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Melissani Cave or Melissani Lake, also Melisani is a cave and cenote located on the island of Kefalonia, northwest of Sami, about 5 km (3.1 mi) Southeast of Agia Effimia, Northeast of Argostoli and Northwest of Poros. This sinkhole was created when a collapse of limestone bedrock exposed groundwater in 1953, creating the cenote. The Ionian Sea lies to the east with the Strait of Ithaca. Forests surround the cave and the mountain slope is to the west. Near the cave is the entry to the cave with parking lots and is passed almost in the middle of the main road linking Sami and Agia Efimia especially to the northern part of the island. Some say the water is so clear the boats look like they are floating on air.
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Semuc Champey is a natural enclave in the department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, near the Q'eqchi' Maya town of Lanquín. It consists of a natural 300 metres (980 ft) limestone bridge, under which passes the Cahabón River. Atop the bridge is a series of stepped, turquoise pools, a popular swimming attraction.
The name Semuc Champey is from the Qʼeqchiʼ language, meaning where the river hides under the earth. The natural monument was established in 2005 by Decreto No. 025.
The best and most popular way to see Semuc Champey is from the "El Mirador" viewpoint. Though it is a roughly 45-minute hot, uphill jungle hike from the parking area, the views into the valley are unparalleled.
Although it can be difficult to get to, Semuc is becoming more and more popular with travelers.
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Kemeraltı (more fully, Kemeraltı Çarşısı) is a historical market (bazaar) district of İzmir, Turkey. It remains one of the liveliest districts of İzmir.
The district covers a vast area extending from the level of the Agora of Smyrna (the quarters of Namazgah, Mezarlıkbaşı and İkiçeşmelik), to the seashore along the Konak Square.
It is bounded by the streets Fevzipaşa Boulevard on the northeast, Eşrefpaşa Street on the southwest, and Halil Rıfat Bashaw Street on the southeast, surrounded by ridges of Kadifekale.
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Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The area is famous for a carbonate mineral left by the flowing of thermal spring water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the River Menderes valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.
The ancient Greek city of Hierapolis was built on top of the travertine formation which is in total about 2,700 metres (8,860 ft) long, 600 m (1,970 ft) wide and 160 m (525 ft) high. It can be seen from the hills on the opposite side of the valley in the town of Denizli, 20 km away. This area has been drawing visitors to its thermal springs since the time of classical antiquity. The Turkish name refers to the surface of the shimmering, snow-white limestone, shaped over millennia by calcite-rich springs. Dripping slowly down the mountainside, mineral-rich waters collect in and cascade down the mineral terraces, into pools below.
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The Meteora is a rock formation in the regional unit of Trikala, in Thessaly, in northwestern Greece, hosting one of the most prominent complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, viewed locally as second in importance only to Mount Athos. Their height is more than 20 metres (66 ft).
Twenty-four monasteries were established atop the giant natural pillars and hill-like rounded boulders that dominate the local area, mainly from the second half of the 14th century under the local rule of Simeon Uroš. As of December 2025, four of the original monasteries were occupied, in active use as monasteries that are managed by monks, and open to visitors: the monasteries of Great Meteoron (est. 1356), Varlaam, Holy Trinity, and Saint Stephen – the latter became a convent run by a community of nuns in 1961. Two other former monasteries are extant, yet no longer in active use as monasteries: the Saint Nicholas Anapausas and Rousanou monasteries.
Meteora is located in between the town of Kalabaka and the village of Kastraki at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains. The Meteora complex, comprising the six extant monasteries, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988 because of its outstanding architecture and beauty, combined with religious and cultural significance.
The name means "lofty", "elevated", and is etymologically related to meteor.
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Suomenlinna, or Sveaborg, is a sea fortress composed of eight islands, of which six have been fortified. Located about four kilometres (2.5 mi) southeast of the city center of Helsinki, Finland, Suomenlinna is a popular destination for both tourists and locals, who enjoy it as a picturesque picnic site.
