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This world is a planet where many different societies have developed.

Authors sometimes invent new, imaginary worlds. The authors use these worlds as the setting for stories, some of which contain magic.

Nobody knows if there are intelligent beings on other planets.

World literature
World literature is read by many people everywhere, differing in national styles."I am more and more convinced that poetry is the universal possession of mankind, revealing itself everywhere and at all times in hundreds and hundreds of men. . . . I therefore like to look about me in foreign nations, and advise everyone to do the same. National literature is now a rather unmeaning term; the epoch of world literature is at hand. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1827"

Worlds in literature
Creating a different world is a literary device used by authors to illustrate ideas. By placing the story in a new setting, the author can alter the natural and familiar course of events. For example, the author might imagine a world that has very little water or dry land. Deciding what the world looks like and how it works is called world-building. Thinking about the nature of this imaginary world helps the author make interesting choices about the characters in the story. Some authors change everyday details, such as which languages the characters speak and what architecture surrounds them.

Worlds in science fiction


Science fiction stories often use different worlds. For example, Frank Herbert's famous Dune series focused on a world called Arrakis which produces a rare chemical substance.

Often, a science-fiction story will be involve multiple worlds. The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov was set in a galaxy with thousands of populated planets, and the Star Wars movies had several important ones between which the characters traveled. Some science fiction authors try to make their new worlds scrupulously obey the laws of physics.

Fantasy worlds
Fantasy worlds are fictional worlds that use magic. This may involve saying magic words, using magical objects, or performing magical rituals.

World languages
Some languages are spoken in many parts of the world. These are called world languages. In 2016, English is the most common world language. Previously, French was the most popular language in the West, and Chinese was used by traders throughout East Asia for centuries. Arabic is now common in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and elsewhere.

In ancient times, Greek and Latin were spoken by most traders in the Western world. Before then, traders learned the languages of nearby cities, as they did not travel around the world.

The Egyptians used pictures - called hieroglyphics - to write their language. This is what they look like:

World health
The World Health Organisation (French: Organisation mondiale de la santé ) is an international organisation for public health. It is part of the United Nations, and was founded in 1948. It studies and promotes public health, and tells governments and other organisations how to help people become healthy.

The organisation counts the number of people with health problems including influenza, HIV infection, and depression. It also measures problems including dirty water, violence, and hunger.

Mental health is also assessed, as people with mental health problems such as depression can die ten years earlier than would otherwise be the case..

The World Bank is also interested in health, as it affects economic prospects.

Poetry
This poem by John Donne mentions the world:

Her death hath taught us dearly that thou art Corrupt and mortal in thy purest part. Let no man say, the world itself being dead, 'Tis labour lost to have discovered The world's infirmities, since there is none Alive to study this dissection; For there's a kind of world remaining still, Though she which did inanimate and fill The world, be gone... The entire poem can be read at Wikisource.

Shape of this world
This world is not a perfect sphere: it is slightly flattened. This is the mathematical formula for measuring the flatness of a sphere:

$$\begin{align} f&=\frac{a-b}{a}. \end{align}$$

For Earth, $f\,\!$ is approximately 0.3%. The Moon is rounder: $f\,\!$  is approximately 0.1%. Jupiter is flatter: $f\,\!$  is approximately 6.5%.

Local planets
A world is located on a planet. These vary within in this solar system: These are the planets in this solar system:
 * Terrestrial planets
 * Giant planets
 * Gas giants
 * Ice giants
 * Four terrestrial planets
 * Mercury
 * Venus
 * Earth
 * One satellite, called the Moon
 * Mars
 * Two gas giants
 * Jupiter
 * Four large satellites
 * 63 other satellites
 * Saturn
 * 62 satellites. Some are very small. The largest, called Titan, is larger than the planet Mercury.
 * Seven are large.
 * Two ice giants
 * Uranus
 * Five satellites
 * 22 other satellites
 * Neptune
 * One satellite, called Triton