title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland attended the summer workshop at the San Francisco Ballet School in 1998. She and Bradley selected the workshop over offers from the Joffrey Ballet, ABT and Dance Theater of Harlem, among others. Of the programs she auditioned for, only New York City Ballet declined to make her an offer. San Francisco Ballet, ABT and New York City Ballet are regarded as the three preeminent classical ballet companies in the US. During the six-week workshop at San Francisco, Copeland was placed in the most advanced classes and was under a full-tuition plus expenses scholarship. At the end of the workshop, she received one of the few offers to continue as a full-time student at the school. She declined the offer because of the encouragement from her mother to return home, the prospect of continuing personal training from the Bradley family and dreams of a subsequent summer with American Ballet Theatre.


title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland returned to her mother's home, where the two frequently argued. Her mother had long resented the Bradleys' influence and soon decided that Copeland would cease study with the Bradleys. Copeland was distraught with fear that she would not be able to dance. She had heard the term emancipation while in San Francisco; the procedure was common among young performers to secure their financial and residential independence. The Bradleys introduced Copeland to Steven Bartell, a lawyer who explained the emancipation petition process. The Bradleys encouraged her to be absent from home when the emancipation petition was delivered to her mother. Copeland ran away from home for three days and stayed with a dance friend, while Bartell filed the emancipation papers. After her mother reported Copeland missing, she was told about the emancipation petition. Three days after running away, Copeland was returned to her mother by the police. DelaCerna engaged lawyer Gloria Allred and applied for a series of restraining orders, which included the Bradleys' five-year-old son, who had been Copeland's roommate, and Bartell. The order was partly intended to preclude contact between the Bradleys and Copeland, but it did not have proper legal basis, since there had been no stalking and no harassment.


title: Misty Copeland

text: The custody controversy was highly publicized in the press (especially "Los Angeles Times" and "Extra"), starting in August and September 1998. Parts of the press coverage spilled over into op-ed articles. The case was heard in Torrance, in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. DelaCerna claimed that the Bradleys had brainwashed Copeland into filing suit for emancipation from her mother, Allred claimed that the Bradleys had turned Copeland against her mother by belittling DelaCerna's intelligence. The Bradleys noted that the management contract gave them authority over her career, but they stated that they would wait until Copeland became eighteen before seeking twenty percent of Copeland's earnings.


title: Misty Copeland

text: After DelaCerna stated that she would always make sure Copeland could dance, both the emancipation papers and restraining orders were dropped. Copeland, who claimed she did not understand the term emancipation, withdrew the petition after informing the judge that such charges no longer represented her wishes. Still, DelaCerna wanted the Bradleys out of her daughter's life. Copeland re-enrolled at San Pedro High School for her junior year (1998–99), on pace to graduate with her original class of 2000. DelaCerna sought Cantine's advice on finding a new ballet school. Copeland began ballet study at Lauridsen Ballet Centre in Torrance with former ABT dancer Diane Lauridsen, although her dancing was now restricted to afternoons in deference to her schooling. Late in 1998, all parties appeared on Leeza Gibbons' talk show, "Leeza", where Copeland sat silently as the adults "bickered shamelessly". As a student, Copeland had a 3.8/4.0 GPA through her junior year of high school. In 2000, DelaCerna stated that Copeland's earnings from ballet were set aside in a savings account and only used as needed.


title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland auditioned for several dance programs in 1999, and each made her an offer to enroll in its summer program. She performed with ABT as part of its 1999 and 2000 Summer Intensive programs. By the end of the first summer, she was asked to join the ABT Studio Company. Her mother insisted that she finish high school, and so Copeland returned to California for her senior year, even though ABT arranged to pay for her performances, housing accommodations and academic arrangements. She studied at the Summer Intensive Program on full scholarship for both summers and was declared ABT's National Coca-Cola Scholar in 2000. In the 2000 Summer Intensive Program, she danced the role of Kitri in "Don Quixote". Copeland's strongest memory from the summer is working with choreographer Twyla Tharp on "Push Comes to Shove"". Of the 150 dancers in the 2000 Summer Intensive Program, she was one of six selected to join the junior dance troupe.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In September 2000, she joined the ABT Studio Company, which is ABT's second company, and became a member of its Corps de ballet in 2001. As part of the Studio Company, she performed the Pas de Deux in Tchaikovsky's "The Sleeping Beauty". Eight months after joining the company, she was sidelined for nearly a year by a lumbar stress fracture. When Copeland joined the company, she weighed (she is tall). At age 19, her puberty had been delayed, a situation common in ballet dancers. After the lumbar fracture, her doctor told her that inducing puberty would help to strengthen her bones, and he prescribed birth control pills. Copeland recalls that in one month she gained 10 pounds, and her small breasts swelled to double D-cup size: "Leotards had to be altered for me ... to cover my cleavage, for instance. I hated this sign that I was different from the others. ... I became so self-conscious that, for the first time in my life, I couldn't dance strong. I was too busy trying to hide my breasts." Management noticed and called her in to talk about her body. The professional pressure to conform to conventional ballet aesthetics resulted in body image struggles and a binge eating disorder. Copeland says that, over the next year, new friendships outside of ABT, including with Victoria Rowell and her boyfriend, Olu Evans, helped her to regain confidence in her body. She explained, "My curves became an integral part of who I am as a dancer, not something I needed to lose to become one. I started dancing with confidence and joy, and soon the staff at ABT began giving me positive feedback again. And I think I changed everyone's mind about what a perfect dancer is supposed to look like." During her years in the corps, as the only black woman in the company, Copeland also felt the burden of her ethnicity in many ways and contemplated a variety of career choices. Recognizing that Copeland's isolation and self-doubt were standing in the way of her talent, ABT's artistic director, Kevin McKenzie, asked writer and arts figure Susan Fales-Hill, then vice-chair of ABT's Board of Directors, to mentor Copeland. Fales-Hill introduced Copeland to black women trailblazers who encouraged Copeland and helped her to gain perspective.


title: Misty Copeland

text: Early career reviews mentioned Copeland as more radiant than higher ranking dancers, and she was named to the 2003 class of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch". In 2003, she was favorably reviewed for her roles as a member of the corps in "La Bayadère" and William Forsythe's "workwithinwork". Recognition continued in 2004 for roles in ballets such as "Raymonda", "workwithinwork", "Amazed in Burning Dreams", "Sechs Tänze", "Pillar of Fire", "Pretty Good Year", "VIII" and "Sinfonietta, where she "stood out in the pas de trois – whether she was gliding across the floor or in a full lift, she created the illusion of smoothness". She also danced the Hungarian Princess in Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake". The 2004 season is regarded as her breakthrough season. She was included in the 2004 picture book by former ABT dancer Rosalie O'Connor titled "Getting Closer: A Dancer's Perspective". Also in 2004, she met her biological father for the first time and regretted that she had not done so sooner.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In 2005, her most notable performance was in George Balanchine's "Tarantella". she also danced the Lead Polovtsian Girl in "Polovtsian Dances" from "Prince Igor". In 2006, she was acknowledged for her meticulous classical performance style in "Giselle" and created a role in Jorma Elo's "Glow–Stop". Elo said: "Misty has the capability to absorb something extremely fast and then reproduce it exactly, and she gives such clarity to the material. If I were to make my own company, she would be the first one I would call." That year, she also returned to Southern California to perform at Orange County Performing Arts Center and danced one of the cygnets and reprised her role as the Hungarian Princess in "Swan Lake" in New York. In both 2006 and 2007, Copeland danced the role of Blossom in James Kudelka's "Cinderella". Copeland's "old-style" performance continued to earn her praise in 2007. In 2007, she danced the Fairy of Valor in "The Sleeping Beauty". Other roles that Copeland played before she was appointed a soloist by ABT included Twyla Tharp roles in "In the Upper Room" and "Sinatra Suite" as well as a role in Mark Morris's "Gong". A "Dance Magazine" feature stated that Copeland's "sublime rapport with her partners in ... "Sinatra Suite" has earned her the honor of dancing with the company's male superstars".


title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland was appointed a soloist at ABT in August 2007, one of the youngest ABT dancers promoted to soloist. Although she was described by early accounts as the first African American woman promoted to soloist for ABT, Anne Benna Sims and Nora Kimball were soloists with ABT in the 1980s. Male soloist Keith Lee also preceded her. As of 2008, Copeland was the only African-American woman in the dance company during her entire ABT career. The only male African American in the company during her career, Danny Tidwell, left in 2005. In an international ballet community with a lack of diversity, she was so unusual as an African American ballerina that she endured cultural isolation. She has been described in the press as the Jackie Robinson of classical ballet.


title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland was a standout among her peers. In her first season as a soloist at New York City Center, in which avant-garde ballets works were performed, she received good notices in "The New York Times" for a Balanchine "Ballo della Regina" role. Also in 2007, she created a leading role in "C. to C. (Close to Chuck)", choreographed by Jorma Elo to "A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close", Études 2, 9 & 10, by Philip Glass. Her performances of Tharp's works in the same season were recognized, and she was described as more sophisticated and contemporary as a soloist than she had been as a corps dancer. Her summer 2008 Metropolitan Opera House (the Met) season performances in "Don Quixote" and "Sleeping Beauty" were also well received.


title: Misty Copeland

text: During the 2008–09 season, Copeland was praised for performances in Twyla Tharp's "Baker's Dozen" and Paul Taylor's "Company B". During the 2009 Spring ABT season at the Met, Copeland performed Gulnare in "Le Corsaire" and leading roles in Taylor's "Airs" and Balanchine's "Pas de Deux" from "Swan Lake". Her 2008–09 Annenberg Fellowship included training for the "Pas de Deux". Late that year, she performed in ABT's first trip to Beijing at the new National Center for the Performing Arts. In 2009, Copeland created a role in Aszure Barton's "One of Three".


