History
In the 12th century, the Knights Templar cleared the marshlands to the north of wall of Philippe Auguste. From the 16th century onwards, the aristocracy built large residences in the area, a trend which was accelerated by the creation of the Place Royale (which would become the Place des Vosges) by Henri IV in 1605.

The departure of the royal court to Versailles led to a decline in the district. Haussmann’s urban redevelopment only marginally affected the Marais through new alignment rules and constructions, lending irregular width to many of the neighbourhood’s streets.

Another explanation for the name Marais, which today in French means swamp or marsh, would come from “maraichers”, i.e. vegetable gardens. Indeed this area outside the original wall of Philippe Auguste of Paris were cultivated, in particular by religious orders.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century and in the first half of the twentieth century, the area surrounding the Rue des Rosiers became home to many Jews from Eastern Europe, further specializing local labour in the clothing industry. The Marais was therefore a target for the Nazis when they controlled France.

Following Liberation in 1944, the district went slowly into decline.

In 1969, André Malraux made the Marais the first protected sector (secteur sauvegardé), with the area being home to many museums, art galleries and historic sites. As with other parts of Paris, where shops are sold but their front not entirely redone when changing business, this protection measure can lead to odd results, such as a shop with a “bakery” front selling fashionable items, or turned into a luxury hotel.

Le Marais today
The rue des Rosiers is still a major centre of the Paris Jewish community, which has met a renewal since the 1990s. Walls feature announcements of Jewish events, there are bookshops specializing in Jewish books, and there are also numerous restaurants and other outlets selling kosher food.

The synagogue on 10, rue Pavée not far from rue des Rosiers is a strong religious centre. It was originally designed in 1913 by Art Nouveau architect Hector Guimard, famous for having designed several Paris Metro stations.

One of the most interesting streets is the famous rue des Francs-Bourgeois, one of the rare streets of Paris completely open on Sunday.

The Marais, particularly towards the North near République is also famed for a strong Chinese community.

The neighbourhood has experienced a growing gay presence since the 1980s, as evidenced by the existence of many gay cafés, nightclubs, cabarets and shops. These establishments are mainly concentrated in the southwestern portion of the Marais, many on or near the streets Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie and Vieille du Temple.

Other features of the neighbourhood include the Musée Picasso, the house of Nicolas Flamel, the Musée Cognacq-Jay, the Musée Carnavalet, and the new and very popular cafe Café Charlot.

• This neighborhood is one of Europe’s great riches-to-rags-to-riches stories.
  It all started with King Henri IV
• This city’s residents have fired our imaginations with their style, their art, their attitude.
  Who are they?
• Once you’ve made it this far, you’re a stone’s throw from one of the city’s great landmarks.
  Which one is it?
• History of Paris, History of France, Hunting and Nature, Picasso—this district is just lousy with museums.
  Where is it?

Punta Cana is part of the newly PuntaCana-Bavaro-Veron-Macao municipal district in La Altagracia, the easternmost province of the Dominican Republic. Until recently it was one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth. The area is best known for its beaches, which face both the Caribbean and Atlantic, and it has been a popular tourist destination since the 1970s. The Punta Cana area has an estimated population of 100,000 with a growth rate of 6%. To the north, it borders the village and beach of Cabeza de Toro, and then the Bávaro and El Cortecito beaches. The nearest city, the 500-year-old capital of the Province Higüey, is 45 kilometres (28 mi) away, and it takes about an hour to drive there. Europeans, particularly Spanish hotel chains, own all but two of the 50+ megaresorts of the Punta Cana tourism destination.

Punta Cana-Bavaro’s resorts show a eclectic variety of architecture and interior design inspired by Spanish, Mexican, and native Dominican cultures. Areas bordering Punta Cana include Cap Cana to the south and the original tiny fishing-village of Cabo San Rafael. A 100 metres (330 ft) high cliff is located more to the south, near of Boca de Yuma town, a fishing village dated from the 16th century. Nearby, you can find the Ponce de Leon’s Fortress, in San Rafael del Yuma town. This is one of the most isolated area within the La Altagracia Province though.

The province’s 100 kilometres (62 mi) coastline tends to be mildly windy. The ocean waters are mainly shallows, with several natural marine pools in which visitors can bathe without any danger.

North to South the main beaches are: Uvero Alto, Macao, Arena Gorda, Bávaro, El Cortecito – all north of the cape – and Cabeza de Toro, Cabo Engaño, Punta Cana, Juanillo – south of the cape.

Bávaro is an area starting from Cabeza de Toro until Macao Beach. As the hotels started to rise along the East coast, Bavaro itself became a center of services with shopping malls, fast-food stores, drug stores, fine restaurants, banks, clinics, workshops, supermarkets, and schools. The major town in the distric is Veron, now bigger than Higuey in territory, an espontaneus -and poor- urban development running along the original road from the west. Veron, last name of the French propietor of a timberline business in the early 30s, is now the base-city for hotel workers and related. It has, besides Bavaro, the only two gas stations. The very next is located 48 kilometres (30 mi) west in Higuey.

The Punta Cana International Airport is one of the busiest and best connected airports in the Caribbean. In 2008, Punta Cana received 3,758,109 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the country. The airport serves more passengers than the Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo. Grupo Puntacana built the Punta Cana International Airport in 1984 to facilitate tourism in the area. It was the world’s first privately owned international airport. In late 2009, the airport will have a US Customs preclearance station, which will allow passengers to clear customs and immigration before boarding a direct flight to the USA. Precleared flights can land at domestic terminals in the US.

• Average temperature: 82 degrees. Typical day: sunny with ocean breezes.
  Considering a vacation?
• This island country is known for its spectacular beaches.
  Go ahead. Have a look.
• What’s the perfect thing to do after a hard day of swimming and sunning?
  Two out of three doctors recommend shaking your money maker
• This island boasts not one, not two, but three golf courses designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus.
  Where is it?

Langjökull is, after the Vatnajökull, the second-largest of the glaciers of Iceland (1.021 km2). It is situated in the west of the Icelandic Interior or Highlands of Iceland and can be seen clearly from Haukadalur. Its highest peak reaches 1,360 metres (4,460 ft).

