North Africa: Ottoman rule in the Maghrib: …the chief of the cavalry, Aḥmad Karamanli, usurped power and established his own dynasty. The Karamanlis ruled Libya until 1835 when, in the wake of a tribal rebellion supported by the British, direct Ottoman rule was reimposed there. From the mid-16th century Libya became active in the lucrative trans-Saharan trade…

Konstantinos Karamanlis was a Greek statesman who was prime minister from 1955 to 1963 and again from 1974 to 1980. He then served as president from 1980 to 1985 and from 1990 to 1995. Karamanlis gave Greece competent government and political stability while his conservative economic policies

Kostas Karamanlis is a Greek politician who served as prime minister of Greece (2004–09). Karamanlis was the nephew of Konstantinos Karamanlis, who, as government minister, prime minister, and president, had shaped Greek politics for nearly half a century. The younger Karamanlis started his

saint: Islam: …endowed with charismatic powers (karāmāt), allowing them to go miraculously from one place to another far away; to wield authority over animals, plants, and clouds; and to bridge the gap between life and death. The Prophet Muhammad (died 632 ce) had negated the existence of saints, but the piety…

Pakistan: Growing unrest, tension with the military, and Sharif’s ouster: Jehangir Karamat, spoke for a frustrated public when he appeared to indicate the country was teetering at the abyss. However, Karamat’s role in the political process angered Nawaz Sharif, and in October 1998 the prime minister pressured the army high command into forcing the general’s…

Karamay, city, northern Uighur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, far northwestern China. Located in the Junggar (Dzungarian) Basin, it is about 200 miles (320 km) northwest of Ürümqi (Urumchi), the provincial capital. Rich oil reserves were discovered in the region in 1955, and the first oil field was

Karamay, city, northern Uighur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, far northwestern China. Located in the Junggar (Dzungarian) Basin, it is about 200 miles (320 km) northwest of Ürümqi (Urumchi), the provincial capital. Rich oil reserves were discovered in the region in 1955, and the first oil field was

Karamazov brothers, fictional characters, the central figures in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov

Hindu Kush: Physical features: …locally complex topography, although the Karambar Pass (14,250 feet [4,343 metres]) between the valleys of the Konar (called the Kunar or Chitral in Pakistan) and Gilgit rivers may be tentatively accepted as the boundary. The western limit also is uncertain, as the mountains lose height and fan out into minor…

Charles Hélou: …while the Muslim prime minister, Rashid Karami, favoured it. Under great pressure from Arab nations and from Lebanese Muslims, Hélou in 1969 moved to avert a crisis by accepting Karami’s proposed policy of coordination between the PLO and the Lebanese army, whereby the PLO secured the right to establish armed…

Karimojong, eastern Nilotic pastoral people of northeastern Uganda. The Karimojong are the largest of a cluster of culturally and historically related peoples, including the Jie, Teso, Dodoth (or Dodos), and Labwor of Uganda and the Turkana of neighbouring Kenya. They speak an Eastern Nilotic

Nikolay Mikhaylovich Karamzin was a Russian historian, poet, and journalist who was the leading exponent of the sentimentalist school in Russian literature. From an early age, Karamzin was interested in Enlightenment philosophy and western European literature. After extensive travel in western

Donna Karan is an American designer who is internationally acclaimed for the simplicity and comfort of her clothes. Donna Karan was born in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, New York. Her father was a tailor, and her mother was a model and a showroom sales representative in New York City’s

death: The fate of the soul: …moves into another body (the karaṇa ṡarīra), whose form depends on the individual’s karman. It could be a plant, a cockroach, a canine intestinal parasite, a mouse, or a human being. Unlike Jains, Hindus believe that whatever body the soul eventually moves into, it inhabits as sole tenant, not as…

Bhāskara II: … (“Head Jewel of Accuracy”) and Karaṇakutūhala (“Calculation of Astronomical Wonders”), he wrote on his astronomical observations of planetary positions, conjunctions, eclipses, cosmography, geography, and the mathematical techniques and astronomical equipment used in these studies. Bhāskara II was also a noted astrologer, and,

Zimbabwe: Ethnic and linguistic composition: …Kalanga to the southwest, the Karanga to the east around Nyanda (formerly Fort Victoria), the Zezuru to the northeast, and the Rozwi and Tonga to the north. Generations of intermarriage have to a degree blurred the linguistic division between the Shona and Ndebele peoples.

