Aarushhh/wikipedia-simple-splitted huggingface dataset:
An empire is a set of lands, regions or countries that are ruled by an Emperor. An empire usually also has many different cultures. In history, many empires were usually formed when a country began to invade or colonise nearby countries. 

Usually, an empire is ruled by one dominant country.  For example, the British Empire was largely controlled by the United Kingdom's government.

Well-known empires include the Persian Empire, Roman Empire, Russian Empire, Greek Macedonian Empire, Holy Roman Empire and British Empire.

Sea empires grew mostly by sailing to distant places and conquering them. The Aztec Empire and the Mongol Empire were land empires. The Venetian Empire and the British Empire were sea empires. The largest empire was The British Empire.
Before Christopher Columbus, there were several American empires including Vikings (owned Greenland), the Aztec Empire, and the Inca Empire. The Spanish and the Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover America. Later came the English, later to be called the British Empire controlled most of North America, and the Spanish Empire controlled most of South America and Latin America.

The oldest empire was the Akkadian Empire, whose founder was Sargon of Akkad.

Modern empires 
The newest created empire was The Soviet Union created in 1922, which included Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

Today, the only monarch to use the title "emperor" is the Emperor of Japan although his power is mostly ceremonial and the de facto head of government is the Prime Minister of Japan.

References 

Empires
A writer can mean anyone who makes a written work or who writes, but the word more usually means people who write creatively or as a job, or those who have written in many different forms. Skilled writers demonstrate skills in using language to portray certain ideas and images, whether in fiction or non-fiction.

A "person who writes books or articles to be published"; That is one of the ways that media explains what a writer does.

Types of writing

Poetry
Prose
Novels
Music
Lyrical (lyrics to music)
Plays
Myths and legends
Newspapers
Magazines
Screenplays
Monologues
Nonfiction and creative nonfiction
Greeting card writer

This list is only a few examples of the many types of writing there are.
Types of writers
Writers often specialize in one of the following categories:
Novelist
Poet
Newspaper reporter
Columnist
Head writer
Ghostwriter
Blog writer
Business writing is writing proposals and plans for a corporation, and journalism reporting on markets, financing, and other economic matters.  It has a specific purpose delivering important information to the reader in a simple, brief, and effective manner.

Related pages 
 Author
 Journalist

References

Writing
Writers
Writing occupations
An inventor is a person who makes new inventions, devices that perform some kind of function. The devices are mostly electrical or mechanical. Someone that invents new ideas or methods on how to do things may also be called an inventor. Inventors can receive a patent.

Many inventors make small changes to old inventions. For example, people have invented new ways to make clocks over history.  Early clocks were sundials, later clocks used water, and pendulums.  Modern clocks are often electronic.  Other machines such as vehicles are made of many inventions.
Famous inventors 
 Nikola Tesla invented the alternating current motor, Tesla coil and many other things.
 Michael Faraday, scientist, discoverer of electromagnetic induction, inventor of the electric motor, founder of  electromagnetism.
 Thomas Edison, inventor of the phonograph and many other things.
 John Kemp Starley, many improvements to bicycles.
 Karl Drais, inventor of the Laufmaschine ("running machine") the first bicycle.
 Guglielmo Marconi (1874 – 1937) pioneer of radio communication.
Alessandro Volta, inventor of the battery.
 Gottlieb Daimler, inventor of the first four-wheel successful car.
 Karl Benz, inventor of the first successful car.
 George Stephenson (1803 – 1859) inventor of the improved locomotive.
 James Watt, inventor of the improved steam engine.

 Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, inventor of the first car (propelled with steam engine).
 Nikolaus August Otto, inventor of the first internal-combustion engine.
Richard Trevithick, inventor of the locomotive.
 Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine.

 
Occupations
Bears are a group of large mammals found all over the world in many different habitats. They form the family Ursidae, in the suborder Caniformia of the order Carnivora. There are 8 living bear species.

 Family Ursidae: Bears
 Giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca
 Spectacled bear, Tremarctos ornatus
 Brown bear, Ursus arctos
 Polar bear, Ursus maritimus
 American black bear, Ursus americanus
 Moon bear, Ursus thibetanus or Selenarctos thibetanus
 Sloth bear, Melursus ursinus
 Sun bear, Ursus malayanus
Appearance 
Bears usually have a big body with short and thick legs. They have a broad head and a very short tail. They have small eyes and round ears. They usually have longer, shaggy fur. On each foot they have five claws, which they cannot pull back. They use their claws for digging, climbing, and hunting. They can stand up on their back legs and their front paws are flexible. Usually bears can climb and swim very well. Males are usually bigger than females. Most bears except the giant panda are only one color. Most bears are russet, brown, or black.

Bears do not have good hearing. They have powerful senses of smell and sight. They have good sight and can see colors, which is different from other carnivores. Bears mostly use their sense of smell to know what is around them. They can smell better than dogs. Bears also have good memory, which lets them remember where they can find food.
Life 
They are mostly active at night, except for the Polar Bear. Some bears hibernate, meaning they sleep during the winter to save energy.

