Archive for the ‘Countries’ Category

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Centuries ago, Portugal was a pioneer of worldwide exploration. Until recently, however, it was never as successful in attracting visitors to its own shores. Outside of greater Lisbon, the Algarve, and the island of Madeira, Portugal remained unknown and undiscovered by the mainstream visitor for many decades. Today's travelers are beginning to realize that Portugal was unjustly overlooked. It offers sandy beaches, art treasures, flavorful ... Full story

THE ORIGINS The ancient kingdom of Baktria, Balkaria or Balhara was established on today’s territory of southern Tadjikistan and northern Afghanistan. Since a couple of years, this region has revealed several archeological sites; some specialists even say that one of the mummies found near the city of Baktria could be the oldest ever discovered. Also, several small figurines were found in the town, somehow those objects ... Full story

Addresses -- When writing addresses in Brazil, the street number follows the name of the street ("Av. Atlântica 2000" would roughly translate as "2000 Atlantic Ave."). Often in smaller towns a street name will be followed by the abbreviation "s/n." This stands for sem numero (without number), and is used when a building sits on a street but has no identifying number. Other words ... Full story

History by Nigel Worden -- A professor of history specializing in Indian Ocean history No visitor to India can fail to be overwhelmed by the combination of a bustling, modernizing nation and an ancient but omnipresent past. India's history is everywhere, in its temples and mosques, forts and palaces, tombs and monuments, but it has only recently become a single country, which makes its history a complex ... Full story

American Express -- Report lost or stolen cards by calling tel. 0124/28-1800 from anywhere in India; or call tel. 98109-00800 (Delhi) or tel. 98926-00800 (Mumbai). Area Codes -- The international telephone access code for India is 91. All numbers listed in this guide include the local area code (which you would dial from another Indian town or city); this is separated from the actual telephone number ... Full story

Ancient History (ca. 30,000 B.C.-A.D. 710) -- According to mythology, Japan's history began when the sun goddess, Amaterasu, sent one of her descendants down to the island of Kyushu to unify the people of Japan. Unification, however, was not realized until a few generations later when Jimmu, the great-grandson of the goddess's emissary, succeeded in bringing all of the country under his rule. Because of ... Full story

The Early People -- Archaeologists believe that Thailand was a major thoroughfare for homo erectus en route from Africa to China and other parts of Asia. Stone tools, dating back some 700,000 years have been excavated around Lampang in northern Thailand. Cave paintings, found throughout the country, are believed to originate as early as 2000 B.C.; these show people dancing and hunting, as well ... Full story

Pre-Columbian Society & The Spanish Conquest Cuba was not populated by overachieving civilizations in the days before the arrival of the Spanish, as, for example, Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru were. However, Native American tribes that included the Siboney, Taíno, and Guanajatabey (the group that would come to be known as the Arawaks), numbered about 100,000 and had lived on the island since at least 1000 ... Full story

Abbreviations -- Dept. (apartments); Apdo. (post office box); Av. (avenida; avenue); c/ (calle; street); Calz. (calzada; boulevard). "C" on faucets stands for caliente (hot); "F" stands for fría (cold). "PB" (planta baja) means ground floor; in most buildings the next floor up is the first floor (1). Business Hours -- In general, businesses in larger cities are open between 9am and 7pm; in smaller towns ... Full story