Vasily (IV) Shuysky was a boyar who became tsar (1606–10) during Russia’s Time of Troubles. A member of an aristocratic family descended from Rurik, the legendary founder of the dynasty that ruled Russia until 1598, Vasily Shuysky achieved prominence in 1591 when he conducted the investigation of

Vasily (IV) Shuysky was a boyar who became tsar (1606–10) during Russia’s Time of Troubles. A member of an aristocratic family descended from Rurik, the legendary founder of the dynasty that ruled Russia until 1598, Vasily Shuysky achieved prominence in 1591 when he conducted the investigation of

Vasily II was the grand prince of Moscow from 1425 to 1462. Although the 10-year-old Vasily II was named by his father Vasily I (ruled Moscow 1389–1425) to succeed him as the grand prince of Moscow and of Vladimir, Vasily’s rule was challenged by his uncle Yury and his cousins Vasily the

Vasily II was the grand prince of Moscow from 1425 to 1462. Although the 10-year-old Vasily II was named by his father Vasily I (ruled Moscow 1389–1425) to succeed him as the grand prince of Moscow and of Vladimir, Vasily’s rule was challenged by his uncle Yury and his cousins Vasily the

Vasily II was the grand prince of Moscow from 1425 to 1462. Although the 10-year-old Vasily II was named by his father Vasily I (ruled Moscow 1389–1425) to succeed him as the grand prince of Moscow and of Vladimir, Vasily’s rule was challenged by his uncle Yury and his cousins Vasily the

Sergey Dmitriyevich Vasilyev: …mid-1920s was directing documentaries with Georgy Vasilyev. In 1934 they wrote, produced, and directed their most important picture, Chapayev, a sweeping Civil War tale of a Bolshevik guerrilla leader that influenced the “big films” that followed.

Sergey Dmitriyevich Vasilyev was a motion-picture director whose outstanding films deal with the role of the Communist Party in the Russian Civil War (1918–20) in a style that foreshadows the grand-scale Russian films of the 1930s. Most of these were co-directed with Georgy Vasilyev (1899–1946);

Russia: Ivan III: …the two eldest surviving brothers, Andrey and Boris, whose grievances were further increased by Ivan’s refusal to give them a share of conquered Novgorod. In 1480 they rebelled, and only with difficulty were they persuaded to remain loyal. A more serious conflict arose (1497–1502) in the form of an open…

Russia: Ivan III: …eldest surviving brothers, Andrey and Boris, whose grievances were further increased by Ivan’s refusal to give them a share of conquered Novgorod. In 1480 they rebelled, and only with difficulty were they persuaded to remain loyal. A more serious conflict arose (1497–1502) in the form of an open and murderous…

St. Petersburg: Vasilyevsky Island: One of the first areas of St. Petersburg to be developed because of its defendable position, Vasilyevsky Island forms the northwestern corner of the central city. Opposite the Admiralty and Winter Palace, at the island’s eastern tip, is the remarkable architectural complex known…

airport: Navigational aids: …aids are in use: the visual approach slope indicator system (VASIS) and the more modern precision approach path indicator (PAPI). Both work on the principle of guiding lights that show white when the pilot is above the proper glide slope and red when below.

Vaslui, judeƫ (county), eastern Romania, occupying an area of 2,053 square mi (5,318 square km), bounded on the east by Moldova. The terrain consists of rolling hills. The Elan, Bârlad, and Tutova rivers drain the county. Vaslui city is the county capital. Building materials, timber, wood products,

Vaslui, town, seat of Vaslui judeƫ (county), northeastern Romania, on the Bârlad River. Near Vaslui, in 1475, Stephen (Ştefan) the Great, with 40,000 troops, defeated a Turkish army three times as large. He also built the St John the Baptist church in 1490 and the prince’s residence. The town is a

Apollinary Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov was a Russian historical and landscape painter, graphic artist, and stage designer who was the younger brother of the artist Viktor Vasnetsov. As the son of a priest, Vasnetsov followed family tradition and studied in a seminary. In 1872 he moved to St. Petersburg,

Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov was a Russian artist, designer, and architect whose monumental works include the facade of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. He was the older brother of the painter Apollinary Vasnetsov. Born into the family of a priest, Viktor received his first drawing lessons

vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), a 28-amino-acid polypeptide secreted by cells throughout the intestinal tract. It stimulates the secretion of electrolytes and water by the intestinal mucosa. Some pancreatic islet-cell tumours secrete excessive amounts of VIP (a condition called

cardiovascular disease: Vasoconstriction: Raynaud syndrome is said to occur when the extremities—primarily the fingers and toes but also including occasionally even the ears, nose, or cheeks—become pale, cyanotic, and numb under the influence of cold or emotion. Pain is also present at times. On cessation of the…

cardiovascular drug: Drugs affecting the blood vessels: Such drugs are classified as vasoconstrictors when they cause the smooth muscle lining to contract and vasodilators when they cause it to relax. Drugs may act directly on the smooth muscle cells, or they may act indirectly—for example, by altering the activity of nerves of the autonomic nervous system that…

dentin: …as flounder and cod, have vasodentin, in which tubules are lacking, and the dentin is nourished directly by capillaries. Though more efficient nutritionally, this type of dentin is softer and less resistant to disease than tubular dentin. The material composing the toothlike scales of sharks and related fish is also…

acetylcholine: Actions and breakdown: …where it acts as a vasodilator, decreases heart rate, and decreases heart muscle contraction. In the gastrointestinal system, it acts to increase peristalsis in the stomach and the amplitude of digestive contractions.

cardiovascular drug: Drugs affecting the blood vessels: …muscle lining to contract and vasodilators when they cause it to relax. Drugs may act directly on the smooth muscle cells, or they may act indirectly—for example, by altering the activity of nerves of the autonomic nervous system that regulate vasoconstriction or vasodilation. Another type of indirect mechanism is the…

Claude Bernard: Research on the pancreas and the liver.: …the blood supply by the vasomotor nerves. He discovered in this regard that the vasomotor nerves control the dilation and constriction of blood vessels in response to temperature changes in the environment. For example, in cold weather the blood vessels of the skin constrict in order to conserve heat, while…

vasopressin, hormone that plays a key role in maintaining osmolality (the concentration of dissolved particles, such as salts and glucose, in the serum) and therefore in maintaining the volume of water in the extracellular fluid (the fluid space that surrounds cells). This is necessary to protect

cramp: …(irritable colon), blood vessels (vasospasm), and pylorus of the stomach (pylorospasm; the pylorus is the opening from the stomach to the intestine).

endocrine system: The hypothalamic-pituitary-target organ axis: The second peptide is arginine vasotocin, which is found in all nonmammalian vertebrates as well as in fetal mammals. Chemically, vasotocin is a hybrid of oxytocin and vasopressin, and it appears to have the biologic properties of both oxytocin (which stimulates contraction of muscles of the reproductive tract, thus playing…

Brazil: Aerospace: …São Paulo State Airline (VASP), which handles mainly domestic flights; and Transbrasil.

Anatolia: Origins and ascendancy: …upon the Armenian principalities of Vaspurakan, Taik, and Ani along the easternmost border of the Byzantine Empire. Armenian historians of this period speak of their adversaries as “long-haired Turkmens armed with bow and lance on horses which flew like the wind.” The Armenian princes appealed to Constantinople for protection from…

Churrigueresque: …(1727–64), Luis de Arévalo and Francisco Manuel Vásquez created an interior that, if not as delicate or as ingenious as that designed by Tomé, is as typically Churrigueresque. The architects drew from other sources for the thick moldings, undulating lines, and repetition of pattern.

Dominican Republic: Civil unrest, dictatorship, and democracy: In 1924 Horacio Vásquez won a U.S.-supervised presidential election, but he proved to be an incompetent and corrupt leader, and pressure built up for his ouster. A revolution was launched in 1930, triggered in part by the initial economic shock of the Great Depression. The armed forces,…

Juanes is a Colombian guitarist, singer, songwriter, and activist who had an absorbing stage presence and gained international recognition in the early 21st century for his passionate songs of romantic love and social struggle. When Juanes was seven years old, his father and brothers taught him to

circus: Acts of skill: In 1982 Miguel Vasquez became the first person to do a quadruple somersault from bar to catcher in a public performance.

vassa, the Buddhist monastic retreat observed primarily in Buddhist communities in Southeast Asia during the three-month monsoon period each year. The tradition that monks—who ordinarily would be mendicant wanderers—gather in monasteries during the rainy season for a time of study and religious