title: Misty Copeland

text: In 2010, after recovering from a stress fracture, Copeland performed in "Birthday Offering" at the Met and at the Guggenheim Museum danced to David Lang's music. She also created the Spanish Dance in ABT artist-in-residence Alexei Ratmansky's new version of "The Nutcracker", premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In early 2011, she was well received at the Kennedy Center as the Milkmaid in Ratmansky's "The Bright Stream", a remake of a banned comic ballet. In Black History Month in 2011, Copeland was selected by "Essence" as one of its 37 Boundary-breaking black women in entertainment. That same month, she toured with "Company B", performed at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London. In May, she created a role in Ratmansky's "Dumbarton", danced to Stravinsky's chamber concerto, "Dumbarton Oaks". Alastair Macaulay of "The New York Times" found the piece too intimate for the cavernous Met, but he noted: "Misty Copeland gives sudden hints of need and emotional bleakness in a duet ... too much is going on to explain itself at one viewing; but at once I know I'm emotionally and structurally gripped." Her Summer 2011 ABT solos included the peasant "pas de deux" in "Giselle" and, in Ratmansky's "The Bright Stream" at the Met in June, her reprise of the Milkmaid was called "luminous, teasingly sensual". She reprised the "Bright Stream" role again in July at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles with a performance described as "sly". As a flower girl, she was described as glittering in "Don Quixote". In August, she performed at the Vail International Dance Festival in the Gerald Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado. In November, she danced in Taylor's "Black Tuesday".


title: Misty Copeland

text: In 2012, Copeland began achieving solo roles in full-length standard repertory ballets rather than works that were mostly relatively modern pieces. A 2012 feature in "Dance Magazine" stated that Copeland's "classical repertoire ... has deepened in artistry with each season. In the peasant "pas de deux" from "Giselle", she is buoyant and refreshingly lyrical, and her plush jumps in "Swan Lake"s "pas de trois" are a joy. As the Fairy of Valor in "Sleeping Beauty", she tempers the harsh stabbing fingers and dagger-like "pas de chats" by uplifting her body with grandeur and, yes, valor." She starred in "The Firebird", with choreography by Ratmansky at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. It premiered on March 29, 2012. The performance was hailed by Laura Bleiberg in the "Los Angeles Times" as one of the year's best dance performances. That year, Copeland was recognized by The Council of Urban Professionals as their Breakthrough Leadership Award winner. She also danced the role of Gamzatti in "La Bayadère" at the Met to praise from Alastair Macaulay of "The New York Times", who noted her "adult complexity and worldly allure". "The Firebird" was again performed at the Met in June 2012, with Copeland set to alternate in the lead. It was Copeland's first leading role at ABT. "Backstage" described it as her "most prestigious part" to date. After only one New York performance in the role, Copeland withdrew from the entire ABT season due to six stress fractures in her tibia. She was sidelined for seven months after her October surgery.


title: Misty Copeland

text: Upon her return to the stage, she danced the Queen of the Dryads in "Don Quixote" in May 2013. Nelson George began filming a documentary leverage the chance to present her comeback. Copeland reprised her role as Gulnare in June 2013 in the pirate-themed "Le Corsaire". She also played an Odalisque in the same ballet. Later in the year, she danced in Tharp's choreography of "Bach Partita for Violin No. 2 in D minor for solo violin", and as Columbine in ABT's revival of Ratmansky's "Nutcracker" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In May 2014, Copeland performed the lead role of Swanilda in "Coppélia" at the Met. According to "Los Angeles Times" writer Jevon Phillips, she is the first African American woman to dance the role. The same month, she was praised in the dual role of Queen of the Dryads and Mercedes in "Don Quixote" by Brian Seibert of "The New York Times", although Jerry Hochman of "Critical Dance" felt that she was not as impressive in the former role as in the latter. Later in May, the Met staged a program of one-act ballets consisting of "Theme and Variations", "Duo Concertant" and "Gaîté Parisienne", featuring Copeland in all three. Siebert praised her work in Balanchine's "Duo Concertant", to Igor Stravinsky's eponymous score for violin and piano performed by Benjamin Bowman and Emily Wong. Of her Flower Girl in "Gaîté Parisienne", Apollinaire Scherr of The "Financial Times" wrote that she "tips like a brimming watering can into the bouquets her wooers hold out to her". Copeland was a "flawless" demi-soloist in "Theme and Variations", according to Colleen Boresta of "Critical Dance".


title: Misty Copeland

text: In June 2014 at the Met, she danced the Fairy Autumn in the Frederick Ashton "Cinderella", cited for her energetic exuberance in the role by Hochman, who missed the "varied texture and nuance that made it significantly more interesting" in the hands of ABT's Christine Shevchenko. That month, she played Lescaut's Mistress in "Manon" in which role Marjorie Liebert of BroadwayWorld.com described her as "seductive and ingratiating". Also in June, she performed the role of Gamzatti in "La Bayadère". Copeland performed the Odette/Odile double role in "Swan Lake" in September when the company toured in Brisbane, Australia. Her ascension to more prominent roles occurred as three ABT principal dancers (Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent and Xiomara Reyes) entered their final seasons before retirement. In early October, Copeland performed several pieces including a principal role in Tharp's Bach Partita at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre. In October, Copeland made her New York debut in one of the six principal roles in Tharp's "Bach Partita" and created a role in Liam Scarlett's "With a Chance of Rain". That December, when ABT revived Ratmansky's "Nutcracker" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Copeland played the role of Clara, the Princess. The same month, at the Kennedy Center Honors, she was described as "sublime" in Tchaikovsky's "Pas de Deux" by the New York City CBS News affiliate.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In March 2015, Copeland danced the role of Princess Florine in "The Sleeping Beauty" at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. She made her American debut as Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake" with The Washington Ballet, opposite Brooklyn Mack as Prince Siegfried, in April at the Eisenhower Theater in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The performance was the company's first presentation of "Swan Lake" in its 70-year history. In May 2015, she played Cowgirl in "Rodeo", Bianca in "Othello" and Zulma in "Giselle". She was selected for the 2015 Time 100. As a result, Copeland appeared on the cover of "Time", making her the first dancer on the cover since Bill T. Jones in 1994. In June, Copeland created the small role of the Fairy "Fleur de farine" (Wheat flower) in Ratmansky's "The Sleeping Beauty". The same month, she made her debut in "Romeo and Juliet" on short notice a few days before her scheduled debut performance on June 20. Later in June, Copeland made her New York debut in the Odette/Odile double role from "Swan Lake" that is described by Macauley as "the most epic role in world ballet". Her performance at the Met was regarded as a success. Her performance in the role had been anticipated as "a crowning achievement" in wide-ranging media outlets and by a broad spectrum of fans and supporters. Pioneering dancers Raven Wilkinson and Lauren Anderson were on hand to present her with bouquets on stage. Some viewed this performance as a sign that her promotion to principal was forthcoming.


title: Misty Copeland

text: On June 30, 2015, Copeland became the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal ballerina in ABT's 75-year history. Copeland's achievement was groundbreaking, as there have been very few African-American principal ballerinas at major companies. Debra Austin became a principal at Pennsylvania Ballet in 1982, and Lauren Anderson became a principal at Houston Ballet in 1990, the first black principal ballerinas at major American companies. According to the 2015 documentary about Copeland, "A Ballerina's Tale", until Copeland, "there [had] never been a Black female principal dancer at a major international company".


title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland next accepted the role of Ivy Smith in the Broadway revival of "On The Town", which she played for two weeks from August 25 to September 6. Her debut on Broadway was favorably reviewed in "The New York Times", "The Washington Post", and other media.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In October in New York, Copeland performed in the revival of Tharp's choreography of the Brahms-Haydn Variations, in Frederick Ashton's "Monotones I", and "brought a seductive mix of demureness and sex appeal to 'Rum and Coca-Cola'" in Paul Taylor's "Company B". The same month, she created the role of His Loss in "AfterEffect" by Marcelo Gomes, danced to Tchaikovsky's "Souvenir de Florence", at Lincoln Center. When ABT brought Ratmansky's "Nutcracker" to Segerstrom Center for the Arts in December 2015, Copeland reprised the role of Clara.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In January 2016, Copeland reprised the role of Princess Florine in "The Sleeping Beauty" at the Kennedy Center, choreographed by Ratmansky. Her spring 2016 schedule also included leads in ABT productions of "The Firebird, La Fille Mal Gardee, Le Corsaire, The Golden Cockerel, Swan Lake" and "Romeo and Juliet". In 2017, she appeared as a guest artist with La Scala Theatre Ballet when it visited Southern California.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In 2019, Copeland danced "Harlequinade" opposite Calvin Royal III in the roles of Pirrette and Pierrot, in a rare instance of a black couple dancing together in ballet.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In March 2009, Copeland filmed a music video with Prince for a cover of "Crimson and Clover", the first single from his 2009 album "Lotusflower". Prince asked her to dance along to the song in improvised ballet movements. She described his instructions as "Be you, feel the music, just move", and upon request for further instruction, "Keep doing what you're doing". She also began taking acting lessons in 2009. During the New York City and New Jersey portions of Prince's Welcome 2 America tour, Copeland performed a "pas de deux" en pointe to his song "The Beautiful Ones", the opening number at the Izod Center and Madison Square Garden. Prince had previously invited her onstage at a concert in Nice, France. In April 2011, she performed alongside Prince on the "Lopez Tonight" show, dancing to "The Beautiful Ones."


title: Misty Copeland

text: In 2011, she was featured in the Season 1, episode 5 of the Hulu web series "A Day in the Life". Copeland was a guest judge for the 11th season of FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance". New Line Cinema has optioned her memoir, "Life in Motion", for a screen adaptation, and the Oxygen network has expressed interest in producing a reality docuseries about Copeland mentoring a Master Class of aspiring young dancers.


title: Misty Copeland

text: "A Ballerina's Tale", a documentary film about Copeland, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2015 and was released in theaters in October 2015. It was then aired in February 2016 as part of PBS' "Independent Lens" series. Dawn Heinecken, a professor of women's studies at the University of Louisville, described the film as "part of a calculated media campaign designed to launch Copeland into mainstream celebrity", but notes that film "directly [challenges] the ideology of white supremacy that undergirds the world of classical ballet."


