Wikivoyage:Discover/2015

December 2015

A popular alcoholic drink in Barranquilla is Aguardiente, an anise-flavoured liqueur derived from sugar cane which literally means "burning water", and it honors its name.
The Botanical Garden "Kolchuri" in Kutaisi features a chapel built inside a tree.

In the Da Fo Si hall (pictured) in Zhangye you can see the largest wooden reclining Buddha in China.
Undredal near Flåm is reportedly “inhabitated by 100 people and 500 goats”.
Marikina City is known as the shoe capital of the Philippines.

Rigged shell games on the street (pictured) is one of many Common scams travelers need to be aware of.
In Zagreb you can see the Grounded Sun and visit the Museum of Broken Relationships.
Chandigarh is India's first planned city, quite distinct from the rest of the country and considerably better organized.

The now abandoned Sewell mine (pictured) near Rancagua is the largest underground copper mine in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Mytilene is one of the oldest cities in the world, probably inhabited since the 10th century BC.
Legend has it that Siquijor rose from the sea during a tremendous thunder storm and one can still see fossils and shells on Mount Bandila-an, Siquijor's highest point.

The Knap of Howar (pictured) on Papa Westray is the oldest standing domestic structure in northern Europe, dating from about 3500BC.
Although not well known internationally, Poland traditionally sports some of the best pilsner-type lagers worldwide.
Rochester, Minnesota hosts millions out-of-town visitors coming for treatment at the Mayo Medical Center (Mayo Clinic).

High speed rail in China (Shanghai station pictured) is the longest and most patronized high speed network in the world.
Kuching means cat in Malay, so you may not be surprised to find cat museum in this city.
Real vanilla is a steal in the markets of Grenada, sometimes it can be found for as little as $1US for a 1/2 litre bottle.

Ruta de transito (Ometepe pictured) was the preferred alternative for getting from New York to San Francisco prior to the transcontinental railroad.
Friends of bourbon may want to tour bourbon distilleries of Kentucky.
The community of Boring is twinned with Dull and its official slogan is "The most exciting place to live."

The Earth and Man Museum (pictured) in Sofia has the biggest collection of gigantic minerals in the world.
In Cu Chi you can explore the huge tunnel network used as a refuge during the Vietnam War.
Monrovia is one of the wettest capitals in the world with over 5100mm of annual rainfall.

The world's largest Lenin head (pictured) is located at the main city square of Ulan Ude.
Unlike other U.S. territories, traffic on the U.S. Virgin Islands moves on the left.
Bermuda’s airport has the world's highest landing/parking fee for airlines.

The Groot Spitzkoppe (pictured) is often referred to as the "Matterhorn of Namibia" because of the similarity in shape.
Batticaloa is known as “Land of Singing Fish”.
Sukhothai translates to the Dawn of Happiness.

The biggest snow castle in the world (pictured) is built yearly in Kemi since 1996.
In Rosario you can visit the house where Che Guevara was born.

November 2015

A popular event in Douz is the International festival of the Sahara, held towards the end of each year.

The size of the Super pit (pictured) in Kalgoorlie-Boulder makes everything else look small.
Sark still has a quite liberal smoking legislation.
Antigua and Barbuda are nicknamed "Land of 365 beaches" due to the many beaches that surround the two islands.

Iya Valley is famous for its vine bridges (pictured).
The James Bond beach is in Ocho Rios, close to the former home of author Ian Fleming who created the character.
Surat Thani has a monkey training college.

The Paper Dome (pictured) in Puli is a temporary church building constructed using paper tubes as structural elements.
Are you interested in violins? In Cremona you can visit the the Stradivarius Museum.
The Manitoba Children’s Museum in Winnipeg is home to several hands-on galleries, offering plenty of family fun.

Casinos (pictured) are Reno’s most common visitor attraction.
Cristalino State Park in Alta Floresta offers great opportunities to explore exceptional Amazon flora and fauna.
In Jinja you can see the source of the world’s longest river, the Nile.

