Conurbation

# Conurbation

## Abstract

A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most cases, a conurbation is a polycentric urbanised area in which transportation has developed to link areas. They create a single urban labour market or travel to work area.

Patrick Geddes coined the term in his book Cities in Evolution (1915). He drew attention to the ability of the new technology at the time of electric power and motorised transport to allow cities to spread and agglomerate together, and gave as examples " Midlandton " in England, the Ruhr in Germany, Randstad in the Netherlands, and the Northeastern Seaboard in the United States.

The term as described is used in Britain whereas in the United States, each polycentric " metropolitan area " may have its own common designation such as San Francisco Bay Area or the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Internationally the term " urban agglomeration " is often used to convey a similar meaning to "conurbation". A conurbation should be contrasted with a megalopolis. In a megalopolis the urban areas are close but not physically contiguous, and the merging of labour markets has not yet developed. A conurbation should also be contrasted with a megacity. A megacity is hierarchical with an indisputable dominant urban core, whereas a conurbation is polycentric and no single urban centre has the dominant role over all other centres.

## Africa

### Egypt

Urban population rate: 47% (2015)

### Mauritius

The cities and towns of Port Louis, Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Curepipe, Quatre Bornes, Vacoas-Phoenix and other urbanized villages form a large and central conurbation on the island of Mauritius. A large part of this conurbation is located in the district of Plaines Wilhems. The network of urban areas has a total population of 606,650 (49% of the island's population) as of 2011.

### Morocco

Rabat-Salé-Kénitra

### Nigeria

Lagos is a conurbation formed through the merged development of the initial Lagos city area with other cities and towns including Ikeja and Ojo. Also various suburban communities such as Agege, Alimosho, Ifako-Ijaiye, Kosofe, Mushin, Oshodi and Shomolu are included in the area.

### South Africa

Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni (East Rand), and Tshwane (greater Pretoria) merged to form a region that has a population of 14.6 million.

## Asia

### Afghanistan

Urban population rate: 25% (2015)

### Armenia

Urban population rate: 67% (2015)

- Yerevan Metropolitan Area: 1,132,741 (2015)

- Leninakan Metropolitan Area: 105,161 (2015)

### Azerbaijan

Urban population rate: 55% (2015)

- Baku Metropolitan Area: 1,961,523 (2015)

- Sumqayit Metropolitan Area: 425,195 (2015)

- Ganca Metropolitan Area: 344,734 (2015)

- Mingchevir Metropolitan Area: 124,961 (2015)

- Naxcivan Metropolitan Area: 123,266 (2015)

- Lankaran Metropolitan Area: 113,449 (2015)

### Bahrain

Urban population rate: 23% (2015)

- Al Manamah Metropolitan Area: 1,247,787 (2015)

### Bangladesh

The city of Dhaka is linked with Narayanganj and Gazipur city; there are no gaps between Dhaka and those two cities. This conurbation which consists of the areas of the city of Dhaka and its surrounding cities and towns is collectively knowns as the Greater Dhaka City. The city of Dhaka is the core city of the conurbation and has a population of about 10 Million. The satellite cities of the conurbation include Narayanganj, Gazipur, Tongi, Fatullah, Keraniganj, Tarabo, and Kaliganj.

### Cambodia

Urban population rate: 22% (2015)

- Phnum Penh Metropolitan Area: 1,816,032 (2015)

- Siem Reab Metropolitan Area: 273,620 (2015)

- Bat Dambang Metropolitan Area: 175,941 (2015)

- Paoy Pet Metropolitan Area (Paoy Pet + Ban Tha Kham): 122,897 (2015)

### China

There are 3 well-known conurbations in China.

- The Yangtze River Delta comprising Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Ningbo, houses 150 million people and in 2016 it generated $2.76 trillion, 20 percent of China's national GDP. It is responsible for one-third of China's imports and exports.

- The Jingjinji, comprising Tianjin, Beijing, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao, houses an estimated 130 million people and is responsible for a GDP of $1.1 trillion.

- The Pearl River Delta including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Hong Kong and Macau houses 60 million people and is responsible for a GDP of $1.5 trillion, 9% of China's national GDP.

### Cyprus

Data are referred to pre-1974 Turkish Army occupation boundaries. Urban population rate: 59% (2015)

- Nicosia Metropolitan Area: 228,293 (2015)

- Lemesos Metropolitan Area: 159,460 (2015)

### East Timor

Urban population rate: 31% (2015)

- Dili Metropolitan Area: 262,234 (2015)

### Georgia

Urban population rate: 56% (2015)

- Tbilisi Metropolitan Area: 1,077,840 (2015)

- Batumi Metropolitan Area: 175,251 (2015)

- Kutaisi Metropolitan Area: 163,971 (2015)

### Indonesia

Greater Jakarta or Jabodetabek comprises the largest urban area in Indonesia and the second-largest in the world with a population of around 30 million. The center and national capital, Jakarta, has a population of 10.3 million within its borders.

The second-most populated city in Indonesia, Surabaya, also forms a conurbation known as Gerbangkertosusila with a metropolitan population of about 10 million compared to the city proper of 3 million. Conurbations are also present around Bandung and Medan.

### India

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) consists of Mumbai and its satellite towns. Developing over a period of about 20 years, it consists of seven municipal corporations and fifteen smaller municipal councils. The region has an area of 4,355 km and with a population of 20.5 million, and is among the top ten most populated urban agglomerations in the world. It is linked together through the Mumbai Suburban Railway system and a large network of roads.

The National Capital Region (NCR) is a name for the coordinated planning region which encompasses the entire National Capital Territory of Delhi as well as several surrounding districts in the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. However, the conurbation of Delhi is actually limited to the NCT of Delhi and the neighbouring contiguous urban areas comprising Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad. The area is officially known as the Central National Capital Region (CNCR), a small part of overall NCR. The population of this conurbation was estimated 21.7 million in 2011. It is the world's third most populous urban agglomeration.

The Amaravati Metropolitan Region (AMR) of Andhra Pradesh is a conurbation of three cities, namely Vijayawada, Eluru and Guntur and 11 other towns which include Mangalagiri, Tadepalle, Tenali, Ponnuru, Chilakaluripeta, Narasaraopeta, Sattenapally, Nandigama, Jaggayyapeta, Nuzividu, Gudivada and Vuyyuru. The new capital city of the state, Amaravati, is being developed between the cities of Vijayawada and Guntur at the center of the conurbation. The region holds a total population of 58 lakhs.

The Jamshedpur Metropolitan Area has a plan of Greater Jamshedpur. This place contains the area and city of Adityapur, Maango and Jugsalai

### Israel

Data are referred to 1949 Armistice boundaries, after 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Urban population rate: 59% (2015)

- Tel Aviv metropolitan area: 2,362,273 (2015)

- Jerusalem metropolitan area (both Israeli and Palestinian part): 1,521,423 (2015)

- Haifa metropolitan area: 430,883 (2015)

- Beer Sheva metropolitan area: 198,325 (2015)

### Japan

Urban population rate: 69% (2015)

### Jordan

Urban population rate: 80% (2015)

- Amman Metropolitan Area: 3,672,403 (2015)

- Irbid Metropolitan Area: 574,578 (2015)

- Madaba Metropolitan Area: 104,759 (2015)

### Kazakhstan

Urban population rate: 62% (2015)

### Kyrgyzstan

Urban population rate: 38% (2015)

- Bishkek Metropolitan Area: 1,119,915 (2015)

- Osh Metropolitan Area: 401,135 (2015)

### Kuwait

Urban population rate: 98% (2015)

- Al Kuwait Metropolitan Area: 1,816,032 (2015)

### Laos

Urban population rate: 37% (2015)

- Vientiane Metropolitan Area (Vientiane + Si Chiang Mai): 407,100 (2015)

### Malaysia

Urban population rate: 74% (2015)

### Maldives

- Malé Metropolitan Area: 131,839 (2015)

### Mongolia

Urban population rate: 65% (2015)

- Ulaanbataar Metropolitan Area: 1,316,070 (2015)

### Nepal

Urban population rate: 21% (2015)

- Kathmandu Metropolitan Area: 3,529,143 (2015)

- Itahari Metropolitan Area (Itahari + Biratnagar + Jogbani): 837,791 (2015)

- Pokhara Metropolitan Area: 252,903 (2015)

- Bharatpur Metropolitan Area: 152,712 (2015)

### Oman

Urban population rate: 76% (2015)

- Masqat Metropolitan Area (Masqat + Al Seeb + Ruwi): 905,831 (2015)

- Salahah Metropolitan Area: 208,005 (2015)

- Suhar Metropolitan Area: 110,977 (2015)

### Pakistan

Data are referred to 1972 Shimla Agreement borders, after 1971 Indo-Pakistani war.

Urban population rate: 39% (2015)

### Palestine

Data are referred to 1949 Armistice boundaries, after 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

- Gaza Strip Conurbation (Gaza + Rafah): 1,706,220 (2015)

- Hebron Metropolitan Area: 238,426 (2015)

- Tulkarm Metropolitan Area (Tulkarm + Tayibe): 158,781 (2015)

- Nablus Metropolitan Area: 140,931 (2015)

### Papua New Guinea

Urban population rate: 10% (2015)

- Port Moresby Metropolitan Area: 262,015 (2015)

- Madang Metropolitan Area: 110,610 (2015)

### Philippines

Urban population rate: 59% (2015)

### Qatar

Urban population rate: 46% (2015)

- Doha Metropolitan Area: 1,646,118 (2015)

### South Korea

Urban population rate: 84% (2015)

### Sri Lanka

Urban population rate: 17% (2015)

- Colombo Metropolitan Area: 4,303,603 (2015)

- Kandy Metropolitan Area: 548,245 (2015)

- Matara Metropolitan Area: 225,584 (2015)

- Jaffna Metropolitan Area: 214,344 (2015)

- Galle Metropolitan Area: 197,578 (2015)

- Kalmunai Metropolitan Area: 134,013 (2015)

- Batticaloa Metropolitan Area: 125,685 (2015)

### Taiwan

Urban population rate: 80% (2015)

### Tajikistan

Urban population rate: 29% (2015)

- Dushanbe Metropolitan Area (Dushanbe + Hisor + Kofarnihon): 1,224,160 (2015)

- Chucand Metropolitan Area (Chucand + Ckalovsk + Qistaquz): 353,276 (2015)

- Kulob Metropolitan Area: 112,702 (2015)

### Thailand

Urban population rate: 37% (2015)

### Turkey

Urban population rate: 71% (2015)

### Turkmenistan

Urban population rate: 53% (2015)

- Asgabat Metropolitan Area: 901,080 (2015)

- Mary Metropolitan Area: 159,946 (2015)

