Wikipedia:Vital articles

This is a list of basic subjects for which Wikipedia should have a corresponding high-quality article, and ideally a featured article. It also serves as a centralized watchlist and tracks the status of some of Wikipedia's most essential articles.

Ideally this page should list approximately 1,000 of the most vital Wikipedia articles.

Section Current Number Target Number
People 0 115
History 0 60
Geography 0 94
Arts 0 56
Philosophy and religion 0 77
Everyday life 0 78
Society and social sciences 0 88
Health and medicine 0 48
Science 0 177
Technology 0 122
Mathematics 0 59
Measurement 0 26
Total 0 1000

Count checked: 00:50, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

See also m:List of articles every Wikipedia should have and Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Core topics

People (115 articles)

Artists

  1. Leonardo da Vinci
  2. Michelangelo
  3. Rembrandt
  4. Diego Velázquez
  5. Hokusai
  6. Claude Monet
  7. Vincent van Gogh
  8. Pablo Picasso
  9. Salvador Dalí

Authors

  1. Homer
  2. Sophocles
  3. Virgil
  4. Li Bai
  5. Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi
  6. Dante Alighieri
  7. William Shakespeare
  8. Miguel de Cervantes
  9. Molière
  10. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  11. Edgar Allan Poe
  12. Fyodor Dostoevsky
  13. Leo Tolstoy
  14. James Joyce
  15. Franz Kafka
  16. Pablo Neruda

Composers and musicians

  1. Johann Sebastian Bach
  2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  3. Ludwig van Beethoven
  4. Frédéric Chopin
  5. Richard Wagner
  6. Arnold Schoenberg
  7. Igor Stravinsky
  8. Elvis Presley
  9. The Beatles

Explorers

  1. Roald Amundsen
  2. Jacques Cartier
  3. Christopher Columbus
  4. James Cook
  5. Ferdinand Magellan
  6. Marco Polo
  7. Ibn Battuta
  8. Zheng He

Inventors and scientists

  1. Nicolaus Copernicus
  2. Charles Darwin
  3. Thomas Edison
  4. Albert Einstein
  5. Galileo Galilei
  6. Geber
  7. Carl Linnaeus
  8. Isaac Newton
  9. Nikola Tesla
  10. Sigmund Freud
  11. Niels Bohr
  12. Marie Curie
  13. Dmitri Mendeleev

Mathematicians

  1. Archimedes
  2. Euclid
  3. Leonhard Euler
  4. Carl Friedrich Gauss
  5. Kurt Gödel
  6. David Hilbert
  7. Gottfried Leibniz
  8. Blaise Pascal
  9. Henri Poincaré
  10. Pythagoras
  11. Alan Turing
  12. Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

Philosophers and social scientists

  1. Confucius
  2. Socrates
  3. Plato
  4. Aristotle
  5. Nagarjuna
  6. Avicenna
  7. Thomas Aquinas
  8. Ibn Khaldun
  9. René Descartes
  10. John Locke
  11. Immanuel Kant
  12. Karl Marx
  13. Friedrich Nietzsche
  14. Max Weber

Religious figures

  1. Abraham
  2. Gautama Buddha
  3. Guru Nanak Dev
  4. Jesus
  5. Laozi
  6. Moses
  7. Muhammad
  8. Paul the Apostle
  9. Zoroaster

Politicians and leaders

  1. Hammurabi
  2. Cyrus the Great
  3. Alexander the Great
  4. Qin Shi Huang
  5. Julius Caesar
  6. Cleopatra VII
  7. Augustus
  8. Attila the Hun
  9. Charlemagne
  10. Genghis Khan
  11. Joan of Arc
  12. Suleiman the Magnificent
  13. Elizabeth I
  14. George Washington
  15. Napoleon I of France
  16. Simón Bolívar
  17. Abraham Lincoln
  18. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
  19. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
  20. Vladimir Lenin
  21. Winston Churchill
  22. Joseph Stalin
  23. Adolf Hitler
  24. Mao Zedong
  25. Nelson Mandela

History (60 articles)

