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"WP:CFD" and "WP:CFR" redirect here. For criteria for deletion, see Wikipedia:Deletion policy § Reasons for deletion. For criteria for redaction, see Wikipedia:Revision deletion § Criteria for redaction.

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Categories for discussion (CfD) is the central venue for discussing specific proposals to delete, merge, rename, or split categories and stub types in accordance with the guidelines for categorization, category naming, and stub articles.

For general discussion about the category system, use other appropriate venues such as Wikipedia talk:Categorization, Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Categories, and relevant WikiProjects' talk pages.

How to use CfD

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See also: Wikipedia:Deletion process § CFD
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For detailed instructions about using CfD, see § How to nominate a category for discussion below. Briefly, nominations are handled through one of two processes:

  1. Speedy renaming and merging, for uncontroversial proposals that meet specified criteria—see § Speedy renaming and merging below.
  2. Full discussion, for all other proposals. Discussions typically remain open for at least seven days and are closed once a rough consensus has formed or no objections to the nomination are raised.

exclamation mark  Important: In general, do not depopulate a category when nominating it for CfD. If, during (or just prior to) the discussion, you modify the population of a category, or in other ways edit the category while it is subject to a CfD discussion, note that you did so in the CfD (for transparency), and be prepared to revert your edits upon community request. Such editing can hamper other editors' efforts to evaluate a category and participate in the discussion.

If you have an issue with a CfD closure, and discussion on the CfD closer's talk page does not resolve the issue, the process at Wikipedia:Deletion review is used to ask the community to review a CfD closure (as long as all steps are followed), to determine whether or not the close was reasonable and consistent with the spirit and intent of common practice, policies, and guidelines.

Wikipedia:Move review is used for a CfD closure that is limited in scope to renaming.

Current discussions

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Add a new entry

Closing procedure

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Main page: Wikipedia:Deletion process § Closing discussions that have run their full time
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After seven days, an administrator (or possibly a non-admin) will determine if consensus has formed, and close the discussion. If appropriate, the discussion instead may be relisted to allow for more discussion. Editors closing discussions must follow the administrator instructions and implement the result or log it at the Working page to ensure it is implemented. As noted at Wikipedia:Deletion process#Non-administrators closing discussions, non-admins may follow the process at Wikipedia talk:Categories for discussion/Working, and list discussion results there for an admin to review, and to log to the page directly.

Discussions awaiting closure

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XFD backlog
V Apr May Jun Jul Total
CfD 0 0 55 57 112
TfD 1 0 5 21 27
MfD 0 0 0 0 0
FfD 0 36 38 4 78
RfD 0 0 1 83 84
AfD 0 0 0 0 0

How to nominate a category for discussion

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Nomination procedure

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Twinkle

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You may use Twinkle to facilitate CfD nominations. To install Twinkle, go to Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-gadgets and check "Twinkle" in the "Browsing" section. Use the now-installed "XfD" (Start a deletion discussion) tab while viewing the page you want to nominate.

Twinkle only allows you to nominate a single category or stub template. For bundled nominations including multiple categories, see § MassCFD.

MassCFD

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You can use the script User:Qwerfjkl/scripts/massXFD to automatically make mass nominations.

Manual nominations

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I
Preliminary steps.
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Before nominating a category:

In the following special cases:

  • If a category is a red link, then it is already deleted (or was never created in the first place) and does not need to be nominated.
  • If a category is unpopulated, use {{db-catempty}} to request it be speedily deleted in 7 days. Note that some project categories may be empty as part of their typical process cycle.
  • Before nominating a project category (even if empty!), check Special:WhatLinksHere, to see if the category is (or has been) populated by a template, and if so (or even if the populating template has been deleted), note the template name(s) in the CfD nomination.

For further information, see Wikipedia:Categorization and Wikipedia:Manual of Style.

II
Edit the category.

Add one of the following templates at the beginning of the category page (not the talk page) of every category to be discussed. For nominations involving large numbers of categories, help adding these templates can be requested here.

