1.
Iceland
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Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of 332,529 and an area of 103,000 km2, the capital and largest city is Reykjavík. Reykjavík and the areas in the southwest of the country are home to over two-thirds of the population. Iceland is volcanically and geologically active, the interior consists of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a climate, despite a high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle. Its high latitude and marine influence still keeps summers chilly, with most of the archipelago having a tundra climate. According to the ancient manuscript Landnámabók, the settlement of Iceland began in the year 874 AD when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the first permanent settler on the island. In the following centuries, Norwegians, and to a lesser extent other Scandinavians, emigrated to Iceland, the island was governed as an independent commonwealth under the Althing, one of the worlds oldest functioning legislative assemblies. Following a period of strife, Iceland acceded to Norwegian rule in the 13th century. The establishment of the Kalmar Union in 1397 united the kingdoms of Norway, Denmark, Iceland thus followed Norways integration to that Union and came under Danish rule after Swedens secession from that union in 1523. In the wake of the French revolution and the Napoleonic wars, Icelands struggle for independence took form and culminated in independence in 1918, until the 20th century, Iceland relied largely on subsistence fishing and agriculture, and was among the poorest in Europe. Industrialisation of the fisheries and Marshall Plan aid following World War II brought prosperity, in 1994, it became a part of the European Economic Area, which further diversified the economy into sectors such as finance, biotechnology, and manufacturing. Iceland has an economy with relatively low taxes compared to other OECD countries. It maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides health care. Iceland ranks high in economic, political and social stability and equality, in 2013, it was ranked as the 13th most-developed country in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index. Iceland runs almost completely on renewable energy, some bankers were jailed, and the economy has made a significant recovery, in large part due to a surge in tourism. Icelandic culture is founded upon the nations Scandinavian heritage, most Icelanders are descendants of Germanic and Gaelic settlers. Icelandic, a North Germanic language, is descended from Old Norse and is related to Faroese
2.
Whale watching
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Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity, but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes, a study prepared for IFAW in 2009 estimated that 13 million people went whale watching globally in 2008. Whale watching generates $2.1 billion per annum in revenue worldwide. The size and rapid growth of the industry has led to complex, in 1955 the first water-based whale watching commenced in the same area, charging customers $1 per trip to view the whales at closer quarters. The industry spread throughout the western coast of the United States over the following decade, in 1984, Erich Hoyt published the first comprehensive book on whale watching, The Whale Watchers Handbook which Mark Carwardine called his number one natural classic book in BBC Wildlife Magazine. By 1985 more visitors watched whales from New England than California, Whale watching tourism has grown substantially since the mid-1980s. The first worldwide survey of whale watching was conducted by Erich Hoyt for the Whale and it was updated in 1995 and submitted by the UK government to the International Whaling Commission meetings as a demonstration of the value of living whales. In 1999, the IFAW commissioned Erich Hoyt to expand the detail and coverage of the survey, in 2009 the survey was completed by a team of economists and this report estimated that in 2008,13 million people went whale watching, up from 9 million ten years earlier. Commercial whale watching operations were found in 119 countries, direct revenue of whale watching trips was estimated at US$872.7 million and indirect revenue of $2,113.1 million was spent by whale watchers in tourism-related businesses. Whale watching is of importance to developing countries. This manual, later translated into Spanish, French, Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese and Dutch, with co-sponsorship from WDCS, IFAW and Global Ocean was updated in English in 2012 in ebook form. The rapid growth of the number of whale watching trips and the size of used to watch whales may affect whale behavior, migratory patterns. There is now evidence that whale watching can significantly affect the biology and ecology of whales. Do not allow swimming with dolphins, in Uruguay, where whales can be watched from the beach, legislators have designated the countrys territorial waters as a sanctuary for whales and dolphins. It is illegal to be less than 300 metres from a whale, Whale watching tours are available in various locations and climates. By area, they are, In South Africa, the town of Hermanus is one of the centers for whale watching. Between May and December southern right whales come so close to the Cape shoreline that visitors can watch whales from their hotels, the town employs a whale crier to walk through the town announcing where whales have been seen. Visitors can also see humpback whales from the lighthouse at Cape Recife, plettenberg Bay is visited by southern right whales in the winter months and humpback whales in the summer months
3.
