Bora Bora

Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island, located about 230 kilometres (140 mi) northwest of Papeete, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the center of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu, the highest point at 727 metres (2,385 ft). The original name of the island in the Tahitian language might be better rendered as Pora Pora, meaning "First Born"; an early transcription found in 18th- and 19th century accounts, is Bolabolla (or "Bollabolla").

The major settlement, Vaitape is on the western side of the island, opposite the main channel into the lagoon. The products of the island are mostly limited to what can be obtained from the sea and coconut trees, which were historically of economic importance for copra.

During the August 2007 census, the population on the island was about 8,880 people.

Administration

The island is administratively part of the commune (municipality) of Bora-Bora, itself in the administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands.

The commune of Bora-Bora is made up of the island of Bora Bora proper with its surrounding islets emerging from the coral reef (29.3 km²/11.3 sq. miles in total) and of the atoll of Tupai (11 km2/4.2 sq mi), located 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Bora Bora. The atoll of Tupai has no permanent population apart from about 50 workers in the coconut plantations.

Former President of French Polynesia Gaston Tong Sang is the current mayor of Bora Bora.

History

The Island was first inhabited by Polynesian settlers around the 4th century. Its previous Polynesian name was Vava'u.

The first European sighting was made by Jakob Roggeveen in 1722. James Cook sighted the island in 1769 and landed in 1777. A London Missionary Society arrived in 1820 and founded a Protestant church in 1822.

In 1842 Bora Bora was made a protectorate of France following the actions of Admiral Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars.

World War II

Following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, the United States entered World War II. The US chose Bora Bora as a South Pacific military supply base, and an oil depot, airstrip, seaplane base, and defensive fortifications were constructed. Known as "Operation Bobcat", it maintained a supply force of nine ships, 20,000 tons of equipment and nearly 5,000 men. Seven massive naval cannons were set up at strategic points around the island to protect it against potential military attack.

However, the island saw no combat as the American presence on Bora Bora went uncontested over the course of the war. Although the base was officially closed on June 2, 1946, many American personnel loved the island and the people that they refused to leave.

This World War II airstrip, which was never able to accommodate large aircraft, was French Polynesia's only international airport until Faa'a International Airport was opened in Papeete, Tahiti in 1962.

Today

Today the island is mainly dependent on tourism. Over the last few years several resorts have been built on motu (small islands) surrounding the lagoon.

Thirty years ago, Hotel Bora Bora built the first over-the-water bungalows on stilts over the lagoon and today, overwater bungalows are a standard feature of most Bora Bora resorts. The quality of those bungalows ranges from comparably cheap, basic accommodations to very luxurious - and pricey - places to stay. Most of the tourist destinations are aquacentric; however it is possible to visit attractions on land such as WWII cannons.

Air Tahiti has five or six flights daily to the Bora Bora Airport on Moto Mute from Tahiti.

Although French and Tahitian are the main languages spoken by the inhabitants, people in contact with tourists generally have some command of English. Most visitors to Bora Bora are American, Japanese, or European.

Public transport on the island is limited, consisting of a single bus that goes halfway around the island and back approximately every hour. Bicycles are the recommended method of transport. There are also small fun-cars for hire in Vaitape.

Bora Bora is predestined for snorkeling and scuba diving in and around its lagoon. Many species of sharks and rays inhabit the surrounding body of water. There are a few dive operators on the island offering manta ray dives and also shark-feeding dives.

credited to wikipedia and flickr: YellowPonny, Pierre Lesage

Blyde

The Blyde River Canyon is a significant natural feature of South Africa, located in Mpumalanga, and forming the northern part of the Drakensberg escarpment. It is 16 miles (26 kilometers) in length and is, on average, around 2500 feet (800m) deep. It consists mostly of red sandstone. The highest point of the canyon is over 6300 feet above sea level (over 1900m) whilst its lowest point is well under 2000 feet (under 600m) above sea level. By some measures it is the third largest canyon in the world, after the Grand Canyon in the United States and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia but this depends heavily on one's definition of a canyon .By any definition it is one of the largest canyons on earth, unquestionably being the largest 'green canyon' due to its lush subtropical foliage, and it has some of the deepest precipitious cliffs of any canyon on the planet. It is the second largest canyon in Africa, after the Fish River Canyon, and is known as one of the great wonders of nature on the continent.

Possibly the best view in the whole of the Blyde River Canyon is of the "Three Rondavels", huge, round rocks, thought to be reminiscent of the houses or huts of the indigenous people, known as rondavels. This canyon is part of the famous Panorama route. This route starts at the town Graskop and includes God's Window, the Pinnacle and Bourke's Luck Potholes.