- Dasoguz Metropolitan Area: 136,183 (2015)

- Balkanabat Metropolitan Area: 124,782 (2015)

- Turkmenabat Metropolitan Area: 108,822 (2015)

### United Arab Emirates

Urban population rate: 85% (2015)

- Dubai Metropolitan Area (Dubai + Sharjah): 4,979,694 (2015)

- Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area (Greater Abu Dhabi): 787,746 (2015)

- Al-Ain Metropolitan Area (Al-Ain + Al-Buraymi): 783,519 (2015)

- Ras al-Haymah Metropolitan Area (Greater Ras al-Haymah): 181,691 (2015)

### Uzbekistan

Urban population rate: 40% (2015)

### Vietnam

Urban population rate: 33% (2015)

## Europe

### Albania

Urban population rate: 56% (2015)

- Tirane Metropolitan Area (Greater Tirane): 719,252 (2015)

- Durrës Metropolitan Area (Greater Durrës): 128,104 (2015)

### Austria

Urban population rate: 69% (2015)

- Vienna Metropolitan Area (Greater Vienna): 1,856,676 (2015)

- Graz Metropolitan Area (Greater Graz): 262,476 (2015)

- Linz Metropolitan Area (Greater Linz): 202,652 (2015)

- Salzburg Metropolitan Area (Greater Salzburg): 140,052 (2015)

- Innsbruck Metropolitan Area (Greater Innsbruck): 113,301 (2015)

### Belarus

Urban population rate: 76% (2015)

### Belgium

Urban population rate: 98% (2015)

- Bruxelles Metropolitan Area (Greater Bruxelles): 1,381,517 (2015)

- Antwerp Metropolitan Area (Greater Antwerp): 792,029 (2015)

- Liege Metropolitan Area (Greater Liege): 381,673 (2015)

- Gent Metropolitan Area (Gent + Sas van Gent): 263,643 (2015)

- Charleroi Metropolitan Area (Greater Charleroi): 253,691 (2015)

### Bosnia and Herzegovina

Urban population rate: 52% (2015)

- Sarajevo Metropolitan Area (Greater Sarajevo): 371,884 (2015)

- Banja Luka Metropolitan Area (Greater Banja Luka): 159,289 (2015)

### Bulgaria

Urban population rate: 73% (2015)

- Sofia Metropolitan Area (Greater Sofia): 926,881 (2015)

- Plovdiv Metropolitan Area (Greater Plovdiv): 309,004 (2015)

- Varna Metropolitan Area (Greater Varna): 283,835 (2015)

- Burgas Metropolitan Area (Greater Burgas): 111,381 (2015)

### Croatia

Urban population rate: 61% (2015)

- Zagreb Metropolitan Area (Greater Zagreb): 660,653 (2015)

- Split Metropolitan Area (Greater Split): 218,497 (2015)

- Rijeka Metropolitan Area (Greater Rijeka): 143,702 (2015)

### Czechia

Urban population rate: 76% (2015)

- Prague Metropolitan Area (Greater Prague): 1,126,681 (2015)

- Brno Metropolitan Area (Greater Brno): 316,980 (2015)

- Ostrava Metropolitan Area (Greater Ostrava): 186,520 (2015)

- Plzen Metropolitan Area (Greater Pizen): 142,249 (2015)

### Denmark

Urban population rate: 88% (2015)

- Copenhagen Metropolitan Area (Greater Copenhagen): 1,225,959 (2015)

- Aarhus Metropolitan Area (Greater Aarhus): 209,181 (2015)

- Odense Metropolitan Area (Greater Odense): 124,557 (2015)

- Aalborg Metropolitan Area (Greater Aalborg): 100,079 (2015)

### Estonia

Urban population rate: 71% (2015)

- Tallinn Metropolitan Area (Greater Tallinn): 344,511

### Finland

Urban population rate: 86% (2015)

- Helsinki Metropolitan Area (Helsinki + Espoo): 907,386 (2015)

- Tampere Metropolitan Area (Greater Tampere): 134,673 (2015)

- Turku Metropolitan Area (Greater Turku): 112,492 (2015)

### France

Urban population rate: 86% (2015)

### Germany

Urban population rate: 76% (2015)

### Greece

Urban population rate: 64% (2015)

- Athens Metropolitan Area (Greater Athens): 3,315,199 (2015)

- Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area (Greater Thessaloniki): 813,775 (2015)

- Patras Metropolitan Area (Greater Patras): 176,257 (2015)

- Heraklion Metropolitan Area (Greater Heraklion): 155,251 (2015)

- Larisa Metropolitan Area (Greater Larisa): 126,570 (2015)

- Volos Metropolitan Area (Greater Volos): 104,289 (2015)

### Hungary

Urban population rate: 70% (2015)

- Budapest Metropolitan Area (Greater Budapest): 1,758,468 (2015)

- Debrecen Metropolitan Area (Greater Debrecen): 166,658 (2015)

- Miskolc Metropolitan Area (Greater Miskolc): 124,422 (2015)

- Pecs Metropolitan Area (Greater Pecs): 119,904 (2015)

- Szeged Metropolitan Area (Greater Szeged): 112,516 (2015)

### Ireland

Urban population rate: 65% (2015)

- Dublin Metropolitan Area (Greater Dublin): 1,004,263 (2015)

- Cork Metropolitan Area (Greater Cork): 138,514 (2015)

### Italy

Some Regional Laws approved during the 1970-1980s tried to define what an Italian conurbation is, but nowadays there's no government organization for a metropolitan area in Italy, so a conurbation has no official boundaries.

Urban population rate: 70% (2015)

### Kosovo

- Pristina Metropolitan Area (Greater Pristina): 196,913 (2015)

### Latvia

Urban population rate: 69% (2015)

- Riga Metropolitan Area (Greater Riga): 556,672

### Lithuania

Urban population rate: 69% (2015)

- Vilnius Metropolitan Area (Greater Vilnius): 355,430 (2015)

- Kaunas Metropolitan Area (Greater Kaunas): 276,335 (2015)

- Klaipeda Metropolitan Area (Greater Klaipeda): 111,199 (2015)

### Luxembourg

Urban population rate: 86% (2015)

- Luxembourg Metropolitan Area (Greater Luxembourg): 119,160 (2015)

### Malta

Urban population rate: 88% (2015)

- Birkirkara Metropolitan Area (Valletta and nearby cities): 279,473 (2015)

### Moldova

Urban population rate: 50% (2015)

- Chisinau Metropolitan Area (Greater Chisinau): 460,761 (2015)

- Tiraspol Metropolitan Area (Greater Tiraspol): 157,770 (2015)

- Balti Metropolitan Area (Greater Balti): 109,172 (2015)

### Netherlands

Urban population rate: 84% (2015)

### Northern Macedonia

Urban population rate: 64% (2015)

- Skopje Metropolitan Area (Greater Skopje): 428,210 (2015)

### Norway

Urban population rate: 81% (2015)

- Oslo Metropolitan Area (Greater Oslo): 782,172 (2015)

- Stavanger Metropolitan Area (Greater Stavanger): 161,284 (2015)

- Bergen Metropolitan Area (Greater Bergen): 148,005 (2015)

- Trondheim Metropolitan Area (Greater Trondheim): 147,468 (2015)

### Poland

Urban population rate: 64% (2015)

### Portugal

Urban population rate: 63% (2015)

- Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Greater Lisbon): 2,169,391 (2015)

- Porto Metropolitan Area (Greater Porto): 998,283 (2015)

- Braga Metropolitan Area (Greater Braga): 119,657 (2015)

- Funchal Metropolitan Area (Greater Funchal): 119,440 (2015)

### Romania

Urban population rate: 60% (2015)

### Serbia

Urban population rate: 59% (2015)

- Beograd Metropolitan Area (Greater Beograd): 1,106,870 (2015)

- Novi Sad Metropolitan Area (Greater Novi Sad): 263,087 (2015)

- Nis Metropolitan Area (Greater Nis): 188,293 (2015)

- Kragujevac Metropolitan Area (Greater Kragujevac): 126,766 (2015)

### Slovakia

Urban population rate: 58% (2015)

- Bratislava Metropolitan Area (Greater Bratislava): 352,002 (2015)

- Košice Metropolitan Area (Greater Košice): 220,297 (2015)

### Slovenia

Urban population rate: 53% (2015)

- Ljubljana Metropolitan Area (Greater Ljubljana): 250,335 (2015)

### Spain

Urban population rate: 79% (2015)

### Sweden

Urban population rate: 86% (2015)

- Stockholm Metropolitan Area (Greater Stockholm): 1,305,076 (2015)

- Gothenburg Metropolitan Area (Greater Gothenburg): 496,226 (2015)

- Malmo Metropolitan Area (Greater Malmo): 297,226 (2015)

- Uppsala Metropolitan Area (Greater Uppsala): 109,542 (2015)

### Switzerland

Urban population rate: 74% (2015)

### United Kingdom

Industrial and housing growth in the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries produced many conurbations. Greater London is by far the largest urban area and is usually counted as a conurbation in statistical terms, but differs from the others in the degree to which it is focused on a single central area. In the mid-1950s the Green Belt was introduced to stem the further urbanisation of the countryside in South East England.

The list below shows the most populous urban areas in the UK as defined by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Different organisations define conurbations in the UK differently for example, the Liverpool – Manchester or the Manchester – Liverpool conurbation is defined as one conurbation by AESOP in a comparison report published by the University of Manchester in 2005 found here. The Liverpool – Manchester Conurbation has a population of 5.68 million.

Urban population rate: 89% (2015)

### Ukraine

Urban population rate: 71% (2015)

## North America

### Canada

#### Golden Horseshoe (Ontario)

The Golden Horseshoe is a densely populated and industrialized region centred on the west end of Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada. The largest cities in the region are Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, and Niagara Falls. If metropolitan areas (which are somewhat distinct from the core urban area of the Golden Horseshoe by about 30 to 50 km of less developed and semi-rural land) are included (similar to Combined Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States as defined by United States Office of Management and Budget), the total population is 8.8 million people. This is slightly over a quarter (25.6%) of the population of Canada, approximately 75% of Ontario's population, and one of the largest metropolitan areas in North America.

The larger area is named the Greater Golden Horseshoe and includes the metropolitan areas of Kitchener (including adjacent cities it is often referred to as Waterloo Region), Barrie, Guelph, Peterborough, and Brantford. The Greater Golden Horseshoe is also part of the Windsor-Quebec Corridor and its southeastern boundary is across the Niagara River from the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area in the United States.

