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Somme, river, France

(Encyclopedia)Somme, river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, rising near Saint-Quentin, N France, and flowing generally NW past Amiens into the English Channel; connected by canal with the Scheldt and Oise rivers. Once an o...

Tarn, department, France

(Encyclopedia)Tarn tärn [key], department (1990 pop. 343,400), S France, in Languedoc. Albi is the capital. ...

Tarn, river, France

(Encyclopedia)Tarn, river, c.235 mi (380 km) long, rising in the Cévennes Mts., S France, and flowing southwest before emptying into the Garonne River. Deep gorges and canyons formed by the river are tourist attra...

Bayonne, town, France

(Encyclopedia)Bayonne bäyônˈ [key], town, Pyrénées-Atlantiques dept., SW France, in Gascony, on the Ad...

Abbeville, town, France

(Encyclopedia)Abbeville äbvēlˈ [key], town, Somme dept., N France, in Picardy, on the Somme River. Sugar refining, brewing, iron working, and carpet manufacturing are the chief indus...

Brest, city, France

(Encyclopedia)Brest brĕst [key], city, Finistère dept., NW France, on an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. It ...

Verdun, town, France

(Encyclopedia)Verdun vĕrdŭnˈ, Fr. vĕrdöNˈ [key], town (1990 pop. 23,427), Meuse dept., NE France, in Lorraine, on the Meuse River. A strategic transportation center, Verdun has varied industries and is situat...

Lemonnier, Pierre Charles

(Encyclopedia)Lemonnier, Pierre Charles pyĕr shärl ləmônyāˈ [key], 1715–99, French astronomer. For many years he was professor of physics at the Collège de France. He studied the moon and the influence of ...

Conrad I, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire

(Encyclopedia)Conrad I, d. 918, German king (911–18). As duke of Franconia he distinguished himself by military exploits and in 911 was elected successor to Louis the Child by the Franconian, Saxon, Bavarian, and...

Gonzaga

(Encyclopedia)Gonzaga gōntsäˈgä [key], Italian princely house that ruled Mantua (1328–1708), Montferrat (1536–1708), and Guastalla (1539–1746). The family name is derived from the castle of Gonzaga, a vil...