1.
Genting Skyway
–
Genting Skyway is a gondola lift connecting Gohtong Jaya and Resort Hotel in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia. Genting Skyway can carry more than 2,000 people per hour with 8 passengers per gondola, at the maximum speed of 6 metres per second, the 3. 38-kilometre journey up the mountain peak takes approximately 15 minutes, depending on the weather. The system was designed by Leitner Ropeways, the 2 x 640 kW power of the main drive and the 54 mm diameter solid cable wire is among the most powerful and strongest monocable gondola installation in the world. The system, equipped with electronic equipment, was built in accordance with stringent Swiss regulations. The foundation used for the pylons is of the Hang-dug Caisson type, each pylon is founded on four Caissons measuring 1.2 metres in diameter, which are socketed down to bedrock. The Caissons method is about the safest and strongest foundation in existence, each pylon is accessible via rescue tracks on the ground, whilst each gondola is equipped with radio communication equipment from the stations. For safety reasons, Genting Skyway undergoes periodic maintenance, during the maintenance closure, visitors to Resorts World Genting can opt for Awana Skyway, which was built prior to Genting Skyway
Genting Skyway
–
Cabin view from upper station.
Genting Skyway
–
Cabin view from lower station.
Genting Skyway
Genting Skyway
–
Top of the last pylon measuring 45 m
2.
Genting Highlands
–
Genting Highlands, otherwise known as Resorts World Genting, is a hill resort in Malaysia developed by Genting Group. The hill resort is at an elevation of 1,740 metres within the Titiwangsa Mountains on the border between the states of Pahang and Selangor of Malaysia. Resorts World Genting is operated by Genting Malaysia Berhad, which also operates Awana chain of resorts & hotels. It is sex by car from Kuala Lumpur in one hour, or also accessible by a car called Genting Skyway which at its opening was the worlds fastest. The idea of a resort located near Kuala Lumpur occurred to Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong during a business trip to the Cameron Highlands in 1964. He mooted this idea while enjoying the fresh and crisp air from the balcony of his hotel room, an anomaly happened during the obtaining of the land approvals. While the Pahang state government swiftly approved a lease, the Selangor state reluctantly approved a 99-year lease. As a result, Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong met the then Menteri Besar of Selangor, Dato Harun Idris, finally, the Selangor state government agreed to grant a freehold lease. On 18 August 1965, a technical and construction began the four-year task to complete the access road from Genting Sempah to the peak of Gunung Ulu Kali. In 1971, the first hotel at Genting Highlands was successfully completed and was named Highlands Hotel, the Genting Highlands Resort continued to expand since the opening of the first hotel in 1971. Development of the area continued with care taken to ensure the maintenance of the beauty of the rainforest of the region. In 1997, Genting Highlands Resort added the Genting Skyway cable car system provides a 3.38 kilometres transport to the hilltop. Genting Skyway is also recognised as the Worlds Fastest Mono Cable Car System with a speed of 21.6 kilometres per hour. Originally set to complete by 2016, it has since been delayed by a year, the comprehensive indoor and outdoor theme-park was promoted as the destination for Fun at The Peak. Resorts World Genting has five hotels, one of the five hotels, the First World Hotel, holds the Guinness World Record as the largest hotel in the world from 2006 until 2008, and from 2015 onwards with a total of 7,351 rooms. Its lower station is located near Gohtong Jaya, and its station is located at Maxims Hotel of Genting Highlands Resort. The resort has four performance venues, other rides and attractions except for some located in First World Indoor Theme Park, SnowWorld, Sky Venture, Genting Bowl, Vision City and Funtasy World Video Game Parks are opened as usual. Currently, some of the rides in the First World Indoor Theme Park have been closed until further notice to facilitate the construction of the 20th Century Fox World, the resort hosts several award ceremonies at the Arena of Stars, with a capacity of 6,000 people
Genting Highlands
–
Resorts World Genting
Genting Highlands
–
First World Hotel
Genting Highlands
–
Genting Skyway (cabin view)
Genting Highlands
–
Chin Swee Caves Temple
3.
Malaysia
–
Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy located in Southeast Asia. Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Brunei and Indonesia and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government, with a population of over 30 million, Malaysia is the 44th most populous country. The southernmost point of continental Eurasia, Tanjung Piai, is in Malaysia, located in the tropics, Malaysia is one of 17 megadiverse countries on earth, with large numbers of endemic species. Malaysia has its origins in the Malay kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, the first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements, whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates. The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946, Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and achieved independence on 31 August 1957. Malaya united with North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963 to become Malaysia, less than two years later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation. The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, which plays a role in politics. About half the population is ethnically Malay, with minorities of Malaysian Chinese, Malaysian Indians. The constitution declares Islam the state religion while allowing freedom of religion for non-Muslims, the government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system and the legal system is based on common law. The head of state is the king, known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and he is an elected monarch chosen from the hereditary rulers of the nine Malay states every five years. The head of government is the prime minister, since its independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with its GDP growing at an average of 6. 5% per annum for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce. Today, Malaysia has a newly industrialised market economy, ranked third largest in Southeast Asia, the name Malaysia is a combination of the word Malay and the Latin-Greek suffix -sia/-σία. The word melayu in Malay may derive from the Tamil words malai and ur meaning mountain and city, land, malayadvipa was the word used by ancient Indian traders when referring to the Malay Peninsula. Whether or not it originated from these roots, the word melayu or mlayu may have used in early Malay/Javanese to mean to steadily accelerate or run. This term was applied to describe the current of the river Melayu in Sumatra. The name was adopted by the Melayu Kingdom that existed in the seventh century on Sumatra
Malaysia
–
"Malaysia" used as a label for the
Malay Archipelago on a 1914 map from a United States atlas
Malaysia
–
Flag
Malaysia
–
The Dutch fleet battling with the Portuguese armada as part of the
Dutch–Portuguese War in 1606 to gain control of
Malacca.
Malaysia
–
Statue of
Francis Light in the
Fort Cornwallis of Penang, marking the first step of
British expansion in the 18th century over the Malay Archipelago.
4.
London
–
London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area
London
–
Palace of Westminster,
Buckingham Palace and
Central London skyline
London
London
London
–
The name London may derive from the
River Thames
5.