Rotorua is known as the thermal wonderland of New Zealand. (boiling pool pictured)
The Barbados museum in Bridgetown is housed in the former British Military Prison.
The Gambia is a thin country, essentially consisting of the flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills.

Antwerp’s city hall (pictured) is built in a style combining Gothic and early Renaissance, almost exclusively found in this region of Europe.
With a population of around 310, Kulusuk is one of the largest towns in Eastern Greenland
Benin City is actually located in Nigeria.

Kiritimati (pictured) is the coral atoll with the largest land area in the world.
St. Joseph, Missouri, is famous as the place where Jesse James was gunned down.
The Pole of Cold is a region in Siberia where you can experience the world’s coldest temperatures outside Antarctica.

The Montauk Lighthouse (pictured) is a historical lighthouse with a beautiful view of "The End" of Long Island.
Nausori has been dubbed "the Paradise of the Green".
Gibraltar claims to have the southernmost pub in Europe.

The main attraction in Kanchanaburi is the Bridge over the River Kwai (pictured), famous from the eponymous novel.
The shops of Chihuahua have a great selection of cowboy boots.
Due to its agricultural wealth, Chengdu is sometimes called the "Land of Milk and Honey".

Mount Erebus (pictured) is the southernmost active volcano in the world.
Joliet Correctional Center has been used as a filming location for numerous TV shows and movies.

October 2015

Isle of Arran is also known as “Scotland in miniature”

In Stavanger you can visit an oil museum (pictured) and a museum of canning.
Kaliningrad Oblast produces about 90% of the world’s amber.
Over 500 years old, the city of Tokyo was once a modest fishing village named Edo (江戸).

Napier is the most consistently Art Deco city in the world (National Tobacco Company building pictured)
On the Isle of Man there is no overall speed limit for private vehicles.
When spoken correctly, Afrikaans is the most melodic Germanic language.

At Davao international airport you can find a monument dedicated to the durian fruit (pictured)
The Seniwati Gallery in Ubud features only art by female artists.
Fort Portal is famous for its high quality tea, made possible by its cool climate.

St. George's Cathedral (pictured) in Georgetown, Guyana is one of the world’s largest all-wooden buildings.
Holy Island just off the Scottish coast is home to a community of Buddhist monks.
From the summit of the volcano Baru near Boquete you can see both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.

Outside Doha you can visit the Singing Sand Dunes (pictured), “singing” when the wind blows.
Its temperate climate and colonial architecture has given Nuwara Eliya the nickname “Little England”.
Schengen, which also has given the name to the Schengen Agreement, is also home to the European Museum.

In Michigan, don't be surprised if a resident tells you where a city is by pointing at their hand (pictured).
At the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo you can learn more about tsunamis.
Bouvet Island is thought to be the most remote island in the world.

The old town of Dresden, which was almost entirely destroyed in the Second World War, is now almost completely rebuilt in the original style (Semperoper pictured).
Copenhagen Airport is the only airport with year-round direct regular scheduled passenger service to Greenland.
In Ko Samui you can see the grandfather and grandmother stones that bear a striking resemblance to male and female genitalia.

Driving a car or even a bicycle on the island of Heligoland (bird's eye view pictured) is prohibited by federal law.
Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, has a cathedral that cannot be entered due to fear of it collapsing, since it was damaged in a 1972 earthquake.
When driving in the UK, be aware that side roads never have priority, overtaking on the left (so called undertaking) is illegal, and you may not turn left over a red light.

Tipaza is one of Algeria’s most popular destinations thanks to its world heritage listed Roman ruins (pictured).
Kristiansand in southern Norway bears the nickname "the coolest riviera".
Walvis Bay is the only commercial port of Namibia.

One major attraction of Kish Island is the Greek ship (pictured) that rests on one of its shores.
Due to the prevalence of waterways in its geography, Recife is known as Veneza Brasileira — the Brazilian Venice.
The average year-round temperature of Baku matches the average temperature of the landmass of Earth to within a tenth of degree.