Otherwise, if nominating a single category:
If nominating a group of related categories, use a bundled nomination:
  • For deleting, use {{subst:Cfd|CfD section name}}
  • For merging, use {{subst:Cfm|Other category|CfD section name}}
    • For merging to two categories, use {{subst:Cfm-double|Other category 1|Other category 2|CfD section name}}
  • For renaming, use {{subst:Cfr|Proposed name|CfD section name}}
  • For splitting, use {{subst:Cfs|Proposed name 1|Proposed name 2|CfD section name}}
  • For converting the category into a list, {{subst:Cfl|Proposed name|CfD section name}}
  • For other options (containerization, etc.), use {{subst:Cfd|type=nature of proposed discussion|CfD section name}} (see Template:Cfd/doc#Optional parameter)
  • Include "CfD", "CfM", "CfR", "CfS" or "CfL" in the edit summary, and do not mark the edit as minor. Preview before saving.
  • To add the template for previous nomination days, use the "full" version of the template by appending "full" to the template name, i.e. {{cfd full}}, {{cfm full}}, {{cfr full}}, {{cfs full}} and {{cfl full}}. Use the |day=, |month= and |year= parameters to make the banner link to the correct CfD page.
  • Consider adding {{subst:cfd notice|Category name|2026 July 19|CfD section name}} ~~~~ to the talk page of the category's creator.
  • For details about these templates, see each template's documentation.
III
Create the CFD section.

Click THIS LINK to edit the section of CfD for today's entries.

Follow the instructions (visible in edit mode) to copy and paste one of the templates below. When inserting category names into these template's parameters, except the text= parameter, omit the Category: prefix and do not use wikilinks, as the template takes care of this.

If nominating a single category:
  • For deleting, use {{subst:Cfd2|Obsolete category|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed deletion. ~~~~}}
  • For merging, use {{subst:Cfm2|Origin category|Destination category|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed merge. ~~~~}}
    • For merging to two categories, use {{subst:Cfm2|Origin category|Destination category 1|target2=Destination category 2|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed merge. ~~~~}}
  • For renaming, use {{subst:Cfr2|Current category|Proposed name|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed rename. ~~~~}}
  • For splitting, use {{subst:Cfs2|Current category|Proposed category 1|Proposed category 2|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed split. ~~~~}}
  • For converting the category into a list, use {{subst:Cfc2|Current category|Proposed article|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed conversion. ~~~~}}
  • For other options (containerization, etc.), use {{subst:Cfd2|Current category|type=other type|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed conversion. ~~~~}}
For a bundled nomination, use one of the standard templates to build the "Cfd section name" for the first nominated category. After saving that, the second and subsequent nominations must be inserted manually, as follows:
==== Cfd section name ====
* 1st category
* 2nd category [Make clear whether you propose deletion, merging or renaming]
* Your reason for nominating the categories, and signature.
  • If a bundled nomination is too long, consider using {{hidden}} to hide some of the nominated categories.
  • In your reason, use links if mentioning articles or categories. To link to a category, use the colon trick by adding a colon (:) to the beginning of the link, e.g. [[:Category:Foo]].
  • Preview before saving to check that your nomination is formatted correctly, and remember to include your signature at the end of the nomination.

Stub types

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I
Preliminary steps.

In general, a stub type consists of a stub template and a dedicated stub category. Before nominating a stub type for deletion, merging or renaming:

  • Read and understand guidance for creating stub types and stub type naming conventions.
  • Review the list of existing stub types—be advised, this list may not be comprehensive.
  • If you wish to:
    • Create a new stub type—follow the procedure for proposing new stub types.
    • Delete, merge or rename a stub category only, without deleting or renaming the associated stub template—follow the instructions above this section.
    • Delete or rename a stub template—continue to section II.
II
Edit the template.

Add one of the following tags at the beginning of the template to be discussed.

  • For deletion, use {{subst:Sfd-t|Section name}}
  • For renaming, use {{subst:Sfr-t|Proposed name|Section name}}
  • Please include "SFD" or "SFR" in the edit summary, and don't mark the edit as minor. Preview before saving.
  • Consider notifying the template's creator on their talk page. To find the contributor, check the page history of the stub template.
III
Create the CFD section.

