Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Shop

0-9

Rahner, Karl ... Rakosi, Matyas

Rahner, Karl: German Jesuit priest who is widely considered to have been one of the foremost Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th century. He is best known for his work in Christology ...
Rahr Plains: geographic region that composes part of the Lower Ganges Plains in northern West Bengal state, eastern India, with an area of about 12,400 square miles (32,000 square km). Except in ...
Rahv, Philip: Ukrainian-born American critic who was cofounder (1933) with William Phillips of The Partisan Review, a journal of literature and social thought.
Rai: tribe indigenous to northeastern Nepal, living west of the Arun River in the area drained by the Sun Kosi River, at elevations of 5,500-7,700 feet (1,700-2,300 m), and also in ...
Raiatea: largest island of the Leeward Group (Iles Sous le Vent), Society Islands, French Polynesia, in the central South Pacific. It has a circumference of about 30 miles (50 km), an ...
Raichur: city, eastern Karnataka (formerly Mysore) state, southern India. It contains a palace-citadel (1294) and fort (c. 1300) built on a hill 290 feet (88 m) above the surrounding plain. In ...
Raiganj: city, northern West Bengal state, northeastern India, on the Kulik River. An important agricultural-trade and jute-exporting centre, it is connected by road with English Bazar and with Dinajpur (in Bangladesh). ...
Raigarh: historic region of western India, immediately south of Bombay, formerly a princely state of the Chhattisgarh states. Though part of the Konkan coastal plain, its terrain undulates with rugged transverse ...
Raigarh: city, northwestern Madhya Pradesh state, central India, just west of the Kelo River, a tributary of the Mahanadi. The city was capital of the former Raigarh princely state. A major ...
Raikes, Robert: British journalist, philanthropist, and pioneer of the Sunday-school movement. His philanthropic work began with a concern with prison reform.
Raikin, Arkady Isaakovich: Soviet comedian and variety-show entertainer, among the most popular and respected Soviet humorists of the 20th century.
rail: any of more than 100 species of slender marsh birds of the family Rallidae (order Gruiformes), somewhat chicken-shaped, with short rounded wings, short tail, large feet, and long toes. The ...
rail-babbler: any member of the songbird subfamily Orthonychinae (order Passeriformes), placed by some authorities with other babblers in the family Timaliidae and by others near the subfamily Timaliinae when the latter ...
railroad: mode of land transportation in which flange-wheeled vehicles move over two parallel steel rails, or tracks, either by self-propulsion or by the propulsion of a locomotive.
Raimondi, Marcantonio: Italian Renaissance master of engraving whose prints did much to disseminate the style of the High Renaissance throughout Europe.
Raimundo, Don: English Don Raymond archbishop and leading prelate of the 12th-century Spanish Christian church, whose patronage of the Toledan school of translators contributed greatly to medieval learning.
rain: precipitation of liquid water drops with diameters greater than 0.5 mm (0.02 inch). When the drops are smaller, the precipitation is usually called drizzle. See also precipitation.
rain dance: ceremonial dance performed in many cultures, from the ancient Egyptian to 20th-century Balkan, to invoke rain, ensuring an abundant harvest. Because most primitive dances have the same goals-life, health, abundance, ...
rain shadow: lee side of an orographic (mountainous) barrier, which receives considerably less precipitation than the windward side. See orographic precipitation.
Rainald Of Dassel: German statesman, chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire, and archbishop of Cologne, the chief executor of the policies of the emperor Frederick I Barbarossa in Italy.
Rainaldi, Carlo: Baroque architect, one of the leading architects of 17th-century Rome, noted for the scenic grandeur of his designs. He collaborated with his father, Girolamo Rainaldi (q.v.), a distinguished architect who ...
Rainaldi, Girolamo: Italian architect in the north Italian Mannerist tradition, who became chief architect of Rome (in 1602) and of the papacy (1644).
Rainborow, Thomas: English soldier and republican who fought for Parliament during the English Civil Wars.
rainbow: series of concentric coloured arcs that may be seen when light from a distant source-most commonly the Sun-falls upon a collection of water drops-as in rain, spray, or fog. The ...
