ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
Islam in Iran is the majority religion as most of the Iranian population is Shia Muslim. The Muslim conquest of Persia (637-651) led to the end of the Sassanid Empire and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia. However, the achievements of the previous Persian civilizations were not lost, but were to a great extent absorbed by the new Islamic polity. Islam has been the official religion of Iran since then, except short duration after Mongol raid and establishment of Ilkhanate. Iran became an Islamic Republic after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Before the Islamic conquest, the Persians had been mainly Zoroastrian, however, there were also large and thriving Christian and Jewish communities. Eastern Iran (what is now Afghanistan) was predominantly Buddhist. There was a slow but steady movement of the population toward Islam. When Islam was introduced to Iranians, the nobility and city-dwellers were the first to convert, Islam spread more slowly among the peasantry and the "Dihqans", or landed gentry. By the late 11th century, the majority of Persians had become Muslim, at least nominally. Though Iran is known today as a stronghold of the Shi'a Muslim faith, it did not become so until much later, around the 15th century. The Safavid dynasty made Shi'a Islam the official state religion in the early sixteenth century and aggressively proselytized on its behalf. It is also believed that by the mid-seventeenth century most people in Iran had become Shi'as, an affiliation that has continued. Over the following centuries, with the state-fostered rise of a Persian-based Shi'ite clergy, a synthesis was formed between Persian culture and Shi'ite Islam that marked each indelibly with the tincture of the other. Nowadays Islam is the religion of 99% of Iranians, approximately 89% of Iranians are Shi'a and 10% are Sunni, mostly Turkomen, a minority of Arabs (mainly in Hormozgan Province), Baluchs, and Kurds living in the south, southeast, northeast and northwest. Almost all of Iranian Shi'as are Twelvers.
The Jaú National Park ('Parque Nacional do Jaú') is in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in the Amazonas state of Brazil.  It is the largest forest reserve in South America, covering an area over 6 million acres (23,000 km²). Entry into the park is restricted; express permission from the Brazilian government is required to enter the reserve. The park is a good example of tropical rainforest conservation in the Amazon. Its forests, lakes and channels are a "constantly evolving aquatic mosaic that is home to the largest array of electric fish in the world". The site protects key threatened species, including giant arapaima fish, the Amazonian manatee, the black caiman and two species of river dolphin and the jaguar. There are many other species of animals and plants. More information. The park is in the lower reaches of the Rio Negro branch of the Amazon. This branch is black with the organic matter picked up by the river. It has white-sand beaches during the dry season and flooded forest during the wet season. The streams turn into a 'ria' lake in the wet season, flooding huge areas of land, typical of all large rivers in the Amazon region. The site contains the nine-tier waterfall of the Carabinani River. The Rio Negro flows through the eastern edge of Brazil’s Jau National Park. The river is the big strip of blue running from left to right across the image, and the other blue ribbons are tributaries. It starts at the border of Venezuela and Brazil, and meets up with the Amazon in central Brazil. Half-submerged islands can be seen in the center of the river. Between November and April when the river is at its peak, many of these islands disappear. There is a high diversity of vertebrates in the park, with 120 species of mammals, 411 birds, 15 reptiles and 320 fishes. The site is home to relics of past human occupation of the Amazon region.
The List of World Heritage Sites in Ecuador is a group of places chosen by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. History. UNESCO was created for the "conservation and protection of the world’s inheritance of books, works of art and monuments of history and science". The constitution of UNESCO was ratified in 1946 by 26 countries, not including Ecuador. Ecuador agreed to take part in the World Heritage Convention on June 16, 1975. List. The World Heritage Site (WHS) list has developed over time. It is part of a process; and the list continues to grow. As of 2012, there are 4 places in Ecuador which are on the World Heritage List.  There are 7 sites which are on a tentative list. Tentative List. The Tentative List consists of sites which have been nominated. The evaluation process is not yet completed.
