The Ryugyong Hotel is a skyscraper intended for use as a hotel in Sojang-dong, in the Potong-gang District of Pyongyang, North Korea. The hotel's name comes from one of the historic names for Pyongyang: Ryugyong, or "capital of willows". Its 105 stories rise to a height of 330 metres (1,100 ft), and it contains 360,000 square metres (3,900,000 sq ft) of floor space, making it the most prominent feature of the city's skyline and by far the largest structure in the country. It is currently the world's 28th tallest building. If completed on schedule, it would have become the world's tallest hotel.

Construction began in 1987 and ceased in 1992, due to the government's financial difficulties. The unfinished hotel remained untouched until April 2008, when construction resumed after being inactive for 16 years.

The building's plan for a large hotel was reportedly a Cold War response to the completion of the Westin Stamford Hotel in Singapore the previous year by a South Korean company, SsangYong Group. North Korean leadership envisioned the project as a channel for Western investors to step into the marketplace. A firm, the Ryugyong Hotel Investment and Management Co., was established to attract a hoped-for US$230 million in foreign investment. A representative for the North Korean government promised relaxed oversight, saying, "The foreign investors can even operate casinos, nightclubs or Japanese lounges if they want to."

The Ryugyong Hotel was designed to feature 105 stories, resembling a flattened and bent ziggurat. The exterior walls of the building were to be covered in mirrored glass, with 3,000 guest rooms and several disk-shaped floors near the top of the building to feature five revolving restaurants. Under the leadership of Kim Jong-il, construction on this pyramid-shaped hotel began in 1987 by the North Korean construction firm Baekdu Mountain Architects & Engineers. The reinforced concrete structure consists of three wings, the face of each wing measuring 100 m (328 ft) long and 18 m (59 ft) wide, which converge at a common point to form a pinnacle. At the top is a 40 m (131 ft) wide circular structure which contains eight floors intended to rotate, topped by a further six static floors. The hotel is surrounded by a number of pavilions, gardens, and terraces. Its walls slope at a steep 75 degree angle. It was added to maps and North Korean postage stamps before it was half-finished. Shortly after the building's concrete hardened, it was discovered that elevators would not be able to operate in its poorly-designed shafts

The hotel was scheduled to open in June 1989 for the World Festival of Youth and Students, but problems with building methods and materials delayed completion. Work ceased in 1992 due to electricity shortages, funding problems and the North Korean famine. Japanese newspapers estimated the cost of construction was US$750 million—equivalent to 2% of North Korea’s GDP. There had been some question about whether North Korea had the raw materials or energy for such a massive project. A government official said in 2008 that construction had previously been halted when funds ran out.

Though the basic structure was complete when construction came to a halt in 1992, the building shell sat vacant and without windows, fixtures, or fittings for 16 years. A rusting construction crane at the top assumed the role of a permanent fixture. Even though the hotel dominates the Pyongyang skyline, it has proven difficult to obtain information about the hotel or its future from North Korean sources. The problems associated with the hotel led some media sources to dub it "The Worst Building in the World", "Hotel of Doom" and "Phantom Hotel".

After 16 years of inactivity, foreign residents in Pyongyang noted that Egypt's Orascom Group started refurbishing the top floors of the hotel in April 2008. Though the effect on the architecture has yet to be determined, glass paneling and telecommunications antennas were observed being installed.

The Orascom Telecom subsidiary of the group confirmed involvement in the structure to begin developing GSM infrastructure in North Korea for up to 100,000 initial subscribers. Only government officials are currently permitted to use mobile phones and the service has been banned from use by ordinary citizens and foreigners since 2002.

In September 2008, Choe Jong Hun, an official with the Committee for Cultural Relations With Foreign Countries, said the refurbishing of the Ryugyong Hotel will be done by 2012 – the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung. At the same time, an Orascom company official said the goal of the project was to at least give the structure's facade a facelift and make it more attractive.

On December 22, 2008, photos of ongoing construction at the hotel appeared on the Internet. The exterior construction has included the installation of windows and a covering of the top (circular) floors.

In August 2009, photos appeared showing at least one side of the hotel completely clad in glass, along with the upper circular floors that were to house the revolving restaurants. In October 2009, a TVB Hong Kong news program confirmed that a single side of the hotel, along with the upper floors were the only parts of the hotel to be clad in glass.

credited to wikipedia

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Some of the most beautiful natural arches and bridges from around the world:

Vallon-Pont-d'Arc - France

Vallon-Pont-d'Arc is a commune in the Ardèche department in south-eastern France. Vallon-Pont-d'Arc is a capital of prehistoric and cultural tourism. This small village, peaceful in wintertime, sees its population multiply 10 times in summer. Its touristic importance largely comes from the fact that it is the departure point for the descent of the gorge of the Ardèche river from Pont d'Arc to Saint-Martin-d'Ardeche.

Vallon-Pont-d'Arc is situated at the threshold of one of the most beautiful tourist sites of France: "les gorges de l'Ardèche" (the Ardèche canyon). The famous Pont d'Arc, a natural arch of more than 30 meters height, carved out by the Ardèche and classified as Great Site of France, gave it its name.

