text:
List of French Jews

Jews have lived in France since Roman times with a rich and complex history. In the Middle Ages, French kings expelled most of the original Ashkenazi Jewish population to Germany. Since the French Revolution (and Emancipation), Jews have been able to contribute to all aspects of French culture and society. In 1870, the Cremieux decree gave full French citizenship to North-African Jews living in the Maghreb under French colonization. During World War II, a significant number of Jews living in Metropolitan France were murdered in the Holocaust or deported to Nazi death camps by the French Vichy government. After 1945, France served as a haven for Askhenazi refugees. After the independence of Morocco, Tunisia and the end of Algerian War, an influx of immigration of Sephardi Jews saw the Jewish population triple to around 600,000, making it the largest Jewish community in Western Europe. Behind the United States and Israel, France ranks 3rd by Jewish population. In 2019, the Jewish Agency evaluated the Jewish population in France to be 450,000, not mentioning French citizens with only one Jewish parent or grandparent.

The following is a list of some prominent Jews and people of Jewish origins, among others (not all of them practice, or practiced, the Jewish religion) who were born in, or are very strongly associated with, France. The strongly secular French nationality law forbids any statistics or lists based on ethnic or religious membership.

Activists

 * René Cassin (1887–1976), drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, won Nobel Peace Prize (1968)
 * Lewis Goldsmith (c. 1763–1846), English-born journalist and political writer
 * Alain Krivine (1941–2022), student leader and Trotskyist MEP
 * André Spire (1868–1966), lawyer, journalist, poet, Jewish society and French Zionism leader

Clergymen

 * Aaron ben Perez of Avignon, fl.1300–1310
 * Abraham Auerbach (mid 1700s – November 3, 1846), Alsatian-born rabbi and liturgical poet. Fled France for Germany after imprisonment during the Reign of Terror.
 * Gilles Bernheim (born 1952), chief rabbi of France 2009–2013
 * Mordecai Karmi (1749–1825), rabbi and Talmudic writer
 * Jean-Marie Lustiger (1926–2007), former Catholic archbishop of Paris and cardinal; converted to Catholicism when he was 13
 * Rashi (1040–1105), medieval rabbi based in Troyes, famed as the author of the first comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible)
 * Joseph Sitruk (1944–2016), Tunisian-born former Chief Rabbi of France, 1987–2008
 * Rabbeinu Tam (1100–1171), rabbinical authority, grandson of Rashi

Military

 * Denise Bloch (1915–1945), World War II SOE spy
 * Nissim de Camondo (1892–1917), pilot in World War I
 * Alfred Dreyfus (1859–1935), military officer
 * Robert Gamzon, French resistant, commanding the 2nd company of Maquis de Vabre
 * Alter Mojze Goldman (1909–1988), Polish-born, active during the French Résistance; father of Jean-Jacques Goldman, Robert Goldman and Pierre Goldman
 * Paulette Weill Oppert (1911–2005), Second World War resistance fighter

Nobles

 * Cahen d'Anvers, Papal title of 1867
 * Liefmann Calmer, Baron of Picquigny and Viscount of Amiens
 * d'Estienne, one of the early Franco/Jewish ennoblements in 16th-century Provence, after the family converted to Catholicism and changed their name from Cohen to Estienne in 1501
 * Maurice Ephrussi, Russian Empire-born, husband of Beatrice de Rothschild
 * de Fould-Springer, Baron Eugène Fould-Springer
 * Arnaud Henry Salas-Perez, Prince Obolensky (1982-), French born fashion editor and Designer, half Jewish.
 * Koenigswarter
 * de Rothschild

Philanthropists

 * Angelo Donati (1885–1960), Italian-born, from 1919 to 1960, saved the Jews from Nazi persecution in the Italian-occupied France between 1942 and 1943 while staying in Nice

Politicians

 * Gabriel Attal, Jewish father; Prime Minister of France (2024-present); is also the first openly gay Prime Minister of France.
 * Jacques Attali (born 1943), Algerian-born advisor to President François Mitterrand from 1981 to 1991
 * Robert Badinter (1928-2024), Justice minister, 1981–86; abolished the death penalty in France
 * Patrick Balkany (born 1948), member of the National Assembly of France
 * Léon Blum (1872–1950), Prime Minister, 1936–37, 1938, and 1946–47
 * Élisabeth Borne (born 1961), Jewish father, first woman of Jewish descent to serve as Prime Minister, (2022-2024).
 * Agnès Buzyn (born 1962), medical doctor and university professor, Minister of Health from 2017–2020
 * Daniel Cohn-Bendit (born 1945), French-born German politician, active in both countries, best known as leader of the 1968 student uprising in France; more recently a leader of the European Greens
 * Jean-François Copé (born 1964), President of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) Group in the French National Assembly
 * Adolphe Crémieux (1796–1880), Justice Minister, 1848, 1870–71
 * Julien Dray (born 1955), Algerian-born member of the National Assembly of France for the Socialist Party (PS)
 * Michel Debré (1912–1996), Prime Minister 1959-1962
 * Léon Halévy (1802–1883), civil servant, historian, and dramatist; son of Élie Halévy, brother of Fromental Halévy and father of Ludovic Halévy and grandfather to Élie Halévy, Daniel Halévy and Lucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradol
 * Roger Karoutchi (born 1951), Moroccan-born Secretary of State to the Prime Minister, with responsibility for Relations with Parliament
 * Louis-Lucien Klotz (1868–1930), journalist and politician; Minister of Finance during World War I
 * Bernard Kouchner (born 1939), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007–2010) and physician,.co-founder of NGO's Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde
 * Henri Krasucki (1924–2003), Polish-born former secretary general of the Confédération générale du travail (CGT) from 1982 to 1992
 * Jack Lang (born 1939), Minister of Culture (1981–1986, 1988–1993) and Minister of Education (1992–1993, 2000–2002)
 * Pierre Lellouche (born 1951), Tunisian-born member of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party
 * Georges Mandel (1885–1944), Interior Minister, 1939
 * René Mayer (1895–1972), Prime Minister 1953
 * Pierre Mendès France (1907–1982), Prime Minister, 1954–55; withdrew from Indochina
 * Alexandre Millerand (1859–1943), first Jewish Prime Minister, 1920, and first Jewish President of France, serving 1920 to 1924
 * Jules Moch (1893–1985), Transport Minister, 1945–47; Interior Minister, 1947–50; Defense Minister, 1950–51
 * Pierre Moscovici (born 1957), European Union Economic Affairs Commissioner, former French Finance Ministerer and member of the French Parliament for the Socialist Party (PS)
 * Yaël Braun-Pivet (born 1970), Jewish grandparents, first practicing Jew, as well as woman, to serve as President of the French National Assembly, serving since 2022.
 * Maurice Schumann (1911–1998), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1969–1973), Jewish father
 * Alexandre Stavisky (1886–1934), Ukrainian-born financier and embezzler; Stavisky Affair
 * Abraham Schrameck (1867–1948), Minister of the Interior, and colonial governor of French Madagascar, senator.
 * Dominique Strauss-Kahn (born 1949), Finance Minister, 1997–99; President of the International Monetary Fund, 2007–11
 * Simone Veil (1927–2017), Health Minister, 1974–76; legalized abortion; President of the European Parliament, 1979–82
 * Georges Wormser (1888–1978), chief of staff of Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau
 * Éric Zemmour (born 1958), French far-right politician, political journalist, essayist and 2022 French presidential election candidate

Journalists

 * Paul Amar (born 1950), journalist and television presenter
 * Michel Drucker (born 1942), journalist and TV host
 * Erik Izraelewicz (1954–2012), journalist and author, specialised in economics and finance; director and editorial executive of the daily Le Monde
 * Ruth Elkrief (born 1960), journalist and television presenter
 * Jean-François Kahn (born 1938), founder of Marianne magazine
 * Ariel Wizman (born 1962), Moroccan-born TV journalist, DJ, musician and stage actor{{

Scientists

 * Hippolyte Bernheim (1840–1919), hypnosis pioneer
 * Georges Charpak (1924–2010), Polish-born, Nobel Prize in physics in 1992
 * Claude Cohen Tannoudji (born 1933), Nobel Prize in physics in 1997
 * Serge Haroche (born 1944), Nobel Prize in physics in 2012
 * François Jacob (1920–2013), Nobel Prize in medicine in 1965
 * Gabriel Lippmann (1845–1921), Luxembourgish-born physicist, Nobel Prize (1908)
 * Andre Michael Lwoff (1902–1994), microbiologist, Nobel Prize (1965)

Mathematicians

 * Immanuel Bonfils (c. 1300 – 1377), mathematician and astronomer
 * Maurice Block (1816–1901), German-born statistician
 * Paul Lévy, mathematician specialized in probability theory
 * Benoit Mandelbrot (1924–2010), Polish-born mathematician
 * Olinde Rodrigues (1795–1851), mathematician and social reformer
 * Laurent Schwartz (1915–2002), mathematician
 * André Weil (1906–1998), mathematician and leader in the Bourbaki group

Social scientists

 * Albert Aftalion (1874–1956), Bulgarian-born French economist
 * Raymond Aron (1905–1983), sociologist
 * Jacqueline Lévi-Valensi (1932–2004), specialist in the work of Albert Camus
 * Élisabeth Badinter (born 1944), sociologist, philosopher and historian
 * Julien Benda (1867–1956), philosopher and novelist
 * Berachyah (12th or 13th century), philosopher
 * Henri Bergson (1859–1941), philosopher, Nobel Prize (1927)
 * Danielle Bleitrach (born 1938), sociologist, academic and journalist
 * Marc Bloch (1886–1944), historian and Resistance leader
 * Hélène Cixous (born 1937), Algerian-born feminist critic
 * Jacques Derrida (1930–2004), Algerian-born philosopher
 * Émile Durkheim (1858–1917), sociologist
 * Josy Eisenberg (1933–2017), author, TV host, rabbi, screenwriter
 * Alain Finkielkraut (born 1949), essayist
 * Gersonides (1288–1344), philosopher
 * Pierre Goldman (1944–1977), philosopher, author, thief; was mysteriously assassinated; son of Alter Mojze Goldman; half-brother to Robert Goldman and Jean-Jacques Goldman (half Jewish)
 * Jean Gottmann (1915–1994), Russian Empire-born geographer
 * Daniel Halévy (1872–1962), historian; son of Ludovic Halévy, brother to Élie Halévy, grandson of Élie Halévy, half brother to Lucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradol
 * Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908–2009), cultural anthropologist and ethnologist
 * Emmanuel Lévinas (1906–1995), Russian Empire-born philosopher
 * Bernard-Henri Lévy (born 1948), Algerian-born philosopher
 * Serge Moscovici (1925–2014), Romanian-born social psychologist, currently the director of the Laboratoire Européen de Psychologie Sociale; father of Pierre Moscovici
 * Salomon Reinach (1858–1932), historian and archaeologist
 * Maxime Rodinson (1915–2004), historian
 * Jacob Rodrigues Pereira (1715–1780), first to teach the deaf
 * Ignacy Sachs (1927–2023), Polish-born economist
 * George Steiner (1929-2020), literary critic
 * Simone Weil (1909–1943), philosopher and mystic

