Ibiza, island, Balearic Islands provincia (province) and comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), Spain. Ibiza is the third largest of the Balearic Islands. It lies in the western Mediterranean 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Majorca. The island was a strategic point of great importance in ancient

Guillain-Barré syndrome: Treatment and recovery: …that may be used is intravenous immunoglobulin, which involves the injection into a vein of a concentrate of pooled antibodies. Immunotherapy can help reduce symptom severity and duration, especially when initiated 7 to 14 days after symptoms first emerge.

Ivittuut, town in southwestern Greenland, on the 20-mile- (32-km-) long Arsuk Fjord, southeast of Paamiut (Frederikshåb). Nearby is a large open-pit cryolite mine (deposit discovered in 1794), which used to be of major economic importance to Greenland. Although the mine was closed in 1963, the

Euthymius The Hagiorite: At the Georgian monastery of Ivíron on Athos, Euthymius became abbot in 998, in succession to his father. By 1012 he was working exclusively with the translation and revision of biblical and liturgical texts for the use of the Georgian people in their church libraries. Ivíron, with its academy, thus…

Ivittuut, town in southwestern Greenland, on the 20-mile- (32-km-) long Arsuk Fjord, southeast of Paamiut (Frederikshåb). Nearby is a large open-pit cryolite mine (deposit discovered in 1794), which used to be of major economic importance to Greenland. Although the mine was closed in 1963, the

Ibiza, island, Balearic Islands provincia (province) and comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), Spain. Ibiza is the third largest of the Balearic Islands. It lies in the western Mediterranean 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Majorca. The island was a strategic point of great importance in ancient

Saint Ivo of Chartres ; feast day May 23) was the bishop of Chartres who was regarded as the most learned canonist of his age. Of noble birth, Ivo became prior of the canons regular of St. Quentin, Beauvais (c. 1078), and in 1090 Pope Urban II confirmed his election as bishop of Chartres. He was

Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: She captured the attention of Maria Ivogün, a Hungarian soprano, who taught her lieder singing. Schwarzkopf made her debut as a recitalist in Berlin in 1942. During World War II she joined the Nazi Party, and her membership later generated much controversy. Although she claimed to have become a member…

Côte d’Ivoire, country located on the coast of western Africa. The de facto capital is Abidjan; the administrative capital designate (since 1983) is Yamoussoukro. Côte d’Ivoire is bounded to the north by Mali and Burkina Faso, to the east by Ghana, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, to the

Côte d’Ivoire, country located on the coast of western Africa. The de facto capital is Abidjan; the administrative capital designate (since 1983) is Yamoussoukro. Côte d’Ivoire is bounded to the north by Mali and Burkina Faso, to the east by Ghana, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, to the

Cuba: The Republic of Cuba: …led by Evaristo Estenoz and Pedro Ivonet, organized to secure better jobs and more political patronage. In 1912 government troops put down large demonstrations in Oriente province.

ivory, variety of dentin of which the tusk of the elephant is composed and which is prized for its beauty, durability, and suitability for carving. The tusk is the upper incisor and continues to grow throughout the lifetime of male and female African elephants and of the male Indian elephant; the

ivory carving, the carving or shaping of ivory into sculptures, ornaments, and decorative or utilitarian articles. Elephant tusks have been the main source of ivory used for such carvings, although the tusks of walrus and other ivory-bearing mammals have also been worked. From ancient times ivory

Côte d’Ivoire, country located on the coast of western Africa. The de facto capital is Abidjan; the administrative capital designate (since 1983) is Yamoussoukro. Côte d’Ivoire is bounded to the north by Mali and Burkina Faso, to the east by Ghana, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, to the

Ebola: Species of ebolaviruses: ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, Taï Forest ebolavirus, Reston ebolavirus, and Bundibugyo ebolavirus, named for their outbreak locations—have been described. The viruses are known commonly as Ebola virus (EBOV), Sudan virus (SUDV), Taï Forest virus (TAFV), Reston virus (RESTV), and Bundibugyo virus (BDBV).

