The Republic of Colombia is a country in South America with a total area of 1,138,910 km2. The country was originally inhabited by the Chibcha people, and was discovered by Alonso de Ojeda in 1499 ; it was visited by Columbus on his fourth voyage, in 1502. The first Spanish settlement was made in 1510 at Santa Maria in the Gulf of Darien, and the whole country was formed into a province under a captain-general in 1547.
New Granada declared its independence of Spain in 1811, and after eleven years of warfare succeeded with the help of Venezuela in effecting its liberation. Both states then united with Ecuador, also freed from the Spanish domination, to form the first republic of Colombia; but internal dissensions arising, the three states again separated in 1831, forming three independent republics, which have had a very troubled existence. In 1861 the states forming New Granada by agreement adopted a new constitution, the republic henceforth to be called the United States of Colombia. This title was retained until, by the new constitution adopted in 1886, the state ceased to be a federal republic and became a unitary republic, with the name of Republic of Colombia.
The secession of Panama in 1903 was partly brought about by the dilatoriness of the central government in concluding a satisfactory arrangement with the United States in regard to the construction of an interoceanic canal.
The country may be divided into the elevated region of the Cordilleras in the west, and that of the low-lying lands in the east. The former occupies the greater portion of the country, and presents a richly-diversified surface, being formed chiefly of three mountain chains which stretch north and south in a nearly parallel direction, inclosing between them the valleys of the rivers Cauca and Magdalena. These, the two great navigable rivers of the country, flow northwards, joining their waters about 120 miles from their embouchure in the Caribbean Sea. In the central ridge is the culminating point of Colombia, the volcano of Tolima, 18,315 feet high. The low lands of the east form a transitionary region between the plains of North Brazil and the llanos of the Orinoco region, the drainage being carried to the Amazon and Orinoco.
The chief coast indentation is the Gulf of Darien, which receives the navigable Rio Atrato. The climate is naturally as varied as the surface of the country, but over a great part of the republic is very hot. At Cartagena, on the Caribbean Sea, and on the Pacific coast, yellow fever is endemic at some places; while in the elevated country, as the plain of Bogota, 8000 feet above the sea, the climate is perfectly salubrious, and the temperature seems that of eternal spring.The climate is tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands.
Natural resources are crude oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper and emeralds. The religion is 95% Roman Catholic and the language is Spanish with numerous Indian dialects also spoken. Research Colombia
The Congo, or Zaire is one of the great rivers of the world, in Southern Africa, having its embouchure in the South Atlantic. The mouth of the river was known to the Portuguese in 1485, but the lower part of its course was first explored by an English expedition under Captain Tuckey in 1816, which ascended it for about 172 miles. In 1867, however, David Livingstone discovered; a considerable river called the Chambezi, rising in the Chibale Hills, and having followed it to Lake Bangweolo traced it thence as the Luapula to Lake Moero, and thence again as the Lualaba to Nyangwe. From this point its exploration was taken up in 1876 to 1877 by Henry Stanley, who proved its identity with the Congo. It carries more water to the ocean than the Mississippi, its volume being next to that of the Amazon. Its total length is perhaps 3000 miles. Its chief tributaries are the Aruwimi and the Mo-bangi from the right, and the Ikelemba and Kwa from the left, which latter represents the collected waters of immense rivers from the south, such as the Kassai, the Kwango, etc.
The Republic of the Congo (commonly known as Congo-Brazzaville to distinguish it from the Democratic Republic of The Congo) is a republic in west central Africa. It has a total area of 342,000 km2. The climate is tropical; a rainy season from March to June and a dry season from June to October; with a constantly high temperature and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator. The terrain is coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin. Natural resources are petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates and natural gas. The religion is 50% Christian, 48% animist, 2% Muslim. The official language is French with many African languages spoken, Lingala and Kikongo being the most widely used. The area known as the Congo came under French protection in 1889 and in 1905 became a French colony before becoming self-governing in 1958 and independent in 1960. Research Congo
The flute is a tubular or sometimes globular musical instrument enclosing air that is set in vibration when the player's breath is directed against the sharp edge of the hole. Usually additional holes in the flute wall can be opened or closed to produce different pitches. In transverse, or horizontally, held flutes, such as the Western orchestral flute and the Chinese di, the mouth hole, or embouchure, is cut into the side of the tube. In end-blown, or vertically held, flutes the hole may be at the end of the tube (for example, the Arabic nay). In duct flutes, such as the end-blown penny whistle and the recorder and the police whistle and ocarina, a mouthpiece channels the breath against the edge of a sound hole.
The transverse flute, the typical flute of Western music, was known in China by about 900 BC. By about ad 1100 it reached Europe, where it became a military flute in German-speaking areas-hence its old name of German flute. Families of flutes from soprano to bass were played in 16th and 17th-century chamber music. Made in one piece, these flutes had a cylindrical bore and six fingerholes. The flute was redesigned in the late 1600s by the Hotteterre family of French woodwind makers. They built it in three sections, or joints, with one key and a conical bore tapering away from the player. This flute displaced the recorder as the typical orchestral flute in the late 1700s. Gradually, more keys were added to improve the intonation of certain tones; by about 1800 a four-keyed flute was common, and eight-keyed flutes were developed in the 19th century. In 1832 the German flute maker Theobald Boehm created an improved conical-bore flute, and in 1847 he patented his cylindrical-bore flute, which is the model in widest use now. The cylindrical Boehm flute is made of metal or wood and has thirteen or more tone holes controlled by a system of padded keys. Its range extends three octaves, from middle C upward. Other orchestral flutes include the piccolo and the alto and bass flutes. Research Flute
Chops is British slang for the jaws, lips and mouth.
Chops is British slang for fingerprints.
Chops is musical slang for embouchure.
Chops is jazz slang for skill. Research Chops
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
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