Archive for the ‘Places and Events’ Category

What is the size of New York?

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Considered as the third most populous state in the U.S., New YorkNew York goes by the nickname ‘the Empire State.’ The largest city is New York City, while the capital is Albany. It is surrounded by Quebec on the north, Ontario on the west side, Vermont on the east and Pennsylvania on the south. By visiting this place, people can find beautiful state parks such as the Montauk Point State Park, Catskill Park and Adirondack Park. In addition to these highly interesting aspects, it is also good to learn the size of New York.

The Size of New York

What is the size of New York? In terms of land area covered, New York ranks 27th overall amongst the various states in the U.S. It measures 141,299 square kilometers or 54,555 square miles. It is 530 kilometers or 330 miles long and 455 kilometers or 285 miles wide. The highest point is Mount Marcy, which stands tall at 1,629 meters or 5,344 feet.

The largest cities in the state include Utica, Schenectady, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and Albany. The other five big cities are Syracuse, Yonkers, Rochester, Buffalo and New York City. New York City is in itself comprised of five different counties, namely Richmond, Kings, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx.

Additional Facts and Other Important Details

New York set a gross state product amounting to $1.1 trillion in 2007. This ranks third after the bigger states of Texas and California. Its agricultural outputs include apples, vegetables and cattle. In terms of industrial outputs, its economy relies heavily on tourism, chemical products and machinery. Likewise, it also receives major contributions from the electric equipment, scientific instruments as well as publishing industries.

Furthermore, the state exports an extensive selection of goods including minerals, commodities and foodstuffs. Additionally, it also exports automobile parts, cut diamonds and electronics. These products are sent to places such as Hong Kong, Israel, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada. On the other hand, the state imports lumber, rough diamonds, electricity, natural gas, aluminum, gold and oil from other countries.

In the United States, New York City plays a major role in the country’s economic success by serving as the center of communication, finance and banking. Moreover, it also plays home to the New York Stock Exchange. Aside from these things, the state is also serves as reliable producer of agricultural products like maple syrup, onions, potatoes, cabbage, cherries and apples. In 2004, the state produced approximately 200 million bottles of wine from its 212 wineries and 30,000 acres of vineyards.

Baalbek Temple Size

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Baalbek, Lebanon

Baalbek is a historic town standing on a 1,170Baalbek Temple meter (3,800 foot) hill in the Bekaa Valley, in Lebanon. It is famous for its Roman temple ruins which have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Baalbek’s temples are among the most magnificent in the ancient world, and today among the most preserved.

Baalbek Temple Sizes

There is no single temple in Baalbek. Rather it is a complex of temples dedicated to various gods. The Great Court built during the reign of Trajan was 135 x 113 meters in size. It housed various buildings and was nestled among 128 columns. These columns stood 20 meters high and were made from rose granite imported from Egypt. Only 6 columns have survived.

 The temple complex was protected by four retaining walls weighing hundreds of tons. Only the western retaining wall has survived, with two sets of monoliths. The first set weigh 300 tons each and the second set known as the trilithon weigh 750 tons each. Other stones in the complex weigh even heavier, believed to be about 900-1,200 tons.

Construction of the Baalbek temple of Jupiter started during the reign of Augustus. Its 104 columns were also made from Egyptian granite. In the temple were 50 more columns standing 19 meters tall.

A smaller temple built around 200 BC happens to be the most intact of all the Baalbek structures. It measures 69 x 36 meters and housed in 42 columns 19 meters tall. Some say it was dedicated to the god of wine, Bacchus. Others believe it was for Mercury/Hermes.

Origin of Baalbek Temple Complex

The ruins of Baalbek date back to ancient Rome. Back then the area was known as Heliopolis in the empire. Heliopolis means “city of the sun.” It was dedicated to the Roman deities Jupiter, Venus and Mercury whose Greek names were Zeus, Aphrodite and Hermes. However the portrayal of these gods, and the design of Baalbek temple itself, were influenced by local custom and belief. For instance, Jupiter was called Baal by the natives, Venus was Astarte.