Bears are usually omnivorous, which means that they eat plants and meat. They eat berries, grass, and fish. An exception is the polar bear, which eats mostly meat.

Bears usually live alone, except when they are mating season or if they have cubs. The father does not raise the cubs. The mother raises the cubs for months or a few years depending on how much food there is. The mother protects her young, even at the cost of her life.

Distribution 
Bears live all over the world, mostly in the Northern hemisphere. They are found in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. There used to be bears in northern Africa but they are now extinct.

In popular culture 
Some fictional bears include, Yogi Bear, The Berenstain Bears, and Winnie the Pooh.

References
Meteorology is the science that focuses on the Earth's atmosphere. People who study meteorology are called meteorologists. Meteorologists record air pressure, wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, weather patterns, and other information. Meteorologists use this data to understand weather and to predict it. Meteorology is a major branch of earth science. Meteorologists study the causes of particular weather conditions using information obtained from the land, sea and upper atmosphere.

They use computerized and mathematical models to make short and long-range forecasts concerning weather and climate patterns. A variety of organizations use meteorological forecasts including:
transport services, particularly air and sea travel
shipping and sea fishing industries and sailing organisations
government services, e.g. firefighters or for advice on climate change policy
armed forces
farmers;
public services
mass media
industry and retail businesses
insurance companies
health services
In addition to forecasting, meteorologists study the impact of weather on the environment and conduct research into weather patterns, climate change and models of weather prediction.

Related pages
World Meteorological Organization

References
Technology is the skills, methods, and processes used to achieve goals.

People can use technology to:

 Produce goods or services
 Carry out goals, such as scientific investigation or sending a spaceship to the moon
 Solve problems, such as disease or famine
 Do things we already do, but more easily.

Technology can be knowledge of how to do things.  Machines are examples of embed.  This lets others use the machines without knowing how they work.  Technological systems use technology by taking something, changing it, then producing a result. They are also known as technology systems.

The most simple form of technology is the development and use of basic tools. The discovery of fire and the Neolithic Revolution made food easier to get. Other inventions, such as the wheel and the ship, helped people to transport goods and themselves.  Information technology, such as the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, has led to globalization.
People have used technology for millions of years.  Without food technology, most people would die.

Etymology 
The word "technology" comes from two Greek words:

 τέχνη, techne, meaning "art, skill, or cunning of hand"
 -λογία, -logia, a suffix meaning "the study of"

Related pages
 Engineering
 Inventor
The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is a widely-known list of seven great buildings or structures from the classical time period.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World 
This is a list put together in the 2nd century BC by 
Antipater of Sidon and Philon of Byzantium. This explains why it only lists monuments of the Mediterranean world. There are other slightly different versions: this is the most usual one.
Great Pyramid of Giza (Egyptian). The oldest of the wonders, and the only one still standing.
 Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Babylonian). Built by Queen Semmu-ramat (= Semi-ramis) or King Nebuchadnazzer II. The exact location of this monument is not known. It was in Mesopotamia.
 Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Greek). A gigantic statue made of marble and ivory, with applied gold leaf.
 Temple of Artemis (Greek). In Ephesus, Asia Minor (modern Turkey), on the Aegean Sea. It was burnt down by Herostratus on 21 July 350 BC. When questioned, he is said to have replied: "To make my name immortal". First known crime committed for fame.
 Mausoleum of Maussollos (Persian). Tomb of the Anatolian king of that name, built by his widow Artemisia, at Halicarnassus (present Bodrum, Turkey).
 Colossus of Rhodes (Greek). Built to commemorate the raising of the siege of Rhodes 304–5 BC. At 30 metres, the tallest statue in the ancient world.
Lighthouse of Alexandria (Egyptian/Greek). Called the Pharos, this was built for Ptolemy II, about 280 BC. To this day, Pharos is the name for lighthouse in several European languages.
Out of those structures only the Great Pyramid still exists in the 21st century. Most of the wonders were built by the Greeks. Earlier versions listed the Walls of Babylon and the Palace of Cyrus the Great.

Seven wonders of the modern world 
This version was decided by the American Society of Civil Engineers. 

 Channel Tunnel (England & France)
 CN Tower (Toronto, Canada)
 Empire State Building (New York, United States)
 Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, United States)
 Itaipu Dam (Brazil/Paraguay)
 North Sea Protection Works (Netherlands)
 Panama Canal (Panama)

Seven natural wonders of the world 
There is no single list of seven natural wonders of the world. One of the many lists was compiled by CNN:

 Grand Canyon
 Great Barrier Reef
 Harbour of Rio de Janeiro
 Mount Everest
 Aurora
 Parícutin volcano
 Victoria Falls
New7Wonders of the World  was an idea to choose new wonders of the world from a selection of 200 existing monuments. The mission began in 2001 and ended in 2007 with the announcement of the winners. The popularity poll was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organized by the New7Wonders Foundation in Zürich, Switzerland.  Voting took place through the Internet or by telephone. 

