Holocaust: Jewish resistance to the Nazis: In Vilna partisan leader Abba Kovner, recognizing the full intent of Nazi policy toward the Jews, called for resistance in December 1941 and organized an armed force that fought the Germans in September 1943. In March of that year, a resistance group led by Willem Arondeus, a homosexual artist…

Kaunas, town, southern Lithuania. It lies at the head of navigation on the Neman (Lithuanian Nemunas) River, there joined by the tributary Viliya (Lithuanian Neris) River. Founded as a fortress in 1030, Kaunas became a town in 1317 and received its charter of self-government in 1408. It was

Kovrov, city, Vladimir oblast (region), western Russia. It lies along the right bank of the Klyazma River just above the latter’s confluence with the Uvod. The city has been a centre of the textile industry since the 18th century, specializing in cotton cloth, but the most important industry now is

kovsh, Russian drinking vessel with a boat-shaped body and a single handle. It is thought that many of the earliest examples, which date from the 16th century, were presented by the tsars to loyal supporters; they are sometimes engraved with the royal double-headed eagle and are inscribed around

Jimmu, legendary first emperor of Japan and founder of the imperial dynasty. Japanese chronicles record Jimmu’s expedition eastward from Hyuga in 607 bc along Japan’s Inland Sea, subduing tribes as he went and ending in Yamato, where he established his centre of power. Although modern historians do

Chiron: …1977 by the American astronomer Charles Kowal and classified as an asteroid with the number 2060. It is about 200 km (125 miles) in diameter and travels in an unstable, eccentric orbit that crosses that of Saturn and passes just inside that of Uranus with a period of 50.45 years.…

Stanley Kowalski, fictional character, the brutish husband of Stella and brother-in-law of Blanche DuBois in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) by Tennessee Williams. Actor Marlon Brando delivered a powerful performance in the role, both on Broadway and in the 1951

Islamic arts: Modern criticism: Slightly later the Polish scholar Tadeusz Kowalski tried to interpret the “molecular” structure of Arabic literature—the absence of large units of thought or architectural structure—typical of the greater part of Islamic literatures, which might be described as “carpetlike.” This “molecular” structure can be related to the atomist theories and occasionalist…

crest-tailed marsupial rat, (Dasyuroides byrnei), rare ratlike mammal of the family Dasyuridae (order Marsupialia), native to the desert and grasslands of central Australia. It averages about 17.5 cm (7 inches) in length, with about a 13.5-centimetre (5-inch) tail. The soft dense fur is a light

Afghanistan: Drainage of Afghanistan: …its major Afghan tributaries, the Kowkcheh and the Qondūz, rise in the mountains of Badakhshān and Kondoz provinces. The Amu Darya becomes navigable from its confluence with the Kowkcheh, 60 miles (100 km) west of the city of Feyẕābād.

Hong Kong: Relief: …from Mount Tai Mo, the Kowloon Peak attains an elevation of 1,975 feet (602 metres), but there is an abrupt drop to about 650 feet (198 metres) at Devil’s Peak. Victoria (Hong Kong) Harbour is well protected by mountains on Hong Kong Island that include Victoria Peak in the west,…

Kowloon Peninsula, part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, southeastern China, that was returned to China with the handover of Hong Kong from the British in 1997. It constitutes the Chinese mainland portion of the Hong Kong region and is located north of Hong Kong Island and east of

Hong Kong: Transportation and telecommunications: …services are provided by the Kowloon-Canton Railway (in operation since 1910). Electrification and double-tracking of the railway and the growth along its lines of the new towns of Sha Tin, Tai Po, Fanling, and others caused a considerable increase in passenger traffic. The railway’s commuter services expanded considerably with its…

First Sino-Japanese War: …Japanese sank the British steamer Kowshing, which was carrying the reinforcements, further inflaming the situation.

kowtow, in traditional China, the act of supplication made by an inferior to his superior by kneeling and knocking his head to the floor. This prostration ceremony was most commonly used in religious worship, by commoners who came to make a request of the local district magistrate, and by officials

Zheng Chenggong was a pirate leader of Ming forces against the Manchu conquerors of China, best known for establishing Chinese control over Taiwan. Zheng Chenggong was born in a small Japanese coastal town to a Japanese mother and a Chinese father, Zheng Zhilong, a maritime adventurer who made a

