Saint Louis is a city that is located in the state of Missouri, in the United States. It covers an area of sixty-six square miles and has a population of around three hundred and fifty thousand people. This makes the city the third most populated city in state of Missouri and the sixteenth largest in the country. Saint Louis is known as the “Gateway to the West” because of it importance in the western expansion of the United States. The city is also one of the biggest centers of Roman Catholicism in the country, due to the extensive Spanish and French colonization in its early history.

The history of Saint Louis can be traced back to prehistoric times when the area on which the city is located was occupied by Native American mound builders who built numerous burial mounds along the Mississippi River. All but one of these mounds have since been destroyed, with the remaining mound being located across the Mississippi in Collinsville, Illinois and is known as Cahokian Mounds. Exploration of the area began in the seventeenth century when two French explorers, Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette traveled through the Mississippi River Valley. Five years later, in 1678, La Salle claimed the Mississippi River Valley for France. He called the area Louisiana after the French king Louis XIV, and the French also referred to the area as Illinois Country. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, the French had numerous settlements down river of the region which included Sainte Genevieve, Prairie du Pont, Kaskaskia and Fort de Chartres.

Pierre Laclede, his stepson and a small exploratory force traveled up the Mississippi in 1764 and began chose the site for a new settlement located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. After selecting the sit he then traveled back down to Fort de Chartres. The following year, in February of 1765, Pierre Laclede sent his stepson Auguste Chouteau and thirty men back to the site to establish the colony. The city experienced a rapid growth as French fur traders from around the area began to flock to the new settlement. Other small colonies began to develop around the settlement and these included Saint Charles, Fleurissant (now known as Florisant), Portage des Siox and Carondelet (which was incorporated in the city). It was also during this time that Saint Louis became the capital of Upper Louisiana. Between the 1768 and 1800, the city was transferred to the Spanish and was ruled by several Spanish governors. In 1800, the Spanish returned the sparsely populated area back to the French under the conditions of the Treaty of San Ildefonso. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson acquired the city, along with the rest of the region, as a part of the Louisiana Purchase. This transfer of power was witnessed by the citizens of the city in 1804. On March 8, the Spanish flag was lowered as the French raised their flag. Two days later, the French flag was lowered and the flag of the United States was raised.

In May of 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition left the Saint Louis area and traveled up to the Pacific Ocean, mapping the area as they traversed it. In 1820, Missouri became an official state of the United States and Saint Louis was incorporated as a city in December of 1822. Five years later, a United States military arsenal was constructed in the city. All during the nineteenth century, Saint Louis experienced a rapid period of economic expansion as it became known as a center of commerce and inland port. After 1840, Saint Louis received a large influx of immigrants, most of them lower class, from Germany, Italy, Ireland and Bohemia. This caused the city’s population to explode from twenty thousand resident in 1840 to over one hundred and sixty thousand by 1860. This increase in population was remarkable considering that in 1849 the city suffered two catastrophic disasters. The first disaster was a cholera epidemic that killed ten percent of the population and the second one was a fire that destroyed a large portion of the city. These two events led to an expansive construction that included the construction of sewer and water utilities and a new building code that required buildings to be constructed of stone or brick. Much of the brick that was used in the construction of the new buildings were acquired from a brick factory in Irondale, Missouri which used clay taken from the Big River.

Today, Saint Louis is a city that contains many historic landmarks and museums. One of the most recognizable landmarks in the city is the Gateway Arch. The Gateway Arch is the icon of the city and an important part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. It was designed by architect Eero Saarinen and structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947. Its construction began in February of 1963 and was completed in October of 1965. It stands six hundred and thirty feet tall and is also six hundred and thirty feet wide at its base. Its composed of reinforced concrete, carbon steel and iron rebar with a stainless steel skin. The interior of the structure is hollow and features a tram system that leads to an observation deck at the top. It also contains two emergency stairwells that contain one thousand and seventy-six steps each.