The program caused different reactions from countries and organisations. Some countries praised their finalist and tried to get more people to vote for it. Others criticized the contest or did not think it was very important. 

Among the strongest criticism was from UNESCO, who said in a press release in 2007:

Winners:
 Great Pyramid of Giza (awarded honorary status)
 Great Wall of China
 Petra (Jordan)
 Colosseum (Rome)
 Chichen Itza (Yucatán)
 Machu Picchu (Peru)
 Taj Mahal (India)
 Christ the Redeemer (statue in Rio de Janeiro)
Other modern lists 
From a variety of modern lists of wonders made by man, some items occur several times:
The Taj Mahal, India
The Colosseum in Rome
The Great Wall of China
Stonehenge, England. The only prehistoric site on any list.
Machu Picchu, Peru
The Hagia Sophia. One of many places of worship which might be candidates.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia

References

More reading

Other websites 
 The Seven Wonders of the Modern World
A daughter is a female child. A daughter is a sister, if she has siblings.

Related pages
Family
Son

Basic English 850 words
Family
A son is a male child of a mother and father. A female child is a daughter.

Basic English 850 words
family
Events
 The Royal Mail is established

Births 
 January 16 – King Bayinnong, king of the Toungoo dynasty of Burma
 February 18 – Mary I of England

Deaths 
 January 23 – King Ferdinand II of Aragon
 August 9 – Hieronymus Bosch, Dutch painter
 November 26 – Giovanni Bellini, Italian Renaissance painter
William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American movie director, producer, writer and actor. He was born in New York City and raised in Manhattan and Stamford, Connecticut. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and early 1990s for directing a series of movies about the Vietnam War. He was in the war as an infantry soldier. Stone's movies are often about political and cultural issues.

Filmography

As director

As actor
Battle of Love's Return (1971)
Platoon (1986) (cameo)
Wall Street (cameo) (1987)
The Doors (1991) (cameo)
Dave (cameo) (1993)
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Torrente 3: El Protector (cameo) (2005)
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (cameo) (2010)
Graystone (film) (actor) (2011)

Screenwriter only
Midnight Express (1978)
Conan the Barbarian (with John Milius) (1982)
Scarface (1983)
Year of the Dragon (with Michael Cimino) (1985)
8 Million Ways to Die (with David Lee Henry) (1985)
Evita (with Alan Parker) (1996)
Producer/executive producer only
Sugar Cookies (1973)
Blue Steel (1989)
Reversal of Fortune (1990)
From Hollywood to Hanoi (1992)
Zebrahead (1992)
South Central (1992)
Wild Palms (1993) (TV)
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
The New Age (1994)
Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995) (TV)
Freeway (1996)
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Cold Around the Heart (1996)
Killer: A Journal of Murder (1996)
Gravesend (1997)
The Last Days of Kennedy and King (1998)
Savior (1998)
The Corruptor (1999)
The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001) (TV)
Comandante (2003)
Persona Non Grata (2003)

Other websites  

1946 births
Living people
Academy Award winning directors
Actors from Stamford, Connecticut
Actors from Manhattan
American movie actors
American movie editors
American television producers
Movie directors from New York City
Movie producers from New York City
Screenwriters from New York City
Writers from Connecticut
Writers from Manhattan
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus), is a filter feeding shark. It is the largest living fish. It grows up to 12 metres long, and may weigh as much as 47,000 pounds.

The whale shark has a very wide distribution. It is found in all tropical and warm temperate seas, except in the Mediterranean.

It has a huge mouth which sweeps up krill and plankton. This large fish eats the smallest sea life.

Description
The whale shark has a streamlined body and a wide, flattened head. The mouth is transverse, very large and is nearly at the tip of the snout. The gill slits are also very large, and are designed as filtering screens. The first dorsal fin is much larger than the second dorsal fin, and is located at the back of the body. The caudal fin is semi-lunate (crescent-shaped) in adults, and with the young, the upper lobe is quite longer than the lower lobe. The whale shark has a unique "checkerboard" colour pattern of light spots and stripes on a dark background.
Whale sharks are grey, blue or brown above, with a surface pattern of creamy white spots between pale, vertical and horizontal stripes. The belly is white. These markings are camouflage against their backgrounds.
They can be as long as 41 feet (12.3 metres) in length, and weigh as much as 47,000 pounds (21.5 tonnes). However, it is believed that there are some whale sharks which can reach lengths of up to 67 feet (20 metres). The smallest free-living individuals are around 55 cm (21.7 inches) long. Whale sharks reach maturity at lengths of about 8–9 metres. They are the largest species of fish, and the largest animal that is not a whale.
Distribution
thumb|200px|A whale shark at Ningaloo Reef in western Australia 
The whale shark has a very widespread distribution, found in all tropical and warm temperate seas, except in the Mediterranean. It is found throughout the Atlantic Ocean, from New York, through the Caribbean, to central Brazil, and from Senegal to the Gulf of Guinea. It also is found in the Indian Ocean, throughout the region, including the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. In the Pacific Ocean it is found from Japan to Australia, off Hawaii, and from California to Chile.

