August 2020 – The10Great

GREAT 10 LARGEST ZOOS IN THE WORLD

by Sree DivyaAugust 29, 2020August 29, 2020UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Zoos are not only preserve various species but also educate us about the animals’ habitat, their way of living, food etc. Many zoos across the world attract a large number of tourists and at the same time are a fun place for kids to learn too. Zoos are giving you a chance to observe and understand nature and wildlife from close proximity. Just when you think of connecting with nature and getting the very best out of it, zoos should first ring in your mind. There are two distinct criteria that could be used to determine the largest zoos. The first being the size of the land that hosts the zoo while the second is the number of animals hosted within the confines of the zoo. They give you a chance to witness and admire the greatness of nature.

1.Berlin Zoological Garden

Berlin Zoological Garden is the largest and oldest and best-known zoo in Germany.
It covers 40 hectares (99 acres) and is located in Berlin’s Tiergarten with about 1,380 different species and over 48,662 animals. It is established in 1744. It is the most-visited zoo in Europe and one of the most popular worldwide. The zoo and its aquarium had more than 3.5 million visitors annually to attract with excellent collections of birds of prey, cranes, and antelopes. Many rare species, including pygmy hippopotamuses, Indian elephants, and orangutans, have been bred here.
It maintains and promotes European breeding programmes, helps safeguard several endangered species, and participates in several species reintroduction programs. Globally known animals like Knut, the polar bear, and Bao Bao, the giant panda have contributed to the zoo’s public image. The zoo collaborates with many universities, research institutes, and other zoos around the world. The zoo also maintains the international studbooks for gaur and both black and white rhinoceroses. Regular animal feedings are among its most famous attractions. Berlin Zoological Garden and Aquarium, German Zoologischer Garten und Aquarium Berlin, zoo and aquarium in Berlin, containing one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive animal collections. the outbreak of World War II in 1939, 4,000 birds and mammals and 8,300 aquarium specimens were housed in the zoo.

2.Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Columbus is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is located in Ohio, United States. Columbus zoo sits on 2,340,000 square meters of land.It is the second largest in the world in terms of space. It is a non-profit facility that hosts about 9000 animals of 800 species. The seasonal light displays at the Columbus Zoo are really spectacular. The purpose of our visit was to see the lights, not to see any animal exhibits. We were able to spot a couple of polar bears and the reindeer were up and walking around. But the lights were dramatic, to say the least. The lights around the pond and in the trees provided a great music show. The music was timed with the lights. Every twenty minutes or so the show started.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a world of adventure to visit. Watch a polar bear swim above your head, meet the world famous gorilla family, say “G-Day” to the koalas, ponder the giant pachyderms and be amazed by the manatees. The Zoo provides more than $1 million annually to support over 70 conservation projects worldwide. A recreation and education destination that includes the 22-acre Zoombezi Bay water park and 18-hole Safari Golf Club, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was named the number one zoo in America by USA Travel Guide.

3.Toronto Zoo

Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This second largest zoo seated on 2,870,000 square meters(710 acres). It receives approximately 1.3 million visitors annually. If you happen to be in Canada, make a stop at Toronto zoo for an amazing experience. It hosts approximately 5,000 animals of 500 different species.
It is divided into seven zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, Americas, Tundra Trek, Australasia, Eurasia, and the Canadian Domain. Some animals are displayed indoors in pavilions and outdoors in what would be their naturalistic environments, with viewing at many levels. It also has areas such as the Kids Zoo, Waterside Theatre, and Splash Island. It has one of the most taxonomically diverse collection of animals on display of any zoo.
Toronto zoo is awesome and provides wide range of animals to view and pandas are so cute and also they have a splash pad so kids can have fun.
This zoo is big and awesome. There is lots of walking in some sections. In the Canadian Domain area, each exhibit is spread out a lot. It takes a full day to see the whole zoo. They have a big variety of different animals in the zoo. They got to have giant pandas for 5 years but they recently left the zoo. Visitors will be able to walk along a series of one-way routes throughout the zoo and visit the African Rainforest Pavilion. There black handed spider monkeys were really tall and they were hanging on the ceiling bars of the cage. They also have a area for kids witch includes a slide, box turtles and a wood chuck. I would really suggest going to the Toronto Zoo . The zoo is a corporation owned by the municipal government of Toronto.[8] Founded by Hugh A. Crothers, an industrialist

San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, housing more than 3,500 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies. With over 4 million visitors,[10] San Diego Zoo is the most visited zoo in the United States. It is privately moderated by the nonprofit San Diego Zoo Global on 100 acres (40 ha) of Balboa Park leased from the City of San Diego. The Zoo is home of species that are part of the Species Survival Plan, program created by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums member zoos to systematically develop breeding management strategies to help protect some of the planet’s rarest animals. It is famous For Conservation efforts, Endangered species breeding programs; koalas, hippopotamuses, tigers, giraffes, gorillas. This zoo is one of the rare zoos to accommodate and breed giant panda, it is believed that San Diego is one of the best and largest zoos in the world. With a total land area of approximately 100 acres. This zoo is not only active in preserving and conservational efforts with respect to the wildlife here, but also ensures an open-air exhibit for each animal with an aim to eventually release the animals into the wild in future.
Best time to visit is When the weather is pleasant especially in the morning. Both the Zoo and the Safari Park have introduced new measures designed to ensure a safe and healthy guest experience. The San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are outdoor destinations to visit. What an experience! We love learning about the Safari Park’s conservation efforts and that our visit contributes to their efforts in saving these species for future generations. Allegedly, this zoological garden has a membership count of close to half a million.

London Zoo or Regent’s Zoo

London Zoo is situated at the northern edge of Regent’s Park, on the boundary line between the City of Westminster and the borough of Camden . The zoo is sometimes called Regent’s Zoo. It is the world’s oldest scientific zoo and opened in London on 27 April 1828. It hosts a collection of 673 species of animals, with 19,289 individuals, making it one of the largest collections in the United Kingdom. It is managed under the aegis of the Zoological Society of London. The Society also has a more spacious site at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire to which the larger animals such as elephants and rhinos have been moved. As well as being the first scientific zoo, ZSL London Zoo also opened the first reptile house. Asiatic lions, Squirrel, Colobus and spider monkeys, Camels, Giraffes, Okapis, Western lowland gorillas, Sumatran tigers, Crocodiles, lizards, frogs and snakes, Humbolt, penguins, African lions, Elephants, Rhinos, Chimpanzees, Amur tigers, Brown bears, Rockhopper and African black-footed penguins, Californian sea lions etc can be see here.

Our amazing Meet the Animals experiences make a day out at ZSL London Zoo even more memorable. Get the chance to get up close to our animals whilst in the company of one of our experienced and knowledgeable zoo keepers. Your experience is certain to be a fantastic one and will also be contributing to our vital conservation work around the world. That’s why Heart are taking you behind the scenes at London Zoo and its sister site, Whipsnade Animal Park, to meet the dedicated team of experts and keepers looking after the wonderful animals.

The Bronx Zoo

Bronx is a zoological garden consisting of four zoos and an aquarium. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States. The Bronx Zoo in New York City is the biggest metropolitan zoo in the United States, comprising 265 acres (107 ha) of park lands. This zoo hosts more than 4,000 animals of 650 species. The wildlife conservation society (WCS) is responsible for handling the operations within the zoo . Some of the exhibits at the Bronx Zoo, such as World of Birds and World of Reptiles, are arranged by taxonomy, while others, such as African Plains and Wild Asia, are arranged geographically. It is also rated as the world’s largest metropolitan zoo. the Bronx zoo receives well over 2.25 million tourists annually.

The National Zoological Gardens

There are numerous Picnic Spots were you can enjoy a rest in the shade of giant trees. Braai facilities are available at the Picnic Spot next to the Apies River. The Zoo Choo-Choo Tractor Train takes you on rides through parts of the Zoo. A cable-car ride provides you with a Panoramic View of the Zoo and surrounding City. It is situated at 323 Boom Street in South Africa and treated as one of the top zoos in the world. There are 3117 animals at the zoo and it has the largest inland marine aquarium in the country. The zoo also has a reptile park and the third largest collection of exotic trees. They have an “adopt an animal scheme”. The zoo plays an important role in protecting and conserving threatened species.
South Africa is known for its rich wildlife located in a natural habitat, with a land area of about 210 acres in Pretoria, South Africa. Its uniqueness lie in the planning involved in the structure of the zoo. One part comprises mainly of flat lands while the other is a slightly hilly one and these parts are separated by the Apies river flowing through the zoo. It gets more interesting with the wide range of species housed by the zoo and a total number of animals to be around 9,000. This is one of the most loved largest zoos in the world.

Moscow Zoo

The Moscow Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in Europe. Today, the Moscow Zoo has over 6000 animals representing 1000 species and covers an area of about 53 acres (21.5 ha) making it Russia’s largest zoo. It has opened for visitors since 1864. Prior to construction of the footbridge, the zoo operated as two ‘separate zoos’ because the Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Street divides the properties. In addition, the zoo was expanded once more. New exhibits were opened including a sea aquarium, an aviary, a creatures of the night exhibit, a sea lion exhibit and a section aimed at children. Waterfalls and streams were added throughout to give the zoo a more natural feeling. The Moscow zoo has over 7,500 animals. The zoo studies animal’s behavior, feeding and reproduction, and breeds rare endangered species.
It is a Russian zoo, so don’t be surprised to find that many of the animals are hiding indoors because they are cold in the winter. As it is a city centre zoo, there’s not a huge amount of space for some of the bigger animals, but despite its location Moscow Zoo feels large, green and peaceful. Meerkats, monkeys and dolphins seem happy in their enclosures and often show off for the audiences, while the pond has much exotic bird life to look out for. Kids will love it, especially the reptile house. As well as polar bears, wolves and a Siberian tiger, they also have other big game such as elephants, lions, giraffes and zebras. It also goes down the book of records as one among the oldest zoos in the world. The Moscow Zoo remained open during World War II, though much of the park was destroyed.

Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo is claimed to be number 1 in the US and probably among the best in the world. Omaha’s Zoo offers a variety of travel-worthy experiences. Walk through the world’s largest indoor desert and the largest indoor rainforest in North America. Explore exotic locations and underground caves to see thousands of animals from across the globe in their natural habitat. With more than 7 acres of indoor exhibits. The Omaha zoo redefines the term “zoo” by dedicating resources to saving and protecting species around the world. The Zoo is a tobacco-free facility and parking is free to guests.
Outside of a world-renowned conservation program, There are so many things to see and do! Some of our favorites included the bats in the jungle, the giraffes (can only feed the giraffes if they come to you), skyfari, feed the stingrays, the aquarium, and the butterfly house! Consistently rated the top zoo in the U.S. A must see in Omaha. Can’t all be seen in a day. The aquarium, rain forest, desert dome (the largest geodesic dome in the world), butterfly exhibit, and the brand new African grasslands, with roaming elephants and more, are a great first visit. Arrive early. The zoo is Nebraska’s top paid attendance attraction and has welcomed more than 25 million visitors over the past 40 years. Huge domes are the must to go places are the Lied Jungle is one of the world’s largest indoor rainforests, and the “Desert Dome” is one of the world’s largest indoor deserts, as well as the largest glazed geodesic dome in the world.

Beijing Zoo

During the late Qing Dynasty, the Beijing Zoo has one of the largest animal collections in China in 1906. The zoo is home to 14,500 animals representing over 450 species of land animals and over 500 species of marine animals. The zoo occupies an area of 219 acres (89 ha). The Beijing Zoo is probably best known for its collection of rare animals endemic to China including the Giant Pandas, which are the park’s most popular attraction. Like many of Beijing’s parks, the zoo’s grounds resemble classical Chinese gardens, with flower beds amidst natural scenery, including dense groves of trees, stretches of meadows, small streams and rivers, lotus pools, and hills dotted with pavilions and historical buildings. More than five million people visit the zoo each year.
The zoo also has a broad collection of megafauna such as addax, Asian black bears, Asian and African elephants, bats, beluga whales, chimpanzees, clouded leopards, flamingos, gorillas, hippopotamuses, jaguars, kangaroos, lemurs, lions, muntjac, otters, penguins, polar bears, rhinoceroses, sea turtles, tapirs, giraffes and zebras, as well as 13 of the world’s 15 species of cranes. The Beijing Zoo is including the giant pandas, the red panda , the golden snub-nosed monkey, South China tiger, white-lipped deer, Pere David’s deer, crested ibis, Chinese alligator, and Chinese giant salamander. Other endangered or threatened species like Siberian tiger, yak, Przewalski’s horse, snow leopard, Tibetan gazelle, and kiang. Facilities introduced for the gorillas include a medical room, a mating room and a specialist feeding room. Beijing Aquarium is highly recommended for anyone visiting Beijing Zoo. It is widely-recognized by tourist bodies as being one of the country’s top attractions, and is actually the largest inland aquarium in the world. The aquarium features thousands of different aquatic species – man-eating fishes, precious Chinese sturgeons, huge sea elephants and fierce sharks are some of the highlights.

Tagged : great / in / largest / the / world / zoos

GREAT 10 LONGEST RIVERS IN THE WORLD

by Sree DivyaAugust 26, 2020August 26, 2020UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Rivers come from the rain, and travels all the way to the ocean thanks to the natural, most phenomenal vessels our planet has to offer. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors, they attract life and entertain our eyes, because of their timeless beauty. Without water, life would have neither been created, nor would it be sustained.
1.Nile River

Nile River is also called as father of African rivers. The Nile’s water resources are shared by eleven countries: Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt. It rises south of the Equator and flows northward through northeastern Africa to drain into the Mediterranean Sea. It has a length of about 6,650 kilometres and drains an area estimated at 1,293,000 3,349,000 square kilometres. Today, the river continues to serve as a source of irrigation, as well as an important transportation and trade route. For millennia, much of Egypt’s food has been cultivated in the Nile delta region.
The Nile River delta was also an ideal growing location for the papyrus plant. Ancient Egyptians used the papyrus plant in many ways, such as making cloth, boxes, and rope, but by far its most important use was in making paper. The Nile supports agriculture and fishing.
The Nile has two major tributaries: the longer White Nile, considered the prime stream and headwaters; and the Blue Nile. It carries about two-thirds of the river’s water volume and most of the silt.
The White Nile begins at Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, which touches the countries of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
2.Amazon River

The Amazon forests or ”the lungs” of the Earth. It is one of the most beautiful regions of the planet. It is one of the greatest rivers with a length of 6575 kilometers and it is still the equivalent of the distance from New York City to Rome. Its westernmost source is high in the Andes Mountains, within 100 miles (160 km) of the Pacific Ocean, and its mouth is in the Atlantic Ocean, on the northeastern coast of Brazil. It passes by South American countries which includes Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador. Moreover, the widest point the Amazon River can reach is about 11 kilometers. The vast Amazon basin has an area of about 7 million square km.
Two-thirds of the Amazon’s main stream and by far the largest portion of its basin are within Brazil. It is estimated that about one-fifth of all the water that runs off Earth’s surface is carried by the Amazon. Amazon represents over half of the planet’s remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. The diversity of plant species is the highest on Earth. One in ten known species in the world lives in the Amazon Rainforest. If we want to save our planet, we have to preserve the rainforest. The Amazon is home to over 40,000 species of flowering plants and, according to some studies, hosts some 400 billion trees of over 16,000 species. Vertebrates are represented by more than 2200 species of birds, 2500 species of fish, 430 species of mammals, 428 species of amphibians and 378 species of reptiles.
Fires in the Amazon are a fact every year. This year, however, the problem huge. Destroying ”the lungs” of the planet would be devastating to all of humanity. Forests in the Brazilian jungle provide at least 20% of the fresh oxygen in the atmosphere, environmentalists recall.
3.Yangtze River

Yangtze River is the longest river in both China and Asia and it drains an area of 1,808,500 square km. third longest river in the world with a length of 6,300 kilometres. More than three-fourths of the river’s course runs through mountains. its basin is China’s great granary and contains nearly one-third of the national population. The upper Yangtze reaches roar down canyons and valleys from the Tibetan Plateau to Sichuan Province. Ships can’t navigate there. Lijiang is the hub for the main Upper Reaches attractions.
At Lijiang, you can see the Yangtze in one of the world’s deepest canyons, the spectacular Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of China’s best hiking areas. While there, see the UNESCO recognized Naxi minority towns. The river basin of the Yangtze houses one-third of the population of the most populated country in the world i.e., China. Traditionally, the government of China recognizes the Tuotuo tributary located in the Tanggula Mountains as the source of the river. According to new data, however, the source of the Yangtze River is located in the Jari Hill from where the headwaters of the Dam Qu tributary originate. These tributaries, and more join to form the mighty Yangtze River which finally drains into the East China Sea at Shanghai.
It mainly runs across Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Sichuan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shanghai from west to east. Yangtze has been an important part of China’s cultural origins and civilization, contributing to the establishment of irrigations systems and water transportation system.
4.Jefferson-Mississippi-Missouri River System

The Jefferson-Mississippi-Missouri River system is the fourth largest river system in the world and serves transportation, industry, and recreation as the most important inland waterway in North America. Its drainage basin collects water from 41% of the contiguous United States, covering a total area of more than 3,224,535 square kilometers and touching 31 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces in all. The Mississippi River eventually splits up in to a number of different channels, called distributaries, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico at various points and forming a delta, a triangular shaped alluvial plain composed of silt. It is the second-longest river in North America.
One of the most diverse communities of plants and wildlife in the world exist along the Mississippi. It has one of the largest wetlands in the U.S., visited by 40 percent of all the ducks, geese and swans of North America. A habitat for many plants and animals that are not found elsewhere in the world, such as the paddlefish, it is also a roadmap guiding millions of migratory birds and waterfowl to and from their wintering grounds every year. Countless other wildlife use the river and its floodplain as habitat. More than three hundred species of fish are supported by the Mississippi. Sometimes referred to as “The Big Muddy. Its triangular drainage area covers about 40 percent of the U.S. and includes all or part of 31 states
The Jefferson-Mississippi-Missouri River System begins in Montana at the Red Rocks River and ends at the Red River with the Mississippi River, at the north of Marksville, Louisiana. The river system, with a total length of 6,352 kilometers, serves for transportation, industry, and recreation. In the past, Native Americans were among the first to make use of the river system, routinely canoeing, hunting, and drawing water from its far reaches. Today, it is used primarily for industrial transportation, carrying agricultural and manufactured goods, iron, steel, and mine products from one end of the country to the other.
5.Yenisei or Angara

The Yenisei is a river in Siberia and it belongs to the greatest river system that flows into the Arctic Ocean. The Yenisei is the fifth-longest river in the world. It is a little shorter than the Mississippi River, but with 1.5 times the flow. It comes from Mongolia and follows a northern course to the Kara Sea. The river drains a large part of central Siberia. The longest stream following the Yenisei-Angara-Selenga-Ider is about 5539 km long. Its watershed, which includes the world’s largest (by volume) lake, Lake Baikal, holds more water than any other river system. It runs from south to north.
Krasnoyarsk and many neighboring villages are situated on the Yenisei River, one of the largest river systems in the world, which provides power, transportation, food, sport and more to more than a million residents. Throughout the year, Naymushin covers many subjects in the region, with a significant portion taking place on or near the Yenisei River. A major and important feature of the upper part of the Yenisei River Basin is Lake Baikal, considered the deepest and oldest lake in the world, and a major centre of plant and animal endemism.
The Yenisei River is often divided into three sections: the upper Yenisei, from the headwaters to the Tuba River confluence; the middle Yenisei from this confluence to the confluence with the Angara River; and the lower Yenisei from the Angara confluence to its discharge into the Arctic Ocean. Lake Baikal lies in the upper to middle reaches, with the Selenge River inflowing from its Mongolian headwaters and the outflow becoming the Angara River.
6.Yellow River or Huang He River