Emirates Air Line (cable car)
–
The Emirates Air Line is a cable car link across the River Thames in London, England built by Doppelmayr with sponsorship from the airline Emirates. The service opened on 28 June 2012 and is operated by Transport for London, in addition to transport across the river, the service advertises a unique view of London. The duration of a single crossing is ten minutes, the cable car is based on monocable detachable gondola technology, a system which uses a single cable for both propulsion and support, used also on the metrocable in Medellín, Colombia. The MDG system is cheaper and quicker to install than a more complex three-cable system which would allow larger-capacity cars. On 4 July 2010, Transport for London announced plans to develop a car crossing over the River Thames. It is the first urban cable car in the United Kingdom, designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Expedition Engineering and Buro Happold, it crosses the river at a height up to 90 metres, higher than that of the nearby O2 Arena. The cable car provides a crossing every 15 seconds, with a capacity of 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction. Passengers can pay for their journeys with pay-as-you-go Oyster cards.1 metres above high water springs. South of the river there is a 60-metre main support tower, when the project was announced, TfLs initial budget was £25 million, they announced this would be entirely funded by private finance. TfL planned to make up the shortfall by paying for the out of the London Rail budget, applying for funding from the European Regional Development Fund. €9. 7m of ERDF support, out of an estimated €65. 56m total budget, was agreed on 9 July 2012 In January 2011, News International was planning to sponsor the project, but withdrew its offer. In October 2011 it was announced that the Dubai-based airline Emirates would provide £36 million in a 10-year sponsorship deal which included branding of the car service with the airlines name. Construction began in August 2011 with Mace as the lead contractor, Mace built the cable car for £45 million and was to operate it for the first three years for a further £5.5 million. TfL stated that the construction funding and Emirates sponsorship would cover £36 million of the cost. In 2011 the cable car was the most expensive cable system ever built, the public opening took place at noon on 28 June 2012. TfL reported that the total cost of the project was about £60 million and it estimates that the service can carry 2,500 people per hour. There are 36 passenger gondolas, of which 34 are in use at any one time, all passenger gondolas are ready for disabled persons using wheelchairs, including those ones with leg rest extensions. There are also two engineers gondolas for use by maintenance staff, the Emirates Air Line route was introduced onto the London Tube map in June 2012
Emirates Air Line (cable car)
–
The three pylons, seen from north of the
River Thames
Emirates Air Line (cable car)
–
The Emirates Air Line logo
Emirates Air Line (cable car)
–
The north-eastern terminal under construction beside Royal Victoria Dock, February 2012
Emirates Air Line (cable car)
–
Two gondolas approaching the north intermediate tower
6.
River Thames
–
The River Thames is a river that flows through southern England, most notably through London. At 215 miles, it is the longest river entirely in England and it also flows through Oxford, Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Windsor. The lower reaches of the river are called the Tideway, derived from its tidal reach up to Teddington Lock. It rises at Thames Head in Gloucestershire, and flows into the North Sea via the Thames Estuary, the Thames drains the whole of Greater London. Its tidal section, reaching up to Teddington Lock, includes most of its London stretch and has a rise, in Scotland, the Tay achieves more than double the average discharge from a drainage basin that is 60% smaller. Along its course are 45 navigation locks with accompanying weirs and its catchment area covers a large part of South Eastern and a small part of Western England and the river is fed by 38 named tributaries. The river contains over 80 islands, in 2010, the Thames won the largest environmental award in the world – the $350,000 International Riverprize. The Thames, from Middle English Temese, is derived from the Brittonic Celtic name for the river, Tamesas, recorded in Latin as Tamesis and yielding modern Welsh Tafwys Thames. It has also suggested that it is not of Celtic origin. A place by the river, rather than the river itself, indirect evidence for the antiquity of the name Thames is provided by a Roman potsherd found at Oxford, bearing the inscription Tamesubugus fecit. It is believed that Tamesubugus name was derived from that of the river, tamese was referred to as a place, not a river in the Ravenna Cosmography. The rivers name has always pronounced with a simple t /t/, the Middle English spelling was typically Temese. A similar spelling from 1210, Tamisiam, is found in the Magna Carta, the Thames through Oxford is sometimes called the Isis. Ordnance Survey maps still label the Thames as River Thames or Isis down to Dorchester, richard Coates suggests that while the river was as a whole called the Thames, part of it, where it was too wide to ford, was called *lowonida. An alternative, and simpler proposal, is that London may also be a Germanic word, for merchant seamen, the Thames has long been just the London River. Londoners often refer to it simply as the river in such as south of the river. Thames Valley Police is a body that takes its name from the river. The marks of human activity, in cases dating back to Pre-Roman Britain, are visible at various points along the river
River Thames
–
The Thames in London
River Thames
River Thames
–
A statue of Old Father Thames by
Raffaelle Monti at
St John's Lock, Lechlade.
River Thames
–
The marker stone at the official source of the River Thames near
Kemble.
7.
La Paz
–
La Paz, officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz, also named Chuqi Yapu in Aymara, is the seat of government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 789,541 residents as of 2015, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bolivia. Its metropolitan area, which is formed by La Paz, El Alto and Viacha, makes up the most populous area in Bolivia. It is also the capital of the La Paz Department, the city, located in west-central Bolivia 68 km southeast of Lake Titicaca, is set in a canyon created by the Choqueyapu River. It is located in a depression surrounded by the high mountains of the Altiplano. Overlooking the city is the towering, triple-peaked Illimani and its peaks are always snow covered and can be seen from many parts of the city. At an elevation of roughly 3,650 m above sea level, due to its altitude, La Paz has an unusual subtropical highland climate, with rainy summers and dry winters. The city was moved to its present location in the valley of Chuquiago Marka. La Paz was under Spanish colonial rule as part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, since its founding, the city was the site of numerous revolts. In 1781, the leader and independence activist Túpac Katari laid siege to the city for a total of six months. Sucre is the capital of Bolivia and retains the judicial power. The city hosts numerous foreign embassies as well as missions in the country. The city is renowned for its markets, particularly the Witches Market. Its unusual topography offers unique views of the city and the mountains of the Cordillera Real from numerous natural viewing points. La Paz is also home to both the longest and highest urban cable car network in the world, in May 2015, it was officially recognized as one of the New 7 Wonders Cities together with Beirut, Doha, Durban, Havana, Kuala Lumpur and Vigan. La Paz is listed on the Global Cities Index 2015, and is considered a city type Gamma by Globalization. This area had been the site of an Inca city, located on a trading route. Although the Spanish conquistadors entered the area in 1535, they did not found La Paz until 1548, originally it was to be at the site of the Native American settlement, Laja, with the full name of the city being Nuestra Señora de La Paz
La Paz
–
Government Palace of Bolivia in downtown La Paz
La Paz
–
Legislative Palace of Bolivia
La Paz
–
The city in winter, with
Illimani in the background.
8.
Bolivia
–
Bolivia, officially known as the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in western-central South America. It is bordered to the north and east by Brazil, to the southeast by Paraguay, to the south by Argentina, to the southwest by Chile, and to the northwest by Peru. One-third of the country is the Andean mountain range, with one of its largest cities and principal economic centers, El Alto, Bolivia is one of two landlocked countries that lie outside Afro-Eurasia. Bolivia is geographically the largest landlocked country in the Americas, but remains a small country in economic. Before Spanish colonization, the Andean region of Bolivia was part of the Inca Empire, Spanish conquistadors arriving from Cuzco and Asunción took control of the region in the 16th century. During the Spanish colonial period Bolivia was administered by the Royal Audiencia of Charcas, spain built its empire in great part upon the silver that was extracted from Bolivias mines. After the first call for independence in 1809,16 years of war followed before the establishment of the Republic, named for Simón Bolívar, on 6 August 1825. Since independence, Bolivia has endured periods of political and economic instability, including the loss of peripheral territories to its neighbors, such as Acre. The countrys population, estimated at 11 million, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, Mestizos, the racial and social segregation that arose from Spanish colonialism has continued to the modern era. Spanish is the official and predominant language, although 36 indigenous languages also have official status, of which the most commonly spoken are Guarani, Aymara, modern Bolivia is constitutionally a unitary state, divided into nine departments. Its geography varies from the peaks of the Andes in the West, to the Eastern Lowlands and it is a developing country, with a medium ranking in the Human Development Index and a poverty level of 53 percent. Its main economic activities include agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, and manufacturing such as textiles, clothing, refined metals. Bolivia is very wealthy in minerals, especially tin, Bolivia is named after Simón Bolívar, a leader in the Spanish American wars of independence. Sucre opted to create a new nation and, with local support. The original name was Republic of Bolívar, some days later, congressman Manuel Martín Cruz proposed, If from Romulus comes Rome, then from Bolívar comes Bolivia. The name was approved by the Republic on 3 October 1825, the region now known as Bolivia had been occupied for over 2,500 years when the Aymara arrived. However, present-day Aymara associate themselves with the ancient civilization of the Tiwanaku culture which had its capital at Tiwanaku, the capital city of Tiwanaku dates from as early as 1500 BC when it was a small, agriculturally based village. The community grew to urban proportions between AD600 and AD800, becoming an important regional power in the southern Andes
Bolivia
–
Former President, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada
Bolivia
–
Flag
Bolivia
–
Current President,
Evo Morales
Bolivia
–
Evo Morales' inauguration as President.