#### Greater Montreal (Quebec)

Greater Montreal is Canada's second-largest conurbation. Statistics Canada defines the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) as having 4,258.31 square kilometres (1,644.14 sq mi) and a population of 3,824,221 as of 2011, which represents almost half of the population of the province of Quebec. Slightly smaller, there are 82 municipalities grouped under the Montreal Metropolitan Community to coordinate issues such as land planning, transportation, and economic development.

#### Lower Mainland (British Columbia)

British Columbia's Lower Mainland is the most populated area in Western Canada. It consists of many mid-sized contiguous urban areas, including Vancouver, North Vancouver (city and district municipality), West Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Surrey, and Coquitlam, among others. The Lower Mainland population is around 2.5 million (as of 2011) and the area has one of the highest growth rates on the continent of up to 9.2 percent from the 2006 census.

#### Ottawa-Gatineau / National Capital Region

The National Capital Region (NCR) is made up of the capital, Ottawa, and neighbouring Gatineau which is located across the Ottawa River. As Ottawa is in Ontario and Gatineau is in Quebec, it is a unique conurbation. Federal government buildings are located in both cities and many workers live in one city and work in the other. The National Capital Region consists of an area of 5,319 square kilometres that straddles the boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The area of the National Capital Region is very similar to that of the Ottawa-Gatineau Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) although the National Capital Region contains a number of small neighbouring communities that are not contained within the CMA. When all the communities are included, the population of the area is about 1,500,000. Ottawa-Gatineau is the only CMA in the nation to fall within two provinces and is the fourth largest.

### Mexico

#### Mexico City (CDMX)

The " CDMX " is the most densely populated center in North America. Greater Mexico City refers to the conurbation around Mexico City, officially called Valley of Mexico Metropolitan Area (Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México), constituted by Mexico City itself composed of 16 Municipalities—and 41 adjacent municipalities of the states of Mexico and Hidalgo. However, for normative purposes, Greater Mexico City most commonly refers to the Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico (Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México) an agglomeration that incorporates 18 additional municipalities. As of 2019 an estimated 27,782,000 people lived in Greater Mexico City, making it the largest metropolitan area in North America. It is surrounded by thin strips of highlands which separate it from other adjacent metropolitan areas, of which the biggest are Puebla, Toluca, and Cuernavaca-Cuautla, and together with which it makes up the Mexico City megalopolis.

#### Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (Zona Metropolitana de Guadalajara)

The Guadalajara conurbation in the state of Jalisco (colloquially known as the City of Guadalajara, as that is the state capital and most populous of the cities) comprises seven municipalities: Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlaquepaque, Tonalá, El Salto, Zapotlanejo, and Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. Officially two other cities (Juanacatlán and Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos) are also considered part of the Metropolitan Area, though they are not contiguous with the other seven. The area had an estimated population of 4 500 000 in 2010, spread over a combined area of 2,734 square kilometres (1,056 sq mi).

### United States

#### Puerto Rico

The Caribbean area has a conurbation in Puerto Rico consisting of San Juan, Bayamón, Guaynabo, Carolina, Canóvanas, Trujillo Alto, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Cataño, and Caguas. This area is colloquially known as the " Área Metropolitana ", and houses around 1.4 million inhabitants spread over an area of approximately 396.61 square kilometers (153.13 sq mi), making it the largest city in the Caribbean by area.

#### New York Tri-state area

One example of a conurbation is the expansive concept of the New York metropolitan area (the Tri-state region) centered on New York City, including 30 counties spread among New York State, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, with an estimated population of 21,961,994 in 2007. Approximately one-fifteenth of all U.S. residents live in the Greater New York City area, the world's most brightly illuminated urban conurbation and largest urban landmass. This conurbation is the result of several central cities whose urban areas have merged.

#### Greater Boston Area

Holding a population of 7,427,336 as of 2005, the Combined Statistical Area including Greater Boston consists of Boston proper and a collection of distinct but intertwined cities including Providence, Rhode Island, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Manchester, New Hampshire. Most importantly, the cities that compose the Greater Boston CSA are interlinked by heavy public transportation infrastructure, maintain continuously urban interstices, and hold mutual commuting patterns.

#### San Francisco Bay Area

Another conurbation is the combination of the metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose and several minor urban centers with a combined population of nearly 8 million people, known as the San Francisco Bay Area.

#### Greater Los Angeles Area

The Greater Los Angeles Area consists of the merging of several distinct central cities and counties, including Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura. This area is also often referred to simply as Southern California or colloquially as SoCal (a larger region which includes San Diego). In 2016, Southern California had a population of 23,800,500, making it slightly larger than the New York Tri-State Area, and is projected to remain so due to a faster growth rate. But because Southern California is not yet a recognized Combined Statistical Area by the United States Office of Management and Budget, the New York Tri-State Area officially remains the nation's largest as of now.

#### Greater Houston area

An example of a conurbation is seen in Greater Houston. Centered in Houston, the area is continuously urbanized from the coastal areas of Galveston extending through the northern side of the metro area, including The Woodlands, Conroe, and Spring, and going up to Huntsville. The suburbs of Fort Bend County, Texas extend through the cities of the Galveston Bay Area and beyond. It has a population of 7,197,883.

#### Baltimore–Washington Area

The traditionally separate metropolitan areas of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. have shared suburbs and a continuous urbanization between the two central cities (Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area).

#### San Diego–Tijuana

The largest conurbation between the United States and Mexico is San Diego–Tijuana. It includes the two countries' busiest border crossing and a shared economy.

#### Dallas – Fort Worth

Three large cities— Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington —make up this area. Each city is linked by bordering city limits or suburbs. The area is also known as the Dallas–Fort Worth "metroplex", so called because it has more than one principal anchor city of nearly equal size or importance, and is included in the emerging megalopolis known as the Texas Triangle. According to Texas Monthly, the term is a portmanteau of the terms "metropolitan" and "complex" and was created by a local advertising agency, TracyLocke. The North Texas Commission trademarked the term "Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex" in 1972 as a replacement for the previously ubiquitous term "North Texas". Urban areas with smaller secondary anchor cities (including Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and Phoenix) are not considered to be conurbations.

#### Detroit–Windsor

The major U.S. city of Detroit lies immediately across the Detroit River from Windsor, Ontario in Canada. In many respects—economically, historically, culturally, socially, and geographically—Windsor is more a part of Metro Detroit than of Ontario. The two cities and their surrounding suburbs are commonly referred to collectively as the Detroit–Windsor area. The Detroit-Windsor border is the largest commercial border crossing in North America and the busiest between the two countries.

#### South Florida

The entire tri-county area also known as the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area is now continuously urbanized along a roughly 100 miles (161 km) length of the Florida east coast as well as extending inland and continuing south of Miami as far as Florida City. Although this is generally all referred to as a single metropolitan area, not a conurbation, it is sometimes broken up into the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach metros.

#### Minneapolis – St. Paul

Minneapolis–Saint Paul is the most populous urban area in the state of Minnesota, and is composed of 182 cities and townships built around the Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix rivers. The area is also nicknamed the Twin Cities for its two largest cities, Minneapolis, with the highest population and Saint Paul, the state capital.

#### Quad Cities

The Quad Cities is a metropolitan area located along the border of Illinois and Iowa. Straddling the Mississippi River as it flows west, the area once known as the "Tri Cities" consists of a handful of larger cities and smaller municipalities that have grown together. The largest cities include Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline in Illinois as well as Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa.

#### Stamford-Hartford

Hartford is the capital city of Connecticut and fourth largest by population. Together, with Waterbury, New Haven, Bridgeport, and Stamford, these five cities form a conurbation, as people continue moving into the suburbs of these cities from rural areas, and the Boston and New York City metropolitan areas. Majority of Connecticut's growth in the last decade was centered in and around these five cities. Combined, the population exceeds 1 million.

#### The Valley of the Sun

Phoenix is the capital and most populous city in Arizona. It is the center of The Valley of the Sun which is recognized by the United States Census Bureau as Chandler, Mesa, and Phoenix in the MSA. Other communities in the metropolitan area include Scottsdale, Glendale, Tempe, Gilbert, and Peoria.

#### The Front Range Urban Corridor

Denver is the capital and most populous city in Colorado, as well as the most populous municipality in the Front Range Urban Corridor. This conurbation encompasses 18 counties in Colorado and Wyoming and had an estimated population of 4,976,781 in 2018, an increase of 14.84% since the 2010 United States Census.

## Oceania

### Australia

#### Albury-Wodonga

Albury and Wodonga are cross border cities which are geographically separated by the Murray River. Albury on the north of the river is part of New South Wales, while Wodonga on the south bank is in Victoria. In the early 1970s Albury-Wodonga was selected as the primary focus of the Whitlam government 's scheme to arrest the uncontrolled growth of Australia's large metropolitan areas (in particular Sydney and Melbourne) by encouraging decentralisation. The two cities combine to form an urban area with an estimated population of 93,603.

#### Canberra-Queanbeyan

A cross border built-up area comprising the nation's capital Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory and the city of Queanbeyan in New South Wales, which is considered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to have a single labour market.

#### Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong

This conurbation in New South Wales extends from Newcastle and surrounding satellite towns of the Hunter Valley through the Central Coast. It is broken up only by waterways and national parks, through to the greater Sydney metropolitan area and the Wollongong urban area. The total length from the top to the bottom of the conurbation is around 270 km with a population of just over 6 million people.

Transport is linked throughout the region by motorways, the M1, M2, M4, M5, M7, M8, M15 and M31. An extensive public transport network allows for commuting for work or services across and between multiple distinct but joined centres, with NSW TrainLink 's intercity network serving Sydney, the Central Coast, Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and the Illawarra.

Plans for making Wollongong, Sydney and Newcastle a single city have been around since the 1960s. A report titled The Committee for Sydney contains a chapter called The Sandstone Mega-Region, Uniting Newcastle, the Central Coast, Sydney, Wollongong (since all of the cities are in a geological region called the Sydney Basin, which is made up of Sydney sandstone). The report says that the link would benefit the "six cities" within the region, which are: Illawarra and Wollongong, the Western City (Greater Western Sydney), the Central City (Parramatta), the Eastern City (Sydney central business district, eastern suburbs, and Northern Sydney), the Central Coast (Gosford) and Newcastle (including Lake Macquarie).

#### Greater Perth

The Perth Metropolitan Region, and Peel regions form a continuous urban area in Western Australia more than 130 km (80 miles) long, on a north–south axis. It is sometimes known as Greater Perth and has a population of more than 2.3 million (2023). Introduction of the Mandurah railway line in 2007 made it possible for commuters to travel the 70 km (43.5 mi) from Mandurah to Perth in 51 minutes.

#### South East Queensland

A built-up area 200 kilometres long which is centred on Brisbane, includes the local government areas (LGAs) of Gold Coast, Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay, Redland City, Sunshine Coast, Noosa Shire, and Tweed Heads, New South Wales. This area is served by a single public transport network, Translink.

