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Albertville, town, France

(Encyclopedia)Albertville älbĕrvēlˈ [key], town, Savoie dept., E France in the Rhone-Alps region, close to the French-Italian border. Located in the Alps on the Arly River just abov...

Collège de France

(Encyclopedia)Collège de France kôlĕzhˈ də fräNs [key], institution of higher learning founded in Paris, France, in 1529 by Francis I at the instigation of Guillaume Budé. It was founded to encourage humanis...

Cher, department, France

(Encyclopedia)Cher shĕr [key], department, central France, in Berry. Chief cities are Vierzon and Bour...

Cher, river, France

(Encyclopedia)Cher, river, c.200 mi (320 km) long, rising in the Massif Central and flowing generally NW across central France to join the Loire below Tours. The Berry Canal parallels part of the river. ...

Charente, department, France

(Encyclopedia)Charente shäräNtˈ [key], department, W France. The capital is Angoulême. The brandy disti...

Charente, river, France

(Encyclopedia)Charente, river, 220 mi (354 km) long, rising near Limoges, W France, and flowing W to the Bay of Biscay. The river flows past Angoulême (the head of navigation), Cognac, Saintes, and Rochefort, and ...

Institut de France

(Encyclopedia)Institut de France ăNstētüˈ də fräNs [key], cultural institution of the French state. Founded in 1795 by the Directory, it replaced five learned societies that had been suppressed in 1793 by the...

Gironde, department, France

(Encyclopedia)Gironde zhērôNdˈ [key], department, SW France, on the Bay of Biscay. Bordeaux is the capital. ...

Gironde, estuary, France

(Encyclopedia)Gironde, estuary, c.45 mi (70 km) long and from 2 to 7 mi (3.2–11.3 km) wide, formed by the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, which join c.14 mi (23 km) N of Bordeaux. Sand banks and a high tidal range h...

Fort-de-France

(Encyclopedia)Fort-de-France fôr-də-fräNs [key], city, capital of the French overseas dept. of Martinique, West Indies. It is a ...