title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: The United States Postal Service designates zip codes starting with "222" for exclusive use in Arlington County. However, federal institutions, like Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and The Pentagon use Washington zip codes.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington has consistently had the lowest unemployment rate of any jurisdiction in Virginia. The unemployment rate in Arlington was 4.2% in August 2009. 60% of office space in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor is leased to government agencies and government contractors. There were an estimated 205,300 jobs in the county in 2008. About 28.7% of these were with the federal, state or local government; 19.1% technical and professional; 28.9% accommodation, food and other services.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: In October 2008, "BusinessWeek" ranked Arlington as the safest city in which to weather a recession, with a 49.4% share of jobs in "strong industries". In October 2009, during the economic downturn, the unemployment in the county reached 4.2%. This was the lowest in the state, which averaged 6.6% for the same time period, and among the lowest in the nation, which averaged 9.5% for the same time.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: In 2018, there were an estimated 114,700 housing units in the county. In 2010, there were an estimated 90,842 residences in the county. In 2019, the median home was worth $610,000. 4,721 houses, about 10% of all stand-alone homes, were worth $1 million or more. By comparison, in 2000, the median single family home price was $262,400. About 123 homes were worth $1 million or more.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: 14% of the nearly 150,000 people working in Arlington live in the county, while 86% commute in, with 27% commuting from Fairfax County. An additional 90,000 people commute out for work, with 42% commuting to DC, and 29% commuting to Fairfax County.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: A number of federal agencies are headquartered in Arlington, including the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, American Battle Monuments Commission, DARPA, Diplomatic Security Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Foreign Service Institute, the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, Office of Naval Research, Transportation Security Administration, United States Department of Defense, United States Marshals Service, the United States Trade and Development Agency, and the U.S. AbilityOne Commission.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Companies headquartered in Arlington include Amazon (its second headquarters), AES, Alcalde and Fay, Arlington Asset Investment, AvalonBay Communities, CACI, Corporate Executive Board, FBR Capital Markets, Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Pacific Architects and Engineers, Rosetta Stone, and Nestlé USA. Boeing announced on May 5, 2022, that it would be moving its global headquarters to Arlington.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Organizations located here include the American Institute in Taiwan, Army Emergency Relief, The Conservation Fund, Conservation International, the Consumer Electronics Association, The Fellowship, the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, The Nature Conservancy, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, the Public Broadcasting Service, United Service Organizations, and the US-Taiwan Business Council.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: According to the county's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the county, comprising 27.6% of total county employment are:


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington has been recognized as a strong incubator for start-up businesses, with a number of public/private incubators and resources dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship in the county.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington National Cemetery is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's home, Arlington House (also known as the Custis-Lee Mansion). It is directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., north of the Pentagon. With nearly 300,000 graves, Arlington National Cemetery is the second-largest national cemetery in the United States.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington House was named after the Custis family's homestead on Virginia's Eastern Shore. It is associated with the families of Washington, Custis, and Lee. Begun in 1802 and completed in 1817, it was built by George Washington Parke Custis. After his father died, young Custis was raised by his grandmother and her second husband, the first US President George Washington, at Mount Vernon. Custis, a far-sighted agricultural pioneer, painter, playwright, and orator, was interested in perpetuating the memory and principles of George Washington. His house became a "treasury" of Washington heirlooms.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: In 1804, Custis married Mary Lee Fitzhugh. Their only child to survive infancy was Mary Anna Randolph Custis, born in 1808. Young Robert E. Lee, whose mother was a cousin of Mrs. Custis, frequently visited Arlington. Two years after graduating from West Point, Lieutenant Lee married Mary Custis at Arlington on June 30, 1831. For 30 years, Arlington House was home to the Lees. They spent much of their married life traveling between U.S. Army duty stations and Arlington, where six of their seven children were born. They shared this home with Mary's parents, the Custis family.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: When George Washington Parke Custis died in 1857, he left the Arlington estate to Mrs. Lee for her lifetime and afterward to the Lees' eldest son, George Washington Custis Lee.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: The U.S. government confiscated Arlington House and of ground immediately from the wife of General Robert E. Lee during the Civil War. The government designated the grounds as a military cemetery on June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. In 1882, after many years in the lower courts, the matter of the ownership of Arlington National Cemetery was brought before the United States Supreme Court. The Court decided that the property rightfully belonged to the Lee family. The United States Congress then appropriated the sum of $150,000 for the purchase of the property from the Lee family.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Veterans from all the nation's wars are buried in the cemetery, from the American Revolution through the military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Pre-Civil War dead were re-interred after 1900.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: The Tomb of the Unknowns, also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, stands atop a hill overlooking Washington, DC. President John F. Kennedy is buried in Arlington National Cemetery with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and some of their children. His grave is marked with an eternal flame. His brothers, Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, are also buried nearby. William Howard Taft, who was also a Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, is the only other President buried at Arlington.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Other frequently visited sites near the cemetery are the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, commonly known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, the U.S. Air Force Memorial, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, the Netherlands Carillon and the U.S. Army's Fort Myer.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: The Pentagon in Arlington is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. It was dedicated on January 15, 1943, and it is the world's largest office building. Although it is located in Arlington, the United States Postal Service requires that "Washington, D.C." be used as the place name in mail addressed to the six ZIP codes assigned to The Pentagon.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: The building is pentagon-shaped and houses about 23,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel. It has five floors and each floor has five ring corridors. The Pentagon's principal law enforcement arm is the United States Pentagon Police, the agency that protects the Pentagon and various other DoD jurisdictions throughout the National Capital Region.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Built during World War II, the Pentagon is the world's largest low-rise office building with 17.5 miles (28.2 km) of corridors, yet it takes only seven minutes to walk between its furthest two points.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: It was built from of sand and gravel dredged from the nearby Potomac River that were processed into 435,000 cubic yards (330,000 m³) of concrete and molded into the pentagon shape. Very little steel was used in its design due to the needs of the war effort.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: The open-air central plaza in the Pentagon is the world's largest "no-salute, no-cover" area (where U.S. servicemembers need not wear hats nor salute). The snack bar in the center is informally known as the Ground Zero Cafe, a nickname originating during the Cold War when the Pentagon was targeted by Soviet nuclear missiles.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: During World War II, the earliest portion of the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway was built in Arlington in conjunction with the parking and traffic plan for the Pentagon. This early freeway, opened in 1943 and completed to Woodbridge, Virginia, in 1952, is now part of Interstate 395.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington forms part of the region's core transportation network. The county is traversed by two interstate highways, Interstate 66 in the northern part of the county and Interstate 395 in the eastern part, both with high-occupancy vehicle lanes or restrictions. In addition, the county is served by the George Washington Memorial Parkway. In total, Arlington County maintains of roads.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: The street names in Arlington generally follow a unified countywide convention. The north–south streets are generally alphabetical, starting with one-syllable names, then two-, three- and four-syllable names. The first alphabetical street is Ball Street. The last is Arizona. Many east–west streets are numbered. Route 50 divides Arlington County. Streets are generally labeled North above Route 50, and South below.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington has more than of on-street and paved off-road bicycle trails. Off-road trails travel along the Potomac River or its tributaries, abandoned railroad beds, or major highways, including: Four Mile Run Trail that travels the length of the county; the Custis Trail, which runs the width of the county from Rosslyn; the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail (W&OD Trail) that travels from the Shirlington neighborhood out to western Loudoun County; the Mount Vernon Trail that runs for along the Potomac, continuing through Alexandria to Mount Vernon. In Fall 2015, Arlington was awarded a Silver ranking by the League of American Bicyclists for its bike infrastructure.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Forty percent of Virginia's transit trips begin or end in Arlington, with the vast majority originating from Washington Metro rail stations.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington is served by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA or Metro), the regional transit agency covering parts of Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Arlington has stations on the Orange, Blue, Yellow, and Silver lines of the Washington Metro rail system. Arlington is also served by WMATA's regional Metrobus service. This includes Metroway, the first bus rapid transit (BRT) in the D.C. area, a joint project between WMATA, Arlington County, and Alexandria, with wait times similar to those of Metro trains. Metroway began service in August 2014.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington also operates its own county bus system, Arlington Transit (ART), which supplements Metrobus service with in-county routes and connections to the rail system.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: The Virginia Railway Express commuter rail system has one station in Arlington County, at Crystal City. Additionally, public bus services operated by other Northern Virginia jurisdictions include some stops in Arlington, most commonly at the Pentagon. These services include DASH (Alexandria Transit Company), Fairfax Connector, PRTC OmniRide (Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission), and the Loudoun County Commuter Bus.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Capital Bikeshare, a bicycle sharing system, began operations in September 2010 with 14 rental locations primarily around Washington Metro stations throughout the county.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington County is home to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which provides domestic air services to the Washington, D.C., area. In 2009, Condé Nast Traveler readers voted it the country's best airport. Nearby international airports are Washington Dulles International Airport, located in Fairfax and Loudoun counties in Virginia, and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, located in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: In 2007, the county authorized EnviroCAB, a new taxi company, to operate exclusively with a hybrid-electric fleet of 50 vehicles and also issued permits for existing companies to add 35 hybrid cabs to their fleets. As operations began in 2008, EnvironCab became the first all-hybrid taxicab fleet in the United States, and the company not only offset the emissions generated by its fleet of hybrids, but also the equivalent emissions of 100 non-hybrid taxis in service in the metropolitan area. The green taxi expansion was part of a county campaign known as Fresh AIRE, or Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions, that aimed to cut production of greenhouse gases from county buildings and vehicles by 10 percent by 2012. Arlington has a higher than average percentage of households without a car. In 2015, 13.4 percent of Arlington households lacked a car, and dropped slightly to 12.7 percent in 2016. The national average is 8.7 percent in 2016. Arlington averaged 1.40 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington Public Schools operates the county's public K-12 education system of 22 elementary schools; 6 middle schools (Dorothy Hamm Middle School, Gunston Middle School, Kenmore Middle School, Swanson Middle School, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and Williamsburg Middle School); and 3 public high schools (Wakefield High School, Washington-Liberty High School, and Yorktown High School). H-B Woodlawn and Arlington Tech are alternative public schools. Arlington County spends about half of its local revenues on education. For the FY2013 budget, 83 percent of funding was from local revenues, and 12 percent from the state. Per pupil expenditures are expected to average $18,700, well above its neighbors, Fairfax County ($13,600) and Montgomery County ($14,900).