Artists

 * Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon (1818–1881), photographer and sculptor
 * Christian Boltanski (1944–2021), photographer, sculptor and installation artist (half Jewish)
 * Claude Cahun (1894–1954), photographer
 * André François (1915–2005), cartoonist
 * Alexandre Frenel (1899-1981), École de Paris painter
 * Marcel Gotlib (1934–2016), comics artist
 * Michel Kikoine (1892–1968), Russian Empire-born painter
 * Moise Kisling (1891–1953), Polish-born painter
 * Camille Pissarro (1830–1903), Danish West Indies-born painter widely considered the "father of Impressionism"
 * Willy Ronis (1910–2009), photographer
 * Joann Sfar (born 1971), cartoonist, film director
 * Chaïm Soutine (1893–1943), Belarusian-born painter
 * Roland Topor (1938–1997), illustrator, novelist
 * Pauline Trigère (1909–2002), fashion designer
 * Ossip Zadkine (1890–1967), Russian-born sculptor (half Jewish)

Film and stage

 * Anouk Aimée (born 1932), actress
 * Alexandre Aja (born 1978), film director (Haute Tension)
 * Mathieu Amalric (born 1965), actor, film director (half Jewish)
 * Richard Anconina (born 1953), actor
 * Alexandre Arcady (born 1947), film director, scriptwriter
 * Arthur (born 1966), Moroccan-born TV producer, TV host
 * Aure Atika (born 1970), actress, writer and director
 * Yvan Attal (born 1965), Israeli-born filmmaker, actor
 * Jean-Pierre Aumont (1911–2001), actor
 * Guy Béart (1930–2015), Egyptian-born singer and songwriter
 * Emmanuelle Béart (born 1963), actress (half Jewish), daughter of Guy Béart
 * Véra Belmont (born 1938), film producer, director and screenwriter
 * Maurice Benichou (1943–2019), actor
 * Raymond Bernard (1891–1977), film director and screenwriter, son of Tristan Bernard and brother of Jean-Jacques Bernard
 * Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923), stage actress (half Jewish)
 * Claude Berri (1934–2009), film director, producer, actor and writer
 * Simone Bitton (born 1955), Moroccan-born French-Israeli documentary filmmaker
 * Michel Boujenah (born 1952), Tunisian-born humorist, actor, producer, director
 * Pierre Braunberger (1905–1990), film producer
 * Alain Chabat (born 1958), actor, writer, director
 * David Charvet (born 1972), French-born actor and singer (Baywatch) (half Jewish)
 * Elie Chouraqui (born 1953), film director, producer, scriptwriter, actor
 * Gerard Darmon (born 1948), actor, singer
 * Charles Denner (1926–1995), Polish-born actor
 * Marcel Dalio (1900–1983), actor
 * Pascal Elbé (born 1967), actor
 * Gad Elmaleh (born 1971), Moroccan-born humorist, actor, film director, singer, brother of Arié
 * Daniel Emilfork (1924–2006), Chilean-born actor
 * Jean Epstein (1897–1953), filmmaker, film theorist, literary critic, and novelist (half Jewish)
 * Sami Frey (born 1937), actor, director, movie actor
 * Charlotte Gainsbourg (born 1971), actress, singer (half Jewish); daughter of Serge Gainsbourg
 * Eva Green (born 1980), actress (half Jewish), daughter of Marlène Jobert
 * Roger Hanin (1925–2015), actor, director
 * Serge Hazanavicius (born 1963), actor
 * Michel Hazanavicius (born 1967), film director, screenwriter, and producer
 * Anna Held (1872–1918), Polish-born actress
 * Isabelle Huppert (born 1953), actress (half Jewish)
 * Agnès Jaoui (born 1964), director and actress
 * Marlène Jobert (born 1940), actress, author, singer; mother of Eva Green
 * Elie Kakou (1960–1999), humorist, actor
 * Marin Karmitz (born 1938), Romanian-born producer
 * Tcheky Karyo (born 1953), film actor
 * Mathieu Kassovitz (born 1967), film director, actor, producer (half Jewish), son of Peter Kassovitz
 * Peter Kassovitz (born 1938), Hungarian-born film director and scriptwriter
 * Sandrine Kiberlain (born 1968), actress
 * Cédric Klapisch (born 1961), film director
 * Diane Kurys (born 1948), filmmaker and actress
 * Arlette Langmann (born 1946); film editor and screenwriter; sister of Claude Berri
 * Greg Lansky (born 1982), pornographic film producer
 * Claude Lanzmann (1925–2018), filmmaker
 * Mélanie Laurent (born 1983), actress, singer, director
 * Claude Lelouch (born 1937), director
 * Gilles Lellouche (born 1972), actor (half Jewish)
 * Marcel Marceau (1923–2007), mime artist
 * Jean-Pierre Melville (1917–1973), film director and screenwriter
 * Radu Mihăileanu (born 1958), Romanian-born film director, screenwriter, poet
 * Claude Miller (1942–2012), director
 * Serge Moati (born 1958), Tunisian-born film director, screenwriter, journalist, artist, political consultant
 * Jean-Pierre Mocky (1929–2019), film director, screenwriter and actor
 * Marcel Ophüls (born 1927), German-born documentary filmmaker, son of Max Ophüls
 * Max Ophüls (1902–1957), German-born film director, father of Marcel Ophüls
 * Gérard Oury (1919–2006), film director, screenwriter; father of Danièle Thompson
 * Roman Polanski (born 1933), film director, screenwriter, actor (three-fourths Jewish)
 * Rachel (1821–1858), Swiss-born stage actress
 * Éric Rochant (born 1961), film director and screenwriter.
 * Alexandra Rosenfeld (born 1986), Miss France 2006
 * Ida Rubinstein (1885–1960), Russian-born Belle Epoque icon
 * Suzanne Schiffman (1929–2001), screenwriter, film director (half Jewish)
 * Simone Signoret (1921–1985), German-born actress (half Jewish)
 * Tomer Sisley (born 1974), German-born actor and comedian
 * Estelle Skornik (born 1971), actress
 * Nicole Stéphane (1923–2007), film producer, actress, and director
 * Charlotte Szlovak (born 1947), Moroccan-born cinematographer, film director, and screenwriter
 * Danièle Thompson (born 1942), film director, screenwriter (half Jewish); daughter of Gérard Oury
 * Alexandre Trauner (1906–1993), Hungarian-born Academy Award winning Scenic designer
 * Michael Vartan (born 1968), actor (half Jewish)
 * Francis Veber (born 1937), film director, playwright and screenwriter (half Jewish)
 * André Weinfeld (born 1947), film and television producer, director, screenwriter, photographer and journalist
 * William Wyler (1902–1981), film director
 * Yolande Zauberman, film director and screenwriter
 * Elsa Zylberstein (born 1968), actress (half Jewish)

Musicians

 * Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813–1888), composer and pianist
 * Franck Amsallem (born 1961), Algerian-born jazz pianist and composer
 * Monique Andrée Serf (1930–1997), French singer known as Barbara
 * Keren Ann (born 1974), Israeli-born folk singer
 * Thomas Bangalter (born 1975), French musician known as half of the electro duo Daft Punk
 * Patrick Bruel (born 1959), singer, musician, actor
 * Marcel Dadi (1951–1996), guitarist
 * Joe Dassin (1938–1980), American-born singer, son of Jules Dassin
 * Mike Brant (1947–1975), singer
 * Natalie Dessay (born 1965), opera singer soprano (converted to Judaism)
 * Sacha Distel (1933–2004), singer, guitarist
 * Paul Dukas (1865–1935), composer
 * Jean Ferrat (1930–2010), singer-songwriter, poet
 * Serge Gainsbourg (1928–1991), singer-songwriter, musician, film composer, actor, film director, writer; father of Charlotte Gainsbourg
 * Jean-Jacques Goldman (born 1951), singer-songwriter, musician; son of Alter Mojze Goldman, brother to Robert Goldman and half-brother to Pierre Goldman
 * David Guetta (born 1967), DJ, remixer, songwriter
 * Fromental Halévy (1799–1862), composer
 * Ludovic Halévy (1834–1908), librettist; son of Élie Halévy
 * Jenifer (born 1982), French pop singer (half Jewish)
 * Joseph Kosma (1905–1969), Hungarian-born film composer
 * Norbert Krief (born 1956), guitarist
 * Jacques Lanzmann (1927–2006), lyricist; brother of Claude Lanzmann
 * Isidore de Lara (1858–1930), English-born composer
 * René Leibowitz (1913–1972), Polish-born composer
 * Daniel Levi (born 1961), singer, composer
 * Enrico Macias (born 1938), Algerian-born singer, guitarist
 * Emmanuelle Haïm (born 1967), harpsichordist and conductor (half Jewish)
 * Darius Milhaud (1892–1974), composer, member of the Groupe des six
 * Pierre Monteux (1875–1964), conductor
 * Georges Moustaki (1934–2013), Egyptian-born composer, singer
 * Yael Naim (born 1978), singer-songwriter, guitarist
 * Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880), German-born composer
 * Catherine Ringer (born 1957), singer-songwriter, actress
 * Sapho (born 1950), Moroccan-born singer
 * David Serero (born 1981), French opera singer, actor, producer; his parents are Sephardi Jews from Morocco
 * Martial Solal (born 1927), jazz pianist and composer
 * Tal (born 1989), Israeli-born pop / R'n'B singer
 * Alexandre Tansman (1897–1986), Polish-born composer, pianist
 * Daniel Vangarde (born 1947), French songwriter and producer, father of Thomas Bangalter
 * Émile Waldteufel (1837–1915), composer

Writers and poets

 * Tristan Bernard (1866–1947), playwright and novelist, father of Raymond Bernard and Jean-Jacques Bernard
 * Jean-Jacques Bernard (1888–1974), playwright, son of Tristan Bernard and brother of Raymond Bernard
 * Henri Bernstein (1876–1953), playwright
 * Henri Blowitz (1825–1903), Bohemian-born journalist
 * Paul Celan (1920–1970), Romanian-born poet
 * Benjamin Fondane (1898–1944), Romanian-born poet
 * Romain Gary (1914–1980), Russian Empire-born novelist
 * René Goscinny (1926–1977), comic book author and editor, co-creator of Asterix
 * Élie Halévy (1760–1826), Bavarian-born French Hebrew poet, author and secretary of the Jewish community of Paris; father of Fromental Halévy and Léon Halévy
 * Marek Halter (born 1936), writer and activist
 * Léon Hollaenderski (1808–1878), writer and poet
 * Max Jacob (1876–1944), poet
 * Edmond Jabès (1912–1991), Egyptian-born poet
 * Joseph Joffo (1931–2018), writer
 * Gabriel Josipovici (born 1940), novelist
 * Gustave Kahn (1859–1936), poet and art critic
 * Joseph Kessel (1898–1979), Argentinian-born novelist and journalist
 * Justine Lévy (born 1974), novelist, daughter of Bernard-Henri Lévy
 * André Maurois (1885–1967), author
 * Alain Mamou-Mani (born 1949), Tunisian-born French film producer and writer
 * Albert Memmi (1920–2020), Tunisian-born novelist and sociologist
 * Catulle Mendès (1841–1909), poet and man of letters (half Jewish)
 * Patrick Modiano (born 1945), writer (half Jewish)
 * Nine Moati (1938–2021), Tunisian-born novelist Les Belles de Tunis and screenwriter; sister of Serge Moati
 * Irène Némirovsky (1903–1942), writer
 * Georges Perec (1936–1982), novelist
 * Marcel Proust (1871–1922), writer
 * Yasmina Reza (born 1959), playwright
 * Nathalie Sarraute (1900–1999), Russian-born writer
 * Jean-Jacques Schuhl (born 1941), writer
 * Anne Sinclair (born 1948), political journalist; wife of Dominique Strauss-Kahn
 * André Suarès (1868–1948), poet
 * Elsa Triolet (1896–1970), Russian-born novelist
 * Tristan Tzara (1896–1963), Romanian-born poet
 * Ilarie Voronca (1903–1946), Romanian-born poet and essayist
 * Bernard Werber (born 1961), best-selling author

