Nyiragongo V.nye-ra-'goq-goV, Mount Active volcano, Virunga Mountains, east-central Africa. It lies in the volcano region of Virunga National Park, eastern Congo (Kinshasa), near the border with Rwanda. It is 11,385 ft (3,470 m) high, with a main crater 1.3 mi (2 km) wide and 820 ft (250 m) deep containing a liquid lava pool. Some older craters are noted for their plant life.
Nykvist \'niE-kvist,\ English Vnl-kvistN, Sven (b. Dec. 3, 1922, Moheda, Swed.) Swedish cinematographer. He joined the Swedish movie
Nutria (Myocastor coypus) feeding.
DOUGLAS FISHER
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
nylon ► Nystad I 1391
company Sandrews in 1941, shot his first film in 1945, and his first for Ingmar Bergman in 1953. He became Bergman’s regular cinematographer at Svensk Filmindustri in 1960. Best known for his subtle, luminous cam¬ era work in a long series of Bergman films, he won Academy Awards for Cries and Whispers (1972) and Fanny and Alexander (1983). With U.S. directors, he shot movies such as The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989).
nylon Any synthetic plastic material composed of polyamides of high molecular weight and usually, but not always, manufactured as a fibre. Nylons were developed by Du Pont in the 1930s. The successful produc¬ tion of a useful fibre by chemical synthesis from compounds readily avail¬ able from air, water, and coal or petroleum stimulated expansion of research on polymers, leading to a rapidly growing family of synthetics. Nylon can be made to form fibres, filaments, bristles, or sheets to be manufactured into yarn, textiles, and cordage, and it can also be formed into molded products. It has high resistance to wear, heat, and chemicals. Most applications are in the form of filaments in such articles as hosiery, parachutes, and outerwear. See also W. H. Carothers.
nymph In Greek mythology, any of a large class of minor female divini¬ ties. Nymphs were usually associated with features of the natural world, such as trees and water. Though not immortal, they were extremely long- lived, and they tended to be well disposed toward humans. They were grouped according to the sphere of nature with which they were con¬ nected.
nymph In entomology, the sexually immature form of insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis (e.g., grasshoppers). The nymph is simi¬ lar to the adult but differs in body proportions and (in winged species) has
only wing buds, which develop into wings after the first few molts (see molting). During each successive growing stage (instar), the nymph begins to resemble the adult more closely. The nymphs of aquatic species (also called naiads), such as dragonflies, have gills and other modifications for an aquatic existence. At maturity, they float to the surface or crawl out of the water, undergo a final molt, and emerge as winged adults.
nymphaeum \nim-'fe-3m\ Ancient Greek and Roman sanctuary con¬ secrated to water nymphs. Nymphaea also served as reservoirs and assem¬ bly chambers for weddings. The name, originally denoting a natural grotto with springs, later referred to an artificial grotto or building filled with plants, sculpture, fountains, and paintings. Nymphaea existed at Corinth, Antioch, and Constantinople, and remains have been found in Rome, Asia Minor, Syria, and northern Africa.
Nymphenburg porcelain German hard-paste, or true, porcelain pro¬ duced in Bavaria from the mid-18th century to the present day. Its fame rests on its figures, particularly those in the Rococo style modeled between 1754 and 1763 by Franz Anton Bustelli (1723-1763). Tableware and vases produced at the factory in Nymphenburg, on the outskirts of Munich, often contain ozier, or basketwork, pattern borders.
Nyoro \'nyor-o\ or Bunyoro Bantu-speaking people of west-central Uganda. Until the 18th century the Bunyoro kingdom included present- day Uganda. It declined in the 18th and 19th century, surrendering its pre¬ eminence to the Buganda kingdom. It was brought into the Uganda Protectorate by the British. Today the Nyoro, numbering about 700,000, live in scattered settlements and cultivate millet, sorghum, and plantains.
Nystad, Treaty of See Second Northern War
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© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1392 I Oahu ► obia
Oahu \6-'wa-hu\ Island (pop., 2000: 876,165) of Hawaii, U.S. Situated between the islands of Kauai and Molokai, it occupies 607 sq mi (1,574 sq km) and is the third largest and most densely populated of the Hawai¬ ian Islands. Of volcanic origin, it has two parallel mountain groups, the Koolau Range and Waianae Ranges, which are connected by a central plateau. It is the site of Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, and Waikiki. Military installations, tourism, pineapples, and sugar are important to its economy.
oak Any of about 450 species of ornamental and timber trees and shrubs that make up the genus Quercus in the beech family, found throughout temperate climates. Oaks are deciduous trees that bear spring catkins (male flowers) and spikes (female flowers) on the same tree. The leaves have lobed, toothed, or smooth margins. The fruit is the acorn. They are hardy and long-lived shade trees. White oaks have smooth leaves and rapidly germinating sweet acorns; red, or black, oaks have bristle-tipped leaves and bitter, hairy acorns.
Red- and white-oak lumber is used in construction, flooring, furniture, millwork, barrel making, and the production of crossties, structural timbers, and mine props. The genus includes many ornamentals and natural hybrids.
Oakland City (pop., 2000: 399,484), western California, U.S., on the eastern side of San Fran¬ cisco Bay. Settled by the Spanish in 1820, it was incorporated as a city in 1854. In 1869 it was cho¬ sen as the terminus of the first transcontinental rail¬ road, which led to the development of its deepwater port. It suffered damage and loss of life in the earth¬ quake of 1989, which also damaged the Bay Bridge that connects it with San Francisco. Lake Merritt, near the cen¬ tral business district, is a wildfowl refuge surrounded by park¬ land. Several colleges are located in Oakland.
Oakley, Annie orig. Phoebe Anne Moses (b. Aug. 13, 1860, Darke county, Ohio, U.S.—d. Nov. 3, 1926, Greenville, Ohio) U.S. sharp¬ shooter. As a child she won acclaim for her marksmanship. She later toured vaudeville circuits with her marksman husband, Frank Butler. In 1885 they joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show; she was one of the show’s star attractions for most of the next 16 years. Oakley’s famous act included shooting off the end of a cigarette held in Butler’s lips, hitting the thin edge of a playing card from 30 paces, and shooting distant targets while looking into a mirror. In 1887 she was presented to Queen Victoria, and later in Berlin she performed her cigarette trick with, at his insistence. Crown Prince William (later Kaiser William II) holding the cigarette.
OAS See Organization of American States
oasis Fertile tract of land that occurs in a desert wherever a permanent supply of fresh water is available. Oases vary in size from about 2.5 acres (1 hectare) around small springs to vast areas of naturally watered or irri¬ gated land. Underground water sources account for most oases; their springs and wells are supplied from sandstone aquifers whose intake areas may be more than 500 mi (800 km) away. Two-thirds of the population of the Sahara live in oases, where the date palm is the main source of food; the palm also provides shade for growing citrus fruits, figs, peaches, apri¬ cots, vegetables, and cereal grains.
Oates, Joyce Carol (b. June 16, 1938, Lockport, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. writer. Oates taught at the University of Windsor (1967-78) and Prince¬ ton University (from 1978). Beginning with the story collection By the North Gate (1963) and the novel With Shuddering Fall (1964), she wrote prolifically, often portraying people whose intensely experienced lives end in bloodshed and self-destruction owing to forces beyond their control. Her major novels include them (1969), Do with Me What You Will (1973), Foxfire (1993), and Beasts (2002). Also significant is a parodic gothic series including Bellefleur (1980), A Bloodsmoor Romance (1982), and Mysteries of Winterthurn (1984).