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington has an elected five-person school board whose members are elected to four-year terms. Virginia law does not permit political parties to place school board candidates on the ballot.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Through an agreement with Fairfax County Public Schools approved by the school board in 1999, up to 26 students residing in Arlington per grade level may be enrolled at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax at a cost to Arlington of approximately $8,000 per student. For the first time in 2006, more students (36) were offered admission in the selective high school than allowed by the previously established enrollment cap.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington helps provide Catholic education in northern Virginia, with early learning centers, elementary and middle schools at the parish level. Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School is the diocese's Catholic high school within Arlington County.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Marymount University is the only university with its main campus located in Arlington. Founded in 1950 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary as Marymount College of Virginia, both its main campus and its Ballston Center are located on North Glebe Road, with a shuttle service connecting the two.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: George Mason University operates an Arlington campus in the Virginia Square area between Clarendon and Ballston. The campus houses the Antonin Scalia Law School, School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs and the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: In June 2011, Virginia Tech opened the Virginia Tech Research Center - Arlington in Ballston, providing a teaching and research base for graduate students in computer research and engineering to interact with organizations and research agencies in the National Capital area.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Rosslyn is a location for some of the University of Virginia's business programs, including McIntire School of Commerce Master of Science in the Management of Information Technology, and Darden School of Business Master of Business Administration (Executive/Global Executive).


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Other private and technical schools maintain a campus in Arlington, including the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, the John Leland Center for Theological Studies, the University of Management and Technology, DeVry University. Strayer University has a campus in Arlington as well as its corporate headquarters.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: In addition, Argosy University, Banner College, Everest College, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Northern Virginia Community College, Troy University, the University of New Haven, and the University of Oklahoma all have campuses in Arlington.


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Arlington Sister City Association (ASCA) is a nonprofit organization affiliated with Arlington County, Virginia. ASCA works to enhance and promote the region's international profile and foster productive exchanges in education, commerce, culture and the arts through a series of activities. Established in 1993, ASCA supports and coordinates the activities of Arlington County's five sister cities:


title: Arlington County, Virginia

text: Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Arlington include The Doors frontman Jim Morrison; former vice president Al Gore; Confederate general Robert E. Lee; U.S. Army general George S. Patton, Jr.; astronaut John Glenn; actors Warren Beatty, Sandra Bullock, and Shirley MacLaine; journalist Katie Couric; musicians Roberta Flack and Zac Hanson; American-Australian footy player Bruce Djite; social commentary YouTuber and activist Natalie Wynn; physician and social activist Patch Adams; Soviet double agent Aldrich Ames; and scientist Grace Hopper.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Nara Chandrababu Naidu (; born 20 April 1950) is an Indian politician and current leader of opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He is a former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, serving from 2014 to 2019. He is the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh after it was divided. Previously, he served as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1995 to 2004, before the state's division, and as the leader of the opposition in the united Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 2004 to 2014. He is the National President of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and the longest-serving Chief Minister (14 years in office) of Andhra Pradesh.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu has won a number of awards, including IT Indian of the Millennium from "India Today", Business Person of the Year by "The Economic Times", South Asian of the Year from "Time Asia," Golden Peacock Award for leadership in Public Service & Economic Transformation, and membership in the World Economic Forum's Dream Cabinet. Naidu chaired the National IT Panel under the National Democratic Alliance (India) (NDA) government and was described as one of the "hidden seven" working wonders of the world by "Profit" (Oracle Corporation's monthly magazine). Naidu was offered an honorary professorship by US business school, the Kellogg School of Management in 2000. He was the Chairman of National Task Force on Micro-irrigation from Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture in 2003. He was the head of 13-member Committee of Chief Ministers to promote digital payment systems and financial inclusion in India which was constituted by federal government in 2016.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu was born on 20 April 1950 at Naravaripalle, Tirupati district in present-day Andhra Pradesh in an agricultural family to Nara Kharjura Naidu and his wife Amanamma. He has a younger brother Nara Ramamurthy Naidu and two younger sisters. Naidu has vitiligo, an autoimmune disease which causes white patches on the skin.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Since his village had no school, Naidu attended primary school in Seshapuram up to class five and the Chandragiri Government High School up to class 10. He completed his B.A. degree in 1972 from Sri Venkateshwara Arts College, Tirupati. He did his Masters in Economics from Sri Venkateswara University. In 1974, under the guidance of professor Dr. D. L. Narayana he started work on his Ph.D. on the topic of "Economic ideas of Professor N. G. Ranga," but did not complete his Ph.D.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu started his political activities as a students' union leader in Sri Venkateswara University while pursuing his Masters. In 1975, he joined Indian Youth Congress and became the president for its local chapter in Pulicherla. After the emergency was imposed on the country in 1975, he became a close supporter of Sanjay Gandhi.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: With the help of N. G. Ranga, Naidu secured a candidacy from the Congress party, under its 20% quota for the youth, and became an MLA for the Chandragiri constituency in 1978 at the age of 28. He served as a director of Andhra Pradesh Small Scale Industries Development Corporation. Later, he was appointed as the minister for cinematography in T. Anjaiah's government. He became the youngest MLA and the youngest minister, at the age of 28, in Andhra Pradesh at that time. After becoming a minister, he dropped his PhD program.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In 1979, he played a crucial role in electing G. Kuthuhalamma as Chittoor Zilla Parishad chief, against the official Congress candidate. Following this, he was suspended from the party for two months.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: As the cinematography minister, Naidu came in contact with N. T. Rama Rao, a popular film star in Telugu cinema. In 1980, he married Bhuvaneswari, Rao's second daughter.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In 1982, N. T. Rama Rao formed the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and swept the assembly polls held in 1983. Naidu, who was then still in the Congress (I) party, was defeated by a TDP candidate in Chandragiri. He joined TDP soon after. TDP reversed its policy of not admitting candidates who contested against it in the 1983 elections and inducted Naidu into the party at the second "mahanadu", an annual convention that TDP organises, at Visakhapatnam by Rama Rao.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu demonstrated his political skills in August 1984, when N. Bhaskara Rao staged a coup against N. T. Rama Rao. Subsequently, Rama Rao was reinstated as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. Impressed with his son-in-law's efforts, Rao made Naidu in-charge of Karshaka Parishad, the farmers' council established by his government. Rao later appointed Naidu as the general secretary of the party and he began playing an important role in the TDP after Bhaskara Rao's coup attempt.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In the 1989 assembly election, Naidu contested from Kuppam constituency as a TDP candidate and won by 5,000 votes. INC, however, had regained power in the election so Naidu had to sit in the opposition. Rama Rao appointed him as a coordinator of the TDP, in which capacity he handled the party's role of the main opposition in the assembly which won him wide appreciation from both the party and the public. His role during this phase, both inside the Legislative Assembly and outside, was a critical factor for the subsequent success of the party.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu won the 1994 elections from Kuppam constituency. He became the Finance and Revenue Minister in N. T. Rama Rao's ministry.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: On 1 September 1995, Naidu came to power as the Chief Minister by organising a coup against Rama Rao. In an interview with "Reuters", Rama Rao compared himself to Shah Jahan, a 17th-century Mughal emperor who was imprisoned by his son, and predicted that he would gain his revenge against what he called "the backstabbers" in his family, especially his son-in-law and successor, Naidu.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In July 1999, Naidu launched the "Deepam" () scheme to provide LPG cooking gas connections to rural women, with a budget of . The central government agreed to provide one million LPG connections via this scheme.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: TDP, led by Naidu, won a majority in the state legislature, with 185 of 294 seats in the Assembly and 29 of 42 seats in the Parliament in the 1999 general election, making it the second-largest party in the BJP-led NDA coalition government.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu launched the Janmabhoomi (birthplace) Programme in February 1996. The main aim was to involve people in the reconstruction and revitalisation of the society. The programme works at a micro level, planning to identify people-represented problems through Gram Sabha discussions by regional officers, especially in villages, and to send project proposals for the government to work on. The core concentrated areas are community work, primary school education, drinking water, health and hospitals, family welfare, and environmental protection through watershed and joint forest management activities.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: From 1997 onward, the 'Clean and Green Campaign' was initiated where school students and teachers participated in institutional and household plantation with government employees. A total of 46 million trees in the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh state were planted. About 3,906,835 people participated in sanitation work, with 1,438,850 persons engaged to remove garbage and 40,921,447 people participated in health awareness rallies. The Naidu idea was to make every habitation and municipal ward 'clean and green' and it was one of the largest and most successful events organised by his government.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: His government started the "self help groups" (SHG) such as water user associations, Vanasamrakshana Samities, Rythu Mithra Groups, CMEY Groups, School Education Committees, and promoted the 'Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas' (DWCRA) where each group had 15-20 female members and chose a leader who conducted group meetings. The main purpose was to offer microfinance through government and bank-linkage that would help rural women to start income generating activities, know about their rights, and the importance of education. The Naidu government distributed two lakh (two-hundred-thousand) bicycles to the girls who joined the government high schools as part of women empowerment initiative.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: "Prajalato Mukhyamantri" (Chief Minister with People) Phone is a programme that encourages open dialogue between the chief minister and the common people of Andhra Pradesh state. There is a live broadcast every Monday, on both Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR) where Naidu interacts with the callers directly to know their issues and address them. The live show is conducted in two sessions: in the first session, there is a discussion with vice-chancellors, academicians, and writers and in the second session, there is interaction with the people. Naidu was described as "a leader, who mingled with the masses after shedding his official status and time as Chief Minister." The innovative program found acceptance in the country's information and broadcasting systems.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: "Rythu Bazaar" was launched by Naidu on 26 January 1999 with the objective to control the skyrocketing prices of fruits and vegetables. Under this program, farmers were encouraged to sell their produce directly to the consumers and in the process, eliminate the middleman. In the first phase itself, the program succeeded and reached various towns. Prices were down by 70 to 75 percent, and it benefited both the farmers and the direct consumers.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: With the intention of bringing e-governance to the citizens, Naidu launched e-Seva centers in 2001 for paperless and speedy delivery of results to applicants. These e-Seva centers were one-stop solutions providing all government information and services online such as utility bills, banking services, issuing birth and death certificates, written test for drivers licence, government orders, and APSRTC tours and travel operators booking. The government introduced an outsourcing employee system where government-related services are done under a contract agreement and after a certain time, they are declared as permanent government employees.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In 1999, Naidu produced a vision statement called "Andhra Pradesh Vision 2020" that outlined various goals and objectives to be achieved by 2020. It was prepared in collaboration with US consultants, McKinsey & Company, who proposed the following:


