Kazakhstan lies in the center of western Asia, with a small part of the northwestern corner of the country in Europe. Its official name is Republic of Kazakhstan. Its area is 2,717,300 square kilometers. Kazakhstan borders China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. The border between Kazakhstan and Russia is the longest continuous land border in the world (7 512.8 kilometers). The Caspian and the Aral Seas are partially within the republic.
Kazakhstan’s climate is extremely continental, with cold winters and hot summers. The Kyzyl Kum and the Betpaqdala are the largest deserts. Only a few scrub plants grow in these areas.
Representatives of about 120 ethnic groups live in Kazakhstan.
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It is known that the main source of environmental pollution is heavy metals. Getting into the human body, they stay there forever and cause oncological diseases leading to early death. Neighborhood with chemical plants, and especially improperly recycled wastes, significantly reduces the lives of employees and people living nearby. And, of course, the consequences of radiation and chemical disasters, as well as tests of weapons of mass destruction destroy the nature.
Chernobyl is officially recognized as the dirtiest and most dangerous city on our planet. Almost no one lives there, but the inhabitants of neighboring villages and settlements are still affected by the consequences of the disaster.
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Once upon a time, Ilmen Slavs lived near the shores of Lake Ilmen. They built Veliky Novgorod, which was first mentioned in the chronicle in 859. Convenient waterways contributed to the development of trade links of Novgorod. By the end of the X century Novgorod had become a rich trading city. Fur and leather, wax and honey, flax, lard, walrus tiles were exported to Western Europe. The rich and active population of Novgorod limited the prince’s power. Rich boyars were the lords in Novgorod and ruled it themselves. Their arbitrariness sometimes caused rebellions in a city inhabited by craftsmen: masons, potters, shoemakers, gunsmiths, etc. Internal struggle weakened Novgorod.
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Australia is an island continent and the world’s sixth largest country. Australia is situated in the Southern Hemisphere southeast of Asia, between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its area is 7,686,300 square kilometers. Its official name is Commonwealth of Australia. The Latin name of Australia Terra Australis Incognita, which means Unknown southern land, appeared even during the reign of the Roman Empire.
Australia is a federation of six states and two territories. The largest State, Western Australia, is about the same size as Western Europe.
Australia is the flattest continent in the world. The highest point on mainland is Mount Kosciusko (2,229 meters) and the highest point in Australian territory is Mawson Peak (2,745 meters).
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The Gobi is one of the greatest deserts of the world. It stretches from Northern China to South-East Mongolia. Its area is 1,300,000 square kilometers and this is more than the area of Peru. The word “gobi” means “waterless place” in Mongolian. The regions of the Gobi Desert, as commonly believed, have been virtually unchanged and anhydrous for 65 million years.
Since ancient times this desert was called Shamo desert.
The Gobi climate is sharply continental: the winter is very cold (the temperature drops to -55 ° C), and the summer is hot (the temperature rises to +58 ° C).
To prevent the expansion of the desert the government of China is implementing the project Green Chinese Wall. This is the largest greening project in the history of mankind.
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Alexandrian Column (Alexander Column) is on the main square of St. Petersburg.
In the late 20s of the XIX century, an open tender was announced. The French architect and engineer Auguste de Montferrand won it. Nicholas I insisted that the main part of the monument should be similar to the column of the emperor Trajan in Rome or the Vendome column in Paris, only higher and made from the monolith.
A granite rock, found in Finland, was used for the monolith. A prism, much larger than the size of the future column, was cut off from the rock. Huge stones for the foundation of the monument were cut down from the same rock. The largest weighed about 400 tons. They were taken to St. Petersburg by water, on a special barge.
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Portugal is a small country in southwestern Europe with the only neighbor, Spain. Spain and Portugal make up the Iberian Peninsula. The Atlantic Ocean lies to the west and south. The country’s area is 92,391 square kilometers. Its official name is Portuguese Republic.
Iberian peoples settled in what is now Portugal more than 7,000 years ago. Celtic peoples began to arrive about 3,000 years ago. Ancient Rome ruled the Iberian Peninsula from the 100s BC to the AD 400s. Germanic peoples controlled much of the land until Muslims invaded in 711. In 1179 the kingdom of Portugal was established and soon became one of Europe’s great powers. In the 1400s Portuguese sailors were the first Europeans to explore the world.
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