September 2015

Jackson Square (pictured) is the historic heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Halmstad is known as the "golf capital" of Sweden with 12 beautiful courses.
Weimar is regarded as one of the most historically important cities in Germany.

An iconic Maldivian accommodation is the overwater bungalow (pictured), built on stilts directly above a lagoon.
Tipping can be perceived as an insult in certain countries.
In Tortola and elsewhere on the British Virgin Islands, hallucinogenic mushrooms are legal.

An attraction around Waitomo are caves that are lit up (pictured) by glowworms.
Shengo Hall in Addis Ababa is the world’s largest building that was pre-fabricated elsewhere than where it now stands.
As the story goes, Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) was founded on Christmas Eve and named after Jesus’ birth town mentioned in Christmas carols.

Malaysia is regarded as a mix of the modern world and a developing nation (Petronas towers pictured).
Pyongyang boasts the world’s largest Arch of Triumph.
In Barnaul you can visit the Museum of Time.

The ceiling of Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Pilar (pictured) in Zaragoza features works by several Spanish famous painters.
Matanzas is known as the City of Bridges for its many bridges on the city's three rivers.
Manchester is the site of the world's oldest surviving passenger railway station.

In Colombo, getting around by Tri-shaw (pictured) is most convenient.
Valletta was named after its founder, the Grandmaster Jean Parisot de la Valette.
Rental houseboats are a good (if expensive) way of exploring the expanse of Shuswap Lake.

In Adelaide you can ride one of the historic trams from the CBD to the historic beachside (pictured) suburb of Glenelg.
The Magic Mountain theme park features 19 roller coasters, a world record.
Randengfo pagoda is the oldest and tallest pagoda in Beijing

Lake Assal (pictured) in Djibouti is the lowest point in Africa and the saltiest lake outside Antarctica.
Gatwick Airport is the world's busiest single runway airport.
A special memory from Samoa is a traditional tattoo.

On Saint Helena you can visit the Longwood House (pictured) where Napoleon died during his exile.
There are no traffic lights in Mombasa and the traffic will likely appear chaotic to a westerner.
Jaén is said to be the largest olive producing area in the world, producing 10% of the world’s olives.

Þingvellir National Park (pictured) was home to the world's longest running Parliament.
Benin is the birthplace of Vodun (Voodoo) and to this day Vodun remains the official religion of the country.
Jeongdongjin station in Gangwon is the world's closest train station to the ocean.

August 2015

The Bazaar of Tabriz (pictured) is one of the oldest bazaars of the Middle East and the largest covered bazaar in the world.
The name of ruins near Zeravshan, Sarazm, translates to “the beginning of the world”.
Lexington is home to hundreds of horse farms and nicknamed the Horse capital of America.

Grimeton VLF transmitter (pictured) near Varberg is the only workable machine transmitter in the world.
Preah Vihear is perched on a hilltop with a commanding view of its surroundings.
Pforzheim is known as "Goldstadt" (Gold town) for its jewelry and watch-making industries.

Built by the Romans, Torre de Hércules (pictured) in A Coruña is the oldest lighthouse in the world that is still in use.
At the craft centre in Ségou you can to try your hand at creating your own traditional Bogoan clothes.
The town of Horyuji has grown around the eponymous temple of Horyuji, the "Temple of the Flourishing Law”, which is also the oldest surviving wooden structure in the world.

Qingchengshan (front gate pictured) is one of the ancient cradles of Taoism in China.
Budva is often called the "Montenegrin Miami”.
People eat early in Bloemfontein - even by South African standards.

Thanks to the ferry (pictured) connection to the mainland, Devonport is nicknamed the Gateway to Tasmania.
The main street of Chuy is also the border between Uruguay and Brazil.
The Kolyma Highway is one of the most dangerous roads in the world.

Le Palais des Papes (pictured) in Avignon is the world's largest Gothic edifice.
Ein Gedi National Park is considered the biggest and the most important oasis in Israel.
The original capital of French Louisiana, Mobile is home to the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States.

