Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

List of Prime Ministers of Australia

2007-12-02T01:21:58Z

Xsophos:

Following is a list of Prime Ministers of [[Australia]] from [[Federation]] to the present.<ref>[http://www.aph.gov.au/library/parl/hist/primmins.htm Prime Ministers of Australia]</ref>
{|border=0 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=2 width=90%
!<big>Prime Minister</big>||<big>Dates</big>
|-
|'''Sir [[Edmund Barton]], PC, GCMG, KC''' ([[Protectionist Party]])
|1 January 1901—24 September 1903 (2 years, 8 months, 24 days)
|-
|'''[[Alfred Deakin]]''' (Protectionist Party)
|24 September 1903—27 April 1904 (7 months, 4 days)
|-
|'''[[John Watson|John Christian Watson]]''' ([[Australian Labor Party]])
|27 April 1904—17 August 1904 (3 months, 21 days)
|-
|'''[[George Reid|George Houstoun Reid]] (later Sir George), PC, KC''' (Free Trade)
|18 August 1904—5 July 1905 (10 months, 18 days)
|-
|'''Alfred Deakin''' (Protectionist Party)
|5 July 1905—13 November 1908 (3 years, 4 months, 9 days)
|-
|'''[[Andrew Fisher]]''' (Australian Labor Party)
|13 November 1908—2 June 1909 (6 months, 21 days)
|-
|'''[[Alfred Deakin]]''' (Protectionist Party)
|2 June 1909—29 April 1910 (10 months, 28 days)
|-
|'''Andrew Fisher''' (Australian Labor Party)
|29 April 1910—24 June 1913 (3 years, 1 month, 26 days)
|-
|'''[[Joseph Cook]] (later Sir Joseph)''' ([[Liberal Party of Australia]])
|24 June 1913—17 September 1914 (1 year, 2 months, 25 days)
|-
|'''Andrew Fisher''' (Australian Labor Party)
|17 September 1914—27 October 1915 (1 year, 1 month, 11 days)
|-
|'''[[William Hughes|William Morris Hughes]]''' (Australian Labor Party; [[Nationalist Party]] from 1917)
|27 October 1915—9 February 1923 (7 years, 3 months, 14 days)
|-
|'''[[Stanley Bruce|Stanley Melbourne Bruce]], PC, CH, MC''' (Nationalist Party)
|9 February 1923—22 October 1929 (6 years, 8 months, 14 days)
|-
|'''[[James Scullin|James Henry Scullin]], PC''' (Australian Labor Party)
|22 October 1929—6 January 1932 (2 years, 2 months, 16 days)
|-
|'''[[Joseph Lyons|Joseph Aloysius Lyons]], PC, CH''' ([[United Australia Party]])
|6 January 1932—7 April 1939 (7 years, 3 months, 2 days)
|-
|'''Sir [[Earle Page|Earle Christmas Grafton Page]], PC, GCMG''' ([[Australian Country Party]])
|7 April 1939—26 April 1939 (20 days)
|-
|'''[[Robert Menzies|Robert Gordon Menzies]], PC, KC''' ([[United Australia Party]])
|26 April 1939—29 August [[1941]] (2 years, 4 months, 4 days)
|-
|'''[[Arthur Fadden|Arthur William Fadden]] (later Sir Arthur)''' ([[Country Party]])
|29 August 1941—7 October 1941 (1 month, 9 days)
|-
|'''[[John Curtin]], PC''' (Australian Labor Party)
|7 October 1941—5 July 1945 (3 years, 8 months, 29 days)
|-
|'''[[Francis Forde|Francis Michael Forde]], PC''' (Australian Labor Party)
|6 July 1945—13 July 1945 (8 days)
|-
|'''[[Joseph Chifley|Joseph Benedict Chifley]], PC''' (Australian Labor Party)
|13 July 1945—19 December 1949 (4 years, 5 months, 7 days)
|-
|'''[[Robert Menzies|Robert Gordon Menzies]] (later Sir Robert), PC, KC''' (Liberal Party of Australia)
|19 December 1949—26 January 1966 (16 years, 1 month, 8 days)
|-
|'''[[Harold Holt|Harold Edward Holt]], PC, CH''' (Liberal Party of Australia)
|26 January 1966—19 December 1967 (1 year, 10 months, 23 days)
|-
|'''[[John McEwen]] (later Sir John), PC''' (Country Party)
|19 December 1967—10 January 1968 (23 days)
|-
|'''[[John Gorton|John Grey Gorton]], PC''' (Liberal Party of Australia)
|10 January 1968—10 March 1971 (3 years, 2 months)
|-
|'''[[William McMahon]] (later Sir William), PC, CH''' (Liberal Party of Australia)
|10 March 1971—5 December 1972 (1 year, 8 months, 25 days)
|-
|'''[[Gough Whitlam|Edward Gough Whitlam]], QC''' (Australian Labor Party)
|5 December 1972—11 November 1975 (2 years, 11 months, 7 days)
|-
|'''[[Malcolm Fraser|John Malcolm Fraser]], PC, CH''' (Liberal Party of Australia)
|11 November 1975—11 March 1983 (7 years, 4 months)
|-
|'''[[Robert Hawke|Robert James Lee Hawke]], AC''' (Australian Labor Party)
|11 March 1983—20 December 1991 (8 years, 9 months, 10 days)
|-
|'''[[Paul Keating|Paul John Keating]]''' (Australian Labor Party)
|20 December 1991—11 March 1996 (4 years, 2 months, 20 days)
|-
|'''[[John Howard|John Winston Howard]]''' (Liberal Party of Australia)
|11 March 1996— Due to be sworn out on 3 December 2007 (11 years, 8 months, 13 days)
|-
|'''[[Kevin Rudd|Kevin Michael Rudd]]''' (Australian Labor Party)
|Due to be sworn in on 3rd December 2007.;
|}

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Australia]]

Australia

2007-12-02T01:17:46Z

Xsophos: Correcting prime Ministers: Kevin Rudd is currently Prime Minister-Elect, not prime minister.

{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="margin-left:5px"
|align="center" colspan="2"|[[Image:Australia rel 1999.jpg|300px]]
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|''Commonwealth of Australia''
|-
!align ="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|Flag
!align ="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|50px|]]
|-
!align ="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|Arms
!align ="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|[[Image:Australia coat-of-arms.jpg|48px|]]
|-
|-
|Capital
|[[Canberra]]
|-
|Government
|[[Constitutional Monarchy]]
|-
|Monarch
|[[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]]
|-
|Official Language
|[[English]]
|-
|Governor General
|[[Michael Jeffery]]
|-
|Prime Minister-Elect
|[[Kevin Rudd]]
|-
|Area
|2,988,888 sq miles
|-
|Population (2007 estimate)
|21,100,000
|-
|GDP (2007 estimate)
|US$718.4 billion
|-
|GDP per capita (2007 estimate)
|US$34,359
|-
|}

The [[Commonwealth]] of Australia is a [[country]]-[[continent]] with its west coast on the [[Indian Ocean]], east coast on the [[Pacific Ocean]] facing [[New Zealand]], southern coast on the [[Southern Ocean]] facing [[Antarctica]], and northern coast bordering [[Indonesia]] and [[Papua New Guinea]]. Australia is considered geographically as part of [[Oceania]], but has been establishing its place politically and commercially in [[South East Asia]].

Australia is the only country to occupy an entire continent<ref>This refers just to the Australian mainland. Some authorities now include [[Papua New Guinea]], [[New Zealand]], and various other [[Pacific Ocean]] islands in the continent of "Oceania". See [http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/au.htm WorldAtlas.com].</ref>, the smallest of the planet's seven continents.<ref>Some people count six, combining North and South America or Europe and Asia. See [http://worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/contnent.htm WorldAtlas.com].</ref>
It is 2,400 miles, (3,860 km) from east to west and 2,000 miles (3,220 km) from north to south.
It covers an area of 2,967,877 sq miles (7,686,810 sq km). The Australian coastline is 22,812 miles long (36,735 kilometers).
The mainland of Australia is about the same size as the mainland 48 states of the USA.

Australia has six states and two internal territories. The states are [[New South Wales]], [[Victoria]], [[Queensland]], [[Western Australia]], [[South Australia]] and [[Tasmania]]. The internal territories are the [[Northern Territory]] (responsible government since 1978) and the [[Australian Capital Territory]] (responsible government since 1988) which is the location of Australia's capital city, [[Canberra]]. External territories include [[Christmas Island]] and the [[Australian Antarctic Territory]].

== History==
=== Pre European Contact ===
Australia was originally inhabited by people who are commonly known as [[Australian Aborigines|Aborigines]] although they come from over 700 smaller nations each with their own tribal name and language. Over time, many of these nations and tribes lost their identity or were decimated by disease, poor nutrition, massacres by white settlers and the forced removal of children from their parents into white families or mission stations. Nevertheless, many Aboriginal languages and traditions have survived the more than 200 years of white settlement. Under recent legislation recognising native title, Aboriginal communities now have the right to claim back land dispossessed from them where they can prove that lasting cultural links still persist and where the native title has not been extinguished by freehold or leasehold title.

The original inhabitants of the [[Torres Strait Islands]] and far northern Queensland are different and are known as [[Torres Strait Islander]]s. These people are more closely related to [[Melanesian]]s than to Aborigines. The term usually used to include all indigenous Australians is "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders".

=== Post European Contact ===
European discovery of the mainland of Australia was by [[Holland|Dutch]] sailors heading to the spice isles of what is now [[Indonesia]], in the 16th Century. Most of their descriptions of Australia are based on the exploration of the North West coast which is very rugged and inhospitable.

In [[1770]] the [[England|English]] navigator, Lieutenant [[James Cook]], Captain of the [[Royal Navy]] bark, [[HMS Endeavour]], discovered the east coast of Australia which is much more capable of maintaining life and settlers. In [[1788]] the [[First Fleet]] arrived at [[Sydney]] Cove, [[New South Wales]] - comprising officers, Marines, convicts and a very few free settlers. Later fleets brought more convicts who were dispersed also to Tasmania and other remote settlements. Over time, when freed, the former convicts settled areas beyond [[Sydney Harbour]].

As the 18th century came to a close convicts were given land packages and more free settlers came to the land in the hope of setting up farms and businesses. A number of colonies started to be formed - the most populated being New South Wales (whose capital city is Sydney). These colonies later became the states.

The 1850s saw the discovery of [[gold]] and large number of people moved to Australia to find new wealth. Most of these people were British, although there were also many dispossessed by the "land clearings" in [[Scotland]] and the [[Ireland|Irish]] [[potato]] [[famine]], and there was a significant number of [[China|Chinese]] immigrants during this rush. "Americans were drawn to Australia to participate in various enterprises such as the gold fields" <ref>[http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/statistics/comm-summ/textversion/usa.htm| Australian Dept of Immigration and Citizenship]</ref>

== System of Government ==
Australia became a federated country on [[1 January]] [[1901]] under the [[Constitution of Australia]], and all former British colonies became states. The declaration of federation was made in Sydney. The parliament met in [[Melbourne]], Victoria, until the infrastructure was built for the capital city, [[Canberra]].

Australia has a [[Parliament|parliamentary system]] of government based on the British system with a [[bicameral]] system: the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and the [[Australian Senate|Senate]]. Each state and territory also has its own parliament.

Australia is a [[democracy]] which has allowed men of [[European]] descent to vote since federation, with non-Aboriginal women gaining the vote in 1902 and Aboriginal men and women gaining suffrage in 1962. Voting is compulsory for all citizens who are 18 years old and over (with a few exceptions.)

Australia's Head of Government is the [[Prime Minister of Australia]]. The current Prime Minister is [[John Howard]], the leader of the [[Liberal Party of Australia]]. He lost the 2007 Federal Election on November 24 to (now Prime Minister-Elect) [[Kevin Rudd]], the head of the [[Labour Party of Australia]]. The Deputy Prime Minister-Elect is [[Julia Gillard]], the first woman to hold the position.

The Head of State is [[Queen Elizabeth II]], the Queen of Australia (who is the same person, but a different title, as the Queen of Great Britain.) Under the Constitution, and in practice, the authority of the Head of State is vested in the [[Governor-General of Australia]], currently the retired Major-General Philip Michael Jeffery, AC, CVO, MC, GCL, who assents to acts of parliament, is the Commander in Chief of the military forces, and appoints all Ministers of the Government; all these various powers are normally exercised on advice from the Prime Minister.

The Government of Australia is exercised, day-to-day, by the Ministers through their various Departments of State.

=== Voting ===
{{main|Voting in Australia}}

Australia has [[preferential voting]], and voting is compulsory for most people. Preferential voting encourages a multiplicity of parties and independent candidates, and counting the votes and allocating preferences can take some time where the results are close.

=== Terms ===
There is no limit on the time a person can be a Member of Parliament (MP) (elected, notionally, for 3 years, but the timing of elections is decided by the Prime Minister) or a Senator (elected for two cycles of the House of representatives.) The Prime Minister is normally a member of the House of Representatives, and the tenure is not limited by statute. ([[John Gorton]] was a Senator when appointed leader of his party. He immediately resigned from the Senate and stood for election to the House of Representatives.)

===Parliamentary political parties===
Currently, the main political parties in Australia are:
* Australian Democrats
* Australian Greens
* [[Australian Labor Party]]
* Family First Party
* [[Liberal Party of Australia]]
* National Party of Australia

Despite the name, the Liberal Party is conservative in political stance, a paradox established since the years that Sir [[Robert Menzies]] was Prime Minister. Menzies helped found the Liberal Party in 1944 and was the Prime Minister from 1939 until 1941 and then again from 1949 until 1966.<ref> [http://www.liberals.net/liberalpartyhistory.htm History of the Liberal Party in Australia]</ref> The term "liberal" refers to the party's predominantly-[[free market|free-market]] approach to [[economics|economic management]].