Construction of the fortress began in 1748 under the Swedish Crown as a defense against Russia. The general responsibility for the fortification work was given to Admiral Augustin Ehrensvärd. The original plan of the bastion fortress was heavily influenced by Vauban, a renowned French military engineer, and incorporated the principles of the star fort style of fortifications, albeit adapted to a group of rocky islands.
During the Finnish War, Russian forces besieged the fortress in 1808. Despite its formidable reputation as the "Gibraltar of the North", the fortress surrendered after only two months, on 3 May 1808. Its loss paved the way for Russia's seizure of Finland in 1809, and the subsequent establishment of the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state within the Russian Empire.
Under Russian rule, the fortress served as a base for the Baltic Fleet during World War I, and in 1915, construction began on the Krepost Sveaborg defense system. Russian forces abandoned the fortress after Finland declared independence in 1917. Originally named Sveaborg ("Fortress of Sweden") and known as Viapori ([ˈviaˌpori]) in Finnish, it was renamed Suomenlinna ("Fortress of Finland") in 1918. In Swedish, however, it retains its original name. In the aftermath of the Finnish Civil War, the islands housed the Suomenlinna prison camp for captured Red soldiers.
Suomenlinna remained under the control of the Finnish Defense Department until 1973, when most of it was transferred to civilian administration. Famous for its bastion fortifications, the fortress was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
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General Carrera Lake (Chilean part, officially renamed in 1959) or Lake Buenos Aires (Argentine part) is a deep lake located in Patagonia and shared by Argentina and Chile. Both names are internationally accepted, while the autochthonous name of the lake is Chelenko, which means "stormy waters" in Aonikenk. Another historical name is Coluguape from Mapuche, a derivative of this name is applied to Colhué Huapí Lake after Argentine explorer Francisco Moreno reached this lake in 1876 conflating it with Coluguape (General Carrera Lake).
The lake is of glacial origin and is surrounded by the Andes mountain range. The lake drains to the Pacific Ocean on the west through the Baker River. During the last glaciation the lake drained to the Atlantic through Deseado River.
The weather in this area of Chile and Argentina is generally cold and humid. But the lake itself has a sunny microclimate, a weather pattern enjoyed by the few settlements along the lake, such as Puerto Guadal, Fachinal, Mallín Grande, Puerto Murta, Puerto Río Tranquilo, Puerto Sánchez, Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez and Chile Chico in Chile, and Los Antiguos and Perito Moreno in Argentina.
The area near the coast of the lake was first inhabited by criollos and European immigrants between 1900 and 1925. In 1971 and 1991, eruptions of the Hudson Volcano severely affected the local economy, especially that of sheep farming. A car ferry operates between Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez and Chile Chico in the Chilean sector of the lake. The lake is known as a trout and salmon fishing destination.
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The Baatara gorge sinkhole (Baatara gorge waterfall) is a waterfall in the Batroun district of Lebanon near the village of Chatine in the town of Tannourine.
The waterfall drops 255 metres (837 ft) into the Balaa Pothole, a cave of Jurassic limestone located on the Lebanon Mountain Trail. The cave is also known as the Cave of the Three Bridges. Traveling from Laklouk to Tannourine one passes the village of Balaa, and the Three Bridges Chasm (in French Gouffre des Trois Ponts) is a five-minute journey into the valley below where one sees three natural bridges, rising one above the other and overhanging a chasm descending into Mount Lebanon. During the spring melt, a 90–100-metre (300–330 ft) cascade falls behind the three bridges and then down into the 240-metre (790 ft) chasm.
Discovered to the western world in 1952 by French bio-speleologist Henri Coiffait, the waterfall and accompanying sinkhole were fully mapped in the 1980s by the Spéléo club du Liban. A 1988 fluorescent dye test demonstrated that the water emerged at the spring of Dalleh in Mgharet al-Ghaouaghir (located near Balaa).
