text:
List of libraries

This is an alphabetical list of notable libraries around the world. It includes both notable public lending libraries and research libraries.

A

 * Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, Scotland
 * African Heritage Research Library and Cultural Centre, Adeyipo Village, Ibadan, Nigeria
 * Alexandria Library, Alexandria, Virginia, United States
 * Alice Springs Public Library, Alice Springs, Australia
 * Allahabad Public Library, Allahabad, India
 * Allegheny County Library Association, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
 * Aloghar Library, Dhaka, Bangladesh
 * American Memorial Library, Berlin, Germany
 * Ann Arbor District Library, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
 * Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism
 * Argostoli Public Library, Kefalonia, Greece
 * Arlanza Branch Library, Riverside, California, United States
 * Astan Quds Razavi's Central Library, Mashhad, Iran
 * Australian National University Library, Canberra, Australia

B

 * Baltimore County Public Library, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
 * Barrow-in-Furness Main Public Library, Cumbria, England
 * Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
 * Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
 * Beit Ariela, Tel Aviv, Israel
 * Berlin Art Library (Kunstbibliothek Berlin), Berlin, Germany
 * Berlin Central and Regional Library, Berlin, Germany
 * Berlin State Library, Berlin, Germany
 * Bhaikaka Library, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India
 * Biblioteca de Catalunya, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
 * Biblioteca Estense, Modena, Italy
 * Biblioteca Municipal Fernando Piteira Santos,Lisbon, Portugal
 * Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, Santiago, Chile
 * Biblioteca Nacional de España, Madrid, Spain
 * Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal, Lisbon, Portugal
 * Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Firenze, Firenze, Italy
 * Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale Roma, Rome, Italy
 * Biblioteca Nacional, San Jose, Costa Rica
 * Biblioteca Pública de Pichilemu, Pichilemu, Chile
 * Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt
 * Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, France
 * Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Paris, France
 * Bibliothèque universitaire des langues et civilisations, Paris, France
 * Birmingham Central Library, England
 * Bizzell Memorial Library, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States
 * Bodleian Library, Oxford, England
 * Boston Public Library, United States
 * Botanical Research Institute of Texas Library, Fort Worth, Texas, United States
 * British Library, London, England
 * British Library of Political and Economic Science, London, England
 * Brooklyn Public Library, United States
 * Broward County Library, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
 * Bugvia library, Bhera, Pakistan
 * Burton Barr Central Library, Phoenix, Arizona, United States

C

 * Cal Poly Pomona University Library at Cal Poly Pomona, United States
 * Calgary Public Library, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
 * Cambridge University Library, England
 * Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
 * Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
 * Carolina Rediviva at Uppsala University, Sweden
 * Catholic National Library, Farnborough, Hampshire, England
 * Center for Jewish History, Manhattan, United States
 * Cerritos Millennium Library in Cerritos, California, United States
 * Changhua City Library, Changhua County, Taiwan
 * Charles V. Park Library at Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States
 * Charleston County Public Library, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
 * Chekhov Library in Taganrog, Russia
 * Chetham's Library in Manchester, England
 * Chicago Public Library, Chicago, Illinois, United States
 * Chincoteague Island Library, Chincoteague Island, Virginia, United States
 * Chongqing Library, Chongqing, China
 * Cincinnati Public Library, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
 * City of Playford Library Service in Adelaide, Australia
 * Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
 * Clinton-Macomb Public Library, Clinton Charter Township, Michigan, United States
 * College of DuPage Library, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States
 * Cologne Public Library, Cologne, Germany
 * Columbia Public Library, Columbia, Missouri, United States
 * Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, Ohio, United States
 * Connemara Public Library, Chennai, India
 * Contra Costa County Library, Pleasant Hill, California, United States
 * Cornish Studies Centre, Redruth, Cornwall, England
 * Cory Library for Historical Research, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
 * Cosy Nook Library, Bangalore, India
 * County of Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles County, California, United States
 * Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland, Ohio, United States

D

 * Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen, Denmark
 * David Lubin Memorial Library, Rome, Italy
 * Detroit Public Library, Detroit, Michigan
 * Deutsche Bücherei Leipzig, Leipzig
 * District of Columbia Public Library
 * Doe Library, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States
 * Dr. Mahmud Hussain Library, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
 * Dr. Vijay Pal Memorial Library, Delhi, India
 * Dr Williams's Library, Bloomsbury, London
 * Drill Hall Library, Chatham, Kent, England
 * Duchess Anna Amalia Library, Weimar, Germany
 * Dyal Singh Trust Library, Lahore, Pakistan

E

 * Edmonton Public Library, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
 * Elyachar Central Library, Haifa, Israel
 * Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
 * EveningHour Library, Hyderabad, India

F

 * Fairfax County Public Library, Fairfax, Virginia, United States
 * Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
 * Film Reference Library, Toronto, Canada
 * Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC, United States
 * Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum, London, United Kingdom
 * Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States
 * Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

G

 * German Central Library for the Blind, Leipzig, Germany
 * German National Library, Frankfurt am Main, Leipzig, Berlin, Germany
 * German National Library of Economics, Kiel and Hamburg
 * German National Library of Medicine, Cologne and Bonn
 * German National Library of Science and Technology, Hanover
 * Ghalib Library, Karachi, Pakistan
 * Glasgow University Library, Scotland
 * Göttingen State and University Library, Germany
 * Grande Bibliothèque du Québec, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
 * Guangzhou Library, Guangzhou, China
 * Greifswald University Library, Greifswald, Germany

H

 * Halifax Central Library
 * Haskell Free Library and Opera House
 * Hesburgh Library, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States
 * Hessian State Library, Wiesbaden, Germany
 * Hershey Public Library, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States
 * Hilandar Research Library, Ohio State University, United States
 * Williams Research Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
 * Homer Babbidge Library, University of Connecticut, Storrs, United States
 * Hong Kong Central Library, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island
 * Houston Public Library, Houston, Texas, United States
 * Hummelstown Public Library, Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, United States
 * Huntington Library, San Marino, California, United States

I

 * Illinois State Library, Springfield, Illinois, United States
 * List of libraries in Isfahan
 * Imperial College London Abdus Salam Library, London, England
 * Imperial Library of Constantinople
 * Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
 * International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers
 * International Library of African Music, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa

J

 * Jacksonville Public Library
 * James V. Brown Library
 * Jenkins Law Library, Philadelphia
 * John Crerar Library
 * John Rylands Library
 * John Rylands University Library
 * Jubilee Library, Brighton

K

 * Kedermister Library
 * Kenton County Public Library, Kentucky
 * Kenton County Public Library, Oregon
 * Khaliq Dina Hall, Karachi, Pakistan
 * Klaukkala Library, Klaukkala, Finland
 * Knight Library, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
 * Koninklijke Bibliotheek, Netherlands

L

 * Leiden University Library, Leiden, Netherlands
 * Liberei
 * Library of Alexandria, Ancient Egypt
 * Library of Birmingham, Birmingham
 * Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
 * Library of Parliament, Ottawa
 * Library of Sir Thomas Browne
 * Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences
 * Library of Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
 * Lied Library, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
 * Lilly Library, Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana
 * Linen Hall Library, Belfast
 * Lithuanian Technical Library, Vilnius
 * London Library
 * Los Angeles Central Library
 * Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville, Kentucky
 * Louisville Public Library, Louisville, Ohio, USA
 * Ludwigshafen University Library, Ludwigshafen, Germany
 * Luís Ángel Arango Library, Bogotá, Colombia

M

 * Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya, Nepal
 * Makerere University Library, Uganda
 * Malcolm A. Love Library (San Diego State University), San Diego, California
 * Malek National Library, Tehran, Iran
 * Manchester Central Library, England
 * Marathon County Public Library (MCPL), Wausau, Wisconsin
 * Mário de Andrade Library in São Paulo
 * Mark O. Hatfield Library, at Willamette University
 * Marsh's Library in Dublin
 * Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Vilnius
 * Masood Jhandir Research Library, Mailsi, Pakistan
 * Maughan Library at King's College London
 * McGill University Library, Montreal
 * Merton College Library, at Merton College, Oxford (oldest continually functioning library in the world)
 * Miami-Dade Public Library System
 * Michigan State University Libraries
 * Milli Kütüphane (National Library of Turkey, Ankara)
 * Minneapolis Public Library, Minneapolis, Minnesota
 * Mitchell Library, Glasgow
 * Moncton Public Library, Moncton, New Brunswick
 * Montgomery County Public Libraries, Rockville, Maryland
 * Moorland-Spingarn Research Center
 * Merri-bek City Libraries, City of Merri-bek, Australia
 * Morton Grove Public Library, Morton Grove, Illinois
 * Multnomah County Library, Multnomah County, Oregon
 * Musical Electronics Library, Auckland, New Zealand

N

 * National Agricultural Library
 * National Central Library, Florence
 * National Central Library, Rome
 * National Diet Library, Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan
 * National Library of Armenia, Yerevan
 * National Library of Australia, Canberra
 * National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo
 * National Library of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
 * National Library of Canada
 * National Library of China, Beijing, China
 * National Library of India, Kolkata
 * National Library of Iran, Tehran
 * National Library of Ireland, Dublin
 * National Library of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel
 * National Library of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
 * National Library of Medicine
 * National Library of New Zealand, Wellington
 * National Library of Nigeria, Abuja
 * National Library of Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan
 * National Library of Public Information, Taichung, Taiwan
 * National Library of Russia in St Petersburg
 * National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
 * National Library of Serbia, Belgrade
 * National Library of South Africa, Cape Town and Pretoria
 * National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
 * National Library, Singapore
 * New Orleans Public Library
 * New York Public Library, New York, New York
 * Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois
 * Nottingham Subscription Library, Nottingham

O

 * Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam, Netherlands
 * O'Meara Mathematics Library, Notre Dame, Indiana
 * Orange County Library System, Orlando, Florida
 * Oregon State Library, Salem, Oregon
 * Orlando East Public Library, Soweto, South Africa
 * Ottawa Public Library, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

