1. What on Earth? 01

2. BELGIUM Built for the 1958 Brussels World Fair the 103 metre tall Atomium monument represents the structure of an iron crystal. Windows in the top sphere give a panoramic view of the city. Originally planned to last only 6 months the Atomium has survived to become a popular tourist attraction.

3. The Bloukrans Bridge is an arch bridge in Western Cape. The construction, completed in 1984, stands at height of 216m above the Bloukrans River, making it the highest single span arch bridge in the world. Its primary use is that of a road bridge, carrying national route N2, but it is also noted for the site of the world's highest bungee jump. SOUTH AFRICA

4. The Cathedral of Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat better known as Saint Basil's Cathedral is a church on the Red Square in Moscow that features distinctive onion domes. The cathedral is symbolic of the unique position of Russia between Europe and Asia. RUSSIA

5. A haboob is a type of intense sand storm commonly observed in the Sahara desert. They result from the northward summer shift of the intertropical convergence zone, bringing moisture from the Gulf of Guinea. The wall of sand created by a thunderstorm can be up to 100 km wide and several kilometres in elevation. Haboob winds can travel at 35-50 km/h, and they approach with little to no warning. Often rain is not seen at ground level as it evaporates in the hot, dry air. SUDAN

6. Rising energy prices and global warming have led to increased interest in alternative fuels. Alcohol fuels , mainly ethanol fermented from sugar cane, are widely available in Brazil, especially as new hybrid fuel engines can work with either petrol, ethanol or a mixture of the two. BRAZIL

7. Lake Nyos is a crater lake and a pocket of magma lies beneath it and leaks carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into the waters. Nyos is one of only three known lakes to be saturated with carbon dioxide in this way. In 1986 the lake emitted a large cloud of CO 2 which suffocated up to 1,800 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby villages. In response, scientists proposed that five tubes be lowered into the lake to allow gas to pass freely to the surface. To date, only one of these has been built. CAMEROON

8. Capsule hotels were developed in Japan and have not become popular outside of the country. Guest space is reduced in size to a plastic or fibreglass block roughly 2 m by 1 m by 1.25 m, stacked two units high, They provide room to sleep and little more, although facilities usually include a television and other electronic entertainment. JAPAN

9. The Hajj is the Pilgrimage to Mecca in Islam. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime. The Kaaba is a large masonry structure roughly the shape of a cube which is the holiest place in Islam. SAUDI ARABIA

10. The Nazca Lines are a series of figures in the Nazca Desert.They were created by the Nazca culture between 200 BC and 700 AD. There are hundreds of individual figures, ranging in complexity from simple lines to stylized hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, and lizards and perhaps the most famous which has been nicknamed ‘the astronaut’ . The Nazca figures cannot be recognized except from the air and there has been much speculation on how and why they were constructed. PERU

11. CHILE Moai are statues carved from compressed volcanic ash on Rapa Nui, Easter Island, Chile. The statues are all carved in one piece. and one unfinished sculpture has been found that would have been 21 metres tall and would have weighed about 270 tonnes. The statues were carved by the Polynesian colonisers of the island, some dating back to about 1000AD.

12. A Road Train is a ‘prime mover’ or tractor unit pulling a number of trailers and four trailer road trains are allowed to operate in South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. They are used across ‘outback’ areas where traffic is light and there is extremely flat and straight terrain. In 2006, a truck with 112 semi-trailers made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest road train with a length of 1,474 metres. AUSTRALIA

13. The Li River or Li Jiang is a river in Guangxi Province. It is one of China's most famous scenic areas with the limestone hills having been eroded by carbonation into many unusual shapes. CHINA

14. Cormorants have been traditionally used for fishing on the shallow Lijiang River. Fishermen on bamboo rafts use strong lights suspended over the water to attract fish. The cormorants, which are tethered with rings round the base of their necks, catch the fish but can only swallow small fish. When the bird captures and tries to swallow a large fish, the fish is caught in the bird's throat and can be removed by the fishermen. Today it is more a tourist attraction than a commercial fishery. CHINA

15. St. Stephen's Cathedral ( Stephansdom ) in Vienna, is the seat of a Roman Catholic Archbishop. The first recorded church was founded in 1137 and was extended through the centuries. It was badly damaged by fire in 1945 when Russian troops entered the city. Its ornately patterned roof is covered by 230,000 glazed tiles. AUSTRIA

16. Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19 th century castle built by Ludwig II King of Bavaria. It is the most photographed building in Germany and is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. GERMANY

17. Krak des Chevaliers , is a Crusader fortress and one of the most important preserved medieval military architectural sites in the world. It was the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller eventually housed a garrison of 2,000. The fortress has outer walls which are 100 feet thick. It is a World Heritage site and was an important tourist attraction but entry restrictions into Syria have resulted in a decline in the number of visitors. SYRIA

18. Singapore has been nicknamed the ‘fine city’ and many activities thought of as fairly harmless in other countries are illegal. These include failing to flush toilets after use, littering, jaywalking and the sale of chewing gum. It is, however, one of the safest countries in the world, with a low incidence of violent crimes. SINGAPORE

19. Lake Nakuru is a soda lake (an alkaline lake rich in dissolved sodium salts) in the African Rift Valley. The lake’s abundance of algae attracts thousands, sometimes millions, of pink flamingos that nest along its shores. The lake has become a major tourist attraction but the number of birds has been decreasing in recent years, perhaps as a result of pollution or local climate change. KENYA

20. Howrah Bridge , is a bridge that spans the Hooghly River in West Bengal linking Howrah with Kolkata. It was opened in 1943 and is considered to be the world’s busiest bridge carrying around 150,000 vehicles and 4 million pedestrians every day, as well as thousands of cattle! INDIA

21. The Israeli West Bank barrier consists of a network of fences and trenches surrounded by an exclusion area and up to 8 metres high concrete walls. It is been built to separate the Israeli population from the Palestinian West Bank territory and is a highly controversial project. Supporters assert that the barrier is a necessary tool protecting Israeli civilians from Palestinian terrorism ISRAEL

22. 02 BELGIUM Brussels Atomium 03 SOUTH AFRICA Bloukrans Bridge 04 RUSSIA ST Basil’s Cathedral 05 SUDAN haboob 06 BRAZIL alcohol fuel 07 CAMEROON Lake Nyos 08 JAPAN capsule hotel 09 SAUDI ARABIA Hajj 10 PERU Nazca lines 11 CHILE Easter Island Moai 12 AUSTRALIA roadtrain 13 CHINA Lijiang 14 CHINA Lijiang cormorant fishing 15 AUSTRIA St Stephen’s Cathedral 16 GERMANY Neuschwanstein 17 SYRIA Krak des Chevaliers 18 SINGAPORE ‘Fine City’ 19 KENYA Lake Nakuru 20 INDIA Howrah Bridge 21 ISRAEL West Bank Separation Barrier Geography What on Earth?