The orchid family (Orchidaceae) is the second largest family of flowering plants, with about 880 genera and some 26,000 species distributed nearly worldwide. Orchids are perennial herbs and feature unusual bilaterally symmetric flowers, with masses of pollen known as pollinia, and tiny, dustlike

The poppy family of flowering plants (Papaveraceae) features 44 genera and 760 species, a number of which are common garden ornamentals. Most of the members are herbaceous plants found in the Northern Hemisphere, but several species are woody shrubs or small tropical trees. Almost all plants in the

With more than 10,000 species, the grass family, Poaceae, is one of the largest families of flowering plants. Its members are monocotyledons and feature leaves with parallel veins; the flowers are usually wind-pollinated. Many grasses are cultivated as ornamental plants and for lawns, and several

Ranunculaceae, the buttercup family, comprises about 2,252 species in 62 genera of flowering plants. Its members are mostly herbaceous plants and are distributed worldwide, with greatest diversity in temperate regions. The flowers are often showy, with five or more petals and numerous pistils and

With over 2,500 species in more than 90 genera, the rose family (Rosaceae) is one of the major angiosperm families. While its taxonomy is somewhat contentious, the family is usually divided into four subfamilies based primarily on fruit type: Amygdaloideae, with drupes (fleshy stone fruits);

The rue family (Rutaceae) comprises more than 2,000 species across 160 genera, most of which are woody shrubs and trees. The flowers are generally showy and fragrant, and many species have attractive aromatic foliage. A number of these plants, notably members of the genus Citrus, are important food

The soapberry family, Sapindaceae, contains about 135 genera and some 1,600 species. Its members are distributed mainly in the tropics, and include trees, shrubs, lianas, and herbaceous vines. The following is a list of some of the major genera and species in Sapindaceae, arranged alphabetically by

Called the nightshade family or the potato family, Solanaceae has more than 100 genera and around 2,280 species distributed throughout the world. Its members are characterized by flowers with five petals, sepals, and stamens and typically bear alternate leaves. Many species contain toxic alkaloids

This is an alphabetically ordered list of plays by William Shakespeare. Dates following titles indicate the dates the plays were written unless otherwise noted. Asterisks indicate plays likely written by Shakespeare and other playwrights, though evidence has been disputed. Edward III and Cardenio

This is a list of playwrights ordered alphabetically by place of origin or residence. Translators of dramatic literature are also included. (See also dramatic literature;

This is a list of poets ordered alphabetically by place of origin or residence. In the case of some historical figures not identified with an extant country, they are grouped by ethnic or cultural association. (See also poetry; metre; rhythm; rhyme; poetic diction; poetic license; poetic

The title of poet laureate was first granted in England in the 17th century for poetic excellence. The post has become free of specific poetic duties, but its holder remains a salaried member of the British royal household. The office’s title traces its roots to an ancient Greek and Roman tradition

This is a list of political parties, ordered alphabetically by country or organization. (See also political party and political

Political science is the systematic study of governance by the application of empirical and generally scientific methods of analysis. This is a list of political scientists organized alphabetically by place of origin or residence. (See also political philosophy; political

This is a chronologically ordered list of the presidents of

This is a chronologically ordered list of the presidents of

This is a chronologically ordered list of Brazilian presidents. (See also Brazil; South

This is a chronologically ordered list of the presidents of Chile. (See also South

This is a chronologically ordered list of the presidents of

Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was elected the first president of France in 1848. Prior to that point, the country had been ruled by kings, emperors, and various executives. The succession of republics was several times interrupted (1852–70, 1940–44, and 1944–46) by other forms of government that did not

This is a chronologically ordered list of presidents of

In today’s Iran the president represents the face of Iranian foreign policy to the world, albeit within the confines set by the rahbar, or supreme leader. The post is often dismissed as ceremonial—and indeed, in the first decade after the Islamic Revolution (1979), most government policy was

This is a chronologically ordered list of the presidents of

Mexico’s constitution of 1917 established economic and political principles for the country, including the role of its president. Mexico’s president today is popularly elected to a single six-year term and has the power to select a cabinet, the attorney general, diplomats, high-ranking military

This is a chronologically ordered list of presidents of South Korea, from the earliest to the most

