# Wikipedia

> free multilingual online encyclopedia

**Wikidata**: [Q52](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q52)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/wikipedia

## Summary

Wikipedia has received the Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, the FSF Free Software Award for Projects of Social Benefit, the Grimme Online Award, and the Erasmus Prize [1][2][3][4][5]. These honors recognize the platform's contributions to international cooperation, social benefit through free software, online excellence, and educational impact [1][2][3][4][5].

## Summary
Wikipedia is a free, multilingual online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, created in 2001. It is one of the largest and most widely used reference websites in the world, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its content is collaboratively written and maintained by a global community of volunteers.

## Key Facts
- Founded on January 15, 2001, by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger.
- Operated by the Wikimedia Foundation since 2003.
- Available in over 377 language editions as of 2025.
- Contains more than 63 million articles across all languages as of July 2024.
- Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International as of 2023.
- Built using MediaWiki software, primarily coded in PHP.
- Hosted globally with servers managed by Equinix and Wikimedia Site Reliability Engineering.
- Ranked among the top 10 most visited websites worldwide, with Alexa rankings between 5 and 14 at various times from 2009 to 2023.

## FAQs
### Q: Who created Wikipedia?
A: Wikipedia was co-founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in January 2001. Larry Sanger coined the name "Wikipedia" and served as its first editor-in-chief.

### Q: Is Wikipedia free to use?
A: Yes, Wikipedia is completely free to access and use. Its content is licensed under open licenses like Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike, allowing reuse and modification under certain conditions.

### Q: How many people contribute to Wikipedia?
A: As of November 2020, there were approximately 92 million registered users, though only a subset actively contributes edits. The exact number of active contributors varies over time.

## Why It Matters
Wikipedia revolutionized how knowledge is shared and accessed by democratizing information creation and distribution. Unlike traditional encyclopedias, which are curated by experts behind closed doors, Wikipedia allows anyone to participate in building human knowledge. This model has made it an invaluable educational resource for billions around the globe, especially in regions where printed materials may be scarce or costly. Despite criticisms regarding accuracy and neutrality, Wikipedia remains one of the most trusted general reference sources due to its transparent editing process and strong community oversight. It also serves as a digital public good, supported entirely through donations and committed volunteer work.

## Notable For
- Being the largest and most-read general reference work in history.
- Pioneering the concept of collaborative, user-generated online encyclopedias.
- Hosting over 63 million articles across more than 377 languages.
- Operating without advertisements, funded solely through charitable donations.
- Receiving prestigious awards such as the Erasmus Prize and the Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation.

## Body
### Founding and Development
Wikipedia was launched on January 15, 2001, following the earlier project Nupedia, which aimed to create a free online encyclopedia but struggled with slow production. Co-founders Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger envisioned a faster, more scalable approach enabled by wiki technology. Larry Sanger proposed the idea of using a wiki platform, leading to the birth of Wikipedia. Initially intended as a complementary project to Nupedia, Wikipedia quickly surpassed it in both growth and popularity.

### Governance and Operation
Since 2003, the Wikimedia Foundation has operated Wikipedia. Based in San Francisco, the foundation supports the infrastructure and ensures the site’s availability. Technical operations involve partnerships with companies like Equinix for data centers and internal teams known as Wikimedia Site Reliability Engineering. Wikipedia runs on the MediaWiki software platform, developed specifically for managing large-scale collaborative content. The codebase relies heavily on PHP and MySQL, part of the LAMP stack.

### Content and Licensing
All content on Wikipedia is released under open licenses. Since June 2009, much of it has been offered under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, updated to version 4.0 International in 2023. Users retain copyright to their contributions while agreeing to release them under these permissive terms. This licensing strategy enables broad dissemination and adaptation of content across platforms and formats.

### Global Reach and Language Editions
As of 2025, Wikipedia exists in over 377 languages, each edition managed independently by local communities. The English Wikipedia is the largest, containing millions of articles, followed by Cebuano, Swedish, German, French, Dutch, Russian, Spanish, Italian, and Egyptian Arabic. In total, all editions combined host over 63 million articles as of July 2024. Each language edition operates autonomously, governed by policies tailored to cultural and linguistic needs.

### Community and Participation
Wikipedia is maintained by a diverse global community of editors, referred to as Wikipedians. While anyone can edit anonymously or after registering, long-term participation tends to come from dedicated contributors who develop expertise in specific areas. There are over 92 million registered accounts as of November 2020, although activity levels vary significantly. Various WikiProjects coordinate efforts around topics such as computing, internet culture, brands, and reference works.