  1. History
  2. Civilization
  3. History of the world
  4. History of Africa
  5. History of the Americas
  6. History of China
  7. History of Europe
  8. History of India
  9. History of Japan
  10. History of the Middle East

Prehistory to Middle Ages

  1. Prehistory
  2. Stone Age
  3. Mesopotamia
  4. Neolithic Revolution
  5. Sumer
  6. Bronze Age
  7. Ancient Egypt
  8. Assyria
  9. Indus Valley Civilization
  10. Iron Age
  11. Ancient Greece
  12. Ancient Rome
  13. Macedon
  14. Persian Empire
  15. Middle Ages
  16. Black Death
  17. Byzantine Empire
  18. Crusades
  19. East-West Schism
  20. Holy Roman Empire
  21. Islamic Golden Age
  22. Mongol Empire
  23. Ottoman Empire
  24. Pre-Columbian
  25. Spanish Inquisition
  26. Viking Age

Renaissance to present

  1. Abolitionism
  2. Age of Discovery
  3. Age of Enlightenment
  4. British Empire
  5. Civil rights movement
  6. Cold War
  7. Congress of Vienna
  8. Cultural Revolution
  9. European colonization of the Americas
  10. History of the European Union
  11. French Revolution
  12. Great Depression
  13. The Holocaust
  14. Industrial Revolution
  15. Iranian Revolution
  16. Korean War
  17. Napoleonic Wars
  18. Protestant Reformation
  19. Renaissance
  20. Russian Empire
  21. Scientific Revolution
  22. Scramble for Africa
  23. Soviet Union
  24. Space exploration
  25. Taiping Rebellion
  26. History of the United States
  27. Women's suffrage
  28. World War I
  29. World War II

Geography (106 articles)

  1. Geography
  2. City
  3. Continent
  4. Country
  5. Desert
  6. Forest
  7. Glacier
  8. Mountain
  9. Ocean
  10. River

Bodies of water

  1. Amazon River
  2. Atlantic Ocean
  3. Black Sea
  4. Caspian Sea
  5. Danube
  6. Great Barrier Reef
  7. Indian Ocean
  8. Mediterranean Sea
  9. Niagara Falls
  10. Nile
  11. Pacific Ocean
  12. Panama Canal
  13. Suez Canal

Cities

  1. Athens
  2. Beijing
  3. Berlin
  4. Delhi
  5. Hong Kong
  6. Istanbul
  7. Jerusalem
  8. London
  9. Los Angeles
  10. Mecca
  11. Mexico City
  12. Moscow
  13. New York City
  14. Paris
  15. Rome
  16. São Paulo
  17. Seoul
  18. Tokyo

Continents and regions

  1. Africa
  2. Antarctica
  3. Arctic
  4. Asia
  5. Europe
  6. Latin America
  7. Middle East
  8. North America
  9. Oceania
  10. South America

Countries

See also: List of countries and List of countries by population.
  1. Argentina
  2. Australia
  3. Austria
  4. Bangladesh
  5. Belgium
  6. Brazil
  7. Burma
  8. Canada
  9. People's Republic of China
  10. Colombia
  11. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  12. Denmark
  13. Egypt
  14. Ethiopia
  15. Finland
  16. France
  17. Germany
  18. Greece
  19. India
  20. Indonesia
  21. Iran
  22. Iraq
  23. Republic of Ireland
  24. Israel
  25. Italy
  26. Japan
  27. Mexico
  28. Netherlands
  29. Nigeria
  30. Norway
  31. Pakistan
  32. Philippines
  33. Poland
  34. Russia
  35. Saudi Arabia
  36. Singapore
  37. South Africa
  38. South Korea
  39. Spain
  40. Sweden
  41. Switzerland
  42. Republic of China (Taiwan)
  43. Thailand
  44. Turkey
  45. Ukraine
  46. United Kingdom
  47. United States
  48. Vietnam

Mountains, valleys and deserts

  1. Alps
  2. Andes
  3. Gobi Desert
  4. Grand Canyon
  5. Himalayas
  6. Mount Everest
  7. Sahara

Arts and culture (56 articles)