Two of the bigger highland tracks are leading alongside this glacier: Kaldidalur Highland road and Kjölur Highland road. Kaldidalur is between Langjökull and the volcano Ok in the west, whereas Kjölur lies between Langjökull and Hofsjökull in the east.

In popular culture, the glacier may be best known as the place where pieces of the nuclear-blasted Iron Giant fall in the 1999 animated science fiction film, The Iron Giant, before reassembling themselves.

• What’s the name of this 395-square-mile ice mass?
  Bonus points if you can pronounce it
• You’re looking at the second-largest glacier in Iceland.
  What’s the largest?
• What’s the perfect complement to glaciers and ice caves?
  Rock and roll
• Want to stand in this guy’s shoes?
  You’ll have to go here

The Arctic Fox, also known as the White Fox or Snow Fox, is a small fox native to cold Arctic  regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. Although it is often assigned to its own genus Alopex, the definitive mammal taxonomy list, as well as genetic  evidence places it in Vulpes with the majority of the other foxes.

• Why is today called Black Friday?
  You’ll find out if you hit the malls
• If you like this picture…
  Then you’ll love these
• Want to see some of these adorable critters in action?
  They’re even cute when they’re hunting
• This species is so well adapted to cold that some of its members walked across a frozen sea during the last ice age.
  Did their paws freeze?

• So Santa Claus, a giant Pokemon, and a high-school drill team are walking down the street together…
  It’s not a joke!
• Who helped the pilgrims through their first years in this new land?
  Let’s give them thanks today
• Don’t let today’s turkey dinner spoil tomorrow’s waistline.
  Can you feel the burn?
• Feasts and football games: Two great tastes that taste great together.
  Get today’s NFL schedule

In the 1920s many of Macy’s department store employees were first-generation immigrants. Proud of their new American heritage, they wanted to celebrate the United States holiday of Thanksgiving with the type of festival their parents had loved in Europe.

In 1924, the inaugural parade (originally known as the Macy’s Christmas Parade) was staged by the store. Employees and professional entertainers marched from 145th Street in Harlem to Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes. There were floats, professional bands and live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. At the end of that first parade, as has been the case with every parade since, Santa Claus was welcomed into Herald Square. At this first parade, however, the Jolly Old Elf was enthroned on the Macy’s balcony at the 34th Street store entrance, where he was then “crowned” “King of the Kiddies.” With an audience of over a quarter of a million people, the parade was such a success that Macy’s declared it would become an annual event.

Large animal-shaped balloons, produced by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio, replaced the live animals in 1927 when the Felix the Cat balloon made its debut. Felix was filled with air, but by the next year, helium was used to fill the expanding cast of balloons.

At the finale of the 1928 parade, the balloons were released into the sky where they unexpectedly burst. The following year they were redesigned with safety valves to allow them to float for a few days. Address labels were sewn into them, so that whomever found and mailed back the discarded balloon received a gift from Macy’s.

Through the 1930s, the Parade continued to grow, with crowds of over 1 million lining the parade route in 1933. The first Mickey Mouse balloon entered the parade in 1934. The annual festivities were broadcast on local New York radio from 1932 through 1941, and resumed in 1945 through 1951.

The parade was suspended 1942–1944 during World War II, owing to the need for rubber and helium in the war effort.[8][9] The parade resumed in 1945 using the route that it followed until 2008 (see below). The parade became a permanent part of American culture after being prominently featured in the 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street, which shows actual footage of the 1946 festivities. The event was first broadcast on network television in 1948. By this point the event, and Macy’s sponsorship of it, were sufficiently well-known to give rise to the colloquialism “Macy’s Day Parade”.

Macy’s also sponsors the smaller Celebrate the Season Parade in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, held two days after the main event. Other cities in the US also have parades on Thanksgiving, but they are not run by Macy’s. The nation’s oldest Thanksgiving parade (the Gimbels parade, now known as 6abc-Ikea) was first held in Philadelphia in 1920. Other cities include the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade of Chicago, Illinois and parades in Plymouth, Massachusetts; Seattle, Washington; Houston, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; and Fountain Hills, Arizona. A parade is also held at the two U.S. Disney theme parks. Since 1994, a “rival” of sorts, called the Parade Spectacular, has been run in Stamford, Connecticut, about 30 miles northeast of New York City. It is run on the Sunday before Thanksgiving to not directly compete with the Macy’s parade and the balloon characters are not duplicated between the two parades. (Macy’s in fact has sponsored this parade in a lesser fashion in the past.). Perhaps because of its location in the New York metropolitan area, this parade gets up to 250,000 spectators per year and is the most-attended holiday balloon parade in the U.S. after the Macy’s event . However, it can only be seen on television via local cable within Fairfield County.

New safety measures were incorporated in 2006 to prevent accidents and balloon related injuries. One measure taken was installation of wind measurement devices to alert parade organizers to any unsafe conditions that could cause the balloons to behave erratically. Also, parade officials implemented a measure to keep the balloons closer to the ground during windy conditions.

• What earned this country the first George Cross ever given to a nation?
  Heroism and devotion
• Want to see one of Europe’s favorite holiday spots?
  Just look at all that blue
• These islands were once a haven for the physically and mentally ill throughout the western world.
  All because of these guys
• With a landscape like this, it’s no wonder this is one of the world’s most densely populated places.
  Where is it?

Valletta is the capital city of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt (English: The City) in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta and the city proper has a population of 6,315.

Valletta contains buildings from the 16th century onwards, built during the rule of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (the Knights Hospitaller). The city is essentially Baroque in character, with elements of Mannerist, Neo-Classical and Modern architecture in selected areas, though World War II left major scars on the city. The City of Valletta was officially recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980.

The city is named for Jean Parisot de la Valette, who succeeded in defending the island from an Ottoman invasion in 1565. The official name given by the Order of Saint John was Humilissima Civitas Valletta — The Most Humble City of Valletta, or Città Umilissima in Italian. The bastions, curtains and ravelins along with the beauty of its Baroque palaces, gardens and churches, led the ruling houses of Europe to give the city its nickname Superbissima — ‘Most Proud’.