As the head of the government of the United States, the president is arguably the most powerful government official in the world. The president is elected to a four-year term via an electoral college system. Since the Twenty-second Amendment was adopted in 1951, the American presidency has been

A primate is any mammal of the group that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes, and humans. The order Primates, with its 300 or more species, is the third most diverse order of mammals, after rodents and bats. This is a list of selected primates ordered alphabetically by taxonomic

Though the titular head of Canada is the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (represented locally by a governor-general), the effective head of government is the prime minister. After a general election, the governor-general calls on the leader of the political party winning the most seats in

This is a chronologically ordered list of the prime ministers of Denmark. The office of prime minister was inaugurated in 1848. The title “prime minister” was changed to “council president” in 1855 and to “minister of state” in

The office of prime minister developed in Britain in the 18th century, when King George I ceased attending meetings of his ministers and it was left to powerful premiers to act as government chief executive. Sir Robert Walpole is generally considered to have been Britain’s first prime minister.

India’s head of state is the president, whose powers are largely nominal and ceremonial. Effective executive power rests with the Council of Ministers, headed by the prime minister, who is chosen by the majority party or coalition in the Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament) and is formally

This is a list of prime ministers of Israel organized chronologically from earliest to most

This is a chronologically ordered list of the prime ministers of

The office of prime minister of Japan was established in the 1880s during the Meiji Restoration. Originally chosen and appointed by the emperor (with the recommendation of advisers), since the constitution of 1947 the prime minister has been designated by the Diet (Kokkai) before being formally

New Zealand has a parliamentary form of government based on the British model. The head of government is the prime minister, generally the leader of the governing political party in Parliament. The titles premier and first minister were variously applied to each of the principal ministers until

This is a chronologically ordered list of prime ministers of Norway, dating from the 1905 dissolution of its union with

The office of prime minister was inaugurated alongside Pakistan’s independence in 1947. It was abolished for several years under the country’s second constitution, which instituted a presidential system of government. The office was restored in December 1971, at the tail end of the war between West

Procyonids (family Procyonidae) are any of a group of tree-climbing mammals closely related to bears. This is a list of procyonids ordered alphabetically by common name. (See also

In order to “communicate” with a computer, software developers write code using various programming languages. Such code enables a computer to follow users’ instructions and to complete tasks. There are object-oriented programming languages, procedural languages, declarative languages, and

This is a list of prominent families, grouped by the professions and activities for which they were known and ordered alphabetically by place of origin or residence. (See also list of

Canada is the second largest country in the world in area (after Russia), measuring more than 3.8 million square miles (nearly 10 million square kilometers). It consists of 10 provinces and 3 territories that vary greatly in size. The combination of vast area and discontinuous settlement has led to

Psychology is a scientific discipline that studies psychological and biological processes and behaviour in humans and other animals. This is an alphabetically ordered list of psychologists arranged by place of origin or residence. (See also applied psychology; behaviourism; biological psychology;

This is a list of queens and queen consorts organized alphabetically by kingdom and chronologically by years of rule. See also

This is a list of notable rabbis, ordered alphabetically by country or place of residence. (See also

Racial violence is woven throughout the fabric of the history of the United States. In the centuries following the initial colonization of North America, racial and ethnic minorities—especially African American and Indigenous people—have repeatedly been targeted by white people, often as part of

This is an alphabetically ordered list of notable racehorses. (See also horse

Which religion is the largest? Which religion is the smallest? Our planet’s population of about 8 billion people follows myriad religions in widely varying numbers. The following tables draw from information available at the World Religion Database at Boston University and is based on data for the

This is a list of selected rivers, ordered alphabetically by continent or region and by

Rodents are mammals characterized by upper and lower pairs of ever-growing rootless incisor teeth. Rodents are the largest group of mammals, constituting almost half of the class Mammalia’s approximately 4,660 species. This is a list of selected rodents, arranged alphabetically by suborder and

This is a chronologically ordered list of Roman emperors. See also Roman Empire and ancient Rome. • How much do you know about the Roman Empire? • Who are the “Five Good Emperors” of ancient Rome? • Who is sometimes called the first true empress of

The sport of running involves footraces over a variety of distances and courses and is among the most popular sports of nearly all times and places. Modern competitive running ranges from sprints (dashes), with an emphasis on continuous high speed, to grueling long-distance and marathon races,

The following is a list of saints recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and/or Oriental Orthodox churches, organized alphabetically by country or nation of origin or