Business figures

 * Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet (1906–1996), founder and head of Publicis Groupe
 * Moïse de Camondo (1860–1935), Ottoman Empire-born banker
 * Isaac and Daniel Carasso, founders of Danone
 * André Citroën (1878–1935), founder of Citroën
 * Marcel Dassault (1892–1986), aerospace industrialist; converted to Catholicism in 1950
 * Achille Fould (1800–1867), financier
 * Maurice Girodias (1919–1990), founder of Olympia Press (half Jewish)
 * Maurice de Hirsch (1831–1896), banker
 * Philippe Kahn (born 1952), founder of Borland
 * Gérard Louis-Dreyfus (1932–2016), owner of Louis-Dreyfus & Co. (half Jewish)
 * Michel Adam Lisowski (born 1950), Polish-born founder and president of Fashion TV
 * André Meyer (1898–1979), French-American financier
 * Emile and Isaac Péreire, bankers
 * Rothschild banking and wine growing family of France

Sport figures

 * Sarah Abitbol (born 1975), figure skater, World Figure Skating Championship bronze
 * Gary Assous (born 1988), football player
 * Jonathan Assous (born 1983), France/Israel, soccer defensive midfielder (Hapoel Ramat Gan)
 * Fabrice Benichou (born 1966), boxer, World Champion, super bantamweight
 * Cyril Benzaquen (born 1989), World Champion Kickboxing, World Champion Muay-thaï, light heavyweight
 * Ossip Bernstein (1882–1962), Russian-born chess grandmaster
 * Jean Bloch (born 1877), soccer, Olympic silver
 * Ilan Boccara (born 1993), France/Netherlands, football player
 * Alain Calmat (born 1940), figure skater, Olympic silver, World Championship gold, silver, two-time bronze
 * François Cevert (1944–1973), racing driver (half Jewish)
 * Robert Cohen (1930–2022), boxer, World Champion, bantamweight
 * Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro (born 1983), tennis player
 * Steven Cohen (born 1986), football player
 * Pierre Darmon (born 1934), tennis player, highest world ranking #8
 * René Dreyfus (1905–1993), racing driver
 * Yves Dreyfus (1931–2021), épée fencer, Olympic bronze, French champion
 * Johann Fauveau (born 1982), kickboxer, World Champion, welterweight
 * Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi (born 1961), slalom canoer, Olympic bronze (K-1 slalom), five golds at ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships (two-time K-1, three-time K-1 team)
 * Stéphane Haccoun (born 1967), boxer, featherweight, super featherweight, and junior lightweight
 * Rudy Haddad (born 1985), soccer midfielder (LB Châteauroux & U21 national team)
 * Alphonse Halimi (1932–2006), boxer, World Champion, bantamweight
 * Maurice Herzog (1919–2012), mountaineer; first 8000 m; mountain Annapurna (1950); later a politician
 * Alexandre Lippmann (1881–1960), épée fencer, two-time Olympic champion, two-time silver, bronze
 * Armand Mouyal (1925–1988), épée fencer, Olympic bronze, world champion
 * Alfred "Artem" Nakache (1915–1983), swimmer; world record (200-m breaststroke), one-third of French two-time world record (3x100 relay team); imprisoned by Nazis in Auschwitz, where his wife and daughter were killed
 * Claude Netter (1924–2007), foil fencer, Olympic champion, silver
 * Jacques Ochs (1883–1971), French-born Belgian épée, saber, and foil fencer, Olympic champion
 * Kevin Pariente (born 1987), football player
 * Maxime Partouche (born 1990), football player
 * Victor Perez (1911–1945), Tunisian-French boxer, World Champion, flyweight; murdered in the Holocaust
 * François Rozenthal (born 1975), ice hockey, France national team; brother of Maurice Rozenthal
 * Maurice Rozenthal (born 1975), ice hockey, right wing, France national team
 * Eric Sitruk (born 1978), football player
 * Jean Stern (1875–1962), épée fencer, Olympic champion
 * Daniel Wildenstein (1917–2001), racehorse owner
 * Mickaël Madar (1968–), French former professional footballer

Other

 * Abraham of Aragon, Jewish physician specializing in diseases of the eye
 * Bonet de Lattes (by 1450–after 1514), astrologer and papal physician
 * Ilan Halimi (1982–2006), salesman; kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by an anti-semitic gang mistaking him for a wealthy man

title: List of French Jews


text:
Offensive

Offensive may refer to:

 * Offensive (military), type of military operation
 * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
 * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the person to whom they are addressed
 * Pejorative words
 * Profanity, strongly impolite, rude or offensive language

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Offensive


text:
Fukuoka, Toyama

Fukuoka (福岡町) was a town located in Nishitonami District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.

On November 1, 2005, Fukuoka was merged into the expanded city of Takaoka.

As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 13,623 and a density of 231.84 persons per km2. The total area is 58.76 km2.

The town festival was called Tsukurimon and featured carvings and dioramas made from produce.

Fukuoka was home to Kameo Corporation, the designers of the "Boyfriend's Arm Pillow".

title: Fukuoka, Toyama


text:
Nishitonami District, Toyama

Toyama NishiTonami-gun.png:

 * yellow - areas formerly within the district borders during the early Meiji period]]

Nishitonami (西礪波郡) was a district located in Toyama Prefecture, Japan.

As of November 1, 2004, the district had an estimated population of 13,770 with a density of 234.34 persons per km2. The total area was 58.76 km2.

Municipalities
Prior to its dissolution, the district consisted of only one town left:

 * Fukuoka

History
Due to the enforcement of the district government, the district was founded in 1896 when the former Tonami District, occupied the southwestern Etchū Province, split into Nishitonami and Higashitonami Districts.

The district covered all of the city of Oyabe, and the areas of Toide, Fukuoka, and Tatsuno in the city of Takaoka. The district seat was located at the town of Ishido (now the city of Oyabe).

District Timeline

 * In 1962 - The towns of Ishido and Tochu were merged to form the city of Oyabe.

Recent mergers

 * On November 1, 2004 - The town of Fukumitsu was merged with the towns of Fukuno, Inami and Jōhana, and the villages of Inokuchi, Kamitaira, Taira and Toga (all from Higashitonami District) to create the city of Nanto.
 * On November 1, 2005 - The town of Fukuoka was merged into the expanded city of Takaoka. Therefore, Nishitonami District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

title: Nishitonami District, Toyama


text:
Baltic Cable

The Baltic Cable is a monopolar HVDC power line running beneath the Baltic Sea that interconnects the electric power grids of Germany and Sweden. Its maximum transmission power is 600 megawatts (MW).

The Baltic Cable uses a transmission voltage of 450 kV – the highest operating voltage for energy transmission in Germany. The total project cost was 2 billion SEK (US$280 million), and the link was put into operation in December 1994. With a length of 250 km, it was the second longest high voltage undersea cable on earth, until Basslink came into service in 2006.

Route
The Baltic Cable starts in Germany at the converter station at Lübeck-Herrenwyk, which is on the site of a former coal-fired power station, It crosses the river Trave in a channel 6 m below the bottom of the river and then follows its course as sea cable laid at the eastern side of the river. After crossing the Priwall Peninsula the cable runs parallel to the coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, before turning north-easterly toward Sweden. At sea, it crosses the submarine cable of HVDC Kontek. This is the only crossing of two submarine HVDC cables in the Baltic Sea and one of the only few worldwide.

From the landing point at the southern coast of Sweden, the powerline transitions to an overhead line a few kilometres inland. It runs to a termination tower in Kruseberg which is attached to a 400 kV/130 kV substation of the Swedish power grid.

The anode, which is situated in the Baltic Sea, consists of 40 titanium nets each with a surface of 20 m2, which are laid on the sea bottom under plastic tubes and stones. It is connected to Kruseberg converter station with a 23-kilometre-long underground and submarine power line, which consists of two parallel-connected cables with 630 mm2 cross section.

The cathode is situated in the Baltic Sea north of Elmenhorst. It consists of a bare copper ring with a 2-kilometre diameter. It is connected to the static inverter plant in Lübeck-Herrenwyk with a 32-kilometre-long cable. The first 20 kilometres of this cable have a cross section of 1400 mm2 and the last of 800 mm2. This cable is laid in the tunnel under Trave River at a distance of 2.5 metres from the high voltage cable. The separation reduces the magnetic field, which may affect compasses of vessels in this highly frequented area. As the cable is a monopolar line, it produces much higher magnetic fields than bipolar cables with the same ratings.

Operation
Because this overhead line can generate radio interference, there is a highly effective active filter system installed at the Kruseberg converter station. In the Lübeck-Herrenwyk converter station, there is no requirement for such a system, because there is no overhead powerline section on the German side.

The cable cannot be operated at the maximum transmission rating of 600 megawatts, because the 380 kV line which begins at the converter station of Lübeck-Herrenwyk ends at the Lübeck-Siems substation. This is the only 380 kV powerline in Germany which has no direct connection to the Central European 380 kV grid, which caused the Baltic Cable to have a 372 megawatt (MW) capacity instead of 600 MW. This bottleneck was solved in 2004 when an additional 220 kV line was built. However power flows on 220 kV and 110 kV lines face increased losses of the transmission.

In the area of the converter station there is also a 110 kV/220 kV sub-station, fed by two 110 kV circuits from the Lübeck-Siems sub-station. There is no transformer for coupling the 380 kV- and the 110 kV-grid in the area of the Lübeck-Herrenwyk converter station.

In 2016, the owner Statkraft started a court case against Swedish authorities in disagreements over profits from electricity trade in the cable.

In the night from April 16, 2017 to April 17, 2017 on the electrode cable on Priwall peninsula a fault occurred, which resulted in the generation of hydrogen at the fault location as it acted as cathode. The hydrogen got ignited by the generated heat and a 3 metres high flame shot off the ground. As there is no device monitoring the state of the electrode cable, no alert was made to the operators. Fire brigades were first not able to extinguish the fire, but the flame went out when the current was switched off.

