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Z particle ... Zala

Z particle massive electrically neutral carrier particle of the weak force that acts upon all known subatomic particles. It is the neutral partner of the electrically charged W particle. The Z particle has a mass of 91.19 gigaelectron volts (GeV; 109 eV), nearly 100 times that of the proton. The W is ... za in feudal Japan, any of the mercantile or craft guilds that flourished about 1100-1590. They did not become fully organized until the Muromachi period (1338-1573), when they began to monopolize the production, transport, and sale of merchandise. In exchange for certain fees, the za enjoyed official recognition and exemptions from ... za'im Political leader, either an officeholder or power broker. The term has been used especially in Lebanon, where it designated the power brokers of the various sectarian communities. Za'tar, Tall al- former Palestinian refugee camp, Jabal Lubnan muhafazah (governorate), central Lebanon, north of Beirut, near Nab'a. The camp was the last large Muslim outpost in the midst of the predominantly Christian inhabited area of north Lebanon and had a population estimated at 15,000 in the mid-1970s. During the Lebanese civil war ... Zaanstad gemeente (municipality), western Netherlands. It lies along the Zaan River near its junction with the North Sea Canal. An industrial area 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Amsterdam, Zaanstad was created in 1974 at the merger of the former municipalities of Zaandam, Koog aan de Zaan, Zaandijk, Wormerveer, Krommenie, Assendelft, ... Zabaykalye kray (territory) in Siberia, Russia. The territory was created in 2008 by the merger of the former oblast (region) of Chita with the former autonomous okrug (district) of Agin Buryat. The name of the territory means "east of Lake Baikal." Although Zabaykalye and Lake Baikal are not contiguous, the territory ... Zabid town, western Yemen. It lies on the bank of the Wadi Zabid and at the eastern fringe of the Tihamah coastal plain, about 10 miles (16 km) from the Red Sea coast. An ancient Yemeni centre, Zabid was refounded in AD 820 by the 'Abbasids under Muhammad ibn Ziyad, emissary ... Zabrze city, Slaskie wojewodztwo (province), southern Poland. It is situated in the Upper Silesian industrial district. Zacapa town, eastern Guatemala, situated at 738 feet (225 metres) above sea level along the San Jose River. Although the town is old, it grew greatly in size and importance only after the Puerto Barrios-Guatemala City railroad was completed; it is the junction of the line from El Salvador. Zacapa is ... Zacapu city, north-central Michoacan estado (state), west-central Mexico. It is in the Nahuatzen Mountains, 6,500 feet (1,980 metres) above sea level, and lies west of Morelia, the state capital. Agriculture and livestock raising are the principal sources of income, the main crops being wheat, beans, and especially corn (maize). Several Tarascan ... Zacatecas estado (state), north-central Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Coahuila to the north, San Luis Potosi to the east, Jalisco and Aguascalientes to the south, and Nayarit and Durango to the west. Its capital is the city of Zacatecas. Zacatecas city, capital of Zacatecas estado (state), north-central Mexico. Located in the southern part of the state, it lies in a deep narrow ravine, about 8,200 feet (2,500 metres) above sea level. The city's name means "place where zacate grass grows." Zacatecoluca city, southern El Salvador. It lies in the Lempa River valley, at the foot of San Vicente Volcano. A commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural area, it also trades in cotton goods, baskets, salt, and lumber and produces cement. An earthquake in 1932 caused severe damage to the city. Zacatecoluca ... Zaccaria, Benedetto Genoese merchant, diplomat, and admiral, hero of a decisive Genoese naval victory over Pisa at Meloria (1284). Zaccaria, Saint Antonio Maria Italian priest, physician, and founder of the congregation of Clerks Regular of St. Paul, or Barnabites, a religious order devoted to the study of the Pauline Letters. Zacconi, Lodovico Italian musicologist, last of a distinguished line of Renaissance writers on music. Zach, Franz Xaver, Freiherr (baron) von German-Hungarian astronomer patronized by Duke Ernst of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Zacharias, Saint pope from 741 to 752. Zachodniopomorskie