Vatican City
Vatican City is a sovereign city-state and the smallest country in the world. It is located in the city of Rome, Italy. It is the spiritual and administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church and the residence of the Pope. Vatican City has its own government, postal system, and radio station. The Vatican Museums, which include the Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s Rooms, are located within Vatican City and are a major tourist attraction. It is also home to the Vatican Library and the Vatican Secret Archives. Vatican City is a pilgrimage site for Catholics worldwide, and it is also a popular tourist destination.
The Pope, also known as the Bishop of Rome, is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and the head of the Vatican City State. The Pope is considered to be the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics, and he has both spiritual and temporal authority over the Catholic Church. The Pope is elected by the College of Cardinals, which is made up of high-ranking members of the Catholic Church from around the world.
The Papal States were territories in the Italian Peninsula under the sovereign direct rule of the Pope, from the 8th century until 1870. They covered most of the modern Italian regions of Lazio (including Rome), Marche, Umbria, and the Romagna, and a portion of Emilia. The Pope, as the bishop of Rome, was the ruler of these territories, which were known as the “Patrimony of St. Peter”. The Papal States had their own government, laws, and military. In 1870, the Italian army marched into Rome and annexed the Papal States, making them a part of the newly-formed Kingdom of Italy. The Pope’s temporal power was ended and he was given sovereignty over the Vatican City, which is now the smallest country in the world.
Benito Mussolini was the fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 until 1943. He led Italy during World War II and was known for his aggressive expansionist policies and aggressive suppression of political opposition.
In 1929, Mussolini and the Catholic Church, represented by Pope Pius XI, signed the Lateran Treaty, which recognized the sovereignty of the Vatican City and established the Catholic Church as the state religion of Italy. The treaty also provided for the payment of financial compensation to the Church for the loss of the Papal States in 1870. The treaty was seen as a way for Mussolini to gain the support of the Catholic Church and the Italian people, and it effectively ended the “Roman Question,” which had been a source of tension between Italy and the Catholic Church for decades.
The Lateran Treaty also established the Vatican City as an independent state and established the Catholic Church as the official state religion of Italy. The treaty also established the Vatican as a sovereign territory and gave the Pope the right to send and receive ambassadors. It also provided for the payment of financial compensation to the Church for the loss of the Papal States in 1870.
The Lateran Treaty remained in effect until the fall of Mussolini’s government in 1943. After the end of World War II, the Italian government re-established the Vatican City as a sovereign state through the Lateran Pacts of 1929, but the Vatican City and the Catholic Church were no longer the official state religion of Italy.
Bangkok
Bangkok in Thai is officially recognized as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and locally Krung Thep, the capital of Thailand. It is the most populous city in Thailand. It occupies 1568.7 Sq.km of Thailand and is located near the Chao Phraya river Delta in central Thailand. The estimated population of Bangkok is 10.5 million as of 2020, and it contributes about 15.3% of the country’s population. Over 14 million people live within the surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region.
Fun Facts
- Many fun facts are there about Bangkok as-
- Bangkok is the city that has the longest name in the world.
- Bangkok is home to the famous Red Bull drink.
- All the temples on the Thai Baht coins are located in Bangkok.
- Bangkok has the world’s wide-reaching China Town with the tallest Buddha statue, made up of pure gold.
- Bangkok has a large set of rules which are boring as-
- The use of Durian fruit as a projectile weapon is prohibited.
Bangkok is the only cosmopolitan city in the country that consists of small towns and Villages. The city is known for its street life and cultural landmarks. The Grand Palace and Buddhist temples like Wat Arun and Wat Pho are the highlights of Bangkok mainly for tourism. The other famous tourist attractions are the nightlife scenes of Khaosan road and Patpong.
Bangkok became the capital of Siam (as Thailand was previously known) in 1782, when General Chao Phraya Chakri, the founder of the ruling Chakri dynasty, assumed the throne as Rama I and moved the court from the west to the east bank of the Chao Phraya River. The end of his reign resulted in the completion of the construction of the Grand Palace complex, and the temple of Wat Pho was completed. More wats were during the reign of Rama II (1809-1824), and Rama III (1824-1851) built as Wat Arun, Wat Yan Nawa, Bowen Niwet, etc. Rama IV developed the city while continuing his reign instead of building the traditional Wats.
Wat Pho was a wat constructed by King Rama I in an Ayutthaya style, which was then later enlarged and reconstructed by King Rama III in the Rattanakosin style. The bot was dedicated in 1791, before the rebuilding of the Wat Pho. The grand palace began its construction by taking the materials of the forts and walls of the city. By the end, they had equalized the old forts by doing this.
San Fransico
San Francisco was founded on June 29, 1776. It was founded by colonists from Spain. They named it San Francisco after Saint Francis of Assisi. The first permanent dwelling of SF was set up in 1835 by Captain William Anthony Richardson.
The population of SF in 1847 was approx. 1000 and by 1849 (Gold Rush) 25,000. By 1870 the population grew to 1,50,000 and by 1890 3,00,000. The exports of SF were almost $50,000.