Broader definitions of South East Queensland are also used, including the separate built-up area of Toowoomba (140 kilometres; 87 miles west of Brisbane), which is not part of the Translink network. Expansive definitions of South East Queensland give it a population of more than 3.4 million people (2014), covers 22,420 square kilometres (8,660 sq mi), incorporates ten LGAs, and extends 240 kilometres (150 mi) from Noosa in the north to the Gold Coast (some sources include Tweed Heads).

#### Greater Darwin

The Greater Darwin metropolitan area is a built-up urban area in the Northern Territory that spans across two cities: Darwin (the capital of the Northern Territory) and Palmerston (Darwin's satellite city). It lies within three local government areas: the City of Darwin, Litchfield Municipality and the City of Palmerston.

### New Zealand

In 2010 Auckland became a unitary authority encompassing seven former city and district councils including Auckland City, Manukau City, North Shore City and Waitakere City as well as a number of smaller towns, rural area and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Auckland Council is the largest council in Australasia and the region has a population of 1,529,300, being almost 33% of the total population of New Zealand. The entire urban area rather than the constituent administrative city was often referred to as "Auckland" by New Zealanders long before formal recognition.

The Wellington Metropolitan Area compromises the four cities of Wellington City, Porirua and the cities of Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt, together known as Hutt Valley. The Wellington Metropolitan Area is the second largest urban population in New Zealand with a population of 440,900 as of the 2023 census (or 550,500 if the Wairarapa region is included), followed by Christchurch City at 396,200.

## South America

### Argentina

- Greater Buenos Aires (12.046.799) – Greater La Plata (694.253) – Zárate / Campana

### Brazil

The entire Rio–São Paulo area is also sometimes considered a conurbation, and plans are in the works to connect the cities with a high-speed rail. However the government of Brazil does not consider this area a single unit for statistical purposes, and population data may not be reliable.


Reuben Cotter

# Reuben Cotter

## Abstract

Reuben Cotter (born 28 December 1998) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays primarily as a lock or prop for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia at international level.

He has played at representative level for Queensland in State of Origin. He played as a hooker earlier in his career.

## Background

Cotter was born in Mackay, Queensland, Australia, and is of German Jewish and Torres Strait Islander descent.

He played his junior rugby league for the Sarina Crocs and attended Sarina State High School. In 2011, he captained the Central Queensland NRL bid under-13 side against Keebra Park State High School, and later joined the North Queensland Cowboys academy.

## Playing career

### Early career

In 2013 and 2014, Cotter played for the Mackay Cutters ' Cyril Connell Cup side. In February 2014, he represented the Queensland Murri under-16 side in their 18–14 win over New South Wales. In May 2014, he captained the Queensland under-16 side in their 20–18 win over New South Wales.

In 2015, Cotter moved up to the Cutters' Mal Meninga Cup side and later that year was selected at hooker in the Queensland under-18 side that defeated New South Wales 22–18. In September 2015, Cotter was selected for the Australian Schoolboys side that played a touring New Zealand under-18 team. He scored a try in the first Test, which Australia won 70–24.

In 2016, Cotter joined the North Queensland Cowboys under-20 side, playing just two games before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), ruling him out for the season. In January 2017, he returned from his injury and was named in the Queensland under-20 Emerging Origin squad. He tore his ACL again in 2017, and subsequently missed the entire 2017 and 2018 seasons.

### 2019

In 2019, Cotter joined the North Queensland Cowboys NRL squad as a development player. On 23 February, he played his first game in almost two years in North Queensland's pre-season trial win over the Gold Coast Titans at Sunshine Coast Stadium. Cotter started the 2019 season playing for the Cowboys' Queensland Cup affiliate, the Mackay Cutters, where he scored nine tries in 15 games.

In Round 13 of the 2019 NRL season, Cotter made his NRL debut in the North Queensland Cowboys 20–22 loss to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at 1300SMILES Stadium. He finished his rookie season playing five games, all off the bench.

On 4 September, Cotter signed a one-year contract extension with the North Queensland Cowboys.

### 2020

Cotter began the 2020 season playing for the Mackay Cutters, scoring two tries in a 22–23 loss to the Norths Devils. After returning to the North Queensland side in Round 5, he played four games off the bench. In Round 15, he started at hooker for the first time replacing the injured Reece Robson. He finished the season as the club's starting hooker, playing six games in the position.

On 30 September, Cotter re-signed with the North Queensland side until the end of the 2022 season.

### 2021

Cotter made only six appearances for the North Queensland club in the 2021 NRL season as they finished 15th on the table.

### 2022

In June, Cotter was selected for game one of the 2022 State of Origin series which Queensland won 16-10 at Stadium Australia. Cotter played 18 matches for North Queensland in the 2022 NRL season as the club finished third on the table and qualified for the finals. Cotter played in both finals matches including their preliminary final loss to Parramatta, scoring a try in the 24-20 loss.

In October, he was named in the Australia squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup and played two games in the tournament.

### 2023

Cotter played all three games in the 2023 State of Origin series. Cotter won the Wally Lewis medal for man of the series. Cotter played 20 games for North Queensland in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 11th on the table.

### 2024

Cotter was named in the front row for Queensland ahead of game one in the 2024 State of Origin series. On 2 September it was announced that Cotter had re-signed with the club until the end of the 2028 season.

## Statistics

### NRL


Stefan Mross

# Stefan Mross

## Abstract

Stefan Mross (born November 26, 1975) is a German trumpeter, singer,and television presenter. He is one of the most famous German folk musicians.

## Early life and education

Stefan Mross was born on November 26, 1975 in Traunstein, Upper Bavaria.

Mross completed his secondary education in his hometown. He took the entrance exam to the Mozarteum in Salzburg, but then concentrated on his musical career.

## Career

Since 2005, Mross has hosted the ARD (SWR) show Immer wieder sonntags live from Europa-Park in Rust. On August 10, 2014, Mross collapsed during a live broadcast of the show after eating a very hot currywurst and had to stop presenting. He was represented by Guido Cantz for the rest of the broadcast.

## Personal life

Mross was married to Stefanie Hertel from 2006 to 2012 and has a daughter with her in 2001. Three months after the couple announced their separation, Karl Moik claimed on December 6, 2011 on the ZDF show Markus Lanz that the partnership between his former Mross and Hertel had been arranged for the media.

Mross was married to production assistant Susanne Schmidt from 2013 to 2016. The marriage produced a daughter in 2013 and a son in 2015. The couple lived in Unterwössen, a municipality in the Traunstein district of Upper Bavaria, until their separation in autumn 2016.

Since December 2016, he has been in a relationship with singer Anna-Carina Woitschack, whom he met on his show Immer wieder sonntags in the summer of 2016. In the show Das Adventsfest der 100.000 Lichter he proposed to her on November 30, 2019. On June 6, 2020, the two got married live on television in the music show Schlagerlovestory.2020 with presenter Florian Silbereisen as witnesses. The couple lived in Windorf near Passau. In November 2022, they announced their separation. Mross has been in a relationship with Eva Luginger since March 2023.


Rifle Creek

# Rifle Creek

## Abstract

Rifle Creek is a stream in Garfield County in the U.S. state of Colorado. Rifle Creek is a tributary of the Colorado River.

Rifle Creek starts at the confluence of West Rifle Creek and East Rifle Creek, and the junction is within the waters of the Rifle Gap Reservoir. The stream flows south and enters the Colorado after passing through the city of Rifle.

The creek's source is at 39°37′34″N 107°45′37″W / 39.6260°N 107.7602°W, and it flows into the Colorado at 39°31′39″N 107°47′24″W / 39.5276°N 107.7899°W.

Rifle Creek was named from an incident in which a rifle was found along its banks.


Pez

# Pez

## Abstract

Pez (English: / p ɛ z /, German:; stylised as PEZ) is the brand name of an Austrian candy and associated manual candy dispensers. The candy is a pressed, dry, straight-edged, curved-corner block 15 mm (5 ⁄ 8 inch) long, 8 mm (5 ⁄ 16 inch) wide and 5 mm (3 ⁄ 16 inch) high, with each Pez dispenser holding 12 candy pieces.

Pez was invented in Austria and later exported worldwide. The all-uppercase spelling of the logo echoes the trademark's style on the packaging and the dispensers, with the logo drawn in perspective and giving the appearance that the letters are built out of 44 brick-like Pez mints (14 bricks in the P and 15 in each of the E and Z).

Despite the widespread recognition and popularity of the Pez dispenser, the company considers itself to be primarily a candy company, stating that "oday, billions of PEZ candies are consumed annually in the U.S.A. alone". Pez dispensers are a part of popular culture in many nations, an example being "Soul Candy" in the Japanese manga series Bleach. Because of the large number of dispenser designs over the years, they are collected by many.

## History

PEZ was first marketed as a compressed peppermint sweet in Vienna, Austria, in 1927 by Eduard Haas III. The name PEZ is an abbreviation of P feff E rmin Z (German for peppermint). The original product was a round peppermint lozenge called PEZ drops. Over time, a new manufacturing process evolved and the hard pressed brick shape known today was created. The product packaging evolved from wrapped rolls to a small tin to hold the mints, similar to the modern Altoids tins. The first PEZ mint dispensers, known as "regulars", were similar in shape to a cigarette lighter and dispensed an adult breath mint marketed as an alternative to tobacco. They were invented by Oscar Uxa. Haas Food Manufacturing Corporation of Vienna was the first to sell PEZ products.

World War II slowed marketing and production. In 1945, manufacturers devised and promoted the Pez Box Regular. In 1949 the first dispenser was officially introduced at the Vienna Trade Fair. In 1952 Eduard Haas introduced his product to the United States, and Curtis Allina headed Pez's US business. In 1955, the Pez company placed heads on the dispensers and marketed them for children. Santa Claus, Popeye, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were among the first character dispensers. Since 1950, over 1500 Pez dispensers, including the original character dispensers, have been created.

Pez vending machines were used in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The first German machines were introduced around 1954 and were produced by DWM (Deutsche Waggon- und Maschinenfabrik) and GWS (Georg Wiegandt und Söhne), both of Berlin, Germany. Machines were later introduced in Switzerland and then in Austria, in October 1956; these were produced by Glerios / R.Seipel & Co. and Theodor Braun (Vienna).

In 1973, Pez built a factory in Orange, Connecticut, US. In 1983, Scott McWhinnie became the president of the Pez company. He retired in 2003. Joe Vittoria became president of the company in 2004. Around 2005 the size of the original factory was doubled and the Pez dispenser line was expanded. In the mid-1990s the peppermint flavor was reintroduced with remakes of the "regulars".