• This place held the title of “Best Airport in America” for 10 years running.
  Which one is it?
• Remember when traveling by plane was glamorous and fun? (No, seriously.)
  It looked like this
• On July 18, 1984, a 747 jumbo jet flew from Newark to Los Angeles.
  What was historic about that flight?
• It may be one of the country’s most popular airports, but it’s also one of the least punctual.
  Not a great combination

Chicago O’Hare International Airport, also known simply as O’Hare Airport  or O’Hare Field or O’Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, 17 miles (27 km) northwest of the Chicago Loop. It serves as the primary and largest hub  for United Airlines and as a hub  for American Airlines. It is operated by the City of Chicago Department of Aviation, associated with an umbrella regional authority.

In 2008, the airport had 881,566 aircraft operations, an average of 2,409 per day (64% scheduled commercial, 33% air taxi, 3% general aviation and <1% military). O’Hare International Airport is the second busiest airport in the world, behind Atlanta Hartsfield Airport with 69,353,654 passengers passing through the airport in 2008; a -8.96% change from 2007. O’Hare also has a strong international presence, with flights to more than 60 foreign destinations. O’Hare was ranked fourth in 2005 of the United States’ international gateways, with only John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Los Angeles International Airport and Miami International Airport, serving more foreign passengers.

O’Hare International Airport has been voted the “Best Airport in North America” for 10 years, by readers of the U.S. Edition of Business Traveler Magazine (1998–2003) and Global Traveler Magazine (2004–2007).

Most of O’Hare Airport is in Cook County, but a section in the southwest part of the airport is in DuPage County.

Although O’Hare is Chicago’s primary airport, Chicago Midway International Airport, the city’s second airport, is about 10 miles (16 km) closer to the Loop, the main business and financial district.

• Why did invading Romans build a wall here in 142 AD?
  They dug a 12-foot-deep ditch next to it
• Want to see it from another angle?
  Take a look around
• This miracle of engineering takes its inspiration from the Celtic double-headed axe.
  That’s nice—what is it?
• The Scots like this thing so much they put a picture of it on their £50 note.
  Where is it?

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It is named after the nearby town of Falkirk in central Scotland. The two canals were previously connected by a series of 11 locks, but by the 1930s these had fallen into disuse, were filled in and the land built upon.

The Millennium Commission decided to regenerate the canals of central Scotland to connect Glasgow with Edinburgh once more. Designs were submitted for a lock to link the canals, with the Falkirk Wheel design winning. As with many Millennium Commission projects the site includes a visitors’ centre containing a shop, café and exhibition centre.

The difference in the levels of the two canals at the wheel is 24 metres (79 ft), roughly equivalent to the height of an eight storey building. However the Union Canal is 11m higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel, and boats must pass through a pair of locks to descend from this canal onto the aqueduct at the top of the wheel. The aqueduct could not have been positioned higher due to conflicts with the historically important Antonine Wall.

The structure is located near the Rough Castle Fort and the closest village is Tamfourhill. On 24 May 2002, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Falkirk Wheel as part of her Golden Jubilee celebrations. The opening had been delayed by a month due to flooding caused by vandals who forced open the Wheel’s gates.

• How do Tibetan monks celebrate life’s temporary nature?
  It’s a lot of work
• The people who once lived here later became some of the world’s favorite citizens.
  They wear awesome hats
• The Dalai Lama lives in India now, but he lived here for at least eight incarnations.
  Nice house, sir
• Some call this place one of the world’s new seven wonders.
  Where is it?

The Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara. The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, after an invasion and failed uprising in 1959. Today the Potala Palace has been converted into a museum by the Chinese.

The building measures 400 metres east-west and 350 metres north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3 m. thick, and 5 m. (more than 16 ft) thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes. Thirteen stories of buildings – containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues – soar 117 metres (384 ft) on top of Marpo Ri, the “Red Hill”, rising more than 300 m (about 1,000 ft) in total above the valley floor. Tradition has it that the three main hills of Lhasa represent the “Three Protectors of Tibet.” Chokpori, just to the south of the Potala, is the soul-mountain (bla-ri) of Vajrapani, Pongwari that of Manjushri, and Marpori, the hill on which the Potala stands, represents Chenresig or Avalokiteshvara.

• One of the first hot air balloons, unmanned, flew from Paris to Gonesse in August of 1783…
  Where local villagers attacked and destroyed it
• So how do hot air balloons work, anyway?
  Robert Boyle knows
• On this day in 1783, two ambitious men made the first manned, untethered hot air balloon flight.
  Their balloon looked nothing like these
• These balloons are preparing to fly through a particularly delicious part of their native land.
  What land is that?

Rhône-Alpes is one of the 26 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris. Rhône-Alpes is also the 6th European economic region.

hône-Alpes is located in the east of France. To the north are the French regions of Bourgogne (Burgundy) and Franche-Comté, to the west it borders the region Auvergne, to the south it borders Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. The east of the region contains the western part of the Alps and borders Switzerland and Italy. The highest peak is Mont Blanc. The central part of the region is taken up with the valley of the Rhône and the Saône. The confluence of these two rivers is at Lyon. The western part of the region contains the start of the Massif Central mountain range. The region also borders or contains major lakes such as Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) and Lake Annecy. The Ardèche is home to the deepest gorge in Europe.
Economic center of Rhône-Alpes

As with the rest of France, French is the only official language of the region. 50 years ago, Franco-Provençal was widely spoken in the whole region. Many of the inhabitants of the south spoke varieties of Occitan although it is in steep decline in this region. There were relatively large immigrant populations from Poland, Italy, Portugal and North Africa, amongst other places.

• Can you name the largest ancient castle in the world?
  Maybe you’ve been there
• This year marks the 20th anniversary of some of Europe’s most profound revolutions.
  Let freedom ring
• Ever see a building dance?
  You might if you visit this city
• It takes a special kind of city to feel like home to both Mozart and Kafka.
  Where is it?