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: After returning as Chief Minister in 2014, Naidu updated the document to version 2.0, titled "Sunrise AP Vision 2029".


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In 2000, both Bill Clinton (President of the United States) and Tony Blair (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) visited Hyderabad and met with Naidu. Bobby Ghosh of the American news magazine, Time commented, "In just five years, he has turned an impoverished, rural backwater place into India's new information-technology hub", and the magazine named Naidu, 'South Asian of the Year'.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In way of investments and attractive incentives, the Naidu government won the honour of best tourism performing state with about 24% in all national tourist arrivals, record international aircraft movements, and occupancy raised by 100% in the same year. This led to employment generation direct and indirectly for 37.7 lakhs people raised by 12% in the hotel and hospitality industry, food and beverage services, recreation and entertainment, cabs and transportation, travel trade and booking services and bagged 6 tourism awards for excellence out of 14 categories at the national level.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In November 1998, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then prime minister of India and Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the HITEC City (nickanamed Cyberabad) by opening the Cyber Towers, a landmark building in Hyderabad. In anticipation of the growth of technology in the future, his government also concentrated on providing infrastructure such as roads, safety and resilience, transportation, telecommunications, IT parks and five-star hotels for the delegates' meetings and accommodation and the HITEX International Convention and Exhibition Center.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu once coined the slogan "Bye-bye Bangalore, hello Hyderabad" to further this aim and his government allotted lands and laid the foundations for major IT parks such as L&T Infocity Ascendas Park, Cyber Gateway, Raheja Mindspace Madhapur IT Park, and CyberPearl IT Park to partake in the IT industry boom. Naidu, at a press conference, discussed his plan to develop the state of Andhra Pradesh by making the major cities showpieces for foreign investment, especially in "key sectors such as information technology, biotechnology, healthcare, and various outsourcing services" and gave a brief PowerPoint presentation to Bill Gates that convinced him to establish Microsoft Corporation Research and Development (R&D) in Hyderabad, the company's second-largest research and development campus outside the United States, a significant milestone in Hyderabad's bid to become an information technology hub.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In 2001, the Naidu government declared the creation of the Cyberabad Development Authority (CDA) as a special enclave for the location of IT firms, research institutions and allied services around the existing HITEC City area in Hyderabad. Spread over an area of 52 km2, in the western periphery of the city covering the townships of Madhapur, Gachibowli, Kondapur, Manikonda, and Nanakramguda, CDA CDA was conceived as a self-contained enclave providing premium infrastructure, such as gated residential housing, intelligent buildings, shopping malls, and transport facilities among others.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: According to several national and international surveys, Hyderabad became an IT Hotspot of India in 2002 and Hyderabad became ranked number one in the city competitiveness compared of major cities in India to attract businesses. The economic reforms and new policy initiatives taken by the Naidu government in creating HITEC City provided a boost to Hyderabad's urbanisation and, with big tech industry jobs in hand, has increased consumer purchasing power, leading to massive real estate developments, gated residential apartments, food and restaurants, intelligent business offices, cinema, and shopping malls in the area and Naidu's efforts to make HITEC City India's first and largest cybercity while today Cyberabad is a big technological project in Hyderabad, which emerged as the backbone of Telangana state's economy.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: in 1999, Naidu established the Pharma City, an original, state-of-the-art biotechnology park in the country to the north of Hyderabad and promoted Genome Valley to leading multinational pharmaceutical companies like Novartis Pharma India, Shantha Biotechnics, Bharat Biotech, Biocon, Biological E. Limited, Jupiter Biosciences, and also requested other global IT companies like IBM, Dell, HSBC, Oracle Corporation to move to Hyderabad, making presentations to global CEOs and convincing them to invest and establish offices in Hyderabad.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Shamshabad Airport) is an initiative of Chief Minister Naidu. When Hyderabad was attracting global investments the then operating Begumpet Airport was unable to handle air traffic. To promote the planned development of the area around the international airport, the Naidu government declared a special development area and called it as Hyderabad Airport Development Authority (HADA). Naidu led government acquired 5,495 acres of land for the airport in 2003. The airport was built on public private partnership basis, where only land is provided by the government, but entire construction cost and planning has to be taken care by Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao (GMR Group) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad in exchange of 76% stake in airport. The land lease and state share holder agreement was completed in 2003. Central concession agreement was signed by Dr.Manmohan Singh in December 2004. The airport construction has started and completed between 2005 and 2008 by GMR.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In 2003, Hyderabad Multi-Modal Transport System, which began construction in 2001, was opened to the public under the Naidu Government. A joint venture between the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the South Central Railway, The Phase-I was flagged off with the first MMTS train at Secunderabad railway station by the Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani while Naidu inaugurated its second leg. Over an operational length of 43 km, spanning 26 stations, the system operates over three major routes, Falaknuma–Lingampalli, Hyderabad–Falaknuma and Hyderabad–Lingampalli.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: On 1 October 2003, Naidu survived a land mine blast by People's War Group (PWG) near Alipiri tollgate, within the vicinity of Alipiri police station. A total of 17 claymore mines were planted, of which 9 exploded. Naidu lost consciousness upon the blast, but escaped death with a fractured collarbone. The blast occurred at 16:12 IST when Naidu was travelling in a convoy to the Venkateswara Temple in the Tirumala for the annual Brahmotsavam festival. State Information Minister Bojjala Gopala Krishna Reddy, TDP MLAs Chadalawada Krishnamurthy and R. Rajasekhara Reddy were among the injured.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: The assassination attempt has uncovered failures in the security of Naidu. The police deflected the fault saying they were not equipped with the technology to detect claymore mines. Post the incident, Chittoor district's superintendent of police was suspended, while the district Collector, deputy inspector general of police of Anantapur Range and the chief of intelligence were among those who were transferred from their posts. The police were criticised for not improving security after a similar assassination attempt in 1998 by PWG, where claymore mines were placed to target Naidu in Karimnagar district. The mines were detected in time. However, PWG exploded the mines anyway injuring the policemen that were present at the site. Naidu's government was criticised for losing control over bureaucracy and the police.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: The Telugu Desam Party failed to retain power after two successive wins, losing to the Indian National Congress after winning only 47 of 294 seats in the state assembly and five of 42 in the Lok Sabha. While many of his ministers lost, Naidu won decisively in Kuppam and the loss was due to the government prioritising agriculture and farmers less in the annual budget than industrialisation and IT service-based improvements.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: The TDP formed the Grand Alliance with support from the TRS Party who pitched for a separate state of Telangana, but Naidu lost to the Indian National Congress. Naidu's party won only 92 of 294 seats in the state assembly and 6 of 42 in the Lok Sabha.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and Jana Sena Party returned to power in Andhra Pradesh state, winning 102 seats out of 175 seats. Naidu led the TDP to an outright majority. Naidu took oath as the first Chief Minister of the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh at Mangalagiri on the grounds of Acharya Nagarjuna University near Guntur.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: During the third term as the chief minister, Naidu's government has taken up several welfare schemes, some of which include "NTR Bharosa", bike ambulances, "Mukhyamantri Yuvanestham" and "Pasupu Kumkuma".