Other prominent attractions in the city include the New Cathedral (Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis), the Old Cathedral (Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France), an Italian neighborhood known as The Hill, Forest Park, The Muny, the Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Science Center, Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum, Lemp Mansion, The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, City Museum, Tower Grove Park, Fox Theater, Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis University Museum of Art, Busch Stadium, Saint Louis Union Station, Eugene Field House, Laclede’s Landing, Sheldon Concert Hall, Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Soulard Market District, Chatillon-de-Menil House, Robert G. Campbell House, the Old Courthouse, the Wainwright Building, Powell Symphony Hall, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, T.R. Hughes Ballpark, Edward Jones Dome, Scottrade Center, Westport Plaza, Missouri Botanical Garden, Citygarden, Roberts Tower, Saint Louis Abbey, Millenium Hotel and the Lewis and Clark Sculpture.

Famous people from the city of Saint Louis include Maya Angelou, Josephine Baker, Scott Bakula, Yogi Berra, Chuck Berry, Linda Blair, Daniel Boone, Joe Buck, Adolphus Busch, Kate Capshaw, Nell Carter, Chingy, Arthur Compton, Miles Davis, Phyllis Diller, Jack Dorsey (creator of Twitter), James Eads, Max Factor, Redd Foxx, Betty Grable, James Gunn, Jon Hamm, Sheryl Crow, T.S Elliot, Marianne Moore, Stan Musial, Dustin Nguyen, Dan O’Bannon, Dan O’Bannon, Bob Orton, King Parsons, Vincent Price, Harold Ramis, Edward Saxon, Dred Scott, Henry Shaw, Leon Spinks, Sara Teasdale, Tina Turner, Mark Twain, Rusty Wallace and Mike Shannon.

Xi’an is a sub-provincial city and the capital of the Shaanxi province located in the People’s Republic of China. It is one of the four oldest cities in the country of China and is considered to be one of the four great ancient capitals of China. Xi’an is at the eastern end of the Silk Road and its name means “Western Palace”. This name is not the original name of the city and it has been known by a variety of names over the years. During the Zhou Dynasty is was known as “Fenghao”. during the Han Dynasty it was known as “Chang’an” and during the Sui Dynasty it was known as “Daxing”. Then during the Tang Dynasty it was renamed as “Chang’an”. It would retain this name for many years before being named Xi’an during the Ming Dynasty.

With the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, Xi’an became the political and cultural center of China in the eleventh century. It was situated west of the dual capitals of Feng and Hao. The Zhou Dynasty would then go on to place its capital in the city of Xianyang after the Warring States Period. Qin Shi Huang, the first official emperor of China, would then go on to order construction of the Terracotta Army and the mausoleum just east of Xi’an. During the second century, Liu Bang established the capital in Chang’an County and erected the Changle Palace just across the river. This is considered by many historians to be the official founding date of Xi’an. A couple years later Weiyang Palace was constructed just north of Xi’an. A city wall was also begun during this period and the project took over four years to complete. The completed wall measured twenty five kilometers in length and had a thickness of fourteen meters.

After centuries of civil rest, China would once again be united in 582 during the Sui Dynasty. The emperor commanded that a new capital be built to the southeast of Han. The capital was called Daxing and was composed of three distinct sections. The sections included the Imperial City, a civilian quarter and Xi’an Palace. The city was renamed in the Tang Dynasty as Chang’an. The name was then reverted back to Xi’an.

Today, one of the chief economic activities of Xi’an is software development. In fact, the city is one of the main pioneers of the software industry in China with a export value worth over forty-two billion U.S dollars. Another industry that has a record of robust growth in the city is service outsourcing, especially in the business sector. Over the past few years Xi’an has also had very dramatic growth in the tourism industry. This is due to the beauty and cultural richness of the city and its many unique tourist attractions. That city has distinguished itself as one of the most popular tourist locations in all of China.

The most popular, and intriguing attraction in the city of Xi’an is the The Terracotta Army Museum. This museum lies about a mile east of The Tomb of Qin Shihuang. Qin Shihuang was China’s first emperor and he commanded the creation of this incredible model army. Here lies a complete army made completely of terracotta. There are archers, longbowmen, offices and generals. Each one of them originally had their own unique weapon. This army was buried for more then two millenia. They were discovered in 1974 when farmers accidently discovered the first vault. Over the next couple of years the other two vaults were discovered.

Terracotta Army Pit One is six hundred and thirty feet long and one hundred and eighty-six feet wide. It contains over six thousand terracotta soldiers and horses face east. Terracotta Army Pit Two contains four units, each one measuring two hundred and eighty two feet long and two hundred and fifty-two feet wide. The first row contains archers, the second row contains chariots, the third unit is composed of both infantry and chariot units, and the fourth is composed of infantry.

