Best Knowledge

Saturday, 11 February 2012

The Seven Wonders of the Underwater World

Many lists have been made touting the seven wonders of one thing or another but one list that still needed to be created was a list describing the Top Seven Wonders of the Underwater World. In 1989, CEDAM International, an international diving association, decided to write up their own list describing what they thought were the most spectacular underwater sites in the world. And the 7 wonders of the underwater world includes:

The Galapagos Islands: Located in the Pacific Ocean, west of Ecuador are the Galapagos Islands. The islands sprouted from the earth’s crust from a sub oceanic lava vent on the ocean floor. The relatively new volcanic geology created a habitat rich with flora, fauna, and animal life that have been studied and admired by numerous travelers, scientists, and nature-lovers from all over the world.

The Northern Red Sea: Some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world are located in the Northern Red Sea. Considered by some to be the underwater “Garden of Eden,” this reef has some of the most diverse sea life in the world. Located in the Indian Sea between Asia and Africa, the Northern Red Sea spreads out over 169,000 square miles. More than 70 species of hard coral, 30 species of soft coral, over 500 species of fish including hundreds of additional marine life species classified as invertebrate call this reef home.

Palau: Palau is an island nation located about 500 miles from the Philippines. Some of the most beautiful fish in the world live in these reefs. More than 350 species of hard corals, 200 species of soft corals, 300 species of sponges, and 1,300 species of reef fish call this coral reef home.

Lake Baikal: Lake Baikal is the second most voluminous fresh water lake in the world. Located in Siberia, Russia, the lake has an average depth of 2,442 ft and contains roughly 20% of the world’s surface fresh water. At 25 million years old and with a depth of 2442ft makes this lake the oldest and deepest lake in the world.

The Great Barrier Reef: The only living thing that can be seen from outer space that is larger than the Great Wall of China is the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the world. Located in Australia, this reef system is composed of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands making it 1,600 miles in length. The overall structure of the reef is composed of billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. Along with the ocean, the reef creates a habitat that supports a great diversity of sea life, some of which are endangered. Because of the vast beauty of the Reef, people find it very appealing to visit thus bringing many tourist dollars to the area, which help to put in place protective measures to hopefully protect this valuable wonder for many generations to come.

The Deep Sea Vents: Deep Sea Vents otherwise known as hypothermal vents, are fissures along the ocean floor that release superheated water from below the Earth’s crust. The hot water is saturated with dissolved minerals from the crust, mostly sulfides, which crystallize to create a chimney-like enclosure around each vent. When the superheated water in the vent reaches the frigid ocean water, many minerals are released, creating the distinctive black color. The metal sulfides that are deposited can become massive sulfide ore deposits in time. The Deep Sea vents were first discovered in 1977 near the Galápagos Islands by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They are found to exist in both the Pacific and Atlanta Ocean at an average of 2100 meters deep.

The Belize Barrier Reef: The second largest reef system in the world is the Belize Barrier Reef. Located on the coast of Belize, this reef is considered to be one of the best spots in the world to dive and snorkel. It is over 186 miles long and is part of the larger Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System that stretches from Cancun all the way to the Honduras, for a total of 560 miles. Only 10% of this reef has actually been researched and documented.

