Category Geography

What is the oldest continuously running restaurant in the world?

Sobrino de Botín in Madrid, Spain, is the oldest running restaurant in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. Open since 1725, the restaurant has kept the flame burning in the oven continuously for 293 years, never to be extinguished. World’s oldest restaurant still in operation. At the time that the restaurant opened (in the ground floor of an inn), it was actually up to the guests to bring their own meat and ingredients, which were then cooked in the eatery’s facilities. After the original owners died childless, the restaurant passed to their nephew, which is when it got its current name, which translates to “Nephew of Botin,” of course.

Over the next 200-plus years, the trends of the city changed, but Sobrino de Botin never stopped cooking (after it was able to start cooking for for people that is). Today the restaurant covers four floors of seating, each with its own Spanish theme, from the brick cellar to the fancier Felipe IV room. Even as the tourists began to flock to the restaurant, as will happen once Guinness gets its paws on you, the cuisine has stayed remarkably true to its Spanish roots, with the whole suckling pig, which is prepared in a brick oven, being the standout dish.

The Sobrino de Botin likely saw its finest moment when it was mentioned by Ernest Hemingway in The Sun Also Rises, and it is rumored that the famous artist Francisco de Goya worked there as a young man. However, its legacy is clearly thanks to its astounding age rather than to its ties to art and literature.

Credit : Slate.com

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What kind of country is Kiribati?

Kiribati, an island chain in the Pacific Ocean, is the only country in the world that is situated within all four hemispheres of the globe.

Despite having a population of 120,000 and a land mass of 811 squared kilometres, there is almost 4000 kilometres between the easternmost and westernmost parts of Kiribati – which is almost as wide as Australia.

At its highest point, Kiribati stands at a mere height of just eight metres above sea level. Once combined, the 33 stunning, paradisiac islands and atolls make Kiribati the only country in the world to cross all four hemispheres.

With such remoteness comes great challenges. However, since becoming a member association in 2010, the federation have made encouraging progress in their effort to bring badminton to a small nation.

Leading the charge for badminton is Kiribati’s Shuttle Time Co-ordinator Tongoboo Beero, who first came across Shuttle Time in 2012 as a participant. Since then, Tongoboo has powered through the ranks.

In 2019, he was one of 10 trained Shuttle Time teachers who inspired over 600 participants into getting fit and active within their communities with badminton. Earlier this year, he was part of a leadership team who delivered teacher training to expand Kiribati’s Shuttle Time teacher pool. His combined efforts earned his a space in the BWF’s Humans of Shuttle Time campaign.

Moreover, other teachers from Kiribati have noticed a significant rise in popularity. Taonibeia Mwakuti has delivered to more than 50 kids in her local community, which has made a big difference to their lives where there are only a limited number of other activities to keep them engaged.

“We both enjoy the game and can say that we have improved a lot especially with our grips and serving technique” say Mwakuti’s students, Biritia Peter and Eimwa Obwaia.

The complex logistics involved in sending and receiving badminton equipment is one issue for the remote nation. However, finding a suitable badminton court to play on is another.

To combat the lacking badminton facilities, many of the Pacific Islands play outdoors. However, Shuttle Time teachers and students came together recently to paint the lines of a badminton court under a shelter to give a better understanding of the game.

Credit : Badminton Oceania

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A pointer to the predominant colour of many of its building, which Indian city is called the Pink City?

Known as the “Pink City of India” due to its distinctive pink coloured buildings, Jaipur is the largest city in the state of Rajasthan and one of India’s most stunning cities.

You may be wondering why it is called the “Pink City,” and this is all down to Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh who had the whole city painted pink in 1876, to entice Prince Albert and Queen Victoria to visit Jaipur as part of their tour of India, as pink was considered the colour of hospitality at the time.

There is so much to see in Jaipur and it has an amazing variety of palaces, forts, temples, monuments, museums, arts and crafts, and various market places to explore.