Expansion schemes
Of the two originally planned 380 kV lines to Lübeck (from Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant to Lübeck-Siems and from Schwerin substation to Lübeck-Herrenwyk), the 380 kV line between Krümmel and Lübeck-Siems was canceled according to speakers from E.ON AG.

There is still the option to build a 380 kV line from Lübeck to another 380 kV substation in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg or Lower Saxony. The construction of the 380 kV link between Lübeck-Herrenwyk and Schwerin is not progressing due to opposition from ecologists.

A transmission rating of 600 MW should be possible via a new 220 kV cable and a static var compensator in Lübeck-Siems after 2005.

title: Baltic Cable


text:
Kajikawa, Niigata

Kajikawa (加治川村) was a village located in Kitakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 7,190 and a density of 196.56 persons per km2. The total area was 36.58 km2.

On May 1, 2005, Kajikawa, along with the town of Shiunji (also from Kitakanbara District), was merged into the expanded city of Shibata.

title: Kajikawa, Niigata


text:
Shiunji, Niigata

Shiunji (紫雲寺町) was a town located in Kitakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 7,840 and a density of 293.63 persons per km2. The total area was 26.70 km2.

On May 1, 2005, Shiunji, along with the village of Kajikawa (also from Kitakanbara District), was merged into the expanded city of Shibata.

Shiunji is the hometown of Sasagawa Miwa, a Japanese folk singer. In October 2005 she released a single in honor of her hometown, called "紫雲寺" (Shiunji). The single was available only in Niigata and was limited to only 2,000 copies. The song is also included on her February 2006 album "夜明け" (Yoake) which was sold throughout Japan.

title: Shiunji, Niigata


text:
Rosman

Rosman may refer to:

Places

 * Rosman, North Carolina, United States

People

 * Given name
 * Rosman García (1979–2011), Venezuelan relief pitcher in Major League Baseball
 * Rosman Sulaiman (born 1982), Singaporean soccer player
 * Surname
 * Alice Grant Rosman (1882–1961), Australian novelist
 * Carl Rosman (born 1971), Australian clarinettist
 * Mackenzie Rosman (born 1989), American actress and singer
 * Mark Rosman (born 1957), American film director, television director and screenwriter
 * Katherine Rosman (born 1972), American journalist
 * Stacey Rosman (born 1981), Australian netball player

Other

 * Rosman Research Station
 * Rosman Ferries, a privately owned ferry operator on Sydney Harbour

title: Rosman


text:
Nakajō, Niigata

Nakajō (中条町) was a town located in Kitakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Nakajō is now part of the newly created city of Tainai.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 27,026 and a density of 319.53 persons per km2. The total area was 84.58 km2.

The town mascot was named "Lippal".

On September 1, 2005, Nakajō, along with the village of Kurokawa (also from Kitakanbara District), was merged to create the city of Tainai. Tainai City has a population of approximately 33,000.

Nakajo was the home of a Southern Illinois University Carbondale branch campus until late 2006, when the NSG (Niigata Sogo Gakuin) Group, which bought out the school, decided to close the program. The buildings have since become a very small school for high school and college English majors.

title: Nakajō, Niigata


text:
Ross Lake (Washington)

Ross Lake is a large reservoir in the North Cascade mountains of northern Washington state, United States, and southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The lake runs approximately north–south, is 23 miles (37 km) long, up to 1.5 miles (2.5 km) wide, and the full reservoir elevation is 1,604 feet above sea level (489 m).

The U.S. portion of Ross Lake is in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. North Cascades National Park is adjacent to the west and south, while the Pasayten Wilderness is east of the lake. In British Columbia the lake is a part of Skagit Valley Provincial Park, and Manning Provincial Park is nearby to the east.

Hydrology
Ross Lake is formed by the impoundment of the Skagit River by Ross Dam, which is operated by Seattle City Light for hydroelectric power generation serving Seattle, Washington, and surrounding areas. After leaving Ross Lake, the Skagit River flows through two more reservoirs before running to Puget Sound. High peaks surround Ross Lake in all directions, and include Hozomeen Mountain, Ruby Mountain, Desolation Peak, and Jack Mountain, the summit of which is over 7,000 feet above the elevation of the lake. Rivers and creeks flowing into Ross Lake include the upper Skagit River, Hozomeen Creek, Silver Creek, Little Beaver Creek, Arctic Creek, Lightning Creek, Devils Creek, Big Beaver Creek, and Ruby Creek. Most of these creeks originate from glaciers and snowfields high in the North Cascades.

History
Ross Dam, originally called Ruby Dam, was built in three stages between 1937 and 1949, and currently stands 540 feet (160 m) tall. A fourth stage of construction was planned for the dam; however, in 1984 Seattle City Light made an electricity-purchasing agreement with British Columbia which delayed any further expansion of the Ross Lake Dam for 80 years. The lake and dam are named after James D. Ross, the superintendent of the Seattle City Light's Skagit River Hydroelectric Project, which built the dam.

Recreation
Ross Lake is a major recreation destination within the North Cascades, attracting visitors with a multitude of fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and hiking opportunities. The trout fishing, in particular, is well-renowned. Ross Lake is not home to anadromous fish such as salmon or steelhead trout as natural barriers in the river prevented these fish from traveling upstream on the Skagit River any further than a few miles past the Gorge Powerhouse. Camping is allowed at a number of boat-in and hike-in campsites around the lake. Backcountry camping permits (free, first-come, first-served) are required, and may be obtained from the National Park Service in Marblemount.

The lake is also home to a floating resort called the Ross Lake Resort. Made up of a dozen cabins and 3 bunkhouses, it is situated approximately a quarter mile from the dam and rests entirely on log booms. During the winter, when lake levels shrink, the resort detaches from its shore moorings and relocates to the center of the lake. This is due to lower water levels caused by annual drawdowns of the lake for flood control of the Skagit River.

A road from the Canadian side of the lake ends just inside the US. Travelers do not have to report to an official Port of Entry (as required at the nearby Pacific Crest Trail crossing), as they must reenter Canada to leave.

Climate
Ross Lake has a mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb).

title: Ross Lake (Washington)


text:
Vajiralongkorn

Vajiralongkorn (born 28 July 1952) is King of Thailand. He is the tenth monarch of Thailand from the Chakri dynasty, styled as Rama X.

The only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and Queen Sirikit, he was made crown prince by his father in 1972, at the age of 20. After his father's death on 13 October 2016, he was expected to ascend to the Thai throne but asked for time to mourn before taking the throne. He accepted the throne on the night of 1 December 2016. His coronation took place from 4–6 May 2019. The Thai government retroactively declared his reign to have begun on 13 October 2016, upon his father's death. Aged 64 at that time, Vajiralongkorn became the oldest Thai monarch to ascend to the throne. He is the wealthiest monarch in the world, with a net worth estimated to be between US$30 billion and US$70 billion.

Early life and education
Vajiralongkorn was born on 28 July 1952 at 17:45 in the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall of the Dusit Palace in Bangkok. When the crown prince was one year old, Somdet Phra Sangkharat Chao Kromma Luang Vajirananavongse, the 13th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand of the Rattanakosin Era, gave the child his first name at birth, Vajiralongkorn Boromchakrayadisorn Santatiwong Thewetthamrongsuboribal Abhikkunupakornmahitaladulyadej Bhumibolnaretwarangkun Kittisirisombunsawangwat Boromkhattiyarajakumarn.

Vajiralongkorn began his education in 1956 when he entered kindergarten at the Chitralada School in Dusit Palace. After completing Mathayom 1 (grade seven), he was sent to be educated at private schools in the United Kingdom, first at a prep school, King's Mead, Seaford, Sussex, and then at Millfield School, in Somerset, where he completed his secondary education in July 1970. In August 1970, he attended a five-week military training course at The King's School, in Sydney, Australia.

University
In 1972, the prince enrolled at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra, Australia. His education at Duntroon was divided into two parts, military training by the Australian Army and a bachelor's degree course under the auspices of the University of New South Wales. He graduated in 1976 as a new lieutenant with a liberal arts degree.

In 1982, he completed a second bachelor's degree in law, with second-class honors at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.

Heir apparent and social interest
Vajiralongkorn was proclaimed crown prince on 28 December 1972 at 12:23 in the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, making him the third crown prince of the Chakri dynasty. An excerpt from the royal command to establish the title of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn reads:

"As stated in the bliss or the country's royal statutes, when a Royal Prince who is destined to be heir to the throne is mature, the King shall graciously bestow the rank upon him of Somdet Phra Yupharat Mongkutratchakuman. At this present time, all people, including citizens of nations worldwide, shall accept and acclaim that His Royal Highness Prince Vajiralongkorn shall succeed to the throne of the Kingdom. When His Royal Highness Prince is mature, at the time that he shall be established as heir to the throne, tradition and a royal tradition Kattii ceremony should be observed, consistent with the citizens and all leaders of the country of all sides. Therefore, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej hereby decrees for His Royal Highness Prince Vajiralongkorn to be His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn per the name written in the Supannabhat as Somdet Phra Boromma-orasathirat Chao Fa Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun Sirikittayasombunsawangwat Worakhuttiyarajsantiwong Mahitalaphong Adulayadet Chakkrinaresyuppharajvisut Sayammakutratchakuman...."

Short-term monastic life
On 6 November 1978, at age 26, the prince was ordained as a monk at Wat Phra Kaew. As is traditional for royals, he stayed at Wat Bowonniwet Vihara for 15 days, under the monastic name "Vajiralongkornno".

Military training and career

After completing his studies, Vajiralongkorn served as a career officer in the Royal Thai Army. He started his army career as a staff officer in the Directorate of Army Intelligence and attended the Command and General Staff College in 1977. After that he became Deputy Commander of the King Chulalongkorn's Own Guards, the 4th Infantry Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment in 1978. In 1980 he was appointed as a Commander of the 4th Infantry Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment. In 1992 he became Commander of the Royal Security Command.

He is a military pilot qualified to fly the Northrop F-5, F-16, and the Boeing 737-400. His military role in recent years has become increasingly ceremonial. As his father grew older, Vajiralongkorn took a more prominent part in royal ceremonial and public appearances. He officially opened the 2007 Southeast Asian Games, held in Nakhon Ratchasima. The event occurred one day after the 80th birthday of his father.

Medical and health care
Vajiralongkorn established "Crown Prince Hospitals" through funds donated by the public to serve as medical and health care centers for people living in remote areas. Crown Prince Hospitals had been set up in 21 locations in 1977. These hospitals had become major community hospitals providing services of international standards to the general public in 2011.

Agricultural development
Also interested in agricultural development, Vajiralongkorn has accepted the "Mobile Agricultural Clinic Project" under his patronage. The project provides prompt services to farmers to enhance efficiency in farm production and solve farmers' problems. It provides experts in various agricultural fields who can advise farmers on plants, livestock, fisheries, and land development. He also offers suggestions on tackling agricultural problems and applying agricultural technology to increase productivity and improvement in the quality of agricultural production.