Rhodes City hosts the oldest inhabited medieval town (Avenue of the Knights pictured) in Europe.
Kumbakonam is full of temples — every street, road, locality has a prominent temple.
Due to the exceedingly scenic setting, and its architecture Budapest is nicknamed "Paris of the East".

Mammoth Cave National Park features over 392 miles of caves (pictured).
Haridwar translates to Gateway to God and has been a centre of Hindu religion and mysticism for centuries.
Fortaleza is known as the capital of hammocks.

St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kiev (pictured) has the world biggest ensemble of frescoes and mosaics dating from 11th century.
The Loire Valley is often referred to as "the Garden of France" and the Cradle of the French Language.
Mt. Angel recently built the largest glockenspiel in the United States. Also hosts a Bavarian-style "Oktoberfest" complete with traditional German bands every September

Originally built to fend off slave traders, the world heritage listed Tatas (pictured) in Nadoba now serve as home to farm animals and various materials.
Mohenjo-daro is depicted on the Rs. 20 currency note; fittingly, entry fees to the Mohenjo-daro complex are Rs. 20 for Pakistanis.
Caernarfon is one of the best places in the world to hear a living Celtic language, with over 80% of the local population speaking Welsh.

Mount Tai (pictured) is the most climbed mountain in China and a sacred Daoist site.

July 2015

The name of the Japanese town of Shiojiri means "Salt Butt".
Hebron in Northern Kentucky is home to the Creation Museum, which teaches the Book of Genesis as literal truth.

The Palmeral in Elche (pictured) is one of the world's largest palm groves and the only one in Europe.
Opened in 1770, Ouro Preto’s Teatro Municipal is the oldest functioning theater in South America.
Tanzania is probably one of the oldest known continuously inhabited areas on Earth.

Temperatures in Eilat can be very high, but there’s still an ice rink (pictured) in the Ice Park Mall.
Devanagari writing is often likened to a washing line: a line is drawn above the words, and the letters are hung out to dry below the line.
Tennant Creek is known as the Territory’s heart of gold mainly due to the people, but also in reference to the gold mining history.

In Miyajima you can gaze upon the World's Largest Spatula (pictured) and eat a chocolate called “deer shit”.
The town of Kristinestad, Finland has a road called Kattpiskargränden, which means Cat Spanker Alley.
The anchor of Christopher Columbus' ship, the Santa Maria, is on display at the Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien in Port-au-Prince.

The D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station (pictured) in Lemmer is the largest steam-powered pumping station in the world that is still in operation.
Coiba used to be a penal colony for the Panama’s most dangerous criminals, nowadays it’s part of a national marine park.
Dilijan is called the "Armenian Switzerland" due to the densely forested valleys and mountains with alpine meadows around.

The centrepiece of the Hiri Moale festival in Port Moresby is a race of up to 100 traditional Lakatoi canoes (pictured).
Devon Island, in Nunavut, Canada, is the largest uninhabited island in the world although it does have a cemetery...the world's northernmost.
The small principality of Andorra is probably the only country in the world ruled by two princes: the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France.

Huanggoushu Waterfall (pictured) in Guizhou is the largest waterfall in China.
Delhi consists of more than 8 cities and also houses 174 monuments.
The Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall in Dawson City is a touristy relic of the old Gold Rush days

The Livonian Order Castle (pictured) in Ventspils is one of best preserved medieval fortresses in the world.
Fez is the medieval capital of Morocco, and a great city of high Islamic civilization.
At London’s South Bank you can visit the first museum in the world dedicated to the history of gardening.

The local train (pictured) network in Hyderabad known as the Multi-Modal Transport System.
The two-minute flight between Papa Westray and Westray is the shortest scheduled flight in the world.
Urban decay and abandonment has given Gary the name “Pompeii of the Midwest”.

The fort (pictured) at Ilha de Mozambique is likely the oldest surviving European building in the Southern Hemisphere.
As the centre of a large pistachio-growing region, fresh pistachio is readily available in Gaziantep.
Colorado is split down the middle north to south by the Rocky Mountains.

