Did You Know?

Did you know that Sri Lanka is the sapphire capital of the world? The largest manufacturer of solid rubber tires? I didn’t and if I’d checked the basic sources
Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) or read through the CIA World Factbook (www.cia.gov) I wouldn’t have discovered this information. I learned these facts and more at a presentation by A.M.C. Kulasekera the Deputy Director General of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Even though this information isn’t critical to a current project it was a great reminder that when researching a country it is important not to stop with the easy sources, on line or in print. Look around and expand the search. Set a Google Alert and read current news. Send a Tweet, check for Linked In groups and ask for information. Make some phone calls and find someone who has been there. Remember to reach out to people who know the place. It’s easy to feel we can find all the answers on a nice neat web page but sometimes its only through a personal connection off line that we can find the information that’s truly important for our needs, our project.