Although other shark species of the order Orectolobiformes are benthic (live on or near the bottom), the whale shark lives in the pelagic zone. Studies show that this shark prefers warm waters, with surface temperatures of around 21-30 °C. It is often seen offshore but commonly comes close inshore, sometimes entering lagoons or coral atolls. Whale sharks sometimes swim deeper than 700 metres
Predators
Although the adult whale shark has no real predator, young whale sharks have been found in the stomachs of blue sharks and blue marlin.

Behaviour
In spite of its large size, the whale shark is timid. Divers usually hold onto the tails of these sharks and swim with them, and the whale sharks never seem to attack.
There is some risk that a diver getting too close to a whale shark could get sucked into the filtering system that the sharks use for feeding. Another risk is that they can create problems for small boats that they may accidentally knock into. For the sharks, contact with very large boats can result in severe injuries.
Feeding
With the basking shark and the megamouth shark, the whale shark is one of the three known species of filter feeding sharks. It feeds mainly on plankton and nekton, small crustaceans, schooling fish, and sometimes on small tuna and squids. Whale sharks may also sometimes feed on phytoplankton and macroalgae. Unlike most plankton-feeding vertebrates, the whale shark does not depend on slow forward motion to operate its filtration mechanism. Instead, it relies on a versatile suction filter-feeding methodology, which allows it to draw in a large amount of water. This allows the whale shark to capture large amounts of plankton. Whale sharks are always seen feeding in a vertical or near vertical position with the head at or near the surface.
Other food items for the whale shark can include krill, and the larvae of Christmas Island red crab.
Reproduction
There is very little information that has been documented about whale sharks mating and giving birth to young. Some whale sharks which live in captivity are studied by scientists but the whale shark is not very common in aquariums due to its large size.
However, it is believed that they can have up to 300 pups at a time. This would be considerably more than other shark species, yet only a small fraction of them live to the age of maturity. It is believed that this species of shark doesn't mate until it is about 30 years old. They can live from 70 to 100 years of age.

Human use
thumb|225px|left|A Whale shark at Osaka Aquarium
In the past, the whale shark has been of little interest to fisheries. Now, commercial fishing for whale sharks are limited, but may expand from an increased demand for food products. In Taiwan around 100 whale sharks are caught annually. The meat of the whale shark is sold for high prices there, and since then, there have been larger harvests of whale sharks over the last few years. Fishing for the shark also occurs in the Philippines, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao areas, providing food for the local fishing communities. Whale shark fins are sold in the orient, especially in Hong Kong. Occasionally, whale sharks are captured accidentally along the coast of India. Sometimes the flesh is eaten and the liver oil is used for waterproofing wooden fishing boats and for the manufacture of shoe polish, and it is also used as a treatment for some skin diseases. The fins of Whale sharks are also sold in India
. Often, the whale shark is used as an indicator of waters which are rich in plankton-feeding fish that will, in turn, attract more valuable species, such as tuna. Whale sharks have been kept in aquaria in Japan, but their large size and their diet has made this difficult. Places where the whale sharks swim are increasingly targeted by commercial operations.
Some biological characteristics, such as the slow growth, and long time to mature, makes the whale shark vulnerable to overfishing. These characteristics also suggest that populations are slow to recover from any overfishing. The whale shark is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. The whale shark is listed by the AFS (American Fisheries Society) as "Conservation dependent". This might mean that the whale shark's population is reduced. However, it is considered not at risk in the Gulf of California. In the Maldives and Philippines there has been a ban on the fishing of whale sharks. This protection was introduced because of the serious impact that the fisheries may be making on whale shark numbers. The predictable occurrence of whale sharks in a few areas, such as western Australia, has led to the development of an expanding tourism industry
. In this area the whale shark is a protected species and its tourism has been managed through a controlled system, including the licensing of a limited number of operators tours. Also, divers have been stopped from riding, chasing, or harassing any marine animal in any way, including whale sharks.
Recently, some studies made on the Ningaloo Reef's whale sharks provided information that regular diving is a normal behaviour of these sharks, and there is no avoidance reaction during contact with humans.

Related pages
 Shark
 Plankton

References 

Sharks
National symbols of the Maldives
Qatar (, ,  or ;   ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar ( ), is a sovereign country in Western Asia. It is on the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Its only land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. A strait in the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island country of Bahrain, as well as sharing maritime borders with the United Arab Emirates and Iran.
Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in the early 20th century until gaining independence in 1971. Qatar has been ruled by the House of Thani since the early 19th century. Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani was the founder of the State of Qatar. Qatar is a hereditary monarchy and its head of state is Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.  Whether it should be called a  constitutional or an absolute monarchy is a matter of opinion. In 2003, the constitution was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum, with almost 98% in favour. As of early 2017, Qatar's total population was around 2.6 million: 313,000 Qatari citizens and 2.3 million expatriates.
The eighth Emir of Qatar is Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose father Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani handed power to him on June 25, 2013. The supreme chancellor has the exclusive power to appoint and remove the prime minister and cabinet ministers who, together, constitute the Council of Ministers, which is the supreme executive authority in the country. The Council of Ministers also initiates legislation. Laws and decrees proposed by the Council of Ministers are referred to the Advisory Council (Majilis Al-Shura) for discussion after which they are submitted to the Emir for ratification. A Consultative Assembly has limited power to draft and approve laws, but the Emir has final say on all matters. The current Council is made up entirely of members appointed by the Emir, as no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there were partial elections to the body. Legislative elections are expected to be held in 2016.

