-
---
birds, that make the Great
Smoky National Park all the
more fascinating.
There are as well a number
of historical structures main
tained within the Smokies
Park as well, like those at the
Cades Cove, and the Elk
mont. As per records , more
than 9 million people visit the
place every year.
The
the memorial.
Mount Rus hmore The idea of a monumental
National Memorial is a gigantic sculpture was put forward by a
sculpture built in the Black Hills historian named Doane Robin
of South Dakota in the U nited son in 1 923. In 1 927 , the work
States of America. began under the sculptor Gut
It is a huge representation of zon Borglum.
the heads of George Was hing He propos ed that the four
ton, Thomas Jefferson, Theo heads in the sculpture symbol
dore Roos evelt, and Abraham ize the first 1 50 years of the
Lincoln, the former pres idents United States . The work was
of the country. completed in 1 94 1 .
Each of the carving is about Today, the Mount Rus hmore
1 8.2 metres tall, and is made sculpture is one of the greatest
out of granite. The work is seen iconic images in the US.
Why is Lake Tahoe a orama of s u rrounding mountains, the
place to visit? lake has become one of the most
popular tourist destinations in the
L ake Tahoe is a country.
famous fres hwater lake I n addition to s uch scenery, Tahoe
in the Sierra Nevada is a famous s pot for winter s ports
mountain range of the and s ummer outdoor recreation.
U nited States . It is said Thousands of people visit the place
to be the largest alpine in winter to enjoy activities like down
lake in North America. hill s kiing, s now tubing, cross-coun
There are many rea try s kiing, s nowmobile riding and
sons why Lake Tahoe is s nows hoei ng.
important. One of them History goes that Lake Tahoe was
is that the water from the once the centre of the Washoe Indi
lake is supplied for the an territory, and the area was inhab
Newlands Irrigation Pro ited by the Was hoe tribe of Native
ject in Nevada. Americans.
Another reason is its In fact, the very name of the lake
attractiveness. For its comes from the Was hoe Indian word
clear water and the pan- meaning 'big water'.
Forever
Lake Tahoe is believed
to be over two million
years old . It is consid
ered to be an ancient
lake, and is often count
ed among the 20 oldest
lakes in the world.
Why is the Grand Canyon a famous
tourist attraction?
M onument Valley is a
wide expanse that is
marked by enormous rock
features, including mes as,
cliffs, and buttes . Part of
the Colorado Plateau, It
lies between the borders
of Arizona and Utah in the
U S . It is estimated that the
valley covers an area of
over 36826 hectares .
The biggest attraction of
Monument Valley is the
buttes, or isolated hills that
are steep on s ides and flat
on top.
Yet another much visited
s ite on the valley are the
Mittens, which are a pair of
Controversy
Between 1948 and 1967,
parts of Monument Valley
were mined for large
quantities of uranium.
This had then caused a
major controversy.
31
thumb-like outcrops. In addition, there
is the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal
Park that makes it a m ust-see place for
travellers across the world.
One of the features that contribute to
the attractiveness of the valley is its viv
id red colour. This coloration happens
due to the presence of iron oxide. There
are also blue-gray rocks here, making it
a rare com bination of beauty.
Gorgeous
L ake Atitla n is a magnificent
lake in southwestern Guatemala,
In his 1934 travel book lying in the central highlands. It is
'Beyond the Mexique said to be the deepest lake in
Bay', the famous English Central America with a maximum
writer Aldous Huxley depth of about 340 metres. The
praised the beauty of three cone-shaped volcanoes of
Lake Atitlan. Atitla n, Tolima n , and San Pedro
lie on the b orders of the lake.
There are many reasons why
Lake Atitlan remains a global
attraction. On the shores of this
lake are situated numerous vil
lages that still have the Mayan
culture.
As it is known to the rest of the
world , the Atitlan lake is very
attractive . It stands out for its
i mmense and picturesque set
ting, su rrou nded by mountains,
volcanoes and wildflowers .
According to German n atu ralist
Alexander von H u mb oldt, it is
'the most b eautifu l lake i n the
world'. In 1 955, the region
around the l ake b ecame a
n ational park. Corn, onions,
beans, squash, tomatoes, cucum
b ers and pitahaya fruit are the
major crops in the area on which
the indigenous people depend.