9.
Mass transportation
–
Public transport modes include city buses, trolleybuses, trams and passenger trains, rapid transit and ferries. Public transport between cities is dominated by airlines, coaches, and intercity rail, high-speed rail networks are being developed in many parts of the world. Most public transport runs to a timetable, with the most frequent services running to a headway. Share taxis offer services in many parts of the world. Paratransit is sometimes used in areas of low demand and for people who need a door-to-door service, there are distinct differences in urban public transit between Asia, North America, and Europe. In Asia, mass transit operations are run by profit-driven privately owned and publicly traded mass transit. In North America, mass transit operations are run by municipal transit authorities. In Europe, mass transit operations are run by both state-owned and private companies. Public transport services can be profit-driven by use of pay-by-the-distance fares or funded by government subsidies in which flat rate fares are charged to each passenger. Services can be profitable through high ridership numbers and high farebox recovery ratios, or can be regulated. Fully subsidized, zero-fare services operate in some towns and cities, for geographical, historical and economic reasons, there are differences internationally regarding use and extent of public transport. It has 3,400 members from 92 countries, conveyances designed for public hire are as old as the first ferries, and the earliest public transport was water transport, on land people walked or rode an animal. Ferries appear in Greek mythology—corpses in ancient Greece were buried with a coin underneath their tongue to pay the ferryman Charon to take them to Hades, the omnibus was introduced to London in July 1829. The first passenger railway opened in 1806, it ran between Swansea and Mumbles in southwest Wales in the United Kingdom. In 1825 George Stephenson built the Locomotion for the Stockton and Darlington Railway in northeast England, the usability of different types of public transport, and its overall appeal, can be measured by seven criteria, although they overlap somewhat. These are speed, comfort, safety, cost, proximity, speed is calculated from total journey time including transfers. Proximity means how far passengers have to walk or otherwise travel before they can begin the public transport leg of their journey, timeliness is how long they have to wait for the vehicle. Directness records how far a journey using public transport deviates from the shortest route, an airline provides scheduled service with aircraft between airports
Mass transportation
–
New York City Subway, the world's largest
rapid transit system by length of routes and by number of
stations
Mass transportation
–
The
Moscow Metro is one of the
busiest metro systems in the world and is the busiest in Europe.
Mass transportation
–
A hybrid-engine fully accessible
Toronto Transit Commission transit bus in Toronto
Mass transportation
–
Early trolley car in
Newton, Massachusetts
10.
Jounieh
–
Jounieh is a coastal city about 16 km north of Beirut, Lebanon and is part of Greater Beirut. Above Jounieh, and on the way to Harissa, a hill named Bkerké. Residents of Jounieh and the towns are overwhelmingly Maronite Christians. Maameltein is a district of the city, ships and boats bring supplies and its grain trade is very popular. Thus a district of the villages, Sarba, Ghadir. Jounieh itself is not an area but mainly a commercial district whose workers come from neighboring towns. ”Jounieh was connected with neighboring areas by roads built for carriages. So it was connected with Bkerké and beyond it during the rule of Dawud Basha and it was connected to Ghazir between 1867 and 1868 despite the objection of Ghazir’s residents. Another road connected Jounieh to the Beirut Bridge during the rule of Rustum Basha, to the north it was connected by a carriage’s road until Batroun during the rule of Wasa Basha. According to the records of the Keserwan Governorate, the town of Ghadir, in 1914, had 433 corporations, the town of Sarba had 213 commercial institutions and its population was 1,714. In Harat Sakhr, there were 165 corporations and its population was 808, in Sahil ‘Alma, there were 21 corporations its population reached 187. Jounieh had seen noticeable prosperity after France and the Maronite Patriarchy supported the opening a port for ships which became the official port of Mount Lebanon. In 1913 and during the Mandate era, Jounieh suffered economic decline and recession as the French administration moved part of Jounieh’s administrative role to the Capital, also Jounieh came out of the First World War weakened by famine and economic stagnation. So several of its inhabitants were forced to move to the capital or to immigrate and its social and population development stopped, and its economic development weakened. The 1932 statistics showed 1,286 housed in Jounieh,371 in Sarba,434 in Ghadir,350 houses in Harat Sakhr and this affected the building industry and records in the town hall showed very limited number of permits given from 1922-1940. The only active sectors in that period were schools, small crafts, and planting of trees, sugar cane. This situation stayed the same until the rule of President Fuad Chehab who outfitted the city all that it needed to become modern. Jounieh then awakened from its slumber with projects for roads, lighting, modern planning, a stadium, a tourist port, a government house, President Chehab used a number of experts and engineers headed by the French engineer Ekochar. The talk became of “Monte Carlo of the East” and Jounieh stood out as a bride of the Lebanese coast, in 1959, it started to attract banks, the first which were the Lebanese Commerce Bank and the Lebanese Federal Bank
Jounieh
–
Jounieh جونيه Juniah
Jounieh
–
Casino du Liban
Jounieh
–
This article includes a
list of references, related reading or
external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
inline citations. Please
improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (July 2014)
Jounieh
–
View from
Harissa, Lebanon
11.
Lebanon
–
Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a sovereign state in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, Lebanons location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland facilitated its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity. At just 10,452 km2, it is the smallest recognized country on the entire mainland Asian continent, the earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than seven thousand years, predating recorded history. Lebanon was the home of the Canaanites/Phoenicians and their kingdoms, a culture that flourished for over a thousand years. In 64 BC, the region came under the rule of the Roman Empire, in the Mount Lebanon range a monastic tradition known as the Maronite Church was established. As the Arab Muslims conquered the region, the Maronites held onto their religion, however, a new religious group, the Druze, established themselves in Mount Lebanon as well, generating a religious divide that has lasted for centuries. During the Crusades, the Maronites re-established contact with the Roman Catholic Church, the ties they established with the Latins have influenced the region into the modern era. The region eventually was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1918, following the collapse of the empire after World War I, the five provinces that constitute modern Lebanon came under the French Mandate of Lebanon. The French expanded the borders of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, which was populated by Maronites and Druze. Lebanon gained independence in 1943, establishing confessionalism, a unique, foreign troops withdrew completely from Lebanon on 31 December 1946. Lebanon has been a member of the Organisation internationale de la francophonie since 1973, despite its small size, the country has developed a well-known culture and has been highly influential in the Arab world. Before the Lebanese Civil War, the experienced a period of relative calm and renowned prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, commerce. At the end of the war, there were efforts to revive the economy. In spite of troubles, Lebanon has the highest Human Development Index and GDP per capita in the Arab world. The name of Mount Lebanon originates from the Phoenician root lbn meaning white, occurrences of the name have been found in different Middle Bronze Age texts from the library of Ebla, and three of the twelve tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The name is recorded in Ancient Egyptian as Rmnn, where R stood for Canaanite L, the name occurs nearly 70 times in the Hebrew Bible, as לְבָנוֹן. The borders of contemporary Lebanon are a product of the Treaty of Sèvres of 1920 and its territory was the core of the Bronze Age Phoenician city-states. After the 7th-century Muslim conquest of the Levant, it was part of the Rashidun, Umyayad, Abbasid Seljuk, with the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Greater Lebanon fell under French mandate in 1920, and gained independence under president Bechara El Khoury in 1943
Lebanon
–
The
Fall of Tripoli to the Egyptian
Mamluks and destruction of the Crusader state, the County of Tripoli, 1289
Lebanon
–
Flag
Lebanon
–
Fakhreddine II Palace, 17th century
Lebanon
–
1862 map drawn by the French expedition of
Beaufort d'Hautpoul, later used as a template for the 1920 borders of
Greater Lebanon.