  1. Art
  2. History of art
  3. Aesthetics

Artistic movements

  1. Gothic
  2. Baroque
  3. Romanticism
  4. Modernism
  5. Postmodernism
  6. Pop culture

Literature

  1. Literature
  2. History of literature
  3. Prose
  4. Book
  5. Fiction
  6. Novel
  7. Short story
  8. Poetry
  9. Rhyme
  10. Forms
  11. Epic poetry
  12. Haiku
  13. Sonnet

Music

  1. Music
  2. History of music
  3. Musical instrument
  4. Singing
  5. Genres
  6. Classical music
  7. Folk music
  8. Hip hop music
  9. Jazz
  10. Pop music
  11. Rock music

Performing arts

  1. Performing arts
  2. Dance
  3. Ballet
  4. Film
  5. Documentary
  6. Opera
  7. Orchestra
  8. Theatre
  9. Comedy
  10. Tragedy

Visual arts

  1. Visual arts
  2. Architecture
  3. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
  4. Great Wall of China
  5. Comics
  6. Drawing
  7. Painting
  8. Illustration
  9. Portrait
  10. Photography
  11. Sculpture
  12. Pottery
  13. Statue

Philosophy and religion (77 articles)

Philosophy

  1. Philosophy
  2. Philosophical branches
  3. Ethics
  4. Epistemology
  5. Belief
  6. Knowledge
  7. Truth
  8. Logic
  9. Metaphysics
  10. Existence
  11. Ontology
  12. Free will
  13. Philosophy by region and period
  14. Western philosophy
  15. Greek philosophy
  16. Medieval philosophy
  17. Contemporary philosophy
  18. Eastern philosophy
  19. Chinese philosophy
  20. Indian philosophy
  21. Islamic philosophy
  22. Philosophical movements
  23. Confucianism
  24. Existentialism
  25. Idealism
  26. Hedonism
  27. Humanism
  28. Marxism
  29. Nihilism
  30. Rationalism
  31. Realism
  32. Skepticism

Religion

  1. Religion
  2. Deity
  3. God
  4. Goddess
  5. Mythology
  6. Mysticism
  7. Soul
  8. Spirituality
  9. Meditation
  10. Prayer
  11. Worship
  12. Yoga
  13. Theistic philosophies
  14. Theism
  15. Agnosticism
  16. Atheism
  17. Deism
  18. Gnosticism
  19. Pantheism

Specific religions

  1. Bahá'í Faith
  2. Buddhism
  3. Mahayana
  4. Theravada
  5. Vajrayana
  6. Christianity
  7. Bible
  8. Roman Catholic Church
  9. Church
  10. Eastern Orthodox Church
  11. Protestantism
  12. Pope
  13. Hinduism
  14. Bhagavad Gita
  15. Krishna
  16. Upanishad
  17. Vedas
  18. Islam
  19. Mosque
  20. Shia Islam
  21. Sunni Islam
  22. Qur'an
  23. Jainism
  24. Judaism
  25. Tanakh
  26. Shinto
  27. Sikhism
  28. Guru Granth Sahib
  29. Taoism
  30. Voodoo
  31. Zoroastrianism

Everyday life (82 articles)

  1. Clothing
  2. Cooking
  3. Color
  4. Black
  5. White
  6. Emotion
  7. Anger
  8. Fear
  9. Love
  10. Happiness
  11. Family
  12. Adult
  13. Child
  14. Infant
  15. Marriage
  16. Gender
  17. Man
  18. Woman
  19. Mind
  20. Consciousness
  21. Thought
  22. Sleep
  23. Dream

Food and drink

  1. Food
  2. Bread
  3. Cheese
  4. Fruit
  5. Grain
  6. Maize
  7. Meat
  8. Oat
  9. Potato
  10. Rice
  11. Soybean
  12. Vegetable
  13. Wheat
  14. Beer
  15. Coffee
  16. Drinking water
  17. Milk
  18. Tea
  19. Wine