title: Misty Copeland

text: In May 2015, Copeland was featured on "60 Minutes" in a segment with correspondent Bill Whitaker. The following month, she served as a presenter at the 69th Tony Awards. In July 2015, a black and white book, "Misty Copeland: Power and Grace", was released by photographer Richard Corman, with an introduction by Cindy Bradley. The book contains photographs of Copeland dancing at sunrise on and around a baby grand piano that washed ashore under the Brooklyn Bridge. Copeland was included in the 2015 International Best Dressed List, published by "Vanity Fair". In October 2015, she performed on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" accompanied by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who played "Courante" from Bach's Cello Suite No. 2.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In February 2016, Copeland and President Barack Obama were interviewed together in the first of a three part video series with "Time" and "Essence" magazines on topics of race, gender, achievement and creating opportunity for young people. The same month, she walked the runway at New York Fashion Week to support the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign to increase awareness of the dangers of heart disease for women. She appeared in the March issue of "Harper's Bazaar" recreating Edgar Degas ballerina poses in a photospread ahead of a Museum of Modern Art exhibition: "Edgar Degas: A Strange New Beauty". The feature was favorably noted by several media outlets, but Sebastian Smee of "The Boston Globe" argued that contemporary ballet performers take Degas' ballet-themed work too seriously.


title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland dances the lead ballerina role in the 2018 Disney film, "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms", based on the 1816 story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". She also voiced herself on a 2016 episode of the animated TV series "Peg + Cat", "The Dance Problem/Follow The Bouncing Ball". In 2017, she appeared as a guest judge on "World of Dance". Copeland danced with Craig Hall during Taylor Swift's performance of her song "Lover" at the 2019 American Music Awards.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In 2011, Copeland unveiled a line of dancewear, called M by Misty, that she designed. She has also produced celebrity calendars. In 2022, she co-founded sports apparel label "Greatness Wins".


title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland released a memoir in 2014, "Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina", co-authored by Charisse Jones. Her 2014 children's picture book, titled "Firebird", with illustrator Christopher Myers, has a message of empowerment for young people of color. In 2017, Copeland released the book "Ballerina Body", a health and fitness guide. She released a children's book, "Bunheads", in 2020, and in 2021 she released "Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy". In 2022 Copeland released another memoir, "The Wind at My Back: Resilience, Grace, and Other Gifts from My Mentor, Raven Wilkinson", co-written with Susan Fales-Hill.


title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland co-founded a fundraiser, Swans for Relief, which compiled videos made in May 2020 by 32 ballerinas from 14 countries, including Copeland, dancing "The Dying Swan". The resulting YouTube video raises funds that will go to each dancer's company's COVID-19 relief fund, or other arts/dance-based relief fund, to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dance community.


title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland was featured in T-Mobile's ads for the BlackBerry in 2010 and an ad for Dr. Pepper in 2013. In 2013, she represented Coach, Inc. and became a spokesperson for Project Plié, a national initiative to broaden the pipeline of leadership within ballet. She also became a brand ambassador for Seiko in 2015. In 2016, Mattel created a Misty Copeland Barbie doll. Later that year, the Dannon Company hired Copeland as a spokesperson for its Oikos brand.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In 2014, Copeland became a sponsored athlete for Under Armour, which paid her more than her ballet career. Her Under Armour women-focused ad campaign was widely publicized, and resulted in her being named an ABC World News Person of the week. The ad campaign was recognized by "Adweek" as one of The 10 Best Ads of 2014 and as "The year's best campaign targeting women". Copeland, along with Steph Curry and Jordan Spieth, was credited with boosting demand for Under Armour products. In February 2017, Copeland debuted her own collection of activewear for Under Armour. Shortly afterwards, she criticized statements by Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank that praised Donald Trump, stressing that her sponsors should believe in the "importance of diversity and inclusion". Plank responded in an open letter to the "Baltimore Sun" to state that he supports "a diverse and inclusive America". In July 2017, Under Armour launched a digital ad campaign featuring Copeland, and at the end of that month she became the spokesperson for an Estée Lauder fragrance. "W" called her Estée Lauder campaign groundbreaking because cosmetics companies have rarely employed spokespersons other than models.


title: Misty Copeland

text: In 2008, Copeland won the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts, which funds study with master teachers and trainers outside of ABT. The two-year fellowships are in recognition of "young artists of extraordinary talent with the goal of providing them with additional resources in order to fully realise their potential". In 2013, she was named National Youth of the Year Ambassador by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In 2014, Copeland was named to the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hartford for her contributions to classical ballet and helping to diversify the art form. Copeland was a "Dance Magazine" Awards 2014 honoree. After her promotion as principal dancer, Copeland was named one of "Glamour" Women of the Year for 2015; one of ESPN's 2015 "Impact 25" athletes and influencers who have made the greatest impact for women in sports; and, by Barbara Walters, one of the 10 "most fascinating" people of 2015. In 2016, Copeland won a Shorty Award for Best in Dance in Social Media.


title: Misty Copeland

text: Copeland and her husband, attorney Olu Evans, live on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The couple were introduced to each other around 2004 by Evans' cousin, Taye Diggs, and disclosed their engagement in a 2015 cover story in "Essence" magazine. They married in California on July 31, 2016. They have one child, a son born in 2022. Copeland enjoys cooking.


title: Anuel AA

text: Emmanuel Gazmey Santiago (born November 26, 1992), known professionally as Anuel AA, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His music often contains samples and interpolations of songs that were popular during his youth. He is seen as a controversial figure in the Latin music scene for his legal troubles and feuds with fellow Puerto Rican rappers Cosculluela and Ivy Queen and with fellow American rapper 6ix9ine. Raised in Carolina, Puerto Rico, he started recording music at age fourteen and began posting it online four years later in 2010, before eventually signing to the Latin division of fellow American rapper Rick Ross's Maybach Music Group. His 2016 mixtape "Real Hasta la Muerte" was well-received, but his success was put on hold the same year by a 30-month prison sentence for illegal firearm possession in Puerto Rico. He recorded the entirety of his debut album while incarcerated, during which time his genre of music surged in popularity.


title: Anuel AA

text: Anuel AA released his debut album, also titled "Real Hasta la Muerte", on July 17, 2018, the day he was released from prison. The album was a critical and commercial success. In the coming six months, he appeared on the "Billboard" Hot Latin Songs, solidifying his position as one of the top Latino artists. In August 2019, he released the song "China", a collaboration with Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna, and J Balvin, which was a global success. He has since released the hit song "Me Gusta" with Shakira, and his second album, "Emmanuel", which was released on May 29, 2020. In November 2020, Anuel AA made a statement on Instagram and released a new song suggesting his imminent retirement from the music industry, citing family and relationship issues. He was back to music with his collaborative album "Los Dioses" with Ozuna. His third studio album "Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren" was released on 26 November 2021, including 16 tracks.


title: Anuel AA

text: In December 2021, Anuel became the first Latin artist to collaborate with UFC to promote a sports conceptual album, which features his admiration for influential cultural figures, including sports icons. "Real Hasta La Muerte” was the presenting sponsor of UFC Fight Replay for pivotal moments of UFC 269's main card. The company's activation with UFC included Anuel AA's visuals, logo, and artistic concept for his third album, "Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren".


title: Anuel AA

text: His father is Afro-Puerto Rican and his mother, who is of White Puerto Rican descent; Anuel AA has explained that he has experienced racism since childhood for being mixed-race. His father, José Gazmey, was vice president of the Puerto Rican division of Sony Music Entertainment's A&R department. When Anuel AA was a child, his father worked in the studio with salsa artists such as Héctor Lavoe and Fania All-Stars. While he does not identify as a fan of the salsa genre, Anuel AA recalls that seeing his father interact with these artists inspired an interest in the recording industry. However, his father lost his job when Anuel AA was fifteen years old, led him to become what "Rolling Stone" magazine described as a "son of the streets".


title: Anuel AA

text: He idolized Tupac Shakur while growing up and aspired to emulate his style of dress, particularly his emphasis on jewelry. He is childhood friends with Puerto Rican rapper Casper, who co-wrote, and performed on, the track "Te Boté". Speaking about how his upbringing in the projects influenced his music, Anuel AA stated, "My music is my soul speaking, literally. It's spiritual. It has a lot of feelings, a lot of pain. It's my experiences growing up "en la calle" [in the streets]." He began recording music at age fourteen, and started posting it online at age 18 in 2010. His music garnered millions of streams and views and eventually caught the attention of American rapper Rick Ross, who signed him to the Latin division of Maybach Music Group. His mixtape "Real Hasta La Muerte" was released in February 2016 and received positive reviews from critics. The success of this mixtape lead to Anuel AA landing a guest feature on Ozuna's 2017 album "Odisea".


title: Anuel AA

text: In April 2016, Anuel AA was arrested in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for illegal possession of three firearms. "Billboard" noted that Latin trap surged in popularity while Anuel AA was in prison, writing, "Anuel remained behind bars, while outside, his music flourished." After being arrested and imprisoned, he recorded his debut album while incarcerated. He did this by primarily recording his vocals over the phone and taking advantage of his mandatory stay at a Miami halfway house to complete the album.


title: Anuel AA

text: He released his debut album "Real Hasta la Muerte" on July 17, 2018, the day he was released from prison. "Rolling Stone" included it on its list of Best Latin Albums of 2018, noting that the artist "demonstrates impressive pop instincts" and further commented, "As Anuel keeps one foot in trap, he's also looking toward Latin pop's mainstream". "Real Hasta la Muerte" peaked at number 42 on the "Billboard" 200 and topped the US Top Latin Albums chart. The release of the album, along with the artist's release from prison, garnered significant media attention; the rapper was surprised by the public response and stated that he "didn't even know how to talk in interviews" after being incarcerated for more than two years. He achieved his first "Billboard" Hot 100 hit in August 2018 through his collaboration with American rapper 6ix9ine on the song "Bebe".


