Category Geography

What is the International Date Line?

            The International Date Line is an imaginary line extending from the North Pole to the South Pole. It passes through the Pacific Ocean where, according to an international agreement, the date changes. As the Earth rotates, each day begins and ends on this line. 

            The date line is a consequence of the worldwide use of time-keeping systems arranged in such a manner that the local noon corresponds approximately to the time at which the Sun crosses the local meridian of longitude. The line is necessary because the Earth is divided longitudinally into 24 one-hour tie zones (15 degrees longitude each) which make one full day on Earth. Since Earth rotates eastward, the time on the clock progresses westward round the world. Thus 12 O’clock noon occurs in London (0 degree longitude) five hours before it does in Washington D.C. (75 degrees west of London), and eight hours before at San Francisco (120 degrees west of London). So, when it is noon in London, it is midnight at the place 180 degrees to the west.

            On either side of the 180th meridian, the time is the same. Let us take the example of a traveller going completely around the Earth, carrying a clock that he advanced or retarded by one hour whenever he entered a new time zone, and a calendar that he advanced by one day whenever his clock indicated midnight. When he returns to his starting point he would find that the date according to his calculations was different by one day from the date kept by persons who had remained at the starting point. That’s why a traveller moving eastward across the line sets his calendar back by one day than the one travelling westward. It has a strange effect. That means if you cross the date line going eastward, you gain a day while those travelling westward lose a day.

            The date line, however, has some variations from the 180th meridian to allow for land areas or islands. The line bulges eastward through the Bering Strait to take in eastern Siberia and then westward to include the Aleutian Islands with Alaska. South of the equator, it bulges eastwards again to allow various island groups to have the same day as that of New Zealand.

 

What makes Phan Thiet an amazing place?

Phan Thiet is a city on the coast in south eastern Vietnam. It is a place that is noted for its coastal attractions.

          What primarily pull tourists to Phan Thiet are its beaches. The most important ones are Ke Ga and Tien Thanh that are peaceful and quiet. Then, there is the attractive Rang beach in Ham Tien ward which was discovered by foreigners in 1995, when they came there to watch a solar eclipse.

          The fairy stream of the ward is also very popular, where a small stream has carved a canyon through the dunes, revealing colourful layers of sand. Together, the sandy beaches, its clean waters and the numerous resorts close to them attract tourists from all over, for swimming and relaxation.

          Traditionally, the main source of Phan Thiet’s income is fishing and related industries. The place is very famous for the manufacturing of fish sauce. With a few hundred residents, Hon Rom is the most important fishing village, in this region.

          The hill that divides Mui Ne and Hon Rom is also an interesting tourist location, noted for the orange sand dunes present there.

 

Why is Kyoto a very popular city?

          Kyoto is a city located in the west-central part of the Honshu Island in Japan noted for its history and culture. It is the capital of the Kyoto Prefecture of the Kansai region and forms a major part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe metropolitan area. The city was once the imperial capital of Japan for over a thousand years and hence, is also called the thousand-year capital.

          Not much about the early history of Kyoto is known. But archaeological evidences suggest that human settlements in the region began in the Paleolithic Era. By around the 6th century AD, the Shimogamo Shrine was established here.

          At present, Kyoto is an important city in Japan. It is also a major tourist place noted for its architecture, gardens, and palaces. There are around 2000 religious places in Kyoto including 1600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. While the Katsura Imperial Villa in the suburbs of the city is regarded as a fine architectural treasure, the Shugaku-in Imperial Villa stands out as the best garden in the country. The city is a major centre for the manufacturing of Kimono, the traditional Japanese garment.

 

Why is Santorini Island a famous tourist location?

           The Santorini Island or Thera is an island on the southern Aegean Sea that lies about 200 kilometres southeast of Greece. It is part of an archipelago of the same name, and covers a total land area of around 90 square kilometres. The municipality of Santorini consists of the inhabited islands of Santorini and Therasia, and the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Aspronisi, and Christiana.

           It has been found that Santorini is geologically, the remaining eastern half of an exploded volcano. There is a central, rectangular lagoon that is surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides. The main part of the island slopes downward to the sea.

           Experts hold that the site of the island has witnessed one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history. Known as the Minoan eruption or the Thera eruption, it took place some 3600 years ago at the height of the Minoan Civilization.

           History goes that the name of the island ‘Santorini’ had arisen in the 13th century, and is a reference to Saint Irene. 

What makes the Colosseum an interesting site to visit?

               Colosseum or the Flavian Amphitheatre is a huge amphitheater that was built in Rome between 70 and 72 BC. It was constructed during the rule of Vespasian, a Roman emperor of the Flavian dynasty. The magnificent structure is located just east of the Palatine Hill. 

 

 

          The Colosseum, said to be the biggest amphitheatre in the entire Roman Empire, could house around sixty thousand spectators. Structurally, it was an oval or round building that had rising levels of seats arranged around a central open space. This space called the arena was meant for staging entertainment, gladiator fights etc.

          However, in medieval times the Colosseum was damaged by lightning and earthquake. It was also largely vandalized, as a result of which its marble seats and decorative materials disappeared. The building was subsequently used as a place to house animals and slaves. The Serious efforts to preserve the majestic construction were made only in the 19th century.

What makes Guilin one attractive city?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guilin or Kweilin is a city that lies in the northeast of China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Situated on the west bank of the Li River, it is noted for its breathtaking beauty and tourist inflow. The place has a large number of fragrant sweet osmanthus trees in and around, due to which it gained the present name meaning ‘forest of sweet osmanthus’.

Historically, Guilin has been an important centre of trade and administration for long because of its location on an agriculturally rich valley floor. At first it was a handicraft centre.

Then, in the early 20th century, the economy of the city centred around a thermal power plant and textile mills. However, after this, the city saw an expansion with industries related to electronics, medicine etc. coming up.

Today, the economy of Guilin is largely dependent on tourism. It is blessed with fantastic mountains and hills like the Kitten Mountain, and the Elephant Trunk Hill that have since long been depicted in Chinese artworks.