The party currently in power is the [[Australian Labor Party]]. The Labor Party is also in government in all of the states and territories.

The Labor Party is "social democratic" while the Liberals are "liberal conservatives"; however, some of the smaller parties are more socialist or more conservative than Labor and Liberal respectively.

== Prime Ministers of Australia ==
''See also a [[list of Prime Ministers of Australia]].''

The Prime Minister of Australia is the most senior elected person in the country. The role is normally filled by the parliamentary leader of the party which forms the government.

== Geography ==

Australia relies a great deal on industry, agriculture and tourism to foster its economy. It has a thriving film industry and very advanced technology. Most tourists visit places such as Sydney Harbour, Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Central Australia and the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. Other favourite destinations are the wine making areas of South Australia and northern Victoria, the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, the natural wonders of Tasmania and the huge outback expanses of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Some cattle stations in Australia rival [[Texas]] in size and the distance between towns in some areas is enormous.

80% of Australia's population, of just over 20,000,000 people, live on the coast line. It is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries (2.7 people per square kilometre)<ref>[http://www.abs.gov.au ABS]</ref>. Water is scarce and some cities have some form of water restrictions in place.

Weather extremes are common in Australia with temperatures sometimes measured into the high 40s Celsius (45 degrees Celsius = 113 degrees Fahrenheit). The city of Darwin was destroyed by Cyclone Tracey in 1974 and bush fires often ravage the southern states - one of the worst occurring on Ash Wednesday in 1983 when over 2,000 homes were destroyed and over 70 people lost their lives in Victoria and South Australia.

Australia is noted for its unique biodiversity. Many animals are found only in Australia, the most well known examples are the group of marsupials ([[kangaroos]], [[wombats]], [[wallabies]] and [[koalas]]), and the only two [[monotremes]], the [[platypus]] and the [[echidna]]. Examples of plants that are native to Australia are the [[banksia]], [[yellow wattle]] and [[gum tree]].

Studies indicate that Australia's unique wildlife is the result of Australia becoming an island, being cut off from the Asian land bridge between 40,000–250,000 years ago on the uniformitarian timescale.

== Sport ==

Australia is often known as a sporting nation with success worldwide in [[swimming]], [[tennis]], [[rugby union]], [[cricket]], [[netball]], [[basketball]], and even speed [[ice skating]]. Australians are very keen horse racers with the Melbourne Cup <ref>[http://www.melbournecup.com.au| Melbourne Cup]</ref> attracting up to 120,000 spectators at Flemington Race Course on the first Tuesday in November. There is a public holiday for the cup race in Melbourne, while the remainder of the country virtually pauses during the running of the cup race. This day also coincides (mostly) every second year with the [[United States of America|American]] [[Congress|Congressional]] [[election]]s and every four years with the [[President|Presidential]] election.

Unique to Australia is a game known as [[Australian rules football]] or Aussie Rules, which is played on a [[cricket]] oval in winter. Australian rules football is the sport most attended in the states of [[Victoria]], [[South Australia]] and [[Western Australia]], and most attended overall in Australia; in 2006 2.5 million people had attended at least one Aussie Rules game in the preceding 12 months.[http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ProductsbyCatalogue/1F8FAC9C2C7B1623CA2568A900139417?OpenDocument] Australian Rules Football was written by persons educated at the [[Rugby School]] in England and [[Cambridge University]] before the organisation of uniform football codes. It is not as popular in the Australian states of [[New South Wales]] and [[Queensland]] although premiership teams have both been based in these two states in the past decade.

The other national football code is [[rugby league]] football. Rugby league football is the most attended sport in New South Wales and Queensland with its premier club competition being the [[National Rugby League]]. The national rugby league football team has only lost one competition in the past 29 years, that being to New Zealand in 2005.

==Religion==
Australia is a [[secular]] nation, in that it has no established religion associated with the Government. Of Australia's population of around 21 million, approximately 1.5 million attend weekly religious services <ref>[http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?docid=2250&track=82083| National Church Life Survey 2004]</ref>. The Australian public school system is described as "free, secular and compulsory" with the secular meaning without favour to any particular religion - most primary schools, however, do offer some form of non-compulsory religious education according to the parents' wishes. The state systems of a number of states offer studies in religion at the senior level.

There is a large Catholic school system in Australia with most parishes having their own primary school and many hundreds of Catholic High Schools across the country. There are also a large number of independent schools founded by various religions or denominations of the Christian faith - some hold that religious background to be more important than others.

==Comparing Australian and U.S. Economic and Health statistics==
Whilst the Australian society is similar in many aspects to those of the U.S., a comparison of key economic (in $U.S.) and health indicators highlights some interesting fundamental differences:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! !!Australia!!U.S.
|-
| '''GDP Per Capita'''
| $32,900.00
| $43,500.00
|-
| '''Budget Deficit/Surplus''' Per capita
| $444.00 surplus. Australia has had budget surpluses every year since 2001
| $841.00 deficit
|-
| '''Public Debt'''
| 14.1% of GDP
| 64.7% of GDP
|-
| '''Military Expenditure'''
| 2.5 % of GDP
| 4.06% of GDP
|-
| '''Life Expectancy at Birth''' (combined male and female)
| 80.5 years
| 77.85 years
|-
| '''Infant Mortality Rates''' deaths/1,000 live births
| 4.63
| 6.43
|-
| '''HIV/AIDS Prevalence Rates'''
| 0.1% of population
| 0.6% of population
|}
Australia has a universal health scheme and significant subsidies on most prescription medications.

==External links==
* [http://www.fed.gov.au Australian Government portal]
* [http://www.aph.gov.au Australian Parliament House (Reps & Senate) portal]
* [http://www.gg.gov.au Governor-General of Australia]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Oceanian Countries]]
[[Category:Continents]]
[[Category:Australia]]

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

2007-08-22T00:20:59Z

Xsophos: Edited caption of pic of Apollo 11 Launch

[[Image:Apollo 11 Launch.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Apollo 11 launch. The small cloud midway up the rocket is due to the Low Pressure in that region as the Rocket Passes through Max Q, the maximum dynamic pressure exerted on the rocket in the launch.]]
'''The National Aeronautics and Space Administration''' (NASA) began in 1958. It was created by U.S. legislation for the purpose of creating a government space program for the [[United States]]. This legislation was in response to the [[Soviet Union]]'s the first man-made satellite, [[Sputnik|Sputnik I]]. According to the act NASA was to conduct research on the problems of flight in and out of the atmosphere, with and without human pilots, and to cooperate with other nations in the peaceful exploration of space. NASA is responsible for many satellites including [[Landsat]], which was a series of satellites for the collection of information on natural resources, communication satellites and weather satellites. The [[Project Apollo]] program under NASA led to several landings on the [[Moon]] from 1969-1972. It is also the designer and developer of the [[space shuttle]].

[[Category:Space Exploration]]

Conservapedia talk:Commandments

2007-03-14T09:26:19Z

Xsophos: /* Propose: "Don't copy" */

==Archives==
[[TCC Archive 1|BC/AD vs BCE/CE]] 
[[TCC Archive 2|American Spellings]] 
[[TCC Archive 3|Cite Sources]]

==Encyclopedic Content==

We should add a new commandment that states that only things that qualify as encyclopedic content will be allowed.
one of our criticisims of Wikipedia is
"Wikipedia claims about 1.5 million articles, but what it does not say is that a large number of those articles have zero educational value. For example, Wikipedia has 995 separate articles about "Moby" and "song". Many hundreds of thousands of Wikipedia articles -- perhaps over half its website -- are about music, Hollywood, and other topics and gossip beneath a regular encyclopedia." We should be backing this up with a commandment. --[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 22:31, 24 January 2007 (EST)
* Tim, I don't know if that's all that necessary right now. As you say on the South Park page... we have only deleted '''one''' because of its content. Remember, we don't want to have a ton of rules. If this ever becomes a major problem we can add it. [[User:PhilipB|PhilipB]] 08:59, 25 January 2007 (EST)
*Perhaps we should simply make a guideline about encyclopedic content. It could read something like this: "When creating new pages, we request that you attempt to limit your contributions to encyclopedic content." If we add that, we will need to define Encyclopedic Content. I think one of our main problems is that this is rather difficult to define. This whole issue is not very important at the moment, so we can probably just continue what we have been doing so far for the time being. I think we will need a rule on this at some point in the future, however. We should discuss this further so we will be have a plan to use when that time comes. ~ [[User:SharonS|SharonS]] 13:11, 25 January 2007 (EST)

We need to add a commandment to ''prevent'' a problem from happening in the future. Is there ever a reason to allow an article that is not encyclopedic content? If not, then why not have a commandment. --[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 22:48, 25 January 2007 (EST)

If we add an encyclopedic content commandment, it will keep people from posting non-encyclopedic content to begin with. Can anyone give an example of non-encyclopedic content that we would want to keep. --[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 10:37, 31 January 2007 (EST)

We criticize Wikipedia for havin lots of useless articles that a "real encyclopedia" would not include. If we do not make a rule about such things here, then when we start getting alot of users, we will start having the same problem here. --[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 15:37, 7 February 2007 (EST)

Tim, I changed my mind. I think it would be smart to make a command about this. [[User:PhilipB|PhilipB]] 15:44, 7 February 2007 (EST)

What is meant by what a real encyclopedia would have? For example, there has been some discussion about whether an article about South Park is acceptable. One could similarly ask about whether the Daily Show would be a legitimate topic for an article(certainly the fact that it was one of the most popular political comedy show on TV and is often accused of having a liberal bias is relevant) or what about comic strips such as Doonsebury and Opus? Similarly, going backwards in time, what about the Twilight Zone which in its original incarnation often included social commentary? Or Gilbert and Sullivan who in there day were considered to be pop culture. Heck, we can continue this all the way back to the Oresteia. If a line is going to be drawn, it should be clear where it is. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 15:46, 7 February 2007 (EST)

I think that we should have a Commandment limiting entries to "[[encyclopedic content]]," and then define encyclopedic content in a seperate page. on the subject of TV shows, we should establish concrete criteria that disqualifies most TV shows but might allow some that have had a particular impact. (I am not sure on [[South Park]] it does not seem to me to be very imortant, but I do not know much about it.) --[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 17:09, 7 February 2007 (EST)
: To be honest, its hard for me to see how we couldn't have an article on it given how political the show is and how many people watch it. Also, I think your response about defining it on another page is a bit of a non-answer. Part of my concern above was how to define encyclopedic content and whether there is a good defintion. How possible it is to come to an agreement about how to define encyclopedic content is relevant to whether or not we should have the policy.[[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 17:14, 7 February 2007 (EST)
: I personally know virtually nothing about South Park so I do not really know if we should have it. --[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 17:28, 7 February 2007 (EST)

===Possible Definitions===
Make suggestions for defining encyclopedic content here.

:The word "encyclopedia" comes from the root "-pedia," learning. "Encyclo-" means... well, here's what the American Heritage dictionary says:
::The word encyclopedia, which to us usually means a large set of books, descends from a phrase that involved coming to grips with the contents of such books. The Greek phrase is ''enkuklios paideia,'' made up of ''enkuklios,'' “cyclical, periodic, ordinary,” and ''paideia,'' “education,” and meaning “general education.” Copyists of Latin manuscripts took this phrase to be a single Greek word, enkuklopaedia, with the same meaning, and this spurious Greek word became the New Latin word encyclopaedia, coming into English with the sense “general course of instruction,” first recorded in 1531. In New Latin the word was chosen as the title of a reference work covering all knowledge.[http://www.bartleby.com/61/97/E0129700.html]

:"Knowledge" has several dictionary meanings, but since the -pedia root means "education," I think the meaning of "knowledge" that applies here is "Learning; erudition: teachers of great knowledge."[http://www.bartleby.com/61/40/K0094000.html]

:So, my definition of "encyclopedic content" would be "content that is clearly related to a school curriculum." In the case of the World Book, I think that's a high school curriculum; the Britannica, a college curriculum.[[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 19:25, 7 February 2007 (EST)

Here is a general idea for a definition of encyclopedic content: Content that is useful, informative, important, major news, no advertising, no movie or TV show reviews, Etc. --[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 17:28, 7 February 2007 (EST)

===Unofficial Poll===
Encyclopedic Content Commandment.
===='''For'''====
:1.--[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 17:12, 7 February 2007 (EST)
:2.-- [[User:PhilipB|PhilipB]] 13:15, 14 February 2007 (EST)
:3 [[User:MountainDew|MountainDew]] 01:16, 7 March 2007 (EST) (although maybe as a suggested guideline more than a rule)

===='''Against'''====
:1. Cross that bridge when you come to it. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 19:25, 7 February 2007 (EST)
:2. Clearly not what we want. For example, this would prohibit articles about documentaries. For example, I think most of would see [[Inherit the Wind]], [[The Passion of The Christ]], [[Birth of a Nation]], [[An Inconvenient Truth]], [[Farehenheit 9/11]] as all candidates for articles. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 18:42, 15 February 2007 (EST)
::'''Reply''' I don't see how it would prohibit documentaries or movies. --[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 19:17, 15 February 2007 (EST)
::: Well then, what precisely are you prohibiting by "no movie or TV show reviews"?[[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 19:57, 15 February 2007 (EST)
::::I mean movie reviews as in: this is a good movie because... or don't see this movie... More Opinionated POV stuff. I guess I could have been more specific. --[[User:TimSvendsen|TimSvendsen]] 22:57, 15 February 2007 (EST)
::::: That doesn't end up saying much. I mean, Wikipedia doesn't allow movie reviews in that sense either. It isn't clear to me now what precisely would be disallowed by this policy that isn't trivial. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 23:00, 15 February 2007 (EST)
:3. Count me as against this proposed limitation. Deletions can always be made later, but at this early stage in the project we want it to be able to grow in many different directions. Recall the parable about the wheat and the chaff? Jesus explained that you do not sort the two early, but only at harvest. No reason to rush to delete and risk stamping out something that might grow and bear fruit.
:I might add that the [[Bias in Wikipedia]] page does not complain about useless Wikipedia entries. One (of 22) complaints there criticized Wikipedia's bragging about have so many entries, which the vast majority of its entries are frivilous. That is a complaint about misleading advertising, not a demand for deletion. Several complaints about Wikipedia on [[Bias in Wikipedia]] are about speedy and arbitrary deletions, something we want to avoid here.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 19:45, 15 February 2007 (EST)
:'''Reply''' The Examples of Bias page has 5 entries attacking Wikipedia for having too much useless Info, (Nos 7, 10, 18, 19 and 22) and only 1 attacking the deletion policy, (No 9) --TimSvendsen 11:59, 15 February 2007 (EST)

==="Inclusionism" versus "deletionism"===
This discussion, and the one at [[AFD Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious]], parallel a very longstanding polarization in Wikipedia between "inclusionism" and "deletionism." When people are allowed to edit without direct supervision, they concentrate on those topics for which they have the greatest enthusiasm, which leads to unbalanced coverage. It also leads to the creation of articles which detractors call "cruft:" articles covering extreme minutiae, or articles covering things of interest to only a tiny number of people.

