1
IMPORTANT PLACES
OF THE WORLD
Abadan: Major oil terminal and
refining centre in Iran.
Abu Simbel: In Egypt; ancient
temples carved out of solid
sandstone.
Adam’s Bridge: Chain of
sandbanks; 22 metres long in
Palk Strait between India and
Sri Lanka.
Al-Aqsa: A mosque in Jerusalem;
the third holiest to the Muslims
after Mecca and Medina.
Alaska: Largest US State A scene of Vishnu temple
situated near Canada; purchased Vishnu built between 800 to 1200
by the USA in 1867 from Russia; AD.
famous for fishing, mining, Bangkok: Capital of Thailand;
lumbering, and pulp-milling called the Venice of the East.
industries; oil resources available
here in plenty.
Alexandria: Important city and
sea-port of Egypt; founded by
Alexander, the Great; chief
centre of foreign trade; famous
for a white marble lighthouse on
the island of Pharohs.
Amsterdam: Capital of the
Netherlands; famous for Cultural dance in Bangkok
diamond-cutting industry. Baku: In Russia; situated on the
Aswan High Dam: Opened in Caspian Sea; an oil field in
1971, a 350 feet high dam on Azerbaijan.
river Nile, in Egypt; world's Babylon: Near Baghdad in
biggest. Iraq; ancient centre of art,
Angkor Vat: In Cambodia; science and culture; famous for
famous for ruins of ancient remains of biblical tower/hanging
Hindu Temples dedicated to Lord gardens.
1

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Big Ben: The launching centre; now known as
Great Bell in Cape Canaveral.
Parliament Cape Trafalgar: On the coast
Clock Tower, of Spain, where the British fleet
London. won a decisive victory over
Bandung: A Napoleon in 1805.
city in Indone- Cologne: In Germany; Indus-
sia; venue of trial centre; ‘Eau-de-Cologne’ is
first Afro-Asian Big Ben after its name.
Conference in April, 1955. Corsica: An island in the Medi-
Beijing: Capital of China; terranean Sea where Napoleon
Beijing is the new Roman- was born.
ised spelling of Peking, Disneyland: An amusement
introduced from September 1, park at Anaheim, California;
1975. built in 1955 by Walter Elias
Bethlehem: In Israel; birth Disney, the world famous Ameri-
place of Jesus Christ. can cartoonist and motion-
Buckingham Palace: In London, picture producer; park encloses
residence of the Royal Family of 170 acres of land; each main divi-
England. sion of the park has its own
Buenos Aires: In Argentina; theme indicated by its name viz
largest city in the southern Fantasy-land, Adventureland etc;
hemisphere; famous for dairy Disneyland’s unusual transporta-
products. tion facilities include a monorail,
Cape Kennedy: In Florida submarines, keelboats etc.
(USA); America’s spaceship
A scene of Disneyland

3
Durban: In South Africa; associ- ft.; opened on May 1, 1931.
ated with political activities of Fleet Street: A street in London
Gandhiji. named after the river Fleet;
10, Downing Street : Official there are offices and printing es-
residence of the Prime Minister tablishments of many of the lead-
of England in London. ing British newspapers and Press
Eiffel Tower: A 984 feet high agencies.
tower designed by Alexander Fujiyama: Extinct volcano in Ja-
Gustave Eiffel for the Paris Ex- pan near Tokyo; pilgrim resort;
position of 1889 in Paris (France). the highest peak (12398 feet) of
Japan, perfectly formed, snow
capped cone; has long inspired
DO YOU
KNOW ?
Japanese artists.
Eiffel Tower Geneva: In Switzerland; a cul-
contains 9,700 tural, financial and administra-
tons of pig- tive centre; headquarters of
iron, held to- many international organisa-
gether by 2.5 tions.
million rivets
Greenwich: Situated on the
and covered
Thames river near London and
by 40 tons of
brown paint !
noted for its astronomical ob-
servatory; located on the prime
meridian from which geographic
Eiffel Tower longitude is measured.
Empire State Building: In Gettysburg: In USA; site of Am-
New York (USA); one of the lofti- erican civil war; Lincoln deliv-
est buildings in the world; has ered his famous address, in which
102 storeys and a height of 1250 he defined ‘democracy’, here.
Fujiyama : the most sacred
mountain of Japan