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: "NTR Bharosa" scheme (), started in January 2015, aims to provide pension of per month to more than 40 lakh people who are in their old age, widow, physically challenged, toddy tappers and weavers. In 2017, people afflicted with chronic kidney disease were given pension under this scheme. In January 2019, Naidu increased the pension to . The succeeding YSRCP government, which won the 2019 elections, has renamed it to "YSR Pension Kanuka" scheme () and incremented the pension disbursed to .


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In March 2018, Naidu's government introduced bike ambulances. These ambulances provide medical care in the remotest parts of the state where these vehicles transport patients who require emergency care from the interiors of the forest to roads, especially in areas inaccessible by regular ambulances. This has been a boon in the tribal areas where the access by road is limited. Naidu was the Minister of Medical and Health at that time.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: "Mukhyamantri Yuvanestham" (), which aims to provide financial assistance to unemployed youth, was launched in October 2018. The succeeding YSRCP government has discontinued the scheme.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: "Pasupu Kumkuma" (), a welfare scheme aimed to provide financial help to women in self-help groups, is launched in February 2019. Under the scheme, each beneficiary would be provided and a smartphone. In April, in response to a petition filed in Delhi High Court, the Election Commission of India has stated that the money transfer under the scheme does not violate the election code setup for the 2019 elections.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: The foundation for the city was laid at "Uddandarayunipalem" on 22 October 2015. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, Naidu as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, the Vice-President of India and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu; then Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan; the Japanese minister for economy trade and industry, Yōsuke Takagi; and the Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry, S. Iswaran; laid the foundation for the city.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: At a summit, Naidu said his ambition was to make Amaravati one of the happiest cities, encompassing the highest standards of livability and infrastructure with a thriving economic environment. Amaravati is based on trust and partnership with no single cash transaction between farmers and government in an agreement of returnable developed plots. It is the world's largest successful voluntary land pooling, with 27,956 farmers offering 33,920 acres within three months, launching the project. The Land Pooling Scheme is now widely acknowledged as a global best practice without any land agitation from local people taken by Naidu's government.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: During this tenure, Naidu inaugurated Godavari–Krishna river interlink in September 2015, which became the country's first rivers interlinking project. It is named as "Pavitra Sangam" () and drains Godavari river's flood water into Krishna river away at Ibrahimpatnam near Vijayawada. Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project lifts the water from Godavari river and pumps into Polavaram right canal, which carries it and merges into Krishna river. Pattiseema project, was developed within a year, between March 2015 and March 2016. The first pump was inaugurated in September 2015, completing the connection of Godavari with Krishna. The project entered Limca Book of Records as the "first and fastest such irrigation project in the country to be completed in time, without any budget enhancements". The Comptroller and Auditor General of India found irregularities with the Pattiseema project in its audit report. In the report, released during an Assembly session in March 2017, it criticised the government of awarding the project's contract more than 20% excess over the estimated value and slammed the government for improper planning. The location of Pavitra Sangam is being developed with infrastructure required to promote tourism.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In September 2015, Naidu inaugurated Thotapalli irrigation project, which he laid foundation in November 2003 when he was the chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh. The project, constructed on Nagavali river for irrigational needs of Srikakulam district, was completed at a cost of , against an estimated cost of in 2003.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In August 2017, Naidu inaugurated the first phase of Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation Scheme. The two-phased project aims to bring Godavari water into Yeleru reservoir, thereby serving the needs of East Godavari, Visakhapatnam and other northern districts of the state. In January 2019, Naidu inaugurated the second phase of the project. The succeeding YSRCP government has reviewed the project and made modifications in February 2020, thereby resulting in a savings of more than .


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In September 2017, Naidu inaugurated the Muchumarri Lift irrigation scheme. The project, originally sanctioned in 2007, lifts Krishna river water from Srisailam Reservoir near Muchumarri, Kurnool district, and pumps to Handri-Neeva project and K. C. Canal. The Telangana government has raised objections over the project stating the drinking water crisis in its state was not addressed.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In November 2018, Naidu laid foundation to Godavari–Penna rivers interlinking project at an estimated cost of in five phases. The project aims to bring Godavari water to Penna river through Krishna river. The project which was conceived several decades ago, once completed, would cater to the needs of drinking water and irrigation in Rayalaseema region. Irrigation experts raised questions over the project, asking how the project would sustain when there is not enough water. The construction work has started in February 2019, with a request from Naidu to complete the project within 12 months while the actual deadline was 24 months.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Following the report by the Joint Inspection Committee setup in January 2019, the National Green Tribunal has issued a stay order in August and restricted the succeeding YSRCP government from operating the Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation project, Pattiseema project and halted the construction of Godavari–Penna rivers interlinking project, until it acquired environmental clearance.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu laid foundation to Kurnool Airport in June 2017. Following the trial runs at the end of 2018, he has inaugurated the airport in January 2019. At this time, the runway and terminal buildings were constructed, however, works related to air traffic control were not completed. In March 2021, the airport is re-inaugurated by the succeeding Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and commercial operations began.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In July 2018, Naidu announced project "Gandiva" and "Panchjanya". Project "Gandiva" aims to develop infrastructure for sports and train sportspersons and achieve medals at international events such as Olympic Games. He also laid foundation to Amaravati International Sports Complex, which includes a world-class stadium, to be constructed in the suburbs of Vijayawada at an estimated cost of . Anil Kumble, Karnam Malleswari, Ashwini Nachappa and Koneru Humpy were among the guests at the inauguration. Project "Panchjanya" aims to identify physically fit teenagers across the state and train them in various sports.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In 2018, Naidu offered to farmers who win a Nobel Prize in natural farming under the Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). His government set a goal of bringing all the cultivable-land of about in the state into ZBNF by 2024, making every village a bio-village.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: The 2015 cash-for-votes scam was a political scandal, the second scandal of its kind since the 2008 cash-for-votes scandal. It started off when the TDP leaders of Telangana state were caught in video footage, aired in the media, offering bribes to a nominated MLA, Elvis Stephenson, for his vote in the 2015 elections of the Telangana Legislative Council. The TDP MLA Revanth Reddy was arrested by the Telangana Police when he was offering to Stephenson. Reddy was then presented before the court and was sent to jail. Similarly, the phone conversation, which was quoted as the voice of Naidu with Stephenson was aired in the news media.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: The TDP alleged that the scandal was a political vendetta, doctored by the Telangana state government under the direction of K. Chandrashekhar Rao, the chief minister of Telangana, alongside the YSR Congress Party. The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad granted bail to Revanth Reddy and two other co-accused due to lack of substantial evidence.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In August 2016, Alla Ramakrishna Reddy filed a petition with a report from a forensic laboratory which confirmed the voice of Naidu in the tape to be genuine. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court order the Telangana division of the ACB to investigate on the report.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu was not included in the preliminary charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate in May 2021 in connection with the case.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu took the initiative to select K. R. Narayanan from the Dalit community as President of India. In 2002 Vajpayee then hoped to give the post of President to a Muslim. Naidu at the time played a leading role in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and proposed the name of eminent scientist A. P. J. Abdul Kalam as its presidential candidate. Naidu as kingmaker appealed to the opposition Congress, the left and other national and state parties to support the Kalam candidacy at this crucial juncture after the 2002 Gujarat riots happened in the Narendra Modi government's tenure where the nation was racked by violence and there was a need to send the right signals to the international community and within the country with the support of Abdul Kalam. Naidu described the Dr. Kalam as the best choice besides making an outstanding contribution in the field of science and technology and said he was a humble, patriotic and non-political personality. Naidu was instrumental in Krishan Kant's, then governor of Andhra Pradesh, elevation to the vice-president's post in July 1997 when the United Front was in power at the Centre and Naidu was the UF convenor.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: The Telugu Desam Party (led by Naidu) lost the 2019 general elections to the YSR Congress Party led by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. It was the party's biggest defeat since its inception in 1982; TDP won 23 assembly seats out of 175 and 3 Lok Sabha seats out of 25.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In September 2019, Naidu was taken into preventive custody by the police citing law and order issues as he planned to organise the "Chalo Atmakur" rally to protest political violence and the massacre of his Telugu Desam party activists by the ruling party. Following his arrest, Naidu went on a hunger strike to protest his house arrest.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: In October 2020, at a conference held at IIT Bombay, Naidu called for Vision 2050, for the transformation in the country in the next 30 years, sharing his experiences with Vision 2020 document and the growth of HITEC City.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: Naidu delivered a keynote address at an event titled "Financing Sustainable Agriculture: Global Challenges and Opportunities", organised on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly. Naidu discussed the ZBNF program at the United Nations conference, starting his speech in Telugu and said it has been the most proud and unforgettable experience of his life. Naidu said that the state government has been encouraging ZBNF to reduce costs and risks in farming, more and safe, nutritious food, reverse migration to villages and enhance soil health to safeguard our collective future. He said microbial seed coating, bio-inoculants, cover crops, mulching, soil aeration, and zero chemicals will promote the living soil concept. He said a target was set to convert villages into bio-villages over a five-year period. The scale at which AP has implemented ZBNF has gathered praise and recognition internationally. He said that the zero budget farming will help to reach sustainable development goals.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: As part of this, Naidu attended the Sustainable Development Impact Summit organised by the World Economic Forum and Bloomberg Global Business Forum held in New York, 2018. Naidu, as Chief Minister, launched the findings of the project, "Accelerating Sustainable Production" in Andhra Pradesh and reiterated the state's commitment to achieving most of the SDGs by 2022. The report highlighted the progress achieved under the SDG framework in its first two years and pointed out areas that demand extra attention. The previous year's report about SDG's was also presented at the High-Level Political Forum, hosted at the United Nations headquarters, New York in July 2017.


