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Legal drinking age
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Minimum legal age to purchase alcohol by country:
Illegal regardless of age
Minimum age of 25 years
Minimum age of 21 years
Minimum age of 20 years
Minimum age of 19 years
Minimum age of 18 years
Minimum age of 17 years
Minimum age of 16 years
No regulation/no information
The legal drinking age is the age at which a person can legally consume or purchase alcoholic beverages. These laws cover a wide range of issues and behaviors, addressing when and where alcohol can be consumed. The minimum age alcohol can be legally consumed can be different from the age when it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary among different countries and many laws have exemptions or special circumstances. Most laws apply only to drinking alcohol in public places, with alcohol consumption in the home being mostly unregulated (an exception being the UK, which has a minimum legal age of five for supervised consumption in private places). Some countries also have different age limits for different types of alcoholic drinks.[1]
Some Islamic nations prohibit Muslims, or both Muslims and non-Muslims, from drinking alcohol at any age. In other countries, it is not illegal for minors to drink alcohol, but the alcohol can be seized without compensation. In some cases, it is illegal to sell or give alcohol to minors. The following list indicates the age of the person for whom it is legal to consume and purchase alcohol.
Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Paraguay, Solomon Islands, India (certain states), the United States (except U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico), Yemen (Aden and Sana'a), Japan, Iceland, Canada (certain Provinces and Territories), and South Korea have the highest set drinking ages, however some of these countries do not have off-premises drinking limits. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Georgia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Morocco, and Western Sahara have the lowest set drinking ages.
Contents
[hide]
1 Africa
2 Americas
3 Asia
4 Europe
5 Oceania
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
Africa[edit]
Country/region
De jure
Notes
Drinking Age
Purchase age
Algeria 18[2]
Angola 18[citation needed]
Botswana 18[2]
Burundi 16[2] No limit if accompanied by parents[citation needed]
Cameroon 18 21 18 on the premises, 21 off the premises[citation needed]
Cape Verde 18[citation needed]
Central African Republic 18[citation needed]
Comoros None[citation needed]
Egypt 21[2]
Equatorial Guinea None[citation needed]
Eritrea 18[2]
Ethiopia 18[2]
Gabon 18[2]
Gambia 18[2]
Ghana 18[3]
Guinea-Bissau None[2]
Kenya 18[2]
Lesotho 18[2]
Libya Illegal[2]
Malawi 18[2]
Mauritius 18[2]
Morocco 18[citation needed] Forbidden for Muslims[2]
Mozambique 18[2]
Namibia 18[2]
Niger 18[2]
Nigeria 18[citation needed]
Republic of the Congo 18[citation needed]
Rwanda 18[2]
Senegal None[citation needed]
Seychelles 18[2]
Somalia Illegal[4]
South Africa 18 The parent, adult guardian of a minor or a person responsible for administering a religious sacrament, may on occasion supply to that minor a moderate quantity of liquor to be consumed by the minor in the presence and under the supervision of that parent, guardian or other person.[5]
South Sudan 18[6]
Sudan Illegal[7]
Swaziland 18[2]
Tanzania 18[8]
Togo None[2]
Tunisia 18[citation needed]
Uganda 18[2]
Western Sahara 16[citation needed]
Zambia 18[2]
Zimbabwe 18[2]
Americas[edit]
Country/region
De jure
Notes
Drinking age
Purchase age
Anguilla 16[citation needed]
Antigua and Barbuda 16[9] The sale and distribution of alcohol to a person under 16 years of age is illegal.
Argentina 18[10]
Bahamas 18[2]
Barbados 18[11] Those aged 10–17 are allowed to consume alcohol provided they are with a parent or guardian.
Belize 18[12] Drinking age is rarely enforced. IDs are almost never requested.
Bermuda 18[13]
Bolivia 18[2]
Brazil 18[2]
British Virgin Islands 16[12] It is illegal to sell or to supply alcohol to anyone under the age of 16.
Canada 18[14][15][16] In Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, the legal drinking age is 18.
19[14][15][16] In Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, the legal drinking age is 19.
Cayman Islands 18[17]
Chile 18[2] The minimum age is 18 to enter an enclosure that sells alcoholic beverages. Selling alcohol to a minor may incur a fine. One must provide identification upon request. Residents of Chile over the age of 18 must carry their Chilean identification card issued by the Civil Registry and Identification Service at all times.[18]
Colombia 18[2]
Costa Rica 18[2]
Cuba 16[2]
Dominican Republic 18[19]
Ecuador 18[2]
El Salvador 18[2]
Falkland Islands 18[citation needed]
Grenada 16[citation needed]
Guatemala 18[2]
Guyana 18[2] Except 16 for wine or malt liquor to be consumed with a meal
Haiti None[2]
Honduras 18[2]
Jamaica None[citation needed] 18[citation needed] Minors can drink if accompanied by parent or legal guardian as well as someone with permission from their parent or legal guardian.[citation needed]
Mexico 18[2] A person must be eighteen years or over to legally purchase and consume alcoholic beverages in Mexico. The drinking age however isn't strictly enforced, and IDs are barely requested.[citation needed]
Nicaragua 18[2]
Panama 18[2]
Paraguay 20[20]
According to Art. 1° of the law to "ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors", it is illegal to serve or sell alcohol or to allow the consumption by minors under 20 years of age.