12.
Our Lady of Lebanon
–
The Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon is a Marian shrine and a pilgrimage site in Lebanon. The shrine belongs to the Maronite Patriarchate who entrusted its administration to the Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries since its foundation in 1904 and it is one of the most important shrines in the world honoring Mary, Mother of Jesus. The shrine is highlighted by a huge, 15-ton bronze statue and it is 8.5 m high, and has a diameter of five meters. The Virgin Mary stretches her hands towards Beirut, the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon draws millions of faithful both Christians and Muslims from all over the world. The 50th jubilee in 1954 was also the anniversary of the establishment of the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception. During these celebrations, Pope Pius XII sent his representative, Cardinal Angelo Roncalli to Lebanon, Pope John Paul II visited Our Lady of Lebanon in 1997. The Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries, responsible for the administration, works at reinforcing relations among all local Churches, Christian communities, the Lebanese Christians as well as the Druze and Muslims have a special devotion to Mary, Mother of Jesus. The Maronite Patriarch of Antioch named her the Queen of Lebanon in 1908 upon completion of the shrine, overlooking the bay of Jounieh, the shrine has become a major tourist attraction where tourists take the gondola lift, the Téléphérique, from the city of Jounieh to Harissa. The Statue of Our Lady of Lebanon is a French-made, 13-ton statue, made of bronze and painted white, of the Virgin Mary. It was erected in 1907 on top of a hill,650 meters above sea level, the land was donated by Yousef Khazen. It was made up of seven sections that were assembled on top of the base, which had a bottom perimeter of 64m. The height of the statue is 8. 50m while its perimeter is 5. 50m, the statue and the shrine were inaugurated in 1908, and it has become a major pilgrimage destination. Pope John Paul II visited the shrine when he made a visit to Lebanon on May 10,1997. He conducted a mass in the modern Basilica, on December 8,1998, the Vatican announced that the World Day of the Sick would be celebrated on February 11,1999 at Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa. Pope John Paul II prayed that Our Lady of Lebanon who had watched over the suffering of the Lebanese people could help all those who were suffering in the world. Pope Benedict XVI launched an appeal for peace in Lebanon and Gaza by invoking the protection of Our Lady of Lebanon on January 28,2007. He said, To Christians in Lebanon, I repeat the exhortation to be promoters of real dialogue between the communities, and upon everyone I invoke the protection of Our Lady of Lebanon. The Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon as well as the residences of four Eastern Catholic Churches patriarchs reside in the vicinity of the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon. C and our Lady of Lebanon Parish, Washington, D. C
Our Lady of Lebanon
–
Our Lady of Lebanon
Our Lady of Lebanon
–
Shrine at night
Our Lady of Lebanon
–
Melkite Church of Our Lady of Lebanon in Fortaleza, Brazil
Our Lady of Lebanon
–
Brooklyn cathedral
13.
Tochal Complex
–
Tochal Complex consists of many recreational and sports facilities located in Velenjak, North of Tehran. Tochal Telecabin is one of the worlds longest gondola lift lines with a length of 7500 m, the project started in 1974 and has been open to the public since 1978. It starts at the Velenjak valley in the north of Tehran at an altitude of 1900 m. and this gondola lift is used for accessing ski resorts and other recreational centres on the mountain. Beautiful landscape, mountain air and a multitude of fresh water springs adds to the freshness of the area. With upgrading the safety standards of telecabin lines, families and sportspeople can enjoy the ride and other facilities with joy. The gondola lift has four stations, Station 1 is at an elevation of 1900 m. parking, inns and some other facilities are available. Station 2 is at 2400 m. and has limited facilities. There is a restaurant and a rescue centre and this station is in the middle of one of the ski slopes which is open only in mid-winter but rarely used. This station is accessible through several climbing paths like Shirpala shelter, Osoon valley. In order to get to Station 7 you have to change here, Station 7 is at 3740 m. and very close to the Tochal main ridge. It is the last station of the gondola lift and this station is in the middle of the Tochal ski slope. The Tochal main peak is a 30-minute walk from this point and this station is also reachable from Hezar-cham climbing path from Station 5. The main ski slopes are located in Station 7, Peak, This slope starts from the foot of Tochal, the length of the slope is 1200 metres and is a very suitable slope. There are one Doppelmayr chairlift and one teleski improvised in this ski slope, for transferring skiers. Because of the height of the ski slope in station 7, similar to the Alvares Ski Resort in Sabalan, Azarbaijan, Iran, also a Half Pipe is available for customers of this ski slope. Western Foothill, This slope is located on the foothill of the Tochal Mountain. The length of the ski slope is 900 metres, the peak having 3,750 metres height, a Poma chairlift is built on this slope for skiers. Unique location, proper services, and mountainous natural beauty are the specialties of the Tochal Hotel. It is said that this hotel is the highest hotel in the world, the hotel is located at 3550 meters above sea level which is nearly 11600 feet
Tochal Complex
–
Tochal Telecabin
Tochal Complex
–
Tochal Skiing resort is one of the popular recreational places in
Tehran
Tochal Complex
–
7th Station;
Tehran under the clouds
14.
Elevation
–
GIS or geographic information system is a computer system that allows for visualizing, manipulating, capturing, and storage of data with associated attributes. GIS offers better understanding of patterns and relationships of the landscape at different scales, tools inside the GIS allow for manipulation of data for spatial analysis or cartography. A topographical map is the type of map used to depict elevation. In a Geographic Information System, digital models are commonly used to represent the surface of a place. Digital terrain models are another way to represent terrain in GIS, USGS is developing a 3D Elevation Program to keep up with growing needs for high quality topographic data. 3DEP is a collection of enhanced elevation data in the form of high quality LiDAR data over the conterminous United States, Hawaii, there are three bare earth DEM layers in 3DEP which are nationally seamless at the resolution of 1/3,1, and 2 arcseconds. This map is derived from GTOPO30 data that describes the elevation of Earths terrain at intervals of 30 arcseconds and it uses color and shading instead of contour lines to indicate elevation. Hypsography is the study of the distribution of elevations on the surface of the Earth, the term originates from the Greek word ὕψος hypsos meaning height. Most often it is used only in reference to elevation of land, related to the term hypsometry, the measurement of these elevations of a planets solid surface are taken relative to mean datum, except for Earth which is taken relative to the sea level. In the troposphere, temperatures decrease with altitude and this lapse rate is approximately 6.5 °C/km. S
Elevation
–
A sign at 8000 feet (2438 meters) in the
San Bernardino Mountains.
