Zermatt is a town in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It covers an area of ninety-three square miles and has a population of almost six thousand residents, though the population tends to fluctuate wildly as tourists come and go. Zermatt is located at the edge of the Matter Valley and has an altitude of over sixteen hundred feet. The town is dense, but is relatively small geographically. It has three major streets, which are intersected by a number of cross streets. This makes every destination in town no more than a thirty minute walk. Around the town are several smaller suburban settlements which include Winkelmatten and Steinmatten. In the valleys above the town are several hamlets. These include Zum See, Zmutt, Findeln and Riffelalp. Few of these hamlets are inhabited year round, however. The name of the town is derived from the German word for valley, matten. Originally, Zermatt’s name was Zur Matte and later evolved to its current form. The major language spoken in this Swiss town is German, though English is also spoken prominently.

During the nineteenth century, Zermatt was primarily an agricultural settlement. It was also during this time that an intense competition began among climbers looking to conquer the Matterhorn. British climber Edward Whymper made several unsuccessful attempts at traversing the mountain from the Italian side, but in 1865 he learned that Charles Hudson was going to attempt to climb it from the Swiss side. He quickly assembled his team which included George Hadow, Peter Taugwalder, Michel Croz and Lord Francis Douglas, and quickly crossed the Theodulpass to join Hudson. On the fourteen of July, Edward Whymper and his team realized their dream of ascending the mountain. But, this dream soon turned into a nightmare as George Hadow lost his foot and slipped. He tumbled onto Michel Croz and as a result, Lord Francis Douglas and Charles Hudson were pulled from the face of the cliff. In a matter of seconds, the four climbers plummeted fourteen thousand feet down the north wall to their deaths. News of the event traveled around the world, and the town of Zermatt and the Matterhorn soon became objects of fascination.

Today, the town is a popular tourists attraction. It is dominated by the Matterhorn Peak, which rises over fourteen thousand feet. It is also surrounded by other mountains which include Dent Blanche, Weisshorn, Gabelhorn, Zinal-Rothorn, Dom and Monte Rosa. And thats only a small list. Zermatt has over twenty-nine mountains in all. The area also contains nine out of ten of the tallest mountains in Europe. All year long the Matterhorn and the other mountains in the area attract thousands of climbers from all over the world. When visitors reach Zermatt they are often left speechless at its unspoiled beauty. One of the first things that visitors will notice upon their entry into the town is that there isn’t any cars in the area. This is by design, so that the view of the mountain peaks aren’t obscurred by car exhaust. The entire town is a combustion engine free zone. Only electric vehicles are allowed to be operated in the town. The only gas powered vehicles that are allowed in the town are fire trucks, police cars, garbage trucks and ambulances. The town is serviced by electric taxi’s and buses and the hotels operate electric shuttles to run guests from the train station to the hotels. Horse drawn carriages can also be found in Zermatt. Currently, the town is looking into other options to boost the passenger capacity of it’s transportation networks. Options that are being considered include moving sidewalks, gondolas, a funicular, metro station and the addition of more electric buses.

It can be easily seen why the town is a popular tourist destination, just by looking at a few statistics of the town. Zermatt has the largest summer skiing area (nine lifts run all year long), the longest winter skiing season (November to May) and the highest ski lift in Europe, the Klein Matterhorn, which rises over twelve thousand feet. This makes the town one of the premier skiing destinations in Europe. Here are some other fun facts about the town. Zermatt contains four pharmacies, five doctors and one dentist. There are four helicopters which service the town from Heliport Zermatt. There are many boutiques, clothing outlets, sport stores and dry cleaners. Zermatt has two photo shops and a post office that has amemnities such as telephones, public fax machines and Telex. The hotels in the town offer over thirteen thousand beds and there are also three supermarkets in the town.