1.8 km (1.1 mi) southeast of the village, the river Ibie flows into the Ardèche, which forms all of the commune's south-western border.

Natural Bridge - Utah, USA

A natural arch or natural bridge is a natural formation (or landform) where a rock arch forms, with a natural passageway through underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow ridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion, with a softer rock stratum under the cliff-forming stratum gradually eroding out until the rock shelters thus formed meet underneath the ridge, thus forming the arch. Natural arches commonly form where cliffs are subject to erosion from the sea, rivers or weathering (sub-aerial processes); the processes "find" weaknesses in rocks and work on them, making them bigger until they break through.

Rainbow Bridge - Utah

Rainbow Bridge National Monument is administered by Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, southern Utah, USA. Rainbow Bridge is often described as the world's largest natural bridge. The span of Rainbow Bridge is 275 feet (84 m), and at the top it is 42 feet (13 m) thick and 33 feet (10 m) wide. Two other natural arches, Kolob Arch and Landscape Arch, both also in southern Utah, have confirmed spans several meters longer than Rainbow Bridge, but by most definitions of the terms are described as arches but not bridges. With a height of 290 feet (88 m) Rainbow Bridge does indeed stand taller than either of its longer competitors, but it is outdone by Aloba Arch at 394 feet (120 m), which is in turn dwarfed by the world's tallest arch, Tushuk Tash in China at an estimated 1,200 feet (366 m). It is probably the most accessible of the large arches of the world, as it can be reached by a two-hour yacht ride on Lake Powell or by hiking several hours overland from a trailhead (obtain a permit from the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, Arizona).

Pravcicka Brana - Switzerland

This splendid rock formation is located in Bohemian Switzerland. This area is also known as Czech Switzerland, a picturesque region in the north-western Czech Republic.

Natural Bridge - Kentucky, USA

Natural Bridge State Park is a Kentucky state park located in Powell and Wolfe Counties along the Middle Fork of the Red River, adjacent to the Red River Gorge Geologic Area and surrounded by the Daniel Boone National Forest. Its namesake natural bridge is the centerpiece of the park. The natural sandstone arch spans 78 ft (24 m) and is 65 ft (20 m) high. The natural process of weathering formed the arch over millions of years. The park is approximately 2,300 acres (9 km2) of which approximately 1,200 acres (5 km2) is dedicated by the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission as a nature preserve. In 1981 this land was dedicated into the nature preserves system to protect the ecological communities and rare species habitat. The first federally endangered Virginia big eared bats, Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus, recorded in Kentucky were found at Natural Bridge State Park in the 1950s.

Azure Window - Malta

The Azure Window is a natural arch in the Maltese island of Gozo featuring a table-like rock over the sea. The Inland Sea, Gozo, and Dwejra Bay, were created millions of years ago when two limestone caves collapsed. This and the near by Blue Hole and Inland sea are popular scuba diving sites. Dwejra is a tourist village that belongs to the town of St. Lawrence, Gozo, Malta.

Turret Arch - Utah, USA

Our next beautiful and interesting natural arch formation is located also at Arches National Park and it is the Turret Arch.

El Arco de Cabo San Lucas - Mexico

El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, or Lands End, Cabo San Lucas is a distinctive rock formation at the southern tip of Cabo San Lucas, which is itself the extreme southern end of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. The arch is usually known as El Arco in the town of Cabo San Lucas.

Skyline Arch - Utah, USA

Offcourse! - Utah ! Name of this beautiful arch is Skyline...

Arch of Akakus - Libya

Acacus Mountains or Tadrart Acacus is a mountain range in the desert of western Libya, part of the Sahara. They are situated east of the Libyan city of Ghat. They streach north from the Libyan border about 100 km. Tadrart means 'mountain' in the native language of the area (Tamahaq language). The area has a particularly rich array of prehistoric rock art.

Metate Caprock Arch - Utah, USA

Metate Arch is one of the main attractions of the Devils Garden natural area now part of the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument in southern Utah. It is reached via the historic Hole in the Rock road and is about 18 miles southeast of Escalante, Utah.

The Wonderful Bridges - Bulgaria

The Wonderful Bridges is a rock formation in the Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria. It is located in the Karst valley of the Erkyupryia River in the Western Rhodopes at 1,450 metres above sea level, at the foot of Persenk Peak. The "bridges" were formed by the erosive activity of the once high-water river. It transformed the marble clefts into a deep water cave, the ceiling of which whittled up through time and collapsed, allegedly during an earthquake. Geologists suppose that the water carried the debris away.

As a result, the two remaining bridge-shaped boulders remained. The large one (situated upstream) is 15 metres at its widest and 96 metres long, and shaped by three vault arches, the largest of which is 45 metres high and 40 metres wide. The Erkyupriya River flows under the middle-sized arch. The large Wonderful Bridge is passable under the vaults where birds nest in the marble clefts. The smaller bridge is located 200 metres downstream. It is unpassable, 60 metres in length, with a total height of 50 metres, 30 metres at the highest place of the arch. A third, very little and hardly reachable bridge-like formation follows, constituting the entrance of a pothole cave where the river waters disappear underground, and show back up after 3 km.