P

 * Pack Memorial Library, Asheville, North Carolina
 * Palm Beach County Library System, West Palm Beach, Florida
 * Park Ridge Public Library, Park Ridge, Illinois
 * Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
 * Peckham Library
 * Peking University Library, Beijing, China
 * Pepys Library, Magdalene College, Cambridge
 * Perpustakaan Tun Sri Lanang, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi
 * Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs, Colorado
 * Plainfield Public Library District, Plainfield, Illinois
 * Powell Library, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
 * Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Largo, Maryland
 * Pritzker Military Library, Chicago, Illinois
 * Public Library (Közkincs Könyvtár), Budapest
 * Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
 * Punjab Public Library, Lahore

Q

 * Quaid-e-Azam Library, Lahore
 * Queens Library, New York, New York

R

 * Regenstein Library, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
 * Regina Public Library, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
 * Rhodes University Library, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
 * Rock Island Public Library, Rock Island, Illinois
 * Robarts Library, University of Toronto, Canada
 * Royal Danish Library
 * Royal Library of Sweden
 * Ruskin Library at Lancaster University, UK
 * Russian State Children's Library, Moscow
 * Russian State Library, Moscow

S

 * Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento, California
 * St. Louis Public Library, St. Louis, Missouri
 * Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah
 * San Antonio Public Library, San Antonio, Texas
 * San Diego County Library, San Diego, California
 * San Diego Public Library, San Diego, California
 * San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, California
 * San José Public Library, San Jose, California
 * Santa Clara County Library District
 * Saxon State and University Library Dresden, Dresden, Germany
 * Scarabelli library, Caltanissetta, Italy
 * Schlesinger Library
 * Scientific and Technical Library, National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute", Ukraine
 * Seattle Central Library, Seattle Washington
 * Shanghai Library, Shanghai, China
 * Sichuan Library, Chengdu, China
 * Smyrna Public Library, Smyrna, Georgia
 * South San Francisco Public Library
 * Southfield Public Library, Southfield, Michigan
 * SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library, Sofia, Bulgaria
 * State Central Library, Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India
 * State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
 * State Library of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
 * State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
 * State Library of Württemberg, Stuttgart, Germany
 * Stockholm Public Library, Stockholm, Sweden
 * Stretford Library, Trafford
 * Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, China

T

 * Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) SDTM Library, Mumbai, India
 * Texas A&M University Libraries, College Station, Texas
 * Thomas S. Power Library, Offutt AFB, Nebraska
 * Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, Topeka, Kansas
 * Toronto Public Library, Toronto
 * Toronto Reference Library, Toronto
 * Troy Public Library, Troy, New York
 * Twinsburg Public Library
 * Tribhuvan University Central Library, Kathmandu, Nepal

U

 * U. Grant Miller Library, Washington & Jefferson College
 * University of Central Florida Libraries, Orlando, Florida
 * University of Coimbra General Library, Coimbra, Portugal
 * University of Florida Library System
 * University of Applied Sciences Augsburg Library
 * University of Houston Libraries
 * University of Queensland Library, Brisbane, Australia
 * University of South Florida Tampa Library, Tampa, Florida
 * University of Sydney Library, Sydney, Australia
 * University of Zambia Library

V

 * Valley Library, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
 * Vancouver Public Library, Vancouver
 * Vancouver Tool Library and Community Access Center (VTLCAC), Tool Library, Vancouver, Washington
 * Vatican Library in Vatican City
 * Vilnius University Library

W

 * W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst
 * Wiener Library for the Study of the Nazi Era and the Holocaust, Tel Aviv, Israel
 * Wellcome Library, London
 * West German Audio Book Library for the Blind, Münster, Germany
 * William F. Ekstrom Library, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
 * William T. Young Library, University of Kentucky
 * Windhoek Public Library in Windhoek, Namibia
 * Winnipeg Public Library, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
 * Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge

Y

 * Yale University Library, Yale University
 * YeungNam University Library, South Korea
 * Yiu Tung Public Library, Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
 * Younes and Soraya Nazarian Library, Haifa, Israel

Z

 * Zillur Rahman Library, Aligarh, India

title: List of libraries


text:
Frederick Ballantyne

Sir Frederick Nathaniel Ballantyne, (5 July 1936 – 23 January 2020) was the Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 2002–2019. A trained cardiologist and former chief medical officer of the country, he was appointed governor-general on 22 June 2002. He succeeded Dame Monica Dacon, who had been acting in the position after the death of Charles Antrobus.

Early life and medical career
Ballantyne was born on 5 July 1936, an only child. His father owned a small hotel, and he has described himself as "from a business family". Ballantyne was the first member of his family to attend high school. On the advice of an acquaintance who had studied medicine in the United States, he chose to attend university in that country (rather than in Britain or Canada, as was usual for Vincentians at the time). He completed an initial degree in chemistry at Howard University (in Washington, D.C.), and then went on to the SUNY Upstate Medical University (in Syracuse, New York) to study medicine. The "sole black individual" enrolled in the medical school, Ballantyne was elected to student government in every year of his degree, and in his final year was elected student body president. He interned in at the Montreal General Hospital after graduation, and then completed his residency in internal medicine in Rochester, New York, followed by a fellowship in cardiology.

Upon returning to Saint Vincent in 1971, Ballantyne was "the most highly trained physician on the island". He was consequently appointed chief of medicine at the newly constructed Kingstown General Hospital (now called the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital). Ballantyne oversaw upgrades in the facilities of both the hospital and regional health clinics, with one of his first priorities being to expand the hospital's immunisation program. He also instituted the hospital's Visiting Specialist Program, which recruited overseas medical specialists to volunteer in Saint Vincent's hospitals in exchange for free accommodation in the country's resorts. In 1985, Ballantyne was appointed Saint Vincent's chief medical officer, serving in the position until 1992. He remained involved in medicine after his official retirement from practising, in a consulting role.

Outside of his career in the medical field, Ballantyne had business interests in several other areas. Prior to being appointed governor-general, he served as president of the Millennium Bank, an offshore bank registered in Saint Vincent, and also as president of Dimethaid International Inc., a pharmaceutical company registered in Barbados. He was also the founder of International Business Services Limited (IBS), a financial services provider now run by his son, Marcus, and a co-owner of the Young Island Resort, a tourist resort on a small island off Saint Vincent's southern coast.

Governor-General
Ballantyne was sworn in as Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 22 June 2002, having been nominated to the position by the country's prime minister, Ralph Gonsalves. He replaced Dame Monica Dacon, who had been acting governor-general since the death of Sir Charles Antrobus in 3 June 2002. Later in the year 2002, in connection with his new appointment, he was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George by Queen Elizabeth II. In June 2009, Ballantyne was also awarded a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree by the University of the West Indies (UWI), as one of sixteen regional figures being recognised for their contributions with honorary degrees.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Frederick Ballantyne


text:
Salem bin Laden

Salem bin Laden (سالم بن لادن) (4 January 1946 – 29 May 1988) was a Saudi Arabian investor and businessman.

Life
Salem was the eldest son of Muhammad bin Laden, the founder of the Saudi Binladin Group, and a half-brother of the militant jihadist Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was educated at Millfield and acted as the patriarch of the bin Laden family after the 1967 death of his father. Salem managed the family's extensive investment portfolio and was in charge of the family income distribution. He also oversaw the individual education plans for each of his (half-) brothers and (half-) sisters. Just like his father, he highly valued the close relationship of the bin Ladens with the Saudi royal family. He provided means and support to the family during the Mecca uprising of 1979.

George W. Bush knew James Bath, a Texan businessman who served as the North American representative for rich Saudis among Bin Laden relatives, and using Bath connections he met billionaire Salem bin Laden, banker and BCCI Khalid bin Mahfouz. The two Saudis were willing to invest in the oil business. Salem bin Laden was one of the investors in the Arbusto oil company, created by George W. Bush in 1979.

He owned a house in Orlando, Florida, and often used it for vacation stays.

Death
Salem bin Laden died on 29 May 1988, in a plane crash in an ultralight aircraft that he was personally piloting. During the flight, he accidentally collided with high-voltage electrical power lines adjacent to the Kitty Hawk airfield on the outskirts of Schertz, a suburb of San Antonio, Texas. The Sprint ultralight aircraft he was flying fell 115 feet to the ground after the wire strike. Salem, who was not wearing a safety helmet, died of head injuries from the resulting fall. The National Transportation Safety Board did not investigate the incident because ultralight aircraft, like the one Salem was flying, fell outside their jurisdiction per FAR Part 103 Provisions, exempting such aircraft from their mandate. The Schertz Police, who attended to the incident, stated in their report that Salem died in a "freak accident".

Following his death, Salem's body was transported back to Saudi Arabia and accorded the honor of a burial in Medina, one of the most sacred cities in the Islamic world. A significant memorial event was held at the bin Laden family compound in Jeddah, spanning two days. All of the twenty-two bin Laden sons formed a line to receive the thousands of guests attending the funeral. Salem, who had secured a billion-dollar contract in the early 1980s for the innovation of the Prophet's Mosque, had effectively managed his father's business and had been instrumental to the family's ongoing success and prosperity. The memorial served as a testament to Salem's contributions and the deep respect held for him within the family and the community.

This was the second plane crash-related death in the bin Laden family, as Salem's father, Muhammed bin Laden, also died in a plane crash in 1967.

A third plane crash claimed more members of the bin Laden family on 31 July 2015 when a business jet carrying Osama bin Laden's half-sister, Sana, and his stepmother, Rajaa Hashim, crashed at Blackbushe airport in Hampshire, England.

title: Salem bin Laden


text:
John Lapli

Sir John Ini Lapli GCMG (baptised 25 June 1955) is a former Governor-General of the Solomon Islands, serving from 7 July 1999 until 7 July 2004.

