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Ávila
Ávila , town (1990 pop. 46,992), capital of Ávila prov., central Spain, on the upper Adaja River. It attracts many tourists. One of the great religious centers of Spain, Ávila has preserved much medieval architecture. Up against its turreted wall (built 11th cent.) is the imposi...
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Ciego de Ávila
Ciego de Ávila , city (1995 est. pop. 91,000), capital of Ciego de Ávila prov., central Cuba. An important processing center in a sugarcane region, it is also one of Cuba's leading producers of pineapples and oranges. Cattle raising is another major industry. The city has excellent roa...
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Manuel Ávila Camacho
Manuel Ávila Camacho , 1897-1955, president of Mexico (1940-46). As a young man, Ávila Camacho joined the revolutionary forces. Later he became brigadier general. Under Lázaro Cárdenas he became (1938) minister of national defense. As president he followed a middle-of-t...
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Trás-os-Montes
Trás-os-Montes , former province of NE Portugal, comprising the districts of Bragança and Vila Real. The capital was Bragança . It is now included with other territory in Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro prov. (4,162 sq mi/10,780 sq km). The terrain is rough and the winters c...
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Vasco Núñez de Balboa
Vasco Núñez de Balboa , c.1475-1519, Spanish conquistador, discoverer of the Pacific Ocean. After sailing with Bastidas in 1501, Balboa probably went to Hispaniola. In 1510, fleeing from creditors, he hid on the vessel that took Enciso to Panama. After reaching Darién , Bal...
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Saint Theresa
Saint Theresa (Theresa of Ávila) , 1515-82, Spanish Carmelite nun, Doctor of the Church, one of the principal saints of the Roman Catholic Church, one of the greatest mystics, and a leading figure in the Counter Reformation .
Life
Her original name was Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada,...
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Carmelites
Carmelites , Roman Catholic order of mendicant friars. Originally a group of hermits, apparently European, living on Mt. Carmel in Palestine, their supervision was undertaken (c.1150) by St. Berthold. In 1238 they moved to Cyprus, and thence to Western Europe. St. Simon Stock (d. 1265), an Englishma...
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Saint John of the Cross
Saint John of the Cross Span. Juan de la Cruz, 1542-91, Spanish mystic and poet, Doctor of the Church. His name was originally Juan de Yepes. He was a founder of the Discalced Carmelites and a close friend of St. Theresa of Ávila, who guided him in his spiritual life. Because of his ardor ...
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Rowan Douglas Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams archbishop of Canterbury (2002-), b. Swansea, Wales; grad. Christ's College, Cambridge (B.A., 1971; M.A., 1975), Wadham College, Oxford (D.Phil., 1975). Ordained a priest in 1978, he was a teacher, dean, and chaplain at Cambridge (1977-86) and a professor of theology at Oxfor...
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Vanuatu
Vanuatu , formerly New Hebrides , officially Republic of Vanuatu, independent republic (2005 est. pop. 206,000), c.5,700 sq mi (14,760 sq km), South Pacific, E of Australia. Vanuatu is a 450-mi (724-km) chain of 80 islands, of which the most important are Espíritu Santo (the largest), E...
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