Double Arch - Utah, USA

Double Arch is a famous close-set pair of natural arches—one of the more impressive features of Arches National Park in Utah, USA. The arches are reached by a short walk (approx. 200 meters) from the area parking lot. There are no guardrails or fences to prevent visitors from exploring directly beneath and through the arches. The area was used as a backdrop for the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which the arches are briefly visible. However, the cave shown in the movie does not exist.

Cerro de Arcos - Ecuador

The Cerro de Arcos (English: Hill of arches) is a windswept rock formation in the high paramo of the Ecuadorian southern sierra. It is situated on the border between the provinces El Oro and Loja, on the elevated plain between the Cordillera de Chilla and the Cordillera de Timbayacu at an altitude of 3700 m (12140f). The rock formation features towers, columns and several of the eponymous arches formed by wind and weather erosion. The formation covers an area of about 300 m by 300 m.

Landscape Arch - Utah, USA

The extraordinarily beautiful Landscape Arch is the world’s longest natural arch. The arch is among many in the area known as Devil’s Garden. The arch has a span of 290.1 ± 0.8 feet or 88.4 meters.

Durdle Door - England

Durdle Door is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset, England. It is privately owned by the Welds, a wealthy landowning family who own 12,000 acres of Dorset in the form of the Lulworth Estate. It is open to the public. The name Durdle is derived from an Old English word 'thirl' meaning bore or drill.

Grosvenor Arch - Utah, USA

Grosvenor Arch is a unique sandstone double arch located within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. It is named to honor Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor (1875-1966), a president of the National Geographic Society, publishers of the National Geographic Magazine. Located in northern Kane County, it is close to and south of Kodachrome Basin State Park and is accessed from the north or south via Road 400, a dirt road that traverses Cottonwood Canyon, Utah and skirts the Grand Staircase on its western margin.

Delicate Arch - Utah, USA

The amazing and world-famous Delicate Arch is a freestanding natural arch located in Utah. It is the most widely- recognized landmark in Arches National Park and stands at 52 feet or 16 meters tall.

Natural Bridge - Wisconsin, USA

Natural Bridge State Park is an 530-acre (214 ha) Wisconsin state park featuring the largest natural arch in the state. Directly beneath the arch is a rock shelter once used by Paleo-Indians. The park is located southwest of Baraboo between the unincorporated communities of Leland and Denzer, in the town of Honey Creek.

Natural Bridge - California, USA

Natural Bridges State Beach is a protected area in Santa Cruz, California, featuring a natural bridge across a section of the beach. It is also well known as a hotspot to see monarch butterfly migrations.

Sewanee Natural Bridge - Tennessee, USA

Sewanee Natural Bridge in Franklin County, Tennessee, is a 25 feet (8 m) high natural sandstone arch with a span of 50 feet (15 m). It is essentially a giant sinkhole partially eroded to form a large stone bridge. A wet weather spring located behind the bridge in a rock cave probably contributed to the erosion forming the arch. It is called the Sewanee Natural Bridge as it was once owned by the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is a 3 acre (12,000 m²) designated state natural area.

Cedar Tree Arch - Colorado, USA

Rattlesnake Canyon is a scenic area within the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness which in turn forms the core of the Bureau of Land Management administered McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area in west central Colorado. The canyon contains 9 natural arches, the second highest concentration of such arches in the United States, after the much better known Arches National Park. Limited access and primitive facilities limit visitation and help preserve the wilderness in its natural state.

East Rim Arch - Colorado, USA

East Rim Arch (also known as Akiti Arch or Centennial Arch) has a span of 40 feet and an opening height of 120 feet.

Bridge Arch - Colorado, USA

Bridge Arch (also known as Hole-in-the-Bridge Arch) has a span of 40 feet and an opening height of 30 feet.

Natural Bridge - Virginia, USA

Natural Bridge, known by locals as Natty B, in Rockbridge County, Virginia is a geological formation in which Cedar Creek (a small tributary of the James River) has carved out a gorge in the mountainous limestone terrain, forming an arch 215 ft (66 m) high with a span of 90 ft (27 m). It consists of horizontal limestone strata, and is the remains of the roof of a cave or tunnel through which the creek once flowed. It is crossed by a public road, U.S. Highway 11. There are fences on either side of the highway, blocking the view from the top of the bridge. Natural Bridge has been designated a Virginia Historical Landmark and a National Historical Landmark.

Sipapu Natural Bridge - Utah, USA

Sipapu Bridge is a natural bridge or arch located in the Natural Bridges National Monument in the U.S. state of Utah. The bridge spans White Canyon. Sipapu was long reported to have a span of 268 feet by the National Park Service, ranking it as the fourth longest natural arch in the world. A more accurate measurement obtained by laser survey in 2007 revealed the measurement to be a significant overstatement. The Natural Arch and Bridge Society has published a revised span of 225 feet, demoting the arch to a seventh place ranking.