Fauna and Flora

The Blyde River canyon supports large diversity of life, including numerous fish and antelope species as well as Hippos and Crocodiles, and every primate species that may be seen in South Africa (including both Greater and Lesser Bush Babies, Vervet Monkeys and Samango Monkeys). The diversity of birdlife is similarly high, including the beautiful and much sought Narina Trogon as well as species such as the Cape Vulture, Black Eagle, Crowned Eagle, African Fish Eagle, Gymnogene, Jackal Buzzard, Whitebacked Vulture, Bald Ibis, African Finfoot, Knysna Lourie, Purplecrested Lourie, Gurney's Sugarbird, Malachite Sunbird, Cinnamon Dove, Emerald Cuckoo, Redbacked Mannikin, Goldentailed Woodpecker, Olive Bush Shrike, Green Twinspot, Taita Falcons (very rarely sighted, a breeding pair lives in the nearby Abel Erasmus pass), Cape Eagle Owl, Whitefaced Owl, Wood Owl, Peregrine Falcon, Blackbreasted Snake Eagle, Wahlberg's Eagle, Longcrested Eagle, Jackal Buzzard, Lanner Falcon, Redbreasted Sparrowhawk, Rock Kestrel etc.

credited to wikipedia and flickr:Mozambique - Moments,delayed gratification,ohrwurm67,LeoKoolhoven

Benbulben

Ben Bulben (alternatively spelt Benbulben or Benbulbin) is a large rock formation in Ireland. It is a Ben (the Irish name for a large, glacier-carved rock). It is located in the Irish county of Sligo, known unofficially as Yeats Country.

Etymology

"Ben Bulben", "Benbulben", and "Benbulbin" are all anglicizations of the Irish name "Binn Ghulbain". "Binn" is the word most often used for "peak" or "mountain", while "Ghulbain" means either "Gulban(’s)" or "jaw-shaped". The two most common translations are "Gulban’s peak" and "jaw-shaped peak."

Formation

Ben Bulben was formed during the Ice age, when large parts of the Earth were under glaciers. It was originally merely a large ridge, however the moving glaciers cut into the earth, leaving a distinct formation, now called Ben Bulben.

Rock composition

The steeper sides of Ben Bulben are composed of large amounts of Dartry limestone on top of smaller amounts of Glencar limestone. The smoother sides are composed of Ben Bulben shale. These rocks formed in the area approximately 320 million years ago.

Climbing

If climbed by the north face, it is a dangerous climb. That side bears the brunt of the high winds and storms that come in from the Atlantic Ocean. However, if climbed by the south side, it is an easy climb, due to the fact that side slopes very gently. Upon reaching the summit, the climber is rewarded with a magnificent view of Yeats Country.

Flora and fauna

Ben Bulben hosts a unique variety of plants, possessing some organisms found nowhere else in Ireland. Many are arctic-alpine plants, due to the mountain's height, which allows for cooler temperatures than is normal. These plants were deposited when the glaciers that created Ben Bulben melted. Insects, wild hares, and foxes inhabit Ben Bulben.

credited to wikipedia and flickr: irish Dave ;Fabio Miola; Mairead McQ; doru-darocz; Dave Dove

Baikal

Lake Baikal is in Southern Siberia in Russia, located between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, near the city of Irkutsk. It is also known as the "Blue Eye of Siberia". It contains more water than all the North American Great Lakes combined.At 1,637 meters (5,371 ft), Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, and the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume.However, Lake Baikal contains less than one third the amount of water as the Caspian Sea which is the largest lake in the world. Like Lake Tanganyika, Lake Baikal was formed in an ancient rift valley and therefore is long and crescent-shaped with a surface area (31,494 km²), less than that of Lake Superior or Lake Victoria. Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world.At more than 25 million years old, it is the oldest lake in the world. A Russian mini-submarine attempting to set a record for the deepest freshwater dive on July 29, 2008 was originally reported as being successful, but a correction later emerged that reported the MIR I failed to do so, reaching a depth of only 1,580 meters. Lake Baikal was known as the "North Sea" in historical Chinese texts. It was situated in the then Xiongnu territory and very little was known about the lake until the Trans-Siberian railway was built between 1896 and 1902. The scenic railway loop encircling Lake Baikal required 200 bridges and 33 tunnels. As it was being built, a large hydrogeographical expedition headed by F.K. Drizhenko produced the first detailed atlas of the contours of Baikal's depths. The atlas demonstrated that Lake Baikal has more water than all of North America's Great Lakes combined — 23,600 cubic kilometers (5,662.4 cu mi), about one fifth of the total surface fresh water on the earth. However, in surface area, it is exceeded by the much shallower Great Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan in North America, as well as by the relatively shallow Lake Victoria in East Africa. Known as the "Galápagos of Russia", its age and isolation have produced some of the world's richest and most unusual freshwater fauna, which is of exceptional value to evolutionary science. Lake Baikal is in a rift valley created by the Baikal Rift Zone, where the crust of the earth is pulling apart. At 636 kilometers (395 mi) long and 79 kilometers (49 mi) wide, Lake Baikal has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in Asia (31,494 km²) and is the deepest lake in the world (1,637 m). The bottom of the lake is 1,371 metres below sea level, but below this lies some 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) of sediment, placing the rift floor some 8–9 kilometers (more than 5 miles) below the surface: the deepest continental rift on Earth. In geological terms, the rift is young and active—it widens about two centimeters per year.