New Zealand literature: Maori narrative: the oral tradition: …them learn their heritage), and karanga (somewhere between song and chant, performed by women welcoming or farewelling visitors on the marae). Some chants are recited rather than sung. These include karakia (forms of incantation invoking a power to protect or to assist the chanter), paatere (chants by women in rebuttal…

Niger-Congo languages: Early records: These words probably come from Karanga, a southeastern Bantu language. From then on eastern Bantu words and phrases occur in Portuguese records, and in 1523 a vocabulary that resembles modern Akan from Ghana was also recorded. In 1591 the Italian mathematician Filippo Pigafetta included a number of Kongo words and…

Karankawa, several groups of North American Indians that lived along the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, from about Galveston Bay to Corpus Christi Bay. They were first encountered by the French explorer La Salle in the late 17th century, and their rapid decline began with the arrival of Stephen Austin

pre-Columbian civilizations: The highlands and the low countries: The Karanqa also controlled corn (maize) fields at less lofty altitudes in what today is Chilean territory, several days’ walk away. Farther west and closer to the coast were their fruit and coca-leaf gardens. Finally, even farther north, across the Atacama Desert near the modern city…

karaoke, Use of a device that plays instrumental accompaniments to songs with the vocal tracks removed, permitting the user to sing the lead. Karaoke apparently first appeared in the amusement quarter of Kōbe, Japan, where it became popular among businessmen in the late 1970s. It gained widespread

Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu was a writer and translator, one of the most renowned figures in modern Turkish literature, noted for vigorous studies of 20th-century Turkish life. Educated at a French school in Cairo and then in İzmir, he moved to Constantinople (now Istanbul) in 1908. He attracted

Karası Dynasty: Founded by Karası, a frontier ruler under Seljuq suzerainty, the principality had two branches, with their respective centres in Balıkesir and Bergama (Pergamum). Of the sons of Karası, Demirhan was defeated by the Ottoman ruler Orhan, and Balıkesir was annexed (c. 1345). The coastal region of Çanakkale-Troy…

Karası Dynasty, Turkmen dynasty (c. 1300–60) that ruled in the Balıkesir-Çanakkale region of western Anatolia. Founded by Karası, a frontier ruler under Seljuq suzerainty, the principality had two branches, with their respective centres in Balıkesir and Bergama (Pergamum). Of the sons of Karası,

Tigris-Euphrates river system: Physiography of the Euphrates: …are the Murat and the Karasu rivers in the Armenian Highland of northeastern Turkey. Considerably altered in the 20th century by water-control projects, they join to form the Euphrates at Keban, near Elazığ, where the Keban Dam (completed 1974), spans a deep gorge. The river breaks through the Taurus Mountains…

Turkish literature: Modern Turkish literature: …vardı (1963; Death in Troy), Bilge Karasu created works that display a sophisticated narrative style. Among his novels and novellas are Uzun sürmüş bir günün akşamı (1970; “The Evening of One Long Day”), Göçmüş kediler bahçesi (1979; The Garden of Departed Cats), Kısmet büfesi (1982; “The Buffet of Fate”), and…

Central Asian arts: Neolithic and Metal Age cultures: …the Iron and historical age—the Karasuk culture was located in the Minusinsk Basin, on the Yenisey River and on the upper reaches of the Ob River. Its creators must have been in touch with East Asia, for certain bronze objects, notably elbow-shaped knives, are related to those used between the…

karat, a measure of the fineness (i.e., purity) of gold. It is spelled carat outside the United States but should not be confused with the unit used to measure the weight of gems, also called carat. A gold karat is 1 24 part, or 4.1667 percent, of the whole, and the purity of a gold alloy is

Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front: The group’s leader, Dursun Karataş, had been arrested and jailed after the events of 1980, though he escaped and fled to Europe a decade later. In the mid-1990s he served a minimal jail term in France, and he died in the Netherlands in August 2008. After Karataş died,…

Anatolia: Early Bronze Age: A single building at Karataş-Semayük was defended by a ditch, a plastered rampart, and an enclosure wall. Villages such as Demirci Hüyük relied on the outer wall of a radial arrangement of houses. The citadel of Troy had heavy stone walls with mud-brick superstructure, a clay-covered glacis, and projecting…

karate, unarmed martial-arts discipline employing kicking, striking, and defensive blocking with arms and legs. Emphasis is on concentrating as much of the body’s power as possible at the point and instant of impact. Striking surfaces include the hands (particularly the knuckles and the outer

Ralph Macchio: … (1984) and its sequel films The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989) as well as the follow-up television series Cobra Kai (2018–23). He also played prominent roles in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders (1983), as well as in the crime comedy My Cousin Vinny…

Ralph Macchio: …Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989) as well as the follow-up television series Cobra Kai (2018–23). He also played prominent roles in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders (1983), as well as in the crime comedy My Cousin Vinny (1992).

Jackie Chan: …remake of the 1984 action-drama The Karate Kid (2010) and later in the revenge thriller The Foreigner (2017). He did voice work in the computer-animated film Kung Fu Panda (2008) and its sequels (2011 and 2016); The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (2017); and The LEGO Ninjago Movie

John G. Avildsen: …again found box-office success, with The Karate Kid. The immensely popular Rocky-ish tale centres on a teenage weakling (played by Ralph Macchio) whose life turns around after some tutelage in philosophy and martial arts from an unassuming Japanese janitor (Pat Morita); Avildsen edited the picture himself. The Karate Kid, Part…

Karatepe, site of a Late Hittite fortress city, located in the piedmont country of the Taurus Mountains in south-central Turkey. The city, dating from the 8th century bce, was discovered in 1945 by Helmuth T. Bossert and Halet Çambel. It was built with a polygonal fortress wall and an upper and

Belarus: Literature: …novels of Vasil Bykau and Uladzimir Karatkievich. Among later 20th-century writers, the poets Yawhyeniya Yanishchyts and Ales Razanov and the short-story writer Anatol Sys should be noted. Other well-known writers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries are Svetlana Alexievich, whose Voices from Chernobyl was translated into English in…

Karatsu, city, northwestern Saga ken (prefecture), northwestern Kyushu, Japan. It is located on Karatsu Bay, about 30 miles (50 km) southwest of Fukuoka. The city’s name is derived from the Japanese terms kara (referring to China) and tsu (“port”), reflecting the city’s history as an ancient port

Karatsu ware, Japanese ceramic ware of Korean origin produced in Kyushu. The actual date of production is thought to be sometime during the first half of the 16th century, in the late Muromachi period. The generic term Karatsu is applied to many different types of ceramics. The clays were sandy and

Pavel Stepanovich Mochalov: Petersburg rival, Vasily Karatygin (1802–53). Where Mochalov enacted emotional tirades and temperamental passions, Karatygin reflected studied subtleties and calculated effects; where Mochalov was intuitive, active, and resounding, Karatygin was technical, poised, and resonant. Between the two, they established the limits from which M.S. Shchepkin and P.M. Sadovsky…

Karawanken, mountain range of the Eastern Alps, extending eastward along the Slovenian-Austrian border for 50 miles (80 km) from the town of Tarvisio in Italy. The range lies between the Drava River (north) and the upper Sava River (south) and rises to Hochstuhl (7,342 feet [2,238 m]) in the

Lyuben Stoychev Karavelov was a Bulgarian writer and revolutionary who contributed to the national reawakening of Bulgaria. Emigrating to Russia at 23, Karavelov studied ethnography in Moscow, where he was greatly influenced by Russian radical thought, and soon began writing political polemics and

Bulgaria: Political divisions under Alexander of Battenberg: …an entirely Liberal government under Petko Karavelov.