Prior to his election as Governor-General in June 1999, Lapli was Premier of Temotu Province. He was taken hostage by rebels in 2000, but released after a few days, when the Prime Minister and his government promised to resign. In June 2004 Lapli failed to be re-elected to the position of Governor-General for another 5-year term, receiving only 6 of the 41 votes in Parliament.

title: John Lapli


text:
Vere Bird

Sir Vere Cornwall Bird, KNH (9 December 1909 – 28 June 1999) was the first Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. His son, Lester Bryant Bird, succeeded him as Prime Minister. In 1994, he was declared a "National Hero".

He was an officer in the Salvation Army for 2 years. In 1943, he became the president of the Antigua Trades and Labour Union. He achieved national acclaim politically for the first time when he was elected to the colonial legislature in 1945. He formed the Antigua Labour Party and became the first and only chief minister, first and last premier, and first prime minister from 1981 to 1994. His resignation was due to failing health and internal issues within the government.

In 1985 Antigua's international airport, which was first named Coolidge International Airport, was renamed V.C. Bird International Airport in his honour.

Early life and education
Bird was born in a poor area of St John's, the capital. Unlike most of his political contemporaries – such as Norman Manley of Jamaica and Sir Grantley Herbert Adams of Barbados, who were distinguished lawyers, and Trinidadian Eric Williams, a scholar – Bird had little formal education except primary schooling. He attended St John's Boys School, now known as the T.N. Kirnon Primary School.

Positions in Antigua
Bird was an officer in the Salvation Army for two years interspersing his interests in trade unionism and politics. He gave up the Salvation Army because he saw the way the landowners were treating the local black Antiguans and Barbudans, so he decided to leave his post to fight for the freedom of his people.

When the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (ATLU) was formed in 1939, Bird was an executive member. By 1943 he had become president of the union and was leading a battle for better working conditions and increased pay against the white sugar barons. The union entered electoral politics for the first time in 1946 and Bird won, in a by-election, a seat in the legislature and was appointed a member of the Executive Council.

When universal adult suffrage was introduced here in 1951, the ATLU, under the banner of the Antigua Labour Party, won all seats in the legislature, a feat it repeated until 1967, making Antigua a country with a multi-party system but with freely voted one-party control. The ministerial system was introduced in 1956 and the Governor gave Bird the trade and production portfolio, and when further constitutional advancement came in 1960, he was named Chief Minister.

In 1967, Antigua became the first Eastern Caribbean island to receive the associated statehood constitution from Britain that gave internal self-government but with London remaining responsible for foreign policy and defence.

Bird, radical in his younger days, had been shifting to the right, and in the face of severe social unrest that forced a split in the ATLU in 1967 and rioting in 1968, the ATLU lost its tight hold of Antigua and Barbuda politics. Out of the split, the Antigua Workers Union was formed and later the Progressive Labour Movement (PLM), and Bird decided to resign because he felt it was not right to hold both positions.

In 1968 the PLM won four seats in a by-election and by 1971 Bird was out of power, having not only lost the government to the PLM but also the parliamentary seat he had held for 25 years. A former Lieutenant, the PLM's George Walter, became the island's new premier.

Bird's political exile was to last for only five years and by 1976, he regained the government, having campaigned against independence on the grounds that Antigua was not yet psychologically ready. He won the election again in 1980, this time with independence being a major campaign plank. With his powerful family, he ruled Antigua and Barbuda up to 1994, when he quit politics, having paved the way for one of his sons, Lester, to take over as Prime Minister.
 * Chief Minister of Antigua from 1 January 1960 to 27 February 1967
 * Premier of Antigua from 27 February 1967 to 14 February 1971
 * Premier of Antigua from 1 February 1976 to 1 November 1981
 * Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 1 November 1981 to 9 March 1994.

Criticism and praise
A common criticism from the Antiguan public is the corruption and cronyism within the Labour Party, with many claiming the government is essentially a "family business" with the continuance of the Bird dynasty in control of political power as unquestioned.

Bird's supporters reject these accusations and say that his actions were justified to throw off the institution of colonial sugar planters and the British colonial overlords. The Antiguan author Jamaica Kincaid compared the Bird government to the François Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti in her politically charged narrative A Small Place.

Bird was a member of an elite group of militant trade unionists who blazed a trail through colonial times up to or near the political independence of the Caribbean countries. The group included Alexander Bustamante and Norman Manley of Jamaica, Robert Bradshaw of St Kitts and Nevis, Grantley Adams of Barbados, Cheddi Jagan of Guyana, Ebenezer Joshua of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Eric Gairy of Grenada. Bird was among the early organizers of labour in colonial Antigua and Barbuda of the 1930s and 1940s. His biggest battles were fought in the sugar industry, where he achieved better wages for workers and recognition of the right of workers to have annual holidays with pay.

Bird, an imposing figure (standing at 7 feet tall) even in his last years, was astute enough to recognise that those benefits would be limited as long as the big landowners held control of the government. Therefore, he actively encouraged the top executive of his union – the Antigua Trades and Labour Union – to run for legislative office. He agitated for a change in the qualification of candidates for the parliamentary elections since up to that time, only property owners could run for election.

Bird won a seat to parliament in the late 1940s and his party went on to dominate electoral politics in Antigua and Barbuda for several years. He was eventually to lead the islands into political independence from Britain. Bird left his mark on the labour movement, education and the Caribbean integration movement. One of Bird's dreams was a Caribbean that was united politically and economically. Bird ardently supported the West Indies Federation and when that collapsed in 1962, negotiated hard for a federation of the "Little Eight" countries.

In 1965, together with premiers Errol Barrow of Barbados and Forbes Burnham of Guyana, Bird brought the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) into being. That Association later led to the Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom), comprising 12 of the English-speaking Caribbean countries, two more than were members of the West Indies Federation.

On 1 November 1981, he became the first Prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Since then, in a rare case in modern-day Caribbean politics, he led his party to an election victory in 1984 in which the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) won all the Antiguan seats in the Legislature.

Awards
In 1994, Bird was made a Knight of the Order of the National Hero (KNH) by his native country Antigua and Barbuda.

Death
Bird died in St. John's at 6:58pm on 28 June 1999, aged 88.

title: Vere Bird


text:
Faimalaga Luka

Faimalaga Luka OBE (April 15, 1940 – August 19, 2005) was a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu. He represented the constituency of Nukufetau in the Parliament of Tuvalu. He served as Governor-General and the Prime Minister of Tuvalu.

Background
He was a broadcaster and politician, spending 40 years in the civil service and in politics, serving in roles including Minister for Health from 1994 to 1996 and Minister of Home Affairs from 1999 to 2001. He was married to Sikiona Luka.

In the New Years Honours of 1995, he was awarded an OBE for public service.

Prime Minister
After the death of Prime Minister Ionatana on 8 December 2000, Lagitupu Tuilimu was acting prime minister, and foreign minister, from 8 December 2000 to 24 February 2001. Faimalaga Luka became the prime minister, and foreign minister, on 23 February 2001 and was sworn in the next day with a reshuffled cabinet. Luka's government lasted until December 2001, when he lost office as the consequence of a motion of no confidence. On 13 December 2001 the former finance minister Koloa Talake was appointed prime minister.

Speaker of Parliament
In June 2003 he became speaker of parliament, although an opposition MP at the time.

Governor-General
Luka was appointed as Governor-General on 9 September 2003, as the representative of Elizabeth II, Queen of Tuvalu. He retired on 15 April 2005, after reaching his 65th birthday. Tuvalu, unlike most countries, has a mandatory retirement age for all civil servants.

Declines a knighthood
Historical note: Luka was the only Governor-General of Tuvalu not to accept a knighthood. The practice of a Governor-General of Tuvalu accepting a knighthood was resumed by Luka's successor to that office, Sir Filoimea Telito, who accepted an appointment to the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (GCMG).

Death
He died on August 19, 2005, in Fiji where he had been referred for medical treatment.

title: Faimalaga Luka


text:
Ta' Xbiex

Ta' Xbiex is a locality and Local Council in the Central Region of Malta with a population of 2148 (estimated 2019) It is part of a small headland within the Marsamxett Harbour, right between the villages of Msida and Gżira.

Etymology
It is said that the name Ta' Xbiex originates from it exact geographical location as it faces the rising sun. The Maltese word ' Tbexbex'  is descriptive of the sun as it rises. Others say its name might originate from word 'Xbiek ' meaning fishing nets as would seem appropriate from its inhabitants being able to sail and fish freely from its shores. Indeed, its coat of arms depicts a ship's wheel further confirming its connection with the sea.

Important Buildings
Many of the beautiful houses in Ta’ Xbiex house a number of foreign embassies. The Whitehall Mansions has a prestigious address, and an example of unique Maltese architecture. The building presently houses, amongst others, embassies of Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Austria, Ireland, and the British High Commission. In the 1950s it was known as The Wrennery being the residential quarters of the Woman's Royal Naval Service (WRNS).

There are also a number of service providers such as insurance companies, law firms, auditing and accounting firms.

Among the original villas situated in the streets opposite the sea, one finds Villa Oxania, which belonged to the noted physician and leading archaeologist, Sir Temi Zammit (1864-1935), and Villa Cloe, home to Sir Arturo Mercieca (1878-1969), long-time president of the Maltese Courts and a well known political leader. Both patriots died while they held residence at Ta' Xbiex.

St. John of the Cross Church
This church became a parish in 1969 and is run by the Carmelite Monks. Decorated in the Basilical and Roman style, it is known for its quite unique Crucifix which is 420 cm high and 240 cm wide. Put in place in 1971 this large steel Crucifix is based on a drawing by St. John of the Cross and may be the largest reproduction of its kind and the only silhouette cross in the world.

