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Enon, Ohio

Enon, Ohio

Enon is a village located in Clark County, Ohio. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 2,638. Enon is the headquarters of the Speedway SuperAmerica gas station chain.

Geography

gas station Enon is located at 39°52'13" North, 83°56'4" West (39.870309, -83.934462). The village sits roughly 3 miles south of the old National Road. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²). 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 2,638 people, 1,118 households, and 799 families residing in the village. The population density is 765.8/km² (1,989.6/mi²). There are 1,157 housing units at an average density of 335.9/km² (872.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 97.01% White, 0.57% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 1.02% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 1,118 households out of which 26.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% are married couples living together, 7.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% are non-families. 25.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.82. In the village the population is spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 32.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.0 males. The median income for a household in the village is $58,966, and the median income for a family is $69,196. Males have a median income of $45,335 versus $28,872 for females. The per capita income for the village is $29,537. 2.8% of the population and 2.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.8% of those under the age of 18 and 1.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

- [http://www.springfieldohio.net/ The Network of Springfield, Ohio] Category:Villages in Ohio Category:Clark County, Ohio

Clark County, Ohio

For British letters in the 2004 Presidential election, see The Guardian's Operation Clark County Clark County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2000, the population is 144,742. Its county seat is Springfield ⁶. It is named for General George Rogers Clark who fought Indians in Ohio in the early Nineteenth Century.

Image:Map of Ohio highlighting Clark County.png

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,045 km² (404 mi²). 1,036 km² (400 mi²) of it is land and 10 km² (4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.92% water.

Adjacent counties

- Champaign County (north)
- Madison County (east)
- Greene County (south)
- Montgomery County (southwest)
- Miami County (west)

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there are 144,742 people, 56,648 households, and 39,370 families residing in the county. The population density is 140/km² (362/mi²). There are 61,056 housing units at an average density of 59/km² (153/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 88.12% White, 8.95% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. 1.17% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 56,648 households out of which 31.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% are married couples living together, 12.80% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% are non-families. 26.00% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.10% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.49 and the average family size is 2.97. In the county the population is spread out with 25.10% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 92.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.60 males. The median income for a household in the county is $40,340, and the median income for a family is $48,259. Males have a median income of $37,157 versus $24,688 for females. The per capita income for the county is $19,501. 10.70% of the population and 7.90% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.90% of those under the age of 18 and 8.20% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. poverty line

Government

Counties in Ohio do not possess home rule powers but can do only what has been expressly authorized by the Ohio General Assembly. Like eighty-six other counties (the exception is Summit), the county has the following elected officials, as provided by statute:
- Three county commissioners (the Board of Commissioners): Control budget; approve zoning; approve annexations to cities and villages; set overall policy; oversee departments under their control
- County auditor: Values property for taxation; issues dog, kennel, and cigarette licenses; issues licenses for retailers for sales tax purposes; inspects scales, pumps, etc., used in commerce to see that they are accurate
- County clerk of court of common pleas: Keeps filings of lawsuits and orders of the county court of common pleas; records titles for motor vehicles
- County coroner: Determines causes of death in certain cases; is the only person with the power to arrest the sheriff.
- County engineer: Maintains county roads and land maps
- Prosecuting attorney: Prosecutes felonies and is the legal advisor to all other county officials and departments
- County recorder: Keeps all land records, including deeds, surveys, mortgages, easements, and liens
- County treasurer: Collects taxes, invests county money, provide financial oversight to municipalities and school districts in the county
- County sheriff: Chief law enforcement officer, polices areas without local police; runs the county jail; acts as officer of the local courts (transporting prisoners, serving subpoenas, acting as bailiff, etc.) All of these officials are elected to four-year terms in November of even-numbered years after being nominated in partisan primary elections. One commissioner and the auditor are elected in the same year as the governor in one cycle; the other two commissioners and the other officials are elected in the same year as the president of the United States. The clerk, coroner, prosecutor, recorder, and sheriff begin their terms on the first Monday in January. The auditor's term begins on the second Monday in March. The treasurer's term begins on the first monday in September. The commissioner who is elected with the governor begins his term on January 1. Of the other two seats, one term begins on January 2 and the second on January 3. Any citizen of Ohio and the United States who is eighteen years of age or older and lives in the county may run for commissioner, auditor, treasurer, clerk of courts, or recorder. The other offices have specific additional requirements: candidates for prosecutor must be licensed to practice law; candidates for coroner must be licensed to practice medicine for two years; candidates for engineer must be both licensed surveyors and engineers; and candidates for sheriff must have certain education and supervisory experience in law enforcement. If a vacancy arises, it is filled by the county central committee of the political party to which the former official belonged, i.e., the Republicans appoint someone to an office held by a Republican and the Democrats to an office held by a Democrat. If an office becomes vacant before the November election in the even-numbered year midway through the term, the appointee must run in a special election for the remainder of the term. If the office becomes vacant after then, the appointment is for the remainder of the term. The Board of County Commissioners is the combined executive and legislative branch of county government but as their control over the independently elected officials is limited, there is effectively no real executive. However, one of the members of the board is named president of the board. The commissioners receive a full-time salary, but commissioners often have full-time occupations on the side. The board also employs a clerk to record its proceedings. The board of commissioners often create numerous subordinate departments to handle specific services. These vary from county to county; among the most common are departments for building and zoning, health, economic development, water and sewer service, and emergency management. There is also a county educational service center (previously known as the county board of education) presided over by a board of education, typically numbering five members, elected to staggered four-year terms in non-partisan elections in odd-numbered years. The center supplies services to the individual school districts in the county and exercises some limited control over the class of school districts known as "local school districts." ("City school districts" and "exempted village school districts" are free from any oversight by the county board.) Counties also have a board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to educate disabled children. The members of this board are appointed. Elections are administered in each county by a four-member board of elections which consists of two Republicans and two Democrats appointed by the Ohio Secretary of State at the recommendation of each county party. The board employs a director, who must be of the opposing political party of the chairman of the board of elections, and a deputy director, who must be of the political party of the chairman of the board. The county has a court of common pleas, which is the court of first instance for felonies and certain high-value civil cases. All judges in Ohio are elected to six-year terms in non-partisan elections after being nominated in partisan primaries. See also Ohio county government.