The name “Yellow River” comes from the huge amounts of “yellow” loess sediment it carries when flowing through the Loess Plateau. It is the world’s major river with the most excessive siltation. It is the river system in the world at the estimated length of 5,464 km (3,395 mi) Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai province of Western China. It flows through nine provinces, and it empties into the Bohai Sea near the city of Dongying in Shandong province. The Yellow River basin has an east–west extent of about 1,900 kilometers and a north–south extent of about . Its total drainage area is about 795,000 square kilometers. The Yellow River or Huang He is the second-longest river in China. The Yellow River is often called “the cradle of Chinese civilization”. The Yellow River or Huang He is the “mother river of China”. Its basin was the center of Chinese politics, economy and culture for over 2,000 years. The Yellow River is the most important water resource for the dry north of China, playing an irreplaceable role in economic development, and agriculture. Since 1960 over 14 dams have been constructed on the river for hydroelectric power, which is vital to northern China’s infrastructure

7.Ob-Irtyish River

The Ob and The Irtyish rivers together form one of the largest river Basins in the world. The Ob basin stretches across Semi-desert areas, grassland, coniferous forests, and plains. The name Irtysh means White River. The Irtysh springs from melting glaciers in the Altai mountains, a mountain range that form a natural border between western Mongolia and Xinjiang, China. The Ob also begins in the Altai range. The river flows into the Gulf of Ob which is an immense bay on the northern coast of the Russian Federation. It’s also used for irrigation of crops, used to supply millions of homes with drinking water, creates hydroelectric power and is a brilliant source of fish. Fifty different species of fish are found in the Ob alone. The 5,568-kilometer-long river system is used for transporting goods, supplying homes with drinking water. It is
one of the world’s strangest and most wonderful landform features—the curvaceous and mesmerizing braided river valley of Russia’s Ob River. Especially interested in the area where the river’s floodplain was wide and the river meandered freely. I knew this was where the river flow would be slow and there would be a buildup of sediment in the river valley. Like other braided rivers, side channels and temporary islands would be created and re-created as the water flowed largely unobstructed across the extensive, flat landscape. The Ob and Irtysh Rivers both have their headwaters in the highlands of the Altai Mountains, on the borders of Mongolia, where peaks reach heights of 13,200 ft (4,000 m) or more. The two rivers start on different sides of this range, however, and do not meet up until both rivers have crossed most of the flat Siberian plains. Irtysh River is With a length of 2,640 miles (4,248 km), it is one of the continent’s longest rivers.

8.Rio de la Plata-Parana River

Rio de la plata,English River Plate, a tapering intrusion of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of South America between Uruguay to the north and Argentina to the south. The total area drained is about 3.2 million square kilometres, or about one-fifth of the surface of the continent. Parana meaning is “Father of the Waters” in the Guarani language. Its numerous waterfalls such as the Marimbondo Falls, with a height of 72 feet makes it of little use for navigation. The Paranaba, which also has numerous waterfalls, is formed by many affluents, the northernmost headstream being the Sao Bartolomeu River, which rises just to the east of Brasilia
After the Amazon River, South America has Parana River rising on the plateau of southeast-central Brazil and flowing generally south until it joins the Uruguay River to form the extensive Rio de Plata estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. The river’s drainage basin includes the greater part of southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, southeastern Bolivia, and northern Argentina. Parana River, with a length of 4,880 kilometers, has been used for fishing and for the transport of agricultural products, manufactured goods, and petroleum products.
9.Congo-Chambeshi

Congo-Chambeshi River gets the spotlight when you talk about the deepest river in the world, but it still enters the “longest rivers” list with its length of 4,700 kilometers. According to history, the river served as a source of livelihood in the ancient kingdoms of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. When talking about the river’s aquatic life, it possesses the highest known concentrations of endemics. Congo River, formerly Zaire River in west-central Africa. Its course then takes the form of a giant counterclockwise arc, flowing to the northwest, west, and southwest before draining into the Atlantic Ocean at Banana (Banane) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its drainage basin, covering an area of 3,457,000 square km.
This extensive body of water provides food, water, medicine and transport to about 75 million people in the surrounding basin, according to Yale University’s Global Forest Atlas. The Congo River is the world’s deepest recorded river at 720 feet (220 meters) deep in parts. Congo River holds an abundance of valuable resources, from ivory to rubber to timber “It’s this massive freshwater heart of Africa,”
10.Amur-Argun

Its length is 1,007 miles (1,620 km), of which about 600 miles (965 km) form the boundary . Argun River rising in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, on the western slope of the Greater Khingan Range, where it is known as the Hailar River. The Amur-Argun River has a length of 4,444 kilometers. Besides being one of the longest rivers, It holds the title as having the tenth biggest basin area and the third longest undammed river in the world, after the Amazon and the Lena. Amur River starts in Russia and meets Argun River at the Inner Mongolia region of China. The Amur’s most important tributaries include the Zeya, Bureya, and Amgun rivers, which enter on the left bank from Siberia.
The river is divided into three sections: the upper, middle, and lower Amur. The upper Amur begins at the juncture of the Shilka and Argun and ends at the mouth of the Zeya, about 900 km downstream. The middle Amur extends about 970 km from the Zeya east to Khabarovsk. The lower Amur, from Khabarovsk to the mouth, also is about 970 km long.

Tagged : 10 / great / in / longest / rivers / the / world

Ten Highest Bridges in the World

by Sree DivyaAugust 23, 2020August 24, 2020UncategorizedLeave a Comment

The height of the bridge is ranked by the height of the deck which is the maximum distance from the road of the bridge down to the ground or water beneath.

1.Sidu River Bridge, China

Sidu River Bridge which hangs over 1,627 nauseating feet above a canyon floor, connecting two mountaintops. This bridge was part of China’s ever-expanding highway system, connecting two disparate parts of the country that were previously separated by difficult, mountainous terrain and multiple rivers.
It is located in the Hubei Province and crosses the valley of the Sidu River. The bridge spans just over 5,000 feet across the river valley . It is located at the border of Yichang and En’shi in the Hubei province. It is 1365 m across. This is not to say that the bridge isn’t safe. main cables are capable of holding up over 43 million tons of weight, which should be more than adequate to support any number of vehicles that might want to make the trip across. huge amounts of steel and concrete that make up the bridge strong.

Baluarte Bridge, Mexico

The Baluarte Bridge is built across the deep ravine in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range in north Mexico. The 403m (1,322 ft)tall bridge is the Guinness World Record holder for the highest cable-stayed bridge. The 1,124m Baluarte Bridge is an essential part of the Mazatlan-Durango highway, a $1.4bn new roadway linking the coastal city of Mazatlan to Durango, the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Durango. It is also the second highest bridge in the world.
The bridge is expected to carry more than 2,000 vehicles every day. The bridge is officially called the Baluarte Bicentennial Bridge. It is the crown jewel of the greatest bridge and tunnel highway project ever undertaken in North America. it will be the only crossing for more than 500 miles (800 km) between the pacific coast and the interior of Mexico. By cutting a safer, more direct route through the mountains, the highway department of Mexico hopes to improve trade and increase tourism between the city of Durango and the coastal city of Mazatlán.

Baling River Bridge, China

The Baling River Bridge is a suspension bridge in Guanling County in Guizhou Province of China. With a height of 1,214 feet (370 mtrs) from deck to water, the Balinghe River bridge is the tenth highest bridge in China .The suspension range is 1,088 m 3,570 ft long, and the bridge has an aggregate length of 2,237 m 7,339 ft. It is likewise one of the world’s most elevated bridges with 370 m 1,210 ft of freedom over the river. Balinghe bridge is located in a hot spot of high Chinese bridges and is less than 100 miles (161 km) from many others in the region, Also be sure to visit nearby Huangguoshu waterfalls, one of the largest in China with a drop of 243 feet (74 mtrs).

The deck tallness of a bridge is the most extreme vertical drop remove from the bridge deck, the street, rail or other transport bed of a bridge down to the ground or water surface underneath the bridge range. The bridge is a piece of the G60 Shanghai, Kunming Expressway among Kunming and Guiyang and lessened the movement time over the river valley from one hour to four minutes. Balinghe is one of a dozen high Chinese suspension bridges with extremely long spans. Some of the others are Siduhe, Aizhai, Jinshajiang Bridge Jin’an, Dahe, Qingshuihe, Chishuihe Bridge Hongjun, Kaizhouhu, Daduhe Bridge Xingkang and Beipanjiang Huajiang bridges.

Beipanjiang River 2003 Bridge, China

The highest bridge in the world upon its opening in late 2003, the 1,200 foot (366 meter) high Beipanjiang Bridge Guanxing highway became the second Chinese span in just two years to take this honor. The bridge is also one of 4 Beipanjiang River crossings to have been among the world’s 10 highest. Then in 2016 the Beipanjiang Bridge Duge opened with a World Record deck height of 564 meters. The word Beipanjiang translates into North Winding River with the word “Bei” meaning north and “Pan” meaning winding. The Beipanjiang River traverses through some of China’s most spectacular mountain gorges. When China began to expand its road and railway system in the 1990s, the river became the biggest obstacle between the city of Guiyang and the city of Kunming.
The Beipanjiang River bridge was one of 4 medium sized suspension bridges that were designed and built in the same time period. The other 3 include the Azhihe, Xixi and Luojiaohe bridges. Despite its fall from the top spot among China’s highest spans, the Beipanjiang Bridge Guanxing is still one of the most vertigo inducing of all with cliffs that plummet into a void that seems to have no bottom. The bridge is perfect for tourists with pedestrian friendly parking areas on both sides of the gorge as well as walkways along the edges of the span.

