Lake Asphalt

When the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh landed in Trinidad in the West Indies in 1595, was the first European who heard about the Tierra de Brea or Pitch, where there are large deposits of tar (bitumen or asphalt). It's strange, but fascinating place, probablywith the largest deposits of tar in the world, is now known as Trinidad Lake Asphalt.


Lake covers an area of ​​44 hectares and is 82 m deep. Created 50 million years ago from the decaying remains of sea creatures.As a result of this process produced the hydrocarbons that pass through permeable rocks. Later, the movement of rocks, was elevated to the surface, and the sun burnt them on it so hard crust that you can walk on it.


Asphalt on the surface of the lake creates a dark platinum, and in the hollows between them is collected rain water. The lake is in constant motion, because the asphalt moves from the center outwards. As a result of gas evolution, from time to time hear a strangegurgle.

Caves Frasassi

Frasassi Gorge in Ancona (Italy), with a length of 3.2 km, was carved by rapidly flowing from the Apennines to the sea the riverSentino. The gorge is surrounded by steep limestone walls, dotted with the entrances to the caves.


In 1971, a team of speleologists exploring the area discovered a unique, 13 km system of caves and passageways. This system, known as the Grotta Grande del Vento (Great Cave of Wind) extends into the Apennines.

The explorers were surprised by the magnificent view of the transparent pools, stationary water and muddy banks of limestonecaves with sculptures, reminiscent of the frozen crystals. Some forms of dripstone look like lace curtains, delicate flowers or candles.Some are almost transparent, others sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow.

Lofoty

Lofoten is an archipelago in the Norwegian Sea in the north-west coast of Norway, separated from the mainland by the Strait ofVestfjorden. He is known for its exceptional beauty, and also one of the world's largest thermal anomalies.


The largest islands of Lofoten are Austvågøy, Gimsøy, Vestvagoy, Flakstadøya and Moskenesøya, and the overall land area of the archipelago is 1227 km ².

While lying in the Lofoten area is the Arctic Circle where temperatures are much higher than in other places of similar latitude. The main reason for this anomaly is a warm sea current flowing from the west of Europe - the Gulf Stream (Gulf Stream) and itsextension - North Atlantic Current.

Mausoleum of Agostinho Neto

Africa is not just deserts and the poor, but also developing the town with interesting buildings. One such structure is the Mausoleum of Agostinho Neto in Luanda, Angola.


This gigantic monument was built to honor the father of independent Angola - Agostinho Neto. Agostinho Neto in the years 1975-1979 he served as first president of independent Angola. It is also the most famous poet derived from this African country.


In his reign Angola close relations with the Soviet Union and other Communist states. In these countries, a common practice was themummification of bodies of deceased leaders. Following the example of those countries also embalmed the body of Agostinho Neto.

Fasil Ghebbi

At the foot of the mountain chain of Semien, in the center of Gondar, there is a complex of castles called Fasil Ghebbi.


In this city-fortress surrounded by a wall with a length of 900 meters and an area of ​​nearly 70,000 sq ft located up to 6 locks. Each of them served as the seat of the then ruler, and was specially built for him. This practice stemmed from the tradition prevailing inEthiopia - just not proper to live in a mansion predecessor. In addition to the castles, the walls are the ruins of three churches and theremains of numerous public and private buildings.


The most famous castle complex is Fasil Ghebbi Fasilidasa castle, built in the seventeenth century. Noteworthy is also the archivebear his name. Aside from the Fasilidasa their residences have here also: Yohannes, Iyasu, Dawit, Bekafa and Mintiwab.


Its original appearance is due to the influence of Hindu monuments and Arabic. Later, with the arrival of Jesuit missionaries, thearchitecture of the buildings were gradually adapted to the style of the Baroque.


As a result of wars, earthquakes Fasil Ghebbi repeatedly underwent more or less damage. It is now restored and opened to the public. Since 1979, the complex is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Abu Simbel

The temple was discovered in May 1813 year by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. He found her Nubian travelingthrough the desert along the Nile about 250 miles south-east of Aswan.