In early 2002 the family of the original founder of the company bought back 32.5% of the stock from investment company PGH for €18M. They now own 67.5% of the company. The headquarters are in Traun, Austria. The Pez mints are produced in Jánossomorja, Hungary and Orange, Connecticut, while the dispensers are produced in Hungary and China. In 2011, a PEZ Visitor Center was opened in Orange, with over 4,000 square feet dedicated to all things PEZ.

## Patents

Pez, Inc. has applied for and received patents related to the Pez dispensers, and usually molds the patent number onto the stem of the design. The patent number cannot be reliably used to determine how old a dispenser is. Collectors refer to the first two digits of a patent number as a shorthand for a given patent number. For example, the 5.9 (5,984,285) patent was granted in 1999, but did not first appear on a Pez item until 2002. By 2007, 4.9 patented items were still regularly appearing on store shelves. Dispensers can also be found with several non-US patents, such as the German "DBP 818.829" (Deutsches Bundes-Patent) and the Mexican "Patent Nr 141,242".

## Injection mold codes

Pez dispenser stems will usually also be embossed with several injection mold codes (IMCs). Some, like those found on the bottom of the dispenser feet, will tell which mold position the specific piece came from. One found on the side of the stem indicates the country of origin.

The IMC code 4 is followed by a superscripted second number which identifies the specific facility in Austria.

## Characters

Early Pez dispensers did not have character heads on them. They were what is known now as "regulars". A regular dispenser is just a rectangular box with a contoured flip top for dispensing the candy. Toy character head dispensers were introduced in 1955, after the candy was introduced in the United States. There are over 550 unique dispenser heads with thousands of variations.

In the 1970s, three historical figures were created: Betsy Ross, Daniel Boone, and Paul Revere, which were released as part of the Bicentennial series. These dispenser heads were not made to actually look like the people they represented, but instead used generic faces with different accessories.

Star Wars Pez dispensers have been amongst the most popular collectibles since they were introduced in the 1990s.

The company initially had a general rule against creating likenesses of real people, but in 2006 a limited-edition series of three Pez dispensers were made with likenesses of members of the Teutul family from Orange County Choppers.

The NASCAR -themed dispensers are based on the helmets of famous drivers, rather than their actual resemblance.

In 2007, a limited edition Elvis set was released featuring three dispensers from different periods in Presley's life.

In 2008, the first Star Trek dispensers were released in a gift set with the seven original series crew and the Starship Enterprise. A second Star Trek gift set, based on The Next Generation series, was released in autumn 2012.

In 2009, in honour of the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, Pez released a boxed set with dispensers in the likenesses of the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, Dorothy Gale, Toto, Glinda, the Wizard of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West. Only 300,000 sets were made.

In 2010, Pez released a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs set, featuring a story book. These are the first characters featured on the "Short Stem" body. Only 250,000 sets were made.

In 2011, a two-piece limited edition set was released for charity featuring Prince William and his wife-to-be, Kate Middleton.

In 2011, an eight-piece limited edition set was released featuring characters from The Lord of the Rings as they appear in Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings films: Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Gollum. Only 250,000 sets were made. 150,000 Walmart -exclusive sets were made. The Walmart sets did not have Bilbo. Instead, they came with the Eye of Sauron.

In October 2012, Pez released a limited edition KISS gift set. The Starchild, The Demon, The Catman and The Spaceman are displayed in a reusable metal gift tin.

In 2013, Pez released the Monsters University pez. The characters were Mike Wazowski, James P. "Sulley" Sullivan, Scott "Squishy" Squibbles and Randall Boggs.

In September 2013, Pez released the Hobbit gift set. Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, Thorin Oakenshield, Fimbul the Hunter, Radagast, Kili, Bofur and Dwalin are displayed in a printed cardboard box.

In 2013, Pez released a series of 18 wheeler trucks. There were companies like Walgreens, Nice, Wawa, Safeway, Randall's, up market, Havoline and many more.

In 2014, Pez released a giant Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

In 2014, Pez released an Angry Birds gift tin. It had Red, Bomb, Stella, and a Minion Pig in a reusable metal gift tin.

## Fandom

### Value of Pez dispensers

Some Pez dispensers can sell for large amounts as collectibles. The highest verifiable sale of a Pez dispenser was a private sale of a Mickey Mouse softhead at $7,000 between an Austrian dealer and a US collector. This dispenser was never available for sale to the public, and was a factory prototype. The most valuable Pez dispensers are three Political Donkeys, each valued at over $13,000, one of which was owned by John F. Kennedy.

### Pez conventions and gatherings

The Pez collecting hobby has grown to the point where several conventions are held annually around the world. The oldest convention is Pez-a-Mania, which has been held in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1991.

## Media

Envision Media Arts are developing an animated film version of Pez with Cameron Fay writing a screenplay, Lee Nelson and David Buelow producing, and Gregg Rossen, Catherine Judit Kaehne, Brian Sawyer and Jonathan Hung executive producing the film.

The Pez Card Game is an out-of-print multiplayer collectible card game based on Pez candy. The object of the game is to earn 25 points through playing cards with Pez flavours and dispensers. The core set contained 204 cards.

In 2022 a documentary called The Pez Outlaw told the story of a rural farmer who made money smuggling foreign Pez dispensers into the United States. The film streamed on Netflix in 2023.


Guitar Rock Tour

# Guitar Rock Tour

## Abstract

Guitar Rock Tour is a music video game developed and published by Gameloft for the Nintendo DS and iOS. It was released on November 4, 2008 and released on Nintendo's DSiWare in Europe on July 31, 2009 and in North America on August 17, 2009. It was also released for J2ME and was preloaded on some phones like the Sony Ericsson W595 and Nokia X3-00.

The game is played similarly to other music games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, with the player using either their finger or the stylus to tap along to incoming notes which move down the screen in time to the music. Two different instruments are available; guitar and drums.There are three difficulties: Easy, Medium and Hard. A sequel, Guitar Rock Tour 2, was released in 2009.

## Soundtrack

17 songs are included in the game, all of which are covers. These include:

- " Rock You Like a Hurricane " - Scorpions *

- " You Really Got Me " - Van Halen

- " Heart-Shaped Box " - Nirvana *

- " Message in a Bottle " - The Police *

- " Walk Idiot Walk " - The Hives

- " The River " - Good Charlotte

- " What's My Age Again? " - Blink-182

- " Smoke on the Water " - Deep Purple *

- " Beat It " - Michael Jackson

- " The Great Escape " - Boys Like Girls

- " In the Shadows " - The Rasmus

- " If Everyone Cared " - Nickelback

- " Who Knew " - P!nk

- " Underclass Hero " - Sum 41

- " Girlfriend " - Avril Lavigne

- " An Honest Mistake " - The Bravery *

- " Banquet " - Bloc Party *

Songs marked with an asterisk are featured in the mobile version. Also, exclusive to the mobile version are Iron Maiden 's " Run to the Hills " and David Bowie 's " Heroes ".


2024–25 Ferencvárosi TC season

# 2024–25 Ferencvárosi TC season

## Abstract

The 2024–25 season is Ferencvárosi Torna Club 's 121th competitive season, 16th consecutive season in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, where they will be competing as six-time defending champions and 126th year in existence as a football club. In addition to the domestic league, Ferencváros participate in this season's editions of the Magyar Kupa, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

## Kits

Supplier: Macron / Sponsor: Magyar Telekom / Tippmix

### Kit usage

We indicate in parentheses the number of round.

## First team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

## Transfers

### Summer

Sources:

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Sources:

## Friendlies

Win Draw Loss Fixtures

### Pre-season

### Mid-season

Source:

## Competitions

### Overview

In italics, we indicate the Final position achieved in competition(s) that have not yet been completed.

Last updated: 1 September 2024 Source: Soccerway

### Nemzeti Bajnokság I

#### League table

#### Results summary

Last updated: 1 September 2024. Source: Soccerway

#### Results by round

#### Matches

Win Draw Loss Postponed

Source:

#### Results overview

All results are indicated from the perspective of Ferencvárosi TC. We indicate in parentheses the number of round. Win Draw Loss Postponed

### Magyar Kupa

#### Round of 64

The draw for the Round of 64 was held on 26 August 2024. Budafok also started the Magyar Kupa competitions in this round.

### UEFA Champions League

#### Second qualifying round

Ferencváros won 7–1 on aggregate.

#### Third qualifying round

Midtjylland won 3–1 on aggregate.

### UEFA Europa League

#### Play-off round

1–1 on aggregate, Ferencváros won 3–2 on penalties.

#### League phase

The draw for the League phase was held on 30 August 2024. The team for League Phase: Goalkeepers: Dibusz, Á. Varga – Defenders: Botka, Cissé, Ćivić, Gartenmann, Gustavo, Kaján, Ramírez, Szalai – Midfielders: Abu Fani, Ben Romdhane, Kady, Maïga, Makreckis, Rommens, A. Tóth, Zachariassen – Forwards: Saldanha, Gruber, Misidjan, Pešić, Traoré, B. Varga

## Squad statistics

### Appearances

Includes all competitions for senior teams. We indicate the number of the player's appearances as substitute by the combination of a plus sign and a figure.

Notes: GK: goalkeeper; DF: defender; MF: midfielder; FW: forward

### Goal scorers

Includes all competitions for senior teams. The list is sorted by squad number when season-total goals are equal. Players with no goals not included in the list. We indicate in parentheses how many of the goals scored by the player from penalties.

### Assists

Includes all competitions for senior teams. The list is sorted by squad number when season-total assists are equal. Players with no assists not included in the list.

### Goalkeppers

#### Clean sheets

Includes all competitions for senior teams. The list is sorted by squad number when season-total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play.

### Disciplinary record

Includes all competitions for senior teams. The list is sorted by red cards, then yellow cards (and by squad number when total cards are equal). Players with no cards not included in the list.

### Captains

Includes all competitions for senior teams. The list is sorted by squad number when season-total number of games where a player started as captain are equal. Players with no games started as captain not included in the list.

## Attendances

Home stadium: Groupama Arena, Budapest – Capacity: 23,700 (22,122 in international matches)

## Awards and nominations

### Weekly awards

#### Player of the Round

Player of the Week by Nemzeti Sport and Round Selection of Nemzeti Bajnokság by Nemzeti Sport and Csakfoci websites.

#### Goal of the Round

Goal of the Round of Nemzeti Bajnokság by the M4 Sport website.

- Score – The score at the time of the goal. Ferencvárosi TC's score listed first.

- Final score – The score at full time; Ferencvárosi TC's listed first.

### Monthly awards

#### Player of the Month

Player of the Month by Ferencvárosi TC (Sponsored: HSA Group).