This is a list of satellites, ordered alphabetically according to the country that launched them. Note that some satellite launches were the result of collaborative efforts and are thus listed under multiple countries. (See also satellite communication; satellite

This is a list of science-fiction writers, ordered alphabetically by

This is a list of sculptors organized alphabetically by nationality. (See also

Serial killers, or serial murderers, are criminals who have committed at least two homicides over a period of time. This is a list of notable serial killers, ordered alphabetically by country of origin or

A chondrichthian (class Chondrichthyes) is any member of the diverse group of cartilaginous fishes that includes the sharks, skates, rays, chimaeras, and their relatives. The class is one of the two great groups of living fishes, the other being the osteichthians, or bony fishes. This is a list of

This is an alphabetically ordered list of sheep (genus Ovis). (See also artiodactyl; bovid;

This is a list of singers ordered alphabetically by place of origin or residence. (See also blues; cabaret; country music; folk music; hip-hop; jazz; opera; popular music; rock and roll; rhythm and

This list provides all the genera that make up the Felinae—a subfamily of the cat family, Felidae. All species in each genus are included. Informally referred to as the small cats, they are distinguished from the big cats (subfamily Pantherinae; see list of big cats) by their ossified hyoid bones,

There are nearly 3,000 species of snakes distributed nearly worldwide. The following is a list of some of the major genera and species of snake, organized alphabetically by family. Sometimes listed as a subfamily of the boa family (Boidae). Sometimes listed as a subfamily of the boa family

This is a list of soccer (football) players ordered alphabetically by country of origin or residence. (See also Major League Soccer and World

This is an alphabetically ordered list of social movements organized by country. A social movement is defined as a loosely organized but sustained campaign in support of a social

This is a list of songwriters organized alphabetically by country of birth or residence. See also

This is a chronologically ordered list of monarchs of Spain, including the medieval kingdoms of Asturias, Leon, Castile, Galicia, and

This is a list of notable spies ordered alphabetically by country of origin or residence. (See also espionage;

Sports are defined as physical contests pursued for the goals and challenges they entail. This is an alphabetically ordered list of sports, grouped by manner of play (individual or team). Sports that may be played with either opposing individuals or opposing teams are listed twice. Sports that

The signature opening crawl of every Star Wars film begins with “A long time ago,” as if introducing a folktale or legend told around a campfire. George Lucas was the first to tell a Star Wars story, but its archetypes are timeless. The first installment, Star Wars (1977), follows an orphaned farm

A star is any massive self-luminous celestial body of gas that shines by radiation derived from its internal energy sources. Of the tens of billions of trillions of stars composing the observable universe, only a very small percentage are visible to the naked eye. Many stars occur in pairs,

This is a list of the cities that are state capitals in the United States, ordered alphabetically by state. The list also provides the most recent U.S. census population for each city as well as an estimated population. (This list does not include the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C.)

Since the first atomic bomb was produced in 1945, only a handful of states have obtained nuclear weapons. Nuclear proliferation was an early concern of the Cold War, and the fear of nuclear war led to the conclusion of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968. At that time, only five or

list of Studio Ghibli feature films, Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animated film studio that was founded by directors Miyazaki Hayao and Takahata Isao in 1985. It is known for the high quality of its filmmaking and its artistry. Its feature films have won both critical and popular praise and

This is an alphabetically ordered list of woman, universal, and manhood suffragists organized by nationality. See also American Woman Suffrage Association; National American Woman Suffrage Association; National Woman’s Party; National Woman Suffrage Association; Nineteenth Amendment; Seneca Falls

When sports fans look back and remember the Olympics of years gone by, it is not only their favorite sports that they remember but also the dynamic, talented, and inspiring athletes that made the Games worth watching. Below are select past and future Summer Olympic Games competitors and the

Superheroes have their antecedents in the semidivine heroes of myth and legend. Protagonists who exhibit feats of incredible strength, fighting prowess, and cunning are commonplace in both scripture and early secular literature. Comic strips of the early 20th century provided the perfect visual

The Supreme Court of the United States is the final court of appeal and final expositor of the Constitution of the United States. The justices are appointed by the president of the United States and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The chief justice of the United States is also appointed by