Why is the Geiranger Fjord which is thought to b e one of
unique? the best travel destinations in
Europe for its scenery.
T he Geiranger Fjord is one Another feature that adds to
of many inlets from the sea the charm of the fjord is the
along Norway's western coast. impressive waterfalls called
It is located in the Sunnmore 'Seven Sisters' and 'Suitor'.
region of More og Romsdal Both the falls face each other
county and is one of the most across the fjord. An interesting
visited tourist sites in the coun story about them is that the
try. 'Suitor' is trying to woo the sis
What makes the Geiranger ters opposite. There is one
Fjord special is its scenic more attractive falls here - the
beauty. There are a number of Bridal Veil.
ab andoned farms that lie along For its splendour, the
the sides of the fjord. Skagefla, Geiranger fjord has been the
Knivsfla, and Blomberg are the subject of many films. The
most visited among these famous animated movie by
today. Close to them lie the Disney named 'Frozen' was
beautiful village of Geiranger, inspired by the fjord.
AMAZ I N G PLAC E S TO S E E 51
What makes Faroe Island a wetland. It also lacks indigenous
tourist attraction? mammals, reptiles and toads
but is home to rats and hares.
Faroe Islands is a cluster of There are as well numerous
beautiful islands in the North sea birds on the island .
Atlantic Ocean that lie between The Faroese people are said
Iceland and Norway. It is a to be mostly descendants of
self-governing administrative Norwegian Vikings who colo
division of Denmark. As many nized the place in AD 800.
as 17 inhabited islands are Many of them depend on
part of this cluster, along with sheep raising for their liveli
many islets and reefs. hood. But the economy of the
The Faroe Islands are said to
be high and rugged due to their
volcanic composition.
The islands are largely tree
less and the natural vegetation
consists of moss, grass, and
M�a'!Y1iii
History and
Science
Stonehenge is important
not just to archaeolo
gists and historians. but
to astronomers too. I n
1720. O r Halley is said
to have used magnetic
deviation and the posi-
island primarily focuses on fishing tion of the rising Sun to
and related industries. Faroese and estimate the age of the
Danish are the two official languages structure.
on the island. The former had a rich
oral literature that was not written
down until the 1 9th century. ed in a peculiar way.
There were two groups
Why is Stonehenge an amazing loca in which the large stones
tion to view? were arranged- one was
a circle of flat stones that
T he Stonehenge is a preh istoric rested on top of stones
stone circle monument, cemetery, standing upright. The
and archaeolog ical site located on other was a group within
the Salisb u ry Plain in England . It is the circle- a horseshoe
b e l ieved to have b een b u ilt shaped group of five
b etween 3000 and 1 520 BC, in six pairs of upright stones.
stages. There is a straight path
There are many stories on why the called the Avenue that
Stonehenge was b uilt. Many schol leads away from the cir
ars hold that it was a place of wor cles. An upright stone
ship or a b u rial ground. named the Heel Stone
However, it is unique for its artifi stands near the centre of
cially shaped sarsen stones, arrang- the Avenue.
AMAZ I N G P LAC E S TO S E E 53
What makes the Lake District
so popular?
T he Giant's Causeway is an
extensive area covering ab out
40,000 interlocking b asalt col
umns. It is spread over six kilo
metres along the northern coast
of Northern I reland, on the edge
of the Antrim plateau . These
stone pillars with up to seven
irregular sides that point out of
one of the most populated the cliff is just a spectacular sight.
national parks in the coun This Causeway was formed
try having major settle some 50 million years ago as a
ments within the mountain- result of a volcanic eruption that
ous areas. Keswick, caused lava to flow towards the
Windermere, Amb leside, coast. When it came in contact
and Bowness-on-Winder with the sea, the lava cooled,
mere are the four large forming layers of b asalt columns.
towns here. And b ecause of the pressure
b etween the columns, each of
them sculpted into different
shapes. Ever since it was first
documented, in 1 693, the Giant's
Causeway has been subjected to
studies by geologists. It stands as
a special place, not just for the
formations b ut also for the grass
lands close by. There were
human settlements in the area
during the 1 800s, b ut it is now
uninhab ited. However, more than
three lakh persons visit the site
every year.
