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German East Africa

(Encyclopedia)German East Africa, former German colony, c.370,000 sq mi (958,300 sq km), E Africa. Dar es Salaam was the capital. German influence emerged in the area in 1884 when Carl Peters, the German explorer, ...

general strike

(Encyclopedia)general strike, sympathetic cessation of work by a majority of the workers in all industries of a locality or nation. Such a stoppage is economic if it is for the purpose of redressing some grievance ...

Fife, council area, Scotland

(Encyclopedia)Fife, council area (1993 est. pop. 351,200), 510 sq mi (1,322 sq km), and former county, E Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay. The land rises to 1,500 ft (457 m) in the Lomond H...

Martin, Micheál

(Encyclopedia)Martin, Micheál, 1960–, Irish political leader. He briefly taught history before being elected (1985) to the Cork local government, and served (1992–93) as lord mayor of the city. A member of Fia...

Washington, Walter Edward

(Encyclopedia)Washington, Walter Edward, 1915–2003, American political figure, first African-American mayor of Washington, D.C. (1975–79) and of a major American city, b. Dawson, Ga., grad. Howard Univ. (A.B., ...

Simpson-Miller, Portia

(Encyclopedia)Simpson-Miller, Portia, 1945–, Jamaican political leader, prime minister of Jamaica (2006–7, 2012–16). A member of the People's National party (PNP), she was first elected to parliament in 1976....

poor law

(Encyclopedia)poor law, in English history, legislation relating to public assistance for the poor. Early measures to relieve pauperism were usually designed to suppress vagrancy and begging. In 1601, England passe...

Mather, Increase

(Encyclopedia)Mather, Increase, 1639–1723, American Puritan clergyman, b. Dorchester, Mass.; son of Richard Mather. After graduation (1656) from Harvard, he studied at Trinity College, Dublin (M.A., 1658), and pr...

East Lothian

(Encyclopedia)East Lothian lōˈᵺēən [key], council area (1993 est. pop. 85,640), 262 sq mi (677 sq km), and former county, SE Scotland. Under the Local Government Act of 1973, the county of East Lothian became...

San Miguel

(Encyclopedia)San Miguel sän mēgĕlˈ [key], city (1993 pop. 118,214), E El Salvador, at the foot of San Miguel, an active volcano (6,996 ft/2,132 m, also known as Chaparrastique). It has textile, rope, and dairy...