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Valois, historic region, France

(Encyclopedia)Valois, historic region, now comprised in Aisne and Oise depts., N France. Crépy-en-Valois was its historic capital. It is a rich agricultural area. A county and later a duchy, Valois was the appanag...

Staël, Nicholas de

(Encyclopedia)Staël, Nicholas de nēkôläˈ də stäl [key], 1914–55, French painter, b. St. Petersburg, Russia. Reared in Brussels, he traveled extensively before settling in France in 1940. De Staël evolved ...

spinel

(Encyclopedia)spinel, magnesium aluminum oxide, MgAl2O4, a mineral crystallizing in the isometric system, usually as octahedrons. It occurs as an accessory mineral in basic igneous rocks, in aluminum-rich metamorph...

Sierra Maestra

(Encyclopedia)Sierra Maestra syāˈrä mäāˈsträ [key], rugged mountain range, SE Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. Consisting of connecting ranges with local names, the Sierra Maestra is the highest system ...

Republican

(Encyclopedia)Republican, river, c.420 mi (680 km) long, formed in S Nebr. by the junction of the North Fork and Arikaree rivers. It is joined by the South Fork at Benkelman and flows E across the rolling grassland...

Tayma

(Encyclopedia)Tayma tāˈmä [key], large oasis, SW Saudi Arabia. Cuneiform inscriptions possibly dating from the 6th cent. b.c. have been recovered from Tayma. In ancient Arabic tradition the oasis was noted as a ...

Gretchaninov, Aleksandr Tichonovich

(Encyclopedia)Gretchaninov, Aleksandr Tichonovich əlyĭksänˈdər tēkônôˈvĭch grĕchänēˈnŏf [key], 1864–1956, Russian composer; pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov. Among his works are four symphonies, two operas...

Kankakee

(Encyclopedia)Kankakee kăngkəkēˈ [key], city (1990 pop. 27,575), seat of Kankakee co., E Ill., on the Kankakee River; inc. 1855. It is a trade, processing, and shipping center for a rich agricultural region pro...

Ascoli Piceno

(Encyclopedia)Ascoli Piceno äˈskōlē pēchĕˈnō [key], city, capital of Ascoli Piceno prov., Marche region, central Italy, at the confluence of the Castellano and Tronto rivers. It...
 

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