The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders around the globe, also a greatinvention of Chinese, was listed like a World Heritage by UNESCO later. As being a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall ends up and lower across deserts, grasslands, mountain tops and leveling off, stretching roughly 8,851.8 kilometers (5,500 miles) from east to west of China. With past a lot more than 2000 years, a few of the sections have reached ruins or have disappeared. However, it’s still probably the most appealing points of interest all across the globe because of its architectural grandeur and historic significance.

Length: 8,851.8 km (5,500 miles)

Construction Period: A Couple Of,000 years in the Warring States Period (476 BC – 221 BC) to Ming Empire (1368-1644)

The History of Great Wall

For decades, the Chinese individuals have captive-raised their fertile land. Ancient China was ruled by emperors* who stored order and maintained harmony as China blossomed and Chinese culture prospered.

The nomadic tribes, north of China, brought another existence style. Since the nomads* resided around the steppe* where there is inadequate rain fall to develop crops, they moved around grazing sheep and buying and selling horses for food and clothing. These were very good at hunting and fighting.

The nomadic tribes, like the Mongols, exchanged horses for their Chinese neighbors for things they couldn’t produce themselves for example grain, silk and iron.

The truly amazing variations between your two cultures frequently brought to conflict. Once the nomads couldn’t get the things they wanted by buying and selling, they’d steal and plunder in the Chinese to obtain the things they wanted.

Different emperors through the age range had techniques used in coping with the nomads. Some attempted making peace treaties, some sent soldiers to battle the nomads plus some attempted to encourage rules and rules for buying and selling between your two cultures. Other emperors built walls to help keep the nomadic intruders from China.

Qin Shi Huangdi (face shi hwong-dee) was the very first emperor of China (221 B.C.-206 B.C.). He’s credited for developing a unified China by overcoming independent states termed as the Warring States. To be able to defend his new unified country against entering nomads, Qin Shi Huangdi built the very first lengthy wall in China. Based on Chinese legend, a lot more than 800,000 soldiers, peasants and criminals labored for ten years to construct it. Through the years, the wall fell into ruins along with other walls were built by other emperors to help keep out intruders wherever they made an appearance.

The nomads were a disjointed group with inadequate guy energy to overcome China despite their fierceness until Genghis Khan, a gifted and ambitious fighter, impressed other tribes to become listed on with him to plunder China’s riches. For several years the fighting continued. Lots of people and metropolitan areas were destroyed. In 1279, Genghis Khan’s grand son, Khubilai or Kublai Khan (koo-bill-eye-kahn) overthrew the final emperor of China and required the throne for themself and the descendants and named his new empire the Yuan Empire. Khan ruled in the city that we understand today as Beijing. Throughout this time around, Marco Polo showed up at Khan’s court. Polo traveled to China from his home in Italia and remained in China for the following 17 years. It had been Polo’s reviews about China, after coming back the place to find Italia, that sparked curiousity about China among Men and women.

In 1449, the Mongols assaulted China again and kidnapped Zhu Qizhen, Boy of Paradise, sixth emperor from the Ming empire and ruler of China. Once more, energy had moved towards the Mongol intruders plus they threatened to attack the Forbidden City.

By 1644, the Great Wall of China went from Jiayuguan in the western world, beyond the Gobi Desert, over the Yellow River, past Peking (Beijing) completely to Shanhaiguan around the Bohai Ocean within the east. With time, the planet outdoors China was altering. The Manchus, another nomadic tribe, assaulted the Forbidden City and grabbed energy by providing to assist the leaders from the Ming empire. They rather grabbed the throne and established the Qing (ching) empire. The combined forces from the Manchu and Chinese soldiers drove the Mongols to distant areas of the steppe and also the Qing empire controlled each side from the Great Wall and also the Mongols were no more a threat. In 1912, a 2 years old boy named Pu Yi grew to become the final emperor of China whenever a revolt brought by Sun Yat-sen put the Manchus from energy. China then grew to become a republic headed with a leader. The times of emperors and dynasties had ended in China.

