South Indian bronze Any of the cult images that rank among the finest achievements of Indian visual art. Most of the figures represent Hindu divinities, especially various iconographic forms of the god Shiva and Lord Vishnu, with their consorts and attendants. The images were produced in large numbers from the 8th to the 16th century, principally in the Thanjavur and Tiruchchirappalli districts of modern Tamil Nadu, and maintained a high standard of excel¬ lence for almost 1,000 years. The icons range from small household images to almost life-size sculptures intended to be carried in temple pro¬ cessions.
South Island Island (pop., 2001 prelim.: 942,213), larger and south¬ ernmost of the two principal islands of New Zealand. Separated from the North Island by Cook Strait, it has an area of 58,676 sq mi (151,971 sq km). Mountains, including the Southern Alps, occupy almost three- quarters of the island. Its main cities are Christchurch and Dunedin. Fiord¬ land National Park in the southwest contains numerous coastal fjords and high lakes.
South Korea See South Korea
South Orkney Islands Island group, southern Atlantic Ocean. Located southeast of South America, the South Orkneys are composed of two large islands (Coronation and Laurie) and many smaller islands; they form part of the British Antarctic Territory. Barren and uninhabited, the islands have a total area of 240 sq mi (620 sq km). They were part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies until 1962. Signy Island is used as a base for Antarctic exploration.
South Platte River River, Colorado and western Nebraska, U.S. The river rises in central Colorado and flows southeast and then northeast across the Nebraska boundary to join the North Platte River and form the Platte River. The South Platte is 442 mi (711 km) long. Its reservoirs and dams, particularly around Denver, are used for flood control, irrigation, and power generation.
South Pole Southern extremity of the Earth’s axis, located at latitude 90° S. It is the southern point from which all meridians of longitude start. The area around it is a lofty plateau in west-central Antarctica, with ice as much as 8,850 ft (2,700 m) thick. It has six months of complete day¬ light and six months of total darkness each year. It was first reached by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen in 1911, one month before the expedition led by British explorer Robert Falcon Scott; U.S. explorer Rich¬ ard E. Byrd flew to the pole in 1929. The geographic pole does not coin¬ cide with the magnetic South Pole, which in the early 21st century was located on the Adelie Coast about 64°30' S, 137°50' E; it moves about 8 mi (13 km) to the northwest each year. The geomagnetic South Pole also moves; during the early 1990s it was located about 79°13' S, 108°44' E, in 2000 it was 65°39' S, 140° 01' E, and by 2005 it was back to about 79°45'S, 108°13'E.
South Sea Bubble (1720) Speculation mania that caused financial ruin for many British investors. Parliament’s acceptance of a proposal by the South Sea Co. to take over the British national debt resulted in an imme¬ diate rise in its stock. After soaring from 128V& to over 1,000 in nine months, the bubble of overvalued stock burst and the price per share dropped to 124, dragging other stocks down and leaving many investors ruined. An inquiry by the House of Commons found collusion by several government ministers.
South West Africa See Namibia
South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) Party in South West Africa (now Namibia) that advocated immediate independence from South Africa. Founded in 1960, it used diplomacy to attain its goals
The god Shiva in the garb of a mendi¬ cant, South Indian bronze from Tiru- vengadu, Tamil Nadu, early 11th century; in the Thanjavur Museum and Art Gallery, Tamil Nadu
P. CHANDRA
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
South Yorkshire ► Southern Christian Leadership Conference I 1791
until 1966, when it turned to armed struggle. Led by Sam Nujoma and backed by the Angolan ruling party and the Soviet Union, SWAPO used Angola as a base for launching guerrilla attacks. From 1978 South Africa made periodic retaliatory strikes into Angola. That same year the UN rec¬ ognized SWAPO as the Namibian people’s sole representative. South Africa finally accepted a UN resolution requiring the withdrawal of South African troops in Namibia and the holding of free elections in 1988.
South Yorkshire Metropolitan county (pop., 2001: 1,266,337), north- central England. It lost its administrative functions in 1986 and is now only a geographic and ceremonial county; its administrative seat was Barnsley. South Yorkshire extends from the Pennine moorlands in the west to lowland marshes in the east. The Romans built roads and forts in the area, and Anglian and later Scandinavian settlers cleared woodlands. In the 19th century the region grew as a major industrial area, and the River Don valley became the focus of iron- and steelworks extending east from Sheffield. Today South Yorkshire includes most of England’s coalfields; its industries produce iron, steel, and cutlery.
Southampton City and unitary authority (pop., 2001: 217,478), historic county of Hampshire, England. First settled by Romans, it was chartered (c. 1155) by King Henry II and incorporated in 1445. In the Middle Ages its location on the English Channel helped it to become a major British port. Southampton declined in the 17th—18th centuries but revived in the 19th with the arrival of railways. It is England’s second largest port. Historic buildings include the 11th-century St. Michael’s Church and the 12th- century King John’s Palace, one of Britain’s oldest domestic buildings.
Southampton, Henry Wriothesley, 3rd earl of (b. Oct. 6, 1573, Cowdray, Sussex, Eng.—d. Nov. 10, 1624, Bergen op Zoom, Neth.) English nobleman, patron of William Shakespeare. Grandson of the 1st earl of Southampton, he became a favourite of Elizabeth I. He was a liberal patron of writers, including Thomas Nashe. Shakespeare dedicated two long poems to him (1593, 1594), and he has often been identified as the noble youth addressed in most of Shakespeare’s sonnets. He accompa¬ nied the 2nd earl of Essex on expeditions to Cadiz and the Azores (1596, 1597). For supporting the Essex rebellion (1601), he was imprisoned (1601-03); following James I’s accession, he regained his place at court. He became a privy councillor in 1619, but he lost favour by opposing the 1st duke of Buckingham. He and his son volunteered to fight for the United Provinces against Spain, but, soon after landing in the Netherlands, they both died of fever.
Southampton, Thomas Wriothesley Vrat-sle, 'ri-9th-sle\, 1st earl of (b. Dec. 21, 1505, London, Eng.—d. July 30, 1550, London) English politician. He followed his father, a herald, into royal service and became personal secretary to Thomas Cromwell (1533), whom he suc¬ ceeded as a secretary of state to Henry VIII (1540). Wriothesley became one of Henry’s leading councillors and was appointed lord chancellor of England (1544-47). After Henry’s death, he was created earl of Southampton (1547) by the duke of Somerset, but he was deprived of the chancellorship. He supported Somerset’s overthrow in 1549 but was excluded from the privy council in 1550.
Southampton Island Island, Keewatin region, Nunavut, Canada. Lying at the entrance to Hudson Bay, the island is roughly triangular and has an area of 15,913 sq mi (41,214 sq km). Its plateau in the northeast, with 1,000-ft (300-m) coastal cliffs, gradually slopes to lowlands in the south. Its coastal waters are noted for Arctic char fishing.
Southeast Asia Vast region of Asia lying east of the Indian subcon¬ tinent and south of China. It includes a mainland area (also called Indo¬ china) and a string of archipelagoes to the south and east and is generally taken to include Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines. For centuries the mainland portion was the site of numerous indigenous dynasties, but in the 19th century all but Thailand (Siam) came under the control of Euro¬ pean powers, notably France (see French Indochina); all areas became independent after 1945.