Theme Week Guatemala – Antigua Guatemala

30 October 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  9 minutes

Santa Catalina Arch and Volcan de Agua © flickr.com - Chad Davis/cc-by-sa-2.0

Santa Catalina Arch and Volcan de Agua © flickr.com – Chad Davis/cc-by-sa-2.0

Antigua Guatemala, commonly referred to as just Antigua or la Antigua, is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala known for its preserved Spanish Baroque-influenced architecture as well as a number of ruins of colonial churches. It served as the capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Antigua Guatemala serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. It also serves as the departmental capital of Sacatepéquez Department.   read more…

Theme Week Guatemala – Guatemala City

29 October 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Palacio Nacional © flickr.com - Francisco Anzola/cc-by-2.0

Palacio Nacional © flickr.com – Francisco Anzola/cc-by-2.0

Guatemala City (Spanish: Ciudad de Guatemala), locally known as Guatemala or Guate, officially Ciudad de Guatemala, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nestled in a mountain valley called Valle de la Ermita (English: Hermitage Valley). It is estimated that its population is about 1 million. Guatemala City is also the capital of the Municipality of Guatemala and of the Guatemala Department.   read more…

Theme Week Guatemala – Quetzaltenango

28 October 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

© Rodrigobaaz/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Rodrigobaaz/cc-by-sa-4.0

Quetzaltenango, also known by its Maya name, Xelajú or Xela, is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality in Guatemala. Quetzaltenango has a population of 180,706 (2018 census). The population is about 61% indigenous or Amerindian, 34% Mestizo or ladino and 5% white Latin American. The city is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of 2,330 meters (7,640 feet) above sea level at its lowest part. It may reach above 2,400 m (7,900 ft) within the city. The Municipality of Quetzaltenango consists of an area of 122 km² (47 sq mi). Municipalities abutting the municipality of Quetzaltenango include Salcajá, Cantel, Almolonga, Zunil, El Palmar, Concepción Chiquirichapa, San Mateo, La Esperanza, and Olintepeque in Quetzaltenango department and San Andrés Xecul in Totonicapán department.   read more…

Theme Week Guatemala – Cobán

27 October 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  12 minutes

© flickr.com - Herny Aranjuez/cc-by-sa-2.0

© flickr.com – Herny Aranjuez/cc-by-sa-2.0

Cobán, fully Santo Domingo de Cobán, is the capital of the department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán municipality. It is located 219 km from Guatemala City. As of the 2018 census the population of the city of Cobán was at 212,047. The population of the municipality, which covers a total area of 1,974 km², was at 212,421, according to the 2018 census, but the rural area is in reality much, much more populated than the 374 person claimed by the census. Cobán, at a height of 1320 metres above sea level, is located at the center of a major coffee-growing area. The Cobán Airport is serving the city.   read more…

Theme Week Guatemala – Tikal National Park

26 October 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  9 minutes

Tikal Plaza and North Acropolis © Bjørn Christian Tørrissen/cc-by-sa-3.0

Tikal Plaza and North Acropolis © Bjørn Christian Tørrissen/cc-by-sa-3.0

Tikal is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala. It is one of the largest archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala. Situated in the department of El Petén, the site is part of Guatemala’s Tikal National Park and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   read more…

Theme Week Guatemala

25 October 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  9 minutes

Tikal mayan ruins © chensiyuan/cc-by-sa-4.0

Tikal mayan ruins © chensiyuan/cc-by-sa-4.0

Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala (Spanish: República de Guatemala), is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, Belize and the Caribbean to the northeast, Honduras to the east, El Salvador to the southeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south. With an estimated population of around 17.2 million, it is the most populous country in Central America and is the 11th most populous country in the Americas. Guatemala is a representative democracy; its capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City, the largest city in Central America.   read more…

Theme Week Hungary – Szeged

25 September 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  14 minutes

Reök Palace © Aron96/cc-by-sa-4.0

Reök Palace © Aron96/cc-by-sa-4.0

Szeged is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary. The Szeged Open Air (Theatre) Festival (first held in 1931) is one of the main attractions, held every summer and celebrated as the Day of the City on 21 May. Today’s Szeged is an important university town and a tourist attraction. The Szeged Symphony Orchestra (Szegedi Szimfonikus Zenekar) gives regular concerts at the Szegedi Nemzeti Színház. Szeged is situated near the southern border of Hungary, just to the south of the mouth of the Maros River, on both banks of the Tisza River, nearly in the centre of the Carpathian Basin. The Hungarian frontier with Serbia is just outside the town.   read more…

Theme Week Hungary – Nyíregyháza

24 September 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  13 minutes

Town Hall on Main Square © David Sallay

Town Hall on Main Square © David Sallay

Nyíregyháza is a city in northeastern Hungary and the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. With a population of 118,001, it is the seventh-largest city in Hungary and the largest in Northern Hungary and the northern part of the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld). Its development has been ongoing since the 18th century, making it the economic and cultural center of the region. Nyíregyháza Zoo, with over 500 species, is recognized throughout Europe. From the 1960s, the city grew and developed quickly. Today, Nyíregyháza is one of the most prosperous cities in Hungary, serving as both a center of education and a popular tourist destination. After the fall of Communism, several foreign-owned companies appeared in the city. In the early 2000s, the largest employers were Hübner Flextronics Ltd. and Hirsch’s, but during the period of economic recession, many companies eliminated several thousand jobs. Today, the largest public companies are the Lego Manufacturing Kft. and the Michelin Hungaria Abroncsgyártó Kft., providing employment for about 3,000 people.   read more…

Theme Week Hungary – Pécs

23 September 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

County Hall of Baranya © Jan Mehlich/cc-by-sa-3.0

County Hall of Baranya © Jan Mehlich/cc-by-sa-3.0

Pécs is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia. It is the administrative and economic centre of Baranya County. Pécs is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pécs.   read more…

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