Municipalities and census-designated places

- Catawba
- Clifton
- Crystal Lakes
- Donnelsville
- Enon

- Green Meadows
- Holiday Valley
- Lawrenceville
- Medway

- New Carlisle
- North Hampton
- Northridge
- Park Layne

- South Charleston
- South Vienna
- Springfield
- Tremont City

Education

Public School Districts

- Clark-Shawnee Local School District
- Shawnee High School, Springfield (the Braves)
- Greenon Local School District
- Greenon High School, Springfield (the Knights)
- Northeastern Local School District
- Kenton Ridge High School, Springfield (the Cougars)
- Northeastern High School, Springfield (the Jets)
- Northwestern Local School District
- Northwestern High School, Springfield (the Warriors)
- Southeastern Local Schools
- Southeastern High School, South Charleston (the Trojans)
- Springfield City School District
- North High School, Springfield (the Panthers)
- South High School, Springfield (the Wildcats)
- Tecumseh Local School District
- Tecumseh High School, New Carlisle (the Arrows)

External link

- [http://www.co.clark.oh.us/ Clark County Government's website]
- [http://www.springfieldohio.net/ The Network of Springfield, Ohio] ---- Category:Ohio counties

2000

This article is about the year 2000. For other uses of 2000, see 2000 (number) or 2000 (breakdancing move). 2000 (MM) is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. Popular culture also holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium. By strict interpretation of the Gregorian Calendar, however, this distinction falls to the year 2001. This is due to the fact that the first century began with the year 1, and there does not exist a year zero. The first century (or first 100 years AD) was from January 1, in the year one (1 AD) through December 31, in the year one-hundred (100 AD). The second century began on January 1, in the year one-hundred and one (101 AD). The year 2000 is also marked as:
- The International Year for a Culture of Peace.
- The World Mathematical Year. See also Wikipedia's almanac of events for this year.

Events

January

- January 1 - Millennium celebrations take place throughout the world. Y2K passes without the serious, widespread computer failures and malfunctions that had been predicted.
- January 5-January 8 - The 2000 al-Qaida Summit
- January 6 - The last remaining Pyrenean Ibex is found dead.
- January 10 - America On-line announces an agreement to buy Time Warner for $162 billion. This is the largest-ever corporate merger.
- January 11 - the armed wing of Islamic Salvation Front concludes its negotiations with the government for an amnesty and disbands in Algeria.
- January 11 - The trawler Solway Harvester sinks off the Isle of Man.
- January 14 - A United Nations tribunal sentences five Bosnian Croats up to 25 years for the 1993 killing of over 100 Bosnian Muslims in a Bosnian village.
- January 16 - In Sacramento, California a commercial truck carrying evaporated milk is driven into the state capitol building killing the driver.
- January 24 - God's Army, Karen militia group led by twins Johnny and Luther Htoo, take 700 hostages at a Thai hospital near the Burmese border.
- January 30 - St. Louis Rams 23 defeat the Tennessee Titans 16 to win the Super_Bowl_XXXIV
- January 30 - Off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya Airways Flight 431 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, killing 169. Within a day, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashes off the California coast into the Pacific Ocean, killing 88.
- January 31 - Dr. Harold Shipman in sentenced to life in prison for murder of at least 15 of his patients out of 365 suspected victims.

February

- February 4 - German extortionist Klaus-Peter Sabotta is jailed for life for attempted murder and extortion in connection with sabotage of German railway lines.
- February 6 - Tarja Halonen is elected the first Finnish female president.
- February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published.
- February 14 - The spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker entered orbit around asteroid 433 Eros, the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid.

March

- March 1 - The Constitution of Finland is rewritten.
- March 2 - Hans Blix assumes the position of Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC.
- March 8 - Tokyo train disaster.
- March 9 - FBI arrests suspected purveyor of art forgeries, Ely Sakhai, in New York City.
- March 10 - The NASDAQ Composite Index reaches an all-time high of 5048. ([http://dynamic.nasdaq.com/dynamic/IndexChart.asp?symbol=IXIC&desc=NASDAQ+Composite&sec=nasdaq&site=nasdaq&months=84])
- March 18 - 2000 Taiwanese presidential election: Chen Shui-bian is elected President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
- March 20 - Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a former Black Panther, is captured after gun battle that left a sheriff's deputy dead.
- March 21 - Pope John Paul II began the first office visit by a Roman Catholic pontiff to Israel.
- March 21 - US Supreme Court ruled the goverment lacked authority to regulate tobacco as an addictive drug, throwing out the Clinton administration's main anti-smoking initiative.
- March 26 - Presidential elections in Russia: Vladimir Putin elected President.
- March 30 - America's Cup 2000 retained by Team New Zealand near Auckland. Prada Challenge 2000 lost 0-5 in a "best-of-9".

April

April.]]
- April 1 - Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi suffers a stroke and falls into a coma.
- April 3 - United States v. Microsoft: Microsoft is ruled to have violated United States antitrust laws by keeping "an oppressive thumb" on its competitors.
- April 5 - Yoshiro Mori replaces Obuchi as prime minister of Japan.
- April 7 - Attack submarine ex-Trepang completes being recycled.
- April 16 - Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, Raja of Perlis dies after a reign of 55 years. He was the longest reigning monarch in the world since the death of Prince Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein.
- April 17 - Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin becomes Raja of Perlis.
- April 22 - In a predawn raid, federal agents seize six-year old Elián González from his relatives' home in Miami, Florida and fly him to his Cuban father in Washington, DC ending one of the most publicized custody battles in US history.
- April 25 - The State of Vermont passes HB847, legalizing Civil Unions for same-sex couples.

May

- May 3 - A rare conjunction occurs on the New Moon including all seven of the traditional celestial bodies known from ancient times up until 1781 with the discovery of Uranus. The May 2000 conjunction consisted of: the Sun and Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
- May 3 - Computer pioneer Datapoint Corporation files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
- May 12 - The Tate Modern opens in London.
- May 13 - In Enschede a heavy fireworks explosion kills 20 and leaves an entire neighborhood in ruins.
- May 18 - Boo.com collapses due to lack of funds after six months.
- May 25 - Israel withdraws IDF troops from southern Lebanon after 22 years.
- May 28 - The volcano Mount Cameroon erupts.

June

- June 1 - Mark Mendlan, professional wrestler known by his ring name "Kid Gorgeous," is killed while wrestling at a show in New Hampshire.
- June 7 - U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson of the 4th circuit ordered the breakup of Microsoft Corp.
- June 10 - The New Jersey Devils defeat the Dallas Stars 4 games to 2 to win the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals.
- June 10 - The 2000 European Football Championship begins, hosted jointly by Belgium and the Netherlands.
- June 21 - Section 28, a law preventing the promotion of homosexuality is repealed by the Scottish Parliament.
- June 23 - Palace Backpackers Hostel fire in Childers, Queensland, Australia, kills 15 people.
- June 30 - During a set of the band Pearl Jam at the Roskilde Festival near Copenhagen, 9 die and 26 are injured in the crowd.