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: The CII organised the 22nd edition of CII Partnership Summit in 2016 with a partnership with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Ministry of Commerce and Industry at APIIC Ground, Harbour Park, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Chandrababu Naidu signed 331 memoranda of investment proposals worth Rs 4.78 lakh crore into Andhra Pradesh and suggested steps to promote exports. It is expected that these understandings produce more than 10 lakh jobs in the next five years in the state. And in 2018 CII Summit approaching through innovative ways Naidu promote Sunrise Andhra Pradesh as the destination for business in India with attracting new investors as part of a summit with displaying the products that are manufactured in the State, including Kia cars, Foxconn cellphones, Apollo tyres, and others. "The exhibits have included everything that reflects the achievements, desires, and potential of the State. Three Summits from 2016-2018 attracted delegates from 40 – 50 countries, witnessed cumulative participation of over 10,000 delegates, and served as the platform for execution of cumulative 1,437 MoUs with a committed investment of Rs 13.35 lakh crores (USD 200 billion) and committed employment of 24.60 lakhs (2.46 million).


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: An approach with a people-first motto, the Naidu government strives to provide an agile and efficient public service delivery system benefiting nearly 50 million citizens in a 360-degree life cycle approach through its Real Time Governance(RTG) initiative. With the help of RTG, Andhra Pradesh can now swiftly resolve citizen grievances and monitor infrastructure projects, Crime and incidents, weather and climatic events across the state in real time, leveraging technology services. Keeping technology in its mind and citizen centricity in its heart, Real Time Governance is set to revolutionise governance in Andhra Pradesh, catalysing government operations to create a safer, more efficient and sustainable society. The Real Time Governance model is the most powerful and intellectual initiative by the Naidu government to make insightful decisions that vibrantly transform citizen services from pensions to street lights on/off time, that garnered global recognition and AP Real Time Governance facility has received Hitachi Transformation People's Choice Award. And RTG is able to analyse big data sets operates from State Command and Communication Centre housed in the Secretariat Complex at Amaravati gathered from various data input sources from CC cameras, drones, biometric augmented technology and virtual reality, machine learning technology, Internet of Things (IoT), etc., adopting the most advanced technology of international standards for governance


title: N. Chandrababu Naidu

text: The Heritage Group (HFL) was incorporated by Naidu in 1992. In 1994, HFL went for public issue to raise resources. Currently, the organisation is being led by Nara Brahmani, Naidu's daughter-in-law. Heritage has hundreds of outlets throughout Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and a significant presence in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Odisha, NCR-Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh which comprises a solid portion of Naidu's current assets.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Religion in Ukraine is diverse, with a majority of the population adhering to Christianity. A 2018 survey conducted by the Razumkov Centre found that 71.7% of the population declared themselves believers. About 67.3% of the population declared adherence to one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches (28.7% of the Kyiv Patriarchate, 23.4% state simply 'Orthodox' with no declaration as to which Patriarchate they belong to, 12.8% of the Moscow Patriarchate, 0.3% Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and 1.9% other types of Orthodoxy), 7.7% Christian with no declared denominational affiliation, 9.4% Ukrainian Byzantine Rite Catholics, 2.2% Protestants and 0.8% Latin Rite Catholics, 1-2% Islam, Judaism was 0.4%; while a small percentage follow Hinduism, Buddhism and Paganism (Rodnovery). A further 11.0% declared themselves non-religious or unaffiliated. According to the surveys conducted by Razumkov in the 2000s and early 2010s, such proportions have remained relatively constant throughout the last decade, while the proportion of believers overall has decreased from 76% in 2014 to 70% in 2016 and 72% in 2018.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: As of 2018, Christianity was particularly strong in westernmost Ukrainian regions, where most Greek Catholics lived. In central, southern and eastern regions, Christians constitute a smaller proportion of the total population, particularly low in the easternmost region of Donbas. Another religion that is present in Ukraine besides Christianity is Rodnovery (Slavic native faith), which comprises Ukrainian- and Russian-language communities (some Rodnover organizations call the religion , "Orthodoxy", thus functioning in homonymy with Christian Orthodox churches).


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Crimean Tatars professing Islam represent a significant part of the population in Crimea, which prior 2014 was a subject of Ukraine, but has been since that year occupied by Russia. As of 2016, without Crimea, where Muslims formed 15% of the population in 2013, only Donbas maintains a larger community of Muslims compared to other Ukrainian regions (6%).


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Since before the outbreak of the war in Donbas in 2014, but even more violently so from that year onwards, there has been unrest between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian religious groups in the country.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: After the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out in February 2022, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "signed a decree enacting a National Security and Defense Council decision to impose personal sanctions against representatives of religious organizations associated with Russia". Ukraine government will specifically examine the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and ban any activities relating to pro-Russian movement.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: In pre-historic times and in the early Middle Ages, the territories of present-day Ukraine supported different tribes practising their traditional pagan religions (though note for example the Tengrism of Old Great Bulgaria in the Ukrainian lands in the 7th century CE). Byzantine-rite Christianity first became prominent about the turn of the first millennium. Later traditions and legends relate that in the first century CE the Apostle Andrew himself had visited the site where the city of Kyiv would later arise.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: In the 10th century the emerging state of Kyivan Rus came increasingly under the cultural influence of the Byzantine Empire. The first recorded Rus' convert to Eastern Orthodoxy, the Princess Saint Olga, visited Constantinople in 945 or 957. In the 980s, according to tradition, Olga's grandson, Knyaz (Prince) Vladimir had his people baptised in the Dnieper River.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: This began a long history of the dominance of Eastern Orthodoxy in Ruthenia, a religious ascendancy that would later influence both Ukraine and Russia. Domination of Little Russia by Great Russia (from 1721) eventually led to the decline of Uniate Catholicism (officially founded in 1596) in the Ukrainian lands under Tsarist control.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Judaism has existed in the Ukrainian lands for approximately 2000 years: Jewish traders appeared in Greek colonies. After the 7th century Judaism influenced the neighbouring Khazar Khaganate. From the 13th century Ashkenazi Jewish presence in Ukraine increased significantly. In the 18th century a new teaching of Judaism originated and became established in the Ukrainian lands – Hasidism.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: The Golden Horde (which adopted Islam in 1313) and the Sunni Ottoman Empire (which conquered the Ukrainian littoral in the 1470s) brought Islam to their subject territories in present-day Ukraine. Crimean Tatars accepted Islam as the state religion (1313–1502) of the Golden Horde, and later ruled as vassals of the Ottoman Empire (until the late 18th century).


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: During the period of Soviet rule ( 1917–1991) the governing Soviet authorities officially promoted atheism and taught it in schools, while promoting various levels of persecution of religious believers and of their organizations. Only a small fraction of people remained official church-goers in that period, and the number of non-believers increased.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: As of 2018, according to a survey held by the Razumkov Center, 71.8% of the total respondents declared to be believers, while 11.5% were uncertain whether they believed or not, 5.3% were uninterested in beliefs, 4.7% were unbelievers, 3.0% were atheists, and a further 3.7% found it difficult to answer the question. A 2018 survey conducted by the Razumkov Centre found that 71.7% of the population declared themselves believers.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: About 67.3% of the population declared adherence to one or another strand of Orthodox Christianity (28.7% of the Kyiv Patriarchate, 23.4% just Orthodox, 12.8% of the Moscow Patriarchate, 0.3% Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and 1.9% other types of Orthodoxy), 7.7% just Christians, 9.4% Greek Rite Catholics, 2.2% Protestants and 0.8% Latin Rite Catholics. Judaism was the religion of 0.4%; while Buddhism, Paganism and Hinduism were each the religions of 0.1% of the population. A further 11.0% declared themselves non-religious or unaffiliated.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Among those Ukrainians who declared to believe in Orthodoxy, 42.6% declared to be members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, while 19.0% declared to be members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscovian Patriarchate. A further 0.5% were members of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Among the remaining Orthodox Ukrainians, 34.7% declared to be "just Orthodox", without affiliation to any patriarchate, while a further 2.8% declared that they "did not know" which patriarchate or Orthodox church they belonged to.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: A February 2015 survey by Razumkov Centre, SOCIS, Rating and KIIS gave the following data at oblast level:


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: According to the same survey, 67.3% of the total population adhered to Orthodox Christianity. Orthodoxy is stronger in central (76.7%) and southern Ukraine (71.0%), while it comprises about two thirds of the total population in eastern Ukraine (63.2%), and a particularly low proportion of the population in western Ukraine (57.0%) and the Donbas (50.6%).