Aschlafly criticizes the overemphasis on pop culture, but I don't know if he's even run across the cruftier kinds of Wikipedia articles. Some specific topic areas that have generated heated discussion in the past:
*Unimportant roads, e.g. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netcong_Circle Netcong Circle], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_Route_520_%28New_Jersey%29 County Road 520, New Jersey]
*Minuscule micronations, e.g. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kugelmugel Republic of Kugelmugel] (small organizations which claim to be independent nations.) (A ''well''-known one would be Sealand).
*Conlangs (artificially constructed languages) used by tiny numbers of people, e.g. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toki_Pona Toki Pona] (''Well''-known ones would be Esperanto... and Klingon).
*Overspecialized lists, e.g. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_containing_the_name_of_a_ship,_aircraft_or_spacecraft List of songs containing the name of a ship, aircraft or spacecraft]
*Schools with nothing obviously special or important about them, e.g. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_Middle_School Battlefield Middle School]
People are constantly contributing articles about games, phrases, etc. said to be in use at a single school, to the point where Wikipedia actually has a guideline, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_is_not_for_things_made_up_in_school_one_day Wikipedia is not for things made up in school one day].

(No doubt Aschlafly, who keeps giving me rope on which I keep hanging myself, will add these to his examples of Wikipedian silliness...)
Inclusionists concentrate on the importance of building the encyclopedia and attracting contributions, and emphasize the virtues of improving rather than deleting sketchy articles on "silly" subjects. Some inclusionists would accept articles on any topic whatsoever, subject only to "verifiability." Deletionists emphasize the importance of keeping a high standard and getting rid of low-quality articles that are not actually being improved. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 06:16, 16 February 2007 (EST)

A different problem, which Conservapedia may encounter in time, is self-promotion. As Wikipedia began to attract wide notice, it occurred to many people that an article in Wikipedia could be an inexpensive form of publicity. This has led to fairly formalized "notability" criteria for websites, corporations, and rock bands. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 08:13, 16 February 2007 (EST)

In the end, however, we have to remember that online encyclopedias are infinitely expandable, to the point of encompassing all human knowledge in time. The fact that the Britannica leaves some things out may be more a case of "Nobody will buy a 3,000 volume set" than a case of "Some things shouldn't be in an encyclopedia". The emphasis on minutiae may be Wikipedia's greatest draw - you don't go to an online encyclopedia to find things you can find at the library, you go on to find the things you cannot find anywhere else. In another ten years, when Wikipedia fills in the gaps, it may very well be THE place to go when looking something up, just because you can find ANYTHING there, no matter how obscure. Reputation counts.--[[User:Smalltownhick|Smalltownhick]] 20:15, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

==WWII German Entries==
We all know i have done alot of WWII entries in German. I hope i am not breaking rule #5. Get back to me on that. [[User:Will N.]]

== American English spelling and foreign names. ==

Should Martín Torrijos or Martin Torrijos be preffered? [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 21:00, 15 February 2007 (EST)

*We seem to be using American spellings, as in the case of [[Hapsburg]] (instead of Habsburg), so I guess we should omit the accent mark. ~ [[User:SharonS|SharonS]] 21:07, 15 February 2007 (EST)

The accent is part of the guy's ''name''. American spellings accept the accent mark within names. --[[User:David R|David R]] 12:47, 16 February 2007 (EST)

Possibly this could be handled by using the American version, Hapsburg, with a note saying that the Austrian spelling was Habsburg?

Also, I should note that the American spelling of the Austrian dynasty (Ha'''p'''sburg in America) seems like a strange case to cite in arguing against Wikipedia's supposed Anglophilia, and as a policy precedent for Conservapedia. The actual name of the dynasty is Ha'''b'''sburg. As such, most scholars (including Americans) prefer the original spelling, and I see no reason not to use this, particularly since isn't a question of transliteration or preserving a diacritical mark not used in English.

To me, this screams for a clarification. Even if Conservapedia wants its content to use American spellings, does this extend to "Americanizing" proper names and official names/titles? Would Conservapedia have the name of the ruling party in the British parliament spelled "Labor," even though its official name is "Labour"? Or, to give another example, would Slavic names like "Edvard" and "Josef" be rendered into their English equivalents "Edward" and "Joseph"? Personally, I think the rule about American spelling should not be absolute, and that formal names of individuals and organizations should be retained as much as possible, including appropriate accents and diacritical marks. I'm not saying the original names or acronyms of foreign organizations (as opposed to personal names) would have to be used exclusively, but that it would be good to include the original name in the entry as a point of reference.

For instance, an entry on the German Nazi Party could give its original German name and acronym in parentheses (Nationalsozialistiche Deutsche Arbeitspartei, or NSDAP), along with an English translation (National Socialist German Workers Party). It's useful for someone who's studying a foreign language and wants to know the name in the original, and also as a means of explaining why the acronyms often used for such organizations don't always correspond exactly to the English translation.

How does this add to the level of scholarship on this site? Aren't we arguing about trivial matters? It seems to be an effort at cultural preservation (for a culture that is derived from many others anyway) at the expense of the getting to the real meaning of things.

I agree that it's silly. I think that the standard should be whatever spelling is favored in America. For example, American newspapers generally refer to the British party in question as the Labour Party, so I think that would be acceptable. On the other hand, we don't refer to Germany as Deutschland. Sometimes I think we just need to use common sense. [[User:MountainDew|MountainDew]] 18:56, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

== "Metric" vs. "English" units in scientific articles? ==
While changing [[Earth]] from a prank entry to a real entry, I realized I don't know what the Conservapedian community prefers with respect to style. For over a century, scientific writing has always used "metric" units exclusively, while in commerce and everyday life the United States uses the "English" system (pounds, inches, feet, miles, gallons, etc.)

For a while, in the seventies, it appeared that the U. S. might start using the metric system in ordinary life, but the Reagan administration put the kibosh on that. The imposition of the metric system into ordinary life is vaguely seen as "liberal" and opposition to it as "conservative." (BTW one of the horrors of George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" was that his nightmare totalitarian state had imposed the metric system on England and pubs wouldn't draw "pints" any more).

(Formally and properly the "metric" system is called SI for "système international") The system used in the United States is sometimes called "English" but is properly called "U. S. Customary" because some of the units are different; gallons, for example).

The metric system has been legal in the United States (though of course not mandatory) since 1866, and all U. S. measurements have for a very long time been legally defined with reference to the metric system, i.e. the legal definition of one inch is 25.4 mm.

What style is preferred in Conservapedia for clearly scientific material?

1) '''Doesn't matter.''' Use whatever is convenient, i.e. whatever was used in whatever source was consulted for writing the material; for scientific material that would usually be SI. As a service to the reader, add a conversion later ''at any convenient time'' and without any fussing or making a political issue of it.

2) '''English (metric).''' Use U. S. Customary, with metric equivalent in parentheses: "The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 93 million miles (150 million km)?"

3) '''Metric (English).''' Use SI, with U. S. Customary equivalent in parentheses: "The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 150 million kilometers (93 million mi)."

4) '''English only.''' Use U. S. Customary only: "The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 93 million miles.?"

5) '''Metric only.''' "The average distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 150 million kilometers."

Choice 1 is my preference.

P. S. Google will convert units for you. If you "search" for "50 cc in fluid ounces" Google returns "50 cc = 1.69070113 US fluid ounces" [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 05:43, 1 March 2007 (EST)

I don't think that we can ask our contributors to bother converting their information to our prefered system.

--[[User:BenjaminS|BenjaminS]] 09:14, 1 March 2007 (EST)

==External Links, Bots==
I propose the following. ''External links should be to reputable sites that are connected to the article subject.'' and ''Unauthorized bots are prohibited.''

Thoughts? [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 20:51, 6 March 2007 (EST)

:Do you have any firm criteria in mind for defining 'reputable?' [[User:Tsumetai|Tsumetai]] 20:54, 6 March 2007 (EST)

:: And what do you mean by connected? In fact, I would think in many cases a certain level of lack of connection is a good thing since there is likely to be less bias. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 20:58, 6 March 2007 (EST)

:Reputable will probably have to be done on a case by case basis and I mean connected as in not placing a link for cooking in the physics sections. [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 21:04, 6 March 2007 (EST)

:: I don't think we need a policy to tell people that completely unrelated links shouldn't be put in (I'd also phrase that differently anyways something like "External links should be relevant to the subject of the article at hand". I am very worried about cases by case reputability deciding. While obviosly at the end of the day every case is slightly different, we will need general rules. (So for example, it seems that some users have already asserted that the Talk Origins Archive is so bad that we can't even link to it, while CreationWiki can even be used as a source). [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 21:11, 6 March 2007 (EST)
:::I created a list to compile possible rules.[[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 21:43, 6 March 2007 (EST)
:Anyone opposed to bot restrictions? [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 21:43, 6 March 2007 (EST)
==Brainstorm List-Reputability Guidelines==
*The site generally should not exist primarily for profit
*Sites should have factual content

== Regarding repeatedly changing words to the "Brit" spelling ==

I think Conservapedia should merely '''slightly favor''' American spelling of words since most users would probably be American. Specifically, I think that only titles of articles should favor the American spelling and we should have redirects using the British spellings. I think that people from Britain and the commonwealth (who probably use British spellings) can make valuable contributions to Conservapedia. I see no reason to alienate these individuals by majoring on the minors. I see no problem with using British spellings and for Brits and others to change the various words spelling to British spellings since they likely believe the "American spelling" is incorrectly spelled. I see no reason to ban someone for repeatedly changing the spelling of words to the British spelling since they might in many cases not even know there was an American spelling to various words. In short, I see no reason why Conservapedia should be associated with being a "Ugly American" organization. I think such a policy outlined here would insure that Conservapedia has more of a global impact. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 22:59, 6 March 2007 (EST)conservative

:I see your point, but we are an American organization, and the Commandment does not completely prohibit British spelling. [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 23:02, 6 March 2007 (EST)

Actually it says that the user will be block after repeated uses of the British spelling. But I do not see much dissent coming from our motherland. A British magazine did an article on Conservapedia, in which they gave our description and a short paragraph. It was lacking in criticism of our rule. So I don't think it is as offensive as you make it out to be Conservative. However, I do not object to making redirect pages that convert from the British spelling. That seems like a very acceptable idea. --[[User:David R|<<-David R->>]] 23:09, 6 March 2007 (EST)
:::I just wanted to add that I am an American and was born in America. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 00:06, 7 March 2007 (EST)conservative

::::Haha. I did not mean to convey that I thought you British. I am sure you are a great American. --[[User:David R|<<-David R->>]] 00:10, 7 March 2007 (EST)
==Bots==
I proposed a Commandment above prohibiting unauthorized bots. Anyone opposed to implementation? [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 01:13, 7 March 2007 (EST)

What exactly is a bot?

:a bot, as defined in Commandment 7, is a piece of software that can make over a hundred edits per second. [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 00:56, 9 March 2007 (EST)

==What counts as "gossip"==

I don't think its just discussion about people per se, but you mentioned in general it's a desire to avoid entries that seem like a "national enquirer" thing. So where do entries like [[facebook]] and [[myspace]] come in? Does this stuff count as worthwhile subject matter or is it "gossipy"? [[User:Tmtoulouse|Tmtoulouse]] 00:14, 8 March 2007 (EST)

In my opinion, MySpace could be argued to be a legitimate entry because it's frequently in the news relating to the issues of Internet privacy and safety. However, I saw that entry and the Facebook one and had the same concerns that you did. That being said, Mr. Schlafly said somewhere else that there's nothing wrong with having a few "fun" entries, so I don't think that it's a big deal. [[User:MountainDew|MountainDew]] 01:46, 8 March 2007 (EST)

==Obscenity==

Since Conservapedia admins are deleting articles that they consider obscene the Conservapedia Commandments should probably mention this and their definition of obscenity. On a related note family friendliness should also be defined . [[User:Sulgran|Sulgran]] 00:18, 8 March 2007 (EST)
:Family friendly and obscenity are pretty much "Would you show this to your child?" [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 01:12, 8 March 2007 (EST)
:: What people are willing to show their children varies from family to family and on the age of the child. Iin my family the level of profanity allowed depended on context of its use- profanity directed at someone else was much more problematic than profanity used as interjections or adverbs. ( can think of at least one English word that has two forms and depending where you are one is more acceptable than the other. I would also ask if the word for a female dog is acceptable? Does it depend on what context one is using it in? What about the word for an illegimate offspring? Two examples which I can probably safely mention are "gosh" which is no longer considered a serious swear by almost anyone and the word "sex." All of these seem to depend on both age and individual family. A much clearer criterion is needed. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 03:14, 8 March 2007 (EST)
:: I agree that this is too subjective. An example that I think is appropriate for Conservapedia is the Bible. Nobody will deny that there are passages in the Bible that many parents may be uncomfortable with their children reading. (I remember when I was a child asking my mother to explain the scene in Genesis where Lot impregnates his daughters and not receiving an answer.) Likewise, on Conservapedia, there may need to exist some pertinent, encylopedic information which may fall within the "gray area" of "would you show your children this?" Common sense in these cases may need to prevail. I'm not saying that we need to have graphic articles about sexuality or anything of the like. I'm just saying that there may need to be exceptions to the rule that Geo.plrd mentioned. [[User:MountainDew|MountainDew]] 01:44, 9 March 2007 (EST)
:i said pretty much, it isn't hard and fast. [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 01:47, 9 March 2007 (EST)

==Sock & Meat Puppets==
Opinions? [[User:Sulgran|Sulgran]] 00:42, 9 March 2007 (EST)
:Due to the restrictive nature of account creation and anon blocking, I don't believe we have any. [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 00:45, 9 March 2007 (EST)
::No probably not but it might be a good idea to get something in the commandments before trouble starts.
:::I rather think we ''have'' had some, but it's all guesswork, of course. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 08:29, 9 March 2007 (EST)
:How about, ''Using sockpuppets to evade blocks is prohibited'' [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 01:35, 9 March 2007 (EST)

::Do we care? Simpler just to ban accounts which break the rules and leave it at that. If a blocked user comes back as a sock, but stays entirely within the rules, does it really matter? The block achieved its aim, surely.

