A.J. Ayer: Later years: In 1973 he published The Central Questions of Philosophy, in which he returned to familiar topics in the theory of knowledge and presented a commonsense conception of the world as a theory founded on the basis of sense-data.

Russian Provisional Government: Nationalist movements and the Provisional Government: …Government refused to regard the Central Rada, which had not been regularly elected by popular suffrage, as representing the people of Ukraine and insisted that the question of any future Ukrainian autonomy could be decided only by the All-Russian Constituent Assembly. On June 10 (June 23, Old Style) the Rada…

Chung-yang Range, mountain group, eastern Taiwan. It trends north-south and consists of three main ranges (respectively, from east to west): the Chung-yang Range, Yü Mountains, and A-li Mountains. The Chung-yang Range traverses the length of the island, extending about 170 miles (270 km) in length

South America: The Andes Mountains: …distinct ranges: the Cordilleras Oriental, Central, and Occidental. The valley of the Magdalena River, between the Oriental and the Central ranges, and the valley of the Cauca River, between the Central and the Occidental ranges, are huge rift valleys formed by faulting rather than by erosion. An aerial view of…

Trinidad and Tobago: Relief and drainage: …southwest to northeast, is the Central Range, the highest point of which is Mount Tamana (1,009 feet [308 metres]). A third row of mainly low hills, the Southern Range, adds further variety to the mostly flat or undulating surface of Trinidad.

Main Range, mountain range in West Malaysia, the most prominent mountain group on the Malay Peninsula. Composed of granite with some patches of altered stratified rocks, the range extends southward for 300 miles (480 km) from the Thai border, with elevations rarely less than 3,000 feet (900 m) and

taipan: A third species, the Central Ranges or western desert taipan (O. temporalis), was discovered in the central mountain ranges of Western Australia in 2006; its life history and habits await more detailed study.

Chūbu, chihō (region), central Honshu, Japan. Situated between Kantō region (east) and Kinki region (west), it encompasses the ken (prefectures) of Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Gifu, Shizuoka, and Aichi. The region’s name is derived from its location in the central part

Central Region Plateau, largest continuous tableland in Malaŵi. Its area of 9,000 square miles (23,310 square km) is bordered by the Chimaliro Hills and Viphya Mountains on the north, the Great Rift Valley on the east, the Dwangwa River on the west, and the Kirk and Dzalanyama ranges on the south.

Kenya: Relief: The Rift Valley splits the highland region into two sections: the Mau Escarpment to the west and the Aberdare Range to the east. The valley itself is 30 to 80 miles (50 to 130 km) wide, and its floor rises from about 1,500 feet (450 metres)…

Idaho: Relief and drainage: The Middle Rocky Mountains occupy a narrow strip along the Idaho-Wyoming border. The area comprises several ranges that trend north-south and northwest-southeast and rise to between 7,000 and 10,000 feet (2,100 and 3,000 metres). Grass- and sagebrush-covered plateaus and valleys and a few small lakes are…

Mount Everest: Drainage and climate: … to the east; the East, Central, and West Rongbuk (Rongpu) glaciers to the north and northwest; the Pumori Glacier to the northwest; and the Khumbu Glacier to the west and south, which is fed by the glacier bed of the Western Cwm, an enclosed valley of ice between Everest and…

Central Russian Upland, large upland area of the Russian Plain, in the central part of European Russia. It stretches in a north–south direction from the Oka River to the Donets River and the Donets Ridge. The upland has a total north–south length of 600 miles (1,000 km) and a width of 300 miles

Delhi: City layout: …the India Gate), to the Central Secretariat buildings and the Presidential House (Rashtrapati Bhavan). This is the main east-west axis; it divides New Delhi into two parts, with a large shopping and business district, Connaught Place, in the north and extensive residential areas in the south.

Queensland: Relief and drainage: …the Eastern Uplands and the Central Sedimentary Lowlands.

De Beers S.A.: …was the forerunner of the Central Selling Organization (CSO), a more modern group of financial and marketing organizations that came to control much of the world diamond trade. It is now known as the Diamond Trading Company (DTC).