Mobile Agricultural Clinic teams can move quickly to various spots in need of help. It has worked steadily and is ready to provide technical services and transfer technology. With this project, farmers have been urged to be aware of agricultural development and new technology.

In the later years of his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej's reign, Vajiralongkorn represented the King in presiding over the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony, which is meaningful to Thai farmers as an early practice of phytopathology in the country. Aware of the importance of efficient agriculture for better productivity, Vajiralongkorn emphasized full-cycle agricultural activities, believing they will help improve farmers' quality of life, who are traditionally considered the backbone of the nation. Since becoming King himself Vajiralongkorn has presided over and participated in the ceremony in his own right.

In honour of his coronation the Rice Department released five new rice varieties/cultivars and the king has continued patronage of the royal rice varieties competition, the tradition of his ancestor Chulalongkorn.

Focus on education
Vajiralongkorn has initiated education projects to improve children's access to quality learning and instill the concept of lifelong learning. He has special ties to the Rajabhat University system of 40 institutions of higher learning. The chairman of the Council of Rajabhat University Presidents of Thailand said that Vajiralongkorn has presided over commencement ceremonies at all Rajabhat Universities nationwide and personally handed out degrees to all Rajabhat university graduates every year since 1978. It is estimated that over the past 35 years, at least 2,100,000 degrees have been handed out by the crown prince to Rajabhat graduates. Besides, every year, he donates 42 million baht to a scholarship fund benefiting Rajabhat students.

Sport interest
Vajiralongkorn was once known as the "Football Prince" but is known for his cycling involvement. He has also shown keen interest in other sports since he was young. He learned horseback riding when he was about 11 years old and soon became a capable rider. While studying in Thailand and abroad, he played several sports with friends, including football, rugby, and rowing.

Vajiralongkorn also competed in sailing with King Bhumibol and sister Princess Ubolratana when they stayed at Klai Kangwon Palace in Hua Hin. In football, Vajiralongkorn first played as a forward and later became a center-back at Chitralada School, Millfield School in England, and the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Australia. He shares his love of the sport with his father.

Residence
Most of the time, Vajiralongkorn lives in Bavaria in Germany, where he has spent a significant amount of his adulthood. His son, Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, goes to school in the area. The King requested and received changes to the constitution to end the requirement that he appoint a regent when he is away from Thailand. In comparison, his father often made state visits early during his reign, but he left the country only once after the 1960s—an overnight stay in neighboring Laos. He has also received visits from Thai officials and dignitaries in Germany. According to the German foreign ministry, the Thai ambassador has been told multiple times that Germany opposes "having guests in our country who run their state affairs from here." Thai officials have told Germany that Prime Minister Prayut is responsible for government matters, while the King is in Germany for personal reasons.

Accession to the throne and coronation

According to the 2007 Constitution, the cabinet instructed the president of the National Assembly to invite Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn to the throne. He became the first monarch to be born in Thailand since his great-uncle Prajadhipok died in 1935. After his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, died on 13 October 2016, Vajiralongkorn was expected to succeed to the throne of Thailand but asked for time to mourn before taking the throne. On the night of 1 December 2016, the fiftieth day after the death of Bhumibol, Regent Prem Tinsulanonda led the heads of the country's three branches of government to an audience with Vajiralongkorn to invite him to ascend to the throne as the tenth king of the Chakri dynasty. Vajiralongkorn accepted the invitation, saying in a televised statement: "I would like to accept in order to fulfill his majesty's wishes and for the benefit of all Thais." The government retroactively declared his reign to have begun upon his father's death, but it would not crown him formally until after the cremation of his father. The remains were then cremated on 26 October 2017. Currently, his main residence is Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, with the king having moved from Nonthaburi Palace in 2011. Vajiralongkorn's three-day coronation ceremonies took place from 4 to 6 May 2019. The one billion baht (US$29.8 million) coronation was anticipated to attract 150,000 people to Sanam Luang, which it did.

The appointment of members of the privy council
Following the resignation of the councillors to Bhumibol Adulyadej, Vajiralongkorn appointed 10 members of the Privy Council. The command was issued under Section 2 of the 2014 interim constitution, completed with Sections 12, 13 and 16 of the 2007 constitution on the king which were retained and remain in effect. The remaining seven members are Surayud Chulanont, Kasem Wattanachai, Palakorn Suwanrath, Atthaniti Disatha-amnarj, Supachai Poo-ngam, Chanchai Likhitjitta and Chalit Pukbhasuk, with three new members, Paiboon Koomchaya, Dapong Ratanasuwan, and Teerachai Nakwanich. Prem Tinsulanonda was re-appointed Privy Council president by royal command. On 13 December 2016, the King appointed two new members, Wirach Chinvinitkul and Charunthada Karnasuta. On 25 December 2016, the King appointed one more new member, Kampanart Rooddit. On 19 January 2017, Privy Councillor Chanchai Likhitjitta died at the age of 71.

Direct political interference
Thailand's military-appointed parliament voted overwhelmingly in January 2017 to make amendments to the interim constitution, so as to allow amendments to the draft constitution as suggested by the new king's office. Critics said the new constitution would give the military a powerful political say for years or decades. The 2017 Constitution of Thailand was approved in a referendum in 2016, and was endorsed by Vajiralongkorn on 6 April 2017, Chakri day, in a ceremony at the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that the office of King Vajiralongkorn had asked for several changes to clauses related to royal power in the draft constitution, a rare intervention by a reigning Thai monarch. After the death of King Bhumibol, political activity was paused during a period of mourning that ended in 2017.

In February 2019, in an unprecedented move, the King's elder sister, Ubol Ratana, announced her candidacy for the Thai prime ministership in the 2019 general election, running as a candidate of the Thaksin-allied Thai Raksa Chart Party. Later that same day, Vajiralongkorn issued a strongly worded statement, stating that her candidacy for prime minister is "inappropriate... and unconstitutional". The Election Commission of Thailand then disqualified her from running for prime minister, formally putting an end to her candidacy. The Thai Raksa Chart Party was banned on 7 March 2019 by the Constitutional Court of Thailand for bringing a member of the royal family into politics and its political leaders were banned from politics for a decade.

Vajiralongkorn has direct control over the royal household and palace security agencies.

Controversies
Vajiralongkorn's reign has been plagued by controversies unheard of during the reign of his predecessor. His image is affected by his reputation as a philanderer. In 2020, widespread unprecedented protests against his reign were popping up all over Thailand.

For most of 2020, Vajiralongkorn reportedly rented out the alpine Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for himself and his entourage during the COVID-19 pandemic. He remained there during the nationwide protests and amidst a wave of anti-monarchy sentiments in Thailand, sparking controversy in both Thailand and Germany. German foreign minister Heiko Maas has warned the King not to govern from German soil. He also mentioned that the European state will be investigating his behavior during his stay in Germany.

On 26 October 2020, protesters marched to the German Embassy in Bangkok, petitioning the German government to investigate the King's activities in Germany for the possibility that he had been exercising powers from German soil.

Public image, the media, and the law
Vajiralongkorn is protected by one of the most strictly enforced lèse majesté laws in the world. For many years, criticism of the king, queen, crown prince, and more recently, former kings, members of the royal family, and even their pets have been strictly prohibited. Violations carry large fines and prison sentences of up to 35 years. However, Vajiralongkorn's private life continues to be a controversial subject of discussion in Thailand, although not publicly. In the 10 January 2002 edition of the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), an article appeared suggesting that Vajiralongkorn had business ties with then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. An immediate ban was placed on distribution of the magazine, and the Thai government, citing a threat to national security, suspended the visas of FEER's two Thailand correspondents, Shawn Crispin and Rodney Tasker.

In 2002, The Economist wrote that "Vajiralongkorn is held in much less esteem (than the then-king Bhumibol). Bangkok gossips like to swap tales of his lurid personal life... Besides, no successor, however worthy, can hope to equal the stature King Bhumibol has attained after 64 years on the throne." This issue of The Economist was banned in Thailand. In 2010, another issue of The Economist, also not distributed in Thailand, said that Vajiralongkorn was "widely loathed and feared" and "unpredictable to the point of eccentricity", while the online journal Asia Sentinel said that he was "regarded as erratic and virtually incapable of ruling"; the journal was blocked shortly thereafter. In a leaked diplomatic cable, senior Singaporean foreign ministry official Bilahari Kausikan said that Vajiralongkorn had a gambling habit partly funded by exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

On 12 November 2009, a home video was released to WikiLeaks, showing Vajiralongkorn casually dressed and Princess Srirasmi Suwadee wearing only a G-string, all the while being attended to by several formally dressed servants, celebrating the birthday of the prince's poodle, Air Chief Marshal Fufu. Part of this video was broadcast on the programme Foreign Correspondent, on the Australian ABC channel on 13 April 2010, as part of a half-hour documentary critical of the royal family of Thailand.

On 19 January 2009, Harry Nicolaides, an Australian national, was sentenced to three years in prison for self-publishing a fictional book deemed to have violated lèse majesté. The offending passage alluded to rumours that "if the prince fell in love with one of his minor wives and she betrayed him, she and her family would disappear with their name, familial lineage and all vestiges of their existence expunged forever". Nicolaides was later pardoned by the king. Nicolaides later stated that "it's entirely fiction from cover to cover".

In August 2011, the German judicial authorities in Munich impounded a Boeing 737 aircraft, one of two belonging to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn. Administrators seized the aircraft because of a 20-year-old Thai government debt owed to a now-defunct German construction corporation for the Don Mueang Tollway, that had risen to some €30 million. German authorities, representing the corporation's interests in bankruptcy, stated the measure was a "last resort" in seeking repayment. The Thai government, which had not responded to German demands, called the move "highly inappropriate". On 1 August, Vajiralongkorn's office announced he would pay the deposit amounting to €20 million himself. One day later the Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya confirmed that the Thai government would pay the deposit.

In November 2016, Manager Magazin published a report stating that the new king could be issued with an inheritance tax bill in excess of €3.5 billion. According to the report, the new King is domiciled in Bavaria where he owns two villas which makes him subject to local inheritance tax. On 16 May 2017, Thai officials warned Facebook after an online video was posted of the king wearing a crop top and with full view of his half sleeve tattoo.

Soamsawali Kitiyakara
On 3 January 1977, Vajiralongkorn married Princess Soamsawali Kitiyakara (born 1957), a first cousin on his mother's side. They had one daughter, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, born in December 1978. Vajiralongkorn started living with actress Yuvadhida Polpraserth in the late 1970s and had five children with her. Although Soamsawali had refused divorce for many years, Vajiralongkorn was finally able to sue for divorce in the Family Court in January 1993. In the court proceedings, Vajiralongkorn accused Soamsawali of being completely at fault for the failed relationship. She was not able to refute the charges due to the prohibition against lèse majesté. The divorce was finalized in July 1993.