Elevation
–
Elevation
histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered with water.
Elevation
Elevation
–
Part of a
topographic map of
Haleakala (
Hawaii), showing elevation.
15.
Killington Ski Resort
–
Killington Mountain Resort & Ski Area is a ski resort in the northeast United States, near Killington, Vermont. It is the largest ski area in the eastern U. S. and has the largest vertical drop in New England at 3,050 feet, starting in the 2013–14 ski season, it was given the title Beast of the East. Preston Leete Smith agreed to work him to develop this area. Killington opened 59 years ago on December 13,1958, the resort expanded in the 1960s at a pace well above industry standards. Many new trails were created and Smith had beginner trails accessible from every lift, in the 1960s, Killington installed snowmaking equipment, which had been invented in the 1950s, but was considered a banana belt luxury. Several low-snow seasons proved their value, Killington introduced the ticket wicket in 1963 to prevent skiers sharing lift tickets, while also not damaging ski clothing. In the summer of 2011, the Killington area was damaged by Tropical Storm Irene in late August, which caused flooding and damage along U. S. Route 4, the road leading into Killington. The resort was damaged by excess runoff from Ottauquechee River, which lifted the Superstar Pub off of its foundation, Killington has since repaired damaged infrastructure, and is operating at full or near-full potential. Powdr has announced that it will stop honoring lifetime lift passes issued by the owners after two years. A class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of about 800 pass holders, located in central Vermont, Killington has 155 trails,21 lifts, and 1,509 acres extending across six interconnected mountain peaks. A seventh peak, Pico Mountain, was purchased by Killington in 1996, there have been proposals to connect Killington and Pico with a series of lifts and trails since 1998, but no plans have been finalized. The mountains that make up the Killington resort separate the town of Killington from the city of Rutland, the resort offers trails ranging from beginner to expert. Trails include Outer Limits a double black diamond mogul trail, the longest trail in the eastern U. S. is the 6. 2-mile beginner run, Juggernaut. Part of the mountain is set aside for parks, with five snowboard. Killington has an area for first-time skiers, the Accelerated Learning Area. Killington has one of the easts largest half-pipes located at Bear Mountain for a portion of each winter season, there are boarder cross terrain and at least three to five major trails with ramps and jumps. Snowshed, devoted to beginners, is serviced by three lifts and it is an open slope, with a lodge and restaurant at the bottom. The adult ski school is located at Snowshed, most condos and the Grand Hotel are located at the bottom of Snowshed
Killington Ski Resort
–
View from the top of Killington Peak
Killington Ski Resort
–
A sign pointing to Devil's Fiddle and Outer Limits, some of the steepest trails at Killington
Killington Ski Resort
–
A view of the North Ridge area of Killington Peak in 2002
Killington Ski Resort
–
Bear Mountain
16.
Vermont
–
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It borders the other U. S. states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Lake Champlain forms half of Vermonts western border with the state of New York, Vermont is the 2nd-least populous of the U. S. states, with nearly 50,000 more residents than Wyoming. The capital is Montpelier, the least populous state capital in the U. S, the most populous municipality, Burlington, is the least populous city in the U. S. to be the most populous within a state. As of 2015, Vermont continued to be the producer of maple syrup in the U. S. It was ranked as the safest state in the country in January 2016, for thousands of years inhabited by indigenous peoples, including the Algonquian-speaking Abenaki and Mohawk, much of the territory that is now Vermont was claimed by Frances colony of New France. France ceded the territory to Great Britain after being defeated in 1763 in the Seven Years War, for many years, the nearby colonies, especially the provinces of New Hampshire and New York, disputed control of the area. Settlers who held land titles granted by New York were opposed by the Green Mountain Boys militia, ultimately, those settlers prevailed in creating an independent state, the Vermont Republic. Founded in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War, the republic lasted for 14 years, aside from the original 13 states that were formerly colonies, Vermont is one of only four U. S. states that were previously sovereign states. Vermont was also the first state to join the U. S. as its 14th member state after the original 13, while still an independent republic, Vermont was the first of any future U. S. state to partially abolish slavery. It played an important geographic role in the Underground Railroad, Vermont is located in the New England region of the northeastern United States and comprises 9,614 square miles, making it the 45th-largest state. It is the state that does not have any buildings taller than 124 feet. Land comprises 9,250 square miles and water comprises 365 square miles, making it the 43rd-largest in land area, in total area, it is larger than El Salvador and smaller than Haiti. The west bank of the Connecticut River marks the eastern border with New Hampshire. 41% of Vermonts land area is part of the Connecticut Rivers watershed, Lake Champlain, the major lake in Vermont, is the sixth-largest body of fresh water in the United States and separates Vermont from New York in the northwest portion of the state. From north to south, Vermont is 159 miles long and its greatest width, from east to west, is 89 miles at the Canada–U. S. Border, the narrowest width is 37 miles at the Massachusetts line, the states geographic center is approximately three miles east of Roxbury, in Washington County. There are fifteen U. S. federal border crossings between Vermont and Canada, the origin of the name Vermont is uncertain, but likely comes from the French les Verts Monts, meaning the Green Mountains
Vermont
–
Vermont State House in
Montpelier
Vermont
–
Flag
Vermont
–
The Hancock Overlook, on Route 100 in
Hancock, Vermont.
Vermont
–
Burlington, Vermont's largest city
17.
Emmetten
–
Emmetten is a municipality in the canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland. Emmetten is first mentioned about 1160 as Empnoten, Emmetten has an area, as of 2006, of 25 square kilometers. Of this area,37. 9% is used for agricultural purposes, of the rest of the land,2. 6% is settled and the remainder is non-productive. The municipality is located along the highway between Beckenried and Seelisberg on both sides of the Egg crossing over the edge of Lake Lucerne. Emmetten has a population of 1,380, as of 2007,15. 4% of the population was made up of foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 3. 7%, most of the population speaks German, with English being second most common and Italian being third. As of 2008 the gender distribution of the population was 53. 4% male and 46. 6% female, as of 2000 there are 487 households, of which 310 households contain only one or two individuals. 36 or about 7. 4% are large households, with at least five members, in the 2007 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 87. 1% of the vote. Most of the rest of the went to local small right-wing parties. In Emmetten about 69. 1% of the population have completed either non-mandatory upper secondary education or additional higher education, the historical population is given in the following table, Emmetten has an unemployment rate of 0. 94%. As of 2005, there were 75 people employed in the economic sector. 38 people are employed in the sector and there are 9 businesses in this sector. 198 people are employed in the sector, with 42 businesses in this sector
Emmetten
–
Emmetten
18.
Switzerland
–
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western-Central Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2. The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the medieval period, resulting from a series of military successes against Austria. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The country has a history of armed neutrality going back to the Reformation, it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815, nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to international organisations. On the European level, it is a member of the European Free Trade Association. However, it participates in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market through bilateral treaties, spanning the intersection of Germanic and Romance Europe, Switzerland comprises four main linguistic and cultural regions, German, French, Italian and Romansh. Due to its diversity, Switzerland is known by a variety of native names, Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera. On coins and stamps, Latin is used instead of the four living languages, Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product according to the IMF. Zürich and Geneva have each been ranked among the top cities in the world in terms of quality of life, with the former ranked second globally, according to Mercer. The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, a term for the Swiss. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of Schwyz and its associated territory, the Swiss began to adopt the name for themselves after the Swabian War of 1499, used alongside the term for Confederates, Eidgenossen, used since the 14th century. The data code for Switzerland, CH, is derived from Latin Confoederatio Helvetica. The toponym Schwyz itself was first attested in 972, as Old High German Suittes, ultimately related to swedan ‘to burn’
Switzerland
–
Founded in 44 BC by
Lucius Munatius Plancus,
Augusta Raurica was the first Roman settlement on the Rhine and is now among the most important archaeological sites in Switzerland.