Karawanken, mountain range of the Eastern Alps, extending eastward along the Slovenian-Austrian border for 50 miles (80 km) from the town of Tarvisio in Italy. The range lies between the Drava River (north) and the upper Sava River (south) and rises to Hochstuhl (7,342 feet [2,238 m]) in the

Qarawīyīn, mosque and Islāmic university in Fès, Morocco. The Qarawīyīn Mosque, which was enlarged to its present form in the 12th century, is the largest in North Africa and can accommodate about 22,000 worshipers. Only Muslims are admitted into the mosque, but the interior can be glimpsed through

Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan to c. 1700 ce: …1465, under the leadership of Karay and Jani Beg, some 200,000 dissatisfied subjects of the Uzbek khan Abū’l-Khayr (Abū al-Khayr) moved into Mughulistān, whose khan, Esen Bogha (Buga), settled them between the Chu and Talas rivers. These separatist Uzbeks became known as Kazakh (“Independent” or “Vagabond”) Uzbeks, and over time…

Turkish literature: Modern Turkish literature: Refik Halid Karay was a journalist who became one of the leading short-story writers in Turkey. His political columns, mainly of a satirical nature, appeared between 1910 and 1913 in various journals; they were published under the pen name Kirpi (“The Porcupine”) and were collected…

Jelālī Revolts: In 1598 a sekban leader, Karayazici Abdülhalim (ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm), united the dissatisfied groups in Anatolia, forcing the towns to pay tribute and dominating the Sivas and Dulkadir provinces in central Anatolia. When Ottoman forces were sent against them the Jelālīs withdrew to Urfa in southeastern Anatolia, making it the centre…

Azerbaijan: Cultural life: …operetta Arshin Mal ʾAlan) and Kara Karayev (the ballets Seven Beauties and The Path of Thunder), have international reputations. The latter’s symphonic music is also well known abroad.

Karbala, city, capital of Karbalāʾ muḥāfaẓah (governorate), central Iraq. One of Shiʿi Islam’s foremost holy cities, it lies 55 miles (88 km) southwest of Baghdad, with which it is connected by rail. The city’s religious significance derives from the Battle of Karbala (680 ce), a one-sided contest

Battle of Karbala, (October 10, 680 [10th of Muḥarram, ah 61]), brief military engagement in which a small party led by al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and son of ʿAlī, the fourth caliph, was defeated and massacred by an army sent by the Umayyad caliph Yazīd I. The battle

Karbala, city, capital of Karbalāʾ muḥāfaẓah (governorate), central Iraq. One of Shiʿi Islam’s foremost holy cities, it lies 55 miles (88 km) southwest of Baghdad, with which it is connected by rail. The city’s religious significance derives from the Battle of Karbala (680 ce), a one-sided contest

Tehran: Postwar development and Tehran in the 21st century: …to the city itself under Gholamhussein Karbaschi, a strong but rather controversial mayor. As Karbaschi assumed his post in 1989, Tehran’s fragmentation and overcrowding had reached such a level of crisis proportions that the Iranian government considered selecting a new national capital. Under Karbaschi’s leadership, however, attempts were made to…

Sino-Tibetan languages: Burmic languages: …has similarities with Kachin; and Mikir in Assam, as well as Mru and Meitei (Meetei) in India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, seem close to Kukish.