Sujarinee Vivacharawongse (Yuvadhida Polpraserth)
When Vajiralongkorn was introduced to Yuvadhida Polpraserth, she was an aspiring actress. She became his steady companion and gave birth to his first son, Prince Juthavachara Mahidol, on 29 August 1979. He later had three more sons and a daughter by her. They were married at a palace ceremony in February 1994, where they were blessed by the King and the Princess Mother, but not by the Queen. After the marriage, she was allowed to change her name to Mom Sujarinee Mahidol na Ayudhaya, signifying she was a commoner married to royalty. She was also commissioned as a major in the Royal Thai Army and took part in royal ceremonies with Vajiralongkorn. In 1996, two years after the wedding, Mom Sujarinee (as she was now known) decamped to Britain with all her children, while Vajiralongkorn caused posters to be placed all around his palace accusing her of committing adultery with Anand Rotsamkhan, a 60-year-old air marshal. Later, the prince abducted the daughter and brought her back to Thailand to live with him. She was later elevated to the rank of princess, whilst Sujarinee and her sons were stripped of their diplomatic passports and royal titles. Sujarinee and her sons moved to the United States, and as of 2007, she was known as Sujarinee Vivacharawongse. From his sons in America, Vajiralongkorn has three grandchildren.

Srirasmi Suwadee
Vajiralongkorn married for a third time on 10 February 2001, to Srirasmi Suwadee (royal name: Akharaphongpreecha), a commoner of modest background who had been in his service since 1992. The marriage was not disclosed to the public until early 2005. She gave birth to a son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, on 29 April 2005 and was then elevated to the rank of princess. Her son was immediately elevated to the rank of prince. In a magazine interview shortly after that, Vajiralongkorn stated his intention to settle down.

In November 2014, however, Vajiralongkorn sent a letter to the interior ministry asking for Srirasmi's family to be stripped of the royal name Akharaphongpreecha awarded to her, following allegations of corruption against seven of her relatives. The following month, Srirasmi relinquished her royal titles and name and was officially divorced from Vajiralongkorn.

Suthida Tidjai
On 1 May 2019, three days before his coronation, Vajiralongkorn married Suthida Tidjai, former acting commander of Royal Thai Aide-de-Camp Department. Suthida was therefore made the queen consort of King Vajiralongkorn whose coronation took place in Bangkok on 4–6 May 2019. The marriage registration took place at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall in Bangkok, with his sister Princess Sirindhorn and President of Privy Council Prem Tinsulanonda as witnesses.

Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi
On 28 July 2019, Vajiralongkorn bestowed the title of "Chao Khun Phra" or Royal Noble Consort, and the royal name of Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, to Major General Niramon Ounprom; the occasion marked the first official naming of a secondary consort for nearly a century. Three months later, on 21 October 2019, a palace order stripped Sineenat of her title and ranks, stating that she had been disrespectful to Queen Suthida and disloyal to the king. On 2 September 2020, Sineenat's titles were restored with a declaration that she "is not tarnished" and "Henceforth, it will be as if she had never been stripped of her military ranks or royal decorations."

Military rank

 * General, Admiral and Air Chief Marshal

Volunteer Defense Corps of Thailand rank

 * Volunteer Defense Corps General

Foreign decorations

 * Brunei: Member of the Family Order of Seri Utama (1990)
 * 🇩🇰 Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (7 February 2001)
 * 🇩🇪 Germany: Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
 * 🇯🇵 Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum
 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia: Honorary Grand Commander of the Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm (2000)
 * Terengganu: Member 2nd Class of the Most Distinguished Family Order of Terengganu
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands:
 * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (2004)
 * Recipient of the King Willem-Alexander Inauguration Medal
 * 🇰🇵 North Korea: First Class of the Order of the National Flag (1992)
 * 🇳🇵 Nepal: Member of the Order of Ojaswi Rajanya
 * 🇵🇪 Peru: Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru (1993)
 * 🇵🇹 Portugal: Grand Cross of the Military Order of Aviz (31 December 1981)
 * 🇪🇸 Spain: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (13 November 1987)
 * 🇰🇷 South Korea: Grand Gwanghwa Medal of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit (1992)
 * 🇸🇪 Sweden: Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (25 February 2003)
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (1996)

Wear of orders, decorations, and medals
The ribbons worn regularly by Vajiralongkorn in undress uniform are as follows : Ribbon bars of the Vajiralongkorn

Order of the Royal House of Chakri (Thailand) ribbon.svg Order of the Nine Gems (Thailand) ribbon.svg Order of Chula Chom Klao - Special Class (Thailand) ribbon.svg Order of the White Elephant - Special Class (Thailand) ribbon.svg

Order of the Crown of Thailand - Special Class (Thailand) ribbon.svg Order of the Direkgunabhorn 1st class (Thailand) ribbon.svg Bravery Medal (Thailand) ribbon.svg Freeman Safeguarding Medal - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon.svg

Border Service Medal (Thailand) ribbon.svg Chakra Mala Medal (Thailand) ribbon.svg King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon.svg King Rama IX Rajaruchi Medal (Thailand) ribbon.svg

title: Vajiralongkorn


text:
Kurokawa, Niigata

Kurokawa (黒川村) was a village located in Kitakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Kurokawa is now part of the newly created city of Tainai.

As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 6,577 and a density of 36.42 persons per km2. The total area was 180.60 km2.

On September 1, 2005, Kurokawa, along with the town of Nakajō (also from Kitakanbara District), was merged to create the city of Tainai. Tainai City has a population of approximately 33,000.

title: Kurokawa, Niigata


text:
Kitakanbara District, Niigata

Niigata KitaKambara-gun.png:

]]
 * yellow - areas formerly within the district borders during the early Meiji period
 * green - current borders

Kitakanbara (北蒲原郡) is a district located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

As of July 1, 2019, the district has an estimated population of 14,025 with a density of 373 persons per km2. The total area is 37.58 km2.

Municipalities
The district consists of only one town:

 * Seirō

District Timeline

 * On January 1, 1947 - The town of Shibata became a city.
 * On March 1955 - After it gained city status, Shibata absorbed the villages of Izumino (Ijimino or Ijikuni), Kawahigashi, Sugaya (Sugatani), Matsuura, Yonekura and Akatani (Agaya).
 * On March 1956 - Some areas of the village of Kajikawa were absorbed into Shibata.
 * On April 1959 - The village of Sasaki was absorbed into Shibata.
 * On November 1, 1970 - The town of Toyosaka (part of Niigata as of March 21, 2005) gained city status.

Recent mergers

 * On July 7, 2003 - The town of Toyoura was merged into the expanded city of Shibata.
 * On April 1, 2004 - The towns of Suibara and Yasuda, and the villages of Kyogase and Sasakami were merged to form the city of Agano.
 * On May 1, 2005 - The town of Shiunji and the village of Kajikawa were also merged into the expanded city of Shibata.
 * On September 1, 2005 - The town of Nakajō and the village of Kurokawa were merged to form the city of Tainai.

title: Kitakanbara District, Niigata


text:
Konti–Skan

Konti–Skan (also known as Kontiskan) is the name of high-voltage direct-current transmission line between Denmark (DK1) and Sweden (SE3).

Technical description
Kontiskan is a bipolar HVDC scheme. Pole 1 (Kontiskan 1) was originally built in 1965, using mercury arc valves and was able to transmit up to 250 megawatts (MW) of power with an operating voltage of 250 kV. The original mercury arc scheme was taken out of operation and disconnected on 15 August 2006, being replaced by new equipment using thyristors with a power rating of 350 MW. Pole 2, the 1988-built Kontiskan 2, was built with thyristors from the outset and can transmit 300 MW with a voltage of 285 kV.

Route
On the Danish side, the converter station used as well by Konti–Skan 1 and 2 is close to Vester Hassing near Aalborg. From Vester Hassing a 34 km long overhead line with two conductors runs to the cable terminal at the Danish coast near Stensnæs. This line, which is only in the proximity of the converter station and the cable terminal equipped with a ground conductor, was originally used by the high voltage pole of Konti–Skan 1 and from Vester Hassing until a point a few kilometres south of the cable terminal by the electrode line, which turned there eastwards to the ground electrode at Soera. At implementation of Konti–Skan 2 the whole overhead electrode line was replaced by two 27 km long underground cables and the second conductor of the overhead line got the high-voltage pole of Konti–Skan 2. The 23 km long submarine cable to the Danish island of Læsø starts at Stensnæs and consists of 3 parallel cables. Each of these cables has two copper conductors with a copper cross section of 310 square millimeters. One of these cables was used by Kontiskan 1 and one is used by Kontiskan 2. From the third cable, one conductor was used by Kontiskan 1 and the other is used by Kontiskan 2. Konti–Skan crosses Læsø on a 17 km long overhead line with two conductors. Before the implementation of Konti–Skan 2 both conductors were switched parallel, today one conductor is used for the high voltage pole of Konti–Skan 1, while the other is used by that of Konti–Skan 2. Between Læsø and Sweden each high voltage pole of Konti–Skan uses a monopolar copper cable with a cross section of 1200 square millimetres.

From the Swedish coast a 38 km long overhead power line ran to the original converter station of Konti–Skan 1 near Stenkullen. On the first 9 km of this line the pylons carry the high-voltage conductors of Kontiskan 1 and 2. East of Brännemysten they carry also the conductor of the electrode line like a ground conductor on the pinnacle, but of course insulated to the structure of the pylons. It comes from the common grounding electrode of Kontiskan 1 and 2 near Risø in the Baltic Sea and runs after a submarine/underground cable section ending at a cable terminal near Brattas northwards as pole line to the high voltage pole line of Konti–Skan at Brännemysten. The Swedish converters of Kontiskan were originally situated at different places: that of Kontiskan 1 originally at Stenkullen, east of Gothenburg and that of Kontiskan 2 and the thyristor replacement of Kontiskan 1 near Lindome south of Gothenburg and south of the route of Kontiskan 1. The last 30 km of Konti–Skan 1 were installed on guyed aluminum framework pylons with an unusually low weight of only 800 kilograms. These pylons carried 2 conductors, the high-voltage pole and the electrode line of Konti–Skan 1 on insulators of equal length. The remaining parts of this power line were dismantled in 2012.

Shortly before the end of the line to Stenkullen, the line shared two pylons with the three-phase AC line from Stenkullen to Holmbokullen. Apart from the pylons at the terminal of HVDC Volgograd-Donbass at Volga-Hydroelectric Power Plant, these were the only pylons carrying AC and DC circuits.

