Main Page

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Welcome to Wikipedia,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

2,300,604 articles in English

Overview · Editing · Questions · Help

Contents · Categories · Featured content · A–Z index

Today's featured article

The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Its many unusual characteristics include the use of rocks as tools to forage and to open shells, luxurious fur that is the densest of all animals with up to 150,000 hairs per cm² (nearly 1 million per sq in), and its role as a keystone species, controlling populations of marine herbivores which would otherwise inflict extensive damage to kelp forest ecosystems. Although the sea otter belongs to the weasel family and can walk on land, it can also live exclusively in the ocean. Once hunted to the brink of extinction for its fur, the sea otter's numbers have rebounded in about two-thirds of its historic range, a recovery that is considered one of the greatest successes in marine conservation. However, it remains classified as an endangered species and is highly vulnerable to oil spills. (more...)

Recently featured: Freedom Monument – Reese Witherspoon – Surfer Rosa

Archive – By email – More featured articles...

Did you know...

From Wikipedia's newest articles:

...that in his print Columbus Breaking the Egg (pictured) William Hogarth attempted to draw parallels between himself and Christopher Columbus?
...that the Intelligencer Journal of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, established in 1796, is one of the oldest newspapers in the United States?
...that the 2003 documentary Prisoner of Paradise is a chronicle of the life of Kurt Gerron, a German Jewish actor who was forced to make a Nazi propaganda film and later murdered in a Nazi concentration camp?

...that the shot tower of the Colonial Ammunition Company is the only surviving tower of its kind in New Zealand?

...that there are hints of political opposition to the land acquisition for the Special Economic Zone and industrial hub at Saltora in the "neglected" Bankura district in India?
...that the U.S. Department of Defense pays the owners of the MV Baffin Strait (T-AK W9519) US$12,550 per day to carry cargo from Singapore to Diego Garcia?
...that Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey in Ile-de-France, founded in 1118, had a saintly abbot, was bought by a Rothschild and is now a hotel?

Archive – Start a new article...

In the news

Kuomintang candidate Ma Ying-jeou (pictured) is elected President of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Two referenda on joining the United Nations fail due to low turnout.
French swimmer Alain Bernard sets a new world record for the men's 100 metres freestyle in 47.50 seconds.
A permanent coalition government agreement is reached in Belgium, ending a nine-month stalemate, as Yves Leterme is sworn in as Prime Minister.
The wreckages of HMAS Sydney and the HSK Kormoran are located off the coast of Western Australia 66 years after their mutual destruction in battle.

Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...

On this day...

March 24: Easter Monday in Western Christianity (2008); World Tuberculosis Day

1603 – King James VI of Scotland acceded to the throne of England and Ireland, unifying the crowns of the three kingdoms for the first time.
1882 – German physician Robert Koch (pictured) announced the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterium that causes tuberculosis.
1976 – Dirty War: President Isabel Perón of Argentina was kidnapped and deposed in a bloodless coup d'état.
1989 – The tanker Exxon Valdez spilled more than 10 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing one of the most devastating man-made environmental disasters at sea.
1999 – Kosovo War: NATO launched air strikes against Yugoslavia, marking the first time NATO has attacked a sovereign country.

More events on this day...

Recent days: March 23 – March 22 – March 21

Archive – By email – More anniversaries...

Today's featured picture

The Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator) is a tamarin native to the Amazon Basin and neighboring parts of South America. It was allegedly named for its similarity to William II, the last German Emperor. The name was first intended as a joke, but has become the official scientific name.

Photo credit: Mila Zinkova

Recently featured: Tugboat – Chechen man praying – Tagus River

Archive – More featured pictures...

Other areas of Wikipedia

Help desk — Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Reference desk — Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Village pump — For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.
Community portal — Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Site news — Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Local embassy — For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.

Wikipedia's sister projects

Wikipedia is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that also hosts a range of other projects:

Commons Free media repository	Wikinews Free-content news	Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus
Wikiquote Collection of quotations	Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals	Wikisource Free-content library
Wikispecies Directory of species	Wikiversity Free learning materials and activities	Meta-Wiki Wikimedia project coordination

Wikipedia languages

This Wikipedia is written in English. Started in 2001, it currently contains 2,300,604 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; the largest are listed below.