In 1949, the republic of China brought by Chiang Kai-shek, was overthrown by communists brought by Mao Zedong. Chiang Kai-shek and the fans fled towards the island of Taiwan. Mao Zedong made China a communist country and gave it a brand new title, the Individuals Republic of China.

The Construction of Great Wall 

The mystery of the construction of the wall is amazing. The construction, which drew heavily on the local resources for construction materials, was carried out in-line with the local conditions under the management of contract and responsibility system. A great army of manpower, composed of soldiers, prisoners and local people, built the wall. The construction result demonstrates the wisdom and tenacity of the Chinese people.

Today’s Great Wall

Through Western contact with China from the 17th through 20th centuries, the legend of the Great Wall of China grew along with tourism to the wall. Restoration and rebuilding took place in the 20th century and in 1987 the Great Wall of China was made a World Heritage Site. Today, a portion of the Great Wall of China about 50 miles (80 km) from Beijing receives thousands of tourists each day.

Can the Great Wall seen from the Moon ?

The myth of being able to see the Great Wall from space originated in Richard Halliburton’s 1938 (long before humans saw the earth from space) book Second Book of Marvels said that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from the moon.

From a low orbit of the earth, many artificial objects are visible on the earth, such as highways, ships in the sea, railroads, cities, fields of crops, and even some individual buildings. While at a low orbit, the Great Wall of China can certainly be seen from space but it is not unique in that regard.

However, when leaving the earth’s orbit and acquiring an altitude of more than a few thousand miles, no man-made objects are visible at all. NASA says, “The Great Wall can barely be seen from the Shuttle, so it would not be possible to see it from the Moon with the naked eye.”

Amazon River

he Amazon River is the second longest river (Only to the Nile), in the world and the longest and largest river of South America.
The river is 6,437 kilometres long, and carries more water than any other river, even more than the Mississippi, Nile, and Yangtze rivers together.
The river is 2.5 to 10 kilometres wide during most of its course.
At some points it is too wide for a person on one bank to see the opposite shore.
It widens to about 150 kilometres at its mouth.
The depth of the Amazon averages about 10 metres and increases to more than 90 metres at some places.
The Amazon River Basin covers about 7,000,000 square kilometres and is the world's largest tropical rainforest.
The temperature averages 29 °C nearly throughout the year.
Rainfall in the Amazon region ranges from 130 centimetres in the low-lying areas to 305 centimetres near the Andes Mountains in Peru.
The air is very humid throughout most of the river basin.
Ocean going vessels can sail about 3,700 kilometres up the Amazon to Iquitos, in Peru.
Belem, on the Para River, and Manaus, 1,600 kilometres upstream from the mouth of the Amazon, are important ports.
The Amazon begins 5,240 metres above sea level in the Andes Mountains of Peru as a small stream called the Apurimac River.
The Apurimac joins the Ucayali River, and they join the Maranon River, the Amazon's upper branch near Iquitos, Peru, and form the main channel of the Amazon.
The river continues eastward across Brazil and flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Amazon tumbles rapidly through the Andes and falls about 5,000 metres during the first 970 kilometres.
It falls only about 240 metres more during the rest of its course.
The river flows at a speed of about 2.5 kilometres per hour during the dry season, but the flow increases to about 5 kilometres per hour in the rainy season.
More than 200 streams and rivers flow into the Amazon River. An unusually high ocean tide occasionally overpowers the current at the mouth of the Amazon.
This creates a wall of water called a 'bore' that measures up to 4.5 metres high and rushes upstream.
Many different fish live in the Amazon River, including the fierce, flesh-eating piranha and the pirarucu, one of the largest fresh-water fish of South America.
The basin area is the home of such animals as alligators, anacondas, monkeys, parrots, sloths, and many species of insects.
The indigenous Indians lived in the Amazon River basin before white people first came to the area.
In 1500, Vincente Pinzon, a Spanish explorer, was probably the first European to see the Amazon.
In 1541 and 1542, Francisco de Orellana, another Spaniard led the first exploration of the river by a European.
His expedition followed the Amazon from the mouth of the Napo River in Peru to the Atlantic.
Orellana and his group was attacked on their journey by fierce female Indian warriors.
The Spaniards called their attackers Amazons, after the female warriors in Greek mythology.
The name was later given to the river and the nearby area.
During the mid-1800's, the Amazon basin became an important source of rubber, obtained from trees in the region, until about 1910, when plantations in Southeast Asia began to produce rubber more cheaply, and the economy of the region collapsed.
Since the 1960's, the Brazilian government has built roads and airports in the Amazon basin.
New towns and farms have been established in the basin, and its population has grown.