### Yearly awards

## Milestones

Debuts

The following players made their competitive debuts for Ferencvárosi TC's first team during the campaign.

50th appearances

The following players made their 50th appearances for Ferencvárosi TC's first team during the campaign.

First goals

The following players scored their first goals for Ferencvárosi TC's first team during the campaign.

- Score – The score at the time of the goal. Ferencvárosi TC's score listed first.

- Final score – The score at full time; Ferencvárosi TC's listed first.


2020 in Germany

# 2020 in Germany

## Abstract

Events in the year 2020 in Germany.

## Incumbents

- President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier

- Chancellor: Angela Merkel

## Events

### January

- 5 January – Beginning of Volleyball at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's European qualification

- 6 January – End of 2019–20 Four Hills Tournament, a ski jumping event co-hosted by Germany and Austria

- 17 January – Beginning of 2020 Men's EuroHockey Indoor Nations Championship

- 20 January – Beginning of 2020 German Masters

- 21 February – 2020 Junior World Luge Championships

- 24 January – 2020 Rot am See shooting

- 27 January – The first recorded infection of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany occurs in Bavaria.

### February

- 5 February – The Start of the 2020 Thuringian government crisis. The Crisis was triggered by the election of Thomas Kemmerich from Free Democratic Party (Germany) FDP as Thuringian Minister President with votes from the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU} and (FDP). The election attracted considerable national and international attention because, for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, a Minister President was elected with votes from a far-right populist party, in this case the AfD.

- 8 February – Kemmerich resigns as the Thuringian Minister President.

- 19 February – Hanau shootings

- 20 February – 70th Berlin International Film Festival

- 21 February Beginning of IBSF World Championships 2020 Beginning of 2020 Judo Grand Slam Düsseldorf

- Beginning of IBSF World Championships 2020

- Beginning of 2020 Judo Grand Slam Düsseldorf

- 22 February – 2020 German Indoor Athletics Championships

- 23 February – 2020 Hamburg state election: the SPD remains in first place with 39% of the vote.

- 24 February – Volkmarsen ramming attack

- 26 February – Beginning of 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships

### March

- 9 March – First death in Essen in COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

- 12 March – The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) classified the Flügel a far-right faction within Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) as "a right-wing extremist endeavor against the free democratic basic order" that was incompatible with Germany's Basic Law, and placed the group under intelligence surveillance.

- 16 March – COVID-19 pandemic in Germany; All schools in Germany are closed

### April

- 20 April – 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Germany, Germany reopens shops with cloth face mask restriction for buyers, but Chancellor Angela Merkel warns of a second coronavirus wave in the country in autumn 2020.

- 30 April – 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Germany - After a summit between Angela Merkel and state leaders, the federal government allowed opening of museums, monuments, botanical gardens and zoos, and religious services under strict social distancing conditions.

### May

- 5 May – German Bundesverfassungsgericht decided, that the expanded asset-purchase programme (EAPP) since 2015 by European Central Bank violates German law.

- 7 May – German parliament Bundestag bans conversion therapy for those under 18 years nationwide and forbids advertising of conversion therapy. It also forbids conversion therapy for adults, if they decided by force, fraud or pressure.

- 15 May – Germany's Bundestag votes to make the burning of the EU flag or that of another country a hate crime equivalent to that of burning the German flag - carrying a sentence of up to three years in prison. The only major party that opposed the move was the right-wing Alternative for Germany.

### July

- 21 July – The government of Baden-Württemberg bans full-face coverings burqas, niqabs for all school children. the rule will apply to primary and secondary education. Winfried Kretschmann the Ministers-President said that full-face veiling did not belong in a free society.

### August

- 22 August – Alexai Navalny, a seriously ill Russian opposition leader, is taken to Berlin for treatment.

- 29 August – hundreds of protesters try to storm the Reichstag. Early in the day tens of thousands protested against government measures for the coronavirus.

### September

- 2 September – The German government claims to have "unequivocal proof" that Alexai Navalny was poisoned with Novichok.

- 3 September – 2020 Solingen killings

### October

- 4 October - 2020 Dresden knife attack

## Deaths

### January

- 2 January – Veronika Fitz, actress (b. 1936).

- 4 January – Herbert Binkert, footballer (b. 1923).

- 5 January – Hans Tilkowski, footballer (b. 1935)

- 10 January – Wolfgang Dauner, jazz pianist (b. 1935)

- 11 January – Sabine Deitmer, author (b. 1947).

- 13 January – Sophie Kratzer, ice hockey forward (b. 1989).

- 16 January – Maik Hamburger, translator, writer and dramaturge (b. 1931).

- 20 January – Wolfgang J. Fuchs, author and journalist (b. 1945).

- 21 January Herbert Baumann, composer (b. 1925). Hermann Korte, academic specialising in German literature (b. 1949).

- Herbert Baumann, composer (b. 1925).

- Hermann Korte, academic specialising in German literature (b. 1949).

- 23 January – Gudrun Pausewang, writer (b. 1928)

- 24 January – Martin Matschinsky-Denninghoff, sculptor (b. 1921).

- 29 January Othmar Mága, dirigent (b. 1929). Christoph Meckel, author (b. 1935).

- Othmar Mága, dirigent (b. 1929).

- Christoph Meckel, author (b. 1935).

### February

- 4 February – Volker David Kirchner, violist and composer (b. 1942).

- 7 February – Lucille Eichengreen, Holocaust survivor and memoirist (b. 1925).

- 8 February – Volker Spengler, actor (b. 1939).

- 9 February – Karl-Heinz Rädler, astrophysicist (b. 1935).

- 11 February – Joseph Vilsmaier, film director (b. 1939).

- 12 February – Hansjoachim Linde, inspector general (b. 1926).

- 14 February – Alwin Brück, politician (b. 1931).

- 15 February – Karl Ludwig Schweisfurth, businessman (b. 1930).

- 17 February Ror Wolf, writer and poet (b. 1932). Sonja Ziemann, actress (b. 1926).

- Ror Wolf, writer and poet (b. 1932).

- Sonja Ziemann, actress (b. 1926).

- 20 February – Peter Dreher, painter (b. 1932).

- 26 February – Hans Deinzer, clarinetist (b. 1934).

- 27 February – Burkhard Driest, actor, writer and director (b. 1936).

### March

- 1 March – Carsten Bresch, physicist and geneticist (b. 1921).

- 2 March Tabea Blumenschein, actress (b. 1952). Viktor Josef Dammertz, Roman Catholic prelate (b. 1929). Ulay, performance artist (b. 1943). Susan Weinert, guitarist (b. 1965). Peter Wieland, singer and entertainer (b. 1930).

- Tabea Blumenschein, actress (b. 1952).

- Viktor Josef Dammertz, Roman Catholic prelate (b. 1929).

- Ulay, performance artist (b. 1943).

- Susan Weinert, guitarist (b. 1965).

- Peter Wieland, singer and entertainer (b. 1930).

- 3 March Freimut Duve, politician and author (b. 1936). Günther Müller, conductor (b. 1925).

- Freimut Duve, politician and author (b. 1936).

- Günther Müller, conductor (b. 1925).

- 9 March – Dietmar Rothermund, historian (b. 1933).

- 11 March – Burkhard Hirsch, politician (b. 1930).

- 12 March – Wolfgang Hofmann, jodoka (b. 1941).

- 13 March – Giwi Margwelaschwili, German-Georgian writer and philosopher (b. 1927).

- 21 March – Hellmut Stern, violinist (b. 1928)

- 24 March – Alfred Gomolka, politician (CDU) (b. 1942).

- 26 March – Rolf Huisgen, chemist (b. 1920).

- 28 March – Thomas Schäfer, politician (b. 1966).

- 31 March – Reimar Lüst, astrophysicist (b. 1923).

### April

- 1 April – Rüdiger Nehberg, human rights activist and survival expert (b. 1935).

- 2 April – Oskar Fischer, politician (b. 1923).

- 12 April – Sascha Hupmann, basketball player (b. 1970).

- 16 April – Ulrich Kienzle, journalist and author (b. 1936).

- 19 April – Margit Otto-Crépin, equestrian (b. 1945).

- 21 April – Florian Schneider, musician (b. 1947)

- 22 April – Hartwig Gauder, race walker (b. 1954)

- 23 April – Norbert Blüm, politician (b. 1935).

- 30 April – Gerhard Zebrowski, footballer (b. 1940).

### May

- 1 May Judith Esser-Mittag, German gynecologist (b. 1921) Sabine Zimmermann, TV host (b. 1951).

- Judith Esser-Mittag, German gynecologist (b. 1921)

- Sabine Zimmermann, TV host (b. 1951).

- 6 May – Herbert Frankenhauser, politician (CSU) (b. 1945).

- 8 May – Roy Horn, German-American magician and entertainer (b. 1944)

- 12 May Astrid Kirchherr, photograph and artist (b. 1938) Hans-Peter Naumann, philologist (b. 1933).

- Astrid Kirchherr, photograph and artist (b. 1938)

- Hans-Peter Naumann, philologist (b. 1933).

- 13 May – Rolf Hochhuth, author and playwright (b. 1931)

- 17 May Hermann Fellner, politician (CSU) (b. 1952). Hans-Joachim Gelberg, writer and publisher of children's books (b. 1930). Peter Thomas, film music composer (b. 1925).

- Hermann Fellner, politician (CSU) (b. 1952).

- Hans-Joachim Gelberg, writer and publisher of children's books (b. 1930).

- Peter Thomas, film music composer (b. 1925).

- 21 May – Julitta Münch, journalist (b. 1959).

- 25 May – Renate Krößner, actress (b. 1945).

- 26 May – Irm Hermann, actress (b. 1942).

### June

- 1 June – Christoph Sydow, journalist (b. 1985).

- 5 June Werner Böhm, musician and singer (b. 1941). Friedrich Stelzner, academic surgeon, scientist and educator (b. 1921).

- Werner Böhm, musician and singer (b. 1941).

- Friedrich Stelzner, academic surgeon, scientist and educator (b. 1921).

- 6 June – Dietmar Seyferth, chemist (b. 1929).

- 7 June – Bettina Heinen-Ayech, painter (b. 1937).

- 8 June – Klaus Berger, Roman Catholic theologian (b. 1940).

- 10 June Hans Cieslarczyk, football player (b. 1937). Hans Mezger, automobile engineer (b. 1929).

- Hans Cieslarczyk, football player (b. 1937).

- Hans Mezger, automobile engineer (b. 1929).

- 11 June – Hermann Salomon, javelin thrower (b. 1938).

- 15 June – Anton Schlembach, Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1932).

- 18 June Claus Biederstaedt, actor (b. 1928). Anna Blume, photograph (b. 1936).