Austroasiatic languages: Morphology: …of noun phrases (possessives in Semai, demonstratives in Mnong), but these do not constitute word suffixes. (2) Infixes and prefixes are common, so that only the final vowel and consonant of a word root remain untouched. It is rare to find more than one or two affixes (i.e., prefixes or…

Central Siberian Plateau, vast upland area, north-central Siberia, Russia. The plateau occupies an area of 600,000 square miles (1,500,000 square km). It is situated in Krasnoyarsk kray (region), Sakha, and in Irkutsk oblast (province). It is bounded by the Yenisey River to the west, the North

Eskimo-Aleut languages: Yupik: …point of the Eurasian landmass; Central Siberian Yupik (mainly Yupigestun [Akuzipik, Chaplinski Yupik]), which is spoken in the Chukchi Peninsula and on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska; and the very divergent Sirenikski, now virtually extinct.

Carpathian Mountains: Geology: …the south and east, the Central Slovakian Block; in the latter they run in a practically straight line from northwest to southeast, following the line of a tectonic dislocation, or zone of shattering in the Earth’s crust, parallel with this part of the mountains. Between this volcanic range and the…

theatre-in-the-round, form of theatrical staging in which the acting area, which may be raised or at floor level, is completely surrounded by the audience. It has been theorized that the informality thus established leads to increased rapport between the audience and the actors.

planetary nebula: Forms and structure: Most planetaries show a central star, called the nucleus, which provides the ultraviolet radiation required for ionizing the gas in the ring or shell surrounding it. Those stars are among the hottest known and are in a state of comparatively rapid evolution.

University of Central Oklahoma, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S. It consists of the colleges of Arts, Media, and Design; Business Administration; Education; Liberal Arts; and Mathematics and Science. The graduate college offers master’s degree programs

University of Central Oklahoma, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S. It consists of the colleges of Arts, Media, and Design; Business Administration; Education; Liberal Arts; and Mathematics and Science. The graduate college offers master’s degree programs

Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, public coeducational institution of higher learning in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, U.S. It is part of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education and comprises colleges of Arts and Sciences, and Education and Human Services. The university offers a range of

Central Michigan University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Mount Pleasant, Mich., U.S. The university is composed of the colleges of business administration, communication and fine arts, education and human services, health professions, humanities and social and behavioral

Fernanda Montenegro: …film Central do Brasil (1998; Central Station). Critics praised her portrayal of Dora, an embittered retired schoolteacher in Rio de Janeiro who ekes out a living writing letters for illiterate people and who finds redemption after she decides to help a homeless boy search for his father. Montenegro won the…

Central Sudanic languages, a group of more than 30 languages that form a subbranch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. The Central Sudanic languages are spoken in the Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although this division is not

Central Sulawesi, propinsi (or provinsi; province), consisting of roughly the southwestern third of the northernmost peninsula, the entire northeastern peninsula, and the north-central part of Celebes (Sulawesi) island, Indonesia. It is bounded by the Celebes Sea to the north, by the province of

brain: Two major furrows—the central sulcus and the lateral sulcus—divide each cerebral hemisphere into four sections: the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. The central sulcus, also known as the fissure of Rolando, also separates the cortical motor area (which is anterior to the fissure) from the cortical sensory…

Tai languages: The distribution and classification of Tai languages: …three linguistic groups—the Southwestern, the Central, and the Northern. Thai and Lao, the official languages of Thailand and Laos, respectively, are the best known of the languages.

Tatar language: The major Tatar dialects are Kazan Tatar (spoken in Tatarstan) and Western or Misher Tatar. Other varieties include the minor eastern or Siberian dialects, Kasimov, Tepter (Teptyar), and Astrakhan and Ural Tatar. Kazan Tatar is the literary language.

Odisha: Relief, soils, and drainage: plateau, the Eastern Ghats, the central tract, and the coastal plains. The northern plateau (in the northern part of the state) is an extension of the forest-covered and mineral-rich Chota Nagpur plateau centred in Jharkhand. The Eastern Ghats, extending roughly parallel to the coast and rising to an elevation of…

Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), mutual security organization dating from 1955 to 1979 and composed of Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom. Until March 1959 the organization was known as the Middle East Treaty Organization, included Iraq, and had its headquarters in Baghdad. Formed

Paraguay: Labour and taxation: …groupings emerged, most notably the Unified Workers Central (Central Unitaria de Trabajadores; CUT). About one-eighth of workers are members of Paraguay’s more than 1,500 labour unions.

