Barbados is an island situated near South America at the edge of the Caribbean Sea and west of the Atlantic Ocean. It
is a part of the Lesser Antilles. Neighbours of Barbados are St. Lucia, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines in the west
and Trinidad and Tobago to the south. The
land area of Barbados is
about 430 square kilometres. The island is,
unlike other islands in
the Caribbean area, of non-volcanic origin and
is the upper part of a
submarine mountain range. The geological
composition of the island
is limestone and coral. The population is about
1.274.000 and the capital
is Bridgtetown. The language spoken is
English.
Before the European conquistadors arrived,
the island had been
populated by different indigenous people like
the Amerindians,
afterwards Arawak people and later the Caribs.
At that time the island
was called Ichirouganaim. The first European
occupants of the island
were the Portuguese which named the island
Barbados. They stayed
not long (mid-1500s to the 1600s) and in 1625
British sailors landed
there and Barbados was claimed up to 1966 by
the British Empire. In
the end of 1966 the island got an independent
state and obtained a
membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Historically, the economy of Barbados had been dependent on sugar-
cane cultivation and related activities, but in recent years it has diversified into the manufacturing and tourism
sectors.
Now see the pictures of a Caribbean paradise and watch my video clip about it.
Paris is the capital of France and
the largest city in the country with about 12
million in the metropolitan area. It
is situated on the river Seine, in northern
France, at the heart of the Ile-de-
France region also called Paris Region.
The first signs of habitation in this
area date from 4200 BC. Much later from
around 250 BC, the Parisii - a tribe
of the Celts - lived there. Paris area was
conquered by the Romans in 52
BC. They established a permanent settlement
there and called the town Lutetia,
later transformed into Lutèce. It expanded
greatly over the following
centuries, becoming a prosperous city. After the
collapse of the Roman empire
which resulted in the end of the Roman
occupation, the city was renamed
to Paris. It had a central position in several of
the kingdoms to follow.
The town is in our days one of the
world's leading business and cultural centres.
Its influence in politics, education,
entertainment, media, fashion, science and the
arts all contribute to its status as
one of the world's major global cities. Paris is
also one of the most popular
tourist destinations in the world. You can see
marvellous parks and lots of
historical and modern buildings.
Here are the pics of our Paris trip 2008.
Mauritius is an island off the coast of Africa in the south-west Indian
Ocean, about 900 km east of Madagascar and 200 km south-east of the
island Reunion. The Republic of Mauritius includes the islands of St.
Brandon, Rodrigues and the Agalega Islands. The area is about 2040 sq
km and the population is about 1.274.000. The main island is of volcanic
origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs
The Arabs visited the island in the 10th century. The Portuguese sailors
came there in the beginning of the 16th century but did not settle there.
They were followed by the Dutch sailors in 1598 who tried to establish a
settlement. They gave the island its name. Because of tough climatic
conditions including cyclones and the deterioration of the settlement, the
Dutch abandoned the island some decades later. France, which already
controlled the neighbouring Île Bourbon (now Réunion) seized Mauritius
in 1715 and later renamed it Île de France (Isle of France). Under French ruling, the island developed a prosperous
economy based on sugar production. The French lost the island to the British empire in 1810 and was officially
attached to the empire in 1815. They gave the island the former name Mauritius back. Mauritius attained independence
in 1968 and the country became a republic within the Commonwealth in 1992.
The capital of Mauritius is Port Louis. Mauritian society includes people from many different ethnic groups. A majority
of the republic's residents are the descendants of people from the Indian subcontinent with substantial populations
from continental Africa, Madagascar, France, Great Britain, and China, among other places. The languages spoken are
English, French and Mauritian Creole.
Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle income diversified economy
with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. Well known touristic attractions are the Pamplemousses
Botanical Garden, the Tamarin Falls and the Chamarel coloured earth.
Now see the pictures of Mauritius 2008.
Rome is the capital city of
Italy and of the Lazio region with about
2,7 million residents. It's
metropolitan area is located in the
central-western portion of the
Italian peninsula by the Tiber river and 24
km inland from the
Tyrrhenian Sea. It is also the centre of the
Roman Catholic Church which
is situated in an enclave of Rome called
State of the Vatican City
where the Pope stays.
