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The N Seoul Tower (Korean: N 서울타워), officially the YTN Seoul Tower and known as the Namsan Tower, is a communication and observation tower located on the summit of Namsan (262 m (860 ft)) in central Seoul, South Korea. The 236-metre-tall (774 ft) structure marks the second highest point in Seoul and is considered a local landmark.
Built in 1971, N Seoul Tower is South Korea's first general radio wave tower, providing TV and radio broadcasting in Seoul. Currently, the tower broadcasts signals for Korean media outlets, such as KBS, MBC, and SBS.
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Nidaros Cathedral is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of King Olav II (c. 995–1030, reigned 1015–1028), who became the patron saint of the nation, and is the traditional location for the consecration of new Norwegian monarchs. It was built over a 230-year period, from 1070 to 1300 when it was substantially completed. However additional work, additions and renovations have continued intermittently since then, including a major reconstruction starting in 1869 and completed in 2001.
In 1152, the church was designated as the cathedral for the Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros. In 1537, during the Protestant Reformation, it became part of the newly established state Church of Norway. It is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.
The cathedral is the main church for the Nidaros og Vår Frue parish, the seat of the Nidaros domprosti (arch-deanery), and the seat of the Bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros. The Preses of the Church of Norway is also based at this cathedral. The church seats about 1,850 people.
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Sonargaon or Șonargă is a historic city in central Bangladesh. It corresponds to the modern day subdistrict Sonargaon Upazila of Narayanganj District in Dhaka Division.
Sonargaon is one of the old capitals of the historic region of Bengal and was an administrative center of eastern Bengal. It was also a river port. Its hinterland was the center of the muslin trade in Bengal, with a large population of weavers and artisans. According to ancient Greek and Roman accounts, an emporium was located in this hinterland, which archaeologists have now identified with the Wari-Bateshwar ruins of the Gangaridai Empire. The area was a base for the Vanga, Gangaridai, Samatata, Sena, and Deva dynasties.
Sonargaon gained importance during the Delhi Sultanate. It was the capital of the Sonargaon Sultanate ruled by Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah and his son Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah. It hosted a royal court and mint of the Bengal Sultanate and was also the capital of the Bengal Sultanate under the reign of Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah. Sonargaon became one of the most important townships in Bengal and many immigrants settled in the area. The Sultans built mosques and tombs. It was later the seat of the Baro-Bhuyan confederacy that resisted Mughal expansion under the leadership of Isa Khan and his son Musa Khan. Sonargaon then became a district of Mughal Bengal. During British colonial rule, merchants built many Indo-Saracenic townhouses in the Panam neighborhood. Its importance was eventually eclipsed by the nearby Port of Narayanganj which was set up in 1862.
Sonargaon draws many tourists each year. It hosts the Bangladesh Folk Arts and Crafts Foundation, as well as various archaeological sites, Sufi shrines, Hindu temples, historic mosques and tombs.
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Bumthang Valley is the main inhabited valley in the Bumthang district of Bhutan.
The Bumthang Valley is located in central Bhutan and is regarded as one of the country's most historically and spiritually significant regions. The main town in the valley is Jakar, which serves as the administrative and commercial center of the district. Bhutan’s only brewery, which produces the *Red Panda* wheat beer, is also located in Jakar.
Bumthang District is administratively divided into four gewogs: Chhoekhor, Tang, Chhume and Ura.
The valley is broad and features a variety of habitats, including coniferous forests and alpine meadows. The local language, known as Bumthang Kha, belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family. Each of the four valleys in Bumthang has its own dialect.
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Jabal Shams or Jebel Shams is a mountain located in northeastern Oman north of the town of Al-Hamra.
It is the highest mountain in Oman, and is part of the Jebel Akhdar or Jabal Akhdar Mountains, which in turn belongs to the Hajar range.[4] The mountain is a popular sightseeing area located 240 km (150 miles) from Muscat.
It is known as Jabal Shams because it is the first place to receive sunrise in Oman due to its high peak.
In the summer, the temperature is around 20 °C (68 °F) and in the winter it drops to less than 0 °C (32 °F). Jabal Shams also hosts Al Nakhur Canyon which is labeled as the Grand Canyon of Arabia.
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Karakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 15th centuries. Its ruins lie in the northwestern corner of the Övörkhangai Province of modern-day Mongolia, near the present town of Kharkhorin and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu Monastery, which is likely the oldest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. They are located in the upper part of the World Heritage Site Orkhon Valley.
