Otto Dix was a German painter and engraver who mixed compassion and Expressionist despair to create works harshly critical of society. He was associated and exhibited with the Neue Sachlichkeit group of painters. Son of a railway worker, Dix was apprenticed to a decorative artist and received

Deep Impact: …Observation and Characterization (EPOCh) and Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI).

Dixie, the Southern U.S. states, especially those that belonged to the Confederate States of America (1860–65). The origins of the name are debated, but it was popularized by the song “Dixie,” composed in 1859 by Daniel Decatur Emmett. The tune was popular as a marching song of the Confederate

Daniel Decatur Emmett: His song “Dixie,” written in 1859, was originally a “walk-around,” or concluding number for a minstrel show. It attained national popularity and was later the unofficial national anthem of the Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861–65) and of the South thereafter. Several sets of words, Northern…

the Chicks, American country music group that achieved crossover success in the pop market. The group’s principal members include Martie Maguire (née Erwin; b. October 12, 1969, York, Pennsylvania, U.S.), Emily Robison (née Erwin; b. August 16, 1972, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.), and Natalie

Southern rock: …such as Sea Level and the Dixie Dregs, even flirted with jazz-rock.

Dixiecrat, member of a right-wing Democratic splinter group in the 1948 U.S. presidential election organized by Southerners who objected to the civil rights program of the Democratic Party. It met at Birmingham, Ala., and on July 17, 1948, nominated Gov. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina for

Dixieland, in music, a style of jazz, often ascribed to jazz pioneers in New Orleans, but also descriptive of styles honed by slightly later Chicago-area musicians. The term also refers to the traditional jazz that underwent a popular revival during the 1940s and that continued to be played into

Zhou was the last sovereign (c. 1075–46 bc) of the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 bc), who, according to legend, lost his empire because of his extreme debauchery. To please his concubine, Daji, Zhou is said to have built a lake of wine around which naked men and women were forced to chase one

J.N. Dixit was a diplomat who served as India’s national security adviser and as the Indian envoy to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Dixit was the son of a writer and a Sanskrit scholar. After earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, economics, and political science from Delhi

J.N. Dixit was a diplomat who served as India’s national security adviser and as the Indian envoy to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Dixit was the son of a writer and a Sanskrit scholar. After earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, economics, and political science from Delhi

Bollywood: Women in Bollywood: …Dimple Kapadia 1980s onwards: Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla 1990s: Kajol, Manisha Koirala, Karisma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon 2000s: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor Khan 2010s–present: Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif, Vidya Balan, Anushka Sharma,

J.N. Dixit was a diplomat who served as India’s national security adviser and as the Indian envoy to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Dixit was the son of a writer and a Sanskrit scholar. After earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, economics, and political science from Delhi

Dixon, city, seat (1839) of Lee county, northwestern Illinois, U.S. It lies on the Rock River, about 100 miles (160 km) west of Chicago. The area was settled in 1828 by Joseph Ogee, who established a ferry service across the river. Two years later the town was founded by John Dixon (for whom the

Dixon Entrance, narrow passage (50 miles [80 km] wide) of the eastern North Pacific, stretching 50 miles east from the open ocean to Hecate Strait (Canada). The Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska lies to the north and British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands)

Carol Moseley Braun: Senator Alan Dixon’s support of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, she ran against Dixon in the 1992 Democratic primary. Though poorly financed, she won an upset victory over Dixon on her way to capturing a seat in the Senate.

Floyd Dixon was an American rhythm and blues (R&B) musician who was one of the principal exponents of the up-tempo blues style known as West Coast jump blues. Dixon moved with his family to Los Angeles as a child. He taught himself to play the piano and entered amateur music contests, at one of

George Dixon was an English navigator whose exploration of the western coast of North America helped to establish a profitable English fur trade in what is now British Columbia. Upon returning from Capt. James Cook’s third voyage in search of a northwest passage to the Orient (1776–79), he became a

George Dixon was a Canadian-born American boxer, the first black to win a world boxing championship. He is considered one of the best fighters in the history of the bantamweight and featherweight divisions (present weight limits 118 pounds and 126 pounds, respectively). (Read Gene Tunney’s 1929

tap dance: Early history: Dancers such as Harland Dixon and Jimmy Doyle (a duo known for their buck-and-wing dancing) impressed audiences and influenced developing dancers with their skill, ingenuity, and creativity. In addition to shaping dance performance, tap dancers influenced the evolution of popular American music in the early to mid-20th century;…

history of photography: Landscape and architectural documentation: Alfred and John Bool and Henry Dixon worked for the Society for Photographing Old London, recording historical buildings and relics. In the 1850s the French government commissioned several photographers to document historical buildings. Working with cameras making photographs as large as 20 by 29 inches (51 by 74 cm), Henri…