Language

  1. Language
  2. Alphabet
  3. Letter
  4. Grammar
  5. Word
  6. Writing
  7. Specific languages
  8. Arabic language
  9. Bengali language
  10. Chinese language
  11. English language
  12. French language
  13. German language
  14. Hindi
  15. Japanese language
  16. Latin
  17. Portuguese language
  18. Punjabi language
  19. Russian language
  20. Sanskrit
  21. Spanish language
  22. Swahili language
  23. Turkish language

Recreation and entertainment

  1. Recreation
  2. Game
  3. Board game
  4. Chess
  5. Draughts
  6. Go
  7. Mancala
  8. Video game
  9. Gambling
  10. Sport
  11. Association football (soccer)
  12. Athletics (track and field)
  13. Toy

Society and social sciences (88 articles)

  1. Society
  2. Culture

Social issues

  1. Abortion
  2. Euthanasia
  3. Suicide
  4. Discrimination
  5. Racism
  6. Sexism
  7. Education
  8. Freedom
  9. Slavery
  10. Globalization
  11. Law
  12. Capital punishment
  13. Civil rights
  14. Constitution
  15. Crime
  16. Justice
  17. Police
  18. Peace
  19. War
  20. Pollution
  21. Poverty
  22. Social movement
  23. Environmentalism
  24. Feminism

Business and economics

  1. Business
  2. Economics
  3. Good
  4. Service (economics)
  5. Supply and demand
  6. Company
  7. Corporation
  8. Finance
  9. Industry
  10. Agriculture
  11. Manufacturing
  12. Mining
  13. Market
  14. Marketing
  15. Money
  16. Euro
  17. Japanese yen
  18. Pound sterling
  19. Renminbi
  20. United States dollar
  21. Tax
  22. Trade

Media

  1. Advertising
  2. Broadcasting
  3. Journalism
  4. Magazine
  5. Mass media
  6. News
  7. Newspaper
  8. Publishing

Politics and government

  1. Politics
  2. Government
  3. Capitalism
  4. Socialism
  5. Civics
  6. Anarchism
  7. Communism
  8. Democracy
  9. Dictatorship
  10. Fascism
  11. Monarchy
  12. Theocracy
  13. Conservatism
  14. Liberalism
  15. Diplomacy
  16. Imperialism
  17. Military
  18. Nationalism
  19. State
  20. Specific political and governmental institutions
  21. European Union
  22. International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  23. NATO
  24. Nobel Prize
  25. OPEC
  26. United Nations
  27. World Health Organization
  28. World Trade Organization

Social sciences

  1. Social sciences
  2. Anthropology
  3. Political science
  4. Psychology
  5. Sociology

Health and medicine (48 articles)

Disease

  1. Disease
  2. Alzheimer's disease
  3. Cancer
  4. Cholera
  5. Common cold
  6. Diabetes mellitus
  7. Dysentery
  8. Influenza
  9. Malaria
  10. Parkinson's disease
  11. Sexually transmitted disease
  12. AIDS
  13. Syphilis
  14. Smallpox
  15. Tuberculosis

Health and fitness

  1. Health
  2. Physical fitness
  3. Exercise
  4. Hygiene
  5. Obesity
  6. Stress
  7. Addiction
  8. Drug
  9. Nutrition

Medicine

  1. Medicine
  2. Birth control
  3. Coma
  4. Disability
  5. Autism
  6. Blindness
  7. Hearing impairment
  8. Mental illness
  9. Physical trauma
  10. Aneurysm
  11. Bone fracture
  12. Brain damage
  13. Burn
  14. Cardiac arrest
  15. Frostbite
  16. Bleeding
  17. Inflammation
  18. Respiratory failure
  19. Shock
  20. Stroke
  21. Medication
  22. Antibiotic
  23. Vaccine
  24. Physician

Science (177 articles)