::Using sockpuppets to support one's arguments or edits is a different matter altogether, of course. [[User:Tsumetai|Tsumetai]] 08:32, 9 March 2007 (EST)

::''Use of sockpuppets to influence discussion or proceedings is prohibited.'' work? [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 21:15, 9 March 2007 (EST)

:::Considering that discussions are not polls, I don't see why this matters. I also don't really see it on Wikipedia, even though things move on a scale where this ''might'' matter in a way. The current rules pretty much cover things. If you have to add a rule, just add something like "Don't act like a total jerk." and be done with it. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 08:37, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

== suggestion as far as addition to the commandments - Encyclopedic/Non combative tone ==

I have a suggestion as far an addition to the commandments. How about a commandment that "Thou shall not have an unencyclopedic tone in thy writing." I think this would help better manage the amount of material that is argumentative in tone and obvious actions of trolls. [[User:Conservative|Conservative]] 20:24, 9 March 2007 (EST)conservative

:While I like the idea, enforcing it would be tough. Our own idea of ''tone'' would be the basis for this commandment and I don't think everyone's idea of ''tone'' coincides. And I think favorable tone exists in some pages. It would be a hard commandment to implement. --[[User:David R|<<-David R->>]] 20:29, 9 March 2007 (EST)

: I highly agree with David on this one. We do need an encyclopedic content commandment though... [[User:Conservapedia Webmaster|Conservapedia Webmaster]] 20:41, 9 March 2007 (EST)

::One relevant suggestion on (whispers) Wikipedia is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Avoid_instruction_creep Avoid instruction creep.] The whole essay is actually well worth reading, but the gist is: "'''Instruction creep''' occurs when a person or persons add to a list of instructions repeatedly, causing it to increase in size and complexity over time... Procedures are popular to suggest but unpopular to follow, due to the effort required to locate, read, learn and abide by them... New policies and guidelines should be added only where they will actually be helpful."

::So the question here is, will adding "Encyclopedic/Non combative tone" to the list of commandments actually be helpful? Is it actually likely to have an effect on what people do? Are these rhetorical questions? (Yes). In my opinion, people are most likely to be influenced by the behavior of the other editors the meet here; next most likely to be influenced by the tone of other pages they read here; and least likely to be influenced by what is on the "commandments" list. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 20:47, 9 March 2007 (EST)

:: There is value in keeping the list of Commandments short and simple. God only issued 10 Commandments for all of life. Let's try to make do with less for Conservapedia.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 20:50, 9 March 2007 (EST)
::: Oh really? I see a lot more commandments than just 10 in the text. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 21:02, 9 March 2007 (EST)
::::If you are referring to Exodus' 10 Commandments in the Bible, then you are terribly mistaken - they are called the 10 commandments for a reason. But I see where you might find more than 10 - Leviticus contains "''mini''-commandments" that direct the Jews how to do almost everything pertaining to their lives. --[[User:David R|<<-David R->>]] 21:10, 9 March 2007 (EST)
::::: Oh? Deuteronomy contains a large number as well, as does Exodus, and nowhere in the text are those 10 particularly emphasized. Indeed, the 10 commandments when they are given are given with a whole host of other rules as well. And it is very hard to call the others "mini-commandments" considering that many of them are death penalty crimes. I don't know about you, but I don't think of anything I can get the death penalty for as a small commandment. [[User:JoshuaZ|JoshuaZ]] 21:24, 9 March 2007 (EST)
:::::"A soft tongue breaketh the bone" [[User:RobS|RobS]] 21:14, 9 March 2007 (EST)
::::::Good quote and very true. Unfortunately I do not know what it has to do with my previous post. If you are talking about tone, then yes, a ''softer'' tone can persuade much more efficiently than a harsh one, which is why I oppose most of the more overtly biased articles. --[[User:David R|<<-David R->>]] 21:20, 9 March 2007 (EST)
:::::::Yes, I agree with this. A partisan tone needs to be avoided; this can be done with well research and logically grounded sound presentations. Not hostile or angry. [http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2007-March/064694.html Wikien-1] has a running thread on how its going over here. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 21:39, 9 March 2007 (EST)

::Tone can be ironed out in the collaborative effort; good sourcing is the main ingredient. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 21:01, 9 March 2007 (EST)

==Bible==

How about a commandment stating that Bible and research based on the Bible is considered valid. Initially I saw no reason for such a commandment but as Conservapedia users have expanded in number there are increasing numbers of edit removing biblical references from articles.--[[User:AustinM|AustinM]] 06:51, 10 March 2007 (EST)

*What are some examples of biblical references being removed? (Go into the History of the article, click on "Diff" at the point where it was removed, copy the long URL, and paste here...) Were they truly relevant? What did the whomever removed them state as the reason? [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 07:12, 10 March 2007 (EST)

::The reasons for such removal are simple: there are individuals here who have brought their liberal-leaning bias with them from Wikipedia, and the intent is sabotage. Don't believe me? Go to Wikipedia here:[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:JoshuaZ], and you'll see a subheading titled '''Conservapedia contributions''', and you'll see the following:
:::''Josh, I've got 108 people in my facebook group "Conservapedia is the Funniest Shit I've Ever Read" all contributing [tastefully] to conservapedia. We're not being blatantly vicious, but rather presenting them with cited facts. Their site is a frickin' joke. As we all know, to quote the esteemed Stephen Colbert, "reality has a well-known liberal bias." Thanks for fighting the good fight over there with us. --Boss hogg01 05:45, 9 March 2007 (UTC)''
::The individual referred to as "Josh" is [[user:JoshuaZ]], who has nested himself here. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 23:45, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

==Plagiarism/Copying from Wikipedia==

I propose another commandment, even though it should be common sense, that you can't copy from other sites. I've come across too many articles that have been copied directly from Wikipedia, and maybe fewer people would do it if there was a Commandment about it. [[User:MountainDew|MountainDew]] 00:59, 11 March 2007 (EST)

:Copying/making derived works from wikipedia is allowed under the terms of the [[GFDL]]. Instead of banning content from wikipedia, editors should be encouraged to maintain the license of GFDL content under the terms of the GFDL. [[User:MikeA|MikeA]] 03:13, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

::Most wikis are under the GFDL so they can freely borrow from each other and I can't think of a good reason why Conservapedia should be any different in that regard. [[User:Sulgran|Sulgran]] 03:17, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

::::I suspect that Aschlafly wants to maintain more control, or at least have the option of maintaining more control, than the GFDL allows. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 11:13, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

:::Well, direct copy-pasting should be discouraged, as it is sort of hypocritical; "we don't like Wikipedia, that's why we created this project, but lots of the information here is an exact duplicate" doesn't make all that much sense. Editors should be encouraged, however, to use Wikipedia articles as jumping-off points for articles, and to glean ideas for what to add to an article lacking in content. Just my $0.02. --[[User:Hojimachong|Hojimachong]] 03:18, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

::::For what it's worth, ''Wikipedia'' is perfectly cool with the idea of a "Wikipedia fork," that is ''starting'' with Wikipedia and ''changing'' it ("creating a derivative work")... e.g. removing content that's inappropriate for children, correcting bias selectively in articles that seem biassed, or whatever. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 11:13, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

:I'm with Hojimachong. I do use Wikipedia for ideas when writing articles from scratch, but I try to write everything myself. [[User:MountainDew|MountainDew]] 03:19, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

: A lot of .gov sites don't carry copyrights and I think are de facto PD. Caveat: IANAL [[User:Cracker|Second Amendment]] 03:21, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

:the copyright policy should take care of that. [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 03:42, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

What about things such as medications or treatment? I tried looking up medications, can't find them here. Yet I can find them on wikipedia very easily. Furthermore what about medical conditions?

The copyright policy is clear concerning Wikipedia articles: there is none, and everything is in the public domain. If it is forbidden to use such articles as a basis for our own here, then it must be perfectly clear on that point. But in my own opinion, I am for using such articles, improving them, removing bias and anti-Christian/conservative stuff. What say you? [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 23:33, 11 March 2007 (EDT)
:a copyright policy proposal is located at [[User:Geo.plrd/copyr2]] [[User:Geo.plrd|Geo.]] 23:51, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

:Karajou, Wikipedia HAS a copyright policy. It's most definitely not public domain. And since Conservapedia most likely won't use the GFDL for its own content, we can't just grab articles and repost them here as our own. At least that's what I understood. --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 16:34, 12 March 2007 (EDT)

At the very least, I'd like some clarification. [[User:MountainDew|MountainDew]] 15:17, 12 March 2007 (EDT)

Nowhere on the site can I find any reference to the license applied to Conservapedia content. What is it? It is both unreasonable and impractical to expect this wiki to grow without providing this information to the potential contributors. Are we to assume that all the content that we submit becomes sole property of Conservapedia under traditional copyright? This is a problem of grave importance that ''must'' be addressed before Conservapedia can expect to grow beyond its meager roots. – [[User:frijole|Fʀɪɺøʟɛ]] ( [[User_talk:Frijole|тɐʟк]] • [[Special:Contributions/Frijole|¢ʘи†ʀ¡βs]] ) 12:56, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

Please note: GFDL is ''not'' public domain. There are rules associated with it and one of those is to give proper credit to the (main) authors of the work. Direct copy-paste without mentioning sources is not allowed, and technically, the derived work should also be under the GFDL and ''cannot'' be claimed as the work of the "author" nor as copyrighted by Conservapedia. Besides, it's extremely bad manners to just grab somebody else's text and put it up here as one's own work. In any way, Conservapedia needs a policy for this, as it might even have legal repercussions. For example, Wikipedia or one of their contributors could bring Conservapedia or one of its contributors to court for copyright infringements, and although IANAL, I suppose they would stand a fair chance in court. A forced complete shutdown of Conservapedia is not unthinkable if it should come to this. [[User:PaulB|PaulB]] 13:44, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

I suggest this for a good copyright statement:

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work on Conservapedia is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.

or this:

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available in an effort to advance understanding of cultural, artistic, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. It is made available for the purpose(s) of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. It is believed this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 USC Section 107, the material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving similar information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.

==Categorizing Articles==
On someone's talk page an admin said :

Hi and welcome. Please don't add a tag to a bunch of entries. Please improve them instead. Blocking will occur of accounts that simply tag entries.

If this is true than the Conservapedia Commandments should mention it. Unwritten rules are always frustrating to new editors.

[[User:Sulgran|Sulgran]] 00:55, 12 March 2007 (EDT)

==Links in an article==

My question is in regard to how closely an article should be substantiated, or attributed. For example, the [[Scientology]] article has no links within it. Some of its statements are true (of my own knowledge). Other statements in it are opposed by the Church of Scientology (several court cases). Should the article be kept brief and simply have no critics' 'lies' in it, or should the article attribute its statements ? Or is there another, better way? [[User:Terryeo|Terryeo]] 21:04, 12 March 2007 (EDT)

==1. Everything you post must be true and verifiable.==
What is the criteria for "true" here? My guess would be that the Bible is considered literally true here, so material directly mentioned there is covered. I know that the admins here don't agree with Wikipedia's "consensus of the masses" method of determining what is valid for a page, so is there another defined process here?

Also, what does "verifiable" mean? Again, I figure "in the Bible" is a valid way to verify something on this site. How would someone verify, "There is little consensus among scientists about how [[evolution|macroevolution]] is said to have happened"? As far as I can tell, much of the verification process seems to be about quotation. What is the process for determining which quotes are appropriate or inappropriate? For example, the statement about macroevolution above is supported by three quotes afterwards. How do we know those quotes are a representative sample?

