12) Zuider Zee. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...Lake Flevo, it was joined to the North Sea by a great flood in the 13th cent. A vast drainage project, begun in 1920, split the old Zuider Zee into the IJsselmeer,...

13) Netherlands. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...Nederland or Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, officially Kingdom of the Netherlands, constitutional monarchy (1994 est. pop. 15,341,600), 15,963 sq mi (41,344 sq km),...

14) Germanic languages. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...Germanic languages, subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages, spoken by about 470 million people in many parts of the world, but chiefly in Europe and the...

15) English language. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001
...English language, member of the West Germanic group of the Germanic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages (see Germanic languages). Spoken by about 470...