London

London

Don’t get lost in the vast metropolitan of London!

  • London is one of the greatest cities worldwide, and it is located in Europe’s England, in the United Kingdom, and it is the capital of both England and the UK.
  • London is the home to four World Heritage Sites: the Westminster Abbey and Palace that includes the Big Ben; Tower of London; Kew Gardens; and a section of the area of Greenwich; and it is also home to many other notable sites including Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square.
  • The first main colonisation of London, originally known as Londinium, was by the Roman Empire from 43 AD, and while it housed up to 60,000 people in the second century, it eventually declined until it was mostly deserted for up to 200 years, however, once it was re-established by King Alfred from 886 AD, it grew to become a central power in the 11th century.
  • London has been struck by numerous devastating disasters throughout history, including the Black Plague of 1665 to 1666, the Great Fire of 1666, and the Blitz bombing during World War II.
  • London was the first city to have held the Olympic Games on three occasions, in 1908, 1948 and 2012.

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Part of London
Image courtesy of fkwiatkowski/Flickr
  • As of 2013, London was the largest city in the United Kingdom, with a metropolitan population of more than 13.5 million people, and it covered an area of 1,583 square kilometres (611 square miles) with the main city in the centre, and this ‘Greater’ region contained approximately 8.5 million people, of which approximately 36% were born in other countries.
  • Temperatures in London range on average from 2.1°C to 23.6°C (35.8°F to 74.5°F); and the lowest and highest recorded temperatures were -13.6°C and 38.1°C (7.5°F and 100.6°F respectively).
  • It has been claimed that London is one of the ‘greenest’ cities in the world, and it is the home to many parks, such as Hyde Park, and as such, it contains over 2,000 vegetation species, 60 bird and 120 fish species, as well as many other animal species.
  • London had a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of around $669 billion in 2005, with primary income based in the finance sector, with tourism being another prominent area, with more than 14 million individuals visiting the city annually.
  • London is home to much history and culture, particularly in the arts, such as seen by the multiple museums and galleries, and it is often depicted in literature.
Bibliography:
London, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London
London at a Glance, n.d, Visitlondon.com, http://www.visitlondon.com/discover-london/london-highlights/london-at-a-glance?ref=nav

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Venice

Venice

Venice is a city of history and water.

  • Venice is a city located in Europe, in the northeastern area of Italy, that is made of a lagoon, 118 islands, 177 canals and 409 bridges.
  • ‘Venice’ is also known as ‘La Dominante’, ‘City of Masks’, ‘Serenissima’, ‘City of Water’, ‘The Floating City’, ‘Queen of the Adriatic’, ‘City of Canals’ and ‘City of Bridges’.
  • Venice is considered as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 due to the lagoon, canals and historical constructions.
  • Venice was the home to approximately 270,700 people in 2009, and the population count has been historically erratic due to the destructive Black Plague between the 14th to 17th centuries.
  • Venice was probably founded by numerous escapees of surrounding country invasions, and the first ruler, the doge, Paolo Lucio Anafesto, in 697 is believed to have been Exarch Paul.
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Part of Venice
Image courtesy of Diana Robinson/Flickr
  • From the 800s, Venice was a popular trade site, particularly once coastline pirates were defeated; and later it became well known for its famous aritsts, and it now has the most masterpieces per kilometre in the world.
  • Occasionally, Venice is flooded by high tides of the Adriatic Sea, known as ‘acqua alta’, and these especially high tides can increase water depths by up to 1.94 metres (6.36 feet), as recorded in 1966, although generally they are less than a 1.5 metre (4.9 feet) increase.
  • Historical Venice style buildings made from stone or brick, were generally built on timber poles that are embedded in clay, mud and sand, and they mostly remain in good condition, even though they have been submerged in water for hundreds of years.
  • Venice is a very popular tourist destination, with visitors attracted to the city’s incredible architecture and uniqueness, as well as the famous annual Carnival of Venice held early in the year, although the number of visitors, approximately 60,000 every day, has caused some controversy due to the sheer quantity and potential damage they can generate on various levels.
  • Typical transport in Venice includes gondolas and other boats that use the canals; automobiles and trains; and aircraft facilities are also available.
Bibliography:
Venice, 2014, Lonely Planet, http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/venice
Venice, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice
Venice and its Lagoon, 2014, UNESCO WHC, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/394

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New York City

New York City

“I ♥ New York City.”

  • New York City is a city located in the New York State, in the United States of America, and it is the home of many well known places, notably Times Square; the Statue of Liberty; the World Trade Centers; New York Stock Exchange; the Unisphere; Brooklyn Bridge; and Central Park.
  • ‘New York City’ is also known as ‘New York’, ‘City of New York’, ‘NYC’, ‘NY’, ‘Big Apple’ and ‘The City’.
  • During 1785 to 1790, New York City was the capital of the United States of America, and since then, it has had the greatest city population in the US , with an estimated 8.4 million people living in the city itself in 2013 and approximately 20 million in the metropolitan area,
  • New York City was visited by an explorer from Italy, Giovanni da Verrazzano, for the French monarchy, in 1524, which was the first recorded visit by Europeans.
  • New York City itself covers a total area of approximately 1,214 square kilometres (469 square miles), and the metropolitan area extends to 34,490 square kilometres (13,318 square miles).

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Skyline
Image courtesy of Rakkhi Samarasekera/Flickr
  • In 2011, New York City was the home to 5,937 high rises,including the new One World Trade Center, the highest building in the Western hemisphere.
  • New York City has five districts, or boroughs, and is the home to 500 galleries of art, 1,200 schools, four of the costliest sporting stadiums on earth and 113 square kilometres (43.75 square miles) of parkland.
  • It is estimated that more than 800 languages are spoken in New York City, and the city is popularly known for its bagels, pizza and cheesecake, as well as other foreign cuisine.
  • Fifty-two percent of New York City’s families do not own a car, and therefore the city has numerous taxis, the largest and one of the most used subways of rapid transit in the world,  and some of the busiest airline and ferry services.
  • New York City is visited by approximately 55 million people every year, is one of the most significant centres for commerce and business in the world, and in 2010 it had a GMP (gross metropolitan product) of US$1.28 trillion.
Bibliography:
New York City, 2014, History, http://www.history.com/topics/new-york-city
New York City, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City

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