- World News Tonight (American television program)
Peter Jennings: âŠof the three-man team of World News Tonight. He became the showâs sole anchor and senior editor in 1983 and returned to New York. Jennings received many awards, including 16 Emmys. In 2003, while retaining his Canadian citizenship, he became a U.S. citizen. In April 2005, in what was toâŠ
- world ocean (Earth feature)
ocean, continuous body of salt water that is contained in enormous basins on Earthâs surface. When viewed from space, the predominance of Earthâs oceans is readily apparent. The oceans and their marginal seas cover nearly 71 percent of Earthâs surface, with an average depth of 3,688 metres (12,100
- World Ocean Network (international organization)
World Oceans Day: âŠ2002 two conservation organizations, the World Ocean Network and The Ocean Project, first celebrated the day along with their network of zoos, aquariums, and environmental groups around the world. After a petitioning drive guided in large part by those two organizations, the General Assembly of the United Nations formally designatedâŠ
- World Oceans Day
World Oceans Day, annual celebration honouring the majesty of Earthâs oceans and the economic, aesthetic, and environmental services they provide. World Oceans Day is celebrated yearly on June 8 to raise awareness of the plight of the oceans and the marine ecosystems they contain. In 1992 in Rio de
- World of Apu, The (film by Ray [1959])
Satyajit Ray: The Apu Trilogy: âŠUnvanquished) and Apur Sansar (1959; The World of Apu). Pather Panchali and its sequels tell the story of Apu, the poor son of a Brahman priest, as he grows from childhood to manhood in a setting that shifts from a small village to the city of Calcutta. Western influences impingeâŠ
- World of Henry Orient, The (film by Hill [1964])
George Roy Hill: Film directing: In 1964 Hill directed The World of Henry Orient, which was adapted from a novel by Nora Johnson (who wrote the screenplay with her husband, Nunnally). The charming and original comedy centres on two teenage groupies who are obsessed with a pianist (played by Peter Sellers). It stands inâŠ
- World of Homer (work by Lang)
Andrew Lang: âŠof Homeric literature, and his World of Homer (1910) is an important study.
- World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones, The (novel by Martin, Garcia, and Antonsson)
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: More on the characters and background: âŠFire series, most extensively in The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones. According to canonical history, Egg eventually ascends the Iron Throne as King Aegon V and appoints Dunk to his Kingsguard, an elite band of seven knights sworn to protectâŠ
- World of Mathematics, The (historical survey by Newman)
James Roy Newman: âŠfour-volume historical survey of mathematics, The World of Mathematics (1956).
- World of Music, Arts and Dance (international foundation)
WOMAD, international music and arts foundation known primarily for its festivals, held in multiple locations across the globe each year. WOMAD was conceived in 1980 by a group of individualsâmost notably Peter Gabriel (former leader of the British rock band Genesis)âwho shared a love of the worldâs
- World of Our Fathers (work by Howe)
Irving Howe: His World of Our Fathers (1976) is a sociocultural study of eastern European Jews who emigrated to the United States between 1880 and 1924. Celebrations and Attacks (1979) is a collection of his critical articles, and A Margin of Hope: An Intellectual Autobiography (1982) deals withâŠ
- World of Suzie Wong, The (film by Quine [1960])
Richard Quine: In the romance The World of Suzie Wong (1960), William Holden was cast as an aspiring artist anguishing over a prostitute (played by Nancy Kwan). The Notorious Landlady (1962), which Quine wrote with Larry Gelbart, was a black comedy starring Novak and Lemmon, and Paris When It SizzlesâŠ
- World of Suzie Wong, The (play by Osborn)
William Shatner: Early life and career: âŠfor a two-year run in The World of Suzie Wong (1958â60), earning critical acclaim for his performance. He later played a U.S. Army captain in the film Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), about the post-World War II NĂŒrnberg trials.
- World of the Ten Thousand Things: Selected poems, 1980â1990, The (poetry by Wright)
Charles Wright: The World of the Ten Thousand Things: Selected Poems, 1980â1990 (1990) demonstrates Wrightâs experiments with autobiography and his reflections on the literature and history of numerous cultures.