Batna is a province of Algeria. The capital is Batna. Other important towns are Barika, Merouana and Timgad. Belezma National Park is there. Districts. Batna Province has 22 districts. There are also 61 Communes. The districts are:
Béjaïa is a province of Algeria. The capital city is Béjaïa. Gouraya National Park is there. The endangered primate, Barbary Macaque is found in the province's Gouraya National Park. Divisions. The province has 19 districts. There are 52 "communes" or municipalities.
Biskra is a province of Algeria. The capital city is Biskra.  Divisions. The province has 12 districts. There are 33 "communes" or municipalities.
Béchar is a province in Algeria. It is named after its capital Béchar. A large part of the province has sand dune fields that no one can live in. Divisions. The province has 12 districts. There are 21 municipalities. The districts are:
Blida is a province in Algeria. The capital is Blida. The Chréa National Park is here. Districts. The province has 10 districts. There are also 25 municipalities. The districts are:
Bouïra is a province in Algeria. The capital is also named Bouïra. Districts. The province has 12 districts. There are also 45 "communes" or municipalities.
Tamanrasset or Tamanghasset is the largest province in Algeria. It was named after its capital Tamanrasset. The Province has two National parks: Tassili n'Ajjer National Park and Ahaggar National Park. The province makes up almost a quarter of the country's area. Administrative divisions. The province has 7 districts. There are also 10 "communes" or municipalities.
Tébessa is a province of Algeria. Tébessa is also the name of the capital. Another important city is El Ouenza. Tebessa is only 20 kilometers west from Tunisia border. Divisions. The province has 12 districts. There are also 28 "communes" or municipalities.
Tlemcen is a province in northwestern Algeria. The Tlemcen National Park is there. Divisions. The province has 20 districts. There are also 53 "communes" or municipalities.
Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&amp;B singer and songwriter. She was very popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Austin has had many hits on several music charts.
Tiaret is a province of Algeria. The capital is Tiaret.  Divisions. The province has 14 districts. There are also 42 "communes" or municipalities.
Tizi Ouzou is a province in Algeria. It is named after its capital. Divisions. The province has 21 districts. There are also 67 communes or municipalities.
Algiers is a province in Algeria. It is named after the capital, Algiers, which is also the national capital. There are about 3 million people. Divisions. Algiers province has 13 districts and 57 "communes" or municipalities. Districts. The districts, listed according to official numbering (from west to east), are:
Djelfa is a province of Algeria. The capital is Djelfa. There are over 1.2 million people. Important towns are Tadmit, El Khemis, and Selmana. Division. The province has 12 districts. There are also 36 "communes" or municipalities.
Jijel is a province in Algeria. It is on the eastern Mediterranean coast. The capital is Jijel. Taza National Park is there. Divisions. The province has 11 districts and 28 "communes" or municipalities.
Lactarius torminosus, commonly known as the woolly milkcap or the bearded milkcap, is a mushroom in the genus "Lactarius". It is a common and widely distributed fungus, found in North Africa, northern Asia, Northern Europe, and North America. "L. torminosus" associates with various trees, most commonly birch, and the mushrooms grow on the ground singly or in groups in mixed forests. Although it is valued for its peppery flavor and eaten after suitable preparation in Russia and Finland, it is highly irritating to the digestive system when eaten raw. The toxins responsible for the acrid taste are destroyed by cooking. The caps of "L. torminosus" mushrooms are convex with a central depression, and attain a diameter of up to . Its color is a blend of pink and ochre hues, sometimes with circular zones of darker shades. The edge of the cap is rolled inwards, and shaggy when young. On the underside of the caps are narrow flesh-colored gills crowded closely together. It is on these fertile gill surfaces that the spore-bearing cells, the basidia are found. The cylindrical stem is a pale flesh color with a downy surface, reaching a length of up to and a thickness of . When cut or injured, the fruit bodies ooze a white latex that does not change color upon exposure to air. The variety "normandensis", in contrast, has latex that changes from white to yellow.
Sétif Province is a province in north-eastern Algeria. The capital and largest city is Sétif. Another large city is El Eulma. There is also the World Heritage Site of Djémila there.  Divisions. The province has 20 districts. There are also 60 "communes" or municipalities.
Saïda is a province of Algeria. It is named after its capital. Divisions. The province has 6 districts and 16 "communes" or municipalities.
