Guide to Places of the World [antikvár]

AA - ABRASIONA to Z guide to the nations of the world, places of interest and geographical terms in common useaa Hawaiian term (pronounced ah-ah) for lava flow that has solidified into jagged, block-like masses. In English, it is called 'block lava'.Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) West GermanyCity near the junction of the borders of Belgium and the Netherlands, about 70 km (43 miles) west of Bonn. It was the capital of Charlemagne, the Frankish king from AD 768 to 814, who conquered most of Europe and was crowned first Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in Rome in 800. The emperor's marble throne and a gold bust containing his relics are in the cathedral, built around the chapel which gives the city its French name. Thirty emperors were crowned there, from 1349 to 1531.Aachen is a university city and spa, and its springs, the hottest in northern Europe, were used by the Romans. Aachen possesses numerous engineering and food-processing industries, and hosts international horse trials. Each year the city presents a Charlemagne award for an outstanding contribution to European unity.Population 250 000_Map West Germany Be_Aargau Switzerland Northern canton in the most level part of Switzerland between Basle and Zürich. Its fertile valleys, cut by tributaries of the River Aare, support dairy and fruit farming, while its mineral springs and small towns attract tourists. The principal town and capital is Aarau (population 16 000), a military and manufacturing centre about 40 km (25 miles) west of Zürich, which makes precision instruments and casts bells. The inhabitants of the canton, which covers 1404 km2 (542 sq miles),are mainly German-speaking Protestants._Population 465 600_Map Switzerland Ba_Aasiaat Greenland See egedesmindeAba Nigeria Industrial town about 450 km (280 miles) east and slightly south of the capital, Lagos. It is growing rapidly as state and private firms strive to escape the overcrowded industrial centres, particularly Lagos. Aba lies near the oil fields of the Niger delta and Port Harcourt, and its products include cement, textiles, plas-tics, shoes, foodstuffs and chemicals._Population 210 700_Map Nigeria Bb_Abadan Iran Oil-refining port on an island in the Shatt al Arab waterway, about 50 km (30 miles) north of The Gulf. It also has a petrochemical complex, producing plastics and detergents. Abadan has been badly damaged during the war between Iran and Iraq, which started in 1980. Previously it was the world's largestexporter of petroleum products._Population 296 000_Map Iran Aa_Abeche Chad Capital of the south-eastern prefecture of Ouaddai, about 650 km (405 miles)east and slightly north of the capital, Ndjamena. It lies in a semidesert region, and is a trading centre for nomad caravans, with markets and mosques. Gum arabic is produced locally, but a Chinese-financed groundnut-growing schemefailed._Population 54 000_Map Chad Bb_Abeokuta Nigeria Industrial town about 75 km (45 miles) north of the capital, Lagos. It was founded in 1830 as a stronghold against invasion by Dahomeyans from what is now Benin. Its inhabitants adopted Western-style education after European missionaries arrived in 1847, and it became for a time the largest town in West Africa.Abeokuta now has many traditional craftsmen, including blacksmiths, carpenters, potters and dyers, and large-scale industries such as quarrying, plastics, food processing and breweries. However, most people still earn their living in the production of cocoa and of palm oil,used in margarine and cooking fats._Population 301 100_Map Nigeria Ab_Abercorn Zambia See mbalaAberdare Mountains Kenya Mountain range to the north of Nairobi rising to 3994 m (13 104 ft) at Mount Lesatima, and dropping steeply in the west into the Great Rift Valley. Aberdare National Park occupies 788 km2 (304 sq miles) of the lower slopes. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was visiting the Treetops Hotel in the park when she acceded to the throne in February1952._Map Kenya Cb_Aberdeen Hong Kong Small industrial town on the south-western coast of hong kong island. It is separated from the small island of Ap Lei Chau by a narrow stretch of water. Developed as a fishing village after the arrival of the British in Hong Kong in the mid-19th century, Aberdeen is famous for its concentration of boat people - Chinese who live on junks and sampans in the harbour - and for its floating restaurants. Some of these restaurants are like multistorey palaces, ablaze with lightsafter dark.__Population 92 554_Map Hong Kong Cb_Aberdeen United Kingdom City on the east coast of Scotland, in Grampian region. It is known as the Granite City because much of it is built of the locally quarried stone. It has a university, founded before 1500, and three cathedrals, the oldest of which, St Machar's, dates back to the 14th century. It is also a fishing port, and thrived in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the headquarters and transport centre for the North Sea oil industry-Population 214 000_Map United Kingdom Db_Abertawe United Kingdom See swanseaAbha Saudi Arabia Capital of Asir province, 575 km (357 miles) south of Jeddah. Set 2100 m (6890 ft) above sea level in the Asir mountains, Abha has a temperate climate with light summer rains and winter mists. The old Arab town -one of the most picturesque in Saudi Arabia -has acquired a number of modern buildings, including a hospital and government offices-