- World of Warcraft (online role-playing game)
World of Warcraft (WoW), massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by the American company Blizzard Entertainment and released on November 14, 2004. Massively multiplayer refers to games in which thousands, even millions, of players may participate online together, typically
- World of Wonders (novel by Davies)
World of Wonders, third of a series of novels by Robertson Davies known collectively as The Deptford
- World on the Wane, A (work by LĂ©vi-Strauss)
Claude LĂ©vi-Strauss: Major works: âŠrecognition with Tristes tropiques (1955; A World on the Wane), a literary intellectual autobiography. In it, he critiques Western colonialism, pointing out that it erodes unique Indigenous cultures because of the homogenization and uniformity it brings. He questions the exploitative role of travelers and contrasts modern, industrialized societies with theâŠ
- world opinion (public opinion)
public opinion: World opinion: Near the end of the 20th century, the increasing importance of global telecommunication, trade, and transportation contributed to interest in a new concept of world public opinion, or âworld opinion.â The idea began to receive serious academic consideration as scholars noticed certain globalâŠ
- world order thinking (international relations)
international relations: Scholarship and policy: âŠhas been manifest in âworld order thinking,â which is usually traced to the approach to international relations espoused by President Wilson and set forth in his Fourteen Points for the post-World War I era. Proponents of world order thinking place major, if not primary, emphasis on building international organizations,âŠ
- World Organization of the Scout Movement (international organization)
Boy Scouts: The World Organization of the Scout Movement, established in 1920 and now based in Geneva, promotes scouting worldwide. It maintains regional offices in Belgium, Egypt, the Philippines, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Chile, and Ukraine.
- World Plan Executive Council (religious organization)
Transcendental Meditation: âŠbecame the foundation for the World Plan Executive Council, the international organization that guided the spread of Transcendental Meditation worldwide. Each of the councilâs divisions attempted to introduce meditation into a particular area of human life. In the mid-1970s the council introduced the siddha (âmiraculous powersâ) program, an advanced courseâŠ
- World Poetry Day
Poetry is a form of literature that often celebrates abstraction and the beauty of words. Written poetry is thought to have surfaced about 2000 BCE with the Epic of Gilgamesh, although poetry likely predates literacy. Though the poetry of today has transformed in form and function, the root of its
- world point (physics)
space-time: âŠas a âhere-nowâ or a world point. In every inertial reference frame, all physical laws remain unchanged.
- World Presbyterian Alliance (religious organization)
World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), cooperative international organization of Congregational, United, and Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Originally known as the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Presbyterian and Congregational), the group was formed in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1970 by
- World Professional Association for Transgender Health
World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), interdisciplinary professional association founded in 1978 to improve understandings of gender identities and to standardize treatment of transsexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming people. WPATH was formed by Doctor Harry
- World Professional Basketball Tournament (American basketball tournament [1939â1948])
New York Rens: The worldâs best team: âŠHarry Wilson mounted the inaugural World Professional Basketball Tournament, sponsored by the Chicago Herald-American, in which the best professional teamsâchosen without racial restrictionsâwould compete. The winning team would receive $1,000 and the title of the worldâs best team. Two Black teams were invited to compete: the Rens and their rivalsâŠ
- World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation
swimming: Distance swimming: âŠamateur and professional swimmers, the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation was founded. From the 1960s through the 1980s the latter group sanctioned about eight professional marathons annually, the countries most frequently involved being Canada, Egypt, Italy, Argentina, and the United States. The British Long Distance Swimming Association has sponsored racesâŠ
- World Rapid Chess Championship (chess)
Magnus Carlsen: âŠsame year he won the World Rapid Championship (in which players are given a total of 15 minutes of time with an additional 10 seconds per move) in Dubai, and he won that title again in 2015 in Berlin.