Khakass: The Koybal, not a tribe in the ethnographic sense but a territorial group, have retained their Kacha language but assumed the Russian peasant way of life. In the late 20th century there were about 60,000 Khakass in Russia.

sacred clown: …famous of these are the Koyemshi, the dancing clowns of the Pueblo Indians. Their obscene and sacrilegious actions punctuate the most important religious ceremonies and serve as a sign of the presence of the powerful primordial beings and as a means of social control by their satire of the antisocial…

earthquake: Reservoir induction: …the main shock at the Koyna Dam and Reservoir in India (1967), the evidence favours strike-slip faulting motion. At both the Kremasta Dam in Greece (1965) and the Kariba Dam in Zimbabwe-Zambia (1961), the generating mechanism was dip-slip on normal faults. By contrast, thrust mechanisms have been determined for sources…

Koynanagar: The Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary surrounds much of the reservoir; the sanctuary is part of the Western Ghats area, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012.

Koynanagar, resort town, Maharashtra state, western India. The town, nestled in the Western Ghats (Sahyadri) range, is noted for being home to the Koyna dam and its reservoir (also known as Shivsagar), which are part of a large hydroelectric power complex. Power is generated at a station in

Halang language, language spoken chiefly in the central highlands of south-central Vietnam near Kon Tum. The number of speakers in Vietnam is estimated at some 10,000. Halang is a member of the North Bahnaric subbranch of the Mon-Khmer language family, which is a part of the Austroasiatic stock.

Volcher Coiter was a physician who established the study of comparative osteology and first described cerebrospinal meningitis. Through a grant from Groningen, he studied in Italy and France and was a pupil of Fallopius, Eustachius, Arantius, and Rondelet. He became city physician of Nürnberg

Native American religions: Diversity and common themes: By contrast, the Koyukon universe is notably decentralized. Raven, whom Koyukon narratives credit with the creation of human beings, is only one among many powerful entities in the Koyukon world. He exhibits human weaknesses such as lust and pride, is neither all-knowing nor all-good, and teaches more often…

Koyukuk River, river in central Alaska, U.S. A major tributary of the Yukon River, it rises from several headstreams on the southern slopes of the Endicott Mountains in the central Brooks Range and flows southwestward through Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and Koyukuk National

Okinawa, city, Okinawa ken (prefecture), Japan. It is situated in the central part of Okinawa Island and was designated as a new city in 1974. Originally occupying a region of agriculture and forestry, the city, after World War II, became the location for the U.S. Kadena military base, which

genetic algorithm: John Koza, one of Holland’s doctoral students and a holder of more than a dozen patents related to genetic programming, was one of the first to develop commercial applications of the field, as a founder of a company known as Scientific Games. Koza shared his…

Józef Bartłomiej Zimorowic: …versified narratives of the event: Kozaczyzna (“The Cossacks”) and Burda Ruska (“The Ruthenian Affray”).

Kozáni, town and dímos (municipality), West Macedonia (Modern Greek: Dytikí Makedonía) periféreia (region), north-central Greece. The town is situated on the edge of a fertile basin between the Vérmio (also spelled Vérmion) and Voúrinos mountains and has tobacco, cereal, potato, and vegetable

Leopold Koželuch was a Czech composer of ballets, operas, and symphonies. Koželuch studied composition in Prague with his uncle Jan Koželuch and piano with F. Dussek and became known as a composer of ballets in the 1770s. In 1778 he went to Vienna, where he became a fashionable piano teacher.

Leopold Koželuch was a Czech composer of ballets, operas, and symphonies. Koželuch studied composition in Prague with his uncle Jan Koželuch and piano with F. Dussek and became known as a composer of ballets in the 1770s. In 1778 he went to Vienna, where he became a fashionable piano teacher.

