Editing Encyclopedia:WikiProject Countries

{{short description|Wikimedia subject-area collaboration}}
{{selfref|"WP:WPC" redirects here. For the WikiProject on WikiProjects, see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Council]]. For the editing tool, see [[Wikipedia:WPCleaner]]. See also [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Categories]] and [[Wikipedia:WikiProject China]].}}
{{Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/header}}
{{WikiProject status|active|sc1=WP:WPC|sc2=WP:COUNTRIES}}
 
This [[WikiProject]] helps develop [[country]]-related pages (of all types) ''and'' works toward standardizing the formats of sets and types of country-related pages. For example, the sets of [[:Category:Culture by nationality|Culture of x]], [[:Category:administrative divisions by country|Administrative divisions of x]], and [[:Category:Demographics by country|Demographics of x]] articles, etc. – (where "x" is a country name) – and the various types of pages, like stubs, categories, etc.
{{portal|Countries}}
[[File:Vital Articles World Map Article Quality.svg|center|upright=2.4|thumb|WikiProject Countries articles as of November 2, 2024]]{{Legend-table
|title=A map showing classes of articles in WikiProject Countries.
|#9cbdffff|[[Wikipedia:Featured articles|Featured article]]
|#66ff66ff|[[Wikipedia:Good articles|Good article]]
|#b2ff66ff|[[Wikipedia:Content assessment/B-Class criteria|B-Class article]]
|#ffff66ff|[[Wikipedia:Content assessment/C-Class criteria|C-Class article]]
|#ffba79|[[Wikipedia:Content assessment/Start-Class criteria|Start-Class article]]
}}

==What's new?==
{{article alerts columns|Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/Article alerts}}

===To do list===
{{To do}}

== Scope ==
This [[WikiProject]] is focused on country coverage (content/gaps) and presentation (navigation, page naming, layout, formatting) on Wikipedia, especially country articles (articles with countries as their titles), country outlines, and articles with a country in their name (such as [[Demographics of Germany]]), but also all other country-related articles, stubs, categories, and lists pertaining to countries.

=== Navigation ===
This WikiProject helps Wikipedia's navigation-related WikiProjects ([[Wikipedia:WikiProject Outline of knowledge]], [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Categories|WikiProject Categories]], [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Portals|WikiProject Portals]], etc.) develop and maintain the navigation structures (menus, outlines, lists, templates, and categories) pertaining to countries.  And since most countries share the same subtopics ("Cities of", "Cuisine of", "Religion in", "Prostitution in", etc.), it is advantageous to standardize their naming, and their order of presentation in Wikipedia's indexes and table-of-contents-like pages.

=== Categories ===
{{categorytree|Countries}}
{{categorytree|WikiProject Countries}}

===Subpages===
* List of {{subpages}}.

=== Formatting ===
Many country and country-related articles have been extensively developed, but 
much systematic or similar information about many countries is not presented in a consistent way. Inconsistencies are rampant in article naming, headings, data presented, types of things covered, order of coverage, etc.  This WikiProject works towards standardizing page layouts of country-related articles of the same type ("Geography of", "Government of", "Politics of", "Wildlife of", etc.).

We are also involved with the standardization of country-related stubs, standardizing the structure of country-related lists and categories (the category trees for countries should be identical for the most part, as most countries share the same subcategories – though there will be some differences of course).

== Goals ==
#Provide a centralized resource guide of all related topics in Wikipedia, as well as spearhead the effort to improve and develop them. 
#Create uniform templates that serve to identify all related articles as part of this project, as well as stub templates to englobe all related stubs under specific categories.
#Standardize articles about different nations, cultures, holidays, and geography.
#Verify historical accuracy and neutrality of all articles within the scope of the project.
#Create, expand and cleanup related articles.

== Structure and guidelines ==
{{WikiProject style advice |type=section|sort-by=Countries}}
'''Although  referenced during [[WP:Featured article|FA]] and [[WP:Good article|GA]] reviews, this structure guide is advisory only, and should not be enforced against the wishes of those actually working on the article in question.'''  Articles may be best modeled on the layout of an existing article of appropriate structure and topic (See: [[Canada]] or [[Japan]])

===Main polities=== 
{{Main|Country}}
A '''country''' is a distinct part of the world, such as a [[state (polity)|state]], [[nation]], or other [[polity|political entity]]. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a [[sovereign state]], [[List of states with limited recognition|states with limited recognition]], [[constituent country]], or a [[dependent territory]]. 