famous travel places Amber Fort Near Jaipur india

Amber Fort, also known as “Amer Fort” is situated in Amber, located at 11 kilometers from Jaipur, North east of Rajasthan, India. It is considered as one of the best hilltops fort in India which makes it a major tourist spot in India. The fort is a typical example for Rajput’s life style in Rajasthan and it has a unique artistic style which combines both Hindu and Muslim elements. This magnificent fort is situated alongside the lake of Moatha and it was built by Maharaja Man Singh in the year 1592. It is constructed using white and red sandstones imposing a defensive structure from outside. But from inside, it is marked differently with lavish interior by Mughal style of ornamentation. The walls of the fort are covered with frescoes paintings, which depict the scenes of daily life. Some other walls are designed with mosaics and minute mirror works which is absolutely royal. The fort is divided into four sections which can be accessed through large staircase available in the center of the fort. The main entrance of the fort called “Surajpol” leads to the main courtyard where the large staircase to the fort is located. The courtyard is called “Jaleb Chowk”. As we enter into the palace, there is a temple known as “Kali Temple” which is very renowned for the silver door and statue of silver lions. According to legends, a king named Maharaja Man Singh used to worship Kali, a Hindu goddess of death and destruction. One day, Kali the goddess appeared in Maharaja Man Singh’s dream and ordered him to recover her statue to place it in a proper and appropriate temple. Maharaja did accordingly and created the temple. Tourists can use the service of elephants to ride up to the fort from the bottom of the hill. The sound and light show should not be missed in the evening. The most awe-inspiring thing to observe is the Hall of Mirrors. Legends say that one candle was enough to light the entire hall of fort because of these mirrors. Amber fort is open from morning 9:30 to evening 16:30 IST. There are different prices tagged for admission, photography and video as well. The best way to reach Jaipur is by traveling through airlines from Delhi. Another alternative is the railway, which is well connected to the other parts of India as well. “India was the mother of our race and Sanskrit the mother of Europe’s languages. She was the mother of our philosophy, mother through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics, mother through Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity, mother through village communities of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all.”

Tourists to Amber Fort Photo by: foxypar4, Creative Commons

Elephants Taking Tourists to Amber Fort

Elephants Getting Read to Take Tourists to Amber Fort Photo by: foxypar4, Creative Commons

Inner Courtyard of Amber Fort During Monsoon

Inner Courtyard of Amber Fort During Monsoon Photo by: mckaysavage, Creative Commons

Top 10 Oldest Historical Places in the World

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There are historical and popular places from the old world, which are being hidden and ignored by this new era and generation. It has been stated that before you could truly move on and appreciate what you have at the moment, you have to look back and see the beginning before you could really see the beauty of everything. Decades and centuries might have been a wide gap in our time to discover them, but some of them still exist. They are the precious treasures and memories of the people who have lived before our time with the kind of cultures, traditions, and customs that can be felt by touching, and witnessing the historical memoirs of the past. Here are the 10 oldest yet historical info and time.

10. Athens

It is believed that this is the wealthiest and largest state in the history of Greece in the classical history of the establishment of the ancient city. It is known to be the capital city with 3.7 million people that shows that it has grown a lot. There are various important places that can be seen in this city which are prominent in Greece such as Temple of Olympian Zeus, Acropolis, and Parthenon.

9. Jerusalem

This is the holy city, which has been mentioned many times in the canonical collection of sacred records compiled in the New Testament of the Bible. This is the center of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism that has been known since the 10^th century. This is the largest city of Israel. It can be found between the Dead Sea and Mediterranean Sea. It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and it has been called the old city.

8. Beirut

Compared to other cities that can be found in other countries, this is the biggest city found in Lebanon, which is acclaimed to be the cosmopolitan city, the center of financial and commercial transactions and trade. Technically, it is known as Berut, which is the favorite place of the wealthiest people from Europe and Saudi Arabia. It is even called as Paris of the Middle East.

7. Jericho

Along with Jerusalem, Jericho is one of the cities mentioned in the Old Testament that was conquered by Joshua as noted in the book of Judges. It is known as the city of Palms that is near the Dead Sea and Jerusalem by approximately 55 kilometers.

6. Aleppo

This is a Muslim place where you could see various mosques intended for prayerful worship of the people. This is found in Syria, which is also the second largest city in the country. It is one of the most conservative cities not just in age but also in culture. The way of living and behavior of the people are well preserved, which makes it the friendliest place in the world.

5. Sidon

This is near the city of Beirut by about 25 miles or equivalent to 43 kilometers. It serves as habitation of people since 4000 B.C. You could visit the Castle of the Sea and temple of Eshmoun in Sidon city. It is one of the strongest phonetician cities, which is still in its original and historical form in its very essence.

4. Plovdiv

Despite of contemporary influences found in Europe, they were able to preserve Plovdiv, which is included in the oldest cities found in Bulgaria. It has been in existence for about 5000 years where you could find the tallest hills in the world. You could also see the oldest and one of the largest mosques in the world. It is located in between Balkan Range or Old Mountains and the plains of Rhodope Mountains.

3.Varanasi

This is the sacred place of Hindus in India, which is one of the oldest cities in the world. According to history, it was also known previously as Kashi and Benares or Banaras in the northern part of India. It is advised that you visit the place sometime October and March because other than this said period, you would feel the hottest season of all, which is not an ideal time to visit the place.