Linking the town of Zermatt to Gornergrat is the Gornergratbahn. The Gornergrat is a popular beginning point for many hikers because the trails are surrounded by twenty-nine mountain peaks and a couple of glaciers such as the second biggest glacier in the Alps, Gorner Glacier. Construction on the Gornergratbahn began in 1896 and it was finished two years later. It was originally started to only be used during the summer, but in 1942, it started year round operation. In 2004, it was rennovated. The line of the Gornergratbahn is over thirty thousand feet in length and features twelve thousand feet of double track. This mountain railway can service over twenty-four hundred people an hour. The Matterhorn is at the railway’s termination and stops along the way include Findelbach, Riffelboden, Riffelalp, Rotenboden, Riffelberg and Gornergrat. There are three star hotels located at Riffelalp, Riffelberg and Gornergrat. Gornergrat also contains an observatory called the Kolner Observatorium fur SubMillimeter Astronomie. This observatory has a nine foot radio telescope and is operated by the Physikalisches Institut and the University of Bonn.

Other attractions in the town of Zermatt include Zermatt Fun Park, Bernina Pass, Pollux Peak and Dent Blanche. The town also has numerous restaurants and hotels. Restaurants in the town include The Omnia, Restaurant Walliserkanne, The Cervo, Le Mazot Muther Roger, Klein Matterhorn and the Findlerhof. Prominent hotels in the town of Zermatt include Mont Cervin Palace, Matterhorn Hostel, Grand Hotel Zermatterhof, Le Petit Hotel Zermatt, Seiler Hotel Schweizerhof, Walliserhof R. Inderbinen-Welschen and the BW Hotel Butterfly.

Tianjin is a provincial level city located in the People’s Republic of China. It is the sixth largest city in the country and covers an area forty-five hundred square miles with a population of over eleven million people. This city is situated on the Hai He River. Tianjin is just south of Beijing and west of the Bohai Gulf. Prior to 1404, Tianjin was name Zhigu and it wasn’t until later in the fifteenth century, when the Grand Canal of China was opened, that the city would blossom into a trading hub.

Tianjin’s economy is driven by manufacturing, fishing and farming. Major industries in the city include car manufacturing, mechanical industries, petrochemical industries, textiles and salt production. Transportation through the city is handled by air, bus and rail. The major airport in the area is Tianjin Binhai International Airport and the city has four rail lines. The rail lines in the city are Jingshan Railway, Jinpu Railway, Jinji Railway and Tianjin Jinba Railway.

Tourism is another important part of Tianjin’s economy. One of the most popular attractions in the city is the Dabeiyuan Monastery. This monastery is located on the Tianwei Road in the Hebei District of the city. It is known to locals as the Daci Dabei Kwan-yin houses. This monastery is one of the oldest and well preserved buildings in the entire city. Dabeiyuan Monastery was erected during the end of the Ming Dynasty. The golden age of the monastery, and the period when it went through the most renovations is the Quing Dynasty. The Dabeiyuan Monastery covers an area of over ten thousand square miles and consists of two main parts, the Western Monastery and the Eastern Monastery. The western portion was erected in 1669 and the eastern portion was built in 1940. The western portion is home to the Tianjin Buddhist Institute, and consist of Buddhist Abbot Hall and Wenwu Hall. The eastern portion consists of Dabei Hall, Tianwang Hall, Grand Hall and Dizang Hall.

The Grand Hall of the Dabeiyuan Monastery is set in the middle of this building and its main feature are hundreds of statues carved in wood, stone, iron and bronze. The statues are representations of famous Chinese Buddhist and deities including Maitreya, Sakyamuni and Kwan-yin. Dabei Hall contains the statue of Kwan-yin. This statue has twenty four arms and a very spooky pair of eyes. Inside Tianwang Hall lies the statue of Buddha Maitreya. On either side are the statues of the Heavenly King.

Another prominent attraction in Tianjin is the Tianjin Great Mosque. This mosque is one of the most famous mosques in all of China. It was erected during the Qing Dynasty and covers an area of over fifteen thousand square feet. This mosque is composed of four main features. These include the Archway, Prayer Hall, Screen Wall and Preaching Hall. Inside the mosque are over sixty tablets written in both Chinese and Arabic. These have been written by famous calligraphers and some of them are over three hundred years old. A fascinating feature of this mosque is that it contains two miniature Qurans. Each one of them is about the size of half of a match box. This mosque is still a very active part of the community and over a thousand Muslims come here to worship every week.