Prague Castle (Czech: Pražský hrad) is a castle in Prague where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents  of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here. Prague Castle is one of the biggest castles in the world (according to Guinness Book of Records the biggest ancient castle) at about 570 meters in length and an average of about 130 meters wide.

The history of the castle stretches back to the 9th century (870). The first walled building was the church of Our Lady. The Basilica of Saint George and the Basilica of St. Vitus were founded in the first half of the 10th century. The first convent in Bohemia was founded in the castle, next to the church of St. George. A Romanesque palace was erected here during the 12th century. In the 14th century, under the reign of Charles IV the royal palace was rebuilt in Gothic style and the castle fortifications were strengthened. In place of rotunda and basilica of St. Vitus began building of a vast Gothic church, that have been completed almost six centuries later. During the Hussite Wars and the following decades the Castle was not inhabited. In 1485, King Ladislaus II Jagello began to rebuild the castle. The massive Vladislav Hall (built by Benedikt Rejt) was added to the Royal Palace. There were also built new defence towers on the northern side of the castle. A large fire in 1541 destroyed large parts of the castle. Under the Habsburgs some new buildings in renaissance style appeared here. Ferdinand I built Belvedere, summer palace for his wife Anne. Rudolph II used Prague Castle as his main residence. He founded the northern wing of the palace, with the Spanish Hall, where his precious artistic collections were exhibited. The Second Prague defenestration in 1618 began the Bohemian Revolt. During the subsequent wars the Castle was damaged and dilapidated. Many works from the collection of Rudolph II were looted by Swedes in 1648, in the course of the Thirty Years’ War. The last major rebuilding of the castle was carried out by Queen Maria Theresa in the second half of the 18th century. Ferdinand V, after abdication in 1848, chose Prague Castle as his home.

In 1918 the castle became the seat of the president of the new Czechoslovak Republic. The New Royal Palace and the gardens were renovated by Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. Renovations continued in 1936 under Plečnik’s successor Pavel Janák.

During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia during World War II, Prague Castle became the headquarters of Reinhard Heydrich, the “Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia”. It is said that he placed the Bohemian crown on his head; old legends say that a usurper who places the crown on his head is doomed to die within a year. Less than a year after assuming power, Heydrich was assassinated.

After the liberation of Czechoslovakia, it housed the offices of the communist Czechoslovak government. During the Velvet Revolution, Alexander Dubček, the leader of Czechoslovakia during the Prague Spring, appeared on a balcony overlooking Wenceslas Square to hear throngs of protesters below shouting “Dubček to the castle!” As they pushed for him to take his seat as president of the country at Prague Castle, he embraced the crowd as a symbol of democratic freedom.

After Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the castle became the seat of the Head of State of the new Czech Republic. Similar to what Masaryk did with Plečnik, president Václav Havel commissionned Bořek Šípek to be the architect of post-communism Prague Castle’s necessary improvements in particular of the face lift of the Castle’s Gallery of paintings.

• Some people load darts with their poison, some people kiss them hoping for a prince…
  What strange relationships we have with these critters
• Take a good look while you can.
  They’re going fast
• Can frogs really kill?
  Some of them can
• If you think this critter looks good now…
  You should see it in motion

Hylomantis lemur is a species of frog in the Hylidae  family. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama. Its natural habitats  are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montanes, rivers, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marches. It is threatened by habitat loss.

• Can you name the world’s largest island?
  Over 50,000 people live there
• When you get this far north, the night sky sometimes fills with sheets of colored fire.
  Want to see?
• A massive sheet of ice covers over 1,500 miles of this chilly country.
  How thick is it?
• This Inuit island is three times the size of Texas.
  Where is it?

An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water.  It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice. Alternatively, it may come to rest on the seabed in shallower water, causing ice scour (also known as ice gouging) or becoming an ice island.

• Making an impact isn’t hard in this place.
  It’s happened a lot over the ages
• Off-roading more than 30 million miles away…
  Is not without its challenges
• When we’re ready to start a new life in the space colonies…
  We’ll owe a huge debt of thanks to these folks
• Which capital city is the namesake of this Martian crater?
  Hint: It’s the smallest in Africa

Victoria is an impact crater on Mars located at 2.05°S, 5.50°W in Meridiani Planum, visited by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.  It is roughly 730 metres wide, nearly eight times the size of the crater Endurance, visited by Opportunity from sols 95 to 315. It is informally named after Victoria -one of the five ships of Ferdinand Magellan and the first ship to circumnavigate the globe – and formally named after Victoria, Seychelles. Along the edges of the crater are many outcrops within recessed alcoves and promontories, named for bays and capes that Magellan discovered.

Opportunity traveled for 21 months to Victoria before finally reaching its edge on September 26, 2006 (sol 951), at the newly named “Duck Bay”. Around the rover were features dubbed “No Name”, “Duck Crater”, “Emma Dean”, “Maid of the Canyon”, and “Kitty Clyde’s Sister”. It also imaged several nearby alcoves, informally named “Cape Verde” and “Cabo Frio”, and a small bright crater the size of Beagle on the opposite end of Victoria.

• Why would you look here for one of the world’s biggest parties?
  Because this is where it happens
• What does it look like when more than 40,000 people fill a desert with fire sculptures and art cars?
  It looks a lot like this
• The dust here is so alkaline that prolonged exposure to it will cause your skin to crack.
  You can wash off in the geysers
• This vast, flat place is the site of turbojet races where land-speed records are set and broken.
  Where is it?

The Black Rock Desert is a dry lake bed and the surrounding endorheic basin in northwestern Nevada in the United States. The flat expanse of dry lake, or playa, is a remnant of the prehistoric Lake Lahontan, which existed between 18,000 and 7,000 BC during the last ice age. During the lake’s peak around 12,700 years ago, the desert floor was under approximately 500 ft (150 m) of water.

The area was used in the mid-1800s by branches of the California Trail and Oregon Trail for settlement of the US West Coast. Since then, the area has been host to scattered mining activity. The Black Rock Desert also hosts various recreational, scientific, commercial and record-breaking activities which take advantage of the playa’s enormous flat expanse.

