Sydney November 16, 2009

Principal port and largest city of Australia and capital of the state of New South Wales; population (2001 est) 3,997,300. Founded in 1788, Sydney is situated on Port Jackson inlet on the southeast coast of Australia, and is built on hills around a number of bays and inlets that form an impressive natural harbour. Most of the maritime trade of Sydney is handled by Port Jackson on Sydney Harbour, one of the country’s leading ports, though Botany Bay also has a specialist terminal for shipping petroleum products. The city is the home of most of the manufacturing industries in New South Wales, including oil refining, engineering, electronics, and the manufacture of scientific equipment, chemicals, clothing, and furniture. Notable architectural landmarks are the Harbour Bridge (which, with an arch of 503 m/1,650 ft, is one of the world’s largest single-span bridges), the nearby Sydney Opera House, and Centre Point Tower. There are many parks, as well as coastal beaches ideal for surfing, such as Bondi and Manly. Sydney hosted the Olympic Games in the year 2000.

History

Sydney was founded in 1788 by Captain Arthur Phillip of the Royal Navy, who had been sent to Australia to reconnoitre a site for a penal colony. Landing first at Botany Bay 8 km/5 mi to the south but finding it unsuitable for settlement, Phillip sailed to Port Jackson, which he described as ‘the finest natural harbour in the world’ in a letter to the home secretary, Thomas Townshend Sydney, after whom the city was named. Sydney grew rapidly, especially during the gold rushes of the mid-19th century. Many of Sydney’s streets follow the original wagon tracks laid down when the land was being prospected for gold.

New York November 16, 2009

New York is situated on the river HUDSON

New York (pronounced /nuː ˈjɔrk/ ( listen)) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation’s third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario to the west, and Quebec to the north. New York is often referred to as New York State to distinguish it from New York City.

New York City, which is geographically the largest city in the state and most populous in the United States, is known for its history as a gateway for immigration to the United States and its status as a financial, cultural, transportation, and manufacturing center. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, it is also a destination of choice for many foreign visitors. Both state and city were named for the 17th century Duke of York, James Stuart, futureJames II and VII of England and Scotland.

New York was inhabited by the Algonquin, Iroquois, and Lenape Native American groups at the time Dutch and French nationals moved into the region in the early 17th century. First claimed by Henry Hudson in 1609, the region came to have Dutch forts at Fort Orange, near the site of the present-day capital ofAlbany in 1614, and was colonized by the Dutch in 1624 at both Albany and Manhattan; it later fell to British annexation in 1664.

Bolivia November 15, 2009

Bolivia, officially Plurinational State of Bolivia (Spanish: Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, [esˈtaðo pluɾinasjoˈnal de βoˈliβja]), is a landlocked country in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south, and Chile and Peru to the west.

Tel Aviv November 7, 2009

Tel Aviv-Yafo (Hebrew: תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ; Arabic: تل أبيب‎, Tall ʼAbīb),^[2] usually called Tel Aviv, is the second largest city in Israel, with an estimated population of 391,300.^[1] The city is situated on the Israeli Mediterranean coast, with a land area of 51.8 square kilometres (20.0 sq mi). It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, home to 3.15 million people as of 2008.^[3] The city is governed by the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality, headed by Ron Huldai.^[4]

Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 on the outskirts of the ancient port city of Jaffa (Hebrew: יָפוֹ‎, Yafo; Arabic: يافا‎, Yaffa). The growth of Tel Aviv soon outpaced Jaffa, which was largely Arab at the time. Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged into a single municipality in 1950, two years after the establishment of the State of Israel. Tel Aviv’sWhite City, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, comprises the world’s largest concentration of Modernist-style buildings

Youngest U.S. Presidents November 7, 2009

Youngest U.S. Presidents

(By age upon taking office)

Rank President Years Days 1. Theodore Roosevelt 42 322 2. John F. Kennedy 43 236 3. Bill Clinton 46 154 4. Ulysses S. Grant 46 236 5. Barack Obama 47 169 6. Grover Cleveland 47 351 7. Franklin Pierce 48 101 8. James Garfield 49 105 9. James K. Polk 49 122 10. Millard Fillmore 50 184