The temples were built in the thirteenth century BC, during the reign of Ramses II in the years 1279 -1213 BC The interior is carvedinto the rock and has a length of 50 meters. On the walls appear reliefs depicting images of Ramses II. Among them is the reliefcommemorating the victory of Ramses II in the Battle of Kadesh. On the back wall are statues, which twice a year - 20 February and 20 October the rising sun shines. The temple dedicated to Amon-Re, Re and Ptah-Horakhte.


Next to the church is smaller, which is dedicated to the goddess Hathor and the royal wife Nefertari. Outside the stand four statues ofsitting on the throne of Ramses II and his mother, a wife and a few of the numerous descendants.


Due to the construction of High Aswan High Dam in the years 1960-1971 and the creation of Lake Nasser temple was threatenedflooding. To protect against destruction of Abu Simbel Egyptian government and UNESCO decided to move the structureapproximately 65 meters above.


The building was cut into several thousands of stone blocks weighing about 20 tons each and were transported to the designated place. Move completed in 1966, and a place where there were temples had long been flooded. All work supervised by Professor Kazimierz Michalowski, a reconstructed building retained its original orientation, so that there is still two times a year, the sunilluminates the statues.

Victoria Falls

One of the most magnificent waterfalls in the world, Victoria Falls, lies on the Zambezi River, which forms the border betweenZambia and Zimbabwe. In the upper reaches of the river flows slowly through a wide, shallow valley. Already at a distance of about 50 km from the waterfall can be seen floating in the air at the height of 300 meters of water a cloud of dust. From afar is heard theroar of water sweeping. The natives call wodspad Mosi-oa-Tunja which means the smoke that thunders.


Zambezi River squeezes through barring her way deep rock crevice, forming the Victoria Falls. Rift was caused by movements ofthe earth about 150 million years ago. At its widest point measures 1690 meters waterfall.

Opposite the cliff where the water falls down, just grow another 75 m cliff. Between them is a narrow gorge at the bottom of whichwater forms a surf, called boiling Cauldron. In the further course of the river, over 72 km, there are numerous breakthroughs.

Angel Falls

In 1935, American pilot Jimmy Angel was flying over the mountains of Venezuela, in search of gold. When he found himself on theDevil's Mountain, saw some waterfalls. After two years he returned to look at them more closely. However, the plane which was flying, crashed and got stuck in a swamp. Angel and his companion for eleven days struggling through the jungle to reach thewaterfalls. Jimmy Angel did not find gold, he discovered the world's highest waterfall, which was later called his name.


Water Angel Falls, eighteen times higher than Niagara, falls from a height of 1054 m.


The first drop from the edge of the cliff to the rocky shelf, is 807 m, the second - from the rocky protrusion into the pool with a width of 152 foot of him - a further 172 m.


Tropical forest around the waterfall is so dense that the area is virtually inaccessible. During the rainy season when water levels in rivers rises significantly, you can get there by boat. During the rest of the year, the waterfall can be seen only from the ground.


Devil's Island, called by the Indians Auyan Tepui, a massive table top or plateau, were probably 65 million years ago as a result ofvertical crustal movements. Under the influence of climatic factors has eroded edge of the massif, and a visible trace of thenumerous cracks and fissures, which during the rainy season water flows.

Iguaçu Falls

Iguaçu Falls (Iguassu) is the most powerful waterfall on earth, although not the largest or highest. Nothing else has so manyseparate cascades. There are approximately 275th Between cascades there are many rocky islands.


Ocean-like, wide at 4 km of water falling from the Iguaçu semicircular edge of the plateau of Parana 72 m down. Water flows intoa narrow gorge, called La Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat), and later split into numerous cascades.


Fully rainy season, from November to March to Devil's Gorge is poured in one second approximately 13.6 million gallons of water.is the amount sufficient to fill six Olympic swimming pools. The deafening roar of the waterfall can be heard at a distance of 24 km.

Cathedral in Brasilia

In 1956 the city began construction of Brasilia, where the urban and architectural plan developed by two Brazilian architects LucioCosta and Oscar Niemeyer. The first of them was responsible for the spatial plan, while the second was to design public buildings, including the building of the cathedral.