Polar bear
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The polar bear is a carnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is a bear, approximately the same size as the omnivorous Kodiak bear. A boar weighs around 350–700 kg, while a sow is about half that size, although most polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their time on the sea ice. Their scientific name means maritime bear and derives from this fact, Polar bears hunt their preferred food of seals from the edge of sea ice, often living off fat reserves when no sea ice is present. Because of expected habitat loss caused by change, the polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species. For decades, large-scale hunting raised international concern for the future of the species, for thousands of years, the polar bear has been a key figure in the material, spiritual, and cultural life of circumpolar peoples, and polar bears remain important in their cultures. Constantine John Phipps was the first to describe the polar bear as a species in 1774. He chose the scientific name Ursus maritimus, the Latin for maritime bear, the Inuit refer to the animal as nanook. The Yupik also refer to the bear as nanuuk in Siberian Yupik, the bear is umka in the Chukchi language. In Russian, it is usually called бе́лый медве́дь, though a word still in use is ошку́й. In the Norwegian-administered Svalbard archipelago, the bear is referred to as Isbjørn. The polar bear was considered to be in its own genus. The bear family, Ursidae, is thought to have split off from other carnivorans about 38 million years ago, the Ursinae subfamily originated approximately 4.2 million years ago. The oldest known polar bear fossil is a 130,000 to 110, 000-year-old jaw bone, fossils show that between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago, the polar bears molar teeth changed significantly from those of the brown bear. Polar bears are thought to have diverged from a population of bears that became isolated during a period of glaciation in the Pleistocene or from the eastern part of Siberia. The evidence from DNA analysis is more complex, the mitochondrial DNA of the polar bear diverged from the brown bear, Ursus arctos, roughly 150,000 years ago. The mtDNA of extinct Irish brown bears is particularly close to polar bears, when the polar bear was originally documented, two subspecies were identified, Ursus maritimus maritimus by Constantine J. Phipps in 1774, and Ursus maritimus marinus by Peter Simon Pallas in 1776. This distinction has since been invalidated, one alleged fossil subspecies has been identified, Ursus maritimus tyrannus became extinct during the Pleistocene
4.
The Exploration Museum
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The Exploration Museum is dedicated to the history of human exploration, from the early explorers to the exploration of space. The museum is located in the center of Húsavík in North Iceland,50 kilometres from the Arctic Circle, the museum was founded in 2011 and formally opened in 2014 by the President of Iceland. The main exhibition room features photographs and artifacts from the Apollo Astronaut Training near Húsavík in 1965 and 1967, the second exhibition room features the history of Viking Exploration. Upstairs is dedicated to the exploration of the regions and the races to the north and south pole. The basement details expeditions which travelled underground and beneath the sea, the Exploration Museum opened its first exhibition in May 2011, detailing the Apollo geology training in Iceland in 1965 and 1967. The exhibition was opened 50 years after US president John F. Kennedy first announced the goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of 1969, the geology field exercises were intended to develop the astronauts observational skills in recognizing basic geologic structures. Over 50 photographs from the training are in the museums collection. On the same occasion, Neil Armstrongs grandchildren unveiled a monument outside the museum, the museum had previously been visited by Apollo 8 astronaut, William Anders, and SkyLab and Space Shuttle astronaut Owen Garriott. The Viking Explorers exhibition details the history of Viking exploration and settlement, among the items on display are portraits of some of the most known Viking explorers, including Leif Ericson, Erik the Red, Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir and Garðar Svavarsson. The first expedition to reach the geographic South Pole was led by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and he and four others arrived at the pole in December 1911, five weeks ahead of a British party led by Robert Falcon Scott as part of the Terra Nova Expedition. Photographs from the two expedition and replicas of equipment used by the explorers are among the items on display, Amundsen and his team returned safely to their base. Scott and his four companions died on their return journey
5.
Dettifoss
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Dettifoss is a waterfall in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and is reputed to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The water comes from the nearby Vatnajökull glacier, whose sediment-rich runoff colors the water a greyish white, the superlative of most powerful comes from its water flow times its fall distance. The water of the wide Jökulsá á Fjöllum river falls for more than 144 feet, causing a massive, the Norwegian cascade Sarpefossen has a greater average water flow, but only with about half the height of Dettifoss. Dettifoss is situated on the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river, which flows from the Vatnajökull glacier, the falls are 100 metres wide and have a drop of 44 metres down to the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon. It is the largest waterfall in Iceland in terms of volume discharge, Dettifoss can be reached by a new tarmac road and an older gravel road. On the west bank there are minimal facilities, including a bathroom, on the east bank there is an information panel maintained by the staff of Vatnajökull National Park and a maintained track to the best viewpoints, as well as public restroom. Dettifoss is located on the Diamond Circle, a popular tourist route around Húsavík, the musical composition Dettifoss by Jón Leifs is inspired by this waterfall. The waterfall is featured in the 2012 science-fiction film Prometheus, standing in as landscape on a primordial Earthlike planet, list of waterfalls Waterfalls of Iceland Leffman, David, and Proctor, James. The Rough Guide To Iceland, Rough Guides,281, media related to Dettifoss at Wikimedia Commons Dettifoss on Flickr Dettifoss on World of Waterfalls Dettifoss on YouTube
6.