Kachina Bridge - Utah, USA

Kachina Bridge is one of three natural bridges in the Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah.

Owachomo Bridge - Utah, USA

Another spectacular geological formation located in Natural Bridges Monument is the Owachomo Bridge which means “rock mound” in Hopi and is named after the rock formation on top of the east end of the bridge.

credited to wikipedia

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Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately 15 m (49 ft) (AHD) below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia. It is the focal point of the vast Lake Eyre Basin and is found some 700 km (435 mi) north of Adelaide.

The lake was named after Edward John Eyre who was the first European to sight it in 1840. It is located in the deserts of central Australia, in northern South Australia. The Eyre Basin is a large endorheic system surrounding the lakebed, the lowest part of which is filled with the characteristic salt pan caused by the seasonal expansion and subsequent evaporation of the trapped waters. Even in the dry season there is usually some water remaining in Lake Eyre, normally collecting in a number of smaller sub-lakes on the playa.

During the rainy season the rivers from the northeast (in outback Queensland) flow towards the lake through the Channel Country. The amount of water from the monsoon determines whether water will reach the lake and if it does, how deep the lake will get. In strong La Niña years the lake can fill. Since 1885 this has occurred in 1886–1887, 1889–1890, 1916–1917, 1950, 1955, 1974–1976 , with the highest flood of 6 m (20 ft) in 1974. Local rain can also fill Lake Eyre to 3–4 m (10–13 ft) as occurred in 1984 and 1989. Wave built shingle terraces on the shore suggest that during the Medieval Warm Period and centuries immediately prior Lake Eyre possibly held permanent water at levels above those of 1974. Torrential rain in January 2007 took about six weeks to reach the lake but put only a small amount of water into it.

When recently flooded the lake is almost fresh and native fresh water fish, including bony bream (Nematolosa erebi), the Lake Eyre Basin sub-species of golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) and various small hardyhead species (Craterocephalus spp.) can survive in it. The salinity increases as the 450 mm (18 in) salt crust dissolves over a period of six months resulting in a massive fish kill. When over 4 m (13 ft) deep the lake is no more salty than the sea and salinity increases as the water evaporates, with saturation occurring at about a 500 mm (20 in) depth. The Lake takes on a "pink" hue when saturated due to the presence of beta-Carotene pigment caused by the algae Dunaliella salina.

Typically a 1.5 m (5 ft) flood occurs every three years, a 4 m (13 ft) flood every decade, and a fill or near fill four times a century. The water in the lake soon evaporates with a minor and medium flood drying by the end of the following summer.

The 2009 Lake Eyre flood peaked at 1.5 m (5 ft) deep in late May which is a quarter of its maximum recorded depth of 6 m (20 ft). 9 km3 (2 cu mi) of water crossed the Queensland–South Australian border with most of it coming from massive floods in the Georgina River. However the greater proportion soaked into the desert or evaporated en route to the lake leaving less than 1 km3 (0.24 cu mi) in the lake which covered an area of 800 km2 (309 sq mi) or 12% of the lake. As the flood did not start filling the lake's deepest point (Belt Bay) until late March little bird life appeared preferring instead to nest in the upper reaches of the Lake Eyre Basin, north of Birdsville, where large lakes appeared in January as a result of monsoonal rain.

credited to wikipedia and flickr users: goody62, simonwaterhouse, gsketch2000, c_and_g, mitshellh53, nic_pepsi

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Atolls are one of the best places for diving and snorkeling. Here are five of the most beautiful atolls in the world.

Aldabra Atoll - Seychelles

Aldabra is a raised coral atoll in the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that form part of the Seychelles. The island is more than 700 miles from Mahé and is closer to the coast of Africa and Madagascar. Virtually untouched by humans, with distinctive island fauna, including the Aldabra Giant Tortoise, the island is designated a World Heritage Site. The atoll is home to the world's largest population of giant tortoises, numbering some 100,000 individuals. They are also known for their green turtles, hawksbill turtles, hammerhead sharks, manta rays, barracuda, and birds, including the Aldabra rail, the last surviving flightless bird of the Indian Ocean region. The Aldabra Group includes the island of Assumption and the atolls of Astove and Cosmoledo.

Aitutaki Atoll - Cook islands

Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura, Ararau and Utataki, is one of the Cook Islands, north of Rarotonga. It has a population of approximately 2,000. Aitutaki is the second most visited island of the Cook Islands. The capital (main village) is Arutanga (Arutunga) on the west side.

Aitutaki is famous for its turquoise central lagoon, uninhabited islands and palm-fringed beaches. Another advantage is that until now it has been spared by mass tourism. Noteworthy also are an old church (the oldest in the Cook Islands) and some gigantic Banyan trees.

Tapuaetai (One Foot Island), a small islet in the south-east of the lagoon, is often said to be the most important attraction. It is regarded as providing the visitor with the best views of the Aitutaki lagoon and depending on the tide one is able to walk on a sandbank a decent distance away from Tapuaetai (One Foot Island). The trip to this island is the most frequented trip available on Aitutaki and is bookable in most hotels. One Foot Island was awarded "Australasia's Leading Beach" at the World Travel Awards held in Sydney in June 2008.