credited to wikipedia and flickr: parole.sprekate,bobrojulia,Melinda van den Brink

Band e Amir

Band-e Amir refers to five lakes high in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Central Afghanistan near the famous Buddhas of Bamyan. They were created by the carbon dioxide rich water oozing out of the faults and fractures to deposit calcium carbonate precipitate in the form of travertine walls that today store the water of these lakes. Band-e Amir was to become Afghanistan's first national park in the 1960s, but due to the instability of the Kabul government at the time, this did not happen. In 2004, Band-e Amir was submitted for recognition as a World Heritage site. In 2008, Band-e Amir was finally declared Afghanistan's first national park. Band-e Amir is situated at approximately 75 kilometers to the north-west of the ancient city of Bamyan, close to the town of Yakawlang. Together with Bamyan, they are the heart of Afghanistan's tourism, attracting thousands of tourists every year and from every corner of the world.
The six constituent lakes of Band-e Amir are:
* Band-e Gholaman (slaves)
* Band-e Qambar (Caliph Ali's slave)
* Band-e Haibat (grandiose)
* Band-e Panir (cheese)
* Band-e Pudina (wild mint)
* Band-e Zulfiqar (the sword of Ali)

Band-e Haibat is the biggest and the deepest of the six, with an average depth of approximately 150 meters, as estimated by the PRT diving team from New Zealand. The white travertine dams created by fault lines, which are prevalent in the Band-e Amir Valley, form the barriers between the lakes. Another comparable lake is Band-e Azhdar (The Dragon), located a few kilometre southeast of the town of Bamyan, which has also been created as a result of carbon dioxide rich water oozing out of the faults underground and depositing calcium carbonate precipitate to form the travertine walls of Band-e Amir.

credited to wikipedia and flickr:wesolson,Hashmat1,Carl Montgomery

Badlands

A badlands (also badland) is a type of arid terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rocks. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often difficult to navigate by foot. Badlands often have a spectacular colour display that alternates from dark black/blue coal stria to bright clays to red scoria.

Features

The term "badlands" represents a consensus in North America: the Lakota called the topography "Makhóšiča", literally bad land, while French trappers called it "les mauvaises terres à traverser" – "the bad lands to cross". The Spanish called it tierra baldía ("waste land") and cárcava. The term badlands is also apt: badlands contain steep slopes, loose dry soil, slick clay, and deep sand, all of which impede travel and other uses. Badlands form in arid regions with infrequent but intense rain-showers, sparse vegetation, and soft sediments: a recipe for massive erosion.

Some of the most famous fossil beds are found in badlands, where erosion rapidly exposes the sedimentary layers and the scant cover of vegetation makes surveying and fossil hunting relatively easy.

Coal seams are also exposed in some badlands, so historically, coal mining districts have developed in badlands areas. An example of this is the Drumheller district of the Red Deer River in Alberta, where the Atlas Coal Mine is the last of 149 mines that operated in those badlands.

Locations

Some of the best-known badland formations can be found in the United States and Canada. In the U.S., Makoshika State Park in Montana, Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota and Badlands National Park in South Dakota together form a series of extensive badlands formations. Another popular area of badland formations is Toadstool Geologic Park in the Oglala National Grassland of northwestern Nebraska. The Big Muddy Badlands in Saskatchewan, Canada gained notoriety as a hideout for outlaws. There is a sizable badland area in Alberta, Canada, particularly in the valley of the Red Deer River where Dinosaur Provincial Park is located. The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta and Dinosaur National Monument in Utah are also badlands settings, and exhibit fossils found in the area. A small badlands called Hell's Half-Acre is present in Natrona County, Wyoming. It is famous as one of the locations for the filming of Starship Troopers (1997).