It was also the capital and
centre of the ancient Roman Empire and
today you can see lots of
traces from that period like the
Colosseum, Roman Forum
and much more. As one of the few major
European cities that escaped
World War II relatively unharmed, central
Rome remains essentially
Renaissance and Baroque in character.
The Historic Centre of Rome
is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage
Site.
According to the legend, the
city was founded by the twins Romulus
and Remus in 753 BC, but archaeological evidence supports the theory that Rome grew from pastoral settlements on
the Palatine Hill and in the area of the future Roman Forum which were combined to a city in the 8th century BC. It
became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, later of the Roman Republic ( from 510 BC governed by the senate) and
finally 31 BC of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, Rome was ruled by the East
Roman Empire and often plundered by Germanic barbarians. In 751 AD the city was captured by the Lombards , then
by the Franks which created the Papal States with Rome the capital. The city flourished as a hub of cultural and artistic
activity during the Renaissance and the Baroque, under the patronage of the Papal court. In 1870 Rome was integrated
into the Kingdom of Italy and got the capital of the new Italy. After World War II Italy became a Republic with Rome
staying the capital.
Feel free to click on the picture above or the following link to see the pictures of Rome 2007.
Lanzarote is a Spanish island and belongs to the Canary Islands. It is situated in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125
kilometres east of Morocco (North-Africa) and about 1000 km beneath
mainland Spain. It's the fourth largest of these islands with an area of
845.9 sq km and a population of about 127000. Tourism has been the
mainstay of the island's economy for the past forty years. The only other
industry is agriculture.
Lanzarote was settled by the Phoenicians around 11oo BC, later by the
Greeks and the Romans. In 999 the Arabs came to the island, followed by
the Portuguese and finally the Spaniards.
Lanzarote is of volcanic origin. The island was created about 35 million
years ago. It has a beautiful and wild landscape with a mountain range in
the north and one to the south where there is also the Timanfaya
National Park with the Montanas del Fuego. There you see a lot of marks
from volcanic eruptions. From 1730 to 1736 the island was hit by a series
of volcanic eruptions. Lava covered almost a quarter of the island.
Another volcanic eruption occurred within the range of Tiagua in 1824 which was not as bad as the major eruption
between 1730 and 1736.
Now rejoice in the pictures of Lanzarote 2007.
Here you will see pictures of Barcelona, a fantastic and beautiful city located in
Spain on the Mediterranean coast about 120 km south-east of the Pyrenees and
the border to France. It's the second largest city of Spain, the capital of the
autonomous region of Catalonia and also home to the second largest airport.
Barcelona city's population is around 1,6 million people and is a major economic
centre with one of the most important Spanish Mediterranean ports.
According to a legend the city was founded by Hamilkar Barkas the father of the
well known Hannibal of Carthage. Later in 15 BC the Romans redrew the city as a
castrum (Roman military camp) and it became a Roman colony. In the Old town
of the contemporary city you can see remains from that time. After the Roman
era in the fifth century it was conquered by the Visigoths, by the Moors in the
eighth century and reconquered in 801 by Charlemagne's sun Louis who made
Barcelona the seat of Carolingian. In 985 the city was taken by AL-Mansur
coming from the Caliphate of Cordoba but he stayed not long there. The counts of
Barcelona became increasingly independent and later founded the kingdom of
Aragon with Barcelona as its capital. In the middle age it was an important sea
and economic power with major colonies in Sardinia and Sicily.
Nowadays Barcelona is also a cultural and touristic attraction with a phenomenal
architecture as you will see in the pictures. The famous architectural works of Antoni Gaudi and Lluis Domènech i
Montaner can be seen everywhere in the town, like the Casa Milà, the Park Güell, the unfinished church Sagrada
Familia, Hospital de Sant Pau and the Palau de la Música Catalana. The centre of the town is the Plaça de Catalunya
with the old town centre Barri Gòtic nearby. The upper half of the Avingunda Diagonal is the main commercial area of
the city. Barcelona has also several skyscrapers with the most beautiful and artistic one being the Torre Agbar (144 m
high). The most famous street is La Rambla with at the end near the port the statue of Christopher Columbus .The
capital of Catalonia contains several parks with Montjuïc Park being the largest and Park Güell being one of the most
famous.
But look and see! Click on the picture above or the following link to watch the images of Barcelona 2007.
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By clicking on the picture to the right or on the following link you
can watch a video clip of Paris in January 2009.