Kozhikode, city, northern Kerala state, southwestern India. It is situated on the Malabar Coast, 414 miles (666 km) west-southwest of Chennai (Madras) by rail. Kozhikode was once a famous cotton-weaving center, and it is remembered as the place of origin of calico, to which it gave its name (i.e.,

Bar Kokhba was a Jewish leader who led a bitter but unsuccessful revolt (132–135 ce) against Roman dominion in Judaea. During his tour of the Eastern Empire in 131, the Roman emperor Hadrian decided upon a policy of Hellenization to integrate the Jews into the empire. Circumcision was proscribed, a

Viewing Shakespeare on Film: …same period, the Russian director Grigory Kozintsev directed a production of Hamlet titled Gamlet (1964) and one of King Lear titled Karol Lear (1970), which employed grim charcoal textures. Another bleak King Lear of 1970, which featured Paul Scofield as the aged king, was filmed by British director Peter Brook…

Bulgaria: Resources and power: …only nuclear power station, at Kozloduy, was constructed with Soviet aid and began operation in 1974. Two reactors were closed there in 2002, and another two were shut down in 2006 as a condition of EU accession.

Michurinsk, city, Tambov oblast (region), western Russia, on the Lesnoy Voronezh River. Founded in 1636 as a fortress named Kozlov, it was chartered in 1779. Locomotive repair works reflect its junction position, and there are vegetable- and fruit-processing industries. It is a horticulture centre,

Neoclassical art: Russia: Mikhail Kozlovsky contributed to the decoration of the throne room at Pavlovsk.

comic strip: Asia and the manga: …English readers under the title Lone Wolf and Cub in 1987 and was made into a television series in 2002.

Nikolay Aleksandrovich Kozyrev was a Russian astronomer, who claimed to have discovered volcano-like activity on the Moon. His sightings of apparent gaseous emissions from the lunar surface challenged the long-held theory that the Moon is a dead and inert celestial body. In 1931 Kozyrev joined the

Inchon landing: …June 25, 1950, North Korea’s Korean Peoples Army (KPA) had pushed relentlessly southward down the peninsula, driving before it the demoralized Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) and poorly prepared and understrength units of the U.S. 24th Division that had been hastily sent over from the Eighth Army in Japan. Not…

kilopascal (kPa), one thousand times the unit of pressure and stress in the metre-kilogram-second system (the International System of Units [SI]). It was named in honour of the French mathematician-physicist Blaise Pascal (1623–62). One pascal is a pressure of one newton per square metre, or, in SI

Palimé, town, major commercial centre in the Plateaux region, southwestern Togo, western Africa, situated about 70 miles (110 km) northwest of Lomé, the national capital. The town lies in a mountainous area important for cultivation of coffee, cacao, and oil palms. A large portion of these crops is

Belarus: Political process: …supportive of Lukashenko are the Communist Party of Belarus (KPB), a successor of the monolithic ruling Communist Party of the Soviet era; the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus; and the Agrarian Party. Opposition parties are permitted, but they have had little electoral success. They include the Party of Communists of…

Friedrich Ebert: …the SPD to form the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). The leftists who had withdrawn from the SPD sought a social revolution, while Ebert and his party wanted to establish a German parliamentary democracy. Even in the midst of the war, the Catholic Centre Party, the Democratic Party (previously the…

African art: Senufo: The kpelie masks, small human faces with delicate features, represent female spirits and encode aspects of Poro knowledge. Both types of masks are involved with initiation and also perform at funerals, where they help encourage the soul of the deceased to move on to the ancestral…

Kpelle, people occupying much of central Liberia and extending into Guinea, where they are sometimes called the Guerze; they speak a language of the Mande branch of the Niger-Congo family. The Kpelle are primarily farmers. Rice is their staple crop and is supplemented by cassava, vegetables, and

Togo: Transportation: …second port is located at Kpémé, about 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Lomé, and is used to handle phosphate shipments.

Cambodia: Vietnamese intervention: …National Liberation Front (renamed the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party in 1992) under the leadership of Son Sann (a former prime minister). Those groups were supported financially by foreign powers, including the United States, who were eager to oppose Vietnam. Thousands of Cambodians continued to enter Thailand in the 1980s, and…

Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), astronomical observatory located on the Papago Indian Reservation 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Tucson, Ariz., U.S., at an elevation of 6,888 feet (2,100 metres). It was established in 1958 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in response to a long-felt

African art: Senufo: Kponyugu masks exhibit many variations in name, style, animal references, and symbolism. Their iconography—a composite of a wide range of animals—refers to the origin of the world, to important legends, and to the roles of certain animals in carrying out obligations to ancestors and nature…

Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), Russian political party that opposes many of the democratic and economic reforms introduced in Russia after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation was officially established in 1993, but it is