Skikda is a province of Algeria. It is on the Mediterranean coast. Divisions. The province has 13 districts and 38 "communes" or municipalities.
Sidi Bel Abbès is one of the provinces of Algeria. The name is from the city of Sidi Bel Abbès. It is in the northwestern part of the country. Divisions. The province has 15 districts and 52 "communes" or municipalities.
Annaba is a small province in the north-eastern corner of Algeria. Its capital, Annaba is Algeria's main port for mineral exports. Divisions. The province has 6 districts and 12 municipalities. The districts are:
Guelma Province is a province in eastern Algeria. The name is from the largest city Guelma. There are 429.998 people who live here. Divisions. The province has 10 districts and 34 "communes" or municipalities.
Constantine is one of the 48 provinces of Algeria. The capital is Constantine. Divisions. The province has 6 districts and 12 communes or municipalities.
Médéa is a province of Algeria. The capital is Médéa.  Divisions. The province has 19 districts and 64 "communes" or municipalities.
Mostaganem is a province of Algeria. The capital is Mostaganem.  Divisions. The province has 10 districts and 32 "communes" or municipalities.
M'Sila (also spelled Msila, M'sila or MSila) is a province of northern Algeria. It has 1 million people. The capital is also called M'sila. M'Sila is mostly known for its farming. Divisions. The province has 15 districts and 47 "communes" or municipalities.
Mascara is a province in Algeria. There was an earthquake in the capital Mascara City on 18 August 1994. The name means "military garrison" in Arabic. Another important town is Sig. Divisions. The province has 16 districts and 47 "communes" or municipalities.
Ouargla or Warqla is a province in eastern Algeria. Its capital is Ouargla. Other important towns are Temacine, Touggourt, and Hassi Messaoud. It contains the Issaouane Erg desert. Divisions. The province has 10 districts and 21 "communes" or municipalities.
Oran is a province in Algeria. The capital is Oran. There are 1,584,607 people. Divisions. As of 1984, the province has 9 districts and 26 "communes" or municipalities.
El Bayadh is a province in Algeria. It is named after its capital El Bayadh. Divisions. The province has 8 districts, and 22 "communes" or municipalities.
Illizi is a province in the south-eastern corner of Algeria. It is named after its capital Illizi. It borders Libya to the east. Divisions. The province has 3 districts and 6 "communes" or municipalities. The area has lots of natural gas.
The chemical elements beyond lead are radioactive, and they do not have stable isotopes. This means that they will decay into other elements. As their atomic number (the number of protons in their nucleus) increases, the time it takes for them to decay tends to get shorter, going from billions of years to less than one millisecond. There is a theory in physics that says that after a number of elements with short half lives, there will be others with longer half lives. These are generally known as "islands of stability". These elements are expected to have isotopes that decay in several minutes.The theory is that, similarly to electron shells, the nucleus of an atom is made of "shells" (which can be thought of as layers of protons and neutrons), and that when a nucleus has entirely filled shells, it is significantly more stable.  A filled shell would have "magic numbers" of neutrons and protons, known magic numbers are 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, and 126; however, further numbers are predicted to exist. One element that is predicted to be quite stable is unbihexium, in particular, its isotope unbihexium-310, which would be "doubly magic" (both its atomic number of 126 and neutron number of 184 are thought to be magic) and so would be the most likely to be very stable. The next lightest doubly magic isotope of an element is lead-208, the heaviest stable isotope of any element and the most stable heavy metal. Isotopes have been produced with enough protons to put them on an island of stability but with too few neutrons. It is possible that these elements possess unusual properties and, if they have isotopes with long enough lifespans, would be available for various uses (such as particle accelerator targets and neutron sources).
Bordj Bou Arréridj is a province in east Algeria. It is about 200 km away from the capital Algiers. The capital is Bordj Bou Arreridj. Divisions. The province has 10 districts and 34 "communes" or municipalities.
Boumerdès is a province of northern Algeria. The capital is the coastal city of Boumerdès. Divisions. The province has 9 districts and 32 "communes" or municipalities.