Janette Turner Hospital: Hospital’s first novel, The Ivory Swing (1982), concerns a troubled Canadian family living in India. In Tiger in the Tiger Pit (1983) a reunion provides a setting for family members to examine their wounds. Borderline (1985) is a suspenseful novel that begins with a refugee’s attempt to cross…

woodcreeper: Xiphorhynchus woodcreepers, such as the ivory-billed woodcreeper (X. flavigaster) of Central America, are among the more prominently streaked woodcreepers. Like others of its genus, the plain-brown woodcreeper (Dendrocincla fuliginosa), of Honduras to northeastern Argentina, often follows marching ant columns, eating the insects and other creatures routed out by the ants.…

ivory-billed woodpecker, (Campephilus principalis), 45-cm (18-inch) black-and-white bird with a flaring crest (red in the male) and a long whitish bill. It belongs to the family Picidae (order Piciformes). The species was thought to be extinct, though there were unconfirmed sightings of the bird in

Ivrea, town and episcopal see, Piemonte (Piedmont) region, northwestern Italy, on the Dora Baltea River, north of Turin. The importance of its gold mines led the Romans to seize the district from the Salassi in 143 bc. Ivrea was a Lombard duchy and, from the 9th century, a marquessate, and two of

Isabelle Huppert: Versatility in the 1990s and 2000s: …and L’Ivresse du pouvoir (2006; The Comedy of Power), in which she starred as a judge who heads an investigation into corporate corruption. In 2008 Huppert appeared as a plantation owner in French Indochina in Un Barrage contre le Pacifique (2008; The Sea Wall), an adaptation of Marguerite Duras’s novel…

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, state-subsidized institution of higher learning in Jerusalem. The foremost university in Israel, it attracts many Jewish students from abroad. Originally inaugurated (1925) on Mount Scopus, it was transferred to Givʿat Ram in the Israeli-controlled sector of

Anatolian art and architecture: Hittite period: …is a fine example at İvriz Harabesi in the Taurus Mountains, showing a local ruler of the 8th century bc paying homage to a fertility god.

Ivry-sur-Seine, industrial suburb southeast of Paris, in Val-de-Marne département, Paris région, France. It is bounded on the northwest by the city limits of Paris and on the northeast by the Seine River, and it is served by the Paris subway. Its port on the Seine makes it an entrepôt for

ivy, (genus Hedera), genus of about 15 species of evergreen woody vines (rarely shrubs) in the ginseng family (Araliaceae), native to Europe and much of Asia. Several species are cultivated as climbing ornamentals, and the name ivy especially denotes the commonly grown English ivy (Hedera helix),

Araliaceae, the ginseng family of flowering plants, in the order Apiales, comprising approximately 700 species centred in Southeast Asia and tropical America. Most members are shrubs or trees, though there are a number of climbers and a few herbs. The family has large, usually alternate, compound

geranium: Ivy, or hanging, geraniums (P. peltatum) are grown as basket plants indoors and out; they are also used as ground covers in warm areas. The aromatic, or scented-leaved, geraniums are found in several species, including P. abrotanifolium, P. capitatum, P. citrosum, P. crispum, P.

Elizabeth Bowen: …her collections of short stories, The Demon Lover (1945; U.S. title Ivy Gripped the Steps). Her essays appear in Collected Impressions (1950) and Afterthought (1962). Bowen’s last book, Pictures and Conversations (1975), is an introspective, partly autobiographical collection of essays and articles. Love’s Civil War: Elizabeth Bowen and Charles Ritchie:…

Ivy League, a group of eight colleges and universities in the northeastern United States that are widely regarded for their high academic standards, selectivity in admissions, and social prestige. The schools—which include Harvard (established 1636), Yale (1701), Pennsylvania (1740), Princeton