Cambodia: Political process: …from the pro-Vietnam and communist Kampuchean People’s Revolutionary Party that was founded in 1951. The CPP was long the dominant party in national politics. The CNRP was formed in 2012 through the merger of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and the smaller Human Rights Party (founded 2007). The SRP, founded…

Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), the major political party of Russia and the Soviet Union from the Russian Revolution of October 1917 to 1991. (Read Leon Trotsky’s 1926 Britannica essay on Lenin.) The Communist Party of the Soviet Union arose from the Bolshevik wing of the Russian Social

Kenya: Kenyatta’s rule: …a new opposition party, the Kenya People’s Union (KPU), but his position was weakened by legislation that required elected officials who switched parties to resign their seats and run for reelection. By contrast, Kenyatta’s authority was strengthened because greater powers had been given to the office of president.

Television in the United States: Educational TV: …Boston, WTTW in Chicago, and KQED in San Francisco. In 1965 the Carnegie Foundation established its Commission on Education Television to conduct a study of ETV and make recommendations for future action. The report from the commission was published about two years later, and it became the catalyst and model…

krypton (Kr), chemical element, a rare gas of Group 18 (noble gases) of the periodic table, which forms relatively few chemical compounds. About three times heavier than air, krypton is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and monatomic. Although traces are present in meteorites and minerals, krypton is

Malay Peninsula, in Southeast Asia, a long, narrow appendix of the mainland extending south for a distance of about 700 miles (1,127 km) through the Isthmus of Kra to Cape Piai, the southernmost point of the Asian continent; its maximum width is 200 miles (322 km), and it covers roughly 70,000

Isthmus of Kra, narrow neck of southern Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand, connecting the Malay Peninsula to the Asian mainland. The isthmus lies between the Gulf of Thailand to the east and the Andaman Sea to the west. It is 25–30 miles (40–48 km) wide at its narrowest point, between Chumphon and Kra

carrack porcelain, Chinese blue-and-white export pieces from the reign of the emperor Wan-li (1573–1620) during the Ming period. During the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company rose to world prominence by trading fine goods. A particularly popular Chinese export became kraakporselein (named

kraal, enclosure or group of houses surrounding an enclosure for livestock, or the social unit that inhabits these structures. The term has been more broadly used to describe the way of life associated with the kraal that is found among some African, especially South African, peoples. Among certain

sovereignty: History: , Léon Duguit, Hugo Krabbe, and Harold J. Laski) who developed the theory of pluralistic sovereignty (pluralism) exercised by various political, economic, social, and religious groups that dominate the government of each state. According to this doctrine, sovereignty in each society does not reside in any particular place…

Krabi, port town, southwestern Thailand. Krabi is situated on the Strait of Malacca on the Andaman Sea and is a departure point for fishing and for travel to nearby islands. The surrounding region is widely planted in coconuts. Most settlements are coastal fishing villages, and shell reefs,

Krâchéh, town, northeastern Cambodia. Krâchéh is located on the eastern bank of the Mekong River, at the head of Mekong navigation. It has a port and is linked to Phnom Penh, the national capital, and to neighbouring areas by a national highway. There are slate quarries near the town, and the

Peyo Yavorov was a Bulgarian poet and dramatist, the founder of the Symbolist movement in Bulgarian poetry. Yavorov took part in the preparation of the ill-fated Macedonian uprising against Ottoman hegemony in August 1903, edited revolutionary papers, and crossed twice into Macedonia with partisan

Malleus maleficarum: …in Germany, and Heinrich (Institoris) Kraemer, professor of theology at the University of Salzburg, Austria, and inquisitor in the Tirol region of Austria. In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII issued the bull Summis desiderantes affectibus, in which he deplored the spread of witchcraft in Germany and authorized Sprenger and Kraemer to…

study of religion: Neo-orthodoxy and demythologization: The Dutch theologian Hendrik Kraemer (1888–1965) applied the doctrine of the theology of the Word to non-Christian religions in The Christian Message in a Non-Christian World, which had a wide impact on the overseas mission field. Since religions are cultural products and since each system of belief is…

perciform: Annotated classification: Family Kraemeriidae (sandfishes or sand gobies) Rare little elongated fishes; pelvic fins separate; chin of lower jaw large, pointed, forming terminal end of head; eyes small, on top of head; 2 genera with about 8 species, Indo-Pacific. Family Xenisthmidae Lower lip with free ventral margin; 6…