The Exhibition Hall of Qinling Bronze Carriage is another fascinating attraction. Inside are two bronze carriages that were found sixty feet from the Tomb of Qin Shihuang. They are about ten feet long and three feet high. Even though they are mainly composed of bronze, each one contains about seventeen hundred pieces of gold and ornamentation.

Another prominent attraction in the city is Shanxi Provincial Museum. This building covers an area of two hundred and ten thousand feet and is home to over thirty-seven thousand historical artifacts recovered from excavations from all over the Shaanxi Province. Things in the collection include bronzeware, terracotta figures, murals and gold crafted items. The museum is divided into three sections, the General Exhibition Hall, the Local Themes Exhibition Hall and the Temporary Exhibition Hall. The Basic Exhibition Hall covers eighteen thousand square feet and contains over two thousand items. The Theme Exhibition Hall contains over five thousand pieces of porcelain from the Tang and Yuang Dynasties. The Temporary Exhibition Hall, as the name implies, contains works that are at the museum on a temporary basis.

Xi’an Banpo Museum is yet another attraction not to be missed. This site is a Neolithic Matriarchal community of the Yangshao culture and is over six thousand years old. The site occupies fifty thousand kilometers and is divided into three parts, a residential section, pottery making section and cemetery. The ruins contain about forty-six houses, two animal pens, two hundred storage pits, one hundred and seventy-four tombs and six kilns. Also on the site are many tools that were used by the people who lived in the area.

Also located in the city are various restaurants, hotels and cafes. It also contains a lot more tourist attractions which include the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Drum Tower, Hukou Waterfall, Famen Temple, Huaqing Hot Springs, Fule International Ceramic Art Museums, Gao Courtyard Including Shadow Play, Forest of Stele Museum, Great Mosque, Huajue Xiang and Qianling Tomb.

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland, Australia and is also the biggest city in that state. Brisbane is located on a flood plain between the Great Diving Range and Moreton Bay on the Brisbane River. It covers an area of two thousand square miles and has a population of almost two million residents. Brisbane’s economy is based on industries such as information technology, government administration, paper milling, metal work, oil refinement and tourism. The city also has the third most important port in Australia, Port Brisbane. Its major exports include coal, container freight, sugar and grain. The city also has a thriving retail trade and shopping centers that are located in this city include Queen Street Mall, Broadway on the Mall, Indooroopilly Shopping Center, The Myer Center and Queens Plaza.Brisbane can trace its history back to 1799, when it was explored by Matthew Flinders during his trip from Port Jackson to Hervey Bay. He landed at Woody Point and also landed at Coochiemudlo Island. Twenty-four years later, arrived at Port Curtis looking for a suitable location to place a convict settlement. He found that location to be unsatisfactory, so he headed up the Brisbane River to about ten miles upstream of what is now Brisbane’s business district. The area which would become Brisbane was occuppied by the Turrbal and Jagera Aboriginal clans. In 1838, the area was opened up to settlers and the original Aboriginal tribes were either killed or driven out of the area. In 1924, the City of Brisbane Act was passed and merged the cities of Brisbane and South Brisbane. In 1930, Brisbane City Hall was constructed.

A popular attraction in the city of Brisbane is the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. This sanctuary was founded in 1927 and its name was taken from a hoop pine that the original owners of the four hectacre site planted. The sanctuary started off with two koalas named Jack and Jill. Today, the park is known for its native Australian animals which include Wombats, Echidnas, Koalas, Kangaroos and Tasmanian Devils. The sanctuary also contains many different varieties of cockatoos and Australian parrots, as well as other native birds such as emus and Kookaburras. Visitors can feed the free roaming kangaroos and even get the opportunity to hold a koala for a small fee. This park also has bird shows and sheep dog shows. Another popular attraction in Brisbane is the South Bank Parklands. This parkland is located on the original site of Brisbane’s 1988 World Expo and was founded in 1992. Its connected to the Queensland University of Technology and Brisbane City Botanic Gardens via the Goodwill Bridge at its southern edge and to the Brisbane CBD via the Victoria Bridge at its northern edge. South Bank Parklands contain many interesting and fun features which include swimming pools, walking trails, picnic areas and a riverfront promenade. Oher key features of the parkland include the Wheel of Brisbane, coffee shops and restaurants. Over nine million people pass through its gates every year.

