Geographic Locations
Västerås is a city in central Sweden. It is the seat of Västerås Municipality, the capital of Västmanland County and an episcopal see. One of the oldest cities in Sweden and Northern Europe, its name originates from Västra Aros, which refers to the river mouth of Svartån. The area has been populated since the Nordic Viking Age, before 1000 AD. In the beginning of the 11th century it was the second largest city in Sweden, and by the 12th century had become the seat of the bishop.
Today Västerås is predominantly known as an industrial city, but also a retailing and logistics city. It has the largest lakeside commercial and recreational port in Scandinavia on Lake Mälaren. The city also has a skyscraper cordially nicknamed "Skrapan" (English: The Scraper) which has Sweden's highest-located cocktail bar, called Sky Bar, on the 24th floor of the building. It also hosts Power Big Meet, an annual event where owners of high-powered American cars can meet.
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is a major tourist destination, a business and university centre, seaport, and headquarters of the Bulgarian Navyand merchant marine. In 2008, Varna was designated seat of the Black Sea Euro-Region by the Council of Europe.
The oldest gold jewelry in the world, belonging to the Varna culture, was discovered in the Varna Necropolis and dates to 4200-4600 BC.
Varenna, a fishing village which dates from the eleventh century, is a jewel amongst the most important tourist destinations on Lake Como. It was founded by local fishermen in 769, and was later allied of the commune of Milan. In 1126, it was destroyed by the rival commune of Como, and later received the refugees from the Isola Comacina, who had met the same fate (1169).
The main sights are the Castello di Vezio, a small museum dedicated to theLariosaurus and a sea reptile from the Middle Triassic period. Across the lake in the province of Como are: Bellagio, Griante and Menaggio. It is served by a station on the Tirano–Lecco railway.
Varanasi is a historical city in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Once known as Benares or Banaras and Kashi, the city is sacred to Hindus and Jains and also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with settlements dating back to the 11th century BC. Many Hindus believe that dying in Varanasi brings salvation/nirvana and so they make the trip to the city when they realize that they are close to death. For some, the culture shock of the burning corpses in plain view and the feces overflowing from the Ganges can be a bit overwhelming. However, the scene of pilgrims doing their devotions in the River Ganga at sunrise set against the backdrop of the centuries old temples is probably one of the most impressive sights in the world.
Varadero is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. The place was first used as a dry dock and the salt mines of the peninsula (closed in 1961) supplied most of the Spanish Latin America Fleet since 1587. However, the foundation date of Varadero as city was only on December 5, 1887, when ten families from the city of Cárdenas obtained a permission to build their vacation homes between today's 42nd and 48th Street.
Varadero is foremost a tourist resort town, boasting more than 20 km of white sandy beaches. The first tourists visited Varadero as early as the 1870s, and for years it was considered an elite resort. In 1910 the annual rowing regatta was started; five years later the first hotel, named Varadero and later Club Nautico, was built. Tourism grew in the early 1930s as Irénée du Pont, an American millionaire, built his estate on the peninsula. Many famous and infamous people stayed in Varadero, for example Al Capone.
Vanuatu's name is derived from the word vanua ("land" or "home"), which occurs in several Austronesian languages, and the word tu ("stand"). Together the two words indicated the independent status of the new country. Vanuatu is an archipelago Pacific island made up of 80-plus island that stretch 1,300 kilometers. In the 1880s, France and Great Britain claimed parts of the archipelago, and in 1906 they agreed on a framework for jointly managing the archipelago as the New Hebrides through a British–French Condominium. An independence movement arose in the 1970s, and the Republic of Vanuatu was founded in 1980.
The islands offer scuba diving at coral reefs, underwater caverns and wrecks such as the WWII-era troopship SS President Coolidge. It takes a little time, effort and a healthy sense of adventure to truly explore Vanuatu's islands, but it's worth every bit of it.
Vancouver Island, off Canada’s Pacific Coast, is known for its mild climate and thriving arts community. It is part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The southern part of Vancouver Island is the only part of British Columbia or Western Canada to lie south of the 49th Parallel, along with most of the southern Gulf Islands and minor offshore islands. This area has one of the warmest climates in Canada, and since the mid-1990s has been mild enough in a few areas to grow subtropical Mediterranean crops such as olives and lemons.
Vancouver Island has been the homeland to many indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The island was explored by British and Spanish expeditions in the late 18th century.
Vancouver is a coastal city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. Classed as a Beta global city, the city is well known for its majestic natural beauty, as it is nestled between the Coast Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently ranked as one of the "best cities to live in" and is certainly a beautiful destination to visit.
Valparaíso is a major city, seaport, and educational center in the county or commune of Valparaíso, Chile. It's known for its steep funiculars and colorful, clifftop homes.
Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century, when the city served as a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by crossing the Straits of Magellan. Valparaíso mushroomed during its golden age, as a magnet for European immigrants, when the city was known by international sailors as "Little San Francisco" and "The Jewel of the Pacific". In 2003, the historic quarter of Valparaíso was declared a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.
Valmiera is the largest town of the historical Vidzeme region, Latvia, with a total area of 18.1 km². It lies at the crossroads of several important roads, 100 km to the north-east from Riga, the capital of Latvia, and 50 km south of the border with Estonia. Valmiera lies on both banks of the Gauja River. It is the de facto cultural and administrative centre of Vidzeme. It is the only town in the region to have a professional theater, Valmieras teātris, which was established in 1919. Valmiera's municipality has been involved a variety of projects to improve the quality of life in the region. Valmiera is an important industrial centre. The dominating economic branches in Valmiera are the food industry (milk, meat, and grain), fibreglass production, metalworking, wood processing and furniture producing.