reverse transcriptase: Reverse transcriptase: discovery and impacts: Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) such as AZT (zidovudine)—the first drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prolong the lives of AIDS patients—act by terminating the proviral DNA chain before the enzyme can finish transcription. NRTIs are often given in combination with…

Konstantinos Karamanlis: …also his own party, the National Radical Union (ERE), which in parliamentary elections in February 1956 obtained 161 seats out of 300. He retained a parliamentary majority in elections held in 1958 and 1961. As prime minister, Karamanlis helped Greece make a dramatic economic recovery from the devastation of World…

NRW.BANK, major German commercial and investment bank. Its owners (guarantors) are the state of North Rhine–Westphalia, the Regional Associations of the Rhineland and Westphalia-Lippe, and the Savings Banks and Giro Associations of the Rhineland and Westphalia-Lippe. Its headquarters are in

Dark Enlightenment, intellectual and political movement that began as a reaction against Enlightenment ideas of reason, progress, and equality. The Dark Enlightenment (alternately known as the Neo-Reactionary movement, or NRx for short) posits that democracy itself creates social erosion because of

dubnium (Db), an artificially produced radioactive transuranium element in Group Vb of the periodic table, atomic number 105. The discovery of dubnium (element 105), like that of rutherfordium (element 104), has been a matter of dispute between Soviet and American scientists. The Soviets may have

National Security Agency (NSA), U.S. intelligence agency within the Department of Defense that is responsible for cryptographic and communications intelligence and security. Its headquarters are in Fort Meade, Maryland. The NSA grew out of the communications intelligence activities of U.S. military

NSAID, drug that reduces inflammation and is effective against pain (see analgesic) and fever. Most NSAIDs are available without prescription and are usually used for short periods for mild pain. NSAIDs work by inhibiting the synthesis of molecules known as prostaglandins, which are important

jollof rice, seasoned rice dish from West Africa. It is generally made with rice, tomatoes, and a variety of spices, though preparations and ingredients can differ between countries. Jollof rice likely originated in the Senegambian region (the modern-day countries of Senegal and The Gambia) before

Nsanje, town, southern Malawi, along the west bank of the Shire River and north of the Ndindi Marsh. It is home to the Manganja and Sena peoples, and as the country’s southernmost town, it serves as a customs post on the Mozambique border. It is also a trade and transportation centre on the

city manager: …the United States by the National Short Ballot Organization, which proposed to improve local and state government by reducing the number of elected officials. In 1913 Dayton, Ohio, was the first large city to adopt the plan. It spread quickly after that as the plan was adopted in many cities…

National Security Council (NSC), U.S. agency within the Executive Office of the President, established by the National Security Act in 1947 to advise the president on domestic, foreign, and military policies related to national security. The president of the United States is chairman of the NSC;

neural stem cell, largely undifferentiated cell originating in the central nervous system. Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the potential to give rise to offspring cells that grow and differentiate into neurons and glial cells (non-neuronal cells that insulate neurons and enhance the speed at which

National School of Drama (NSD), educational institution in New Delhi founded in 1959 for the study of theatre and providing training in acting, stagecraft, and related subjects. It is considered the foremost school of its kind in India. The NSD was established under the aegis of the Sangeet Natak

Nazi Party, political party of the mass movement known as National Socialism. Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, the party came to power in Germany in 1933 and governed by totalitarian methods until 1945. Antisemitism was fundamental to the party’s ideology and led to the Holocaust, the

drug use: Extent of contemporary drug abuse: …drug abuse primarily through the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey (also called National High School Senior Survey). The MTF tracks drug use and attitudes toward drugs among students in the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. The NSDUH tracks the prevalence…

The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), established in 1992, is India’s leading stock exchange and one of the world’s largest by market capitalization. As of mid-2025, the NSE’s market cap stood at about $5.3 trillion. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which oversees the NSE,

Nsenga, a Bantu-speaking people inhabiting the Luangwa River valley area of southeastern Zambia. It is difficult to differentiate the Nsenga from other eastern Zambian peoples, since they share many social customs with the neighbouring Bemba, Bisa, and Lila peoples to the north but share the use of