- World Renewal cycle (North American Indian practice)
Yurok: âŠceremonies were those of the World Renewal cycle, which ensured an abundance of food, riches, and general well-being. This cycle included the recitation of magical formulas, repeating the words of an ancient spirit race, and other acts. The spiritual power to cure disease was granted only to women, giving theseâŠ
- World Resources Institute (research institute)
World Resources Institute (WRI), research institute established in 1982 to promote environmentally sound and socially equitable development. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The World Resources Institute conducts extensive scientific research and analysis on global environmental and economic
- World Series (baseball championship)
World Series, in baseball, a postseason playoff series between champions of the two major professional baseball leagues of North America: the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), which together constitute Major League Baseball. The World Series began in 1903 after the cessation of
- World Series 2009 (baseball championship)
New York Yankees: George Steinbrenner, Reggie Jackson, and Derek Jeter: In 2009 the Yankees returned to the World Series for the first time in six years, under Joe Girardi, who had become the Yankeesâ manager in 2008. In six games the Yankees dethroned the Philadelphia Phillies, en route to winning their 27th World Series title, theâŠ
- World Series Champions
The World Series is Major League Baseballâs (MLB) postseason play-off series between the champions of its two leagues: the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). Since 1922 the World Series has followed a best-of-seven-games format. The table provides a list of World Series
- World Series of Poker (card game)
The World Series of Poker consists of a series of poker events that culminate with a winner being crowned annually in the United States. The main event is a Texas holdâem game, and its winner is considered the poker world champion. The roots of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) championship date
- World Service (British company)
British Broadcasting Corporation: BBC World Service radio broadcasts began in 1932 as the Empire Service. By the early 21st century the service broadcast in more than 40 languages to roughly 120 million people worldwide. World Service Television began broadcasting in 1991 and unveiled a 24-hour news channel, BBC NewsâŠ
- World Shop (business)
fair trade: History: In 1969 the first World Shop opened its doors in the Dutch town of Breukelen, initially selling sugarcane and handicrafts imported by Fair Trade Original. In 1973 coffee was added to the fair trade product line, with the first imports coming from cooperatives in Guatemala. Over time a rangeâŠ
- World Squash Federation (international sports organization)
squash rackets: History: The World Squash Federation (WSF) promotes the game and coordinates tours and championships between nations. The WSF membership has grown to over 115 nations, each of which also belongs to one of five regional squash federations.
- World TB Day
World TB Day, annual observance held on March 24 that is intended to increase global awareness of tuberculosis. This date coincides with German physician and bacteriologist Robert Kochâs announcement in 1882 of his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes the disease. The
- World Team Tennis (sports organization)
Billie Jean King: âŠof a group that founded World TeamTennis (WTT) in 1974. King served as the player-coach of the Philadelphia Freedoms, thus becoming one of the first women to coach professional male athletes. The WTT folded after 1978 because of financial losses, but King revived the competition in 1981. In that sameâŠ
- World That We Knew, The (novel by Hoffman)
Alice Hoffman: In 2019 Hoffman released The World That We Knew, which is set during World War II.