Heliopolis got its name after the Greeks conquered the region under Alexander the Great. Later in Roman times the temple became a site of pilgrimage as well as an oracle. The emperor Trajan’s death is said to have been foretold by the Baalbek oracle.

Today the Baalbek temple complex is regarded as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, being a great example of Roman architecture at its best.

How Big is Japan?

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

An island country nicely situated within the eastern part of Asia, JapanJapan is often called the ‘Land of the Rising Sun.’ It is surrounded by the Sea of Okhotsk to the north, East China Sea to the south and the Sea of Japan to the east. It is comprised of 6,852 islands, the biggest of which are Shikoku, Kyushu, Hokkaido and Honshu. Worldwide, it is considered the 10th largest in terms of population, with more than 128 million people. Aside from these basic facts, there are other interesting things to learn about it including the size of Japan.

The Size of Japan

How big is Japan? In terms of total land area, Japan ranks 61st in the world, which measures 145,883 square miles or 377,873 square kilometers. Its capital city is Tokyo, which is also the largest in the country, measuring 2,187.08 square kilometers. Approximately 70 percent to 80 percent of the country is not suitable for use in residential, industrial and agricultural purposes because it is mountainous and forested.

Additional Facts and Other Interesting Details

The largest city in Japan is Tokyo, with an estimated population of more than 8,483,050. It is then followed by Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya as the second, third and fourth largest cities in the country respectively. Sapporo is the fifth, Kobe ranks sixth and Kyoto owns the seventh spot. To complete the top ten biggest cities in the country are Fukuoka on the eighth, Kawasaki on the ninth and Saitama on the tenth spot.

Although the size of Japan is not that big compared to other highly progressive countries, it boasts of a strong, stable and progressive economy. In fact, it has the second largest economy all over the globe. It has a nominal gross domestic product of more than $5 trillion. Furthermore, it comes right after the United States and China when it comes to purchasing power parity.

The major industries in the country include real estate, insurance and banking. Aside from these, its economy receives major boost from telecommunications, transportation and retailing. In addition to its strong industrial capacity, it is also considered the most technologically advanced and biggest producers of machine tools, electronic equipment as well as motor vehicles. Although it has a shrinking labor force made up of more or less 67 million workers, its unemployment rate is very low, which is only around 4 percent.

Japan plays home to some of the biggest companies in the world like NTT DoCoMo, Nintendo and Toyota. Likewise, it also has other major business enterprises such as Nippon Steel, Sony and Honda. Moreover, this country also has a very strong export market, which includes China, the European Union and the United States.

Lake Michigan-Huron Dimensions

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Lake Michigan-Huron is customarily Lake Michigan-Huronaccepted as two lakes that are separate from each other. The two lakes are called as Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. They belong to the Great Lakes found in North America. But based on the hydrology of the two lakes, they show that they are just one body of water. They are connected together by the Straits of Mackinac.

Lake Dimensions

When specified as a single body of water, Lake Michigan-Huron will become the largest of all the Great Lakes nearby. The area of the lake is 45,410 square miles or 117,600 square kilometers. It is the world’s largest freshwater lake when it comes to surface area. The water volume of Lake Michigan-Huron is 2,000 cubic miles or 8,300 cubic kilometers. It makes the lake the world’s fourth largest freshwater lake when it comes to water volume.

One Lake?

Both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron have similar elevation of 176 meters or 577 feet. The two lakes are connected by Strait Mackinac that has similar elevation with the two. Mackinac Strait has a depth of 120 feet. It is pretty common that rivers and streams would separate lakes from one another. However, Mackinac Strait is not considered as a river or stream. The width of the strait ranges from 3.6 miles to five miles, similar to the lengths of most lakes in the world. By nature, the strait is just a natural narrowing of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is in oppose to the long time belief that it separates the two lakes from each other.

