Category Archives: Structures, History and Countries

Amazon Basin

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Amazon Basin

Take in the beauty of the Amazon Basin.

  • The tropical Amazon Basin includes the Amazon River and surrounding areas, in South America, and it drains large volumes of water into the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Approximately two fifths of South America is covered by the Amazon Basin, which equals an area of around 6.9 million square kilometres (2.67 million square miles).
  • The Amazon Basin is the largest of its type on earth, and includes the world’s greatest rainforest, the Amazon rainforest, which covers a majority of the basin.
  • The Amazon Basin contains numerous rivers and tributaries, numbering into the thousands, and the collective flow of water from these sources, into the ocean, is approximately a sixth of the world’s total.
  • The Amazon Basin is said to be the home to over 1500 species of birds, 14,000 mammal species, 2,200 species of fish, 1000 amphibian species, many reptiles, and thousands of insect species.
Amazon Basin, Amazon River, Brown, Long, Windy, Aerial, Lush, Clouds, Ten Random Facts, South America, Rainforest
Part of the Amazon Basin
Image courtesy of Olga Stavrakis/Flickr
  • The Amazon Basin area houses millions of people, including significant populations of indigenous Americans, with the majority settled around the rivers.
  • Typically, the Amazon Basin has a wet and hot atmosphere; floods are common; and while cold temperatures are not, they do suddenly occur and can be damaging to the flora and fauna.
  • Parts of the Amazon Basin have been cleared for agricultural or mining purposes, notably for soybeans, cattle and gold; and the deforestation has caused extinction of many species.
  • Portuguese and Spanish are the most spoken languages of the Amazon Basin area, while hundreds of indigenous and nearly lost languages are evident.
  • The peak, Yerupajá, in Peru’s Waywash mountain range, is the Amazon Basin’s tallest watershed point, reaching 6,635 metres (21,768 feet) in height.
Bibliography:
Amazon Basin, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_basin
Amazon Basin – Brazil, 2015, World Wildlife Fund, http://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/nt0168
Amazon Basin Facts, n.d, Meet Our Animals, http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/amazonia/facts/basinfacts.cfm

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Okapi Wildlife Reserve

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Okapi Wildlife Reserve

Watch the spectacular wildlife at Okapi Wildlife Reserve.

  • Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a protected area in Africa’s Democratic Republic of Congo, in the Ituri Rainforest.
  • ‘Okapi Wildlife Reserve’ is named after its primary protected animal, the okapi, with roughly 5000 located in the park, a sixth of the estimated total population.
  • Okapi Wildlife Reserve covers an area of 13,726 square kilometres (5,300 square miles).
  • Over 100 species of mammal are found in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, including, but not limited to, leopards, antelope, elephants, crocodiles, okapis, primates, buffalo; as well as more than 370 bird species.
  • The UNESCO World Heritage Convention declared Okapi Wildlife Reserve a World Heritage Site in 1996.
Okapi National Park, River, Reserve, Rocks, Water, Land, Environment, Place, Africa
 Part of Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
  • Okapi Wildlife Reserve is the home to three rivers, the Epulu, Ituri and Nepoko Rivers; Mbiya Mountain; as well as numerous deposits of various rocks and minerals including gneiss, mica and granite.
  • The Okapi Conservation Project supports and partners with the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, and helped to establish the reserve in 1992.
  • Okapi Wildlife Reserve is the home of the Epulu Conservation and Research Center, established in 1928, where the Okapi Conservation Project does its work; and the function of the centre is to manage the okapi breeding program, conservation and research, and occasionally send small quantities of okapi to zoos.
  • Approximately 80% of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve can be used for hunting by the thousands of native people living there, for the purpose of providing food to the local communities and villages, as long as traditional techniques are used; but despite this, poaching, deforestation, gold mining and political instability all continue to endanger the reserve.
  • The Epulu Conservation and Research Center and the Okapi Conservation Project in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve suffered a major setback in 2012, when it was directly attacked by a group of rebels and poachers, which resulted in blazed buildings, a number of human fatalities, and death of all fourteen okapi in the breeding program.
Bibliography:
Okapi Wildlife Reserve, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi_Wildlife_Reserve
Okapi Wildlife Reserve, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/718
Okapi Faunal Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo, n.d, The Encyclopaedia of Earth, http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/155015/

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Butrint

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Butrint, Roman, Ten Random Facts, Ruins, Greek, City, Flickr, Europe

See the ages of the past at Butrint.