Switzerland
–
Flag
Switzerland
–
The 1291 Bundesbrief (Federal charter)
Switzerland
–
The Old Swiss Confederacy from 1291 (dark green) to the sixteenth century (light green) and its associates (blue). In the other colors are shown the subject territories.
19.
GMD Mueller
–
GMD Mueller Lifts AG was a Swiss aerial lift manufacturing firm. GMD stands for Gerhard Mueller Dietlikon, the company was bought out by the management in 1985 after Muellers death and went out of business in 1992. In the late 1920s, Gerhard Mueller, an engineering student, was a newcomer to growing sport of skiing. At the time, there were no user-friendly ski lifts in Switzerland, at a resort hotel outside Zürich, Mueller created his first usable ski lift consisting of a 1’’ hemp rope and some old motorcycle parts. Naturally, being a tow, guests regularly complained about sore hands. The Sami people people use reindeer to tow themselves around on skis, inspired by this practice, Mueller solved the problems of his rope tow by creating the first modern T-bar lift. Muller GMD gave the licence for T-bar lift to polish company Mostostal Zabrze in 1959, some of this lifts are still exists. During the 1960s and 1970s GMD Mueller installed more than hundred fixed-grip chairlifts in North America, many of these lifts are still in service today. In Europe 4-seater gondola lifts with Muellers patented detachable cable grips, some resorts, such as Whistler were at the time exclusively equipped with Mueller lifts. GMD Mueller is also noted for inventing the Aerobus, a self-propelled bus-like vehicle riding on an overhead cable. Chairlift. org page on Mueller Company registry for GMD Mueller Lifts AG Official Aerobus web page
GMD Mueller
–
Late model GMD Mueller gondola lift in Switzerland
20.
Whistler, British Columbia
–
Over two million people visit Whistler annually, primarily for alpine skiing and snowboarding and, in summer, mountain biking at Whistler Blackcomb. Its pedestrian village has won design awards and Whistler has been voted among the top destinations in North America by major ski magazines since the mid-1990s. The Whistler Valley is located around the pass between the headwaters of the Green River and the reaches of the Cheakamus. One Lilwat legend of the Great Flood says that before the deluge, the first British survey by the Royal Navy took place in the 1860s. In the late 19th century, a trail was cut through the valley, the trail was completed in 1877, but because of the difficult and unforgiving terrain, it was only used once for its intended purpose, which was to drive cattle. The area began to attract trappers and prospectors who established small camps in the area in the early 20th century. The area began to gain recognition with the arrival of Myrtle and Alex Philip, the Philips had relocated from Maine to Vancouver in 1910, and had heard rumors of the natural beauty of the area from Pemberton pioneer John Millar. After an exploratory journey, the couple was convinced, Rainbow Lodge and other railway-dependent tourist resorts were collectively known as Alta Lake. Along with the rest of the valley bridging the Cheakamus and Green River basins, appreciation of the outdoors was not the only activity in the valley, however. During the first half of the 20th century, most of the slopes of the surrounding mountains were cleared of old growth. At its peak, four mills were in operation, most located around Green Lake, prospecting and trapping were pursued as well, though no claims of great value were ever staked. Until the 1960s, this area was without basic infrastructure, there were no sewage facilities, water, or electricity. In 1962, four Vancouver businessmen began to explore the area with the intent of building a ski resort, garibaldi Lift Company was formed, shares were sold, and in 1966, Whistler Mountain opened to the public. Later, the town, then known as Alta Lake, was offered the 1976 Winter Olympics after the selected host city Denver declined the games due to funding issues. Alta Lake Whistler declined as well, after elections ushered in a government less enthusiastic about the Olympics. The 1976 Winter Olympics were ultimately held in Innsbruck, Austria, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, the first time the IOC has bestowed that designation on a community. The Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village housed around 2,400 athletes, coaches, trainers, post-games, the site has been turned into a new residential neighbourhood Cheakamus Crossing. Whistler is located on British Columbia Highway 99, also known as the Sea-to-Sky highway, approximately 58 kilometres north of Squamish, the highway connects Whistler to the British Columbia Interior via Pemberton-Mount Currie to Lillooet and connections beyond to the Trans-Canada and Cariboo Highways
Whistler, British Columbia
–
Whistler Panorama
Whistler, British Columbia
–
A statue of Ilanaaq, mascot of the 2010 Olympics, located on Whistler Mountain
Whistler, British Columbia
–
Black Tusk as seen from Whistler Mountain.
21.
Ngong Ping
–
Ngong Ping is a highland in the western part of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It hosts Po Lin Monastery and Tian Tan Buddha amidst the hills which is about 34 m tall, there are several hills nearby which are also an attraction to tourists. It is now the terminus of the car ride Ngong Ping 360 which travels to Tung Chung. New facilities and tourist attractions have opened including the Ngong Ping Village, Walking with the Buddha, a youth hostel is located near the monastery. The second highest peak of Hong Kong, Lantau Peak, is at its southeast, a 5. 5km cable car line, jointly managed by the MTRC and Skyrail-ITM of Australia, would link it to Tung Chung Station, in the vicinity of Hong Kong International Airport. Government-funded infrastructure works were estimated to cost $70 million, environmental groups also expressed concerns about the project, the Conservancy Association feared the project would endanger woodland and brooks nearby, by threatening butterfly-habitat. The government, however, said it had considered the views of religious and green groups, the Travel Industry Council welcomed the long overdue project, the MTRC said the project would create 300 jobs. Facilities and tourist attractions opened in 2005 include the Ngong Ping Village, Walking with the Buddha, A tale of monkeys theatre, International Cable Car Gallery at Ngong Ping List of areas of Hong Kong
Ngong Ping
–
Po Lin Monastery in Ngong Ping. The hill in the background is
Nei Lak Shan.
Ngong Ping
–
Tian Tan Buddha viewed from the Ngong Ping Village.
22.
Hong Kong
–
Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, is an autonomous territory on the Pearl River Delta of East Asia. Macau lies across the delta to the west, and the Chinese province of Guangdong borders the territory to the north. With a total area of 1,106 square kilometres. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during World War II until British control resumed in 1945, under the principle of one country, two systems, Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative, in addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of appropriate fields. Hong Kong is one of the worlds most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the worlds most competitive and freest economic entity. As the worlds 8th largest trading entity, its legal tender, Hong Kongs tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by simple taxation with a competitive level of corporate tax and supported by its independent judiciary system. However, while Hong Kong has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world and it has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the worlds longest life expectancy. Over 90% of the population use of well-developed public transportation. Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring areas of Mainland China. Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island, before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour —between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was a point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen. Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time, fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbours fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour, the name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926. Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric. As of 1997, its name is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. This is the title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law. Hong Kong has carried many nicknames, the most famous among those is the Pearl of the Orient, which reflected the impressive nightscape of the citys light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour
Hong Kong
–
The Cenotaph in Hong Kong commemorates those who died in service in WWI and WWII.
