6. •Although the early history of Dubai is not very well documented, archeological
discoveries suggests that, as long as four thousand years ago, small fishing
communities lived along the coast of the Arabian Gulf on the site of what we know
today as Dubai.
•In 1971 when the British left the Persian Gulf, Dubai together with Abu Dhabi and five
other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates. The UAE dirham was adopted in 1973
as the uniform currency, by Dubai and the other emirates.
•Dubai's enormous constructions and developments in various industries through
innovative real estate projects, sports events, shopping festivals and conferences has
attracted world-wide attention for Dubai City, establishing it as the world's leading
business hub.
•Dubai has a rich cultural scene with art museums, film festivals (Dubai film festival)
and performing arts centers, in addition to being a shopper's delight, hosting the
annually held Dubai Shopping Festival. Dubai is a city of excitement waiting to be
explored holding the potential for one of the most significant international cities of the
21st century.
17. The Dutch who settled in the island in 1598 named it
Mauritius after Prince Maurice of Nassau.
Among other things, the Dutch introduced sugar cane and
the Java deer before leaving in 1710 where they had found
in the mean time a far better settling place
The Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. About five years
later, in 1715, the French occupied the island, renaming it
"Isle de France".
It was under the French Governor, Mahé de Labourdonnais,
that Mauritius knew its first development: a harbour was
built. Port Louis, named after the ruling king Louis XV,
became the capital of Mauritius.
26. Tourism had been an important sector of Singapore's
economy for more than a decade, averaging 16 percent of
total foreign exchange earnings and 6 percent of GDP
between 1980 and 1985. Tourist arrivals had dropped sharply
in 1983, however, the first decline in over twenty years. The
decrease resulted both from the regional and world economic
downturn at that time and from travel restrictions instituted
by neighboring countries to preserve their own foreign
exchange. Observers noted also that Singapore was losing
its "oriental mystique and charm." In its effort to build a
modern city, it had torn down old buildings and curtailed
traditional street activities, aspects considered by tourists to
be part of Singapore's attraction
Although increasing the absolute number of visitor arrivals
was the main target, a further aim was to attract the high-spending,
business visitors attending conventions and trade
exhibitions, which Singapore hosted in large numbers.
38. The history of Malaysia is a relatively recent offshoot of the
history of the wider Malay-Indonesian world”. It is so because
anthropologists and historians could see very little aspects
culturally and linguistically, to distinguish today’s Malaysian
territories from the lands of the Malay Archipelago.
According to their research, today’s division of the Malay
world into six different states-- Malaysia, Indonesia,
Philippines, Singapore, Brunei and East Timor – is largely the
result of external influences, like the Hindu India, the Islamic
Middle East and Christian Europe (west), China and Japan
(north-east). Besides, the most direct shipping route passing
through the Strait of Malacca, Malaysia has naturally been a
melting pot of trade routes and cultures. Thus, it has been
found out that the geographical position of Malaysia has
literally made it difficult for the Malay people to resist foreign
influence and domination.
117. GGRREEEECCEE
Greece lies at the juncture of Europe, Asia
and Africa. It is heir to the heritages of
ancient Greece, the Roman and Byzantine
Empires and nearly four centuries of
Ottoman rule. Greece is the birthplace of
democracy Western philosophy the
Olympic Games, Western literature and
historiography, political science, major
scientific and mathematical principles, and
Western drama including both tragedy and
comedy.
Greece is a developed country, a member
of the European Union since 1981, a
member of the Economic and Monetary
union of the European Union since 2001,
NATO since 1952, the OECD since 1961,
the WEU since 1995 and ESA since
2005.Athens is the capital; Thessaloniki,
Patras, Heraklion, Volos, Ioannina, Larissa
and Kavala are some of the country's other
major cities.
128. GGuueellll PPaarrkk
Park Guell Barcelona is the perfect setting to enjoy a cold
drink, play a game of Frisbee, or simply take in the fabulous
views of the city and harbor.
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ggrroouunndd iiss oonnee ooff tthhee mmoosstt uunniiqquuee ffeeaattuurreess ooff tthhiiss AAlliiccee iinn
WWoonnddeerrllaanndd--lliikkee ppaarrkk
131. IIttaallyy
For thousands of years, Italy has
been at the forefront of modern
culture. The birthplace of the
Roman Empire and fountainhead
of the Renaissance, Italy has
retained a prominent spot atop the
global radar since long before the
time of Caesar.
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ccuurrrreenntt kkiinnggddoomm ooff IIttaallyy iinn 11886611,,
bbuutt tthhee rroooottss ooff IIttaalliiaann hhiissttoorryy
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