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Manning, Patrick Augustus Mervyn

(Encyclopedia)Manning, Patrick Augustus Mervyn, 1946–2016, Trinidadian political leader, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago (1991–95, 2001–10). He entered politics in the 1960s while studying geology at th...

sapote

(Encyclopedia)sapote səpōˈtā [key], name for several Central American trees and their fruits. Sapotes, sweet and pulpy, are commonly seen in tropical markets and are usually eaten fresh, although some are also ...

tide

(Encyclopedia)tide, alternate and regular rise and fall of sea level in oceans and other large bodies of water. These changes are caused by the gravitational attraction of the moon and, to a lesser extent, of the s...

Panama Canal Zone

(Encyclopedia)Panama Canal Zone, former territory within Panama, 553 sq mi (1,432 sq km), that was administered by the United States under a 1903 treaty (with later amendments) with Panama. The zone included the Pa...

Herrera Campíns, Luis

(Encyclopedia)Herrera Campíns, Luis lo͞oēsˈ ārāˈrä cämpēnsˈ [key], 1925–2007, Venezuelan politician and president (1979–84). A lawyer and journalist, he was a founder of the moderate Social Christian...

Havana

(Encyclopedia)Havana lä äväˈnä [key], city and, as Ciudad de La Habana, province (1997 est. pop. 2,200,000), capital of Cuba, W Cuba; largest city and chief port of the West Indies and one of the oldest cities...

Constellation, ship

(Encyclopedia)Constellation kŏnstĭlāˈshən [key], U.S. frigate, launched in 1797. It was named by President Washington for the constellation of 15 stars in the U.S. flag of that time. The frigate was built to s...

Fagan, Garth

(Encyclopedia)Fagan, Garth, 1940–, Jamaican-American dancer and choreographer. He studied with Ivy Baxter and left Jamaica to dance with her company. Settling (1960) in Detroit, he attended Wayne State Univ. (gra...

jai alai

(Encyclopedia)jai alai hīˈlīˌ [key], handball-like game of Spanish Basque origin. It is also called pelota. Jai alai is played on a three-walled court with a hard rubber ball that must be hurled against the fro...

North America

(Encyclopedia)CE5 North America, third largest continent (2015 est. pop. 571,949,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. North America includes a...

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