### Recognition and Impact
Over the years, Wikipedia has received numerous accolades recognizing its societal impact. These include the Erasmus Prize (2015), the Grimme Online Award (2005), and the FSF Free Software Award for Projects of Social Benefit (2005). In 2015, it was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation. Beyond formal recognition, Wikipedia plays a central role in modern education, journalism, and research, often serving as the starting point for deeper inquiry into countless subjects.

## References

1. [Source](https://wikimediafoundation.org/what-we-do/wikimedia-projects/#a1-reference)
2. [Source](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/list-designated-vlops-and-vloses#ecl-inpage-wikimedia)
3. [Source](https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2025/10/29/wikipedia-recognized-as-a-digital-public-good/)
4. WikiSim
5. [Encyclopædia Britannica Online](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jimmy-Wales#ref932805)
6. [Source](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/wikipedia-founder-larry-sanger-democrats-b1885138.html)
7. [Source](http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041206/news_mz1b6encyclo.html)
8. [The Business of Wikipedia: How Jimmy Wales Built the Free Encyclopedia. 2016](http://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2016/05/the-business-of-wikipedia-how-jimmy-wales-built-the-free-encyclopedia/)
9. [Source](http://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2016/05/the-business-of-wikipedia-how-jimmy-wales-built-the-free-encyclopedia/)
10. [Source](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/17/opinions/snowden-made-internet-safer-wales/)
11. [Source](http://www.fpa.es/en/communication/wikipedia-princess-of-asturias-award-for-international-cooperation.html?idCategoria=14&especifica=0)
12. [Source](http://www.fsf.org/awards/sb-award)
13. [Source](https://www.grimme-online-award.de/archiv/2005/nominierte/n/d/wikipedia-die-freie-enzyklopaedie-1)
14. [Source](https://nl.wikimedia.org/wiki/Erasmusprijs_2015)
15. [Source](https://erasmusprijs.org/prijswinnaars/wikipedia/)
16. [Virtual International Authority File](https://viaf.org/viaf/195846295/#Wikipedia)
17. Virtual International Authority File
18. [Virtual International Authority File](http://viaf.org/viaf/195846295/#Wikipedia)
19. [Wikipedia is developing a speech engine for visually impaired users. 2016](http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/11/11200734/wikipedia-speech-engine-visually-impaired-accessible)
20. MusicBrainz
21. Trustpilot
22. [WOT Services](https://www.mywot.com/scorecard/wikipedia.org)
23. [Source](http://whois.domaintools.com/wikipedia.org)
24. [Democracy Dies in Darkness](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/01/15/wikipedia-just-turned-15-years-old-will-it-survive-15-more/)
25. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
26. [Wikipedia review: Wikipedia - CNET](https://www.cnet.com/reviews/wikipedia-review/)
27. Encyclopédie Larousse
28. [Encyclopædia Britannica Online](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wikipedia)
29. [Source](https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/wikipedia.org/)
30. [Alexa Internet](https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/wikipedia.org)
31. Alexa Internet
32. [Source](https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias)
33. [Meta-Wiki](https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Wikipedias&oldid=20576750)
34. [Source](https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias#1+_articles)
35. [Wikipedia](https://www.digitalpublicgoods.net/r/wikipedia)
36. [archINFORM](https://www.archinform.net/service/wd_aiarch.php)
37. [Source](http://web.archive.org/web/20251101211446/https://golden.com/wiki/Wikipedia-RNNDGK)
38. Wikipedia - RationalWiki. RationalWiki
39. FactGrid
40. YouTube API
41. wikipedia · GitHub Topics · GitHub. GitHub
42. [Wikipedia MBTI Stereotypes: ISTJ](https://www.personality-database.com/profile/112736/wikipedia-significant-organizations-mbti-personality-type)
43. [Source](https://www.similarweb.com/top-websites/)
44. [Source](https://www.similarweb.com/website/wikipedia.org/)
45. Best Wikipedia Posts - Reddit. Reddit
46. [Wikipedia NSFW - Star Trek: Website](https://startrek.website/c/wikipedia_nsfw@lemmynsfw.com)
47. [CreepyWikipedia - Star Trek: Website](https://startrek.website/c/creepywikipedia@lemmy.world)
48. [Internet Domains Wikibase](https://domains.wikibase.cloud/entity/Q5784)
49. Steam group
50. Know Your Meme