Estonia’s most famous ghost – the White Lady — supposedly haunts Haapsalu Castle (pictured).
Chongqing boasts the world's largest public restroom.

June 2015

In Cairns you can see a replica of Duyfken, the first recorded European ship to visit Australia.

Edinburgh Royal Botanical Garden boasts the tallest palm house (pictured) in the UK.
Adventurous culinarists visiting Hanoi can try dog meat, various cobra foodstuffs and ca cuong, an extract from the giant water bug.
Route 62 can be regarded as the South African twin of the more famous Route 66.

The mosque of Chinguetti (pictured) includes what is believed to be the second oldest continuously used minaret in all of the Muslim world.
The Wire Tour is a grand tour of Baltimore, taking you past various important filming locations for the highly acclaimed HBO TV series, The Wire.
Bernardo O'Higgins National Park is one of the last refuges for the Chilean Huemul.

The old warehouse district Bricktown (pictured) in Oklahoma City is nowadays a restaurant and night club hot spot adjacent to downtown.
Europe’s largest wild reindeer herds live in Hardangervidda.
The Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover (Delaware) is one of the only museums that is dedicated to airlift and air refueling.

The three Tang Dynasty pagodas (pictured) in Dali are some of the best preserved Buddhist structures in China.
A rare, but still occuring pheonomenon in Mexico are mountain road stretches with left-hand traffic.
One foot of St.Peter’s statue in the Vatican City has been largely worn away by pilgrims kissing it over the centuries.

At the mud volcano (pictured) near Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk you can see fumaroles bubbling through the mud.
Cody Nite Rodeo runs every evening in the summer months.
The Bacardi Rum factory in San Juan is known as the “Catedral of Rum”.

Louages (shared taxis, pictured) are ubiquitous in Tunisia.
ATOW1996 in Northern Greenland is currently considered the northernmost piece of permanent land on Earth.
With an average annual temperature of -1.3°C, Ulaanbaatar is the world’s coldest national capital.

Liverpool Cathedral (pictured) is one of the finest examples in the world of Gothic revival architecture.
Hyderabad was once the seat of the Nizam, the ruler of the largest and the most opulent "princely state”.
Hobart is one of the most easily accessible places to view the Southern Lights or Aurora Australis.

Oregon’s state beaches are all public, allowing unfettered access to the shore with beautiful views (pictured).
Maó harbour on Minorca, is the second largest natural deep water port in the world.
The archaeological site Joya de Ceren in La Libertad features a pre-Columbian Maya farming village preserved under volcanic ash and is known as the “Pompeii of the Americas”.

The Taoist Temple (pictured) reflects the Chinese heritage of Cebu.
Grand Cache hosts the yearly Canadian death race.
Pinsk in Belarus has throughout the history been of great religious importance both for Christians and Jews.

There are good views (pictured) of Caracas from the nearby mountain Avila.
The name of the city of Nouadhibou translates to the place of the Jackal

May 2015

Thiruvananthapuram is one of the oldest cities in India, there are even references to the city in ancient Greek and Roman texts.

The Zimbabwe museum of Human Sciences (pictured) in Harare was formerly known as the Queen Victoria Museum.
The WW2 German U-boat base Dora 1 in Trondheim is today used as the city archive.
The Research Triangle in North Carolina is named after the multitude of research universities and high tech firms in the area.

Barbary Macaques (pictured) can be regarded as the signature animals of Gibraltar.
The Ginza district is considered the high fashion center of Tokyo.
Tuareg sabres and knives are typical souvenirs to buy in Timbuktu.

Tampere is (in)famous for its black sausage — mustamakkara (pictured) — a sausage made of blood.
A specialty of Mongolia is home made vodka distilled from yoghurt or milk.
Guadeloupe is sometimes known as the Butterfly Island.