Aizhai Bridge, China

It is located deep in the heart of China’s Hunan Province near the city of Jishou, the suspension bridge is the largest structure on the Jishou to Chadong expressway with a deck 1,102 feet (336 mtrs) above the DeHang Canyon and has also become a major tourist attraction with a walkway partly made of glass accessible via a large group of escalators and elevators. It is the world’s highest and longest tunnel-to-tunnel bridge in China to cross a valley so wide it seems to be connecting two mountain ranges. The first three were the Siduhe, Balinghe and Beipanjiang Hukun bridges.
With most of the structure hidden from view, the bridge will come as a jaw-dropping surprise whether you enter the canyon from either tunnel. In addition to cost savings, the stubby support also allows the bridge to blend more naturally into its surroundings. The taller bridge tower is no less unique with side span cables that soar down the backside of a mountain, making first time visitors quizzical as to what exactly lies ahead. The overlook and visitors center offer additional views of the broad valley. In view of the particular problems posed by the surrounding landscape and geologic conditions, and to minimize the impact of the bridge on the natural environment, a novel pylon-girder detached suspension structure was adopted, in which there is a large difference in the span between the main cable and the stiffening girder.

Beipanjiang River 2009 Bridge, China

The river remains the biggest obstacle between the city of Guiyang and the city of Kunming. Construction of the bridge was built using a method developed by the Chinese that had never been used before on a bridge so large. It was opened to the public in 2009, just 6 years after another (and higher) bridge crossing the same river was opened (see number 4 in this list).The 1,043 foot (318 mtr) high Beipanjiang highway bridge became the 3rd high crossing of the Beipanjiang River to debut in just 8 years. The first was the 902 foot high (275 mtr) Beipanjiang railway bridge which debuted in 2001 as the highest railway bridge in the world. The second was the Beipanjiang 2003 bridge on the Xingyi to Guiyang Highway which opened as the world’s highest bridge with a suspension span 1,200 feet (366 mtrs) above the river. The 3 bridges are spaced about 50 miles apart from each other. No other river on earth outside China has more than one high bridge over it .
It Cuts a huge swath from the northwest end of Guizhou Province to the southwest where it becomes the Hongshui he river at the border of Guangxi Province. The total height of 525 feet (160 mtrs), the tower is almost equal in height to the Mackinac bridge in Michigan. It also became the World’s Highest Railway bridge, toppling the quarter century record of the Mala Rijeka viaduct in Podgorica, Montenegro. In 2009, the Beipanjiang Railway Bridge Shuibai lost its highest arch title to another Chinese span, the 965 foot (294 mtr) high Zhijinghe road bridge. The 118 kilometer railway connects Liupanshui and Baiguo.

Liuguanghe Bridge, China

Only the Beipanjiang River has a more spectacular group of high river crossings in China. The beautiful location spawned a temporary food vendor village on the Southeast side of the span sometime. Liuguanghe became the world’s highest bridge at 975 feet (297 mtrs). It is located near the city of Guiyang in China’s Western province of Guizhou, this 100 mile (161 km) stretch of 2-lane highway contains 2 suspension bridges, one 650 feet and one 550 feet high. as well as another concrete beam bridge 600 feet (183 mtr) high and two arches, 380 (116 mtr) and 360 feet (110 mtrs) high. The scale of the Liuguanghe bridge is not always evident from photographs until you realize that the main span of the bridge is 787 feet (240 mtrs) between piers – longer than any beam bridge span that has ever been built in the United States. The pier on the west side of the bridge is the tallest point of the structure standing 295 feet (90 meters) in height. Resting on top of the two piers is a single-cell box girder with a height of 44 feet (13.4 mtrs) over the piers and 13 1/2 feet (4.1 mtrs) at mid-span. On the northwest end of the bridge there is a temporary pullout along the shoulder to park. From there you can walk across the bridge and peer into the void over the 4 foot (1.5 mtr) high concrete barrier.
For those who may not be familiar with cantilevered concrete beam bridges, they are the most popular type of high bridge in China by far. Beam bridges are built by two formwork carriers that advance out from either side of the pier cap with the load balanced evenly on both sides. This has created a deadly cocktail with head-on collisions occurring on a weekly basis. The Liuguanghe arch also marks the upper end of the Wujiang Dam reservoir that extends just a few hundred meters further upstream of the crossing when the lake is at full level.

Zhijinghe River Bridge, China

Zhijinghe River bridge is located about 50 miles (80 kms) south of the Yangtze River gorge in China’s mountainous Hubei Province, the Zhijinghe River bridge is the highest arch bridge in the world with a deck 965 feet (294 mtrs) in height, it surpassed the Beipanjiang Railway bridge by 40 feet (12 mtrs) and West Virginia’s New River Gorge bridge by 90 feet (27 mtrs). India’s Chenab River bridge will be higher when it opens sometime after 2015 but Zhijinghe will still retain the honor of highest roadway arch since Chenab is a railway bridge. Zhijinghe is also the world’s highest tunnel to tunnel bridge. The soaring red span is also impressive for its 1,411 foot (430 mtrs) length, ranking it among the world’s ten longest arches.
A major connection on the last 300 mile (483 km) link of the 1,350 mile (2,175 km) long West Hurong highway that now connects Shanghai on the Pacific coast with the cities of Chongqing and Chengdu in the west, the span is just one of many jaw-dropping high bridges along the Yichang-Enshi portion of the route including Siduhe, the highest bridge in the world and Longtanhe, the largest beam bridge viaduct on earth. Throw in 6 other bridges over 500 feet (150 mtrs) in height and you have the greatest stretch of bridge “high-way” in the world.
The type of steel truss arch used for the Zhijinghe bridge may look common but the Chinese have taken it one step further, developing it into a unique type of structure all its own. The eight large steel tubes that run along the underside of the Zhijinghe arch were initially hollow. Once the arch was closed, concrete was pumped into these tubes from the bottom up. First used by the Chinese in 1990, they have refined and improved the technique and now use it on the majority of their steel arch bridges. Depending on the length of the span and the width of the bridge, different styles of tubing are used. For Zhijinghe, they adopted an array of single tubes spaced apart from each other. Other configurations include dumbbells with two tubes closely connected, a mix of a dumbbell and single tubes such as was done on the Beipanjiang River Railway bridge or a tight cluster of tubes known as “multiple contiguous”. Once hardened, the concrete solidifies and stiffens the arch, improving the compressive strength of the entire structure.

Royal Gorge Bridge, Colorado, United States

Height of 291 m (955 ft). The Royal Gorge Bridge is a tourist attraction within a theme park. The bridge deck crosses the Royal Gorge above the Arkansas River, and is located in the U.S. state of Colorado . The bridge is 1,260 feet (384 m) long It is the highest in the United States. YOU CAN WALK ACROSS THE BRIDGE OR GLIDE ACROSS IN AN AERIAL GONDOLA. A ONCE-AN-A-LIFETIME THRILL AWAITS ON THE CLOUDSCRAPER ZIPRIDER AND ROYAL RUSH SKYCOASTER. The bridge was the highest suspension bridge in the world with a roadway 955 feet (291 mtrs) above the Arkansas river. There will eventually be at least a dozen Chinese suspension bridges of greater height.
While the Royal Gorge bridge no longer holds any world records, this Rocky Mountain wonder of wire and wood is still the highest bridge in the United States and one of the most popular destinations in the state of Colorado with more than 500,000 visitors a year. Since its construction, the Royal Gorge has become much more than a bridge but an entire park that includes more than a dozen attractions that can keep you busy for an entire day.
Other attractions that have been added over the years include a miniature railroad, a carousel, a zoo, burro and wagon rides, a theater, a concert pavilion, a gift shop and visitors center and three eating places as well as the Royal Rush Skycoaster, a thrilling swing ride that threatens to throw you off into the gorge. Special events like“Go Fast! Games” that were held the last weekend in September during the mid-2000s where BASE jumpers from around the world converged on the bridge to leap off into the void of the Arkansas River canyon.
THERE ARE ATTRACTIONS AND ENTERTAINMENT FOR EVERY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY. No history of Royal Gorge would be complete without mentioning the railroad that has traveled through the bottom of the canyon in one form or another since 1879. IT IS ONE OF COLORADO’S MOST ICONIC NATURAL WONDERS.

Beipanjiang River Railway Bridge, China

It is located southwest of the city of Liupanshui near the north end of China’s Guizhou province on the Shuibai Railway, the Beipanjiang railway bridge crosses an exceptionally deep gorge with vertical cliffs rising hundreds of feet from either side of the Beipan river.The 902 foot (275 meter) high Beipanjiang River railway bridge became the highest arch bridge on earth, unseating the 23-year old record long held by West Virginia’s New River Gorge bridge as well as being the second highest bridge of any kind in the world. It also became the World’s Highest Railway bridge, toppling the quarter century record of the Mala Rijeka viaduct in Podgorica, Montenegro.
The bridge was the first of what is now 4 Beipanjiang crossings to have been among the world’s 10 highest. The second was the Beipanjiang Guanxing highway bridge that opened in 2003 near Huajiang. The third came along in 2009 on the Guiyang to Kunming Hukun Expressway. Then in 2016 the Beipanjiang Bridge Duge opened with a World Record deck height of 564 meters. Most of these bridges are spaced about 50 miles apart from each other. No other river on earth outside China has more than one or two high bridges over it – the Beipanjiang has 8 with more to come!
The word Beipanjiang translates into North Winding River with the word “bei” meaning north and “pan” meaning winding. Cutting a huge swath from the northwest end of Guizhou Province to the southwest where it becomes the Hongshui he River at the border of Guangxi Province, the Beipanjiang River traverses through some of China’s most spectacular mountain gorges. The river remains the biggest obstacle between the city of Guiyang and the city of Kunming.
It is located north of Qinglong city, the Beipanjiang has always been Guizhou’s second greatest river after the Wujiang. Designed to carry trains that reach speeds of 250 kilometers an hour, the 721 meter long crossing has a main arch .