wojewodztwo (province), northwestern Poland. Created in 1999 as part of Poland's provincial reorganization, it comprises the former (1975-98) provinces of Szczecin and Koszalin, as well as portions of the former provinces of Gorzow, Pila, and Slupsk. It is bordered to the north by the Baltic Sea, to the east by ... Zacynthus island, southernmost and third largest of the Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: Ionia Nisia) of Greece, lying off the west coast of the Peloponnese (Peloponnisos). Including the tiny Strotadhes Islands to the south, it constitutes the nomos (department) of Zakynthos. Zacynthus is indented by a deep bay with high cliffs on ... Zadar picturesque historical town in Croatia, the former capital of Dalmatia. It is located on the end of a low-lying peninsula that is separated by the Zadar Channel from the islands of Ugljan and Pasman. The inlet between the peninsula and the mainland creates a natural deepwater harbour. Zadkine, Ossip Russian-born French sculptor known for his dramatic Cubist-inspired sculptures of the human figure. Zaehner, R.C. British historian of religion who investigated the evolution of ethical systems and forms of mysticism, particularly in Eastern religions. Zafar ancient Arabian site located southwest of Yarim in southern Yemen. It was the capital of the Himyarites, a tribe that ruled much of southern Arabia from about 115 BC to about AD 525. Up until the Persian conquest (c. AD 575), Zafar was one of the most important and celebrated ... Zafrulla Khan, Sir Muhammad Pakistani politician, diplomat, and international jurist, known particularly for his representation of Pakistan at the United Nations (UN). Zagajewski, Adam Polish poet, novelist, and essayist whose works were grounded in the turbulent history of his homeland and concerned with the quandary of the modern intellectual. Zaghlul, Sa'd Egyptian statesman and patriot, leader of the Wafd party and of the nationalist movement of 1918-19, which led Britain to give Egypt nominal independence in 1922. He was briefly prime minister in 1924. Zaghouan town in northeastern Tunisia. It lies on the fertile northern slope of Mount Zaghwan (Zaghouan) at an elevation of 4,249 feet (1,295 metres). It is built on the ancient Roman site of Zigus. Parts of a Roman aqueduct and canal network built in the 2nd century BCE under the emperor ... Zagreb capital and chief city of Croatia. It is situated on the slopes of Medvednica Hill (Zagrebacka Gora) to the north and the floodplain of the Sava River to the south. Zagreus in Orphic myth, a divine child who was the son of Zeus (as a snake) and his daughter Persephone. Zeus intended to make Zagreus his heir and bestow on him unlimited power, but Hera out of jealousy urged the Titans to attack the child while she beguiled him with toys. ... Zagros Mountains mountain range in southwestern Iran, extending northwest-southeast from the Sirvan (Diyala) River to Shiraz. The Zagros range is about 550 miles (900 km) long and more than 150 miles (240 km) wide. Situated mostly in what is now Iran, it forms the extreme western boundary of the Iranian plateau, though ... Zagwe Dynasty line of 12th- and 13th-century Ethiopian kings who combined a nomadic military life with an impassioned desire to build monuments to their Christian religion. Their tenuous pretensions to succession, based on a legendary marriage to a daughter of one of the last Aksumite kings, the line they deposed, was subsequently ... Zaharias, Babe Didrikson American sportswoman, one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, performing in basketball, track and field, and later golf. Zaharoff, Sir Basil international armaments dealer and financier. Reputedly one of the richest men in the world, he was described as a "merchant of death" and the "mystery man of Europe." Zahedan city and capital of Sistan va Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran, near the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is situated about 225 miles (360 km) southeast of Kerman in an arid zone, at an elevation of 4,435 feet (1,352 metres). The population comprises Shi'ite Muslim Persians and Sunnite Muslim Baluchs. ... Zahedi, Fazlollah Iranian army officer and politician who was prime minister of Iran from 1953 to 1955. Zahir Shah, Mohammad king of Afghanistan from 1933 to 1973, who provided an era of stable government to his country. Zahiriyah followers of an Islamic legal and theological