Greek island in the Aegean Sea, the closest one to the mainland of Asia Minor, from which it is separated by the narrow Samos Strait. The 184-sq-mi (476-sq-km) island is wooded and mountainous; Mt. Kerketeus, the highest peak (4,701 ft ...
tunnel drilled on the Aegean island of Samos in the 6th century BC to carry water for the capital city of the tyrant Polycrates from springs on the far side of Mount Castro. It was built, according to Herodotus, by ...
island in Danau (lake) Toba, Sumatera Utara propinsi (North Sumatra province), Sumatra, Indonesia. Approximately 200 sq mi (520 sq km) in area, the island occupies nearly half the lake and is joined to its western shore by an isthmus, at ...
Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea off the Thracian coast, included in the nomos (department) of Evros. The 69-sq-mi (178-sq-km) island is geologically complex, consisting chiefly of ancient granites, clayey deposits, and softer volcanic materials. Hot springs are located ...
metal urn, often of brass, with a spigot near its base, widely used in Russia to boil water for tea. In traditional samovars water is heated by means of a vertical tube, containing burning charcoal, running up the middle of ...
breed of working dog developed in Siberia, where it was kept by the Samoyed people as a sled dog and companion and as a herd dog for their reindeer. The Samoyed is a sturdily built, husky-like dog with erect ears, ...
group of languages spoken in Siberia and the Russian Arctic that, together with the Finno-Ugric languages, constitute the family of Uralic languages (q.v.). There are five Samoyedic languages, which are divided into two subgroups-North Samoyedic and South Samoyedic. The North ...
most common type of small boat in Chinese waters, constructed in a variety of designs. Some have sharp bows, and nearly all have large sterns, with the after portion of the gunwale and deck nearly always raised. Sampans are usually ...
embroidered panel of linen on which various types of stitches are demonstrated. The earliest extant European examples date from the 16th century. The original purpose of the sampler, in the period before embroidery pattern books became available in 1523, was ...
in statistics, a process or method of drawing a representative group of individuals or cases from a particular population. Sampling and statistical inference are used in circumstances in which it is impractical to obtain information from every member of the ...
mysterious object often referred to in the mythological songs of the Finns, most likely a cosmological pillar or some similar support holding up the vault of heaven. In a cycle of songs, referred to by scholars as the sampo-epic, the ...
in Hinduism, a traditional school of religious teaching, transmitted from one teacher to another. From about the 11th century onward, several sects emerged out of Vaisnavism (worship of the god Vishnu). These sects continue to the present day. They include ...
American tennis player whose exceptional all-around game enabled him to win 14 grand-slam singles titles, a record among male players. During his career he won seven Wimbledon singles championships (also a record; 1993-95, 1997-2000), five U.S. Open titles (1990, 1993, ...
in Indian philosophy, the central conception of metempsychosis. It refers in Hinduism and Jainism to the career of the soul, which, once it has fallen from its original state of self-consciousness and bliss, is born as any creature and continues ...
village in Adiyaman il (province), southeastern Turkey, on the upper Euphrates River. In antiquity Samosata was a fortified city guarding an important crossing point of the river on the east-west trade route; as such it enjoyed considerable commercial and strategic ...
any of the personal sacraments traditionally observed at every stage of a Hindu's life, from the moment of conception to the final scattering of his funeral ashes. The observance of the samskaras is based on custom fully as much as ...
Israelite hero portrayed in an epic narrative in the Old Testament (Judg. 13-16). He was a Nazirite (q.v.) and a legendary warrior whose incredible exploits hint at the weight of Philistine pressure on Israel during much of the early, tribal ...
city, capital of Samsun il (province), northern Turkey. The largest city on the southern coast of the Black Sea, Samsun lies between the deltas of the Kizil and Yesil rivers. Amisus, which stood on a promontory just northwest of the ...
Indian regional emperor from about AD 330 to 380 who was the epitome of an "ideal king" of the "golden age of Hindu history," as the period of the imperial Guptas (AD 320-510) has often been called. The son of ...
religious hero in the history of Israel, represented in the Old Testament in every role of leadership open to a Jewish man of his day-seer, priest, judge, prophet, and military leader. His greatest distinction was his role in the establishment ...
Talmudic scholar, grammarian, philologist, poet, warrior, and statesman who for two decades was the power behind the throne of the caliphate of Granada.
Babylonian amora (scholar), head of the important Jewish academy at Nehardea. His teachings, along with those of Rav (Abba Arika, head of the academy at Sura), figure prominently in the Babylonian Talmud.
two Old Testament books that, along with Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and 1 and 2 Kings, belong to the tradition of Deuteronomic history first committed to writing about 550 BC, during the Babylonian Exile. The two books, which were originally one, ...
British statesman and philosopher, one of the first Jewish members of the British cabinet (as chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, 1909-10). He was perhaps most important as first British high commissioner for Palestine (1920-25), carrying out that delicate assignment ...