- World to Come, The (film by Fastvold [2020])
Casey Affleck: âŠin the 19th-century historical drama The World to Come (2020), he was cast as a psychiatrist in the thriller Every Breath You Take (2021). In 2023 he appeared in Christopher Nolanâs Oppenheimer, a historical epic about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the race to create the atomic bomb during WorldâŠ
- World Trade Center (building complex, New York City, New York, United States)
World Trade Center, complex of several buildings around a central plaza in New York City that in 2001 was the site of the deadliest terrorist attack in American history. (See September 11 attacks.) The complexâlocated at the southwestern tip of Manhattan, near the shore of the Hudson River and a
- World Trade Center (film by Stone [2006])
Oliver Stone: World Trade Center (2006), a retelling of the events of September 11, 2001, from the viewpoint of two police officers, returned Stone to the center of public debate. While the film was critically acclaimed, some questioned the propriety of making the film so soon afterâŠ
- World Trade Center bombing of 1993 (terrorist attack, New York City, New York, United States)
World Trade Center bombing of 1993, terrorist attack in New York City on February 26, 1993, in which a truck bomb exploded in a basement-level parking garage under the World Trade Center complex. Six people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured in what was at that time the deadliest act of
- World Trade Organization (international trade)
World Trade Organization (WTO), international organization established to supervise and liberalize world trade. The WTO is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was created in 1947 in the expectation that it would soon be replaced by a specialized agency of the
- World Trade Organization Basic Telecommunications Services Agreement (1997)
Tunisia: Transportation and telecommunications: Tunisia signed the World Trade Organization Basic Telecommunications Services Agreement of 1997, which opened the countryâs market, and its telecommunications infrastructure has expanded markedly since that time. Internet access is widespread, and cellular telephones far outnumber standard phone lines. Local communications are largely conducted over microwave radio links,âŠ
- World Transhumanist Association (international organizaton)
transhumanism: History: âŠphilosopher David Pearce founded the World Transhumanist Association (WTA), an international organization that promoted transhumanism as a serious academic discipline. The WTA rebranded itself as Humanity+ in 2008 to project a more diverse and cohesive vision of transhumanismâone that included branches of thought from both the Extropy Institute (which closedâŠ
- world tree (religion)
world tree, centre of the world, a widespread motif in many myths and folktales among various preliterate peoples, especially in Asia, Australia, and North America, by which they understand the human and profane condition in relation to the divine and sacred realm. Two main forms are known and both
- World Underwater Federation (international organization)
underwater diving: âŠMondiale des ActivitĂ©s Subaquatique (CMAS; World Underwater Federation).
- World Union for Progressive Judaism (Reform Judaism)
World Union for Progressive Judaism, in Judaism, an international federation of Reform congregations that seeks to coordinate old and newly established Reform groups in various parts of the world. Since its founding in London in 1926 it has grown considerably and now maintains headquarters in New
- World Values Survey
public opinion: Regional and global surveys: The World Values Survey takes a slightly more political tack by examining the ways in which religious views, identity, or individual beliefs correspond to larger phenomena such as democracy and economic development. Using World Values Survey results, the American political scientist Ronald Inglehart found that democraticâŠ
- World War I (1914â1918)
World War I, an international conflict that in 1914â18 embroiled most of the nations of Europe along with Russia, the United States, the Middle East, and other regions. The war pitted the Central Powersâmainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkeyâagainst the Alliesâmainly France, Great Britain,
- World War II (1939â1945)
World War II, conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during the years 1939â45. The war was in many respects a continuation, after an uneasy 20-year hiatus, of the disputes left unsettled by World War I. The principal belligerents were the Axis powersâGermany, Italy, and Japanâand
- World War II Generation (demographic group)
Greatest Generation, generation of Americans born between approximately 1901 and 1924, who came of age during the Great Depression and the 1940s, many of whom fought in World War II. The Greatest Generation is estimated to have had about 63 million people. It gained the moniker after the
- World War II: The horror of war in pictures
The deadliest and most destructive war in human history claimed between 40 and 50 million lives, displaced tens of millions of people, and cost more than $1 trillion to prosecute. The financial cost to the United States alone was more than $341 billion (approximately $4.8 trillion when adjusted for
- World War Z (film by Forster [2013])
Brad Pitt: Inglourious Basterds and Moneyball: âŠzombie pandemic in the thriller World War Z (2013).
- World War Zero (American organization)
John Kerry: âŠfigure in the creation of World War Zero, an organization dedicated to fighting climate change. He also remained active in politics and was an outspoken critic of Trump. During the 2020 presidential race, Kerry campaigned for Joe Biden, who ultimately defeated Trump. In November 2020 President-elect Biden announced that KerryâŠ
- World Water Ski Union
waterskiing: In 1946 the World Water Ski Union (WWSU) was formed as the international governing body of worldwide waterskiing competition. Claims for world records are ratified by the WWSU.
- World We Make, The (novel by Jemisin)
N.K. Jemisin: She released The World We Make, the follow-up to The City We Became, in 2022.