4
Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China: A wall by the first atom bomb on August
built in North China along 6, 1945.
Southern edge of Mongolian pla- Hollywood: Part of the city of
teau to keep out invading Mon- Los Angeles, South California
gols; 1,500 miles long, from 15 to (USA); centre of world’s biggest
50 feet high and 15 to 25 feet film industry.
wide; its construction completed Hong Kong: A British colony
in 3rd century BC; said to con- composed of a peninsula on the
tain enough bricks to build 30 South-East China mainland and
great pyramids. many islands off the coast;
Hague: The seat of the Govern- transferred to China on July 1,
ment of Netherlands; Interna- 1997; one of the world’s finest
tional Court of Justice, a UN Or- harbour.
gan is located here. Hyde Park: Famous place for
Harappa: In Pakistan; excavation public meetings in London.
of prehistoric township of pre- Johannesburg: Gold mining
Aryan Indus Valley Civilisation. centre in South Africa.
Havana: Capital of Cuba in Jordell Bank Observatory: It
West Indies; famous for the cigar is the locale of the world famous
industry; exporting centre of radio telescope near Manchester
sugar and tobacco. in UK; has played an important
Hiroshima: A flourishing Japa- role in international space
nese town completely destroyed research.

5
SOME OUTSTANDING BUILDINGS OF ASIA AND AUSTRALIA
Skyscrapers, once an exclusively Ameri-
can phenomenon, and other elegant
modern architecture are piercing the
skylines and jutting into the harbours of
virtually every major Asian city. The
tallest buildings in the world are now in
Asia and those near to completion will
soon be eclipsed by even higher buildings
now being planned. Symbols of modern
progress, these sparkling structures are
becoming Asia's newest landmarks, pro-
viding people exciting working, living
and leisure environments. Here's a sam-
pler of some of the region's most impres-
sive architecture :
Central Plaza, Hong Kong: Easy to
spot by its soaring gold spire and golden
lights at night, Hong Kong's tallest build-
ing is a 78-storey office tower, overlook-
ing the harbour and near the Convention
Centre, another Hong Kong landmark.
Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo:
The first major convention and cultural
centre of its kind in Tokyo, the Forum
houses state-of-the-art halls, exhibition
spaces and conference facilities. Located
in Tokyo's business centre, the Forum's
most striking feature is its Glass Hall. glass skyscrapers, a retail centre, a pub-
Opera House, Sydney: This complex of lic park and a mosque.
theatres and halls is one of the busiest Baiyoke Towers, Bangkok: The first
performing arts centres in the world and of the two Towers ranked as Thailand's
one of Australia's most popular tourist tallest building for 10 years and is easy to
attractions. Perched on the edge of Syd- spot by the vertical rainbow of colours on
ney's harbour, the Opera House has a its exterior. Its sister tower, which in-
distinctive roof of spherical shell shapes cludes the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, will be
that give it a soaring, wing-like effect. completed in near future — 12 metres
Petronas Tower, Kuala Lumpur: The higher than the Petronas Towers.
88-storey, record-breaking twin towers World Financial Centre, Shanghai:
were the first in the world to surpass Now under construction, the striking,
Chicago's Sears Building as the tallest 95-storey, postmodern building in
buildings in the world. The towers are Shanghai's financial district will be
part of the new Kuala Lumpur City Cen- the world's tallest building upon its
tre, which also includes three smaller completion.
IMPORTANT RESIDENCES
Buckingham Palace (London) ................ King/Queen of Britain
10, Downing Street (London) ................. Prime Minister, Britain
Elysee Palace (Paris) .............................. President, France
Rashtrapati Bhawan (New Delhi) ......... President, India
White House (Washington) .................... President, USA
Vatican (Rome) ........................................ Pope White House