Yachting
For many years in the 1950s various battleships were berthed in the Msida/Ta' Xbiex creek. From the 1960s right up until today, Ta' Xbiex hosts many private boats with people from all nationalities making this location their berthing home for short as well as long stays.

The Royal Malta Yacht Club, sits proudly on the Ta' Xbiex seafront and plays host to the very popular Rolex Middle Sea Race. Tracing its origins back to the 1800s, this yachting club now enjoys well equipped premises and facilities on a site it renovated in 2008. It also houses a 65 berth Yacht Marina in the same location.

Ta' Xbiex is also home to a 720 berth Msida and Ta' Xbiex Yacht Marina. Due to its stratic location, the marina is sought-after for its central location and the shelter afforded from the prevailing North-Westerly winds, while the breakwater protects against a North-Easterly swell.

Several marine services providers are also found in the area. There are a number of restaurants along the coast that take advantage of the location, catering for the yachting community whilst also offering spectacular harbour views of the Bastions in Valletta and Floriana.

Sport
Ta'Xbiex forms part of a sea-side promenada that runs from Pieta all the way to St Julians. It is a very popular route for runners who enjoy a backdrop of historical bastions, seaviews as well as busy city bustle as they move into Gzira, Sliema and St Julians.

Local Council
The Ta' Xbiex Local Council is formed by the following:

Mayor: Max Zammit

Deputy Mayor: Oriana Calleja

Councillors: Louise Cachia Castelletti

Eugenio Muscat

Rosario Portelli

Executive Secretary: Yasmine Tonna

Main roads

 * Triq Giuseppe Calì (Giuseppe Calì Street)
 * Triq Abate Rigord (Abate Rigord Street)
 * Triq Enrico Mizzi (Enrico Mizzi Street)
 * Triq il-Prinċipessa Margerita (Princess Margaret Street)
 * Triq il-Prinċipessa Eliżabetta (Princess Elizabeth Street)
 * Triq l-Ambaxxati (Embassy Road)
 * Triq Sir Augustus Bartolo (Sir Augustus Bartolo Street)
 * Triq San Ġwann tas-Salib (St. John of the Cross Street)
 * Triq Sir Ugo Mifsud (Sir Ugo Mifsud Street)
 * Triq L-Imradd
 * Triq Testaferrata (Testaferrata Street)
 * Ir-Rampa Ta' Xbiex (Ta' Xbiex Terrace)
 * Vjal Sir Temi Zammit (Sir Temi Zammit Avenue)
 * Ix-Xatt Ta' Xbiex (Ta' Xbiex Coast Road)

title: Ta' Xbiex


text:
Talk:Mikhail Kalinin

Old talk
Should this be redirected to Mikhail I. Kalinin? -- Schewek 21:14, 9 Dec 2003 (UTC)

Cities
It would be interesting to know why Tver reverted to its historic name after the collapse of the Soviet Union but Kaliningrad did not. Sca (talk) 20:42, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Presumably because Kaliningrad's previous name was Konigsberg, a relic of the era when the area was German-speaking. At the end of World War II the German-speaking people in East Prussia evacuated westward so as to avoid the Russians. 69.121.6.97 (talk) 16:45, 26 January 2009 (UTC)captcrisis

 * "Evacuated" is a euphamism for what happened to the German population of what is now the Kaliningrad Oblast.

 * In any case, one wonders why Kalinin apparently still merits the recognition implied by Kaliningrad continuing to be so named, when Leningrad has gone back to being St. Petersburg. Why couldn't they call it Кёнигсберг?

 * Sca (talk) 20:49, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

I guess because Koningsberg isnt a Russian name. Kaliningrad isnt connected to the rest of Russia and Russia wouldn't want anyone to think this territory was an integral part of Russia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.96.14.189 (talk) 10:59, 7 October 2016 (UTC)

 * Apparently, Poland has chosen to rename Kaliningrad to "Krolewiec." Given the non-agression pact with Nazi Germany, the subsequent attack and invasion of Poland by the Soviets, the failure to support the Polish uprising against the Nazis, and the massacre of Polish officers - all signed off by Kalinin in his role as titular head of government in the Soviet Union (not 100% sure about this), along with the resurgent imperialism under Putin, it may be unsurprising that the Poles have taken this step. Perhaps this page should be updated to reflect the new name of Kaliningrad in Poland. Msft watch (talk) 15:00, 10 May 2023 (UTC)

Law of Spikelets
Why shold be empatised that he signed the Law of Spikelets? He in fact signed any all-union law. This was his job. And laws were adopred by the supreme council and Kalinin had no veto power, so his signature worth nothing.--Dojarca (talk) 11:13, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

Stalin, who under the pretext of protecting him had his apartment always watched by NKVD officers
Was it a special trick by Stalin or was it a duty of NKVD to guard the residence of a head of state? This article presents it as a political trick with intention to control and/or spy Kalinin but I know no country where residencies of state officials are not guarded. In a case if Stalin had no intention to spy Kalinin would his residence left unguarded?--MathFacts (talk) 03:16, 30 September 2010 (UTC)

According to Prof. Robert W. Thurston in Life and Terror in Stalin's Russia (p. 3.): "Besides running the labor camps, the NKVD had various other functions and divisions: it operated the fire departments across the USSR; ran the militia; kept track of ordinary civil statistics in registry offices; guarded the borders and maintained internal security troops, which were uniformed; had charge of discipline and crime in the transportation network; and handled state security. The NKVD also supervised geodesic and cartographic work, forestry, and measuring devices." (Emphasis added) So yes, it does seem like guarding the head of state sounds like something routine for the NKVD. Not to mention that this was during the Great Terror, so extra security would make sense. Does Medvedev actually have a source for this? Or is he just presuming that Stalin intimidated Kalinin just 'cause. --Mrdie (talk) 01:15, 8 October 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes, NKVD in those times was not something like special or secret service, it among other things included general civil police, border guards and even fire department. The article reads like NKVD was a kind of secret spy office subordinated personally to Stalin. This does not exclude possibility that Stalin indeed spyed for Kalinin but this does not directly follow from the fact that Kalinin's residence was guarded.--MathFacts (talk) 05:41, 8 October 2010 (UTC)

ANY WORD ABOUT GENOCIDE
Polish soldiers an civilians in Katyn and other places in Soviet Russia by Kalinin whos decided too about it after september 17-th 1939 > German & Soviet aggression to Poland. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.51.115.66 (talk) 21:24, 17 November 2012 (UTC)

Request for Comments
There is an RfC on the question of using "Religion: None" vs. "Religion: None (atheist)" in the infobox on this and other similar pages.

The RfC is at Template talk:Infobox person.

Please help us determine consensus on this issue. --Guy Macon (talk) 04:12, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

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genocide
very interesting summary where there is no word about he is genocide maker. it is like you wrote about Hitler that he is German politician without mention Holocaust which is not a case. it is not enough to put it somewhere in text. Taking part in genocide as decisive person is most important part of life of all soviet politicians active from 1917 to minimum 1943. Kalinin was by the way direct genocidist by taking part and signing of Katyn massacre directive. Wikipedia has to be neutral so all genocide makers has to be treated same way. Jarek19800 (talk) 06:15, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

 * If you have some specific addition to the article with verified sources to propose on this aspect, showing involvement by Kalinin in particular ways rather than simply because he was a member of the Soviet government, then you should set out what that is.Sbishop (talk) 08:01, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Re: the Katyn massacre
It should only be mentioned in the lead if he held sole or majority responsibility for the massacre, which no supporting source has been introduced for - most reliable sources attribute said responsibility to Stalin and Beria, and similarly, most RSes portray Kalinin as a figurehead with no real political power. As a result, it's mentioned and sourced later in the body that he co-signed the order alongside five others, which sources (including the one added) do support. Again, we do not engage in WP:OR here. The  Kip  22:03, 6 March 2024 (UTC)

 * Noting that WP:DUE also covers this - the difference with Himmler and other Nazis, as you’ve invoked, is that reliable sources in those articles describe that they were fundamentally involved in planning and executing the Holocaust and other Nazi-perpetrated massacres. The sources in this article (including the one you have introduced) list Kalinin as a signatory on the order, but none thus far claim that he held major responsibility for it as you’re asserting; again, most RSes attribute direct responsibility to Stalin and/or Beria. The   Kip  01:43, 9 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I have notified WikiProject Biography and WikiProject Socialism, two of the Wikiprojects covering this article, of this discussion in order to seek further input. I opted not to notify WikiProject Soviet Union as the project's talk page seems to indicate there's not much activity there. The   Kip  02:22, 9 March 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Mikhail Kalinin


text:
User:Spamhog

Based in Milan, Italy.

Lived and worked in half dozen countries, visited about 30, speaks a few Indo-European languages.

Religious / Political: distrustful of religions and Hegelian movements. Supports quantitative analysis of political and moral choices, with a stress on minimizing the number of expected untimely deaths, based on counting deaths resulting from similar choices in the past. Believes basic body counting is vastly underrated and insufficiently practiced.

Job: consulting for existing businesses, and occasionally creating new ones.

Interests: geopolitics, languages, tall places, the study of incoherent behaviour, listening to interesting people, certain aspects of computing.

title: User:Spamhog


text:
User talk:Wfroede/Indian states in local languages

Uhhh. All I see is a lot of black lines. -- Zoe

Sorry, I'm new here and it looks fine on my pc. Maybe you need a Unicode font to see it. Or is there some method I can use to change the view for others? Wfroede


text:
Nida (river)

The Nida is a river in central Poland, a left tributary of the Vistula river, into which it flows near Nowy Korczyn). The Nida has a length of 154 kilometres and a basin area of 3,844 km2. This includes the protected area called Nida Landscape Park.