Karlskoga
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Karlskoga is a locality and the seat of Karlskoga Municipality in Örebro County, Sweden with 27,084 inhabitants in 2010. It is located at the shore of lake Möckeln. The name Karlskoga is derived from Charles IX, with skog meaning woods, the parish of Karlskoga was established in 1586 and a wooden church was soon built. In the 17th century fourteen small iron works and eight waterdriven hammers for bar iron were established, most of these were still operating in the 1860s, but the dominating iron works was the one in nearby Bofors. In 1871, Bofors produced 6,124 metric tons of iron, in 1882, Karlskoga parish had 11,184 inhabitants. The town of Karlskoga has evolved around Bofors, which in late 19th century transformed from iron works to a manufacturer of cannon, the most famous owner of Bofors was Alfred Nobel who owned the company from 1894 until his death in December 1896. He had the key role in reshaping the iron manufacturer to a modern cannon manufacturer, during the summers of 1894–1896 he also lived in the manor house Björkborn. Even though he died in his villa in Sanremo, Italy and had a home in Paris, because of that it was here his famous testament that was written in Paris 1895 was legally registered, which eventually made it possible to establish the Nobel Prize. In 1940 the town of Karlskoga and the area got the formal title of a city. Since 1971 this term has no meaning and only the built-up area is considered a de facto town
7.
Fredrikstad
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Fredrikstad is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad, the city of Fredrikstad was founded in 1567 by King Frederick II, and established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. The rural municipality of Glemmen was merged with Fredrikstad on 1 January 1964, the rural municipalities of Borge, Onsøy, Kråkerøy, and Rolvsøy were merged with Fredrikstad on 1 January 1994. The city straddles the river Glomma where it meets the Skagerrak, along with neighboring Sarpsborg, Fredrikstad forms the fifth largest city in Norway, Fredrikstad/Sarpsborg. As of 1 January 2013, according to Statistics Norway, these two municipalities have a population of 128,916 with 75,583 in Fredrikstad and 53,333 in Sarpsborg. Fredrikstad was built at the mouth of Glomma as a replacement after Sarpsborg was burned down by the Swedes, almost half the population of Sarpsborg stayed behind, and rebuilt their old town at its original site. The city centre is on the west bank of the Glomma, Fredrikstad used to have a large sawmill industry and was an important harbour for timber export, then later on shipbuilding, until the main yard was closed in the 1980s. The main industries are currently various chemical plants and other light industry, in 2005, Fredrikstad was the final host port for the Tall Ships Race, attracting thousands to the city. The city was named after the Danish king Frederick II in 1569, the last element stad means city. Prior to 1877, the name was spelled Frederiksstad, then from 1877–1888 it was written as Fredriksstad, the coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 21 April 1967, the old arms are based on the oldest known seal of the city, which dates from 1610. They showed a fortress being guarded by a bear, strangely, Fredrikstad had no fortifications in 1610. Fredrikstad was founded by citizens of Sarpsborg and both the fortress and the bear are taken from the old arms of Sarpsborg, the composition of the seal was also used as arms since the beginning of the 19th century. The new arms were granted at the 400th anniversary of the city in 1967 and show a modern variation on the fortress. This new sites proximity to the sea and the open land surrounding it made it a better location than the old one. The name Fredrikstad was first used in a letter from the King dated 6 February 1569, the temporary fortification built during the Hannibal War between Sweden and Denmark-Norway, became permanent in the 1660s. The work on the fortifications was first led by William de Coucheron, during the next 60 years, several fortifications at the Fredrikstad Fortress were built, including Isegran, Kongsten, and Cicignon. In 1735, a suburb on the side of Glomma
8.