July

July
- July 2 - France beat Italy 2-1 to win the 2000 European Football Championship with a golden goal.
- July 2 - Presidential election of Mexico. Vicente Fox wins the Presidency as candidate of the rightist PAN (National Action Party).
- July 10 - In southern Nigeria, a leaking petroleum pipeline explodes killing about 250 villagers who were scavenging gasoline
- July 10 - Death of Denis O Conor Donn, died 10th July 2000, aged 88; succeded by his son, Desmond as The O Connor Donn
- July 18 - Alex Salmond resigns as the leader of the Scottish National Party
- July 25 - A Concorde carrying Air France Flight 4590 crashes just after takeoff from Paris killing all 109 aboard and 5 on the ground.

August

- August 1 - The Santa Cruz Operation announced that it will sell its Server Software and Services Divisions, as well as UnixWare and OpenServer technologies, to Caldera Systems,Inc.
- August 8 - Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor.
- August 12 - The Russian submarine Kursk sinks in the Barents Sea, resulting in the deaths of all 118 men on board.
- August 14 - The first comic of Megatokyo goes online. This webcomic will later become one of the most popular comics on the web (in terms of page views) and spawn numerous imitators.
- August 25 - the Emulex hoax - wire services publish fraudulent bad news about Emulex
- August 27 - The Ostankino Tower in Moscow catches fire, three people are killed.

September

- September 5 - Tuvalu joins the United Nations.
- September 6 - In New York City, the United Nations Millennium Summit begins with more than 180 world leaders present.
- September 6 - The last wholly Swedish-owned arms manufacturer, Bofors, is sold to American arms manufacturer United Defense
- September 7–14 - The UK fuel protests take place, with refineries blockaded, and supply to the country's network of petrol stations halted.
- September 8 - Albania officially joins the World Trade Organization.
- September 15 - The 2000 Summer Olympics are opened in Sydney, Australia.
- September 16 - Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze is last seen alive; this day is taken as the commemoration date of his death.
- September 24 - The American Family Association begins lobbying the U.S. Congress to eradicate the National Endowment for the Arts for funding the controversial book One of the Guys by Robert Clark Young
- September 26 - Anti-globalization protests in Prague (some 15,000 protesters) turned violent during the IMF and World Bank summits.
- September 28 - Ariel Sharon leads several hundred armed Israelis in a visit to the Temple Mount. Palestinian civil disorder increases into the Al-Aqsa Intifada.
- September 29 - The Long Kesh prison in Northern Ireland is closed.

October

- October 2 NBC Today Show expanded it to three hours (7:00–10:00 A.M. Eastern Time/Pacific Time; 6:00–9:00 A.M. Central Time/Mountain Time)
- October 5 - President Slobodan Milošević leaves office after widespread demonstrations throughout Serbia and the withdrawal of Russian support.
- October 11 - 250 million gallons of coal sludge spill in Martin County, Kentucky. Considered a greater environmental disaster than the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
- October 12 - In Aden, Yemen, the USS Cole is badly damaged by two suicide bombers who placed a small boat laden with explosives along-side the United States Navy destroyer, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 39.
- October 21 15 Arab leaders convened in Cairo, Egypt, for their first summit in four years; the Libyan delegation walked out, angry over signs the summit would stop short of calling for breaking ties with Israel.
- October 22 – Mainichi Shinbun exposes Japanese archeologist Shinichi Fujimura as a fraud; Japanese archaeologists had based their treatises of his findings.
- October 26 - Pakistani authorities announce that their police have found an apparently ancient mummy of a persian princess in the province of Baluchistan. Iran, Pakistan and the Taliban all claim the mummy until Pakistan announces it is a forgery in April 17 2001
- October 31 - Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment in the Chiang Kai Shek International Airport - 83 dead.
- October 31 - The last Jeremy clone has shut down.

November

November
- November - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq rejects new U.N. Security Council weapons inspections proposals
- November 1 - Yugoslavia's new democratic government joined the United Nations after eight years of U.N. ostracism under former strongman Slobodan Milosevic.
- November 3 - Widespread flooding throughout England and Wales after days of heavy rain
- November 4 - President Clinton vetoed a bill that would have criminalized the leaking of government secrets.
- November 7 - U.S. presidential election, 2000: Republican challenger George W. Bush defeats Democrat Vice President Al Gore, but the final outcome is not known for over a month because of disputed votes in Florida.
- November 7 - Criminal gang raids the Millennium Dome to steal The Millennium Star diamond but police surveillance catches them in the act
- November 7 - Hillary Rodham Clinton is elected to the United States Senate, becoming the first First Lady of the United States to win public office
- November 11 - Kaprun disaster, Austria, where 155 skiers and snowboarders die when a cable car catches fire in an alpine tunnel.
- November 13 - Richard C. Duncan presents his paper, "The Peak Of World Oil Production And The Road To The Olduvai Gorge", on the Olduvai theory (about the collapse of the industrial civilization), at the Summit 2000 Pardee Keynote Symposia of the Geological Society of America)
- November 14 - Netscape version 6.0 is launched following two years of open source development creating a stable Mozilla web browser upon which it is based
- November 16 - Bill Clinton becomes the first sitting US President to visit Vietnam
- November 17 - Catastrophical landslide in Log pod Mangartom,Slovenia, kills 7, and causes millions of SIT of damage. It is one of the worst catastrophies in Slovenia in the past 100 years.
- November 17 - Alberto Fujimori is removed from office as president of Peru
- November 27 - Canada - Parliamentary elections - Jean Chrétien re-elected as Prime Minister as Liberal Party increases majority in House of Commons
- November 28 - Ukrainian politician Oleksander Moroz touches off the Cassette Scandal by publicly accusing President Leonid Kuchma of involvement in the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze.

December

- December 1 - Mexico - Vicente Fox becomes the first opposition President to take office since Francisco I. Madero in 1911. He wins the Presidency as candidate of the rightist PAN (National Action Party).
- December 28 - U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announces it is going out of business after 128 years.
- December 30 - Rizal Day Bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines, within a span of a few hours killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.