Complutense University of Madrid, institution of higher learning founded in 1508 in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Complutense means “native to Complutum,” the ancient Roman settlement at the site of Alcalá de Henares. The university moved in 1836 to Madrid, where it became known as Central University.

Vanderbilt University, private, coeducational institution of higher education in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Baccalaureate degrees are awarded through the College of Arts and Science, School of Engineering, Peabody College (education and human development), and Blair School of Music. Dozens of

Central University Botanical Garden, state-supported tropical garden occupying a 65-hectare (160-acre) site in Caracas, Venez. The garden has excellent collections of palms, cacti, aroids, bromeliads, pandanuses, and other groups of tropical plants of considerable botanical interest; also important

Ural Mountains: Physiography: The lower Central Urals, extending more than 200 miles (320 km) to the Ufa River, rarely exceed 1,600 feet (500 metres), though the highest peak, Mount Sredny Baseg, rises to 3,261 feet (994 metres). The summits are smooth, with isolated residual outcrops. The last portion, the Southern…

Central Valley, valley, California, U.S. Extending from Shasta county in the north to Kern county in the south, it covers about 18,000 square miles (47,000 square km) and parallels the Pacific coast for about 450 miles (725 km). Averaging about 40 miles (65 km) in width, it is almost totally

Central Valley, geological depression in central Chile between the Western Cordillera of the Andes and the coastal range, extending for about 400 miles (650 km) from the Chacabuco Range in the north to the Biobío River in the south. The valley is the agricultural heartland of Chile and consists of

Vidzeme, plateau region of central Latvia, roughly corresponding to the historic state of Livonia. It is a hilly, irregular, partially terraced morainic area, dotted with many small morainal lakes. It reaches an elevation of 1,020 feet (311 m) at Mount Gaiziņš and is drained to the west by the

Viet-Muong languages: Central Vietnamese, centred in Hue, and Southern Vietnamese, centred in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), differ from the Northern norm in having fewer tones and in modifying certain consonants. All three use the same writing system, which is called Quoc-ngu. The dialects spoken in the…

Central Washington University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Ellensburg, Washington, U.S. It is one of six such institutions sponsored by the state of Washington. The university consists of colleges of arts and humanities, business, sciences, and education and professional

Central Washington University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Ellensburg, Washington, U.S. It is one of six such institutions sponsored by the state of Washington. The university consists of colleges of arts and humanities, business, sciences, and education and professional

Central Washington University, public, coeducational institution of higher learning in Ellensburg, Washington, U.S. It is one of six such institutions sponsored by the state of Washington. The university consists of colleges of arts and humanities, business, sciences, and education and professional

Slovakia: Relief: …middle of the country, the Central Western Carpathians include Slovakia’s highest ranges: the High Tatra (Vysoké Tatry) Mountains, containing the highest point in the republic, Gerlachovský Peak, at 8,711 feet (2,655 meters); and, to the south of them, the Low Tatra (Nízke Tatry) Mountains, which reach elevations of about 6,500…

Russia: The Central Siberian Plateau: …gives way to the low-lying Central Yakut Lowland.

West Germanic languages: Dialects: …Yiddish, the latter consisting of Central Yiddish and Southeastern Yiddish. The phonological criteria on which this division is based are typically reflected in the variants of the phrase ‘to buy meat’: Western Yiddish kāfn flāš, Central Yiddish kojfn flajš, Southeastern Yiddish kojfn flejš, Northeastern Yiddish kejfn flejš. Other phonological and…

Costa Rica: Relief: …Cordillera de Tilarán, and the Cordillera Central. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983, the Cordillera de Talamanca is a massive granite batholith, quite different geologically from the volcanically active northern ranges. Costa Rica’s highest point, Mount Chirripó (12,530 feet [3,819 metres]), is in the Talamanca system. Two of…

Cordillera Central, mountain range in western Dominican Republic. The core of its highlands rises just west of Santo Domingo, the national capital, and extends northwestward to the Haitian border; from it flow the headstreams of the nation’s three chief river systems—the Yuna, the Yaque del Norte,

Andes Mountains: Physiography of the Northern Andes: …is the higher and older Cordillera Central, capped by a line of 20 volcanoes; some of these, such as Chimborazu Volcano (20,702 feet), have permanent snowcaps.