On 12 September 1958 he was a cornerstone for the construction of the cathedral. Two years later, construction was completed, and 31 May 1970 the church was dedicated.


Construction of the cathedral consists of 16 concrete columns that are arranged in a circle with a diameter of 70 meters. The columns in the shape of a parabola and a weight of 90 tons symbolize the hands facing upward toward the sky. Between the columns were fitted with stained glass fibers. They have the shape of a triangle with base 10 m and a height of 30 m. stained in blue, white and brown were painted in 1990 by Marianne Peretti.


Before entering the cathedral, there are four bronze sculptures with a height of 3 m, which represent the Evangelists. They weremade ​​by the sculptor Dante Croce in 1968.


Inside the cathedral there are three statues of angels, which were suspended on steel ropes. They were made ​​in 1970 by AlfredoCeschiatti Croce and Dante. The smallest angel is 2.22 m tall and weighs 100 kg, the average is 3.40 m tall and weighs 200 kg,while the largest is 4.25 m tall and weighs 300 pounds.

Mayon

Without a doubt the most beautiful volcano in the world. The perfect cone rising above the coastal plain. Nay, even from spacelooks like an almost perfect circle. And that one of the most active, almost always with its top rises to smoke.


Mayon is not high, only 2463 meters above sea level. But his relative height is 2447 m above ground level. Volcano is doing soreally big impression. It lies on the coastal plain fact, near the sinuses Lagonoy and Albay, but also not far from the Sibuyan Sea.Because at this point in Luzon pulls out a narrow and long Bicol peninsula. Mayon is in the southern tip of Luzon, the northern end of 200-thousand city of Legaspi, Albay province's capital. Not far is the San Bernardino Strait, which separates the island ofLuzon from Samar.


Mayon, that little showy, it is still very active. Over the last 400 years recorded 49 explosions. At fifty it looked in December 2009.At that time, authorities evacuated more than 50 thousand. inhabitants within a radius of 8 kilometers from the volcano. Farmershad to take up to three times the strength, because in spite of the danger they returned to their homes, where they remained after all the inventory. At a safe distance from the volcano greedily gather thrill tourists. A Mayon rarely fails in this situation ...


Mayon is a stratovolcano. Alternately throws magma and pyroclastic material (heated to temperatures up to over a thousanddegrees of dust, gases and volcanic bombs of various sizes) and is shaped more or less similar to the cone. Mayon has allstratovolcanos most regular shape. Slope, depending on the height varies from 35 to 40 degrees. Lines do not interfere with anyso-called side. Parasitic cones or other inequalities. Why, despite frequent outbreaks still maintains impeccable appearance?Because what the explosion will throw in the air, falls and rebuilding strained eruption cone. The current creates a lava andpyroclastic materials from 2006. Then broke out last time.


And where such activity? Well, the fact that it is part of the surrounding Pacific Ring of Fire, stretching from New Zealand forTonga, Melanesia, the Philippines, Japan, the Kurile, Aleutian, after trailing by two American Cordillera. In this region there is 81 percent of earthquakes and there smokes and spits fire 90 percent of active volcanoes. It is on this site connect to many of the lithosphere plates. It's basically still clash. Pushing at each other, move away, etc., and any movement causes reactions in the form of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.


Mayon eruption was the most tragic February 1, 1814 year. Initially it seemed that the eruption will be a weak, much smaller than the previous one from 1766, so residents ignored the eruption. But when they saw the gray clouds rushing down pyroclastic runoff, it was too late. 2.2 thousand were killed. people. Cagsawa town disappeared under a layer of ashes. Only the church bell towerjutting above the new level ground. The layer of ashes was 9 meters. During the outbreak of the 23-30 June 1897 year at the15-meter-thick layer of stones and ashes disappeared Bacacay town. San Roque, Misericordia and Santo Niño burned. Killed more than 400 people.