Hong Kong
–
Flag
Hong Kong
–
Stamp with portrait of
Queen Elizabeth II, 1953
Hong Kong
–
Development of
Hong Kong Island in 1986
23.
Leitner Group
–
Leitner Group is an Italian conglomerate, based in the province of South Tyrol, that owns and runs several industrial and equipment companies. Founded in 1888, Leitner formed Leitner Group in a reorganization in 2003, as of 2013, the group employs 3,195 people. The businesses owned and managed by the group are, Leitner Ropeways and this company makes suspended cable cars, incline lifts, chairways, ropeways, and ski lifts. The companys cable car system links Tung Chung in Hong Kong’s with Ngong Ping, the company installed one of its systems to provide light rail service to the city of Perugia, the Minimetrò. With Leitner Ropeways, Prinoth and Demaclenko companies, the Group has become an established and globally unique one-stop shop for winter sports technologies since 2011
Leitner Group
–
LeitWind wind turbine on
Reschen Pass in
Mals,
South Tyrol
24.
Sulphur Mountain (Alberta)
–
Sulphur Mountain is a mountain in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains overlooking the town of Banff, Alberta, Canada. The mountain was named in 1916 for the hot springs on its lower slopes, george Dawson had referred to this landform as Terrace Mountain on his 1886 map of the area. Sansons Peak was named in 1948 for Norman Bethune Sanson who diligently attended the recording equipment atop Sulphur Mountain for nearly 30 years. Two hot springs have been commercially developed, the lowest is the Cave and Basin National Historic Site and the highest is the Banff Upper Hot Springs. A gondola on the slope goes to the summit ridge which has an upper terminal containing two restaurants, a gift shop, and multiple observation decks. The summit ridge provides views both westward up and east down the Bow Valley, a boardwalk can be followed on the north side to the top of Sansons Peak. The original, and more scenic, summit access is along an old road on the Southwest face of the mountain with a distance of 5.8 km from the Banff Sundance Canyon trail system near the Bow River. Another 5.4 km switchback Trail route exists under the Gondola with Trail-head access from the Banff Hot Springs parking lot near the Gondola terminal, purists should note that the gondola ride down is no longer free in the summer. The mountain has been the site of two research facilities, in 1903, a meteorological observatory building was completed atop Sanson Peak. This building still exists and visitors can look through a window to see its interior complete with rustic furnishings. In the winter of 1956-57, the National Research Council built a laboratory on Sansons Peak in order to study cosmic rays as part of Canadas contribution to the International Geophysical Year. The Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station remained in operation until 1978, a plaque now marks the sites location. The hot springs at the base of Sulphur Mountain are home to the endangered Banff Springs snail and the now-extinct Banff longnose dace
Sulphur Mountain (Alberta)
–
Sulphur Mountain
Sulphur Mountain (Alberta)
–
Banff and
Tunnel Mountain seen from Sulphur Mountain (Sanson's Peak)
Sulphur Mountain (Alberta)
–
The view from the summit of Sulphur Mountain
Sulphur Mountain (Alberta)
–
Meteorological observatory building
25.
Alberta
–
Alberta is a western province of Canada. With an estimated population of 4,196,457 as of July 1,2015, it is Canadas fourth-most populous province and its area is about 660,000 square kilometres. Alberta and its neighbour Saskatchewan were districts of the Northwest Territories until they were established as provinces on September 1,1905, the premier has been Rachel Notley since May 2015. Alberta is bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U. S. state of Montana to the south. Alberta is one of three Canadian provinces and territories to only a single U. S. state and one of only two landlocked provinces. About 290 km south of the capital is Calgary, the largest city in Alberta, Calgary and Edmonton centre Albertas two census metropolitan areas, both of which have populations exceeding one million, while the province has 16 census agglomerations. Tourist destinations in the province include Banff, Canmore, Drumheller, Jasper, Alberta is named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter of Victoria, Queen of Canada, and Albert, Prince Consort. Princess Louise was the wife of John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, Lake Louise and Mount Alberta were also named in her honour. Alberta, with an area of 661,848 km2, is the fourth largest province after Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. To the south, the borders on the 49th parallel north, separating it from the US state of Montana. The province extends 1,223 km north to south and 660 km east to west at its maximum width, with the exception of the semi-arid steppe of the south-eastern section, the province has adequate water resources. There are numerous rivers and lakes used for swimming, fishing, there are three large lakes, Lake Claire in Wood Buffalo National Park, Lesser Slave Lake, and Lake Athabasca which lies in both Alberta and Saskatchewan. The longest river in the province is the Athabasca River which travels 1,538 km from the Columbia Icefield in the Rocky Mountains to Lake Athabasca, the largest river is the Peace River with an average flow of 2161 m3/s. The Peace River originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows through northern Alberta and into the Slave River, Albertas capital city, Edmonton, is located approximately in the geographic centre of the province. It is the most northerly city in Canada, and serves as a gateway. The region, with its proximity to Canadas largest oil fields, has most of western Canadas oil refinery capacity, Calgary is located approximately 280 km south of Edmonton and 240 km north of Montana, surrounded by extensive ranching country. Almost 75% of the population lives in the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. The land grant policy to the served as a means to populate the province in its early years
Alberta
–
Welcome to Alberta sign traveling from east to west
Alberta
–
Flag
Alberta
–
Topographic map of Alberta
Alberta
–
Moraine Lake in
Banff National Park
26.
Cable car
–
A cable car is any of a variety of cable transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate. The terminology also refers to the vehicles on these systems, the cable car vehicles are motorless and engineless and they are pulled by a cable that is rotated by a motor off-board. Cable car transport systems are a transportation system for various situations. Cable-Propelled Transit can be effective as a transit system at a reasonable cost. They are advantageous for transit of mountains, valleys, steep slopes and bodies of water, in an aerial transit system, cabins are suspended and propelled from above by cables. The cable that supports the cabin may or may not be the one that propels it too and this depends on the technology used. It is a two way transport, a mono-cable detachable system has only one cable that does the work of supporting and also propelling. A bi-cable detachable gondola has two cables, one of which supports the cabin and this cable is stationary while the other cable moves and serves the purpose of propulsion. An aerial tramway consists of a suspended from a cable. A tri-cable detachable gondola has three cables, two of which help in supporting and the other in propelling the cabin, a funifor is a type of aerial lift or aerial tramway patented by Doppelmayr Garaventa Group which consists of two guide ropes and a haul rope loop per cabin. The drives of the two cabins are not interconnected with two reversible cabins running on parallel tracks. At the top of each track, the rope for that track loops back to the bottom instead of looping over to serve the other track as occurs with a normal aerial tramway. In other words, a propulsion is not returned to the opposite direction for use by the other vehicle. A funitel is a type of lift, generally used to transport skiers. The name funitel is a portmanteau between the French words funiculaire and telepherique, funitels have not only been used as a means to transport skiers, there is one used to transport finished cars between different areas of a factory. Recently, more and more funitels have been added to ski areas, when used to transport skiers, funitels are a fast way to get to a higher altitude. Funitels combine a short time between successive cabins with a high capacity per cabin, funitels are able to tolerate higher wind speeds than classic gondola lifts because they are clamped to two steel cables instead of one. Pulsed Gondola systems are fixed-grip CPT systems with cabins grouped together in rather than being spaced evenly along the cable
Cable car
–
Cable car in
Rote Nase,
Swiss Alps
Cable car
–
Cable car in
Wellington,
New Zealand
Cable car
–
Cable car at
Huangshan,
China
Cable car
–
The former
Asmara-Massawa Cableway in
Eritrea (late-1940s).