The Huangyaguan Great Wall is another attraction to see in the city. This is a beautiful example of ancient Chinese military know-how and was erected during the Northern Qi Dynasty. The Jinmen Guli is another site to visit in the city. Actually, this is an old street where visitors can find all manner of goods for sale. These include antiques, jade items, sculptures and handmand crafts.

A beautiful museum in the city is the Tianjin Museum. This is one of the biggest musuems in the city and covers an area of one hundred and fifty thousand square feet. The building has a very unique design that makes it look like a swan spreading its downy wings. Inside this museum is an extensive collection of ancient Chinese artifacts and art. This includes over two hundred thousand items of paintings, bronzeware, jade items, seals, bones, coin and historic documents.

The Tianjin Water Park is a large waterpark located in the city. It was established in 1951 and covers an area of over one hundred and twenty-six hectares. This waterpark contains many different kinds of log flumes, boat rides and swimming pools. This park is the most popular attraction in the entire city.

Tianjin is a city that goes out of its way to attract tourist. This city has many shops, street vendors, restaurants, cafes and hotels littered all over. There are also a large number of historical and cultural attractions. These include the Boxer Rebellion Museum (Luzutang), Guwan Shichang Antique Market, Wen Miao Confucius Temple, Yuhuangge Taoist Temple, Temple of Great Compassion (a Zen Buddist Temple), St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Tianjin Jewish Synagogue, Tianjin Zoo, Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, Our Lady of Victory Church, Memorial to Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao, The Century Clock of Tianjin, Wu Da Dao, Tianjin Eye, Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev Theme Park, TEDA Football Stadium and Lishunde Grand Hotel.

Miami Beach is an American city that is situated in the Florida county of Miami Dade. It covers an area of nineteen square miles and has a population of over eighty-seven thousand resident. It is situated on the barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay and is separated from Miami by the bay. This city can trace its history back to the nineteenth century when Henry Lum arrived to the southeast Florida sandbar by sailboat and became impressed by the area. He was so taken by the island that he decided to buy it from the federal government for twenty-five cents an acre. Later on he would sell the property to Elnathan Field and Ezra Osborne, and they then sold it to John S. Collins. Collins secured a loan and built a bridge to connect the island to the city of Miami. Two years later, in 1915, Miami Beach was incorporated as a city.

In 1979, the Art Deco Historic District made it to the list of the National Register of Historic Places. This district contains the highest concentration of Art Deco architecture in the entire world and contains hundreds of apartment buildings, hotels and other since structures that were built between 1923 and 1942. Since the district was built rapidly there is a stunning consistency in the architecture of the area. This can be seen quite clearly and the district also manages to seamlessly combine the Art Deco style with other architectural styles such as Streamline Modern, International and Mediterranean. This district contains almost a thousand historic buildings and is bounded by Sixth Street, Alton Road, Twenty Third Street, Dade Boulevard and the Atlantic Ocean. The Art Deco Historic District (also known as the Miami Beach Architectural District) has many beautiful hotels that embody its unique approach to architecture. These include hotels such as the Amsterdam, Viscay Hotel, Essex House and the South Beach Hotel.

One of the most popular areas of Miami Beach is the neighborhood of South Beach. This area is a major entertainment destination and contains many hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and boutiques. South Beach not only attracts American tourists but also attracts tourists from Canada, Europe, Latin America and Israel. The large number of European visitors to the area accounts for much of the tolerance afforded to female sunbathers who are often topless in this area. It also accounts for the large amount of European languages which are spoken here. Languages spoken among residents in this area include Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, German, Italian and Russian. Less than one percent of the population speak Hebrew or Yiddish, however. This area is also home to a number of parks which include Lummus Park, South Beach Park, South Pointe Park, Collins Park, Flamingo Park and Washington Park. Haulover Park is a park that is operated by Miami Dade County. Its bordered by the Village of Bal Harbour and the City of Sunny Isles Beach. The park has picnic areas, barbeque pits, a nine hole golf course, a marina, six tennis courts and Haulover Beach. Haulover Beach is a one and a half mile beach that is officially recognized by the county as a clothing optional beach.