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an entertainment-industry juggernaut. Starting with its first film release, Iron Man (2008), the MCU has succeeded in weaving many superheroes and villains from Marvel comic books into a single shared world. Most of its films have been commercially successful,

This is an alphabetically ordered list of television shows. (See also situation comedy; soap opera; talk show; television; television in the United

The following is a list of textiles, fibres, and fabrics ordered

Since 1790, when the first U.S. census was conducted, New York City has held the title as the most-populated city in the United States. In that initial census, New York City had 33,131 people. Today it is home to more than 8,335,000. That is more than double the second largest city, Los Angeles,

This list provides the populations for all the countries of the world and for all but the smallest political dependencies and territories. It is ordered alphabetically by the names of the countries, dependencies, and territories. The populations are estimates calculated by Encyclopædia Britannica’s

How small is small? For some of the world’s countries, the answer is very, very small, even teeny tiny. Vatican City holds the title as the world’s smallest country, with an area of just 0.17 square mile (0.44 square km). As a point of comparison, the largest country in the world, Russia, is almost

While Jesus had many followers, the Twelve Apostles were his closest disciples, and they left an indelible mark on the early Christian church. Personally chosen by Christ himself, nearly all of the Twelve were Jewish (St. Luke may have been a Gentile) and had various livelihoods: several were

With more than 70 million inhabitants, Guangzhou, China, is far and away the world’s largest city. But, what defines a city? When you are comparing developments with tens of millions of people located in countries across the globe, a unified definition is tricky—one needs to consider a variety of

There are nearly 200 countries in the world, but when it comes to which is the largest, there is no competition. With a total area of 6,592,850 square miles (17,075,400 square km), Russia is the world’s largest country. A distant second is Canada, with 3,855,103 square miles (9,984,670 square km).

This is an alphabetically ordered list of theatres organized by country. See also theatre (art); theatre (building); theatrical production; Western

A treaty is a binding formal agreement, contract, or other written instrument that establishes obligations between two or more subjects of international law (primarily states and international organizations). This is a list of treaties, organized chronologically by the years that they were

A tropical cyclone, also called a typhoon or hurricane, is an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain. This is a chronologically ordered list of significant tropical

The order Heteroptera comprises the so-called true bugs. This is an alphabetically ordered list of true

The following is a list of tunnels, ordered alphabetically by

Turtles (order Testudines), including tortoises, are reptiles with bodies encased in bony shells. This is a list of turtles, ordered alphabetically and grouped by

The vast majority of adult citizens in the United States have the right to vote in local, state, and federal elections. Some of these elections are based on a plurality system—a candidate need only poll more votes than any other single opponent to win. The vote to elect the president of the United

The job of president of the United States is one of the most challenging in the world and can take a heavy toll on the physical and mental well-being of those who call the White House home. Many presidents have experienced sudden health crises or chronic ailments while in office. Some of their

Most birds are known for their colorful feathers, their unique vocalizations, and the roles they play in various ecosystems. Some bird species have been adopted by various states and territories within the United States to serve as symbols that represent a state’s unique heritage or as icons that

As of 2023, the United States was the world’s third most-populated country, with more than 335,000,000 people. The U.S. state with the largest population is California, which has some 39,000,000 residents. Second is Texas, with more than 30,000,000. Several states have less than 1,000,000 people,

This is a list of the states of the United States of America and the dates on which they achieved statehood, ordered by date of admission to the union. This list excludes U.S. territories, as they have not been admitted as states, although they are constituents of the United States. This list also

The United States is rare among democracies in that the role of president is not primarily ceremonial, as it is in most parliamentary governments, but is instead the most powerful role in U.S. government, and the quadrennial U.S. presidential elections are of great importance to both the country

Vaccines are among the most effective tools available in modern medicine, offering protection against a wide range of diseases that once caused significant illness, disability, and death. By stimulating the immune system to recognize and fight specific pathogens, vaccines not only protect

Valleys are elongate depressions of Earth’s surface. Valleys are most commonly drained by rivers and may occur in a relatively flat plain or between ranges of hills or mountains. Those valleys produced by tectonic action are called rift valleys. Very narrow, deep valleys of similar appearance are

The term vegetable usually refers to the fresh edible portions of certain herbaceous plants; these portions include the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, or seeds. These plant parts are either eaten fresh or prepared in a number of ways, usually as a savory, rather than sweet, dish. The