Waypoints

 * Overhead Line in Denmark
 * 57.06268°N, 10.09232°W
 * 57.06762°N, 10.09807°W
 * 57.08547°N, 10.11384°W
 * 57.1089°N, 10.16033°W
 * 57.11318°N, 10.16883°W
 * 57.14458°N, 10.29127°W
 * 57.16078°N, 10.31789°W
 * 57.1864°N, 10.40402°W
 * 57.19232°N, 10.41541°W
 * 57.21661°N, 10.4623°W
 * 57.22788°N, 10.50024°W
 * 57.2338°N, 10.54153°W

 * Overhead Line on Læsø
 * 57.25239°N, 10.9037°W
 * 57.24355°N, 10.99299°W
 * 57.24827°N, 11.03564°W
 * 57.2498°N, 11.03976°W
 * 57.25913°N, 11.05026°W
 * 57.28747°N, 11.0653°W
 * 57.29686°N, 11.07971°W
 * 57.30896°N, 11.12655°W

 * Overhead Line from Swedish Coast to Lindome
 * 57.5698°N, 11.97443°W
 * 57.57424°N, 12.00158°W
 * 57.57621°N, 12.01895°W
 * 57.57962°N, 12.03504°W
 * 57.58295°N, 12.04605°W
 * 57.58531°N, 12.05671°W
 * 57.58727°N, 12.06034°W
 * 57.58903°N, 12.06189°W
 * 57.59024°N, 12.06432°W
 * 57.59485°N, 12.07936°W
 * 57.59892°N, 12.08513°W
 * 57.60001°N, 12.08793°W
 * 57.60184°N, 12.09074°W
 * 57.61069°N, 12.10693°W
 * 57.60892°N, 12.10958°W
 * 57.60797°N, 12.11094°W

 * Overhead Line Lindome-Stenkullen
 * 57.61069°N, 12.10693°W
 * 57.61929°N, 12.12455°W
 * 57.62642°N, 12.14782°W
 * 57.62945°N, 12.16013°W
 * 57.63187°N, 12.16694°W
 * 57.63319°N, 12.17279°W
 * 57.6346°N, 12.17532°W
 * 57.63724°N, 12.17691°W
 * 57.64081°N, 12.18124°W
 * 57.64713°N, 12.19823°W
 * 57.65502°N, 12.21231°W
 * 57.67391°N, 12.2389°W
 * 57.67951°N, 12.26071°W
 * 57.68605°N, 12.27211°W
 * 57.68927°N, 12.27436°W
 * 57.69169°N, 12.27446°W
 * 57.69398°N, 12.27766°W
 * 57.69375°N, 12.28056°W
 * 57.69954°N, 12.28996°W
 * 57.70087°N, 12.29439°W
 * 57.70589°N, 12.30186°W
 * 57.71497°N, 12.30867°W
 * 57.75937°N, 12.31134°W
 * 57.77345°N, 12.32442°W
 * 57.77811°N, 12.3258°W
 * 57.77991°N, 12.32791°W
 * 57.78189°N, 12.32876°W
 * 57.78733°N, 12.32521°W
 * 57.78961°N, 12.32527°W
 * 57.79648°N, 12.32347°W
 * 57.79873°N, 12.32138°W
 * 57.79873°N, 12.32137°W
 * 57.80048°N, 12.31894°W
 * 57.80227°N, 12.3164°W
 * 57.80366°N, 12.31855°W

 * Electrode Line in Sweden
 * 57.55186°N, 11.98824°W
 * 57.55314°N, 11.98905°W
 * 57.55459°N, 11.9933°W
 * 57.55793°N, 11.99584°W
 * 57.56469°N, 11.99781°W
 * 57.56677°N, 11.99946°W
 * 57.56986°N, 12.00077°W
 * 57.57371°N, 12.00177°W
 * 57.57424°N, 12.00158°W

title: Konti–Skan


text:
Goniatites

Goniatites is a genus of extinct cephalopods belonging to the family Goniatitidae, included in the superfamily Goniatitaceae. Hibernicoceras and Hypergoniatites are among related genera.

Description
The shell is generally globose with an open but narrow umbilicus, the surface commonly reticulate resulting from longitudinal lirae crossing transverse striae. The ventral lobe of the suture is rather narrow with a median saddle about or little less than half the height of entire lobe. The first lateral saddle is subangular to angular.

Distribution
Fossils of species within this genus have been found widespread in North America, Eurasia, and north Africa. In particular they have been found in the Triassic of Italy, United States, in the Permian of United States, in the Carboniferous of the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Morocco, United Kingdom, United States, in the Mississippian of United States, as well in the Devonian of the Czech Republic, Spain, United States.

title: Goniatites


text:
Kosudo, Niigata

Kosudo (小須戸町) was a town located in Nakakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 10,256 and a density of 606.5 persons per km2. The total area was 16.91 km2.

On March 21, 2005, Kosudo, along with the cities of Niitsu, Shirone and Toyosaka, the towns of Kameda and Yokogoshi (all from Nakakanbara District), the town of Nishikawa, and the villages of Ajikata, Iwamuro, Katahigashi, Nakanokuchi and Tsukigata (all from Nishikanbara District), was merged into the expanded city of Niigata. As of April 1, 2007, the area is part of the Akiha-ku ward.

title: Kosudo, Niigata


text:
Muramatsu, Niigata

Muramatsu (村松町) was a town located in Nakakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. On January 1, 2006, Muramatsu was merged into the expanded city of Gosen. Current mail addresses read "Gosen City, Muramatsu" (五泉市村松) to mark the merger.

The town existed for several centuries as a feudal domain and independent town. It was famous for its mountain (Mt. Hakusan, approximately 1000 meters tall), the Jikoji Zen Temple, the Sakurando Onsen Hot Spring, and its city park boasting several thousand cherry trees that bloom each year in April.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 20,066 and a density of 79.29 persons per km2. The total area was 253.07 km2.

History
The three-volume History of Muramatsu Town (村松町史) published in 1983 gives many details about its long history. One of only a few castle-towns in Niigata Prefecture, the Muramatsu Clan was ruled by the Hori Family throughout the Edo period. The feudal castle was burned down during the Boshin War in 1868. The site is now a public park housing a small museum archive as well as the town's elaborate festival wagon, which is brought out each September during the Autumn Equinox.

In September 1945, 1800 members of the 1st and 2nd battalion, 27th regiment of US Army soldiers were housed at the Signal Corps barracks on the eastern edge of town. They stayed until that December, leaving a very positive impression on the Japanese citizens and contradicting rumors and suspicions spread by wartime propaganda. An English-language memoir of this period was published electronically in 2000 by the University of Kansas Center for East Asian Studies (Goto, 2000).

In May, 1946, a very large fire burned for more than eight hours, destroying 70% of the town (over 1000 homes), injuring fifty-nine and killing two. Much of the downtown district was destroyed and historical buildings lost (History v. II, pp. 802–806).

Education
Muramatsu had five elementary schools (Muramatsu, Muramatsu Higashi, Kawachi, Juuzen, and Okambara), two middle schools (Atago and Sanno), and a prefectural high school.

Railway
In October 1923, the Kanbara Tetsudou (ja:蒲原鉄道) established a railway in Muramatsu, including a new station and service north to Gosen City. The line then expanded south to Kamo City. The railway company was dissolved in 1999 and all train service in town suspended. The original wooden railway station was purchased and moved off-site to Yasuda City, where it was rebuilt as a small museum.

Highway

 * Japan National Route 290

title: Muramatsu, Niigata


text:
Yokogoshi, Niigata

Yokogoshi (横越町) was a town located in Nakakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 11,339 and a density of 480.06 inhabitants per km2. The total area was 23.62 km2.

On March 21, 2005, Yoskogoshi, along with the cities of Niitsu, Shirone and Toyosaka, the towns of Kameda and Kosudo (all from Nakakanbara District), the town of Nishikawa, and the villages of Ajikata, Iwamuro, Katahigashi, Nakanokuchi and Tsukigata (all from Nishikanbara District), was merged into the expanded city of Niigata. Since April 1, 2007, the area has been part of the Kōnan-ku ward.

title: Yokogoshi, Niigata


text:
Sakuma

Sakuma (written: 佐久間) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:

 * Akira Sakuma (born 1952), Japanese video game designer
 * Chie Sakuma (佐久間 千絵), Japanese ice hockey player
 * Kumi Sakuma (born 1976), Japanese voice actress
 * Rei Sakuma (born 1965), Japanese voice actress
 * Roy Sakuma (born 1948), Hawaiian ukulele teacher and founder of the Ukulele Festival
 * Satoru Sakuma (born 1963), former Japanese football player
 * Tatsuya Sakuma (born 1974), Japanese professional drifting driver
 * Tsutomu Sakuma (1879–1910), career naval officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy
 * Sakuma Hanzō (1844–1897), Japanese photographer
 * Sakuma Samata (1844–1915), general in the Imperial Japanese Army
 * Sakuma Shōzan (1811–1864), Japanese politician
 * Sakuma Morimasa (1554-1583), the son of Sakuma Moritsugu, cousin of Sakuma Nobumori
 * Sakuma Morishige (died 1560), Japanese samurai who served Oda Nobunaga
 * Sakuma Nobumori (1528–1582), retainer for the Oda clan

Fictional characters
 * Ryuichi Sakuma, a character in the anime and manga series Gravitation
 * Kotaro Sakuma, a character in the Uchu Sentai Kyuranger
 * Sakuma Kichiro, a character in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties campaign and main protagonist of the Japanese campaign
 * Sakuya Sakuma (佐久間 咲也), a character in A3!
 * Sakuma Rei and Sakuma Ritsu from Ensemble Stars!

title: Sakuma


text:
Kameda, Niigata

Kameda (亀田町) was a town located in Nakakanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 32,386 and a density of 1,925.45 persons per km2. The total area was 16.82 km2.

On March 21, 2005, Kameda, along with the cities of Niitsu, Shirone and Toyosaka, the towns of Kosudo and Yokogoshi (all from Nakakanbara District), the town of Nishikawa, and the villages of Ajikata, Iwamuro, Katahigashi, Nakanokuchi and Tsukigata (all from Nishikanbara District), was merged into the expanded city of Niigata. As of April 1, 2007, the area is part of the Kōnan-ku ward.

title: Kameda, Niigata


text:
Elbe Project

The Elbe Project (Elbe-Projekt) was the name of the first commercial, static high voltage direct current transmission system constructed in the world. The scheme was based on mercury arc valves.

Experimental installations between Wettingen and Zürich in Switzerland, and Charlottenburg and Moabit, Berlin, were demonstrated between 1933 and 1942. Contracts were signed with AEG and Siemens in 1941, and construction began of a bipolar direct current line from the Vockerode power station near Dessau on the Elbe, to Berlin-Marienfelde, in 1943. The line was designed to transmit 60 megawatts using a symmetrical bipolar operating voltage of +200 kV and −200 kV. Two single-core buried cables with aluminum conductors were used. A piece of the cable used can be seen in the Deutsches Museum, Munich.

The southern terminus was south of the Vockerode power plant. The hall built for this purpose (coordinates: 51°50'32"N 12°21'26"E) was later used as a workshop hall for the power plant and today houses some offices. The cable ran from Vockerode via Coswig, Straach, Boßdorf, Kropstädt, Treuenbrietzen, Beelitz, Michendorf, Saarmund and Großbeeren to the northern terminus in Berlin-Marienfelde. This was located in the area between the railway line from Berlin to Dresden, Beißlstrasse (until 1947 Wagemannstrasse), Friedrichsrodaer Strasse and Trachenbergring. The power converter hall built in this area (coordinates: 52°25'39"N 13°22'13"E) now serves as a sports hall. A 30 kV cable was laid from Berlin-Marienfelde to Steglitz substation (near Steglitz power plant), where the transmitted power should be fed into the power grid of Berlin.