Most of the region is federal land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), including the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area and 10 federally-designated wilderness area which protect the areas that had been part of the historic trails. BLM also manages recreational activities in the area.

• These small berries can have big health benefits.
  What can they do for you?
• Some people think this fruit grows in cans that are only harvested at Thanksgiving.
  They’re wrong
• While the berries are delicious…
  Many people prefer the band
• The U.S. produces over 110,000 metric tons of this fruit each year.
  Some of it comes from this place

Carver separated from Plympton, Massachusetts and was incorporated in 1790 because many residents lived too far away to attend church in Plympton. The town was named for John Carver, the first Governor of Plymouth Colony. Initially agricultural, Carver was known for the iron ore from its swamp lands used to make cooking tools by the 1730s. The first iron works was “Pope’s Point Furnace”, built in 1732, which operated for a century by using the bogs and Sampson’s Pond. Over the next 150 years, sheep shearing and lumber mills were important in Carver.

Most people at the time lived in the villages of South and North Carver and Wenham, later called East Carver. European settlers had also given the names Colchester and Lakenham to what is now North Carver, and settled in what was known as South Meadow. Each village supported at least one schoolhouse. As the market for iron ore declined in the latter part of the 19th century, Carver began cranberry farming as a new use for the town’s swamplands. Farmers began growing cranberries in the 1870s and by 1900, it was Carver’s farmers who raised a fifth of all cranberries grown in the United States. A railroad line connected Carver to New York and Boston in 1890, further establishing the town.

Money from the iron helped the community to grow, as evidenced by several mansions still in existence in the town. Also located in Carver is Savery’s Avenue, the first divided highway in America, which was opened to the public in 1861 by William Savery. The trees between the roads and on the outside of them were to be left for “shade and ornament for man and beast”. Both road beds were Macadamized in 1907. A portion of the expense was advanced by the daughters of the builder, Mrs. Mary P.S. Jowitt and Ms. H.D. Savery. By the 1940s the cranberry harvest was the largest in the world, and today it is still a major business in town. Because of the land taken for the bogs, however, growth is limited, giving the town a rural flavor it takes pride in.

Carver also has two notable tourist attractions. Edaville Railroad is a narrow-gauge railroad attraction which opened in 1949. It has long been a family tourist attraction in Southeastern Massachusetts, especially for its festival of lights around Christmastime. It has experienced a revival in recent years, after being sold in 1991 and nearly closing. The town is also the site of King Richard’s Faire, a re-creation of a 16th century English fair which is open on weekends throughout September and October. It is New England’s largest Renaissance fair.

• Native Americans have been reclaiming their language, customs, and political agency…
  With some interesting results
• Want to hear something awesome?
  Go native — with a twist
• Lots of people use the term “pow-wow,” but not many people really know what it means.
  What’s the low-down on pow-wows?
• Where do these proud dancers perform?
  Find out

The moose (North America) or common elk (Europe), Alces alces, is the largest extant species in the deer  family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers  of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a “twig-like” configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal and mixed deciduous forests  of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates.

Naming and etymology

The animal bearing the name Alces alces is known in Europe as the elk and in North America and New Zealand as the moose. The name elk is connected with several earlier European variants—Latin: alces, Old Norse: elgr, Scandinavian: elg, älg or similar, and German: Elch—all of which refer to this animal.

Confusingly, the word elk in North America refers to the second largest deer species, Cervus canadensis, also known as the wapiti. Early European explorers in North America, who were familiar with the closely related but smaller red deer of Central and Western Europe, believed that the much larger North American animal looked more like the European elk (i.e. moose), so they named it elk.

The word moose is derived from the Algonquian Eastern Abnaki name moz, loosely translated as twig eater.

Moose is both singular and plural, unlike goose, which in the plural is geese.

In North America, the moose range includes almost all of Canada, most of central and western Alaska, much of New England and upstate New York, the upper Rocky Mountains, Northeastern Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Isolated moose populations have been verified as far south as the mountains of Utah and Colorado. In 1978 a few breeding pairs were introduced in western Colorado, and the state’s moose population is now more than 1,000.

In Europe, moose are found in large numbers throughout Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Baltic States. They are also widespread through Russia. Small populations remain in Poland (Biebrza Nat. Park), Belarus and the Czech Republic.

Moose were successfully introduced on Newfoundland in 1904 where they are now the dominant ungulate, and somewhat less successfully on Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Ten moose were also introduced in Fiordland, New Zealand in 1910, but they were thought to have died off. Nevertheless, there have been reported sightings that were thought to be false until moose hair samples were found by a New Zealand scientist in 2002. In 2008 moose (or elk) were reintroduced in to the Scottish Highlands

• A mature bull moose can weigh up to 1,500 pounds.
  You’ll never guess how tall they get
• Which of America’s national parks covers nearly 6 million acres of unspoiled ground?
  That’s over 9,000 miles
• Why does this moose spend so much time with a flying squirrel?
  The squirrel helps him fight aliens, for one
• This big guy lives in a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve.
  Where is he?

The moose (North America) or common elk (Europe), Alces alces, is the largest extant species in the deer  family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers  of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a “twig-like” configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal and mixed deciduous forests  of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates.

Naming and etymology

The animal bearing the name Alces alces is known in Europe as the elk and in North America and New Zealand as the moose. The name elk is connected with several earlier European variants—Latin: alces, Old Norse: elgr, Scandinavian: elg, älg or similar, and German: Elch—all of which refer to this animal.

Confusingly, the word elk in North America refers to the second largest deer species, Cervus canadensis, also known as the wapiti. Early European explorers in North America, who were familiar with the closely related but smaller red deer of Central and Western Europe, believed that the much larger North American animal looked more like the European elk (i.e. moose), so they named it elk.

The word moose is derived from the Algonquian Eastern Abnaki name moz, loosely translated as twig eater.

Moose is both singular and plural, unlike goose, which in the plural is geese.

In North America, the moose range includes almost all of Canada, most of central and western Alaska, much of New England and upstate New York, the upper Rocky Mountains, Northeastern Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Isolated moose populations have been verified as far south as the mountains of Utah and Colorado. In 1978 a few breeding pairs were introduced in western Colorado, and the state’s moose population is now more than 1,000.

