Places you Missed.......Set3

Peaks in the Tetons

The Teton Range in Wyoming is one of the most spectacular in the United States. Grand Teton, the highest of these jagged peaks, rises 4,197 metres (13,770 feet) above sea level. Among these peaks are what remains of glaciers that covered the region millions of years ago.

Scars on the Landscape

Enormous copper deposits were discovered in 1911 at Chuquicamata, near the Bolivian border. Their excavation, initially financed by mining companies from the United States, has led Chile to become the world’s largest copper producer. However, exploitation of copper ore is very damaging to the environment and has led to scenes such as this, where huge areas of the landscape are devastated. Chile’s economy depends heavily on the export of this ore, but it has made efforts to reduce its traditional dependence on copper in favour of aluminium smelting.

Snow-covered French Alps

In the southeast corner of France, the majestic peaks of the Alps begin just south of the Jura Mountains and form the country’s border with Italy. Above 2,400 metres (7,874 feet), a thick blanket of snow always covers the mountains, and at lower elevations there are dense woods and swift streams. Shown here is Savoie Tignes, part of the Haute Savoie alpine region. The area is home to some of the world’s best skiing and to Mont Blanc, the highest peak in France and in the Alps, at 4,810 metres (15,781 feet).

St Lawrence Seaway

Ocean-going ships and smaller vessels travel the St Lawrence Seaway, an important commercial waterway co-operatively run by Canada and the United States. The elaborate system of canals and locks allows ships to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to more than 50 ports along the Great Lakes. With competition from other modes of transport and maritime traffic being diverted elsewhere because some container ships are too large for the seaway, Canada has suffered heavy financial losses in recent years.

Temperate Grasslands (North America)

The Great Plains region in North America is an enormous grassland plateau that rises from 457 metres (1,499 feet) above sea level in the east to 1,830 metres (6,004 feet) in the west. The wetter east is characterized by tall grasses, whereas short grasses thrive in the more arid west. Much of the natural vegetation, however, has been replaced by fields of wheat and corn. Places such as Ordway Prairie Preserve in South Dakota ensure that some of the natural prairie land survives.

Places you Missed.......Set2

Potala Palace in Lhasa:

The unadorned exterior of the Potala Palace in Lhasa contrasts sharply with its exquisitely carved interior. Built in the 17th century, the palace was once the summer residence of the Dalai Lamas (spiritual leaders of Tibetan Buddhism and former rulers of Tibet). Its solid masonry walls are typical of Tibetan buildings of the time.

Magnificent Lake Superior:

The largest body of fresh water in the world, Lake Superior is the farthest north and west of the five Great Lakes. It is also the highest of the five, at 183 metres (600 feet) above sea level and is shared by the United States and Canada. Pukaskwa National Park, in Ontario, is one of several wilderness areas on the Canadian side of the lake and includes vast forests, abundant wildlife, and other valuable natural resources.

Mining in Norway:

Iron ore shown here, and pyrites, which yield copper and sulphur, are among the few ores mined in quantity in Norway. The nation’s most important mineral resources are petroleum and natural gas. The discovery of vast deposits of these resources in the North Sea at the end of the 1960s transformed Norway’s economy. Petroleum and natural gas became the most important exports during the 1970s, and by 1980 they rivalled in value all other traditional commodity exports combined. In 1991 petroleum and natural gas produced 48.8 per cent of the country’s total export earnings.

Places you missed.......Set1

Dawn in Marseille:

The Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, a commanding 19th-century cathedral, stands on a hill above a harbour in Marseille. Reminiscent of the magnificent Basilica of Sacré-Coeur in Paris, the church is topped with a statue of Mary, whom Christians believe to be the virgin mother of Jesus Christ.

Cairo’s Great Muslim University:

Covered walkways line the huge courtyard of Al-Azhar University in Egypt. Located in the capital city of Cairo, the university is one of the oldest in the world and one of the most influential religious schools in Islam. Founded by the Fatimids, a band of Shiite Muslims who came to Egypt in 969, Al-Azhar was a large mosque before it became the focal point of the university. Much of Egypt’s leadership in the Muslim world can be attributed to this university.

View of the Lake District:

The Lake District, in the northwest of England, includes some of the country’s most beautiful and varied landscapes. Located in the county of Cumbria, the area has, since the 18th century, attracted romantic poets such as William Wordsworth (1770–1850), who were hoping to capture the rugged appeal of its deep blue lakes, rocky peaks, rolling green pastures, and isolated villages. The Lake District's Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England, at 978 metres (3,210 feet) above sea level.