A popular attraction in the Miami Beach area is Fisher Island. Fisher Island was named after developer Carl G. Fisher, who at one point in time owned it. This artificial island was created in 1905 by a land reclamation project around Miami Beach. In 1925, Fisher traded the island to William Kissam Vanderbilt in exchange for a luxury yacht. In 1944, William Kissam Vanderbilt died and ownership of the island was transferred to Edward Moore. After his death in the early 1950s, the island was then bought by Gar Wood. The island would go through a number of different hands, development of the island was finally started in the 1980s. The island attempted to incorporate as a city in 2005, but the intiative was denied by the Miami-Dade County Commission. Today, the island contains a hotel, apartment buildings, a country club and several mansions.

Another popular attraction in the city is the Wolfsonian Florida International University Museum. This museum is dedicated to late nineteenth can early twentieth century design. The museum was established in 1986 by Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. as a way to display his own personal collection of art. In 1997, he donated the building and its contents to Florida International University. The museum has three floors and covers an area of fifty-six thousand square feet. Its collection contains books, sculptures, paintings, posters and decorative arts. Artist encompassed by the collection include Donald Deskey, John Vassos, Walter Dorwin Teague, Kem Weber and Nieuwe Kunst. Current, past and upcoming exhibitions include Styled for the Road: The Art of Automobile Design (1908-1948), Traffic!, Thoughts on Democracy, Meet Me at The Citrus Fair, A Bittersweet Decade: The New Deal in America (1933-43) and Modernism In American Silver: 20th-Century Design.

Other attractions in the city of Miami Beach include the Sanford L. Ziff Jewish Museum, Spa 101, Lincoln Road, Holocaust Memorial, Miami Design Preservation League Tour, Espanola Way, Miami Beach Golf Club, Bass Museum of Art, Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue, The Versace Mansion, Haulover Inlet, Miami City Ballet, Jackie Gleason Theater, New World Symphony, Spa at The Standard Miami, Russian and Turkish Baths, World Erotic Art Museum, Colony Theater, 8th Street Designer District, Sunset Cinema’s Movies on the Beach, Aquasino, Miami Beach Convention Center and South Beach Sensations. The city is also home to several popular bars, restaurants and hotels. Bars and restaurants in the area include Wet Willie’s, Automatic Slim’s, Mac’s Club Deuce, Mango’s Tropical Cafe, Nikki Beach, The Fifth, Barton G Restaurant, Balans Restaurant, Tantra Restaurant & Lounge and Emeril’s Restaurant. Hotels in the city include Loews Miami Beach Hotel, Ritz Plaza Hotel, The Royal Palm Hotel and the Lorraine Hotel Beach Resort. Miami Beach is a city that is dedicated to fun in the sun, fun and exciting nightclubs, and entertainment for the entire family.

Nanjing is a sub-province of The People’s Republic China and is located in the Yangtze River Delta. This city covers an area of over two thousand square miles and has a population of over five million people. This city was one of the earliest cities established in the southern region of China by Lord of the State of Wu, Fu Chai.

During the Ming Dynasty, the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang made Nanjing the capital of China. He then proceeded to construct the longest wall of its time. It took the work of over two hundred thousand laborers and the better part of two decades to complete. This city would remain the capital until 1422, when the emperor relocated the capital to Beijing. Two hundred and fifty years after the capital was relocated to Beijing, Nanjing would once again become the capital.

In 1644, Li Zicheng’s rebels invaded Beijing and the emperor Zhu Youjian commited suicide. Prince Zhu Yousong was then moved to Nanjing for his safety and placed upon the throne as the Hongguang Emperor. But his rule would be both short and unsuccessful. Manchu troops sacked Jiangnan and the Hongguang Emperor fled his throne. Manchu troops then approached the city of Nanjing and the city was promptly surrendered to them. The next important event in the history of Nanjing was the invasion of the city by British troops during the First Opium War. This invasion was halted by the Treaty of Nanking. Another milestone in the history of the city occurred during the Xinhai Revolution when the city as once again selected as the capital. This would be fleeting as the Qing Dynasty still had control over the northern provinces. Yuan Shikai replaced Dr. Sun Yat-sen and demanded the capital be once again moved to Beijing.