Click THIS LINK to edit the section of CfD for today's entries.

Follow the instructions (visible in edit mode) and paste the following text (remember to update the default parameters):

  • For deletion, use {{subst:sfd-t2|TemplateName|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed deletion. ~~~~}}
  • For renaming, use {{subst:sfr-t2|TemplateOldName|TemplateNewName|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed deletion. ~~~~}}
  • In your rationale, mention how many articles currently use the template to help other editors. When linking to a category in your rationale, always add a colon (:) to the beginning of the link, like [[:Category:Foo]]. This makes a category link that can be seen on the page, and avoids putting this page into the category you are nominating.
  • Preview before saving to check that your nomination is formatted correctly, and remember to include your signature at the end of the nomination.

Notifying interested projects and editors

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In addition to the steps listed above, you may choose to invite participation by editors who are likely to be informed about a nominated category. All such efforts must comply with Wikipedia's guideline against biased canvassing. In addition, to help make your messages about the CfD discussion clear, avoid Wikipedia-specific abbreviations, link to relevant policies or guidelines, and link to the discussion itself.

Notifying related WikiProjects

WikiProjects consist of groups of editors who are interested in a particular subject. If a nominated category is within the scope of one or more WikiProjects, consider adding a brief, neutral note on their talk page(s) about the nomination. You may use {{subst:cfd notice|Category name|2026 July 19|CfD section name}} ~~~~ or write a personalized message.

Tagging the nominated category's talk page with a relevant WikiProject's banner will include the category in that WikiProject's Article Alerts if they subscribe to the system. For instance, tagging a nominated category with {{WikiProject Physics}} will add the discussion to Wikipedia:WikiProject Physics/Article alerts.

Notifying substantial contributors to the category

While not required, it is generally considered courteous to notify the good-faith creator and main contributors of the category that you are nominating for discussion. To find the creator and main contributors, check the category's page history or talk page. You may use {{Cfd notice}} to inform the category's creator and all other editors.

Notifying other interested editors

It may be helpful to invite other subject-matter experts by posting a message on the talk page of the most closely related article, such as Protein family for Category:Protein families. You may use {{Cfdnotice}} for this.

Speedy renaming and merging

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Speedy renaming or speedy merging of categories may be requested if they meet one of the speedy criteria listed below. To nominate a category:

  1. Determine which speedy criterion applies.
  2. Tag the category page with {{subst:cfr-speedy|New name}} or {{subst:cfm-speedy|Merge target}}.
  3. List the request along with a speedy criteria reason at § New requests.

Speedy requests must state which of the narrowly defined criteria strictly applies. Hence, any other non-speedy criteria, even "common sense" or "obvious", may be suitable points but only at a full discussion at Categories for discussion.

The nomination and its discussion may get moved further down the page purely for organizational convenience. Categories that qualify for speedy deletion can be tagged with the regular speedy tags with no required delay or listing. Renaming under C2E may be processed instantly (at the discretion of an administrator) as it is a variation on G7.

Opposing

Requests generally take about 48 hours to process after listing if there are no objections. This delay allows other users to review the request to ensure that it meets the criteria and raise any objections.

To oppose a speedy request, insert this immediately under the nomination: 

* '''Oppose''': Explain your objection. ~~~~

If you belatedly notice and want to oppose a speedy move that has already been processed, contact one of the admins who process speedy nominations. If your objection seems valid, they may reverse the move, or start a regular CfD discussion. Unless you withdraw your opposition, the nomination may be turned into a regular CfD discussion.

Contested speedy requests become stale and can be untagged and delisted after 7 days of inactivity. Optionally, if the discussion may be useful for future reference, it may be copied to the category talk page, with a section heading and {{Moved from|[[WP:CFDS]]|~~~~}}. If the nominator wants to revive the process, this may be requested at CfD in accordance with its instructions.