Qatari law does not permit the establishment of political bodies or trade unions.
Sharia law
Sharia law is the main source of Qatari legislation according to Qatar's Constitution. In practice, Qatar's legal system is a mixture of civil law and Sharia law. Sharia law is applied to laws pertaining to family law, inheritance, and several criminal acts (including adultery, robbery and murder). In some cases in Sharia-based family courts, a female's testimony is worth half a man's. Codified family law was introduced in 2006.  Islamic polygamy is allowed in the country.
Flogging is used in Qatar as a punishment for alcohol consumption or illicit sexual relations. Article 88 of Qatar's criminal code declares the punishment for adultery is 100 lashes. In 2006, a Filipino woman was sentenced to 100 lashes for adultery. In 2010, at least 18 people (mostly foreign nationals) were sentenced to flogging of between 40 and 100 lashes for offences related to "illicit sexual relations" or alcohol consumption. In 2011, at least 21 people (mostly foreign nationals) were sentenced to floggings of between 30 and 100 lashes for offences related to "illicit sexual relations" or alcohol consumption. In 2012, six expatriates were sentenced to floggings of either 40 or 100 lashes. Only Muslims considered medically fit were liable to have such sentences carried out. It is unknown if the sentences were implemented. More recently in April 2013, a Muslim expatriate was sentenced to 40 lashes for alcohol consumption
. In June 2014, a Muslim expatriate was sentenced to 40 lashes for consuming alcohol and driving under the influence. The penalties for traffic violations in Qatar can range from fines to imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offense common in Qatar due to the Hanbali interpretation of Sharia Law.
Stoning is a legal punishment in Qatar. Apostasy is a crime punishable by the death penalty in Qatar. Blasphemy is punishable by up to seven years in prison and proselytizing can be punished by up to 10 years in prison. Homosexuality is a crime punishable by the death penalty.

Alcohol consumption is partially legal in Qatar; some five-star luxury hotels are allowed to sell alcohol to their non-Muslim customers. Muslims are not allowed to consume alcohol in Qatar and Muslims caught consuming alcohol are liable to flogging or deportation. Non-Muslim expatriates can obtain a permit to purchase alcohol for personal consumption. The Qatar Distribution Company (a subsidiary of Qatar Airways) is permitted to import alcohol and pork; it operates the one and only liquor store in the country, which also sells pork to holders of liquor licences. Qatari officials have also indicated a willingness to allow alcohol in "fan zones" at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Until recently, restaurants on the Pearl-Qatar (a man-made island near Doha) were allowed to serve alcoholic drinks. In December 2011, however, restaurants on the Pearl were told to stop selling alcohol. No explanation was given for the ban. Speculation about the reason includes the government's desire to project a more pious image in advance of the country's first election of a royal advisory body and rumours of a financial dispute between the government and the resort's developers.

In 2014, Qatar launched a modesty campaign to remind tourists of the modest dress code. Female tourists are advised not to wear leggings, miniskirts, sleeveless dresses and short or tight clothing in public. Men are advised against wearing only shorts and singlets.

Human rights
Human rights

According to the U.S. State Department, expatriate workers from nations throughout Asia and parts of Africa voluntarily migrate to Qatar as low-skilled laborers or domestic servants, but some subsequently face conditions indicative of involuntary servitude. Some of the more common labor rights violations include beatings, withholding of payment, charging workers for benefits for which the employer is responsible, restrictions on freedom of movement (such as the confiscation of passports, travel documents, or exit permits), arbitrary detention, threats of legal action, and sexual assault. Many migrant workers arriving for work in Qatar have paid exorbitant fees to recruiters in their home countries.
In May 2012, Qatari officials declared their intention to allow the establishment of an independent trade union. Qatar also announced it will scrap its sponsor system for foreign labour, which requires that all foreign workers be sponsored by local employers. Additional changes to labour laws include a provision guaranteeing that all workers' salaries are paid directly into their bank accounts and new restrictions on working outdoors in the hottest hours during the summer. New draft legislation announced in early 2015 mandates that companies that fail to pay workers' wages on time could temporarily lose their ability to hire more employees.

In October 2015 Qatar's Emir signed into law new reforms to the country's sponsorship system, with the new law taking effect within one year. Critics claim that the changes could fail to address some labour rights issues.
The country enfranchised women at the same time as men in connection with the 1999 elections for a Central Municipal Council. These elections—the first ever in Qatar—were deliberately held on March 8, 1999, International Women's Day.