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The Avenue of the Baobabs, or Alley of the Baobabs, is a prominent group of Grandidier's baobabs (Adansonia grandidieri) lining the unpaved Road No.8 between Morondava and Belon'i Tsiribihina in the Menabe region of western Madagascar. Its striking landscape draws travelers from around the world, making it one of the most visited locations in the region. It has been a center of local conservation efforts, and was granted temporary protected status in July 2007 by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forestry – a step toward making it Madagascar's first natural monument.
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Bahla Fort is one of four historic fortresses situated at the foot of the Jebel Akhdar highlands in Oman and was the country's first UNESCO-listed fort added in 1987.
In 1988, the Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn became the second Omani site to be declared World Heritage by UNESCO.
Bahla Fort underwent massive restoration efforts and reopened in 2012. However, the complex lacks in visitor information. There are no exhibits or brochures available to learn more about this large space or guides at hand to provide further details, so people either need to go on a tour or explore on their own.
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Busan, officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, with its port being South Korea's busiest and the sixth-busiest in the world. The surrounding "Southeastern Maritime Industrial Region" (including Ulsan, South Gyeongsang, Daegu, and part of North Gyeongsang and South Jeolla) is South Korea's largest industrial area. The large volumes of port traffic and urban population in excess of 1 million makes Busan a Large-Port metropolis using the Southampton System of Port-City classification. As of 2025, Busan Port is the primary port in Korea and the world's sixth-largest container port.
Busan is divided into 15 major administrative districts and a single county, together housing a population of approximately 3.6 million. The full metropolitan area, the Southeastern Maritime Industrial Region, has a population of approximately 8 million. The most densely built-up areas of the city are situated in a number of narrow valleys between the Nakdong and the Suyeong Rivers, with mountains separating most of the districts. The Nakdong River is Korea's longest river and Busan's Haeundae Beach is also the country's largest.
Busan is a center for international conventions, hosting an APEC summit in 2005. It is also a center for sports tournaments in Korea, having hosted the 2002 Asian Games and FIFA World Cup. It is home to the world's largest department store, the Shinsegae Centum City. Busan was added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a "City of Film" in December 2014.
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Rinpung Dzong, sometimes referred to as Paro Dzong, is a large dzong - Buddhist monastery and fortress - of the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school in Paro District, Bhutan. It houses the district Monastic Body as well as government administrative offices of Paro Dzongkhag. It is listed as a tentative site in Bhutan's Tentative List for UNESCO inclusion.
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The Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park is a national park located in northwest Madagascar. It is mainly within the boundaries of Antsalova District, with a small part in the northeast falling within Morafenobe District. The national park centers on two geological formations: the Great Tsingy and the Little Tsingy. Together with the adjacent Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, the National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is crossed by the Manambolo River.
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Raʾs al-Jinz or Raʾs al-Junayz, located in Ash-Sharqiyyah South Governorate, Oman, is the easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a nesting site for green turtles, as also is the beach at the local village of Ras al Hadd. It is home to a well-known turtle reserve. Important archaeological discoveries have also been made at this site, demonstrating connections to the Indus Valley in ancient times.
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Ahsan Manzil is a historic palace situated in Kumartoli along the banks of Buriganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It served as the official residence and administrative seat of the Nawab of Dhaka during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Constructed in the Indo-Saracenic architectural style, the palace has been designated an Old Dhaka Heritage Site. It is currently preserved and operated as a museum under the Bangladesh National Museum, exhibiting artefacts and historical materials related to the Nawab family and the socio-political history of Dhaka.
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Gyeongju, historically known as Seorabeol, is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering 1,324 km2 (511 sq mi) with a population of 264,091 people as of December 2012. Gyeongju is 370 km (230 mi) southeast of Seoul, and 55 km (34 mi) east of Daegu. The city borders Cheongdo and Yeongcheon to the west, Ulsan to the south and Pohang to the north, while to the east lies the coast of the Sea of Japan. Numerous low mountains—outliers of the Taebaek range—are scattered around the city.
Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD), which ruled about two-thirds of the Korean peninsula at its height between the 7th and 9th centuries, for close to one thousand years, where it was known as Seorabeol. According to Samguk yusa, Seorabeol had more than 170,000 households or between 800,000 and 900,000 inhabitants.