Carthage, great city of antiquity on the north coast of Africa, now a residential suburb of the city of Tunis, Tunisia. Built on a promontory on the Tunisian coast, it was placed to influence and control ships passing between Sicily and the North African coast as they traversed the Mediterranean

Kardashev scale, hypothetical measure of an alien civilization’s level of technological advancement, proposed by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in his paper “Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations” (1964). It categorizes hypothetical alien civilizations into three

Kardashev scale: …advancement, proposed by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in his paper “Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations” (1964). It categorizes hypothetical alien civilizations into three categories based on the level of energy they can harness.

Kim Kardashian is an American television personality and entrepreneur who garnered international fame for her personal life, much of which was chronicled on the popular reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007–21). Kim was the second of four children; Kourtney was her elder sister, and

Kim Kardashian: … was her elder sister, and Khloé and Robert were younger siblings. Her father, Robert Kardashian, gained national recognition as a member of O.J. Simpson’s legal team during his 1995 murder trial, and her mother, Kris, later served as her manager; after the couple divorced in 1989, Kris married (1991–2014) Olympic…

Kim Kardashian is an American television personality and entrepreneur who garnered international fame for her personal life, much of which was chronicled on the popular reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007–21). Kim was the second of four children; Kourtney was her elder sister, and

Kim Kardashian: …the second of four children; Kourtney was her elder sister, and Khloé and Robert were younger siblings. Her father, Robert Kardashian, gained national recognition as a member of O.J. Simpson’s legal team during his 1995 murder trial, and her mother, Kris, later served as her manager; after the couple divorced…

Robert Kardashian: …of his first wife (Kris Jenner) and their children (Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian), debuted in 2007, four years after he had died of esophageal cancer.

Robert Kardashian was an Armenian American businessman and lawyer in Los Angeles who became well known in the mid-1990s for his involvement in O.J. Simpson’s murder trial. He and Simpson had been friends for decades, and he acted as a liaison between the defendant and the rest of the legal team.

Robert Kardashian was an Armenian American businessman and lawyer in Los Angeles who became well known in the mid-1990s for his involvement in O.J. Simpson’s murder trial. He and Simpson had been friends for decades, and he acted as a liaison between the defendant and the rest of the legal team.

Kim Kardashian: In 2022 the reality series The Kardashians began airing on Hulu.

Spiritism, belief system founded by French author and educator Allan Kardec in the middle of the 19th century that is based on the idea that, alongside physical reality, a spirit world exists, which followers believe can be accessed through mediums. Spiritism maintains that spirits exist separately

Spiritism, belief system founded by French author and educator Allan Kardec in the middle of the 19th century that is based on the idea that, alongside physical reality, a spirit world exists, which followers believe can be accessed through mediums. Spiritism maintains that spirits exist separately

Edvard Kardelj was a Yugoslav revolutionary and politician, a close colleague and chosen successor of Josip Broz Tito. He was the chief ideological theoretician of Yugoslav Marxism, or Titoism. The son of a railroad worker, Kardelj graduated from the Ljubljana Teachers’ College. From the age of 16

Kartēr was an influential high priest of Zoroastrianism, whose aim was to purge Iran of all other religions, especially the eclectic Manichaeism founded by the 3rd-century Persian prophet Mani. What little is known of Kartēr comes from inscriptions on cliff faces, mostly dating from the reign of

international relations: Between the two world wars: …of symbols, perceptions, and images; Abram Kardiner and his associates laid the groundwork for an approach, based on a branch of anthropology known as culture-and-personality studies, that later became a popular but short-lived theory of international relations; Frederick L. Schuman, setting a style that is still followed by interpreters of…

Treaty of Cardis, (1661), peace settlement between Russia and Sweden, ending the war begun in 1656 and maintaining the territorial accords of the earlier Treaty of Stolbovo. See Stolbovo, Treaty

Kŭrdzhali, town, south-central Bulgaria, in a broad valley on the Arda River between the Kŭrdzhali and Studen Kladenets dams, both important hydroelectric power and irrigation stations. The town became part of Bulgaria after the 1912–13 Balkan Wars. Its strong traditional Oriental character has