title: Anuel AA

text: In the six months following the release of "Real Hasta la Muerte", Anuel AA contributed vocals to eleven "Billboard" Hot Latin Songs-charting singles, including "Ella Quiere Beber" featuring Dominican/Puerto Rican/American bachata singer Romeo Santos. He also collaborated with Nicki Minaj and Bantu on the song "Familia" for the "" , released in December 2018. In January 2019, the rapper released the single "Secreto" with Colombian singer Karol G, confirming the romantic relationship between the two artists in the song's accompanying music video. The single reached number 68 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number five on the US Hot Latin Songs charts. The song was inspired by the time when Anuel AA and Karol G were dating but had not yet publicly discussed their relationship. The video's "power couple" aesthetic garnered comparisons to Beyoncé and Jay-Z as well as Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.


title: Anuel AA

text: In July 2019, Anuel AA released "China", a collaboration with Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna, and J Balvin. The song heavily samples Shaggy's 2000 single, "It Wasn't Me", a track Anuel AA remembered from his childhood, which he selected from a number of old songs he had been listening to with the intention of "redo[ing] a classic". He told "XXL" that "when I used to go with the big boys in my hood to the club, they put that song on and everybody used to go crazy". "China" debuted at number two on "Billboard"s Hot Latin Songs chart and topped both the Latin Digital Songs and Latin Streaming Songs charts with 1,000 downloads sold and 14.1 million streams, while the accompanying video was included on the "Rolling Stone" list of the 10 Best Latin Music Videos of July. Anuel AA later appeared on the single "Whine Up" from Nicky Jam's album "Íntimo", released on November 1, 2019.


title: Anuel AA

text: In January 2020, Anuel AA collaborated with Shakira on the song "Me Gusta", which interpolates Jamaican reggae band Inner Circle's 1992 hit "Sweat (A La La La La Long)". "Rolling Stone" called the song "an unhurried lover's rock number with a delicate touch of dembow". He featured on Bad Bunny's 2020 album "YHLQMDLG" on the song "Está Cabrón Ser Yo". On April 3, 2020, Anuel AA released "3 De Abril" which commemorates the day that the artist was arrested, leading to prison time. The song reflects on his troubled youth and the challenges he faced while incarcerated. Suzy Exposito of "Rolling Stone" called the track a "sobering commemoration". Also in April 2020, Anuel AA released the single and video for "Follow" with Karol G, recording it entirely while in quarantine in Miami due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Anuel AA

text: On May 27, 2020, he announced and revealed the tracklist for his second album, "Emmanuel", which was released on May 29. Anuel AA had originally planned to release the album in April, but postponed the date due to the pandemic. On the day of the album's release, he promoted it by launching three luxury yachts off the coast of Miami's Isle of Normandy neighborhood. Each yacht had the name "Emmanuel" written on the side and played his music at high volume. The rapper explained his promotional strategy by saying, "Everybody does their release party in a club. And with coronavirus? I wouldn't go to the club right now!" The 22-track double album features collaborations from Bad Bunny, Enrique Iglesias, Travis Barker, Tego Calderón, Karol G, Lil Wayne, Farruko, Yandel and Ñengo Flow. Regarding the title of the album, the artist explained, "It's my name and it means 'God with us'. I wanted the album to have that good vibe. It's my life, made into music."


title: Anuel AA

text: In November 2020, Anuel AA indicated in an Instagram post that he was retiring from the music industry. On November 19, he released a new track, "Me Contagie 2", in which he talks about depression, indicates unhappiness with his relationships and expresses anguish at the fact that his career often takes him away from his young son, who has asked him to retire. He closes the song with the statement "In these Grammys, I retire". The comments have left his fans in a state of confusion about his future plans, as it appears that he has yet to make a more formal announcement of retirement.


title: Anuel AA

text: On January 22, 2021, Anuel AA and Ozuna released their collaborative album "Los Dioses"."" The album includes 12 tracks.


title: Anuel AA

text: In June 2021, Anuel AA's manager Frabian Eli announced that Anuel's fourth studio album will be released in July. The album will include trap and only two reggaeton songs. Later he announced via Instagram that the album wouldn't come yet. Anuel later appeared on the remix of the single "Mr Jones" from the deluxe of Pop Smoke's album Faith, released on July 31, 2021.


title: Anuel AA

text: In August 2021, Anuel released two songs - "Los De Siempre" with Chris Jeday and "23 Preguntas", dedicated to his ex-girlfriend Karol G. In the music video of 23 Preguntas he announced the name of his next album - "Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren". In September he partnered with Jhay Cortez in the track Ley Seca, part of his album "Timelezz".


title: Anuel AA

text: On September 22, he announced that his album "Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren" was complete and ready for release. In October he released "Dictadura", the first single of his upcoming album. In November, Anuel featured on the long-awaited BZRP Music Session 46 with Argentinian Producer Bizarrap. On November 11 he released the second single from the album, "Leyenda". On November 17 he revealed the tracklist for his album by printing song names on the jersey of his basketball team. The day after, he released the album's last single, "Súbelo", with Myke Towers and Jhay Cortez. "Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren" released on the rapper's 29th birthday. The album has 16 tracks and features Eladio Carrion, Jhay Cortez, Myke Towers, and Mora.


title: Anuel AA

text: On January 1, 2022, Anuel AA took part of Dominican singer Rochy RD's song “Los Illuminaty”. Later he confirmed the announcement of the second part of his album "Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren". The first single of the new project is supposed to be “Si Tu Me Busca” featuring Dominican singer Yailin La Más Viral. On 20 May 2022, Anuel AA partnered partnered with Chris Jedi and Chencho Corleone in global hit “La Llevo Al Cielo” featuring Ñengo Flow. Later he released the electro pop song “¿Que Nos Paso?”.


title: Anuel AA

text: Anuel AA announced the EP “Me Fui De Gira” with 6 or 7 tracks but later he cancelled it and unified it with the upcoming album "Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren 2". The first announced single in the project was the collaboration “Malo” between Anuel and Puerto Rican singers Zion and Randy.


title: Anuel AA

text: According to "XXL", Anuel AA is considered "one of the founding fathers of Latin trap music". He is noted for his signature "BRRR" adlib, which is meant to mimic the sound of an automatic firearm. Anuel AA's lyrics often discuss sex, crime, and life on the streets. Paul Simpson of Allmusic described his lyrics as "too risqué to be played on the radio" and highlighted that his success has instead stemmed from streaming services and the artist's highly active social media presence. Gary Suarez of "Vice" viewed his 2018 album "Real Hasta la Muerte" as a collection of both "gleaming trap bangers" and "reggaeton crowd pleasers". Despite his "bad guy image", Suarez wrote that the relationship-themed songs "Culpables" and "Secreto" represent "a softening of his hardened trapero persona". Anuel AA is noted for his use of the word "bebecita" ("baby girl") in songs and on social media, and the word has become associated with the reggaeton genre as well as Anuel AA and Karol G's relationship.


title: Anuel AA

text: Anuel AA's introduction to hip-hop occurred upon listening to rapper Tupac Shakur. His songs frequently pay homage to both U.S. and Latin artists that influenced him in his youth. Examples include "China" which samples both "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy and "Ella Me Levantó" by Daddy Yankee, and "Delincuente" which interpolates "Bandoleros" by Don Omar and Tego Calderón. He is influenced by, and has collaborated with, American hip-hop artists Meek Mill and Gucci Mane, both of whom, like Anuel AA, gained notoriety for serving time in prison. Describing Meek Mill's impact on his music, Anuel AA explained, "I listen to what people say in the songs, not just the melodies. With rappers you gotta listen to what they say. And Meek be talking some real shit. That's why I look up to him." In an interview with "Vice", he expressed admiration for the music of bachata artist Zacarías Ferreíra, Dominican dembow rapper El Alfa, and English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. He has also indicated an interest in collaborating with Post Malone and Billie Eilish.


title: Anuel AA

text: On September 15, 2018, Anuel AA released a diss track called "Intocable" aimed at fellow rapper Cosculluela. The track was widely criticized due to its profanity and remarks about homosexuality and HIV/AIDS patients. In the song, he refers to model and television host La Taína as a "pig" for her HIV-positive status. Due to the public backlash, Anuel AA's concert at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico venue, scheduled for October 12 of that year, was canceled by his production staff and main producer Paco López. Anuel AA later issued an apology for the song. He explained, "It is the worst mistake of my career. I do not need this and I apologize to all the people I offended. To homosexuals, to people with AIDS, to La Taína [the model] and to those who lost everything after Hurricane Maria ... My fans deserve from me to be a better person, and I apologize to everyone in Puerto Rico."


title: Anuel AA

text: In early April 2019, Anuel AA and Ivy Queen engaged in an argument on Instagram after Anuel AA questioned how Ivy Queen could be still considered the "Queen of Reggaeton." Anuel argued she hadn't had a hit song in more than 7 years, and further questioned if Karol G should be considered another "Queen of Reggaeton." Followers on Instagram speculated about why he made the comments. Ivy Queen responded with comments about where she came from and how she was a pioneer, paving the way for other women to follow.


title: Anuel AA

text: Anuel AA met Colombian singer Karol G in August 2018 on the set of the music video for their song "Culpables", a month after his release from prison. In January 2019, Anuel AA and Karol G confirmed their relationship. On April 25, 2019, Karol G arrived at the Billboard Latin Music Awards wearing a "massive" diamond ring, confirming the couple's engagement. In March 2021, it was reported that the couple ended their relationship after two years of dating.


title: Anuel AA

text: In early 2022, Gazmey confirmed his relationship with Dominican singer Georgina Lulú Guillermo Díaz known professionally as Yailin La Más Viral. In June 2022, the couple got married. They are expecting a daughter that is due in 2023.


title: Anuel AA

text: Anuel AA was arrested and held in the Metropolitan Detention Center, Guaynabo on April 3, 2016, with three companions when police found three pistols including one stolen, nine magazines, and 152 bullets. He signed a plea deal, accepting a 30-month sentence in federal prison, on gun possession charges. Following his arrest, the #FreeAnuel movement became popular among his fans as he continued to release tracks from prison by recording his voice over the phone.