Foreign relations

As a small country with larger neighbors, Qatar seeks to project influence and protect its state and ruling dynasty. The history of Qatar's alliances provides insight into the basis of their policy. Between 1760 and 1971, Qatar sought formal protection from the high transitory powers of the Ottomans, British, the Al-Khalifa's from Bahrain, the Arabians, and the Wahhabis from Saudi Arabia. Qatar's rising international profile and active role in international affairs has led some analysts to identify it as a middle power. Qatar was an early member of OPEC and a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It is a member of the Arab League. The country has not accepted compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction.
Qatar also has bilateral relationships with a variety of foreign powers. Qatar hosts the Al Udeid Air Base, a joint U.S.-British base, which acts as the hub for all American and British air operations in the Persian Gulf. It has allowed American and British forces to use an air base to send supplies to Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite hosting this strategic military installation, Qatar is not always a strong Western ally. Qatar has allowed the Afghan Taliban to set up a political office inside the country and has close ties to Iran, including a shared natural gas field. According to leaked documents published in The New York Times, Qatar's record of counter-terrorism efforts was the "worst in the region". The cable suggested that Qatar's security service was "hesitant to act against known terrorists out of concern for appearing to be aligned with the U.S. and provoking reprisals".
Qatar supported the democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi with diplomatic support and the state-owned Al Jazeera network before he was deposed in a military coup. Qatar offered Egypt a $7.5 billion loan during the year he was in power.

Qatar's alignment with Hamas, first reported in early 2012, has drawn criticism from Israel, the United States, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, "who accuse Qatar of undermining regional stability by supporting Hamas." However, the Foreign Minister of Qatar has denied supporting Hamas, stating "We do not support Hamas but we support the Palestinians." Following a peace agreement, Qatar pledged $1 billion in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Military

The Qatar Armed Forces are the military forces of Qatar. The country maintains a modest military force of approximately 11,800 men, including an army (8,500), navy (1,800) and air force (1,500). Qatar's defence expenditures accounted for approximately 4.2% of gross national product in 1993.  In 2008 Qatar spent US$2.355 billion on military expenditures, 2.3% of the gross domestic product. Qatari special forces have been trained by France and other Western countries, and are believed to possess considerable skill. They also helped the Libyan rebels during the 2011 Battle of Tripoli.
Qatar has signed defense pacts with the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as with France earlier in 1994.  Qatar plays an active role in the collective defense efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council; the other five members are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman.  The presence of a large Qatari Air Base, operated by the United States and several other UN nations, provides a guaranteed source of defense and national security.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, SIPRI, found that in 2010–14 Qatar was the 46th largest arms importer in the world. However, SIPRI writes, Qatar's plans to transform and significantly enlarge its armed forces have accelerated. Orders in 2013 for 62 tanks and 24 self-propelled guns from Germany were followed in 2014 by several other contracts, including 24 combat helicopters and 3 AEW aircraft from the US, and 2 tanker aircraft from Spain.
Qatar's military participated in Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen against the Shia Houthis. In 2015, Al Jazeera America reported: "Numerous reports suggest that the Saudi-led coalition against opposition groups in Yemen has indiscriminately attacked civilians and used cluster bombs in civilian-populated areas, in violation of international law."

Administrative divisions

Since 2004, Qatar has been divided into seven municipalities (Arabic: baladiyah).

 Madinat ash Shamal
 Al Khor
 Umm Salal
 Al Daayen
 Al Rayyan
 Doha
 Al Wakrah

For statistical purposes, the municipalities are further subdivided into 98 zones (), which are in turn subdivided into blocks.

Geography 
Qatar is a peninsula (a strip of land sticking out into the sea). It is joined to Saudi Arabia to the south, and all the other sides of it are surrounded by the waters of the Arabian Gulf.
Qatar is quite a small country and has an area of only 10,360 km². The peninsula is 160 km long. Much of the country is a low, barren plain, covered with sand. The Jebel Dukhan area has Qatar’s main onshore oil deposits. The natural gas fields lie offshore, to the northwest of the peninsula.

The capital of Qatar is Doha. Over 90% of the people live in Doha.  The other large city is Al Wakrah.

Government and politics
Qatar has an unelected, monarchic, emirate-type government. The position of emir is hereditary.

The Emir is the only one who can appoint and remove the prime minister and cabinet ministers. Together the ministers make up the Council of Ministers.  They are the highest executive authority in the country.

People and culture 
People from Qatar are called Qataris. They are Arabs. The official language of Qatar is Arabic, but many people also speak English, especially when they are doing business.
About 2.6 million people live in Qatar; however, about 88% of these are guest workers (people from another country who are living and working there for a short time), mostly coming from South Asia, South East Asia, and other Arab countries. 650,000 are Indians, 350,000 Nepalis, 260,000 Filipinos among a lot of other nationalities.

Nearly all of Qatar's economy comes from producing petroleum and natural gas.

The currency of Qatar is called the Qatari Riyal.

Almost all Qataris follow the religion of Islam. However, many of the guest workers follow other religions.