Japanese garden: Types of gardens: …is a special variation, the kare-sansui (dried-up landscape) style, in which rocks are composed to suggest a waterfall and its basin and, for a winding stream or a pond, gravel or sand is used to symbolize water or to suggest seasonally dried-up terrain.

graphic design: The digital revolution: …Bill Atkinson and graphic designer Susan Kare, had a revolutionary human interface. Tool icons controlled by a mouse or graphics tablet enabled designers and artists to use computer graphics in an intuitive manner. The Postscript™ page-description language from Adobe Systems, Inc., enabled pages of type and images to be assembled…

Charles was the count of Flanders (1119–27), only son of St. Canute, or Canute IV of Denmark, by Adela, daughter of Robert I the Frisian, count of Flanders. After the assassination of Canute in 1086, his widow took refuge in Flanders, taking with her her son. Charles was brought up by his mother

Dutch literature: Poetry and prose: Karel ende Elegast (“Charles and Elegast”), probably an original Flemish chanson de geste of the 12th or 13th century, describes with feudal reverence Charlemagne’s adventures in the magic world of folklore. Van den vos Reinaerde (c. 1240; “Reynard the Fox”) is the Flemish poet Willem’s…

Charles IV was a German king and king of Bohemia from 1346 to 1378 and Holy Roman emperor from 1355 to 1378, one of the most learned and diplomatically skillful sovereigns of his time. He gained more through diplomacy than others did by war, and through purchases, marriages, and inheritance he

Czechoslovak history: The Jagiellonian kings: …February 1523 and appointed Prince Karel of Minstrberk, a grandson of George of Poděbrady, to that key position in provincial administration. Religious controversies that flared up soon after Martin Luther’s attack on indulgences (October 1517) increased tensions in Bohemia. Rožmitál, posing as a staunch supporter of the old faith, ingratiated…

Karelia, respublika (republic), far northwestern Russia. It is bordered to the north by Nenets, to the east by the White Sea, to the south by Lake Ladoga, and to the west by Finland. The capital is Petrozavodsk, on the western shore of Lake Onega. Underlain by a part of the ancient rocks of the

Finland: Ethnic groups: …from the southeast were the Karelians. Scandinavian peoples occupied the western coast and archipelagoes and the Åland Islands.

Fabergé egg: …working on two Imperial eggs—the Karelian Birch Egg (wood shell containing a jewel encrusted mechanical elephant) and the Blue Constellation Egg (glass shell resting on a base of rock crystals fashioned as clouds)—when the February Revolution occurred. Nicholas abdicated in March, and the eggs were never delivered. The House of…

Karelian Isthmus, neck of land lying between Lake Ladoga (east; in St. Petersburg oblast [province]) and the Gulf of Finland (west; part of the Baltic Sea). The isthmus shows evidence of ancient glaciation; its long winding morainic hills, which reach an elevation of about 570 feet (175 m) in the

Karelian language, member of the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic language family, spoken in Karelia republic of northwestern Russia and by emigrants in neighbouring Finland. There are two dialects of Karelian—Karelian proper and Olonets. Ludic, a minor group of dialects spoken to the southeast of

Aleksandr Karelin is a Russian politician and a former Greco-Roman wrestler revered for his extraordinary strength and unprecedented success in international competition. Karelin is widely considered the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time. Karelin, who weighed 6.8 kg (15 pounds) at birth,

Aleksandr Karelin is a Russian politician and a former Greco-Roman wrestler revered for his extraordinary strength and unprecedented success in international competition. Karelin is widely considered the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time. Karelin, who weighed 6.8 kg (15 pounds) at birth,

Karelia, respublika (republic), far northwestern Russia. It is bordered to the north by Nenets, to the east by the White Sea, to the south by Lake Ladoga, and to the west by Finland. The capital is Petrozavodsk, on the western shore of Lake Onega. Underlain by a part of the ancient rocks of the