2. Byblos

Byblos is another historical place and city, which is located in Lebanon. It is also known as Jbell in its Arabic name and was included or recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some of the oldest places that you can visit in Byblos are the Northeastern Gate, The Crusader Castle, Tower Temple, and Kings Tomb.

1. Damascus

The Seven Natural Wonders of the World

The Seven Natural Wonders of the World is a list of well known natural wonders located throughout different places in the world. Due to special geographic, weather, and other scientific conditions, these amazing and truly unique places have been created in the world that will awe and inspire people to recognize how amazing this planet truly is.

The Grand Canyon: The deep, rugged, multi-colored walls of the Grand Canyon can create a powerful and inspiring experience upon viewing. This deep sided gorge has been carved through the landscape over many millions of years by the Colorado River. With a length of 277 miles long, The Grand Canyon can range in width from 4 to 18 miles and attain a depth of over a mile. Many layers of rock are preserved in the canyon’s walls which have been exposed due to erosion creating a kaleidoscope of beautiful colors that can change based on the sun’s position and weather conditions. The Grand Canyon attracts over 5 million tourists a year.

Northern and Southern Lights: Creating beautiful colorful displays of lights are Northern and Southern Lights or otherwise know as auroras. These auroras are usually viewed at night and occur more often around Polar Regions, usually within the Artic and Antarctic Circles, but can also be found in other parts of the world. They usually appear to be reddish or greenish swaths appearing across the dark night sky, but can also be different shades of blue and yellow. The occurrences of auroras are due to emissions of photons in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Oxygen and nitrogen atoms returning from an excited state to ground state create the emission of photons of light.

Mt. Everest: The top of Mount Everest is the highest point on the earth’s surface. It’s part of the Himalaya mountain range in Asia and stands over 29,029 ft high. Many people from experienced mountaineers to novice climbers climb the peak which since 2009 has claimed over 215 lives since being recorded. This attraction to the mountain brings much needed tourist dollars to the area and helps the economy of the local city.

Victoria Falls: The Victoria Falls are some of the largest falls in the world. They are located between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe in southern Africa on the Zambezi River. They are considered the most famous falls in the world. The Falls attract over 300,000 visitors a year. To visit The Falls and the surrounding area to view the exotic wildlife and vegetation makes a fantastic memorable experience that you will remember for a lifetime.

Paricutin: Located in Michoacán, a state in Mexico is the Paricutin volcano. Beginning in 1943 as a fissure on the property of a local farmer, within one week, reached over five-stories tall, and in a year, reached over 1,102.36 ft tall. Many lives were negatively affected by the volcano which killed crops and livestock and caused massive property damage to the surrounding 25 miles of land.

The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro: Located in Guanabara Bay in Brazil, The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is considered to be one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. The bay stretches inland by 20 miles and is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges, including three famous peaks, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corcovado Peak, and the hills of Tijuca. There are also many islands to enjoy within the harbor.

The New Seven Wonders of the World

A man named Bernard Weber started a project to update the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World list by creating a New Seven Wonders of the World list. He started the New7Wonders Foundation to accomplish this feat. The foundation created a poll that took votes via the internet and phone which claimed that more than 100 million votes were cast before the final list was composed. The results of the vote were released on July 7, 2007 (7-7-7) in Lisbon, Portugal and goes as follows:

Petra – Petra is a historical city in Jordan built out of the face of a mountain. It’s located on the slope of Mount Hor in a large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in a location that attracts many flash floods, the residents of Petra figured out how to control these floods and collect the water by the use of cisterns, dams and water conduits. These innovations stored water for long periods of drought in which the water could also be sold. Eventually the Petra society was taken over by the Roman Empire until the city was destroyed by an earthquake.

Chichen Itza – Built by the Mayans, the Chichen Itza is an architectural site in the northern Maya lowlands. It has an interesting mix of architectural styles that make this place appealing for people to visit and is considered the second most visited architectural attraction in the country.

Christ the Redeemer – Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Christ located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue is 130 ft tall and stands on a 31 foot-tall pedestal. It weighs 635 tons and is located at the peak of the 2,300 ft Corcovado Mountain overlooking the city.