Sport
Football is the most popular sport in Qatar, closely followed by cricket. The Qatar under-20 national football team finished second in the 1981 FIFA World Youth Championship.

The Asian Football Confederation's 2011 AFC Asian Cup finals were held in Qatar in January 2011. It was the second time it has been hosted by Qatar, the other being the 1988 AFC Asian Cup.

Doha, Qatar, is also home to Qatar Racing Club a Drag Racing facility.
Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar, hosted the WTA Tour Championships in women's tennis between 2008 and 2010. Doha holds the WTA Premier tournament Qatar Ladies Open each year.

On December 2, 2010, Qatar won their bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar won the 2011 Dakar Rally and the Production World Rally Championship in 2006. In addition, he has also won gold medals at the 2002 Asian Games and 2010 Asian Games as part of the Qatari skeet shooting team.

Since 2002, Qatar has hosted the yearly Tour of Qatar, a cycling race in six stages. Every February, riders are racing on the roads across Qatar's flat land for six days. Each stage covers a distance of more than 100 km.

References

Other websites 

 Amiri Diwan official government website
 
 

 
Current monarchies
Members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Salt water (or saline water) is water with a large amount of salt in it. It usually means the water from the seas and oceans (sea water). Almost all the water on Earth is saline. River water, however, is usually not saline.

Salt water used for making or preserving food, is usually saltier than sea water and is called brine. Drinking sea water alone is dangerous. A summary of 163 life raft voyages showed the risk of death at 39% for those who drank seawater, compared to 3% for those who did not. Experiments on rats showed the danger.

When scientists measure salt in water, they are testing the salinity of the water. Salinity is measured in parts per thousand or ppt. Most sea water is about 35 ppt salt. Salt lakes can be up to ten times as salty. Above that level precipitation creates a salt plain.

Brackish water, in contrast, is less salty than seawater.

Salt water is more dense than fresh water. Fresh water has a density of 1 g/ml, while salty seawater has an average density of about 1.025 g/ml.
Related pages 
 Desalination
 Fresh water
 Water cycle

References

Oceanography
Water
Oceanography (also called oceanology or marine science) is the study of the ocean, its properties and its characteristics. This can include, and is not limited to, studying the marine life, the geography of the ocean floor, and the water itself. Many sciences are useful in oceanography, so it is a multidisciplinary field. Oceanographers spend much time on boats.

Sub-Categories 
The study of oceanography may be divide branches:
 Marine biology or biological oceanography
 Chemical oceanography or marine chemistry
 Marine geology or geological oceanography
 Physical oceanography
 Marine engineering
Diamanto Manolakou, born on 1 March 1959,  is a Greek politician and member of the European Parliament for the Communist Party of Greece; part of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left.

References 

1959 births
Living people
Communist politicians
MEPs for Greece
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (Minehead, Somerset, 6 December 1917 – Colombo, Sri Lanka, 19 March 2008) was a British writer and inventor. He was most famous for his science fiction novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, and for working with director Stanley Kubrick on the movie of the same name. Clarke and Isaac Asimov were probably the two best-known science fiction writers of their day.

Some of Clarke's novels include Childhood's End, A Fall of Moondust, The Songs of Distant Earth, The Sands of Mars, and Meeting with Medusa. He also wrote many short stories, and several serious works on science.

Clarke served in the Royal Air Force as a radar instructor and technician from 1941 to 1946. He proposed a satellite communication system in 1945 which won him the Franklin Institute Gold Medal in 1963.

He was the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society from 1947 to 1950 and again in 1953.
Clarke emigrated to Sri Lanka in 1956 largely to pursue his interest in scuba diving; That year, he discovered the underwater ruins of the ancient Koneswaram temple in Trincomalee. He lived in Sri Lanka until his death. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998, and was awarded Sri Lanka's highest civil honour, Sri Lankabhimanya, in 2005.

Clarke died from heart and respiratory failure at the age of 90.

Related pages
 Arthur C. Clarke Award

References

Other websites 
 Arthur C. Clarke Awards Official site 
 Arthur C. Clarke links & image archive

1917 births
2008 deaths
English science fiction writers
English inventors
English LGBT writers
English novelists
English science writers
Gay men
Nebula Award winning writers
Writers from Somerset
Anthony Burgess (25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993) was an English author.

One of these was named A Clockwork Orange. It was about evil. He had the idea for the story after a group of bad young men raped and beat his wife for no reason.

Burgess also made songs and music. And he wrote a lot about writers he loved, such as James Joyce, a novelist, and Gerard Manley Hopkins, a poet.

Burgess was born in Harpurhey, Manchester, in the north of England. Before he became a writer, he was a soldier, then a teacher. When he was 37 years old, he left his home country to work in Malaysia and Brunei. Later, he lived in the USA, Italy, and France.
He was born very poor, the son of a man who made a meagre living out of selling cigarettes to workmen. But when Burgess died, he had grown rich. This was because he worked so hard at his art, which is the art of literature. He wrote at least 1,000 words every day of his life. But he always found time to be kind to other writers. He was friendly to the many people who came to visit with him at his seaside home in Monaco.

