Category Archives: Structures, History and Countries

Belgium

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Belgium

“Strength through Unity” – Belgium’s Motto.

  • Belgium is a country found in Europe’s west, that covers just over 30,500 square kilometres (11,700 square miles) in area, and its neighbours are Germany, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and the capital city is Brussels.
  • Belgium has a constitutional monarch in place; and is the only country in the world with the ‘popular monarchy’ system, and as such the king is known as the king of the people (King of the Belgians), rather than the king of the country.
  • ‘Belgium’ is also known as ‘België’ in Dutch, ‘Belgique’ in French, ‘Belgien’ in German, the ‘Kingdom of Belgium’ (its official name), and the ‘Battlefield of Europe’, referring to the country being the ground of many wars.
  • Of the 11 million people who populate Belgium, approximately 59% are Dutch speaking and 41% are French speaking, as well as a small quantity of German speaking people, causing the country to have three official languages.
  • Belgium is split into three areas, the two major areas being Flanders and Wallonia; the former mainly houses those of Flemish origin (Dutch speakers) while the latter mainly houses those of Walloon origin (French speakers) as well as the small group of 70,000 Germans that generally reside in the eastern part of the country.

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Aerial View of the capital city, Brussels
Image courtesy of La Citta Vita/Flickr
  • Belgium was originally occupied by Celtic and Germanic communities until 100 BC when it was conquered by Romans and known as ‘Gallia Belgica’, which is where the modern name of the country is derived from.
  • Belgium’s politics involves the king, who is the head of state, and from 2013 was King Philippe, who allocates the position of all ministers for the federal government.
  • In 2012, Belgium had a nominal GDP estimate of $484.7 billion, with food, finished diamonds, metal, machinery, and chemicals as major exports.
  • Belgium is known for its contribution to the arts, and for its cuisine, with many famous chocolates and over 1000 different types of beer.
  • Belgium is the home of 11 or more UNESCO World Heritage Sites and many famous architectural buildings and galleries, including the Cathedral of Notre-Dam.
Bibliography:
Belgium, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium
Belgium, n.d, European Union, http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/belgium/index_en.htm

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Hill of Crosses

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Hill of Crosses

Have you ever seen thousands of crosses in one place, like the Hill of Crosses?

  • The Hill of Crosses is a 60 metre (200 feet) long hill, covering more than 4500 square metres (1.1 acre), north of the city of Šiauliai, in Lithuania, in northern Europe.
  • The first crosses to be placed on the Hill of Crosses were probably erected there sometime after 1831, to remember dead relatives that were killed in a rebellion around that time.
  • In 1900, 130 crosses existed on the Hill of Crosses, and now it is believed to have a collection of more than 200,000 crosses on site.
  • The Hill of Crosses originally held a fortress that was destroyed, and now it attracts Catholic pilgrims, who bring, and leave there, crosses, crucifixes, carvings, rosaries, statues and the like.
  • During its history, more than 6,200 crosses and other items have been destroyed on the Hill of Crosses in many demolition attempts by the Soviet government, but these were quickly replaced by new crosses each time.

Part of the Hill of Crosses, metal, Wood, crucifix, crowded, statue, many, Ten Random facts, Flickr

Part of the Hill of Crosses
Image courtesy of Arian Zwegers/Flickr
  • The crosses placed on the Hill of Crosses are symbolic of faith, love and sacrifice, and many prayers for peace over the centuries have been offered, amid religious and political unrest.
  • Most crosses on the Hill of Crosses are made of wood, metal or plastic, and can be found in many different colours, shapes and sizes.
  • In 1993, the Hill of Crosses was visited by Pope John Paul II, which brought attention to the site, and caused it to gain in popularity.
  • Although entry onto the Hill of Crosses if free, parking at the base of the hill requires a fee.
  • At the pope’s urging, a monastery was built a few hundred metres away from the Hill of Crosses, and it was consecrated in the year 2000.
Bibliography:
Hill of Crosses, 2002, Sanctuaries and Pilgrimage Sites, http://www.lcn.lt/en/bl/sventoves/kryziuk/
Hill of Crosses, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_of_Crosses
History of the Hill of Crosses, 2012, HillofCrosses.com, http://www.hillofcrosses.com/hill-of-crosses-history.html

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Chichen Itza

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Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is positively ancient, but these facts are not.