Colosseum – The Colosseum is a large amphitheater located in the center of Rome, Italy. It demonstrates the ingenuity of Roman architecture and engineering. Construction started around 70 to 72 AD and continued until completed in 80 AD. It was built to create unity in the city and portrayed gladiatorial contests and other public spectacles.

Great Wall of China – Built to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against attacks by roving nomadic groups, the Great Wall of China is made up of various walls, geographical barriers, and trenches for a total length of 5,500.3 miles. The wall starts at Shanhaiguan and spans across the west to Lop Nur. Construction started in 5th century BC and continued until the 1400’s, with the Wall being built from various materials like stone, rock, bricks, and rammed earth. The Wall was very successful at protecting the borders of China until the invading Manchus were able to cross it in 1644, before taking over Beijing. Today, The Wall is rapidly deteriorating due to sandstorms, erosion and general passing of time.

Machu Picchu – Meaning “Old Mountain,” Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca city located above the Urubamba Valley in Peru. Mainly, the city is in ruins with a total of a 140 structures but still shows how the Indians lived, which is appealing to visitors making the site the most visited tourist attraction in the country. No one quite knows why this city was built there, but there are many theories like maybe it was a possible prison for people who committed crimes against the Inca Empire, a place to experiment growing certain types of crops or possibly just a city built for the Gods. It appears that the city was abandoned about 100 years after it was built with some theories proposing that all the inhabitants were wiped out by small pox.

Taj Mahal – The Taj Mahal is a temple located in Agra, India. It was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to commemorate the memory of his favorite wife. Construction started in 1632 and was completed in 1653. It was beautifully built by many artisans and craftsmen and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture.

Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China, a memorable landmark, is the most popular tourist attraction in China. The Wall has fascinated the minds of many in the world and it is part of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Wall is the ultimate tourist destination for The Great Wall of China With Beautiful Sky View

sightseeing. People from all over the world visit China to see this exotic architecture because it is one of the most appealing attractions of China. It has its share of fans including those who spread speculations about it being seen from the moon. Why, When, and Who Built The Great Wall? Looking down at the Great Wall from the sky is truly amazing, the Wall resembles a Chinese dragon circling the mountains. There is a common term use by The Chinese call “Wan Li Chang Cheng” which defines as “Wall of 10,000 Li” (10,000 Li = 5,000 km). There were three main Chinese dynasties that contributed to the construction of the Great Wall: first, the Qin from 221-207 B.C., then the Han from 206 B.C – 220 A.D and the Ming from 1368-1644 A.D. Their common purpose was to stop the “barbaric” Huns in the North from invading the Chinese borders. Millions of people labored on the Great Wall and many died while working. How Long is The Great Wall? After the Qin emperor unified China, he connected the walls across the country into one, The Wall extended up to 10,000 Li (5000 km) and it helps keep out intruders from the north. What seems to be a Chinese zigzag dragon, the Great Wall of China spreads across deserts, rivers, mountains, grasslands and plateaus expanding nearly 6,700 kilometers. It has been built for over 2 millenniums and it stretches from the east side to the west side of China. Due to modern technologies and lack of usefulness, pieces of the structure are left in ruins and the Chinese leaders do not care to fix it. This marvelous segment of Chinese heritage swept through Shanhaiguan Pass, then to Liaoning, then Hebei, continuing onto Tianjin, expanding to Beijing, reaching Shanxi, and into Inner Mongolia, next to Ningxia, arriving at Gansu and finally ends in Jiayuguan Pass. The Great Wall length measures about 6,700 km long. Height wise, it is 4.5m to 9m. Depth wise, it is 4.5m to 8m. The entire structure was built by hand using stone, bricks, soil, sand, straw, wood, clay or whatever was available depending on the territory and time period. The Great Wall Today The existing Wall today was constructed by the Ming Dynasty over 600 years ago. During that time, the original wall was in ruins. Ming emperors order to rebuilt the wall over the course of 200 years. The reason the wall still stand today is because there was an invention during that time, mixing rice flour to create extremely tough bricks and mortar. Today, few parts of the Great Wall are in great condition because it was restored to attract tourists.

Great Wall of China Direct View With Dark Lighting