Guandi See Guan Yu
Guangdong \'gwaq-'duq\ or Kuang-tung conventional Kwang- tung Southernmost mainland province (pop., 2000 est.: 86,420,000), China. It is bounded by the South China Sea to the south, and along its coast are Hong Kong and Macao; also bordering it are Fujian, Jiangxi, and Hunan provinces and Guangxi autonomous region. It has an area of 76,100 sq mi (197,100 sq km). The capital is Guangzhou (Canton). It was first incorporated into the Chinese empire in 222 bc. Overseas trade through Guangzhou swelled the population of the province in the 16th-17th cen¬ turies. It was the site of illicit opium importation by the British, which led to the First Opium War in 1841. Kowloon was ceded to Britain in 1860 and Macao to Portugal in 1887; both were restored to China in the late 1990s. Guangdong was a base for the Nationalists under Sun Yat-sen from 1912. Japanese forces occupied the province in 1938—45. Its centuries of foreign contact have given it a degree of self-sufficiency that sets it apart from the rest of China; more recently it has developed several special economic zones.
Guangwudi \ , gwaq- , wu- , de\ or Kuang-wu ti orig. Liu Xiu (b. c.
5 bc— d. ad 57, Luoyang, China) Chinese emperor who restored the Han dynasty after the interlude of the Xin dynasty (ad 9-25) created by the usurper Wang Mang. The restored Han dynasty is often called the Later, or Eastern, Han. Guangwudi’s reign was spent consolidating his rule and subduing numerous domestic rebellions, including the Red Eyebrows revolt.
Guangxi \'gwaq-'she\ or Kuang-hsi conventional Kwangsi in full Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi Autonomous region (pop., 2000 est.: 44,890,000), southeastern China. Lying on the Gulf of Tonkin, it is bordered by Vietnam and by Guangdong, Hunan, Guizhou, and Yunnan provinces. It has an area of 85,100 sq mi (220,400 sq km) and is largely hilly, with river valleys where rice is grown. Its capital is Nanning. Its recorded history dates from 45 bc, and it was given its present name during the Yuan dynasty in ad 1279. With Guangdong, it became the base of the Nationalists under Sun Yat-sen in the early 20th century. Local leaders later formed the Guangxi Clique in opposition to Chiang Kai-shek, who crushed their revolt in 1929. Guangxi was declared a prov¬ ince of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, and in 1958 it became an autonomous region. Noted for its agricultural production, it is also an important source for forest products.
Guangzhou Vgwaq-'joX or Kuang-chou conventional Canton City (pop., 2003 est.: 4,653,131), capital of Guangdong province, China. Located on the Zhu (Pearl) River about 80 mi (130 km) from the sea, it is southern China’s chief port. Incorporated in the Chinese empire in the 3rd century bc, it later became an important city under the Ming dynasty. The first Chinese seaport opened to foreigners, it was regularly visited by Arab and Hindu traders and, in the 16th century, by the Portuguese. The English arrived in the late 17th century, followed by the French and Dutch. Guangzhou’s resistance to the English opium trade led to war (1839-42), and it was occupied by the British and French in 1856-61. In the late 19th century it was the seat of revolutionary political ideas promoted by the Nationalist Party. It was bombed and then occupied by the Japanese in 1938-45. Its industrial growth subsequently expanded, and, with China’s renewed ties to the West, it was designated as one of several economic investment areas for foreigners in 1984. One of China’s largest cities, its expanding economy added to the region’s growth.
guanine \'gwa-,nen\ Organic compound of the purine family, often called a base, consisting of two rings, each containing both nitrogen and carbon atoms, and an amino group. It occurs in combined form in many important biological molecules, particularly nucleic acids, and free or com¬ bined in various natural sources, including guano, sugar beets, yeast, and fish scales. In DNA its complementary base is cytosine. It or its corre¬ sponding nucleoside or nucleotide may be prepared from nucleic acids by selective techniques of hydrolysis.
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guano ► Guatemala I 811
guano Vgwa-no\ Accumulated excrement and remains of birds, bats, and seals, valued as fertilizer. Bird guano comes mainly from islands off the coasts of Peru, Baja California, and Africa that are heavily populated by cormorants, pelicans, and gannets. Bat guano is found in caves through¬ out the world, and seal guano has accumulated to great depths on islands off northwestern Peru; both are lower in fertilizer value than bird guano.
Guantanamo Xgwan-'ta-no-.moN City (pop., 1994 est.: 207,796), capi¬ tal of Guantanamo province, eastern Cuba. Lying in the mountains 21 mi (34 km) north of strategic Guantanamo Bay, it was founded in 1819. French refugees from Haiti aided in colonizing the area, and many cul¬ tural characteristics, including the architecture, show their influence. Cat¬ alans were also among the early settlers. It is the centre of an agricultural region producing sugarcane and coffee.
Guantanamo Bay Inlet of the Caribbean Sea, southeastern Cuba. It is one of the largest bays in the world: its harbour is about 6 mi (9 km) wide and 12 mi (19 km) long. Its strategic importance was recognized during the Spanish-American War, when U.S. marines landed there in 1898. A U.S. naval base, established in 1903, remained there even after hostilities erupted between the two countries in 1959; the base served as an internment facility for suspected Islamic militants beginning in 2002.
Guanyin See Avalokitesvara
Guapore \,gwa-p6-'ra\ River or Itenez \e-'ta-nes\ River, west-central South America. Rising in southwestern Brazil (where it is known as the Itenez), it flows northwest past Mato Grosso city. It continues northwest, forming the border between Bolivia and Brazil, and empties into the Mamore River above the town of Guajara-Mirim, Braz. It is navigable along its entire 1,087-mi (1,749-km) course. In contrast with the brown, silt-laden Mamore, the Guapore has unusually clear water; for several miles below their juncture, the two colours remain distinct.
Guarani \,gwar-3-'ne\ South American Indian group that has tradition¬ ally inhabited eastern Paraguay and adjacent areas of Brazil and Argen¬ tina. Aboriginal Guarani were formerly warlike and took captives to be sacrificed (and allegedly eaten). Their shifting cultivation required them to move their settlements every few years. The descendants of Guarani women and Spanish ranchers are modem Paraguay’s rural population. Only a few scattered communities of true Guarani remain, but Paraguay still claims a strong Guarani heritage, and most of the million peasants living along the Paraguay River near Asuncion speak a version of the aboriginal Guarani language.
Guardi \'gwar-de\, Francesco (b. 1712, Venice—d. 1793, Venice) Italian landscape painter. He and his two brothers collaborated in a flour¬ ishing studio-workshop in Venice; their sister was married to Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. By the 1750s Francesco was producing vedute (view paintings) of Venice. His many romantic impressions of the city never achieved the popularity of Canaletto’s near-photographic records of its architecture, and his work came to be appreciated only after the rise of Impressionism.
guardian In law, one who has, or is legally appointed to, the care and management of another, usually a minor. A natural guardian is a guard¬ ian by natural relationship (usually the father or mother). A guardian may be appointed by the court when it decides that a child needs one (usu¬ ally when the parents have died or disappeared).
Guardian, The formerly The Manchester Guardian Influential newspaper published in London and Manchester, Eng., considered one of Britain’s best papers. Founded in 1821 as the weekly Manchester Guard¬ ian, it became a daily in 1855; 100 years later “Manchester” was dropped from the name, as it had become a national daily with an international reputation. In 1936 one of the newspapers most influential editors, C.R Scott, created the Scott Trust as a means of assuring independent own-