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Masoala National Park, in northeast Madagascar, is the largest of the island's protected areas. Most of the park is situated in Sava Region and a part in Ambatosoa. Created in 1997, the park protects 2,300 square kilometres of rainforest and 100 square kilometres of marine park. The Masoala Peninsula is exceptionally diverse due to its large size and variety of habitats. Altogether, the park protects tropical rainforest, coastal forest, flooded forest, marsh, and mangrove. Three marine parks protect coral reefs and a dazzling array of marine life.
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Lauterbrunnen is a village and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The municipality comprises the other villages of Wengen, Mürren, Gimmelwald, Stechelberg, and Isenfluh, as well as several other hamlets. The population of the village of Lauterbrunnen is less than that of Wengen, but larger than that of the others.
The municipality comprises the Lauterbrunnen Valley, located at the foot of the Bernese Alps. It is notably overlooked by the Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau and many other high peaks. The valley, drained by the White Lütschine, comprises the Soustal, the Sefinental and the upper Lauterbrunnen Valley with Untersteinberg. The valley includes several glaciers. Together with the adjacent valley of Grindelwald, the Lauterbrunnen Valley forms part of the Jungfrau Region of the Bernese Oberland, between Interlaken and the main crest of the Bernese Alps.
Similarly to Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen has become a major tourist destination. It is connected to Interlaken by the Bernese Oberland Railway and is the start of the Wengernalp Railway, leading to Kleine Scheidegg. The latter resort is the start of the Jungfrau Railway, the highest railway in Europe and a gateway to the Jungfrau-Aletsch protected area.
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Gstaad is a town in the German-speaking section of the Canton of Bern in southwestern Switzerland. It is part of the municipality of Saanen and is known as a major ski resort and a popular destination amongst high society and the international jet set. The winter campus of the Institut Le Rosey is located in Gstaad. Gstaad has a population of about 9,200 and is located 1,050 metres (3,445 feet) above sea level.
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Coromandel, also called Coromandel Town to distinguish it from the wider district, is a town on the Coromandel Harbor, on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula, which is in the North Island of New Zealand. It is 75 kilometers east of the city of Auckland, although the road between them, which winds around the Firth of Thames and Hauraki Gulf coasts, is 190 km long. The population was 1,780 as of June 2025.
The town was named after HMS Coromandel, which sailed into the harbor in 1820. At one time Coromandel Harbor was a major port serving the region's gold mining and kauri industries. Today, the town's main industries are tourism and mussel farming.
Coromandel Harbor is a wide bay on the Hauraki Gulf guarded by several islands, the largest of which is Whanganui Island. The town and environs are a popular summer holiday destination for New Zealanders. Coromandel Town is noted for its artists, crafts, alternative life-stylers, mussel farming, and recreational fishing. One of the most popular tourist attractions is the Driving Creek Railway.
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Hochosterwitz Castle is a castle in Austria, considered one of Austria's most impressive medieval castles. It is on a 172-metre-high (564 ft) dolomite rock near Sankt Georgen am Längsee, east of the town of Sankt Veit an der Glan in Carinthia. The rock castle is one of the state's landmarks and a major tourist attraction.
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The Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71-meter (233 ft) tall stone statue, built between 712 and 804 (during the Tang dynasty). It is carved out of a cliff face of Cretaceous red bed sandstones that lies at the confluence of the Min River and Dadu River in the southern part of Sichuan Province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below its feet. It is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. It is over 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) from the Wuyou Temple.
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Ivangorod Fortress is a castle in Ivangorod, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It was built in the 15th century. It is located on the east bank of the Narva River, which currently forms the international border between Russia and Estonia, across from the city of Narva in Estonia.
Ivangorod Fortress was established during the reign of Ivan III in 1492, intended to reaffirm Muscovy's access to the Baltic Sea and to form a bulwark against the Teutonic Order, being built opposite the powerful Teutonic Hermann Castle. The fortress eventually grew into the town of Ivangorod, and the structures of the fort were gradually expanded and strengthened. Ivangorod Fortress was controlled by Sweden after the end of the Livonian War in 1583, changing hands numerous times during conflicts and border shifts over the following centuries. Following World War I, the fortress was used as a prisoner of war repatriation camp from 1920-21. After World War II, the fortress returned to permanent Russian rule through the Soviet Union. Ivangorod Fortress is now a museum and a tourist attraction.