The Nida itself is made up of two smaller rivers, the White Nida and the Black Nida, which merge in the village of Brzegi (near Checiny). It is a typical lowland river, with little difference in the water level. The valley of the Nida is wide, and covered with meadows. At its narrowest, the river is only 6 m wide, while at its widest spot, the Nida is 79 m across. The depth ranges from 0,4 to 2,6 m. The Nida is one of the warmest rivers of Poland; in the summer, its temperature reaches up to 27 degrees C.

Nida River Valley
The Nida Valley is a geographic region in southern Poland, along the lower and middle Nida. It is 65 kilometres long and 2 - 6 kilometres wide. The bottom of the valley is flat and wet, with peat appearing in several locations in the former oxbow lakes. The valley is marked by numerous meadows and pastures, and its main urban centers are ancient Lesser Poland towns of Pinczow, Wislica and Nowy Korczyn.

Ponidzie
The name Ponidzie refers to a region of Lesser Poland, which lies along the Nida, and which is much larger than the valley. It stretches from Checiny to Nowy Korczyn, with three landscape parks: Nida Landscape Park, Szaniec Landscape Park and Kozubow Landscape Park. Furthermore, there are several nature reserves, such as Przeslin, Skorocice, Krzyzanowice, Skotniki Gorne, Winiary Zagojskie, Gory Wschodnie, Grabowiec and Skowronno. In the north, the region is marked by gypsum rocks, while in the south the landscape is flat. The region has two symbols, the Adonis vernalis, and the Gothic collegiate church in Wiślica.

Ponidzie, which lies halfway between the historic centers of Lesser Poland, Kraków and Sandomierz, was, in the late Middle Ages, one of the most important regions of the Kingdom of Poland. Divided between Kraków Voivodeship and Sandomierz Voivodeship, it had several castles, and many significant events took place here, in the once-important local towns of Chęciny, Nowy Korczyn, Pińczów, Wiślica, Jędrzejów, Pacanów, Szydłów, Opatowiec, Chmielnik, and Stopnica. Destroyed and ransacked during the Swedish invasion of Poland, the region has never regained its greatness.

In the 16th century, Ponidzie was one of Lesser Poland’s centres of Protestant Reformation, here Polish Brethren prayer houses and schools operated, with the most famous, the Racovian Academy. Among Protestant activists who worked here are such names, as Jan Łaski, Samuel Przypkowski, and Marcin Ruar. Furthermore, Jan Chryzostom Pasek lived here for many years. Wojciech Belon dedicated one of his songs to Ponidzie, and one of the most popular tourist attractions of the region is a narrow gauge railway “Ciuchcia Express Ponidzie”.

Towns and townships along the Nida

 * Sobków
 * Pińczów
 * Wiślica
 * Nowy Korczyn

title: Nida (river)


text:
Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange

Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange (Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria; born 7 December 2003) is the heiress apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the constituent countries of Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten.

Catharina-Amalia is the eldest child of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. She has two younger sisters, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane. She became heir apparent when her father ascended the throne on 30 April 2013.

Early life
Princess Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria of the Netherlands was born at 17:01 CET on 7 December 2003 in the HMC Bronovo in The Hague, the first child of the then Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange (now king) and Princess Máxima. Upon the public announcement of her birth, 101 salute shots were fired at four places in the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Den Helder and The Hague in the Netherlands, Willemstad in Curaçao, and Oranjestad in Aruba.

On 12 June 2004, Catharina-Amalia was baptised by the Rev. Carel ter Linden in the Great Church in The Hague. Her godparents are her uncle Prince Constantijn, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, the (then) vice-president of the Council of State of the Netherlands Herman Tjeenk Willink, her mother's friend Samantha Deane, her uncle Martín Zorreguieta, and her father's friend Marc ter Haar. Catharina-Amalia's maternal grandparents, Jorge Zorreguieta and María del Carmen Cerruti, were prohibited from attending her parents' wedding in 2002 due to Zorreguieta's involvement in the regime of General Jorge Rafael Videla, but were present at her baptism, which was a private rather than a state affair.

Princess Catharina-Amalia has two younger sisters: Princess Alexia (born in 2005) and Princess Ariane (born in 2007). The family spent the princess' formative years at Villa Eikenhorst on the De Horsten estate in Wassenaar. In 2019 they moved to Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague.

Her birthdays are traditionally celebrated with a concert at the Kloosterkerk in The Hague, which is attended by ambassadors and members of the royal household and the Council of State of the Netherlands. Catharina-Amalia's paternal grandmother, Queen Beatrix, abdicated on 30April 2013 and her father ascended the throne. Catharina-Amalia, as the new heir apparent, assumed the title of Princess of Orange, becoming the first to do so in her own right.

Education
In December 2007, Catharina-Amalia started attending Bloemcamp Primary School, a public primary school in Wassenaar. After graduating from primary school, she attended the Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet in The Hague, where her aunt Princess Laurentien attended. She participated in the student council and attended both the Model United Nations of the International School of The Hague and The Hague International Model United Nations conferences. She graduated in 2021 with distinction. After completing her studies at Sorghvliet, Catharina-Amalia took a gap year, during which she interned at the Orange Fund and volunteered at other organisations.

As of 5 September 2022 Catharina-Amalia is studying at the University of Amsterdam for a Bachelor of Science degree in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE). During her second month in university, she was moved back to the royal palace from her student housing in Amsterdam due to security risks. In April 2024, King Willem-Alexander revealed that Catharina-Amalia lived in Madrid in 2023 under the protection of the Spanish monarchy, while she continued her studies online, due to the threats from the Moroccan mafia, a criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking that has been threatening to kidnap her.

Catharina-Amalia speaks Dutch, English, and Spanish. Additionally, she took classes in Mandarin Chinese.

Public life
Catharina-Amalia and her sisters attended the annual Koningsdag. On 19 June 2010, Catharina-Amalia served as a bridesmaid at the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling. On the occasion of her 18th birthday in 2021, a biography of Catharina-Amalia was published. Similar books were published on the 18th birthday of Princess Beatrix in 1956 and Prince Willem-Alexander in 1985. The book titled "Amalia" is written by Dutch entertainer Claudia de Breij. On 8 December 2021, Catharina-Amalia assumed her seat in the Advisory Division of the Council of State when she reached the age of majority at 18 the day before. On the same day, she gave her first public speech at the Council of State meeting in Kneuterdijk Palace. An outdoor birthday party thrown by her family to mark the occasion was found to be in breach of regulations and restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which made her father admit that "it was not right to organize this".

On 17 June 2022, together with her parents, she was among the royal guests invited to the celebrations of the 18th birthday of Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway. This was Catharina-Amalia's first public engagement outside of The Netherlands and the first occasion to which she was allowed to wear a tiara. On 20 September 2022, together with her parents, Catharina-Amalia attended Prinsjesdag, where the King addressed a joint session of the States General of the Netherlands to outline government policy for the upcoming parliamentary session. In November 2022, Catharina-Amalia and her family visited an exhibition at Nieuwe Kerk dedicated to former Queen Juliana. In December 2022, she visited the three branches of Dutch military: Air Force, Army and Navy.

In January and February 2023, Catharina-Amalia went on a tour of the Dutch Caribbean with her parents. They visited Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. It was her first official royal tour. In April 2023, Catharina-Amalia and her sister Princess Ariane attended King's Day concert in Rotterdam. On 5 May 2023, she accompanied her grandmother to a reception held at Buckingham Palace the evening before the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom. In June 2023, she and her parents attended a state banquet honoring the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Rajwa Al Saif. She carried her first solo official trip abroad in October 2023 by attending Prince Christian of Denmark's 18th birthday celebration banquet at Christiansborg Palace, Denmark. Catharina-Amalia attended her first state banquet, honouring King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, in April 2024.

Public image
Catharina-Amalia has experienced repeated fat shaming by tabloids and on social media since she was young, most notably by the Portuguese celebrity magazine Caras labeling her as plus size. In response to the body shaming, members of the public have expressed their support for the princess, calling the fat shaming against her unacceptable.

Annual allowance
Catharina-Amalia became entitled to an annual allowance from the Dutch state upon reaching the age of 18. This allowance consisted of two parts: a personal income component of €296,000 and a €1,338,000 allocation for staff and operational expenses. Following her high school graduation, Catharina-Amalia opted to decline the annual allowance until she completed her studies.

In May 2024, citing changed circumstances, Catharina-Amalia announced she would begin utilizing her annual allowance for staff and operational expenses, starting in January 2025. This decision comes despite her ongoing studies. Her annual allowance for staff and operational expenses has continued to increase in recent years and amounted to €1.5 million in 2024.

Titles
Catharina-Amalia has been Princess of the Netherlands and Princess of Orange-Nassau since birth. Until her father's accession, she was therefore styled "Her Royal Highness Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau". On 30 April 2013, she additionally assumed the substantive title Princess of Orange. She has since been known as "Her Royal Highness Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, The Princess of Orange", although is styled "Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange"

National

 * NLD Order of the Dutch Lion - Grand Cross BAR.png Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands (7 December 2021).
 * Ordre du Lion d'Or de la Maison de Nassau ribbon.svg Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (7 December 2021).

Foreign

 * Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (10 April 2024)
 * Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (10 April 2024)

Geographic locations

 * : Princess Amalia Wind Farm in the offshore of IJmuiden, North Holland.

Structures

 * : Princess Amalia Bridge in Scharloo, Willemstad.

Other

 * : Prinses Amalia, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain once owned by her great-grandfather, Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld.
 * : Vox Amalia, a dredging vessel built by Dutch maritime contracting company Van Oord.
 * : Regiment Huzaren Prinses Catharina-Amalia, a regiment of the Royal Netherlands Army.
 * : Amalia Waltz, a dance music composed by John Nathan Suarez and presented to the Dutch Royal Family by Curaçaoan governor Lucille George-Wout.

title: Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange


text:
Biebrza

The Biebrza (Bebra, Bobra, Bober) is a river in northeastern Poland, a tributary of the Narew River (near Wizna), with a length of 164 km and a basin area of 7,092 km2 (7,067 in Poland).