  • Chichen Itza is an ancient capital city that was built by the Mayan Mexicans, and is now an archaeological site, located in Mexico’s Yucatán state, in America.
  • Chichen Itza sees approximately 1.2 million tourists annually, making it the second most popular site of archaeology in Mexico.
  • Chichen Itza was among the biggest cities in the Mayan empire, and it also had a high population rate.
  • The literal meaning of ‘Chichen Itza’ is ‘at the mouth of the well of the Itza’ in the Mayan language; known as ‘Chichén Itzá’ in Spanish.
  • Chichen Itza was settled in the early to mid 5th century AD and became the capital of the area in the 10th century.

Chichen Itza pyramid El Castillo seen through ruin, Mexico, Maya, Civilsation, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

El Castillo seen through the ruins
Image courtesy of Avery Studio/Flickr
  • Chichen Itza’s power started to decrease from 1250 AD, and by the end of 15th century the city was abandoned.
  • The main structures of the city of Chichen Itza are located on an area of five square kilometres (two square miles) or more, and other residential buildings spread out from this boundary.
  • Chichen Itza is the home of a large temple pyramid, named ‘El Castillo’, which depicts a snake shadow twice a year, and the city has many ancient ball courts, including the largest in the region, originally used for an ancient Mayan ball game.
  • Chichen Itza became one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.
  • Chichen Itza’s major water source came from two water-collecting sinkholes, natural wells, known as ‘cenotes’.
Bibliography:
Chichén Itzá, 2014, National Geographic, http://travel.nationalgeographic.com.au/travel/world-heritage/chichen-itza/
Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza, 2014, UNESCO World Heritage Convention, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/483
Chichen Itza, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza

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Verdon Gorge

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Verdon Gorge

Do not tumble down the walls at Verdon Gorge.

  • Verdon Gorge is a canyon with a river running through it, that is located in Europe’s France, in the south-east of the country.
  • Verdon Gorge is approximately 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) in length and, at its deepest depth, 0.7 kilometres (0.4 miles).
  • Verdon Gorge has stunning, turquoise coloured water, and some say this is due to tiny particles of rock  (most likely limestone), known as ‘rock flour’ or ‘glacial flour’, in the water, and others say it is because the water contains microscopic algae.
  • Verdon Gorge is a popular tourist destination, with more than a million visitors a year, and it is especially popular for rock climbing, as there are approximately 1500 courses to choose from, while other sports enjoyed include rafting, hiking, canoeing, fishing and paragliding.
  • ‘Verdon Gorge’ is also known in French as ‘Gorges du Verdon’ and ‘Grand Canyon du Verdon’, and it is named so, due to the colour of the water of the Verdon River, that flows through the gorge.

Verdon Gorge, River, Walls, Limestone, Wonder, France, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Part of Verdon Gorge
Image courtesy of Kirandulo/Flickr
  • Out of all the gorges and canyons in Europe, the Verdon Gorge is the largest, and it is part of the Regional Natural Park of Verdon (Parc Naturel Regional du Verdon).
  • Verdon Gorge was formed from erosion caused by the Verdon River, and the gorge ends with a man-made lake called ‘lac de Sainte-Croix’ (Lake of Sainte-Croix).
  • Verdon Gorge runs through five different hydro-electric dams, constructed during the years of 1929 and 1975.
  • Verdon Gorge was the subject of an expedition in 1905, by Frenchman Édouard-Alfred Martel, a speleologist, a scientist that study caves, who completed a geological survey of the area.
  • Much of Verdon Gorge is made of limestone, with the highest, vertical wall reaching 300 metres (1000 feet).
Bibliography:
Collins R, Verdon Gorge, 2013, Provence Beyond, http://www.beyond.fr/sites/verdon.html
Verdon Gorge, 2013, Gorges to Visit, http://www.gorges-to-visit.com/VerdonGorge.html
Verdon Gorge, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdon_Gorge