Rwanda genocide of 1994: ICTR: …defendants were former military commanders Anatole Nsengiyumva and Aloys Ntabakuze and the former chief of military operations, Gratien Kabiligi. On December 18, 2008, Bagosora was sentenced to life imprisonment for having masterminded the killings, and Nsengiyumva and Ntabakuze also received life sentences. Those were the first convictions for the organization…

National Security Education Program (NSEP), U.S. federal scholarship and fellowship program administered by the Department of Defense to provide financial assistance to American undergraduate and graduate students who study foreign languages and other internationally oriented fields related to

National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent agency of the U.S. government that supports basic research and education in a wide range of sciences and in mathematics and engineering. Inspired by advances in science and technology that occurred as a result of World War II, the NSF was

Internet: Foundation of the Internet: …development and operation of the NSFNET, a national “backbone” network to connect these centres. By the late 1980s the network was operating at millions of bits per second. NSF also funded various nonprofit local and regional networks to connect other users to the NSFNET. A few commercial networks also began…

Internet: Foundation of the Internet: …development and operation of the NSFNET, a national “backbone” network to connect these centres. By the late 1980s the network was operating at millions of bits per second. NSF also funded various nonprofit local and regional networks to connect other users to the NSFNET. A few commercial networks also began…

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), voluntary association of 48 countries that are capable of exporting and transporting civilian nuclear technology and that have pledged to conduct the transfer of this technology under mutually agreed guidelines. The ultimate purpose of the NSG’s guidelines is to

Scotland: World War II and after: …government, helped to create the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, which was one of the most successful government agencies of the period.

nature worship: Water as fructifying: …the Bamessing corn festival (Nsiä), which is celebrated in the dry season, opens with the mourning of the dead vegetation. Reminiscent of the Egyptian Osiris and the Mesopotamian Tammuz festivals, Nsiä emphasizes that the god who gave the nourishment has died and is being mourned like a chieftain. The…

football: Asia and Oceania: …most prominent members of the National Soccer League (NSL) when it started in 1977. The league has widened its scope, however, to include a highly successful Perth side, plus a Brisbane club and even one from Auckland, New Zealand. The NSL collapsed in 2004, but a new league, known as…

National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1931 by Hans Kindler, who served as its first music director (1931–49). Subsequent directors have been Howard Mitchell (1949–69), Hungarian-born American Antal Dorati (1970–77), distinguished

Pegasus (spyware): …developed by Israeli cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group (founded in 2010) for eavesdropping on mobile phones and harvesting their data. The spyware has been highly controversial, used to track politicians, government leaders, human rights activists, dissidents, and journalists. NSO Group claims its product is sold exclusively to government security and law…

Abdullah Gül: …a parliamentary candidate of the National Salvation Party (NSP; Millî Selâmet Partisi), the first Islamist party to make an impact. After Gül graduated (1971) with a degree in economics from Istanbul University, where he was active in the nationalist Turkish National Students’ Union, he spent two years conducting postgraduate studies…

weather forecasting: Predictive skills and procedures: …National Weather Service operates a National Severe Storms Forecasting Center (NSSFC) in Kansas City, Mo., where SELS forecasters survey the atmosphere for the conditions that can spawn tornadoes or severe thunderstorms. This group of SELS forecasters, assembled in 1952, monitors temperature and water vapour in an effort to identify the…

Friedrich Naumann: Max Weber, Naumann founded the National Social Union (1896), an organization that combined a program of democratic and social reform with a call to national strength. After 1903, however, having failed to establish a political party based on his association, he joined the Freisinnige Vereinigung (Liberal Union)—later (1910) merged with…

Nsukka, university town, Enugu state, southern Nigeria. It lies in the Udi Hills at an elevation of 1,300 feet (396 meters). Nsukka is an agricultural-trade center for the yams, cassava (manioc), corn (maize), taro, pigeon peas, and palm oil and kernels produced by the local Igbo (Ibo) people.