6
Kandy: In Sri Lanka; famous for
temple having Buddha's Tooth.
Karakoram Highway: It is an
800 km all weather road linking
border of China’s Sinkiang prov-
ince with Pakistan; road inaugu-
rated on June 18, 1978 by Gen-
eral Zia of Pakistan; India lodged
her protest against the opening
of this road as it passes through
Jerusalem; Church of the Kashmir territory.
Holy Sepulchre
Kimberley: Situated on the east
Jerusalem: Capital of Israel; of Kalahari desert in South Af-
Holy city for three faiths— Jews, rica; the biggest diamond mining
Christians and Muslims. centre/market in the world.
Kathmandu: Capital of Nepal; Lumbini: The birth place of
4500 ft above sea level; famous Gautam Buddha in Nepal.
for Pashupati Nath Temple;
0 100KM
headquarters of SAARC.
A scene of Kathmandu
Leaning Tower:
Kaaba: In Islam, the most sa- 180 ft. high, 8-sto-
cred sanctuary, the centre of the rey marble tower
Muslims world and the chief goal in Pisa (Italy)
of pilgrimage; it is a small build- built in 1154 AD.
ing in the Great Mosque of London: Capital
Mecca, nearly cubic in shape, city of Great Brit-
built to enclose the Black Stone, ain on both sides
the most venerated Muslim ob- of Thames river; Leaning Tower
ject; the Kaaba was a pagan holy one of the world's
place before Muhammad, and foremost financial, commercial,
many legends surround its ori- industrial, and cultural centers
gin; nonbelievers are forbidden to and one of its greatest ports;
approach it; Muslims face the London’s cultural institutions in-
Kaaba when praying. clude the British Museum, Na-

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A scene of London on the bank of river Thames. In the background is
The Houses of Parliament and the famous clock Big Ben.
tional Gallery, Tate Gallery, and Mohammad; Kaaba, a place of
Victoria and Albert Museum; pilgrimage for Muslims is located
among its landmarks are the re- here.
mains of the city's Roman walls, Mont Blanc: Alpine massif on
Buckingham Palace, the Houses Franco-Italian border; rises to
of Parliament, the Tower of Lon- 15,781 ft. (in France), highest
don, Trafalgar Square, and West- point of the Alps.
minster Abbey. Mohenjo-daro: In Pakistan; site
Madina: In Saudi Arabia; Tomb of Indus Valley Civilisation.
of Prophet Mohammad. Muree: Chief hill station of
Mecca: Holy city of Islam in Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia; birth place of Mount Rushmore: Here the
A scene of Alps range

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CHANGED NAMES OF CITIES,
STATES AND COUNTRIES
Old Name New Name
Abyssinia Ethiopia
Angora Ankara
Batavia Djakarta
Basutoland Lesotho DO YOU KNOW ?
Bechuanaland Botswana l Each president's head is about as tall
British Guiana Guyana as a five-storey building.
Burma Myanmar l Mount Rushmore can be seen from 60
Cape Canaveral Cape Kennedy miles away.
Ceylon Sri Lanka
America’s famous tourist sights.
Christina Oslo
Constantinople Istanbul HIDDEN FALLS FOUND
Dacca Dhaka The legendary great falls on Tibet's
Dutch East Indonesia Tsangpo river, subject of myth and folk-
Indies lore for more than a century, has finally
been reached by Western explorers. A
Dutch Guiana Surinam
team of explorers, sponsored by the Na-
Egypt United Arab Rep. tional Geographic Society sighted the gi-
Formosa Taiwan ant falls 30-35 metres high, on November
Gold Coast Ghana 8, 1998. Tucked tightly between the ris-
Holland Netherlands ing cliffs of the Tsangpo Gorge, the falls
Malaya Malaysia are in shadow most of the time and hid-
Mesopotamia Iraq den from view in a hairpin turn. Stories of
the giant falls told by Tibetan hunters
Nippon Japan
and Buddhist monks were a popular topic
Northern Zambia in Victorian drawing rooms. The rugged-
Rhodesia ness of the gorge prevented explorers
Persia Iran from determining what became of the
Rhodesia Zimbabwe Tsangpo. An expedition in 1011 reduced
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City the unexplored section to between 50 and
Salisbury Harare 65 km and in 1924 that was cut to five
miles (8 km) But, Hidden Falls remained
Siam Thailand
hidden.
South West Namibia
Africa
Stalingrad Volgograd SMALLEST COUNTRIES
Tanganyika and Tanzania Country Area
Zanzibar Sq.km.
Upper Volta Burkina Faso l Vatican City ................................. 0.44
Zaire Republic of Congo l Monaco ......................................... 1.50
l Gibraltar ...................................... 6.47
heads of four great American l Macao ......................................... 16.06
presidents— from left to right— l Nauru ......................................... 21.30
George Washington, Thomas l Tuvalu ........................................ 24.00
Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt l Bermuda .................................... 53.35
and Abraham Lincoln—have l San Marino ................................ 62.00
been carved; all four heads took l Liechtenstein ........................... 157.00
14 years to complete; now one of l Antigua .................................... 279.72