In Europe, moose are found in large numbers throughout Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Baltic States. They are also widespread through Russia. Small populations remain in Poland (Biebrza Nat. Park), Belarus and the Czech Republic.

Moose were successfully introduced on Newfoundland in 1904 where they are now the dominant ungulate, and somewhat less successfully on Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Ten moose were also introduced in Fiordland, New Zealand in 1910, but they were thought to have died off. Nevertheless, there have been reported sightings that were thought to be false until moose hair samples were found by a New Zealand scientist in 2002. In 2008 moose (or elk) were reintroduced in to the Scottish Highlands

• What’s a snow cannon for?
  Hint: It’s not a weapon of mass destruction
• Want to witness death-defying feats of daring that will leave you gasping in disbelief?
  Nope, it’s not the circus
• Where do children learn to ski as part of their regular school curriculum?
  Right here
• Beatles fans might recognize this place from the “Seemingly Safe in the Sheltering Alps” scenes in the movie HELP!
  Where is it?

Obertauern is a famous tourist destination which is located in the “Radstädter Tauern” in the “Salzburger Land” of Austria.The very famous winter sports resort is separated in two communities: Tweng and Untertauern. Obertauern is one of the Radstädter Tauern situated in the south east of the Austrian Bundesland of Salzburg between 1,630 and 2,526 meters above sea level. The village is located around the highest point of the “Tauern pass” where the “Katschberg Street” (B99) runs. Obertauern belongs to the two districts: St. Johann/Pongau and Tamsweg. Therefore the community is separated into the two townships Untertauern (Pongau) and Tweng (Lungau).

• Thousands of beautiful monuments memorialize fallen soldiers.
  But this one really stands out
• “In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” —José Narosky
  Take a moment to remember our troops today
• Military service takes men and women all over the world.
  See where some of our soldiers serve
• Where can you find some of the most moving, significant war memorials in the nation?
  Right here

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial in Washington, D.C. It honors members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War and who died in service or are still unaccounted for.

Its construction and related issues have been the source of controversies, some of which have resulted in additions to the memorial complex. The memorial currently consists of three separate parts: the Three Soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, which is the best-known part of the memorial.

The memorial was inspired by Jan Scruggs, an infantryman who served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army’s 199th Light Infantry Brigade. In March of 1979 he saw The Deer Hunter, which reminded him “of the people he’d seen suffer and die in Vietnam”. That night he decided to build a memorial with the names of everyone killed in the Vietnam War.

The main part of the memorial, which was completed in 1982, is in Constitution Gardens adjacent to the National Mall, just northeast of the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial is maintained by the U.S. National Park Service, and receives around 3 million visitors each year. The Memorial Wall was designed by U.S. landscape architect Maya Lin. The typesetting of the original 58,159 names on the wall was performed by Datalantic in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2007, it was ranked tenth on the “List of America’s Favorite Architecture” by the American Institute of Architects.

• Where is it almost as common to take an air taxi as it is to take a car taxi?
  Right here
• In a city that loves to shake its groove thing, which dance is revered above the rest?
  Talk about shaking and grooving!
• Emperor Pedro I declared Brazilian independence here in 1822.
  Brazil had an emperor?
• You’ll find this bridge in the city that’s home to the world’s largest Japanese community outside Japan.
  Where is it?

The Octavio Frias de Oliveira bridge is a cable-stayed bridge in São Paulo, Brazil over the Pinheiros River, opened in May 2008. The bridge is 138 metres (450 ft) tall, and connects Marginal Pinheiros to Jornalista Roberto Marinho Avenue.

The bridge deck is unusual due to its form, which is similar to an “X”, crossing at the tower.

It is the only bridge in the world that has two curved tracks supported by a single concrete mast.

At the end of December lights are put up on the cables and illuminated to create color effects like those on a Christmas tree. The bridge is also lit up on special occasions during the year and is often used for automobile advertisements on television.

• This place is home to more than the world’s most complete t-rex skeleton.
  What other treasures await you?
• What’s your favorite kind of dinosaur?
  Take a look at the options
• Scientists now believe a tiny parasite killed this particular dinosaur.
  What is this giant’s name?
• You could plan a whole vacation at this spot – there are three other world-class museums within walking distance.
  Where are they?

“Sue” is the nickname given to FMNH PR 2081, which is the largest, most complete and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found. It was discovered in the summer of 1990 by Sue Hendrickson, a paleontologist, and was named after her. It is not known if the dinosaur was male or female. After ownsership disputes were settled, the fossil was sold in October 1997 for the highest amount ever paid for a dinosaur specimen, and is now a permanent feature at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois.

Discovery
During the summer of 1990, a group of workers from the Black Hills Institute, located in Hill City, searched for fossils at the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, in western South Dakota near the city of Faith. By the end of the summer, the group had discovered Edmontosaurus bones and was ready to leave. However, before the group could depart, on August 12, a tire on their truck was deflated. While the rest of the group went into town to repair the truck, Sue Hendrickson decided to explore the nearby cliffs that the group had left unchecked. As she was walking along the base of a cliff, she discovered some small pieces of bone. She looked above her to see where the bones had originated, and observed larger bones protruding from the wall of the cliff. She returned to camp with two small pieces of the bones and reported the discovery to the president of the Black Hills Institute, Peter Larson. He determined that the bones were from a T. rex by their distinctive contour and texture. Later, closer examination of the site showed many visible bones above the ground and some articulated vertebrae. The crew ordered extra plaster and, although some of the crew had to depart, Susan and a few other workers began to uncover the bones. The group was excited, as it was evident that much of the dinosaur had been preserved. Previously discovered T. rex skeletons were usually missing over half of their bones. It was later ascertained that Sue was a record 80 percent complete. Scientists believe that this specimen was covered by water and mud soon after its death which prevented other animals from carrying away the bones. Additionally, the rushing water mixed the skeleton together. When the fossil was found, the hip bones were above the skull, and the leg bones were intertwined with the ribs. The large size and the excellent condition of the bones were also surprising. The skull was nearly five feet long, and most of the teeth were still intact. After the group completed excavating the bones, each vertebra was covered in burlap and coated in plaster, followed by a transfer to the offices of The Black Hills Institute where preparators began to clean the bones.