Later Silla was a prosperous and wealthy country, and Gyeongju was the fourth largest city in the world. A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city. Gyeongju is often referred to as "the museum without walls". Among such historical treasures, Seokguram grotto, Bulguksa temple, Gyeongju Historic Areas and Yangdong Folk Village are designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The many major historical sites have helped Gyeongju become one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Korea.
The city of Gyeongju was united with the nearby rural Gyeongju County in 1995 and is now an urban–rural complex. It is similar to 53 other small and medium-sized cities with a population under 300,000 people in South Korea. As well as its rich historical heritage, Gyeongju today is affected by the economic, demographic, and social trends that have shaped modern South Korean culture. Tourism remains the major economic driver, but manufacturing activities have developed due to its proximity to major industrial centers such as Ulsan and Pohang. Gyeongju is connected to the nationwide rail and highway networks, which facilitate industrial and tourist traffic.
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Saaremaa is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring 2,673 km2 (1,032 sq mi), its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and northwest of the Gulf of Riga. The administrative centre of the island, and of the Saare maakond (county), is the town of Kuressaare.
From the 13th century until the first half of the 20th century, the island of Saaremaa was known in most of the world by variants of its other historical name Ösel.
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Sequoia National Park is a national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and today protects 404,064 acres (631 sq mi; 163,519 ha; 1,635 km2) of forested mountainous terrain. Encompassing a vertical relief of nearly 13,000 feet (4,000 m), the park contains the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4,421 m) above sea level. The park is south of, and contiguous with, Kings Canyon National Park; both parks are administered by the National Park Service together as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. UNESCO designated the areas as Sequoia-Kings Canyon Biosphere Reserve in 1976.
The park is notable for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree on Earth by volume. The General Sherman Tree grows in the Giant Forest, which contains five of the ten largest trees in the world. The Giant Forest is connected by the Generals Highway to Kings Canyon National Park's General Grant Grove, home of the General Grant Tree among other giant sequoias. The park's giant sequoia forests are part of 202,430 acres (316 sq mi; 81,921 ha; 819 km2) of old-growth forests shared by Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The parks preserve a landscape that was first cultivated by the Monache tribe, the southern Sierra Nevada before Euro-American settlement.
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Tromsø is a city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative center of the municipality as well as the administrative center of Troms county. The city is located on the island of Tromsøya which sits in the Tromsøysundet strait, just off the mainland of Northern Norway. The mainland suburb of Tromsdalen is connected to the city center on Tromsøya by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel. The suburb of Kvaløysletta on the island of Kvaløya is connected to the city center by the Sandnessund Bridge.
The city center contains the highest number of old wooden houses in Northern Norway, the oldest dating from 1789. Tromsø is a cultural hub for the region, with several festivals taking place in the summer.
The 13.8-square-kilometre (3,400-acre) town has a population (2024) of 42,782 and a population density of 3,100 inhabitants per square kilometer (8,000/sq mi).
In 2026, Tromsø holds the title of European Youth Capital, becoming the northernmost city to ever receive this designation. The year-long program focuses on empowering young people in the Arctic region and fostering youth participation in local governance.
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Antananarivo, also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "Antananarivo-Capital"), is the capital of Analamanga region. The city sits at 1,280 m (4,199 ft) above sea level in the center of the island, making it the highest national capital by elevation among the island countries. It has been the country's largest population center since at least the 18th century. The Presidency, National Assembly, Senate, and Supreme Court are located there, as are 21 diplomatic missions and the headquarters of many national and international businesses and non-governmental organizations. It has more universities, nightclubs, art venues, and medical services than any city on the island. Several national and local sports teams, including the championship-winning national rugby team, the Makis, are based here.
Antananarivo was historically the capital of the Merina people, who continue to form the majority of the city's 1,274,225 (2018 census) inhabitants. The surrounding urban areas have a total metropolitan population approaching three million. All eighteen Malagasy ethnic groups, as well as residents of Chinese, Indian, European, and other origins, are represented in the city. It was founded circa 1610, when the Merina King Andrianjaka (1612–1630) expelled the Vazimba inhabitants of the village of Analamanga. Declaring it the site of his capital, Andrianjaka built a rova (fortified royal dwelling) that expanded to become the royal palaces of the Kingdom of Imerina. The city retained the name Analamanga until the reign of King Andriamasinavalona (1675–1710), who renamed it Antananarivo ("City of the Thousand") in honor of Andrianjaka's soldiers.
