Welcome to Wikipedia

,

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

277,744 active editors
7,166,877 articles in English

From today's featured article

Ojos del Salado is a dormant complex volcano in the Andes on the Argentina–Chile border. It is the highest volcano on Earth and the highest peak in Chile. The complex extends over an area of 70 to 160 square kilometres (27 to 62 sq mi) and its highest summit reaches an elevation of 6,893 metres (22,615 ft) above sea level. The mountain has extremely dry conditions, which prevent the formation of substantial glaciers and a permanent snow cover. Despite the arid climate, there is a permanent crater lake about 100 metres (330 ft) in diameter at an elevation of 6,480 to 6,500 metres (21,260 to 21,300 ft) within the summit crater and east of the main summit. This is the highest lake of any kind in the world. An international highway between Argentina and Chile crosses north of the mountain. During the middle of the 20th century, there was a debate on whether Ojos del Salado or Aconcagua was the highest mountain in South America that was eventually resolved in favour of Aconcagua. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Detail of the ceiling of St. Martin's Church, Zillis

... that St. Martin's Church, Zillis, used ultramarine imported from medieval Afghanistan as a pigment for its painted ceiling (detail pictured)?
... that the title track of hip-hop album 400 Degreez has been compared to James Bond music?
... that Lou Nicholson first entered politics due to concerns over "no jab, no play" laws?
... that attackers in the 2023 Capita data breach deployed ransomware to more than 1,000 hosts?
... that Awake hosts conversations for survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clerics?
... that Mercer Island station was built in the middle of Interstate 90?
... that Malaysia increasingly relies on imported natural gas, despite the country being one of the world's top exporters of liquefied natural gas?
... that the Jackson Magnolia was on the US$20 bill?
... that the sound design for one of the machines in Horizon Zero Dawn was modelled after a "crazy Chihuahua"?

In the news

Lauren Betts

In NCAA Division I basketball, the UCLA Bruins win the women's championship (Most Outstanding Player Lauren Betts pictured).
NASA's Artemis II performs its lunar flyby maneuver, becoming the farthest crewed mission from Earth.
In Mongolia, Nyam-Osoryn Uchral is sworn in as prime minister following the resignation of Gombojavyn Zandanshatar.
The Social Democrats, led by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, remain the largest party after the Danish general election, with no political bloc winning a majority of seats.

On this day

April 10: Siblings Day in parts of Canada and the United States

Mount Tambora

847 – Pope Leo IV was consecrated without imperial consent following the Saracen sack of Rome.
1741 – War of the Austrian Succession: Prussian forces defeated Austrian troops at the Battle of Mollwitz in present-day Małujowice, Poland, cementing Frederick II's authority over the newly conquered territory of Silesia.
1815 – Mount Tambora (pictured) in Indonesia began the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history, killing at least 71,000 people and affecting temperatures worldwide.
2019 – Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project released the first image of the black hole at the center of the galaxy M87.

Wilhelm Egon von Fürstenberg (d. 1704)
Dolores Huerta (b. 1930)
Carol Robinson (b. 1956)
Savinho (b. 2004)

More anniversaries:

From today's featured list

Illustration of a changeling girl and two trolls

Between 1995 and 2019, 43 game books were published for Changeling: The Dreaming, a tabletop role-playing game in the World of Darkness series, in which players take the roles of changelings. The game and its core rulebook were first released by White Wolf Publishing in 1995; a second edition was released by White Wolf in 1997, and a 20th-anniversary edition was published by Onyx Path Publishing in 2017, both of which brought updates to the game rules. These have been supported with supplementary game books, expanding the game mechanics and setting. The supplements include the Kithbook series, describing the different types of fae; the Book of Houses line, describing noble houses; sourcebooks about character types and factions; books describing locations as they are portrayed in the setting; game guides; and books providing adventure modules. (Full list...)

Recently featured:

Today's featured picture

The chimango caracara (Daptrius chimango) is a species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found across southern South America, including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia, where it inhabits open environments such as grasslands, marshes, farmland, and urban areas. A medium-sized raptor, it has brown plumage and a wingspan of up to 100 centimetres (40 in). The chimango caracara is omnivorous, feeding on insects, lizards, amphibians, the eggs and young of other birds, and rodents, as well as carrion and some plant material. It is noted for its intelligence and problem-solving ability. This female chimango caracara of the subspecies D. c. temucoensis was photographed in Puerto Varas, Chile.

Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – The central hub for editors, with resources, links, tasks, and announcements.
Village pump – Forum for discussions about Wikipedia itself, including policies and technical issues.
Site news – Sources of news about Wikipedia and the broader Wikimedia movement.
Teahouse – Ask basic questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
Help desk – Ask questions about using or editing Wikipedia.
Reference desk – Ask research questions about encyclopedic topics.
Content portals – A unique way to navigate the encyclopedia.

Wikipedia's sister projects

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