Tagged : 10 / bridges / great / highest / in / the / world

10 Great Waterfalls in the world

by Sree DivyaAugust 18, 2020UncategorizedLeave a Comment

One of Mother Nature’s most soothing yet exhilarating and beautiful creations in the world is the waterfall. There is just something mesmerizing about watching water tumble off a rock face into a pool or raging river beneath. The noise it makes, the sheer volume of water – it’s magical. There are thousands and thousands of waterfalls strewn across the world, but not all are created equal.

1. Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazil

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The staircase character of the falls consists of a two-step waterfall formed by three layers of basalt. The steps are 35 and 40 metres in height. The columnar basalt rock sequences are part of the 1,000-metre-thick Serra Geral Formation within the Paleozoic–Mesozoic Paraná Basin. The tops of these sequences are characterized by 8–10 m of highly resistant vesicular basalt and the contact between these layers controls the shape of the falls. Headwater erosion rates are estimated at 1.4–2.1 cm/year

The Iguazu Falls are located where the Iguazu River tumbles over the edge of the Paraná Plateau, 23 kilometres upriver from the Iguazu’s confluence with the Paraná River.Numerous islands along the 2.7-kilometre-long edge divide the falls into many separate waterfalls and cataracts, varying between 60 and 82 m high. The number of these smaller waterfalls fluctuates from 150 to 300, depending on the water level. About half of the river’s flow falls into a long and narrow chasm called the Devil’s Throat.

The Devil’s Throat canyon is 80–90 m wide and 70–80 m deep. Left of this canyon, another part of the river forms 160-200 individual falls, which merge into a single front during flood stage. The largest falls are named San Martín, Adam and Eva, Penoni, and Bergano.

About 900 m of the 2.7 km length does not have water flowing over it. The water of the lower Iguazu collects in a canyon that drains into the Paraná River, a short distance downstream from the Itaipu Dam. The junction of the water flows marks the border between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. The surrounding environs of jungly rainforest are equally beautiful, creating a magical memory you won’t ever forget. The falls are protected in a national park and can be viewed from either the Argentine or Brazilian side.

The Iguazu National Park consists of two national parks, one in Foz de Iguazu and the other one in Puerto Iguazu . The curious thing is that although one only sees the falls as the main attraction, the park has a size of 252,982 hectares.

These falls in Argentina and Brazil managed to attract so much attention that almost at the same time they were declared National Parks . And after some years and millions of visitors fascinated by the landscape and the sound of this natural attraction, UNESCO declared them as World Heritage Site in 1984, and reaffirmed as Exceptional Universal Value in 2013.

2. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe/Zambia

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On the Zambezi River between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the UNSECO World Heritage site of Victoria Falls is one of the planet’s most beautiful and impressive waterfalls. It’s known locally as “The Smoke that Thunders.” It provides habitat for several unique species of plants and animals with a width of 1,708 metres.

During the rainy season, you can expect to get soaked walking along the trail on the Zimbabwe side, where the best views of the falls are found.

The Zambia side takes you up close and personal with the impressive wall of water that plunges over a 1.7-kilometer-wide precipice that is more than 100 meters deep. You can even swim in Devil’s Pool, which is literally at the top of the falls on the Zambian side.

Victoria Falls is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa,.

The nearby national park in Zambia is named Mosi-oa-Tunya, whereas the national park and town on the Zimbabwean shore are both named Victoria Falls.

While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, Victoria Falls is classified as the largest, based on its combined width of 1,708 metres and height of 108 metres resulting in the world’s largest sheet of falling water. Victoria Falls is roughly twice the height of North America’s Niagara Falls and well over twice the width of its Horseshoe Falls. In height and width Victoria Falls is rivalled only by Argentina and Brazil’s Iguazu Falls.

During the flood season, however, it is impossible to see the foot of the falls and most of its face, and the walks along the cliff opposite it are in a constant shower and shrouded in mist. Close to the edge of the cliff, spray shoots upward like inverted rain, especially at Zambia’s Knife-Edge Bridge.

Victoria Falls presents a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi River, forming the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was described by the Kololo tribe living in the area in the 1800s as ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ – ‘The Smoke that Thunders’. In more modern terms Victoria Falls is known as the greatest curtain of falling water in the world.

Columns of spray can be seen from miles away as, at the height of the rainy season, more than five hundred million cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the edge, over a width of nearly two kilometres, into a gorge over one hundred meters below.

Facing the Falls is another sheer wall of basalt, rising to the same height, and capped by mist-soaked rain forest. A path along the edge of the forest provides the visitor prepared to brave the tremendous spray, with an unparalleled series of views of the Falls.

One special vantage point is across the Knife-edge Bridge, where visitors can have the finest view of the Eastern Cataract and the Main Falls as well as the Boiling Pot, where the river turns and heads down the Batoka Gorge. Other vantage points include Livingstone Island, the Falls Bridge, Devils Pool and the Lookout Tree, both of which command panoramic views across the Main Falls.

3. Havasu Falls, Arizona, USA

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Havasu Falls is the most beautiful of the five Havasupai Waterfalls that plummet over orange-red cliffs into bright turquoise-blue pools in a side canyon of the Grand Canyon. The number of people allowed into the canyon is limited, and there is often a waiting list to experience this bucket-list worthy waterfall.

Havasu Falls is located 2.4 km from Supai. It is the more famous and most visited of the various falls along Havasu Creek. It consists of one main chute that drops over a 27 to 30 m vertical cliff into a series of plunge pools. High calcium carbonate concentration in the water creates the vivid blue-green color and forms the natural travertine dams that occur in various places near the falls.

Due to the effects of flash floods, the appearance of Havasu Falls and its plunge pools has changed many times.^[3] Prior to the flood of 1910, water flowed in a near continuous sheet, and was known as Bridal Veil Falls.^[4] The notch through which water flows first appeared in 1910, and has changed several times since. Water currently flows as one stream. In the past, there were sometimes multiple streams, or a continuous flow over the edge.

There are many picnic tables on the opposite side of the creek, and it is easy to cross over by following the edges of the pools. It is possible to swim behind the falls and enter a small rock shelter behind it. However, drownings have occurred.^[6] From the trail head parking lot, until the Supai Village, there is no access to drinking water. Hikers are advised to bring their own water with them. In the town of Supai, there is a general store and cafe where food and beverage can be purchased.

4. Angel Falls, Venezuela

landscape photography of waterfalls surrounded by green leafed plants — Photo by Oliver Sjöström on Pexels.com

Located in Venezuela, Angels Falls is the world’s highest waterfall at a staggering 979 meters .This is 15 times higher than Niagara Falls for comparison. The water comes from the Churun River and does a free-fall drop over the edge of a mountain into a set of white water rapids below. There is a second drop of 30 meters just beyond the rapids.

To reach the falls, however, is no easy feat. The waterfall has been known as the Angel Falls since the mid-20th century; they are named after Jimmie Angel, a US aviator, who was the first person to fly over the falls.

They were not known to the outside world until American aviator Jimmie Angel.

The name of the waterfall “Salto del Ángel” was first published on a Venezuelan government map in December 1939. It’s a landscape so dense and diverse that it’s like a botanical Mandelbrot: from a distance trees, on which grow succulents and ferns, on which grow mosses and creepers, on which grow small shoots of verdure, on which feed a dazzling array of bugs – and so on ad infinitum. It’s worth the effort to get there – an effort we thought we’d achieved after a three-day journey of planes, strains and automobiles that delivered us to the shores of Cainama Lagoon and the faded grandeur of Waku Lodge. Just one boat ride to go, and we’d reach the fabled falls, known hereabouts as Salto Angel.

“It’s a long day,” said our Waku host, Pablo, whose calm demeanour and proven ability to fix all problems instilled in us unquestioning faith. “And the men on board will have to push the boat through shallow sections because, right now, the water is low.”

5. Niagara Falls, USA/Canada

niagara falls in canada — Photo by Tomas Anunziata on Pexels.com

It isn’t the tallest waterfall in the world, but Niagara Falls is certainly impressive in its scope and power. Niagara Falls is comprised of three waterfalls, the largest of which is Horseshoe Falls. Straddling the border between the USA and Canada, the water cascades 614 feet down Niagara Gorge.

The falls can be viewed from a number of viewpoints in New York and Ontario. Cave of the Winds is one of the most unique viewpoints. Here, you will descend 175 feet into the Niagara Gorge to experience the power of the falls mid-flow from the Hurricane Deck. You’ll be given a rain jacket because you will get wet.

Niagara Falls is famed both for its beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Balancing recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 19th century.

Niagara Falls State Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted; he also designed Central Park in New York City.

Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in America, established in 1885 as the Niagara Reservation. Over 8 million visitors explore Niagara Falls State Park annually.

Niagara Falls is comprised of three waterfalls, from largest to smallest, the Horseshoe Falls , American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Niagara Falls’ vertical height is over 176 feet in some sections.The American and Bridal Veil Falls were turned off in 1969 by the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers to study the effects of erosion. There are plans to “turn off” the Falls again to rebuild two, 115-year-old bridges.

