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Facts About Volgograd, Russia

July 26, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Volgograd is a city located in the eastern part of Russia. The city is more famously known as Stalingrad because it was home to one of the greatest and most intense battles of the World War II. The city was almost completely destroyed and reduced after the war ended. It was rebuilt from scratch in the years following the war. Today Volgograd serves as an important industrial city, and its rich history can be found in the various war memorials, monuments and museums in the city.

Volgograd’s skyline at night
Photo: Michael Pagliaro / (CC BY 2.0)

Volgograd is located on the western bank of the Volga River in south eastern Russia. It’s part of the Volgograd Oblast(district).

The city has an approximate area of 565km2 and is about 90km in length, making it the longest city in Russia.

Because of the heroism and bravery of the soldiers who fought in the city during the battle of Stalingrad, it is also sometimes called the Hero-City.

Photo: www.volganet.ru / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The city was formed in 1589 as a military fortress and was named Tsaritsyn at the time. It soon became an important trading settlement and military outpost.

For the next few centuries the city suffered several rebellions and enemy raids. At the start of the 20th century the city underwent rapid industrialization.

A painting showing Tsaritsyn under attack

During the Russian Civil War(1917-1922), the White Army(Pro-Communists) and the Red Army (Anti-Communists) fought for the city’s control because of its industrial wealth.

The Red Army eventually defeated the Whites and took control of the city. The city was renamed to Stalingrad in 1925 in honor of Joseph Stalin who played an important part in defeating the White Armies in the civil war.

Leaders of the White movement at a parade in Tsaritsyn(Volgograd) after capturing it in 1919. The city was captured later by the Red Army in 1920.

In August 1942 during World War II, The Germans invaded Russia and attacked the city in what became known as the Battle of Stalingrad. The battle lasted for more than 5 months. It is remembered for being one of the greatest battles in history and also the turning point of the World War II which eventually led to allied nations winning the war.

During the battle, the saw city saw intense and bloody fighting in its streets and buildings. Strategic points across the city were captured and recaptured several times by Russians and Germans. The city’s railway station changed hands 13 times.

Soviet soldiers of the 62nd Army in action in the ruins of Stalingrad.

At one time the Nazis took control of over 90% of the city. Eventually the Red Army launched its counteroffensive after receiving reinforcements and encircled the German 6th Army division which was in control of the city. The Germans eventually surrendered after their commander Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus was captured by the Russian Army in February 1943.

The battle is regarded as the most bloodiest in history. More than 2 million lost their lives including German and Russian soldiers and civilians as well.

Stalingrad after the battle

More than 1 million bombs were dropped on the city during the war. The battle reduced most of the city to debris and rubble. At the end of the war the city’s population was reduced from half a million to only 35000.

After the war, the city was completely rebuilt. Most of the city’s older buildings were destroyed and much of the present architecture in the city is post World War II era.

A partially destroyed mill from the Battle of Stalingrad.
Photo: Anna Novikova / (CC BY 2.0)

In 1961, Nikita Khrushchev(Soviet Premier at the time) renamed the city to its present name, Volgograd. He did it as part of his de-Stalinization reforms to remove Stalin’s ideology from Russian politics.

Volgograd has a population of over 1 million people. The city’s economy is mainly driven by its industrial sector. Industries in the city include ship building, oil refining, aluminium, steel production and automobile manufacturing.

Photo:  justphotos.ru / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Volgograd has a slightly cold weather. The city’s average annual temperature is about 8.3 °C. The warmest month is July when the temperature is an approximate 24.3°C , while the coldest month is January when temperature drops to an average low of about -7.5°C.

Average rainfall in the city is about 380mm per year and average snow received is 27.1 inches per year. Snowy season starts from October and ends in April.

Volgograd has a lot of memorials and monuments including an 86m tall statue named “The Motherhood Calls”. The statue is built over Mamayev Kurgan, a hill that was one of the main battle grounds during the Battle of Stalingrad.