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: From 1992 to 2018, there have been three Orthodox churches active in the independent Ukraine following the dissolution of the USSR: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) (UOC-MP). The UAOC and the UOC-KP were not recognized by other Orthodox churches and were considered 'schismatic'.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: On 11 October 2018, the excommunications of the UAOC and the UOC-KP were lifted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Ecumenical Patriarchate also announced it would grant autocephaly to the Orthodox faithfuls in Ukraine. However, the Ecumenical Patriarchate recognized neither the UAOC nor the UOC-KP as legitimate and their leaders were not recognized as primates of their respective churches. The Ecumenical Patriarchate declared that it recognized the sacraments performed by the UOC-KP and the UAOC as valid.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: On 15 December 2018, members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and parts of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), voted during an unification council through their representatives (bishops) to unite into the Orthodox Church of Ukraine on the basis of complete canonical independence. They elected their primate, Epiphanius, and adopted a charter for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine during the same unification council. On 5 January 2019, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Metropolitan Epiphanius celebrated a Divine Liturgy in St. George's Cathedral in Istanbul; the tomos granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was signed thereafter, also in St. George's Cathedral.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: On 27 May 2022, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church formally cut ties and declared independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) is recently formed national Orthodox Church from Unification council in December 2018, After mergers from Ukrainian Orthodox Church—Kyiv Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and parts of Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). The title of its primate is "His Beatitude (name), Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine". The church uses Ukrainian language as its liturgical language.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Prior to 2022, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) is a constituent part of the Russian Orthodox Church (the Moscow Patriarchate). In the week following the creation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) on 15 December 2018 several parishes announced they would leave the UOC (UOC-MP) and join the new church. The UOC-MP, like the rest of the Russian Orthodox Church, uses predominantly the Church Slavonic language in liturgy.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: There are also communities belonging to the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church and other Old Believers, to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, to the Ruthenian Orthodox Church, to various branches of the True Orthodox Church-Catacombism (including the Ruthenian True Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian True Orthodox Church and the Church of the Goths), to the Romanian Orthodox Church (Metropolis of Bessarabia), to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Canonical, and to a variety of other minor Christian Orthodox churches.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Adherents of Oriental Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine are mainly ethnic Armenians. Historical ties between peoples of Ukraine and Armenia have resulted in significant presence of Armenian diaspora in Ukraine throughout history and up to the modern times. Most of ethnic Armenians in Ukraine are adherents of the Armenian Apostolic Church, one of main churches of the Oriental Orthodoxy, distinctive from Eastern Orthodoxy in terms of particular miaphysite christology. In spite of those theological differences, relations between Armenian Apostolic Church and various Eastern Orthodox Churches in Ukraine are friendly. There is an Armenian eparchy (diocese) in Ukraine, centered in Armenian Cathedral of Lviv, and also there are many Armenian churches and other monuments on the territory of Ukraine.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Byzantine Rite Catholicism is the religion of 9.4% of the population of Ukraine as of 2016. This church is largely concentrated in western Ukraine, where it gathers a significant proportion of the population (39.7%). Latin Rite Catholicism, instead, is the religion of 0.8% of the population of Ukraine, mostly in western (1.3%) and central (1.2%) regions. Catholicism is largely absent in eastern Ukraine and non-existent in Donbas.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: As of 2016, there are 4,733 registered Catholic churches, among which 3,799 belong to the two Byzantine Rite (Ukrainian & Ruthenian) Churches and 933 belong to the Latin Church.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church traditionally constituted the second largest group of believers after the Christian Orthodox churches. The Union of Brest formed the Church in 1596 to unify Orthodox and Catholic believers. Outlawed by the Soviet Union in 1946 and legalized in 1987, the church was for forty-three years the single largest banned religious community in the world. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk is the present head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The church uses Ukrainian as its liturgical language.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: The Church of the Latin Rite is traditionally associated with historical pockets of citizens of Polish ancestry who lived mainly in the central and western regions. It uses the Polish, Latin, Ukrainian and Russian as liturgical languages.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Main concentrations of the Ruthenian Catholic Church are in Trans-Carpathia near the Hungarian border. This community has multiple ties in Hungary, Slovakia and the United States.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: The Armenian Catholic Church has a very small presence. As of 2016, there is only one officially registered church belonging to Armenian Catholics.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: As of 2016, Protestants make up 2.2% of the population of Ukraine, with a strong concentration in western Ukraine (5.3%). In the country there are communities of Baptists, Pentecostalism, Charismatic Christianity, Evangelicalism as well as Lutherans, Presbyterians, and others. There is also a Sub-Carpathian Reformed Church with about 140,000 members, which is one of the earliest Protestant communities in the country.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: As of 2016, there are 2,973 Evangelical churches, 2,853 churches of the Baptists, 1,082 Seventh-day Adventist churches, 128 Calvinist churches, 79 Lutheran churches, 1,337 churches of Charismatic Christianity, and 1,347 other organizations belonging to the Protestant spectrum (including 928 Jehovah's Witnesses' halls and 44 Latter-day Saints congregations). In total, as of 2016, there are 9,799 registered Protestant groups in Ukraine.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Jehovah's Witnesses claim to have 265,985 adherents, as reported in the movement's 2013 "Yearbook". In 2010 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated its Kyiv Ukraine Temple, and in 2012 claimed a membership more than 11,000 in 57 congregations in Ukraine.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Islam in Ukraine is the second largest religion after Christianity. Islam in the lands of Ukraine is hundreds of years old, it has a long and complicated history here.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Historically, there were two main ways of spreading Islam in Ukraine: the eastern (North Caucasus) and southern (Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire).


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Islam in Ukraine does not have any special specifics, it did not lead to the emergence of new trends, directions, groups, etc. Muslims in Ukraine always profess Sunnism.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: As of 2016, Islam was the religion of 1.1% of the population of Ukraine. Muslims are mostly concentrated in Donbas, where they make up 6.0% of the population. In the same year, there are 229 registered Islamic organizations. In Crimea, which in 2014 was annexed by Russia, Crimean Tatar Muslims make up to 25% of the population. A major part of the south steppes of modern Ukraine at a certain period of time were inhabited by Turkic peoples, most of whom were Muslims since the fall of the Khazar Khanate.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: The Crimean Tatars are the only indigenous Muslim ethnic group in the country. The Nogays, another Muslim group who lived in the steppes of southern Ukraine, emigrated to Ottoman Empire in the 18th–19th century. In addition, there are Muslim communities in all major Ukrainian cities representing Soviet-era migrants from Muslim backgrounds. There are approximately 150 mosques in Ukraine.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Most of Ukraine's Muslims are Crimean Tatars. Then there are Turks, Chechens, Azerbaijanis, Arabs, Pashtuns.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: In Ukraine, there is the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Crimea (Crimean Tatars), the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Ukraine and the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine "Ummah".