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The Vernadsky Research Base is a Ukrainian Antarctic research station at Marina Point on Galindez Island in the Argentine Islands, not far from Kyiv Peninsula. The region is under territorial claims between three countries. The single Ukrainian Antarctic station is named after the mineralogist Vladimir Vernadsky (1863–1945) who was the first president of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
A British research base was established in 1947 as Faraday Station (Station F) and transferred to Ukraine in 1996. Coordination and operational administration of the base is conducted by the National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine which is part of Ministry of Education and Sciences of Ukraine.
The closest Antarctic stations are Palmer Station of the United States and Yelcho Base of Chile, reopened in 2015.
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Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock and officially gazetted as Uluru / Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone monolith. It crops out near the centre of Australia in the southern part of the Northern Territory, 335 km (208 mi) south-west of Alice Springs.
Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area, known as the Aṉangu. The area around the formation is home to an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Uluru and Kata Tjuta (also known as the Olgas) are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.
Uluru is one of Australia's most recognizable natural landmarks and has been a popular destination for tourists since the late 1930s. It is also one of the most important indigenous sites in Australia.
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Trakai Island Castle is an island castle located in Trakai, Lithuania, on an island in Lake Galvė. The construction of the stone castle was begun in the 14th century by Kęstutis, and around 1409 major works were completed by his son Vytautas the Great, who died in this castle in 1430. Trakai was one of the main centers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the castle held great strategic importance. The castle was rebuilt in the 1950s–1960s by Lithuanian initiative. The Trakai History Museum was established after the reconstruction.
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Gediminas's Tower is the remaining part of the Upper Castle on top of the Gediminas Hill in Vilnius, Lithuania. It has a viewing platform that offers scenic views of Vilnius Old Town and Vilnius Central Business District. Gediminas's Tower is an important state and historic symbol of the city of Vilnius and of Lithuania itself. It was depicted on the former national currency, the litas, and is mentioned in numerous Lithuanian patriotic poems and folk songs.
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Emerald Cave is a cave located on the west coast of Ko Muk (also known as Ko Mook) Island. The paradise island of Ko Muk and Emerald Cave are part of the Trang Provence, Southern Thailand.
The cave has a narrow 80m long tunnel. The cave can be entered either by swimming or by using a kayak. It is best to see the cave at mid tide, because at low tide there will be no water, hence no 'emerald' on the beach inside.
Outside the cave, there is a lagoon which is surrounded by tropical plants and a beach. The name of the cave is derived from the phenomenon that occurs, when the sun shines on the water, which reflects colored light all over the cave's wall. This can only be seen between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm.
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Tortuga Island is a West Indian island that forms part of Haiti, off the northwest coast of Hispaniola. It constitutes the commune of Île de la Tortue in the Port-de-Paix arrondissement of the Nord-Ouest department of Haiti.
Tortuga is 180 square kilometers (69 square miles) in size and had a population of 25,936 at the 2003 census. In the 17th century, Tortuga was a major center and haven of Caribbean piracy. Its tourism industry and references in many works have made it one of the most recognized regions of Haiti.
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The Erdene Zuu Monastery is probably the earliest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. Built in 1585, it is located in Kharkhorin, Övörkhangai Province and is now included within the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site. The monastery is affiliated with the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
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Amarbayasgalant Monastery is one of the three largest Buddhist monastic centers in Mongolia. The monastery complex is located in the Iven Valley near the Selenge River, at the foot of Mount Büren-Khaan in Baruunbüren District of Selenge Province in northern Mongolia. The nearest town is Erdenet which is about 120 km to the southwest.