South America: The Andes Mountains: …distinct ranges: the Cordilleras Oriental, Central, and Occidental. The valley of the Magdalena River, between the Oriental and the Central ranges, and the valley of the Cauca River, between the Central and the Occidental ranges, are huge rift valleys formed by faulting rather than by erosion. An aerial view of…

Philippines: Relief: The Cordillera Central, the central mountain chain of Luzon, running north to the Luzon Strait from the northern boundary of the central plain, is the most prominent range. It consists of two and in places three parallel ranges, each with an average elevation of about 5,900…

Cordillera Central, limestone mountain range that forms the interior of Puerto Rico island. It consists of three parts. The Cordillera Central proper occupies the west-central part of the island, extending about 50 miles (80 km) from San Germán in the west to the watershed between the Manatí and La

Panama: Relief: The two principal ranges, the Tabasará Mountains (Cordillera Central) in the west and the Cordillera de San Blas in the east, are separated near the centre of the country by a saddle of lower land. This depression (the Panama Canal site) divides the country again—roughly into western and eastern halves.…

Andes Mountains: Physiography of the Central Andes: …the plateau: the Cordilleras Occidental, Central, and Oriental. In the Cordillera Occidental, at latitude 10° S, the deep, narrow Huaylas Valley separates two ranges, Cordillera Blanca to the east and Cordillera Negra to the west; the Santa River runs between them and cuts Cordillera Negra to drain into the Pacific.…

Massif Central, upland area in south-central France. Bordered by the lowlands of Aquitaine on the west, the Paris Basin and the Loire River valley on the north, the Rhône-Saône river valley on the east, and the Mediterranean coastlands of Languedoc on the south, it is conventionally demarcated by

construction: Environmental control: For larger multistory buildings, centralized atmosphere systems are used. These are built up of separate components, most of which are housed in mechanical equipment rooms or in penthouses at roof level. The components include fans for moving air, humidification devices, air-filtering devices, and refrigeration machines. Where large refrigeration machines…

Australia: The Quaternary Period: On the mainland, the Central-Eastern Lowlands extend from the Gulf of Carpentaria through Lake Eyre, some 50 feet (15 metres) below sea level, to the Spencer and St. Vincent gulfs near Adelaide. The Lowlands are bounded on the west by the Great Western Plateau—great in extent but not height:…

gardening: Training and pruning: In the central-leader system of training, the trunk forms a central axis with branches distributed laterally up and down and around the stem. In the open-centre or vase system, the main stem is terminated and growth forced through a number of branches originating close to the upper…

central-place theory, in geography, an element of location theory (q.v.) concerning the size and distribution of central places (settlements) within a system. Central-place theory attempts to illustrate how settlements locate in relation to one another, the amount of market area a central place can

Western architecture: Second period, after 313 ce: The central-plan building, round, polygonal, or cruciform in design, gathered considerable momentum in the West as well as in the East in the course of the 4th and 5th centuries. The deconsecrated church of Santa Costanza in Rome, built between 337 and 350 for members of…

identity theory, in philosophy, one view of modern Materialism that asserts that mind and matter, however capable of being logically distinguished, are in actuality but different expressions of a single reality that is material. Strong emphasis is placed upon the empirical verification of such

diatom: …and shape: the round nonmotile Centrales have radial markings; the elongated Pennales, which move with a gliding motion, have pinnate (featherlike) markings.

ghost town: …fire that began under the town in 1962—and is still burning today—made the ground unstable and prone to collapse, with smoke seeping through cracks in the earth and sinkholes suddenly opening in the ground. Most residents finally relocated in 1984, and in 1992 the town was condemned, though it was…