  • Butrint is a now ruined city that existed during the times of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, and the site is part of a protected area of approximately 86 square kilometres (33.2 square miles).
  • ‘Butrint’ is also known as ‘Buthrotum’, ‘Bouthrōtón’ and ‘Buthrōtum’, the latter two being Greek and Latin respectively.
  • Butrint is located on the southern tip of Albania, in Europe, in the area of Ksamil, on a hill, and the site is almost completely surrounded by water.
  • The UNESCO World Heritage Convention declared Butrint a World Heritage Site in 1992, and a National Park of the same name was formed in the year 2000 to further protect the site.
  • Butrint is said to have been settled by Greeks as early as the 900s BC, until it had a significant Roman influence by the mid 2nd century BC, and it was later influenced by Christians and Roman Catholics.

Butrint, Roman, Ten Random Facts, Ruins, Greek, City, Flickr, Europe

Part of Butrint
Image courtesy of Matias Hallberg/Flickr
  • Butrint was the site of many clashes, especially during the Middle and Modern Ages, including those with Normans and Venetians.
  • Butrint is said to have been hit by a damaging earthquake and flood, during the 200s AD and the medieval period respectively; while the latter disaster caused the occupants to cease living in the city, and never return.
  • Archaeologists have performed modern excavations on Butrint since 1928, that were initially undertaken by Italians, and were intended by the Italian government to increase their influence in the area.
  • Butrint has previously been damaged by theft and vandalism, and since protection of the site has been more prominent, further damage has diminished.
  • Butrint has many monuments and other significant sights to see, and is visited by busloads of tourists quite regularly; while the first road to the archaeological site was built in 1959.
Bibliography:
Butrint, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/570
Buthrotum, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buthrotum
Butrint, nd, Butrint Foundation, http://butrint.com/index.php

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Burgos Cathedral

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Burgos Cathedral

Go back in time with Burgos Cathedral.

  • Burgos Cathedral is one of Spain’s many cathedrals, and it is located in Burgos, and it is used for Roman Catholic religious purposes.
  • The construction of Burgos Cathedral was arranged by King Ferdinand III, along with the then Bishop of Burgos, Don Mauricio who was born in England.
  • The Burgos Cathedral building process began in 1221, and the building is said to be located on land that originally housed another cathedral.
  • Burgos Cathedral was completed in 1567, although an alter had been built by 1260, when it was consecrated; while the long construction period was due to a two century-long break.
  • ‘Burgos Cathedral’ is officially known as the ‘Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos’, or in Spanish, ‘Catedral de Santa María de Burgos’, and it is also known as ‘Our Lady of Burgos’.
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Part of Burgos Cathedral
Image courtesy of Rafael dP/Flickr
  • Burgos Cathedral was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, and it is dedicated to, and named after Mary, the mother of Jesus.
  • Burgos Cathedral features significant French Gothic architecture, and includes many spires, windows and statues in the style.
  • Burgos Cathedral sits on a site that is an area of 10,300 square metres (110,870 square feet) and the tallest parts of the cathedral are the two spires on the two main towers; and they reach a height of 88 metres (289 feet).
  • Numerous artworks, including sculptures, such as a virgin Mary statue, and paintings, are featured in Burgos Cathedral, with notable works by Juan de Anchieta and Gil de Siloé.
  • Burgos Cathedral has many mass services each week and is open to tourists for a fee.
Bibliography:
Burgos Cathedral, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgos_Cathedral
Burgos Cathedral, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/316
Catedral de Burgos History, n.d., Catedral de Burgos, http://www.catedraldeburgos.es/

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Everglades National Park

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Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park is a sight to see and a place to protect.