The city served as the capital of the Kingdom of Imerina until 1710 when Imerina split into four warring quadrants. Antananarivo became the capital of the southern quadrant until 1794, when King Andrianampoinimerina of Ambohimanga captured the province and restored it as the capital of a united Kingdom of Imerina, also bringing neighboring ethnic groups under Merina control. These conquests continued under his son, Radama I, who eventually controlled over two-thirds of the island, leading him to be considered the King of Madagascar by European diplomats. Antananarivo remained the island's capital after Madagascar was colonized by the French in 1897, and after independence in 1960.
The city is now managed by the Commune Urbaine d'Antananarivo (CUA) under the direction of its President of the Special Delegation, Ny Havana Andriamanjato, appointed in March 2014. Limited funds and mismanagement have hampered consecutive CUA efforts to manage overcrowding and traffic, waste management, pollution, security, public water and electricity, and other challenges linked to explosive population growth. Major historic landmarks and attractions in the city include the reconstructed royal palaces and the Andafiavaratra Palace, the tomb of Rainiharo, Tsimbazaza Zoo, Mahamasina Stadium, Lake Anosy, four 19th-century martyr churches, and the Museum of Art and Archaeology.
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Muscat is the capital and most populous city of Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. The metropolitan area includes six provinces, called wilayat, and spans approximately 6,500 km2 (2,500 sq mi). Known since the early 1st century CE as a leading port for trade between the west and the east, Muscat was ruled successively by various indigenous tribes, as well as by foreign powers such as the Persians, the Portuguese Empire and the Ottoman Empire. In the 18th century, Muscat was a regional military power: its influence extended as far as East Africa and Zanzibar. As an important port town in the Gulf of Oman, Muscat attracted foreign traders and settlers such as the Persians, the Balochs and the Sindhis. Beginning in 1970, after the accession of Qaboos bin Said as the Sultan of Oman, Muscat experienced rapid infrastructural development; it developed a vibrant economy and became a multi-ethnic society. The Globalization and World Cities Research Network classifies Muscat as a Beta-level Global City.
The Hajar Mountains dominate the view from Muscat. The city lies on the Arabian Sea, along the Gulf of Oman, near the strategically important Straits of Hormuz. Low-lying white buildings are a typical feature of its architecture. The city's port district of Muttrah, with its corniche and harbour, are at the north-eastern edge of the city. Muscat's economy is dominated by trade, petroleum, liquified natural gas and porting.
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The Lalbagh Fort is a historic fort situated in the old city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Its name is derived from its neighborhood, Lalbagh, which means Red Garden. The term Lalbagh refers to reddish and pinkish hues in the Mughal architecture. The original fort was called Fort Aurangabad. Its construction was started by Prince Muhammad Azam Shah, who was the son of Emperor Aurangzeb and briefly a future Mughal emperor himself. After the prince was recalled by his father, the fort's construction was overseen by Shaista Khan, the Subahdar of Mughal Bengal. The death of Shaista Khan's daughter, Pari Bibi (Fairy Lady), resulted in a halt to the construction process, apparently due to Shaista Khan's superstition that the fort brought bad omen. Pari Bibi was buried inside the fort.
Lalbagh Fort was built as the official residence of the governor of the Mughal province of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The complex includes the Mughal governor's house, the tomb of Pari Bibi and a mosque. It is covered by lawns, fountains and water channels. Its two south gates were previously grand arches. The original grand complex covered the governor's house and the two archways. The tomb of Pari Bibi was later added. Lalbagh Fort was modelled as a miniature version of great Mughal forts like the Red Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. During the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, Mughal Bengal became the economic engine of the empire. Emperor Aurangzeb called Bengal the Paradise of Nations. Dhaka grew into an imperial city with one of the richest elites in the Mughal Empire, including members of the imperial family. Mughal artillery guarded the fort. Once located beside the Buriganga River, the river has retreated from the vicinity of the fort. The fort was depicted in European paintings during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Today, Lalbagh Fort is one of the most visited sites in Dhaka. Several pieces of artillery are kept inside the fort. The Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation is funding a restoration project for parts of the fort. Lalbagh Fort is one of the most recognized symbols of Mughal rule in Bengal.
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Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a well-preserved fortress on a hill on the island of St. Kitts, in the Federation of St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis in the Eastern Caribbean. It was designed by British military engineers, and was built and maintained by enslaved Africans. It is one of the best preserved historical fortifications in the Americas.