As the Philippines is a densely populated even minimal losses. During the tambora explosion in 1815 killed 117 thousand.people. The eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 consumed 36 thousand. people and the Colombian Nevado de Ruiz in 1995 - 23thousand. people. Why? We do not know. Often lower volcanoes that mention only Vesuvius, lakes, or even lying in the middle ofMount Pinatubo Luzon, exploded much stronger. Pinatubo in 1991 had lost one-tenth of his height (he was 1745, and now has a1486 meters high). Volcanology is still young and aspiring science, and that everything has a beginning in the liquid magma within the Earth, it must be based on unreliable models.

In recent years, thanks to advances in science, volcanologists can warn in time before the eruption. When seismographs recordlow-frequency earthquakes, shock, followed every minute, and even more frequently (about two thousand a day), and land on the ground level is raised (even a few millimeters), a sign that deep inside the cone builds up more and more magma, which may at any time of the hellish roar skyrocket.


In 1984, evacuated more than 73 thousand people and no one was killed. But in 1993, some ignored the warning. I killed 77farmers in their fields and farms. Also, the last eruption, in 2006, fortunately without casualties was held.


But volcanoes are unpredictable. Sometimes everything seems to indicate that the eruption about to happen, but everythingspreads the bones. In 2006, Mayon scare in June, and broke out in August. Similarly, in 2009. Symptoms of impending outbreakreported since June, 11 November eruption occurred, but small. And there was peace, until mid-December, when he woke upagain Mayon. December 14 began evacuating tens of thousands of people. 16 December the volcano ejected plume of smokeand dust, and then began to belch lava. And so, until December 20.


Locals are proud of their volcano. Once it looks really nice, two, that they earn on it. Due to the high activity come here not onlyscientists, but also many tourists.


Mayon was prepared by the Philippines as their candidate for the title of the Seven Wonders of Nature, but had to give way to the underground river of Puerto Princesa.

Googleplex

Googleplex is the headquarters of Google in Mountain View, California. Located in Silicon Valley, which is considered to be the center of American industry, new technologies, directly adjacent to the headquarters of companies such as Alza, the Mozilla Foundation and Microsoft.


Work on the complex was launched in 1994, and completed it in 1997. Worked on the project Silion Graphics Inc. company. (SGI)architecture firms in San Francisco and the city of Mountain View.


The project aimed to develop a complex of buildings designated for corporate headquarters, which harmonized with public parks.Built for this purpose underground parking for over 2,000 vehicles, thus enabling the creation of open space.


The complex consists of four major and several smaller buildings with a total area of ​​47,000 square meters. They were originallybuilt for Silicon Graphics Inc.. However, in 2003 Google began to rent space in it, and three years later purchased the entirecorporation for $ 319 million.


Google tries to ensure maximum comfort and convenience, which is why the interior of the building are the giant rubber ball, in the lobby is a piano, and on the wall displays the current Google search queries. The complex has a gym, free laundry, 2 smallswimming pools, beach volleyball and eleven cafes with different menus. Google also has a replica of SpaceShipOne, the firstprivate manned spaceship and the skeleton of a dinosaur.


About 30 percent of the demand for electricity Googleplexu covered with solar panels, which are capable of generating 1.6megawatts of electricity. Their installation began in late 2006. One third of the panels are mounted on poles in the form of solartrees, and the other was placed on the roofs.

Old Faithful Geyser

Yellowstone is the first national park in the world (established in 1872), and also the largest U.S. national park. The overwhelmingpart of it lies on the territory of the state of Wyoming. It is a volcanic plateau in the Rocky Mountains, full of mountains, lakes and forests. Other attractions of this area are the cliffs made ​​of black obsidian and thousands of geysers and hot springs.


The term comes from the Icelandic geyser geysa words that mean burst or gush. Deep below the earth surface structure are very hot rocks. They heat the filling hole or channel water to the boil, then boiling water and steam will be thrown to a considerableheight.


After emptying the geyser channel gradually fills with water again in August and the process repeated. Old Faithful geyser is activecontinuously for at least 200 years. Every hour 45 thousand. liters of boiling water is thrown away for 5 minutes at the height of 30-45 meters.