  1. Science
  2. History of science
  3. Nature
  4. Philosophy of science
  5. Scientific method

Astronomy

  1. Astronomy
  2. Asteroid
  3. Asteroid belt
  4. Big Bang
  5. Comet
  6. Eclipse
  7. Galaxy
  8. Milky Way
  9. Natural satellite
  10. Orbit
  11. Outer space
  12. Physical cosmology
  13. Planet
  14. Solar System
  15. Sun
  16. Mercury
  17. Venus
  18. Earth
  19. Moon
  20. Mars
  21. Jupiter
  22. Saturn
  23. Uranus
  24. Neptune
  25. Pluto
  26. Star
  27. Supernova
  28. Universe

Biology

  1. Biology
  2. Life
  3. Abiogenesis
  4. Anatomy
  5. Brain
  6. Gastrointestinal tract
  7. Heart
  8. Immune system
  9. Lung
  10. Skeleton
  11. Reproduction
  12. Pregnancy
  13. Sex
  14. Botany
  15. Cell (biology)
  16. Ecology
  17. Ecosystem
  18. Evolution
  19. Natural selection
  20. Genetics
  21. DNA
  22. Gene
  23. Heredity
  24. Organism
  25. Animal
  26. Amphibian
  27. Bird
  28. Dinosaur
  29. Fish
  30. Insect
  31. Mammal
    1. Cattle
    2. Cat
    3. Dog
    4. Horse
    5. Human
  32. Reptile
  33. Archaea
  34. Bacteria
  35. Fungus
  36. Plant
  37. Flower
  38. Tree
  39. Protist
  40. Species
  41. Zoology

Chemistry

  1. Chemistry
  2. Biochemistry
  3. Organic chemistry
  4. Inorganic chemistry
  5. Acid
  6. Alloy
  7. Bronze
  8. Steel
  9. Atom
  10. Base
  11. Catalysis
  12. Chemical bond
  13. Chemical compound
  14. Alcohol
  15. Carbon dioxide
  16. Oil
  17. Salt
  18. Water
  19. Chemical element
  20. Aluminium
  21. Carbon
  22. Copper
  23. Gold
  24. Helium
  25. Hydrogen
  26. Iron
  27. Nitrogen
  28. Oxygen
  29. Silicon
  30. Silver
  31. Sulfur
  32. Uranium
  33. Chemical reaction
  34. Crystal
  35. Electrolysis
  36. Glass
  37. Ion
  38. Metal
  39. Mineral
  40. Molecule
  41. Periodic table

Earth science

  1. Earth science
  2. History of Earth
  3. Geology
  4. Avalanche
  5. Crust
  6. Earthquake
  7. Erosion
  8. Geologic fault
  9. Magma
  10. Mantle
  11. Plate tectonics
  12. Volcano
  13. Earth's atmosphere
  14. Climate
  15. Cloud
  16. Flood
  17. Global warming
  18. Meteorology
  19. Rain
  20. Tornado
  21. Tropical cyclone
  22. Weather
  23. Oceanography

Physics

  1. Physics
  2. Particle physics
  3. Standard Model
  4. Subatomic particle
  5. Electron
  6. Neutrino
  7. Neutron
  8. Photon
  9. Proton
  10. Classical mechanics
  11. Kinematics
  12. Kinetics
  13. Energy
  14. Kinetic energy
  15. Potential energy
  16. Force
  17. Electromagnetism
  18. Gravitation
  19. Strong interaction
  20. Weak interaction
  21. Heat
  22. Temperature
  23. Light
  24. Electromagnetic radiation
  25. Speed of light
  26. Visible spectrum
  27. Mass
  28. Weight
  29. Matter
  30. Motion
  31. Quantum mechanics
  32. Sound
  33. Space
  34. Thermodynamics
  35. Theory of relativity
  36. Time

Technology (121 articles)

  1. Technology
  2. History of technology
  3. Engineering
  4. Artificial intelligence
  5. Biotechnology
  6. Genetic engineering
  7. Nuclear technology
  8. Tool

Energy

  1. Electricity
  2. Geothermal power
  3. Hydropower
  4. Nuclear power
  5. Petroleum
  6. Solar energy
  7. Wind power

Electronics

  1. Electronics
  2. Battery
  3. Capacitor
  4. Diode
  5. Incandescent light bulb
  6. Integrated circuit
  7. Semiconductor
  8. Transistor