I'm interested in contributing here, but I want to make sure I understand the rules before I start taking part. [[User:MrBob|MrBob]] 17:35, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

==Propose: "Don't copy"==
Propose (''with'' footnotes as shown);

*Original work only, please. Even if you only mean to use it as a starting point, ''don't'' begin by copying a whole article from anywhere—not even if the article under a "free" license, not even if it is truly in the public domain.<ref>Conservapedia does ''not'' license its content under GFDL or Creative Commons, and thus is not compatible with the terms of the licenses. But Conservapedia does not want extensive material copied from anywhere, even if it is out of copyright.</ref> ''Quoting'' a few sentences or a paragraph to illustrate a point is fine. Identify it as a quotation and ''show where it came from.''<ref>We like to have this done "inline" by using <nowiki><ref></nowiki> tags, but if you don't know how to do this, just put the source in parenthese. Someone else will be glad to take care of the formatting for you.</ref>

(Because: some new users who are familiar with other Wikis make incorrect assumptions about Conservapedia). [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 18:11, 13 March 2007 (EDT)
:This is going to slow the project to a crawl? I've posted a couple of articles that I got from .gov and .mil sites that had no copyright info at all.If you're going to require original research I'm going to guess that the site may eventually decided to reserve all rights? [[User:Cracker|Cracker]][[User_Talk:Cracker|talk]] 18:32, 13 March 2007 (EDT)
::I'm proposing this, not because I necessarily advocate it, because I believe this is already the de facto policy. Since the Commandments page makes a point of saying "This page is the only rule page on Conservapedia," any important policies need to be made explicit. The reason I believe this is the de facto policy is that Aschlafly has said:
:::*"note that we do not copy directly from Wikipedia or other sources, so please do not repeat that approach"
:::*(In response to "the first paragraph of the article on [Marsupial] is a direct copy from Wikipedia ... If conservapedia doesn't subscribe to the GDFL, then this material should be removed.) "Thanks. I removed virtually all of the first paragraph per your comment. We don't want copied material here."
:::*"I'd prefer that we don't copy anything at all!"
:::*"there is little point in wholesale copying of material from another Wiki into Conservapedia. What would that accomplish? Let's try to be original here."
::and he has chastised Wikipedia for copying from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which of course is well out of copyright.
::As for reserving all rights, see the draft proposal at [[User:Geo.plrd/copyr2]] and discussion at [[User talk:Geo.plrd/copyr2]]. Judge for yourself how close it is to adoption. One of the points is "Content is copyrightED under the laws of the United States America"[sic]. I think Conservapedia wants to maintain control so that it can grant ''or deny'' permission for re-use, and, yeah, I think ultimately that's going to mean "copyrighted." Aschlafly has said they don't mind and won't go after good-faith copying that doesn't harm Conservapedia, but I doubt that will be articulated formally or explicitly. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 18:51, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

:::I think this is a great commandment, but it could be reworded to be less "harsh", and shouldn't be put into effect for another month or so; we want the project to build, and restrictions on copying would hinder the still very frail project. --[[User:Hojimachong|'''Hojimachong''']][[User_Talk:Hojimachong|talk]] 19:38, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

:::'''What about pictures?''' [[User:Cracker|Cracker]][[User_Talk:Cracker|talk]] 20:09, 13 March 2007 (EDT)
I'd like to propose a condition to this to develop the growth of the project- That articles, especially those from wikipedia can be copied, but once applied to articles here, should be '''Heavily edited''' by us to remove any liberalisim apparent in the article. This would develop the quality of pages already created, and doesn't violate Wikipedias GDFL. see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verbatim_copying Wikipedia's Policy on Verbatim Copying]. In browsing the site I have seen that a lot of articles are one-liners. Implicating something like this could greatly the quality of the pages already running.[[User:Xsophos|Xsophos]] 05:26, 14 March 2007 (EDT)

==Propose: "Choose an account name that's like your real name"==
Propose:
*Conservapedia asks you to choose an account name that resembles your real name; for example, if your name is August Banting, "AugustB" or "Abanting" would be good choices. If your choice is taken, add a numeral or two at the end.

(Because: even if your account name doesn't reveal enough of your real name to identify you, ''you'' know it's your own name, and we think this encourages people to think about what they're posting). [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 18:11, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

:Wasn't this one scheduled to go onto the Registration page? *cocks head* Or do you want to make it a retroactive policy? --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 18:19, 13 March 2007 (EDT)
::No, if it goes on the Registration page that's fine. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 18:39, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

==Notes==
<references/>

== Vandalism and 18 USC §1030 ==

In [http://pirate.shu.edu/~jenninju/InternetLaw/09_Cybercrime/COMPUTERFRAUDABUSEACT18USC1030.htm 18 USC §1030], I fail to see anything that indicates vandalism of a wiki as an offense covered by it. This would be listed in section (a) of the law. Furthermore, all of the mention is about defrauding and exceeding access that has been granted. The open nature of the wiki grants the access and I don't see any indication of someone attempting to defraud or extort or trafficing in passwords or being a total of more than $5000 damage. It seems silly to try to threaten people with this when it does not apply. This is not to say that vandalism is not bad, but the cited law offers no federal protection. --[[User:Mtur|Mtur]] 19:03, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

: Good luck trying that argument with a judge presented with clear vandalism. In ''Shurgard Storage Ctrs. v Safeguard Self Storage, Inc.'' (2000, WD Wash) 119 F Supp 2d 1121, for example, one side tried to argue that "fraud" meant something narrower than wrong of someone else in property rights by a scheme. Guess what? The court rejected the defense. No surprise there.

: I bet there will be some new prosecutions based on vandalism of this new technology of Wiki, and it's not going to be pretty. On this issue, Wikipedia and Conservapedia will stand side by side.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 19:15, 13 March 2007 (EDT)
:: Assuming that you reading of fraud is correct ("meant wronging of person in property rights by dishonest methods or schemes"), The sections that apply to defrauding are #4 and #6. #4 goes to state " knowingly and with intent to defraud, accesses a protected computer without authorization ... and by means of such conduct furthers the intended fraud and obtains anything of value, unless the object of the fraud and the thing obtained consists only of the use of the computer and the value of such use is not more than $5,000 in any 1-year period;" As the value of the vandalism is not conceivably more than $5,000 this fails. #6 is about trafficking in passwords "knowingly and with intent to defraud traffics (as defined in section 1029) in any password or similar information through which a computer may be accessed without authorization". In most of the definitions the "without authorization" bit comes up - participation in the wiki is authorizing the person to make edits. --[[User:Mtur|Mtur]] 19:24, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

==Layout suggestions==
I am for layout instructions on the Rules page, just to make it clear where we stand, and what we can or cannot do. I currently am going to Midle Tennessee State University, and like many other universities they pretty much hammer into the students how to write articles, what should be cited, what plagarism is...all that stuff. So, in accordance with the Harbrace Manual, here's some suggestions for writing articles.
*When writing, use the sandbox over and over, clicking on the "preview" button to look at it without posting it. The idea is to write, re-write, and re-write again, looking for correct grammar, spelling, and flow of thought. If it reads good, then post it.
*When citing sources, write the name of the author and the page number in parenthesis at the end of the citation like this: (Smith, pg 12). In a separate sub-heading at the bottom of the article labeled "References", write the source in the following order: author, title, publisher, city/state published, last copyright year: Smith, John R. ''Theory of Light'', Scribners, New York, 1977. University professors stress the importance of doing just that.
*When it comes to pictures, write in the "summary" block the title, author/creator of the work, date created, and where it came from, such as a museum or magazine publisher. This should apply to all public domain works as well.
*If the picture is copyrighted, say so, and by who/where. Write in the summary block FAIR USE REASON: (and it had better be a darn good reason!). I don't know if Fair Use is allowed here for pics of current news events, or people/places/things after 1923, so ask first!
[[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 19:41, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

: That seems like good information to me, but should be available as some kind of help click or guideline or something. As opposed to, you know, an editor needing to come here to learn how to conform to standard editing practices. [[User:Terryeo|Terryeo]] 20:29, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

::Yup...like a "how-to" page that can be accessed immediately from the main page. [[User:Karajou|Karajou]] 21:38, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

Talk:Rome

2007-03-14T07:10:26Z

Xsophos:

==Revert of Edit copied from wikipedia==
I'd like to quote from the [http://www.thestar.com/article/190501 recent internet article] from the Toronto Star, in particular, the point where it is talking aobut copyright:

Schlafly says his site simply hasn't yet decided on its copyright rules, but adds, "We support broad reuse of our material in a manner similar to Wikipedia."

By copying (i.e. broadly reusing) the material in wikipedia it does not flaunt Wikipedia's copyright laws, and neither does it flaunt Conservapedia's.

I would also like to commend the article [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verbatim_copying Wikipedia:Verbatim Copying] for your further Reading into this matter.

Many thanks --[[User:Xsophos|Xsophos]] 03:10, 14 March 2007 (EDT)

Rome

2007-03-10T02:43:36Z

Xsophos:

{{sprotect}}
[[Image:Rome panorama sb1.jpg|center|600px|thumb|Panorama over Rome]]
{{Otheruses}}
{{Infobox City
|official_name = Comune di Roma
|established_title = Founded
|established_date = [[21 April]] [[753 BC]]
|nickname = The Eternal City
|motto = [[SPQR]]: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus
|website = http://www.comune.roma.it
|image_skyline = Colosseum-2003-07-09.jpg
|image_flag = Flag of Rome.svg
|image_seal = Coat of arms of Rome.png
|image_map = Roma posizione 3.png
|map_caption = Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the [[Province of Rome]] (red) and region of [[Lazio]] (grey)
|subdivision_type = [[Regions of Italy|Region]]
|subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Italy|Province]]
|subdivision_name = [[Lazio]]
|subdivision_name1 = [[Province of Rome]]
|leader_title = [[Mayor of Rome|Mayor]]
|leader_name = [[Walter Veltroni]]
|area_magnitude = 1 E8
|TotalArea_sq_mi = 580
|area_total = 1285
|population_footnotes = <ref>http://demo.istat.it/pop2005 - [[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|ISTAT]] demographics</ref>
|population_as_of = [[1 January]] 2005
|population_total = 2553873 *
or 2817293 **
|population_urban = 3831959
|area_urban = 5352
|UrbanArea_sq_mi = 2066
|population_metro = 5304778
|population_density = 1985* or 2197**
|population_density_mi2 =5141* or 5690**
|population_note = *(ISTAT); **(Municipal Register Office)
|timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
|utc_offset = +1
|timezone_DST =
|utc_offset_DST =
|latd = 41
|latm = 54
|lats =
|latNS = N
|longd = 12
|longm = 30
|longs =
|longEW = E
|elevation = +20
|elevation_ft = 66
|postal_code_type = Postal codes
|postal_code = 00121 to 00199
|area_code = 06
|footnotes = Patron saints: [[Saint Peter]] and [[Paul of Tarsus|Saint Paul]]
}}
{{Infobox World Heritage Site
| WHS = Historic Centre of [[Rome]], the [[Properties of the Holy See#Outside Vatican City but inside Rome|Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights]] and [[Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls|San Paolo Fuori le Mura]]
| Image = [[Image:RomaCastelSantAngelo.jpg|300px|Rome - Castel Sant'Angelo]]
| State Party = {{ITA}} and [[Image:Flag of the Vatican City.svg|22px]] [[Holy See]]
| Type = Cultural
| Criteria = i, ii, iii, iv, vi
| ID = 91
| Region = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|Europe and North America]]
| Year = 1980
| Session = 4th
| Extension = 1990
| Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/91
}}

'''Rome''' ([[Italian language|Italian]]: ''Roma'') is the [[capital|capital city]] of [[Italy]] and of the [[Lazio]] (Latin "Latium") region, as well as the country's largest and most populous ''[[comune]]'', with about 2.8 million residents (3.8 million considering the whole urbanised area, as represented by the [[Province of Rome]]). It is located in the central-western portion of the [[Italian peninsula]], where the river [[Aniene]] joins the [[Tiber]]. As one of the largest cities in the [[European Union]], the ''Comune di Roma'' has a [[gross domestic product]] of €97 billion in the year 2005, equal to 6.7% of Italy's GDP — the highest proportion of GDP produced by any single Italian ''comune''. The current [[Mayor of Rome]] is [[Walter Veltroni]].

According to legend, the city of Rome was founded by the twins [[Romulus and Remus]] on [[April 21]], [[753 BC]]. Archaeological evidence supports claims that Rome was inhabited since the [[8th century BC]] and earlier.<ref>[http://www.physorg.com/news68303594.html 3,000-year-old skeleton found in Rome]; [http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=801632006 Perfect Bronze Age skeleton in the heart of Rome]; [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/30/AR2006053001113.html Ancient Female Skeleton Found in Rome - washington post]</ref> The city was the cradle of [[ancient Rome|Roman civilization]] that produced the largest and longest-lasting empire of classical antiquity.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The city was pivotal and responsible for the spread of [[Greco-Roman]] culture that endures to this day. Rome is also identified with the [[Catholic Church]] and the holders of its [[episcopal see|episcopal seat]] are the [[pope]]s. An [[enclave]] of Rome is the State of the [[Vatican City]], the sovereign territory of the [[Holy See]] and smallest nation in the world.

Rome, ''Caput mundi'' ("capital of the world"), ''la Città Eterna'' ("the Eternal City"), ''Limen Apostolorum'' ("threshold of the Apostles"), ''la città dei sette colli'' ("the city of the [[Seven hills of Rome|seven hills]]") or simply ''l'Urbe'' ("the City"),<ref>[http://www.demauroparavia.it/125134 s.v. "Urbe"], [[De Mauro Paravia]].</ref> is thoroughly modern and cosmopolitan. As one of the few major European cities that escaped [[World War II]] relatively unscathed, central Rome remains essentially [[Renaissance]] and [[Baroque]] in character. The Historic Centre of Rome is listed by [[UNESCO]] as a [[World Heritage Site]]<ref>http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/91 - Entry about Rome on the official website of the [[UNESCO]] World Heritage Centre</ref>.