Speedy criteria

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The category-specific criteria for speedy renaming or merging are strictly limited to:

C2A: Typographic and spelling fixes

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  • Correction of spelling errors and capitalization fixes. Differences between American and British spelling (e.g. Harbours → Harbors) are not considered errors; however, if the convention of the relevant category tree is to use one form over the other, then a rename may be appropriate under C2C. If both spellings exist as otherwise-identical category names, they should be merged.
  • Appropriate conversion of hyphens into en dashes or vice versa (e.g. Category:Canada-Russia relations → Category:Canada–Russia relations).
  • Correction of obvious grammatical errors, such as a missing conjunction (e.g. Individual frogs toads → Individual frogs and toads). This includes pluralizing a noun in the name of a set category, but not when disagreement might reasonably be anticipated as to whether the category is a topic or set category.

C2B: Consistency with established Wikipedia naming conventions and practices

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C2C: Consistency with established category tree names

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  • Bringing a category into line with established naming conventions for that category tree, or into line with the various "X by Y", "X of Y", or "X in Y" categorization conventions specified at Wikipedia:Category names.
  • This should be used only where there is no room for doubt that the category in question is being used for the standard purpose instead of being a potential subcategory.
  • This criterion should be applied only when there is no ambiguity or doubt over the existence of a category naming convention. Such a convention must be well defined and must be overwhelmingly used within the tree. If this is not the case, then the category in question must be brought forward to a full CfD nomination.
  • This criterion will not apply in cases where the category tree observes distinctions in local usage (e.g. Category:Transport in the United Kingdom and Category:Transportation in the United States).

C2D: Consistency with main article's name

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  • Renaming a topic category to match its eponymous page (e.g. Category:The Beatles and The Beatles).
  • This applies only if the related page's current name (and, by extension, the proposed name for the category) is:
    • unambiguous (so it generally does not apply to proposals to remove a disambiguator from the category name, even when the main article is the primary topic of its name, i.e. it does not contain a disambiguator); and
    • uncontroversial, either because of longstanding stability at that particular name, or because the page was just moved (i) after a page move discussion resulted in explicit consensus to rename, or (ii) unilaterally to reflect an official renaming which is verified by one or more citations (provided in the nomination).
  • C2D does not apply if the result would be contrary to guidelines at WP:CATNAME, or there is any ongoing discussion about the name of the page or category, or there has been a recent discussion concerning any of the pages that resulted in a no consensus result, or it is controversial in some other way.
  • This criterion may also be used to rename a set category in the same circumstances, where the set is defined by a renamed topic; e.g. players for a sports team, or places in a district.
  • Before nominating a category to be renamed per C2D, consider whether it makes more sense to move the article instead of the category.
  • Just disagreeing with the article title is not enough reason to oppose a C2D request. Instead, if someone disagrees with the article title, they can start a WP:RM procedure on the article talk page and they can request the CFDS discussion be put on hold while the RM discussion is running. However, arguing that it is desirable to have the article and the category at different titles may be an adequate reason to oppose C2D.

C2E: Author request

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  • This criterion applies only if the author of a category requests or agrees to renaming within six months of creating the category.
  • The criterion does not apply if other editors have populated or changed the category since it was created. "Other editors" includes bots that populated the category, but excludes an editor working with the author on the renaming.

C2F: One eponymous page

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  • This criterion applies if the category contains only an eponymous article, list, template or media file, provided that the category has not otherwise been emptied shortly before the nomination. The default outcome is an upmerge to the parent categories, where applicable.
  • Nominations should use {{subst:cfm-speedy}} (speedy merger) linking to a suitable parent category, or to another appropriate category (e.g. one that is currently on the article). When listing the nomination at WP:CFDS, you must manually add all the appropriate parent categories as targets if the member page is not already in them.
Admin instructions

When handling the listings:

  1. Make sure that the listing meets one of the above criteria.
  2. With the exception of C2E, make sure that it was both listed and tagged at least 48 hours previously.
  3. Make sure that there is no opposition to the listing; if there is a discussion, check if the opposing user(s) ended up withdrawing their opposition.