Larger towns in the area:
 * Lipsk
 * Sztabin
 * Goniądz
 * Osowiec-Twierdza
 * Radzilow
 * Wizna

The region is usually divided into lower, central, and upper basin areas, each with its own different characteristics.

Tributaries

 * Right tributaries: Netta, Lega, Ełk, Wissa
 * Left tributaries: Sidra, Brzozówka

Natural environment
Today, the river is best known for the vivid wildlife in the peatbogs and marshes in its flood areas.

History
Historically, the borderland regions of Mazovia and Lithuania, the area retains much of its cultural diversity today.

Cultural and linguistic environment
The basin of the Biebrza River is inhabited not only by hundreds of rare and endangered sorts of birds, but also by people representing diverse cultures, languages, and religions. Although most of the population of the region speaks standard Polish, some people in the upper river basin (municipalities of Lipsk, Dąbrowa Białostocka and partly Sztabin) speak a local dialect of Belarusian (called by them prosty jazyk 'simple language'). The people there belong to the Orthodox or Roman Catholic church. On the north bank of the upper Biebrza there are also a few villages where so-called "old believers" live, who speak an archaic dialect of Russian. Some of these communities have preserved much of their traditional culture in spite of long-lasting communist government policies aimed at assimilation of non-Polish cultural and linguistic minorities.

title: Biebrza


text:
Obra (river)

Obra is a river in west Poland, a left tributary of the Warta river (in Skwierzyna), with a length of 171 kilometres and a basin area of 2,760 km2. The river is popular with canoe and kayak enthusiasts and an established canoe trail exists.

Course
The river source is near Jarocin, the mouth into the Warta River in the town of Skwierzyna. The Obra flows through several other towns like Krzywin, Kościan, Zbaszyn, Trzciel, Miedzyrzecz, Bledzew and Skwierzyna. The river also flows through several lakes.

Canoeing
The Obra is a popular river for canoeing and kayaking. The canoe trips usually begin from Zbaszyn. From there, the river passes through wilderness areas and well as the countryside. The canoe trip is not particularly difficult, with the exception of a few tricky places where fallen trees might pose a disruption. The Obra is widely regarded as a safe river for beginners.

Flora and fauna
The Obra River is a rich habitat for flora and fauna. Several species of orchids grow here. Sundews, mud sedge, club-mosses, Daphne, and Turk's cap lily, together with more than 200 species of mosses and an equally large number of fungi grow in the area around Obra. Stretches of oak, beech and Scots pine grow along the river.

The Obra is also an important habitat for birds. There are over 150 species inhabiting the area. Some of the important birds found here are the sea eagle, osprey, golden eagle, common merganser, eagle owl, black stork, black woodpecker, and corn crake. Swamp turtles also live in Obra's waters. Over 40 species of mammals roam the area around the Obra, including beaver, river otter, deer, badgers, hare, and wild boar. Fish species found in Obra include catfish, river trout, grayling, lake trout, powan, barbel, and salmon.

The monster
There is a local lore connected with the Obra river. The lore is centered near the northern part of the river, close to Bledzewand. There is a story of the existence of a giant fish in Lake Czapliniec. The fish is widely believed to be an old fish that has grown to a gigantic size. Others refer to it as a monster. Tales of the fish eating ducks, swans and even small dogs abound.

Towns

 * Krzywiń
 * Kościan
 * Zbąszyń
 * Trzciel
 * Międzyrzecz
 * Bledzew
 * Skwierzyna

title: Obra (river)


text:
Talk:List of libraries

Proposed standard for this list
The library must either have an article dedicated to it in Wikipedia already, or have a reasonable expectation of an article. National libraries, libraries of major research universities, and regional libraries with unique holdings, history, etc, are all good to include; the average public library of a small town is unlikely to ever be worth an article, and so should not be listed here. Stan 05:31, 23 Dec 2003 (UTC)

What next, a list of sweetshops? Andy Mabbett 21:22, 9 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * This article is sort of a safety-valve to keep the list at List of Research libraries on-topic. And encyclopedias and libaries do have a historic association. Bevo 21:27, 9 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * Why not just use List of libraries? There are other types of libraries that don't fall neatly into these two categories. GUllman 01:51, 10 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * The term "safety-valve" suggests that you're trying to solve a problem of some sort. What exactly is the problem you want to solve? Stan 02:08, 10 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * Then I think I picked an inappropriate term! (there were some entries being added to the Research library list that were actually Lending libraries so I just provided a place to move those to) Bevo 05:26, 10 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * I like the new focus (the list collects a library only if there is an article instantiated for it in the Wikipedia). Bevo 20:33, 12 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * First, few if any articles start with "List of Wikipedia articles about..." Just use "List of libraries".  Why are you so afraid of lists with links to topics that haven't been written yet?  That's how Wikipedia grows -- people suggest articles by making lists, which makes it easy for someone to click on a link and start writing.
 * Have you any idea how many lending libaries exist? Andy Mabbett 14:09, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC)
 * There are 16,598 public libraries in the U.S. -- about 30,000 libraries of all types in the U.S., about 23,000 total in the U.K. It should be no problem for Rambot to add them all (ha ha, just joking).  Seriously, you could insert a comment at the top of list of libraries that says Please add only existing articles or requested articles for well-known libraries.
 * Second, librarians here in the U.S. use the categories: "academic libraries", "public libraries", "school libraries" (as in grade and high school), and "special libraries" (like law, corporate, museum). Who uses the term "public lending libraries"?
 * Anyone who speaks British English, for starters Andy Mabbett 14:09, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC)
 * Thanks, I didn't know that. GUllman 21:34, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC)
 * By the way, the new San Jose (California) library is both an academic library for San Jose State University AND a public library. GUllman 01:10, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC)
 * List such exceptions on both pages. Andy Mabbett 14:09, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * Yeah, I've been looking at all this for a week now and really hate it. I'm going to crunch it all into a single list of libraries in the next couple of days unless somebody else gets to it first. Stan 04:19, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * I'd like to keep the lists in concert with guideline #12 in What Wikipedia is not: "Wikipedia entries are not mere collections of external links." -  Bevo 13:32, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC)

It should be obvious that any list of libraries must be restricted to those that are article-worthy, whether or not the article has been written yet. I'd be willing to bet that there are less than a thousand of those, maybe just a couple hundred even. For most libraries there is simply not anything interesting to be said about them, ergo no article or list entry to worry about. Stan 22:00, 18 Dec 2003 (UTC)

I added the Jenkins Law Library to this list because they are the oldest law library in America. I am working with the librarians to get an article going in the near future ... just FYI :) --Talia 19:28, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I added the Los Angeles Central Library. With the third largest amount of book and periodical holdings in the U.S., I think it is noteworthy. CancerOfJuly

I don't know, but what about the Vancouver Public Library, third largest in Canada? It does have its own article. 205.250.51.238 02:54, 19 April 2006 (UTC)
 * What about the Florida State University Music Library? It's one of the biggest music libraries in Florida.
 * We're trying not to include branches of university libraries. Remember, there are 50 music libraries that are the largest in their respective states.DGG 01:05, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
 * I have added the National Diet Library based in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan. It is the largest library in Japan and also fairly well known for it's reasearch.

definition of list
This is an impossibly broad list with no definition. There is a point in list of (notable) public libraries, or list of research libraries, etc, but no purpose whatever in a combined list. The combination should be handled with categories. I propose a split. DGG 05:23, 7 January 2007 (UTC)
 * I intend to divide the page as a first step into groups. Any objections?DGG 19:00, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Re-listing needed
I think two separate list need to be made. One that lists name of Libraries in alphabet order and another that list Libraries by country/or city in alphabet order.

As it currently stand its too confusing.

Bill Sat Mar 7, 2007 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.98.127.45 (talk) 10:19, 7 April 2007 (UTC).

 * Also confusing is that the country is not always stated, especially for US libraries. I agree that the list should be arranged by country. That would at the same time solve that problem. For a big country like the US there could also be sub-sections per state. And there could be a separate section for historical libraries (eg the Alexandria library). But I don't see the need for a separate alphabetical list beside that, in other words the current list.
 * Furthermore, a short statement about the type of library (scientific or general, public or private) would seem handy. for which it might be made into a table. The size or (perceived?) importance might also be included, but maybe only for the really big libraries. DirkvdM 09:11, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

 * Allowing for a statement about importance runs the risk of POV pushing by certain editors. If this is a list article, best to keep it related to function: list of names. The articles for each item can then go into detail. ColdmachineTalk 16:59, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

 * Yeah, I was doubtful about that too. Size in number of books might still be added, though, when that info is available.
 * But more importantly, do you agree that an ordering by country would make sense? As this list gets longer (which is undoubtedly will), then it will at the same time become more desirable and more work to do that. So a 'final' decision should be made soon. DirkvdM 12:56, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

Importance is not just a matter of size. Lists in Wikipedia are preferred if they give more information than a simple list of name, which could be done as well as a category. At the very least an indication of location and size and type and special feature justifying importance should be given. See WP:LIST. Bare lists tend to get proposed for deletion. How to organize it is a matter of choice. I would go by country. Lists of libraries of special types can go in articles fort hat type.DGG (talk) 09:19, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

 * This is a good reason why lists are discouraged in Wikipedia. You have at least one (Probably more than that) lending library in a tiny town, that is, however, a historic landmark. It shouldn't be on this list because of its architecture from the description. And yes, it needs to be broken down by state and maybe city, so editors can purge the list of "undesirables." Without knowing in advance, I don't see how you would ever find the library I am talking about. But I don't see what good the list is in the first place. Once any list gets too long, it is not useful to anyone IMO. Student7 (talk) 11:05, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

The list was already alphabetical, but it didn't have a new section for each letter, which I added, as well as reordering some so as not to include the "the" in the alphabetical list. Please do not remove this list. If you want there to be a list by region, please add it in a new section, and don't remove this order. UNIT A4B1 (talk) 20:33, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