One of the most prominent attractions in Nanjing is the Nanjing Confucius Temple. This temple was constructed in 1034 during the Song Dynasty. It was established as a place to consecrate the name of Confucius. Over the years the temple was damaged several times and subsequently rebuilt. It received its greatest damage in 1937 when it was burned nearly to the ground by invading Japanese forces. During the 1980s the local government rebuilt it. To the front of the temple is the Qin Huai River. Inside the temple are several key features. One is the statue of Confucius. The other one is a collection of thirty-eight panels composed of gold, silver and jade. These panels chronicle the life of Confucius. Also located here is are eight marble statues of Confucius’ disciples. Around the outside of the temple are restaurants, cafes and tourist shops.

The biggest imperial tomb in China is the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. This mausoleum is situated at the southern portion of Zhongshan Mountain. It was built in 1381 and construction was completed in 1431. This museum is divided into two sections. One part is the main body of the mausoleum and the other part is the Sacred Way part. At the entrance is the Dismounting Archway and the Tablet Pavilion. This site is listed as a World Heritage Site.

Another mausoleum in Nanjing is Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum. It covers an area of over two hundred and forty thousand feet and is situated in the Zhong Mountain Scenic Area. This mausoleum was erected in 1929. Key features of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum include the Memorial Archway, Sacrificial Hall, Zhengqi Pavilion, Waxwork Home of Democratic Revolution, the Sun Yat-sen Museum and the Open-air Music Hall.

A must see site to see while visiting Nanjing is the Linggu Temple. This temple is located just east of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum. It was built during the Liang Dynasty. Over the years this temple has been called by a variety of different name. Its current name was given to it by the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang. Inside the temple is the Xuanzang Memorial Hall. This hall was built in honor of Xuanzang, who was a monk who lived during the Tang Dynasty. Other key features of the temple include Linggu Pagoda, Songfeng Pavilion and Non-beam Hall.

Nanjing Museum is a museum that covers almost thirteen hectares and is located in the Zhongshan Gate. Nanjing Museum was establised in 1933 and contains over two thousand items of a cultural and national interest. Inside this museum you will see paintings, porcelain items and historic relics.

Zijinshan Observatory, also known as the Purple Mountain Observatory, is situated in the Zhong Mountain Scenic Area. This observatory was constructed in 1934 and is one of the most famous observatories in all of China. It contains a sixty centimeter reflecting telescope and a twenty centimeter refracting telescope. Also located here are ancient astronomical instruments which include Armillary Sphere, Simplified Armillary Sphere, Celestial Globe and the Gnomon of the Ming Dynasty. The Nanjing Astronomy and History Museum is also located here. The museum contains three exhibition halls.

Other attractions in the city include Mochou Lake, Mount Qixia, The Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre, Xuanwu Lake, Xuyuan Garden, Yangtze River Bridge, Zhanyuan Garden and Zhonghua Gate. This city is also filled with many gardens, restaurants and hotels. There is a little bit of everything here for the curious tourist.

Salt Lake City is the capital of the state of Utah and is also its most populous city. It covers an area of one hundred and ten square miles and has a population of over one hundred and eighty thousand residents. Residents of the city often shorten its name to SLC or Salt Lake. The metropolitan area of the city covers Tooele and Summit Counties and they have a estimated total population of over a million people. Salt Lake City has a service based economy and major economic activities of the city include government services, trade, utilities and professional services. Major employers in the city include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, University of Utah, Sinclair Oil Corporation, Smith’s Food and Drug, Alpha Graphics and Deseret Management Corporation.

