Machu Picchu

The ruins of Machu Picchu, rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, are one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites in the world. While the Inca people utilized the Andean mountain top (2800 m elevation), erecting massive stone structures from the early 1400's, legends and myths indicate that Machu Picchu (meaning 'Old Peak' in the Quechua language) was revered as a sacred place from a far earlier time. The Inca turned the site into a small (12 square kilometers) but extraordinary city. Invisible from the Urubamba River valley below and completely self-contained, surrounded by agricultural terraces sufficient to feed the population, and watered by natural springs, Machu Picchu seems to have been utilized by the Inca as a secret ceremonial city. The Spaniards never found Machu Picchu, even though they suspected its existence. The mountain top sanctuary fell into disuse and was abandoned some forty years after the Spanish took Cuzco in 1533. Supply lines linking the many Inca social centers were disrupted and the great empire came to an end. This simulated natural color ASTER image covers 12 x 15 km, was acquired on June 25, 2001, and is located at 13.1 degrees south latitude and 72.5 degrees west longitude.

Sizou City

Sizhou City was founded in North Zhou Dynasty (AD557-581), and during Sui Dynasty it was rebuilt in Tang Dynasty. In Song Dynasty, a new city was built opposite to the Bian River beside the Sizhou City and gradually its scope exceeded the old city zone. In Ming Dynasty the city wall between these two cities was taken apart and over the Bian River built a wide scaffold bridge, which made the two cities combined. To prevent the flood, outside the city gate was built 6 semi-circular enclosures and 5 enclosure gates; there was one enclosure outside the gate and only there were two outside the south gate as double sluice gates. When there was flood outside the city, the enclosure gate should be firstly stopped up and people could get out on the causeway of the enclosure gate. The old city of this pattern is especially unique in our country. In Ming Dynasty, large hydraulic projects were put into practice in order to protect Sizhou City and imperial ancestor mausoleum, and construct Hongze Lake to maintain water transportation. In 19th year of Kangxi Time in Qing Dynasty (in 1680), Yellow River and Huaihe River were all flooded and Sizhou district was suffered with 70 days' rainstorm constantly and then the city was submerged; nevertheless it was not located in the main riverway of Huaihe River, so it was not destroyed by turbulent flood but submerged by soil and sand until the 35th year of Kangxi Time (in 1696).

Sizhou City is a remarkable treasure of many ages. It has been under the water for over 300 years but thereby keeps a wonder of a almost complete ancient city. The value of the Sizhou City comes to its original historic feature and special precious travel resource. Compared with Pompeii City in Italy submerged by volcano, the underwater Sizhou City has the same result through different approach and therefore the underwater Sizhou City is called "Chinese Pompeii City" by the archaeologist.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric gravestone located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) west of Amesbury and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Salisbury. One of the most celebrated primeval sites in the world, Stonehenge is unruffled of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. Archaeologists suppose that the standing stones were erected around 2200 BC and the surrounding circular earth bank and trench, which represent the earliest phase of the memorial, have been dated to about 3100 BC. The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World legacy Sites in 1986 in a co-listing with Avebury henge tombstone, and it is also a officially protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. Stonehenge itself is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage while the surrounding ground is owned by the National Trust.

Sahara Desert

The boundaries of the Sahara are the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea on the north, the Red Sea and Egypt on the east, and the Sudan and the vale of the Niger River on the south. The Sahara is separated into western Sahara, the central Ahaggar Mountains, the Tibesti Mountains, the Aïr Mountains, Tenere desert and the Libyan desert (the most arid region). The highest crest in the Sahara is Emi Koussi (3415 m) in the Tibesti Mountains in northern Chad.

The Sahara divides the continent of Africa into North and Sub-Saharan Africa. The southern border of the Sahara is patent by a band of semiarid savanna called the Sahel; south of the Sahel lies the lusher Sudan and the Congo River Basin. Most of the Sahara consists of gravel hamada; ergs form only a minor part.

The Sahara has one of the harshest climates in the world. The existing north-easterly wind often causes the smooth to form sand storms and dust devils. Precipitation, while rare, is not unknown. Half of the Sahara receives less than 2 cm of rain a year, with the rest receiving up to 10 cm a year. The rainfall happens very infrequently, but when it does it is usually heavy when it occurs after long dry periods, which can last for years.

Potala Palace

The Potala Palace is situated in Lhasa, Tibet independent Region of the People's Republic of China. It was named after Mount Potala, the habitat of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara. The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India after an incursion and failed uprising in 1959. Today the Potala Palace has been changed into a museum by the Chinese.

The building measures 400 metres east-west and 350 metres north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3 m. thick, and 5 m. (more than 16 ft) thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help testimony it against earthquakes. Thirteen stories of buildings containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues, soar 117 metres (384 ft) on top of Marpo Ri, the "Red Hill", rising more than 300 m (about 1,000 ft) in total above the valley floor. Ritual has it that the three main hills of Lhasa symbolize the "Three Protectors of Tibet." Chokpori, just to the south of the Potala, is the soul-mountain (bla-ri) of Vajrapani, Pongwari that of Manjushri, and Marpori, the hill on which the Potala stands, represents Chenresig or Avalokiteshvara