title: Anuel AA

text: While incarcerated, Anuel AA spent 90 days in solitary confinement following an incident with another inmate. During his trial, he stated that the lyrics in his music did not represent his true character. The presiding judge Aida Delgado-Colon said she had never heard any of his songs. In March 2018, Anuel AA was released from federal prison into a state prison in Miami. During this time, he told "Billboard" that while imprisoned, he listened to the radio and kept up with what was happening in the streets to draw inspiration for his songwriting.


title: Anuel AA

text: On June 10, 2022, it was reported that Anuel AA would be entering the NFT space by launching his own NFT collection making him one of the first Latin rappers in history to do so. He is also the very first Latin artist to collaborate with the UFC promoting a sports conceptual album.


title: Anuel AA

text: The rappers NFT collection will be made up of physical assets along with exclusive real life experiences such as limited edition merchandise, access to album release parties, studio visits and listening sessions.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'.


title: Gauteng

text: Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only 1.5% of the country's land area, it is home to more than a quarter of its population (26%). Highly urbanised, the province contains the country's largest city, Johannesburg, which is also one of the largest cities in the world. Gauteng is the wealthiest province in South Africa and is considered as the financial hub of not only South Africa but the entire African continent, mostly concentrated in Johannesburg. It also contains the administrative capital, Pretoria, and other large areas such as Midrand, Vanderbijlpark, Ekurhuleni and the affluent Sandton. Gauteng is the most populous province in South Africa with a population of approximately 16.1 million people according to mid year 2022 estimates.


title: Gauteng

text: The name "Gauteng" is derived from the Sotho-Tswana name, meaning "gold". There was a thriving gold industry in the province following the 1886 discovery of gold in Johannesburg. In Setswana, the name was used for Johannesburg and surrounding areas long before it was adopted in 1994 as the official name of the province.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first multiracial elections on 27 April 1994. It was initially named Pretoria–Witwatersrand–Vereeniging (PWV) and was renamed "Gauteng" on the 28th of June 1995, together with two other provinces. The term "PWV" describing the region existed long before the establishment of the province, with the "V" sometimes standing for "Vaal Triangle" rather than Vereeniging.


title: Gauteng

text: At the Sterkfontein caves, some of the oldest fossils of hominids have been discovered, such as Mrs. Ples and Little Foot.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng's history has only been properly documented since the 19th century and as a result, not much information regarding its history predating the 19th century is available. The recorded history of the area that is now Gauteng can be traced back to the early 19th century when settlers originating from the Cape Colony defeated chief Mzilikazi and started establishing villages in the area.


title: Gauteng

text: The city of Pretoria was founded in 1855 as capital of the South African Republic (ZAR - ). After the discovery of gold in 1886, the region became the single largest gold producer in the world and the city of Johannesburg was founded. The older city Pretoria was not subject to the same attention and development. Pretoria grew at a slower rate and was highly regarded due to its role in the Second Boer War. The Cullinan Diamond which is the largest diamond ever mined was mined near Pretoria in a nearby town called Cullinan in the year 1905.


title: Gauteng

text: Many crucial events happened in present-day Gauteng with regards to the anti-apartheid struggle, such as the Freedom Charter of 1955, Women's March of 1956, Sharpeville massacre of 1960, the Rivonia Trial of 1963 and 1964, the little Rivonia Trial of 1964, the Soweto Uprising of 1976 and Sharpeville Six of 1984. Today, the Apartheid Museum stands testament to these struggles in Johannesburg.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng is governed by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, a 73-person unicameral legislature elected by party-list proportional representation. The legislature elects one of its members as Premier of Gauteng to lead the executive, and the Premier appoints an Executive Council of up to 10 members of the legislature to serve as heads of the various government departments. The provincial government is responsible for the topics allocated to it in the national constitution, including such fields as basic education, health, housing, social services, agriculture and environmental protection.


title: Gauteng

text: The most recent election of the provincial legislature was held on 8 May 2019, and the African National Congress (ANC) won 50.19% of the vote and a 37-seat majority in the legislature. The official opposition is the Democratic Alliance, which won 27.45% of the vote and 20 seats. Other parties represented are the Economic Freedom Fighters with eleven seats and the Freedom Front Plus with three seats. The Inkatha Freedom Party and African Christian Democratic Party hold one seat each. Premier David Makhura of the ANC was re-elected as premier on 22 May 2019, at the first meeting of the legislature after the general election. Makhura resigned from the position on 6 October 2022 and Panyaza Lesufi of the ANC was elected to replace him.


title: Gauteng

text: The Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa, which has seats in Pretoria and Johannesburg, is a superior court with general jurisdiction over the province. Johannesburg is also home to the Constitutional Court, South Africa's highest court, and to a branch of the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng's southern border is the Vaal River, which separates it from the Free State. It also borders on North West to the west, Limpopo to the north, and Mpumalanga to the east. Gauteng is the only landlocked province of South Africa without a foreign border. Most of Gauteng is on the Highveld, a high-altitude grassland (circa above sea level). Between Johannesburg and Pretoria, there are low parallel ridges and undulating hills, some part of the Magaliesberg Mountains and the Witwatersrand. The north of the province is more subtropical, due to its lower altitude and is mostly dry savanna habitat.


title: Gauteng

text: In the southern half of Gauteng, the Witwatersrand area is an older term describing a 120 km wide oblong-shaped conurbation from Randfontein in the West to Nigel in the East, named after the Witwatersrand, a geologically and economically important series of low ridges and their associated plateau that greater Johannesburg developed on. This area is also often referred to simply as "Witwatersrand", "the Rand" or "the Reef" (archaic, after the gold reefs that precipitated the development of the area), and was the "W" in "PWV", the initial name for Gauteng. It has traditionally been divided into the three areas of East Rand (governed by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality), Central Rand (approximately today's Johannesburg Municipality) and West Rand.


title: Gauteng

text: The climate is mostly influenced by altitude. Even though the province is at a subtropical latitude, the climate is comparatively cooler, especially in Johannesburg, at above sea level (Pretoria is at ). Most precipitation occurs as brief afternoon thunderstorms; however, relative humidity never becomes uncomfortable. Winters are crisp and dry with frost occurring often in the southern areas. Snow is rare, but it has occurred on some occasions in the Johannesburg metropolitan area.


title: Gauteng

text: The Gauteng Province (as of May 2011) is divided into three metropolitan municipalities and two district municipalities. The district municipalities are in turn divided into six local municipalities:


title: Gauteng

text: The former Metsweding district consisting of Nokeng Tsa Taemane and Kungwini in the North of the province was incorporated into Tshwane in 2011.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng Province is home to 16.1 million people (2022 Stats SA Mid-year estimates), with 26% of the total South African population. Gauteng Province is also the fastest growing province, experiencing a population growth of over 33% between the 1996 and 2011 censuses, thus Gauteng now has the largest population of any province in South Africa, though the smallest land area.


title: Gauteng

text: As of the census of 2011, there are 12,272,263 people and 3,909,022 households residing in Gauteng. The population density is 680/km². The density of households is 155.86/km². But in 2021, it is estimated to have 15,810,388 people and 5.1 million households residing in Gauteng.


title: Gauteng

text: The province's age distribution was 23.6% under the age of 15, 19.6% from 15 to 24, 37.9% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 27 years. For every 100 females there are 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 102.3 males.


title: Gauteng

text: 76.0% of residents are Christian, 18.4% have no religion, 1.7% are Muslim, 0.5% are Jewish, and 0.8% are Hindu. 2.6% have other or undetermined beliefs.


title: Gauteng

text: 8.4% of residents aged 20 and over have received no schooling, 11.2% have had some primary, 5.5% have completed only primary school, 34.3% have had some high education, 28.0% have finished only high school, and 12.6% have an education higher than the high school level. Overall, 40.6% of residents have completed high school.


title: Gauteng

text: 56.1% of housing units have a telephone and/or mobile phone in the dwelling, 41.5% have access to a phone nearby, and 2.3% have access that is not nearby or no access. 82.8% of households have a flush or chemical toilet. 84.2% have refuse removed by the municipality at least once a week and 2.6% have no rubbish disposal. 47.2% have running water inside their dwelling, 83.6% have running water on their property, and 97.5% have access to running water. 73.2% of households use electricity for cooking, 70.4% for heating, and 80.8% for lighting. 77.4% of households have a radio, 65.7% have a television, 15.1% own a computer, 62.1% have a refrigerator, and 45.1% have a mobile phone.


title: Gauteng

text: The median annual income of working adults aged 15–65 is R 23 539 ($3,483). Males have a median annual income of R 24 977 ($3,696) versus R 20 838 ($3,083) for females.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng is the province with the second highest life expectancy in the country in 2019 with females having a life expectancy of 69 years and males having a life expectancy of 64 years. At birth, life expectancy for 2013 is approximated at 57 years and 61 years for males and females respectively. This marks an improvement of a whole year in the life expectancy of South Africans as a whole.


title: Gauteng

text: Previously described as the , the urban conurbation of Gauteng, referred to as the Gauteng City Region, contains the major urban populations of Johannesburg (7,860,781 ), Pretoria (1,763,336), Vereeniging (377,922), Evaton (605,504) and Soshanguve (728,063), coming to an urban population of over 11 million. Thomas Brinkhoff lists a "Consolidated Urban Area" in Gauteng as having a population of 13.1 million . The future governmental plans for the region indicate the gradual urbanisation and consolidation towards the creation of a megalopolis that connects these metros.


title: Gauteng

text: The GCRO is a collaboration between the Universities of Johannesburg and Witwatersrand, the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng Provincial Government, and SALGA-Gauteng. The GCRO's purpose is to collect information and create a database on the Gauteng City Region to provide to Government, Lawmakers and civil society an informed understanding of the fastest urbanizing region in Southern Africa.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng is considered the economic hub of South Africa and contributes heavily in the financial, manufacturing, transport, technology, and telecommunications sectors, among others. It also plays host to a large number of overseas companies requiring a commercial base in and gateway to Africa.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng is home to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the largest stock exchange in Africa. Some of the largest companies in Africa and abroad are based in Gauteng, or have offices and branches there, such as Vodacom, MTN, Neotel, Microsoft South Africa and the largest Porsche Centre in the world.