Jal Mahal (pictured) in Jaipur translates to Water Palace and is indeed located in the middle of a lake.
San Marino is the sole survivor of the independent city states that used to make up the Italian peninsula.
A Chinese proverb says: Heaven has paradise; Earth has Hangzhou and Suzhou.

Portland Head Light (pictured) is regarded as one of the most scenic lighthouses in the U.S.
For its population of just under a million people, Hamamatsu is a uniquely international city.
Bamako has only a few paved main roads despite being one of West Africa’s largest cities.

Dolomite, windmills (pictured) and the famous local home-brewed beer are the symbols of Saaremaa.
GR20 is often referred to as "the toughest long distance trail in Europe”.
Jermuk is full of Soviet hotels and sanatoriums, some of which have been renovated to high standards.

Niue is dotted with many caves (Avaiki cave pictured) and limestone arches.
In Torshavn riding public buses is free.
Patmos is one of the most religiously significant Greek Islands because it is where Saint John the Divine had its revelation and wrote the Apocalypse.

Songthaew means "two rows" in Thai, and is the local name for vehicles (pictured) used both as minibuses and taxis in Thailand.
Tolbooth Street in Falkirk is the shortest street in the UK.
Baleyara is known across West Africa for having one of the largest animal markets.

Palmyra (New York) claims to be the only community in the U.S. that has a four-corner intersection with a church at each one. (pictured)
Although not particularly high, the Blue Mountains are renowned for their majestic scenery of a unique kind.
Few caverns in the world approach the astounding wealth or the extent of those of Jeita.

Mount Pico (pictured) in the Azores is Portugal’s tallest mountain.
The 1940's neighborhood of Balhura in Belo Horizonte features some of the highlights of Brazil’s modern architecture.
Nanjing is officially the safest city in China.

April 2015

Northumberland National Park (The Schil pictured) is the most northerly national park in England.
The Binghamton area is also the Carousel Capital of America, home to 6 of the remaining 150 antique carousels in the nation.
Umeå’s nickname is the "Town of Silver Birches".

Issyk Kul lake (pictured) is the second largest alpine lake in the world.
Eupen is the capital of the German-speaking community of Belgium.
In Sudan visitors are technically required to obtain a permit for photography of any kind.

The impressive 2nd century Roman theater (pictured) in Amman could seat up to 6,000 people.
Ecuador’s currency is the U.S. dollar, though they still mint their own coins.
Greek has changed less in the last two thousand years than English has in the last five hundred.

No visit to Dublin would be complete without a visit to one of its many pubs (pictured).
Oaxaca is famous for at least two drinks: Mezcal and hot chocolate.
Reunion was originally known as the Isle de Bourbon.

Vatnajökull National Park is the largest national park in Europe, home to Iceland's highest mountain, largest glacier, and Europe's most powerful waterfall (pictured).
Many minority tribes live in the area surrounding Cao Bang, and their village markets make fascinating places to visit.
Richman is a local street food specialty of Bratislava.

Visitors to the Alamo (pictured) in San Antonio are often surprised by its small size.
Udaipur is referred to as the "Venice of the East", the "Most Romantic City of India" and the "Kashmir of Rajasthan".
York is famous for giving its name to the city and state of New York in the United States.

Kazan (Kremlin pictured) holds the title of "The Third Capital of Russia”.
Saba is so safe that some hotels do not have locks on their doors.
The capital of Japan for over a millennium, Kyoto carries a reputation as its most beautiful city.

The Temple Square (pictured) in Salt Lake City, including the headquarters of the LDS church is the most visited tourist site in Utah.
Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and the second-oldest official Christian nation in the world.
The Monument of Bulgarian-Soviet friendship is a concrete behemoth that overlooks Varna from Turna hill, mostly abandoned nowadays.

If you take the Jambo Kenya Deluxe train (pictured) from Nairobi to Mombasa you may see wildlife up close.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, Bangkok is the world's hottest city.
Orson Welles filmed part of his Othello in Essaouira; west of the medina there's a square named after him.