Centralia, city, Marion and Clinton counties, south-central Illinois, U.S. It lies about 60 miles (100 km) east of St. Louis, Missouri. Centralia was founded in 1853 by the Illinois Central Railroad (from which its name derives), and railroad shops and fruit growing formed the basis of the local

Centralia, city, Lewis county, southwest Washington, U.S., near the confluence of the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers. It lies midway between Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington. The town site, then in Oregon Territory, was founded in 1852 by J.G. Cochran and George Washington; Washington,

Mexico: The early republic: The Centralists, who were generally conservative, favoured a strong central government in the viceregal tradition, a paid national army, and Roman Catholicism as the exclusive religion. Opposed to them were the Federalists, who favoured limited central government, local militia, and nearly autonomous states; they tended to…

India: Trends in early Indian society: Centralized imperialism, which was attempted under the Mauryan empire (c. 325–185 bce), gave way gradually to decentralized administration and to what has been called a feudalistic pattern in the post-Gupta period—i.e., from the 7th century ce. Although the village as an administrative and social unit…

command economy, economic system in which the means of production are publicly owned and economic activity is controlled by a central authority that assigns quantitative production goals and allots raw materials to productive enterprises. In such a system, determining the proportion of total

railroad: Interlocking and routing: …development is widely known as centralized traffic control (CTC). In Britain, for example, one signaling centre can cover more than 320 km (200 miles) of route with a principal city at the hub; the layout under control—used by intercity passenger, suburban passenger, and freight trains—may include 450 switch points and…

command economy, economic system in which the means of production are publicly owned and economic activity is controlled by a central authority that assigns quantitative production goals and allots raw materials to productive enterprises. In such a system, determining the proportion of total

Valerianoideae: Red valerian, or Jupiter’s-beard (Centranthus ruber), native to the Mediterranean, is widely naturalized in British meadows, on roadsides, and on walls. Its billowy masses of pink, white, or red tiny fragrant blooms are borne on stems sometimes reaching 90 cm (3 feet).

perciform: Annotated classification: Family Centrarchidae (sunfishes and basses) Eocene to present. Moderately deep-bodied; spinous and soft dorsal fins continuous, not separate as in Percidae; more than 3 anal spines. Freshwaters of North America; only 1 species, Archoplites interruptus, native west of the Rocky Mountains; various species widely introduced elsewhere;…

Centre, county, central Pennsylvania, U.S., located in both the Allegheny Plateau and the Appalachian Ridge and Valley regions and roughly bisected by the Allegheny Mountains. Centre county, named for its location as the geographic centre of the state, is bounded to the west by Moshannon Creek and

Centre, région of France encompassing the central départements of Cher, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, and Eure-et-Loir. Centre is bounded by the régions of Normandy and Île-de-France to the north, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté to the east, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes to the southeast,

chess: Hypermodernism: …most important exceptions concerned the centre squares, chiefly e4, e5, d4, and d5. The Hypermoderns believed that the central pawn structure that had been a goal since Philidor could be a liability because it provides the opponent with a target. It was not the occupation of the centre that was…

Centre, industrial district in Hainaut province, southwestern Belgium. It lies in the upper valley of the Haine River and is centred on the town of La Louvière between Mons and Charleroi. The coal mines that gave rise to the district are now closed, but heavy industry continues in the form of blast

Pompidou Centre, French national cultural centre on the Rue Beaubourg and on the fringes of the historic Marais section of Paris; a regional branch is located in Metz. It is named after the French president Georges Pompidou, under whose administration the museum was commissioned. The Pompidou

Parliament Hill attack: Parliament Hill attack: …the vehicle and entered the Centre Block. Constable Samearn Son, an unarmed House of Commons security guard, confronted Zehaf-Bibeau inside the building and tried to wrestle away his rifle. Son was shot in the leg, however, and Zehaf-Bibeau charged down the Hall of Honour, an expansive hallway that runs the…

Centre: The Centre Canal serves the district and has antique canal lifts of archaeological interest. At Mariemont, north of Morlanwelz, the 16th-century castle built by Mary of Hungary, Charles V’s sister, is open to the public.