title: Gauteng

text: Although Gauteng is the smallest of South Africa's nine provinces—it covers a mere 1.5% of the country's total land area, the province is responsible for a third of South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP). Gauteng generates about 10% of the total GDP of sub-Saharan Africa and about 7% of total African GDP.


title: Gauteng

text: SANRAL, a parastatal, is responsible for the maintenance, development and management of all national road networks in South Africa. SANRAL is responsible for instituting the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, which was met with a lot of opposition due to the tolling of Gauteng motorists. Many important national routes run through Gauteng such as the N1, N3, N4, N12, N14 and the N17. Johannesburg is quite dependent on freeways for transport in and around the city. The R21, R24, R59, M1 and M2 all run through Johannesburg while the R80 connects Pretoria Central to Soshanguve.


title: Gauteng

text: The Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project led to a large decrease in traffic congestion when construction finished 2011–2012. Cape Town, for the first time in decades, is now the most congested city in South Africa.


title: Gauteng

text: PUTCO, the largest commuter bus operator in South Africa, services the Gauteng area extensively. The bus rapid transit system Rea Vaya also serves to transport people from Johannesburg's southern neighbourhoods into and around the CBD. In an interview, Parks Tau stated that by 2040, Johannesburg will be dominated by pedestrians and public transport as opposed to the use of private transport or informal transport, such as minibus taxis.


title: Gauteng

text: Gautrain and Metrorail both service the province's public transport sector where trains are concerned and Gautrain offers a bus service that transports commuters to and from various train stations and predetermined bus stops. Metrorail trains are considered one of the most cost-effective methods of transportation in and around Gauteng.


title: Gauteng

text: The OR Tambo International Airport, Rand Airport, Lanseria International Airport, Wonderboom Airport and Grand Central Airport are located in Gauteng.


title: Gauteng

text: There is a large informal transport sector in Gauteng, consisting of thousands of minibus taxis, which many of the urban and rural population makes use of. However, it is noted that taxis are often unsafe as their drivers ignore the rules of the road and the vehicles are often not roadworthy. The City of Johannesburg stated that: "major initiatives are under way to completely reform the taxi industry and provide more comfort and safety to customers." In March 2017, it is reported that Gauteng alone has 4,7 million registered vehicles under the "GP" abbreviation via the eNatis system.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng is a large center of learning in South Africa, and it has many universities and educational institutions of higher learning.


title: Gauteng

text: In 2002, the Gauteng Department of Education founded an initiative called "Gauteng Online" in an attempt to get the entire province to utilize a wide assortment of electronic and telecommunications systems. In 2007, this initiative was handed over to the Gauteng Department of Finance.


title: Gauteng

text: In the 2013 national budget speech, it was announced that the Gauteng Department of Education would be granted over R700 million to improve education and to alleviate issues concerning the overcrowding in schools, a shortage in teaching staff and transport for poor pupils.


title: Gauteng

text: In 2017/2018, the Gauteng Provincial government spent R42.4 billion on education which accounted for 38% the province's total expenditure.


title: Gauteng

text: Although Gauteng province is dominated by the urban areas of Johannesburg and Pretoria, it has several nature reserves. Gauteng is home to the Cradle of Humankind UNESCO World Heritage Site which includes the Sterkfontein caves and the Wonder Cave Kromdraai. Johannesburg is home to the largest man-made urban forest in the world.


title: Gauteng

text: There are 5 provincial reserves managed by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs:


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng is home to many stadiums and sporting grounds, notably Soccer City, Ellis Park Stadium, Odi Stadium, Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Lucas Moripe Stadium, Giant Stadium, Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg Stadium, the Wanderers Stadium and SuperSport Park.


title: Gauteng

text: Several teams from Gauteng play in the country's top-level association football (more commonly referred to as soccer) league, the Premier Soccer League (PSL), including Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. The national squad Bafana Bafana's home stadium is Soccer City in Johannesburg. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first ever world cup held by an African nation, Gauteng's stadia hosted many games. The first ever FIFA world cup match on African soil took place at Soccer City on 11 June 2010. Along with Soccer City, Loftus Versfeld Stadium and Ellis Park Stadium hosted matches in Gauteng.


title: Gauteng

text: Rugby, or more accurately rugby union, is a popular sport in South Africa, and in Gauteng in particular. Two rugby teams from Gauteng participate in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby championship: the Pretoria-based Bulls, and the Johannesburg-based Lions (previously the Cats). Three Gauteng-based teams play in the country's domestic competition, the Currie Cup: the Blue Bulls from Pretoria, the Golden Lions from Johannesburg and the Falcons from the East Rand. In 1995, South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup and proceeded to win the tournament at Ellis Park Stadium on 24 June 1995. The events surrounding the world cup formed the basis of the story for the movie Invictus.


title: Gauteng

text: Many South African universities take part in the Varsity Rugby league. Of these, the Gauteng universities include the University of Pretoria, the University of Johannesburg and the University of the Witwatersrand.


title: Gauteng

text: Cricket is also widely popular among all cultural groups in the country, and is the only sport to feature in the top two among all of South Africa's major ethnic/racial groups. The Highveld Lions represent both Gauteng and North West in the country's three domestic competitions—the first-class SuperSport Series, the List A one-day MTN Domestic Championship and the Twenty20 Standard Bank Pro 20 Series.


title: Gauteng

text: Many marathons take place in Gauteng, such as the Gauteng Marathon, the Arwyp Medical Centre 15 km Nite Race and the Trisport Joburg City Triathlon.


title: Gauteng

text: Gauteng's favourable weather conditions throughout the year make it an ideal hub for sports and other out door activities. This makes golf, horse racing and swimming very popular. The Vaal River facilitates water sports in the forms of jet skiing, water skiing and motor boating. Adventure sports are also quite popular in Gauteng, particularly skydiving, paragliding and hang-gliding.


title: Gauteng

text: The amusement park Gold Reef City is situated in Gauteng, as is the Johannesburg Zoo and the Pretoria Zoo. Botanical gardens in the province include the Pretoria and Walter Sisulu national botanical gardens maintained by the South African National Botanical Institute as well as the Johannesburg and Manie van der Schijff botanical gardens.


title: Gauteng

text: The Ticketpro Dome and the Gallagher Convention Centre, which are both popular events and expos venues, are also located within Gauteng. The province also has a Formula One racetrack, the Kyalami Circuit. The most recent F1 race at the venue was in 1993.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: Hilton Worldwide (legally Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.) is an American multinational hospitality company that manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and resorts. Founded by Conrad Hilton in May 1919, the corporation is now led by Christopher J. Nassetta.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: Hilton is headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States. As of June 30, 2020, its portfolio includes 6,215 properties (including timeshare properties) with 983,465 rooms in 118 countries and territories, including 690 that are managed and 5,405 that are franchised, with the combined managed and franchised properties having a total of 953,946 rooms, in addition to 65 that are owned or leased including 57 that are wholly owned or leased, one owned by a consolidated non-wholly owned entity, two that are leased by consolidated variable interest entities (VIEs) and five that are owned or leased by unconsolidated affiliates. Prior to its December 2013 IPO, Hilton was ranked as the 36th largest private company in the United States by "Forbes".


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: Hilton has 18 brands across different market segments, including Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Hilton Grand Vacations, LXR Hotels and Resorts by Hilton, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Signia by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Tempo by Hilton and Motto by Hilton.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: On December 12, 2013, Hilton again became a public company, raising an estimated $2.35 billion in its second IPO. At the time, The Blackstone Group held a 45.8 percent stake in the company. In October 2016, China's HNA Group agreed to acquire a 25 percent equity interest in Hilton from Blackstone. The transaction was expected to close in the first quarter of 2017. Hilton's largest stockholders were until mid 2018 HNA Group, Blackstone, and Wellington Management Group, which as of March 2017 owned 25%, 15.2%, and 6.7% of Hilton common stock respectively. Hilton Hotels are now a stand-alone company.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: Hilton was founded by Conrad Hilton as Hilton Hotels Corporation in Cisco, Texas, in 1919 and had its headquarters in Beverly Hills, California, from 1969 until 2009. In August 2009, the company moved to Tysons Corner, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, near McLean.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1919, Conrad Hilton purchased his first hotel, the 40-room Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas, and bought additional Texas hotels as years passed.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1925, the Dallas Hilton became the first hotel to use the Hilton name. In 1927, Hilton expanded to Waco, Texas, where he opened the first hotel with air-conditioning in public areas and cold running water.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1943, Hilton assumed management of the Roosevelt Hotel and purchased the Plaza Hotel, both well-established high-end luxury hotels less than a mile apart in New York City's Midtown Manhattan neighborhood. With this pair of acquisitions Hilton established the first hospitality company to span the contiguous United States.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: The company incorporated in 1946 as the Hilton Hotels Corporation, and subsequently began public trading of shares on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1947, the Roosevelt Hotel became the first hotel in the world to have televisions in its rooms.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1947, Hilton assumed management of the Palacio Hilton hotel in Chihuahua, Mexico, which became the chain's first international property. That same year, they assumed management of four hotels on the island of Bermuda.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: Hilton International was founded as a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1948, just prior to the 1949 opening of the Caribe Hilton Hotel in Puerto Rico. Barman Ramon "Monchito" Marreno claimed he created the piña colada cocktail at this resort. Hilton purchased The Waldorf-Astoria in New York in the same year.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: The Hotels Statler Company was acquired in 1954 for $111 million in what was then the world's most expensive real estate transaction. One year later, Hilton created the world's first central reservations office, titled "HILCRON". The reservations team in 1955 consisted of eight members on staff booking reservations for any of Hilton's then 28 hotels. Reservations agents used the "availability board" to track records. The chalk board measured by and allowed HILCRON to make over 6,000 reservations in 1955. Bookings could be made for any Hilton via telephone, telegram, or Teletype.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In late 1955, Hilton opened the Istanbul Hilton, the first post–World War II property in Istanbul, Turkey.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: Hilton is credited with pioneering the airport hotel concept with the opening of the Hilton Inn at San Francisco International Airport in 1959.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: International expansion continued in this era. In 1957, Hilton assumed management of its first hotel in Central America, the El Panama Hilton in Panama City, Panama. In 1958, Hilton opened its first hotel in Canada, The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal, Quebec. In 1959, Hilton opened its first hotel in Africa, the Nile Hilton in Cairo, Egypt. In 1960, Hilton opened its first hotel in Oceania, the Chevron Hilton in Sydney, Australia. In 1961, Hilton assumed management of its first hotel in South America, the Hotel Carrera in Santiago, Chile. In 1963, Hilton opened its first hotels in Asia, the Hong Kong Hilton and the Tokyo Hilton, and its first hotel in the Middle East, the Royal Tehran Hilton.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1965, Hilton launched Lady Hilton, the first hotel concept created specifically for women guests. To appeal to female travelers, a number of properties offered floors occupied by only women along with distinct amenities for their usage.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1969, the first DoubleTree Hotel opened. However, Hilton was not affiliated with the brand until its acquisition of the parent company in 1999.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: Hilton purchased the Flamingo Las Vegas in 1970, which would become the first in the domestic gaming business to be listed on the NYSE.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1977, Hilton International opened its first property behind the "Iron Curtain" in Communist Europe, the Budapest Hilton.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1979, founder Conrad Hilton died at the age of 91. Hilton Hotels Corporation later created the Conrad Hotels brand in honor of Hilton.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: Hilton Honors (formerly Hilton HHonors), the company's guest loyalty program, was initiated in 1987. In 1994, the Honors surpassed competing hotel loyalty programs by offering members both hotel credit points and airline credit miles.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: The company spun off its international operations into a separately traded company on December 1, 1964, known as "Hilton International Co." It was acquired in 1967 by Trans World Corp., the holding company for Trans World Airlines. In 1986, it was sold to UAL Corp., the holding company for United Airlines, which became Allegis Corp. in an attempt to re-incarnate itself as a full-service travel company, encompassing Westin Hotels and Hertz rental cars in addition to Hilton International and United Airlines. In 1987, after a corporate putsch, the renamed UAL Corp. sold Hilton International to Ladbroke Group plc, a British leisure and gambling company, which, in May 1999, adopted the name "Hilton Group plc."