If games of chance are your cup of tea, then you might want to visit the Conrad Treasury Casino. This casino, also known as The Treasury, is operated by Tabcorp Holdings and contains a hotel, a nightclub, four restaurants and seven bars. Its located in a nineteenth century Baroque building that has sandstone walls, a six story atrium and beautiful colonnades. It has three levels of gaming that has over eight game tables and over thirteen hundred game machines. Games offered here include Treasury 21, Blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Mini Baccarat, Roulette, Texas Hold’em Poker and Sic Bo. The Queensland Art Gallery is another attraction worth mentioning in the city of Brisbane. This art gallery is located next to Queensland Museum and is the major art gallery of the country. It was founded in 1895 and was originally known as the Queensland National Art Gallery. It spent the first few years of its life being shuffled from one temporary building to the next, until it found its home in 1982 at its current location. This art gallery contains over fourteen thousand square feet of exhibition space that is broken down into smaller sections by barriers and walls. Current exhibits at this gallery include The 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of ontemporary Art, Barkcloth across the Pacific, Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art and Design, Unnerved: the New Zealand project and James Fardoulys : a Queensland naive artist. New exhibits are rotated in on a regular basis, so visitors always have something fresh to experience at this gallery.

Other attractions in Brisbane include Riverlife Adventure Center, Brisbane Botanic Gardens, City Cat Ferry, Old St. Stephen’s Church, Roma Street Parkland, St. Helena Prisoner Island, Museum of Brisbane, Queensland Cultural Center, Queen Street Mall, Brisbane Powerhouse, XXXX Brewery, Ashgrove Baptist Church, Fortitude Valley, Shorncliffe Beach, MacArthur Museum, Spiritual Church of Brisbane, St. Andrews Lutheran Church, Sciencentre, Boondall Wetlands Reserve, Queensland Maritime Museum, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, La Boite Theater, City Tabernacle Baptist Church, South Brisbane Memorial Park, Anglican All Saints Church, Ashgrove Golf Club, Wynumm Golf Club, Zoology Museum, Sherwood Arboretum, Toowong Cemetery, Anglican Pilgrim Congregational Church, St. Brigid’s Catholic Church, Tingalpa Creek Reserve, Windsor Road Baptist Church, Victoria Barracks Museum, Toohey Forest, Victoria Park Golf Course, Tinchi Tamba Wetlands, Superbee Honeyworld, Sacred Heart Church, Fort Lytton National Park, Coca Cola Amatil factory, South Stradbroke Island Resort, The Wax Museum and Fly Me To The Moon. Of course, these are only a small handfull of the many attractions that are located in the city. Brisbane is also home to a number of fabulous restaurants and hotels. Restaurants in the city include Bretts Wharf Seafood Restaurant, Deery’s Restaurant, Two A Restaurant & Wine Bar, Customs House Restaurant, Summit Restaurant Brisbane Lookout and Vino’s Restaurant & Bar. Prominent hotels in the city include Sofitel Brisbane Hotel, Hotel George Williams, Rydges South Bank, Rendezvous Hotel, Hilton Brisbane, Conrad Treasury Brisbane Hotel, Story Bridge Hotel, Royal on the Park and The Sebel & Citigate King George Square.

Edinburgh is the second largest city in Scotland, below Glasgow and is also the countries capital. It is located in the southern portion of the country and lies on the eastern coast of the Central Belt adjacent to the North Sea. The city covers an area of two hundred and fifty nine square miles and has a population of over eight hundred thousand people. Because of its Medieval architecture it is considered one of the most scenic cities in Europe and is the second most visited tourist city in the United Kingdom after London.

Edinburgh is a city that can trace its history back to the Iron age. The area in the vicinity of Holyrood, Pentland Hills and Craiglockhart were occupied by ancient peoples who had built stone fortifications, some of which can still be found today. When the city was founded it was officially a piece of the Kingdom of Northumbria. The location of origin of the city was an area called Castle Rock and Edwin of Northumbria erected a fortress to stand guard against invading forces in the northern part of the territory. As the fortress expanded, houses were erected along its perimeter.

