The capital of Spain, located in the heart of the peninsula and right in the center of the Castillian plain 646 meters above sea level, has a population of over three million. A cosmopolitan city, a business center, headquarters for the Public Administration, Government, Spanish Parliament and the home of the Spanish Royal Family, Madrid also plays a major role in both the banking and industrial sectors. Most of its industry is located in the Southern fringe of the city, where important textile, food and metal working factories are clustered. Madrid is characterized by intense cultural and artistic activity and a very lively nightlife.

Bourbon Madrid
17TH CENTURY: Puerta del Sol-Alcalá-

Cibeles

Fuencarral-San Bernardo-Conde Duque-Puente de Toledo. From the late 17th century until about 1735, the Spanish Imperial or Renaissance style slipped into a period of decadence marked by the appearance of such architects as Churriguera, Ribera, Moradillo and others. Our first Bourbon itinerary is an introduction to Madrid's Baroque architecture, of which the best examples are; the church of San José in the Calle de Alcalá, the portal of the Hospicio in the Calle de Fuencarral, the church of Montserrat in the Calle de San Bernardo, the portal of the Conde Duque Barracks, and a splendid bridge, the Puerta de Toledo over the Manzanares. They were all built by Ribera and some of them finished by Moradillo.

Carthage (from the Phoenician Qart-Hadasht "New City", was an ancient city in North

Carthage

Africa located on the eastern side of Lake Tunis, across from the center of modern Tunis in Tunisia. It remains a popular tourist attraction.

Founding of Carthage

In approximately 814 BC, Carthage was founded by Phoenician settlers from the city of Tyre, bringing with them the city-god Melqart. Traditionally, the city was founded by Dido, and a number of foundation myths have survived through Greek and Roman literature. Carthage's early years were defined by a long rivalry between the landholding and maritime families. In general, due to the city's dependence on maritime trade, the maritime faction controlled the government, and during the 6th century BC, Carthage began to acquire dominance over the Western Mediterranean. "

In ancient Greece, the great rival of Athens was Sparta. The city-state and its surrounding territory were located on the Peloponnesus, a peninsula southwest of Athens. Sparta (also called Lacedaemon) was the capital of the district of Laconia.

In ancient Greece, the great rival of Athens was Sparta. The city-state and its surrounding territory were located on the Peloponnesus, a peninsula southwest of Athens. Sparta (also called Lacedaemon) was the capital of the district of Laconia. From the vigorous iron-hearted warriors of this city-state has come the adjective Spartan. Sparta prided itself not on art, learning, or splendid buildings, but on its valiant men who "served their city in the place of walls of bricks. Athens, with its beautiful temples and statues, its poetry and philosophy, dominated the intellectual life of the world. "

The terrific population growth of the late Victorian period continued into the

London

20th century. In 1904 the first motor bus service in London began, followed by the first underground electric train in 1906, but perhaps more notable was the spate of new luxury hotels, department stores, and theatres which sprang up in the Edwardian years, particularly in the West End. The Ritz opened in 1906, Harrod's new Knightsbridge store in 1905, and Selfridges in 1907.

New entertainment venues sprouted like mushrooms; with the London Palladium the largest of some 60 major halls for music-hall and variety shows.

Paris was founded towards the end of the 3rd century BC on what is now the Île de la Cité by a tribe of Celtic Gauls known as the Parisii.


Paris


Centuries of conflict between the Gauls and Romans ended in 52 BC, when Julius Caesar's legions took control of the territory. Christianity was introduced in the 2nd century AD, and the Roman party was finally crashed in the 5th century by the arrival of the Franks. In 508 AD, Frankish king Clovis I united Gaul as a kingdom and made Paris his capital, naming it after the original Parisii tribe.

Paris prospered during the Middle Ages: In the 12th century, construction began on the cathedral of Notre Dame (work continued for nearly 200 years), while the Marais area north of the Seine was drained and settled to become what's known today as the Right Bank

The famous Berlin.


Berlin the capital of Germany is dynamic, cosmopolitan and creative, allowing for every kind of lifestyle. East meets West in the metropolis at the heart of a changing Europe. Germany's largest city is a city of opportunities just waiting to be seized in all areas, like entertainment, recreation, economy, science and academic life.
Inside is the story of Berlin's Wall. The Berlin Wall was erected in the night of August 13, 1961.

It was a weekend and most Berliners slept while the East German government begun to close the border. In the early morning of that Sunday most of the first work was done: the border to West Berlin was closed.

The ozone hole over Antarctica appears to have shrunk about 20 per cent from last year's record size, scientists said Friday.