====Lead section====
{{Shortcut|WP:COUNTRYLEAD}}
{{see also|WP:Lead section}}
:''For lead length see, [[#Size]]''
=====Opening paragraphs=====
{{see|MOS:INTRO}}
The article should start with a good simple '''introduction''', giving name of the country, general location in the world, bordering countries, seas and the
like. Also give other names by which the country may still be known (for example Holland, Persia). Also, add a few facts about the country, the things that it is known for (for example the mentioning of windmills in the Netherlands article). The primary purpose of a Wikipedia lead is not to summarize the topic, but to summarize the content of the article.

=====First sentence=====
{{see|MOS:FIRST}}
The first sentence should introduce the topic, and tell the nonspecialist reader <em>what</em>  the subject is, and <em>where</em>. It should be in [[plain English]]. 

The etymology of a country's name, if worth noting and naming disputes, may be dealt with in the etymology section. Foreign-languages, pronunciations and acronyms may also belong in the etymology section or in a [[Help:Footnotes|note]] to avoid [[WP:LEADCLUTTER]].

'''Example:''' 

{{tick|15}} <small>'''Sweden''',{{efn|{{langx|sv|Sverige}} {{IPA|sv|ˈsvæ̌rjɛ||Sv-Sverige.ogg}}; {{langx|fi|Ruotsi}}; {{langx|fit|Ruotti}}; {{langx|se|Ruoŧŧa}}; {{langx|smj|Svierik}}; {{langx|sje|Sverji}}; {{langx|sju|Sverje}}; {{langx|sma|Sveerje}} or {{lang|sma|Svöörje}}; {{langx|yi|שוועדן|Shvedn}}; {{langx|rmu|Svedikko}}; {{langx|rmf|Sveittiko}}.}} formally the '''Kingdom of Sweden''',{{efn|{{langx|sv|links=no|Konungariket Sverige}} {{IPA|sv|ˈkôːnɵŋaˌriːkɛt ˈsvæ̌rjɛ||Sv-Konungariket Sverige.ogg}}}} is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe</small>.<br>
{{cross|15}} <small>'''Sweden''' ({{langx|sv|Sverige}} {{IPA|sv|ˈsvæ̌rjɛ||Sv-Sverige.ogg}}), formally the '''Kingdom of Sweden''' ({{langx|sv|links=no|Konungariket Sverige}} {{IPA|sv|ˈkôːnɵŋaˌriːkɛt ˈsvæ̌rjɛ||Sv-Konungariket Sverige.ogg}}), is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe.</small><br>

=====Detail, duplication and tangible information =====
{{shortcut|WP:COUNTRYDETAIL}}
{{see|Wikipedia:How to create and manage a good lead section}}
Overly detailed information or [[Template:Infobox country#Syntax| infobox data duplication]] such as listing random examples, excessive numbered statistics or naming individuals should be reserved for the infobox or body of the article. The lead prose should provide clear, relevant information through links to relevant sub-articles about the country an relevant terms, rather than listing random stats and articles with minimal information about the country.

'''Example:''' 

{{tick|15}} <small>A [[developed country]], Canada has a [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|high nominal per capita income globally]] and [[Economy of Canada|its advanced economy]] ranks among the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|largest in the world]], relying chiefly upon [[Geography of Canada#Natural resources|its abundant natural resources]] and well-developed [[List of the largest trading partners of Canada|international trade networks]]. Recognized as a [[middle power]], Canada's strong support for [[multilateralism]] and [[Internationalism (politics)|internationalism]] has been closely related to [[Foreign relations of Canada|its foreign relations policies]] of [[Canadian peacekeeping|peacekeeping]] and [[Aid|aid for developing countries]]. Canada promotes its [[Canadian values|domestically shared values]] through participation in [[International organisation membership of Canada|multiple international organizations and forums]].</small><br>
{{cross|15}} <small>A highly [[developed country]], Canada has the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|seventeenth-highest nominal per-capita income globally]] and the [[List of countries by Human Development Index|sixteenth-highest]] ranking in the [[Human Development Index]]. Its advanced economy is the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|tenth-largest in the world]] and the 14th for [[List of countries by military expenditures|military expenditure by country]], Canada is part of several major international institutions including the [[United Nations]], [[NATO]], the [[Group of Seven|G7]], the [[Group of Ten (economics)|Group of Ten]], the [[G20]], the [[United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement]], the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], the {{Lang|fr|[[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]]}}, the [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation]] forum, and the [[Organization of American States]].</small>

=====Infobox=====
{{Anchor|Facts table}}
There is a table with quick facts about the country  called an infobox. A template for the table can be found at the bottom of this page.

