Sept. 28, 1970, Cairo) Egyptian army officer who was prime minister (1954-56) and president (1956-70) of Egypt. In his youth, he took part in anti-British demonstrations. As an army officer, he led a coup that deposed the royal family (1952) and installed Gen. Muhammad Naguib as head of state. In 1954 he deposed Naguib and made himself prime minister. The Muslim Brotherhood tried to assassinate him but failed. In 1956 he promulgated a constitution that made Egypt a one-party social¬ ist state with himself as president. In the same year, he nationalized the Suez Canal (see Suez Crisis) and secured Soviet assistance to build the Aswan High Dam after the U.S. and Britain canceled their offer of aid. Gamd Abde | Nassel . photograph by Soon thereafter, Egypt weathered an Yousuf Karsh, attack by British, French, and Israeli ©karsh from rapho/photo researchers forces. A charismatic figure, he
aspired to lead the Arab world and succeeded briefly in forming the United Arab Republic with Syria (1958-61). He led the Arab world in the disas¬ trous Six-D ay War against Israel but had tentatively accepted a U.S. peace plan for Egypt and Israel when he died of a heart attack. He was suc¬ ceeded by Anwar el-Sadat.
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Nasser, Lake or Lake Nubia Lake, southern Egypt and northern Sudan. About 300 mi (480 km) long, it was formed in the 1960s by the construction of the Aswan High Dam in order to control the annual floods of the Nile River, whose waters now feed the lake. Its waters, when dis¬ charged downstream, have brought some 1,250 sq mi (3,240 sq km) of additional land under irrigation. Its formation flooded a number of archaeological sites, including those found at Abu Simbel. In The Sudan it is known as Lake Nubia.
Nast, Thomas (b. Sept. 27, 1840, Landau, Baden—d. Dec. 7, 1902, Guayaquil, Ecua.) German-born U.S. political cartoonist. He arrived in the U.S. at six, and from 1862 to 1886 he worked as a cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly. His cartoons in support of the Northern cause in the American Civil War were so effec¬ tive that Abraham Lincoln called him “our best recruiting sergeant.” Many of his most effective cartoons were attacks on the New York City politi¬ cal machine of William Marcy Tweed in the 1870s; one led to Tweed’s identification and arrest in Spain.
Nast originated the Republican Par¬ ty’s elephant, the Democratic Party’s donkey, and one of the most popular images of Santa Claus. Left destitute by the failure of a brokerage house, he was appointed U.S. consul in Ecuador, where he died.
nasturtium Xnas-'tor-shoirA Any of various annual plants of the genus Tropaeolum (family Tropaeolaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, and cultivated elsewhere as garden plants. Brilliant yellow, orange, or red flowers are funnel-shaped and have a long spur that contains sweet nectar. The peppery-tasting leaves and flowers are sometimes used in salads, and the young flower buds and fruit are sometimes used as sea¬ soning. Nasturtium also is a genus of aquatic herbs in the mustard family (see WATERCRESS).
Natal \no-'tal\ Seaport and city (pop., 2002 est.: 734,500), northeast¬ ern Brazil. It is situated near the mouth of the Potengi River on the Atlantic Ocean coast. Founded by the Portuguese in 1597 near the site of a fort, Natal was given town status in 1611. It is the capital and principal commercial centre of the state of Rio Grande do Norte; it is also a busy port and naval base. It is the seat of the State University of Rio Grande do Norte. The Marine Research Institute and the Barreira do Inferno rocket base are located in the vicinity.
Natal \no-'tal\ Former province, southeastern Republic of South Africa. The area was occupied for centuries by BANTU-speaking peoples. It was given the name Natal by Vasco da Gama when he sighted the harbour of Port Natal (now Durban) on Christmas Day (Portuguese Natal) in 1497. The first European settlers arrived in 1824. In 1837 Afrikaners arrived in the interior and, after they defeated the Zulu there, established the Repub¬ lic of Natal. Annexed by the British in 1843, it was extended by numer¬ ous acquisitions. During the South African War, Natal was invaded by Afrikaner forces, which were checked by the British. In 1910 it became a province of the Union of South Africa and in 1961 of the Republic of South Africa. The fragmented, nonindependent black state, or homeland, of KwaZulu was later created within Natal, which was the scene of clashes by rival black factions (see African National Congress; Inkatha Freedom Party). After the South African elections of 1994, the region was united to form the province of KwaZulu/Natal.
Nataraja \,n3-t3-'ra-j3\ The Hindu god Shiva in his form as the cosmic dancer. The most common images show him with four arms and flying locks, dancing on a dwarf (a symbol of human ignorance) and encircled by a ring of flames. The Nataraja sculpture shows Shiva as the source of all movement within the cosmos, represented by the loop of flames.
The dance’s purpose is to release humans from illusion; the place where the god performs the dance is believed to lie both at the centre of the universe and within the human heart.
Natchez Trace Old road, south¬ eastern U.S. It follows an Indian trail (or trace) to the northeast from Natchez, Miss., across northwestern Alabama to Nashville, Tenn., and is more than 500 mi (800 km) long. A wagon road constructed in the early 19th century was used by traders and settlers. Among its historical land¬ marks are the Emerald and Bynum Indian ceremonial mounds and Chickasaw Village, in Mississippi, and Napier Mine and Metal Ford in Tennessee.
Nathan (fl. 10th century bc) Prophet at the courts of David and Solomon in ancient Israel. In II Samuel, God establishes his covenant with David through Nathan, who also appears rebuking David for taking Bathsheba from her husband. As punishment, David was not allowed to build the Temple at Jerusalem, since Nathan had a vision informing him that its con¬ struction must be postponed until Solomon succeeded to the throne. Nathan later anointed the new king, securing Solomon’s place against rivals, and may have recorded events during the reigns of David and Solomon.
Nathans, Daniel (b. Oct. 30, 1928, Wilmington, Del., U.S.—d. Nov. 16, 1999, Baltimore, Md.) U.S. microbiologist. He received a medical degree from Washington University. Working principally at Johns Hop¬ kins University, he used the restriction enzyme isolated from a bacterium by Hamilton O. Smith to investigate the structure of the DNA of a mon¬ key virus (SV40), the simplest virus known to produce cancer. His con¬ struction of a genetic map of the virus was the first application of restriction enzymes to the problem of identifying the molecular basis of cancer. He shared a 1978 Nobel Prize with Smith and Werner Arber.
nation People whose common identity creates a psychological bond and a political community. Their political identity usually comprises such characteristics as a common language, culture, ethnicity, and history. More than one nation may comprise a state, but the terms nation, state, and country are often used interchangeably. A nation-state is a state popu¬ lated primarily by the people of one nationality.
Nation, Carry (Amelia) orig. Carry Moore (b. Nov. 25, 1846, Garrard county, Ky., U.S.—d. June 9,
1911, Leavenworth, Kan.) U.S. tem¬ perance advocate. Though she held a teaching certificate, her education was intermittent. In 1867 she married a young physician but soon left him because of his alcoholism. In 1877 she married David Nation, a lawyer, who would divorce her for desertion in 1901. After a 1890 U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened the prohibi¬ tion laws of Kansas, where she was living, she joined the temperance movement; she came to believe that the unlawfulness of saloons meant they could be destroyed with impu¬ nity. A tall and heavy woman, she would march alone or with hymn¬ singing supporters into saloons and sing, pray, and shout while she smashed