• You have to walk along “England’s backbone” to find the caverns under its skin.
  What does that mean?
• The stream Fell Beck plunges 360 feet into the darkness of England’s largest known cave.
  Want to see what it looks like?
• Some people find themselves here after passing through the Disappointment Pot.
  That’s not the only way in
• After spending a day in England’s deepest cave, it’s nice to grab a pint in England’s highest pub, the Tan Hill Inn.
  They’re in the same neighborhood

Gaping Gill (also known as Gaping Ghyll) is a natural cave in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the unmistakable landmarks on the southern slopes of Ingleborough – a 105 metre deep pothole with the stream Fell Beck flowing into it. After falling through one of the largest known underground chambers in Britain, the water disappears into the bouldery floor and eventually resurges adjacent to Ingleborough Cave.

The first recorded attempted descent was by J. Birkbeck in 1842 who reached a ledge approximately 55 metres (180 ft) down the shaft which bears his name. The first complete descent was achieved by Édouard-Alfred Martel in 1895.

Due to the number of entrances which connect into the cave, many different routes through and around the system are possible. Other entrances include Disappointment Pot, Stream Passage Pot, Bar Pot, Hensler’s Pot, Corky’s Pot, and Flood Entrance Pot. In 1983 members of the Cave Diving Group made the underwater connection into Ingleborough Cave.

The Bradford Pothole Club around Whitsun May Bank Holiday and the Craven Pothole Club around August Bank Holiday each set up a winch above the shaft to provide a ride to the bottom and back out again for any member of the public who pays a fee.

An extreme rock-climb (graded E3, 5c) is possible up the main shaft which requires very dry conditions. It was first pioneered in 1972 with ten points of aid. The first free ascent was made in 1988.

The shaft was believed for a long time to be the largest in Britain, until the existence of Titan in Derbyshire was publicised in 2006 following its discovery in 1999. Gaping Gill still retains the records for the tallest unbroken waterfall in England and the largest underground chamber naturally open to the surface.

A detailed 3D model of the chamber has been created using an industrial laser rangefinder which concluded that its volume is comparable to the size of York Minster.

• Can you name the only otariid that breeds south of the Antarctic Convergence?
  Wait, what’s an otariid?
• One day this baby will trade in its big fur coat for a sleek tuxedo.
  More baby penguins, right here
• Which explorer crossed this island on foot in 1916 looking for aid for his stranded crew?
  He sailed 800 miles in a whaling boat to get there
• This desolate island sparked a war between Argentina and the UK in 1982.
  Where is it?

Gold Harbour is a small bay 5 miles (8 km) south-southwest of Cape Charlotte, with Bertrab Glacier at its head, along the east end of South Georgia. During the early 1900s, the feature was variously called Anna’s Bay, Gold-Hafen or Sandwich Bay; the latter name has also been used for Iris Bay. The approved name appears to have taken root through common usage by sealers and whalers and is now well established. It is so called because the sun’s rays make the cliffs yellow with their light in the morning and evening.

There is no particular historical or geological reason to give Gold Harbour its mineral name, which was in common use among the early sealers. Perhaps they were inspired by the sunsets (see stamp). The Bertram Glacier at Gold Harbour was named by Filchner’s 1911-1912 German expedition after General von Bertrab, Chief Quartermaster of the German General Staff.

The area is a breeding ground for penguins include kings and gentoos, and elephant seals also breed here, especially at the west end of the beach, where a glacial stream flows. Sooty albatrosses also breed here.

• The people of this land seceded from their parent nation earlier this year.
  Who are they?
• Imagine waking up on a tropical island with deep blue sea surrounding you.
  These pictures will take you there
• How did nearby mainland residents inadvertently help senior US officials mire themselves in a scandal?
  It’s a complicated story
• It’s good to know where the world’s loveliest archipelagos are.
  Where is this one?

The Miskito Cays (Spanish: Cayos Miskitos) are an archipelago with an area of 27 km² located off shore in the North-Eastern Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, they are part of the RAAN autonomous region. The Miskito Cays are composed of 76 formations that include estuaries, coral reefs, cays, seagrass beds, and islets, of which 12 of the formations are covered with vegetation and consequently form islands which are lined with white sand beaches.

Miskito Cay (Cayo Miskito), also known as Cayo Mayor, is the largest and most important cay located in the center of the archipelago measuring 37 km². Other main islands are Maras Cay, Nasa Cay, and Morrison Denis Cay

The Miskito Cays Biological Reserve is one of 78 protected areas of Nicaragua, it was declared a protected area in 1991.

The World Series has been the annual championship series of the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada since 1903, concluding the postseason of Major League Baseball. Since the Series takes place in October, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the official symbols of the 2009 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Classic or simply The Series.

The World Series is played between the League Championship Series winning clubs from MLB’s two circuits, the American and National Leagues, which collectively consist of 29 teams based in the United States and one in Canada (Toronto) with players drawn primarily from the United States, Latin America (including the Caribbean), Canada, Japan, and Korea. With the exception of 1904 (boycott) and 1994 (player strike), the “modern” World Series has been played every year since 1903. Baseball has employed various championship formulas since the 1860s. When the term “World Series” is used by itself, it is usually understood to refer to the “modern” World Series exclusively.

The term “World Series” is derived from “World’s Championship Series”, a term which first appeared in the 1880s and continued into the early 1900s. This was eventually shortened to “World’s Series” and then “World Series”. While no international federation has ever sanctioned the series as a world championship event, its winners are still sometimes referred to informally as “world champions” by baseball players, owners and writers within the United States and Canada. For example, TV announcer Joe Buck said at the final out of the 2009 Series, “The Yankees are back on top… World Champions for the 27th time.”