Furthermore, under Art 2° all public establishments selling alcohol must display a clearly legible notice in the sales area with the following text: "ESTA PROHIBIDA LA VENTA DE BEBIDAS ALCOHÓLICAS A MENORES DE VEINTE AÑOS DE EDAD" (It is illegal (prohibited) to sell alcoholic beverages to minors under 20 years of age)
Peru 18[2]
Puerto Rico 18 The minimum age for the selling of any alcohol beverage is 18. Although a valid Puerto Rico license ID or passport is required as proof of age to buyers who look under the age of 18, it is generally not a common practice to ask for ID to enter a venue that sells alcohol or to sell you alcohol at other establishments. This law can be more enforced in some tourist areas and on foreigners visiting the island by some more exclusive hotels, bars, and upscale clubs. A few of the more exclusive venues in the tourist areas may have their own entrance rules regarding age including not allowing anyone under the age of 25 or 23 to enter and consume alcohol or change this depending on specific nights/events and restricted by gender/sex (i.e. women over 18 allowed to enter but only men over 21 on that same night).[citation needed]
Trinidad and Tobago 18[2]
Turks and Caicos Islands 18[citation needed]
United States
(50 states and integral territories) Varies by jurisdiction[2] 21[2] The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 withholds revenue from states that allow the purchase of alcohol by anyone under the age of twenty-one. Prior to the effective date of that Act, the drinking age varied from state to state. Some states do not allow those under the legal drinking age to be present in liquor stores or in bars (usually, the difference between a bar and a restaurant is that food is served only in the latter). Contrary to popular belief, since the act went into law, only a few states prohibit minors and young adults from consuming alcohol in private settings. As of January 1, 2010, fifteen states and the District of Columbia ban underage consumption outright, seventeen states do not ban underage consumption, and the remaining eighteen states have family member or location exceptions to their underage consumption laws.
Federal law explicitly provides for religious exceptions. As of 2005, thirty-one states have family member or location exceptions to their underage possession laws. However, non-alcoholic beer in many (but not all) states, such as Idaho, Texas, and Maryland, is considered legal for those under the age of twenty-one.[21]
By a judge's ruling, South Carolina appears to allow the possession and consumption of alcohol by adults eighteen to twenty years of age, but a circuit court judge has said otherwise.[22]
The states of Washington and Wisconsin allows the consumption of alcohol in the presence of parents.
Some U.S. states have legislation that make providing to and possession of alcohol by persons under twenty-one a gross misdemeanor with a potential penalty of a $5,000 fine or up to year in jail.[23]
See also: Minor in Possession and List of alcohol laws of the United States
United States Virgin Islands 18[24]
Uruguay 18[2]
Venezuela 18[2]
Asia[edit]
Country/region
De jure
Notes
Drinking age
Purchase age
Afghanistan Illegal[25]
Bangladesh Illegal for Muslims [26] Alcohol will be sold to foreigners in certain locations, albeit clandestinely.
Bhutan 18[27]
Brunei 17 with restrictions, unless Muslim[2] Non-Muslims over 17 years of age are allowed to import alcohol not to exceed maximum total volume 2 liters of liquor and 12 cans of beer at 330 ml for personal use, once in 48 hours. This alcohol must be “stored and consumed at the place of residence of the importer” and is “not to be given, transferred or sold to another person.”.[2]
Cambodia None[28]
China 18[2] Introduced in January 2006.[29] Weakly enforced to not enforced.
Hong Kong 18[30] The regulation is only applicable to restaurants, bars and clubs, where a liquor license is required. Private drinking is also not regulated.
India 18–25 (varies between states)[2]
Main article: Alcohol laws of India
Consumption of alcohol is prohibited in the states of Bihar, Gujarat and Nagaland.[31]
Indonesia 21[32]
Iran Illegal [2] There is a ban on alcohol, but religious minorities may purchase small amounts from shops owned by the same religious minority.[33]
Iraq 18[34]
Israel None 18[2] Israel law prohibits selling or serving alcohol to minors, but it does not prohibit minors to drink.