Udi-Nsukka Plateau, pair of plateaus in south-central Nigeria that form a nearly continuous elevated area. The Nsukka Plateau, which forms the main eastward-facing escarpment, extends about 80 miles (130 km) from Nsukka in the north to Enugu in the south. The Udi Plateau continues southward for

rugby: Australia: …and players to form the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) on August 8, 1907. The NSWRL adopted the rules of the Northern Union and organized an Australian team to play against the All Golds before they left for England. In 1908 a rugby league competition began in Sydney with…

Justin Timberlake: …the hugely successful boy band *NSYNC before establishing a career as a solo performer. He also acted in films and television shows, including memorable appearances as both host and musical guest on the late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live.

emperor penguin: Conservation status: …penguin had been considered a near threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since the organization first assessed it in 1988. However, since the species’ global population fell by 10 percent between 2009 and 2018 and at least seven of the colonies have suffered even more…

chemical weapon: Banning chemical weapons: …cover fourth-generation chemical weapons, so-called nontraditional agents (NTAs), such as some of the binary nerve agents known as “novichoks.” There is evidence that Russia inherited NTAs from the former Soviet arsenals. In March 2018 Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer who had acted as a double agent for Britain,…

Rwanda genocide of 1994: ICTR: …military commanders Anatole Nsengiyumva and Aloys Ntabakuze and the former chief of military operations, Gratien Kabiligi. On December 18, 2008, Bagosora was sentenced to life imprisonment for having masterminded the killings, and Nsengiyumva and Ntabakuze also received life sentences. Those were the first convictions for the organization of the genocide…

Burundi: Precolonial Burundi: …the 16th century, founded by Ntare Rushatsi (Ntare I). According to one tradition, Ntare I came from Rwanda; according to other sources, he came from Buha in the southeast, from which he laid the foundation of the original kingdom in the neighbouring Nkoma region. The relationship between the different groups…

Burundi: Precolonial Burundi: …the 16th century, founded by Ntare Rushatsi (Ntare I). According to one tradition, Ntare I came from Rwanda; according to other sources, he came from Buha in the southeast, from which he laid the foundation of the original kingdom in the neighbouring Nkoma region. The relationship between the different groups…

Burundi: Civil war: …main political parties finally chose Cyprien Ntaryamira, a Hutu, as president. Ntaryamira took office in February 1994, but two months later he and Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana were killed when the plane they were on crashed near the airport in Kigali, Rwanda. Fighting intensified, hundreds more were killed, and calls…

conductive ceramics: Thermistors: Negative TCR, or NTCR, ceramics are materials whose electric resistance decreases as temperatures rise. These ceramics are usually spinels based on oxides of iron, cobalt, and manganese that exhibit small polaron conduction. Under normal temperatures there is an energy barrier to moving electrons from site…

National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD), American theatre, established in 1965 and based in Waterford, Connecticut, that was the world’s first professional deaf-theatre company and was in the early 21st century the oldest continually producing touring-theatre company in the United States. The National

African dance: Masquerade dancers: …which sway rhythmically while their Nteepana mask elongates to great heights as the embodiment of a powerful animal spirit.

eastern Africa: The chieftainships of the southern savanna: Ntemi (as the office was called) became prevalent among both the Sukuma and the Nyamwezi. They (the ntemi) were probably as much ritual leaders as political rulers; certainly they do not seem to have exercised before the 19th century a “state” authority that was characteristic…

Liberia: Constitutional framework: …the fighting and created a National Transitional Government (NTG). The NTG, supported by United Nations peacekeeping troops, replaced the government under the 1986 constitution and ruled until a democratically elected administration was installed in 2006.

A Brief History of White House Construction: 2025-2026: The Trump lawn and ballroom: In December 2025, the congressionally-chartered National Trust for Historic Preservation filed suit to stop the construction of the ballroom. The suit said, among other things: “No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever – not President Trump, not President Joe Biden,…

Sam Nunn: …in 2001 he cofounded the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization established to reduce the threat posed to global security by weapons of mass destruction. Nunn was also a distinguished professor at the school of international affairs at Georgia Tech that bore his name.

Burundi: Civil war: …power-sharing coalition government headed by Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, a Hutu. Fighting continued throughout the country during the nearly two years of coalition government.

cricket: South Africa: Makhaya Ntini, a world-class fast bowler, who made his international debut for South Africa in 1998 and played in more than 100 Tests, served as a role model for the new generation of Black cricketers. On the other hand, in 2000 Hansie Cronje, the captain…

Plateau Indian: Language: include the Shuswap, Lillooet, and Ntlakapamux (Thompson) tribes. The Interior Salish live mostly in the Upper Columbia area and include the Okanagan, Sinkaietk, Lake, Wenatchee, Sanpoil, Nespelim, Spokan, Kalispel,