Olaudah Equiano was an abolitionist and writer whose autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano; or, Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself (1789), became the first internationally popular slave narrative. In it, Equiano expresses a strong abolitionist stance

Islamic arts: Belles lettres: A history written by Vaṣṣāf (died 1323) is the most notorious example of turgidity, but even his style was surpassed by some later writers. These stylistic tendencies deeply influenced Turkish prose writing: 17th-century Turkish historical works, such as those of Peçevi (died c. 1650) and Naima (died 1716), for…

vassal, in feudal society, one invested with a fief in return for services to an overlord. Some vassals did not have fiefs and lived at their lord’s court as his household knights. Certain vassals who held their fiefs directly from the crown were tenants in chief and formed the most important

Henry Vassall was an English rugby player who is credited with introducing the three-threequarter formation into the Rugby Union instead of the traditional two-threequarter system. He scored three tries (touchdowns) for England in the first meeting with Wales at Blackheath in 1881. Vassall won a

Italian literature: Fiction at the turn of the 21st century: …of the younger writers were Sebastiano Vassalli and especially Gianni Celati. Vassalli gradually distanced himself from the more radical experimentalism of Gruppo 63 so as to better exploit his gift for storytelling. La notte della cometa (1984; The Night of the Comet) is a fictionalized biography of the early 20th-century…

Vassar College, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S., one of the Seven Sisters schools. It is a liberal arts college offering undergraduate studies and bachelor’s degrees in the arts, languages and literatures, natural and social sciences,

solar prominence: …to describe prominences (1733) was Birger Vassenius of Göteborg, Sweden. In 1868 French astronomer Pierre Janssen and British astronomer Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer independently announced a method of observing prominences by spectroscope without waiting for an eclipse.

vassal, in feudal society, one invested with a fief in return for services to an overlord. Some vassals did not have fiefs and lived at their lord’s court as his household knights. Certain vassals who held their fiefs directly from the crown were tenants in chief and formed the most important

France: The age of the Reformation: …of a Huguenot congregation at Vassy (March 1562) by the partisans of François, 2e duc de Guise.

Västerås, city and capital of Västmanland län (county), east-central Sweden. It lies at the confluence of the Svartån River and Lake Mälar, west of Stockholm. Västerås is Sweden’s largest inland port and the centre of its electrical industry. Originally known as Aros (“River Mouth”) and later as

Västerbotten, län (county), northern Sweden, extending from the Gulf of Bothnia west to the Norwegian border. Its area comprises the traditional landskap (province) of Västerbotten and parts of Ångermanland and Lappland. The terrain rises from the gulf through a forested upland zone and culminates

Västerbotten, län (county), northern Sweden, extending from the Gulf of Bothnia west to the Norwegian border. Its area comprises the traditional landskap (province) of Västerbotten and parts of Ångermanland and Lappland. The terrain rises from the gulf through a forested upland zone and culminates

Västergötland, landskap (province), southwestern Sweden. It is composed largely of the administrative län (county) of Västra Götaland and of portions of Halland and Örebro counties. Lying between Lakes Vättern and Vänern, it is bounded by the traditional provinces of Värmland on the north, Närke on

Västernorrland, län (county) of northeast Sweden, on the Gulf of Bothnia. Its area takes in most of the two traditional landskap (provinces) of Medelpad and Ångermanland. Rising from the low coastal strip is a heavily forested interior plateau that supplies timber for sawmilling and wood-processing

Västernorrland, län (county) of northeast Sweden, on the Gulf of Bothnia. Its area takes in most of the two traditional landskap (provinces) of Medelpad and Ångermanland. Rising from the low coastal strip is a heavily forested interior plateau that supplies timber for sawmilling and wood-processing

Swedish literature: The Middle Ages: …in Old Swedish is the Västgötalagan (“Law of West Gotland”), part of a legal code compiled in the 1220s. These legal documents often employ concrete images, alliteration, and a solemn prose rhythm suited to their proclamatory nature.

