The Commissioners’ Plan of 1811 was the original design for the streets of Manhattan above Houston Street and below 155th Street, which put in place the rectangular grid plan of streets and lots that has defined Manhattan to this day. It has been called “the single most important document in New York City’s development,” and the plan has been described as encompassing the “republican predilection for control and balance … [and] distrust of nature”. It was described by the Commission that created it as combining “beauty, order and convenience.” read more…
Janakpur is the headquarters of Dhanusa District at Province No. 2 in Nepal. The city is a centre for religious and cultural tourism. It has been declared as the temporary capital for Province no. 2 until Province Assembly votes for a permanent capital. This city is also known as Janakpurdham, which was founded in the early 18th century. According to oral tradition, an earlier city existed in the area, also known as Janakpurdham, which was the capital of the Videha dynasty that ruled Mithila region in the ancient times. The city is located about 123 km (76 mi) south-east of Kathmandu. As of 2015, the city had a population of 173,924 making it the largest Sub-Metropolitan city of Nepal. Janakpur is currently the third largest city in the Terai (after Biratnagar and Birgunj) and the seventh largest in Nepal. The Nepal Railways used to operate between Janakpur and India. read more…
Biratnagar is the second largest metropolitan city and the capital of the Province No. 1 of Nepal. It also holds the record for the second most densely populated (after Kathmandu) and the fourth most populous city of Nepal, with a population of 240,000. Biratnagar has politically been the most active city of Nepal, thus gifting a subtotal of five prime ministers along with hosting some of the most revolutionary incidents (the first labour strike leading to the first anti-Rana movement, the first plane hijack, the castle for Nepali Congress, etc.) in the modern history of Nepal. The city has a total area of 29.9mi² (77.5km²) and is located in the Morang District (in the previous Koshi Zone) of the eastern-most Terai region of Nepal. It lies 399 km east of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, and 6 km north of the Jogbani border of the Indian state of Bihar. read more…
Carl Graham Fisher was an Americanentrepreneur. Despite severe astigmatism, he became actively involved in auto racing. He was a seemingly tireless pioneer and promoter of the automotive industry and highway construction, and of real estate development in Florida. He is widely regarded as a promotional genius. read more…
Pokhara is a metropolitan city in Nepal which is situated in Gandaki Pradesh province of Nepal. The country’s second largest city, in terms of population, and, largest city, in terms of area, it is the capital of Gandaki Pradesh. The city also serves as the headquarters of Kaski District. Pokhara is located 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu. The altitude varies from 827 metres (2,713 feet) in the southern part to 1,740 metres (5,710 feet) in the north. The Annapurna Range, with three out of the ten highest mountains in the world — Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu — is within 15–35 mi (24–56 km) of the valley. Pokhara is considered the tourism capital of Nepal, being a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit through the Annapurna Conservation Area region of the Annapurna ranges in the Himalayas. The city is also home to a large number of the elite Gurkha soldiers. read more…
Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is located mainly in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. With an estimated population of 26.4 million, it is 48th largest country by population and 93rd largest country by area. It borders China in the north and India in the south, east, and west while Bangladesh is located within only 27 km (17 mi) of its southeastern tip and Bhutan is separated from it by the Indian state of Sikkim. Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu is the nation’s capital and largest city. Nepal is a multiethnic nation with Nepali as the official language. read more…
Château de Valençay was a residence of the d’Estampes and Talleyrand-Périgord families in the commune of Valençay, the Indredépartement of France. Although geographically, it is part of the province of Berry, its architecture invites comparison with the Renaissance châteaux of the Loire Valley, notably the Château de Chambord. The manor was praised as “one of the most beautiful on earth” by George Sand, who also noted that “no king has owned a more picturesque park”. It is at an elevation of 135 m. read more…