- World Weather Watch (telecommunication network)
weather bureau: âŠresponsibilities as part of the World Weather Watch. Other notable national weather bureaus include the Japan Meteorological Agency, the China Meteorological Administration, the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia, the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia, the Meteorological Service in Canada, and the Met Office in the United Kingdom.
- World Wide Fund for Nature (international organization)
WWF, international organization committed to conservation of the environment. In North America it is called the World Wildlife Fund. In 1960 a group of British naturalistsâmost notably biologist Sir Julian Huxley, artist and conservationist Peter Scott, and ornithologists Guy Mountfort and Max
- World Wide Web (information network)
World Wide Web (WWW), the leading information retrieval service of the Internet (the worldwide computer network). The Web gives users access to a vast array of mass media and contentâvia the deep web, the dark web, and the commonly accessible surface webâthat is connected by means of hypertext or
- World Wide Web Consortium (information retrieval standards organization)
Tim Berners-Lee: âŠUnited States he established the World Wide Web (W3) Consortium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologyâs Laboratory for Computer Science. The consortium, in consultation with others, lends oversight to the Web and the development of standards. In 1999 Berners-Lee became the first holder of the 3Com Founders chair at theâŠ
- World Wide Web Wanderer
search engine: History: âŠwhen Matthew Gray built the World Wide Web Wanderer while at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Gray invented the Wanderer to measure the size of the World Wide Web, a task it performed until late 1995.
- World Wildlife Fund (international organization)
WWF, international organization committed to conservation of the environment. In North America it is called the World Wildlife Fund. In 1960 a group of British naturalistsâmost notably biologist Sir Julian Huxley, artist and conservationist Peter Scott, and ornithologists Guy Mountfort and Max
- World Without Tears (album by Williams)
Lucinda Williams: World Without Tears (2003) was her first album to debut in the top 20 of Billboardâs Top 200 albums chart.
- World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (American company)
John Cena: âŠfirst gained fame with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) organization and later had success in movies and books. His notable films include Trainwreck (2015), F9: The Fast Saga (2021), and The Suicide Squad (2021). He is also known for fulfilling more than 500 Make-a-Wish requests (granted to children suffering fromâŠ
- World Wrestling Federation (American company)
John Cena: âŠfirst gained fame with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) organization and later had success in movies and books. His notable films include Trainwreck (2015), F9: The Fast Saga (2021), and The Suicide Squad (2021). He is also known for fulfilling more than 500 Make-a-Wish requests (granted to children suffering fromâŠ
- World Youth Alliance (international organization)
World Youth Alliance (WYA), international nongovernmental organization (NGO) founded in New York City in 1999 that seeks to promote what it calls an international culture of life based on individual rights, family cohesion, and personal development. Membership is limited to persons 10 to 30 years
- World Youth Day (Roman Catholic program)
World Youth Day, program of religious education and spiritual formation for youth in the Roman Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II was inspired to establish World Youth Day in December 1985 by the churchâs Youth Jubilee (1984), a special meeting between the pope and young Catholics held at the
- World YWCA (Christian lay movement)
Christianity: 19th-century efforts: âŠAlliance of YMCAs and the World YWCA, were established in 1855 and 1894, respectively. The Evangelical Alliance, possibly the most significant agent of Christian unity in the 19th century, held a unique place among the volunteer associations of the age. Founded in London in 1846 (the American section was establishedâŠ
- World Zionist Organization (international organization)
Jewish Agency: âŠAgency, international body representing the World Zionist Organization, created in 1929 by Chaim Weizmann, with headquarters in Jerusalem. Its purpose is to assist and encourage Jews worldwide to help develop and settle Israel.
- Worldâs Best, The (American television program)
Drew Barrymore: Later career: âŠjudge on the TV series The Worldâs Best, an international talent show. The following year she began hosting The Drew Barrymore Show, a daytime talk show that aired on CBS.