A cable with an aluminum conductor with a cross section of 150 mm² and an outer diameter of 52 mm was used for each of the two high-voltage poles, while the earth was used as the neutral pole. For this purpose, there was close to both power converter stations a well equipped with a ground electrode. The exact location of these wells is no longer known.

The system was never put into service owing to the chaos in Germany at the end of World War II. The Soviets dismantled the system as part of war reparation payments, and reused it in building the 115 kilometre long 200 kV Moscow–Kashira monopolar high voltage direct current line with a maximum transmission rating of 30 megawatts in 1951. This transmission line is no longer operating.

title: Elbe Project


text:
Nakakanbara District, Niigata

Niigata NakaKambara-gun.png:

 * yellow - areas formerly within the district borders during the early Meiji period]]

Nakakanbara (中蒲原郡) was a district located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 20,066 with a density of 79.29 persons per km2. The total area was 253.07 km2.

Municipalities
Prior to its dissolution, the district consisted of only one town:

 * Muramatsu

History
In 1878, Nakakanbara District was established.

The district started to shrink after the town of Nuttari merged with Niigata and the city continued to absorb the district. Three towns later gained city status during a 10-year period: Niitsu in 1951, Gosen in 1954 and Shirone (part of Niigata) in 1959.

District Timeline

 * On June 1, 1959 - The town of Shirone was elevated to city status to become the city of Shirone. (3 towns, 1 village)
 * On November 1, 1996 - The village of Yokogoshi was elevated to town status to become the town of Yokogoshi. (4 towns)

Recent mergers

 * On March 21, 2005 - The towns of Kameda, Kosudo and Yokogoshi, along with the cities of Niitsu, Shirone and Toyosaka, the town of Nishikawa, and the villages of Ajikata, Iwamuro, Katahigashi, Nakanokuchi and Tsukigata (all from Nishikanbara District), were merged into the expanded city of Niigata.
 * On January 1, 2006 - The town of Muramatsu was merged into the expanded city of Gosen. Nakakanbara District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

title: Nakakanbara District, Niigata


text:
HVDC Gotland

The HVDC Gotland, on the Swedish east coast, was the first fully commercial static plant for high-voltage direct current transmission (HVDC) in the world.

Gotland 1
The first HVDC Gotland link (Gotland 1) went into service in 1954. It could transfer 20 megawatts over a 98-kilometer-long submarine cable between Västervik on the mainland and Ygne on the island of Gotland, with a voltage of 100 kV. As a static inverter, Mercury arc valves were used.

In 1970 the service was re-engineered to transmission capacity of 30 megawatts at a voltage of 150 kV by using the first thyristor module for HVDC applications.

Gotland 2
However even this capacity was not high enough and in 1983 a new monopolar link, HVDC Gotland 2 with a transmission capacity of 130 MW and a transmission voltage of 150 kV was established. It consists of a 92.9 kilometers long cable with a single copper conductor of 800 mm2 cross section, from which 92 kilometres are submarine and 0.9 kilometres underground. Beside this, HVDC Gotland 2 has a 6.6 kilometres long overhead powerline section between Västervik static inverter plant and the Swedish Coast. It has 2 Aluminium conductors each with a cross section of 910 mm2, which are installed on wooden poles - perhaps the only HVDC powerline using such poles.

Gotland 3
In 1987 HVDC Gotland 3, a further monopolar link, with a transmission capacity of 130 MW and transmission voltage of 150 kV was installed. It consists of a 98 kilometers long cable with a single copper conductor of 800 mm2 cross section. 92 kilometres of this cable are laid in the sea and 6 kilometres underground on land.

Structure
The grounding electrode of the Västervik Inverter Station is situated at Almvik on Östra Eknö, that of Ygne Inverter Station at Gravfält. Both electrodes are used for Gotland 2 and Gotland 3 and are situated in sea-water filled basins close to the sea. At Almvik there are 2 such basins, while Gravfält uses only one. The basin design of the electrodes prevents fishes from getting too close to the electrodes, which may harm them. The Almvik electrode is connected with Västervik Inverter Station by an 18.95 kilometres long line with 4 overhead line and 3 submarine cable sections for strait crossings. The overhead line sections, which have a total length of 17 kilometres are installed on wooden poles and consist of 2 Aluminium conductors each with 910 mm2 cross section. The total length of the cable sections amounts to 1.95 kilometres and consist of 2 cables each with 1000 mm2 cross section. The connection between Ygne Inverter Station and Gravfält Electrode has a length of 12.75 kilometres. It consists of a 12 kilometres long overhead line on wooden poles, which uses 2 Aluminium conductors each with 910 mm2 cross section and a 0.75 kilometres long underground cable consisting of 2 Aluminium conductors each with 1000 mm2 cross section.

Overhead line on the Swedish Mainland

 * 57.72883°N, 16.64929°W
 * 57.72799°N, 16.65137°W
 * 57.72115°N, 16.65171°W
 * 57.71839°N, 16.65371°W
 * 57.71424°N, 16.65493°W
 * 57.71179°N, 16.66095°W
 * 57.70303°N, 16.6764°W
 * 57.69998°N, 16.68086°W
 * 57.69487°N, 16.6891°W
 * 57.69085°N, 16.69972°W
 * 57.68548°N, 16.7132°W

Electrode line on the Swedish Mainland

 * 57.72879°N, 16.64744°W
 * 57.72874°N, 16.64632°W
 * 57.7277°N, 16.64427°W
 * 57.72347°N, 16.64046°W
 * 57.71954°N, 16.63947°W
 * 57.70765°N, 16.63884°W
 * 57.69354°N, 16.63596°W
 * 57.6827°N, 16.63951°W
 * 57.67812°N, 16.63869°W
 * 57.6526°N, 16.62576°W
 * 57.64829°N, 16.62374°W
 * 57.64494°N, 16.62243°W
 * 57.64212°N, 16.62187°W
 * 57.6238°N, 16.63717°W
 * 57.61271°N, 16.65347°W
 * 57.60809°N, 16.65925°W
 * 57.60292°N, 16.6709°W
 * 57.59062°N, 16.68595°W
 * 57.58212°N, 16.68848°W
 * 57.58005°N, 16.691°W
 * 57.57741°N, 16.69322°W
 * 57.57529°N, 16.69651°W
 * 57.60278°N, 16.67131°W

Electrode line on Gotland

 * 57.57718°N, 18.20628°W
 * 57.57236°N, 18.20315°W
 * 57.54937°N, 18.17718°W
 * 57.52945°N, 18.16088°W
 * 57.51003°N, 18.12932°W
 * 57.51335°N, 18.12221°W
 * 57.51617°N, 18.11179°W

title: HVDC Gotland


text:
User:SpaceFrog

John Ayliff (SpaceFrog) has made various contributions including:

 * Dan Dare, the Mekon and the Eagle (comic)
 * Olaf Stapledon, Last and First Men and Star Maker
 * Interzone
 * The Four Loves and The Abolition of Man

title: User:SpaceFrog


text:
Iwamuro, Niigata

Iwamuro (岩室村) was a village located in Nishikanbara District, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The area is famous for onsen near Yahiko mountain. Farming remains the predominant industry in the area. It is served by National Route 116 and Niigata Route 55.

On April 1, 2007, Iwamuro became part of Nishikan-ku ward (西蒲区, Nishikan-ku?) of Niigata city.

History
Iwamuro, which means 'stone' and 'room' in kanji, lies at the foot of Yahiko Mountain (弥彦山). It was originally surrounded by lagoons and marshes before major irrigation work was undertaken in the late 19th and early 20th century. Nevertheless, people have been coming to the area since the Edo period to bathe in naturally-created geothermal waters. Currently there are more than 20 onsens which range in price from cheap (500 yen) to expensive (+20,000 yen). Iwamuro's fame stems from its waters 'perceived' healing properties. An apocryphal tale tells of a farmer's wife who found a goose with a broken leg. She put it in a hot sulphur-smelling pool near her home. The goose's leg got better. The farmer and his wife then became very rich by opening the first onsen in Iwamuro.

Behind Yahiko mountain lies the fishing village of Maze (間瀬). During the Meiji period copper mining flourished in the foothills north west of Maze. At its peak, 60 tons of copper were being extracted each month. Output decreased in the 1920s but in 1943, mining was temporarily revived. Work ended at the end of the war.

During the period of the Tokugawa shogunate, Maze was one of the ferry points to the banishment island of Sado. A small watch tower was sited just of north of the village. Samurai were tasked with guarding the shore and questioning all who landed from boats. South of the harbour is Maze Beach, which is popular with surfers. North of the village is the Nihonkai Maze Circuit which holds regular weekend meetings throughout the summer months, attracting sports car drivers from across Japan.

Geography
The sulphurous waters in Iwamuro rise from depths of up to 2 mi. They have an average surface temperature of 24.3 °C and are highly saturated in mineral salts. Iwamuro lies on a fault zone between Yahiko mountain and the bedrock beneath the Niigata Plain. In 2006, due to the number of onsens in the area, additional bore holes were drilled to a depth of 0.75 mi.

Rice farming is predominant throughout the area although there are several dairy and pig-rearing farms. As the village is on the Niigata plain, the rich soil deposited by the Shinano and Agano River make it ideal for agriculture.

Demographics
As of 2005, the village had an estimated population of 9,917 and a density of 274.63 persons per km2. Its total area was 36.11 km2.

On March 21, 2005, Iwamuro, along with the cities of Niitsu, Shirone and Toyosaka, the towns of Kameda, Kosudo and Yokogoshi (all from Nakakanbara District), the town of Nishikawa, and the villages of Ajikata, Katahigashi, Nakanokuchi and Tsukigata (all from Nishikanbara District), was merged into the expanded city of Niigata.

Since Iwamuro became part of Nishikan-ku ward (西蒲区) there have been several changes in the area. For instance local government services have moved to Maki, Iwamuro's farming cooperative opened a new rice storage centre centralising grain collection for the entire area In April 2008 after closing six independent silos and the fishing cooperatives of Maze and Niigata city have both merged, although the fish market and boat repair yard both remain open.

Iwamuro also has two independent sake makers both located in the heart of the old district at Iwamuro-onsen. Products are sold locally and are of a higher quality than commercially-made rice wine. There are two elementary schools and one Junior High School within Iwamuro.

Iwamuro, as an area, incorporates more than 20 hamlets, villages and townships:

 * Hiso
 * Sakai
 * Hashimoto
 * Iwamuro-onsen
 * Ishize
 * Kubota
 * Saragase
 * Kanaike

 * Minami-yachi
 * Kitano
 * Shitatori
 * Nishinagashima
 * Tokozone
 * Araya
 * Oburajima
 * Takabatake

 * Nishifunakoshi
 * Katakami
 * Nishinaka
 * Natsui
 * Wano
 * Maze
 * Kami-Wano

title: Iwamuro, Niigata