Hanko is a small port city on the south coast of Finland, 130 km west of Helsinki. The city has a coastline of approximately 130 km (80 miles), of which 30 km (19 miles) are sandy beaches. There are also over 90 small islands and islets within the city limits. The skyline of Hanko is dominated by the church and the water tower (from which this photo was taken). Both of them received their current appearance after World War II, as their predecessors were either damaged or destroyed by the Soviet Army.
Panorama of the fortified city of Carcassonne in Aude, France, and the Pont Vieux crossing the Aude River. The fortress of Carcassonne was considered impregnable, and never conquered. It was begun by the Romans, and built up through the years. It fell into disrepair, but was restored in the 19th century. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Porto is Portugal's second city and capital of the NorteNUTS II region. The city is located in the estuary of the Douro river in northern Portugal. The largest city in the region, Porto is considered the economic and cultural heart of the entire region. The city, which had an estimated population of 238,465 in 2005, lies at the center of the political Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto, with a population of 1.57 million (2006), and of a broader metropolitan agglomeration with over 2.9 million inhabitants in the 2001 census.
Lanzarote, a Spanishisland, is the easternmost of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km², it stands as the fourth largest of the islands. The first recorded name for the island, given by Angelino Dulcert, was Insula de Lanzarotus Marocelus, after the Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello, from which the modern name is derived. The island's name in the native Guanche language was Titero(y)gaca, which may mean "the red mountains".
The Palace of Westminster at dusk, showing the Victoria Tower (left) and the Clock Tower colloquially known as 'Big Ben' on the right. The Palace lies on the northern bank of the River Thames in the heart of London. The oldest part, Westminster Hall, dates to 1097, but most of the present structure dates from the 19th century, when it was rebuilt after it was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 1834. Together with Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church, the palace is listed as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
A view of the Second Severn Crossing, as seen from Severn Beach,. This bridge carries the M4 motorway across the River Severn between Severn Beach and Caldicot in south Wales. It has a total span of 5.1 km and includes a cable-stayed section called the Shoots Bridge which spans the shipping channel between the two towers. The River Severn has a vast tidal range—the point from which this photograph was taken is covered at high tide.
Panoramic view of the geodesic dome structures of the Eden Project, a large-scale environmental complex near St Austell, Cornwall, England. The project was conceived by Tim Smit and is made out of hundreds of hexagons (transparentbiomes made of ETFE cushions) that interconnect the whole construction together. The project took 2½ years to construct and opened to the public in March 2001.
Paris is the capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the River Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-Franceregion (also known as the "Paris Region"; French: Région parisienne). The city of Paris within its administrative limits (largely unchanged since 1860) has an estimated population of 2,167,994. The Paris unité urbaine (or urban area) extends well beyond the administrative city limits and has an estimated population of 9.93 million (in 2005).
Mont Blanc (French for white mountain) or Monte Bianco (Italian, same meaning), also known as "La Dame Blanche" (French, the white lady) is a mountain in the Alps. With its 4,810 m summit, it is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe.The mountain lies between the regions of Aosta Valley, Italy, and Haute-Savoie, France. The location of the summit itself is a subject of controversy between the two countries, as each tends to place it within its own boundaries on maps.