Wikipedia:Main Page history/2011 December 2

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Today's featured article
The Macaroni Penguin is a species of penguin found from the Subantarctic to the Antarctic Peninsula. One of six species of crested penguin, it bears a distinctive yellow crest, and the face and upperparts are black and sharply delineated from the white underparts. Its diet consists of a variety of crustaceans, mainly krill, as well as small fish and cephalopods; the species consumes more marine life annually than any other species of seabird. Numbering up to 100,000 individuals, the breeding colonies of the Macaroni Penguin are among the largest and densest of all penguin species. After spending the summer months breeding, penguins disperse into the oceans for six months; a 2009 study found that Macaroni Penguins from Kerguelen travelled over 10,000 km (6,200 mi) in the central Indian Ocean. With about 18 million individuals, the Macaroni Penguin is the most numerous penguin species. However, widespread declines in populations have been recorded since the mid 1970s. These factors resulted in their conservation status being reclassified as vulnerable. (more...) Recently featured: School for Creative and Performing Arts – Thomas the Slav – Bix Beiderbecke Archive – By email – More featured articles...
Did you know...
From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that Siegfried Strohbach composed a program of music for Advent for the Knabenchor Hannover, performed today at the Marktkirche (pictured)? ... that in 506 BCE, Chu general Shen Yin Shu, wounded battling against Wu general Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War, asked an officer to kill him and bring his head home? ... that the key inspiration for Palestinian-American performance poet Remi Kanazi was seeing Def Poetry Jam on Broadway? ... that during the Battle of Moon Sound on 17 October 1917, the Russian armoured cruiser Bayan was hit by a shell from the dreadnought SMS König, starting a fire that was not extinguished until the next day? ... that South Africa were coached by former New Zealand international Paul Matete at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup? ... that the Native Labour (Settlement of Disputes) Act, 1953 banned native Africans from taking strike action? ... that Dude Harlino's given name is derived from his birthdate, 2 December? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
Laurent Gbagbo The United Kingdom expels all Iranian diplomats from the country following an attack on its embassy in Tehran. Laurent Gbagbo (pictured), former President of Côte d'Ivoire, is extradited to the International Criminal Court to face trial over his role in the Second Ivorian Civil War. The Justice and Development Party, led by Abdelilah Benkirane, wins a plurality in the Moroccan parliamentary election. Gary Speed, manager of the Welsh national football team, is found dead in his home. NASA launches the Mars Science Laboratory on a multi-year mission to assess the habitability of Mars. The incumbent National Party, led by John Key, wins a plurality in the New Zealand general election. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
December 2: National Day in the United Arab Emirates (1971) 1805 – War of the Third Coalition: French forces led by Napoleon decisively defeated a Russo-Austrian army commanded by Czar Alexander I in the Battle of Austerlitz. 1943 – World War II: The Luftwaffe conducted a surprise air raid on Allied ships in Bari, Italy, sinking 18 ships and releasing one ship's secret cargo of mustard gas. 1988 – Benazir Bhutto (pictured) became Prime Minister of Pakistan, the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state. 1999 – The United Kingdom devolved political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive. 2001 – Less than two months after disclosing accounting violations, Texas-based energy firm Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, evaporating nearly $11 billion in shareholder wealth. More anniversaries: December 1 – December 2 – December 3 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now December 2, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

Kukenan is a tepui in Venezuela's Canaima National Park, near Guyana and Brazil. It is 2,680 m (8,790 ft) high and about 3 km (2 mi) long. The 674 m (2,211 ft) high Kukenan Falls is located at the south end of the tepui.

Photo: Paolo Costa Baldi.

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