Beauty of the World Cities

Built on sand on around the banks of the river Spree,  Berlin  has been one of Europe's most influential economic, cultural and political centres - for better or worse - since it's origins as a trading post in the 13th century. It was capital of both the Prussian and the German Empire until World War I uprooted the Hohenzollern dynasty, which had ruled since the 15th Century. After the War the Weimer Republic was established and Berlin enjoyed a period of unprecedented prosperity and creativity - known as the 'Golden Twenties'. In the 30s however the German economy was collapsing and a accumulation of socio-political reasons saw Hitler and the Nazi party seize power.   Berlin became the centre of one of the most infamous regimes in history, and remained so until 1945 when it was liberated by the Red Army. Unfortunately liberation was a painful process. The Russians, who has lost close to 30 million people in the conflict, exacted a heavy revenge on the citizens of Berli...

Beijing, China's national capital, is situated at the north edge of the North China Plain. Not far to its northwest is the vast Inner Mongolian Plateau and a hundred kilometers to the east is the Bohai Sea. Beijng is also flanked by the crawling Taihang Mountains to its west and the alluvial plain by the rivers of Yongding and Chaobai to its south.  Located in the  North Temperate Zone   with a continental monsoon climate,   Beijing   enjoys and annual mean temperature of 11.8°C (53.24°F) and annual mean precipitation of 630 mm, which concentrates mainly in the summer. January is the coldest month with the monthly mean temperature of -4.7°C (23.54°F) while July the hottest month with a mean temperature of 26.1°C (78.98°F). Beijing's spring is relatively short, and people used to say that when the last day of the winter is gone, the summer is about to set in. Summer is usually hot with abundant rainfall. Autumn days are cool with clear sky and gentle breeze, maki...

San Francisco holds a secure place in the  United States ’   romantic  dream of itself—a cool, elegant, handsome, worldly seaport whose steep streets offer breathtaking views of one of the world’s greatest bays. According to the dream, San Franciscans are sophisticates whose lives hold full measures of such civilized pleasures as music, art, and good food. Their children are to be pitied, for, as the wife of publishing magnate  Nelson Doubleday  once said, “They will probably grow up thinking all cities are so wonderful.” To San Franciscans their city is a magical place, almost an  island , saved by its location and history from the sprawl and monotony that afflicts so much of urban  California . Since  World War II , however, San Francisco has had to face the stark realities of urban life: congestion, air and  water pollution , violence and vandalism, and the general decay of the inner city. San Francisco’s  makeup  has been changi...

Cape Town is known as a great holiday destination year around a place where neither season really experiences extremes of temperature, thanks to prevailing winds. The summer months are from December to February. The days are generally warm to hot and dry, but the humidity is low. While winters are from June to August and tend to be wet and cool, (this does not mean rain every day although it can rain for two weeks straight on occasion). It can get very cold at night, with temperatures as low as 2 to 3°C (this is the temperature of the ocean so it will not get colder unless you go far inland) but 5-7°C is normal. It will become warmer during the day, with temperatures between 9-15°C typical. It is often very cloudy with far fewer hours of sunshine. (The rains are brought on by fierce northwesterly gales). However be prepared though for 'four seasons in one day'. The peninsula's shape creates microclimates, so you can be basking in the sun on one side of the mountain and shel...

Barcelona is Spain's second largest city, in population, with around 3,200,000 people. This innovative, diverse city is located on the northeast coast of the peninsula along the Mediterranean Sea. Barcelona is the capital of the Catalonian region, as well as the province of Barcelona. Although Spanish is the official language in Spain, in the Catalonian region, Catalan is also recognized as the co-official language. The weather is typically decent year-round, with the nicest months being May until July, as well as September, generally. Like many Spanish cities, August tends to be the hottest month, with temperatures soaring into the mid 30s at times. The winters are cooler, but there is not much precipitation. Barcelona is ranked just after Madrid as the country's main source of economy. It is also home to one of the most major Mediterranean ports. Barcelona's airport is the second largest in Spain, as well. Barcelona was known for its manufacturing industry, and that is st...