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Gaspare Spontini
Gaspare Spontini , 1774-1851, Italian opera composer. Spontini studied music in Naples. He went to Paris in 1803, won a prize from Napoleon for La Vestale (1807), and became court composer under Louis XVIII. In 1819 he was a leading musician at the court of Frederick William III of Prussia. Beside...
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José Gaspar Rodríguez Francia
José Gaspar Rodríguez Francia , 1766-1840, dictator of Paraguay and creator of its national independence, known as El Supremo. Incorruptible and of superior cultural attainments for his epoch, he took part in the bloodless revolution against Spain (1811), was first consul, declared him...
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Monterey
Monterey , city (1990 pop. 31,954), Monterey co., W Calif., a port on Monterey Bay; founded 1770, inc. 1850. It is a popular resort, the home of many artists and writers, and one of California's oldest cities. An early whaling and fishing center, Monterey now depends on tourism and the revenues and ...
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Junípero Serra
Junípero Serra , 1713-84, Spanish Franciscan missionary in North America, b. Majorca. His name was originally Miguel José Serra, and Junípero was his name in religion. For 15 years he taught philosophy in the college at Palma. In 1749 he was sent to America with Francisco Palou,...
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Italian literature
Italian literature writings in the Italian language, as distinct from earlier works in Latin and French.
The Thirteenth Century
The first Italian vernacular literature began to take shape in the 13th cent. with the imitation of Provençal lyric poetry at the court of Frederick II in...
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Los Angeles
Los Angeles , city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. A port of entry on the Pacific coast, with a fine harbor at San Pedro Bay, it is the second largest U.S. city in population and one of the largest in area. Two mountain ranges, the Santa Monica and Verdugo, cut a...
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Paraguay
Paraguay , officially Republic of Paraguay, republic (2005 est. pop. 6,348,000), 157,047 sq mi (406,752 sq km), S central South America. Paraguay is enclosed by Bolivia on the north and west, Brazil on the east, and Argentina on the south and west; Bolivia and Paraguay are the two landlocked nations...
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California
California , most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W).
Facts and Figures
Area, 158,693 sq mi (411,015 sq km). Pop. (2000) 33,871,648, a 13.8% incr...
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Brazil
Brazil , Port. Brasil, officially Federative Republic of Brazil, republic (2005 est. pop. 186,113,000), 3,286,470 sq mi (8,511,965 sq km), E South America. By far the largest of the Latin American countries, Brazil occupies nearly half the continent of South America, stretching from the Guiana Hig...
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