El Taref is a province of Algeria. El Kala is a port town in this province. El Taref is the capital city. There is also El Kala National Park. Administrative divisions. The province has 7 districts and 24 municipalities.
Tindouf, also written Tinduf, is the westernmost province of Algeria. There are 58,193 people. Tindouf has many resources including iron ore. Administrative divisions. The province has one district, Tindouf. There are two towns: Tindouf and Oum El Assel.
Tissemsilt is a province of Algeria. The capital is Tissemsilt. Théniet El Haâd National Park is there. Divisions. The province has 8 districts and 22 "communes" or municipalities.
El Oued is a Saharan province of Algeria. The capital is El Oued.  Division. The province has 12 districts and 30 "communes" or municipalities.
Khenchela Province is a province of Algeria. The capital is Khenchela. Division. The province has 8 districts and 21 "communes" or municipalities.
Souk Ahras is a province in Algeria. The capital is Souk Ahras. It is on the border between Algeria and Tunisia. Divisions. The province has 10 districts and 26 "communes" or municipalities.
Tipasa is a province on the coast of Algeria. The capital is Tipaza. It is 50 km west of the capital of Algeria.  Divisions. The province has 10 districts and 28 "communes" or municipalities.
Mila is a province of Algeria. The capital is Mila.  Divisions. The province has 13 districts and 32 "communes" or municipalities.
Macquarie Island is a large island in the Southern Ocean. It is about south east of Tasmania, and about half way between Australia and Antarctica. The island became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. Macquarie Island is about long and wide. It was first discovered in July 1810, by Captain Hasselburgh, who was searching for places to hunt whales and seals. No people live there now. The only way to get to the island is by sea and there are no harbors to dock a ship. Geology. The island was formed by two tectonic plates meeting and forcing each other upwards. "It is the only place on Earth where rocks from the Earth's mantle, below the ocean floor, are being pushed up above sea level". Confirmation is in this reference under section "Criterion (viii)". Plants and animals. Many birds and animals use Macquarie Island to breed. About 3.5 million seabirds and 80,000 elephant seals come to the island every year. Four types of penguins live on the island. There are about 850,000 royal penguins, 200,000 king penguins, 10,000 gentoo penguins, and rockhopper penguins with numbers thought to be between 20,000 and 1,000,000. In 1977 Macquarie Island became a Biosphere Reserve. The coastal ecosystem is recognized as part of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
Aïn Defla is a province in northern Algeria. It is southwest of Algiers, the capital. Towns in Ain Delfa include Miliana, Hammam Righa, and Aïn Torki. Administrative divisions. The province has 14 districts and 36 municipalities. The districts are:
Naâma is a province of Algeria. The capital is the town of Naâma. There is an airport in Mécheria. Divisions. The province has 7 districts and 12 "communes" or municipalities.
Aïn Témouchent is a province in northwestern Algeria. The capital is Aïn Témouchent. Districts. The province has 8 districts and 28 municipalities. The districts are:
Ghardaïa is a province in eastern Algeria. The capital is Ghardaïa. The M'Zab Valley, located there, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Divisions. The province has 9 districts and 13 "communes" or municipalities.
Albert Camus (1913–1960) was a French philosopher, writer, and journalist. Camus might also mean:
Relizane is a province of Algeria. Relizane is the capital.  Divisions. The province has 13 districts and 38 "communes" or municipalities.
Wāli or vali is a title used during the Arab Empire and Ottoman Empire. It means governor. It is still used in some countries with Arabic culture. In Algeria, a "wāli" is the "governor" of each of the 48 provinces. They are chosen by the president. In Iran the governors are called Vāli. In Turkey the head of the 81 provinces is called a wāli.
Shark Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Western Australia. It is about north of Perth. In 1991, the bay, its islands, and the land around it were added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.  Shark Bay has three important features to protect. It has the largest seagrass beds in the world. These are home to about 10% of the world's dugongs. And at one end of the bay are stromatolites, which are the oldest form of life on the Earth. The protected area covers . World Heritage Site. The area protected by the World Heritage Site is made up of different areas. About 70% of the site is marine environment protected by national parks and reserves, and includes of coastline. About 20% was used for farming, but half of this area has been taken over by the government and is now conservation area. About 6% is in national parks and reserves.