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: As a result, there were two separate, fully independent companies operating hotels under the Hilton name. Those Hilton Hotels outside the U.S. were, until 2006, styled as "Hilton International" hotels. Because the two chains were contractually forbidden to operate hotels in the other's territory under the Hilton name, for many years hotels run by Hilton International in the U.S. were called Vista International Hotels, while hotels operated by the American arm of Hilton outside the U.S. were named Conrad Hotels.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1997, to minimize longtime consumer confusion, the American and British Hilton companies adopted a joint marketing agreement under which they shared the same logos, promoted each other's brands and maintained joint reservation systems. At that point, the Vista chain was phased out, while Conrad has been restyled as one of the luxury brands of Hilton (along with the Waldorf-Astoria Collection) and operates hotels within the U.S. as well as abroad.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1971, Hilton acquired International Leisure Company, including the Las Vegas Hilton and Flamingo Hilton.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1998, Hilton spun off its gaming operations into a separate, publicly held company called Park Place Entertainment (later Caesars Entertainment, Inc.)


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 1999, Hilton acquired Promus Hotel Corporation, which included the DoubleTree, Red Lion, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, and Homewood Suites brands.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: On December 29, 2005, Hilton Hotels Corporation agreed to re-acquire the Hilton International chain from its British owner, Hilton Group plc, for £3.3 billion ($5.71 billion). As well as bringing the two Hilton companies back together as a single entity, this deal also included Hilton plc properties operating as Conrad Hotels, Scandic Hotels and LivingWell Health Clubs. On February 23, 2006, the deal closed, making Hilton Hotels the world's fifth largest hotel operator in number of rooms. Scandic Hotels was sold the next year on March 1 to EQT Partners.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: On July 3, 2007, Hilton Hotels Corp. agreed to an all-cash buyout from the Blackstone Group LP in a $26 billion (including debt) deal that would make Blackstone the world's largest hotel owner. At $47.50 per share, the buyout price was 32 percent higher than the closing value of a share of Hilton stock on July 3. The deal was the culmination of a year of on and off discussions with Blackstone. In October 2007, Christopher J. Nassetta was appointed president and chief executive officer of Hilton. In February 2009, Hilton Hotels Corp. announced that its headquarters were moving from Beverly Hills, California to Fairfax County, Virginia.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: While Blackstone saw an opportunity to streamline the company and push Hilton's expansion overseas when Blackstone pursued Hilton in 2006 and 2007, the buyout saddled the company with $20 billion of debt just as the economy was turning down. The debt had very liberal terms, so there was no danger of default, but when travel slowed, the company suffered. In April 2010, Hilton and Blackstone restructured the debt. Blackstone invested a further $800 million of equity and the debt was reduced to $16 billion.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: Hilton returned to being a public company on December 12, 2013. This second IPO in the company's history raised an estimated $2.35 billion. The Blackstone Group retained a 45.8% stake in the company.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: The company announced in February 2016 that Hilton would turn its hotel holdings into a real estate investment trust. Prior to making the announcement, the company went to the IRS for approval.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In February 2016, Hilton announced its intention to spin off its timeshare and real estate businesses, creating three independent public companies. The spin-offs of Park Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Grand Vacations were completed in January 2017. As of 2018, the company is a fully independent publicly traded company (just like in the pre-buyout days) after the exits of Blackstone and HNA.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: As of June 30, 2020, about 98% of the rooms branded under Hilton were managed or franchised to independent operators and companies. During its 2007–2013 ownership of Hilton, Blackstone Group pursued a strategy of predominantly expanding Hilton's reach through franchise agreements, while relatively few new properties were actually operated by Hilton. Hence, the proportion of franchised rooms grew significantly during this period. The practice of franchising is popular within the hospitality industry among most major hotel chains, as the parent company does not have to pay for the maintenance and overhead costs of franchised properties. Franchisees must follow strict brand standards in order to maintain a licensing agreement with Hilton. Many of Hilton's flagship properties, airport properties, and largest resorts, however, are corporately managed.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: Hilton Honors (formerly Hilton HHonors) is Hilton's guest loyalty program, through which frequent guests can accumulate points and airline miles by staying within the Hilton portfolio. The program is one of the largest of its type, with approximately 120 million members. There are four levels of elite status within the Hilton Honors program including Member, Silver, Gold and Diamond.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: The company has its headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia and an operations center in Memphis. Its Asia-Pacific operations are managed out of Singapore, its Middle East and Africa operations are managed out of Dubai, and its European operations are based in Watford, UK.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: According to Careerbliss.com, Hilton ranked first in the list of "2012 Happiest Companies in America", with a score of 4.36 out of 5. The survey looked at job reviews from more than 100,000 employees, with such characteristics life as work-life balance, company culture and reputation, and the relationships employees have with their bosses. Hilton has scored 100% on the Corporate Equality Index each year from 2014 to 2017.


title: Hilton Worldwide

text: In 2016, Hilton was named one of the "World's 25 Best Multinational Workplaces" by "Fortune" and Great Place to Work.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name "Carboniferous" means "coal-bearing", from the Latin "carbō" ("coal") and "ferō" ("bear, carry"), and refers to the many coal beds formed globally during that time.


title: Carboniferous

text: The first of the modern 'system' names, it was coined by geologists William Conybeare and William Phillips in 1822, based on a study of the British rock succession. The Carboniferous is often treated in North America as two geological periods, the earlier Mississippian and the later Pennsylvanian.


title: Carboniferous

text: Terrestrial animal life was well established by the Carboniferous Period. Tetrapods (four limbed vertebrates), which had originated from lobe-finned fish during the preceding Devonian, became pentadactylous in and diversified during the Carboniferous, including early amphibian lineages such as temnospondyls, with the first appearance of amniotes, including synapsids (the group to which modern mammals belong) and reptiles during the late Carboniferous. The period is sometimes called the Age of Amphibians, during which amphibians became dominant land vertebrates and diversified into many forms including lizard-like, snake-like, and crocodile-like.


title: Carboniferous

text: Insects would undergo a major radiation during the late Carboniferous. Vast swaths of forest covered the land, which would eventually be laid down and become the coal beds characteristic of the Carboniferous stratigraphy evident today.


title: Carboniferous

text: The later half of the period experienced glaciations, low sea level, and mountain building as the continents collided to form Pangaea. A minor marine and terrestrial extinction event, the Carboniferous rainforest collapse, occurred at the end of the period, caused by climate change.


title: Carboniferous

text: The term "Carboniferous" had first been used as an adjective by Irish geologist Richard Kirwan in 1799, and later used in a heading entitled "Coal-measures or Carboniferous Strata" by John Farey Sr. in 1811, becoming an informal term referring to coal-bearing sequences in Britain and elsewhere in Western Europe. Four units were originally ascribed to the Carboniferous, in ascending order, the Old Red Sandstone, Carboniferous Limestone, Millstone Grit and the Coal Measures. These four units were placed into a formalised Carboniferous unit by William Conybeare and William Phillips in 1822, and later into the Carboniferous System by Phillips in 1835. The Old Red Sandstone was later considered Devonian in age. Subsequently, separate stratigraphic schemes were developed in Western Europe, North America, and Russia. The first attempt to build an international timescale for the Carboniferous was during the Eighth International Congress on Carboniferous Stratigraphy and Geology in Moscow in 1975, when all of the modern ICS stages were proposed.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Carboniferous is divided into two subsystems, the lower Mississippian and upper Pennsylvanian, which are sometimes treated as separate geological periods in North American stratigraphy.