- Claus Biederstaedt, actor (b. 1928).

- Anna Blume, photograph (b. 1936).

- 25 June – Peter E. Toschek, experimental physicist (b. 1935).

- 26 June – Katrin Beinroth, judoka (b. 1981).

- 29 June – Gernot Endemann, film and television actor (b. 1942).

- 30 June – Ludwig Finscher, musicologist (b. 1930).

### July

- 1 July – Georg Ratzinger, Roman Catholic priest and musician (b. 1924).

- 2 July – Tilo Prückner, German television and film actor. (b. 1940)

- 5 July – Willi Holdorf, German football player (b. 1940)

- 26 July – Hans-Jochen Vogel, lawyer and politician (b. 1926).

### August

- 3 August – Ralf Metzenmacher, German painter and designer (b. 1964)

- 7 August – Fred Stillkrauth, German actor (b. 1939)

- 13 August – Bernd Fischer, German mathematician (b. 1936)

- 16 August – Georg Volkert, German football player (b. 1945)

- 28 August Wolfgang Stahl, German spectroscopist (b. 1956) Uli Stein, German artist (b. 1946)

- Wolfgang Stahl, German spectroscopist (b. 1956)

- Uli Stein, German artist (b. 1946)

- 30 August – Ingrid Stahmer, Geram politician (SPD) (b. 1942)

### September

- 18 September – Joachim Kunert, German film director and screenwriter (b. 1929)

- 22 September – Michael Gwisdek, German actor and film director (b. 1942)

- 24 September – Gerry Weber, German designer and entrepreneur (b. 1941)

- 27 September – Wolfgang Clement, German politician (b. 1940)

### October

- 1 October – Otfried Nassauer, German journalist (b. 1956)

- 2 October – Heinz Kördell, German football player (b. 1932)

- 4 October – Günter de Bruyn, German writer (b. 1926)

- 6 October Folker Bohnet, German actor and theatre director (b. 1937) Herbert Feuerstein, German comedian (b. 1937)

- Folker Bohnet, German actor and theatre director (b. 1937)

- Herbert Feuerstein, German comedian (b. 1937)

- 15 October – Tom Maschler, German-born British publisher, founder of the Booker Prize (b. 1933).

- 25 October – Thomas Oppermann, German politician (b. 1954)

### November

- 14 November – Peter Pagé, German computer scientist (b. 1939)

- 15 November – Rudolf Kippenhahn, German astrophysicist (b. 1926)

### December

- 12 December – Jack Steinberger, German-born American Nobel physicist (b. 1921)


Gregory Andrews

# Gregory Andrews

## Abstract

Gregory Andrews is the founder and managing director of Lyrebird Dreaming. He was Australia's first Threatened Species Commissioner, and was the former Australian High Commissioner to Ghana and West Africa.

## Early life and education

Gregory Andrews was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and is a Dharawal man of shared Aboriginal and European ancestry.

He holds a Master of Arts (Foreign Affairs and Trade) from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Economics, majoring in econometrics, with First Class Honours from the University of Newcastle.

## Career

Andrews joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as a graduate in 1992.

In 2014, Andrews was appointed Threatened Species Commissioner, a position created by the incoming Coalition Government. Environment monister Greg Hunt conceded the role lacked statutory powers and would have to liaise with other agencies.

Andrews served as assistant secretary of the International Organisations Branch. He has previously served overseas as first secretary at the Australian Embassy, Beijing. From 2017 to 2019, Andrews was Australia's national focal point for the Responsibility to Protect and represented Australia in United Nations, bilateral and non-government negotiations on atrocity prevention.

In June 2020 Andrews was appointed as Australia's High Commissioner to Ghana to Ghana and West Africa. His appointment was reportedly marred with controversy based on his support for marginalised people such as so called accused witches and Ghana's LGBT community. On 20 December 2021, it is reported that the Australian Government ended Andrews appointment to Ghana, and he returned home.

Andrews served as Australia's deputy chief climate negotiator to the United Nations.

He is the founder and managing director of Lyrebird Dreaming.

## Climate activism

On 2 November 2023, Andrews begun a hunger strike on the lawns of Australian Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, protesting the lack of government action on climate change. Andrews was taken to hospital after a 16-day hunger strike, ending the longest hunger strike for climate action by a single person in Australia. His petition received over 4,500 signatures.

On 9 August 2024, Andrews set out on a community awareness trip, intending to cycle 4,500 km (2,800 mi) across Australia from west to east on an ebike. In addition to promoting the importance and benefits of renewable energy, Andrews encouraged donations made online will be earmarked to specific projects which help to provide more renewable energy for people living regional and remote areas.


UTF-8

# UTF-8

## Abstract

UTF-8 is a character encoding standard used for electronic communication. Defined by the Unicode Standard, the name is derived from Unicode Transformation Format – 8-bit.

UTF-8 is capable of encoding all 1,112,064 (17 planes times 2 code points per plane, minus 2 technically-invalid surrogates) valid Unicode code points using a variable-width encoding of one to four one- byte (8-bit) code units. Code points with lower numerical values, which tend to occur more frequently, are encoded using fewer bytes. It was designed for backward compatibility with ASCII: the first 128 characters of Unicode, which correspond one-to-one with ASCII, are encoded using a single byte with the same binary value as ASCII, so that a UTF-8-encoded document using only those characters is identical to the same text in ASCII and can be read by programs expecting such.

UTF-8 was designed as a superior alternative to UTF-1, a proposed variable-length encoding with partial ASCII compatibility which lacked some features including self-synchronization and fully ASCII-compatible handling of characters such as slashes. Ken Thompson and Rob Pike produced the first implementation for the Plan 9 operating system in September 1992. This led to its adoption by X/Open as its specification for FSS-UTF, which would first be officially presented at USENIX in January 1993 and subsequently adopted by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in RFC 2277 (BCP 18) for future internet standards work, replacing Single Byte Character Sets such as Latin-1 in older RFCs.

UTF-8 results in fewer internationalization issues than any alternative text encoding, and it has been implemented in all modern operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, and standards such as JSON, where, as is increasingly the case, it is the only allowed form of Unicode.

UTF-8 is the dominant encoding for the World Wide Web and other Internet technologies, accounting for 98.3% of all web pages, 99.1% of the top 100,000 pages, and up to 100% for many languages, as of 2024. Virtually all countries and languages have 95% or more use of UTF-8 encodings on the web.

## History

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) set out to compose a universal multi-byte character set in 1989. The draft ISO 10646 standard contained a non-required annex called UTF-1 that provided a byte stream encoding of its 32-bit code points. This encoding was not satisfactory on performance grounds, among other problems, and the biggest problem was probably that it did not have a clear separation between ASCII and non-ASCII: new UTF-1 tools would be backward compatible with ASCII-encoded text, but UTF-1-encoded text could confuse existing code expecting ASCII (or extended ASCII), because it could contain continuation bytes in the range 0x21–0x7E that meant something else in ASCII, e.g., 0x2F for /, the Unix path directory separator.

In July 1992, the X/Open committee XoJIG was looking for a better encoding. Dave Prosser of Unix System Laboratories submitted a proposal for one that had faster implementation characteristics and introduced the improvement that 7-bit ASCII characters would only represent themselves; all multi-byte sequences would include only bytes where the high bit was set. The name File System Safe UCS Transformation Format (FSS-UTF) and most of the text of this proposal were later preserved in the final specification. In August 1992, this proposal was circulated by an IBM X/Open representative to interested parties. A modification by Ken Thompson of the Plan 9 operating system group at Bell Labs made it self-synchronizing, letting a reader start anywhere and immediately detect character boundaries, at the cost of being somewhat less bit-efficient than the previous proposal. It also abandoned the use of biases and instead added the rule that only the shortest possible encoding is allowed; the additional loss in compactness is relatively insignificant, but readers now have to look out for invalid encodings to avoid reliability and especially security issues. Thompson's design was outlined on September 2, 1992, on a placemat in a New Jersey diner with Rob Pike. In the following days, Pike and Thompson implemented it and updated Plan 9 to use it throughout, and then communicated their success back to X/Open, which accepted it as the specification for FSS-UTF.

UTF-8 was first officially presented at the USENIX conference in San Diego, from January 25 to 29, 1993. The Internet Engineering Task Force adopted UTF-8 in its Policy on Character Sets and Languages in RFC 2277 (BCP 18) for future internet standards work in January 1998, replacing Single Byte Character Sets such as Latin-1 in older RFCs.

In November 2003, UTF-8 was restricted by RFC 3629 to match the constraints of the UTF-16 character encoding: explicitly prohibiting code points corresponding to the high and low surrogate characters removed more than 3% of the three-byte sequences, and ending at U+10FFFF removed more than 48% of the four-byte sequences and all five- and six-byte sequences.

## Naming

The official name for the encoding is UTF-8, the spelling used in all Unicode Consortium documents. Most standards officially list it in upper case as well, but all that do are also case-insensitive and utf-8 is often used in code.

Some other spellings may also be accepted by standards, e.g. web standards (which include CSS, HTML, XML, and HTTP headers) explicitly allow utf8 (and disallow "unicode") and many aliases for encodings. Spellings with a space e.g. "UTF 8" should not be used. The official Internet Assigned Numbers Authority also lists csUTF8 as the only alias, which is rarely used.

In Windows, UTF-8 is codepage 65001 (i.e. CP_UTF8 in source code).

In MySQL, UTF-8 is called utf8mb4 (with utf8mb3, and its alias utf8, being a subset encoding for characters in the Basic Multilingual Plane).

In HP PCL, the Symbol-ID for UTF-8 is 18N.

In Oracle Database (since version 9.0), AL32UTF8 means UTF-8. Oracle previously used the UTF-8 name to refer to CESU-8, a deprecated variant.

UTF-8-BOM and UTF-8-NOBOM are sometimes used for text files which contain or do not contain a byte-order mark (BOM), respectively. In Japan especially, UTF-8 encoding without a BOM is sometimes called UTF-8N.

## Encoding

UTF-8 encodes code points in one to four bytes, depending on the value of the code point. In the following table, the x characters are replaced by the bits of the code point:

The first 128 code points (ASCII) need 1 byte. The next 1,920 code points need two bytes to encode, which covers the remainder of almost all Latin-script alphabets, and also IPA extensions, Greek, Cyrillic, Coptic, Armenian, Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Thaana and N'Ko alphabets, as well as Combining Diacritical Marks. Three bytes are needed for the remaining 61,440 codepoints of the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP), including most Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters. Four bytes are needed for the 1,048,576 codepoints in the other planes of Unicode, which include emoji (pictographic symbols), less common CJK characters, various historic scripts, and mathematical symbols.