The Motherhood Calls
Photo: Alexxx Malev / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The statue was built to commemorate the Stalingrad Battle and Russian Victory. 35000 soldiers are buried in the monument’s grounds including the famous Russian sniper Vasily Zaitsev who killed 225 enemy soldiers during World War II.

The Motherhood Calls at night
Photo: Alexxx Malev / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Some buildings survived the destruction partially or completely and are now considered part of the city’s heritage.

The city also has a number of museums that have stories about the Battle of Stalingrad and other remnants from the battle, paintings and also a lot of stuff from the Russian Civil War.

Another memorial, Rossoshka Memorial Cemetery holds the graves of more than 80000 soldiers. 60000 Germans, 20000 Russian and 2000 Romanian soldiers who died in the Battle of Stalingrad are buried in this cemetery.

Monument dedicated to Soviet war hero pilot Viсtor Holzunov

Square of Grief: Shows a mother holding her dead soldier son.
Author: Кривошеина Мария / (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Square of Heroes: A statue of a nurse taking a wounded soldier from the battlefield.

Facts About Biafo Glacier

June 18, 2019 By admin 79 Comments

Biafo Glacier is the third largest glacier outside the world’s polar regions. This large river of ice is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The glacier lies inside the Karakoram mountain range. Biafo glacier meets the Hispar glacier at a height of 5128m.

Biafo Glacier
Author: BlackZero_007 / (CC BY 2.0)

Biafo was explored for the first time in 1892 by Sir Martin Conway, a British mountaineer.

The glacier has a total length of about 67km.

The area of the glacier is about 853km2. More than 70% of the glacier’s total area is made up of snow and ice.

Together with the Hispar glacier which is 49km long, the two glaciers form a long highway of ice more than 100km long.

Author: Yousaf Feroz Gill / (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Unlike, other glaciers of the Karakoram the Biafo’s main source of ice is from snowfall rather than avalanches.

The glacier collects a lot of snow each year. However, due to global warming and climate change, more snow and ice is melted and lost than is collected by the glacier.

The Biafo-Hispar highway has significant historical importance too. In ancient times the route served as an important path for traders as well as invading armies who used the path to attack adversaries located at the other end of the highway. In ancient times warriors from Nagar in the west used to cross this route to attack the Baltitstan Kingdom in the east.

The area also has some wild animals. These include the Himalayan Bear, Siberian Ibex, Mountain Goat(Markhor) and Snow Leopards.

Snow Lake, located at Biafo-Hispar junction
Author: Dave Hancock, Fieldtouring.com / (CC BY-SA 2.5)

At the Hispar Pass, the place where Biafo ends and Hispar glacier starts, there’s a large body of ice called the snow lake.

Snow Lake is about 16m wide and has a total area of about 77km2. The ice in the lake has a depth of more than 1.6km, and is considered one of the largest ice caps in the non-polar regions of the world.

Some people claim to have seen footprints of the cryptid Yeti, on the sufrace of the Snow Lake.

Biafo glacier is covered in moraines, boulders and has a lot of crevasses which makes trekking very difficult.

Author: Yousaf Feroz Gill / (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Facts About Lahore Fort

April 12, 2019 By admin 2 Comments

Lahore Fort was built in the first place in order to have complete control over the city of Lahore and its surrounding area. Although the fort is no longer used for military purposes the city is still a major military stronghold as it borders with India with whom Pakistan has fought a few wars, one of which saw heavy fighting and attacks on Lahore.

Lahore Fort
Author: Guilhem Vellut / (CC BY 2.0)

There have been fortifications in and around Lahore since the Stone Age, with coins found there from the fifth century AD. No one knows the exact date of when the fort was first built but the earliest available records show this was more than 1000 years ago.

Lahore fort is located somewhere in the northern part of the walled city. The walled city consists of older parts of Lahore and has a lot of historical structures, mostly dating back from the Mughal era.

The local population of Lahore have called the fort Shahi Qila for several centuries, a name of combined Punjabi and Urdu origins.

There have been various fortifications where the fort is, most of the earlier forts being either partially destroyed, or completely destroyed when sieges of the city were successful.

Destroyers of previous forts have included the Mongols in 1241, and then the army of Amir Tamir in 1398.