If the listing meets these criteria, simply have the category renamed or merged – follow the instructions at Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Administrator instructions, in the section "If the decision is to Rename, Merge, or Delete"; to list it for the bots, use the Speedy moves section.

A nomination to merge or rename, brought forward as a full CfD, may be speedily closed if the closing administrator is satisfied that:

  • The nomination clearly falls within the scope of one of the criteria listed here, and
  • No objections have been made within 48 hours of the initial nomination.

The closure will be regarded as having been a result of a speedy nomination. If any objections have been raised, then the CfD nomination will remain in place for the usual 7-day discussion period, to be decided in accordance with expressed consensus.

For out of process deletions, check Category:Empty categories awaiting deletion. In some cases, these will need to be nominated for discussion and the editor who emptied the category informed that they should follow the CfD process. After renaming, copy and paste the listing to Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Working/Manual.

Current requests

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If the category does not match one of the above criteria or you are not sure it qualifies, do not list it here. Instead, use the main CfD process. Requests may be completed if more than 48 hours old; i.e., if the nomination was created before 00:07, 17 July 2026 (UTC). Currently, there are 148 open requests (refresh).

To list it here, use the following format on a new line at the beginning of the list: 

* [[:Category:old name]] to [[:Category:new name]] – Reason ~~~~

If the current name should be redirected rather than deleted, use: 

* REDIRECT [[:Category:old name]] to [[:Category:new name]] – Reason ~~~~

If human action is required, e.g. updating templates that populate the category, use: 

* NO BOTS [[:Category:old name]] to [[:Category:new name]] – Reason ~~~~

Remember to tag the category page with: {{subst:cfr-speedy|New name}}

New requests

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Opposed requests

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On hold pending other discussion
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Moved to full discussion
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Empty categories awaiting deletion

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The categories listed below have been identified as empty using {{db-catempty}}, and will be speedily deleted after 7 days unless populated. (Note: Due to technical limitations, all contents of the category may not be displayed; view the category directly to see all contents.)

