(Encyclopedia) Rajapaksa or Rajapakse, MahindaRajapaksa or Rajapakse, Mahindamähĭnˈdä räjäpäkˈsə [key], 1945–, Sri Lankan political leader. A lawyer from a political family, he was first elected to…
(Encyclopedia) ruby, precious stone, the transparent red variety of corundum, found chiefly in Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka and classified among the most valuable of gems. The Myanmarese stones…
(Encyclopedia) Hambantota, town, Southern prov., Sri Lanka, on the S coast 65 mi (105 km) E of Galle. The town is located in an area of salt production, which utilizes natural depressions called…
Henri La Fontaine See also U.S. Supreme Court Justices People in the NewsRecent Obituaries Related Links Supreme Court Facts Milestone Cases in Supreme Court History…
(Encyclopedia) Wijetunga, Dingiri Banda, 1916–2008, Sri Lankan political leader. A member of the United National party, he served in the parliament of Sri Lanka (1965–70, 1977–93), holding several…
(Encyclopedia) Fonseka, SarathFonseka, Sarathsäˈrät fänsĕkˈä [key], 1950–, Sri Lankan general and politician. He joined the army in 1970 and rose through the officer corps. From the early 1980s he…
(Encyclopedia) SailendraSailendrasīlĕnˈdrä [key], name of a dynasty in Indonesia and SE Asia. The dynasty appeared in central Java in the 7th cent. and had consolidated its position by the mid-8th…
(Encyclopedia) KandyKandykănˈdē [key], city (1995 est. pop. 108,000), capital of Central prov., Sri Lanka, on the Kandy Plateau. Once the capital of the Sinhalese Kandyan kingdom, it is now a…
(Encyclopedia) Sirisena, Maithripala (Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Gapa Sirisena), 1951–, Sri Lankan political leader. After an early interest in the Communist party, he joined the Sri Lankan…