Close up of Lahore Fort
Author: Qaseem Ahmad / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

In the years between sieges, or being attacked the fort had to be repaired to make it harder for the next attackers to take it. For example it was reconstructed under the orders of Ghiyas ud bin Balban in 1267.

By 1432 it had been so badly damaged that the ruler of Kabul, Shaikh Ali ordered urgent repairs.

Those repairs came eleven years after Sultan Mubarak Shah Syed had reconstructed the entire fortification in mud.

The Mughals responsible for building the present incarnation of Lahore Fort noted the strategic importance of the area, and it is still considered to be important down to the present day.

The Lahore Fort was constructed during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, who ordered its extensive rebuilding from 1566.

Another beautiful view of the fort
Author: Wasif Malik / (CC BY 2.0)

In terms of architecture it has all the elegance and style normally associated with the Mughals. Whilst it looks elegant Lahore Fort was also designed to be a formidable fortress.

Akbar ordered such features as the royal balcony (Jharoka-e-Darshan) and the Masjidi Gate.

Akbar’s successors, especially Jehangir and Shahjahan added other features to the fort. The former added Doulat Khana-e-Jaghanir(Treasury Room of Jehangir), the latter being responsible for the Shish Mahal (Palace of Mirrors), Khawabgah (Sleeping Quarters), and the Khilwat Khana (Place of Isolation).

Shahjahan even added a mosque in the grounds of the fort, namely the Moti Masjid, or Pearl Mosque, built in 1633.

Moti Mosque, located inside the fort’s premises
Author: Mustafa / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The fort did not change hands again until 1758, when it was captured by Raghunathrao who led the Maratha forces to victory.

Within several years the Maratha had made way for the city and fort to be ruled by the Bhangi Sikh Dynasty. They in turn were ousted by the Maharaja Ranjit Sigh. Singh and his successors remained in charge until the British invaded the whole of the Punjab in 1849.

After the end of the Mughal empire the British also considered the maintaining of control over the Lahore Fort as important for the security of the Indian Raj.

Shish Mahal in the fort
Author: Omer Wazir / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The British knew from first hand experience how difficult it was to gain control of this citadel. When the British conquered the fort they found out that the Sikhs had further strengthened the fortress as they had expected conflict with the British. After all they had to do to take control of the fort from the Sikhs, the English rulers knew its strategic importance.

The British controlled Lahore Fort from 1849 through to 1947. They used Lahore as a base for unsuccessful attempts to take control of Afghanistan.

The Fort has been under Pakistan’s control since the country’s independence in 1947.

View from Moti Masjid(Mosque)
Author: Qaseem Ahmad / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Facts About Tarragona, Spain

April 1, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Tarragona is a small city located in the Catalonia region on the northeast coastline of Spain, that runs along the Mediterranean Sea. The exact year the city was founded is unknown but people believe the city to be older than 500 BC. According to some legends the city could be as old as
2407 BC. Tarragona was inhabited by Hispanic tribes until it was captured by Roman Forces in 218 BC. Later the city was ruled by Muslim Caliphs and then Christian Kings. Modern day Tarragona is part of the Catalonia community in Spain.

Tarragona City
Author: Kunal Mukherjee / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Tarragona has a total area of 57.9km2 with an elevation of 68m above sea level.

The city has a population of more than 132000 thousand individuals. The average age of people living in the city is 40 years, while the average life expectancy is 78 for men and 84 for women.

The city has a hot and humid climate in summers and mildly cool winters. The average temperature during summers is around 20°C while in winters it’s about 11°C.

The average annual temperature is approximately 15-16 °C. Tarragona receives an average rainfall of 560mm per year.

Roman amphitheater in Tarragona
Author: Mike McBey / (CC BY 2.0)

Tarragona is an important economic hub of Catalonia and is considered the second most important financial center of Catalonia.

The city’s economy is mainly run by its petrochemical industry. It represents about 25% of Spain’s chemical industry as a whole and is considered the chemical hub of Southern Europe.

Tarragona also has a busy sea port which plays a very important role in Spain’s economy.