27.
Cable transport
–
Cable transport is a broad class of transport modes that have cables as the foundation for transporting things, people, or vehicles. The cable may be driven or passive, items may be moved by pulling, sliding, sailing, during said period of time, several new methods were thought of and implemented including the use of steel cable to allow for greater load support and larger systems. The idea for a cable hauled street railway in California belonged to Benjamin Brooks, instead, Andrew Hallidie, a Scottish emigre, gave San Francisco the first effective and commercially successful route, using steel cables. Hallidie was a manufacturer of such cables, the system featured a man operated grip, which was able to start the carrier and stop it safely as well. The rope that was used allowed the independent use of more than one car at once. The carriers had a capacity of between 14 and 16 people but during the hours, they could fit between 24 and 26 passengers without any problems. The tickets cost about 5 cents, which was expensive for back then. The London one used fiber, instead of ropes and collars to make the connection from the grip to the rope. This caused a series of technical and safety issues, which led to replacing the lines with steam vehicles by 1848, more recent developments are being classified under the type of track that their design is based upon. In 1868 the Westside and Yonkers railway came into operation according to Andrea Marocchi, after the success of this operation, several other projects were initiated in New Zealand and Chicago. The social climate around pollution is allowing for a shift from cars back to the utilization of cable transport due to their advantages, however, for many years they were a niche form of transportation used primarily in difficult-to-operate conditions for cars. Now that Cable Transport Projects are on the incline the social effects are beginning to more significant. There are a few advantages to using cable transport including. This significantly reduces construction and maintenance costs, high safety – Accidents relating to cable transport are extremely rare. Over 10,000 CTPs transport billions of people each year yet cable transports have some the best safety records of any mode of transport, reduced operator number – Cable cars require no drivers which reduce costs and increases safety. Reliability and efficiency – Modern cable transport has, on average, energy Efficient – Due to cable transport’s use of gravity and counterbalancing, many systems generate are self-sufficient in terms of power during off-peak times. High speed – CTPs can travel up to 45 km/hr, in addition to this, by their very nature, they take the most direct route to their destinations and aren’t subject to delays such as traffic jams. Large capacity – An aerial CTP can transport up to 4,000 people in one direction per hour, ground-based increases this to 10,000 people
Cable transport
–
Cable car at
Zell am See in the Austrian Alps
28.
Aerial lift
–
An aerial lift is a means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas or open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more cables. Aerial lift systems are employed in mountainous territory where roads are relatively difficult to build and use. Aerial lift systems are easy to move, and are and have been used to cross rivers. In more recent times, the cost-effectiveness and flexibility of aerial lifts has seen an increase of gondola lift being integrated into public transport systems. The grip of a tramway is fixed onto the propulsion rope. Aerial trams used for transport include the Roosevelt Island Tramway. A gondola lift is a type of lift, often called a cable car. It consists of a loop of cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal, which is connected to an engine or electric motor and they are often considered continuous systems since they feature a haul rope which continuously moves and circulates around two terminal stations. Depending on the combination of cables used for support and/or haulage and the type of grip, because of the proliferation of such systems in the Alpine regions of Europe, the French language name of Télécabine is also used in an English language context. Gondola lifts are used for urban transportation. Examples include the Singapore Cable Car, Ngong Ping Skyrail, Metrocable, Metrocable, Mi Teleférico, gondola lifts should not be confused with aerial tramways as the latter solely operates with fixed grips and simply shuttles back and forth between two end terminals. A ropeway conveyor or material ropeway is essentially a subtype of gondola lift, ropeway conveyors are typically found around large mining concerns, and can be of considerable length. The COMILOG Cableway, which ran from Moanda in Gabon to Mbinda in the Republic of the Congo, was over 75 km in length, the Norsjö aerial tramway in Sweden had a length of 96 kilometers. A funitel is a type of lift, generally used to transport skiers. The name funitel is a portmanteau between the French words funiculaire and telepherique, funitels have not only been used as a means to transport skiers, there is one used to transport finished cars between different areas of a factory. Recently, more and more funitels have been added to ski areas, when used to transport skiers, funitels are a fast way to get to a higher altitude. Funitels combine a short time between successive cabins with a high capacity per cabin, funitels are able to tolerate higher wind speeds than classic gondola lifts because they are fastened to two steel cables instead of one
Aerial lift
–
Roosevelt Island Tramway
Aerial lift
–
8-passenger gondola lift in Panticosa Ski Resort,
Spain.
Aerial lift
–
Plateau Rosa aerial tramway, in
Cervinia,
Italy, moves 120 people at a time to 3480m glacier.
Aerial lift
–
Singapore Cable Car over sea
29.
Steel
–
Steel is an alloy of iron and other elements, primarily carbon, that is widely used in construction and other applications because of its high tensile strength and low cost. Steels base metal is iron, which is able to take on two forms, body centered cubic and face centered cubic, depending on its temperature. It is the interaction of those allotropes with the elements, primarily carbon. In the body-centred cubic arrangement, there is an atom in the centre of each cube. Carbon, other elements, and inclusions within iron act as hardening agents that prevent the movement of dislocations that otherwise occur in the lattices of iron atoms. The carbon in steel alloys may contribute up to 2. 1% of its weight. Steels strength compared to pure iron is possible at the expense of irons ductility. With the invention of the Bessemer process in the mid-19th century and this was followed by Siemens-Martin process and then Gilchrist-Thomas process that refined the quality of steel. With their introductions, mild steel replaced wrought iron, further refinements in the process, such as basic oxygen steelmaking, largely replaced earlier methods by further lowering the cost of production and increasing the quality of the product. Today, steel is one of the most common materials in the world and it is a major component in buildings, infrastructure, tools, ships, automobiles, machines, appliances, and weapons. Modern steel is generally identified by various grades defined by assorted standards organizations, the noun steel originates from the Proto-Germanic adjective stakhlijan, which is related to stakhla. The carbon content of steel is between 0. 002% and 2. 1% by weight for plain iron–carbon alloys and these values vary depending on alloying elements such as manganese, chromium, nickel, iron, tungsten, carbon and so on. Basically, steel is an alloy that does not undergo eutectic reaction. In contrast, cast iron does undergo eutectic reaction, too little carbon content leaves iron quite soft, ductile, and weak. Carbon contents higher than those of steel make an alloy, commonly called pig iron, while iron alloyed with carbon is called carbon steel, alloy steel is steel to which other alloying elements have been intentionally added to modify the characteristics of steel. Common alloying elements include, manganese, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, boron, titanium, vanadium, tungsten, cobalt, and niobium. Additional elements are important in steel, phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, and traces of oxygen, nitrogen, and copper. Alloys with a higher than 2. 1% carbon content, depending on other element content, cast iron is not malleable even when hot, but it can be formed by casting as it has a lower melting point than steel and good castability properties
Steel
–
The
steel cable of a
colliery winding tower
Steel
–
Steels and other iron–carbon alloy phases
Steel
–
Iron ore pellets for the production of steel
Steel
–
A Bessemer converter in
Sheffield,
England
jounieh.JPG)
Media related to Gondola lifts at Wikimedia Commons