Japan 20[2]
Jordan 18[35]
Kazakhstan 21[36]
Kuwait Illegal[37]
Kyrgyzstan 18[2]
Lebanon 18[2] Often unenforced and according to a global school health study, 40% of minors over 13 drink alcohol and up to 25% buy it from stores.[38]
Macau None[citation needed]
Malaysia 18 Will be increased to 21 on 1 December 2017[39]
Maldives Illegal except for tourists, 18[citation needed] Sale of alcohol is limited to tourist resorts. It is illegal to sell alcohol to local Maldivians[40]
Mongolia 18[41]
Myanmar None 18[42]
Nepal 18 The legal age for consumption of alcohol in Nepal is 18. However, there are exceptions to underage consumption for purposes of religious ceremonies.[citation needed]
North Korea 18[43]
Oman 21 Residents need personal liquor licenses to consume alcohol in their private residences.[44]
Pakistan Illegal [2] Non-Muslim citizens may possess alcohol to be used in accordance with religious ceremonies[2]
Palestinian Authority 16[citation needed] Legal in most cities
Philippines 18[45]
Qatar 19[citation needed] Muslims are allowed to purchase alcohol, but generally not allowed to consume. Non Muslims are allowed to purchase, and consume alcohol. The only legal distributor of alcohol in the country is the Qatar Distribution Company located in Doha.[citation needed]
Saudi Arabia Illegal Drinking or possessing alcohol is illegal in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Persons who drink or possess alcohol are subject to arrest and trial. Punishments range from heavy fines, lengthy prison terms and whippings.[citation needed]
Singapore None (Private places, sometimes with permission from parents/guardian)
18 (Public places e.g. bars and restaurants) 18[2]
Main Legislation
Drinking alcohol is strictly forbidden in public places in reaction to 2013 Little India riot, after the Committee of Inquiry accepts the recommendations on 7 July 2014.
For convenience stores, those who pretend to be 18 years and above in a "Challenge 18" scheme will be downgraded to "Challenge 21" scheme, and after which the licences will be revoked once they pretend to be 18 years and above if it is on "Challenge 21".
It is illegal to purchase alcohol in Singapore or consume in a nightclub/allow entry to the nightclub under 18. Home and private drinking of alcohol is allowed, although the safest age could be 6. Parents can try a sip of alcohol at any age.[citation needed]
South Korea None 19[citation needed] The age limit for alcohol is after January 1 of the year one's age turns to 19.[citation needed]
Sri Lanka 21[2]
Syria 18[citation needed]
Taiwan 18[46]
It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to consume alcohol.[47]
Parents, guardians, and others taking care of people under 18 shall prohibit underage drinking,[48] or risk administrative fines of 10000 to 50000 new Taiwan dollars when the situations are serious.[49]
One shall not supply alcohol to anyone under the age of 18.[50] A violator shall be administratively fined 3000 to 15000 New Taiwan Dollars.[51]
Tajikistan 18[2]
Thailand 20[52] The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2008 increased the drinking age in Thailand from 18 to 20, private drinking is not regulated in private locations.[52][53]
Turkmenistan 18[2]
United Arab Emirates 18–21 (varies between states).[54] Expatriate non-Muslim residents may request a liquor permit to purchase alcoholic beverages, but it is illegal for such holders to provide drinks to others.[55]
The legal age for drinking alcohol is 18 in Abu Dhabi (although a Ministry of Tourism by-law allows hotels to serve alcohol only to those over 21), and 21 in Dubai and the Northern Emirates (except Sharjah, where drinking alcohol is illegal).[54]
It is a punishable offence to drink, or to be under the influence of alcohol, in public.[54]
Uzbekistan None 20[2]
Vietnam None[citation needed]
Yemen Illegal[citation needed] Exception is in Aden Region where it's legal for 21 and up[citation needed]
Europe[edit]
Country/region
De jure
Notes
Drinking age
Purchase age
Albania 18[2]
Armenia None 18 There are no laws mandating alcohol vendors to ID potential underage drinkers. ID checks are very rarely, if ever, carried out.[citation needed]
Austria 16 Burgenland, Lower Austria and Vienna[56]
16 for beer and wine
18 for distilled beverages Carinthia, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol and Vorarlberg[56]
Carinthia also requires adolescents to maintain a blood alcohol level below 0.05%.
Azerbaijan 18[2]
Belarus 18[2]
Belgium None 16 for beer and wine
18 for spirits[57] Since 10 January 2010, it is illegal to "sell, serve, or offer" any form of distilled alcohol to those under the age of 18 or any alcoholic drink to those under 16. So fermented drinks like beer or wine are permitted above 16.[57] Previously, it was illegal to sell alcoholic drinks to under-16s, but accompanying adults could buy drinks for them.
Bosnia and Herzegovina None 18[58]
Bulgaria 18[2]
Croatia 18[2]
Cyprus 17[59]
Czech Republic None 18[60] It is illegal to provide alcohol to minors[61] (punishable by fine or up to 1[62] or 2[63] year(s) imprisonment). Consumption itself is not prohibited by law.[64]
Denmark None 16 to buy alcohol <16.5% ABV
18 to buy alcohol ≥16.5% ABV
18 to be served in restaurants, bars, discos etc.[2] While there is no age requirement for drinking alcohol in Denmark, there are laws that prevent minors from buying alcohol:
In order to buy alcohol above 1.2% and below 16.5% ABV in stores, one must be 16 years of age.