Ruins of a Roman palace
Author: Jorge Franganillo / (CC BY 2.0)

Tarragona is also famous for the Castell (human tower) at its festivals. This is an integral part of Catalonian culture. People climb on top of each other to form a short tower called the Castell.

Because Tarragona used to be a Roman Colony, it has a rich roman heritage and a lot of roman archaeological sites and walls still exist in the city. Many of the new buildings and structures of the modern day city are built on the ruins of the Roman era.

An ancient Roman aqueduct in Tarragona
Author: Gpatgn / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

One of these roman relics is an old amphitheater located near the sea. This amphitheater also has the ruins of a church that belonged to the Knights Templar.

Apart from the amphitheater, the city has other roman remains which include some walls, a citadel, a Roman palace, a Roman circus and also the remains of an old aqueduct which was used to transport freshwater during the Roman era.

Sunset overTarragona

Tarragona at night
Author: Juan Sáez / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Facts About Sunnyvale City, California

March 24, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Sunnyvale is part of the silicon valley in Santa Clara, California, USA. The city is famous for being one of the major tech hubs in USA. A lot of tech and defense companies have their offices in the city.

Sunnyvale, California

The total area of the city is 58.8km2. 1.8km2 of this area is water.

The town was named Sunnyvale on March 24,1901. It was named Sunnyvale because of its sunny climate in contrast to its surrounding areas which had a foggy climate.

Sunnyvale officially became a city in 1912. Ms. Edwina Benner was elected as the first mayor of Sunnyvale in 1924.

Sunnyvale has a population of more than 140000 according to a census conducted in 2010.

Murphy Avenue, Sunnyvale. Named after Martin Murphy, Jr, the man who planted the first orchard in Santa Clara Valley
Author: Vadim Manuylov / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Average size of a family in Sunnyvale is 3.15

The median age of people living in Sunnyvale is 36.

The city has an unemployment rate of about 2.2%.

Average household income of a family living in Sunnyvale is about $121546 US dollars per year.

The combined GDP of the San Jose – Sunnyvale- Sana Clara area is $275 billion USD.

Yahoo Headquarters in Sunnyvale.
Author: Coolcaesar / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The city has warm and dry summers with mildly cool winters. Temperature in Sunnyvale varies from 6-44°C throughout the span of an year.

Average rainfall in the city is 584mm per year.

The city has offices of some major tech and defense companies including Yahoo, Advanced Micro Devices(AMD), LinkedIn, Lockheed Martin, Apple and Google.

Some famous people from Sunnyvale include actress Teri Hatcher, economist Max Lorenz, scientist Charles Walton and rapper Antonio William.

Sunset in Sunnyvale.
Author: Dileep Eduri / (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Facts About Havasu Waterfall

March 20, 2019 By admin Leave a Comment

Havasu water falls are located somewhere in the middle of the huge cliffs and ridges of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. This waterfall is a part of the Havasupai Indian reservation and are part of the Havasu Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River.

Havasu Waterfall

Before 1910 water flowed along the whole cliff lining in multiple streams but due to some major floods the geography of the water fall has changed considerably and now water flows from just one point in a single stream.

Before 1910, this water fall was known as the Bridal Veil Fall.

The water fall is not very high and has an estimated height of 27-30 meters.

This picture was taken in the year 1900, when water flowed in multiple streams over the rock terrace.

The high presence of Limestone and Magnesium in the waterfall’s reservoir gives the water a green-blue appearance.

Havasu waterfall is part of the Havasupai Indian Reservation.

Havasu Falls at Sunrise
Author: Paul Kordwig / (CC BY-SA 4.0)

“Havasupai” means people of “blue-green” waters.

It’s also a popular camping and swimming site for visitors and tourists.

Havasu Waterfall

The Havasupai reservation gets about 20000 visitors every year, and though the region has a lot of other places to visit , a lot of these visitors come just to catch a glimpse of this fantastic piece of nature and occasionally, also to take a dip in its blue-green waters.

Havasu Waterfall at night
Author: Jeremy Evans/Flickr / (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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