A whole graphic character can take more than 4 bytes, because it is made of more than one code point. For instance, a national flag character takes 8 bytes since it is "constructed from a pair of Unicode scalar values" both from outside the BMP. Some complex emoji characters can take even more than this: The transgender flag emoji (🏳⚧), which consists of the 5 code point sequence U+1F3F3 U+FE0F U+200D U+26A7 U+FE0F, requires sixteen bytes to encode, while that for the flag of Scotland (🏴) requires a total of 28 bytes for the 7 code point sequence U+1F3F4 U+E0067 U+E0062 U+E0073 U+E0063 U+E0074 U+E007F.

### Byte-order mark

If the Unicode byte-order mark (BOM, U+FEFF, technically the U+FEFF ZERO WIDTH NO-BREAK SPACE character) is at the start of a UTF-8 file, the first three bytes will be 0xEF, 0xBB, 0xBF.

The Unicode Standard neither requires nor recommends the use of the BOM for UTF-8, but warns that it may be encountered at the start of a file trans-coded from another encoding. While ASCII text encoded using UTF-8 is backward compatible with ASCII, this is not true when Unicode Standard recommendations are ignored and a BOM is added. A BOM can confuse software that isn't prepared for it but can otherwise accept UTF-8, e.g. programming languages that permit non-ASCII bytes in string literals but not at the start of the file. Nevertheless, there was and still is software that always inserts a BOM when writing UTF-8, and refuses to correctly interpret UTF-8 unless the first character is a BOM (or the file only contains ASCII).

### Invalid sequences and error handling

Not all sequences of bytes are valid UTF-8. A UTF-8 decoder should be prepared for:

- Bytes that can never appear in UTF-8: C0, C1, F5 – FF

- An unexpected continuation byte

- A non-continuation byte before the end of the character

- The string ending before the end of the character (which can happen in simple string truncation)

- An overlong encoding

- A sequence that decodes to an invalid code point

Many of the first UTF-8 decoders would decode these, ignoring incorrect bits and accepting overlong results. Carefully crafted invalid UTF-8 could make them either skip or create ASCII characters such as NUL, slash, or quotes. Invalid UTF-8 has been used to bypass security validations in high-profile products including Microsoft's IIS web server and Apache's Tomcat servlet container. RFC 3629 states "Implementations of the decoding algorithm MUST protect against decoding invalid sequences." The Unicode Standard requires decoders to: "... treat any ill-formed code unit sequence as an error condition. This guarantees that it will neither interpret nor emit an ill-formed code unit sequence."

Since RFC 3629 (November 2003), the high and low surrogate halves used by UTF-16 (U+D800 through U+DFFF) and code points not encodable by UTF-16 (those after U+10FFFF) are not legal Unicode values, and their UTF-8 encoding must be treated as an invalid byte sequence. Not decoding unpaired surrogate halves makes it impossible to store invalid UTF-16 (such as Windows filenames or UTF-16 that has been split between the surrogates) as UTF-8, while it is possible with WTF-8.

Some implementations of decoders throw exceptions on errors. This has the disadvantage that it can turn what would otherwise be harmless errors (such as a "no such file" error) into a denial of service. For instance early versions of Python 3.0 would exit immediately if the command line or environment variables contained invalid UTF-8.

Since Unicode 6 (October 2010), the standard (chapter 3) has recommended a "best practice" where the error is either one byte long, or ends before the first byte that is disallowed. In these decoders E1,A0,C0 is two errors (2 bytes in the first one). This means an error is no more than three bytes long and never contains the start of a valid character, and there are 21 952 different possible errors. The standard also recommends replacing each error with the replacement character "�" (U+FFFD).

These recommendations are not often followed. It is common to consider each byte to be an error, in which case E1,A0,C0 is three errors (each 1 byte long). This means there are only 128 different errors, and it is also common to replace them with 128 different characters, to make the decoding "lossless".

## Implementations and adoption

UTF-8 has been the most common encoding for the World Wide Web since 2008. As of September 2024, UTF-8 is used by 98.3% of surveyed web sites. Although many pages only use ASCII characters to display content, very few websites now declare their encoding to only be ASCII instead of UTF-8. Over 50% of the languages tracked have 100% UTF-8 use.

Many standards only support UTF-8, e.g. JSON exchange requires it (without a byte-order mark (BOM)). UTF-8 is also the recommendation from the WHATWG for HTML and DOM specifications, and stating "UTF-8 encoding is the most appropriate encoding for interchange of Unicode " and the Internet Mail Consortium recommends that all e‑mail programs be able to display and create mail using UTF-8. The World Wide Web Consortium recommends UTF-8 as the default encoding in XML and HTML (and not just using UTF-8, also declaring it in metadata), "even when all characters are in the ASCII range... Using non-UTF-8 encodings can have unexpected results".

Lots of software has the ability to read/write UTF-8. It may though require the user to change options from the normal settings, or may require a BOM (byte-order mark) as the first character to read the file. Examples of software supporting UTF-8 include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel (2016 and later), Google Drive, LibreOffice and most databases.

Some software can only read and write UTF-8 (or at least does not require a BOM). Windows Notepad, in all currently supported versions of Windows, defaults to writing UTF-8 without a BOM (a change from the outdated / unsupported Windows 7 Notepad), bringing it into line with most other text editors. Some system files on Windows 11 require UTF-8 with no requirement for a BOM, and almost all files on macOS and Linux are required to be UTF-8 without a BOM. Java 18 defaults to reading and writing files as UTF-8, and in older versions (e.g. LTS versions) only the NIO API was changed to do so. Many other programming languages default to UTF-8 for I/O, including Ruby 3.0 and R 4.2.2. All current versions of Python support UTF-8 for I/O, even on Windows (where it is opt-in for the open() function), and plans exist to make UTF-8 I/O the default in Python 3.15 on all platforms. C++23 adopts UTF-8 as the only portable source code file format (surprisingly there was none before).

Backwards compatibility is a serious impediment to changing code to use UTF-8 instead of a 16-bit encoding, but this is happening. The default string primitive in Go, Julia, Rust, Swift 5, and PyPy uses UTF-8 internally in all cases. Python 3.3 uses UTF-8 internally for Python C API extensions and sometimes for strings and a future version of Python is planned to store strings as UTF-8 by default. Modern versions of Microsoft Visual Studio use UTF-8 internally. Microsoft's SQL Server 2019 added support for UTF-8, and using it results in a 35% speed increase, and "nearly 50% reduction in storage requirements."

All currently supported Windows versions support UTF-8 in some way (including Xbox); partial support has existed since at least Windows XP. As of May 2019, Microsoft has reversed its previous position of only recommending UTF-16; the capability to set UTF-8 as the "code page" for the Windows API was introduced; and Microsoft recommends programmers use UTF-8, and even states "UTF-16 is a unique burden that Windows places on code that targets multiple platforms".

The Java programming language includes Modified UTF-8 (MUTF-8), in which the null character (U+0000) uses the two-byte overlong encoding 110 00000 10 000000 (hexadecimal C0 80), instead of 00000000 (hexadecimal 00). Modified UTF-8 strings never contain any actual null bytes but can contain all Unicode code points including U+0000, which allows such strings (with a null byte appended) to be processed by traditional null-terminated string functions. All known Modified UTF-8 implementations also treat the surrogate pairs as in CESU-8. In normal usage, the language supports standard UTF-8 when reading and writing strings through InputStreamReader and OutputStreamWriter (if it is the platform's default character set or as requested by the program). However it uses Modified UTF-8 for object serialization among other applications of DataInput and DataOutput, for the Java Native Interface, and for embedding constant strings in class files. The dex format defined by Dalvik also uses the same modified UTF-8 to represent string values. Tcl also uses the same modified UTF-8 as Java for internal representation of Unicode data, but uses strict CESU-8 for external data.

Version 3 of the Python programming language treats each byte of an invalid UTF-8 bytestream as an error (see also changes with new UTF-8 mode in Python 3.7); this gives 128 different possible errors. Extensions have been created to allow any byte sequence that is assumed to be UTF-8 to be losslessly transformed to UTF-16 or UTF-32, by translating the 128 possible error bytes to reserved code points, and transforming those code points back to error bytes to output UTF-8. The most common approach is to translate the codes to U+DC80...U+DCFF which are low (trailing) surrogate values and thus "invalid" UTF-16, as used by Python 's PEP 383 (or "surrogateescape") approach. Another encoding called MirBSD OPTU-8/16 converts them to U+EF80...U+EFFF in a Private Use Area. In either approach, the byte value is encoded in the low eight bits of the output code point. These encodings are very useful because they avoid the need to deal with "invalid" byte strings until much later, if at all, and allow "text" and "data" byte arrays to be the same object. If a program wants to use UTF-16 internally these are required to preserve and use filenames that can use invalid UTF-8; as the Windows filesystem API uses UTF-16, the need to support invalid UTF-8 is less there. For the encoding to be reversible, the standard UTF-8 encodings of the code points used for erroneous bytes must be considered invalid. This makes the encoding incompatible with WTF-8 or CESU-8 (though only for 128 code points). When re-encoding it is necessary to be careful of sequences of error code points which convert back to valid UTF-8, which may be used by malicious software to get unexpected characters in the output, though this cannot produce ASCII characters so it is considered comparatively safe, since malicious sequences (such as cross-site scripting) usually rely on ASCII characters.

## Standards

There are several current definitions of UTF-8 in various standards documents:

- RFC 3629 / STD 63 (2003), which establishes UTF-8 as a standard internet protocol element

- RFC 5198 defines UTF-8 NFC for Network Interchange (2008)

- ISO/IEC 10646:2014 §9.1 (2014)

- The Unicode Standard, Version 15.0.0 (2022)

They supersede the definitions given in the following obsolete works:

- The Unicode Standard, Version 2.0, Appendix A (1996)

- ISO/IEC 10646-1:1993 Amendment 2 / Annex R (1996)

- RFC 2044 (1996)

- RFC 2279 (1998)

- The Unicode Standard, Version 3.0, §2.3 (2000) plus Corrigendum #1 : UTF-8 Shortest Form (2000)

- Unicode Standard Annex #27: Unicode 3.1 (2001)

- The Unicode Standard, Version 5.0 (2006)

- The Unicode Standard, Version 6.0 (2010)

They are all the same in their general mechanics, with the main differences being on issues such as allowed range of code point values and safe handling of invalid input.


The Last of the Sea Women

# The Last of the Sea Women

## Abstract

The Last of the Sea Women is an American documentary film, directed by Sue Kim and released in 2024. The film profiles the haenyeo, a declining community of women in Jeju, South Korea, who dive in the ocean to collect seafood to feed their communities.

The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was named the winner of the NETPAC Prize.