Rainbow Bridge National Monument: rainbow-shaped natural bridge of pink sandstone spanning a canyon 290 feet (88 metres) above a creek that winds toward man-made Lake Powell in southern Utah, U.S., near the Utah-Arizona boundary. ...
rainbow trout: (species Oncorhynchus mykiss), game fish of the family Salmonidae noted for its spectacular leaps and hard fighting when hooked. It has been introduced from western North America to many other ...
Raine, Kathleen: English poet, scholar, and critic noted for her mystical and visionary poetry.
Rainer, Yvonne: American avant-garde choreographer and filmmaker whose work in both disciplines often featured the medium's most fundamental elements rather than meeting conventional expectations.
Rainey, Joseph Hayne: former American slave, the first black to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives (1870-79).
Rainey, Ma: American singer, the "mother of the blues," recognized as the first great black professional blues vocalist.
rainforest: luxuriant forest, generally composed of tall, broad-leaved trees and usually found in wet tropical uplands and lowlands around the Equator.
Rainier III, prince de Monaco: 31st hereditary ruler of the principality of Monaco (1949-2005). He was the son of Prince Pierre, count de Polignac, and Princess Charlotte de Monaco, daughter of Louis II, prince de ...
Rainier, Mount: highest mountain (14,410 feet [4,392 metres]) in the state of Washington, U.S., and in the Cascade Range. It lies about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of the city of Tacoma, ...
Rainis: Latvian poet and dramatist whose works were outstanding as literature and for their assertion of national freedom and social consciousness.
rainmaking: any process of increasing the amount of precipitation discharged from a cloud. Primitive methods, such as rain dances or the throwing of pebbles into water, failed to produce rain, but ...
Rains, Claude: British motion picture and stage character actor noted for his smooth, distinguished voice, polished, ironic style, and intelligent portrayal of a variety of roles, ranging from villains to sympathetic gentlemen.
Rainwater, James: American physicist who won a share of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1975 for his part in determining the asymmetrical shapes of certain atomic nuclei.
Rainy Lake: narrow lake astride the Canadian-U.S. border, between Minnesota, U.S., and the Rainy River district of southwestern Ontario, Can. It has an area of 360 square miles (932 square km), is ...
Raipur: city, capital of Chhattisgarh state, central India. The community was founded in the 14th century by Rai Brahma Deo of the Ratanpur dynasty. It served as headquarters of the former ...
Rais, Gilles de: Breton baron, marshal of France, and man of wealth whose distinguished career ended in a celebrated trial for satanism, abduction, and child murder. His name was later connected with the ...
raised work: form of embroidery practiced in England in the 17th century, characterized by biblical and mythological scenes of padded plants, animals, birds, and the like in high relief. Panels, which were ...
Raisen: city, central Madhya Pradesh state, central India. The city lies at the foot of a spur of the Vindhya Range, on which stands an ancient sandstone fort with several palaces ...
raisin: dried fruit of certain varieties of grape. Raisin grapes were grown as early as 2000 BC in Persia and Egypt, and dried grapes are mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 6:3) ...
raisin tree: (species Hovenia dulcis), shrub or tree, of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), native to East Asia and sometimes cultivated in other regions. It is so-named because the fruit resembles a raisin ...
Raitt, Bonnie: American singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose wide musical range encompassed blues, folk, rhythm and blues, pop, and country rock. Touring and recording with some of the leading session musicians and ...
Raj-Nandgaon: city, Madhya Pradesh state, central India, just north of the Seonath River. It was the capital of the former Raj Nandgaon princely state, which merged with Durg district in 1948. ...
Raja'i, Mohammad Ali: Iranian politician who was prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1980 to 1981.
Rajagopalachari, Chakravarti: the only Indian governor-general of independent India. He became the founder and leader of the Swatantra (Independent) Party in 1959.
Rajahmundry: city, Andhra Pradesh state, southern India, at the head of the Godavari River delta. In 1449 Rajahmundry was captured by Kapilesvara, the Orissa ruler. In 1757 it was ceded to ...
rajakariya: traditional system of land tenure in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) until the early 19th century in which land was granted in exchange for services rendered. The services expected were of ...
Rajang River: river in East Malaysia (northwest Borneo), rising in the Iran Mountains and flowing southwest to Kapit, where it turns westward to complete its 350-mile (563-kilometre) course to the South China ...
Rajapalaiyam: city, Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India, at the eastern foot of the Western Ghats. It is named after its Raju inhabitants, Telugu speakers who migrated during the Vijayanagar (1336-1565) conquest.