In order to buy alcohol above 16.5% ABV in stores, one must be 18 years of age.[65]
To be served alcoholic drinks in bars, discos, clubs, restaurants and any establishment serving alcoholic beverages one must be 18 years of age.
By tradition, youths are privately allowed to drink alcohol after their confirmation.[66] If a shop or bar fails to ask for an ID card and is identified having sold alcohol to an underage, it is subject to fine. A national ID card, obtained in the local town hall, can serve as age verification.[67] This card is rarely used though since a passport or moped-licence can sometimes be used.[68]
Estonia 18[69]
Finland 18 for possession and purchase of 1.2–22% ABV
20 for possession and purchase of 23–80% ABV
18 for all in bars, clubs and restaurants[70] All major grocery chains have implemented a policy to ask for ID if the customer looks under 30.[71] Stores may refuse to sell alcohol if the customer is accompanied by a minor, or if proxy purchasing is suspected. Purchasing alcohol on behalf of a minor is a criminal offence.[70][72]
Police may search minors in public places and confiscate or destroy any alcoholic beverages in their possession. Incidents are reported to the legal guardian and social authorities, who may intervene with child welfare procedures. In addition, those aged 15 or above are subject to a fine.[73]
In private, offering alcohol to a minor is considered a criminal offence if it results in drunkenness and the act can be deemed reprehensible as a whole, considering the minor's age, degree of maturity and other circumstances.[70]
France None 18 France has no explicitly stated consumption age,[74] but selling alcohol to a minor (under 18) is illegal[75] and can be fined 7500 euros.[74] This age was raised from 16 to 18 in 2009.[76][77]
Georgia None 16[citation needed]
Germany None (on private residence)
16 (in public) (14 when accompanied by a custodial person) for beer and wine
18 for spirits and aliments containing spirits above negligible amount[78]
16 for beer and wine
18 for spirits and aliments containing spirits above negligible amounts[78]
See also: Alcohol laws in Germany
Gibraltar None[79] 16/18 It is illegal to sell alcoholic drinks to anyone under the age of 18.
The minimum age to be served in licensed premises is 16 if:[79]
The alcoholic beverage is beer, wine or cider below 15% ABV, or
The alcoholic beverage is served in a bottle, or a pre-packaged container below 5.5% ABV.
Greece None 18[citation needed] In 2008, the consumption of alcoholic beverages was prohibited for minors in public. However, the law does not apply to private events or private premises.
Hungary 18[2]
Iceland None 20[80] Possession or consumption of alcohol by minors is not an offence, but supplying them with alcohol is. However, law allows alcohol possessed by a minor to be confiscated.
Ireland None (on private residence with permission from parents or guardians) [81] 18[81] It is illegal for minors to buy alcohol or for a third party to attempt to buy it for minors. It is illegal to purchase alcohol for anybody under the age of consent without permission from their guardians.[82]
Italy None 18[83] In 2012 the then Health Minister Renato Balduzzi proposed to raise the age to 18.[84] Selling alcohol to those under the age of 18 in shops carries a fine between €250 and €1000. Serving alcoholic beverages to those under the age of 16 is a criminal offense and is punished with prison up to one year, if the individual is 16 or 17 it will be treated as an offense that is fined between €250 and €1000 (Legge n. 189/2013).
Kosovo None
Latvia None 18[85]
Liechtenstein 16 for wine, beer and cider
18 for spirits and spirit-based beverages. e.g. alcopops Wine, beer and ciders as well as some other party drinks sometimes without spirits may be purchased by the age of 16. Spirits as well as alcopops may be sold only to people at least 18.[86]
Lithuania 18[87] Minors under the age of 18 are prohibited from consuming alcoholic beverages or from having them. After 2018, January 1st, a new law will be put into place, changing the legal drinking age from 18 to 20.[88]
Luxembourg None 16[89]
Macedonia 18[90][unreliable source?] Must show an ID card upon request. In certain smaller places, such as family-owned convenience stores and street kiosks, there is little to no enforcement on how old or young somebody purchases alcohol. There is little to no enforcement for drinking privately, but drinking in bars may require an ID.
Malta 17[91] Must provide identification upon request.
Moldova None 16[92] It is illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 16. There is no consumption age.
Montenegro None 18[citation needed]
Netherlands 18 The legal age for purchasing and consumption of alcoholic beverages was raised from 16 to 18 on 1 January 2014. However, many places have officially or unofficially retained a less strict regulation towards 16- and 17-year-olds.[93] Alcohol is commonly available upon parental permission. Selling alcoholic beverages to people under 18 is illegal, although giving it away in private is not.
Norway None[94] 18 (<22%)
20 (≥22% ABV)[2] Selling alcohol to or buying alcohol for minors is illegal. Minors are defined as under 18 for beer and wine, under 20 for drinks that contain 22% ABV or more. Minors who buy alcohol are not held criminally responsible; instead, the crime lies with those who sold it or obtained it for them.