Cissus: incisa, commonly known as ivy treebine, marine ivy, or grape ivy, is native to the southern and south-central United States. It grows up to 9 m (30 feet) long and has compound leaves with three leaflets. The black fruit is about 2 cm (0.78 inch) in diameter. C. sicyoides,…

nuclear weapon: The weapons are tested: It was successfully detonated during Operation Ivy, on November 1, 1952, at Enewetak. The explosion achieved a yield of 10.4 megatons (million tons), 500 times larger than the Nagasaki bomb, and it produced a crater 1,900 meters (6,240 feet) in diameter and 50 meters (164 feet) deep.

tuftybell: The ivy-leaved bellflower (W. hederacea), a European annual, has delicate, hairless, creeping stems and small, pale-blue, veined, bell-shaped flowers. W. marginata, a hairy, erect perennial from East Asia, now is naturalized in southern North America; it is about 45 cm (18 inches) tall, with blue or…

Institute of World Affairs (IWA), nongovernmental organization (NGO) that develops educational and training programs in conflict analysis, conflict management, and postconflict peace building. It is headquartered in Vienna, Va. The IWA was founded in 1924 in Geneva by a group of English and

NEC Corporation: …in this new venture was Iwadare Kunihiko, an expert in telegraphic systems who had worked for 10 years in the United States under the American inventor Thomas Alva Edison. NEC was the first Japanese joint venture with a foreign company, and it paved the way for Western Electric to export…

Japanese performing arts: Tokugawa period: … (female impersonator) of his time, Iwai Hanshirō V, and Mokuami wrote for Ichikawa Danjūrō IX and a remarkable actor of gangster roles, Ichikawa Kodanji IV. Each was a master of Kabuki art, and between them they added new dimensions to Kabuki’s stylized form. Namboku created rhythmic dialogue composed in phrases…

Hakuin was a priest, writer, and artist who helped revive Rinzai Zen Buddhism in Japan. Hakuin joined the Rinzai Zen sect about 1700. He subsequently became an itinerant monk, during which time he first experienced enlightenment, and returned in 1716 to the Shōin Temple in his native Hara, which

Iwaki, city, southeastern Fukushima ken (prefecture), northern Honshu, Japan. The city is located on the Abukuma Plateau and the alluvial plains of the Natsui and Same rivers, which slope south and east until they reach the Pacific Ocean. The city was created in the mid-1960s when a then much

Iwakuni, city, southeastern Yamaguchi ken (prefecture), western Honshu, Japan. It is situated in the delta of the Nishiki River, facing Hiroshima Bay. A castle town was founded at the site in 1603 by the Kikkawa family of local daimyo (hereditary rulers). Iwakuni has grown into a major industrial

Iwakura Tomomi was one of Japan’s most influential statesmen of the 19th century. He was born to the family of a court noble of relatively low rank. Adopted as son and heir of the more powerful Iwakura family, he gained an important place in court circles after the U.S. naval officer Commodore

Chūgoku Range: The Iwami Plateau, lying to the north of the Backbone Range, is narrower and more dissected than the Kibi Plateau, except in the Akiyoshi Plateau area in the west, where karst topography occurs in some places. Numerous semicircular depressions have been buried by lava-dome volcanoes, including…

Iwamizawa, city, west-central Hokkaido, northern Japan. It lies along the levee of the Ikushunbetsu River, northeast of Sapporo. Iwamizawa developed around the railway station built on the levee in 1882. With the opening of three other railway lines by 1914, it became an important transportation

Ghaznavid dynasty: The Ghaznavids introduced the “four eyvān” ground plan in the palace at Lashkarī Bāzār near Lashkarī Gāh, on a plateau above the Helmond River, just north of Qalʾeh-ye Best, Afghanistan. An eyvān is a large vaulted hall, closed on three sides and open to a court on the fourth. The…

