Liiga also known as SM-liiga from 1975 to 2013, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is generally thought of as one of the top leagues in Europe. It started in 1975. SM is a common abbreviation for "Suomen mestaruus", "Finnish championship".
Aurochs
The Aurochs, or urus, ("Bos primigenius") was a large species of cattle. The aurochs used to be common in Europe. It is extinct now. It was a wild animal, not a domesticated animal. The extinct aurochs/urus is a not the same species as the "wisent" (the European bison).
According to the Paleontologisk Museum, University of Oslo, aurochs developed in India some two million years ago, came into the Middle East and farther into Asia, and reached Europe about 250,000 years ago. People once thought that they were a different species from modern European cattle ("Bos taurus"). Today, people think that aurochs and modern cattle are the same species.
Modern cattle have become much smaller than their wild ancestors: the height of a large domesticated cow is about 1.5 meters (5 feet, 15 hands), while aurochs were about 1.75 meters (5.75 feet, 17 hands).
Aurochs also had several features not often seen in modern cattle, such as lyre-shaped horns set at a forward angle, a pale stripe down the spine, and different color according to the gender. Males were black with a pale stripe down the spine, while females and calves were reddish (these colours are still found in a few domesticated cattle breeds, such as Jersey cattle). Aurochs were also known to have very aggressive behaviour, and killing one was seen as an act of courage in ancient cultures.
At one time there were three aurochs subspecies, namely "Bos primigenius namadicus" (Falconer, 1859) that occurred in India, the "Bos primigenius mauretanicus" (Thomas, 1881) from North Africa and the "Bos primigenius primigenius" (Bojanus, 1827) from Europe and the Middle East. Only the European subspecies survived until recent times.
Privas
Privas is a commune of France, capital (Prefecture) of the Ardèche department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It is the smallest administrative centre of any department in France.
Today Privas is known for several confectionery made with chestnuts produced in the region, as the "marron glacé".
When the department of Ardèche was created on 4 March 1790, the capital was Privas alternating with Annonay, Aubenas, Le Bourg(-Saint-Andéol) and Tournon. In September of that year, Privas became the only capital of the department.
The "commune" of Privas is in the central eastern part of the Ardèche department, in the valley of the "Ouvèze" river, a tributary of the Rhône river. The "commune" of Privas is in the centre of a region known as the "Bassin Privadois".
The "commune" has an area of , and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .
The distances from Privas to other cities are:
Privas is surrounded by the "communes":
The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Largentière is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Maritime Temperate climate) and of the subtype "Cfb".
The inhabitants of Privas are known, in French, as "Privadois" (women: "Privadoises").
With a population of 8,313, Privas has a population density of inhabitants/km. It is the prefecture with fewest people living in it.
Evolution of the population in Privas
Privas is the prefecture of the Ardèche department since 1800. It is also the capital of the "arrondissement" of Privas and the administrative centre () of the canton Privas, formed by 15 "communes", including Privas, with 20,402 inhabitants .
It is part of the intercommunality "Privas Centre Ardèche", officially named as "Communauté d'agglomération Privas Centre Ardèche".
Privas is twinned with:
Guilherand-Granges
Guilherand-Granges is a town and commune of the Ardèche "département", in the southern part of France.
Tournon-sur-Rhône
Tournon-sur-Rhône is a "commune" in the Ardèche department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. It is a "subprefecture" of the department. The city is at about to the north of Valence, the capital of the Drôme department.
Tournon-sur-Rhône, with the name of Tournon, was one of the seven districts of the Ardèche department when it was created on 4 March 1790. When the "arrondissements" were created in 1800, Tournon was one of the three "arrondissements" of the department.
On 18 March 1988, the name of the city was changed from Tournon to Tournon-sur-Rhône.
The "commune" of Tournon-sur-Rhône is on the northeastern part of the Ardèche department, on the border with the Drôme department. The city is on the right side of the Rhône river.
The "commune" has an area of , and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .
The distances from Tournon-sur-Rhône to other cities are:
Tournon-sur-Rhône is surrounded by the "communes":
The Köppen climate classification type for the climate at Montluçon is an "Oceanic climate" (also known as Maritime Temperate climate) and of the subtype "Cfb".
The inhabitants of Tournon-sur-Rhône are known, in French, as "Tournonais" (women: "Tournonaises").
With a population of 10,558, Tournon-sur-Rhône is the fourth largest city of the department and has a population density of inhabitants/km.
Evolution of the population in Tournon-sur-Rhône
Tournon-sur-Rhône is a subprefecture of the Ardèche department since 1800. It is also the capital of the "arrondissement" of Tournon-sur-Rhône and the administrative centre () of the canton Tournon-sur-Rhône formed by 13 "communes", including Tournon-sur-Rhône, with 20,885 inhabitants .
It is part of the intercommunality "Arche Agglo", officially named as "Communauté d'agglomération Hermitage-Tournonais-Herbasse-Pays de Saint Félicien".
Tournon-sur-Rhône is twinned with:
Battle of Marion
The Battle of Marion (December 17–December 18, 1864) was a military engagement in the American Civil War that occurred when Major General George Stoneman, commander of the Union Army in Kentucky and Tennessee, raided Southwestern Virginia. General Stoneman's plan was to destroy anything that might benefit the Southern war effort and was approved by his commanding officers on December 6, 1864.
The Confederates managed to hold the key positions on the battlefield against numerous Union charges. Eventually, the Confederates ran short of ammunition and were forced to withdraw. The total casualties for this battle were 274, relatively low for a battle during the Civil War.
After the battle, the Union expedition set out to destroy the salt mines, lead works, and anything else in the area that could be of benefit to the Confederates.
The town of Marion is in southwest Virginia on the Middle Fork of the Holston River in Smyth County, Virginia. It was about half way between the salt works at Saltville and the lead mines near Wytheville. Since it is near the Mason–Dixon line, many of the town's families were divided and fought on opposing sides. Until the winter of 1864, the town of Marion had been protected from fighting by the mountains and geographic location.
Major General George Stoneman, commander of the Union Army in Kentucky and Tennessee, proposed another expedition into southwest Virginia to destroy all facilities and supplies of benefit to the Confederate war effort. This gained the approval of Major General John Schofield on December 6, 1864.