Burgess died of lung cancer aged 76, in St John's Wood, London.

The books by Burgess that people say they like the most are called Earthly Powers, about the Pope; Enderby, about a poet; and Nothing Like the Sun, about William Shakespeare.

Other websites 

English novelists
English television writers
Pen names
Writers from Manchester
1917 births
1993 deaths
Rape is usually defined as having sexual intercourse with a person who does not want to, or cannot consent. Consent is when someone agrees of their own choice without being forced to. In France it is more widely defined as 'unwanted sexual penetration'. Rape is a form of sexual assault. In most countries, rape is one of the most serious crimes. The International Criminal Court can also condemn it as a "crime against humanity", if done by a group. A person who rapes someone is a rapist. Rapists may use violence, drugs, or threats to get their way. People of any gender can be raped. This was not recognized by the United States law until 2011. People may stay quiet about a rape because they might feel ashamed about it.

People who cannot consent
A person may be unable to consent (say yes to) to sexual intercourse or other sexual activity. Having sex with a person who cannot consent is rape.
Children
 Children and teenagers under the age of consent are legally unable to consent. If an adult has sex with them, it is known as "child sexual abuse" or "statutory rape." In some places, teenagers who are about the same age can agree to have sex with each other. This is known as the "Romeo and Juliet" clause.

Adults who cannot consent
Some adults are unable to consent to sex.
People who are sleeping or unconscious cannot consent to sexual intercourse.
 People who are under the influence of certain drugs such as alcohol may be unable to consent to sex. They may be unable to walk, may slur speech, or may be confused.
 People suffering from certain illnesses or disabilities are unable to consent, even though they may legally be adult. The conditions they have affect their thinking. They may not know what sex is, or they may be unable to judge the consequences of having sex. They may seem confused or unsure. Developmental disabilities, mental illness, and brain injuries can make a person unable to consent.  A court may find someone unable to consent.
Marital rape 
Marital rape is where the victim of rape is married to the person committing the rape. Unconsenting sex with a married partner is thought to be rape under the laws of some countries but not others. In the United Kingdom, marital rape was determined to be a crime in the case of R v. R (1991). Marital rape being illegal does not mean that the law is enforced. For example, in Ireland marital rape was made illegal in 1990, but by 2006 only one person had been convicted of it.

Effects of rape 
Rape is a medical emergency. People who are raped may be injured or have a sexually transmitted disease (STD). People may not know they are hurt or sick. Doctors can give medicine to treat an STD. HIV, an STD, can be prevented by early treatment. If seen quickly, a doctor can give medication called emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy. Rape is at least twice as likely to cause pregnancy as consensual sex. The reason for this is not known.
At the hospital, police can collect evidence from the victim and his/her clothing. Evidence may help find the rapist, and can help the police send him or her to jail. Waiting too long makes it hard to collect evidence. Also, taking a shower before telling the police or going to a hospital can wash off some of the DNA evidence.

Victims of rape often feel scared, sad, and/or guilty. They may think about the rape a lot, even when they do not want to. They may have nightmares about the rape. Many have post-traumatic stress disorder. People who are raped during childhood or adolescence often get borderline personality disorder. They may binge drink to cope. Talking to someone, like a counselor, can help. Rape counselors are trained to help rape victims. Sometimes doctors can give medicine to decrease fear and sadness. Calling a rape crisis center or hotline can help a victim find help.
Rape culture 
Some people believe in 'rape culture'. For example, they say that the United States has a rape culture. Rape culture is a culture that lets rape happen. It even encourages it. In the US 97% of rapists are never put in prison for their crimes. Some people are worried about women lying about being raped and men getting unfairly punished. This happens much less often than people think. In a study of college athletes, they thought that women lie about being raped 50% of the time. A 2005 study by the British Home Office found that 2.5% of rape reports were false.
Part of rape culture is victim blaming. This is when people say that someone who has been raped is the person to blame for their rape. An example of this is people saying that a rape victim was 'asking for it' because they were wearing a short skirt. It can also be more subtle. Victim blaming has been linked to the just world fallacy. This is when people think that the world is fair, so bad things only happen to people who have done something wrong. Victim-blaming is also related to 'slut-shaming'.
The idea of rape culture has been criticized. Christina Hoff Sommers argues that rape is just one type of violent crime and America's culture of violence in general is what should be fought.
Statistics 
It is not easy to find out how many people have been raped or how many people have raped. A lot of rape victims don't tell anyone that they were raped. They may be scared that they will not be believed or feel too ashamed to talk about what happened. The conviction rate for rape is very low so they might think reporting to police is a waste of time. The 2006-07 British Crime Survey found that 1 in every 200 women suffered from rape in that period. The same year 800 people were convicted of rape. This means less than 1 in every 100 reports of rape led to a conviction. A survey by Mumsnet found that 68% of women would hesitate reporting a rape to the police because of low conviction rates.