Arguably the most well known badlands formation in New Zealand, the Putangirua Pinnacles – formed by the erosion of the conglomerate of an old alluvial fan – are located at the head of a small valley near the southern tip of the North island. A famous European badland is the Bardenas Reales near Tudela, Spain.

Although most badland scenery is natural, there are some spectacular examples produced by mining, such as the Roman gold mine of Las Médulas in northern Spain.

credited to wikipedia

Arches

Arches National Park is a U.S. national park in eastern Utah. It is known for preserving over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations.

The park is located near Moab, Utah, and is 119 square miles (310 km2) in size. Its highest elevation is 5,653 feet (1,723 m) at Elephant Butte, and its lowest elevation is 4,085 feet (1,245 m) at the visitor center. Since 1970, forty-three arches have toppled because of erosion. The park receives 10 inches (250 mm) of rain a year on average.

The area, administered by the National Park Service, was originally designated as a national monument on April 12, 1929. It was redesignated a national park on November 12, 1971. More than 833,000 people visited in 2006.

Features

Among the notable features of the park are:

* Delicate Arch — a lone-standing arch which has become a symbol of Utah

* Balanced Rock — a large balancing rock, the size of three school buses

* Double Arch — two arches that share a common end

* Landscape Arch — a very thin, very long arch over 300 feet (100 m); the largest in the park

* Fiery Furnace — an area of maze-like narrow passages and tall rock columns (see biblical reference Fiery Furnace)

* Devil's Garden — with many arches and columns scattered along a ridge

* Dark Angel — a free-standing column of dark stone at the end of the Devil's Garden trail

* Courthouse Towers — a collection of tall stone columns

* Petrified dunes — petrified remnants of sand dunes blown from the ancient lakes that covered the area.

* Wall Arch —located along the popular Devils Garden Trail. Collapsed sometime on August 4-5, 2008

Geology

The national park lies atop an underground salt bed, which is the main cause of the formation of the arches and spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths in the area. Thousands of feet thick in places, this salt bed was deposited over the Colorado Plateau some 300 million years ago when a sea flowed into the region and eventually evaporated. Over millions of years, the salt bed was covered with residue from floods and winds and the oceans that came in intervals. Much of this debris was compressed into rock. At one time this overlying earth may have been one mile (1.6 km) thick.

Salt under pressure is unstable, and the salt bed below Arches was no match for the weight of this thick cover of rock. Under such pressure it shifted, buckled, liquefied, and repositioned itself, thrusting the Earth layers upward into domes. Whole sections fell into cavities. In places they turned almost on edge. Faults occurred. The result of one such 2,500-foot (760 m) displacement, the Moab Fault, is seen from the visitor center.

As this subsurface movement of salt shaped the Earth, surface erosion stripped away the younger rock layers. Except for isolated remnants, the major formations visible in the park today are the salmon-colored Entrada Sandstone, in which most of the arches form, and the buff-colored Navajo Sandstone. These are visible in layer cake fashion throughout most of the park. Over time water seeped into the superficial cracks, joints, and folds of these layers. Ice formed in the fissures, expanding and putting pressure on surrounding rock, breaking off bits and pieces. Winds later cleaned out the loose particles. A series of free-standing fins remained. Wind and water attacked these fins until, in some, the cementing material gave way and chunks of rock tumbled out. Many damaged fins collapsed. Others, with the right degree of hardness and balance, survived despite their missing sections. These became the famous arches.