Bikini Atoll: Marshall Island

Bikini Atoll (also known as Pikinni Atoll) is an atoll in one of the Micronesian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands. It consists of 23 islands surrounding a 229.4-square-mile (594.1 km2) lagoon. As part of the Pacific Proving Grounds it was the site of more than 20 nuclear weapons tests between 1946 and 1958.

The first Westerner to see the atoll, in mid-1820s, was the Russian navigator and explorer Otto von Kotzebue, who named the atoll Eschscholtz Atoll after the Russian scientist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz. The atoll, however, has always been called Bikini by the native Marshall Islanders.

Preceding the nuclear tests, the indigenous population was relocated to Rongerik Atoll, though during the Castle Bravo detonation in particular some members of the population were exposed to nuclear fallout (see Project 4.1 for a discussion of the health effects).

Orona Atoll: Kiribati

Orona atoll, also known as Hull Island, is one of the Phoenix Islands in the Republic of Kiribati. measures approximately 8.8 km by 4 km, and like Kanton, is a narrow ribbon of land surrounding a sizable lagoon with depths of 15-20 meters. Numerous passages connect the lagoon to the surrounding ocean, only a couple of which will admit even a small boat. Total land area is 3.9 sq. km, and the maximum elevation is nine meters.

Although occupied at various times during the past, including as late as 2004, Orona is uninhabited today.

Tetiaroa Atoll: French Polynesia

Tetiaroa, one of the Society Islands, is an atoll located 59 km (36.5 miles) due north of Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia located on the island of Tahiti.

As a private island, it passed through the hands of other owners until 1965, when Marlon Brando, after filming Mutiny on the Bounty, bought it outright from Williams' daughter. Brando lived on the island on and off until 1990.

In 1980, famous maxi yacht S/Y Condor of Bermuda ran aground on the (?)Onetahi reef; and was caused to be shipwrecked and written off by insurers. Allegedly, Brando, and the Owner of the yacht, engaged in a brief bidding war for right's to the vessel's polished mahogany hull, which Brando is reportedly to have desired for use as a bar on a potential resort to be built on the island. The yacht was salvaged, and sent to New Zealand for repair.

At various times Brando talked of plans to develop a resort on the island, but the enormous costs involved made it financially impossible for him to carry through on his ideas. In June 2003, Brando granted his friend Michael Jackson "in consideration of gratitude and affection", the lifelong use of 2000 m² (a half-acre) on the islet of Onetahi, in the west of Tetiaroa. While earlier revisions of Brando's will had included provisions putting the island into a trust, his will as it existed in 2004 included no specific provision for the island. In 2005, the executors of the Brando estate sold development rights for $2 million to Richard Bailey, a property developer based in Tahiti. A new luxury resort is currently being built on the atoll. The planned per night price for accommodations is rumored to be $1500. Air Moorea put a claim on the island saying it is owed $460,000 for the service it provided in bringing people to and from the island. At the moment, the atoll's "airport" is closed for violating safety regulations; the airstrip is not currently long enough.

credited to wikipedia and arll.org

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Ebenezer Place, in Wick, Caithness, Scotland, is credited by the Guinness Book of Records as being the world's shortest street at 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in). In 2006 it surpassed the previous record (5.2 m (17 ft)) set by Elgin Street, Lancashire. The street has only one address: the front door of No. 1 Bistro, which is part of Mackays Hotel

The street originated in 1883, when 1 Ebenezer Place was constructed; the owner of the building, a hotel at the time, was instructed to paint a name on the shortest side of the hotel. It was officially declared a street in 1887

credited to wikipedia

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Many of the effects of global warming have been well-documented. It is the precise extent that is difficult to predict.

Ministry of Climate and Energy of Denmark

Predicting the consequences of global warming is one of the really difficult tasks for the world’s climate researchers. Firstly, because the natural processes that cause precipitation, storms, increases in sea level and other expected effects of global warming are dependent on many different factors. Secondly, because it is difficult to predict the size of the emissions of greenhouse gases in the coming decades, as this is determined to a great extent by political decisions and technological breakthroughs.

Many of the effects of global warming have been well-documented, and observations from real life are very much consistent with earlier predictions. It is the precise extent that is difficult to predict. Among the effects that can be predicted are:

More droughts and more flooding:

When the weather gets warmer, evaporation from both land and sea increases. This can cause drought in areas of the world where the increased evaporation is not compensated for by more precipitation. The extra water vapor in the atmosphere has to fall again as extra precipitation, which can cause flooding other places in the world.

Less ice and snow:

Glaciers are shrinking rapidly at present. The trend is for the ice to melt faster than estimated in the IPCC’s latest report. In areas that are dependent on melt water from mountain areas, this can cause drought and a lack of drinking water. According to the IPCC, up to a sixth of the world’s population lives in areas that will be affected by this.

More extreme weather incidents:

The warmer climate will most probably cause more heatwaves, more cases of heavy rainfall and also possibly an increase in the number and/or severity of storms.

