Aug 31, 2009
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Greenwich is a district in south-east London,England, on the south bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Greenwich. It is best known for its maritime history and as giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time.
The town became the site of a Royal palace, the Palace of Placentia from the 15th century, and was the birthplace of many in the House of Tudor, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War and was rebuilt as the Royal Naval Hospital for Sailors by Sir Christopher Wren and his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor. These buildings became the Royal Naval College in 1873, and they remained an establishment for military education until 1998 when they passed into the hands of the Greenwich Foundation. The historic rooms within these buildings remain open to the public; other buildings are used by University of Greenwich and the Trinity College of Music.
Labels: United Kingdom-London
The Penang Bridge (Jambatan Pulau Pinang in Malay) is a dual-carriageway toll bridge that connects Gelugor on the island o f Penang and Seberang Prai on the mainland of Malaysia on the Malay Peninsula. The bridge is also linked to the North-South Expressway in Prai and Jelutong Expressway in Penang. It was officially opened to traffic on September 14, 1985. The total length of the bridge is 13.5 km (8.4 miles), making it among the longest bridges in the world, the longest bridge in the country as well as a national landmark. Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd (PBSB) is the concession holder which manages it. The bridge was designed by a local Penang resident, Tan Sri Datuk Professor Ir. Chin Fung Kee, a well known authority in geotechnical engineering and former acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Malaya.
Before 1985, transportation between the island and the mainland was solely dependent on the state-owned Penang Ferry Service that runs between Butterworth and George Town.
Similar to the ferry services in Penang, toll is only paid when heading to the island. There is no charge for leaving the island.
Labels: Malaysia, Malaysia - Penang
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest of all living sea turtles and the fourth largest modern reptile behind threecrocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh. Dermochelys coriacea is the only extant member of the familyDermochelyidae. Instead of teeth the Leatherback turtle has points on the tomium of its upper lip. It also has backwards spines in its throat to help it swallow food. Leatherback turtles can dive to depths as great as 4,200 feet (1,280 metres).
The leatherback turtle is a species with a cosmopolitan global range. Of all the extant sea turtle species, D. coriacea has the widest distribution, reaching as far north as Alaska and Norway and as far south as the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and the southernmost tip of New Zealand.The leatherback is found in all tropical and subtropical oceans, and its range has been known to extend well into the Arctic Circle.Globally, there are three major, genetically-distinct populations. The Atlantic Dermochelys population is separate from the ones in the Eastern and Western Pacific, which are also distinct from each other.A third possible Pacific subpopulation has been proposed, specifically the leatherback turtles nesting in Malaysia. This subpopulation however, has almost been eradicated. The beach of Rantau Abang in Terengganu, Malaysia, had once had the largest nesting population in the world with 10,000 nests per year. However in 2008 only 2 leatherback turtles nested at Rantau Abang and unfortunately the eggs were infertile. The major cause for the decline in the leatherback turtles is the practice of egg collection in Malaysia. While specific nesting beaches have been identified in the region, leatherback populations in the Indian Ocean remain generally unassessed and unevaluated.
Labels: Malaysia, Malaysia - Terengganu
Selangor (also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west. It completely surrounds the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
The state is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, of which the reigning Sultan (since 2001) is Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. The state capital is Shah Alam, the first city in Selangor, and the royal capital is Klang. Another major urban centre is Petaling Jaya which was awarded city status on June 20, 2006. Selangor is one of only two Malaysian states with more than one city; the other is Sarawak.
Labels: Malaysia - Selangor
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Labels: Russia
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Labels: Mexico