Aalborg
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Aalborg, also spelled Ålborg, is an industrial and university city in the North of Jutland, Denmark. It has an population of 112,194, making it the fourth most populous city in Denmark. With a population of 210,316, the Municipality of Aalborg is the third most populous in the country after Copenhagen, by road Aalborg is 64 kilometres southwest of Frederikshavn, and 118 kilometres north of Aarhus. The distance to Copenhagen is 412 kilometres, the earliest settlements date to around AD700. Aalborgs position at the narrowest point on the Limfjord made it an important harbour during the Middle Ages, architecturally, the city is known for its half-timbered mansions built by its prosperous merchants. Budolfi Church, now a cathedral, dates from the end of the 14th century and Aalborghus Castle, today, Aalborg is a city in transition from a working-class industrial area to a knowledge-based community. A major exporter of grain, cement, and spirits, its business interests include Siemens Wind Power, Aalborg Industries. These companies have become global producers of wind turbine rotors, marine boilers, with its theatres, symphony orchestra, opera company, performance venues, and museums such as Aalborg Historical Museum and the Aalborg Museum of Modern Art, Aalborg is an important cultural hub. The Aalborg Carnival, held at the end of May, is one of the largest festivals in Scandinavia, the major university is the University of Aalborg, founded in 1974, which has more than 17,000 students. Trænregimentet, the Danish regiment for army supply and emergency personnel, is also in Aalborg. Aalborg University Hospital, the largest in the north of Jutland, was founded in 1881. The football club Aalborg BK, established in 1885 and based at Nordjyske Arena, won the Danish Superliga in the 1994–95 season, the 1998–99 season, the 2007–08 season and the 2013–14 season. Other sports associations include the icehockey club Aalborg Pirates, the handball team Aalborg Håndbold, the rugby club Aalborg RK. Aalborg Railway Station, on John F. Kennedys Plads has connected the city to Randers, Aalborg Airport is just 6 kilometres northwest of the city centre, and the E45, a European route from Karesuando, Sweden, to Gela, Italy, passes through Aalborg. The European Commission has concluded that the citizens of Aalborg are the most satisfied people in Europe with their city. The area around the narrowest point on the Limfjord attracted settlements as far back as the Iron Age leading to a thriving Viking community until around the year 1000 in what has now become Aalborg. In the Middle Ages, royal trading privileges, a natural harbour, despite the difficulties it experienced over the centuries, the city began to prosper once again towards the end of the 19th century when a bridge was built over Limfjord and the railway arrived. Aalborgs initial growth relied on heavy industry but its current development focuses on culture, Aalborg traces its history back over a thousand years
9.
Eastport, Maine
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Eastport is a small city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,331 at the 2010 census, the principal island is Moose Island, which is connected to the mainland by causeway. Eastport is the easternmost city in the United States, the native Passamaquoddy Tribe has called this area home for at least 10,000 years. Some archeologists estimate the habitation at 20,000 years, the first known European contact was the St. Croix colony founded by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1604. Near present-day Calais, the unsuccessful Saint Croix Island Acadia settlement predates the first successful English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, on June 25,1604, Champlain and his men spent a long and severe winter on St. Croix Island with no fresh water and diminished supplies. Two-fifths of the men died of scurvy, and the colony moved across the Bay of Fundy to Port Royal in present-day Nova Scotia, fishermen and traders visited the area in the 17th century. Moose Island was first settled in 1772 by James Cochrane of Newburyport, Massachusetts, on February 24,1798, Eastport was incorporated as a town from Plantation Number 8 PS by the Massachusetts General Court, and named for being the easternmost port in the United States. Lubec, on the mainland, was set off and incorporated as a town on June 21,1811, from 1807 to 1809, the town was a center of extensive two-way smuggling during the Embargo Act imposed by President Thomas Jefferson. England claimed that Moose Island was on the British side of the border which had been determined in 1783. Nevertheless, the town was returned to United States control in 1818, the boundary between the U. S. and Canada in the area remained disputed until settled by the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842. Eastport would be incorporated as a city on March 18,1893, industries included a grain mill, box factory and carding mill. But the islands economy was directed at the sea. With tides of about 25 feet, Eastports spacious harbor remained ice-free year round, the first sardine factory was built here about 1875. The population grew with the emergence of the fishery and related canning businesses. By 1886, the town contained 13 sardine factories, which operated day and night during the season, about 800 men, women and children worked in the plants. But the industry would decline, and many moved away. Indeed, the city went bankrupt in 1937, in 1976, the Groundhog Day Gale destroyed many structures along the waterfront. Today, catching fish remains the industry, although tourism has become important as well
