Aix-en-ProvenceAix-en-Provence (UKˌɛks_ɒ̃_prɒˈvɒ̃s, USˌeɪks_ɒ̃_proʊˈvɒ̃s,ˌɛks-), or simply Aix (medieval Occitan: Aics), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the subprefecture of the arrondissement of Aix-en-Provence, in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The population of Aix-en-Provence is approximately 145,000. Its inhabitants are called Aixois or, less commonly, Aquisextains.
Rare-earth elementThe rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or rare earths or, in context, rare-earth oxides, and sometimes the lanthanides (although yttrium and scandium, which do not belong to this series, are usually included as rare earths), are a set of 17 nearly indistinguishable lustrous silvery-white soft heavy metals. Compounds containing rare earths have diverse applications in electrical and electronic components, lasers, glass, magnetic materials, and industrial processes.
MartiniqueMartinique (ˌmɑːrtᵻˈniːk , maʁtinik; Matinik or Matnik; Kalinago: Madinina or Madiana) is an island which is a single territorial collectivity of the French Republic. It is also part of the European Union as an Outermost Region within the Special territories of members of the European Economic Area, but is not part of the Schengen Area and the European Union Customs Union. As part of the French (Antilles) West Indies, Martinique is located in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea.
GnomonicsGnomonics (from the ancient Greek word γνώμων, /ɡnɔ̌ː.mɔːn/, meaning 'interpreter, discerner') is the study of the design, construction and use of sundials. The foundations of gnomonics were known to the ancient Greek Anaximander (ca. 550 BCE), which augmented the science of shadows brought back from Egypt by Thales of Miletus. Gnomonics was used by Greek and Roman architects from 25 BCE for the design of buildings. Modern gnomonics has its root in the nascent European astronomy of the 16th Century.