Iwasa Matabei was a Japanese painter of the early Tokugawa period (1603–1867). Upon the defeat and suicide of his soldier-father, Araki Murashige, he took refuge in the Hongan Temple in Kyōto with his nurse and later assumed his mother’s family name, Iwasa. He studied painting with different

printmaking: Japanese ukiyo-e prints: …with Iwasa Matabei II and Iwasa Matabei of Otsu) of ukiyo-e, whose woodcuts of the “floating world” or the world of everyday life represented a drastic break with the classical tradition. Of the three artists Matabei of Otsu was the most original and had the strongest influence on the development…

Iwasaki Yatarō was an industrial entrepreneur who founded the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, the second largest of the family-owned industrial-financial combines that dominated the economic life of Japan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of petty samurai (warrior class) origin, Iwasaki began his

Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz was a Polish poet, novelist, playwright, and essayist whose reputation rests largely on his achievements in new poetic forms. Iwaszkiewicz studied law at the University of Kiev from 1912 to 1918. During the same period he attended the music conservatory, where he was closely

Pac-Man: The lead designer was Iwatani Tohru, who intended to create a game that did not emphasize violence. By paying careful attention to themes, design, and colours, Iwatani hoped that Namco could market an arcade game that would appeal to females. The game concept was therefore inspired by food and…

Iwate, ken (prefecture), northeastern Honshu, Japan, bordering the Pacific Ocean (east). The greater part of its area is mountainous—dominated by the central Kitakami Mountains—and the climate is cold. The fishing port of Miyako on the eastern coast serves as the gateway to Rikuchū Coast National

International Whaling Commission (IWC), an intergovernmental organization that regulates whaling, a competitive industry based on the hunting of a common global resource. The commission was created after World War II by the Allied Powers, who were eager to increase fat and meat supplies but noted

Sir Robert Borden: …David Lloyd George created the Imperial War Cabinet (IWC) in 1917 that Borden was given a chance to express Canada’s point of view. At the meetings of the IWC in London and its subsequent sessions in Paris during the negotiation of the Treaty of Versailles, Borden supported the Fourteen Points…

International Women’s Day (IWD), day (March 8) honouring the achievements of women and promoting women’s rights. A national holiday in numerous countries, it has been sponsored by the United Nations (UN) since 1975. International Women’s Day (IWD) grew out of efforts in the early 20th century to

Iwein, Middle High German Arthurian epic poem by Hartmann von Aue, written about 1200. The poem, which is some 8,000 lines long, was based on a work by Chrétien de Troyes. It treats the medieval knight’s conflict between private inclination and public responsibility. The title character, a knight,

Ub Iwerks was an American animator and special-effects technician who, among many other achievements, brought the world-renowned cartoon character Mickey Mouse to life. Iwerks was the son of an immigrant German barber. When he was 18 years old, he met and befriended Walt Disney, a fellow employee

International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC), international organization, founded in 1984, that promotes sexual and reproductive rights and health among women and girls worldwide, especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The IWHC advocates for national and international policies that benefit

Māori: Traditional history and first contact: Members of each tribe (iwi) recognized a common ancestry (which might be traced through either or both parents) and common allegiance to a chief or chiefs (ariki). Traditionally, at the day-to-day level, the most important social groups were the hapū (subtribe), which was the primary landholding group and the…

Iwo, town, Osun state, southwestern Nigeria. It lies 6 miles (10 km) north of the Iwo station on the Lagos-Kano railway and at the intersection of roads from Ibadan, Oyo, and Ogbomosho, on a low hill at the edge of savanna and forest. Founded in the 16th or 17th century, it became the capital of

Iwo Jima, island that is part of the Volcano Islands archipelago, far southern Japan. The island has been widely known as Iwo Jima, its conventional name, since World War II (1939–45). However, Japan officially changed the name to its Japanese form, Iō-tō (Iō Island), in 2007. Iwo Jima lies in the