The complex of fortifications were constructed on Brimstone Hill, a very steeply sloping hill situated close to the sea on the Western, Caribbean coast of St. Kitts.
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The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, 485 nautical miles (898 km; 558 mi) west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of slightly over 33,000 in 2020. The province is divided into the cantons of San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, and Isabela, the three most populated islands in the chain. The Galápagos are famous for their large number of endemic species, which were studied by Charles Darwin in the 1830s and inspired his theory of evolution by means of natural selection. All of these islands are protected as part of Ecuador's Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve.
There is no firm evidence that Polynesians or the Indigenous peoples of South America reached the islands before their accidental discovery by Bishop Tomás de Berlanga in 1535. If some visitors did arrive, poor access to fresh water on the islands seems to have limited settlement. The Spanish Empire similarly ignored the islands, although during the Golden Age of Piracy various pirates used the Galápagos as a base for raiding Spanish shipping along the Peruvian coast. The goats and black and brown rats introduced during this period greatly damaged the existing ecosystems of several islands. British sailors were chiefly responsible for exploring and mapping the area. Darwin's voyage on HMS Beagle was part of an extensive British survey of the coasts of South America. Ecuador, which won its independence from Spain in 1822 and left Gran Colombia in 1830, formally occupied and claimed the islands on 12 February 1832 while the voyage was ongoing. José de Villamil, the founder of the Ecuadorian Navy, led the push to colonize and settle the islands, gradually supplanting the English names of the major islands with Spanish ones. The United States built the islands' first airport as a base to protect the western approaches of the Panama Canal in the 1930s. After World War II, its facilities were transferred to Ecuador. With the growing importance of ecotourism to the local economy, the airport modernized in the 2010s, using recycled materials for any expansion and shifting entirely to renewable energy sources to handle its roughly 300,000 visitors each year.
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Aachen Cathedral is a Catholic church in Aachen, Germany and the cathedral of the Diocese of Aachen.
One of the oldest cathedral buildings in Europe, it was constructed as the royal chapel of the Palace of Aachen of Emperor Charlemagne, who was buried there in 814. From 936 to 1531, the original Palatine Chapel saw the coronation of thirty-one German kings and twelve queens. Later, much expanded, it was a minster and collegiate church, becoming a cathedral briefly from 1803 to 1825, and again in 1930 when the Diocese of Aachen was revived. In 1978, Aachen Cathedral was one of the first 12 sites to be listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, because of its exceptional artistry, architecture, and central importance in the history of the Holy Roman Empire.
The cathedral mostly uses two distinct architectural styles. First, the core of the cathedral is the Carolingian-Romanesque Palatine Chapel, which was modeled after the Basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna and is notably small in comparison to the later additions. Secondly, the choir was constructed in the Gothic style. There are portions that show Ottonian style, such as the area around the throne, and some areas were not completed until the 19th century, in revivalist styles.
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The Boyana Church is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church situated on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, in the Boyana quarter. In 1979, the building was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The east wing of the two-story church was originally constructed in the late 10th or early 11th century, then the central wing was added in the 13th century under the Second Bulgarian Empire, the whole building being finished with a further expansion to the west in the middle of the 19th century. A total of 89 scenes with 240 human images are depicted on the walls of the church.
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The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak is a vaulted-brickwork "beehive" (tholos) tomb that is located near the town of Kazanlak in central Bulgaria. The tomb is part of a large royal Thracian necropolis in the Valley of the Thracian Rulers near their ancient capital of Seuthopolis in a region where more than a thousand tombs of royalty and members of the Thracian aristocracy can be found. It lies in the Kazanlak Valley, enclosed between the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora mountain range to the south.
The monument dates back to the fourth century BC and has been on the UNESCO protected World Heritage Site list since 1979. The paintings in this small tomb are Bulgaria's best-preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period.
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Vézelay Abbey is a Benedictine and Cluniac monastery in Vézelay in the east-central French department of Yonne. It was constructed between 1120 and 1150. The Benedictine abbey church, now the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (Saint Mary Magdalene), with its complex program of imagery in sculpted capitals and portals, is one of the great masterpieces of Burgundian Romanesque art and architecture. Sacked by the Huguenots in 1569, the building suffered neglect in the 17th and the 18th centuries and some further damage during the period of the French Revolution.
The church and hill at Vézelay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 because of their importance in medieval Christianity and outstanding architecture.
Relics of Mary Magdalene can be seen inside the Basilica.
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Arles is a coastal city and commune in southern France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of Provence.
