Range is an appliance that provides heat for cooking. A range has a cooktop with several heating areas, and one or two ovens. Ranges are sometimes referred to as cookers or stoves, though the word stove properly means an apparatus used for heating. In the United Kingdom and some other countries, the cooktop is called the hob. There are two chief kinds of ranges: (1) electric ranges and (2) gas ranges. For information about microwave ovens, see the article on Microwave oven.