Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Speke, John Hanning spēk [key], 1827–64, English explorer in Africa. He joined Sir Richard Burton in his expeditions to Somaliland (1854) and to E central Africa (1857–59). Together they discover...

(Encyclopedia) Baganda bägänˈdə [key], also called Ganda, the largest ethnic group in Uganda. Bagandas comprise about 17% of the population and have the country's highest standard of living and literacy rate. Th...

(Encyclopedia) Burton, Sir Richard Francis, 1821–90, English explorer, writer, and linguist. He joined (1842) the service of the East India Company and, while stationed in India, acquired a thorough knowledge of t...

(Encyclopedia) Victoria, Lake, or Victoria Nyanza nēănˈzə, nī– [key], largest lake of Africa and the world's second largest freshwater lake, c.26,830 sq mi (69,490 sq km), E central Africa, on the Uganda-Tanz...

(Encyclopedia) Castiglione, Baldassare, Conte bäldäs-säˈrā kōnˈtā kästēlyōˈnā [key], 1478–1529, Italian soldier, author, and statesman attached to the court of the duke of Milan and later in the servi...

(Encyclopedia) John, Saint, one of the Twelve Apostles, traditional author of the fourth Gospel, three letters, and the Book of Revelation (see John, Gospel according to Saint; John, letters; Revelation); it is high...

(Encyclopedia) Cantacuzene, John: see John VI, Byzantine emperor. ...

(Encyclopedia) Sobieski, John: see John III, king of Poland. ...

(Encyclopedia) Zapolya, John: see John I, king of Hungary. ...

(Encyclopedia) Strype, John strīp [key], 1643–1737, English ecclesiastical historian and biographer. A graduate of Cambridge, he took holy orders. Much of his early life was spent in collecting old charters, lett...