A large part of the Camargue, the largest wetlands in France, is located within the territory of the commune, which is the largest in Metropolitan France in terms of geographic territory. In non-metropolitan France, Maripasoula in French Guiana is the largest French commune in general.
The commune's land area is roughly similar to that of Singapore. The city has a long history, and was of considerable importance in the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis. The Roman and Romanesque Monuments of Arles were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1981 for their testimony to the history of the region.
The city is famous for being the archdiocese of Caesarius of Arles and Hilary of Arles. Additionally, many artists have lived and worked in this area, including Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin and Jacques Réattu. The Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh lived in Arles from 1888 to 1889, and produced over 300 paintings and drawings during his time there. These are held in internationally known museums and private collections around the world. An international photography festival has been held annually in the city since 1970.
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Ölüdeniz is a town of the municipality and district of Fethiye, Muğla Province, Turkey. Its population is 6,132 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganization, it was a town (belde). It is a beach resort on the Turkish Riviera, at the conjunction point of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. It is located 14 km (9 mi) south of Fethiye, near Mount Babadağ.
It has a sandy bay at the mouth of Ölüdeniz, on a blue lagoon. The beach itself is a pebble beach. The lagoon is a national nature reserve and construction is strictly prohibited. The seawater of Ölüdeniz is famous for its shades of turquoise and aquamarine, while its beach is an official Blue Flag beach.
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Akershus Fortress or Akershus Castle is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. It is located on the banks of the Oslofjord. Since the Middle Ages the fortress has been the namesake and center of the main fief and later main county of Akershus, which was originally one of Norway's four main regions and which included most of Eastern Norway. The fortress itself was located within the Akershus main county until 1919, and also within the smaller Akershus sub-county until 1842.
The castle has also been used as a military base, a prison and is currently the temporary office of the prime minister of Norway.
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Olavinlinna, also known as St. Olaf's Castle, is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the lakes Haukivesi and Pihlajavesi. It is the northernmost medieval stone fortress still standing and also the best preserved of all the medieval castles in the Swedish realm. The castle forms a spectacular stage for the Savonlinna Opera Festival, which was held for the first time in the summer of 1912.
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Turku Castle is a medieval structure in the city of Turku, Finland. Together with Turku Cathedral, the castle is one of the oldest buildings still in use in Finland. It is also the largest surviving medieval building in Finland. It was founded in the late 13th century and stands on the banks of the Aura River. The castle served as a bastion and administrative center in the historical region of Finland until the early 19th century. It played a role in power struggles within Sweden and the Kalmar Union and stood sieges, with additional battles fought outside its walls. The castle was at its peak in the mid-16th century, during the reign of Duke John of Finland and Catherine Jagellon. It lost its status as an administrative center in the 17th century, after Per Brahe's period as governor-general of Finland came to an end. Turku Castle is Finland's most visited museum. Visitations reach well over 100,000 people annually. Some of the rooms in the castle are used for municipal functions.
The castle was the center of the historical province of Finland Proper, and the administrative center of all of Finland.
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Malmö Castle is a medieval castle located on Slottsholmen ("Castle islet") in Malmö, Sweden. It was built between 1526 and 1539 and is thus the oldest preserved Renaissance castle in the Nordic region. Malmö Castle is part of The Malmö Museum. It is owned by the Swedish state and managed by the National Property Board. It also houses the Malmö Art Museum. The Commandant's House (Kommendanthuset) and the Castle Mill (Slottsmöllan) are also located near the castle.
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The fortifications of Kotor are an integrated historical fortification system that protected the medieval town of Kotor containing ramparts, towers, citadels, gates, bastions, forts, cisterns, a castle, and ancillary buildings and structures. They incorporate military architecture of Illyria, the Byzantine Empire, Venice, and Austria. Together with the old town and its natural surroundings the fortifications were inscribed in the list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 labelled Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor and represent the only such site of cultural significance in Montenegro.
The fortified city of Kotor was also included in UNESCO's World Heritage Site list as part of Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar in 2017.
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Cambi Castle is castle in Kaštel Kambelovac, a town within the administrative area of Kaštela in Dalmatia, Croatia.
Cambi Castle was built by the aristo-cratic family Cambi from Split (1589). In 1517 brothers Jerolim and Nikola Cambi, built a castle on an islet to protect themselves and residents of Lažan and Kruševik settlements. The castle was cylindrically shaped (only one in Kaštela), making it easily defensible. The citadel was surrounded by the sea but was later connected with the mainland by filling up and levelling. A village gate also survived in its vicinity.