- Worldâs Body, The (work by Ransom)
John Crowe Ransom: âŠinclude God Without Thunder (1930); The Worldâs Body (1938), in which he takes the position that poetry and science furnish different but equally valid knowledge about the world; Poems and Essays (1955); and Beating the Bushes: Selected Essays, 1941â1970 (1972). Ransomâs poetry, which one critic has applauded as exhibiting weightyâŠ
- Worldâs Christian Endeavor Union
Society of Christian Endeavor: The Worldâs Christian Endeavor Union (WCEU), organized in 1895, is a cooperative organization for Christian Endeavor groups in more than 40 countries. It holds conventions every four years. Headquarters for both organizations are in the United States.
- Worldâs Christian Fundamentals Association (American religious organization)
Christian fundamentalism: The late 19th to the mid-20th century: âŠcomprehensive organization in 1919, the Worldâs Christian Fundamentals Association. The 1919 conference placed planks in a platform on which the fundamentalist movement would stand for years to come. Conservative-fundamentalist leaders reiterated the creedal basis of the movement and called for the rejection of modernism and related trends, especially the teachingâŠ
- Worldâs Columbian Exposition (fair, Chicago, Illinois [1893])
Worldâs Columbian Exposition, fair held in 1893 in Chicago, Illinois, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbusâs voyage to America. In the United States there had been a spirited competition for this exposition among the countryâs leading cities. Chicago was chosen in part because
- Worldâs End (novel by Sinclair)
Upton Sinclair: âŠcontemporary historical novels, beginning with Worldâs End (1940), that were constructed around an antifascist hero who witnesses all the events surrounding World War II. For Dragonâs Teeth (1942), the third novel in the series, about the Nazi takeover of Germany in the 1930s, Sinclair won the Pulitzer Prize for FictionâŠ
- Worldâs End (escarpment, Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka: Relief: âŠmost spectacular being the so-called Worldâs End, a near-vertical precipice of about 4,000 feet.
- Worldâs End, The (film by Wright [2013])
Simon Pegg: Career: âŠFuzz and the science-fiction comedy The Worldâs End, films that are grouped with Shaun of the Dead in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, named after a British ice cream treat. Wright later recalled on Twitter (now known as X) that because the dessert had been featured in Shaun of theâŠ
- Worldâs Evangelical Alliance (Christian organization)
Evangelical Alliance, British-based association of Christian churches, societies, and individuals that is active in evangelical work. It was organized in London in 1846 at an international conference of Protestant religious leaders after preliminary meetings had been held by Anglican and other
- worldâs fair
worldâs fair, large international exhibition of a wide variety of industrial, scientific, and cultural items that are on display at a specific site for a period of time, ranging usually from three to six months. Worldâs fairs include exhibits from a significant number of countries and often have an
- Worldâs Fastest Indian, The (film by Donaldson [2005])
Anthony Hopkins: Hannibal Lecter, Richard M. Nixon, and John Quincy Adams: âŠNew Zealand motorcycle racer in The Worldâs Fastest Indian. After enlivening the legal thriller Fracture (2007), Hopkins appeared in several big-budget movies rooted in mythology, including Beowulf (2007; as King Hrothgar) and The Wolfman (2010).
- Worldâs Greatest Fisherman, The (short story by Erdrich)
Louise Erdrich: Novels: âŠand Dorrisâs short story âThe Worldâs Greatest Fishermanâ won the 1982 Nelson Algren Award for short fiction, it became the basis of her first novel, Love Medicine (1984; expanded edition, 1993). That book began a tetralogy that also includes The Beet Queen (1986), Tracks (1988), and The Bingo PalaceâŠ
- Worldâs Illusion, The (work by Wasserman)
Jakob Wassermann: In Christian Wahnschaffe (1919; The Worldâs Illusion), one of his most popular works, a millionaireâs son, after experiencing all that high life, love, travel, and art have to offer, dedicates himself to the service of humanity.