Battle of Iwo Jima, (February 19–March 16, 1945), World War II conflict between the United States and the Empire of Japan. The United States mounted an amphibious invasion of the island of Iwo Jima as part of its Pacific campaign against Japan. A costly victory for the United States, the battle was

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), labour organization founded in Chicago in 1905 by representatives of 43 groups. The IWW opposed the American Federation of Labor’s acceptance of capitalism and its refusal to include unskilled workers in craft unions. Among the founders of the IWW were William

Ub Iwerks was an American animator and special-effects technician who, among many other achievements, brought the world-renowned cartoon character Mickey Mouse to life. Iwerks was the son of an immigrant German barber. When he was 18 years old, he met and befriended Walt Disney, a fellow employee

Ixchel, Mayan moon goddess. Ixchel was the patroness of womanly crafts but was often depicted as an evil old woman and had unfavorable aspects. She may have been a manifestation of the god

Amsterdam 1928 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Amsterdam, that took place May 17–August 12, 1928. The Amsterdam Games were the eighth occurrence of the modern Olympic Games. Track-and-field and gymnastics events were added to the women’s slate at the 1928 Olympics. There was much criticism

Innsbruck 1964 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Innsbruck, Austria, that took place Jan. 29–Feb. 9, 1964. The Innsbruck Games were the ninth occurrence of the Winter Olympic Games. After having narrowly lost the 1960 Games to Squaw Valley, Calif., U.S., Innsbruck was awarded the 1964

Ixcatec, Middle American Indians living in a single town, Santa María Ixcatlán, in northern Oaxaca, Mex. There were perhaps 10,000 Ixcatec before the Spanish conquest, but their numbers now remain stable at about 200. The Ixcatec language and culture are closely related to those of the neighbouring

Ixchel, Mayan moon goddess. Ixchel was the patroness of womanly crafts but was often depicted as an evil old woman and had unfavorable aspects. She may have been a manifestation of the god

Tlazoltéotl, Aztec goddess who represented sexual impurity and sinful behaviour. She was probably introduced to the Aztecs from the gulf lowlands of Huaxteca. Tlazoltéotl was an important and complex earth-mother goddess. She was known in four guises, associated with different stages of life. As a

Ixelles, municipality, Brussels-Capital Region, central Belgium. A southeastern suburb of Brussels, it is one of the 19 municipalities that make up Greater Brussels. Factories in Ixelles process metals and make chemicals and textiles. The former Cistercian Abbey of La Cambre (founded 1201) now

Ixion, in Greek legend, son either of the god Ares or of Phlegyas, king of the Lapiths in Thessaly. He murdered his father-in-law and could find no one to purify him until Zeus did so and admitted him as a guest to Olympus. Ixion abused his pardon by trying to seduce Zeus’s wife, Hera. Zeus

bittern: Bitterns of the genus Ixobrychus are small (30 to 40 cm, or about 12 to 16 inches). The sexes are unlike in appearance and share in the nesting duties. As many as 10 white, bluish, or greenish eggs are laid in a neat nest placed well above water level,…

bittern: Somewhat larger is the black mangrove bittern (I. flavicollis), of southeastern Asia and Australia. This species shows plumelike development of the crown and neck feathers and is sometimes separated as Dupetor. For information on tiger bitterns, or tiger herons, see heron.

Lyme disease: dammini); in the West, I. pacificus; and in Europe, I. ricinus. Ticks pick up the spirochete by sucking the blood of deer or other infected animals. I. scapularis mainly feeds on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus), especially in areas of tall grass, and is most…

louping ill: …transmitted by bites of the castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus). The disease is most common in grassland regions of northern England and Scotland and is called louping (or leaping) ill because infected sheep leap about. Other mammals, including humans, cattle, dogs, goats, horses, and pigs, are susceptible.