The water flow of Lake Michigan-Huron can be reverse from one lake to the other. Due to the connecting strait, when a water level imbalance happens, the two lakes can quickly even up the water level. Hydrologically, Lakes Michigan and Huron are truly one great lake due to the facts that they have similar water level and behavior.

The Name

Changing of historical names cannot be done that easily. The individual names of Lake Michigan-Huron are already distinct parts of the history. Aside from that, the names have been institutionalized legally between the territories that they fall under. Lake Michigan is considered to be under the American territory. Lake Huron is divided by two territories and they are the Canada and United States.

History

When the last ice age occurred, Lake Michigan-Huron is just more than one water body. Lake Huron of today is called by geologists as Lake Stanley and it is separated from Lake Michigan of today which is called by geologists as Lake Chippewa. During those times, Lake Chicago was occupying the southern end of the basin of Lake Michigan where the southern mass of the glaciers is present.

How Deep is the Southern Ocean?

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Also known as the Antarctic Ocean, the Southern OceanSouthern Ocean is the fourth largest ocean in the world. It is found in the Southern Hemisphere. The ocean’s tributaries include the Ross Sea, the Cooperation Sea, the Scotia Sea, the Cosmonaut Sea, the Weddell Sea and the Drake Passage. This oceanic division merges with other large bodies of water, namely the Indian, Pacific as well as the Atlantic Oceans. One of the essential features of this ocean is the presence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Ocean. To learn more about the geography of the Southern Ocean, it is important to know the estimated depth of this body of water.

The Depth of the Southern Ocean

How deep is the Southern Ocean? The depth of this body of water ranges from 13,000 to 16,000 feet. The deepest point of the ocean is found in the South Sandwich Trench, which measures 23,727 feet. Considered as the longest ocean current in the world, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current transports 4.6 billion feet of water per second. The ice pack present in the ocean fluctuates from one million miles per second during March to 7.2 million miles per second during September.

Additional Facts and Other Interesting Details

The Southern Ocean encircles the entire continent of Antarctic. There is sea ice along the coastline of the ocean. When it comes to natural resources, there are probable giant gas and oil fields along the continental margin. Aside from these, the other resources that are present in the ocean include manganese nodules, possible deposits of placer, gravel and sand as well as freshwater. Some animal species that can be found in the ocean are whales, squids, krill and seals. Additionally, people can also find 17 penguin species in the ocean.

To preserve the marine species living in the ocean, the International Whaling Commission does not allow commercial fishing in the southern part of the Antarctic. In addition to this, the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals prohibits seal hunting in the ocean. Moreover, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources limits fishing activities in the place.

The ocean provides routes that are important to transport goods from one continent to another. Examples of harbors and ports in the Southern Ocean are the Palmer Station, the Esperanza Base, the Rothera Station, the McMurdo Station, the Villa Las Estrellas and the Mawson Station. Most of these ports are operated and managed by research stations of various governments.

Tallest Building in the World

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is 828 m (2,717 ft) high. The next tallest building is the Taipei 101 which stands 509 m (1,671 ft).

Burj Khalifa Vital Statistics

Construction of the building began on 21 September 2004 and was completed on 1 October 2009. It opened on 4 January 2010. The floor area is 334,000 sq m or 3,595,100 sq ft. There are 160 habitable floors together with 46 maintenance levels at the spire.

There are two parking levels at the basement. The total cost of the project is $1.5 billion. 45,000 m3 (58,900 cu yd) of concrete were used to create the foundation.

Records Held by the Burj Khalifa

Not only is it the tallest building in the world; it is also the tallest man made structure ever made. The former record holder was the Warsaw radio mast at 646.38 m or 2,121 ft. The Burj Khalifa is also the tallest extant and freestanding structure.

It has the most number of floors with 160 (the old record was held by the Willis Tower with 108). It also has the highest elevator installation. Its elevators are also the fastest, reaching speeds of up to 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s).

