sydney opera house

The Sydney Opera house:

• Was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon
• Was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973
• Presented, as its first performance, The Australian Opera's production of War and Peace by Prokofiev
• Cost $AU 102,000,000 to build
• Conducts 3000 events each year
• Provides guided tours to 200,000 people each year
• Has an annual audience of 2 million for its performances
• Includes 1000 rooms
• Is 185 metres long and 120 metres wide
• Has 2194 pre-cast concrete sections as its roof
• Has roof sections weighing up to 15 tons
• Has roof sections held together by 350 km of tensioned steel cable
• Has over 1 million tiles on the roof
• Uses 6225 square metres of glass and 645 kilometres of electric cable

ayers rock

Ayers Rock is one of the oldest rocks on Earth. It is located in Australia. "Uluru," as Ayers Rock is called by Aborigines, is a sacred site for them. Aborigines have rights over Uluru. Uluru is in the middle of Simpson Desert. Aborigines think of it as a symbol of all creation.
Uluru was formed over a period of about 500 million years, and it was created when sand piled up on the bottom of an ocean that once covered the middle of Australia. Over the years, wind and rain have beat at the rock. By now, the flattened top is 1,142 feet above the plains and the base is an amazing 5 miles around!
Uluru is covered with caves.The aborigines believe these caves hold a spiritual significance. Along with caves, the sides of Uluru have many grooves, formed by rain running down its sides. There is a national park surrounding Uluru, called, (of course,) Uluru National Park. This park is home to over 150 types of birds and 26 types of mammals.

There is an Aborigine legend that Uluru was once an ocean, but after a great battle at its shores, it rose up in revolt at the bloodshed, forming the great blood-colored rock.

yellowstone national park

Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America's first national park. Located in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, it is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. Preserved within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and a collection of the world's most extraordinary geysers and hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

newyork skyline

NEW YORK SKYLINE NOW AND FIFTY YEARS AGO

Nearly half a century lies between the two views of New York City’s skyline shown in the pictures above. The two photographs were taken from the same point—a tower of the famous Brooklyn Bridge. The upper one was made only the other day and the lower one is over forty-seven years old.

Architects, engineers, and modern machinery seem literally to have raised Manhattan Island out of the waters surrounding it. In the lower view, Brooklyn Bridge, opened in 1883, was just being built. Note how the buildings at that time seemed to crouch low on the island, only here and there an occasional church, spire throwing itself defiantly skyward.

In the upper view the buildings have fairly freed themselves from the land and apparently have become decidedly air-minded. In the immediate foreground is the office building at 120 Wall Street. Looming gigantic behind it is the Bank of Manhattan Company building, and far to the right of it appears the famous Woolworth Tower.

Still farther to the right, and beyond the Manhattan end of Brooklyn Bridge, is the Municipal Building. Note how the present height of the buildings almost completely obscures the distant west shore of the Hudson River, which in the lower picture is plainly visible across Manhattan.

chennai

A city of Contrasts and diversities, Chennai is the forth-largest city in India. Known world wide as Madras until recently, the city was renamed Chennai, evolved from the age-old name, Chennapattinam.

Chennai is a coastal city with the second largest beach in the world. The climate is hot and humid. But the breeze blowing from the sea makes the climate bearable. In the summer the temperature reaches up to 42 degree C (month of May). The winter (Dec.- Feb.) is slightly less hot than the summer. Mansoon falls in Sept. - Nov. Chennai is the Capital of Tamil Nadu.

melbourne

titanic ship

The Titanic Ship

Titanic was built in Belfast, Ireland at the Harland and Wolff Shipyard. The model of the ship was designed by Lord Pirrie, chairman of Harland and Wolff; Thomas Andrews, the company’s head of design, and its general manager, Alexander Carlisle. The construction of the same began on March 31,1909, and it was funded by J.P Morgan’s International Marine Corporation.

On completion, the size of the ship was 882 feet and 9 inches long and 92 feet and 6 inches at its beam. The measurement from water to the boat deck was 60 feet long. Only the latest and up-to-date communication and technological equipment were used in this world’s largest luxury liner. The ship was divided into sixteen compartments, each with magnet latch door that would close and seal of the compartments by the flip of a switch. It was said this facility of the Titanic would allow it to float ,even if two of its compartments were flooded due to any mishap. The naval architecture of Titanic ship was such that it was deemed as an "unsinkable" ship.

shanghai bridge

jammu & kashmir

"A city blessed by the Gods" - Kashmir Valley is surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the world and is a land of immense natural beauty. It is also called 'Tourist Paradise on earth'.

Jammu and Kashmir is the sixth largest state in India including the area occupied by Pakistan and China. On tour to Jammu and Kashmir, experience spectacular mountains, broken by stretches of valley and dotted with beautiful lakes. The state is studded with a number of hill stations, which are refreshing cool in summer. They offer a leisurely or adventurous holiday amidst breath-taking scenery.

While on India tour, welcome to the strategically located state that constitutes the northern most extremity of India. A major portion of Jammu & Kashmir consists of the western Himalayas, which besides many lofty mountain ranges with varying heights of 3000 to 6000 meters and above, also abound in rivers, lakes, passes, glaciers, plateaus and plains. The number of streams, brooks, hill torrents and rivers is also fairly large. The most important rivers are the Indus, Chenab, Jehlum and Ravi.

ashoka pillar

Asoka Pillars

Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath is one of the most famous and most visited tourist spot in India. Emperor Ashoka erected this pillar like several others in other parts of his kingdom. The date of erection and commissioner of this pillar is also confirmed by the edicts of Ashoka that is engraved on it. The pillar also records the visit of Ashoka to Sarnath. The year of his visit is said to be around mid 3rd century BC. It is interesting to note that at one time, the Ashoka Pillar of Sarnath stood over 17 meters in height. Its capital with the four lions back to back that has been adopted as the official emblem of modern India can be seen in the museum at Sarnath.

The pillar of Ashoka at Sarnath is famous for its edict. It bears one of the edicts of Ashoka. The edict has an inscription that is said to target schism within the Buddhist community. It reads, "No one shall cause division in the order of monks". The Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath is actually a column surmounted by a capital. Among others, it consists of a canopy representing an inverted bell-shaped lotus flower. A short cylindrical abacus assists it where four 24-spoked Dharma wheels with four animals (an elephant, a bull, a horse, a lion in this order), and four lions face the four cardinal directions. The four animals are believed to symbolize different steps of the Gautam Buddha's life.