Australia - Western Australia - Perth

PERTH
Western Australia

Sent by Tom from Perth, Australia.

Perth /ˈpɜrθ/ is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia, with an estimated population of 1.97 million (as of 30 June 2013) living in Greater Perth. Part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia, the majority of the metropolitan area of Perth is located on the Swan Coastal Plain, a narrow strip between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp, a low coastal escarpment. The first areas settled were on the Swan River, with the city's central business district and port (Fremantle) both located on its shores. Perth is formally divided into a number of local government areas, which themselves consist of a large number of suburbs, extending from Two Rocks in the north to Rockingham in the south, and east inland to The Lakes. (read further)

Suriname - Paramaribo

Fort Zeelandia, Paramaribo.

Sent by Cheryll from Paramaribo, Suriname.

Paramaribo (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌpaːraˈmaːriboː], nickname: Par′bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population. The historic inner city of Paramaribo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. (read further)

Suriname

Greetings from the Republic of Suriname!
Geographical size : 165,000 km²
Estimated population : 500,000
Capital : Paramaribo
Suriname is divided into 10 districts
Official language : Dutch
Independence Day : 25 November 1975

Sent by Cheryll from Paramaribo, Suriname.

Suriname (/ˈsʊrɨnæm/, /ˈsʊrɨnɑːm/ or /ˈsʊrɨnəm/, also spelled Surinam), officially known as the Republic of Suriname (Dutch: Republiek Suriname, Dutch pronunciation: [ˌrepyˈbliːk ˌsyriˈnaːmə]), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west and Brazil to the south. Suriname was colonized by the English and the Dutch in the 17th century.

In 1667 it was captured by the Dutch, who governed Suriname as Dutch Guiana until 1954. At that time it was designated as one of the constituent countries (Dutch: landen) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, next to the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles (dissolved in 2010). On 25 November 1975, the country of Suriname left the Kingdom of the Netherlands to become independent. A member of CARICOM, it is frequently considered a Caribbean country and has had frequent trade and cultural exchange with the Caribbean nations.

At just under 165,000 km² (64,000 sq mi), Suriname is the smallest sovereign state in South America. (French Guiana, while less extensive and populous, is an overseas department of France.) Suriname has a population of approximately 566,000, most of whom live on the country's north coast, where the capital Paramaribo is located. Suriname is a mostly Dutch-speaking country; Sranang, an English-based creole language, is a widely used lingua franca. It is the only independent entity in the Americas where Dutch is spoken. (read further)

U.S.A. - Iowa - Des Moines

DES MOINES, IOWA

Sent by Evan from Des Moines, USA.

Des Moines /dɨˈmɔɪn/ is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is named after the Des Moines River, which may have been adapted from the French Rivière des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks." The city's population was 203,433 as of the 2010 census. The five-county metropolitan area is ranked 88th in terms of population in the United States with 580,255 residents according to the 2011 estimate by the United States Census Bureau. (read further)

U.S.A - Oregon - Salem

SALEM, OREGON

Sent by Adrienne from Salem, USA.

Salem /ˈseɪləm/ is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood of West Salem is in Polk County. Salem was founded in 1842, became the capital of the Oregon Territory in 1851, and was incorporated in 1857.

Salem had a population of 154,637 at the 2010 census, making it the third largest city in the state after Portland and Eugene. Salem is less than an hour driving distance away from Portland. Salem is the principal city of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan area that covers Marion and Polk counties and had a combined population of 347,214 at the 2000 census. A 2009 estimate placed the metropolitan population at 396,103, the state's second largest. (read further)

Turks and Caicos Islands - Giant Conch

TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS
Giant Conch

Thanks to Carl of USA who sent from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Turks and Caicos Islands (/ˈtɜrks/ and /ˈkeɪkəs/ / /ˈkeɪkoʊs/ / /ˈkeɪkɒs/ TCI) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago, part of the larger Antilles island grouping. They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The total population is about 31,500, of whom 23,769 live on Providenciales in the Caicos Islands.

The Turks and Caicos Islands lie southeast of Mayaguana in the Bahamas island chain and north of the island of Hispaniola. Cockburn Town, the capital since 1766, is situated on Grand Turk Island about 1,042 kilometres (647 mi) east-southeast of Miami, United States. The islands have a total land area of 430 square kilometres (170 sq mi).They are geographically contiguous with the Bahamas, but are politically separate. (read further)

Antarctica - Admiralty Bay, King George Island

Admiralty Bay, King George Island

Sent by Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station on King George Island, off the coast of Antarctica.

King George Island (Argentina: Isla 25 de Mayo, Chile: Isla Rey Jorge, Russian: Vaterloo (Waterloo)) is the largest of the South Shetland Islands, lying 120 kilometres (75 mi) off the coast of Antarctica in the Southern Ocean. The island was named after King George III.

King George island has three major bays, Maxwell Bay, Admiralty Bay, and King George Bay. Admiralty Bay contains three fjords, and is protected as a Antarctic Specially Managed Area under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. (read further)

France - Champagne-Ardenne - 08 Ardennes

Views of Ardennes.

Sent by Yohan from Charleville-Mézières, France.

Ardennes (French pronunciation: ​[aʁ.dɛn]) is a department in the Champagne-Ardenne region of northeastern France named after the Ardennes area. (read further)

Comoros

Remembrance of Comoros.