Niagara Falls’ current erosion rate is approximately 1 foot per year and could possibly be reduced to 1 foot per 10 years due to flow control and diversion for hydro-power generation. The water that flows over Niagara Falls is at 25-50% capacity at any given time. Cave of the Winds, located at Niagara Falls State Park is torn down and re-built every year. The birth of Niagara Falls can be traced back more than 12,000 years to the end of the last glacial period.

Despite myths to the contrary, Niagara Falls does not freeze in the winter. However, the flow of water was reduced to a mere trickle for a few hours on March 29, 1848 because of an ice jam upstream in the Niagara River. During periods of peak flow in the summer and fall, more than 700,000 gallons of water per second pour over Niagara Falls.

Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie of the five Great Lakes drain into the Niagara River, before emptying into Lake Ontario. These five Great Lakes make up almost one-fifth of the world’s fresh water supply.

Niagara Falls is not the tallest waterfall in the world; however, the beauty of the falls comes from the height and the incredible volume of water running over the falls at a given time.Fish travel over Niagara Falls and most survive because of their ability to flow with the water.Energy from the Niagara River has been harnessed for hydro-electric power generation as far back as the mid-eighteenth century.

Power generation facilities along the Niagara River supply more than one-quarter of all power used in New York State and Ontario. 50 to 75 percent of the water flowing along the Niagara River is diverted from going over the Falls to hydroelectric power generating stations. One of the oldest surviving United States flags is permanently displayed at Old Fort Niagara. It was captured by the British during the War of 1812. The original Flight of Five locks that were built in 1840 still exist along the Erie Canal in Lockport.

6. Dudhsagar Falls, India

time lapse photo of water falls in the forest — Photo by Aleksey Kuprikov on Pexels.com

Dudhsagar Falls also known as the Sea of Milk is referred to as India’s highest waterfalls which is approximately 310 meters high and 30 meters wide.

One of India’s tallest and most impressive waterfalls, Dudhsagar Falls cascades down more than 1,000 feet in four tiers at nearly 100 feet wide. The speed and force with which the water falls and sprays also gives Dudhsagar Falls its “sea of milk” nickname because this is the illusion it creates dropping into the Mandovi River below.

The falls are located in India’s Goa province inside the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary, about 60 kilometers from Panjum and 45 kilometers from Mudgaon.

The falls is located in the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park among the Western Ghats. The waterfall forms the border between Karnataka and Goa states.The falls is a punctuation mark in the journey of the Mandovi River from the Western Ghats to Panjim where it meets the Arabian sea. The area is surrounded by deciduous forests with rich biodiversity.This waterfalls is also known as Tambdi Surla to some of the local people.

One can reach the Dudhsagar Waterfalls with the help of Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife sanctuary Taxi near a Goan Village called Molem. This Association will take you through lush green forest and some heavy flowing streams and get back to you same place. Currently, this is the only access to the Waterfall.

7. Kaieteur Falls, Guyana

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Kaieteur Falls is the world’s largest single drop waterfall by the volume of water flowing over it. Located on the Potaro River in the Kaieteur National Park, it sits in a section of the Amazon rainforest included in the Potaro-Siparuni region of Guyana. It is 226 metres high when measured from its plunge over a sandstone and conglomerate cliff to the first break. It then flows over a series of steep cascades that, when included in the measurements, bring the total height to 251 metres . While many falls have greater height, few have the combination of height and water volume, and Kaieteur is among the most powerful waterfalls in the world with an average flow rate of 663 cubic metres per second . From the airstrip landing, it’s a 15-minute walk to the top of the falls.

Kaieteur Falls is about four times higher than Niagara Falls, on the border between Canada and the United States, and about twice the height of Victoria Falls, on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa. It is a single drop waterfall.

Upriver from the falls, the Potaro Plateau stretches out to the distant escarpment of the Pakaraima Mountains. The Potaro River empties into the Essequibo River which is one of the longest and widest rivers in South America and the longest river in Guyana

Deep within Guyana’s region of the Amazon Forest lies Kaieteur National Park, home to a gargantuan cataract sharing the park’s name. Rivaled by few in the world when taken into account its combined height and the sheer volume of water from the Potaru River flowing over its precipice at any given moment, Kaieteur Falls further distances itself from the crowd of most spectacular waterfalls in the world for its remoteness. Surrounded by pristine rainforest, simply reaching this wonder requires hiring a tour company that will charter a plane in order to even reach a trekking point that accesses the falls.

A pair of similar legends further contribute to the Falls’ mystique. According to local Patoma Indian lore, chief Kai saved his people by paddling over the precipice in an act of self-sacrifice to the spirit Makonaima. The second version is slightly less altruistic, as relayed by geologist Charles Barrington Brown in his account from when he “discovered” the waterfall on an expedition in 1870; Brown was told by Amerindians that a despised old man was put in a boat by relatives eager to be rid of him, and unceremoniously pushed into the current, which lent the falls their current name translating to “old-man-fall.”

Wear sturdy shoes to visit Kaieteur Falls, as there are uneven pathways to navigate between the three different lookouts. You will spend around 2 hours on the ground before flying back to Georgetown or onwards to another destination depending on your day tour package. The first major stop along the way was at the so-called Boy Scout’s View. From here, we were able to get our first frontal look at the falls on land.

The overlook got its name because local boy scout troops were initiated only after hiking from the bottom to this viewpoint at the top of the gorge. Given the height of the ledge we were on, this hike must’ve been a pretty big deal.

8. Yosemite Falls, California, USA

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Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in the world and the tallest in North America. Yosemite National Park is an American national park located in the western Sierra Nevada of Central California, bounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. Located in stunning Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Falls consists of three separate falls with a drop of 2,425 feet that give the illusion of one giant cascade of water.

Yosemite Falls is fed by snowmelt, so to see it at its fullest, visit in late spring or early summer when you can hear it thunder from across Yosemite Valley. A very small number of rock climbers have taken the opportunity to climb the normally inaccessible rock face beneath the falls, although this is an extraordinarily dangerous undertaking; a single afternoon thunderstorm could restart the falls, sweeping the climbers off the face.

The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an area of 748,436 acres and sits in four counties: centered in Tuolumne and Mariposa, extending north and east to Mono and south to Madera County. Designated a World Heritage site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness.

The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granitic rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and then tilted to form its relatively gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in the formation of deep, narrow canyons. About one million years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys. Ice thickness in Yosemite Valley may have reached 4,000 feet during the early glacial episode. The downslope movement of the ice masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts so many visitors to its scenic vistas today.

The name “Yosemite” originally referred to the name of a tribe which was driven out of the area by the Mariposa Battalion. Previously, the area had been called “Ahwahnee” by indigenous people.

Yosemite is home to countless waterfalls. Peak runoff typically occurs in May or June, with some waterfalls often only a trickle or completely dry by August. Storms in late fall rejuvenate some of the waterfalls and all of them accumulate frost along their edges many nights during the winter.

It was popularized and attracted tourists from across the country in the latter half of the 19th century. With such a ground swell of visitation and interest, this established the chain of events that would ultimately result in The Yosemite becoming a California State Park in 1864 .

The falls consist of three sections:

The first stage is the Upper Fall, which is said to plunge 1,430ft.

The second stage is the Middle Cascades, which tumbles down a height of reportedly 675ft.

The final stage is the Lower Fall, which is said to drop 320ft.

9. Plitvice Waterfalls, Croatia

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Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage register.

The national park was found in 1949 and is in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The important north–south road that passes through the national park area connects the Croatian inland with the Adriatic coastal region.

The protected area extends over 296.85 square kilometres. About 90% of this area is part of Lika-Senj County, while the remaining 10% is part of Karlovac County.

Each year, more than 1 million visitors are recorded.

They are separated by natural dams of travertine, which is deposited by the action of moss, algae, and bacteria. The particularly sensitive travertine barriers are the result of an interplay between water, air and plants.

16 lakes are separated into an upper and lower cluster formed by runoff from the mountains, descending from an altitude of 636 to 503 m. The lakes collectively cover an area of about 0.77 square miles, the water exiting from the lowest lake forming the Korana River.

The lakes are renowned for their distinctive colors, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. The colors change constantly depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight. It is located roughly halfway between capital city Zagreb and Zadar on the coast, the lakes are a definite must-see in Croatia.

The beauty of 16 lakes are inter-connected by a series of waterfalls, and set in deep woodland populated by deer, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species. The National Park covers a total area of 300 square kilometres, whilst the lakes join together over a distance of eight kilometres. It’s probably one of the more memorable waterfall attractions in the world .

10. Fall Creek Falls, Tennessee, USA

cascade creek environment falls — Photo by Jonathan Meyer on Pexels.com

Fall Creek Falls, at 256 feet, is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States. Other waterfalls within the park include Piney Falls, Cane Creek Falls, and Cane Creek Cascades. The park is located in Bledsoe and Van Buren counties, 11 miles east of Spencer and 18 miles west of Pikeville. It is located in the eastern portion of the rugged Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, the waterfalls are part of Fall Creek Falls State Park and can be accessed via a three-mile round-trip hike that gains about 715 feet total.

Beyond the main falls, the park is home to five other beautiful waterfalls, as well as cascades, gorges, and 34 miles of hiking trails. You can even stay in a cabin or campsite. Fall Creek Falls State Park is one of Tennessee’s largest and most visited state parks. The park encompasses more than 29,800 acres.. Laced with cascades, gorges, waterfalls, streams and lush stands of virgin hardwood timber, the park beckons those who enjoy nature at her finest.

Fall Creek Falls State Park is one of the most scenic and spectacular outdoor recreation areas in America. Fall Creek Fallsis the highest free-fall waterfall east of the Mississippi River.

The Cane Creek Gorge presents as a large gash in the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau, stretching for some 15 miles from the Cane Creek Cascades to Cane Creek’s mouth along the Caney Fork River. Cane Creek rises atop Little Mountain — which lines the plateau’s eastern edge above Sequatchie Valley — and winds northward across the plateau.