Mechanical and structural engineering

  1. Mechanical engineering
  2. Engine
  3. Electric motor
  4. Internal combustion engine
  5. Jet engine
  6. Steam engine
  7. Inclined plane
  8. Lever
  9. Pulley
  10. Robot
  11. Wheel
  12. Arch
  13. Bridge
  14. Canal
  15. Dam
  16. Dome
  17. House
  18. Pyramid
  19. Tower

Transportation

  1. Transport
  2. Vehicle
  3. Aircraft
  4. Automobile
  5. Bicycle
  6. Elevator
  7. Helicopter
  8. Motorcycle
  9. Train

Information technology

  1. Information technology
  2. Abacus
  3. Calculator
  4. Computer
  5. Cryptography

Optical

  1. Camera
  2. Glasses
  3. Laser
  4. Lens
  5. Microscope
  6. Prism
  7. Telescope

Media and communication

  1. Telecommunication
  2. E-mail
  3. Internet
  4. Microphone
  5. Mobile phone
  6. Printing press
  7. Printing
  8. Radio
  9. Telephone
  10. Television
  11. Typewriter
  12. Video
  13. World Wide Web
  1. Calendar
  2. Clock
  3. Compass
  4. Global Positioning System
  5. Gyroscope
  6. Pendulum
  7. Radar
  8. Sonar
  9. Sundial

Weapons

  1. Weapon
  2. Artillery
  3. Bow
  4. Firearm
  5. Handgun
  6. Knife
  7. Machine gun
  8. Nuclear weapon
  9. Rifle
  10. Sword
  11. Submarine
  12. Tank

Material and chemical

  1. Candle
  2. Fire
  3. Explosive material
  4. Dynamite
  5. Gasoline
  6. Gunpowder
  7. Metallurgy
  8. Plastic
  9. Rubber

Food and health

  1. Electrocardiogram
  2. Magnetic resonance imaging
  3. Pasteurization
  4. Refrigerator
  5. Stove
  6. X-ray

Space

  1. Hubble Space Telescope
  2. International Space Station
  3. Moon landing
  4. Rocket
  5. Satellite
  6. Space Shuttle
  7. Space station

Mathematics (59 articles)

  1. Mathematics
  2. Constant
  3. Pi
  4. e
  5. Number
  6. Complex number
  7. Integer
  8. Natural number
  9. Number theory
  10. Prime number
  11. Rational number
  12. Real number
  13. Arithmetic
  14. Addition
  15. Subtraction
  16. Multiplication
  17. Division
  18. Fraction
  19. Percentage
  20. Exponentiation
  21. Square root
  22. Combinatorics
  23. Digit
  24. Equation
  25. Function
  26. Logarithm
  27. Variable
  28. Algebra
  29. Linear algebra
  30. Matrix
  1. Mathematical analysis
  2. Calculus
  3. Differential equation
  4. Infinity
  5. Limit
  6. Probability
  7. Statistics
  8. Chaos theory
  9. Game theory
  10. Geometry
  11. Angle
  12. Area
  13. Coordinates
  14. Dimension
  15. Line
  16. Plane
  17. Point
  18. Shape
  19. Circle
  20. Cube
  21. Sphere
  22. Square
  23. Triangle
  24. Volume
  25. Mathematical proof
  26. Series
  27. Set
  28. Topology
  29. Trigonometry

Measurement (26 articles)

  1. Measurement
  2. Metric system
  3. International System of Units
  4. Imperial unit
  5. Time
  6. Second
  7. Day
  8. Year
  9. Length
  10. Foot
  11. Kilometer
  12. Metre
  13. Mile
  14. Angle
  15. Degree
  16. Radian
  1. Volume
  2. Litre
  3. Mass
  4. Weight
  5. Kilogram
  6. Pound
  7. Ton
  8. Temperature
  9. Celsius
  10. Fahrenheit
  11. Force
  12. Newton
  13. Power
  14. Watt
  15. Electromagnetism
  16. Ampere
  17. Volt
  18. Ohm

See also