Unknown Date

- Limited reintroduction of routinely armed police in the UK for the first time since 1936.
- Scientists at University of Szeged's laboratory were first in the world to produce artificial heredity material.
- Millie I. Webb elected president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Births

- February 23 - Max & Sam Christy, American actors
- March 15- Amy and Emily Walton, English actresses
- April 25 - Jacob & Joshua Rips, American actors
- October 6 - Amanda Pace, American actress
- October 20 - Cooper and Oliver Guynes, American actors
- November 8 - Madison and Marissa Poer, actresses

Deaths

January

- January 2 - Patrick O'Brian, English writer (b. 1914)
- January 15 - Fran Ryan, American actress (b. 1916)
- January 19 - Bettino Craxi, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1934)
- January 19 - Hedy Lamarr, Austrian actress (b. 1913)

February

- February 9 - Beau Jack, American boxer (b. 1921)
- February 11 - Roger Vadim, French film director (b. 1928)
- February 12 - Jalacy "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins, American musician (b. 1929)
- February 12 - Tom Landry, American football coach (b. 1924)
- February 12 - Charles M. Schulz, American comic strip artist (b. 1921)
- February 23 - Sir Stanley Matthews, English footballer (b. 1915)

April

- April 6 - Habib Bourguiba, President of Tunisia (b. 1903)
- April 16 - Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, King of Malaysia (b. 1920)
- April 25 - David Merrick, American stage producer (b. 1911)
- April 29 - Phạm Văn Ðồng, Prime Minister of Vietnam (b. 1906)

May

- May 11 - Paula Wessely, Austrian actress (b. 1907)
- May 12 - Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)
- May 14 - Keizo Obuchi, Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1937)
- May 17 - Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1909)
- May 19 - Yevgeny Khrunov, cosmonaut

Speedway SuperAmerica

Speedway SuperAmerica LLC is a brand name of a chain of combination gas stations and convenience stores in the United States of America. It is a subsidiary of the Marathon Petroleum Company. It was formed from the merger of Speedway and SuperAmerica chains. Speedway SuperAmerica has also acquired various other smaller regional gas station chains, including Starvin' Marvin's, Gastown, Wake Up, and others. Speedway SuperAmerica is headquartered in Enon, Ohio.

External links

- [http://www.speedway.com Speedway]
- [http://www.superamerica.com SuperAmerica] Category:Oil companies of the United States Category:Convenience stores

Gas station

A filling station, gas station or petrol station is a facility that sells fuel and lubricants for road motor vehicles – usually gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel. Some stations carry specialty fuels like liquified petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, or kerosene. In recent times filling stations have added shops to their primary business and convenience stores are now a familiar sight alongside pumps. The term "gas station" is mostly particular to the United States and Canada, where petrol is known as "gas" or "gasoline." Elsewhere the form "petrol station," "petrol pump," or the old-fashioned term "petrol garage" is used. In Australia, the term service station ("servo") describes any petrol station. American filling stations usually have a mechanic on duty, but this is uncommon in other parts of the world.

History of American filling stations

As automobiles became popular in the United States, the need for gas stations arose. The mass-production techniques for automobiles by Henry Ford allowed consumers to purchase cars at an affordable price. This increase in car ownership resulted in a greater demand for filling stations. The first gas station was built in 1907 by Standard Oil of California (now ChevronTexaco) and were known to motorists as "filling stations. Standard Oil began erecting roadside signs of their logos as advertising for their gas stations.

Historical stations

Weaver’s Antique Service Station

Types of filling stations in the US

Weaver’s Antique Service Station There are generally two types of filling stations in the US: premium and discount brands. Gas stations with premium brands are often international brands that include Esso, Exxon, Chevron, Mobil, Shell, Sinclair, BP, and Texaco. Non-international premium brands include Petro-Canada and Pemex. They accept credit cards and often issue their own company cards. These stations often charge higher prices. However, the stations are numerous in locations with more pumps available. They are also tend to be more modern, cleaner and with brighter lighting. For ease and convenience, these stations where possible have fully automated pay-at-the-pump facilities. Premium gas stations tend to be highly visible from highway and freeway exits as they use tall signs to display their logos. Discount brands are often smaller regional chains or independent stations that offer lower prices on gasoline. Most purchase wholesale gasoline from independent suppliers or even the aforementioned major petroleum companies. In some cases, discount brands typically accept cash only and some may accept credit cards. The customer would have to walk inside the store or up to the window to pay and obtain a receipt later. Many discount stations have few locations and, in some cases, appear outdated (i.e., non-digital readouts on pumps) and rundown. In addition, these discount gas stations are often located well away from the highway and freeway exits; many are obscurely tucked away in commercial and residential neighborhoods. An exception to these trends is the discount brand ARCO (part of BP), which has a combination of modern and dilapidated stations. Examples of discount gas station chains in the USA are Valero, Rotten Robbie, and USA Gasoline. Lower price gas stations are also found at some supermarkets (Albertsons, Kroger, and Vons), convenience stores (7-Eleven), mass merchandise stores (Wal-Mart) and membership warehouse stores (Costco, Sam's Club, and BJ's). At some stations (such as Vons, Wal-Mart, Costco, BJ's, or Sam's Club), a special membership card is required to receive the discounted price.

Filling stations outside the US

Some countries have only one brand of petrol station. In Mexico, where the oil industry is nationalized (state-owned) and prices are regulated the country's main operator of petrol stations is called Pemex. In Scandinavia the main operator is Statoil. In Malaysia, Petronas is the dominant player and is also moving overseas targetting to become a multinational brand. Most multinational brands such as EssoMobil, Shell use their brand worldwide except Chevron which use its inherited brand Caltex in Asia Pacific, Australia and Africa and its Texaco brand in Europe and Latin America.

Price at the pump

Gasoline prices in North America

Texaco Nearly all filling stations in North America advertise their often-changing prices on large signs which is typical of the very competitive market. In the United States and Canada, federal, state/provincial and local sales taxes are usually included in the price. Gas taxes are often meant to fund transportation projects such as the maintenance of existing roads and construction of new ones. In the United States, the states of California and Hawaii have the highest prices of gasoline. In Canada, prices are the highest in the provinces of British Columbia and Québec and the lowest in the oil-producing province of Alberta. The provinces of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland have laws regulating the price of gasoline. At times, PEI will actually have the lowest cost of gas in the country due to this. Individual gas stations in the United States do not have much control over gasoline prices. The wholesale price of gasoline is determined according to area by oil companies supplying the gasoline, and their prices are largely determined by the world markets for oil. Individual gas stations are unlikely to sell gasoline at a loss, and the margin typically between 7 to 11 cents a gallon that they make from gasoline sales is limited by the fact that gasoline is a commodity and a gas station which charges significantly more than the wholesale price will lose customers to other gas stations. Because of this, most gas stations sell higher-margin food products inside their convenience stores. Boycotts against individual gas stations to protest against perceived high gas prices have largely failed. During many holiday weekends, when American road travel is at its peak, gas prices tend to soar and then drop as the holidays come to a close; this is due to the fluctuation in demand. Even with oil market fluctuations, prices for gasoline in the United States are among the lowest in the industrialized world; this is principally due to difference in taxes. While the price of gasoline in Europe is more than twice that in the United States, the price of gas excluding taxes is nearly identical in the two areas. It is not unheard of for Canadians and Mexicans close to the US border to drive into the United States to purchase cheaper gasoline at gas stations in border communities.