Salt Lake City can trace its history back to the mid nineteenth century. This is when one hundred and forty-three men, three women and two children founded a settlement a few miles east of Great Salt Lake in the Salt Lake Valley. They were members of the LDS Church, who were seeking to escape religious persecution. Over the next few years, thousands of Mormon would flood into Salt Lake. After the death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young would lead the followers west until he found the suitable location for the settlement. Salt Lake City was settled to serve as the New Zion of the Mormon faith according to Brigham Young. Brigham Young served as both the governor of the church and the territory until 1848, when a High Council was started to run the community. This system would eventually give way to a more common city government with a council and a mayor. Following their first winter, which was very harsh, the settlers were able to survive by maintaining a very close community with each other based on a communal crop sharing system.

In 1849, the California Gold Rush brought large groups of people through the city as they made their way to find their fortunes out west. Salt Lake City was at the center of the western trek and as a result became an important trading point for prospectors traveling through. Goods from the east were traded with the settlers for crops and livestock. In 1850, the United States government organized the Utah Territory and a year later, the settlement was incorporated as the City of the Great Salt Lake. Five years later, the city was made the capital of the Utah Territory and its name was shortened to Salt Lake City. In 1857, the Mormon practice of polygamy came under intense scrutiny and was declared anti-American. As a result, President James Buchanan sent over twenty-five hundred soldiers, under the name of the Utah Expedition, to keep an eye on the LDS Church and to replace the governor Brigham Young with a governor that was not of the faith. Brigham Young didn’t take it lying down, however. He put the state under martial law and formed a guerrilla force to harass the soldiers. This conflict would become known as the Utah War. Eventually, he bowed to federal control and a new territotial governor replace him, Alfred Cumming.

The outside world started to slowly creep into Salt Lake City. In 1869, the First Transcontinental Railroad arrived at the city and by the following year Salt Lake was linked to it through the Utah Central Rail Road. People started pouring into the city looking for opportunity. During the 1880s, the Edmunds Tucker Act outlawed polygamy and denied prominent members of the Latter Day Saints Church the right to vote or hold office. Polygamist were convicted and interned at the Sugar House area just outside of the city. By 1890, the LDS had agreed to ban polygamy and in 1896, Utah was made a state and Salt Lake City became its capital. During the Great Depression, the city suffered extremely hard economically. Unemployment reached over thirty-six percent and the annual per capita of the residents were cut in half. The city would not recover until World War II, when several defense industries opened up in the city. The military’s demand for raw materials also boosted the mining industry around the city and put a lot of people to work. It was also during this time that several military installations opened in and around the city, including Hill Air Force Base and Fort Douglas. When the war ended, Salt Lake City continued to grow at a brisk pace. As a result, the city began to experience common urban problems such as urban sprawl.

Today, Salt Lake City continues to grow at a brisk pace. The city is also enjoying a nice influx of visitors, which is bolstered by the many attractions that the city offers. A prominent attraction in the city is Hogle Zoo. This zoo is the largest one of its kind in Utah and contains a large cross section of animals. The original location of the zoo was in Liberty Park. Its first exhibits included an elephant, deer, monkeys and birds. It was started in 1931, by a donation by James A. Hogle and his wife. The zoo is now at the mouth of Emigration Canyon and is owned by the city. Another prominent attraction in Salt Lake City is the Church History Museum. This museum is a museum owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and contains a collection of artifacts, pictures and art that chronicles the two hundred year history of the LDS Church. It was opened in April of 1984 and the museum is opened seven days a week with free admission.

Other popular attractions in Salt Lake City include Liberty Park, Wheeler Historic Farm, Salt Lake Temple, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, The Tracy Aviary, Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Salt Lake City Public Library, Pony Express National Historic Trail, Lagoon Amusement Park, Utah Governor’s Mansion, Brigham Young Monument and Meridian Marker, Great Salt Lake State Park, Memory Grove Park, Clark Planetarium, Hard Rock Cafe, Pioneer Memorial Museum, Red Butte Garden, Classic Cars International Antique Auto Museum of Utah, Utah Museum of Natural History, Bonneville Golf Club, Family History Library, Sugar House Park, Fort Douglas Military Museum, Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Art, Delta Center, Salt Lake City Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, Family Search Center, International Peace Gardens, Discovery Gateway, Raging Waters Water Park, Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, Bald Mountain and Salt Palace Convention Center.