Rajasthan: state of India. It is located in the northwestern part of the subcontinent. It is bounded on the west and northwest by Pakistan, on the north and northeast by the ...
Rajasthan Steppe: desert in west-central Rajasthan state, northwestern India. It has an area of about 54,800 square miles (142,000 square km). The region was ruled successively in ancient times by the Mauryas, ...
Rajasthani languages: group of Indo-Aryan languages and dialects spoken in the state of Rajasthan, India, and adjoining areas. There are four major groups: northeastern Mewati, southern Malvi, western Marwari, and east-central Jaipuri.
Rajasthani painting: the style of miniature painting that developed mainly in the independent Hindu states of Rajasthan in western India in the 16th-19th century. It evolved from Western Indian manuscript illustrations, though ...
Rajasthani puppet: string marionette found in the state of Rajasthan in northwestern India. It is controlled by one string that passes from the top of the puppet's head, over the manipulator's hand, ...
Rajatarangini: (Sanskrit: "River of Kings"), historical chronicle of early India, written in Sanskrit verse by the Kashmir Brahman Kalhana in 1148; it is justifiably considered to be the best and most ...
Rajauri: town, in northwestern Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir state, in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It was referred to as Rajpuri in Kalhana's Rajatarangini (12th century AD). In the ...
Rajavaliya: 17th-century historical chronicle of Sri Lanka, covering the history of the island from its legendary beginnings up to the accession of King Vimaladharmasurya II in 1687. It is the only ...
Rajgarh: town, northwestern Madhya Pradesh state, central India, situated between the Newaj and Parbati rivers. Founded in about 1640, it served as the capital of the former Rajgarh princely state, founded ...
Rajgir Hills: physical region, central Bihar state, northeastern India, extending for 40 miles (65 km) in two parallel ridges that enclose a narrow ravine. At one point the hills rise to 1,272 ...
Rajkot: town, west-central Gujarat state, west-central India, near the centre of the Kathiawar Peninsula. The capital of the former princely state of Rajkot and of the former Western India States Agency, ...
rajm: (Arabic: "to stone," or "to curse"), in Islam, "casting of stones" at the devil during the pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca, a pre-Islamic Arabian religious custom retained by the Prophet Muhammad. ...
Rajmahal: historic town, east-central Bihar state, northeastern India. It lies west of the Ganges River. The town is located in the Rajmahal Hills, which run north-south for 120 miles (190 km) ...
Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree: Indian spiritual leader who preached an eclectic doctrine of Eastern mysticism, individual devotion, and sexual freedom while amassing vast personal wealth.
Rajput: (from Sanskrit raja-putra: "son of a king"), any of about 12,000,000 landowners organized in patrilineal clans and located mainly in central and northern India, especially in former Rajputana ("Land of ...
Rajput painting: the art of the independent Hindu feudal states in India, as distinguished from the court art of the Mughal emperors. Whereas Mughal painting was contemporary in style, Rajput was traditional ...
Rajputana: former group of princely states chiefly comprising what is now Rajasthan state, India. The name means "land of the Rajputs." The area, 132,559 square miles (343,328 square km), consisted of ...
Rajshahi: city, west-central Bangladesh. It lies just north of the Padma (Ganges) River. Selected by the Dutch in the early 18th century as the site of a factory (trading post), it ...
Rakaia River: river in east-central South Island, New Zealand. It rises in the Lyell and Ramsay glaciers of the Southern Alps near Whitcombe Pass. The river flows east and southeast for 90 ...
Rakoczi, Ferenc, I: scion of a noble Magyar family, and in 1670 a leader of an unsuccessful Hungarian-Croatian revolt against the Habsburgs.
Rakoczi, Ferenc, II: prince of Transylvania who headed a nearly successful national rising of all Hungary against the Habsburg empire.
Rakoczi, Gyorgy, I: prince of Transylvania from 1630, who, as a champion of Protestantism, fought for and won religious freedom in Hungary and made his principality virtually an independent state.
Rakoczi, Gyorgy, II: prince of Transylvania from 1648, who had the laws of the principality codified, but whose foreign policy led to the restoration of Turkish hegemony over Transylvania.
Rakosi, Matyas: Hungarian Communist ruler of Hungary from 1945 to 1956.