Friday, April 11, 2014

Ban Gioc Detian Falls, Vietnam

Ban Gioc Detian Falls
Ban Gioc Detian Falls

Ban Gioc – Detian Falls (in Vietnamese: thác Bản Giốc, in Chinese: Détiān pùbù, Bǎnyuē pùbù 板約瀑布, 德天瀑布) are two waterfalls on the Quây Sơn River, in Chinese Guichun River, straddling the Sino-Vietnamese border, located in the Karst hills of Daxin County, Guangxi (Chinese side), and in Trùng Khánh District, Cao Bằng province on the Vietnamese side, 272 km (169 mi) north of Hanoi.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Mount Everest

Mount Everest  (source: link)
Mount Everest (also known in Nepal as Sagarmatha and in Tibet as Chomolungma) is the Earth's highest mountain. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. Its peak is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level and is the 5th furthest point from the centre of the Earth. The international border between China and Nepal runs across the precise summit point. Its massif includes neighboring peaks Lhotse, 8,516 m (27,940 ft); Nuptse, 7,855 m (25,771 ft) and Changtse, 7,580 m (24,870 ft).

In 1856, the Great Trigonometric Survey of India established the first published height of Everest, then known as Peak XV, at 29,002 ft (8,840 m). The current official height of 8,848 m (29,029 ft) as recognized by Nepal and China was established by a 1955 Indian survey and subsequently confirmed by a Chinese survey in 1975. In 1865, Everest was given its official English name by the Royal Geographical Society upon a recommendation by Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India. Waugh named the mountain after his predecessor in the post, Sir George Everest. Although Tibetans had called Everest "Chomolungma" for centuries, Waugh was unaware of this because Tibet and Nepal were closed to foreigners at the time thus preventing any attempts to obtain local names.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Pamukkale Natural Rock pools, Turkey

Pamukkale Natural Rock pools, Turkey
Pamukkale Natural Rock pools, Turkey

Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. Pamukkale's terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by water from the hot springs. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegeanregion, in the River Menderes valley.