school that insisted on strict adherence to the literal text (zahir) of the Qur'an and Hadith (sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) as the only source of Muslim law. It rejected practices in law (fiqh) such as analogical reasoning (qiyas) and pure ... Zahlah city, central Lebanon. It lies on the eastern slopes of the Lebanon Mountains, at an elevation of 3,150 feet (960 metres) above sea level. An agricultural market centre for the broad Al-Biqa' Valley, it is also a popular summer resort on the Beirut-Damascus railroad. Zahlah is noted for its orchards ... Zahn, Ernst Swiss writer, one of the contributors to the Heimatkunst ("homeland") movement-a literature striving for the reproduction of the life and atmosphere of the provinces. His realistic prose, though conventional, shows insight into the daily life of the Alpine people. zaibatsu (Japanese: "wealthy clique"), any of the large capitalist enterprises of Japan before World War II, similar to cartels or trusts but usually organized around a single family. One zaibatsu might operate companies in nearly all important areas of economic activity. The Mitsui combine, for example, owned or had large investments ... Zaire: Year in Review 1994 The republic of Zaire is located in central Africa with a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Area: 2,345,095 sq km (905,446 sq mi). Pop. (1993 est.): 42,473,000. Cap.: Kinshasa. Monetary unit: zaire, with (Oct. 4, 1993) a free rate of 8,751,200 zaires to U.S. $1 (13,258,000 zaires = ... Zaire: Year in Review 1995 The republic of Zaire is located in central Africa with a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Area: 2,345,095 sq km (905,446 sq mi). Pop. (1994 est.): 43,775,000 (excluding 1.5 million to 2 million Rwandan refugees in late August). Cap.: Kinshasa. Monetary unit: new zaire, with (Oct. 7, 1994) a ... Zaire: Year in Review 1996 The republic of Zaire is located in central Africa with a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Area: 2,344,858 sq km (905,354 sq mi). Pop. (1995 est.): 43,901,000 (excluding 1.1 million Rwandan refugees). Cap.: Kinshasa. Monetary unit: new zaire, with (Oct. 6, 1995) a free rate of 5,422 new zaires ... Zaire: Year in Review 1997 The republic of Zaire is located in central Africa with a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Area: 2,344,858 sq km (905,354 sq mi). Pop. (1996 est.): 45,259,000 (excluding 500,000 Rwandan refugees). Cap.: Kinshasa. Monetary unit: new zaire, with (Oct. 11, 1996) a free rate of 67,004 new zaires to ... zaju one of the major forms of Chinese drama. The style originated as a short variety play in North China during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), and during the Yuan dynasty (1206-1368) it developed into a mature four-act dramatic form, in which songs alternate with dialogue. The zaju, or variety play, ... zakat an obligatory tax required of Muslims, one of the five Pillars of Islam. The zakat is levied on five categories of property-food grains; fruit; camels, cattle, sheep, and goats; gold and silver; and movable goods-and is payable each year after one year's possession. The tax levy required by religious law ... Zakharov, Rostislav Russian ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, and director. He studied at the Leningrad State (formerly Imperial) Ballet School and joined the Kiev Ballet in 1926. He later choreographed ballets for the resident company at the Kirov Theatre (now the Mariinsky Theatre) and various other dance groups, applying the Stanislavsky method to ... Zakopane city, Malopolskie wojewodztwo (province), south-central Poland. The city is situated in the Carpathian Mountains near the Slovakian border. Its location at the foot of the Alpine-like Tatra Mountains makes it a major winter-sports and health-resort centre. Situated on good rail and highway routes, Zakopane also serves as the cultural centre ... Zakrzewska, Marie Elizabeth German-born American physician who founded the New England Hospital for Women and Children and contributed greatly to women's opportunities and acceptance as medical professionals. Zala megye (county), western Hungary. It is bordered by the counties of Vas to the northwest, Veszprem to the northeast, and Somogy to the east and by Croatia to the south and Slovenia to the southwest. Zalaegerszeg is the county seat. Other major towns include Heviz, Keszthely, Letenye, Nagykanizsa, Zalakaros, and ...