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: The size of the Jewish population of Ukraine has varied over time. Jews are primarily an ethnicity, closely linked with the religion of Judaism. Jews in Ukraine are estimated to be between 100 and 300 thousands. However, ethnic Jews may be irreligious or practise other religions than Judaism. It is estimated than only 35–40% of the Jewish population of Ukraine is religious. Most observant Jews are believers of Orthodox Judaism, but there are as well communities of Chabad-Lubavitch and Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Judaic congregations use Russian, Hebrew, Yiddish and Ukrainian languages. As of 2018, 0.4% of the population of Ukraine was found to be constituted by Jews believing in Judaism. There are, in the same year, 271 officially registered Jewish religious communities.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Buddhism in Ukraine has existed since the 19th and 20th century, after immigration from countries with Buddhist populations, mainly North Vietnam and Korea under Communist period. Although sources are not readily available, Buddhists are believed to constitute 0.1% of the total population in Ukraine. At present, Ukraine is home to 58 formally registered Buddhist communities, but according to religious scientists there are probably 100 communities in Ukraine. The largest Buddhist communities in Ukraine belong to the Tibetan tradition. Most widespread are Karma Kagyu communities, of the Kagyu school.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Hinduism is a minority faith in Ukraine. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness managed to propagate the Hindu faith through their missionary activities. As of 2018, Hindu believers constituted 0.1% of the population of Ukraine, with a slightly higher proportion in Western Ukraine (0.2%). In 2016, there were 85 Hindu, Hindu-inspired and other Eastern religions-inspired organizations in the country, among which 42 are Krishna Consciousness congregations.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: The Slavic native faith (Rodnovery, Ukrainian: Рідновірство "Ridnovirstvo", Рідновір'я "Ridnovirya" or Рiдна Вiра "Ridna Vira"; otherwise called Православ'я "Pravoslavya"—"Orthodoxy") is represented in Ukraine by numerous organizations. As of 2016 there are 138 registered communities divided between the Church of the Native Ukrainian National Faith (Рідна Українська Національна Віра, RUNVira)—72 churches, the Ancestral Fire of Native Orthodoxy (Родового Вогнища Рідної Православної Віри)—21 churches, the Church of the Ukrainian Gentiles (Церкви Українських Язичників)—7 churches, the Federation of Ukrainian Rodnovers (Об'єднання Рідновірів України)—6 churches, and other organizations—32 churches.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Lev Sylenko founded the Church of the Native Ukrainian National Faith (RUNVira) in 1966 in Chicago, United States, and only opened their first temple in the mother country of Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. The current headquarters of RUNVira is in Spring Glen, New York, United States. The doctrine of the Church of the Native Ukrainian National Faith, "Sylenkoism" or "Dazhbogism", is monist and centered around the god Dazhbog.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: As of 2018, there were 0.1% Pagan believers in Ukraine, with a higher percentage in Central Ukraine. Sociologists estimated between 1,000 and 95,000 Rodnovers (0.2%) in Ukraine in the early 2000s.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: The most famous temple is located in Khortytsia in Zaporizhzhia. According to the beliefs of ancestors, the whole island is a sacred place that has a strong energy. There are still preserved idols and temples. Modern followers of the old faith often visit this place.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: As of 2016, there were 241 officially registered churches belonging to various new religious movements (including the aforementioned Hindu groups, the Bahá'í Faith, Jehovah's Witnesses), 58 registered Buddhist groups, and various registered churches for national minorities – including two Chinese Taoist churches and one Korean Methodist church, four Jewish Karaite kenas, eight churches for Christian Jews, and 35 churches of Messianic Judaism.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: In December 1996, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations was formed with the objective of uniting around 90–95% of religious communities of Ukraine. Since the end of 2003, the Council of Representatives of the Christian Churches of Ukraine exists in parallel to the council to promote the principles of Christianity in Ukraine and religious freedom. Affiliation with either or both of the assemblies is voluntary.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: In 2007, the council accounted for representatives of 19 organizations, while in 2013, only 18. The Council of Christian Churches accounted for representatives from 9 churches.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Ukraine's laws guarantee the right of religious freedom, and provide a legal framework for the registration of religious groups. Some religious groups have reported difficulties in legally acquiring property (including property previously confiscated by the government of the Soviet Union) due to discriminatory treatment by local government bodies.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: There are ongoing disputes of jurisdiction between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate, which split as a consequence of the Russian military intervention. Far-right Ukrainian nationalist groups such as Freedom have assaulted members of the Moscow Patriarchate and otherwise harassed them.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: Vandalism against religious buildings and monuments is common, with many different denominations affected. Jewish and Roman Catholic buildings were among the most targeted.


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: In territories not controlled by the government of Ukraine, Jehovah's Witnesses have faced persecution by Russian and separatist authorities. Russian media has also frequently denounced Jehovah's Witnesses and the Kyiv Patriarchate as being "pro-fascist".


title: Religion in Ukraine

text: On 2 December 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy entered a bill to the Verkhovna Rada that would officially ban all activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) UOC in Ukraine.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Norman Osborn is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of the Green Goblin, as well as being generally regarded as the archenemy of Spider-Man, alongside Doctor Octopus and Venom.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Osborn is depicted as an amoral industrialist head of science conglomerate Oscorp and the father of Harry Osborn, the best friend of Spider-Man's alter ego Peter Parker. Osborn, in part as a reaction to the death of his wife, maintains a cold disposition and is obsessed with attaining as much power as possible. As a result, he treats his son coldly and openly favors Peter for his intellect, leading Harry to often try and compensate. In his origin, Norman was exposed to an experimental formula which enhanced his physical abilities and intellect, but also drove him to insanity. As the Goblin, he adopted a Halloween-themed appearance: dressing in a goblin costume, riding on a bat-shaped "Goblin Glider", and using an arsenal of high-tech weapons, such as grenade-like "Pumpkin Bombs", to terrorize New York City.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Osborn has been part of many of Spider-Man's defining stories, most notably "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" and the "Clone Saga". While his primary foe is Spider-Man, Osborn has often come into conflict with Iron Man, Captain America and other superheroes in the Marvel Universe. Although Osborn sometimes works with other supervillains such as Doctor Octopus, Doctor Doom and Loki and groups like the Sinister Six and the Dark Avengers, these relationships often collapse due to his desire for unbridled power. Osborn's largest overarching story came during the line-wide "Dark Reign" and "Siege" comic book events, in which he served as the main antagonist; during this time, he became the original iteration of Iron Patriot.


title: Norman Osborn

text: The character has been in various top villain lists as one of Spider-Man's greatest enemies and one of the greatest comic book villains of all time. The character's popularity has seen him appear on a variety of merchandise, inspire real-world structures (such as theme park attractions) and be referenced in a number of media. He has been adapted to serve as Spider-Man's adversary in live-action, animated, and video game incarnations. Willem Dafoe played the character in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" film trilogy and reprised the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film "" (2021), while Chris Cooper played the character in the film "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (2014).


title: Norman Osborn

text: Marvel Comics editor and head writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko are credited with creating the character; they each collaborated with one another on how the character would be portrayed. According to Ditko: "Stan's synopsis for the Green Goblin had a movie crew, on location, finding an Egyptian-like sarcophagus. Inside was an ancient, mythological demon, the Green Goblin. He naturally came to life. On my own, I changed Stan's mythological demon into a human villain".


title: Norman Osborn

text: The Green Goblin debuted in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #14. At this time his identity was unknown, but he proved popular and reappeared in later issues, which made a point of his secret identity. According to both Stan Lee and John Romita, Sr., who replaced Ditko as the title's artist, Lee always wanted the Green Goblin to be someone Peter Parker knew, while Ditko wanted his civilian identity to be someone who hadn't yet been introduced. Lee elaborated: "Steve wanted him to turn out to be just some character that we had never seen before. Because, he said, in real life, very often a villain turns out to be somebody that you never knew. And I felt that that would be wrong. I felt, in a sense, it would be like cheating the reader. ... if it's somebody you didn't know and had never seen, then what was the point of following all the clues? I think that frustrates the reader". However, Lee prefaced this statement by admitting that, due to his self-professed poor memory, he may have been confusing the Green Goblin with a different character, and in an earlier essay he had said that he could not remember whether Norman Osborn being the Green Goblin was his idea or Ditko's. Ditko has maintained that it was his idea, even claiming that he had decided on it before the first Green Goblin story was finished. Though Osborn would not be introduced by name until "The Amazing Spider-Man" #37, Ditko has said that a character he drew in the background of two panels in issue #23 was intended to be Osborn, seeded in advance of the reveal. Lending credence to Ditko's claim, this then-nameless character—a member of a businessmen's club and a friend of J. Jonah Jameson—reappeared in a scene in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #25, visiting Jameson at his office, then again in the businessman's club in #26 and #27, and when Norman was formally introduced in issue #37, he too was stated to be a member of the club and friend of Jameson's.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Ditko left the series with issue #38, just one issue after Norman Osborn was introduced as the father of Harry Osborn. The first issue without Ditko saw the Green Goblin unmasked. John Romita, Sr., who replaced Ditko as the title's artist, recalled:


title: Norman Osborn

text: In the landmark story "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" ("The Amazing Spider-Man" #121-122), the Green Goblin kills Gwen Stacy and later dies in a fight against Spider-Man. However, the story's writer, Gerry Conway, had Harry Osborn adopt the Green Goblin identity in the aftermath of "The Night Gwen Stacy Died", later remarking that "I never had any intention of getting rid of the Green Goblin as a concept". Harry Osborn's becoming the Green Goblin was mostly well received, with fans remarking that Harry was more menacing than his father had ever been. Writer Roger Stern later introduced the Hobgoblin to replace the Green Goblin as Spider-Man's archenemy.


title: Norman Osborn

text: During the "Clone Saga", a retcon was made, which determined that Norman Osborn survived the events of "The Amazing Spider-Man" #122 and had been playing a behind-the-scenes role in Spider-Man's adventures since then. During the "Clone Saga", the Spider-Man writers were met with a massive outcry from many readers after the decision to replace Peter Parker with his clone Ben Reilly as the true Spider-Man. Eventually, the writers decided to reveal that one of Spider-Man's arch-enemies had been manipulating events from behind the scenes. The initial plan was to use Mephisto, but they felt a more down-to-earth character was needed. It was then suggested that the semi-zombified cyborg "Gaunt" be revealed as Harry Osborn (who was killed in "The Spectacular Spider-Man" #200).


title: Norman Osborn

text: Gaunt was a late entry to the controversial storyline, created mainly as a plot device to return Harry to life; the plan for the character included Harry regaining his humanity, taking credit for tricking Peter into thinking he was a clone, and assuming his father's Green Goblin identity. However, this narrative was rejected by newly promoted editor in chief Bob Harras, and eventually Norman was chosen to be the mastermind. Following the Clone Saga, Green Goblin re-established himself as a supervillain and Spider-Man's nemesis, serving as the main antagonist of several arcs thereafter.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Osborn returns in "Peter Parker: Spider-Man" #75 and is blown up at the end of the issue. It is shown in "The Spectacular Spider-Man" #250 that he has recovered, and he returns to his civilian life. Without the Green Goblin identity, Osborn would then go on to attack Spider-Man indirectly, through minions and via smear campaigns designed to portray him as a monster. However, Norman would still wear his Green Goblin costume when needed.