The monastery was established and funded by order of the Yongzheng Emperor (and completed under his successor the Qianlong Emperor) of Qing China to serve as a final resting place for Zanabazar (1635–1723), the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, or spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism for the Khalkha in Outer Mongolia and a spiritual mentor to both emperors' ancestor, the Kangxi Emperor. Tradition holds that while searching for an appropriate site to build the monastery, the exploratory group came across two young boys, Amur and Bayasqulangtu, playing on the steppe. They were inspired to build the monastery on that very spot and to name it after the two children, Amur-Bayasqulangtu. More likely, the location was chosen because it stood at the place where the lama's traveling Da Khuree (his mobile monastery and prime residence) was encamped at the moment of his death. Construction took place between 1727 and 1736 and Zanabazar's remains were transferred there in 1779.
Amarbayasgalant monastery is dedicated to Zanabazar's main tutelary deity, Maitreya. Unlike Erdene Zuu Monastery, which is an ensemble of temple halls of different styles, Amarbayasgalant shows great stylistic unity. The overriding style is Chinese, with some Mongol and Tibetan influence. The monastery resembles Yongzheng's own palace Yonghegong in Beijing (converted by his son the Qianlong Emperor into a Buddhist monastery). Originally consisting of over 40 temples, the monastery was laid out in a symmetrical pattern, with the main buildings succeeding one another along a north–south axis, while the secondary buildings are laid out on parallel sides.
Amarbayasgalant was one of the very few monasteries to have partly escaped destruction during the Stalinist purges of 1937, after which only the buildings of the central section remained. Many of the monks were executed by the country's Communist regime and the monastery's artifacts, including thangkas, statues, and manuscripts were looted, although some were hidden until more fortunate times.
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Mow Cop Castle is a folly at Mow Cop in the civil parish of Odd Rode, Cheshire, England. It is designated as a Grade II listed building on the National Heritage List for England. The ridge, upon which the castle sits, forms the boundary between the counties of Cheshire and Staffordshire, the dioceses of Chester and Lichfield, and the ecclesiastical provinces of Canterbury and York.
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The Erechtheion or Temple of Athena Polias is an ancient Greek Ionic temple, on the north side of the Acropolis, Athens, that was primarily dedicated to the goddess Athena.
The iconic Ionic building, which housed the statue of Athena Polias, has in modern scholarship been called the Erechtheion (the sanctuary of Erechtheus or Poseidon), in the belief that it encompassed two buildings mentioned by the Greek-Roman geographer Pausanias: the Temple of Athena Polias; and the Erechtheion.
Whether the Erechtheion referred to by Pausanias and other sources is indeed the Ionic temple or an entirely different building has become a point of contention in recent decades, however, with various scholars ruling out that Athena and Erechtheus were worshipped in a single building.
Alternative suggested locations of the true Erechtheion include the structures on the Acropolis conventionally identified as the Arrephorion, the Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus, the Sanctuary of Pandion, and the Dörpfeld foundations.
Although scholars have not yet reached consensus on this issue, the building has continued to be referred to conventionally as the Erechtheion.
In official decrees, the Ionic building is referred to using a neutral formula: "... το͂ νεὸ το͂ ἐμ πόλει ἐν ο͂ι τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἄγαλμα" ("the temple on the Acropolis within which is the ancient statue"). In other instances it is referred to as the Temple of the Polias.
The joint cult of Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus appears to have been established on the Acropolis at a very early period, and they were even worshipped in the same temple as can, according to the traditional view, be inferred from two passages in Homer and also from later Greek texts. The extant building is the successor of several temples and buildings on the site. Its precise date of construction is unknown; it has traditionally been thought to have been built from c. 421–406 BCE, but more recent scholarship favours a date in the 430s, when it could have been part of the programme of works instigated by Pericles.