The vertical pumping is 606 m (1,988 ft), exceeding the old record of the Taipei 101 (449.2 m/1,474 ft). The Burj Khalifa also has the highest observation deck on the planet, located at the 124th floor.

The tallest building in the world also has the highest situated mosque on the 158th floor. The glass and aluminum facade was installed at 512 m (1,680 ft), another record. The building has 24,348 windows.

Other Facts and Figures

The spire is made up of 4,000 tons (4,400 ST; 3,900 LT) of steel. The middle pinnacle pipe weighs 350 tons. The interior cladding is comprised of 142,000 sq m (1,528,000 sq ft) of aluminum, reflective glazing, and stainless steel spandrel panels.

The floor plans are as follows: B1–B2 are for parking and mechanical. The concourse, ground and floors 1–8 are for the Armani Hotel. Floors 9–16 are for the Armani Residences; floors 17–18 are
mechanical and floors 19–37 for Armani Residences.

The 38–39 floors of the tallest building in the world are for the Armani Hotel suites. 40–42 are mechanical and the 43rd floor is the sky lobby. 44–72nd floors are residential, 73–75 mechanical, 76 sky lobby and 77–108 residential.

The 109–110 are mechanical, the 111–121st floors corporate suites and the 122nd floor the At.mosphere restaurant. Floor 123 is the sky lobby, 124 the At the Top observatory and the 125–135 floors corporate suites. 136–138 are mechanical and 139–154 corporate suites. Floor 155 is mechanical, 156-159 for broadcast, 160 and above mechanical.

The tallest building in the world also has the highest swimming pool, located on the 76th floor. The Burj Khalifa also has a fountain 275 m (900 ft) long that shoots 150 m (490 ft) high water in the air.

How Big is a Brewery?

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Buildings that are designed to produce beer, breweries come in different sizes depending on various factors like the kinds of beer they produce, their degrees of automation as well as the diversity of their processes. Every brewery is subdivided into different important parts, one of which is designed for the process of brewing. Besides these basic facts, it is also important to find out the various sizes of breweries.

The Sizes of Breweries

How big is a brewery? One of the many ways of measuring the sizes of breweries is by their capacities. Aside from this, it is also possible to measure how big they are through their revenues. For instance, the Belgian company called Anheuser-Busch InBev is considered the biggest brewer worldwide. Its annual revenue is more than $1 billion, wherein a total 14 out of the possible 300 plus brands continuously contribute to such outstanding result. In the United States alone, it makes up 49.2 percent of the overall sales of beer in the country. In 2008, it had about 120,000 employees.

One of the major types of breweries is the craft brewery or microbrewery. Every year, this kind of brewery is estimated to produce close to 475,000 gallons or 15,000 barrels of beer. SABMiller plc is another notable brewery, which is found in the United Kingdom, specifically within the City of Westminster. It currently holds agreements to distribute its products in six different continents. In 2008, it posted a net income of $2,288 million, an operating income of 3,448 million and revenue of 21,410 million. For that same year, it had 69,116 employees.

One of the most popular small breweries today is Ringwood Brewery, which is found within Hampshire in England. It currently owns traditional pubs like the Drovers Inn within the village of Gussage All Saints, the Boot in Weymouth as well as the Porterhouse in Bournemouth.

Additional Facts and Other Interesting Details

Based on numerous history books, the oldest brewery worldwide is the Weihenstephan Brewery, which is found within the City of Freising in Bavaria. The start of this state-owned facility can be traced back to 1040 A.D.

A number of different technological advancements contributed to the development of modern breweries. One of them was the vast enhancement of the steam engine. This major development eventually led to the addition of pumps as well as stirring mechanisms into breweries.

In 1871, the very first refrigeration machine was introduced to the world. It made the year-round production of beer possible. Aside from these two important developments, Louis Pasteur’s discovery of microbes helped a lot in terms of controlling fermentation.