credited to wikipedia

Angel Falls

Angel Falls or Salto Ángel is the world's highest free-falling waterfall at 3,212 feet with an uninterrupted drop of 2,648 feet lying in the Canaima National Park, Venezuela. It is situated on the Churún River, an affluent of the Carrao. Curún in indigenous Pemón language means "thunder." Angel Falls is located in the Guayana highlands, one of the five topographical regions of Venezuela. It plunges off the edge of a tepui, or table-top mountain, called Auyan Tepui (“Devils Mountain”). It is 500 feet wide at its base and in total is 15 times higher than America's Niagara Falls. Angel Falls is one of Venezuela's top tourist attractions, despite its remoteness and the absence of roads leading to nearby villages. One of the world's great natural wonders, Angel Falls inspires feelings of awe in the hearts of those who make the journey. Angel Falls is situated in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela. The periphery of this area is filled with grasslands, whereas deeper into the Gran Sabana one finds dense jungle. This part of the world is remarkable for its numerous tepuis, flat-topped mountains with vertical walls. Angel Falls is located on the side of an extremely large and high tepui known as Auyan Tepui. Tourists sometimes refer to the stretch of the Churún River where the falls are located as the Auyan Tepui River, but the river that culminates in the drop is the Kerepakupai-merú. In the indigenous Pemón language Kerepakupai-merú means "waterfall of the deepest place." There is an incredible variety of tropical wildlife in the area, including monkeys, poison arrow frogs, and hundreds of species of orchids. Aside from the monkeys, mammals in the area are generally difficult to spot but include giant anteaters, armadillos, porcupines, three-toed sloths, otters, jaguars, pumas, tapirs, and capybaras. Lying within the Canaima National Park, Angel Falls is part of the plateau that underlies the lands located in Venezuela to the south of the Orinoco River. The plateau's age is estimated at two billion years. Important geological transformations can be seen at the park, from its beginnings in the Precambrian period dating back to the time of the formation of the supercontinent Pangaea. This continent began to separate due to the formation of a fracture in the planet's crust resulting in the formation of the Atlantic Ocean, and the creation of different portions of lands called shields. The geographic region in Venezuela, known as the Guyanese Shield, existed from the start as a great plain at an elevation roughly as high as today's visible tepuis, about 6500 to 9800 feet. After the formation of the great plain, during a long period of time—approximately 400 to 200 million years ago—a series of climate-related phenomena caused important changes in the geography of the Guyanese Shield. The transformation of the landscape was due to drastic variations of arid climate to humid and vice versa; of strong, constant and lingering precipitations; droughts, freezing, discharges with high and low temperatures; storms, hurricanes, and the tectonic movements of the earth. The erosion was caused by atmospheric agents removing the material deposited in the great plain during millions of years. In places where the rock was less resistant, the erosion was greater resulting in this great transformation, the Tepuis, and the fantastic scenery at the Falls.

credited to newworldencyclopedia and flickr:Ian Lambert,ENT108,Maurício Marques

Ahaggar

The Ahaggar Mountains (Tuareg: idurar uhaggar), also known as the Hoggar, are a highland region in central Sahara, or southern Algeria near the Tropic of Cancer. They are located about 1,500 km (900 mi) south of the capital, Algiers and just west of Tamanghasset. The region is largely rocky desert with an average altitude of more than 900 metres (2,953 feet) above sea level. The highest peak is at 3,003 meters (Mount Tahat). Assekrem is a famous and often visited point where le Père de Foucauld lived in the summer of 1905.

Description

The mountain range is mostly volcanic rock and contains a hot summer climate, with a cold winter climate (temperature fall below 0°C in the winter). The mountains are young--about 2 million years old. Rainfall is rare and sporadic. However, since the climate is less extreme than most other areas of the Sahara, the Ahaggar Mountains are a major location for biodiversity and host relict species. The Ahaggar Mountains compose the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion. The main city nearby the Ahaggar is Tamanghasset, built in a desert valley or wadi. Today, the Ahaggar region is a prime tourist destination in Algeria.

Cultural significance

The Ahaggar massif is the land of the Tuaregs or Kel Ahaggar. The tomb of Tin Hinan, the god believed to be the ancestor of the Tuareg is located at Abalessa, an oasis near Tamanghasset. According to legend, the origins of Tim Lam are from Tafilalt region in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains.

credited to wikipedia and flickr:jurakku,globevisions,markeveleigh,sam72t

Rhône Alpes

Rhône Alpes région of France encompassing the southeastern départements of Loire, Rhône, Ain, Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Isère, Drôme, and Ardèche. Rhône-Alpes is bounded by the régions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Languedoc-Roussillon to the south, Auvergne to the west, Burgundy (Bourgogne) to the northwest, and Franche-Comté to the north. Italy and Switzerland adjoin to the east. The capital is Lyon.

The Massif Central extends into Ardèche and is separated by a series of valleys from the Alps to the east. Mont Blanc (15,771 feet [4,807 metres]), the highest peak in the Alps and the tallest in Europe, is located in the département of Haute-Savoie. The Jura Mountains rise in the north. The northern section of Rhône belongs to the low-lying basin of the Saône River and western Isère to the lowlands of Bas-Dauphiné. The prevailing mountain climate is generally cooler and wetter than the lowlands of France.

The population declined slightly in the first half of the 20th century, though less than the national trend. Since World War II, however, it has increased. Average population density is above the national mean, but there are considerable internal contrasts. The low densities of rural Alpine areas and the western part of Ardèche contrast with the high concentrations in metropolitan areas, particularly around Lyon and Saint-Étienne, as well as in the urban band stretching northward from Grenoble to the Swiss border, which encompasses Chambéry and Annecy. Demographically, Rhône-Alpes is one of France's most dynamic régions, with the growth of population fueled by both natural and migrational increase. In spite of this development, the Loire and Rhône départements have experienced strong out-migration because of industrial decline and a residential trend away from large cities toward smaller urban centres.