Henry Horatio Dixon was an Irish botanist who investigated plant transpiration and, with John Joly, developed the tension theory of sap ascent. Dixon studied at Trinity College, Dublin, and the University of Bonn; he became professor of botany at Trinity (1904) and director of the botanical gardens

A Raisin in the Sun: Heart-wrenching at times and humorous at others, the screenplay was written by Hansberry, one of the first African American playwrights to have work staged on Broadway. Most of the cast members from the stage production—including

Jeremiah Dixon was a British surveyor who, working with fellow surveyor Charles Mason, established the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania, known since as the Mason and Dixon Line. Almost nothing is known of Dixon’s life prior to his association with Mason. In 1760 the two were selected by

Dixon: …the town was founded by John Dixon (for whom the city is named), a postmaster who took over operation of the ferry service and established a tavern on his mail route between Peoria and Galena. General Henry Atkins built Fort Dixon as a base for his campaign in 1832 against…

Joseph Dixon was an American inventor and manufacturer who pioneered in the industrial use of graphite. Originally a printer and lithographer, Dixon discovered in experiments with typecasting that graphite crucibles withstood high temperatures. In 1827 he began the manufacture of lead pencils,

the Shirelles: …by their principal collaborator, producer Luther Dixon, the Shirelles’ popularity waned—partly because of Dixon’s departure and partly because of the onset of the British Invasion. Ironically, the Beatles recorded two Shirelles songs—“Baby It’s You” and “Boys”—on their debut album. The Shirelles broke up in the late 1960s but re-formed later…

Harry Warren: …early 1930s, collaborating with lyricists Mort Dixon and Joe Young on The Laugh Parade (1931), which included “You’re My Everything,” and with Dixon and Billy Rose on “I Found a Million Dollar Baby in a Five-and-Ten-Cent Store” for Crazy Quilt (1931). In 1932 he moved to Hollywood, entering into a…

Eugenio Monti: …team of Anthony Nash and Robin Dixon. When a faulty axle on the British sled was sure to lead to their withdrawal, Monti took a part from his own sled and allowed Nash and Dixon to use it on theirs. The British team went on to take the gold medal;…

Roland B. Dixon was a U.S. cultural anthropologist who, at the Peabody Museum of Harvard University, organized one of the world’s most comprehensive and functional anthropological libraries. He also developed Harvard into a leading centre for the training of anthropologists. Dixon’s career was

Roland B. Dixon was a U.S. cultural anthropologist who, at the Peabody Museum of Harvard University, organized one of the world’s most comprehensive and functional anthropological libraries. He also developed Harvard into a leading centre for the training of anthropologists. Dixon’s career was

Thomas Dixon was a U.S. novelist, dramatist, and legislator who vigorously propagated ideas of white supremacy. He is chiefly remembered for his novel The Clansman (1905), which presented a sympathetic picture of the Ku Klux Klan. Dixon’s friend, D.W. Griffith, used the novel as the basis for the

Gretchen Whitmer: Reelection and second term: …race against the Republican nominee, Tudor Dixon, a businesswoman endorsed by Trump. Although the political climate did not favour Whitmer—inflation and crime had become top concerns for voters, and Democrats were widely expected to struggle in the midterms—polls showed her with a lead over Dixon. Whitmer won the election in…

Willie Dixon was an American blues musician who, as a record producer, bassist, and prolific songwriter, exerted a major influence on the post-World War II Chicago style. Dixon’s mother wrote religious poetry, and he sang in a gospel quartet before moving to Chicago in 1936. The following year he

Willie Dixon was an American blues musician who, as a record producer, bassist, and prolific songwriter, exerted a major influence on the post-World War II Chicago style. Dixon’s mother wrote religious poetry, and he sang in a gospel quartet before moving to Chicago in 1936. The following year he

Australia: Strains of modern radicalism: Miriam Dixson in The Real Matilda (1976) argued that Australian women had suffered an inferior status, markedly below that of women in Western society at large. Her case was arguable, but the increasing volume of feminist studies more often stressed the achievements of women, though…

hardcore punk: …and intensity, aggressive sound, and DIY (do-it-yourself) ethics. Hardcore came to the fore in a number of American cities during the late 1970s and early ’80s and spread to many other countries. It spawned several subcultures that subscribe to a variety of ideologies, most of them antiestablishment in some form.