The small farming town of Hyden is justifiably overshadowed by its better known attraction, Wave Rock (pictured).
Traverse City is known as the Cherry Capital of the World.
Freak street is a street in central Kathmandu, formerly popular among western hippies.

March 2015

Ljubljana (pictured) is noted as one of the greenest capitals in Europe.
The Sundbåt ferry in Kristiansund is the world's oldest public transport line in continuous operation.
Okayama is known as the "Land of Sunshine".

No visit to Montreal is complete without at least one plate of poutine (pictured).
The most westernly and remote McDonald's in the world can be found in central Apia.
Zhuhai is known as a tourist destination for Chinese nationals, and as playground for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan businessmen.

Paarl is famous for having one of the world's largest rock outcrops, the Paarl Rock (pictured).
Want to visit a French fries museum? Head to Bruges!
Jacksonville is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States.

The geographic South Pole marker (pictured) is moved every year to account for the shifting ice.
It is said that St. Louis is second only to Washington, D.C. in the number of free activities available in an American city.
One thing not to miss while in Çanakkale is bomba, which is the usual döner in half a bread plus an omelette added in.

An island in the Ao Phang Nga National Park is known as the James Bond Island (pictured).
Bolzano’s archaeology museum is famous worldwide as the home of the alpine iceman "Ötzi".
The Marine Tower in Yokohama is the largest onland lighthouse in the world.

Bishnupur is famous for its terracotta temples (pictured).
Because of the first downtown pedestrian mall in America, Kalamazoo got the nickname "the Mall City" in 1959.
Wells is the smallest city in England, with a population of around 10,000.

The urban rail network of Seoul (subway car pictured) is huge with a combined track length of almost 1,000 km and it also boasts the highest ridership number.
Due to its country music image, Nashville is sometimes called “"Music City, USA”.
Chile is among the longest countries in the world with several climate zones and types of nature.

Central Yerevan (pictured) is a true jewel of early Soviet architecture.
Borås used to be the centre of the Swedish textile industry, and is still well known for having many shops that sell high-quality textiles at low prices.
A hideaway from pirate attacks, Corfu’s Old Perithia has views to, but cannot be seen, from the sea.

Newcastle has Australia’s oldest sea port (pictured).
A local delicacy in Matabeleland are sundried mopani worms.
Port Augusta is known as the crossroads of Australia, as it is situated where the country's main north-south and east-west roads cross.

Burj Khalifa (pictured) in Dubai is the world's tallest building by far.
Newquay is known as the surf capital of Great Britain.
Hornindal Lake near Stryn is believed to be the deepest lake in Europe.

The Stuart Highway (pictured) known as "the Explorer's Way" is a highway running north to south through the middle of Australia.

February 2015

The Italian town of Bra is home to the Slow Food movement and the University of Gastronomic Sciences.
Each Friday morning a historical event is re-enacted in the Moro Naaba palace in Ouagadougou.

Nidaros cathedral (pictured) in Trondheim was supposedly built over the grave of St Olav, Norway's patron saint and "eternal king".
Polish is unique in that it retains the nasal sounds lost in other Slavic languages and uses an unique diacritic mark.

The names Uluru (pictured) and Kata Tjuta come from the local Anangu people and respectively mean "Earth Mother" and "Many Heads".
Eight places in the old Japanese capital Nara have been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including five Buddhist temples, one Shinto shrine, an imperial palace and a primeval forest.
Svalbard is bound to a treaty that stipulates that any sign of human presence from before 1946 must remain untouched, including loose objects.

Baiyoke Tower II (pictured) in Pratunam in Bangkok is the tallest tower in Thailand.
The Dutch are among the largest coffee drinkers in the world.
In rural British Columbia you can still hear slang terms from the Chinook Jargon pidgin language.

Xijiang (pictured) bears the title "thousand household village" and is known as the largest Miao village in China.
Kourou used to be part of a penal colony for the worst criminals in France.
Owensboro is known for burgoo, a traditional stew originally made with squirrel or venison, but now made with mutton, chicken, beef and vegetables.