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The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located in an area called the Finger Lakes region in New York, in the United States. This region straddles the northern and transitional edge of the Northern Allegheny Plateau, known as the Finger Lakes Uplands and Gorges ecoregion, and the Ontario Lowlands ecoregion of the Great Lakes Lowlands.
The geological term finger lake refers to a long, narrow lake in an overdeepened glacial valley, while the proper name Finger Lakes goes back to the late 19th century. Cayuga and Seneca Lakes are among the deepest in the United States, measuring 435 and 618 feet (133 and 188 m), respectively, with bottoms well below sea level. Though none of the lakes' widths exceed 3.5 miles (5.6 km), Seneca Lake is 38.1 miles (61.3 km) long, and at 66.9 square miles (173 km2) is the largest in total area.
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The Fukui Cave is an archaeological site consisting of a Japanese Paleolithic period to the early incipient Jōmon period cave dwelling in the Yoshii neighborhood of the city of Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1978. Humans have been occupying the site since at least 30,000 years ago Pottery discovered at this site dates back to around 12,700 years ago and are among the oldest found in the world. In June 2024 a government panel recommended the site be designated as what would be one of just 64 special historic sites in Japan.
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The Mughal emperor Jahangir is buried in a mausoleum dating from 1637 in Shahdara Bagh, along the western bank of the Ravi River, in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The site is famous for its interiors that are extensively embellished with frescoes and marble, and its exterior that is richly decorated with pietra dura. The tomb, along with the adjacent Akbari Sarai and the Tomb of Asif Khan, are part of an ensemble currently on the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage status.
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Jabrin, also known as Jabreen, is a small town in Ad Dakhiliyah Governorate in northeastern Oman near Nizwa and the Jabal Akhdar Mountains.
The town is known for its impressive castle, which was built by the Yaruba dynasty Imam Bil'arab bin Sultan, who ruled from 1679 to 1692 and who was buried onsite. The castle can be visited independently with an audio guide that is provided at the entrance and which lasts about 25 minutes.
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The Tower of Kamyenyets, also called the White Tower, is the main landmark of the town of Kamyenyets in Belarus. The name Bielaja Vieža, which literally means White Tower or White Fortress in Belarusian, presumably derives from the tower's proximity to the Belavezhskaya Pushcha Forest, but not from its color, which has been brick-red through the ages, never white.
The first record in the chronicles about the foundation of the tower dates from 1276. Erected between 1271 and 1289 by the architect Oleksa as a frontier stronghold on the northern border of the Principality of Volhynia, it is the only such tower remaining to this day in Belarus. (Once similar towers were built in Brest, Grodno, Turaw, Navahradak, but they were destroyed in the course of wars.)
Today it is a national historic site. Standing atop a gentle rise overlooking the Liasnaja river, the tower is the main landmark of Kamyenyets today. Since 1960 the tower houses a branch of the Brest regional museum. On January 30, 2004, the site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, in the Cultural category, but in 2015 it was removed from the list.
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The Soroca Fort is a historic fort in the Republic of Moldova, in the modern-day city of Soroca.
The city has its origin in the medieval Genoese trade post of Olchionia, or Alchona. It is known for its well-preserved stronghold, established by the Moldavian Prince Stephen the Great in 1499.
The original wooden fort, which defended a ford over the Dniester (Romanian: Nistru), was an important link in the chain of fortifications which comprised four forts on the Dniester, two forts on the Danube and three forts on the north border of medieval Moldova. Between 1543 and 1546 under the rule of Petru Rareş, the fortress was rebuilt in stone as a perfect circle with five bastions situated at equal distances.
During the Great Turkish War, John Sobieski's forces successfully defended the fortress against the Ottomans. It was of vital military importance during the Pruth Campaign of Peter the Great in 1711. The stronghold was sacked by the Russians in the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). The Soroca fortress is an important attraction in Soroca, having preserved cultures and kept the old Soroca in the present day.
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Geirangerfjorden (Norwegian) or Geiranger Fjord (English) is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located entirely in Stranda Municipality. It is a 15-kilometre-long (9+1⁄2 mi) branch off the Sunnylvsfjorden, which itself is a branch off the Storfjorden (lit. 'Great Fjord'). The small village of Geiranger is located at the end of the fjord where the Geirangelva river empties into it.