The city is known for its beauty, and it is unique in its straight-line planning. Its buildings are predominantly rose-coloured, and it is sometimes called the “pink city.” The chief buildings are the City Palace, part of which is home to the royal family of Jaipur; Jantar Mantar, an 18th-century open-air observatory that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010; Hawa Mahal (Hall of Winds); Ram Bagh palace; and Nahargarh, the Tiger Fort. Other public buildings include a museum and a library. Jaipur is the seat of the University of Rajasthan, founded in 1947.

The city is surrounded by fertile alluvial plains to the east and south and hill chains and desert areas to the north and west. Bajra (pearl millet), barley, gram (chickpeas), pulses, and cotton are the chief crops grown in the region. Iron ore, beryllium, mica, feldspar, marble, copper, and garnet deposits are worked. In addition to Amer, other nearby attractions include Sariska National Park to the northeast.

 

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Due to the many canals criss-crossing it, which city in the Netherlands is often called Venice of the North?

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. With more than one million inhabitants in its urban area (and almost two and a half million inhabitants in its metropolitan area), it is the country’s largest city and its financial, cultural, and creative centre.

Amsterdam derives its name from the city’s origin as “Dam” of river “Amstel”. In the past, the name was “Amstelredamme” which later changed as “Amsterdam”. Amsterdam is one of the most popular destinations in Europe, attracting over 7 million international travellers annually.

Amsterdam is colloquially known as Venice of the North because of its lovely canals that criss-cross the city, its impressive architecture and more than 1,500 bridges. There is something for every traveller’s taste here; whether you prefer culture and history, serious partying, or just the relaxing charm of an old European city.

Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important trading centres in the world during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, with the first stock exchange and the joint ventures that gave birth to modern day Capitalism. The city’s small medieval centre rapidly expanded as the Jordaan and the Canal Belt neighbourhoods were constructed; the latter’s cultural significance was acknowledged when it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded in all directions, with many new neighbourhoods and suburbs designed in modernist styles.

Amsterdam is not the seat of the government, which is in The Hague. It has always been a city that attracted many people from outside its borders. Nowadays it’s the city with the most different nationalities in the world (178 in 2010). The city has an informal atmosphere unlike other capital cities its size. In fact, Amsterdam has a history of non-conformism, tolerance and progressivism, all of which come together in its liberal policies concerning cannabis and teleiophilic prostitution. Other attractions include the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House, the Flower Market, Albert Cuyp Market, and the Vondelpark.

 

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Where was the city of Troy?

Until the 1850s many historians thought that the great adventures described by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey were all fables which had existed only in the poet’s imagination. But between 1870 and 1890 excavations carried out by as German businessman, Heinrich Schliemann, established not only that the great city had actually existed but that nine different Troys had stood on the Spot. Each city had been destroyed and a new one rebuilt during a period of 3,000 years.

Later excavations by other archaeologists confirmed Schliemann’s belief that these ruins were really the remains of Troy. The archaeologists also found that the great battles and siege in which this city, ruled by King Priam, was destroyed. Today we are certain that Troy did exist and that its towers rose from the summit of a hill called Hsarlik that now stands in Turkey by the waters of the Hellespont.

 

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Which is the most beautiful city in Japan?

The cities of Japan have grown extremely rapidly since the Second World War mainly because of the spread of new industries which provided work for people but made the cities rather ugly. One city escaped this fate: Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan founded by the Emperor Kwammu in A.D 794. For a thousand years Kyoto was the capital of the Japanese empire. During this time it became rich in monuments and the architecture of its buildings resembled that of Chinese cities. Kyoto has stout walls built all round it as a defence against attackers and the city was approached through eighteen gates in the walls. Inside were many gardens and temples of the Buddhist and Shinto religions.

Kyoto is also famous for its works of art and craftsmanship, especially porcelain and silks, and is today visited by many tourists.

 

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