title: Carboniferous

text: Stages can be defined globally or regionally. For global stratigraphic correlation, the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) ratify global stages based on a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) from a single formation (a stratotype) identifying the lower boundary of the stage. The ICS subdivisions from youngest to oldest are as follows:


title: Carboniferous

text: The Mississippian was first proposed by Alexander Winchell, and the Pennsylvanian was proposed by J. J. Stevenson in 1888, and both were proposed as distinct and independent systems by H. S. Williams in 1881.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Tournaisian was named after the Belgian city of Tournai. It was introduced in scientific literature by Belgian geologist André Hubert Dumont in 1832. The GSSP for the base of the Tournaisian is located at the La Serre section in Montagne Noire, southern France. It is defined by the first appearance datum of the conodont "Siphonodella sulcata", which was ratified in 1990. However, the GSSP was later shown to have issues, with "Siphonodella sulcata" being shown to occur 0.45 m below the proposed boundary.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Viséan Stage was introduced by André Dumont in 1832. Dumont named this stage after the city of Visé in Belgium's Liège Province. The GSSP for the Visean is located in Bed 83 at the Pengchong section, Guangxi, southern China, which was ratified in 2012. The GSSP for the base of the Viséan is the first appearance datum of fusulinid (an extinct group of forams) "Eoparastaffella simplex."


title: Carboniferous

text: The Serpukhovian Stage was proposed in 1890 by Russian stratigrapher Sergei Nikitin. It is named after the city of Serpukhov, near Moscow. The Serpukhovian Stage currently lacks a defined GSSP. The proposed definition for the base of the Serpukhovian is the first appearance of conodont "Lochriea ziegleri."


title: Carboniferous

text: The Bashkirian was named after Bashkiria, the then Russian name of the republic of Bashkortostan in the southern Ural Mountains of Russia. The stage was introduced by Russian stratigrapher Sofia Semikhatova in 1934. The GSSP for the base of the Bashkirian is located at Arrow Canyon in Nevada, USA, which was ratified in 1996. The GSSP for the base of the Bashkirian is defined by the first appearance of the conodont "Declinognathodus noduliferus".""


title: Carboniferous

text: The Moscovian is named after Moscow, Russia, and was first introduced by Sergei Nikitin in 1890. The Moscovian currently lacks a defined GSSP.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Kasimovian is named after the Russian city of Kasimov, and originally included as part of Nikitin's original 1890 definition of the Moscovian. It was first recognised as a distinct unit by A.P. Ivanov in 1926, who named it the ""Tiguliferina"" Horizon after a kind of brachiopod. The Kasimovian currently lacks a defined GSSP.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Gzhelian is named after the Russian village of Gzhel (), nearby Ramenskoye, not far from Moscow. The name and type locality were defined by Sergei Nikitin in 1890. The base of the Gzhelian currently lacks a defined GSSP.


title: Carboniferous

text: The GSSP for the base of the Permian is located in the Aidaralash River valley near Aqtöbe, Kazakhstan, which was ratified in 1996. The beginning of the stage is defined by the first appearance of the conodont "Streptognathodus postfusus."


title: Carboniferous

text: In North American stratigraphy, the Mississippian is divided, in ascending order, into the Kinderhookian, Osagean, Meramecian and Chesterian series, while the Pennsylvanian is divided into the Morrowan, Atokan, Desmoinesian, Missourian and Virgilian series.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Kinderhookian is named after the village of Kinderhook, Pike County, Illinois. It corresponds to the lower part of the Tournasian.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Osagean is named after the Osage River in St. Clair County, Missouri. It corresponds to the upper part of the Tournaisian and the lower part of the Viséan.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Meramecian is named after the Meramec Highlands Quarry, located the near the Meramec River, southwest of St. Louis, Missouri. It corresponds to the mid Viséan.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Chesterian is named after the Chester Group, a sequence of rocks named after the town of Chester, Illinois. It corresponds to the upper Viséan and all of the Serpukhovian.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Morrowan is named after the Morrow Formation located in NW Arkansas, it corresponds to the lower Bashkirian.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Atokan was originally a formation named after the town of Atoka in southwestern Oklahoma. It corresponds to the upper Bashkirian and lower Moscovian


title: Carboniferous

text: The Desmoinesian is named after the Des Moines Formation found near the Des Moines River in central Iowa. It corresponds to the middle and upper Moscovian and lower Kasimovian.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Missourian was named at the same time as the Desmoinesian. It corresponds to the middle and upper Kasimovian.


title: Carboniferous

text: The European Carboniferous is divided into the lower Dinantian and upper Silesian, the former being named for the Belgian city of Dinant, and the latter for the Silesia region of Central Europe. The boundary between the two subdivisions is older than the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian boundary, lying within the lower Serpukhovian. The boundary has traditionally been marked by the first appearance of the ammonoid "Cravenoceras leion." In Europe, the Dinantian is primarily marine, the so-called "Carboniferous Limestone", while the Silesian primarily known for its coal measures.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Dinantian is divided up into two stages, the Tournaisian and Viséan. The Tournaisian is the same length as the ICS stage, but the Viséan is longer, extending into the lower Serpukhovian.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Silesian is divided into three stages, in ascending order, the Namurian, Westphalian, Stephanian. The Autunian, which corresponds to the middle and upper Gzhelian, is considered a part of the overlying Rotliegend.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Namurian is named after the city of Namur in Belgium. It corresponds to the middle and upper Serpukhovian and the lower Bashkirian.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Westphalian is named after the region of Westphalia in Germany it corresponds to the upper Bashkirian and all but the uppermost Moscovian.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Stephanian is named after the city of Saint-Étienne in eastern France. It corresponds to the uppermost Moscovian, the Kasimovian, and the lower Gzhelian.


title: Carboniferous

text: A global drop in sea level at the end of the Devonian reversed early in the Carboniferous; this created the widespread inland seas and the carbonate deposition of the Mississippian. There was also a drop in south polar temperatures; southern Gondwanaland was glaciated throughout the period, though it is uncertain if the ice sheets were a holdover from the Devonian or not. These conditions apparently had little effect in the deep tropics, where lush swamps, later to become coal, flourished to within 30 degrees of the northernmost glaciers.


title: Carboniferous

text: Mid-Carboniferous, a drop in sea level precipitated a major marine extinction, one that hit crinoids and ammonites especially hard. This sea level drop and the associated unconformity in North America separate the Mississippian Subperiod from the Pennsylvanian Subperiod. This happened about 323 million years ago, at the onset of the Permo-Carboniferous Glaciation.


title: Carboniferous

text: The Carboniferous was a time of active mountain-building as the supercontinent Pangaea came together. The southern continents remained tied together in the supercontinent Gondwana, which collided with North America–Europe (Laurussia) along the present line of eastern North America. This continental collision resulted in the Hercynian orogeny in Europe, and the Alleghenian orogeny in North America; it also extended the newly uplifted Appalachians southwestward as the Ouachita Mountains. In the same time frame, much of present eastern Eurasian plate welded itself to Europe along the line of the Ural Mountains. Most of the Mesozoic supercontinent of Pangea was now assembled, although North China (which would collide in the Latest Carboniferous), and South China continents were still separated from Laurasia. The Late Carboniferous Pangaea was shaped like an "O".


title: Carboniferous

text: There were two major oceans in the Carboniferous: Panthalassa and Paleo-Tethys, which was inside the "O" in the Carboniferous Pangaea. Other minor oceans were shrinking and eventually closed: the Rheic Ocean (closed by the assembly of South and North America), the small, shallow Ural Ocean (which was closed by the collision of Baltica and Siberia continents, creating the Ural Mountains), and the Proto-Tethys Ocean (closed by North China collision with Siberia/Kazakhstania).


title: Carboniferous

text: Average global temperatures in the Early Carboniferous Period were high: approximately 20 °C (68 °F). However, cooling during the Middle Carboniferous reduced average global temperatures to about 12 °C (54 °F). Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels fell during the Carboniferous Period from roughly 8 times the current level in the beginning, to a level similar to today's at the end. The Carboniferous is considered part of the Late Paleozoic icehouse, which began in the latest Devonian, with the formation of small glaciers in Gondwana. During the Tournaisian the climate warmed, before cooling, there was another warm interval during the Viséan, but cooling began again during the early Serpukhovian. At the beginning of the Pennsylvanian around 323 million years ago, glaciers began to form around the South Pole, which would grow to cover a vast area of Gondwana. This area extended from the southern reaches of the Amazon basin and covered large areas of southern Africa, as well as most of Australia and Antarctica. Cyclothems, which began around 313 million years ago, and continue into the following Permian indicate that the size of the glaciers were controlled by Milankovitch cycles akin to recent ice ages, with glacial periods and interglacials. Deep ocean temperatures during this time were cold due to the influx of cold bottom waters generated by seasonal melting of the ice cap.


title: Carboniferous

text: The cooling and drying of the climate led to the Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse (CRC) during the late Carboniferous. Tropical rainforests fragmented and then were eventually devastated by climate change.


title: Carboniferous

text: Carboniferous rocks in Europe and eastern North America largely consist of a repeated sequence of limestone, sandstone, shale and coal beds. In North America, the early Carboniferous is largely marine limestone, which accounts for the division of the Carboniferous into two periods in North American schemes. The Carboniferous coal beds provided much of the fuel for power generation during the Industrial Revolution and are still of great economic importance.


title: Carboniferous

text: The large coal deposits of the Carboniferous may owe their existence primarily to two factors. The first of these is the appearance of wood tissue and bark-bearing trees. The evolution of the wood fiber lignin and the bark-sealing, waxy substance suberin variously opposed decay organisms so effectively that dead materials accumulated long enough to fossilise on a large scale. The second factor was the lower sea levels that occurred during the Carboniferous as compared to the preceding Devonian Period. This fostered the development of extensive lowland swamps and forests in North America and Europe. Based on a genetic analysis of mushroom fungi, it was proposed that large quantities of wood were buried during this period because animals and decomposing bacteria and fungi had not yet evolved enzymes that could effectively digest the resistant phenolic lignin polymers and waxy suberin polymers. They suggest that fungi that could break those substances down effectively only became dominant towards the end of the period, making subsequent coal formation much rarer.