diya, small lamp, filled with oil, that is widely used across India, particularly in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions. Diyas are traditionally made from clay or metal such as brass. A diya has a small, shallow bowl-like structure with a cotton wick partly inserted so that one end rests immersed

diyah, in Islām, the traditional compensation due for the shedding of blood. In pre-Islāmic times, the compensation required for taking a life was 10 she-camels. The figure was increased to 100 in the area where Islām originated, and this regulation was subsequently endorsed by Muḥammad. Elaborate

Diyālā River, river, important tributary of the Tigris River, rising in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran near Hamadān as the Sīrvān River and flowing westward across lowlands to join the Tigris just below Baghdad, Iraq. Its total length is 275 miles (443 km). The upper Diyālā drains an

Tigris-Euphrates river system: Agriculture and irrigation: …canals, which depend on the Diyālā Weir and the Hamrin Dam; canals and projects fed by the Al-Kūt Barrage, including the Gharrāf River Canal and the Shaṭṭ al-Dujaylah (an old bed of the Tigris); and canals and spillways from Al-ʿAmārah to Qalʿat Ṣāliḥ on the left bank of the Tigris.

Al-Jazīrah: …to set themselves up in Diyār Bakr, the northernmost district. Diyār Bakr came under Ottoman rule in 1516, and its capital, Āmida (modern Diyarbakır, Turkey), flourished as a literary and scholarly centre. Upon the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the northern district became part of Turkey.

Al-Jazīrah: Diyār Muḍar, a frontier region in the west, briefly separated into two kingdoms late in the 11th century: the crusader Armenian state at Edessa (now Şanlıurfa, Turkey) in the north and the Turkish Muslim kingdom at Harran in the south. Zangī’s capture of Edessa in…

Al-Jazīrah: …history of the largest district, Diyār Rabīʿah in eastern Al-Jazīrah, henceforth became identical with that of its capital, Mosul. The Zangids, the Mamlūks, the Persian Il-Khans, the Jalāyirids, the Turkmen Kara Koyunlu and Ak Koyunlu, and the Persian Ṣafavids ruled the area in succession until it was finally absorbed into…

Artuqid Dynasty: …that ruled the province of Diyarbakır in northern Iraq (now in southeastern Turkey) through two branches: at Ḥiṣn Kayfā and Āmid (1098–1232) and at Mardin and Mayyāfāriqīn (1104–1408).

Diyarbakır, city, southeastern Turkey. It lies on the right bank of the Tigris River. The name means “district (diyar) of the Bakr people,” an Arab tribe that conquered the city in the 7th century ce. The modern spelling of -bakır (Turkish: “copper”) is said to refer the region’s abundance of

Diyarbakır, city, southeastern Turkey. It lies on the right bank of the Tigris River. The name means “district (diyar) of the Bakr people,” an Arab tribe that conquered the city in the 7th century ce. The modern spelling of -bakır (Turkish: “copper”) is said to refer the region’s abundance of

Dizang, in Chinese Buddhism, bodhisattva (buddha-to-be) who is especially committed to delivering the dead from the torments of hell. His name is a translation of the Sanskrit Kshitigarbha (“Womb of the Earth”). Dizang seeks to deliver the souls of the dead from the punishments inflicted by the 10

Tel Aviv–Yafo: City layout: …however, moved farther north to Dizengoff Street, whose prominent feature was Dizengoff Square, a circular plaza and Tel Aviv focal point after its establishment in the 1930s. Dizengoff Street has gradually declined since the 1970s; some upscale shops moved to locations such as Hamedina Square (Kikar Ha-Medinah) farther north, but…

Dezfūl, city, southwestern Iran. It lies on the high left bank of the Dez River, 469 feet (143 metres) in elevation, close to the foothills of the Zagros Mountains. The name, which means “fort-bridge,” is derived from structures the Sasanians built there; still spanning the river is the imposing

di, in music, transverse (or side-blown) bamboo flute of the Han Chinese. Traditional di have a membrane of bamboo or reed tissue covering the hole that is located between the mouth hole and the six finger holes. This membrane creates a distinctive sound characteristic of much Chinese flute music.

encyclopaedia: The 20th century and beyond: The postwar Dizionario enciclopedico italiano (1955–61), issued by the same publishers, was a much smaller, well-illustrated work. The Enciclopedia europea was released in Milan between 1976 and 1984. Although consisting largely of brief articles, it had numerous signed long articles of good quality. In Germany the three…