Vastitas Borealis, nearly level lowland plain that surrounds the north pole of the planet Mars and extends southward to about latitude 50°. The plain lies 4–5 km (2.5–3 miles) below the planet’s mean radius. In some places it is characterized by numerous low hills of roughly equal size that may be

Västmanland, län (county) of central Sweden, extending north of Lake Mälar. Its area includes the southwestern part of the traditional landskap (province) of Uppland and the eastern part of Västmanland. A fertile plain in the southeast rises northward to the edge of hilly Bergslagen district and is

Västmanland, län (county) of central Sweden, extending north of Lake Mälar. Its area includes the southwestern part of the traditional landskap (province) of Uppland and the eastern part of Västmanland. A fertile plain in the southeast rises northward to the edge of hilly Bergslagen district and is

Vasto, town, Abruzzi regione, south-central Italy. It is a beach resort on the Adriatic Sea, with brickmaking, candlemaking, and agricultural-processing industries. The town, the ancient name of which was Histonium, has an archaeological museum. There is a 13th-century castle, and the town

Västerås, city and capital of Västmanland län (county), east-central Sweden. It lies at the confluence of the Svartån River and Lake Mälar, west of Stockholm. Västerås is Sweden’s largest inland port and the centre of its electrical industry. Originally known as Aros (“River Mouth”) and later as

Västra Götaland, län (county), southwestern Sweden. It was created in 1998 by the amalgamation of the counties of Älvsborg, Göteborg och Bohus, and Skaraborg. The capital is Gothenburg, Sweden’s major port and second largest city. Västra Götaland is bordered on the west by Norway, the Skagerrak,

Vasubandhu was an Indian Buddhist philosopher and logician, younger brother of the philosopher Asaṅga. His conversion from the Sarvāstivāda to the Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition is attributed to Asaṅga. Vasubandhu refined classical Indian syllogistic logic by distinguishing the procedure for reaching

Vasudeva, in Hindu mythology, the patronymic of the deity Krishna, a son of Vasudeva. The worshippers of Vasudeva-Krishna formed one of the earliest theistic devotional movements within Hinduism. When they merged with another group, the Bhagavata, they represented the beginnings of modern

India: The Shunga kingdom: …overthrown by the Brahmin minister Vasudeva, who founded the Kanva dynasty, which lasted 45 years and following which the Magadha area was of greatly diminished importance until the 4th century ce.

Indian philosophy: The ultralogical period: …were Pakshadhara Mishra of Mithila, Vasudeva Sarvabhauma (16th century), his disciple Raghunatha Shiromani (both of Bengal), and Gadadhara Bhattacharyya.

Vasudeva, in Hindu mythology, the patronymic of the deity Krishna, a son of Vasudeva. The worshippers of Vasudeva-Krishna formed one of the earliest theistic devotional movements within Hinduism. When they merged with another group, the Bhagavata, they represented the beginnings of modern

Vasudeva, in Hindu mythology, the patronymic of the deity Krishna, a son of Vasudeva. The worshippers of Vasudeva-Krishna formed one of the earliest theistic devotional movements within Hinduism. When they merged with another group, the Bhagavata, they represented the beginnings of modern

South Asian arts: Narrative literature: …Jain Prākrit text of the Vāsudevahiṇḍī, “The Roamings of Vāsudeva” (before 6th century), describing the acquisition of numerous wives by Krishna Vāsudeva.

Indian philosophy: Kashmiri Shaivism: …school consists in the Shiva-sutra, Vasugupta’s Spanda-karika (8th–9th centuries; “Verses on Creation”), Utpala’s Pratyabhijna-sutra ( c. 900; “Aphorisms on Recognition”), Abhinavagupta’s Paramarthasara (“The Essence of the Highest Truth”), Pratyabhijna-vimarshini (“Reflections on Recognition”), and Tantraloka (“Lights on the Doctrine”) in the 10th century, and Kshemaraja’s

Indian mathematics: The post-Vedic context: 1st century bce) by Vasumitra mentions merchants’ “counting pits,” where tokens in a row of shallow depressions kept track of units, hundreds, and thousands (a tens pit may have been included but is not specified). Using these as a simile for the changeable aspects of unchanging realities, Vasumitra says,…

Austria: Austria as a great power: …in the terms of the Treaty of Vasvár: Transylvania was given to Mihály Apafi, a ruler of pro-Turkish sympathies. A minor territorial concession was also made to the Turks. The year after the Turkish peace, Tirol and the Vorlande reverted to Leopold I (1665), and the second period of the…

Snizhne, city, eastern Ukraine, in the Donets Basin coalfield. Established in 1784 as the village of Vasylivka, from 1900 it grew with the discovery of anthracite deposits nearby. It was incorporated in 1938 and, in addition to mining, has specialized in the manufacture of equipment for the