Petrol prices in Europe

holiday] In European Union (EU) member states, gas prices are much higher than North America due to higher fuel excise or taxation, although the base price is also higher than in the US. The high fuel prices can be unpopular (particularly after inflationary or retail increases), and have led to harsh criticism of taxation policy from some quarters. Occasionally there are some national protests, although in the UK a large scale protest in the summer of 2000, known as 'The Fuel Crisis', caused wide-scale havoc not only across the UK, but also in some other EU countries. The British government eventually backed down by indefinitely postponing a planned increase in fuel duty.

Petrol prices elsewhere

In other energy-importing countries like Japan, petrol costs are higher than in the United States because of fuel transportation costs or taxes. On the other hand, some of the major oil producing countries such as Iran, Venezuela, or Indonesia provide subsidized petrol at well below market prices. This has the tendency of encouraging inefficient consumption. Hong Kong has some of the highest pump prices in the world but most customers are given discounts as card members which are also some of the deepest in the world.

Features of gas stations in the US

Payment methods

In small towns and rural areas, gas stations generally allow customers to pump gas first and pay afterwards. Due to the higher incidence of crime in large urban areas (especially driving away without paying), customers must generally pay first and then pump fuel. Modern gas stations have pay-at-the-pump capabilities – in most cases credit, debit and ATM cards are normally accepted. At some stations, cash is also taken at the pump, although change must be collected by going to a cashier window which is often bulletproof.

Full service versus self service

Traditionally most United States filling stations have offered a choice between full service -- in which an attendant operates the pumps, often checks the vehicle's oil and wipes the windshield, and then collects payment (and perhaps a small tip) -- and self service, in which the customer pumps the gas. Until the 1970s full service was the norm, and self service was rare. Nowadays not all stations offer full service and those that do charge more for the full-service fuel. It is also less common for the attendant to offer to check the oil, although most will still do so (and even check tire air) on request. 1970s All stations in New Jersey and Oregon, however, are full service; attendants are required to pump gas because customers are explicitly barred by statutes in both states from pumping their own gas. Both states prohibited self service back in the 1940s due to fears that foolish customers would handle gasoline improperly. Although modern gas pumps are largely very safe, and smoking is going out of style, both states have retained their existing statutes as a kind of full employment measure. The constitutionality of the full service statutes has been challenged. The Oregon statute was challenged in 1989 by ARCO and the New Jersey statute was challenged in 1950 by a small independent service station, Rein Motors. Both challenges failed. Interestingly, in both New Jersey and Oregon, it is legal for customers to pump their own diesel (although not every station permits diesel customers to do so; truck stops typically do). The rationale is that diesel has a much higher flash point and is thus safer.

Other goods and services commonly available

Many gas stations are also convenience stores that sell food, beverages, cigarettes, lottery tickets, motor oil, and sometimes auto parts, among other things. Prices for these items and others tend to be higher at convenience stores when compared to a supermarket or discount store. In many US states beer, wine, and liquor are sold in gas stations, though this varies according to state law. Some states such as Massachusetts do not allow any alcohol to be sold in a gas station, while Nevada allows the sale of beer, wine, and liquor--even the operation of slot and video poker machines at a gas station. Many gas stations also provide squeegees, towels, and toilet facilities for customer use, but a large number of discount gas stations do not provide these amenities. As with many public facilities the world over, the cleanliness and standards of gas station toilet facilities vary. Many gas stations have air compressors with tire gauges and water machines. Some machines are free of charge and some charge a small fee to use (usually 25 cents to US$1). In many states of the US, free air must be provided for paying customers as required by law. In most cases, a token provided by the attendant is used in lieu of coins. Some gas stations are equipped with car washes. Car washes are sometimes free of charge or given a discounted price with a certain amount of gas purchase. Conversely, car washes operate a gas station to supplement their businesses. There are a number of gas stations with a smaller fast food outlet inside, such as McDonald's, Jack in the Box, Pizza Hut, Sbarro, Taco Bell, or Wendy's. They are usually express versions with limited seating and limited menus, though some may be regular-sized and have spacious seating. In Canada, it is common to find a small Tim Hortons outlet inside gas stations.

Service stations

Tim Hortons In the US, a filling station that also offers such services as oil change and mechanical repairs to automobiles is called a service station. Until the 1970s the vast majority of gas stations were service stations; now only a minority are. This kind of business provided the name for the U.S. comic strip Gasoline Alley, where a number of the characters worked. In the UK, a 'service station' refers to much larger facilities, usually attached to motorways (see Motorway service area (UK)) or major trunk routes, which provide food outlets, large parking areas, and often other services, such as hotels, arcade games, and shops in addition to 24-hour fuel supplies and a higher standard of restrooms (UK: toilets). Fuel is typically more expensive from these outlets due to their premium location. UK service stations do not usually repair automobiles. In parts of the US this arrangement occurs on some toll roads and is called an oasis or rest area. In many cases, these centers might have a food court or cafeteria, In the US, the Travel Centers of America is one of the largest full-service chains. In many states (e.g., California), such configurations are illegal or against public policy. Often, the state government maintains public rest areas directly connected to freeways but does not rent out space to private businesses. As a result, such areas often provide only minimal services like restrooms and vending machines. In turn, private entrepreneurs develop additional facilities like restaurants, gas stations, and motels in hodgepodge clusters on private land adjacent to major interchanges. Because these facilities are not directly connected to the freeway, they usually have huge signs on poles several hundred feet high. This way, travelers will be able to spot them several minutes in advance and exit accordingly. Sometimes, the state will also post small official signs (normally blue) indicating what types of gas stations or restaurants are available at an upcoming exit, and businesses can add their logo for a fee.

Octane

In the United States, all gasoline is unleaded and is available in several grades, which are differentiated by octane rating: 87 (Regular), 89 (Super Unleaded), 91 (Premium) are typical grades. In certain regions, fuels rated at 92 and 93 Octane can also be found. Minimum octane levels are often lower in the Mountain States, where regular unleaded can be rated as low as 85 octane. A lower octane fuel is sufficient in the Mountain States because the higher altitute in these states reduces the need for a higher octane fuel. Fuels in the U.S. are described in terms of their "Pump Octane", which is the average of "RON" (Research Octane Number) and "Motor Octane Number". Labels on gasoline pumps in the U.S. typically describe this as the "(R+M)/2 Method". Some nations describe fuels according to the traditional "RON" or "MON" ratings, so Octane ratings cannot always be compared with the equivalent U.S. rating by the "(R+M)/2 method". In most of Europe, petrol is unleaded and available in 95 (Eurosuper) and 98 (Super Plus) octanes; in some countries 91 octane petrol is offered as well. Some stations offer 98 RON with lead substitute. In the UK, leaded 99/100 RON petrol has been reintroduced (legally) on a very limited basis for use by classic car enthusiasts and racers by the independent oil company Bayford Thrust (also the UK licensees of the famous Gulf Oil brand).