The World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff. Best-of-seven has been the format of all the modern World Series except in 1903, 1919, 1920 and 1921 when the winner was determined through a best-of-nine playoff. The Series winner is awarded the Commissioner’s Trophy, as well as, for the last several decades, individual World Series rings. The Series winning club also receives a larger proportion of the gate receipts than does the Series loser.

The New York Yankees of the American League have played in 40 of the 105 Series through 2009 and have won 27 World Series championships, the most of any Major League franchise. For the National League, the Dodgers have appeared in the Series the most at 18 times (9 each in Brooklyn and Los Angeles), and have won the Series 6 times (once as Brooklyn, five times as Los Angeles). The St. Louis Cardinals have represented the National League 17 times and have won 10 championships, which is the second most of any Major League Team. The Chicago Cubs have the longest streak of not winning the World Series, with their last championship coming in 1908.

• What are the chances an Egyptian king would spend over 100 years in a Niagara Falls sideshow?
  Pretty good, actually
• On this day in 1922, a tomb was discovered that contained the treasures of an ancient king.
  What waited for the explorers in the gleaming dark?
• Howard Carter discovered him, Steve Martin sang about him…
  Who was he?
• Where was the most desirable and exclusive address for Egyptian kings.
  They were dying to get in

Tutankhamun (1341 BC – 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty (ruled 1333 BC – 1324 BC in the conventional chronology), during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom. His original name, Tutankhaten, means “Living Image of Aten”, while Tutankhamun means “Living Image of Amun”. Often the name Tutankhamun was written Amen-tut-ankh, meaning “living image of Amun”, due to scribal custom which most often placed the divine name at the beginning of the phrase in order to honor the divine being.  He is possibly also the Nibhurrereya of the Amarna letters. He was likely the 18th dynasty king ‘Rathotis’ who, according to Manetho, an ancient historian, had reigned for nine years — a figure which conforms with Flavius Josephus’s version of Manetho’s Epitome.

The 1922 discovery by Howard Carter of Tutankhamun’s intact tomb received worldwide press coverage and sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamun’s burial mask remains the popular face.

• Why was the bloodiest battle on English soil fought here?
  It had something to do with Roses
• This region produces wool, cheese, coal, steel, and other important commodities.
  But people get most excited about the puppies
• Can you imagine this land being ruled by someone named Eric Bloodaxe?
  He’s not the only surprising person to have lived here
• Remember Emily Brontë’s tragic love story, with Heathcliff and Catherine and the drama of the moors?
  It took place in this county

Swaledale is one of the northernmost dales in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in Northern England. It is the dale—valley—of the River Swale on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire.

Swaledale is a typical limestone Yorkshire dale, with its narrow valley-bottom road, green meadows and fellside fields, white sheep and white stone walls on the glacier-formed valley sides, and darker moorland skyline. The upper parts of the dale are particularly striking because of its large old limestone field barns and its profusion of wild flowers. The latter are thanks to the return to the practice of leaving the cutting of grass for hay or silage until wild plants have had a chance to seed. Occasionally visible from the valley bottom road are the slowly-fading fellside scars of the 18th and 19th century lead mining industry. Ruined stone mine buildings remain, taking on the same colours as the landscape into which they are crumbling.

Swaledale is home to many small but beautiful waterfalls, such as Richmond Falls, Kisdon Force and Catrake Force.

Swaledale starts to the east of Nine Standards Rigg, the prominent ridge with nine ancient tall cairns on the Cumbria–Yorkshire boundary which forms part of the main East–West Watershed of Northern England. To the west lies Kirkby Stephen and the Westmoreland Limestone Plateau.

The moors on the eastern flank of the Rigg’s moorland become more and more concave as they descend, to become the narrow valley sides of upper Swaledale at the small village of Keld. From there, the valley runs briefly south then turns east at Thwaite to broaden progressively as it passes Muker, Gunnerside and Reeth. The Pennine valley ends at the market town of Richmond, where an important medieval castle still watches the important ford from the top of a cliff. Below Richmond, the valley sides flatten out and the Swale flows across lowland farmland to meet the Ure just east of Boroughbridge at a point known as Swale Nab. The Ure becomes the Ouse, and eventually (on merging with the Trent) the Humber.

From the North, Arkengarthdale and its river the Arkle Beck join Swaledale at Reeth. To the south, Wensleydale, home of the famous Wensleydale cheese, runs parallel with Swaledale. The two dales are separated by a ridge including Great Shunner Fell, and joined by the road over Buttertubs Pass.

• It’s chic to park your yacht next to a sheikh.
  Especially here
• Where do the rich and famous go to ski the icy slopes?
  They come to the Middle East, of course
• It’s one thing to hear about air-conditioned beaches and skyscrapers shaped like sailboats.
  It’s another thing to see them
• Vast wealth + political stability = man-made islands shaped like palm trees.
  Like this one

Dubai Marina is a district in the heart of what has recently become known as ‘new Dubai’, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is located at the Interchange 5 between Jebel Ali Port and the area which hosts Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and the American University in Dubai. The first phase of this project has been completed. Dubai Marina was inspired by and designed to model the highly successful Concord Pacific Place development along False Creek in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The marina is entirely man-made and has been developed by the real estate development firm Emaar Properties of the United Arab Emirates. The first phase of Dubai Marina covers 25 acres, which includes six freehold waterfront apartment towers (Dubai Marina Towers) and 64 luxury villas connected by a network of rooftop gardens that are divided around each tower. Three of the towers are named after precious stones, Al Mass, Fairooz and Murjan and the other three are named after Arabic scents, Mesk, Anbar and Al Yass.The Phase II of Dubai Marina consists of over 200 high rise buildings and includes the Al Majara Towers and Al Sahab twin towers by Emaar. Upon completion, it is claimed to be the world’s largest man-made marina. Unlike other parts of Dubai there is a publicly accessible foreshoreway around the marina and some sections of public oceanway along the beach with views to Palm Jumeriah. The current largest man-made marina in the world is Marina del Rey in California, USA. The Highrise skyscrapers of phase II of Dubai Marina includes, supertall skyscrapers, Pentominium, Damac Heights, Princess Tower, Marina 101, Marina 106, Elite Residence, and 23 Marina.