Vasylkiv, city, northern Ukraine, on the Stuhna River, a tributary of the Dnieper River. The city, which was founded in 988 and fortified in the 11th century, was destroyed in 1240 by the Mongols. It eventually recovered and was incorporated as a city in 1796. In 1825, troops stationed there took

Ob River: Physiography: …left), the Ket (right), the Vasyugan (left), and the Tym and Vakh rivers (both right). Down to the Vasyugan confluence the river passes through the southern belt of the taiga, thereafter entering the middle belt. Below the Vakh confluence the middle Ob changes its course from northwesterly to westerly and…

Russia: Rivers: The Vasyuganye Swamp at the Ob-Irtysh confluence covers some 19,000 square miles (49,000 square km).

value-added tax (VAT), government levy on the amount that a business firm adds to the price of a commodity during production and distribution of a good. The most widely used method for collecting VAT is the credit method, which recognizes and adjusts for the taxes paid on previously purchased

vat dye, any of a large class of water-insoluble dyes, such as indigo and the anthraquinone derivatives, that are used particularly on cellulosic fibres. The dye is applied in a soluble, reduced form to impregnate the fibre and then oxidized in the fibre back to its original insoluble form. Vat

gold processing: Cyanidation: …ore), cyanidation is accomplished by vat leaching, which involves holding a slurry of ore and solvent for several hours in large tanks equipped with agitators. For extracting gold from low-grade ores, heap leaching is practiced. The huge heaps described above are sprayed with a dilute solution of sodium cyanide, and…

papermaking: Improvements in materials and processes: …paper could be sized in vats with rosin and alum. Although Illig published his discovery in 1807, the method did not come into wide use for about 25 years.

Siddha medicine: Humoral pathology: These three components—vata, pitta, and kapha (representing air, fire, and water, respectively)—are known as humours, and their inharmonious interaction produces various pathological states.

Vatakara, town and port, northern Kerala state, southwestern India. It is located on the Malabar Coast, along the Arabian Sea, about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of the city of Kozhikode (Calicut). Vatakara is a fishing port and trade centre for pepper, copra, timber, and other products. It is served

Namık Kemal: …wrote his most famous play, Vatan yahut Silistre (“Fatherland; or, Silistria”), a drama evolving around the siege of Silistria in 1854, in which he expounded on the ideas of patriotism and liberalism. The play was denounced by the Ottoman government and led to his imprisonment on Cyprus (1873–76). After his…

Badami, town, northern Karnataka state, southwestern India. It is situated in an upland region just west of the Malprabha River. The town was known as Vatapi in ancient times and was the first capital of the Chalukya kings. It is the site of important 6th- and 7th-century Brahmanical and Jain cave

Éfaté, main island of Vanuatu, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is volcanic in origin and occupies an area of 353 square miles (915 square km). Its highest peak is Mount Macdonald, which rises to 2,123 feet (647 meters). Éfaté’s terrain is rugged and covered by tropical rain forest, nurtured

endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatoscopy: …the duodenum to visualize the ampulla of Vater, the opening of the common bile duct into the duodenum. This enables the injection of a radiopaque dye into the common bile duct. The injection of dye permits radiographic, or X-ray, visualization of the common bile duct and the pancreatic duct. This…

calcium carbonate: Vaterite, the hexagonal form of calcium carbonate, is extremely rare and transforms into calcite or aragonite or both.

ship: Passenger liners in the 20th century: Line’s Leviathan; the Imperator became the Cunard Line’s Berengaria; and the Bismarck became the White Star Line’s Majestic. That war severely cut traffic, although ships were used for troop transport. By eliminating German competition and seizing their great ships, the Western Allies returned to competing among…

Austria: Authoritarianism: Dollfuss and Schuschnigg: …parties were abolished except the Fatherland Front (Vaterländische Front), which Dollfuss had founded in 1933 to unite all conservative groups. In April 1934 the rump of the parliament was brought together and accepted an authoritarian constitution. The executive was given complete control over the legislative branch of government; the elected…

Ludwig Uhland: …poems, which were published in Vaterländische Gedichte (1815; “Fatherland Poems”). It was the first of some 50 editions of the work issued during his lifetime. The collection, which was inspired by the contemporary political situation in Germany, reflected both his serious study of folklore and his ability to create ballads…