The striking cone-shaped peaks Large and Small Piton (pictured) on Saint Lucia constitute one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean.
There are around 200 million Portuguese native speakers, the vast majority in Brazil.
In Karratha you can sleep in the local mining accommodation villages.

The Hurtigruten ferry line (M/S Polarlys pictured) along Norway's jagged coastline is sometimes called the world's most beautiful sea voyage.
In Frankfort (Kentucky) you can take a tour in the Rebecca Ruth candy factory where the Bourbon ball candy was invented.
Kolkata is called the City of Joy.
There are 174 ASI Protected monuments in the Indian capital of Delhi.

In the winter when the ice is strong enough it is possible to drive to the island (pictured) of Hailuoto without taking the ferry.
Akaroa was the only French settlement in New Zealand and the French heritage remains in form of names of streets and businesses.
Samarkand literally means “stone fort” or “rock town”.

With a façade from around the year 1700, the city hall (pictured) is one of the most prominent buildings on the market square of Roermond.
Bangalore is the major centre of India's IT industry popularly known as the Silicon Valley of India.
Hokkaido is home to Japan's native Ainu people.

Meteora consists of a number of rock pinnacles topped with a total of 24 monasteries (Megalou Meterou pictured).
A certain rum made on Grenada has an alcohol content of 75%, making it illegal to take home to many countries, at least on flights.

January 2015

Venice is the world's only pedestrian city.

In Baalbek you can visit great ancient temples (pictured) built by the Phoenicians, the Romans, and other civilisations.
Possibly the premier zoo in North America, the San Diego Zoo encompasses over 100 acres of displays and habitats.
The Forbidden Island near Saipan was allegedly once occupied by evil spirits but is now a bird sanctuary.

German architecture (pictured) and the world’s second largest Oktoberfest are examples of the strong German heritage of Blumenau in Brazil.
Kansas derives from the Sioux language meaning "People of the South Wind".
Ko Tao was once a detention site for political prisoners, but today it is a great place for divers.

In Ushuaia you can ride the train to the end of the world (pictured).
The name of the city of Kotka translates to “eagle”.
Saint Martin is one of the smallest land masses that is divided between two countries.

Roskilde hosts a viking museum with several original viking ships (pictured).
In 2004, Edinburgh became the first member of the UNESCO Creative Cities initiative when it was designated a City of Literature.
Nuclear tourism is travel to places connected with nuclear research and technology.

Mt. Warning (pictured) is the world's largest extinct shield volcano.
Labrador is home to the largest herds of Caribou in the world.
Though it never was buried by a volcano, Jerash is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the "Pompeii of the Middle East”.

Saint-Denis (pictured) is the largest city in all of the French Overseas Departments.
The Bavarian village of Aufsess holds the record for most beer breweries per capita.
Calico museum of textiles in Ahmedabad is regarded as one of the finest textile museums in the world.

The Gateway Arch (pictured) in St. Louis is the world’s tallest national monument.
Because of numerous festivals, the Philippines is dubbed "The Fiesta Islands".
The New World Afro-Diasporic customs of Vodou are widely practiced in Haiti.

Jakarta has a large number of giant, glittering malls (Grand Indonesia pictured), well above expectations for newcomers.
Boat building traditions are kept alive at the Maritime Quarter in Mariehamn's eastern harbour.
Uliastai used to be a provincial capital of the Manchu Empire and is one of the three oldest settlements in Mongolia.

Cimetière du Père Lachaise (pictured) in Paris is probably the most visited graveyard in any Western city.
Capurganá is surrounded on three sides by dense jungle and no roads lead to it.
The islands of the Indian Ocean are a varied collection, including many of the smallest territories and one of the largest island nations (Madagascar).

The world's first grain elevator was built at Buffalo Harbor (marker sign pictured) in 1842.
Saariselkä boasts Europe’s northernmost Spa.
New Orleans Mardi Gras is known as the biggest free party on earth.