Watercolor painting of a pug - Tainan City, Taiwan

Tainan is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island. It is commonly called the "prefectural capital" for its over 260 years of history as the capital of Taiwan under Dutch rule, the Kingdom of Tungning and later Qing dynasty rule until 1887. 

 

Panorama view of Helsinki - Helsinki, Finland

Together with the cities of Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen – and surrounding commuter towns, including the neighbouring municipality of Sipoo to the east – Helsinki forms the metropolitan area. This area is often considered Finland's only metropolis and is the world's northernmost metro area with over one million inhabitants. Additionally, it is the northernmost capital of an EU member state. 

 

#79 GF - Ryazan, Russia

The city is known for the Ryazan Kremlin, a historical museum; the Pozhalostin Museum, one of the oldest art museums in Russia; the Memorial Museum-Estate of Academician I.P. Pavlov; and the Ryazan Museum of Long-Range Aviation.

 

Empire Beach in Michigan - South Portland, Maine

Located a block from downtown Empire City, Empire Beach is a section of beach that National Geographic named one of the top 21 beaches in the world; “pure fresh water and 450-foot bluffs mean eyes-open swimming and vast views over Lake Michigan.”

 

#1 MOTW - Qendër, Albania

The name Albania comes from Greek and Roman sources, referring to the colour white. The Albanians themselves use the name Shqipëria, which means Land of Eagles. The legend says that a young Albanian saved a little eagle from a snake, for which the eagle rewarded him with excellent eyesight and the strength of eagle wings. The young man also received the protection and supervision of the bracken.

 

Monuments of Étoile-sur-Rhône - Étoile-sur-Rhône, France

From Roman times Étoile-sur-Rhône inherited his name in Latin "Stella". Étoile-sur-Rhône was the site in July 1789 for the first gathering of the French National Guard which was the starting point of the Festival of the Federation in Paris on July 14, 1790.

 

Memory of the 30th Anniversary of the Victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran - Tehran, Iran

Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. With a population of around 9.4 million and 16.8 million in the metropolitan area, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and Western Asia. Tehran was first chosen as the capital of Iran by Agha Mohammad Khan of the Qajar Empire in 1786, because of its proximity to Iran's territories in the Caucasus, then separated from Iran in the Russo-Iranian Wars.

 

The White Flower (White Trumpet Flower) by Georgia O’Keeffe - Neustadt, Germany

Georgia Totto O'Keeffe was an American modernist painter and draftswoman whose career spanned seven decades and whose work remained largely independent of major art movements. Called the "Mother of American modernism", O'Keeffe gained international recognition for her meticulous paintings of natural forms, particularly flowers and desert-inspired landscapes, which were often drawn from and related to places and environments in which she lived.

 

Aerial Navigation Day - Zeppelin in St. Gallen - Saronno, Italy

St. Gallen evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the centre of eastern Switzerland. Its economy consists mainly of the service sector. The city is home to the University of St. Gallen, one of the best business schools in Europe.

 

#78 GF - Vatican City

Vatican City is a landlocked sovereign country, city-state, microstate, and enclave within Rome, Italy. It became independent from Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty, and it is a distinct territory under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity under international law, which maintains the city-state's temporal power and governance, diplomatic, and spiritual independence.

 

Mill O-T in 't Zand - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

This North Holland polder mill was built in the 17th century and restored in 1974/1980. It has yet to be discovered exactly when the first windmills appeared in the Netherlands, but in 1414 the first drainage windmills were built. Around 1450, there were many of them, especially in the province of Zuid Holland. However, windmills do not come from the Netherlands. They probably came to Europe from the Middle East during the Crusades.

 

#75 FOTW - Basra, Iraq

The national flag of Iraq includes the three equal horizontal red, white, and black stripes of the Arab Liberation flag and the green word ʾAllāhu ʾakbar " in Kufic script

The Iraqi flag consists of four colours: red, white, green and black, inspired by the poetic verse of Safi al-Din al-Hilli: "Our actions are bright, our battlefields are dark, our lands are green, and our swords are red with the blood of our enemies".

 

Arkhyz in Karachay-Cherkessia - Nizhny Novogrod, Russia

Arkhyz is a village in the valley of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River, in the Republic of Karachay–Cherkessia, Greater Caucasus. The modern village was founded in 1923 near the confluence of the Arkhyz and Pshish rivers. The elevation of the surrounding mountains is more than 3,000 meters above the sea. 

 

Cosmos: Surreal world - Modern Sky - Nanjing, China

Modern Sky UK is a new music entertainment and events company firmly set within our home of the North of England.

"In five short years, we have built Modern Sky to be a northern powerhouse of a music company. We‘ve had multiple chart albums and accrued tens of millions of streams. Committed to putting northern bands and artists back in the spotlight. It is our sincere belief that the talent is here, right on our doorstep."

 

"Bag Ladies" photo by Peter Patau - Talkeetna, Alaska

Talkeetna began in 1916 when the area was chosen as a district headquarters for the Alaska Railroad. A post office opened as well as a sawmill, trading post, cigar and donkey store and other businesses as well as many cabins. Talkeetna is the base for expeditions to Denali (also known as Mount McKinley). Tourists travel to Talkeetna each summer to fish salmon, raft and go flightseeing.