Denmark: Postwar politics: …of three new parties: the Center Democrats (Centrum-Demokraterne), the Christian People’s Party (Kristeligt Folkeparti), and the Progress Party (Fremskridtspartiet), an antitax party. A weak minority government under Poul Hartling of the Liberal Party tried to solve the country’s growing economic problems, but his austerity program resulted in protests from trade…

Popular Republican Movement: …into a centre party, the Centre Démocrate, founded in February 1966. Legislative elections in 1967 and 1968, however, brought fresh defeats for the centre, which failed to win more than 13 percent of the vote in either election. By the end of 1967 the MRP had become little more than…

Swiss People’s Party, conservative Swiss political party. The Swiss People’s Party (SVP) was founded in 1971 by the merger of the Farmers, Artisans, and Citizens’ Party—generally known as the Agrarian Party—with the Democratic Party. It has pursued conservative social and economic policies,

baseball: Outfielders: …outfield positions are left fielder, centre fielder, and right fielder. Outfielders must be able to judge the trajectory of flies and have enough speed to run to the point where the ball will come down. Batted or thrown balls that pass beyond the infielders along the ground must be run…

Balkrishna Doshi: …Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT University) in 2002. Students assisted in designing each new addition, using similar forms and materials so that the entire campus felt cohesive.

Pompidou Centre, French national cultural centre on the Rue Beaubourg and on the fringes of the historic Marais section of Paris; a regional branch is located in Metz. It is named after the French president Georges Pompidou, under whose administration the museum was commissioned. The Pompidou

Pompidou Centre, French national cultural centre on the Rue Beaubourg and on the fringes of the historic Marais section of Paris; a regional branch is located in Metz. It is named after the French president Georges Pompidou, under whose administration the museum was commissioned. The Pompidou

Frédéric and Irène Joliot-Curie: …de la Recherche Scientifique (National Centre for Scientific Research).

National Centre of Independents and Peasants, French political party founded in 1949. It grew out of the National Centre of Independents, formed in 1948 by Roger Duchet, who, by the following year, had accomplished a coalition of various parliamentarians of the right and had absorbed the small

fluid mechanics: Archimedes’ principle: …a point known as the centre of buoyancy, is the centre of mass of the displaced water. The distributed forces acting on the prism are equivalent to its weight acting downward through C and to the equal weight of the displaced water acting upward through B. In general, therefore, the…

mechanics: Centre of mass: The word particle has been used in this article to signify an object whose entire mass is concentrated at a point in space. In the real world, however, there are no particles of this kind. All real bodies have sizes and shapes.…

Guatemala: Political process: …Alianza Nacional; GANA), and the Centre of Social Action (Centro de Acción Social; CASA), which represents the interests of Indigenous people. Generally, Guatemalan voters still appear to have little faith in government because of its poor record in improving security and its inability to stop violent crime.

capacitor dielectric and piezoelectric ceramics: Piezoelectric ceramics: …as an inversion centre, or centre of symmetry—that is, a centre point from which the structure is virtually identical in any two opposite directions. In the case of BaTiO3, the centre of symmetry is lost owing to the transition from a cubic to a tetragonal structure, which shifts the Ti4+…

Finland: Agrarian reform: …the Agrarian Party (now the Centre Party), have been a major factor in Finnish politics.

Sweden: Political process: … (formerly the Conservative Party), the Centre Party, the Liberal Party, and the Green Party—and two socialist parties—the Swedish Social Democratic Workers’ Party (SAP; commonly called the Social Democratic Labour Party) and the Left Party (former Communist Party). The SAP is closely allied with the trade unions and was in power…

Centre Party, in Germany, political party active in the Second Reich and Weimar Republic, from the time of Otto von Bismarck in the 1870s to 1933. It was the first party of imperial Germany to cut across class and state lines, but because it represented the Roman Catholics, who were concentrated in

Finland: Domestic affairs: …seats, or the anti-immigrant, Euroskeptic True Finn Party, which proved to be the election’s biggest surprise as it vaulted from the five seats it won in the 2007 election to 39 seats and third place in 2011.

Pompidou Centre, French national cultural centre on the Rue Beaubourg and on the fringes of the historic Marais section of Paris; a regional branch is located in Metz. It is named after the French president Georges Pompidou, under whose administration the museum was commissioned. The Pompidou