I regionalized just USA libraries up to but not including the O's of the alphebatized list, excaptfor these:
 * New Orleans Public Library
 * Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism
 * Boston Public Library
 * Brooklyn Public Library
 * Cambridge University Library
 * Carolina Rediviva at Uppsala University
 * Catholic National Library, Farnborough, Hampshire
 * Center for Jewish History, Manhattan
 * Chetham's Library in Manchester
 * CISTI, Ottawa
 * Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
 * Grande Bibliothèque du Québec, Montreal
 * Haskell Free Library and Opera House
 * Jenkins Law Library, Philadelphia
 * John Rylands Library
 * Kedermister Library
 * Library of Parliament, Ottawa
 * Library of Sir Thomas Browne
 * Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences
 * Lied Library, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
 * Los Angeles Central Library
 * Luís Ángel Arango Library, Bogotá, Colombia
 * Mário de Andrade Library in São Paulo
 * Mark O. Hatfield Library, at Willamette University
 * Michigan State University Libraries
 * Moorland-Spingarn Research Center
 * National Agricultural Library
 * National Library of Medicine

UNIT A4B1 (talk) 21:18, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

Chaniging the appearance of the article
What do you think about changing the appearance of the article like the German Wiki: Liste von Bibliotheken. To divide the libraries into countries is clearer and better. -- 78.43.121.238 (talk) 20:19, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

 * sure. DGG (talk) 18:34, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

 * That works. I'd prefer just a normal sortable table with: Name | Country | City | Number of Volumes | References.  This way we could sort by size, location, etc. gren グレン 03:10, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Perhaps this one: List of national libraries

--- The format of List of newspapers is very appealing to me though--222.67.204.235 (talk) 11:09, 18 May 2009 (UTC)

see above. An alphabetical and a regional list would be best. UNIT A4B1 (talk) 21:27, 14 March 2010 (UTC)

Library Systems or Library Buildings?
Is this a list of Library systems (meaning the organizations themselves) or of library buildings (meaning the actual physical structure)? I see examples of both here. Opinions? --Olegkagan (talk) 21:47, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

Duplicate entry for libraries in Egypt
It appears Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Library of Alexandria are the same thing (both in Egypt), if I am not mistaken their external link point to the same website.  —M@sssly ✉  20:53, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Time to retire this list.
This list is way too overbroad and unmaintainable. An alphabetical list of all libraries of all types in the entire world? If properly expanded, it would be unusable in its current form. I'm retiring this list as Historical. Assuming no objections are made, it will eventually be changed into a redirect, pointing to a list of lists. Of course, the edit history of this old list will remain available, if needed. In the meantime, you may look at existing lists in Category:Lists of libraries, or better yet, go directly to Category:WikiProject Libraries categories which is being reorganized. Categories will always be the most current source of available articles, as lists have to be built and maintained by hand. If you wish to join the effort to dust off and revitalize library-related articles, you are welcome to join us at WikiProject Libraries. Thanks! LibraryGeek (talk) 08:17, 29 December 2018 (UTC)

Redlinkers in a list of "notable" libraries
Since this is a list article about notable libraries, shouldn't we remove red-linked entries? - Fylindfotberserk (talk) 10:21, 1 December 2019 (UTC)

title: Talk:List of libraries


text:
Wisłoka

The Wisłoka is a river in south-eastern Poland, and a tributary of Vistula River. It is 173 km long and has a basin area of 4100 km2. Its highest elevation is 370 m, while the lowest point in the valley of the river Wisłoka lies at an elevation of 250 m above sea level.

Tributaries
Tributaries of the Wisłoka include:
 * Jasiołka
 * Tuszymka
 * Wielopolka
 * Ropa
 * Grabinianka

title: Wisłoka


text:
Education in Slovakia

Education in Slovakia consists of a free education system based on 10 years of compulsory school maintenance.

General characteristics
Most schools, especially universities, are owned by the state, though since the 1990s there are also church-owned and private schools (see Statistics section).

Slovakia has 10 years of compulsory education.

Students go to school five days a week, from Monday until Friday. Saturdays as school days were cancelled before the 1980s. Summer break is from the 1st of July until the 1st of September (at universities also in June). Other breaks occur a week or two around Christmas and Easter, in spring, autumn and on official holidays.

A school year consists of two semesters. The first one ends at the end of January in all schools, the second one before the beginning of the summer holidays. Primary and secondary school students usually have around 6 classes a day (less at the beginning of the education, more later). Classes last for 45 minutes, and there (several short ones and one longer one – the so-called "big break" (or by the students often just "big one")). The state financed education and all textbooks and instructional material below the university level are free (returned at the end of the semester) – in most cases at least. However, there are also private schools which are paid.

Students at standard schools receive marks in almost all subjects. The marks go from 1 (best) to 5 (worst), and may include unofficial intermediary marks (such as to assess a single project, test, etc. but never on student's final reports). Compared to western European countries, there is an intrinsic "tradition" of teachers granting students rather more marks at the "good" end of the scale, i.e. more 1s, 2s and 3s than they would receive in western Europe, for example. Students below the university level receive school reports (lists of final marks) at the end of each semester.

History
See: Education in Czechoslovakia and List of colleges and universities in Slovakia

Primary education

Primary schools are usually preceded by kindergartens where children can spend up to 4 years, which in turn can be preceded by day nurseries.

Generally, children start primary school in the year in which they reach 6 years of age. Standard primary schools last 9 years (8 before approx. the mid-1990s), however since the early 1990s students can visit an "8-year" gymnasium, where they can start attending after just 5 years (4 prior to the school year of 2009/2010) of primary school.

The primary education system is formally divided in two "stages". The second stage is characterized by many changes in the subjects treated as compared to the first stage:
 * first primary education stage- age 6 to 10, works as platform for next studies
 * second primary education stage- age 10 to 15, this "stage" can be spent either in a 9-year primary school or in an 8-year gymnasium.

Many primary schools have been closed down since about 2000 due to unfavourable demographic development.

Subjects at the second primary education stage (many of them are taught even earlier however) include:
 * Slovak language and literature (includes Slovak and world literature and Slovak grammar; Slovak is to be replaced with Hungarian or Ukrainian in minority schools; usually one class every day),
 * foreign language(s) (usually two,English and students can choose between German, French, Russian or Spanish, depending on the school, not every school has all 4. Before 1990 Russian was compulsory with 4 classes a week) Usually 3-5 classes per week of the main language (usually English) and 2 classes per week of the other language,
 * mathematics (incl. geometry; one class every day),
 * geography (political and physical alike, usually 2 classes a week),
 * biology (incl. botany, animal biology, human biology, geology and environmental studies; usually 2 classes a week),
 * chemistry (usually 2 classes a week),
 * physics (usually 2 classes a week),
 * history (usually 2 classes a week),
 * religion or ethics (students may choose between one or the other, usually 1 class a week),
 * physical education (usually 2 classes a week),
 * musical education (usually 1 class a week; sometimes skipped altogether due to lack of equipment, funds, teachers),
 * artistic education (usually 1 class a week, sometimes skipped altogether due to lack of equipment, funds, teachers),
 * technical education (usually 1 class a week, sometimes skipped altogether due to lack of equipment, funds, teachers)

There are also many facultative "primary art schools" — afternoon schools for particular music instruments, theatre, painting, etc. These have had a long tradition in Slovakia and are attended by a large portion of pupils.

Secondary education
Before entering any school of secondary education (including 8-year gymnasium) for which there are more applicants than places offered, the applicants have to pass entrance examinations.

Secondary schools usually last for 4 years (from the age of 16 to the age of 19). A gymnasium can also last up to 8 years (up to the age of 18) depending on how many years the student spent in primary school.

There are four types of secondary schools:
 * general education (non-vocational):
 * gymnázium (i.e. gymnasium, also translated as grammar school or high school) – 4, 5 (for bilingual gymnasiums) 8 years, i.e. age 16 to 19 or age 10 to 18; prepares students for higher education; teaches at least 2 foreign languages
 * various vocational schools (visited by students interested in arts, crafts or any special skills):
 * stredná odborná škola(secondary professional school) – usually age 16 to 19; usually also prepares for higher education
 * stredné odborné učilište (secondary vocational school) – usually age 16 to 19; training center
 * združená stredná škola ('grouped' secondary school) – usually age 16 to 19; rare

The gymnasia (high schools) are usually considered "prestigious" schools, because they explicitly prepare for higher education and because they are often highly selective - only the brightest students from elementary schools may be accepted. In fact, most students who attend them later continue their education at a school of higher education in Slovakia or abroad. The high schools that are the most competitive are usually located either in Bratislava (Gamča, Gymnázium Metodova, Gymnázium Jura Hronca, ŠPMNDAG A school for the exceptionally talented children), in Košice (Gymnázium Poštová etc.), and a boarding gymnasium in the city of Sučany Bilingválne Gymnázium Milana Hodžu often abbreviated to GBAS - meaning Gymnasium Bilingual English-Slovak. Of the latter GBAS is considered the most prestigious in the central region, Poštová in the eastern region, and Gymnázium Jura Hronca as well as GAMČA in the western region where the capital, Bratislava, is located. These schools annually accept only a very low percentage of applicants often below 15% or 10%, and tend to accept a large proportion of commuting or boarding students subject to tradition. Despite providing general education, many gymnasia have specialized classes. Some of them specialize in languages or are even "bilingual" Slovak-German/English/French etc. (e.g. Gymnázium Milana Hodžu, Gymnázium Metodova, Gymnázium Jura Hronca), others are specialized in mathematics or computer programming, for example Gamča and Gymnázium Jura Hronca. Gamča is notable for being founded in 1626 which is exactly 113 years after the gymnasium in Levoča was founded in 1513. On the other hand, GBAS is noted for being established only in 1993 through a close cooperation of the Slovak Ministry of Education with the British Council of Slovakia holding the name of a respected Slovak statesman Milan Hodža. The 1st Slovak debate club was established at GBAS, and noted educationalists argue Gymnázium Jura Hronca and GBAS started a wave of sending the most talented students to the most selective of English. French and American high schools (such as Eton group, ESAO, UWC ...) as well as universities (including Harvard University, Oxford University, Cambridge University. Imperial College London, LSE. Sciences Po Paris campus, Princeton University, Bocconi University in Milan and others).