Karelian Isthmus, neck of land lying between Lake Ladoga (east; in St. Petersburg oblast [province]) and the Gulf of Finland (west; part of the Baltic Sea). The isthmus shows evidence of ancient glaciation; its long winding morainic hills, which reach an elevation of about 570 feet (175 m) in the

rocket and missile system: Air-to-surface: … and AS-9, and the television-guided AS-10 Karen and AS-14 Kedge (the last with a range of about 25 miles). These missiles were fired from tactical fighters such as the MiG-27 Flogger and attack helicopters such as the Mi-24 Hind and Mi-28 Havoc.

Karen, variety of tribal peoples of southern Myanmar (Burma), speaking languages of the Sino-Tibetan family. Constituting about one-tenth of the population, they are the second largest ethnic group in Myanmar after the Burman majority. They are known for their cultural and linguistic diversity and

Karen languages, languages spoken in lower Myanmar (Burma) and on the borders of Thailand. The Karen languages are usually divided into three groups: northern (including Taungthu), central (including Bwe and Geba), and southern (including Pwo and Sgaw); only Pwo and Sgaw of the southern group have

Myanmar: Myanmar since 1988: In April 2024 the NUG-aligned Karen National Union (KNU) seized Myawaddy, a strategic trade hub on the Myanmar-Thailand border, as part of the resistance’s broader strategy of seizing important border towns even as the junta retained dominance in central Myanmar. The fall of Myawaddy drew international attention because of its…

Maulana Karenga is an American activist, scholar, and author. He is best known as the creator of Kwanzaa, the seven-day African American and Pan-African holiday. Ronald McKinley Everett was born to Levi Everett, a Baptist minister, and Addie Everett; he is the youngest of 14 children. He was raised

Maulana Karenga is an American activist, scholar, and author. He is best known as the creator of Kwanzaa, the seven-day African American and Pan-African holiday. Ronald McKinley Everett was born to Levi Everett, a Baptist minister, and Addie Everett; he is the youngest of 14 children. He was raised

Karen languages, languages spoken in lower Myanmar (Burma) and on the borders of Thailand. The Karen languages are usually divided into three groups: northern (including Taungthu), central (including Bwe and Geba), and southern (including Pwo and Sgaw); only Pwo and Sgaw of the southern group have

Anna Karenina, fictional character, the tragic heroine of Anna Karenina (1875–77) by Leo Tolstoy. The character has been notably portrayed by Greta Garbo (1935; she also starred in a 1927 adaptation, Love) and by Vivien Leigh

Karen: …the White Karen and the Red Karen. The White Karen consist of the Sgaw and Pwo peoples, who typically live in lowland areas along river valleys, where they practice a mix of Christianity and traditional animism. The Red Karen, consisting of groups such as the Bre, Padaung, Yinbaw, and Zayein,…

Ängby Stone: …a runic inscription carved by Asmund Kareson (Osmundus), earliest known professional rune carver in Uppland. The stone is inscribed with a Maltese cross surrounded by two intertwining serpents and bears the message: “Ragnfrid had this stone erected in memory of Björn, her and Kättilmund’s son. God and God’s Mother help…

qanāt, ancient type of water-supply system, developed and still used in arid regions of the world. A qanāt taps underground mountain water sources trapped in and beneath the upper reaches of alluvial fans and channels the water downhill through a series of gently sloping tunnels, often several

Battle of Caporetto, (October 24–December 19, 1917), Italian military disaster during World War I in which Italian troops retreated before an Austro-German offensive on the Isonzo front in northeastern Italy, where the Italian and Austrian forces had been stalemated for two and a half years. In the

Jerome Karle was an American crystallographer who, along with Herbert A. Hauptman, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1985 for their development of mathematical methods for deducing the molecular structure of chemical compounds from the patterns formed when X-rays are diffracted by their