Empty categories awaiting deletion
August 1926 in Oceania
1790s in Cuba
Romanian companies established in 1998
1510s establishments in the Spanish West Indies
1878 disestablishments in the Papal States
1878 in the Papal States
Aerobatics by country
Military engineering of Argentina
Military engineering of Spain
Norwegian Meteorological Institute people
Biophysics methods
1680 in Indonesia
1680s in Indonesia
Years of the 17th century in Indonesia
1680 in Southeast Asia
1790s in Indonesia
1860s in Indonesia
1880s in Indonesia
Years of the 18th century in Indonesia
Years of the 19th century in Indonesia
1610s establishments in Southeast Asia
1620s establishments in Southeast Asia
1640s establishments in Southeast Asia
1720s establishments in Southeast Asia
1710s establishments in Southeast Asia
1730s establishments in Southeast Asia
Barbadian classical scholars
Created or significantly improved through WikiPortraits/2026 Sheridan WYO Rodeo and World Championship Indian Relay Race
B.A.L.L. albums
Technology companies established in 2026
Lists of tourist attractions in Bermuda
History of student theatre
Aerobatics in the United Kingdom
History of molecular biology
Microbial metabolism
Protein dyes
Years of the 17th century in the Philippines
Years of the 18th century in the Philippines
Railway tunnels in Poland
Ukrainian Women's Top League seasons
Ukrainian Women's Top League
Portal-Class Adelie Land pages
Mozambican film producers
Raja Narendra Lal Khan Women's College alumni
Western Athletic Conference men's basketball
Western Athletic Conference softball navigational boxes
1926 establishments in Macau
1929 establishments in Macau
1929 in Macau
Pages with Luiseno IPA
1929 in the Portuguese Empire
Theatre characters introduced in 1798
Fictional characters introduced in 1798
Literary characters introduced in the 1630s
1630s introductions
Pages with Interlingua (International Auxiliary Language Association) IPA
Railway stations in India opened in 1996
Province of Rome
Province of Milan
Province of Bologna
Province of Genoa
Province of Carbonia-Iglesias
Province of Cagliari
Province of Turin
Province of Sassari
People from the Province of Sassari
Sportspeople from the Province of Sassari
Footballers from the Province of Sassari
Turkic American peoples
Malaysian women experimental filmmakers
Bosnia and Herzegovina experimental filmmakers
Luxembourgian experimental filmmakers
Romanian experimental filmmakers
April 1858 in Australia
April 1858 by country
Food safety in Morocco
Deaths by horse-riding accident in the Netherlands
Indonesian money managers
Malaysian money managers
Nigerian money managers
Iraqi experimental filmmakers
Wuhan University School of Medicine alumni
Films by Chinese producers
Korean investors
Deaths by horse-riding accident in Belgium
England national under-21 football team results
National under-21 association football team results
1588 establishments in the Dutch Empire
1580s establishments in the Dutch Empire
16th-century establishments in the Dutch Empire
1588 in the Dutch Empire
1580s in the Dutch Empire
1598 in the Dutch Empire
Years of the 16th century in the Dutch Empire
Political parties established in 1786
1790 disestablishments in Rhode Island
1790s disestablishments in Rhode Island
18th-century disestablishments in Rhode Island
Books by Frederick Crews
November 1903 in sports
November 1900 in sports
November 1901 in sports
November 1902 in sports
November 1904 in sports
November 1907 in sports
Widow's Bay redirects to lists
Olympic shooters of Panama
1603 establishments in South America
1603 in South America
Aulandra
1603 establishments in the Dutch Empire
1603 in the Dutch Empire
Churches in the metropolitan city of Rome
Sailboat types built by Holby Marine
Holby Marine
1925 in Cyprus
Years of the 16th century in Korea
1500s establishments in Lithuania
1503 in Lithuania
1504 in Lithuania
1507 in Lithuania
1508 in Lithuania
1510s establishments in Lithuania
1513 in Lithuania
1540s establishments in Lithuania
1543 in Lithuania
1550s in Lithuania
1560s establishments in Lithuania
1570 in Lithuania
1570s establishments in Lithuania
1579 in Lithuania
1640s in Lithuania
1650s in Lithuania
1670s in Lithuania
1700s in Lithuania
1795 in Lithuania
1800s establishments in Lithuania
1805 in Lithuania
1820s establishments in Lithuania
1824 in Lithuania
1830s establishments in Lithuania
1835 in Lithuania
1840s establishments in Lithuania
1847 in Lithuania
1860s in Lithuania
1880s establishments in Lithuania
1883 in Lithuania
1888 in Lithuania
1989 in Weifang
2014 in Weifang
2017 establishments in Shandong
2017 in Weifang
2018 in Weifang
2020 in Weifang
Years of the 17th century in Lithuania
2018 establishments in Shandong
1980s in Weifang
Years in Weifang
20th century in Weifang
21st century in Weifang
Centuries in Weifang
Decades in Weifang
History of Weifang by period
2010s in Weifang
Railway stations in Australia closed in 1933
Unreferenced Scotland Transport articles
2000 Austrian television series endings
1890s in Lithuania
1870s in Lithuania
1500 in Lithuania
1500s in Lithuania
1510s in Lithuania
2024–25 Western Hockey League standings templates
2008–09 Western Hockey League standings templates
2009–10 Western Hockey League standings templates
2025–26 Western Hockey League standings templates
Estonian people of Moroccan descent
Business schools in Nicaragua
Bosnia and Herzegovina–Czech Republic relations
1540s in Lithuania
1570s in Lithuania
Years of the 16th century in Lithuania
Years of the 18th century in Lithuania
1790s in Lithuania
1800s in Lithuania
1820s in Lithuania
1830s in Lithuania
1840s in Lithuania
1880s in Lithuania
Years of the 19th century in Lithuania
Emirati bioengineers
Uruguayan bioengineers
Swedish bioengineers
Trinidad and Tobago bioengineers
Danish bioengineers
Woody shrubs
International Baccalaureate schools in Rhode Island
Railway vehicles on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah
1680s establishments in the Philippines
1690s establishments in the Philippines
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