Alcohol with more than 60% ABV is generally not sold in Norway, although exceptions may be made by the government for specific products.[95]
Alcohol possessed by minors may be confiscated as evidence. Drinking in public is prohibited, though this is rarely enforced in recreational areas.[96]
Poland None 18[97] Article 15 of The Act on Upbringing in Sobriety and Counteracting Alcoholism[98] clearly states that buyers or persons being served must be at least 18 and prove it with ID if they look like they may not be at least that age. There is no mention of consumption age in this or any other act in Poland. Drinking on streets, town squares, and in parks is illegal regardless of age.
Portugal None[citation needed] 18[99]
Romania None 18[100] According to law 61/1991 updated in 2008, paragraphs 21-25, it is illegal to serve or sell alcohol to minors.
Russia None 18[101] There is no law or regulation in Russia that prohibits minors from consuming alcohol, but selling alcohol to minors is prohibited by federal and additional regional laws.
Serbia 18[102]
Slovakia 18[103]
Slovenia None 18[104] There is no law regulating the possession and consumption, but it is illegal to sell or offer alcohol of any kind to minors.
Spain 18 Asturias was the last autonomous community in Spain where the drinking age was increased to 18 (previously 16) on 1 May 2015.[105]
Sweden
None
None (less than 2.25% ABV)
18 (bars and restaurants),
18 (2.25%–3.5% ABV in food shops),
20 (Systembolaget shops[106]),
See also: Alcohol in Sweden
Many clubs choose to have higher age limits than 18, commonly 20 or 23. It is legal to drink below 18, but it is illegal to sell, lend or give alcohol to someone under that age and the police can seize alcohol from them, apart from being served alcohol supervised in private "in moderation". It is legal to serve an underage person alcohol in a private place.[107] The reason for lower limit in bars than in Systembolaget shops is that bartenders have a legal responsibility for how drunk a guest gets.
Switzerland None
(See notes) 16 for fermented alcoholic drinks (with less than 15% ABV and natural wines with less than 18% ABV);[108]
18 for spirits [109] Whoever offers or supplies alcoholic beverages to a child under the age of 16 years in an amount which is harmful to one's health is punished with imprisonment up to 3 years or a fine.[110] Whoever sells or supplies spirits to a person under the age of 18 years is punished with a fine up to 10.000 CHF.[111]
18 The canton Ticino prohibits selling and consumption of any type of alcohol by minors under the age of 18. Some shops and supermarkets may not sell alcohol to minors under the age of 18.[112]
Turkey 18[2]
See also: Alcohol laws of Turkey
Ukraine 18[2]
United Kingdom 18 (on licensed premises)[113]
16 (beer, wine or cider with a meal on licensed premises)[113]
5 (not on licensed premises)[114]
None (under medical supervision, or in an emergency)[114] 18[113]
None (liqueur confectionery)[115] Legislation in England and Wales:
It is illegal to sell, serve, offer or consume alcoholic beverages on licensed premises under the age of 18, other than the following two exceptions.[113]
Minors aged 16 or 17 may consume wine, beer or cider on licensed premises when ordered with a meal, and accompanied by an adult.[113]
It is legal to sell liqueur confectionery to someone of any age.[115]
It is illegal to permit minors under the age of 5 to consume alcoholic beverages unless under medical supervision or in an emergency.[114]
Persons over 17 are entitled to their own duty free allowance, which includes alcohol. [116]
18 (in public without a meal or adult supervision)
16 (beer, wine or cider on licensed premises with meal)
5 (on private premises)[117] 18
16 (beer, wine, cider or perry with a meal on licensed premises)
None (liqueur confectionery)[115] Legislation in Scotland:
It is illegal to sell, serve, offer or consume alcoholic beverages in public under the age of 18.[118]
Minors aged 16 or 17 may consume wine, beer or cider on licensed premises when ordered with a meal.[118]
It is legal to sell liqueur confectionery to someone of any age.[115]
Persons over 17 are entitled to their own duty free allowance, which includes alcohol. [116]
18 Legislation in Northern Ireland:
It is illegal to sell, serve, offer or consume alcoholic beverages in public under the age of 18.[citation needed]
Challenge 21 and Challenge 25 (applies to all of the United Kingdom)
Under the BBPA's Challenge 21 and Challenge 25 schemes, customers attempting to buy alcoholic beverages are asked to prove their age if in the retailer's opinion they look under 21[119] (or optionally 25) even though the law states they must be a minimum of 18. Many supermarket and off-licence chains display Challenge 21 (or Challenge 25) notices stating that they will not serve persons who look under 21 (or 25) without ID.