Alvin Kraenzlein was an American athlete, the first competitor to win four gold medals at a single Olympics. He is credited with having originated the modern technique of hurdling, and his world record in the 220-yard hurdles was unbroken for more than a quarter-century. During the mid-1890s

Emil Kraepelin was a German psychiatrist, one of the most influential of his time, who developed a classification system for mental illness that influenced subsequent classifications. Kraepelin made distinctions between schizophrenia and manic-depressive psychosis that remain valid today. After

Battle of Caporetto: Clashes on the Isonzo: Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen, an expert in mountain warfare and commander of the Alpine Corps in the Romanian campaign, to reconnoitre the ground. After receiving Krafft’s report, Ludendorff approved an augmented version of Waldstätten’s scheme. The seven German divisions with eight Austrian divisions formed the…

Adam Kraft was a sculptor of the Nürnberg school who introduced restraint into German late Gothic sculpture. Nothing is known of Kraft’s training, but his earliest-known work, a triptych depicting Christ’s Passion and Resurrection in the Church of St. Sebaldus, Nürnberg (1490–92), shows a maturity

Richard, baron von Krafft-Ebing was a German neuropsychiatrist who was a pioneering student of sexual psychopathology. Educated in Germany and Switzerland, Krafft-Ebing was appointed professor of psychiatry at Strasbourg at the age of 32. His interests ranged from genetic functions in insanity and

Kraft Foods, division and brand of Kraft Heinz Company, one of the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturers that was formed by the 2015 merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Holding Corporation. Kraft Foods’ headquarters are in Northfield, Illinois. Kraft grew out of a wholesale

Robert Kraft: …sportsman, founder (1998) of the Kraft Group (a holding company for a wide range of companies), and owner of the New England Patriots gridiron football team. Under Kraft’s ownership, the Patriots became the most consistently successful franchise in the National Football League (NFL).

Kraft Foods: …Foods, division and brand of Kraft Heinz Company, one of the world’s largest food and beverage manufacturers that was formed by the 2015 merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz Holding Corporation. Kraft Foods’ headquarters are in Northfield, Illinois.

radio: The role of advertising: …Crosby’s tenure as host of The Kraft Music Hall, the talent and staff were hired by the Kraft food company’s advertising firm, the J. Walter Thompson agency. The networks merely provided the airtime and studio facilities. Some of the more creative radio talents functioned as their own producers, receiving a…

kraft process, (from German kraft, “strong”), chemical method for the production of wood pulp that employs a solution of caustic soda and sodium sulfide as the liquor in which the pulpwood is cooked in order to loosen the fibres. The kraft process differs from the sulfite process in that (1) the

Television in the United States: Rural humour: …Hitchcock Presents (CBS/NBS, 1955–65) and Kraft Suspense Theatre (NBC, 1963–65) failed to return to the schedule in the 1965–66 season, only one anthology, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater (NBC, 1963–67), remained on the air, and it had only one remaining season.

George Roy Hill: Early work: …he wrote a teleplay for Kraft Television Theatre, in which he also acted, and he later directed A Night to Remember (1956), about the sinking of the Titanic, for the show. The following year he began directing for Playhouse 90, a program that featured 90-minute live episodes. His notable productions…

papermaking: Kraft wrapping: Kraft wrapping, a heavy stock used for paper bags, is used in greater volume than all other wrapping papers combined. It is composed of wood pulp in unbleached condition made from softwoods, usually pine. It is distinguished by outstanding tensile and tearing strength. Kraft…

Adam Kraft was a sculptor of the Nürnberg school who introduced restraint into German late Gothic sculpture. Nothing is known of Kraft’s training, but his earliest-known work, a triptych depicting Christ’s Passion and Resurrection in the Church of St. Sebaldus, Nürnberg (1490–92), shows a maturity

Robert Kraft is an American industrialist, sportsman, founder (1998) of the Kraft Group (a holding company for a wide range of companies), and owner of the New England Patriots gridiron football team. Under Kraft’s ownership, the Patriots became the most consistently successful franchise in the

Robert Kraft is an American industrialist, sportsman, founder (1998) of the Kraft Group (a holding company for a wide range of companies), and owner of the New England Patriots gridiron football team. Under Kraft’s ownership, the Patriots became the most consistently successful franchise in the