Although the table can be moved out to the template namespace (to e.g. <nowiki>[[Template:CountryName Infobox]]</nowiki>) and thus easen the look of the edit page, most Wikipedians still disapprove as of now, see [[Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Countries#Country-Specific Infobox Templates|the talk page]].

The contents are as follows:

* The official long-form name of the country in the local language is to go on top as the caption. If there are several official names (languages), list all (if reasonably feasible).  The conventional long-form name (in English), if it differs from the local long-form name, should follow the local name(s). This is not a parameter to list every recognized language of a country,  but rather for listing officially  recognize national languages.
* The conventional short-form name of the country, recognised by the majority of the English-speaking world; ideally, this should also be used for the name of the article.
* A picture of the national flag. You can find flags at the [[List of flags]]. A smaller version should be included in the table itself, a larger-sized version in a page titled ''Flag of &lt;country>'', linked to via the "In Detail" cell. Instead of two different images, use the autothumbnail function that wiki offers.
* A picture of the national coat of arms. A good source is required for this, but not yet available. It should be no more than 125 pixels in width.
* Below the flag and coat of arms is room for the national motto, often displayed on the coat of arms (with translation, if necessary).
* The official language(s) of the country. (rot the place to list every recognized or used language)
* The political status. Specify if it is a sovereign state or a dependent territory.
* The capital city, or cities. Explain the differences if there are multiple capital cities using a footnote (see example at the [[Netherlands]]).
* If the data on the population is recent and reliable, add the largest city of the country.
* Land area: The area of the country in square kilometres (km²) and square miles (sq&nbsp;mi) with the world-ranking of this country. Also add the % of water, which can be calculated from the data in the Geography article (make it negligible if ~0%).
* Population: The number of inhabitants and the world-ranking; also include a year for this estimate (should be [[2000]] for now, as that is the date of the ranking). For the population density you can use the numbers now available.
* GDP: The amount of gross domestic product in nominal and PPP-adjusted terms, as well as their respective world ranking. Include both total and per capita amounts.
* HDI: Information pertaining to the [[UN]] [[Human Development Index]] – the value, year (of value), rank (with [[ordinal number (linguistics)|ordinal]]), and category (colourised as per the [[List of countries by Human Development Index|HDI country list]]).
* Currency; the name of the local currency. Use the pipe if the currency name is also used in other countries: <nowiki>[[Australian dollar|dollar]]</nowiki>.
* Time zone(s); the time zone or zones in which the country is relative to [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]
* National anthem; the name of the [[National anthem]] and a link to the article about it.
* Internet TLD; the [[top-level domain]] code for this country.
* Calling Code; the international [[List_of_country_calling_codes|Calling Code]] used for dialing this country.

======Lead map======
There is a long-standing practice that areas out of a state's control should be depicted differently on introductory maps, to not give the impression the powers of a state extend somewhere they do not. This is for various types of a lack of control, be it another state (eg. [[Crimea]], bits of [[Kashmir]]) or a separatist body (eg. [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea|DPR]], [[TRNC]]).

====Sections====
{{see|Wikipedia:Summary style|Wikipedia:Too much detail}}
{{short|WP:COUNTRYSECTIONS}}
A section should be written in '''[[WP:Summary style|summary style]]''', containing just the important facts.  [[WP:WEIGHT|Undue weight]] can be given in several ways, including but not limited to the depth of detail, the quantity of text, prominence of placement, the juxtaposition of statements, and the use of imagery. [[Wikipedia:Main article fixation|Main article fixation]] is an observed effect that editors are likely to encounter in county articles. If a section it is too large, information should be transferred to the sub-article. Avoid [[WP:CSECTION|sections focusing on criticisms]] or [[WP:STRUCTURE|controversies]]. Try to achieve a [[Wikipedia:Writing better articles#Summary style|more neutral text]] by folding debates into the narrative, rather than isolating them into sections. 