Lyme disease: …the carrier tick is usually Ixodes scapularis (I. dammini); in the West, I. pacificus; and in Europe, I. ricinus. Ticks pick up the spirochete by sucking the blood of deer or other infected animals. I. scapularis mainly feeds on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and white-footed mice (

tick, (suborder Ixodida), any of about 825 species of invertebrates in the order Parasitiformes (subclass Acari). Ticks are important parasites of large wild and domestic animals and are also significant as carriers of serious diseases. Although no species is primarily a human parasite, some

tick: …soft ticks, and Nuttalliellidae and Ixodidae, together comprising the hard ticks. The family Nuttalliellidae is represented by one rare African species.

Iztacalco, delegación (administrative subdivision), northeastern Federal District, central Mexico. It is situated at an elevation of 7,418 feet (2,261 metres) in the Valley of Mexico. Iztacalco was once simply the commercial centre of an agricultural (corn [maize], beans, oats, and alfalfa) and

Iztaccíhuatl, dormant volcano situated on the México-Puebla state line in central Mexico. It lies 10 miles (16 km) north of its twin, Popocatépetl, and 40 miles (65 km) south-southeast of Mexico City. Iztaccíhuatl (from the Nahuatl for “white woman”) has three summits, the highest one reaching

Iztapalapa, delegación (administrative subdivision), northeastern Federal District, central Mexico. It is situated at 7,480 feet (2,280 metres) above sea level in the Valley of Mexico. It was formerly a city built on the site of an important pre-Columbian town. Overlooking the area is Mount

Ixtlilxóchitl was an Aztec chieftain, the chief of Texcoco who supported the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in the conquest of rival Aztecs in Tenochtitlán. At the time of the Spanish conquest, the cities of Texcoco and Tenochtitlán (the capital of the Aztec confederation) were engaged in an

pre-Columbian civilizations: The question of the Toltec: The dates by Ixtlilxóchitl, a learned mestizo of the post-conquest period, place the Toltec well within the Classic period of Meso-American archaeology, but the others correlate them with the early portion of the Postclassic. Most writers favour the later dates, but this would mean that the Toltec were…

Bay of Campeche: …area in mid-1979, when the Ixtoc 1 well blew out and released an estimated 3,000,000 barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, some of which washed up onto beachfronts in Texas, 600 miles (965 km) away, before the well was finally capped early the next year. The Mexican…

Latin American art: Neoclassicism: …of Manuel Tolsá’s star pupil, Pedro Patiño Ixtolinque, whose mother’s family name (Ixtolinque) reveals his indigenous heritage. His works include América (1830), a Neoclassical marble allegorical female figure, which he rendered with the same plumed Tupinambá headdress mentioned earlier but with European rather than Indian features. (Ultimately, the academy he…

Ethiopia: Iyasu (1913–16): As Menilek aged, he appointed a cabinet to act for his grandson and heir designate, Iyasu (Lij Yasu), a son of the Muslim Oromo ruler of Wallo. Upon the emperor’s death in 1913, Iyasu took power in his own right. Seeking a society…

biodiversity: Counting species: …Nations named 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB)—a yearlong celebration intended to raise public awareness about the importance of biodiversity and to reinforce conservation efforts. Many of the conservation goals promoted by the IYB have resurfaced periodically in later United Nations awareness campaigns—such as the International Year of…

B.K.S. Iyengar was an Indian teacher and popularizer of Yoga, a system of Indian philosophy. Iyengar was born into a large impoverished family. A sickly child, he suffered from a distended belly and was unable to hold his head up straight. His physical condition made him a laughingstock among his

B.K.S. Iyengar was an Indian teacher and popularizer of Yoga, a system of Indian philosophy. Iyengar was born into a large impoverished family. A sickly child, he suffered from a distended belly and was unable to hold his head up straight. His physical condition made him a laughingstock among his

Mikael Sehul: In the reign of Iyoas (1755–69), son of the last Solomonid emperor, Mikael was called to aid the emperor in resisting a takeover of power by the Oromo (Galla) peoples of the south, who were traditionally Islāmic and enemies of the Christian north. Mikael took this opportunity to occupy…

yacht: Racing clubs: …in the founding of the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) in 1907.