Oceania[edit]
Country/region
De jure
Notes
Drinking age
Purchase age
American Samoa 21[120]
Australia 18[2][121]
Main article: Alcohol laws of Australia
Varies by state. Some states restrict possession and consumption to over 18, all states restrict purchasing to over 18. In some states, minors may consume alcohol in a private residence with parental permission.[122]
Fiji 18[123] The drinking age was 21 from 2006 to 2009 but was lowered to 18 in 2009.[123]
Guam 21[124]
Micronesia, Federated States of 21
New Zealand None 18[125] Minimum age applies for beverages with 1.15% ABV or over; no restrictions on beverages less than 1.15% ABV.[126]
Persons under 18 may drink outside private residences or private functions if accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. Alcohol may be supplied to minors only by, or with express consent from, their parent or legal guardian.[127]
Northern Mariana Islands 21[citation needed]
Palau 21[2]
Papua New Guinea 18[2]
Samoa 21[2]
Solomon Islands 21[2]
Tokelau 18[128]
Tonga 21[2]
Vanuatu 18[2]
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References[edit]
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Metcalfe's law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Two telephones can make only one connection, five can make 10 connections, and twelve can make 66 connections.
Metcalfe's law states the effect of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system (n2). First formulated in this form by George Gilder in 1993,[1] and attributed to Robert Metcalfe in regard to Ethernet, Metcalfe's law was originally presented, c. 1980, not in terms of users, but rather of "compatible communicating devices" (for example, fax machines, telephones, etc.).[2] Only later with the globalization of the Internet did this law carry over to users and networks as its original intent was to describe Ethernet purchases and connections.[3] The law is also very much related to economics and business management, especially with competitive companies looking to merge with one another.
Contents
[hide]
1 Network effects
2 Limitations
3 Modified models
4 Validation with actual data
5 See also
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links
Network effects[edit]
Metcalfe's law characterizes many of the network effects of communication technologies and networks such as the Internet, social networking and the World Wide Web. Former Chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission Reed Hundt said that this law gives the most understanding to the workings of the Internet.[4] Metcalfe's Law is related to the fact that the number of unique possible connections in a network of n {\displaystyle n} nodes can be expressed mathematically as the triangular number n ( n − 1 ) / 2 {\displaystyle n(n-1)/2} , which is asymptotically proportional to n 2 {\displaystyle n^{2}} .
The law has often been illustrated using the example of fax machines: a single fax machine is useless, but the value of every fax machine increases with the total number of fax machines in the network, because the total number of people with whom each user may send and receive documents increases.[5] Likewise, in social networks, the greater number of users with the service, the more valuable the service becomes to the community.
Limitations[edit]
In addition to the difficulty of quantifying the "value" of a network, the mathematical justification for Metcalfe's law measures only the potential number of contacts, i.e., the technological side of a network. However the social utility of a network depends upon the number of nodes in contact.[citation needed] If there are language barriers or other reasons why large parts of a network are not in contact with other parts then the effect may be smaller.[citation needed]
Metcalfe’s law assumes that the value of each node n is of equal benefit.[6] If this is not the case, for example because the one fax machines serves 50 workers in a company, the second fax machine serves half of that, the third one third, and so on, then the relative value of an additional connection decreases. Likewise, in social networks, if users that join later use the network less than early adopters, then the benefit of each additional user may lessen, making the overall network less efficient if costs per users are fixed.
Modified models[edit]
Within the context of social networks, many, including Metcalfe himself, have proposed modified models in which the value of the network grows as n × log n rather than n2.[7][8] Reed and Odlyzko have sought out possible relationships to Metcalfe's Law in terms of describing the relationship of a network and one can read about how those are related. Tongia and Wilson also examine the related question of the costs to those excluded.[9]
Validation with actual data[edit]
Despite many arguments about Metcalfe' law, no real data based evidence for or against was available for more than 30 years. Only in July 2013, Dutch researchers managed to analyze European Internet usage patterns over a long enough time and found n2 proportionality for small values of n and (n × log n) proportionality for large values of n.[10] A few months later, Metcalfe himself provided further proof, as he used Facebook's data over the past 10 years to show a good fit for Metcalfe's law (the model is n2 ).[11]
In 2015, Zhang, Liu and Xu extend Metcalfe's results utilizing data from Tencent, China's largest social network company, and Facebook. Their work showed that Metcalfe's law held for both, despite the difference in audience between the two sites; Facebook serving a worldwide audience and Tencent serving only Chinese users. The Metcalfe's functions of the two sites given in the paper were V T e n c e n t = 7.39 × 10 − 9 × n 2 {\displaystyle V_{Tencent}=7.39\times 10^{-9}\times n^{2}} and V F a c e b o o k = 5.70 × 10 − 9 × n 2 {\displaystyle V_{Facebook}=5.70\times 10^{-9}\times n^{2}} respectively. [12]
See also[edit]
The generalized network effect of microeconomics.
Pareto Principle
Reed's law
Sarnoff's law
Beckstrom's Law
List of eponymous laws
Anti-rival good
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Carl Shapiro and Hal R. Varian (1999). Information Rules. Harvard Business Press. ISBN 0-87584-863-X.
Jump up ^ Simeon Simeonov (July 26, 2006). "Metcalfe's Law: more misunderstood than wrong?". HighContrast: Innovation & venture capital in the post-broadband era.
Jump up ^ James Hendler and Jennifer Golbeck (2008). "Metcalfe's Law, Web 2.0, and the Semantic Web" (PDF).