55
What makes Andalusia a thrill of the culture.
ing place to visit? Other major tourist attrac
tions here include the city cen
Andalusia is a historical tres of Ubeda and Baeza in the
region of Spain, located in the province of Jaen, both which
southern portion of the coun are U N ESCO World Heritage
try. It is an autonomous com Sites, the Great Mosque of
munity which has the city of C6rdoba, the Alhamb ra in G ra
Sevilla as its capital. nada, along with numerous
Divided into eight provinces, museums, cathedrals, castles,
Andalusia is the most populat forts, monasteries and stun
ed and the second largest of ning beaches.
the communities.
Andalusia was a wealthy and
politically influential region.
Even today the remains of its
culture and traditions can be
seen in the community's archi
tecture, language and cus
toms. The famous b ull fights
and the gypsy flamenco music
with dance are two highlights
56
Why are the Dolomites an is formed of light-coloured dol
amazing place to see? omitic limestones. As many as
41 glaciers are seen in the
The Dolomites are a fasci region. Most of the lower
nating group of mountains that slopes of the mountain were
lie on the eastern section of once covered by thick forests,
the northern Italian Alps. It but today only patches of
consists of a number of majes woodland remain.
tic peaks out of which 1 8 rise The main peaks of the Dolo
to more than 1 000 feet. The mites were climbed in the
Marmolada is the highest of 1 860s by English mountain
all, at a height of 3341 .8 metres. eers. However, the range has
The first scientific study witnessed major disasters
about the region was made by after that. In 1 963, more than
the 1 8th century French geolo 2500 people died after a land
gist Dieudonne Dolomieu . It is slide occurred in the southern
from him that the mountain Dolomites. It caused the Vaiont
range and its rock took their Dam to overspill and flood the
name. Geologically, the range village of Longarone.
Depending on the snow
cover, the height of
Mont Blanc varies each
year. There are in fact
two summits that are
situated 100 feet apart.
B ora
outpost for the South
Bora is a striking volcanic Pacific fleet. Subse- •
T he Mamanuca Islands
The Monuriki island of
are a group of volcanic
Mamanuca was the main
islands in Fiji that lie to the
location for the block
west of Nadi and south of the
buster film 'Cast Away'
Yasawa Islands. Altogether
released in 2000.
the archipelago consists of
20 beautiful islands out of
which only a few are inhabit
ed.
What makes the Mamanu
ca Island cluster a popular
tourist destination is its
coastal beauty. The sandy
beaches, live coral reefs,
and the crystal clear water
together offer an amazing
experience to the visitors of
this serene archipelago.
In addition, one can also
engage in activities like
swimming, diving, surfing
and snorkel ling in the waters
here.
The Namotu Island noted
for lUXUry resorts, the Planta
tion Island or Maiolo Lailai
that offer water sports and
the Castaway Island, or Oal
ito are some of the major
tourist sites in Mamanuca.
Here.s a contest for our readers.
Can you identify the castle shown below, which
was made famous by a classic horror novel?
All you need to do is send us an e-mail, naming the
castle. (PI f �, [ GI r ' " L 01 I [' � AL',0
THE E MIIIL) You are also welcome to send your
answers by post. Ten winners will be awarded
prizes. In case there are more than ten correct
entries, the winners will be chosen by lot.
96 Tell Me Why
Can we make plastic disappear?
'No' would be the obvious answer,
because that is the basic problem with
plastic. We use it, then throw it away
and cause environmental pollution.
But wait- there's some good news
from Japan which may end this men
ace once and forever. Scientists in
Japan have discovered a species of
bacteria named Ideonella sakaiensis
that eat plastic! The species fully
breaks down one of the most common
kinds of plastic called Polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) . It's the type often
Question sent by: used to package bottled drinks, cos
Arjun Madhav on e-mail metics and household cleaners. This
Send us your questions could be a major step in reducing
E mail: tellmewhy@mmp.in plastic pollution. Isn't it amazing?
AMAZ I N G P LAC E S TO S E E 97
STORY OF
SOU D
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and published from M.M. Publications ltd. P.D. No. 226. Kottayam - 686 001.
98 Tell Me Why