Thabana Ntlenyana, mountain peak (11,424 feet [3,482 metres]) in the Drakensberg and the highest in Africa south of Kilimanjaro. The peak lies in Lesotho, an independent country entirely within South Africa, just west of the border with the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Nearby are the headwaters of

Botswana: Constitutional framework: The Ntlo ya Dikgosi (House of Chiefs) serves in an advisory role on matters of legislation pertaining to tribal law and custom. It is composed of permanent members (representing each of the eight Tswana “tribes”) and members who are selected to serve a five-year term. Botswana’s judicial system consists…

African art: Bambara (Bamana): The society known as Ntomo is for young boys before circumcision. The masks associated with Ntomo have a line of vertical projections above the face, signifying beliefs related to human creations. The Tyiwara, an age grade that prepares young men to be husbands and fathers, focuses on agriculture. Its…

Asante: …and governs membership in exogamous ntoro divisions that are associated with certain religious and moral obligations.

BlackBerry: Patent disputes with NTP Inc., an American patent holding company, delayed the release of new devices. The BlackBerry continuously received e-mail, calendar entries, and data files through the Internet and the cellular phone network, according to rules set by the user. This is known as “push technology,” and…

N.T. Rama Rao was an Indian actor and director, politician, and government official, popularly called NTR. He founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982 and served three terms (1983–84, 1984–89, and 1994–95) as chief minister (head of government) of Andhra Pradesh state in southeastern India. In

Vidya Balan: Later career: In 2019 Balan appeared in NTR: Kathanayakudu and NTR: Mahanayakudu, both of which were biopics about Indian actor, director, and politician Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao.

Vidya Balan: Later career: …appeared in NTR: Kathanayakudu and NTR: Mahanayakudu, both of which were biopics about Indian actor, director, and politician Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao.

Nevada Test Site (NTS), nuclear testing site operated by the U.S. Department of Energy and located in Nye County, Nevada, that saw a total of 928 nuclear explosive tests between January 1951 and September 1992. The site—containing 28 areas in total—is located 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Las

Madagascar: Return to constitutional order: …named a new prime minister, Christian Ntsay, to head a government of national unity and appointed a new cabinet. Ntsay scheduled the upcoming presidential election for November 7, 2018.

television: Colour television: In 1952 the National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) was reformed, this time with the purpose of creating an “industry color system.” The NTSC system that was demonstrated to the press in August 1952 and that would serve into the 21st century was virtually the RCA system. The first…

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), Japanese telecommunications company that almost monopolizes Japan’s domestic electronic communications industry. It is Japan’s largest company and one of the largest companies in the world. NTT was established in 1952 as a public corporation and the

Tachikawa Keiji: …before being tapped to run NTT DoCoMo (short for “Do Communication Over the Mobile Network”). Until Tachikawa took the helm, NTT DoCoMo had been a relatively obscure corporate division. Realizing that the wireless industry held tremendous potential, Tachikawa oversaw the introduction in 1999 of i-mode, a wireless Internet service that…

Japan: Chinese chronicles: …57 ce the “state of Nu in Wo” sent emissaries to the Dong Han court and that the emperor gave them a gold seal. The “state of Nu,” located on what is now Hakata Bay, in Kyushu, was one of the more than 100 states that constituted Wo. This account…

Indonesia: The years of constitutional democracy: … (Masjumi); the Muslim theologians’ party, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which seceded from Masyumi in 1952; the Nationalist Party (PNI); the Communist Party (PKI); the “national communist” party, Murba; the lesser Muslim parties, Perti and Partai Sarekat Islam Indonesia (PSII); and the Socialist Party (PSI). Until the first elections were held, in…

Nun, oldest of the ancient Egyptian gods and father of Re, the sun god. Nun’s name means “primeval waters,” and he represented the waters of chaos out of which Re-Atum began creation. Nun’s qualities were boundlessness, darkness, and the turbulence of stormy waters; these qualities were personified

Cecil Rhodes: Policies as prime minister of Cape Colony of Cecil Rhodes: The Uitlanders formed a National Union to support their cause, with Rhodes’s brother Frank among its leaders. Kruger sought the support of Germany, and in 1895 he again closed the drifts across the Vaal. Once more he was forced to withdraw, and by that time a conspiracy against him…

Salween River, major stream of Southeast Asia and the longest in Myanmar (Burma). Rising in the T’ang-ku-la Mountains, a range of eastern Tibet, the river flows generally south for about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) through Yunnan province, China, and eastern Myanmar, emptying into the Gulf of Martaban

Nu Gua, in Chinese mythology, the patroness of matchmakers. As wife or sister of the legendary emperor Fu Xi, she helped establish norms for marriage (that included go-betweens) and regulated conduct between the sexes. She is described as having a human head but the body of a snake (or fish).