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Petra

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Awe-inspiring, ancient city… Petra

  • Petra is an ancient city fortress located in southern Jordan in the Middle East, on the side of the mountain Jebel al-Madhbah, in amongst valleys and hills.
  • ‘Petra’ is an Ancient Greek word meaning ‘rock’ or ‘stone’, and is also known as the ‘Rose city’, describing the rock colour that is best seen at sunrises or sunsets.
  • Petra was built in an area that was a significant city on the trade route and had a good supply of water all year round from a stream, and the city was well known for its ancient and unique water and farming systems.
  • Historically, Nabataean folk populated the city of Petra and made it their capital, and at its most populated, the city accommodated 20,000 people.
  • Petra is said to have been established around 600 BC, and was occupied at one stage by the Romans, and later, Arabs.

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City front
Image courtesy of Maureen/Flickr
  • Petra was struck by an earthquake that weakened the city’s structure near the end of the Roman reign, and afterwards many valuable items were stolen from the numerous city tombs.
  • Petra became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and gained recognition as one the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007.
  • As well as damage from tourism and earthquakes, Petra suffers from erosion, flooding, structure collapse and the like, which has caused much deterioration of the city.
  • The first Western explorer to record the discovery of Petra was from Switzerland, by the name of John Burckhardt, in 1812.
  • One of the entrances to the city of Petra, known as Al-Khazneh, the ‘treasury’, has the dimensions of 30 by 43 metres (98 by 141 feet), which looks like the front of a mansion.
Bibliography:
Petra, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra
Petra, n.d, Jordan, http://www.visitjordan.com/default.aspx?tabid=63

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Bethlehem

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Bethlehem

Luke 2:11 NIV Bible ‘For unto you is born this day in the city of David [Bethlehem] a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.’

  • Bethlehem is a religious city located in Palestine, in the West Bank, in the Middle East, and it has a large proportion of Christians and also Muslims.
  • ‘Bethlehem’ is also known as ‘Bēt Lahm’, ‘Beit Sahur’, ‘Ephratah’ and ‘the City of David’, as well as many other names, and the name has at least two different meanings – in Hebrew, ‘house of bread’ and in Arabic, ‘house of meat’.
  • Bethlehem is the city of Jesus Christ’s birth, and is one of the oldest Christian settlements.
  • The first known reference of Bethlehem is in a 1400 BC dated letter, involving the King of Egypt and King of Jerusalem of the era.
  • Bethlehem has seen much unrest in its history, with opponents taking over the city a number of times, and it was occupied by the Romans in 132 AD, and later Muslims from 637 AD.

Bethlehem City, Town, Middle East, Palestine, Jesus' Hometown, modern, birds eye, panorama, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Bethlehem
Image courtesy of David Poe/Flickr
  • Conflict between Israel and Palestine has been evident for a century and so the control of Bethlehem was in Israel’s hands for some time, however the city has been governed by the Palestinian National Authority since 1995.
  • Bethlehem has a population of approximately 25,000 people, and a fifth of those live in the original area of the city, known as the ‘old city’.
  • Temperatures in Bethlehem range, on average from 5 to 30°C (41 to 86°F), and June to September are generally dry months, while November to January are generally the wettest.
  • Bethlehem accommodates approximately 2 million tourists annually, with the industry supplying 65% of the city’s wealth.
  • Bethlehem saw its first female mayor in 2012, Vera Baboun, who was previously a headmistress and lecturer, and is the home of 135 schools, 100 of which are government schools operated by the Palestine Authority.
Bibliography: Bethlehem, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem
Mor L, Bethlehem History, n.d, Holy Land Network, http://www.holylandnetwork.com/bethlehem/bethlehem.htm

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