==History and demographics==
{{main|History of Rome}}

===From founding to Empire===
[[Image:She-wolf_suckles_Romulus_and_Remus.jpg|left|thumb|220px|The ancient [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] [[bronze]] [[Capitoline Wolf]] suckles the infant twins [[Romulus and Remus]]; the twins were added in the late [[15th century]], probably by [[Antonio Pollaiolo]].]] The [[founding of Rome]] is shrouded in legend such as the story of Romulus and Remus where ultimately Remus dies in the end, but archeological evidence supports the theory that Rome grew from pastoral settlements on the [[Palatine Hill]] and in the area of the future [[Roman Forum]], coalescing into a city in the [[8th century BC]]. That city developed into the capital of the [[Roman Kingdom]] (ruled by a succession of seven kings, according to tradition), [[Roman Republic]] (from [[510 BC]], governed by the [[Roman Senate|Senate]]), and finally the [[Roman Empire]] (from [[31 BC]], ruled by an [[Roman Emperor|Emperor]]); this success depended on military conquest, commercial predominance, as well as selective assimilation of neighbouring civilizations, most notably the [[Etruscans]] and [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]]. Roman dominance expanded over most of [[Europe]] and the shores of the [[Mediterranean sea]], while its population surpassed one million inhabitants. For almost a thousand years, Rome was the most politically important, richest and largest city in the [[Western world]], and remained so after the Empire started to [[Decline of the Roman Empire|decline]] and was split, even if it ultimately lost its capital status to [[Milan]] and then [[Ravenna]], and was surpassed in prestige by the [[Eastern Roman Empire|Eastern]] capital [[Constantinople]].

===Fall of the Empire and rise of the Papacy===
With the rise of [[early Christianity]], the [[Bishop of Rome]] gained religious as well as political importance, eventually becoming known as the [[Pope]] and establishing Rome as the centre of the Catholic Church. After the [[Sack of Rome (410)]] by [[Alaric I]] and the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]] in [[476]], Rome alternated between [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] rule and plundering by [[barbarian|Germanic barbarians]]. Its population declined to a mere 20,000 during the [[Early Middle Ages]], reducing the sprawling city to groups of inhabited buildings interspersed among large areas of ruins and vegetation. Rome remained nominally part of the Byzantine Empire until 751 when the Lombards finally abolished the [[Exarchate of Ravenna]]. In 756, [[Pepin the Short]] gave the pope temporal jurisdiction over Rome and surrounding areas, thus creating the Papal States.

Rome remained the capital of the [[Papal States]] until its annexation into the Kingdom of Italy in 1870; the city became a major pilgrimage site during the [[Middle Ages]] and the focus of struggles between the Papacy and the [[Holy Roman Empire]] starting with [[Charlemagne]], who was crowned its first emperor in Rome on Christmas of 800 by [[Pope Leo III]]. Apart from brief periods as an independent city during the Middle Ages, Rome kept its status of Papal capital and "holy city" for centuries, even when the Pope briefly relocated to [[Avignon]] ([[1309]]–[[1337]]). While no longer politically powerful, as tragically shown by the brutal [[Sack of Rome (1527)|sack of 1527]], the city flourished as a hub of cultural and artistic activity during the [[Renaissance]], under the patronage of the Papal court. Population rose again and reached 100,000 during the [[17th century]], but Rome ultimately lagged behind the rest of the European capitals over the subsequent centuries, being largely busy in the [[Counter-Reformation]] process.

===From unification to Fascism===
Caught up in the nationalistic turmoils of the [[19th century]] and having twice gained and lost a short-lived independence, Rome became the focus of the hopes for Italian unification, as propelled by the [[Kingdom of Italy]] ruled by King [[Vittorio Emanuele II]]; after the [[France|French]] protection was lifted in [[1870]], royal troops stormed the city, and Rome was declared capital of the newly unified Italy in [[1871]].
After a victorious [[World War I]], Rome witnessed the rise to power of [[Italian fascism]] guided by [[Benito Mussolini]], who [[March on Rome|marched]] on the city in [[1922]], eventually declared a new [[Italian Empire|Empire]] and allied Italy with [[Nazi Germany]]. This was a period of rapid growth in population, from the 212,000 people at the time of unification to more than 1,000,000, but this trend was halted by [[World War II]], during which Rome was damaged by both [[Allies of World War II|Allied forces]] [[Bombing of Rome in World War II|bombing]] and Nazi occupation; after the execution of Mussolini and the end of the war, a [[1946]] referendum abolished the monarchy in favour of the [[Italian Republic]].

===Republican times===
Rome grew momentously after the war, as one of the driving forces behind the "[[Italian economic miracle]]" of post-war reconstruction and modernisation. It became a fashionable city in the [[1950s]] and early [[1960s]], the years of "'la Dolce Vita'" ("the sweet life"), and a new rising trend in population continued till the mid-[[1980s]], when the ''comune'' had more than 2,800,000 residents; after that, population started to slowly decline as more residents moved to nearby ''comuni''; this has been attributed to their perceiving a decrease in the quality of life,{{Fact|date=February 2007}} especially because of the continuously [[traffic congestion|jammed traffic]] and the worsening [[pollution]] it brings about.

==Geography and climate==
===Location===
Rome is in the Lazio region of central Italy, at the confluence of the [[Aniene]] and [[Tiber]] (Italian: ''Tevere'') rivers. Although the city centre is about 24 kilometres inland from the [[Tyrrhenian Sea]], the city territory extends to the very shore, where the south-western [[Ostia Antica (district)|Ostia]] district is located. The [[altitude]] of Rome ranges from 13 metres [[above sea level]] (in [[Piazza del Popolo]]) to 120 metres above sea level (the peak of [[Monte Mario]]).{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The ''comune'' of Rome is one of the largest European capital cities, covering an overall area of about 1,285 square kilometers.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

===Climate===
Rome enjoys a typical [[Mediterranean climate]] which characterises the [[Mediterranean sea|Mediterranean]] coasts of Italy. It is at its most comfortable from April through June, and from mid-September to October; in particular, the Roman "''ottobrata''" (roughly translated as "October period") is famously known for its sunny days and pleasant temperatures. By August, the temperature during the heat of the day often exceeds 35° C (95° F); traditionally, many businesses would close during August, and Romans would abandon the city for holiday resorts, but this trend is weakening, and the city is increasingly remaining fully functional during the whole summer, in response to growing tourism as well as change in the population's work habits. The average high temperature in December is about 13° C (55° F).
==Government and politics==
===Capital status===
Rome is a ''[[comune]]'', as well as the seat of the [[Lazio|Regione Lazio]] (one of the twenty regions of Italy) and of the [[Province of Rome]] (one of the five provinces of the Lazio region). The [[Mayor of Rome]] is [[Walter Veltroni]],
<ref>[http://www.comune.roma.it/was/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_21L?menuPage=/Area_di_navigazione/Il_Campidoglio/Sindaco_e_Giunta_comunale/Il_Sindaco_di_Roma_-_Walter_Veltroni/ Personal profile on the official website of the Comune di Roma]</ref> elected in [[2001]] and again for a second term in [[2006]]. A political debate in Italy focuses on the opportunity of providing the city with "special powers" of local jurisdiction (the "Roma Capitale" directives), <ref>http://www.infrastrutturetrasporti.it/page/standard/site.php?p=cm&o=vh&id=146 - Roma Capitale on the official website of the Italian [[Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti|Ministry for Infrastructures and Transportation]]</ref> and possibly of turning either the ''comune'' or the [[Province of Rome]] into a "capital district"<ref>http://www.camera.it/_dati/leg14/lavori/stampati/sk4000/articola/3885.htm - Proposal of Constitutional Law on the official website of the [[Camera dei Deputati]]</ref> separate from the [[Lazio]] region, modelled after other European capital cities.

===Other sovereign states===
Rome is unique in its containing two other [[sovereignty|sovereign]] states. One is the [[Holy See]], the political and religious entity that governs the territory of the [[Vatican City]] (a ''[[de facto]]'' [[enclave]] since [[1870]], officially recognised as such in [[1929]]), as well as claiming [[extraterritoriality|extraterritorial rights]] over a few other palaces and churches, mostly in the city centre; indeed, Rome hosts foreign [[embassy|embassies]] to ''both'' Italy and the Holy See. The other state is the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]] (SMOM), which took refuge in Rome in [[1834]] after having lost [[Malta]] to [[Napoleon]] in [[1798]], and thus claims no territory (leading to disputes over its actual sovereign status); SMOM too owns extraterritorial palaces in central Rome.

===International involvement===
Rome has traditionally been heavily involved in the process of European political integration. In [[1957]], the city hosted the signing of the [[treaty of Rome]], which established the [[European Economic Community]] (predecessor to the [[European Union]]), and also played host to the official signing of the proposed [[European constitution]] in [[July 2004]]. Rome is also the seat of significant international organisations, such as the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] of the [[United Nations]], and is the place where the [[Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court]] was formulated.

==Culture and society==
===Religion===
The ''[[Religion in ancient Rome|Religio Romana]]'' constituted the major religion of the city in [[Ancient Rome|antiquity]]. However, several other religions and imported [[mystery cults]] remained represented within its ever-expanding boundaries, including [[Judaism]], whose presence in the city dates back from the [[Roman Republic]] and was sometimes forcibly confined to the [[Roman Ghetto]], as well as [[Christianity]]. Despite initial persecutions, by the early [[4th century]], Christianity had become so widespread that it was legalised in [[313]] by Emperor [[Constantine I]], and later made official religion of the [[Roman Empire]] in [[380]] by Emperor [[Theodosius I]], allowing it to spread further and eventually wholly replace the declining ''Religio Romana''.

Rome became the pre-eminent Christian city (vis-a-vis [[Antioch]] and [[Alexandria]], and later [[Constantinople]] and [[Jerusalem]]) based on the tradition that [[Saint Peter]] and [[Paul of Tarsus|Saint Paul]] were [[martyr|martyred]] in the city during the [[1st century]], coupled with the city's political importance. The [[Bishop of Rome]], later known as the [[Pope]], claimed primacy over all Bishops and therefore all Christians on the basis that he is the successor of Saint Peter, upon whom Jesus built his Church; his prestige has been enhanced since 313 through donations by Roman emperors and patricians, including the [[Lateran Palace]] and patriarchal basilicas, as well as the obviously growing influence of the Church over the failing civil imperial authority. Papal authority has been exercised over the centuries with varying degrees of success, at times triggering divisions among Christians, until the present.

With the increasing chaos and disorder leading to the collapse of the Roman Empire in 476, the popes assumed more and more civil authority first in Rome and in the surrounding territories. Rome became the centre of the Catholic Church and the [[capital city]] of the [[Papal States]]; consequently, a great number of churches, convents and other religious buildings were erected in the city, sometimes above the ruins of older pre-Christian sites of worship. [[Churches of Rome|Churches proliferated]] during the Renaissance, when the Rome's most notable churches were built (this includes [[St. Peter's Basilica|St. Peter's]] [[basilica]] on the [[Vatican Hill]] (the largest church in the world) and the city [[cathedral]] of [[Basilica of St. John Lateran|St. John]] at the [[Lateran]]. The Papacy established its residence first in the [[Lateran Palace]], then in the [[Quirinal Palace]]. When Rome was annexed by force to the newly unified [[Kingdom of Italy]] In [[1870]], [[Pope Pius IX]] retired to the [[Vatican City|Vatican]], proclaiming himself a prisoner of the [[House of Savoy|Savoy monarchy]] and leading to decades of conflict between the neonate state and the Catholic Church. This was resolved in [[1929]], when the [[Lateran Treaty]] were signed in Rome, establishing the right for the [[Holy See]] to govern the [[Vatican City]] as an independent, [[sovereign state]]. The [[patron saint]]s of Rome remain Saint Peter and Saint Paul (or, as they are collectively referred to in this context, "the most holy Saints Peter and Paul"), both celebrated on [[June 29]].

In recent years, the [[Islam|Islamic]] community has grown significantly, in great part due to [[immigration]] from [[North Africa|North African]] and [[Middle East|Middle Eastern]] countries into the city. As a consequence of this trend, the ''comune'' promoted the building of the largest [[mosque]] in [[Europe]], which was designed by [[architect]] [[Paolo Portoghesi]] and inaugurated on [[June 21]], [[1995]].

===Language===
The original language of Rome was [[Latin]], which evolved during the [[Middle Ages]] into [[Italian language|Italian]]. The latter emerged as the confluence of various regional dialects, among which the [[Tuscan dialect]] predominated, but the population of Rome also developed its own dialect, the [[Romanesco]]. This remained largely confined to Rome until the [[19th century]], but then expanded into the rest of [[Lazio]] from the beginning of the [[20th century]], thanks to the rising population of Rome and to better transportations systems; as a consequence, Romanesco abandoned its traditional forms to mutate into the dialect spoken within the city, which is more similar to standard Italian, although remaining distinct from other Romanesco-influenced local dialects of Lazio. Dialectal literature in the traditional form Romanesco includes the works of such authors as [[Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli]], [[Trilussa]], and [[Cesare Pascarella]]. Contemporary Romanesco is mainly represented by popular actors such as [[Aldo Fabrizi]], [[Alberto Sordi]], [[Nino Manfredi]], [[Anna Magnani]], [[Gigi Proietti]], [[Enrico Montesano]], and [[Carlo Verdone]].

===Immigration and multiculturalism===
Since the time of [[ancient Rome]], the city has always been a site for immigration. This once extended to all reaches of the [[Roman Empire]], but was more confined to the rest of Italy in later centuries, as Rome's political power waned. Still, many of its citizens' families originate from outside the city, and the Romanesco phrase ''Romano de Roma'' ("Roman from Rome") has been coined to indicate someone who descends from a family that has lived in Rome for at least seven generations,{{Fact|date=February 2007}} the mark of a "true" Roman.

Over the second half of [[20th century]], Rome has seen increasing [[immigration]] from other countries. There is a substantial immigrant population, including a large number of clandestines.By far the largest number of immigrants are Eastern European, with the largest numbers of foreigners coming from [[Romania]], [[The Philippines]], [[Poland]], [[Albania]], [[Peru]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Ukraine]], [[North Africa]] and [[China]].

