Bauxite is an aluminium mineral consisting of one or more aluminium hydrates.

Discovered during the 19th century in several parts of the world it was from samples from Les Baux de Provence that in 1858 double aluminium chloride was successfully made from which the metal is easily extracted.

This success earned the village of Les Baux de Provence the privilege of having bauxite named after it. France remained the largest producer of bauxite until 1939.

The aluminium extracted from bauxite has been used in industry since the end of the 19th century. It is the most commonly used non-ferrous metal: light, stable, a good electricity and heat conductor and endowed with good mechanical resistance in certain alloys.