Rising sea level:

The sea level rises for two reasons. Partly because of the melting ice and snow, and partly because of the thermal expansion of the sea. Thermal expansion takes a long time, but even an increase in temperature of two degrees Celsius is expected, in due time, to cause a rise in the water level of almost a metre.

In order to get an idea of the extent of the consequences, researchers typically work with scenarios that show various possible developments.

credited to United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen official site

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The Principality of Sealand is a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former World War II Maunsell Sea Fort in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England.

Since 1967, the facility has been occupied by former radio broadcaster British Army Major Paddy Roy Bates; his associates and family claim that it is an independent sovereign state. External commentators generally classify Sealand as a micronation. It has been described as the world's smallest nation. Sealand is not currently officially recognized as a sovereign state by any United Nations member.

In 1943, during World War II, HM Fort Roughs was constructed by the United Kingdom as one of the Maunsell Forts, primarily for defense against German mine-laying aircraft that might be targeting the estuaries that were part of vital shipping lanes. It comprised a floating pontoon base with a superstructure of two hollow towers joined by a deck upon which other structures could be added. The fort was towed to a position above the Rough Sands sandbar, where its base was intentionally flooded to allow it to sink to its final resting place on the sandbar. The location chosen was in international waters, approximately six miles from the coast of Suffolk, outside the then three-mile territorial water claim of the United Kingdom. The facility (called Roughs Tower or HM Fort Roughs) was occupied by 150–300 Royal Navy personnel throughout World War II; not until well after the war, in 1956, were the last full-time personnel taken off HM Fort Roughs.

Occupation by Roy Bates and the establishment of Sealand

On 2 September 1967, the fort was occupied by Major Paddy Roy Bates, a British subject and pirate radio broadcaster, who ejected a competing group of pirate broadcasters. Bates intended to broadcast his pirate radio station Radio Essex from the platform.

In 1968, the Royal Navy entered what Bates claimed to be his territorial waters in order to service a navigational buoy near the platform. Michael Bates (son of Paddy Roy Bates) tried to scare the workmen off by firing warning shots from the former fort. As Bates was a British subject at the time, he was summoned to court in England following the incident. The court ruled that as the platform (which Bates was now calling "Sealand") was outside British jurisdiction, being beyond the then three-mile limit of the country's waters, the case could not proceed. In 1975, Bates introduced a constitution for Sealand, followed by a flag, a national anthem, a currency and passports.

Forcible takeover

In 1978, while Bates was away, Alexander Achenbach, who describes himself as the Prime Minister of Sealand, and several German and Dutch citizens staged a forcible takeover of Roughs Tower, holding Bates' son Michael captive, before releasing him several days later in the Netherlands. Bates thereupon enlisted armed assistance and, in a helicopter assault, retook the fort. He then held the invaders captive, claiming them as prisoners of war. Most participants in the invasion were repatriated at the cessation of the "war", but Achenbach, a German lawyer who held a Sealand passport, was charged with treason against Sealand and was held unless he paid DM 75,000 (more than US$ 35,000). The governments of the Netherlands and Germany petitioned the British government for his release, but the United Kingdom disavowed all responsibility, citing the 1968 court decision. Germany then sent a diplomat from its London embassy to Roughs Tower to negotiate for Achenbach's release. Roy Bates relented after several weeks of negotiations and subsequently claimed that the diplomat's visit constituted de facto recognition of Sealand by Germany. Following his repatriation, Achenbach established a "government in exile" in Germany, in opposition to Roy Bates, assuming the name "Chairman of the Privy Council". He handed the position to Johannes Seiger in 1989 because of illness. Seiger continues to claim—via his website—that he is Sealand's legitimate ruling authority.

Post-1990

• 1990: The Royal Maritime Auxiliary vessel Golden Eye was fired upon from Sealand in defence of their claim to the waters surrounding Roughs Tower to the extent of twelve nautical miles.

• 1997: Because of the massive quantity of illegal passports in circulation (estimated at 150,000), the Bates family revoked all Sealand passports, including those that they themselves had issued over the previous twenty-two years.

• 2006: On the afternoon of 23 June 2006, the top platform of the Roughs Tower caught fire due to an electrical failure. A Royal Air Force rescue helicopter transferred one person to Ipswich hospital, directly from the tower. The Harwich lifeboat stood by the Roughs Tower until a local fire tug extinguished the fire. All damage was repaired by November 2006.

• In January 2007, The Pirate Bay attempted to buy Sealand after harsher copyright measures in Sweden forced it to look for a base of operations elsewhere. The deal fell through.

• 2007: Sealand was offered for sale through Spanish estate company InmoNaranja.Since a principality cannot technically be sold, Sealand's current owners plan to transfer "custodianship". The asking price is €750 million (£600 million). Plans for an online casino have been announced.

• In January 2009, The Kingdom of Marduk claimed ownership of Sealand, saying it was not mentioned in treaties after the Second World War and so can be claimed by anyone. Michael Bates dismissed the claim as that of an "imposter", and Sealand News said, "Marduk has popped up before".