During the tenth century the fortress was taken by the Scots. Later, during the twelveth century a town named Edinburgh began to flourish at the bottom of the fortification. Another city, named Canongate and lying adjacent to Edinburg arose around the Abbey of Holyrood. Edinburg and the surrounding counties were soon involved in a dispute over right of rule of the city between England and Scotland. This resulted in many bitter clashes over the city, which often resulted in the city falling under English rule. It wasn’t until the fifteenth century that the city became firmly implanted under Scottish rule. It was then when King James IV moved the Royal court to Holyrood and made Edinburg the capital of scotland.

Edinburgh is a city that inspires visitors with its beautiful architecture. Especially in Old Town, which contains many fine examples of sixteenth century Georgian architecture. Edinburgh’s New Town features many examples of eighteenth century architecture, as it was during this period that New Town was built as a solution to the overcrowding problems of the time.

One of the most popular attractions to visitors of Edinburgh is Edinburgh Castle. This is Scotland’s most famous castle and is one of the most visited attractions in the entire country. This twelveth century castle stands on a location that has been settled for almost three thousand years. One of its main features is the Great Hall which was completed in 1511 to serve as the countries main place of ceremony. Other features of the castle include the Royal Jewels, Mons Meg, National War Museum of Scotland, the One o’clock Gun, Prisons of War Exhibition, The Stone of Destiny, St Margaret’s Chapel and the The Regimental Museum Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

Another popular attraction in the city of Edinburgh is Holyrood Palace. This is the Queen’s official residence and was founded in 1498. Many important historical events have been witnessed at this palace, but probably the most memorable is the story of Mary Queen of Scots. At the age of fifteen, Mary Queen of Scots married the heir to the throne of France. By the age of nineteen she had become widowed. She then promptly returned to Scotland and was crowned Queen of Scots in the palace. During her reign many events unfolded at the palace. One of the most prominent of these was when Mary was seven months pregnant with James VI, her royal secretary David Rizzio was murdered in the royal apartments.

Linking Holyrood Palace and Edinburgh Castle is the Royal Mile. This stretch of historic highway is over a mile long and along its path are many restaurants, pubs, hotels and historical attractions. Though Royal Mile is referred to as a single avenue, its actually made up of several roads. These include Abbey Strand, Canongate, Netherbow, High Street, Lawnmarket, Castlehill and Esplanade.

Edinburgh is a city that is populated with a large number of museums, with some of these being national possessions. One of the most popular is the Museum of Scotland. This museum was opened in 1998 and houses sculptures, paintings and prehistoric jewelry. Its collection represents artist such as Margaret MacDonald, Eduardo Paolozzi and Andy Goldsworthy. This building was an addition to the Royal Museum which was erected during the nineteenth century. The Royal Museum contains artifacts from the world over. Some of the categories of these priceless works include natural history, science, technology, geology, archaeology and art. Artifacts from Ancient Egypt to the stuffed body of the first cloned animal, Dolly the sheep, can be seen here. Other prominent museums in Edinburgh are the Museum of Childhood and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

The Royal Lyceum Theatre is yet another attraction to be visited in the city. This theater was built in 1883 by architect C. J. Phipps and has a seating capacity of six hundred and fifty eight seats. This theater has only gone through four restorations during its history, in 1929, 1977, 1991 and 1996. This museum has been the main theatrical venue for the Edinburgh International Festival since 1947. Another venue in the city of Edinburg is Usher Hall. This classical concert hall was constructed in 1914 and can seat almost three thousand people. It sits adjacent to the Royal Lyceum Theatre and the Traverse Theatre. The inside of this hall features plaster panels done by sculptor Harry Gamley. Represented in them are figures of musical note such as R.L. Stevenson, Johann Sebastian Bach, Sir Walter Scott, Johannes Brahms, George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Edvard Grieg. Today the hall is very much in use and features many musical events throughout the year.

Edinburgh is also home to many venues dedicated to the visual arts. Some of these include the National Gallery of Scotland, Royal Scottish Academy, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Scottish National Portrait Gallery and the Dean Gallery. Other attractions in this city include the Edinburgh Zoo, Calton Hill and Princes Street.