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Muhammad, Benjamin Franklin Chavis

(Encyclopedia)Muhammad, Benjamin Franklin Chavis, 1948–, African-American civil-rights and religious leader, b. Oxford, N.C., as Benjamin Franklin Chavis, Jr. An activist from boyhood, he was a youth coordinator ...

Madurai

(Encyclopedia)Madurai mədo͝orīˈ [key], city (1991 pop. 1,085,914), Tamil Nadu state, S India, on the Vaigai River. It is known as the “city of festivals and temples” and is the second largest city in Tamil ...

Michael, archangel

(Encyclopedia)Michael mīˈkəl [key] [Heb.,=who is like God?], archangel prominent in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions. In the Bible and early Jewish literature, Michael is one of the angels of God's prese...

Menelik II

(Encyclopedia)Menelik II mĕnˈəlĭk [key], 1844–1913, emperor of Ethiopia after 1889. He was originally ras (ruler) of Shoa (central Ethiopia). After the death (1868) of Emperor Tewodros II, Menelik, with Itali...

Annaba

(Encyclopedia)Annaba ăn-näbˈə [key], formerly Bône (bōn), city, capital of Annaba prov., extreme NE Algeria, a port on the Mediterranean Sea. One of the country's leading ports, t...

Halmahera

(Encyclopedia)Halmahera jīlôˈlô [key], island, c.7,000 sq mi (18,100 sq km), E Indonesia, between New G...

Bornu

(Encyclopedia)Bornu bôrˈno͞o [key], former Muslim state, mostly in NE Nigeria, extending S and W of Lake Chad. It began its existence as a separate state in the late 14th cent. From the 14th to the 18th cent. Bo...

Umar

(Encyclopedia)Umar ōˈmär [key], c.581–644, 2d caliph (see caliphate). At first hostile to Islam, he was converted by 618, becoming an adviser to Muhammad. He succeeded Abu Bakr as caliph without opposition in ...

Zinder

(Encyclopedia)Zinder zĭnˈdər [key], city (1988 pop. 120,892), S Niger. It is the trade center for an agricultural region where grains, manioc, and peanuts are grown, and cattle and sheep are raised. Manufactures...

Zeman, Miloš

(Encyclopedia)Zeman, Miloš mēˈlōsh zĕˈmän [key], 1944–, Czech economist and political leader, president of the Czech Republic (2013–). He joined (1968) the Communist party during the Prague Spring and be...
 

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