Kraftwerk, German experimental group widely regarded as the godfathers of electronic pop music. The original members were Ralf Hütter (b. 1946, Krefeld, West Germany) and Florian Schneider (b. 1947, Düsseldorf, West Germany—d. 2020). Hütter and Schneider met while studying classical music at

Jens Otto Krag was one of Denmark’s foremost socialist politicians, who twice served as prime minister (1962–68, 1971–72). Krag joined the Social Democratic Party’s youth organization in 1930 and quickly rose in the ranks of the party. In 1940, after having earned a master’s degree in political

Kragujevac, city in central Serbia. It lies on the Lepenica River, a tributary of the Morava. Kragujevac is the chief city of the Šumadija region, in which at the beginning of the 19th century Karadjordje led the first Serbian uprising against the Turks. It was the capital of Serbia from 1818 to

Baden-Württemberg: …and Neckar rivers, the fertile Kraichgau district is the site of wheat, corn (maize), tobacco, and fruit farming. The Schwetzinger asparagus of this area is quite famous.

Carniola, western region of Slovenia, which in the 19th century was a centre of Slovenian nationalist and independence activities within the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary. It was part of the Roman province of Pannonia in ancient times and was occupied by the Slovenes in the 6th century ad.

krait, (genus Bungarus), any of 12 species of highly venomous snakes belonging to the cobra family (Elapidae). Kraits live in Asian forests and farmland from Pakistan to southern China and southward into Indonesia. They are terrestrial, feeding mainly on other snakes but also on frogs, lizards, and

number game: 20th century: Outstanding work was that of Maurice Kraitchik, editor of the periodical Sphinx and author of several well-known works published between 1900 and 1942.

Serbia: The disintegration of Ottoman rule: (The South Slav translation, Vojna Krajina, was used 300 years later in the name given to the areas of Croatia that local Serb majorities attempted to disconnect from Croatia following its secession from Yugoslavia.) Also dating from the time of the great migration of 1691 was the gradual conversion of…

Baldwin I: …he built the castle of Krak de Montréal to protect the kingdom in the south.

Krak des Chevaliers, greatest fortress built by European crusaders in Syria and Palestine, one of the most notable surviving examples of medieval military architecture. Built at Qalʿat al-Ḥiṣn, Syria, near the northern border of present-day Lebanon, Krak occupied the site of an earlier Muslim

Al-Karak: Le Krak du Désert, a heavily fortified Crusader citadel, was built on the site of the ancient fortress in 1132; it fell to the Muslims in 1188, the year after the Crusaders’ defeat at the Battle of Ḥaṭṭīn (in Galilee), in which they lost control…

Krakatoa, volcano on Rakata Island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, Indonesia. Its explosive eruption in 1883 was one of the most catastrophic in history. Krakatoa lies along the convergence of the Indian-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a zone of high volcanic and seismic

Václav Kašlík: Kašlík’s best-known opera was Krakatit (1960), which had an electronic score that combined orchestral, jazz, and popular music with a text exploring the merits of atomic energy. He was known for using unorthodox sets, still projections, moving screens, and other theatrical techniques; his keen instincts for innovative touches were…

Krakatoa, volcano on Rakata Island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, Indonesia. Its explosive eruption in 1883 was one of the most catastrophic in history. Krakatoa lies along the convergence of the Indian-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a zone of high volcanic and seismic

quasi-biennial oscillation, layer of winds that encircle Earth’s lower stratosphere, at altitudes from 20 to 40 kilometres (about 12 to 25 miles), between latitudes 15° N and 15° S. They blow at velocities of 15 to 35 metres per second (about 35 to 80 miles per hour). They are alternately easterly

quasi-biennial oscillation, layer of winds that encircle Earth’s lower stratosphere, at altitudes from 20 to 40 kilometres (about 12 to 25 miles), between latitudes 15° N and 15° S. They blow at velocities of 15 to 35 metres per second (about 35 to 80 miles per hour). They are alternately easterly

kraken, legendary sea monster of Scandinavian and Norwegian lore, perhaps imagined from sightings ofgiant squids and octopi. Sailors have discussed giant sea monsters for thousands of years, and Danish historian Erik Pontoppidan described the kraken (as well as sea serpents and mermaids) in detail