Word: mi
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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QATAR. Throughout the 4,400-sq.-mi. desert peninsula in eastern Arabia, the land does not rise higher than 360 ft. above sea level; the average annual rainfall is a scant 4 in., falling mostly in short cloudbursts in winter. Slowly, with great care, a modern state is being built. Qatar is one of the lesser oil producers in the gulf (411,000 bbl. a day), but the population is also small (250,000, of whom only 60,000 are native Qataris). The country has been found to have vast natural gas reserves, though at current prices development is considered...
...Phalangists appeared to have had at least two goals: to consolidate their hold over a 400-sq.-mi. Christian-dominated area to the north and east of Beirut, and to merge the various Christian militia units into a Phalangist-run "national guard" consisting of 40,000 men. They reportedly offered Camille Chamoun the titular leadership of the new coalition in return for his cooperation. Dany Chamoun accused the Phalangists of "treachery" and of committing "atrocities." His father said nothing, apparently hoping to protect his followers. Already about 300 members of his defeated militia had taken refuge in areas controlled either...
...mi. West Bank has been in almost constant turmoil since the signing of the Camp David accords in September 1978. In the past two months the bloodshed has intensified. Jewish settlers on the West Bank, who constitute about 2% of the population of the region (excluding East Jerusalem), have stepped up their demands for the support of the Israeli authorities, and the government of Prime Minister Menachem Begin has been eager to oblige. When extremist followers of Rabbi Moshe Levinger, founder of the Greater Israel Movement, illegally attempted to re-establish a Jewish presence in the Arab city of Hebron...
...eruption blew down 150 sq. mi. of timber worth about $200 million, caused an estimated $222 million in damage to wheat, alfalfa and other crops as far east as Missoula, Mont., and buried 5,900 miles of roads under ash. Clearing them could cost another $200 million. The blast created a 20-mile log jam along the Columbia River that blocked shipping between Longview, Wash., and Astoria, Ore. Volcanic mud carried by the river choked the harbor of Portland. Officials estimated that the ports would lose $5 million a day until dredges could clear a new channel through the silt...
...Mount Tambora on Indonesia's Sumbawa Island exploded, ejecting 25 cu. mi. of volcanic material, the greatest amount since ancient times. Whirlwinds and tidal waves killed 12,000, while dust and ash plunged the island into darkness for three days...