Agriculture is diversified, with a number of regional specializations. In the upland and mountainous areas in the east, dairying and forestry are widespread, whereas in the lowland regions of Bresse, Dombes, and Bas-Dauphiné, cereals are cultivated. Farther west, on the fringes of the Massif Central, beef cattle are raised in Loire and sheep in Ardèche. In Voiron near Grenoble, Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse monastery distill liqueurs.

Rhône-Alpes is a major producer of electricity; hydroelectric power is generated from power stations in the Alps, while nuclear power comes from several stations along the Rhône River. There is also a large uranium-enrichment plant at Pierrelatte in the Rhône valley. Coal production in the area has become insignificant.

The région has an important industrial sector, which has attracted much foreign investment. Metallurgical industries dominate, followed by chemical, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical firms and manufacturers of electrical machines and electronic equipment. Other branches of industry include food processing as well as textiles and clothing, although the latter is now quite diminished in importance. Lyon and Grenoble are the dominant industrial centres, but industry is widely spread among the région's small and medium-size towns. Rhône-Alpes is also an important hub for research, especially in fields such as medicine, electronics, and nuclear physics. After Paris, Lyon is France's principal business centre, with a major concentration of regional headquarters and financial services.

Tourism is also an important and diversified activity. Lyon and Grenoble, for example, host a wide range of conferences and other business-related events. At such health resorts as Aix-les-Bains, thermal springs that have long been exploited continue to draw visitors. The most spectacular growth, however, has accompanied the further development of winter tourism in the Alps. The northern Alps is one of the world's leading skiing areas, hosting resorts such as Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Megève, La Plagne, and Albertville (site of the 1992 Winter Olympic Games). Two national parks (Vanoise and Ecrins) provide further tourist opportunities.

Rhône-Alpes has a dense transportation system with Lyon as its hub. The région is well served by motorways, and major cities have long been linked to the high-speed train (train à grande vitesse; TGV) network that brings Paris within two hours of Lyon. An international airport (named for aviator and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) lies to the east of Lyon. The Rhône and the Saône, although little used, are accessible to large-capacity barges. Area 16,872 square miles (43,698 square km). Pop. (1999) 5,645,407.

credited to britannica and flickr:fallenidol

Parana river

The Paraná River (Río Paraná in Spanish, Rio Paraná in Portuguese) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. This river, together with its tributaries, forms the larger of the two river systems that drain into the Río de la Plata. It is 3,032 miles (4,880 kilometers) long and extends from the confluence of the Grande and Paranaíba rivers in southern Brazil, running generally southwestward for most of its course, before turning southeastward to drain into the Río de la Plata.

The Paraguay-Paraná river system covers an area of almost 1 million square miles, making it the second largest river system in South America, outranked only by the Amazon River.

Along the Paraná's course is the impressive Itaipu Dam, the largest hydroelectric power station in the world, which creates a massive, shallow reservoir behind it.

Famous with sports fishermen worldwide for its dorado, the "Father of the Waters" supports 355 species of fish. The surubí and sábalo species in particular are a popular export.

History

The first European to travel the "Father of the Waters" (from the Guaraní language) was Sebastian Cabot in 1526.

In 1525 Cabot assumed charge of a three-ship Spanish expedition intended to develop trade with the Orient. However, he diverted the expedition to the South American continent due to reports of fabulous wealth in the Río de la Plata region. After three years of what was considered fruitless exploration, he returned to Spain where he was judged responsible for the failure of the expedition, and was banished to Africa.

The Paraná soon after became the principle explorers' route into the interior of the South American continent.

Geography

The Paraná, together with its tributaries, forms the larger of the two river systems that drain into the Río de la Plata. It is 3,032 miles (4,880 km) long and extends from the confluence of the Grande and Paranaíba rivers in southern Brazil, running generally southwestward for most of its course, before turning southeastward to drain into the Río de la Plata.

Course

The Paraná River is formed at the confluence of the Paranaíba and Grande rivers in southern Brazil. From the confluence the river flows in a generally southwestern direction for about 385 miles (619 km) before encountering the city of Saltos del Guaira, Paraguay. This was once the location of the Sete Quedas waterfall, where the Paraná fell over a series of seven cascades. This natural feature was said to rival the world-famous Iguazu Falls to the south. The falls were flooded, however, by the construction of the Itaipu Dam, which began operating in 1984.