San Francisco is a diverse city located in the state of California, United States. According to the most recent census data, the population of San Francisco is approximately 883,305 people.
The racial makeup of San Francisco is:
- White: 43.8%
- Asian: 33.3%
- Hispanic or Latino: 15.1%
- Black or African American: 6.1%
- Other races: 3.2%
The largest ethnic groups in San Francisco are Chinese (21.4%), followed by White (non-Hispanic) (15.5%), and Filipino (13.6%). San Francisco has a significant LGBTQ+ population, with an estimated 15% of the city identifying as LGBTQ+. San Francisco has a large immigrant population, with around 35% of residents being foreign-born. The largest groups of immigrants in San Francisco are from China, the Philippines, and Mexico. The median age in San Francisco is 37.7 years, and the city has a relatively high cost of living compared to other cities in the United States. The median household income is $96,265, and the median home value is $1,427,800. San Francisco is also known for its high education level. Over 44% of the population over the age of 25 holds a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Milan
Milan is known as Italy’s “moral capital.” Milanese believe that their positive work ethic has led to Milan becoming a world capital of fashion, design, finance, business services, and media and publishing.
Associazione Calcio Milan commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899.
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Evolution of Logo
Los Angles
Home to Hollywood !
Hollywood is considered to be the oldest film industry. It is the birthplace of various genres of cinema like comedy, drama, action, musicals, romance, horror, science fiction, and war epics. Hollywood was laid out as a subdivision in 1887 by Harvey Wilcox, who was a prohibitionist from Kansas. However, real-estate magnate H.J. Whitley transformed Hollywood into a wealthy and popular residential area. Hollywood became a municipality in 1903 and was incorporated into Los Angeles in 1910.
Real-estate magnate H.J. Whitley, known as the “Father of Hollywood,” subsequently transformed Hollywood into a wealthy and popular residential area. At the turn of the 20th century, Whitley was responsible for bringing telephone, electric, and gas lines into the new suburb.
Daeida Wilcox, the wife of Harvey Wilcox, gave Hollywood its name. Daeida had overheard the word Hollywood on a train and thought that it was a perfect name for the Wilcoxes’ envisioned utopia.
Origin of Cinema
The 1908 Selig Polyscope Company production of The Count of Monte Cristo directed by Francis Boggs and starring Hobart Bosworth was claimed as the first to have been filmed in Los Angeles. After World War II, film studios began to move outside Hollywood, and the practice of filming “on location” emptied many of the famous lots and sound stages or turned them over to television show producers. By the early 1960s it had become the home of much of American network television entertainment.
Singapore
•Singapore is a global financial and economic hub that sits astride the meeting point of the strategically vital Malacca Strait and the South China Sea. Despite its small size, the island city-state of 6.2 million people is a heavyweight in regional and international affairs.
Singapore, city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, about 85 miles (137 kilometres) north of the Equator. It consists of the diamond-shaped Singapore Island and some 60 small islets; the main island occupies all but about 18 square miles of this combined area. The main island is separated from Peninsular Malaysia to the north by Johor Strait, a narrow channel crossed by a road and rail causeway that is more than half a mile long. The southern limits of the state run through Singapore Strait, where outliers of the Riau-Lingga Archipelago—which forms a part of Indonesia—extend to within 10 miles of the main island.
Singapore is a small island city-state located in Southeast Asia. Its history can be traced back to the 14th century, when it was a trading port for the Sumatran empire of Srivijaya. In the early 16th century, the island was visited by the Portuguese and later by the Dutch. The British established a trading post on the island in 1819, and Singapore officially became a British colony in 1824.
During the 19th century, Singapore became an important center for trade and commerce in Southeast Asia, particularly for rubber and tin. The population of Singapore grew rapidly, with many immigrants coming from China, India, and other parts of Southeast Asia to work in the city’s growing industries.
During World War II, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945. After the war, Singapore became a Crown colony and later self-governing state in the British Empire. In 1959, Singapore became a fully self-governing state, with Lee Kuan Yew becoming its first Prime Minister.
In 1963, Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia, but it was expelled two years later, leading to its independence as a sovereign nation. Under the leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore underwent rapid economic development and modernization, becoming one of the world’s most prosperous and developed nations.
In recent years, Singapore has become known for its strict laws and regulations, but it also has a very high standard of living and is a major financial center in Southeast Asia.
What Singapore means to world
The strategic location of the island, just suspended in the Malacca Strait that guarantees the control on 40% of trading passes. The friendly policies adopted by the government towards foreign investments. An efficient and “honest” government.
Singapore is the largest port in Southeast Asia and one of the busiest in the world. It owes its growth and prosperity to its focal position at the southern extremity of the Malay Peninsula, where it dominates the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea.
Singapore possesses strong capabilities across wealth and asset management, foreign exchange and derivatives, insurance and risk financing, fixed income, infrastructure finance, as well as FinTech and innovation.
This city of skyscrapers is also one that is filled with lush greenery. Nearly half of Singapore’s land area (approximately 700 square kilometres) is under green cover. Beyond numerous parks and gardens, there are pockets of undiscovered plant life housed in the most unusual of places.