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The Red Forest, formerly the Worm Wood Forest, refers to the trees in the 10 km² surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The name 'Red Forest' comes from the ginger-brown colour of the pine trees after they died following the absorption of high levels of radiation from the Chernobyl accident on April 26, 1986. In the post-disaster cleanup operations, the Red Forest was bulldozed and buried in 'waste graveyards'. The site of the Red Forest remains one of the most contaminated areas in the world today.

The Red Forest is located in the zone of alienation; this area received the highest doses of radiation from the Chernobyl accident and the resulting clouds of smoke and dust, heavily polluted with radiation. The trees died from this radiation. The explosion and fire at the Chernobyl No. 4 reactor contaminated the soil, water and atmosphere with the radiation equivalent to 20 of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In the post-disaster cleanup operations, a majority of the pine trees were bulldozed and buried in trenches by the "liquidators". The trenches were then covered with a thick carpet of sand and planted with pine saplings. Many fear that as the trees decay radiation will leach into the ground water. People have evacuated the contaminated zone around the Red Forest.

As humans were evacuated from the area in 1986, animals moved in despite the radiation. The flora and fauna of the Red Forest have been dramatically affected by the radioactive contamination that followed the accident. It seems that the biodiversity of the Red Forest has increased in the years following the disaster. There are reports of higher numbers of mutations in some of the plants in the area, leading to unsubstantiated tales of a "forest of wonders" containing many strangely mutated plants. Specifically, some trees have weirdly twisted branches that do not reach for the sky.

In the years after the disaster, some plants have displayed gigantism, in which the shape of the plants features remain normal, but its size becomes much larger than average. Gigantism and other plant abnormalities of the Red Forest can be found in the most radioactive parts of the zone of alienation.

The site of the Red Forest remains one of the most contaminated areas in the world. However, it has proved to be an astonishingly fertile habitat for many endangered species. The evacuation of the area surrounding the nuclear reactor has created a lush and unique wildlife refuge. In the 1996 BBC Horizon documentary "Inside Chernobyl's Sarcophagus", birds are seen flying in and out of large holes in the structure of the former nuclear reactor. The long-term impact of the fallout on the flora and fauna of the region is not fully known, as plants and animals have significantly different and varying radiologic tolerance. Some birds are reported with stunted tail feathers (which interferes with breeding). Storks, wolves, beavers, and eagles have been reported in the area. and joint International Atomic Energy Agency/WHO/UNDP press release Chernobyl: The True Scale of the Accident, International Atomic Energy Agency/World Health Organization/United Nations Development Programme, September 5, 2005.

Today

Today, radiation levels in the Red Forest can be as high as one röntgen per hour, but levels of ten milliröntgens per hour are more common. More than 90% of the radioactivity of the Red Forest is concentrated in the soil.

Scientists are planning to use the radioactive ghost town and surrounding area as a unique laboratory for modeling the dispersal of radionuclides by the detonation of a dirty bomb or an attack with chemical or biological agents. The area offers an unparalleled opportunity to fully understand the passage of radioactive debris through an urban and rural area.

The nature of the area seems to have not only survived, but flourished due to significant reduction of human impact. The zone has become a "Radiological Reserve", a classic example of an involuntary park. There were thought to be cases of mutant deformity in animals of the Red Forest, but none have been proven, except partial albinism in swallows. Currently, there is concern about contamination of the soil with Strontium-90 and Caesium-137, which have half-lives of about 30 years. The highest levels of Caesium-137 are found in the surface layers of the soil where they are absorbed by plants, and insects living there today. Some scientists fear that radioactivity will affect the land for the next several generations.

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The UFO-Memorial Ängelholm is a shrine dedicated to a supposed UFO landing in Kronoskogen, a suburb of Ängelholm, Sweden. It is Europe's only such shrine except for the Emilcin UFO memorial in Emilcin, Poland. Dedicated in 1963, it is situated in a forest clearing at Kronoskogen, which had witnessed numerous "large-scale test flights" in that time period. The UFO-Memorial Ängelholm memorialises the landing of a UFO, which is said to have taken place on May 18, 1946 and been seen by the Swedish ice hockey player Gösta Carlsson. The memorial consists of a model of the UFO and the landing traces, and is constructed of concrete.

Clas Svahn, chairman of UFO-Sweden, has investigated the case and written a book together with Gösta Carlsson about the incident. According to him there was no convincing evidence that the event ever took place the way Gösta Carlsson described it.

In the encounter Gösta Carlsson claims to have received recipes for natural remedies. Based on this knowledge he started the pharmaceutical companies Cernelle and Allergon which grew to become a success and made him wealthy. He later founded the first professional ice-hockey club in Sweden — Rögle BK.

The memorial was recently sabotaged by a large fire under the momument itself, causing the concrete to crack and the grass underneath to burn. A fund has been created to pay for the repairs and the monument is now being restored to its original state.

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Valleys have played important roles in our history especially in the development of early civilizations.