Salween River, major stream of Southeast Asia and the longest in Myanmar (Burma). Rising in the T’ang-ku-la Mountains, a range of eastern Tibet, the river flows generally south for about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) through Yunnan province, China, and eastern Myanmar, emptying into the Gulf of Martaban

Nu Gua, in Chinese mythology, the patroness of matchmakers. As wife or sister of the legendary emperor Fu Xi, she helped establish norms for marriage (that included go-betweens) and regulated conduct between the sexes. She is described as having a human head but the body of a snake (or fish).

nu metal, subgenre of heavy metal music represented by a fusion of heavy metal instrumentation and hip-hop conventions such as rapped lyrics and “turntabling.” Nu metal is related to rap metal. Nu metal built on rap metal’s foundation of rock and rap collaboration, but it emphasized some of the

Yunnan: Relief and drainage: …to east, the Gaoligong, the Nu, and the Yun. Branching farther out from the Yun Range are some secondary ranges—the Wuliang and the Ailao in the south-central area and the Wumeng in the northeast.

Guo Moruo: …later compiled into the anthology Nü shen (1921; “Goddess”). Its publication laid the first cornerstone for the development of new verse in China. In the same year, Guo, together with Cheng Fangwu, Yu Dafu, and Zhang Ziping, gave impetus to the establishment of the Creation Society, one of the most…

U Nu was a Burmese independence leader and prime minister of Myanmar (formerly Burma) from 1948 to 1958 and from 1960 to 1962. U Nu was educated at the University of Rangoon (Yangon), from which he received his B.A. degree in 1929. For some years headmaster of the National High School in Pantanaw,

Jin dynasty, (1115–1234), dynasty that ruled an empire formed by the Tungus Juchen (or Jurchen) tribes of Manchuria. The empire covered much of Inner Asia and all of present-day North China. Originally subjects of the Liao, an Inner Asian dynasty created in the 10th century by the Khitan tribes,

disco: Nu-disco: By the mid-1990s disco began to resurface once again as “nu-disco,” a genre that evolved from house artists who incorporated samplings of core disco, funk, and soul styles into their music. The new incarnation also combined the live instrumentation of the classic disco era—for…

Nuadu, in Celtic mythology, king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who lost his hand in the battle of Mag Tuired and with it his right to govern. Dian Cécht replaced the hand with a hand made of silver; he later received a functional human hand from Dian Cécht’s son Miach and was thereupon able to overthrow

Flann O’Brien was an Irish novelist, dramatist, and, as Myles na gCopaleen, a columnist for the Irish Times newspaper for 26 years. O’Brien was educated in Dublin and later became a civil servant while also pursuing his writing career. He is most celebrated for his unusual novel At Swim-Two-Birds,

yarn: …bouclé, characterized by projecting loops; nub yarn, with enlarged places, or nubs, produced by twisting one end of a yarn around another many times at one point; and chenille, a soft, lofty yarn with pile protruding on all sides. Textured yarns are synthetic filament yarns that are made bulky or…

Nuba, inhabitants of the Nuba Hills in the Kordofan region of central-southern Sudan. This region is studded with rugged granite hills that rise sharply from a wide clay plain and vary considerably in size and content. The Nuba peoples live on or near the hills (the plains being mainly occupied by

Sudan: Relief: …group of which forms the Nuba Mountains (Jibāl Al-Nūbah). The western plain is composed primarily of Nubian sandstones, which form a dissected plateau region with flat-topped mesas and buttes. The volcanic highlands of the Marrah Mountains rise out of the Darfur Plateau farther west to elevations between approximately 3,000 and…

Nūbār Pasha was an Egyptian statesman of Armenian descent who was instrumental in the negotiation of important treaties with the European powers and in the division of authority between Egyptian and British administrators. Raised and educated in Europe, Nūbār learned numerous foreign languages and