Just beyond its source, Cane Creek slowly gains strength as it absorbs Meadow Creek and several smaller streams. As the creek enters the gorge, it drops several hundred feet in less than a mile, including 45 feet over Cane Creek Cascades and 85 feet over Cane Creek Falls. A few hundred meters north of Cane Creek Falls, Rockhouse Creek spills 125 feet over a plunge waterfall. Over the next half-mile, Cane Creek absorbs Fall Creek and Piney Creek, both of which enter from smaller gorges to the immediate west. During this stretch, part of the creek disappears underground into limestone sinks and reemerges at a spring known as “Crusher Hole.” Cane Creek continues to lose elevation before steadying near its confluence with Dry Fork. Beyond Dry Fork, the creek gradually descends to the Highland Rim, where it empties into the Caney Fork River.

The man-made Fall Creek Falls Lake, controlled by a dam, assures continuing flow of water to Fall Creek Falls. The lake dominates the park’s southern section.

A pine-hardwood forest covers much of the tabletop plateau above the falls. There is a rich mixed mesophytic forest in the gorges, and old-growth mixed mesophytic forest occur in four areas of the gorge. In the 1950 classic work “Deciduous Forests of the Eastern United States,” ecologist Lucy Braun described the forest at Fall Creek Falls as including tulip poplar, basswood, buckeye, northern red oak, white oak, hickories, eastern hemlock, and American beech, among many other species. This type of forest is the most diverse forest in the eastern United States and has more dominant canopy species than any other deciduous forest type.”

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10 Great places to visit in the world

by Sree DivyaAugust 14, 2020UncategorizedLeave a Comment

The world is filled with such a wide variety of wonderful destinations and beautiful places to visit, it can be quite difficult to compile a list of the best ones. Thinking about a traveler who, for whatever reason, has never set foot outside his or her home town, where would be the first places they might visit?

The list of the world’s best places to visit has to include great cities, like New York, Paris, London, and so on, each of which is filled with a multitude of individual sites or must-see places to visit. The list also includes specific sites, monuments, and locations, each also worthy of a visit in their own right.

For more ideas on where to go and what to see, read our list of the top places to visit in the world.

Machu Picchu, Peru

photo of machu picchu — Photo by Chelsea Cook on Pexels.com

Machu Picchu is located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru, on a 2,430-metre mountain ridge.It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machupicchu District, above the Sacred Valley, which is 80 kilometres northwest of Cusco. The Urubamba River flows past it, cutting through the Cordillera and creating a canyon with a tropical mountain climate.

Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the “Lost City of the Incas”, it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest. Although known locally, it was not known to the Spanish during the colonial period and remained unknown to the outside world until American historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911.

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana, the Templeof the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of how they originally appeared. By 1976, 30% of Machu Picchu had been restored and restoration continues.

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historic Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.

Machu Picchu built in the 15^th century AD and abandoned less than a 100 years later, the remote site continues to amaze with its perfectly joined, mortarless, intricate stonework. Huge multi-ton blocks of stone are perfectly joined with each other, without the use of mortar or cement.

The journey to Machu Picchu typically starts in the mountain city of Cusco, which was the capital city of the Inca Empire. Cusco is a fascinating place to explore-be sure to spend a few days there before or after your Machu Picchu adventure. It’s possible to hike the Inca Trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu.

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

grand canyon during sunset — Photo by David Ilécio on Pexels.com

The Grand Canyon is an awesome place. Its overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape make it without question one of the seven marvels of the natural world.

While it is not the deepest canyon in the world, it is unmatched throughout the world for the vistas it offers to visitors. Geologically it is hugely significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent.

Most of the 5 million annual visitors to the Grand Canyon arrive at the South Rim and experience its beauty from the many overlooks along the canyon edge. There are many miles of paved and unpaved walkways along the rim. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon shares similar outstanding views from a vantage point 1000 feet higher than on the South Rim. Here too are walkways and overlooks that let you take in the grandeur of the canyon.

Strong hikers can climb down to the Colorado River via the Bright Angel Trail or South Kaibab Trail. For a less exhausting experience, mule pack trips use the same trails to take their riders down and up canyon.

With geology formed over the past two billion years, yes billion, the 277 mile-long canyon itself is believed to have been started around five to six million years ago. It was formed by the flow of the Colorado River, which still flows through it and continues to erode the geology along its course. The Grand Canyon is up to 18 miles wide in places and up to a mile deep. Imagine standing on the edge, looking down a sheer rock wall almost a mile to the river below.

Most visitors come to the area referred to as the South Rim, and there is a range of accommodations available, from tents to a rustic luxury canyon-side resort built from logs. There are a few accommodations on the remote North Rim, and these are reserved years in advance.

Many visitors access the canyon via the historic Grand Canyon Railway, which runs from the town of Williams, Arizona. The 64-mile rail line provides an entertaining way to get to the canyon with food and live music onboard. For those driving, the canyon is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive north from Phoenix .

3. Rome, Italy

colosseum rome italy — Photo by Davi Pimentel on Pexels.com

The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum is a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum.

The Eternal City is more like a giant, living museum. Visitors are immersed in and surrounded by thousands of years of history. It include the Colosseum and adjacent Roman Forum; the Pantheon; and Vatican City, a separate country in the middle of central Rome.

Take some time to explore the outskirts of Rome, too. Consider a hike along a tomb-lined section of the Appian Way, the ancient Roman superhighway, and a visit to one of the aqueduct ruins outside the city.

For centuries the Forum was the center of day-to-day life in Rome: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial affairs. Here statues and monuments commemorated the city’s great men. The teeming heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history. Located in the small valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Forum today is a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archaeological excavations attracting 4.5 million or more sightseers yearly.

Many of the oldest and most important structures of the ancient city were located on or near the Forum. The Roman Kingdom‘s earliest shrines and temples were located on the southeastern edge. These included the ancient former royal residence, the Regia , and the Temple of Vesta , as well as the surrounding complex of the Vestal Virgins, all of which were rebuilt after the rise of imperial Rome.

Other archaic shrines to the northwest, such as the Umbilicus Urbis and the Vulcanal (Shrine of Vulcan), developed into the Republic‘s formal Comitium (assembly area). This is where the Senate as well as Republican government itself began. The Senate House, government offices, tribunals, temples, memorials and statues gradually cluttered the area.

Over time the archaic Comitium was replaced by the larger adjacent Forum and the focus of judicial activity moved to the new Basilica Aemilia . Some 130 years later, Julius Caesar built the Basilica Julia, along with the new Curia Julia, refocusing both the judicial offices and the Senate itself. This new Forum, in what proved to be its final form, then served as a revitalized city square where the people of Rome could gather for commercial, political, judicial and religious pursuits in ever greater numbers.

4. Maui, Hawaii

shore during sunset — Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km²) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the best island in the world. Travelers around the globe favor “The Valley Isle” so much, they’ve named it a top destination and the best island.

Possessing a luxurious and hip image, Maui hosts world-class resorts, exciting activities and championship golf, all surrounded by staggering natural beauty. The islands’ “aloha spirit” and native host Hawaiian culture provides an unparalleled vacation experience.

In addition to relaxing by the resort pool or on the beach with a great book and the iconic fruity cocktail, visitors can take advantage of activities such as golf, sailing, eco-tours, shopping, ziplining, wine tasting and farm tours plus so much more.

Points of Interest The central Maui town of Kahului/Wailuku is the island’s business center, while West Maui hosts sprawling beaches, upscale hotels of Ka’anapali and the historic whaling town of Lahaina. South Maui is home to a high-end resort district, Wailea plus offers a good spot for snorkeling, diving and wildlife watching. Maui’s best area to explore underwater is the lava rock crescent-shaped Molokini, so take a 25-minute boat ride and explore.

Iao Valley, reposing between the volcanoes near Kahoolawe, is a place the modern world seems to have left behind. There is fascinating and dramatic history here, much of it violent, with the Iao Needle rock pillar having served as a natural altar.

In the case of Hana, the journey may be as important as the destination. With giant waterfalls, artist hamlets and rainbows along the way, make it a day trip and stop for picnic supplies in Pa’ia. The infamous Road to Hana is curvy and minimally maintained. Thank goodness development of this isolated town has been limited so visitor’s can enjoy a truer sense of Hawaii.

This Hawaiian island offers a wide range of experiences for visitors. You can surf, enjoy a meal on the beach at a five-star luxury resort in Wailea, ride a horse across a dormant volcano in Haleakala National Park, or hike through a rainforest in the West Maui Mountains. The natural scenery is amazing-it’s truly one of the most beautiful islands in the world.

When it comes to accommodation, there is something for everyone here, from rustic hippie bungalow bed and breakfasts to five-star luxury resort hotels. Wailea has all the luxury

5. Maasai Mara, Kenya

group of man on a desert — Photo by Follow Alice on Pexels.com

Maasai Mara is one of the most famous and important wildlife conservation and wilderness areas in Africa, world-renowned for its exceptional populations of lion, African leopard, cheetah and African bush elephant .

Maasai Mara, also known as Masai Mara, and locally simply as The Mara, is a large national game reserve in Narok, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is named in honor of the Maasai people, the ancestral inhabitants of the area, who migrated to the area from the Nile Basin. Their description of the area when looked at from afar: “Mara” means “spotted” in the local Maasai language, due to the many short bushy trees which dot the landscape.

Kenya’s Masai Mara is an incredible bio-diverse area and a popular safari destination. It’s an opportunity to see the “big five” animals (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo) all during one trip .

Maasai Mara is one of the most famous and important wildlife conservation and wilderness areas in Africa, world-renowned for its exceptional populations of lion, African leopard, cheetah and African bush elephant. It also hosts the Great Migration, which secured it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and as one of the ten Wonders of the World.