What is the Size of Europe?

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

The area size of Europe is 10,180,000 sq kmSize of Europe (or 3,930,000 sq mi). Its population has been estimated to be 731,000,000. The population density is 70 sq km or 181 sq mi. Europe is the second smallest continent in the world, covering 2% of the planet’s surface.

Geographical Information

There are currently 50 countries in Europe. In terms of population, it is the third highest among all the continents. Its geographical features are varied. The southern part is known for its vast mountain ranges. The northern parts head down and features several upland hills. The lowland area is referred to as the Great European Plain.

European Countries by Area

If the size of Europe’s cities is measured by area, Russia would be the biggest. Its land area is 17,075,400 sq km. It’s followed by Turkey (783,562 sq km), Ukraine (603,700 sq km), France (547,030) and at number five is Spain with an area of 504,851 sq km.

Sweden is the sixth biggest at 449,964 sq km; Germany is at seventh, measuring 357,021 sq km. Finland is at number eight with an area of 336,593 sq km. Norway is the ninth largest (324,220 sq km) and at number ten is Poland (312,685 sq km).

Italy is the 11th largest at 301,230 sq km followed by the Untied Kingdom at 244,820 sq km. Romania is the 13th largest (238,391); Belarus is the 14th largest with an area of 207,600 sq km. Greece is the 15th biggest as it measures 131,940 sq km.

European Countries by Population

If the size of Europe’s countries is measured by population, Russia would still be the largest; its population is 141,800,000 (as of 2002). Germany is the second biggest with 82,551,851 residents.

Turkey is at third with 75,886,256 and France is fourth with 65,165,983. The United Kingdom’s population has been estimated at 61,600,835 while Italy’s has been put at 60,051,711.

Spain is the seventh most populated country with 46,061,274 inhabitants. Ukraine is number eighth with 45,996,470 followed by Poland with 38,125,478. Romania is number ten with 21,398,181.

The Netherlands’ population has been put at 16,518,199. Greece is at number 12 with a population of 11,245,343 while Portugal has 10,709,995 residents. Belgium’s population has been estimated at 10,574,595.

Smallest European Territories

The smallest is the Vatican City in Rome, Italy. The size of Europe’s smallest city is 0.44 sq km. It is followed by Monaco at 1.95 sq km. Gibraltar is the third smallest at 5.9 sq km followed by San Marino at 61 sq km. Guemsey is the fifth smallest at 78 sq km.

Jersey measures 116 sq km followed by Liechtenstein at 160 sq km. Malta measures 316 sq km. Andorra has an area of 468 sq km. The Isle of Man is the tenth smallest at 572 sq km.

In terms of population the Vatican is also the smallest with only 900 inhabitants. The Mayen Islands is next with a population of 2,868. Aland is third with a population of 26,008.

While the size of Europe’s population is currently 11% of the world’s total, it’s been estimated it will dip to 7% by 2050. By contrast it had 25% of the world’s population during 1900.

Birthday Invitation Sizes

Friday, February 19th, 2010

The primary purpose of holding a birthday party is to celebrate the anniversary of one’s birth. Because of this, there is nothing to expect but fun and enjoyment. To make such event truly special and memorable, it is good to have families, relatives, friends and other special people present in such festive celebration. The chances of having this people to attend your party can be increased significantly by sending invitations. With these, they will be reminded of that all-important day. Aside from these details, it is also interesting to find out the different birthday invitation sizes.

The Sizes of Birthday Invitations

Birthday invitations are available in different shapes and sizes. However, the average size for this particular type of invitation is 4 inches by 6 inches. Aside from this size, some variations are slightly bigger. Other possible sizes include the 5-inch by 7-inch as well as the 6-inch by 8-inch versions. In some cases, the invitations are smaller, the most common size of which is 3 inches by 3 inches.

