Geographic Locations
Slovakia is a central European country known for its dramatic natural landscape and many castles. It is a landlocked country bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. Slovakia's territory spans about 49,000 square kilometres (19,000 sq mi) and is mostly mountainous. The population is over 5 million and comprises mostly ethnic Slovaks. The capital and largest city is Bratislava. The official language is Slovak, a member of the Slavic language family.
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. It was known in the Roman period under the name Scupi. In 148 BC the city became part of the Roman province of Macedonia, established in 146 BC. When the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western halves in 395 AD, Skupi came under Byzantine rule from Constantinople.
Today, Skopje is becoming a modern city. Home to about quarter of the entire population of the country, it is also home to many different types of people. Besides the majority Macedonians, many Albanians, Turks, Roma, Serbs, Bosniaks and others call Skopje home.
Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. The port of Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships, and the tourist trade is a big part of the business of Skagway. The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad, part of the area's mining past, is now in operation purely for the tourist trade and runs throughout the summer months. Skagway is also part of the setting for Jack London's book The Call of the Wild and for Joe Haldeman's novel Guardian.
Sitra is an island in the Central Governorate of Bahrain, just east of Bahrain Island. It lies south of Manama and Nabih Saleh. The island's western coast forms the boundary of Tubli Bay. Most of the inhabitants of the island live in seven historic villages: Wadyan, Kharijiya, Marguban, Qurayya, Mahazza, Sufala, and Abul Aish. The population is almost entirely Shia Baharna in ethnicity. The island used to be covered in date palm groves and farms, watered by several freshwater springs, and the island's economy used to be based on agriculture and fishing.
Siquijor is a 5th provincial income class island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the municipality also named Siquijor. During the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines, the Spaniards called the island ''Island of Fire'' (Spanish: Isla del Fuego).
A coralline island, Siquijor is also well known for its festivals that focus on healing rituals where incantations are sung while the old folks make potions out of herbs, roots, insects and tree barks. In hushed talks, locals would share a story or two about folk legends pointing to the existence of witchcraft and witches on the island.
Among the many attractions are the beaches, caves, waterfalls, Bandila‑an natural park and butterfly sanctuary. White sand beaches make up most of the 102-kilometer coastline of Siquijor. The coral reefs ringing the island offer some of the best diving in the Philippines for snorkelers and scuba divers.
Sintra is a town and a municipality in the Grande Lisboa subregion (Lisbon Region) of Portugal, considered part of the Portuguese Riviera. IT is known for its many 19th-century Romantic architectural monuments, which has resulted in its classification as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although its heritage in buildings and nature is the most visible face of the historic individuality of Sintra, a whole literary heritage has made the area a legendary reference in Portuguese culture. It has become a major tourist centre, visited by many day-trippers who travel from the capital Lisbon. In addition to the Sintra Mountains and Sintra-Cascais Nature Park, the parishes of the town of Sintra are dotted with royal retreats, estates, castles and other buildings, including the medieval Castelo dos Mouros, the Pena National Palace and the Sintra National Palace.
St. Maarten, Saint Maarten or Sint Maarten, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is a country on the southern part of a Caribbean island shared with Saint Martin, a French overseas collectivity. The island is famous for its runway at Princess Juliana International Airport, in which landing aircraft pass within less than 35 meters of Maho Beach below, due to the close proximity of the runway to the ocean. Therefore, this beach and airport has become a popular place for people to view airplane landings.
Natural landscapes span lagoons, beaches and salt pans, while the capital, Philipsburg, has cobblestone streets and colorful, colonial-style buildings lining its Front Street shopping area.
Singapore, an island city-state off southern Malaysia, is a global financial centre with a tropical climate and multicultural population. Founded as a British trading colony in 1819, since independence it has become one of the world's most prosperous countries and boasts the world's busiest port. Combining the skyscrapers and subways of a modern, affluent city with a medley of Chinese, Malay and Indian influences and a tropical climate, with tasty food, good shopping and a vibrant night-life scene, this Garden City makes a great stopover or springboard into the region.
Singapore is often referred to as the Lion City, the Garden City and the Red Dot, and is the world's only sovereign island city-state. "Easiest place to do business" (World Bank) for ten consecutive years, most "Technology-ready" nation (EIU), top "International meetings city" (UIA), city with "Best investment potential" (BERI), 2nd-most competitive country (WEF), 3rd-largestforeign exchange centre, 4th-largest financial centre, 3rd-largest oil refining and trading centre and one of the top two busiest container ports since the 1990s.
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea on the north, Liberia in the south-east, and the Atlantic Ocean in the south-west. Sierra Leone has a tropical climate, with a diverse environment ranging from savannah to rainforests. It is divided into four geographical regions: the Northern Province, Eastern Provice, Southern Province and the Western Area, which are subdivided into fourteen districts. Freetown is the capital, largest city and its economic and political centre. Bo is the second largest city. The other major cities are Kenema, Makeni, and Koidu Town.
About sixteen ethnic groups inhabit Sierra Leone, each with its own language and customs. Predominantly a Muslim country, Sierra Leone is regarded as one of the most religiously tolerant nations in the world. Muslims and Christians collaborate and interact with each other peacefully. Religious violence is very rare in the country.
It is also among the largest producers of titanium and bauxite, a major producer of gold, and has one of the world's largest deposits of rutile. Sierra Leone is home to the third-largest natural harbour in the world.
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008. Siena is famous for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race held twice yearly. Siena retains a ward-centric culture from medieval times. Each ward is represented by an animal or mascot, and has its own boundary and distinct identity. Ward rivalries are most rampant during the annual horse race in the Piazza del Campo.