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A scene of Kremlin in Moscow
Moscow: Capital of Russia; big seum of American Art, and many
commercial and industrial cen- other museums; and the New
tre; fine buildings, Kremlin, the York Public Library and other re-
palaces of Czars. search facilities; among the nu-
New York: The largest city in merous educational institutions
the U.S.A.; leading financial are the City Univ. of New York,
and cultural centre; situated at Columbia Univ., and New York
the mouth of the Hudson river; Univ.
noted sights include the Empire Nagasaki: A city and port in Ja-
State building, St. Patrick's Ca- pan; destroyed by atom bomb in
thedral, the Cathedral of Saint 1945.
John the Divine, Nankana Sahib: In Pakistan;
the Statue of Lib- birth place of Guru Nanak.
erty, Broadway Nuremberg: City of Bavaria in
and Fifth Avenue, East Germany; under Hitler,
Greenwich Village, Nuremberg was the scene of
and Central Park; the National Socialist Party
The United Na- Congress; in 1945-46 the first
tions has its head- international war-crimes trials
quarters here; Cul- were held here.
tural institutions Pearl Harbour: A key naval
including Lincoln base of the U.S.A. at Oahu in Ha-
Centre for the Per- waii Islands. It was the scene of
forming Arts and the Japanese air attack during
Carnegie Hall; the the World War II.
Metropolitan Mu- Pentagon: Headquarters of the
seum of Art, Mu- Department of Defence in Vir-
seum of Modern ginia, USA; world’s largest office
Statue
Art, Whitney Mu- of Liberty building, constructed in 1943.

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Philadelphia: Place of historic space in Moscow (near Kremlin)
importance, where Americans de- used for political demonstrations
clared their independence on and processions; famous for Len-
July 4, 1776. in’s mausoleum and tombs of
Pisa: A town in Italy; famous for other Revolutionary leaders.
Leaning Tower; birth place of Rome: Capital of Italy; situated
Galileo. on the bank of river Tiber; called
Pompeii: Ruined Roman city in ‘The Eternal City’; one of the world’s
South Italy; situated at the foot outstanding historical, religious,
of Mountain Vesuvius; destroyed cultural and art centres with
by earthquake (63 AD) and bur- Vatican City and St. Peters
ied by an eruption of Vesuvius Church.
(79 AD). Sandhurst: Chief military train-
Pyramids: Royal tombs to pro- ing centre in England near Lon-
tect the body and thereby to pre- don; seat of Royal Military Acad-
serve the spirit; such pyramids emy, founded in 1799.
are found only in Egypt. Great Scotland Yard: Headquarters of
Pyramid of Khufu or Cheops at the Metropolitan Police, London;
Giza, one of the seven wonders of as the seat of the Criminal Inves-
the world, is largest pyramid tigation Department, Scotland
ever built; pyramids date back to Yard is a synonym for the force
2700 BC. of detectives.
Paris: Capital of France, situ- Sphinx: A fabulous monster rep-
ated on river Seine; cultural and resented in Egyptian art as a lion
fashion metropolis of the world; with a human head; the best kno-
known for Eiffel Tower and Arc wn example is the great Sphinx
de Triomp; UNESCO headquar- at Giza, Egypt, 52.6 m long and
ters. 20.1 m high, built around 2900-
Red Square: A famous open 2750 BC; it also figures in the art
A scene of Arc de Triomp