Ancient civilizations flourished on river-valleys. These valleys have been the seat of the most progressive and notable civilizations in history. The Sumerians, Babylonians, Hittites, Chaldeans and others built their civilization on the river-valley of Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; the Chinese established a unique civilization in the river-valleys of Huang He and Yangtze Rivers; in India - on the river-valleys of Indus and Ganges Rivers; and the Egyptians on the river-valley of the Nile.

However, this article is focus on valleys which are considered tourist spots or attractions. These are either of geological or geographical significance. Here's the list of some of the most beautiful valleys in the world today.

Wadi Al-Hitan (Egypt)

Wadi Al-Hitan is a palaeontological site in the Al Fayyum Governorate of Egypt, some 150 km southwest of Cairo. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2005 for its hundreds of fossils of some of the earliest whale forms, the archaeoceti (a now extinct sub-order of whales). The site reveals one of the greatest mysteries of the evolution of whales: the emergence of the whale as an ocean-going mammal from a previous life as a land-based animal. No other place in the world yields the number, concentration and quality of such fossils, as is their accessibility and setting in an attractive and protected landscape. This is why it was added by the UNESCO to the list of protected World Heritage sites.

Great Rift Valley (Ethiopia/Kenya/Malawi/Tanzania)

The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa. The name continues in some usages, although it is today considered geologically imprecise as it combines features that are today regarded as separate, although related, rift and fault systems. Today, the term is most often used to refer to the valley of the East African Rift, the divergent plate boundary which extends from the Afar Triple Junction southward across eastern Africa, and is in the process of splitting the African Plate into two new separate plates. Geologists generally refer to these incipient plates as the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate.

Valley of Flowers (India)

Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park, Nestled high in West Himalaya, is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya. The park stretches over an expanse of 87.50 km². The Valley of Flowers is an outstandingly beautiful high-altitude Himalayan valley that has been acknowledged as such by renowned mountaineers and botanists in literature for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer. Its ‘gentle’ landscape, breathtakingly beautiful meadows of alpine flowers and ease of access complement the rugged, mountain wilderness for which the inner basin of Nanda Devi National Park is renowned.

Vinales Valley (Cuba)

Viñales Valley is a karstic depression in Cuba. The valley has an area of 132 km² and is located in the Sierra de los Organos, just north of Viñales in the Pinar del Río Province. Tobacco and other crops are cultivated on the bottom of the valley, mostly by traditional agriculture techniques. Many caves dot the surrounding hillfaces (Cueva del Indio, Cueva de José Miguel). The conspicuous cliffs rising like islands from the bottom of the valley are called mogotes. Viñales is a major tourist destination offering mainly hiking and rock climbing. The local climbing scene has started to take off in the last few years with many new routes being discovered resulting in an increase in local tourism.

La Gran Sabana (Venezuela)

The Gran Sabana is an important natural attraction in Venezuela and is located in the south of Bolívar State on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border, approximately 1,400 km from Caracas. The area has a tropical humid climate with an average temperature of 28 °C, but at night it can go down to 13 °C. The Gran Sabana lies on a plateau with a mean altitude of 1,000 meters above sea level and is dotted with huge table-top mountains called tepuis, which rise dramatically from the surrounding plains. Mount Roraima is the tallest of the tepuis at 2,810 meters above sea level. It also marks the triple border point for Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. The most important town in the region is Santa Elena de Uairen, the municipal capital, which is 5 kilometers from the Venezuelan-Brazilian border. It has a population of approximately 12,000 inhabitants. The region is inhabited by several indigenous groups, including the Pemon, who are the most numerous. Canaima National Park, which was created by a decree on the 12th of June, 1962, encompasses most of the Gran Sabana but the areas do not exactly match. In 1975 the Canaima National Park was extended from the original 10,000 km² to 30,000 km², making it the sixth largest national park in the world. The main attractions for visitors to the region are Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall, Mount Roraima, the mountain which inspired Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel The Lost World, and the many other mountains and waterfalls.

Valley of the Moon (Chile)

Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna) is located 13 kilometers west of San Pedro in the Cordillera de la Sal, in the Atacama desert of Chile. It has various stone and sand formations which have been created through the centuries by floods and wind and has also given it an impressive range of color and texture, looking somewhat similar to the surface of the moon. In Valle de la Luna, there are dry lakes where the composition of salt makes a white covering layer of the area. It presents diverse saline outcrops which appear like man-made sculptures. There are also a great variety of caverns. Valle de la Luna is a part of the Reserva Nacional los Flamencos and was declared a Nature Sanctuary in 1982 for its great natural beauty and strange lunar landscape, from where in inherits it's name. It is one of the most famous attractions of Chile. The valley is also considered one of the driest places on earth, as some areas have not received a single drop of rain in hundreds of years. A prototype for a Mars rover was tested there by scientists because of the valley's dry and forbidding terrains.

Semuc Champey (Guatemala)

Semuc Champey is a natural monument in the department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, near the Q'eqchi' Maya town of Lanquín. It consists of a natural 300 m limestone bridge, under which passes the Cahabòn River. Atop the bridge is a series of stepped, turquoise pools, a popular swimming attraction.

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