Differences in gas/petrol Dispensers

In Europe, the customer selects one of several color coded nozzles depending on the type of fuel required. The filler pipe of unleaded fuel is smaller than the one for leaded (substitute) ones. The tank filler opening has a corresponding diameter. This is to prevent filling the tank with the wrong fuel. Leaded fuel damages the catalytic converter. In some European countries, leaded fuel is no longer generally available, or LRP (lead replacement fuel) may be the only such fuel available. In most stations in the USA and Canada, the pump usually has a single nozzle and the customer selects the desired octane grade by pushing a button. Some pumps require the customer to first pick up the nozzle, then lift a lever underneath it. Others are designed so that lifting the nozzle automatically releases a switch. Some older stations do still have separate nozzles for different types of fuel. Also, where diesel fuel is provided, it is usually dispensed from a separate nozzle even if the various grades of gasoline share the same nozzle. An emerging problem in Europe is motorists mistakenly putting gasoline into a diesel car (the converse is almost impossible because diesel pumps have a large nozzle which does not fit the filler, and diesel in a petrol engine, while creating spectacular amounts of smoke, does not normally cause permanent damage if it is drained once the mistake is realised). Even a gallon of petrol added to the tank of a modern diesel car can cause irreversible damage to the injection pump and other components through a lack of lubrication. In some cases the car has to be scrapped because the cost of repairs exceeds its value. The issue is not clear-cut as older diesels using completely mechanical injection can tolerate some gasoline - which has historically been used to "thin" the fuel in winter.

Smoking, static electricity and mobile phone use

It is forbidden to use open flame and, in some places, a mobile phone on the forecourt of a gas station. This is because of the risk of igniting gasoline vapour. The safety issue with mobile phones, however, is disputed. While mobile phones can distract people and increase the chance of an accident occurring, there is no significant danger from the radio waves emitted. In fact, many petrol station display towers in the UK act as relay transmitters for the mobile phone networks. Although it has been claimed that a faulty mobile phone can cause sparks or a build-up of static electricity in the user, this was never shown conclusively, and one is more likely to get a spark from wearing nylon clothing than from a mobile phone [http://bbcworld.com/content/clickonline_archive_44_2004.asp?pageid=666&co_pageid=3]. Also, the static charge acquired by a person as he leaves the car (due to triboelectric charging from friction between the persons clothing and the car seat) is thought to be the culprit in a great deal of fires which occur during refuelling. Usually, when a person leaves the car they must open either the gas cap and door covering it, thus dissipating any static charge through a small shock as they are "grounded" to the car's metal body. However, if the person has set the pump to continue filling automatically, returns to the car, then leaves the car again to check the pump before it has fully stopped, an explosion could easily result. This is because after they have left the car for the second time, they are likely remain electrically charged up to the point they touch the nozzle, at which point the concentrated vapour expelled from the tank can be ignited by sparks jumping from the person's hand to the nozzle. It is therefore always good practice, especially in arid climates, to safely ground oneself by touching any part of the car away from the gas tank port before filling the tank or touching the filling nozzle. The effect has also been noted in several instances where portable gasoline tanks were filled in the back of a pickup truck which had a plastic "bed liner". These tanks should always be removed from the vehicle and filled while on the ground.

Miscellany

Gas station maps

U.S.A. gas stations previously offered free road maps as a strategy to build brand loyalty, but the oil companies stopped distributing free maps in the 1970s. Currently, stations sell maps produced by the American Automobile Association (AAA), Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), and other auto clubs in the world, as well as professional mapmaking firms like Rand McNally and tiremakers like Michelin.

Gas stations in film and TV

- The Andy Griffith Show - In the show, Gomer Pyle and his cousin Goober are gas station attendants and mechanics.
- Back to the Future & Back to the Future Part II - Three versions of Texaco stations (i.e., product placement) are shown: a contemporary self-serve station (1980s), a 1950s version with several full service attendants, and a futuristic version where a fully-automated station services flying cars.
- Breakdown - Kurt Russell's character is adding oil to his Jeep at a Texaco station when he meets his "redneck" antagonist.
- Christine - a service station is the setting where the villains who smash Arnie Cunningham's Plymouth Fury meet their demise.
- Corner Gas - A Canadian sitcom set primarily around the only gas station in a small town in Saskatchewan.
- Nothing to Lose - Tim Robbins' character daydreams while pumping gas before realizing he's overfilled too much gas in his SUV. In other scenes, several gas stations are robbed.
- RoboCop - A bookish Shell gas station attendant is robbed at gunpoint. RoboCop appears on the scene. Later, the station ends up in a fiery explosion.
- The 1996 adaptation of Romeo + Juliet begins with a conflict at a station.
- South Park uses a character,Starvin' Marvin, named after the Starvin' Marvin gas station.
- Zoolander - Three characters die in a "freak gasoline-fight accident" at a gas station.

Well-known gasoline/petrol station brands

- Agip — Germany and Italy
- Aral — BP's brand in Germany, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic.
- ARCO — BP's brand on the US West Coast and in British Columbia, Canada
- ASDA — United Kingdom
- BP — International, except Germany, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, US West Coast and British Colombia
- Caltex (Texaco) — Asia and Australia
- Challenge — New Zealand
- Chevron — US and British Columbia, Canada
- Citgo — US
- Emo — Ireland
- Eneos — Japan and China
- Esso — International
- Gasoline Alley Services (G.A.S)— New Zealand
- Galp — Portugal
- Gull — Eastern US, Australia, New Zealand (North Island)
- Gulf Oil — US, United Kingdom, Netherlands, India
- Hess — Northeast US
- Husky — Canada
- Idemitsu — Japan
- Ipiranga — Brasil
- Irving — eastern Canada
- Maxol — Ireland
- ExxonMobil (Merger of Exxon and Mobil) — International
- Murphy USA/Murco — US [in association with WalMart] and United Kingdom
- Pemex — Mexico
- Petrobras — Brasil
- Petro-Canada — Canada
- PetroChina— China
- Petrol Ofisi, PO — Turkey
- Phillips 66 — US [Now known as Conoco Phillips]
- Q8 — International
- Quiktrip — Midwest and Southern US
- Sainsbury's — United Kingdom
- Sinopec — China
- Shell (main brand of Royal Dutch Shell) — International
- Speedway SuperAmerica — US
- Sheetz — Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.
- Sunoco — US and Canada
- Sinclair — Western and Southern US
- Statoil — Norway, Ireland, and 7 other countries
- Starvin' Marvin's — US
- Tesco — United Kingdom and Ireland
- Texaco — International
- TOP— Ireland
- Total — France and United Kingdom
- Ultramar — US and Canada
- Union 76 — Western US
- Valero — Southern US (Recently acquired Diamond Shamrock)
- Wawa — Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey

External links

- [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/24/AR2005092400255_pf.html Petrol station cost structure]
- [http://www.e-personalfinances.com/?cat=24 Why are gas prices so high?]
- [http://www.e-personalfinances.com/?cat=25 Gas saving tips]
- [http://www.keeptrackofit.com KeepTrackOfIt] - Updated daily gasoline prices in the United States and Canada using Google Maps
- [http://www.gaspricewatch.com GasPriceWatch] - Latest gasoline prices in the United States and Canada
- [http://www.gasbuddy.com GasBuddy] - Portal to a network of local gas price sites
- [http://www.fuelmeup.com Fuel Me Up] - Gas prices site
- [http://www.egasrate.com eGasRate] - Local gas prices
- [http://www.gassigns.org Gasoline Signs] - Signs and logos of gas stations in the United States
- [http://gaswatch.energy.gov U.S. Department of Energy's Gas Price Watch Hotline] - A US government site to report alleged gas price gouging in the United States.
- [http://www.coolstock.com/public/images_pub.php?sectionid=-2&pagenum=1&picsperpage=12&bool_search=Y&query=gas+station Gasoline Station Photographs] - Vintage gas station and fuel dispenser photography, link courtesy of [http://www.coolstock.com Coolstock]
- [http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb199394.htm Petrol Station Management Software] - Future Trends in Petrol Retail Outlet Automation and Software solution for Petrol Pump with Services Station and Convenience stores.
- [http://chi.vibary.net/WebDigest/digmain.asp?d=GASOdir Find a service stations in Illinois] from the [http://chi.vibary.net/ Chicagoland Vibary Network] category:Distribution, retailing, and wholesaling Category:fuels Category:Petroleum ja:ガソリンスタンド

National Road

.]] The National Road or Cumberland Road was one of the first major improved highways in the United States, built by the Federal Government. Construction began in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland on the Potomac River, and the road reached Wheeling, West Virginia on the Ohio River in 1818. Plans were made to continue through St. Louis, Missouri on the Mississippi River to Jefferson City, Missouri, but funding ran out and construction stopped at Vandalia, Illinois in 1839. A chain of turnpikes connecting Baltimore, Maryland to the National Road at Cumberland was completed in 1824, forming what is somewhat erroneously referred to as an eastern extension of the National Road. In 1835 the road east of Wheeling was turned over to the states for operation as a turnpike, and came to be known as the National Pike, a name also applied to the Baltimore extension. The approximately 620-mile (1000 km) road provided a portage between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and a gateway to the West for thousands of settlers. It was the first road in the U.S. to use the new Macadam road surfacing. Today the alignment is followed by U.S. Highway 40 with only minor realignments. The full road, as well as its extensions east to Baltimore and west to St. Louis, was designated "The Historic National Road", an All-American Road, by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta in 2002. [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pressroom/fhwa0227.htm]

History

The Braddock Road had been opened by the Ohio Company in 1751 between Cumberland, Maryland, the limit of navigation on the Potomac River, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the beginning of the Ohio River. It received its name during the French and Indian War when it was used by General Braddock and George Washington (the Braddock expedition). Construction of the Cumberland Road (National Road) was authorized on March 29, 1806 by President Thomas Jefferson. The Cumberland Road would replace the Braddock Road for travel between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers, following roughly the same alignment until east of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. From there, where the Braddock Road turned north to Pittsburgh, the Cumberland Road would continue west to Wheeling, West Virginia (then part of Virginia), also on the Ohio River. Costruction of the new Macadam road began on November 20, 1811 at Cumberland, and the road reached Wheeling on August 1, 1818. On May 15, 1820 Congress authorized an extension to St. Louis, Missouri, connecting it directly to the Mississippi River, and on March 3, 1825 to Jefferson City, Missouri. Work on the extension utilized the pre-exisiting Zane's Trace between Wheeling and Zanesville, Ohio, and was completed to Columbus, Ohio in 1833 and Springfield, Ohio in 1838. On April 1, 1835 the section east of Wheeling was transferred to the states, which made it a turnpike. The last Congressional appropriation was made May 25, 1838, and in 1840 Congress voted against completing the road, with the deciding vote cast by Henry Clay. By that time railroads were proving a better method of transportation; the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road was being built for the same purpose - connecting Baltimore via Cumberland to Wheeling. Construction stopped in 1839, and much of the road through Indiana and Illinois remained unfinished, later transferred to the states. In 1912 the National Road was chosen to become part of the National Old Trails Road, which would extend further east to New York City and west to San Francisco, California. Five Madonna of the Trail monuments were erected on the old National Road. In 1927 the road was designated part of U.S. Highway 40, which still follows the National Road with only minor realignments. Most of the road has been bypassed for through travel by Interstate 70, but between Hancock in western Maryland and Washington, Pennsylvania I-70 takes a more northerly path to reach the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Breezewood. The later Interstate 68 follows the old road from Hancock west to Keysers Ridge, Maryland, where the National Road and US 40 turn northwest into Pennsylvania. The whole of I-68 in Maryland has been designated the National Freeway. One of the original toll houses is preserved in La Vale, Maryland and another in Addison, Pennsylvania. Many of the old arch bridges also remain on former alignments. The Wheeling Suspension Bridge across the Ohio River, opened in 1849, also stands along the old road.

External links

- [http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/2278/ The Historic National Road], from the America's Byways website of the Federal Highway Administration
- [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/trailgal.htm The National Old Trails Road Photo Gallery]
- [http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/09/26/national.road.ap/index.html States promote America's Main Street], a September 2005 Associated Press article, via CNN

References

- [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/trailsc.htm The National Old Trails Road Part 1: The Quest for a National Road]
- [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/bankroad.htm Maryland's Bank Road] (Baltimore to Cumberland)
- [http://www.prrths.com/PRR_hagley_intro.htm PRR Chronology] Category:All-American Roads Category:Historic trails and roads in the United States Category:Historic civil engineering landmarks Category:portages Category:Cumberland, Maryland Category:Wheeling, West Virginia

Square kilometer

Square metre

Square mile

:This article is about the unit of measure. The Square Mile is a traditional name for the City of London in the United Kingdom. A square mile is the area equal to a square with sides each 1 mile long. It is not an SI unit. The SI unit of area is the square metre.