The Erechtheion is unique in the corpus of Greek temples in that its asymmetrical composition does not conform to the canon of Greek classical architecture. This is attributed either to the irregularity of the site or to the evolving and complex nature of the cults which the building housed, or it is conjectured to be the incomplete part of a larger symmetrical building. Additionally, its post-classical history of change of use, damage, and spoliation has made it one of the more problematic sites in classical archaeology. The precise nature and location of the various religious and architectural elements within the building remain the subject of debate. The temple was nonetheless a seminal example of the classical Ionic style and was highly influential on later Hellenistic, Roman, and Greek Revival architecture.
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The Sanctuary of Truth is an unfinished museum in Pattaya, Thailand designed by Thai businessman Lek Viriyaphan. The museum structure is a hybrid of a temple and a castle that is themed on the Ayutthaya Kingdom and of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. The building is notably constructed entirely out of wood, specifically Mai Deang, Mai Takien, Mai Panchaat, and Teak. It contains only wood-carved idols and sculptures. Construction first began in 1981 and is still in construction, though visitors are permitted inside with hard hats. Located on 13 hectares of land, the museum houses an internal space of 2,115 m2, with the tallest spire reaching 105 m (344 ft).
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Cwm Idwal is a cirque (or corrie) in the Glyderau range of mountains in northern Snowdonia, the national park in the mountainous region of North Wales. Its main interest is to hill walkers and rock climbers, but it is also of interest to geologists and naturalists, given its combination of altitude (relatively high in UK terms), aspect (north-facing) and terrain (mountainous and rocky). In a 2005 poll conducted by Radio Times, Cwm Idwal was ranked the 7th greatest natural wonder in Britain.
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Pelion or Pelium is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. Its highest summit, Pourianos Stavros, is 1,624 meters (5,328 ft) amsl. The EO34 national road runs through the southern portion of the peninsula, and the EO34a runs through the middle.
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Kyoto, officially Kyoto City, is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. As of 2020, the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it the ninth-most populous city in Japan. More than half (56.8%) of Kyoto Prefecture's population resides in the city. The city is the cultural anchor of the substantially larger Greater Kyoto, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 3.8 million people. It is also part of the even larger Keihanshin metropolitan area, along with Osaka and Kobe.
Kyoto is one of the oldest municipalities in Japan, having been chosen in 794 as the new seat of Japan's imperial court by Emperor Kanmu. The original city, named Heian-kyō, was arranged in accordance with traditional Chinese feng shui following the model of the ancient Chinese capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang. The emperors of Japan ruled from Kyoto in the following eleven centuries until 1869. It was the scene of several key events of the Muromachi period, Sengoku period, and the Boshin War, such as the Ōnin War, the Honnō-ji Incident, the Kinmon incident, and the Battle of Toba–Fushimi. The capital was relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo after the Meiji Restoration. The modern municipality of Kyoto was established in 1889. The city was spared from large-scale destruction during World War II and, as a result, its prewar cultural heritage has mostly been preserved.
Kyoto is considered the cultural capital of Japan and is a major tourist destination. The Agency for Cultural Affairs of the national government is headquartered in the city. It is home to numerous Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces and gardens, some of which have been designated collectively as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Prominent landmarks include the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, and Kyoto Tower. The internationally renowned video game company Nintendo is based in Kyoto. Kyoto is also a center of higher learning in the country, and its institutions include Kyoto University, the second-oldest university in Japan.
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Lake Tekapo is the second-largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north–south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand (the others are Lake Pukaki and Lake Ōhau). It covers an area of 83 km2 (32 sq mi) and is at an altitude of 710 m (2,330 ft) above sea level.
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The Khotyn Fortress is a fortification complex located on the right bank of the Dniester River in Khotyn, Chernivtsi Oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine. It lies within the historical region of northern Bessarabia, a formerly Romanian territory occupied in 1940 by the Soviet Union following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. The fortress is located near another famous defensive structure, the Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle. Construction of the current stone Khotyn Fortress began in the late XIV century, when these lands had already become part of Moldavia. The fortress underwent significant improvements in the 1380s and in the 1460s under the Romanian princes Alexander the Good and Stephen the Great.