Omotic languages: …contain at least two divisions, Dizoid (with languages such as Dizi, Nayi, and Sheko) and Gonga-Gimojan. The latter comprises Gonga (with Kaficho, Shakacho, Boro, and possibly Anfillo), Yemsa (Janjero), and Gimira-Ometo. Bench is the main variety of Gimira, and the Ometo cluster is represented by languages such as Woylatta, Gamo,…

dizygotic twin, two siblings who come from separate ova, or eggs, that are released at the same time from an ovary and are fertilized by separate sperm. The term originates from di, meaning “two,” and zygote, “egg.” The rate of dizygotic twinning varies considerably worldwide. For example, parts of

dizygotic twin, two siblings who come from separate ova, or eggs, that are released at the same time from an ovary and are fertilized by separate sperm. The term originates from di, meaning “two,” and zygote, “egg.” The rate of dizygotic twinning varies considerably worldwide. For example, parts of

semicircular canal: Function: The phenomenon of dizziness that is associated with certain head movements is caused by inertia of the endolymph, which continues to move for a short while after the head stops moving.

Benjamin Disraeli was a British statesman and novelist who was twice prime minister (1868, 1874–80) and who provided the Conservative Party with a twofold policy of Tory democracy and imperialism. Disraeli was of Italian-Jewish descent, the eldest son and second child of Isaac D’Israeli and Maria

collectivization: …he published an article, “Dizzy from Success,” in which he shifted the blame to local officials, whom he characterized as overzealous in their duties. Immediately, many peasants left the kolkhozy. In March 1930 approximately 58 percent of the peasant households had been enrolled in kolkhozy; by June only about…

disc jockey, person who conducts a program of recorded music on radio, on television, or at discotheques or other dance halls. Disc jockey programs became the economic base of many radio stations in the United States after World War II. The format generally involves one person, the disc jockey,

Ludacris is an American rapper and actor who exemplified the Dirty South school of hip-hop, an exuberant profanity-laden musical style popularized by artists in the southern United States. Ludacris’s magnetic larger-than-life rapping persona propelled him to stardom. Though born in Illinois, Chris

Will Smith: DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince: …alliance with schoolmate and deejay Jeffrey Townes, whom he met in 1981. They began recording as DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince and released their first single, “Girls Ain’t Nothing but Trouble,” in 1986, later followed by the album Rock the House. In 1988 the group released the groundbreaking…

DJ Kool Herc is a Jamaican American disc jockey (deejay or DJ) who is credited as the founder of hip-hop, a musical and cultural movement that revolves around four elements: rapping, graffiti painting, B-boying, and deejaying. In 1973, Herc introduced a number of innovations at a party he deejayed

trip-hop: The notable exception is DJ Shadow (byname of Josh Davis; b. Jan. 1, 1973, Hayward, Calif., U.S.), an American, who honed his version of trip-hop in northern California. A hip-hop fan disillusioned by rap’s commercialization, Shadow created emotionally evocative song suites such as “In/Flux” (1993), “Lost and Found” (1994),…

Abong Mbang: The Dja Faunal Reserve—which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987—is located to the south and is a tourist attraction. Pop. (2005) 15,663.

Dja River, river in west-central Africa that forms part of the border between Cameroon and the Republic of the Congo. It rises southeast of Abong Mbang, in southeastern Cameroon, and flows generally southeast past Moloundou to Ouesso, Republic of the Congo, where it empties into the Sangha River (a

Chafarinas Islands, three small rocky islets of the Spanish exclave of Melilla, located off northeastern Morocco, 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the mouth of the Oued Moulouya. They are probably the tres insulae (“three islands”) of the 3rd-century Roman roadbook Itinerarium Antonini and have been

Halmahera, largest island of the Moluccas, in Indonesia; administratively, it is part of the propinsi (or provinsi; province) of North Maluku (Maluku Utara). The island, located between the Molucca Sea (west) and the Pacific Ocean (east), consists of four peninsulas enclosing three great bays

Jayapura, city and capital of Papua propinsi (or provinsi; province), eastern Indonesia, on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is a port on Yos Sudarso (Humboldt) Bay at the foot of Mount Cycloop (7,087 feet [2,160 metres]). During World War II the Japanese established an air base

Jayawijaya Mountains, eastern section of the Maoke Mountains, part of the central highlands of the island of New Guinea. Located in the Indonesian province of Papua, the range extends for 230 miles (370 km) east of the Sudirman Range to the Star Mountains and the border with Papua New Guinea. The