title: Norman Osborn

text: When Spider-Man revealed his public identity, Osborn is apprehended by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in Paris. Following the Civil War story arc, Warren Ellis began writing "Thunderbolts", and Osborn was brought into this title as the director of the eponymous team. He was one of several characters offered to Ellis, who picked him because, according to "Thunderbolts" editor Molly Lazer, "[t]here was something about Norman, his instability, and his fixation with Spider-Man that Warren liked, so he's in the book!" Ellis admitted not being very familiar with the character, saying: "All I remember of the Norman Osborn character was from the Spider-Man reprints my parents used to buy me when I was very young, and Norman Osborn was this guy with a weird rippled crewcut who was always sweating and his eyes were always bulging out of his head. That guy as a Donald Rumsfeld-like public governmental figure... <nowiki>[</nowiki>Joe Quesada<nowiki>]</nowiki> talked me into writing the book while I was still laughing".


title: Norman Osborn

text: Lazer confirmed that the new team was answerable to the Commission on Superhuman Activities, giving him the opportunity to do what he wanted: "He's a free man with a lot of power ... And his agenda, well, it's not that secret. He wants to get Spider-Man".


title: Norman Osborn

text: Writer Christos Gage took over for the Secret Invasion tie-in stories, which end with Osborn taking credit for the defeat of the Skrulls after he kills the Skrull queen Veranke. This allowed the character to be placed into an influential position in the aftermath of Dark Reign. Although the dark turn at the end was always part of the plan for the storyline, Brian Michael Bendis, "Secret Invasion"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s writer, says that Osborn was picked for the leading role because of the changes implemented by Ellis.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Meanwhile, Andy Diggle took over the writing of "Thunderbolts". He introduced new characters to serve as Osborn's black ops team, explaining:


title: Norman Osborn

text: He appeared as a regular character in the "Dark Avengers" series from issue #1 (March 2009) through issue #16 (June 2010), as well as the mini-series "Siege", which saw Norman being arrested for his crimes, following the events of the Civil War storyline.


title: Norman Osborn

text: The first was "Brand New Ways To Die" which featured Norman and the Thunderbolts versus Spider-Man and the original Venom. His second appearance explained that following Mephisto's alteration of Spider-Man's past, Norman's return was significantly altered. He had returned earlier than he had originally, and, due to concern for his son's mental wellbeing after once again being the Green Goblin, had arranged for Harry's death to be faked, with help from Mysterio. In his final appearance in the storyline, Norman attempts to convince Harry to become a super-hero so that Norman can kill his son off and exploit said demise. It is also revealed that he was sleeping with the supervillain Menace (Harry's ex-girlfriend), with Norman believing that the villain's child she was carrying was his.


title: Norman Osborn

text: A five issue mini-series followed, written by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Emma Rios. The mini-series would lead into a dual storyline running in the pages of "The New Avengers" #17–24 and "The Avengers" vol. 4 #18–24, in which the character formed a new version of the Dark Avengers and ultimately garnered new powers, having turned himself into a Super-Adaptoid.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Norman was born in New Haven, Connecticut as the son of wealthy industrialist Amberson Osborn. Amberson, a brilliant student in the fields of science, became an alcoholic after losing control of a manufacturing company and fortune, and became physically abusive toward the family. Norman quickly came to despise his father, resolving to be a better breadwinner while developing early homicidal tendencies as a means of relieving the stress of his father's abuse.


title: Norman Osborn

text: In college, where he studied chemistry, business administration, and electrical engineering, Norman meets his college sweetheart, who eventually marries him and has their son Harold "Harry" Osborn. In his adulthood, with the help of his college professor Mendel Stromm, he co-founds the chemical company Oscorp Industries and establishes himself as CEO and President. The company was hugely successful, and Norman re-gained the wealth that he had lost during his childhood. However, his wife becomes ill and dies when Harry is barely a year old, the stress of which pushes Norman to work harder, leading him to emotionally neglect Harry.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Hoping to gain more control of Oscorp Industries, Osborn accused Stromm of embezzlement and has his partner arrested and shares in his company sold to him. Searching his former mentor's possessions, Norman discovers an experimental strength/intelligence enhancement formula, but in attempting to create the serum, it turns green and explodes in his face. The accident greatly increases his intelligence and physical abilities as intended, but also has the side-effect of driving him into self-destructive insanity, just like his father from years ago.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Norman adopts the Green Goblin identity with the goal of being the leader of organized crime in New York City, and intends to cement his position by defeating Spider-Man. Acting on his own as the Goblin, or through his employment of other super-criminals such as the Headsman, he would harass Spider-Man many times, but fail to achieve his goal. Soon, Stromm returns from prison, and attempts to exact revenge on Osborn using an army of robots, but Norman is saved by Spider-Man, and Stromm apparently dies of a heart attack.


title: Norman Osborn

text: In order to discover his nemesis's secret identity, Osborn exposes Spider-Man to a gas that nullifies the hero's spider-senses. This allows Osborn to stalk Spider-Man until he learns that his nemesis is Peter Parker, a college student and his son's classmate and best friend. While Parker is going about civilian life, Osborn surprises and knocks Parker out with an asphyxiation grenade, taking the youth to his waterfront base. After unmasking himself to Parker, the latter goads him into recounting how he became the Goblin, and uses the time to break free. In the ensuing battle, Spider-Man accidentally knocks Osborn into a mass of electrical wires, wiping out his memory. Feeling sorry for his nemesis, and wishing to avoid the shame that would befall the Osborn family (especially Parker's best friend Harry), Spider-Man destroys the Goblin costume in the resulting fire and tells the authorities that Osborn lost his memory while helping to defeat the Goblin.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Soon, Osborn is troubled by repressed memories of the Goblin and Spider-Man. After a presentation on supervillains by NYPD Captain George Stacy restores Osborn's memory, he experiences a brief return to his Goblin persona. While abducting Parker's friends and threatening Parker's elderly aunt, he is exposed to one of his own "psychedelic bombs", causing a relapse of amnesia.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Later, Osborn stumbles upon an old Goblin hideout which, again, restores his memory. However, the shock of seeing Harry hospitalized, overdosed on drugs, causes Osborn's amnesia to return once more. After the final restoration of his memories, the Goblin kidnaps and takes Gwen Stacy to a bridge. During Spider-Man's rescue attempt, Osborn knocks Gwen off the bridge, resulting in the girl's death. Spider-Man, traumatised and obsessed with revenge, tracks the Goblin to his hideout, and in the ensuing battle, Osborn is impaled by his own goblin glider and dies.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Since his presumed death, Osborn had been retroactively established as an unseen character. While he lies in the morgue, it is revealed that the Goblin formula gave him a previously-unknown healing factor which restores him to life; in the process of sneaking out, he kills a homeless man with a similar physique to himself for clothing and to feign his death. No longer suffering from bouts of amnesia, Norman escapes to Europe, where he can move freely and unnoticed (as later revealed, he was in France for some time). During this time abroad, believed dead by the general public, he orchestrates several plots, including replacing May Parker with a genetically altered actress, and faking his own son's death (after Mephisto's manipulations of the timeline); prior to the timeline change, Harry's corpse, at one point, was exhumed and tested.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Most significantly, however, he utilizes his fortune to build a vast network of criminals, spies, dupes and co-conspirators to help engineer what would be an almost impossibly complex and meticulously planned plot to destroy Spider-Man's life. To achieve this, he's the leader of the Scrier cabal, taking as his pawns Seward Trainer, Judas Traveller, the Jackal and the cyborg Gaunt, all of whom he utilizes to carry out revenge against Parker. It is this group of individuals who are crucial in duping Parker into believing that the youth is actually a clone of himself created by Jackal, while claiming that the clone – who comes to be known as Ben Reilly – is actually the original. Frustrated by Parker's perseverance despite everything that's been inflicted, Osborn publicly reveals that he's alive on Halloween. During the battle that ensues between the two, Osborn attempts to kill Parker by impaling his nemesis with his goblin glider. When Reilly sacrifices himself to save Parker from Osborn (and immediately deteriorates upon death as all of the Jackal's clones do), Parker makes his discovery of actually being the original. During this same period, Osborn was also responsible for the murder or abduction of Peter & Mary Jane's newborn daughter, after one of his allies apparently caused the stillbirth of the baby.


title: Norman Osborn

text: Returning to his former seat of power, Osborn regains control of his business and also buys out the "Daily Bugle", humiliating former friend and societal peer J. Jonah Jameson as the latter no longer has control over the newspaper. He also torments Ben Urich and demands a retraction over an exposé of his time as the Goblin, providing faked evidence that he never was the supervillain, despite Urich's extensive research. However, he saves his most sadistic treatment for Peter, acting not only as a constant reminder of all the pain he's inflicted on his nemesis over the years, but a looming threat that could strike at any time. This build-up of pressure eventually makes Spider-Man snap by savagely beating the civilian and non-resistant Osborn in front of the latter's CCTV, which, combined with Osborn convincing the Trapster to frame Spider-Man for murder, results in Spider-Man being a fugitive again. To get around this, Peter , using two of these identities to convince Trapster to expose Osborn's scheme, and provide fake evidence that the individual that beat up Osborn was an impostor.