Jump up ^ Bob Briscoe, Andrew Odlyzko and Benjamin Tilly (July 2006). "Metcalfe's Law is wrong". Retrieved 2010-07-25.
Jump up ^ R. Tongia. "The Dark Side of Metcalfe's Law: Multiple and Growing Costs of Network Exclusion" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-12-19.
Jump up ^ Andrew Odlyzko; Bob Briscoe (1 Jul 2006). "Metcalfe's Law is Wrong". IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
Jump up ^ "Guest Blogger Bob Metcalfe: Metcalfe's Law Recurses Down the Long Tail of Social Networks". 18 August 2006. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
Jump up ^ B. Briscoe, A. Odlyzko, and B. Tilly, Metcalfe’s law is wrong, IEEE Spectrum 43:7 (2006), pp. 34–39.
Jump up ^ Rahul Tongia and Ernest Wilson (September 2007). "The Flip Side of Metcalfe's Law: Multiple and Growing Costs of Network Exclusion". Retrieved 2013-01-15.
Jump up ^ Madureira, António; den Hartog, Frank; Bouwman, Harry; Baken, Nico (2013), "Empirical validation of Metcalfe's law: How Internet usage patterns have changed over time", Information Economics and Policy, doi:10.1016/j.infoecopol.2013.07.002
Jump up ^ Metcalfe, Bob (2013). "Metcalfe's law after 40 years of Ethernet". IEEE Computer.
Jump up ^ Zhang, Xing-Zhou; Liu, Jing-Jie; Xu, Zhi-Wei (2015). "Tencent and Facebook Data Validate Metcalfe's Law". JOURNAL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. doi:10.1007/s11390-015-1518-1.
Further reading[edit]
Smith, David; Skelley, C. A. (Summer 2006), "Globalization Transformation" (PDF), Tennessee Business Magazine: 17–19
Briscoe, Bob; Odlyzko, Andrew; Tilly, Benjamin (July 2006), "Metcalfe's Law is Wrong", IEEE Spectrum .
External links[edit]
A Group Is Its Own Worst Enemy. Clay Shirky's keynote speech on Social Software at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology conference, Santa Clara, April 24, 2003. The fourth of his "Four Things to Design For" is: "And, finally, you have to find a way to spare the group from scale. Scale alone kills conversations, because conversations require dense two-way conversations. In conversational contexts, Metcalfe's law is a drag."
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The Gift of the Magi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the short story. For the Magi that visited baby Jesus, see Biblical Magi.
For other uses, see The Gift of the Magi (disambiguation).
"The Gift of the Magi"
Author
O. Henry
Country
United states
Language
English
Genre(s)
Short story
Published in
The Four Million
Publication type
Anthology
Publication date
December 10, 1905 (newspaper); April 10, 1906 (book)[1]
[2]"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story, written by O. Henry (a pen name for William Sydney Porter), about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been a popular one for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The plot and its twist ending are well-known, and the ending is generally considered an example of comic irony. It was allegedly written at Pete's Tavern[3] on Irving Place in New York City.
The story was initially published in The New York Sunday World under the title "Gifts of the Magi" on December 10, 1905. It was first published in book form in the O. Henry Anthology The Four Million in April 1906.
Contents
[hide]
1 Summary
2 Adaptations
3 References
4 External links
Summary[edit]
Mr. James Dillingham Young ("Jim") and his wife, Della, are a couple living in a modest apartment. They have only two possessions between them in which they take pride: Della's beautiful long, flowing hair, almost touching to her knees, and Jim's shiny gold watch, which had belonged to his father and grandfather.
On Christmas Eve, with only $1.87 in hand, and desperate to find a gift for Jim, Della sells her hair for $20 to a nearby hairdresser named Madame Sofronie, and eventually finds a platinum pocket watch fob chain for Jim's watch for $21. Satisfied with the perfect gift for Jim, Della runs home and begins to prepare pork chops for dinner.
At 7 o'clock, Della sits at a table near the door, waiting for Jim to come home. Unusually late, Jim walks in and immediately stops short at the sight of Della, who had previously prayed that she was still pretty to Jim. Della then admits to Jim that she sold her hair to buy him his present. Jim gives Della her present – an assortment of combs, useless now that her hair is short. Della then shows Jim the chain she bought for him, to which Jim says he sold his watch to get the money to buy her combs. Although Jim and Della are now left with gifts that neither one can use, they realize how far they are willing to go to show their love for each other, and how priceless their love really is.
The story ends with the narrator comparing the pair's mutually sacrificial gifts of love with those of the Biblical Magi.