Jakarta, largest city and capital of Indonesia. Jakarta lies on the northwest coast of Java at the mouth of the Ciliwung (Liwung River), on Jakarta Bay (an embayment of the Java Sea). It is coextensive with the metropolitan district of Greater Jakarta (Jakarta Raya) and nearly coextensive with the

Indonesia: The maritime influence: …the neighbouring estuary town of Jambi, on the Batanghari River, which was probably controlled by the Minangkabau people of the island’s west-central interior. With the decline of the tributary trade with China, a number of harbours in the region became centres of international trade. Malayu-Jambi never had the opportunity to…

Jambi, kotamadya (municipality) and propinsi (or provinsi; province), southeastern Sumatra, Indonesia. The province is bounded by the province of Riau to the north, by the Strait of Berhala to the east, and by the provinces of South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) and Bengkulu to the south and West

Georges Bizet: …brilliantly exemplified in the one-act Djamileh (1872), original enough to be accused of “exceeding even Richard Wagner in bizarrerie and strangeness”; and the second in the incidental music for Alphonse Daudet’s play L’Arlésienne (1872), which is marked by a delicacy and tenderness quite new to his music. Besides the happiness…

Australian literature: Aboriginal narrative: the oral tradition: The Djanggawul song cycle recounts in 188 songs the journey of three ancestral beings, a Brother and Two Sisters, in the Millingimbi region. Those Ancestors created all that territory. Water holes become sacred because there they created the people of a particular totem or there an…

spaghetti western: Directors and films: …most violent spaghetti westerns, including Django (1966), about an American Civil War veteran contending with a white supremacist militia and Mexican revolutionaries, and The Great Silence (1968), about a loner (Jean-Louis Trintignant) protecting a rural town against a bounty hunter (Klaus Kinski) in the snow-covered hills of Utah (filmed in…

Leonardo DiCaprio: The Revenant, Django Unchained, and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood: In Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012), DiCaprio chewed the scenery as a slave-driving plantation owner in antebellum Mississippi. He then appeared in another grandiose role—the title character in Luhrmann’s glitzy 2013 adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. That role was echoed in his bombastic turn as…

Java, island of Indonesia lying southeast of Malaysia and Sumatra, south of Borneo (Kalimantan), and west of Bali. Java is home to roughly half of Indonesia’s population and dominates the country politically and economically. The capital of Java and of the country is Jakarta (formerly Batavia),

Idfū, town on the west bank of the Nile River in Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), Upper Egypt. The chief god of the city of ancient times was Horus of the Winged Disk, called the Behdetite. His consort was Hathor of Dandarah, whose statue during the late empire was brought to Idfū annually by boat on

Assia Djebar was an Algerian writer and filmmaker whose novels, written in French, most often focus on women and their place in Algerian society. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) Djebar was educated in Algeria and then in France at the Sorbonne (B.A.,1956) and at Paul

Tiaret: …on Mount Hadjar are the Djedar, groups of step pyramids on square foundations, probably monuments to Berber (Amazigh) princes of the 6th and 7th centuries. It was an Arab town of note in the 7th century, known as Tahart (“Lioness”). Taken by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Rustam in 761, it became…

Redjedef, third king of the 4th dynasty of ancient Egypt who ruled c. 2482–c. 2475 bce. Redjedef was a son of Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid, by a secondary queen. The original crown prince, Kawab, who had married the heiress Hetepheres II, apparently predeceased his father. At Khufu’s death,

ancient Egypt: The 5th dynasty (c. 2435–c. 2306 bce): …kings of the dynasty, Menkauhor, Djedkare Izezi, and Unas, did not have personal names compounded with “-Re,” the name of the sun god (Djedkare is a name assumed on accession); and Izezi and Unas did not build solar temples. Thus, there was a slight shift away from the solar cult.…

al-Jifārah, coastal plain of northern Africa, on the Mediterranean coast of extreme northwestern Libya and of southeastern Tunisia. Roughly semicircular, it extends from Qābis (Gabes), Tunisia, to about 12 miles (20 km) east of Tripoli, Libya. Its maximum inland extent is approximately 80 miles