For the next approximately 118 miles (190 km) the Paraná flows southward and forms a natural boundary between Paraguay and Brazil until the confluence with the Iguazu River. Shortly upstream from this confluence, however, the river is dammed by the impressive Itaipu Dam, the largest hydroelectric power station in the world, which created a massive, shallow reservoir behind it.

After merging with the Iguazu, the Paraná then becomes the natural border between Paraguay and Argentina. The river continues its general southward course for about 291 miles (468 km) before making a gradual turn to the west for another 510 miles (820 km), and then encounters the Paraguay River, the largest tributary along the course of the river.

Before this confluence the river passes through a second major hydroelectric project, the Yacyretá Dam, a joint project between Paraguay and Argentina. It is the second largest dam in the world. The massive reservoir formed by the project has been the source of a number of problems for people living along the river, most notably the poorer merchants and residents in the low-lying areas of Encarnación, a major city on the southern border of Paraguay. River levels rose dramatically upon completion of the dam, flooding out large sections of the city's lower areas.

From the confluence with the Paraguay River, the Paraná again turns to the south for another approximately 510 miles (820 km) through Argentina, making a slow turn back to the east near the city of Rosario for the final stretch of less than 311 miles (500 km) before merging with the Uruguay River to form the Río de la Plata and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.

During this part of its course, downstream from the city of Diamante in the province of Entre Ríos, it splits into several arms and forms the Paraná Delta, a long flood plain which reaches up to 39 miles (60 km) in width.

Credited to new word encyclopedia and flickr:FritzeiBabyCry,Claudio.Ar-Hermes,Maggie S.Z.,onefivenine

Pamukkale

Pamukkale an unusual natural and historical site with the sparkling white castle -like cascades, Pamukkale is one of the most important highlights of Turkey, unique in the world. The site is named in Turkish as "Pamukkale", that means "cotton castle", parallel to the glorious and spectacular view of the site. The dazzling white calcareous castles are formed by limestone-laden thermal springs, creating the unbelievable formation of stalactites, potholes and cataracts.

Waters in the terraces are the sediments of the springs with calcium bicarbonate in 33C. Waters, containing mainly calcium salts and carbon-dioxide, run off the plateau's by depositing calcium while carbon-dioxide disappearing. The marvelous landscape of Pamukkale has been created by this gradual formation, leaving a cotton-like image. Located above the theatre of Hierapolis, the mineral water sources from the thermal springs of Cal Mountain. It is collected in a pool, known as the "Sacred Pool" of ancient times, where you can swim amidst the historical remains of Hierapolis. The Sacred Pool is now located inside Pamukkale Hotel.

The water of Pamukkale is famous for its benefits to the eyes and skin; and its curing properties to the ills of asthma, rheumatism, as well. The remains of the ancient Hierapolis are situated on back of the thrilling white terraces, standing wondrously in the area. The fairyland Pamukkale is a must-see traveling through this region, during a holiday in Turkey...



credited to kusadasi and flickr;deepgoswami

Wyoming

The State of Wyoming is a state in the western region of the United States of America. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains. Within the boundaries of the "Cowboy State" is the first and largest National Park in the United States, Yellowstone, and Devil's Tower the first National Monument (1906).

Wyoming has the distinction of being a state that provided several firsts for the advancement of American women, and is known as the "Equality State" because of it. Wyoming women were the first in the nation to vote, serve on juries and hold public office, long before other states followed suit.

While it is the tenth largest U.S. state by size, Wyoming is the least populous with an U.S. Census estimated population of 515,004 in 2006, a 4.3 percent increase since 2000.The capital and the most populous city of Wyoming is Cheyenne. Residents of Wyoming are known as Wyomingites.

Wyoming is predominantly conservative and politically Republican. The state has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1964.

Etymology

The name Wyoming is derived from the Delaware (Munsee) name xwé:wamənk, meaning at the big river flat, originally applied to the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania.Wyoming is nicknamed the "cowboy state" because of its pre-statehood economy which consisted mainly of cattle and sheep ranching.

Geography

Location and Size

Wyoming is bordered on the north by Montana, on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado, on the southwest by Utah, and on the west by Idaho. It is the tenth largest state in the United States in total area, containing 97,818 square miles (253,348 km²) and is made up of 23 counties. From the north border to the south border it is 276 miles (444 km); and from the east to the west border is 375 miles (603 km).