The Amazon rain forest has a great variety of plant life.
Scientists have found more than 3,000 species of plants in 2.5 square kilometres there.
The trees stand as tall as 60 metres.
Their tops grow so close together that only a little sunlight can reach the ground.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Folklore History of Iguazu Falls

Once upon a time, a Guarani warrior named Caroba, who was in love with a pretty Indian maiden named Naipi, took her into his canoe and fled the village, paddling for all he was worth down the Iguazu River.

But Caroba was not the only one who was enamoured of the fair Naipi. She had also attracted the romantic attention of a forest god. When the forest god saw Caroba paddling downriver with Naipi, he was angry.

To try to stop Caroba, the angry forest god made the land under the river disappear. Naipi fell out of the canoe and dropped over the edge. She landed at the bottom, and turned into a rock. Caroba turned into a tree that overlooks this rock. Where the river bottom disappeared or fell away is the site of Iguazu Falls.

Geological History of Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls was created in the area where the Rio Iguacu (Iguazu River, in Portuguese) in Brazil flows over a basalt rock plateau that ends at the Parana River. Basalt is formed from a lava flow. There are actually 275 waterfalls in the full Iguazu series.

Interesting Facts about Argentina Iguazu Falls

This signpost at Iguazu Falls shows some of the other large waterfalls around the world.

• First European to See Iguazu Falls Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish explorer
  
  Ways to spell Iguazu Iguazu (Spanish); Iguacu, Iguassu (Portuguese)
  
  Words meaning Waterfalls Saltos, Cataratas (cataracts; Spanish), fos (Portuguese)
  
  How long are Iguazu Falls? 2.7 kilometers (1.67 miles)
  
  How many waterfalls make up Iguazu? There are about 275 waterfalls, about two-thirds of which are in Argentina.
  
  How high is Iquazu Falls? Devil's Throat Falls is highest falls, at 269 feet (82 m) and 490 feet (700 m.) wide. Devil's Throat Falls is a natural border between Argentina and Brazil.

More on Argentina Iguazu Falls ~ Major Waterfalls around the world

Here's a close up look at the sign detail at the National Park in Argentina Iguazu Falls:

Canada has two on this list, and Brasil (Brazil) has four water falls to its credit; worth exploring!

History of Iguazu Falls not the Main Attraction . . .

The waterfalls are! My walking tour at Argentina Iguazu Falls was a highlight of my South American trip. To stand close to the base of one of these water falls on a hot tropical noontime and be drenched in the spray is bliss!

My one regret is that the Iguazu National Park Sheraton Hotel, located within the park, was fully booked at the time of my visit. When I next visit Iguazu, I plan to book the hotel well in advance, preferably when a full moon tour is scheduled, and to stay longer!

See also Argentina Iguazu Falls Maps to orient yourself. Traveling to Argentina? See Argentina travel info about visas, climate, language, etc. Two thirds of Iguazu water falls are in Argentina.

The Angel Falls Venezuela

The Angel Falls Venezuela may be one of the most popular tourist attractions of nature lovers in all the world. The Angel Falls is the largest waterfall in the world with a free falling drop of 3,212 feet home in the Canaima National Park in the region of Bolivar State a remote area.

Of course with all wonders of the world you will hear a variety of tales of their discover and Angel Falls is no different. One tale is that Sir Walter Raleigh was the first to discover this magnificent waterfall, however, other names have also been mentioned when discussing their discover which are Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz a Venezuelan explorer in 1912 and James Crawford Angel an American aviator in 1933. The falls received their name when James Angel along with his wife and three other guests tried to land a small plane near the falls. The plane did land; however, the wheels sank into the swamp ground and could not take flight. No one was injured during the landing, and in honor of the man that publicized the find of the largest waterfall in the world took on his name, which we all know today as Angel Falls.