Singapore is widely regarded as one of the safest countries in the world, with consistently low crime rates, a transparent legal system, and a reliable police force supported by proactive citizens.
Dubai
Dubai is located on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the southwest corner of the Arabian Gulf. Dubai is the second largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sharing borders with Abu Dhabi in the south, Sharjah in the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the southeast.
Under the Al Maktoum leadership, Dubai began to thrive remarkably. In 1894, trading in the area was given yet another boost, as new rules granted tax exemption for expatriates. This led to a huge influx in the number of foreign workers entering the city. Indian and Pakistani traders descended to Dubai, to take advantage of the excellent business conditions. While this was a reasonably successful period in Dubai’s history, it was still wholly reliant on fishing, trading and pearl diving. And when artificial pearls were invented in Japan in the 1950s, the vulnerability of the region’s economy was exposed. However, the financial downturn did not last long. In 1966, everything suddenly changed for Dubai: it struck oil.
With the discovery of oil, the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum began the development of Dubai. He began transforming the city from a small cluster of settlements near Dubai Creek to a modern port, city and commercial hub. Rashid Port, Jebel Ali Port, Dubai Drydocks, the widening of the Dubai Creek, and the Dubai World Trade Centre were few of the major projects completed at the time.
Leadership and vision allowed the UAE to push ahead with ambitious building and social projects. In the space of just half a century, Dubai exploded in growth, building modern wonders such as the Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa, which are now very closely associated with the metropolis.
As part of the city’s efforts to consistently expand, explore innovation and create opportunities, Dubai continues to plan landmark projects to attract tourists and business alike.
Known as the “capital of UAE’s economy,” Dubai is a key financial and trading hub, and one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Helped by its strategic geographical location and “exceptional infrastructure”, Dubai has emerged as a prominent global trading city connecting markets around the world. In addition to its efficient infrastructure, Dubai has put in place economic policies and a legislative framework that has made it a conducive environment for over 20,000 international corporations to operate. Additionally, Dubai invested heavily in infrastructure and hospitality projects for the Expo 2020 trade fair, including the expansion of the Al Maktoum International Airport at an estimated cost of US$8 billion.
To meet growing demands from the tourism sector, Dubai has developed extensive, world-class hospitality and tourism facilities. Dubai hosted 7.12 million international visitors in the first half of 2022, nearly three times the 2.52 million tourists recorded in the same period in 2021. The surge in visitors is attributed to the momentum generated by Expo 2020 which ended on 31 March 2022, and the emirate’s status as a safe destination. Leisure and business events, including the Dubai Shopping Festival, the World Government Summit and the Arabian Travel Market, also boosted visitor numbers.
Paris
Paris occupies a central position in the rich agricultural region known as the Paris Basin, and it constitutes one of eight department of the France administrative region. It is by far the country’s most important center of commerce and culture.
Paris hosts several United Nations organizations including UNESCO, and other international organizations such as the OECD, the OECD Development Centre, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures,, the International Federation for Human Rights, along with European bodies such as the European Space Agency, the European Banking Authority.
Paris is known for fashion. But how did the journey begin.
The association of France with fashion and style is widely credited as beginning during the reign of Louis XIV when the luxury goods industries in France came increasingly under royal control and the French royal court became, arguably, the arbiter of taste and style in Europe. It is currently home to the headquarters of Rochas, Vuitton, Balenciaga, Céline, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel. The concept of haute couture (‘high sewing’ or ‘high dressmaking’ or ‘high fashion’) was invented in Paris.
Tokyo
Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, has become a popular city for many reasons. Some of the main factors that have contributed to its popularity include:
- Economic growth: Tokyo has been the center of Japan’s economic growth since the end of World War II. The city’s economy is based on a mix of traditional industries such as manufacturing and new industries such as technology and finance. This has made Tokyo one of the most prosperous and economically developed cities in the world.
- Cultural heritage: Tokyo has a rich cultural heritage and a unique blend of traditional and modern culture. The city is home to many historical and cultural sites, such as the Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, and Senso-ji Temple. It also has a vibrant pop culture scene, including anime, manga, and fashion.
- Transportation: Tokyo has an extensive and efficient public transportation system, which makes it easy for visitors to navigate the city. The city’s subway and train networks are considered to be among the best in the world, and they make it easy to reach all corners of the city.
- Shopping and dining: Tokyo is known for its shopping and dining scene, which caters to all budgets and tastes. The city has many department stores, boutiques, and street markets, as well as a wide range of restaurants that serve traditional and international cuisine.
- Safety and cleanliness: Tokyo is considered one of the safest and cleanest cities in the world, making it a popular destination for travelers of all ages.
- Tourist Attractions: Tokyo has many tourist attractions that draw millions of visitors to the city each year. Some of the most popular tourist attractions in Tokyo include Tokyo Disney Resort, Tokyo Tower, and the Tokyo Skytree.
All of these factors have made Tokyo a popular city to visit among tourists, and it has become one of the most visited cities in the world.
Everyday Reflections 