  • Everglades National Park is tropical national park located in the United State’s Florida, and it contains significant flora and fauna, as well as numerous archaeological sites.
  • The area of Everglades National Park spreads over approximately 1.5 million acres (607,000 hectares).
  • Everglades National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, declared in 1979, and it has been listed as a ‘Wetland of International Importance’, as well as an ‘International Biosphere Reserve’.
  • The primary rock base of Everglades National Park is limestone, which collects and gathers rainwater, and is important due to the park’s lack of underground water sources.
  • Everglades National Park became a national park on 6 December, 1947, for the uncommon reason of preserving the ecosystem, that includes marine, slough, pine forest, mangrove and coastal habitats.
Everglades National Park, Trees, Grass, America, Dawn, Morning, Misty, Landscape, Forest
Part of Everglades National Park
Image courtesy of Miguel Vieira/Flickr
  • Everglades National Park supports numerous species including at least 40 mammal species, reptile species numbering up to 50, 400 bird species, and up to 300 species of fish; and many of the species are endangered; while notable species include the American crocodile, Florida panther and West Indian manatee.
  • During Native American history, Everglades National Park was used by two tribes as a border, and the first Europeans to set foot in the area were Spanish, in the 1500s.
  • Everglades National Park was significantly damaged by the building of canals in above ground water bodies, primarily around the 1900s; and in 1989, the US President George Bush committed the government to reversing the damage.
  • December marks the beginning of the peak tourist season at Everglades National Park, and hiking, canoeing and camping are common activities; and the park sees over a million tourists every year.
  • During its history, Everglades National Park has been endangered due to damaging hurricanes and nearby urban expansion, and it has also been negatively affected by droughts, fires, decreasing water quantities, rising sea levels, mercury poisoning and introduced species.
Bibliography:
Everglades National Park, 2015, National Park Foundation, http://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/everglades-national-park
 Everglades National Park, 2015, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/76
Everglades National Park, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everglades_National_Park

 

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Rotorua

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Rotorua

Have a relaxing holiday in Rotorua.

  • Rotorua is a lakeside city located on the North Island of New Zealand, in the Pacific, and it is part of the district with the same name.
  • As of 2014, Rotorua was ranked as the tenth most populous city in New Zealand, with a population of approximately 56,200 people.
  • The Rotorua area is home to numerous hot springs, geysers and mud pools, due to its proximity to the Mount Tarawera volcano, all of which have become popular tourist attractions, although the attraction’s release of rotten egg-smelling hydrogen sulphide can be unpleasant.
  • The term ‘Rotorua’ comes from the words ‘roto’ and ‘rua’, which can be translated from the native Maori language to mean ‘second lake’, while the full name of the place is ‘Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe’.
  • A Danish trader named Phillip Tapsell, who later married a native, is likely to be the first European to set foot in Rotorua, in the late 1820s.
Rotorua, Place, City, Aerial, New Zealand, Lake, Ten Random Facts, FlickrPart of Rotorua
Image courtesy of Gene Fama/Flickr
  • The notable geographical points of interest in Rotorua, such as hot springs, were visited by tourists in the 1880s, and the features made the town a popular tourist destination, especially after the railway was built, by 1894.
  • The first community to live in the area of Rotorua was the native Te Arawa Maori group; and the city’s first mayor, Member of Parliament Cecil Clinkard, was chosen in 1923; while the town was declared a city in 1962.
  • Rotorua has average temperatures that range from 8.1°C to 17.3°C (46.6°F to 63.1°F); and it is a sister city to Lake Macquarie in Australia, Klamath Falls in the United States, Wuzhong in China, and Beppu in Japan.
  • Rotorua is situated next to a large lake of the same name, 10 other lakes of significant size, and a number of smaller lakes; and the city and surrounding area features popular sporting activities that include sailing, shooting, skydiving, waterskiing, biking and fishing.
  • Rotorua covers an area of almost 90 square kilometres (34.7 square miles), while the surrounding community district covers around 2615 square kilometres (1009.6 square miles).
Bibliography:
Rotorua, n.d, Trip Advisor, http://www.newzealand.com/au/rotorua/
Rotorua, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotorua

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