Prose should provide clear, relevant information and links to relevant sub-articles about the country, rather than listing random stats and articles with minimal information about the country.

{{tick|15}} <small> '''[[Corruption in Liberia]] is endemic at every level of society, making it one of the most politically corrupt nations.'''</small><br>
{{cross|15}} <small>'''Liberia scored a 3.3 on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt) on the 2010 [[Corruption Perceptions Index]].'''</small>


[[File:Table of comparative section sizes in Wikipedia country articles.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Comparison table of section sizes in country articles as a percentage of article size. Click image for [[/Common section size|latest data]].|link=Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/Common section size]]
Articles may consist of the following sections:
* '''''Etymology''''' sections are often placed first (sometimes called '''name''' depending on the information in the article). Include only if due information is available. 
* '''History''' – An outline of the major events in the country's history (about 4 to 6 paragraphs, depending on complexity of history), including some detail on current events. Sub-article: "History of X"
* '''Politics''' – Overview of the current governmental system, possibly previous forms, some short notes on the parliament. Sub-article: "Politics of X"
*'''Administrative divisions''' – Overview of the administrative subdivisions of the country. Name the section after the first level of subdivisions (and subsequent levels, if available) (e.g. provinces, states, departments, districts, etc.) and give the English equivalent name, when available. Also include overseas possessions. This section should also include an overview map of the country and subdivisions, if available.
* '''Geography''' – Details of the country's main geographic features and climate. '''Historical weather boxes should be reserved for sub articles'''. Sub-article: "Geography of X"
* '''Economy''' – Details on the country's economy, major industries, bit of economic history, major trade partners, a tad comparison etc. Sub-article: "Economy of X"
* '''Demographics''' – Mention the languages spoken, the major religions, some well known properties of the people of X, by which they are known. '''Uncontextualized data and [[#Charts|charts]] should be avoided'''. (See [[WP:NOTSTATS]] and [[WP:PROSE]]) Sub-article: "Demographics of X". 
* '''Culture''' – Summary of the country's specific forms of art (anything from painting to film) and its best known cultural contributions. '''Caution should be taken to ensure that the sections are not simply a listing of names or mini biographies of individuals accomplishments.''' Good example [[Canada#Sports]]. Sub-article: "Culture of X".  
* '''See also''' –  'See also" sections of country articles normally only contain links to "Index of country" and "Outline of country" articles, alongside the main portal(s).
* '''References''' – Sums up "Notes", "References", and all "Further Reading" or "Bibliography"
* '''External links''' – Links to official websites about the country. See [[WP:External links]]

===== Size =====
[[File:Table of attributes of country articles.jpg|thumb|Graphic showing article quality, size, contentiousness, protection, and vital level. Click for [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/Article attributes|live data]].|link=Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/Article attributes]]
{{Short|WP:COUNTRYSIZE}}
{{main|Wikipedia:Article size|Wikipedia:Summary style#Article size}}

:Articles that have gone through  [[WP:Featured article|FA]] and [[WP:Good article|GA]] reviews generally consists of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 words as per [[WP:SIZERULE]], with a lead usually 250 to 400 words as per [[MOS:LEADLENGTH]]. 
*{{icon|fa}} [[Australia]] = Prose size (text only): 60 kB (9,304 words) "[[WP:RPS|readable prose size]]" 
*{{icon|fa}} [[Bulgaria]] = Prose size (text only): 56 kB (8,847 words) "readable prose size"
*{{icon|fa}} [[Canada]] = Prose size (text only): 67 kB (9,834 words)  "readable prose size"
*{{icon|fa}} [[Germany]] = Prose size (text only): 54 kB (8,456 words) "readable prose size"
*{{icon|fa}} [[Japan]] = Prose size (text only): 51 kB (8,104 words) "readable prose size"
* {{icon|ga}} [[East Timor]] = Prose size (text only): 53 kB (8,152 words) "readable prose size"
* {{icon|ga}} [[Malaysia]] = Prose size (text only): 57 kB (9,092 words) "readable prose size"
* {{icon|ga}} [[New Zealand]] = Prose size (text only): 62 kB (9,761 words) "readable prose size"
* {{icon|ga}} [[Philippines]] = Prose size (text only): 62 kB (9,178 words) "readable prose size"