Djelfa, town, north-central Algeria, in the Oulad Naïl Mountains at an elevation of 3,734 feet (1,138 metres). It is situated between the towns of Bou Saâda and Laghouat. Djelfa town is at a point of transition between the dry, steppelike High Plateaus of the north, with their chotts (intermittent

dress: The Middle East from the 6th century: …the Arab world is the jellaba, known as the jellabah in Tunisia, a jubbeh in Syria, a gallibiya in Egypt, or a dishdasha in Algeria. The garment generally has wide, long sleeves, and the long skirt may be slit up the sides; some styles are open in front like a…

Jember, city, East Java (Jawa Timur) propinsi (or provinsi; province), southeastern Java, Indonesia. It is located at the foot of Mount Argopuro, about 95 miles (150 km) southeast of Surabaya, the provincial capital. Roads and railway link it with Banyuwangi to the east, Probolinggo to the

Djenné, ancient trading city and center of Muslim scholarship, southern Mali. It is situated on the Bani River and on floodlands between the Bani and Niger rivers, 220 miles (354 km) southwest of Timbuktu. The city, which sits on hillocks (small hills) known as toguère, becomes an island during the

Djenné, ancient trading city and center of Muslim scholarship, southern Mali. It is situated on the Bani River and on floodlands between the Bani and Niger rivers, 220 miles (354 km) southwest of Timbuktu. The city, which sits on hillocks (small hills) known as toguère, becomes an island during the

Djenné: …in the city is the Great Mosque, which is the largest mud construction in the world and recognized as an outstanding example of Sudanese and Sahelian architecture. Also of note are tombs of saints and traditional structures made from round mud bricks known as djénné ferey.

Djenné: …is near the site of Djenné-Jeno, an ancient city dating as far back as 250 bce—one of the oldest known cities in sub-Saharan Africa—that had fallen into decline near the time that Djenné was established. Djenné grew into an entrepôt between the traders of the central and western Sudan and…

Djenné: …is near the site of Djenné-Jeno, an ancient city dating as far back as 250 bce—one of the oldest known cities in sub-Saharan Africa—that had fallen into decline near the time that Djenné was established. Djenné grew into an entrepôt between the traders of the central and western Sudan and…

Jerba, island situated in the Gulf of Gabes on the Mediterranean Sea, located off the Tunisian mainland, to which it is connected by a causeway almost 4 miles (6 km) long. Jerba island is about 17 miles (27 km) long by 16 miles (26 km) wide and has an area of 197 square miles (510 square km). The

The Battle of Djerba was fought in May 1560 off the coast of Tunisia between the fleets of the Ottoman Empire and a Spanish-led alliance, commanded by the Genoese admiral Giovanni Andrea Doria. Victory for the Ottomans marked the pinnacle of their naval superiority in the Mediterranean. Victory in

Danube River: The economy: …of the largest hydroelectric projects—the Ðerdap (Djerdap) High Dam and the Iron Gate power station—was built jointly by Yugoslavia and Romania. Not only does the project produce hydroelectricity, but it also makes navigable what was once one of the most difficult stretches on the river.

Atlas Mountains: Resources: …Al-Qalʿah al-Jardāʾ, iron ore from Mount Djerissa, and lead from Sāqiyat Sīdī Yūsuf. These raw materials are often processed in the coastal towns. The iron ore from Ouenza, for example, supplies the iron-smelting industry of Annaba.

Zarma, a people of westernmost Niger and adjacent areas of Burkina Faso and Nigeria. The Zarma speak a dialect of Songhai, a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family, and are considered to be a branch of the Songhai people. The Zarma live in the arid lands of the Sahel. Many live in the Niger

Niger: Relief: To the west is the Djerma Ganda region. Its large valleys are filled with sand, while dallol (fossilized valleys of rivers that formed tributaries of the Niger in ancient times) descend from the Aïr and the Iforas Massif of neighbouring Mali. The central region consists of the rocky Adar Doutchi…

Thoth, in Egyptian religion, a god of the moon, of reckoning, of learning, and of writing. He was held to be the inventor of writing, the creator of languages, the scribe, interpreter, and adviser of the gods, and the representative of the sun god, Re. His responsibility for writing was shared with

Djibouti, small strategically located country on the northeast coast of the Horn of Africa. It is situated on the Bab el Mandeb Strait, which lies to the east and separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden. Formerly known as French Somaliland (1896–1967) and the French Territory of the Afars and

Djibouti, port city and capital of the Republic of Djibouti. It lies on the southern shore of the Gulf of Tadjoura, which is an inlet of the Gulf of Aden. Built on three level areas (Djibouti, Serpent, Marabout) linked by jetties, the city has a mixture of old and modern architecture. Menilek