Swedish biochemist, corecipient with fellow Swede Sune K. Bergstrom and Englishman John Robert Vane of the 1982 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. The three scientists were honoured for their isolation, identification, and analysis of numerous prostaglandins, a family of ...
(May 29, 1658), decisive struggle in a contest for the throne between the sons of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan after the emperor's serious illness in September 1657. The battle was fought between the princes Aurangzeb and Murad Bakhsh, third ...
English Simoom, small and extremely hot and dry local wind in Arabia and the Sahara. Its temperature often reaches 55° C (about 130° F), and its humidity sometimes falls under 10 percent. Intensive ground heating under a cloudless sky ...
member of the Japanese warrior caste. The term samurai was originally used to denote the aristocratic warriors (bushi), but it came to apply to all the members of the warrior class that rose to power in the 12th century and ...
town, south-central Thailand, on the Gulf of Thailand. Samut Prakan (sometimes called Paknam) lies at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River and serves as a lower port of Bangkok, 12 miles (19 km) north, with which it is linked ...
town, south-central Thailand. The fishing port of Samut Sakhon is located on the Gulf of Thailand at the mouth of the Tha Chin River. It is a rice-milling centre and is linked to nearby Bangkok by road, railway, and canal. ...
town, south-central Thailand. It lies along the Gulf of Thailand southwest of Bangkok. The town is a fishing port on the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Thailand at the mouth of the Mae Klong River. It is also a ...
in northern Buddhism, a fierce protective deity. Like Heruka and Hevajra, he is an emanation of the Buddha Aksobhya and wears a figure of that god in his headdress. Samvara is widely worshiped as a yi-dam (tutelary, or guardian, deity) ...
(Sanskrit: "the empirical truth"), in Buddhist thought, the truth based on the common understanding of ordinary people. It refers to the empirical reality usually accepted in everyday life and can be admitted for practical purposes of communication. It is distinct ...
an indigenous people of southern Africa, related to the Khoekhoe (Khoikhoi). They live chiefly in Botswana, Namibia, and southeastern Angola. Bushmen is an Anglicization of boesman, the Dutch and Afrikaner name for them; saan (plural) or saa ...
major fracture of the Earth's crust in extreme western North America. The fault trends northwestward for more than 800 miles (1,300 km) from the northern end of the Gulf of California through western California, U.S., passing seaward into the Pacific ...
segment of the southern Rocky Mountains, extending southward parallel to the Rio Grande for 150 miles (241 km), through Socorro, Sierra, and Dona Ana counties in southern New Mexico, U.S. Spanish missionaries named the mountains for Saint Andrew, the disciple ...
city, southeastern Veracruz estado ("state"), south-central Mexico. It lies on the slopes of San Martin volcano, along the Tuxtla River, at an elevation of 1,181 feet (360 m) above sea level. The town was founded by Ixtlecos Indians in 1664, ...
island departamento, Colombia, consisting of the Andres and Providencia islands and several small keys in the Caribbean Sea, 440 miles (710 km) northwest of Cartagena, Colom., and 110 miles (180 km) off the coast of Nicaragua. Three of the keys ...
city, seat (1875) of Tom Green county, west-central Texas, U.S. It lies about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Abilene. Founded in 1869 near Fort Concho (now a museum) at the confluence of the North, South, and Middle Concho rivers, ...
city, seat (1837) of Bexar county, south-central Texas, U.S. It is situated at the headwaters of the San Antonio River on the Balcones Escarpment, about 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Austin. The third most populous city in Texas, it ...
city, west central La Habana province, west central Cuba. Lying on the Rio San Antonio de los Banos, the settlement prospered and became a health resort because of its thermal springs. It is also a commercial and manufacturing centre for ...
one of the largest animal collections in the southwestern United States, located in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 1914, the zoo and accompanying aquarium are operated by the San Antonio Zoological Society and occupy a 35-acre (14-hectare) site with natural ...
cape, Pinar del Rio province, western Cuba. Forming the westernmost extremity of the island, its point juts out between the Golfo (gulf ) de Guanahacabibes on the north and Ensenada (bay) de Corrientes on the south. Approximately 150 mi (240 ...
central city of the San Bernardino-Riverside-Ontario metropolitan complex, seat (1853) of San Bernardino county, southern California, U.S. Located east of Los Angeles, the city lies at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains. It was the site of a Spanish ...
segment of the Coast Ranges (see Pacific mountain system), southern California, U.S. The range extends southeastward for 55 miles (90 km) from Cajon Pass to San Gorgonio Pass and defines the eastern limit of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The ...
mountain pass (6,775 ft [2,065 m]), in the Lepontine Alps of Graubunden canton, southeastern Switzerland. Although the pass was not mentioned until 941, it is believed to have been in use since prehistoric times. The road over the pass connects ...
