The Dominican Republic is a country in the Caribbean that shares its land boundary with Haiti on the west. Santo Domingo, officially Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic and the largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean. Street signs and restaurant menus are written in Spanish, which is the country’s official language. Santo Domingo is the cultural, financial, political, commercial and industrial center. Coffee, sugar, and tobacco are the island’s main sources of income. Tourism is also playing an important part in supporting the economy now. Christopher Columbus visited the island on December 5, 1492. Actually, he founded the island (accidentally), naming it Hispaniola.

Alcázar Balcony

Alcázar de Colón

Panteón Nacional

Catedral Primada de América

Fortaleza Ozama

Mouth of the Rio Ozama

Convento de los Dominicos

Monumento de Fray Antón de Montesinos

Puerta del Conde

DR Founding Fathers

Mausoleum of Christopher Columbus

Photos taken by David Stanley

The Millau Viaduct is part of the expressway connecting Paris and Barcelona and features the highest bridge piers ever constructed. It is taller than the Eiffel Tower. The Millau Viaduct is not straight, because a straight road could induce a floating sensation as you drive across it. So, a slight curve remedies that feeling. The bridge was entirely privately financed and cost 394 million euros. Designed by the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest bridge in the world with one mast\’s summit at 343.0 meters above the base of the structure. It is also the 12th highest bridge in the world, with a 270 meters drop from the bridge road to the valley below. The 2460 meters long bridge is a stunning architectural and design feat.

credit: PhillipC

The Fish River canyon is one of the most impressive natural beauties in the southern part of Namibia. With a depth of up to 550 metres, the Fish River Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world. The enormous gorge meanders along a distance of approx. 160 kilometres through the fissured Koubis massif all the way down to Ai-Ais. The canyon starts near Seeheim. It is 161 kilometres long and up to 27 km wide and ends at Ai-Ais. The canyon is over 500 million years old, with part of the strata formed as far back as 650 million years ago. The area has become a very popular hiking destination over the years, which includes the well-known Fish River Hiking Trail. The trail is a 4-day activity covering 86 km in total. Hiking trips are available from May to September

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The Qalawun complex in Cairo, Egypt includes a madrasa, a hospital and a mausoleum. It was built by the Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad Ibn Qalawun in the 1280s. The complex is the earliest example of a new Syrian style of those times, and displays typical Mameluke architecture. The Mausoleum is one of the most spectacular in Cairo, huge, breathtaking and ornate, notice the 4 massive granite pillars, which were originally part of a pharaonic structure. The mausoleum’s central, domed plan is connected to the madrasa by a long entrance passage, and the plan of both spaces is shifted to accommodate the qibla orientation.

credit: Jorge Lascar

CRH380A is high speed rolling stock which was developed by the China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corporation. The CRH380A topped out at speeds of 302 mph. The 302 mph top speed makes this the fastest legal way to travel by land. However, the speed of the train is reduced in regular operations. The CRH380A high-speed train is one of the four Chinese train series which have been designed for the new standard operating speed of 380 kmh or 236 mph on newly constructed Chinese high-speed main lines.

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Hampi is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India located near Hospet town in the Karnataka state. The buildings in the city are mostly built in the original native traditions of southern India, associated with the Hindu religion. Among them are beautiful temples, basements of palaces, remains of aquatic structures, ancient market streets, royal pavilions, bastions, royal platforms, treasury buildings. Hampi covers an area of nearly 26 sq km and is stated to be enclosed by seven lines of fortifications.

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Nalanda is the name of an ancient university located at 55 miles from Patna in Bihar. This university was the largest residential Buddhist centre of learning in the world with a 9 storied library. 2,000 Teachers and 10,000 Students from all over the Buddhist world lived and studied at Nalanda. Founded in the 5th Century BC, and reported to have been visited by the Buddha during his lifetime.

Nalanda

Nalanda

Nalanda Campus

Nalanda Campus

Library Corridor

Campus Garden

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Halong Bay is one of the most breathtaking natural landmark in Vietnam. Archipelago is made up of thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. The Bay’s water is clear during the spring and early summer. Some of the islands are quite large and there are small alcoves with sandy beaches where swimming is possible. Ha Long bay lies in the northeastern part of Vietnam and is 165 Km from Hanoi. It has an area of around 1,553 km2. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km2 with a high density of 775 islets. The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments.

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The Carnival attracts over a million visitors to Rio every year. Rio Carnival 2013 begins 40 days before the religious holiday of Easter. The competition between 12 elite samba groups dazzles more than a billion spectators. Almost all of the music played during Rio Carnival is samba. The main attractions are the Samba queens who are chosen in a contest. They need to be beautiful, confident and infused with a carnival spirit. The first attempt to celebrate the Carnival in Rio occurred in 1641.

credit: Fotos_Gratis

The Iguassu Waterfalls are situated inside the Iguassu National Park. The park was created in 1934 and it contains one of the greatest natural beauties of Argentina. The falls themselves sit on the Iguazu River and rest on the border between Brazil and Argentina. The width of the falls (2700 m) is 800 m on the Brazilian side and 1900 m on the Argentinean side. The falls are formed by a group of 272 smaller falls varying in height and power. The biggest one in Iguazu is the Garganta del Diablo ( Devil’s throat). The Iguazu Falls are one of the most popular natural tourist destinations in South America.

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