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World Time
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The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
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The Great Pyramid of Giza--
The great pyramid is believed to have been built over a 20 year period. The site was first prepared, and blocks of stone were transported and placed.
An outer casing (which disappeared over the years) was then used to smooth the surface. When it was built, the Great pyramid was 145.75 m (481 ft) high. Over the years, it lost 10 m (30 ft) off its top.
It ranked as the tallest structure on Earth for more than 43 centuries, only to be surpassed in height in the nineteenth century AD.
It was covered with a casing of stones to smooth its surface.
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The Hanging Gardens of Babylon--
The ancient city of Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, must have been a wonder to the traveler's eyes.
How big were the gardens? Diodorus tells us it was about 400 feet wide by 400 feet long and more than 80 feet high.
It wasn't until the twentieth century that some of the mysteries surrounding the Hanging Gardens
were revealed. Archaeologists are still struggling to gather enough evidence before reaching the final
conclusions about the location of the Gardens, their irrigation system, and their true appearance.
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Statue of Zeus At Olympia Greece
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Created in about 450 BC by the renowned Greek sculptor Phidias, the statue of the Greek God Zeus
at Olympia was one of the world's greatest statues. Zeus's seated figure was 50 feet high. His body was ivory and
his robe, hair and beard, gold. Zeus's outstretched right hand held a small statue of Nike, the goddess of victory.
Olympia was struck by earthquakes, landslides and floods, and the temple was damaged by fire in the fifth century AD.
Today nothing remains at the site of the old temple except rocks and debris, the foundation of the buildings,
and fallen columns.
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The Temple of Artemis
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The Temple of Artemis (Diana), which is located in Greek city of Ephesus, was built around 550 BC.
Referred to as the great marble temple, it was sponsored by the Lydian king Croesus and was designed by the Greek architect Chersiphron.
The Temple had a marble sanctuary and a tile-covered wooden roof. It served as both a marketplace and a religious institution.
Recent archeological excavations at the site revealed gifts made of gold and ivory... earrings, bracelets, and necklaces... artifacts from as far as Persia and India.
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The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
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The Mausoleum is located in the city of Bodrum on the Aegean Sea. In 377 B.C. the city of Halicarnassus was the capitol
of a small kingdom along the Mediterranean coast of Asia Minor. Mausolus, with his queen Artimisia, ruled over
Halicarnassus and the surrounding territory for 24 years. In 353 B.C, Mausolus died, as a tribute to him, Artimisia decided
to build him a splendid tomb. It became a structure so famous that Mausolus's name is now associated with all
tombs throughout our modern world - "mausoleum.".
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The Colossus of Rhodes
-- Rhodes is a major island off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor (Turkey).
Populated by Dorians (an early-history Greek people) before 1000 BC, the island's location made it a major point on the ancient
trade route through the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea. Its importance continued for many centuries, with both the Greeks
and Romans capitalizing on its strategic location. Rhodes was famous for the "Colossus of Rhodes" - a 100 foot brass statue of
the pagan sun god "Helios" which stood at the harbor entrance. Constructed about 290 BC, the idol was toppled by an earthquake
about 225 BC.
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Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria
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Pharos Lighthouse stood on the eastern point of Pharos Island some distance from the city center of Alexandria.
Constructed at the beginning of the third century BC over a period of about twelve years and at an enormous cost and using considerable
slave labor, Pharos Lighthouse was completed and inaugurated by the first Ptolemy's son, Ptolemy Philadelphus,
in 283. There are some 2250 blocks have been counted. Though many
issues surrounding Pharos Lighthouse remains mysteries, perhaps
someday we will have a much more complete understanding of this
Seventh Wonder of the ancient world. |
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Largest and Smallest Countries (in size) |
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LARGEST COUNTRIES - 2009 |
| Rank |
Country |
Size (sq mi) |
Population |
GPD (PPP) |
| 1. |
Russia |
6,591,027 |
141,927,297 |
$2.109 trillion |
| 2. |
Canada |
3,854,082 |
34,184,000 |
$1.281 trillion |
| 3. |
United States |
3,717,727 |
309,810,000 |
$14.256 trillion |
| 4. |
China |
3,704,426 |
1,338,612,968 |
$8.765 trillion |
| 5. |
Brazil |
3,285,618 |
192,272,890 |
$2.013 trillion |
| 6. |
Australia |
2,967,124 |
22,397,746 |
$851.170 billion |
| 7. |
India |
1,269,009 |
1,183,795,000 |
$3.526 trillion |
| 8. |
Argentina |
1,068,019 |
40,134,425 |
$584.392
billion |
| 9. |
Kazakhstan |
1,048,877 |
16,196,800 |
$182.044
billion |
| 10. |
Sudan |
967,243 |
42,272,000 |
$93.109 billion |
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SMALLEST COUNTRIES - 2009 |
| 1. |
Vatican City |
0.17 |
826 |
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| 2. |
Monaco |
0.75 |
30,586 |
$4.888
billion |
| 3. |
Nauru |
8.11 |
14,019 |
$36.9 million |
| 4. |
Tuvalu |
10.04 |
12,373 |
$14.94 million |
| 5. |
San Marino |
23.63 |
31,434 |
$1.17 billion |
| 6. |
Liechtenstein |
61.78 |
35,789 |
$3.250 billion |
| 7. |
Saint Kitts and Nevis |
100.77 |
42,696 |
$726 million |
| 8. |
Maldives |
115.83 |
396,334 |
$1.688 billion |
| 9. |
Malta |
122.01 |
413,609 |
$9.817 billion |
| 10. |
Grenada |
132.82 |
110,000 |
$1.103 billion |
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More ...
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