The Kingdom of Denmark is a small European country. It lies between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Denmark is surrounded by water on nearly all sides. Its area is 43,094 square kilometers. Jutland, a long peninsula, makes up most of the country’s area. Denmark also includes more than 400 islands to the east of Jutland. Straits separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden.
People in Denmark are called Danes and speak the Danish language. Minority groups include people from Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan.
Earlier Denmark was once covered by forests of oak, elm, lime (linden), and beech trees. The forests were cleared to create farmland.
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Easter Island is located in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. Today it is a part of Chile. The people who live on the island call it Rapa Nui. The first European visitors were the Dutch and they named it Paaseiland, meaning “Easter Island”, because they arrived there on Easter Sunday.
The island is only 14 miles long and 7 miles wide. It is world famous for its huge stone statues, moai. There are more than 600 moai that were carved after about AD 700. Many people believe that the statues honored important people who were revered as gods after their death. The statues average about 13 feet in height, 5 feet in width, and weigh an average of 14 tons.
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Sparta was a city-state of ancient Greece. It was the chief city of a region called Laconia. They don’t care about art or philosophy unlike Athens. Spartans loved military strength and ruled harshly. At age 7, boys had to leave their parents. They grew up together in military style groups. The strongest and bravest became captains. They became soldiers at age 20 and retired at age 60. Girls’ upbringing was less strict.
Two kings ruled this state together. The “kings” were not absolute monarchs, but only generals and priests. The real power was in the hands of the ephors. Only citizens could participate in the government. The National Assembly consisted of Spartans who have reached 30 years.
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Czechoslovakia was formed after World War I from parts of the defeated Austria-Hungary Empire. During World War II, it was taken over by Germany and in 1945 the army of the Soviet Union freed the country.
On January 1, 1993 Czechoslovakia split peacefully into two independent countries. The eastern section became Slovakia. The western provinces, Bohemia and Moravia, became the Czech Republic. Playwright Vaclav Havel became the first president of the independent country.
The country is known for its picture-book towns, its polka dance, and the architecture of its capital city. Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic.
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“Lord of the world”, Shah Jahan, the fourth and most famous ruler of India’s Mughal dynasty, left behind a considerable architectural heritage. One of the most significant is the Red Fort or Lal Qila, the so-called red sandstone, from which the walls are made. It is located in Old Delhi. Ambitious Shah Jahan built his royal residence with such pomp and wealth that struck foreign visitors and showed the greatness of the Mughal Empire.
From an architectural point of view the Red Fort is irregular octagon, surrounded by sandstone walls. From the western bank of the river their height is 18 meters and from the city they are 33 m high. There were six small palaces in the fort, but no one of them survived.
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Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and highest continent in the world! It lies at the bottom of the world, surrounding the South Pole. The coldest temperature recorded in Antarctica is also the world’s lowest, at –128.6° F (–88.3°C). Ice, which is almost 3 miles deep, covers the entire continent.
Antarctica has only one day in the entire year. The Sun generally rises on September 21 and sets on March 22. From March 22 until September 21, the South Pole is dark.
A large portion of the world’s fresh water is located on Antarctica, but it is mostly in the form of ice.
Only scientists and some adventurous tourists visit the continent. However, animals live in Antarctica. There are 45 species of birds and four species of seals breed only in Antarctica. Whales live in the water around the continent.
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During the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero there was persecution of Christians. The apostle Peter was crucified on the cross and put his head down to die. In 324 follower of the Christian faith, Roman Emperor Constantine ordered to erect the majestic Basilica on the place of his execution. The Emperor took out 12 baskets of earth, exactly the number of apostles, from excavation for the foundation.
Until that time, the basilica had undergone numerous reconstructions, but it did not become better. In 1506, Pope Julius II ordered to build the world’s largest Christian church on the place of the former basilica. He wanted to invite thousands of pilgrims from around the world and thereby contribute to the spread of Catholicism. Architect Donato Bramante led the construction. Prominent artists and sculptors of the time, Raphael, Peruzzi, Michelangelo, took part in the creation of the church.
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