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of Greece, Assyria, Persia, etc. Venice: A city in Italy built on 118
St. Helena: An island in the alluvial islets within a lagon;
south Atlantic; became a British canals and bridges give access
possession in 1673; Napoleon among islands; boats are the only
died here in exile in 1821. conveyance.
Stockholm: Capital of Sweden; DO YOU KNOW ?
a cultural centre; most of the Venice is celebrated as the city of
Nobel Prizes are awarded here. canals, yet Birmingham, Britain's
Stratford-upon-Avon: Birth second-largest city, has more canals
than Venice.
place of Shakespeare in England.
Suez Canal: Ship canal in Egypt Vatican city: Sovereign papal
linking Mediterranean and Red State of about 0.44 km forming
Seas and separating Africa from an enclave in Italy, near the city
Asia; built by Ferdinand de Les- of Rome; the smallest independ-
seps in 1859-69; nationalised by ent State — has its own railway
the then President Nasser in
1956.
St. Petersburg: Former capital
of Russia founded by reformist
Russian Czar, Peter the Great in
the 18th century; after the death
of Lenin, renamed as Leningrad;
with the dissolution of the
U.S.S.R. original name restored. Basilica of St. Peter at Vatican city
Stonehenge: A circular assem- and radio and television station;
blage of huge shaped stones in issues its own stamps and coin-
Salisbury, near London; built in age; created by the Lateran
1800-1500 BC. Treaty (1929) between the Pope
Taxila: Near Rawalpindi; an- and the Italian Government.
cient seat of Indian learning and Vienna: Capital of Austria; on
Buddhist university. the river Danube; a cultural,
Tashkent: Capital of Uzbekistan commercial and transportation
in former USSR; Tashkent Pact centre; headquarters of Interna-
between India and Pakistan was tional Atomic Energy Agency.
signed here in January 1966.
Remains of Stonehenge

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MAJOR RIVERSIDE CITIES
City River City River City River
Alexandria Nile Chungking Yang-tse- Nanking Yang-tse-
Amsterdam Amsel Kiang Kiang
Antwerp Scheldt Galsgow Clyde New York Hudson
Ankara Kizil Hull Humber Paris Seine
Baghdad Tigris Hamburg Elbe Philadelphia Delaware
Bangkok Menam Karachi Indus Quebec St.
Belgrade Danube Khartoum Blue & Lawrence
Berlin Spree White Nile Rome Tiber
Bonn Rhine Lahore Ravi Shanghai Yang-tse-
Bristol Avon Lisbon Tagus Kiang
Budapest Danube Liverpool Mersey Tokyo Sumida
Cairo Nile London Thames Vienna Danube
Canton Canton Montreal Ottawa Warsaw Vistula
Chittagong Karnaphuli Moscow Moskva Washington Potamac
Cologne Rhine New Orleans Mississippi Yangoon Irawadi
Wall Street: Thoroughfare in World Trade
New York; the stock exchange Center : In New York;
here has come to be used as a constructed in 1972;
synonym for stock dealing in two towers, each
USA. with 110 stories;
Waterloo: In Belgium; on June 430 offices; work-
18, 1815 Wellington defeated ing people about
Napoleon here. 50,000; in a deadly WTC on fire
White House: Official residence terrorist attack on September 11,
of U.S. President in Washington; 2001, both the towers were
oldest public building in Wash- dest-royed killing thousands of
ington; John Adams (1800) was people.
the first President to live here. Yellowstone National Park: A
Wimbledon: A London suburb; picturesque national American
famous tennis ground where Inter- Reserve established in 1872.
national tennis matches are Zanzibar: In Tanzania; famous
played. for production of cloves.
WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World : The Greek author
Antipater of Sidon, who lived in the 2nd century BC, was one of
several writers to list the greatest monuments and buildings known
to the Classical world. He settled on seven because that was consid-
ered a magic number by the Greeks.
1. The Egyptian Pyramids : Built more than 4000 years ago, they
are the oldest of the ancient wonders and the only ones still surviv-
ing. They served as tombs for the Egyptian pharaohs, whose mum-