The best time to visit Angel Falls South America is during the peak rainy season, which is June to October. At this time, the water flow is magnificent and of course, more breath taking than if you visit during the dry season from January to April when Angel Falls Venezuela may only trickle.

Angel Falls tours offer three different ways in which to see this spectacular natural beauty, which is by boat, by plane, and by hiking. You can find Angel Falls tours that will take you by boat for a camping trip over 2 to 4 days or a shorter trip that will take you by motorized dugout canoe up the river. The longer camping Angel Falls tours have guests spending the night in hammock camps. By air, you will be taken by small commercial planes above and in front of the Angel Falls, which gives you a glorious view of the falls.

Angel Falls South America is not as easy to reach as you might imagine, so be ready for a trek. The Angel Falls are in a remote area of Venezuela with the closest camping area at Canaima about 30 miles from the falls. From here, the best way to reach the Angel Falls is by traveling up the river with an Angel Falls tour.

Hiking tours are also very popular that takes visitors through the jungle, the canyons, and the grasslands that most visitors do not see with other tours. This allows guests to explore more of the Canaima National Park than just the Angel Falls South America.

The choice is yours as to what way in which you wish to see the Angel Falls, whether you take an easy fly by flight or a long hiking tour through the jungle.

Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Brazil

The Statue of Christ the Redeemer history starts in the XVIth Century when the Portuguese named the mountain Pináculo da Tentação (The Pinnacle [peak] of Temptation), alluding to the Biblical Mountain. 
 
A century passes and the mountain is re-baptized to Corcovado, a name derived from its form, which resembles a hump or hunchback. The next recordings of christ the redeemer history is in 1924 when Dom Pedro personally led the first official expedition to Corcovado Mountain, resulting in the opening of an accessable way up.

Then in 1859 the Vincentian father Pedro Maria Boss arrived Rio de Janeiro and was struck by the mystorious beauty of the corcovado mountain and suggested the the construction of a religous monument in honour of Princess Isabel, which in 1921 gave way for the idea of a great statue of christ viewable by all in the marvelous city of Rio. From 1859 to 1921, Dom Pedro gave his consent for the building of the Corcovado Railroad line between Cosme Velho and Paineiras, which would be an essential part of undertaking the Redentor.

In 1922, on the markation of Brazilian independence and a milepeal in the Statue of Christ the Redeemer history, the work began for fullfilling the ambisious project with the fundamental stone beeing put inplace on the 22.april.

After a hard competition, the project by the engineer Heitor da Silva Costa is chosen and in September, a national fundraising campaign for the works is organized.

 
Finally, in 1927, the construction of the statue begins after models of diverse sizes had been constructed. All calculations were done by Coast Hisses, helped by Pedro Viana and Heitor Levy, which during the years of construction, resided in a shed of wood at the foot of the monument. 
 

RAILROAD

All the necessary work material and workers who participated in the construction of the Christ statue were transported to Corcovado by the trains from the railroad that links the street Cosme Velha, which today functions as a tourist train to the top. The train was the first in Brasil appointed exclusively to transportation of tourists and also the first train to work by electricity.

INAUGURATION

1931 – Is the famous year in the Statue of Christ the Redeemer history, where the monument is inaugurated on the 12 October. The final design of the monument was authored by the fine artist Carlos Oswald and the French Sculptor Paul Landowski was placed in charge of executing the sculpture. The monument to Christ, the Redeemer on the Corcovado mountain becomes the largest art déco sculpture in the world.  

Up till today, several reforms have been completed to ensure the quality of O Christo Redentor. Lighting has been added, and the latest renewal of September 2002 is the addition of a panoramic elevator and motorized staircase to ease the difficulty for elderly persons. ( It used to be a hard rise of 220 steps to get to the top )  

All the equipment, bought from the Elevators Otis, will be painted in green. They are manufactured in the France and they produce little noise. The elevators are “politically correct”, by the fact that they will not use oils lubricants in the system.  