Vathek, Gothic novel by William Beckford, published in 1786. Considered a masterpiece of bizarre invention and sustained fantasy, Vathek was written in French in 1782 and was translated into English by the author’s friend the Rev. Samuel Henley, who published it anonymously, claiming in the preface

German literature: The 1970s and ’80s: …developed by Peter Schneider in Vati (1987; “Daddy”), in which a young German lawyer travels to South America to meet his father, who has fled there to escape trial for Nazi crimes (the figure of the father is modeled on the Nazi doctor Josef Mengele). Auslöschung: ein Zerfall (1986; Extinction),…

Vatican Apostolic Library, official library of the Vatican, located inside the Vatican Palace. It is especially notable as one of the world’s richest manuscript depositories. The library is the direct heir of the first library of the Roman pontiffs. Very little is known of this library up to the

André Gide: Great creative period: Les Caves du Vatican (1914; The Vatican Swindle) marks the transition to the second phase of Gide’s great creative period. He called it not a tale but a sotie, by which he meant a satirical work whose foolish or mad characters are treated farcically within…

Vatican City, landlocked ecclesiastical state, seat of the Roman Catholic Church, and an enclave surrounded by Rome, situated on the west bank of the Tiber River. Vatican City is the world’s smallest fully independent nation-state. Vatican City’s medieval and Renaissance walls form its boundaries,

For centuries a substantial area in central Italy, including the city of Rome, constituted the Papal States under the rule of the pope. The papal coat of arms and banner were red with two crossed gold keys, referring to the keys mentioned in the New Testament and symbolizing either the access that

First Vatican Council, (1869–70), 20th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convoked by Pope Pius IX to deal with contemporary problems. The pope was referring to the rising influence of rationalism, liberalism, and materialism. Preparations for the council were directed by a central

Second Vatican Council, (1962–65), 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, announced by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959, as a means of spiritual renewal for the church and as an occasion for Christians separated from Rome to join in a search for Christian unity. Vatican II, as the

First Vatican Council, (1869–70), 20th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convoked by Pope Pius IX to deal with contemporary problems. The pope was referring to the rising influence of rationalism, liberalism, and materialism. Preparations for the council were directed by a central

Second Vatican Council, (1962–65), 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, announced by Pope John XXIII on January 25, 1959, as a means of spiritual renewal for the church and as an occasion for Christians separated from Rome to join in a search for Christian unity. Vatican II, as the

Vatican Apostolic Library, official library of the Vatican, located inside the Vatican Palace. It is especially notable as one of the world’s richest manuscript depositories. The library is the direct heir of the first library of the Roman pontiffs. Very little is known of this library up to the

Vatican Museums and Galleries, art collections of the popes since the beginning of the 15th century, housed in the papal palaces and other buildings in the Vatican. One of the oldest and most-visited complexes in the world, the Vatican houses some 26 museums and numerous galleries with priceless

Vatican Palace, papal residence in Vatican City north of St. Peter’s Basilica. A major site of tourism, the lavish building is home to a number of public chapels, notably the Sistine Chapel; the four Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael’s Rooms), with extensive frescoes by the artist and his successors;

André Gide: Great creative period: Les Caves du Vatican (1914; The Vatican Swindle) marks the transition to the second phase of Gide’s great creative period. He called it not a tale but a sotie, by which he meant a satirical work whose foolish or mad characters are treated farcically within…

Vatnajökull, extensive ice field, southeastern Iceland, covering an area of 3,200 square miles (8,400 square km) with an average ice thickness of more than 3,000 feet (900 metres). Generally about 5,000 feet above sea level, in the Öræfajökull in the south it rises to 6,952 feet (2,119 metres) on

Vatnajökull, extensive ice field, southeastern Iceland, covering an area of 3,200 square miles (8,400 square km) with an average ice thickness of more than 3,000 feet (900 metres). Generally about 5,000 feet above sea level, in the Öræfajökull in the south it rises to 6,952 feet (2,119 metres) on

saga: Sagas of Icelanders: …to cover his guilt; while Vatnsdæla saga is the story of a noble chieftain whose last act is to help his killer escape.

Vadodara, city, east-central Gujarat state, west-central India. It is located on the Vishvamitra River about 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Ahmadabad. The earliest record of the city is in a grant or charter of 812 ce that mentions it as Vadapadraka, a hamlet attached to the town of Ankottaka. In