Sent by Sitti Nabaouiyat from Moroni, Grande Comore, Comoros.

The Comoros /ˈkɒməroʊz/ (Arabic: جزر القمر‎, Juzur al-Qumur / Qamar), officially the Union of the Comoros (Comorian: Udzima wa Komori, French: Union des Comores, Arabic: الاتحاد القمري‎ al-Ittiḥād al-Qumurī / Qamarī) is a sovereign archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel off the eastern coast of Africa, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar. Other countries near the Comoros are Tanzania to the northwest and the Seychelles to the northeast. Its capital is Moroni, on Grande Comore.

At 1,862 km² (719 sq mi), excluding the contested island of Mayotte, the Comoros is the third-smallest African nation by area. The population, excluding Mayotte, is estimated at 798,000. Although speculated today by Arab countries that the name Comoros originated from Arab people who arrived in the islands much later, the name "Comoros" actually came from ancient Polynesian, Melanesian and Australian people who settled among the original African population B.C. "Comoros" was taken from the ancient Polynesian word; "Chammoras", one of their other settlements. These inhabitants had their own distinct language "Comorian" which was partly affected by the Arabs who arrived much later. The Union of the Comoros has three official languages – Comorian, Arabic and French – although French is the sole official language on Mayotte. (read further)

France - Lorraine - 57 Moselle - Metz

METZ (Moselle)
Moyen Bridge - The Protestant Church - St. Etienne's Cathedral.

Sent by Micheline from Metz, France.

Metz (French pronunciation: [mɛs]; German pronunciation: [mɛts]) is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the capital and the prefecture of both the Lorraine region and the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, the city forms a central place of the European Greater Region and the SaarLorLux euroregion.

Metz has a rich 3,000-year-history, having variously been a Celtic oppidum, an important Gallo-Roman city, the Merovingian capital of the Austrasia kingdom, the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, a cradle of the Gregorian chant, and one of the oldest republics of the common era in Europe. The city has been steeped in Romance culture, but has been strongly influenced by Germanic culture due to its location and history. (read further)

France - Rhône-Alpes - 38 Isère - Grenoble (2)

Panorama of Grenoble.

Sent by Valérie from Grenoble, France.

France - Rhône-Alpes - 38 Isère - Grenoble (1)

GRENOBLE
38 Isère - France

Sent by Valérie from Grenoble, France.

Grenoble (French pronunciation: ​[ɡʁə.nɔbl]; Arpitan: Grenoblo) is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère. The proximity of the mountains, as well as its size, has led to the city being known in France as the "Capital of the Alps".

Grenoble's history goes back more than 2,000 years, at a time when it was a small Gallic village. While it gained in stature by becoming the capital of the Dauphiné in the 11th century, Grenoble remained for most of its history a modest parliamentary and garrison city on the borders of the kingdom of France.

Grenoble grew in importance through its industrial development, the city having experienced several periods of economic expansion in the last centuries. It started with its booming glove industry in the 18th and 19th centuries, continued with the development of a strong hydropower industry in the late 19th to early 20th centuries and ended with its post-World War II economic boom symbolized by the holding of the X Olympic Winter Games in 1968. The city is now a significant scientific centre in Europe.

The population of the city (commune) of Grenoble at the 2008 census was 156,659. The population of the Grenoble metropolitan area (French: aire urbaine de Grenoble) at the 2008 census was 664,832. The residents of the city are called "Grenoblois".

Among the numerous communes that make up Grenoble are the city's largest suburbs, Saint-Martin-d'Hères, Échirolles, and Fontaine, each with a population exceeding 20,000. (Source)

France - Pays-de-la-Loire - 72 Sarthe - Le Mans

Le Mans (Sarthe)
Saint Julien Cathedral

Sent by Svitlana from Le Mans, France.

Le Mans (pronounced: [lə mɑ̃]) is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.

Its inhabitants are called Manceaux and Mancelles. It has been host to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race since 1923. (read further)

U.S.A. - New Mexico - State Capitol

NEW MEXICO STATE CAPITOL
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
The New Mexico State Capitol, known as the Roundhouse, is the only round capitol building in the country.  The building was designed to resemblethe Zia Sun Symbol when viewed from above, with four entrance wings that protrude from the main cylindrical volume.

Sent by Jennifer from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

U.S.A. - New Mexico - Santa Fe

SANTA FE
NEW MEXICO
"Oldest Capital City in the United States" is Santa Fe's claim.  The second oldest city in the U.S.,Santa Fe was settled in 1607 by the Spanish (13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock!).  Home to the Palace of the Governors, built in 1610, it is said to be the oldest continously occupied building in the United States. Santa Fe is the Southwest at its best.  From authentic Southwestern pottery to adobe buildings, to spicy chili peppers, this town has something for every one.

Sent by Jennifer from Santa Fe, USA.

Santa Fe (/ˌsæntəˈfeɪ/; (Tewa: Ogha Po'oge, Navajo: Yootó)) is the capital of the United States state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of Santa Fe County. Santa Fe is also the oldest capital city in the United States. Santa Fe (meaning “holy faith” in Spanish) had a population of 69,204 in 2012. It is the principal city of a Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Santa Fe County and is part of the larger Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas Combined Statistical Area. The city’s full name when founded was La Villa Real de la Santa Fé de San Francisco de Asís (“The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi”). (read further)