Adaptations[edit]
The story has been adapted to films, The Sacrifice (1909), Love's Surprises Are Futile (1916), The Gift of the Magi (1917), a segment of O. Henry's Full House (1952), The Gift of Love (1978), The Gift of the Magi (1958), Dary magów (Poland, 1972), Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978), I'll not be a gangster, love (Не буду гангстером, дорогая/Nebūsiu gangsteriu, brangioji, USSR, 1978),[4] Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999),[5] The Gift of the Magi (2004) and the short film for the Irish band The Script in 2010 called For the First Time.[6] Love, another French movie, based some of its scenes on this story. Raincoat (2004), a Hindi film directed by Rituparno Ghosh is an adaptation of the story. [7] The Greek film directed by Ismene Daskarolis (2014) places it in the economical crisis of Greece today. [8] The Mexican film Nosotros los pobres includes this tale as a small sub-plot. There is also a Bulgarian adaptation known as the short film "Darovete na vlahvite" (2013) [9] directed by Ivan Abadjiev.
An off-Broadway musical version entitled The Gifts of the Magi[10] premiered at Lamb's Theatre in New York City in 1984. Written by Mark St. Germain and Randy Courts, the play is regularly produced in schools and regional theaters.
In 1955, in The Honeymooners episode 13 of season 1, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" involves Ralph looking for the perfect present for Alice for Christmas. Without money, he pawns his prized bowling ball to buy her an expensive gift, only to find out in the end, that she bought him a custom bowling ball bag.
In 1992, in Rugrats episode 27 "The Santa Experience", Phil doesn't know what to get Lil, so Angelica convinces him to give up his precious Reptar to get Lil markers for her Color Me book, and then convinces Lil to give up the Color Me book to get a space helmet for Phil's Reptar even though Angelica was now in possession of it. The twins both believe the sacrifice is the greatest gift of all, leaving Angelica in bitter Christmas spirits until she returns the original gifts.
The Squirrel Nut Zippers song "Gift of the Magi" from their 1998 album Christmas Caravan is a duet sung from the point of view of both Jim and Della.
On folk punk band Andrew Jackson Jihad's 2011 album Knife Man, the second track is titled "Gift of the Magi 2: Return of the Magi".
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, which is a twist on "The Gift of the Magi", is a children's storybook by Russell Hoban which was first published in 1971. In 1977, Muppet creator Jim Henson produced a one-hour television adaptation of the story, filmed in Toronto for HBO in the United States and CBC in Canada. The special premiered on HBO on December 17, 1978. The special later aired on ABC in 1980 and on Nickelodeon in the 1990s. The special features several original songs written by songwriter Paul Williams.
In the Futurama episode "Xmas Story", Amy, Hermes and Zoidberg engage in a gift exchange reminiscent of the one from "The Gift of the Magi".
The sketch comedy show Studio C contains a skit called "Gift of the Magi" in which Jim and Della argue over their gift-giving.
The television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has the episode "The Gift of the Maud Pie" in which Pinkie Pie gives Maud a perfect gift, costing her the confetti-using Party Cannon. Maud's gift in return was confetti for the cannon of which Pinkie Pie had sold.
Radio drama series Adventures in Odyssey features a comedic adaptation of this story in its episode "Gifts for Madge & Guy"
The title of this book is referenced in The Simpsons, and used with a little variation ("grift" instead "gift") like title of eleventh season's Christmas episode, "Grift of the Magi".
The animated sketch comedy series Robot Chicken features a parody of the story in its fourth season, except that Jim does not sell his watch and instead buys Della lingerie, much to her consternation.
The story was turned into a song by Joni Mitchell. She never made a studio recording, but her some of her live performances can be found on the internet.
Fargo(TV Series) Season 2 Episode 5 Is Titled "The Gift Of The Magi"
The opening sketch of the December 10, 1988 episode of Season 14 of Saturday Night Live reimagines "The Gift of the Magi" as Donald and Ivana Trump (played by Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks) selling their yacht Princess and estate Mar-a-Lago, each in order to pay for a gift intended to adorn the other.[11]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "The Gift of the Magi is published – This Day in History – 4/10/1906". history.com. 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
Jump up ^ Bose, K. S.; Sarma, R. H. (1975-10-27). "Delineation of the intimate details of the backbone conformation of pyridine nucleotide coenzymes in aqueous solution". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 66 (4): 1173–1179. ISSN 1090-2104. PMID 2.
Jump up ^ "O'Henry and The Gift of the Magi". LiteraryTraveler.com.
Jump up ^ Не буду гангстером, дорогая
Jump up ^ Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas on IMDb
Jump up ^ O. Henry on IMDb
Jump up ^ Raincoat on IMDb
Jump up ^ The Gift of the Magi (2014) - IMDb
Jump up ^ Darovete Na Vlahvite (2013) - IMDb
Jump up ^ St. Germain, Mark; Courts, Randy (1984). The Gifts of the Magi. New York: Dramatists Play Service, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8222-1461-8
Jump up ^ Watch A Trump Christmas from Saturday Night Live on NBC.com, retrieved 2017-08-03
External links[edit]
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
The Gift of the Magi
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
The Gift of the Magi public domain audiobook at LibriVox
O'Henry's "The Gift of the Magi":Common Core Exemplar from NEH's EDSITEment
"The Gift of the Magi" study guide, teacher resources, themes, quotes

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