Cairo Vkl-ro \ Arabic Al-Qahirah \al-'ka-he-r3\ City (pop., 1996: city, 6,789,479; 1999 est.: metro, area, 10,345,000), capital of Egypt. Located on the banks of the Nile River near the site of a Roman city captured by
the Arabs in 641, Old Cairo (Al-Fustat) was then built by the Arabs as a military camp. Cairo’s newer section (Al-Qahirah) was built by the Fatimid dynasty (c. 968) and was made the capital in 973. From the 13th century, as the capital of the MamlOk dynasty, it reached its greatest prosperity as a trade and cultural centre. Occupied by French forces under Napoleon I in 1798, it was held by the French for three years. In World War II (1939— 45) it was a base of operations for British and U.S. forces and was also the site of two conferences by the Allied Powers (see Cairo conferences). The ancient metropolis is a blend of old and new. East and West. It is the centre of the largest urban agglomeration in the Middle East and Africa, and it is the chief cultural centre of the Arab world. Its most noteworthy landmark is the pyramid complex of Giza, located at the southwestern edge of the city. A manufacturing centre, it is also the site of several important universities and colleges.
Cairo conferences (November-December 1943) Two meetings held in Cairo during World War II. At the first, Winston Churchill and Frank¬ lin Roosevelt discussed plans for the Normandy Invasion (see Normandy Campaign). With Chiang Kai-shek, they announced their goal of stripping Japan of all the territories it had seized since 1914 and of restoring Korea to independence. At the second conference, Churchill and Roosevelt tried unsuccessfully to persuade Turkey’s Pres. Ismet InonO to bring his coun¬ try into the war on the side of the Allies.
Caishen or Ts'ai-shen Vtsi-'shonN Chinese god of wealth, believed to bestow on his devotees the riches carried about by his attendants. A Ming- dynasty novel relates that a hermit, Zhao Gongming, employed magic to support the collapsing Shang dynasty. He was killed by Jiang Ziya, a sup¬ porter of the Zhou dynasty. Rebuked for causing the death of a virtuous man, Jiang apologized in a temple, extolled Zhao’s virtues, and canon¬ ized him as the god of wealth. During Chinese New Year, incense is burned in Caishen’s temple and the greeting “May you become rich” is exchanged.
caisson \'ka-,san\ In engineering, a type of foundation most commonly used underwater for a bridge, but sometimes used in building construc¬ tion. It is a large hollow structure that is sunk down through the earth by workers excavating from inside it; ultimately it becomes a permanent part of the pier. There are three types: the open caisson, open at both top and bottom; the box caisson, closed at the bottom; and the pneumatic caisson, with an airtight chamber to accommodate submerged workers. Caisson columns, typically 2 ft (0.6 m) or more in diameter, may be used as an alternative to bearing piles. A round hole is dug or bored to a stable layer of earth and temporarily supported by a steel shell, then filled with con¬ crete poured around a cage of reinforcing bars.
caisson disease See decompression sickness
Caitanya \kl-'tan-y3\, Sri Krishna orig. Vishvambhara Mishra
(b. 1485, Navadvipa, Bengal, India—d. 1533, Puri, Orissa) Indian Hindu mystic. Born into a Brahman family, he became a teacher. While on a pilgrimage to perform his father’s death-anniversary ceremony, he had a profound religious experience, and he returned home indifferent to worldly matters. Disciples joined him in worship that consisted of choral singing of the name of God, often accompanied by dance movements and ending in trance states. He took his new name on initiation as an ascetic in 1510. In his lifetime his following came to constitute a major sect of Vaishnavism (see Caitanya movement). According to tradition, he died when he walked into the ocean while lost in a devotional trance.
Caitanya movement Emotional form of Hinduism that developed in the 16th century, inspired by the mode of worship originated by Caitanya. Centred in Bengal, the movement was organized by Caitanya’s followers Nityananda and Advaita. Bhakti (devotion) is central and takes the form of singing for hours, with accompaniment, hymns that repeat God’s name. Caitanya himself came to be worshiped as an incarnation of both Krishna and his beloved, Radha. Caitanya, Nityananda, and Advaita are regarded as the movement’s three masters. A group of six of Caitanya’s disciples developed its theology and devotional literature. Its present leaders are mostly lineal descendants of the early disciples. See also Hare Krishna MOVEMENT.
Cajun Any descendant of French Canadians who in the 18th century were driven by the British from the captured French colony of Acadia (now Nova Scotia and adjacent areas) and settled in the fertile bayou lands of southern Louisiana, U.S. Many Cajuns speak a dialect of North Ameri¬ can French. U.S. census figures for Cajuns are deceptive; although in 2000
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
cakravartin ► calculator I 311
only some 85,000 people reported themselves to be Acadian/Cajun, the census form also included a French Canadian category, which may have confused the issue. Experts suggest that there are some 100,000 Cajuns in Texas and from 500,000 to 700,000 Cajuns in Louisiana. In recent decades Cajun cuisine, noted for its use of spicy seasonings, and zydeco music have become popular among non-Cajuns.
cakravartin See chakravartin
Calabar \'ka-l3-,bar\ City (pop., 1991.: 310,839), southeastern Nigeria. Lying along the Calabar River above its confluence with the Cross River, it was settled in the 17th century by the Efik and became an important trading centre for Europeans arriving on the African coast. After accept¬ ing British protection in 1884, it served as capital of a British protector¬ ate until British administrative headquarters were moved to Lagos in 1906. With its natural harbour, it remains an important port.
calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete ) of the trumpet-creeper family (Big- noniaceae) that grows in Central and South America, the West Indies, and extreme southern Florida. It is often grown as an ornamental. It produces large spherical fruits, the hard shells of which are useful as bowls, cups, and other water containers when hollowed out. The fruit’s shell encloses a whitish pulp and thin, dark brown seeds. The tree bears funnel-shaped, light green and purple-streaked flowers and evergreen leaves. Fruits of the unrelated bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) are also known as calabashes.
Calabria \ka-'la-bre-a\ Region (pop., 2001 prelim.: 1,993,274), south¬ ern Italy. Forming the “toe” of the Italian “boot,” it is a peninsula that separates the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas. A mountainous area covering 5,823 sq mi (15,080 sq km), it has been subject to earthquakes. Its capi¬ tal is Catanzaro. Founded as a Greek colony and known in ancient times as Bruttium, it was taken by the Romans in the 3rd century bc and gradu¬ ally went into decline. It eventually passed to the Byzantines, who renamed it Calabria. Conquered by the Normans, it was united with the Kingdom of Naples in the 11th century ad. A stronghold of Italian repub¬ licanism until the Risorgimento, it became part of Italy after the 1860 expedition of Giuseppe de Garibaldi. Long a poor area dependent on farm¬ ing, it underwent a land-reform system in the mid-20th century that pro¬ moted more diverse profitable crops.
caladium \ko-Ta-de-3m\ Any of the tropical New World tuberous her¬ baceous plants that make up the genus Caladium, in the arum family, widely cultivated for their showy, fragile-looking, variably coloured leaves. Cal- adiums are nonhardy bulbs used as potted plants indoors and in summer outdoor plantings. They keep surprisingly well if protected from chills and wintry drafts.