Wikipedia hits a million

Wikipedia, a free online encyclopaedia, now has more than a million articles in its database, which web users can access for free.

The encyclopaedia, which started in January 2001, is continually updated by surfers worldwide who contribute, update and revise articles.

It is based on wikis, software that lets anyone edit a page and have changes visible instantly. Visitors can also examine older versions of pages to see how an article has developed.

There are now nearly 2,500 new articles added to Wikipedia each day, along with ten times as many updates to existing articles in over 100 languages.

"Everything is peer-reviewed in real time. The idea of sharing knowledge is powerful," said Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia's founder.