The Zirid dynasty were a Berber group. They were from what is now modern Algeria. The capital was Achir.  The Hammadids came from this group.
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, England. Stonehenge and Avebury are groups of large stones called megaliths. Both sites are circles of stones which are placed in a pattern. In each, the placement of the stones and spaces between them may have astronomical meaning. History. The creation of Stonehenge and Avebury dates from the Bronze Age. Avebury is to the north of Stonehenge. It is Europe's largest prehistoric stone circle. It has about 100 megaliths. Small sites of prehistoric stones are nearby, including Silbury Hill, Windmill Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow, and Overton Hill.
The Hammadids were a Berber group. It was in what is now north-eastern modern Algeria. It existed from about 1008 to 1152. They were destroyed by the Almohads.  The capital was first Qalaat Beni Hammad. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1090 the capital was changed to Béjaïa.
The French colonial empire (French: "Empire colonial français") was land that was controlled by France from the 16th century to the late 1960s. In the 17th and the 18th centuries, France gained and then lost large territories in North America and India. Like other empires of the time, it was powered by slaves, most of whom had been captured in Africa. The Haitian Revolution, when many of those slaves in the colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) fought and defeated the French, caused major changes in the empire. Some histoians believe thay was a first and a second French colonial empire. The "First French Colonial Empire" was from the French colonization of the Americas to the Napoleonic Wars. The "Second French Colonial Empire" was mostly the French colonies in Africa. Lasting from the 16th to the 17th centuries, the First French Colonial Empire had a total area of over 10,000,000 square kilometres (3,900,000 sq mi) at its peak, in 1680. At the time, it was the second-largest empire in the world, behind the Spanish Empire. In terms of land area, the Second French Colonial Empire extended to over 13,500,000 square kilometres (5,200,000 sq mi) at its peak in 1936. It was also the second largest in the world at the time, at 10% of the world's land area, behind the British Empire. The total land area of both French colonial empire combined reached 24,000,000 square kilometres (9,300,000 sq mi). France began to establish colonies in North America, the Caribbean and India in the 17th century but lost most of them after it lost the Seven Years' War. The North American colonies were lost to Britain and Spain. Spain returned Louisiana, which had been part of New France, in 1800. However, France sold it to the United States in 1803. France rebuilt a new empire mostly after 1850, mostly in Africa but also in Indochina and in the South Pacific. It started to trade with the regions
Central Atlas Tamazight, also known as Central Morocco Tamazight is a Berber language. It is of the Afro-Asiatic language family. It is spoken by 3 to 5 million people in Central Morocco, and by smaller communities in France and elsewhere. It is an official language of Morocco. Central Atlas Tamazight is one of the four most-spoken Berber languages. The other ones are Kabyle, Shilha, and Riff.
The was a silver mine in the city of Ōda, Shimane Prefecture. It was the largest silver mine in Japanese history. Iwami Ginzan was active for almost four hundred years. It was discovered in 1526 and closed in 1923.  Today the mine has become an open-air museum. It was named a World Heritage Site in 2007. Mine history. Kamiya Jutei, a Japanese merchant, started the mine in 1526. By the early 1600s the mine was producing approximately 38 tons of silver a year. That was one third of the world's production at that time.  Warlords fought over the mine until the Tokugawa Shogunate took control of it in 1600 after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Yamabuki Castle was built in the center of the complex. The mine produced less in the nineteenth century as it had trouble competing with other mines. It closed in 1923. Position in the economy. Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine was very important in East Asian trade because silver was the main currency. The silver mined at Iwami Ginzan was very high quality. From 17th century, coins made of the silver from the mine were not only one of the basic currencies in Japan but also used in the trade with China, Portugal and the Netherlands. World Heritage Site. The Japanese Government named the mining town as a Special Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings in 1969. The government also applied for it to become a World Heritage Site. The application succeeded in July 2007, although the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOSMOS) did not find any "outstanding universal value" of the site.