Symbol

There is no universally agreed symbol but the following are used:
- square mile
- sq mile
- sq mi
- sq m (this can be confused with square metre)
- mile²
- mi²

Conversions

1 square mile is equivalent to:
- 27 878 400 square feet
- 640 acres
- 2 589 988.11 square metres
- 2.589 988 11 square kilometres In the Public Land Survey System of the US and the Dominion Land Survey of Canada, the size of a standard section of land is one square mile.

Census

A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). It can be contrasted with sampling in which information is only obtained from a subset of a population. As such it is a method used for accumulating statistical data, and it is also vital to democracy (voting).

Ancient and medieval censuses

Rome conducted censuses to determine taxes (see Censor). The Bible relates stories of several censuses. The Book of Numbers describes a divinely-mandated census that occurred when Moses led the Israelites from Egypt. A later census called by King David of Israel, referred to as the "numbering of the people," incited divine retribution (for being militarily motivated or perhaps displaying lack of faith in God). A Roman census is also mentioned in one of the best known passages of the Bible in the Gospel of Luke. The world's oldest extant census comes from China during the Han Dynasty. Taken in the fall of 2 AD, it is considered by scholars to be quite accurate. At that time there were 57.5 million living in Han China, the world's largest population. The second oldest preserved census is also from the Han, dating back to 140 AD, when only a bit more than 48 million people were recorded. Mass migrations into what is today southern China are believed to be behind this massive demographic decline. In the Middle Ages, the most famous census is the Domesday Book, undertaken in 1086 by William I of England "to find out ... what or how much each landholder had in land and livestock, and what it was worth," so that he could properly tax the land he had recently conquered. In 1183, a census was taken of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, to ascertain the number of men and amount of money that could possibly be raised against an invasion by Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria.

Modern censuses

Australia

The Australian census is run by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It is carried out every five years, the last one being on August 7, 2001 and the next planned census is August 8, 2006.

Brazil

The Brazilian census is carried out by IBGE, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, every 10 years. The last one was in 2000.

Canada

The Canadian census is run by Statistics Canada. The first census conducted in Canada was conducted in 1666, by French intendant Jean Talon, when he took a census to ascertain the number of people living in New France. In 1871, Canada's first formal census was conducted, which counted the population of Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Quebec. In 1918, the Dominion Bureau of Statistics was formed. In 1971, Statistics Canada was formed to replace the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, and consequently, took over its census job. Censuses in Canada are conducted in five year intervals. The latest census was conducted in 2001 and the next planned census is 2006. Censuses taken in mid-decade (e.g. 1976, 1986, 1996, etc.) are referred to as quinquennial censuses. Others are referred to as decennial censuses. The first quinquennial census was conducted in 1956. See also: Canada 2001 Census

Costa Rica

Costa Rica carried out its 9th population census in 2000. INEC, National Institute of Statistics and Census is in charge of conduct these census. Past Costa Rican censuses were realized in 1864, 1883, 1892, 1927, 1950, 1963, 1973 and 1984.

Denmark

The first Danish census was in 1700-1701, and contained statistical information about adult men. Only about half of it still exists. A census of school children was taken during the 1730s. Following these early undertakings, the first census to attempt completely covering all citizens (including women and children who had previously been listed only as numbers) of Denmark-Norway was taken in 1769 [http://www.rhd.uit.no/census/ft1769.html]. At that point there were 797 584 citizens in the kingdom. Georg Christian Oeder took a statistical census in 1771 which covered Copenhagen, Sjælland, Møn, and Bornholm. After that, censuses followed somewhat regularly in 1787, 1801, and 1834, and between 1840 and 1860, the censuses were taken every five years, and then every ten years until 1890. Special censuses for Copenhagen were taken in 1885 and 1895. In the 20th century, censuses were taken every five years from 1901 to 1921, and then every ten years from 1930. The last census was taken in 1950. Currently, Det Centrale Personregister is doing the censuses using their register of Danish citizens. It is possible to search a portion of the Danish censuses online at [http://ddd.dda.dk/ Dansk Demografisk Database], and also view scanned versions at [http://www.arkivalieronline.dk/ Arkivalier Online].

France

Napoleon Bonaparte began the census in France as a means of determining the number of potential soldiers under his rule. Today, the census in France is carried out by INSEE. Since 2004, a partial census is carried out every year, and the results published as averages over 5 years.

Germany

The first large-scale census in the German Empire took place in 1895. Attempts at introducing a census in Germany sparked strong popular resentment in the 1980s since many quite personal questions were asked. Some campaigned for a boycott. In the end the Constitutional Court stopped the census in 1980 and 1983. The last census was in 1987. Germany has since used population samples in combination with statistical methods, in place of a full census.

Greece

Census takes place every 10 years and is carried out by the National Statistical Service of Greece [http://www.statistics.gr]. Last census was in 2001.

India

The decennial census of India is the primary source of information about the demographic characteristics of the population of India which is the second biggest country of the world in terms of population. The first census in India is dated 1872. It started as far back as in 1860 and was finished in 1871. Starting from there, a population census has been carried out every 10 years, latest being the fourteenth in February - March 2001. Census is carried out by the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, Delhi under the Census of India Act, 1948. The act gives Central Government many powers like to notify a date for Census, power to ask for the services of any citizen for census work. The law makes it compulsory for every citizen to answer the census questions truthfully. The Act provides penalties for giving false answer or not giving answers at all to the census questionnaire. One of the most important provisions of law is the guarantee for the maintenance of secrecy of the information collected at the census of each individual. The census records are not open to inspection and also not admissible in evidence. Census happens in two phases, first House Listing and House Numbering Operations and second actual population enumeration phase. Census is carried out by the canvassing method. In this method, each and every household is visited and the information is collected by a specially trained enumerator. 9th February 2001, the first day of the 2001 census was celebrated as the census day.

Source

- [http://www.censusindia.net/ Website of the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India]
- [http://www.unfpa.org/sustainable/docs.htm Banthia J.K., Ex Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. "Mobilising Support for India’s Census - Constraints and Challenges"]

Italy

The census in Italy is carried out by ISTAT every 10 years. The last four were in 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001.

Japan

Japan collects census information every five years. The figures show the English translation of the 2005 census form. The form solicits information on name, sex, relationship to head of household, year and month of birth, marital status, nationality, number of members of household, type and nature of dwelling, floor area of dwelling, number of hours worked during the week prior to October 1, employment status, name of employer and type of business, and kind of work. Image:CensusSide1.png|Explanation of census form, side 1 Image:CensusSide2.png|Explanation