Mountain ranges

The Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming. The state is a great plateau broken by a number of mountain ranges. Surface elevations range from the summit of Gannett Peak in the Wind River Mountain Range, at 13,804 feet (4,207 m), to the Belle Fourche River Valley in the state’s northeast corner, at 3,125 feet (952 m). In the northwest are the Absaroka, Owl Creek, Gros Ventre, Wind River and the Teton ranges. In the north central are the Big Horn Mountains; in the northeast, the Black Hills; and in the southern region the Laramie, Snowy and Sierra Madre ranges.

Wyoming is an arid state with much of the land receiving less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rainfall per year. Consequently, the land supports few opportunities for farming. Ranching is widespread, especially in areas near the numerous mountain chains. The Snowy Range in the south central part of the state is an extension of the Colorado Rockies in both geology and appearance. The Wind River Range in the west central part of the state is remote and includes more than 40 mountain peaks in excess of 13,000 ft. tall in addition to Gannett Peak, the highest peak in the state. The Big Horn Mountains in the north central portion are somewhat isolated from the bulk of the Rocky Mountains. The Teton Range in the northwest extends for 50 miles (80 km) and represents the most impressive section of mountains in the state. It is home to Grand Teton, the second highest peak in Wyoming, and to Grand Teton National Park, which preserves the most scenic section of the Teton range.

The Continental Divide spans north-south across the central portion of the state. Rivers east of the Divide drain into the Missouri River Basin and eventually the Atlantic Ocean. They are the Platte, Wind, Big Horn and the Yellowstone rivers. The Snake River in northwest Wyoming eventually drains into the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean, as does the Green River through the Colorado River Basin.

The Continental Divide forks in the south central part of the state in an area known as the Great Divide Basin where the waters that flow or precipitate into this area remain there and cannot flow to any ocean. Instead, because of the overall aridity of Wyoming, water in the Great Divide Basin simply sinks into the soil or evaporates.

Several rivers begin or flow through the state, including the Yellowstone River, Powder River, Green River, and the Snake River.

Climate

The climate in Wyoming is generally a semi-arid continental climate (Koppen climate classification BSk) which is drier and windier in comparison to most of the United States with temperature extremes. Much of this is due to the topography of the state. Summers in Wyoming are warm with July high temperatures averaging between 85 °F (29°C) and 95 °F (35°C) in most of the state. With increasing elevation, however, this average drops rapidly with locations above 9,000 feet (2,743 m) averaging around 70 °F (21°C). Summer nights throughout the state are characterized by a rapid cooldown with even the hottest locations averaging in the 50-60 °F (10-14 °C) range at night. In most of the state, the late spring and early summer is when most of the precipitation tends to fall. Winters are cold, but are variable with periods of sometimes extreme cold interspersed between generally mild periods, with Chinook winds providing unusually warm temperatures in some locations. Precipitation depends on elevation with lower areas in the Big Horn Basin averaging 5-8 inches (125 - 200 mm) (making the area nearly a true desert). The lower areas in the North and on the eastern plains typically average around 10-12 inches (250-300 mm), making the climate there semi-arid. Some mountain areas do receive a good amount of precipitation, 20 inches (510 mm) or more, much of it as snow, sometimes 200 inches (510 cm) or more annually.

The climate of any area in Wyoming is largely determined by its latitude, altitude and local topography. When put together, these factors have a lot to do with airflow patterns, temperature variations, precipitation and humidity brought in by the weather systems that migrate eastward. In winter, Wyoming is often beneath the jet stream, or north of it, which accounts for its frequent strong winds, blasts of Arctic air and precipitation, all the necessary ingredients for great snow conditions at Wyoming's northwestern ski areas. In summer, the jet stream retreats northward to somewhere over Canada, leaving the state's weather mild and pleasant at a time when the majority of Wyoming's visitors choose to arrive. Jackson, located at 6,230 feet (1,899 m) above sea level and surrounded by mountains, can expect a high temperature in July of 80˚ F (26.6°C). The average is more likely to be 65˚ F (18.3°C). The closest National Weather Station (in Riverton on the other side of the Wind River Mountains at 4,955 feet (1,510 m)) reports slightly warmer July weather.

Weather and topography in Wyoming both have more contrast than in most other states. Severe weather is not uncommon in Wyoming, with the state being one of the leading states for hail damage in the United States. The number of thunderstorm days vary across the state with the southeastern plains of the state having the most days of thunderstorm activity. Thunderstorm activity in the state is highest during the late spring and early summer. The southeastern corner of the state is the most vulnerable part of the state to tornado activity. Moving away from that point and westwards, the incidence of tornadoes drops dramatically with the west part of the state showing little vulnerability. Tornadoes, where they occur, tend to be small and brief, unlike some of those which occur a little further east.

Credited to new world encyclopedia and flickr:shotaku,Dracs