After finishing secondary school students usually take a school-leaving exam (matura in German, "maturita" in Slovak), which is a basic prerequisite for visiting a school of higher education (college), especially a university. Before 1990 this included obligatory exams in mathematics (written nationwide standardized + oral), Slovak incl. literature (written nationwide standardized + oral) and Russian and in one subject of the students's choice. After 1990, the system was changed, so that every school prepared its own tests and questions – at gymnasia in the subjects: Slovak incl. literature (written and oral), a foreign language (written and oral), two subjects of the student's choice (oral). The obvious problem of this system was low or missing comparability of the results. The maturita system was modified in 2005 again. The new system is supposed to replace the current entrance examinations to schools of higher education (colleges) in the future. The main changes are: one additional exam subject (for gymnasia), nationwide unified written tests for languages and mathematics (other subjects are supposed to follow in the future), a high degree of standardization of other exams, as well as the possibility for the student to choose whether they want to pass an A-level exam (the simplest one), a B-level exam or a C-level exam (the most difficult one, only for languages). At gymnasia, the exam subjects include: Slovak incl. literature (written and oral), a foreign language (written and oral), a natural science subject, and two other subjects of the student's choice [Details in Slovak: ]

Higher education

The Slovak term "vysoká škola" ("school of higher education", literally "high school", compare the German name Hochschule), which for lack of other expressions is also translated into English as "college", can refer to all schools of higher (i.e. tertiary) education, or in a narrower sense only to those schools of higher education that are not universities.

The first university on the territory of Slovakia was the Universitas Istropolitana (=Academia Istropolitana) founded in 1465. The main and largest current university in Slovakia is the Comenius University. For other current universities and colleges see List of colleges and universities in Slovakia.

The 2002 Act on Schools of Higher Education dinstinguishes public, state, and private schools of higher education (colleges):
 * Public schools of higher education are the basic case. They are established by law. The vast majority of schools of higher education is of this type. They are financed by the government and possible business activities.
 * State institutions of higher education are all military, police and medical schools. They are established through the corresponding ministries of the government. They are financed by the government and possible business activities.
 * Private institutions of higher education are established and financed by non-government institutions, but approved by the Ministry of Education. This type of school is still quite rare.

Studies at the state and public universities is available free of charge when studying in Slovak language. When studying in English programs, students have to pay from US$2,300 to US$13,500 for one academic year depending on the program. The lowest tuition fee is for management (2,000 EUR/year) and the highest is for dentistry (13,500 EUR/year).

Before entering any school of higher education for which there are more applicants than places offered, the applicants have to pass entrance examinations. These examinations take very different forms at particular schools. The "maturita" results of the applicant are usually also taken into account when evaluating whether he can become student of the school. Since the number of branches of study and of schools of higher education increased considerably in the course of the late 18th century (although at the cost of quality of the studies), the general percentage of those not being accepted to these schools decreased considerably over the same time period. Also, an increasing number of Slovaks studies abroad, especially in the Czech Republic due to a low language barrier, a slightly better economic situation (and job perspectives) in that country, as well as similarities of the two educational systems. As a result, the percentage of Slovaks with higher education has increased considerably over the last decade.

The studies are organized within the following study programmes and "stages" (also translated as levels). Each school must provide at least Stage 1:
 * Stage 1: Bachelor study programme; 3–4 years; title: "Bachelor" (bakalár, abbr. "Bc.")
 * Stage 2, or Stage 1 + Stage 2 (Stage 2 lasts 1–3 years):
 * Master's study programme; title: "Master" (magister, abbr. "Mgr.") [in art studies: Master of Arts (magister umenia, abbr. "Mgr. art.")];
 * Engineer study programme; title: "Engineer" (inžinier, abbr. "Ing.") [in architecture "Engineer of Architecture" (inžinier architekt, abbr. "Ing. arch.")]
 * Doctor study programme ; titles:
 * a) in human medicine: "Doctor of Medicine" (doktor medicíny, abbr. "MUDr.")
 * b) in veterinary medicine: "Doctor of Veterinary Medicine" (doktor veterinárnej medicíny, abbr. "MVDr.")
 * c) in dental medicine: "Doctor of Denatal Medicine" (doktor zubného lekárstva, abbr. "MDDr."), studying since 2010
 * Stage 2/3:
 * Doctor after writing a rigorous thesis and passing a viva voce and rigorous exam are:
 * a) in natural science "Doctor of Natural Sciences" (doktor prírodných vied, abbr. "RNDr."),
 * b) in pharmacy "Doctor of Pharmacy" (doktor farmácie, abbr. "PharmDr."),
 * c) in social sciences and art sciences "Doctor of Philosophy" (doktor filozofie, abbr. "PhDr."),
 * d) in law studies "Doctor of Laws" (doktor práv, abbr. "JUDr."),
 * e) in teaching and PE studies "Doctor of Pedagogy" (doktor pedagogiky, abbr. "PaedDr."),
 * f) in theology (except for Catholic theology) "Doctor of Theology" (doktor teológie, abbr. "ThDr.").
 * Stage 3:
 * Doctor and study programme; 3–4 years; titles (placed behind the name):
 * a) basic title "Philosophiae Doctor" (doktor, abbr. "PhD.")
 * b) in art studies "Doctor Artis" (doktor umenia, abbr. "ArtD.")
 * c) in Catholic theology "Licentiate of Theology" (licenciát teológie, abbr."ThLic.") or "Doctor of Theology" (doktor teológie, abbr. "ThDr.")
 * specialisation studies in medicine

The Act on Schools of Higher Education 2002 dinstinguishes:
 * university-type schools of higher education: They provide study programmes at all three stages and with a considerable proportion of the 2nd and 3rd stage. Only these schools are allowed to use the word "university" in their name.
 * non-university-type schools of higher education = professional schools of higher education: These are the remaining schools (providing predominantly the first stage only)

The academic year begins on 1 September of the current year and ends on 31 August of the next year (in reality, however it ends in May/June). The studies in one academic year may be divided into two semesters or rarely in three trimesters. The teaching process includes various forms of instruction such as lectures, seminars, exercises, laboratory work, projects, practical training, consultations, etc. The credit system following the rules of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) has been introduced in 1998 for the organisation of all levels and forms of higher education study. The student's standard load is expressed by the number of sixty credits per academic year and thirty credits per semester. The school of higher education determines the total number of credits required for due completion of the study in its respective stages.

Students who live further away from their university may apply for a dorm, however private housing is increasingly popular among students despite its higher cost. Dormitories and schools provide a canteen with very low prices for students. All study materials must be obtained by students. Students receive a wide range of discounts and the state pays their health insurance and for social security payments. Students of both public and private universities can enjoy the listed benefits if they are younger than 26 year old and are student of a daily program. The current setup of universities in Slovakia makes it possible for even the poorest to attend if they can afford the first fees for application, the first payment for a dormitory, and the first purchase of study materials.

Universities offer external study program as an alternative to the daily program. The external study is longer by 1 year for both Bachelor's and Master's courses and students of external study aren't eligible for state benefits. The major difference between external study and a daily study program is the number of courses and the scheduling modified to favor employed people. The final exams for both daily and external program students are the same.

Among the most desired by employers are STEM degrees with primacy held by degrees in IT, preferably from Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava and engineering degrees. Other desirable degrees for employees are from economics, mostly from University of Economics in Bratislava.

title: Education in Slovakia


text:
Bzura

The Bzura is a river in central Poland. A tributary of the Vistula river (in Wyszogród), the Bzura is 173 kilometres long and has a basin area of 7,764 km2. During the Second World War, Polish forces made a major stand here against the Wehrmacht in an attempt to halt the German advance on Warsaw (Battle of the Bzura).

Towns and townships

 * Zgierz
 * Aleksandrów Łódzki
 * Ozorków
 * Łęczyca
 * Łowicz
 * Sochaczew
 * Brochów
 * Wyszogród

Eastern tributaries

 * Linda
 * Moszczenica
 * Mroga
 * Struga
 * Bobrówka
 * Skierniewka
 * Rawka
 * Pisia
 * Sucha
 * Utrata
 * Łasica

Western tributaries

 * Witonia
 * Ochnia
 * Słudwia

title: Bzura


text:
Rega

The Rega is a river in north-western Poland, flowing into the Baltic Sea. It is the country's 24th longest river, with a total length of 188 km and a catchment area of 2,767 km2.

Towns
The following towns are situated on the Rega: • Świdwin

• Łobez

• Resko

• Płoty

• Gryfice

• Trzebiatów

• Mrzeżyno

Tributaries
The following rivers are tributaries of the Rega:
 * Brzeźnicka Węgorza
 * Gardominka
 * Mołstowa

title: Rega


text:
User talk:Wfroede

Hello. I moved Indian_states_in_local_languages to User:Wfroede/Indian_states_in_local_languages becuase it does not fit quite well in an encyclopedia as it was. I might be more interesting if you included some explanations, etc., I guess. Pfortuny 21:27, 9 Dec 2003 (UTC)
 * Hello, I just found that page while investigating some old edits. I've imported some edits into User talk:Wfroede/Indian states in local languages from the May 2003 Wikipedia database dump, so the attribution history is intact now. Hope you don't mind. Graham 87 11:31, 27 November 2016 (UTC)

title: User talk:Wfroede