Additional Facts and Other Interesting Details

Besides the varying shapes and sizes, birthday invitations also feature a diverse selection of designs and special layouts. To make things more interesting, it is possible to put some photos of the birthday celebrant right on the invitations. Furthermore, invitations can become highly attractive by adding colorful characters like Spongebob Squarepants, Cookie Monster and many more. For kids, it is also cool to put pictures of superheroes such as Batman, Spider-Man and Superman. The possibilities are almost endless.

For individuals who prefer to use simple but efficient cards, adding cartoon characters is no longer necessary. Instead, try to put images of birthday-related objects like cakes, candles and party hats. Furthermore, adding pictures of balloons and flowers can somehow enhance the appearance of invitations.

When sending birthday invitations, it is very important to put all the important details. These include the name of the birthday celebrant, the age and the date. In addition to these things, never forget to add the venue as well as the time of the party. It can also help to add contact numbers in case the invited persons need to ask certain questions. It is also good to match the invitations with the official theme of the party.

For people who have no time to create, design and send these invitations to every invited guest, it is possible to send an electronic birthday invitation instead. There are various web sites offering interesting and colorful designs, most of which are guaranteed to catch the interest of the invited parties. More importantly, they take lesser time and effort to prepare and send because they can be edited easily. You can make the invitations funny in order to make the event easier to remember.

Halloween Tree Sizes

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Halloween tree sizes currently sold in stores are quite diverse, as are the materials used to make them. If you want to make a Halloween tree, knowing something of the sizes used may be helpful.

How Big are Halloween Trees?

The Pre-Lit Blackstone trees with orange lights are from 4 to 6 ft high. The 4 ft model has 415 tips and is made from metal/PVC/wood. The Grammy Halloween Sppoky trees are 4 feet high and come with an outdoor spotlight.

Smaller Halloween tree figures are less than a foot high, often 9 inches or smaller. There are other Halloween tree sizes available; some are as large as average sized Christmas trees, while others are small enough to put on a table.

How to Make a Halloween Tree

Required Tools and Materials

Newspapers
Hot glue
Yarn
Hole punch
Black construction paper
Polyurethane varnish
Branches
Craft paint
Halloween stencils
Glitter (gold and / or silver)
Empty coffee can
Small rocks
Needle
Thread

Step 1

Keep the workspace clean by putting newspapers on the table or floor.

Step 2

Secure the branches using the yarn. You can use fallen or dead branches. You can get some with leaves or not; it’s up to you.

Step 3

Paint the can a dark color (note: the Halloween tree size will be determined by the dimensions of the can). Let the paint dry. Paint some pumpkins, witches, pitchforks etc. Be as creative as you want to be.

If you don’t know how to draw, get some friends to help you. Common Halloween colors are orange, bright and dark green and some yellows too. When it’s dry, apply polyurethane and let it dry.

Step 4

Put the rocks at the can’s bottom. Wedge the branches through the rocks. Pile up some newspapers so the branches are kept straight. You may need to push the papers a bit to keep the branches erect.

Step 5

For the final layer, apply black construction paper. Cut and bundle as many as necessary. Put hot glue on it. Allow it time to dry. If you chose an extra large Halloween tree size, this will take a while.

Step 6

For the paper ornaments, use the stencils. Make cut outs of ghosts, cats, full moons and other Halloween symbols you like. For diversity, make them in different sizes. Paint them and put on some glue. Add the gold / silver glitters.

Step 7

Insert the needle and thread in these ornaments. Cut and fasten the thread. Make a hole at each ornament’s top with the hole punch. Set a loop of yarn there.

Step 8

Place the ornaments on the tree. Distribute them evenly.

Tips and Warnings

Make sure the yarn and thread are tight so they don’t come off. This is especially needed if the tree will be put outside your house. Do not let children touch the wet polyurethane varnish. Always paint in a well ventilated room or area.

With plenty of Halloween tree sizes o choose from, it shouldn’t be a problem to find one you like. But it’s also easy to make a Halloween tree yourself.