Projects are also underway to renewal of toilets and trashcans and the enlargement of the parking.. 

THE DEAD SEA, ISRAEL

THE DEAD SEA

The Dead Sea in Israel is the lowest place on the planet and the biggest spa on the face of the earth.

The Dead Sea is globally famous for its unique ability to heal many illnesses and solve 

many health-related problems - dermatological diseases, muscle problems, rheumatism, 

problems associated with the circulation of the blood, and more. 

The Dead Sea is one of the world's richest sources of salt and medicinal mud and this is due to 

the high concentration of minerals in its water - magnesium, potassium, sodium, and many more. 

The concentration of minerals in the Dead Sea is about 30% (weight per volume), 

compared with about 2% in the water of the oceans of the world.

Some 26 minerals are to be found in the Dead Sea. 

These minerals are not sensitive to oxidization, so that in practice, 

their therapeutic qualities are conserved, since some are lipophilic and are capable of 

penetrating the epidermis.

Until the winter of 1978-79, when a major mixing event took place, 

the Dead Sea was composed of two stratified layers of water that differed in temperature, 

density, age, and salinity. The topmost 35 metres (115 ft) or so of the Dead Sea had a salinity 

that ranged between 300 and 400 parts per thousand and a temperature that swung 

between 19 °C (66 °F) and 37 °C (99 °F). Underneath a zone of transition, 

the lowest level of the Dead Sea had waters of a consistent 22 °C (72 °F) temperature and 

complete saturation of sodium chloride (NaCl).[citation needed] Since the water near the 

bottom is saturated, the salt precipitates out of solution onto the sea floor.

Composition of Dead Sea Water

Calcium sulfate 0.70

Magnesium bromide 0.90

Magnesium chloride 12.30

Calcium chloride 3.46

Natrium chloride 8.55

Potassium chloride 1.07

Beginning in the 1960s water inflow to the Dead Sea from the Jordan River was reduced as a result of large-scale irrigation and generally low rainfall. 

By 1975 the upper water layer of the Dead Sea was saltier than the lower layer. 

Nevertheless, the upper layer remained suspended above the lower layer because its waters were warmer and thus less dense. 

When the upper layer finally cooled down so that its density was greater than the lower layer, the waters of the Dead Sea mixed (1978-79). 

For the first time in centuries the lake was a homogeneous body of water. Since then stratification has begun to redevelop.

[8] The mineral content of the Dead Sea is very different from that of ocean water. 

The exact composition of the Dead Sea water varies mainly with season, depth and temperature. 

In the early 1980s the concentration of ionic species (in g/kg) of Dead Sea surface water was Cl− (181.4), Br− (4.2), SO42− (0.4), HCO3− (0.2), Ca2+ (14.1), 

Na+ (32.5), K+ (6.2) and Mg2+ (35.2). The total salinity was 276 g/kg.[9] These results show that w/w% composition of the salt, 

as anhydrous chlorides, was calcium chloride (CaCl2) 14.4%, potassium chloride (KCl) 4.4%, magnesium chloride (MgCl2) 50.8% and 

sodium chloride (common salt, NaCl) 30.4%. In comparison, the salt in the water of most oceans and seas is approximately 97% sodium chloride. 

The concentration of sulfate ions (SO42−) is very low, and the concentration of bromide ions (Br−) is the highest of all waters on Earth. 

The sea itself is abundant in minerals acclaimed to have therapeutic value.

The salt concentration of the Dead Sea fluctuates around 31.5%. 

This is unusually high and results in a nominal density of 1.24 kg/L. Anyone can easily float in the Dead Sea because of natural buoyancy. 

In this respect the Dead Sea is similar to the Great Salt Lake in Utah in the United States.

An unusual feature of the Dead Sea is its discharge of asphalt. 

From deep seeps, the Dead Sea constantly spits up small pebbles and blocks of the black substance.

[10] Asphalt coated figurines and bitumen coated Neolithic skulls from archaeological sites have been found. 

Egyptian mummification processes used asphalt imported from the Dead Sea region.