=====Hatnote =====
The link should be shown as below: Avoid link clutter of multiple child articles in a hierarchical setup as hatnotes. Important links/articles should be incorporated into the prose of the section. For example, [[Canada#Economy]]  is a summary section with a hatnote to [[Economy of Canada]] that summarizes the history with a hatnote to [[Economic history of Canada]]. See [[WP:SUMMARYHATNOTE]], [[WP:HATNOTERULES]], [[WP:HATLENGTH]] for more recommended hatnote usages.
{{tick|15}}<nowiki>== Economy ==</nowiki><small>{{Main|Economy of Canada}}</small>
{{cross|15}}<nowiki>== Economy ==</nowiki><small>{{Main|Economy of Canada}}</small>
<small>{{seealso|Petroleum industry in Canada|Agriculture in Canada}}</small>
<small>{{see|Economic history of Canada|Early Canadian banking system}}</small>

==== Charts ====
{{Shortcut|WP:COUNTRYCHARTS}}
As [[WP:Prose|prose text]] is preferred, overly detailed statistical charts and diagrams that lack any context or explanation such as; economic trends, weather boxes, historical population charts, and past elections results, etc, should be reserved for main sub articles on the topic as per [[WP:DETAIL]] as outlined at [[WP:NOTSTATS]].

====Galleries====
{{Shortcut|WP:COUNTRYGALLERIE}}
Galleries or clusters of images are generally discouraged - ([[Canada#Early 20th century|unless a point of contrast or comparison is being made]]) - as they may cause [[WP:WEIGHT|undue weight to one particular section]] of a [[Wikipedia:Summary style|summary article]] and  might cause  [[MOS:ACCIM|accessibility problems]], such as [[MOS:SANDWICH|sandwiching of text]], images that are too small  or fragmented image display for some readers as outlined at [[WP:GALLERY]]. Clusters of images may cause images to appear too late or too early for associated prose text, see [[MOS:SECTIONLOC]] for general recommendations. Articles that have gone through modern FA and GA reviews generally consists of one image for every three or four paragraph summary section, see [[MOS:ACCESS#FLOAT]] and [[MOS:SECTIONLOC]] for more information

===Footers===
As noted at [[Wikipedia:Categories, lists, and series boxes]] the number of templates at the bottom of any article should be kept to a minimum. Country pages generally have footers that link to pages for countries in their geographic region.  Footers for international organizations are not added to country pages, but they rather can go on subpages such as "Economy of..." and "Foreign relations of..." Categories for some of these organizations are also sometimes added. Templates for supranational organizations like the European Union and CARICOM are permitted. A list of the footers that have been created can be found at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/Templates/Navboxes]], however note that many of these are not currently in use.

===Transclusions===
[[Help:Transclusion|Transclusions]] are generally discouraged in country articles for reasons outlined below.
{{transcluded section|source=Help:Transclusion}}
{{trim|{{#section-h:Help:Transclusion|Drawbacks}}}}

===Lists of countries===

To determine which entities should be considered separate "countries" or included on lists, use the entries in [[ISO 3166-1]] plus the [[list of states with limited recognition]], except:
* Lists based on only a single source should follow that source.
* Specific lists might need more logical criteria. For example, [[list of sovereign states]] omits non-sovereign entities listed by ISO-3166-1. Lists of sports teams list whichever entities that have teams, regardless of sovereignty. Lists of laws might follow jurisdiction boundaries (for example, [[England and Wales]] is a single jurisdiction).

For consistency with other Wikipedia articles, the names of entities do not need to follow sources or ISO-3166-1. The names used as the titles of English Wikipedia articles are a safe choice for those that are disputed.

== Resources ==
=== Sisterlinks ===
{{sisterlinks|Countries}}

=== Related WikiProjects ===
*[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Former countries|WikiProject Former countries]]
*[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Micronations|WikiProject Micronations]]
*[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Limited recognition|WikiProject Limited recognition]]

=== Popular pages ===
*[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/Popular pages]]

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==Notes==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

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