Wikipedia is a collaborative online encyclopedia launched in January 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. It operates under the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit organization that oversees various knowledge-sharing projects worldwide. Wikipedia allows anyone to edit content, making it a dynamic source of information driven by contributions from a vast network of active users—over 349,000 contributors globally who maintain and expand the platform's extensive database of 53.3 million articles across more than 285 languages.

Not only is Wikipedia a premier reference website, but it also encompasses a family of related projects, including Wikiquote, Wiktionary, Commons, and Wikisource, which collectively provide a rich repository of freely accessible knowledge. Users are encouraged to dive into subjects they are passionate about and contribute their expertise, ensuring a continually growing pool of information. Every piece of text, along with most images on Wikipedia, is protected under a dual Creative Commons and GFDL license, promoting free distribution and reproduction of knowledge.