Possibly as a consequence of its multi-ethnic past, the city has reacted with less difficulty to the waves of immigration into [[Italy]]. In particular, Mayor [[Walter Veltroni]] has made multiculturalism one of the key points of political program; inhabitants of Rome who are not citizens of a [[European Union|EU]] country are now entitled to elect their own representatives in the city council, even if they do not hold formal legal residence in Rome.<ref>http://www.comune.roma.it/was/repository/ContentManagement/information/P334726626/Consiglieri_Aggiunti.pdf - Informative brochure on the official website of the Comune di Roma</ref>

===Universities===
Rome is a nation-wide centre for higher education. Its first [[university]], [[University of Rome La Sapienza|La Sapienza]] (founded in [[1303]]), is the largest in [[Europe]] and the second largest in the World, with more than 150,000 students attending.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Two new public universities were founded: [[University of Rome Tor Vergata|Tor Vergata]] in [[1982]], and [[Third University of Rome|Roma Tre]] in [[1992]], although the latter has now become larger than the former. Rome also contains a large number of [[pontifical universities]] and institutes, including the [[Pontifical Gregorian University]] (The oldest [[Jesuit]] university in the world, founded in 1551), the [[Angelicum]] university, and many others. The city also hosts various private universities, such as the [[LUMSA]], the [[Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore]] (Roman centre), the [[LUISS]], [[Istituto Europeo di Design]] the [[John Cabot University]], the [[IUSM]], the [[American University of Rome]],the Link Campus of Malta, the [[S. Pio V University of Rome]], and the [[Università Campus Bio-Medico]]. Rome is also the location of the [[Loyola University Chicago Rome Center|John Felice Rome Center]], a campus of [[Loyola University Chicago]].

===Music===

[[Image:Auditorium Roma Sala Santa Cecilia2.jpg|thumb|400px|right|The main [[auditorium]] in the [[Parco della Musica]], designed by [[Renzo Piano]]. ]]

Rome is an important centre for music. It hosts the [[Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia]] (founded in [[1585]]), for which new concert halls were recently built in the new [[Parco della Musica]], one of the largest musical venues in the world. Rome also has an [[opera house]], the [[Teatro dell'Opera di Roma]], as well as several minor musical institutions. The city also played host to the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1991]] and the [[MTV Europe Music Awards 2004]].

===Media===
{| class="wikitable" border=1 cellspacing=0
!Newspapers!!Magazines!!TVs!!Radios
|-
|valign=top|
*''[[City (newspaper)|City]] ''(Rome edition)
*''[[Corriere dello Sport]]''
*''[[Leggo]]''
*''[[Liberazione (newspaper)|Liberazione]]''
*''[[Il Manifesto]]''
*''[[Il Messaggero]]''
*''[[Metro International|Metro]]'' (Rome edition)
*''[[L'Osservatore Romano]]''
*''[[QN (newspaper)|QN]]''
*''[[La Repubblica]]''
*''[[Il Romanista]]''
*''[[Il Tempo]]''
*''[[L'Unità]]''
|valign=top|
*''[[Audio Review (newspaper)|Audio Review]]''
*''[[L'Espresso]]''
*''[[Frequency (newspaper)|Frequency]]''
*''[[XL Repubblica]]''
*''[[Il Venerdì di Repubblica]]''
|valign=top|
*[[RAI]] (national centre)
*[[Sky Italia]] (Rome centre)
*[[La7]] (national centre)
*[[Mediaset Centri di Produzione TV]] (Rome centre)
*[[Mediaset centri produzione Fiction]]
*[[Mediaset TG5 centro Palatino]] (Rome centre)
|valign=top|
*[[Radio Capital]]
*[[Radio CNR]]
*[[Radio Deejay]] (Rome centre)
*[[Radio Dimensione Suono]]
*[[Radio Dimensione Suono Roma]]
*[[Radio Globo]]
*[[Radio Italia]]
*[[Radio Rock]]
*[[Radio Radicale]]
*[[Radio Radio]]
*[[Radio Vaticana]]
*[[Radio 24]] (Rome centre)
|}

===Sports===
====Olympics====
Rome hosted the [[1960 Summer Olympics]] and is an official candidate to hosting the [[2016 Summer Olympics]] (the latter candidacy was withdrawn in [[July 2006]] due to political difficulties, but was later reinstated).{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

====Football====
[[Football (soccer)|Football]] is the most popular sport in Rome, as in the rest of the country. The [[Stadio Olimpico]] hosted the final game of the [[1990 FIFA World Cup]]; it is also the home stadium for local [[serie A]] clubs [[A.S. Roma]] and [[S.S. Lazio]], whose rivalry has become a staple of Roman sports culture. Indeed, famous footballers who play for these teams and are also born in the city tend to become especially popular, as has been the case with players such as [[Bruno Conti]] and [[Giuseppe Giannini]] (both for Rome), [[Paolo Di Canio]] and [[Alessandro Nesta]] (both for Lazio), and the A.S. Roma captain [[Francesco Totti]]. Other notable football teams in the city include [[serie C|serie C2]] team [[A.S. Cisco Roma]].

====Rugby====
While far from being as popular as football, [[Rugby union|rugby]] is gaining wider acceptance. The [[Stadio Flaminio]] is the home stadium for the [[Italy national rugby union team]], which has been playing in the [[Six Nations Championship]] since [[2000]], albeit with less than satisfactory performances, as they have never won the championship so far. Rome is home to local rugby teams, such as [[Unione Rugby Capitolina]], [[Rugby Roma]], and [[S.S. Lazio (rugby)|S.S. Lazio]].

====Other sports====
Every May, Rome hosts the [[ATP Masters Series]] [[tennis]] tournament on the clay courts of the Foro Italico. [[Cycling]] was immensely popular in the post-[[World War II|WWII]] period, although its popularity has faded in the last decades; Rome has hosted the final portion of the [[Giro d'Italia]] twice, in [[1989]] and [[2000]]. Every [[Spring (season)|spring]], the annual [[Maratona della città di Roma|Rome marathon]] is considered to be the most widely attended sports event in Italy. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} Rome is also home to many other sport teams, including [[basketball]] ([[Virtus Pallacanestro Roma]]), [[handball]] ([[S.S. Lazio (handball)|S.S. Lazio]]), [[volley]] (male: [[M. Roma Volley]], female: [[Virtus Roma (volley)|Virtus Roma]] and [[Linea Medica Siram Roma (volley)|Linea Medica Siram Roma]]), [[waterpolo]] ([[A.S. Roma (waterpolo)|A.S. Roma]], [[S.S. Lazio (waterpolo)|S.S. Lazio]]).

==Economy==
Today Rome sports a dynamic and diverse economy with thriving innovation, technologies, communications and service sectors. It produces 6.7% of the national GDP (more than any other city in Italy). Rome grows +4,4% annually and continues to grow at a higher rate than any other city in the rest of the country. Rome's economic growth began to surpass that of its rivals, [[Naples]] and [[Milan]], after [[World War II]], although a traditional rivalry persists with Milan. [[Tourism]] is inevitably one of Rome's chief industries, with many notable museums including the [[Vatican Museum]], the [[Borghese Gallery]], and the [[Musei Capitolini]]. Rome is also the hub of the Italian film industry, thanks to the [[Cinecittà]] studios. The city is also a centre for [[banking]] as well as electronics and aerospace industries. Many international headquarters, government ministries, conference centres, sports venues and museums are located in Rome's principal business districts: the [[Esposizione Universale Roma]] (EUR); the ''Torrino'' (further south from the EUR); the ''Magliana''; the ''Parco de' Medici-Laurentina'' and the so-called ''Tiburtina-valley'' along the ancient Via Tiburtina.

==City layout and sites of interest==
===City centre===
The historical centre ville is dominated by the traditional "[[Seven hills of Rome]]": the [[Capitoline hill|Capitoline]], [[Palatine hill|Palatine]], [[Viminal hill|Viminal]], [[Quirinal hill|Quirinal]], [[Esquiline hill|Esquiline]], [[Caelian hill|Caelian]], and [[Aventine hill|Aventine]] hills. The Tiber flows south through Rome, with the city centre located where the midstream [[Tiber Island]] facilitated crossing.
Large parts of the ancient city walls remain. The [[Servian Wall]] was built twelve years after [[Gauls]]' sack of the city in [[390 BC]]; it contained most of the Esquiline and Caelian hills, as well as the whole of the other five. Rome grew out of the Servian Wall, but no more walls were constructed until [[270]], when [[Aurelian]] began building the [[Aurelian Walls]]. These were almost twelve miles long, and was still the wall the troops of the [[Kingdom of Italy]] had to breach to enter the city in [[1870]].

===Peripheral layout===
The ancient city within the walls covers about four percent of the modern municipality's 582 square miles. The old city is the smallest of Rome's twelve administrative zones. The walled city center is made up of 22 ''rioni'' (districts), surrounding it are 35 ''quartieri urbani'' (urban sectors), and within the city limits are six large ''suburbi'' ([[suburbs]]). The ''comune'' of Rome located outside the municipal boundaries about doubles the area of the actual city.

The belt [[Highway]] known as [[Grande Raccordo Anulare]] (G.R.A.) describes a huge circle around the capital, about six miles out from the city centre; unlike most Italian highways, the G.R.A. is toll-free. The circle ties together the antique roads that led to Rome: the [[Via Flaminia]], [[Via Aurelia]], [[Via Salaria]], [[Via Tiburtina]], Via Casilina and [[Via Appia]]. Large amounts of modern apartment buildings are located in the districts outside the centre, where contemporary architecture has not gone unnoticed. Many street frontages and show windows often change to keep up with the times and the Romans have succeeded in harmonising the old and the new.

Though relatively small, the old city centre contains about 300 hotels and 300 ''[[pension (lodging)|pensioni]]'',{{Fact|date=February 2007}} over 200 palaces,{{Fact|date=February 2007}} 900 churches,{{Fact|date=February 2007}} eight of Rome's major parks, the [[Quirinal Palace|residence of the President of the Italian Republic]], the houses of the [[Parliament]], offices of the city and city government, and many great and well-known monuments. The old city also contains thousands of workshops, offices, bars, and restaurants. Millions of tourists visit Rome annually, making it one of the most touristic cities in the world.

===Vatican City===
{{main|Vatican City}}

[[Image:Vatican Saint Peter's Square.JPG|250px|thumb|left|[[Saint Peter's Square]] and the [[Via della Conciliazione]]]]

The city of Rome surrounds the Vatican City, the [[enclave]] of the [[Holy See]], which is a separate sovereign state. It hosts [[Saint Peter's Square]] with the [[Saint Peter's Basilica]]. The open space before the basilica was redesigned by [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]], from [[1656]] to [[1667]], under the direction of [[Pope Alexander VII]], as an appropriate forecourt, designed "so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace" (Norwich 1975 p 175). In Vatican City there are also the prestigious [[Vatican Library]], [[Vatican Museums]] with the [[Sistine Chapel]], the [[Raphael Rooms]] and other important works of [[Leonardo Da Vinci]], [[Raphael]], [[Giotto]], [[Botticelli]].

==Architecture and arts==
===Ancient Rome===
{{main|Roman architecture}}
[[Image:Colosseum at night.jpg|thumb|200px|The [[Colosseum]] in Rome]]

One of the symbols of Rome is the [[Colosseum]] (70-80), the largest [[amphitheatre]] ever built in the [[Roman Empire]]. Originally capable of seating 50,000 spectators, it was used for [[gladiator]]ial [[combat]]. The list of the very important monuments of ancient Rome includes the [[Roman Forum]], the [[Domus Aurea]], the [[Pantheon, Rome|Pantheon]], the [[Trajan's Column]], the [[Trajan's Market]], the [[Catacombs of Rome]], the [[Circus Maximus]], the [[Baths of Caracalla]], the [[Arch of Constantine]], the [[Pyramid of Cestius]], the [[Bocca della Verità]].

=== Renaissance and Baroque===

{{main|Renaissance}}{{main|Baroque}}

[[Image:Palazzo dei Senatori in the Piazza del Campidoglio.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Piazza del Campidoglio]]]]

[[Image:Roma-piazza_del_popolo2.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Piazza del Popolo]]]]

Rome was a major world center of the Renaissance, and that left a profound mark on the city. The most impressive masterpiece of Renaissance architecture in Rome (as some would say,) is the [[Piazza del Campidoglio]] by [[Michelangelo]], with the Palazzo Senatorio, seat of the city government. During this period the great aristocratic families of Rome used to build opulent dwellings as the [[Palazzo del Quirinale]], now seat of the [[President of the Italian Republic|President of the Republic]], the [[Palazzo Venezia]], the [[Palazzo Farnese]], the [[Palazzo Barberini]], the [[Palazzo Chigi]], now seat of the [[Prime Minister of Italy|Prime Minister]], the [[Palazzo Spada]], the [[Palazzo della Cancelleria]], the [[Villa Farnesina]].
Rome is also famous for her huge and majestic squares, often adorned with obelisks, many of those built in the XVII century. The principal squares are [[Piazza del Popolo]], [[Piazza Navona]], [[Piazza di Spagna]], [[Campo de' Fiori]], [[Piazza dell'Esedra|Piazza Esedra]], [[Piazza Venezia]], [[Palazzo Farnese|Piazza Farnese]], [[Santa Maria sopra Minerva|Piazza Minerva]]. One of the most emblematic examples of the baroque art is the [[Fontana di Trevi]] by [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]]. Other notable baroque palaces of XVII century are the [[Palazzo Madama]], now seat of the [[Italian Senate]] and the [[Palazzo Montecitorio]], now seat of the [[Chamber of Deputies of Italy]].