Jewish religious year: Months and notable days: (March–April) 15–22 Pesach (Passover) Iyyar (April–May) 18 Lag ba-ʿOmer (33rd Day of the Omer Counting) Sivan (May–June) 6, 7 Shavuot (Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost) Tammuz (June–July) 17 Shivaʾ ʾAsar be-Tammuz (Fast of Tammuz 17) Av (July–August)

Anna Akhmatova: …Little Light”) under the title Iz tsikla “Slava miru” (“From the Cycle ‘Glory to Peace’ ”). This uncharacteristic capitulation to the Soviet dictator—in one of the poems Akhmatova declares: “Where Stalin is, there is Freedom, Peace, and the grandeur of the earth”—was motivated by Akhmatova’s desire to propitiate Stalin and…

African dance: Rhythm: …pattern leads into a cartwheel; Iza requires an upright carriage with high kicks; Nkpopi is a leaping dance; Etukwa requires the torso to be inclined to the earth as the feet drum a staccato beat; Nzaukwu Nabi is a stamping step with sudden pauses.

Lake Izabal, lake in northeastern Guatemala. The country’s largest lake, Izabal occupies part of the lowlands between the Santa Cruz Mountains to the northwest and the Minas and San Isidro mountains to the southwest and southeast. It is fed by the Polochic River and is drained by the Dulce River

Yazīdī, member of a Kurdish religious minority found primarily in northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northern Syria, the Caucasus region, and parts of Iran. The Yazīdī religion includes elements of ancient Iranian religions as well as elements of Judaism, Nestorian Christianity, and Islam.

African literature: Xhosa: Qangule’s Izagweba (1972; “Weapons”). In K.S. Bongela’s Alitshoni lingenandaba (1971; “The Sun Does Not Set Without News”), the reader is led to a revelation of the corruption that results when traditional ties are broken. Christianity and urban corruption are at the centre of Witness K. Tamsanqa’s…

Izalco Volcano, volcano in western El Salvador on the southern slope of Santa Ana. It is the most active volcano in Central America, having erupted more than 50 times since 1770. Its black symmetrical cone, which was formed by a number of eruptions over a period of 200 years, is devoid of

Izanagi and Izanami, the central deities (kami) in the Japanese creation myth. They were the eighth pair of brother-and-sister gods to appear after heaven and earth separated out of chaos. By standing on the floating bridge of heaven and stirring the primeval ocean with a heavenly jeweled spear,

Izanagi and Izanami, the central deities (kami) in the Japanese creation myth. They were the eighth pair of brother-and-sister gods to appear after heaven and earth separated out of chaos. By standing on the floating bridge of heaven and stirring the primeval ocean with a heavenly jeweled spear,

Izanagi and Izanami: Izanami, the central deities (kami) in the Japanese creation myth. They were the eighth pair of brother-and-sister gods to appear after heaven and earth separated out of chaos. By standing on the floating bridge of heaven and stirring the primeval ocean with a heavenly jeweled…

Izanagi and Izanami: Izanami, the central deities (kami) in the Japanese creation myth. They were the eighth pair of brother-and-sister gods to appear after heaven and earth separated out of chaos. By standing on the floating bridge of heaven and stirring the primeval ocean with a heavenly jeweled…

pre-Columbian civilizations: Izapan civilization: Izapa, type site of the Izapan civilization, is a huge temple centre near modern Tapachula, Chiapas, on the hot Pacific coast plain. Its approximately 80 pyramidal mounds were built from earth and clay faced with river boulders. A large number of carved stone stelae have been found at Izapa, almost…

pre-Columbian civilizations: Izapan civilization: Izapa, type site of the Izapan civilization, is a huge temple centre near modern Tapachula, Chiapas, on the hot Pacific coast plain. Its approximately 80 pyramidal mounds were built from earth and clay faced with river boulders. A large number of carved stone…