, Italy, 23 miles (37 km) west-southwest of Palermo. The name comes from that of the nearby Saracen fortress, Alqamah, on Mount Bonifato. The present town was founded by the emperor Frederick II in 1233. Notable churches include the 17th-century Assunta Church and the Church of ... |
48ecc22bda4fae08ae243a97ac718402 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alcantara-Spain | Alcántara | Alcántara
Alcántara, town, Cáceres provincia (province), in the Extremadura comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), western Spain, on a rock above the southern bank of the Tagus (Tajo) River just east of the Portuguese frontier. The walled town was named by the Moors after the six-arched Roman bridge Al-Qanṭarah (A... |
fcc1701c01dc0ce22a22be363e75c72d | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alcazar-de-San-Juan | Alcázar de San Juan | Alcázar de San Juan
Alcázar de San Juan, town, Ciudad Real provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Castile-La Mancha, central Spain. It lies on the high southern Meseta Central at 2,135 feet (650 metres) above sea level. Known to the Romans as Alces, the town was renamed al-Qaṣr (“the... |
a433fb1815afb512e95c0978c8c19051 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alchevsk | Alchevsk | Alchevsk
Alchevsk, formerly (1931–61) Voroshilovsk, or (1961–92) Kommunarsk, city, eastern Ukraine. It lies along the railway from Luhansk to Debaltseve. Alchevsk was founded in 1895 with the establishment of the Donetsko-Yuryevsky ironworks. The plant developed into a large, integrated ironworks and steelworks, which... |
0d6dd13b82079d4cb60867dd927d7def | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aldan-River | Aldan River | Aldan River
Aldan River, river in eastern Siberia, Russia. It rises in the Stanovoy Range and flows northwestward in a huge curve to join the Lena River at Batamay. The Aldan River is 1,412 miles (2,273 km) long, the second largest tributary (after the Vilyuy) of the Lena, and drains more than 281,500 square miles (7... |
4d3dc1c8422980425c3ba1b3188e1bcc | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky | Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky | Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky
Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, city, west-central Sakhalin oblast (region), far-eastern Siberia, Russia. It lies on the western coast of Sakhalin Island on the Tatar Strait.
Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky was founded in 1881 as a centre for penal settlements. In 1890 the writer Anton Chekhov lived the... |
86b55c1a6e30793c40b418c78b31c6ec | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aleppo/The-contemporary-city | The contemporary city | The contemporary city
Aleppo sits on a plateau at an elevation of approximately 1,300 feet (400 metres). The area is one of the most fertile in Syria, with wheat fields and orchards covering the plain south of the city. The Quwayq River runs through the city, although it has at times run dry in Aleppo partly because of... |
1f82342cae622c4cc22c61d5348c894d | https://www.britannica.com/place/Ales-France | Alès | Alès
Alès, town, Gard département, Occitanie région, southeastern France. It lies along a bend of the Gardon d’Alès River, at the foot of the Cévennes mountains, north-northwest of Nîmes.
The town’s name meant “industry” in the language of its 10th-century-bce Phoenician founders. Alestium was its Roman name, and unti... |
ebac338f9caf6f04b474abb1f32f6ea1 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alesia | Alesia | Alesia
Alesia, ancient town situated on Mont Auxois, above the present-day village of Alise-Sainte-Reine in the département of Côte d’Or, France. Alesia is famous as the site of the siege and capture of Vercingetorix by Julius Caesar in 52 bc that ended Gallic resistance to Caesar. The Gallic town was succeeded on the... |
a5d3fc000bbd2df42df35dc8abcf585e | https://www.britannica.com/place/Alessandria-Italy | Alessandria | Alessandria
Alessandria, city, Piedmont regione, northwestern Italy. The city lies at the confluence of the Bormida and Tanaro rivers, southeast of Turin (Torino).
It was founded in 1168 by the towns of the Lombard League as an Alpine valley stronghold against the Holy Roman emperor Frederick I (Frederick Barbarossa).... |
9a10188b4fb565241f016f2162cfc3ac | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aletsch-Glacier | Aletsch Glacier | Aletsch Glacier
Aletsch Glacier, the Alps’ largest and longest glacier, lying in the Bernese Alps of south-central Switzerland. Covering an area of 66 square miles (171 square km), it is divided into the Great Aletsch (main) and the Middle and Upper Aletsch (branches). The main glacier is 15 miles (24 km) long and 1 ... |
84e5217f3af499b39ecce09363515be8 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aleutian-Basin | Aleutian Basin | Aleutian Basin
Aleutian Basin, submarine depression forming the floor of the southwestern section of the Bering Sea in the Pacific Ocean. On the west it rises to meet Siberia and the Kamchatka Peninsula; on the northeast, the continental shelf of North America off southwestern Alaska; and on the south, the Aleutian I... |
2ca6397810e253880465aae573da87f6 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aleutian-Current | Aleutian Current | Aleutian Current
Aleutian Current, also called Subarctic Current, surface oceanic current, an eastward-flowing mixture of the Kuroshio (Japan Current) and the Oya Current, located between the Aleutian Islands and latitude 42° N. Approaching the North American coast, the current divides to become the Alaska and Califor... |
ac150a85fda30a33edae31d6d27dbbb2 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aleutian-Islands | Aleutian Islands | Aleutian Islands
Aleutian Islands, chain of small islands that separate the Bering Sea (north) from the main portion of the Pacific Ocean (south). They extend in an arc southwest, then northwest, for about 1,100 miles (1,800 km) from the tip of the Alaska Peninsula to Attu Island, Alaska, U.S. The Aleutians occupy a t... |
fe5a75f4200be690a8b1bf655231c6c1 | https://www.britannica.com/place/Aleutian-Range | Aleutian Range | Aleutian Range
Aleutian Range, segment of the Pacific mountain system, western North America. The range extends southwestward for about 600 miles (1,000 km) from the west end of the Alaska Range to the head of Cook Inlet of the Gulf of Alaska, Alaska, U.S. The Aleutian Islands represent a southwestern extension of the... |
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