===Neoclassicism===
{{main|Neoclassicism}}

[[Image:RomaAltarePatriaTramonto.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II]]]]

In 1870, Rome became capital city of the new Kingdom of Italy. And neoclassicism, a building style influenced by architecture during Antiquity, became a predominant style in Roman buildings. In this period many great palaces in neoclassical styles were built to host ministries, embassies and other governing agencies. One of the best-known symbol of Roman neoclassicism is the [[Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II]] or "Altar of Fatherland", where the grave of the Unknown Soldier, that represents the 650,000 Italians that fell in [[World War I]], is located.

===Fascist architecture===

{{see also|Aestheticization as propaganda}}

[[Image:Roma-palciviltàlavoro02.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana]]]]

The Fascist regime that ruled in Italy between 1922 and 1943 developed an original architectural style, characterized by feast and the research of a link with ancient Rome architecture. The most important fascist style site in Rome is the [[Esposizione Universale Roma|E.U.R.]] district, built in 1935. It was originally conceived for the [[Esposizione universale (1942)|1942 world exhibition]], and was called "E.42" (''"Esposizione 42"''). However, the world exhibition never took place due to [[Italy]] entering the [[Second World War]] in [[1940]]. The most representative building of the Fascist style at E.U.R. is the ''Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana'' (1938-1943), the iconic design of which has been labeled the [[Cube|cubic]] or Square [[Colosseum]].
After World War II, the Roman authorities found that they already had a gem of an off-centre [[business district]] that other capitals were still planning ([[London Docklands]] and [[La Defense]] in Paris). Also the Palazzo della Farnesina, the actual seat of Italian Foreign Ministry, was designed in 1935 in fascist style.

===Villas and gardens===

[[Image:Villa borghese.jpg|thumb|200px| [[Villa Borghese]]]]

The surroundings of Rome are characterized by numerous and large green areas and opulent ancient villas. The most important are: [[Villa Borghese]], with a large landscape garden in the naturalistic English manner, containing a number of buildings, museums (see Galleria Borghese) and attractions; [[Villa Doria Pamphili]], the largest public landscaped park of Rome with an area of 1.8 km²; [[Villa Torlonia]], a splendid example of [[Art Nouveau]] mansion that was the Roman residence of Benito Mussolini; [[Villa Albani]], commissioned by [[Alessandro Cardinal Albani]] to house his collection of antiquities and Roman sculpture, which soon filled the casino that faced the Villa down a series of formal parterres.

===Museums and galleries===
The list of most important museums and galleries of Rome includes: the [[National Museum of Rome]], the [[Museum of Roman Civilization]], the [[Villa Giulia]] National Etruscan Museum, the [[Capitoline Museums]], the [[Borghese Gallery]], the Museum of [[Castel Sant'Angelo]], the National Gallery of Modern Art.

==Administrative subdivision of Rome==
{{main|Administrative subdivision of Rome}}
[[Image:Municipi_di_Roma.svg|thumb|275px|Map showing the 19 [[Municipi of Rome]].]]
The '''administrative subdivision of Rome''' consists of the 19 sub-municipalities ([[Municipi]]) of Rome's municipality. Originally, the city was divided into 20 sub-municipalities, but the XIV, what is now the Comune di Fiumicino, voted some years ago to become a full municipality itself and eventually detached from Rome.

The territory of the commune of Rome is divided into 19 ''Municipi'' (area subdivisions).<ref>http://www.comune.roma.it/was/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_21L?menuPage=/Area_di_navigazione/Sezioni_del_portale/Municipi/ - List of Municipi and definition of their territories on the official website of the Comune di Roma</ref>

==Infrastructure==
===Airports===
Rome is served by three airports, of which the main two are owned by [[Aeroporti di Roma]]. The intercontinental [[Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport]] is Italy's chief airport; it is more commonly known as "Fiumicino airport", as it is located within the territory of the nearby ''[[comune]]'' of [[Fiumicino]], south-west of Rome. The older [[Giovan Battista Pastine International Airport]] is a joint civilian and military airport; it is more commonly referred to as "Ciampino Airport", as it is located within Roman territory near the border with the ''comune'' of [[Ciampino]], south-east of Rome.

A third airport, the [[Aeroporto dell'Urbe]], is a small, low-traffic airport located about 6 km north of the city centre, which handles most [[helicopter]] and private flights. A fourth airport in the eastern part of the city, the [[Aeroporto di Centocelle]] (dedicated to [[Francesco Baracca]]), is no longer open to flights; it hosts the [[Comando di Squadra Aerea]] (which coordinates the activities of the [[Aeronautica Militare Italiana]]) and the [[Comando Operative di Vertice Interforze]]<ref>http://www.difesa.it/SMD/COI/La+sede.htm - Entry about the Centocelle Airport in the official website of the Italian [[Ministero della Difesa]]</ref> (which coordinates all Italian military activities), although large parts of the airport are being redeveloped as a public park.

===Railways===
[[Image:Roma-stazione termini.jpg|thumb|300px|right| [[Roma Termini station|Roma Termini]], the largest railway station in Europe.]]
Rome is the hub of the Italian railways.

'''History of Rome railroad'''

* The first railroad built in Rome (and the second railway built in Italy) the [[Rome and Frascati Rail Road]], was opened for service on July 14, 1856.
* On April 16, 1859 the [[Rome and Civitavecchia Rail Road]] was opened for service.
* On January 27, 1862 the [[Rome and Ceprano Rail Road]] was opened for service.
* On April 28, 1864 the [[Rome and Monterotondo Rail Road]] was opened for service.
* On June 12, 1916 the [[Rome and Fiuggi Rail Road]] was opened for service.

'''Stations in the city'''

Located on the [[Esquiline Hill]], Rome's central station, called [[Roma Termini station|Roma Termini]], was opened in [[1863]], then demolished and completely rebuilt between [[1939]] and [[1951]]; it is operated by [[Grandi Stazioni]] and mainly served by [[Trenitalia]]. It is the single largest station in [[Europe]]{{Fact|date=February 2007}} and is visited by 600,000 passengers daily;{{Fact|date=February 2007}} it has twenty-nine railway platforms, and also serves as a [[shopping centre]] and [[art gallery]]. The second largest station in the city is [[Roma Tiburtina station|Roma Tiburtina]], which is being redeveloped for [[high-speed rail]] service.<ref>http://eurostar-av.trenitalia.com/it/progetto/stazioni_rinnovate/roma_tiburtina.html - Entry on Roma Tiburtina station on the official website of the Italian high-speed rail service (in Italian)</ref> Other notable stations include [[Roma Ostiense station|Roma Ostiense]], [[Roma Trastevere station|Roma Trastevere]], [[Roma Tuscolana station|Roma Tuscolana]], [[Roma San Pietro station|Roma San Pietro]], [[Roma Nomentana station|Roma Nomentana]] and [[Roma Casilina station|Roma Casilina]], [[Roma Nomentana station|Roma Nomentana]].

===Urban transportation===
====Underground====
[[Image:Metro rome.svg|thumb|300px|Map of Rome Metro.]]
A 2-line [[Metro|subway]] system operates in Rome called the "Metropolitana" or [[Rome Metro]]. Construction works for the first branch started in the 1930s. The line had been planned to quickly connect the main train station (Termini) with the newly planned E42 area in the southern suburbs, where the 1942 [[Esposizione universale (1942)|World Fair]] was supposed to be held. The event never took place because of war. The area was later partly redesigned and renamed [[Esposizione Universale Roma|EUR]] (Esposizione Universale di Roma: Rome Universal Exhibition) in the 1950s to serve as a modern business district. The line was finally opened in 1955 and it is now part of the B Line. The A line opened in 1980 from Ottaviano to Anagnina stations, later extended in stages (1999 - 2000) to Battistini. In the 1990s an extension of the B line was opened from Termini to Rebibbia. A new branch of the B line (B1) is under construction, as is a third line, called C. A fourth line, line D, is under development. The frequent archaeological findings delay underground work. This underground network is generally reliable (although it may become very congested at peak times and during events, especially the A line) as it is relatively short. As of 2005, total length is 38 km. The two existing lines, A & B, only intersect at [[Roma Termini station]].
Since 2004 the city is building a third underground line which will be operative within a few years

====Overground====
[[Image:Roman Tram in Via Torre Argentina 7-7-06.jpg|thumb|300px|Roman tram in Via Torre Argentina]]
[[Image:Rete_Tram_Roma_2007_nuovo2.png|300px|Map of Rome Tramway]]
The [[Rome Metro]] is part of an extensive transport network made of a tramway network, suburban and urban lines in and around the city of Rome, plus an "express line" to Fiumicino Airport. Whereas most [[Trenitalia|FS]]-Regionale lines (Regional State Railways) do provide mostly a suburban service with more than 20 stations scattered throughout the city, the Roma-Lido (starting at Ostiense station), the Roma-Pantano (starting nearby Termini) and the Roma-Nord (starting at Flaminio station) lines offer a metro-like service.There is also an overground rail system with seven lines which link the hinterland of the Roman Area.One of this leads to the second Airport of the city, [[Ciampino]].
Rome also has a comprehensive [[bus]] and light rail system. The English web site of the ATAC public transportation company allows a route to be calculated using the buses, light rail and subways. [http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?lng=2] The Metrebus integrated fare system allows holders of tickets and integrated passes to travel on all companies vehicles, within the validity time of the ticket purchased. [http://www.atac.roma.it/biglietti/index.asp?COD=320&LNG=2]

=====Motor Traffic Limited Zone (ZTL)=====
Chronic congestion caused by cars during the 1970s and 1980s led to the banning of unauthorized traffic from the central part of city during workdays from 6 am to 6 pm. This area is officially called Zona a Traffico Limitato (ZTL). Heavy traffic due to night-life crowds during weekends led in recent years to the creation of other ZTLs in the Trastevere and S. Lorenzo districts during the night, and to experimentation with a new night ZTL also in the city center (plans to create a night ZTL in the Testaccio district as well are underway). In recent years, parking spaces along the streets in wide areas of the city have been converted to pay parking, as new underground parking spread throughout the city. In spite of all these measures, traffic remains an unsolved problem, as in many of the world's cities.

===Major sports venues===
* [[Stadio Olimpico]];
* [[Stadio Flaminio]];
* [[Stadio dei Marmi]];
* [[Stadio della Stella Polare]];
* [[Palalottomatica]] (previouosly known as "PalaEUR";
* [[Palazzetto dello Sport]] (one in Viale Tiziano, one in Ostia);
* [[Palazzetto dell'Assobalneari]];
* [[Foro Italico]]: [[tennis]] stadium, Olympic [[swimming pool]]s
* [[Acqua Acetosa (sports area)]] sports area;
* [[Tre Fontane (sports area)]] sports area;
* [[Ippodromo Capannelle]] and [[Ippodromo Tor di Valle]].

==Sister cities==
* [[Achacachi]], [[Bolivia]] <ref>http://www.liberazione.it/giornale/051129/LB12D6D0.asp - Short newspaper article on the Rome / Achacachi twinning</ref>
* [[Beijing]], [[People's Republic of China]]
* [[Belgrade]], [[Serbia]]
* [[Cincinnati]], [[Ohio]], [[USA]]
* [[New York City]], [[USA]]
* [[Paris]], [[France]]
* [[Plovdiv]], [[Bulgaria]]
* [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]]
* [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]]
* [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
* [[Algiers]], [[Algeria]]
* [[Oakville]], [[Canada]]

==See also==
*[[Popular Shopping Areas and Markets in Rome]]
*[[Large Cities Climate Leadership Group]]
===Events===
{{main|Events in Rome}}

===Symbols and trivia===
{{main|Symbols and Trivia of Rome}}

==Notes==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>

==References==
:''Further references and bibliography can be found in the more detailed articles linked to in this article.''

* {{cite book
| last = Lucentini
| first = Mario
| year = 2002
| title = La Grande Guida di Roma
| publisher = Newton & Compton Editori
| location = Rome
| id = ISBN 88-8289-053-8
}}{{it icon}}

* {{cite book
| last = Spoto
| first = Salvatore
| year = 1999
| title = Roma Esoterica
| publisher = Newton & Compton Editori
| location = Rome
| id = ISBN 88-8289-265-4
}}{{it icon}}

* {{cite book
| last = Richard Brilliant
| year = 2006
| title = Roman Art. An American's View
| publisher = Di Renzo Editore
| location = Rome
| id = ISBN 888323085X}}

==Documentaries==
* ''The Holy Cities: Rome'' produced by Danae Film Production, distributed by HDH Communications; 2006.

==External links==
{{commons|Roma}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikibooks}}
{{wiktionary}}

===Official websites===
*{{it icon}} [http://www.comune.roma.it/was/wps/portal/pcr Official site of the City of Rome]
*{{en icon}} [http://www.romaturismo.it APT (official Tourist Office) of the City of Rome]
*{{it icon}} [http://www.museiincomuneroma.it/ Rome Museums - Official site]
*{{en icon}} [http://mv.vatican.va/StartNew_EN.html Vatican Museums]
*{{en icon}} [http://www.museicapitolini.org/en/index_msie.htm Capitoline Museums]

===Travel guides and maps===
* {{wikitravel}}
*{{dmoz|Regional/Europe/Italy/Regions/Lazio/Localities/Rome/Travel_and_Tourism/Travel_Guides|Rome travel guides}}
* [http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=41890000&x=12500000&z=11&l=4&m=a WikiSatellite view of Rome at WikiMapia]
*[http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rome&spn=0.039455,0.126549&t=k&hl=en Google Maps satellite images of Rome]
* [http://www.euratlas.net/Roma/rome100.htm Clickable map of Rome in year 100]

{{Province of Rome}}
{{Capital cities of the European Union}}
{{Olympic Summer Games Host Cities}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Italy}}

{{coor title dm|41|54|N|12|30|E|type:city}}

[[Category:Rome| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in Europe]]
[[Category:Host cities of the Summer Olympic Games|Rome (1960)]]
[[Category:8th century BC establishments]]
[[Category:Holy cities]]