13
Picture showing seven wonders of the world
mified bodies were surrounded by treasures and personal belongings.
2. The Colossus of Rhodes : A bronze statue of the sun god Helios
standing 32 m (105 ft) high at the mouth of Rhodes harbour. Accord-
ing to legend, the Colossus straddled the harbour and vessels sailed
between its legs. It was built on the Greek island in about 305-292
BC and was destroyed in 224 BC by an earthquake.
3. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon : Built in the 6th century BC
by Nebuchandnezzar II, they consisted of a series of terraces on
which flowers and trees were grown. The gardens stretched along the
banks of the Euphrates and were watered by irrigation channels.
4. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Asia Minor : The tomb of
Mausolus, a ruler of the city in the 4th century BC. It was built by
his widow and was destroyed by an earthquake before the 15th cen-
tury.
5. The Pharos of Alexandria : The World’s first known lighthouse,
it stood 122 m (400 ft) high and had a spiral ramp leading to the
beacon. It was built on the island of Pharos, at the entrance to Al-
exandria harbour in Egypt, in about 270 BC. By the 15th century it
had fallen into ruin.
6. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia : An imposing figure-9 m (30 ft)
---of the supreme Greek god with the body made of wood and covered
with gold and ivory. It was designed in the 5th century BC by the
Athenian sculptor Phidias and was destroyed by fire in AD 475.
7. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Asia Minor : Built of
marble in the 6th century BC in honour of the Greek virgin goddess
of the hunt and the moon, it was rebuilt in the 4th century BC and
finally destroyed by invading Goths in the 3rd century AD. Frag-
ments of the temple are in the British Museum, in London.
Seven Wonders of the Medieval World :
1. Colosseum of Rome 5. Mosque at St. Sophia (Con-
2. Great Wall of China stantinople);
3. Porcelain Tower of Nanking 6. Catacombs of Rome
4. Stonehenge 7. Leaning Tower of Pisa

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TRANSPORT IN ASIAN CITIES
In some Asian countries transport tle Bus — This network of mini-
options are singular to the location buses traverses the main sites of
and offer memorable one-time Bali and also connects with ferry
travel experiences. Here's a sam- services for extended routes to the
pler of some of the region's interest- islands of Java, Lombok and
ing transport options : Sumbawa, offering travellers the
convenience of travelling between
l China: Trans-Siberian Rail- islands via one prebooked means of
way— Three rail lines comprise transport.
the Trans-Siberian Railway, two of
which traverse China. The Trans- l Thailand: Chao Phraya River
Manchurian line crosses the Rus- Express — An hour's boat trip
sia-China border and the Trans- through Bangkok's main riverway
Mongolian line connects Beijing to provides an interesting glimpse of
Moscow via the Mongolian capital the city's colourful water life, in-
city of Ulan Bator, a journey of cluding floating markets, trading
about 5-1/2 days. houses, temples and the watercraft,
from canoes to barges, that ply the
l Hong Kong: Trams — Hong river.
Kong's double-decker trams offer
one of the most colourful tours of l India: Palace On Wheels —
the main island. The trams run This luxury tourist train makes a
parallel to the harbour. Another weekly circle of the major sites of
delightful journey is the Peak Rajasthan, including Jaipur,
Tram, which runs from Central Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and
straight up Victoria Peak, with Agra. The train's carriages have
breathtaking vistas of one of the been refurbished to look like those
world's most impressive harbors. that once belonged to the mahara-
jas. Sightseeing is done by day and
l Singapore: Eastern & Orien-
travelling by night.
tal Express — The weekly trip of
this deluxe train service runs be- l Mass Transit Railways —
tween Singapore and Bangkok. The Many Asian cities, including Hong
journey takes approximately 42 Kong, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo,
hours and includes two nights on have well-developed, fast and safe
board in antique decor. underground mass transit railway
networks that connect the area's
l Malaysia: Jungle Railway —
major districts. Easy-to-read maps
The central railway line goes
of station locations are conven-
through aboriginal territory and
dense jungles, offering some of the iently mounted at each station and
country's most fascinating scenery. inside railway cars. The trains are
a convenient way to get around,
l Indonesia: Bali Tourist Shut- especially at non-rush hours.