The Greater Mara ecosystem encompasses areas known as the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Triangle, and several Maasai Conservancies, including Koiyaki, Lemek, Mara North, Olkinyei, Siana, Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, and Kimintet

The protected Masai Mara National Reserve park area is huge, over 1,500 square kilometers of mainly grassland, extending all the way to the Serengeti plain of Tanzania. The popular times to visit are during the twice-yearly migrations, the main one being in July and August. Over a million wildebeest and other animals cross the area in huge groups to go from one feeding area to another. Most visitors fly into Nairobi, then take a small bush plane to the Mara.

6. Montreal, Canada

high rise buildings — Photo by Nancy Bourque on Pexels.com

Montreal is the second largest French speaking citiy in the world, after Paris. However, most Montrealers – especially in downtown – are bilingual. Many more speak a third language. In downtown stores, shoppers are greeted with a confident BonjourHi, a term which is becoming more and more popular, indicating bilingualism.

As you listen to the sound of French being spoken around you and explore Old Montreal, wandering down its narrow cobblestone streets-you might think you’re in France. The historic area is filled with quaint shops and cafes; this Canadian city can be a chance to experience a bit of Europe in North America.

The city also has a thriving food scene, with several popular farmers markets, including the Atwater Market and the Jean Talon Market. It’s also known for its bagels, cooked hot and fresh by several iconic must-visit bakeries.

Be sure to visit the beautiful Notre-Dame Basilica and take a drive up to Mount Royal, the big hill (or low mountain) the city is named after. You’ll be rewarded with some amazing views extending all the way to the port.

Montreal has the highest number of restaurants per Capita in Canada and the second in North America after New York. Montreal’s restaurant scene is very cosmopolitan with menus from literally around the world, with an often added French touch.

Montreal is the first North American city to have been designated UNESCO City of Design by the Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity in 2006. With this honor, Montreal’s effort and enthusiasm as well as the city’s potential for economic and social development in the field of design is recognized.

Montreal is build around Mont Royal, from where the city received its name. Mont Royal Park, located on the mountain, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the same person who designed New York City’s Central Park. No building in Montreal can be taller than the famous Cross found on Mont Royal!

Montreal has an Underground City, which is a series of interconnected tunnels beneath the city that run for over 32km. The tunnels connect shopping malls, over 2000 stores, 7 metro stations,universities, banks, offices, museums, restaurants and so on. Unlike what is commonly believed, Montrealers use the underground tunnels mostly in the heat of the Summer rather than to escape the cold in Winter!

7. New Zealand

scenic view of the mountains — Photo by Tyler Lastovich on Pexels.com

Auckland lies between the Hauraki Gulf to the east, then extending in Hunua Ranges to the south-east, the Manukau Harbour to the south-west, and the Waitakere Ranges and smaller ranges to the west and north-west. The surrounding hills are covered in rainforest and the landscape is dotted with 53 dormant volcanic cones. The central part of the urban area occupies a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitemata Harbour on the Pacific Ocean. Auckland is one of the few cities in the world to have a harbour on each of two separate major bodies of water.

The isthmus on which Auckland resides was first settled c. 1350 and was valued for its rich and fertile land. The Maori population in the area is estimated to have peaked at 20,000 before the arrival of Europeans. After a British colony was established in 1840, William Hobson, then Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand, chose the area as his new capital. He named the area for George Eden, Earl of Auckland, British First Lord of the Admiralty. Maori–European conflict over land in the region led to war in the mid-19th century. Auckland was replaced as the capital in 1865 by Wellington, but the city continued to grow, initially because of its port and logging and gold mining in its hinterland, later from pastoral farming , and manufacturing in the city itself. It has throughout most of its history been the nation’s largest city. Today, Auckland’s central business district is New Zealand’s leading economic hub.

The University of Auckland, founded in 1883, is the largest university in New Zealand. The city’s varied cultural institutions—such as the Auckland War Memorial Museum, the Museum of Transport and Technology, and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki—and national historic sites, festivals, performing arts, and sports activities are significant tourist attractions. Architectural landmarks include the Harbour Bridge, the Town Hall, the Ferry Building and the Sky Tower. The city is served by Auckland Airport, which handles around one million international passengers a month. Despite being one of the most expensive cities in the world, Auckland is recognised as one of the world’s most liveable cities, ranked third in the 2019 Mercer Quality of Living Survey.

With its striking natural beauty, friendly citizens, and recent popularity due to its use as the filming location for the Lord of the Rings films (as well as many others), this island nation is one of the world’s great places to visit. The biodiversity here is amazing-it’s believed New Zealand was one of the last places on earth to have human inhabitants.

Start your visit off in the capital city of Auckland, with its culture, history, and museums. Spend some time on the water and at the beach-Waitemata Harbour has beaches, along with a range of sailing and boating activities.

Visit the Rotorua area to learn about and experience indigenous Maori culture and head to Queenstown to experience the country’s wide range of outdoor extreme action sports. Remember, this is where bungee jumping was invented.

8. Istanbul, Turkey

brown concrete dome building at night — Photo by Burak Karaduman on Pexels.com

Istanbul is a major city in Turkey that straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. Its Old City reflects cultural influences of the many empires that once ruled here. In the Sultanahmet district, the open-air, Roman-era Hippodrome was for centuries the site of chariot races, and Egyptian obelisks also remain. The iconic Byzantine Hagia Sophia features a soaring 6th-century dome and rare Christian mosaics.

The city held the strategic position between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. It was also on the historic Silk Road. It controlled rail networks between the Balkans and the Middle East and was the only sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. In 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence, Ankara was chosen as the new Turkish capital, and the city’s name was changed to Istanbul. Nevertheless, the city maintained its prominence in geopolitical and cultural affairs. The population of the city has increased tenfold since the 1950s, as migrants from across Anatolia have moved in and city limits have expanded to accommodate them. Arts, music, film, and cultural festivals were established towards the end of the 20th century and continue to be hosted by the city today. Infrastructure improvements have produced a complex transportation network in the city.

Turkey’s capital city is another destination that offers a great mix of culture, food, and history. There are thousands of years of history here, starting with Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans and leading up through the Ottoman Empire.

It’s an Islamic country with a secular government, so it’s a good place for Western tourists to experience Islamic culture. There’s a mix of the new and the timeless here unlike anywhere else. You can spend the night at a wonderful restaurant eating great Turkish food and dancing to Turkish music, then rise (very early) in the morning to the sound of the Ezan or morning Islamic call to prayer. It echoes across the rooftops as it’s broadcast from loudspeakers set atop the minarets of the city’s mosques.

Istanbul has excellent public transit, which means it’s easy to get around and explore all the major sites and monuments. Must-see places include the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, and Topkapi Palace.

9. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

man looking at an ancient temple — Photo by Tiago Cardoso on Pexels.com

Angkor Wat, temple complex at Angkor, near Siemreab, Cambodia, that was built in the 12th century by King Suryavarman II (reigned 1113–c. 1150). It is the world’s largest religious structure, covering some 400 acres (160 hectares), and marks the high point of Khmer architecture.

It is located just outside the Cambodian city of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat is the largest religious site in the world. It was created originally as a Hindu temple and mausoleum for the Khmer ruler in the early part of the 12^th century and was converted to a Buddhist temple at the end of the 12^th century. Just part of a enormous ancient city. Angkor Wat is the temple area, Angor Thom was the city and palace area. There are hundreds of other ruin sites in the area, all part of the ancient capital of Angkor.

Siem Reap and its temples and ruins are now very easily accessible via daily flights from Hong Kong and other large Asian cities. Accommodations range from inexpensive guesthouses to lavish luxury resorts, with everything in between.

10. London, England

city view at london — Photo by Dominika Gregušová on Pexels.com

Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel.

Throughout its history, London bridge has been a busy thoroughfare, and was once lined with shops. The road over the bridge was only about 4m wide between the shops. It was so narrow it often jammed with people, horses and carts.

The Old London Bridge of nursery rhyme fame dates from 1176, when Peter, a priest and chaplain of St. Mary’s of Colechurch, began construction of the foundation. Replacing a timber bridge (one of several built in late Roman and early medieval times), Peter’s structure was the first great stone arch bridge built in Britain. It was to consist of 19 pointed arches, each with a span of approximately 24 feet (7 metres), built on piers 20 feet (6 metres) wide; a 20th opening was designed to be spanned by a wooden drawbridge.

The stone foundations of the piers were built inside cofferdams made by driving timber piles into the riverbed; these in turn were surrounded by starlings. As a result of obstructions encountered during pile driving, the span of the constructed arches actually varied from 15 to 34 feet in the width of the protective starlings was so great that the total waterway was reduced to a quarter of its original width, and the tide roared through the narrow archways like a millrace. “Shooting the bridge” in a small boat became one of the thrills of Londoners.

In 1205 Peter of Colechurch died, and three other London citizens completed the bridge by 1209. Almost immediately the bridge became not only an important commercial crossing but also a choice business and residential site. Shops lined both sides of the roadway between the fortified gates at either end; houses were built above the shops, with 138 premises being recorded in 1358. Walkways and additional rooms were extended between the buildings, transforming the roadway into a tunnel-like passage through which merchants and other travelers bustled. In the 1580s, during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, water mills were installed that added to the uproar.

This historic English city is another destination just filled with incredible places to visit. A trip to London is an opportunity to visit iconic places like the Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London.

Take advantage of the city being a cultural center as well by seeing a West End theater show or watching a musical performance at the Royal Albert Hall. Modern London is also a city of fine dining, luxury hotels, and world-class shopping.

Don’t miss the museums, the vast British Museum is free, and usually quite crowded. Make time to visit The Wallace Collection, a free museum on Oxford Street. It has one of the world’s greatest collections of furniture and porcelain, along with some important Old Master paintings.

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