The Galápagos Islands

21 December 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Tourists at the Mann Beach with sealions © Iris Diensthuber

Tourists at the Mann Beach with sealions © Iris Diensthuber

The Galápago Islands (official name: Archipiélago de Colón; other Spanish names: Islas de Colón or Islas Galápagos) are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km (525 nmi) west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of slightly over 25,000. The archipelago constists of 14 main islands (5 are populated) and over 100 small and mini islands.   read more…

The coastal town of Beer in Devon

18 December 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

Fore Street looking towards Sea Hill © geograph.org.uk - Eugene Birchall

Fore Street looking towards Sea Hill © geograph.org.uk – Eugene Birchall

The village of Beer is in south-east Devon on Lyme Bay. The village of Beer is situated on the 95-mile long Jurassic Coast, England’s first natural World Heritage Site and its picturesque cliffs, including Beer Head, form part of the South West Coast Path, Britain’s longest waymarked long-distance footpath (630 miles / 1,014 km).   read more…

Bath on River Avon

23 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Abbey of Bath © Nikater

Abbey of Bath © Nikater

Bath is a city in the ceremonial county of Somerset in South West England. It is situated 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 13 miles (21 km) south-east of Bristol. The population of the city is 83,992. It was granted city status by Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590, and was made a county borough in 1889 which gave it administrative independence from its county, Somerset. The city became part of Avon when that county was created in 1974. Since 1996, when Avon was abolished, Bath has been the principal centre of the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES).   read more…

Le Havre in the Haute-Normandie

21 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Le Havre Beach © Urban

Le Havre Beach © Urban

Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total population of the greater Le Havre conurbation is smaller than that of Rouen. It is also the second largest subprefecture in France (after Reims). Its port is the second busiest in France (after that of Marseille).   read more…

Verona in Veneto

8 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

Verona Collage © DanieleDF1995

Verona Collage © DanieleDF1995

Verona is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of northeast Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona covers an area of 1,426 km² (550.58 sq mi) and has a population of 714,274 inhabitants. It is one of the main tourist destinations in northern Italy, owing to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows, and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient amphitheatre built by the Romans.   read more…

The Lost City of Petra

7 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  7 minutes

The Monastery Al Dier © Tom Neys

The Monastery Al Dier © Tom Neys

Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma’an that is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. Established possibly as early as 312 BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourist attraction. It lies on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.   read more…

Mount Athos in Greece

6 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Mount Athos © flickr.com - Gabriel

Mount Athos © flickr.com – Gabriel

Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in the Macedonia region, Greece. A World Heritage Site and self-governed state in the Hellenic Republic, Athos is home to 20 stavropegial Eastern Orthodox monasteries under the direct jurisdiction of the patriarch of Constantinople. Today Greeks commonly refer to Mount Athos as the “Holy Mountain” (Greek: Άγιον Όρος, Agion Oros). In Classical times, while the mountain was called Athos, the peninsula was called Akté (Ἀκτὴ) (sometimes Acte or Akte).   read more…

The spa town of Carlsbad in Czech Republic

5 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Vlahos Vaggelis

© Vlahos Vaggelis

Karlovy Vary (English: Carlsbad) is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately 130 km (81 mi) west of Prague (Praha). It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370. It is historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Teplá River).   read more…

Theme Week Emilia-Romagna – Ravenna

27 October 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Garibaldi statue © flickr.com - currybet

Garibaldi statue © flickr.com – currybet

Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until that empire collapsed in 476. It then served as the capital of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths until it was conquered in 554. Afterwards, the city formed the centre of the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna until the invasion of the Franks in 751, after which it became the seat of the Kingdom of the Lombards.   read more…

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