Nūbār Pasha was an Egyptian statesman of Armenian descent who was instrumental in the negotiation of important treaties with the European powers and in the division of authority between Egyptian and British administrators. Raised and educated in Europe, Nūbār learned numerous foreign languages and

Magellanic Cloud: One of them, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), is a luminous patch about 5° in diameter, and the other, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), measures less than 2° across. The Magellanic Clouds are visible to the unaided eye in the Southern Hemisphere, but they cannot be observed from most…

Magellanic Cloud: …diameter, and the other, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), measures less than 2° across. The Magellanic Clouds are visible to the unaided eye in the Southern Hemisphere, but they cannot be observed from most northern latitudes. The LMC is about 160,000 light-years from Earth, and the SMC lies 190,000 light-years…

Nubia, ancient region in northeastern Africa, extending approximately from the Nile River valley (near the first cataract in Upper Egypt) eastward to the shores of the Red Sea, southward to about Khartoum (in what is now Sudan), and westward to the Libyan Desert. Nubia is traditionally divided into

Lake Nasser, reservoir on the Nile River, in Upper Egypt and northern Sudan. It was created by the impounding of the Nile’s waters by the Aswan High Dam, which was built in the 1960s and dedicated in 1971. Lake Nasser has a gross capacity of 136,927,000 acre-feet (168,900,000,000 cubic metres), and

Nubian, breed of goat, probably native to Africa but common also in India and the Middle East since ancient times. Imported Nubian goats figured prominently in crossbreeding with English varieties in the 19th century; the Anglo-Nubian was developed during this period. Pendulous ears and a Roman

Egypt: Ethnic groups: In the extreme southern valley, Nubians differ culturally and ethnically from other Egyptians. Their kinship structure goes beyond lineage; they are divided into clans and broader segments, whereas among other Egyptians of the valley and of Lower Egypt only known members of the lineage are recognized as kin. Although Nubians…

Nubian Desert, desert in northeastern Sudan. It is separated from the Libyan Desert by the Nile River valley to the west, while to the north is Egypt; eastward, the Red Sea; and southward, the Nile again. Unlike the Libyan Desert, the Nubian Desert is rocky and rugged, though there are some dunes,

ibex: …beard and horns, and the Nubian ibex (C. nubiana), which is smaller and has long, slender horns. Other ibexes include the Spanish ibex (C. pyrenaica) and the walia, or Abyssinian ibex (C. walie), which has been reduced to a single population of about 400 individuals in Ethiopia and whose numbers…

Nubian languages, group of languages spoken in Sudan and southern Egypt, chiefly along the banks of the Nile River (where Nobiin and Kenzi [Kenuzi] are spoken) but also in enclaves in the Nuba Hills of southern Sudan (Hill Nubian) and in Darfur (where Birked [Birgid] and Midob [Midobi] are spoken).

aquifer: Recharge: …is the water of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, which extends through several countries in an area that is now the Sahara. The water is being used extensively for water supply and irrigation purposes. Radioisotope dating techniques have shown that this water is many thousands of years old. Similarly, the

spitting cobra: Species, range, and conservation status: …varies across regions least concern Nubian spitting cobra Naja nubiae scattered distribution in North Africa, including parts of the Nile valley brownish-gray with a dark ring around the neck; relatively smaller in size compared with other spitting cobras least concern red spitting cobra Naja pallida East Africa bright red but…

Nubian Valley, Nile River valley above Aswān, Egypt, now submerged in the waters behind the Aswan High Dam that form Lake Nasser. Before it was flooded, the valley extended for 160 miles (250 km) between the town of Aswān and the Sudanese border—a narrow and picturesque gorge with a limited

vulture: Old World vultures: The lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotus), sometimes called the eared, or Nubian, vulture, is a huge Old World vulture of arid Africa. Being 1 metre (3.3 feet) tall, with a 2.7-metre (8.9-foot) wingspan, it dominates all other vultures when feeding. It is black and brown above and…

Nubian Desert, desert in northeastern Sudan. It is separated from the Libyan Desert by the Nile River valley to the west, while to the north is Egypt; eastward, the Red Sea; and southward, the Nile again. Unlike the Libyan Desert, the Nubian Desert is rocky and rugged, though there are some dunes,

Siachen Glacier: Geography and climate: …single stream, thus forming the Nubra River in the Indian union territory of Ladakh.