- worldâs largest dams
Dams are among the most massive human structures ever built, with many of the largest examples constructed using several million tonnes of dirt, rock, concrete, and other materials to span rivers or estuaries or to sequester lake water. Dams serve a variety of purposes, including storing water for
- worldâs largest deserts
In terms of size, the desert biome is second only to the forest biome on land. The largest deserts are vast, harsh areas characterized by extremely dry conditions, sparse vegetation, and little or no precipitation. The majority of Earthâs hottest deserts are found on the western sides of continents
- worldâs largest islands
At some level, all of us live on landmasses surrounded by water. Earthâs continents, even those that are connected to others by land, are bordered by the worldâs oceans. The planetâs largest landmasses are Afro-Eurasia (made up of Africa, Europe, and Asia), the Americas (made up of North America
- worldâs largest lakes
There are more than 304 million lakes on Earth. These water bodies, composed of slowly moving or standing water, are found in inland basins that balance water inputs (from precipitation, inflowing streams, and groundwater percolation) with outputs (outflowing streams, evaporation, withdrawals for
- worldâs longest rivers
The worldâs longest rivers are defined as the longest natural streams whose water flows within a channel, or streambed, with defined banks. They tend to have extensive river systems, which include tributaries to the main river channel, that drain large portions of Earthâs continents. Accurate
- worldâs major volcanoes
There are more than 1,500 potentially active volcanoes or volcanic areas around the world at any given time. They may be the worldâs most dynamic landforms, given their ability to grow by accretion or shatter and collapse during an eruption. Volcanoes are vents in Earthâs crust (or in the crust of
- worldâs tallest buildings (structure)
building, a usually roofed and walled structure built for permanent use. Rudimentary buildings were initially constructed out of the purely functional need for a controlled environment to moderate the effects of climate. These first buildings were simple dwellings. Later, buildings were constructed
- Worldâs Wife, The (poetry by Duffy)
Carol Ann Duffy: ⊠(1985), The Other Country (1990), The Worldâs Wife (1999), Rapture (2005), and Sincerity (2018). During this time she also authored such plays as Take My Husband (1982) and Little Women, Big Boys (1986). At the beginning of the 21st century, much of her work was written for children, including theâŠ
- world, possible (logic and philosophy)
possible world, Conception of a total way the universe might have been. It is often contrasted with the way things actually are. In his Theodicy (1710), G.W. Leibniz used the concept of a possible world in his proposed solution to the theological problem of the existence of evil, arguing that an
- World, The (work by Descartes)
RenĂ© Descartes: The World and Discourse on Method: In 1633, just as he was about to publish The World (1664), Descartes learned that the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564â1642) had been condemned in Rome for publishing the view that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Because thisâŠ
- World, The (British newspaper)
lifestyle journalism: Origins: An issue of The World (May 25, 1884, page 11) shows this precursor of the womanâs page: the âWorld of Womenâ column. By the 1890s, womenâs pages were a definite feature of larger papers, publishing information about clubs, society, and other topics of interest to women. And inâŠ
- world-class giant natural gas field
natural gas: Location of major gas fields: âŠtcf) of gas, and the world-class giants, which have reserves of roughly 85 to 850 bcm (3 to 30 tcf). Supergiants and world-class giants represent less than 1 percent of the worldâs total known gas fields, but they originally contained, along with associated gas in giant oil fields, approximately 80âŠ
- world-class giant oil field
petroleum: Oil fields: âŠof ultimately recoverable oil, and giants, fields with 500 million to 5 billion barrels of ultimately recoverable oil. Fewer than 40 supergiant oil fields have been found worldwide, yet these fields originally contained about one-half of all the oil so far discovered. The Arabian-Iranian sedimentary basin in the Persian GulfâŠ
- World-Soul (religion)
World-Soul, soul ascribed to the physical universe, on the analogy of the soul ascribed to human beings and other living organisms. This concept of a spiritual principle, intelligence, or mind present in the worldâs body received its Classical Western expression in the writings of Plato (5th
- world-systems theory (historiography)
world history: World-systems theory: A considerably more complex scheme of analysis, world-systems theory, was developed by the American sociologist and historian Immanuel Wallerstein (1930â2019) in The Modern World System (1974). Whereas modernization theory holds that economic development will eventually percolate throughout the world, Wallerstein believed that theâŠ