Places Of The World (A-B)

Places Of The World (A-B)


Aachen

Aachen is an ancient German city near the Belgian and Dutch borders. It was the scene of coronations until the 16th century.

Aare

The Aare is a river in Switzerland. It flows 290 km through Brienz into the Rhine and is the longest river wholly in Switzerland.

Aargau

Aargau (Argovie) is a northern canton of Switzerland.

Aarhuus

Aarhuus is an ancient seaport in Denmark on the east coast of Jutland.

Aasvar

The Aasvar are a group of small islands off the Norwegian coast in the Arctic Circle.

Abakan

Abakan is a town in east Siberia.

Abakansk

Abakansk is a fortified place in Siberia near the Upper Yenisei. It was founded by Peter the Great in 1707.

Abana

The Abana is a river near Damascus.

Abano

Abano is a village in Northern Italy famous for its mud-baths and warm springs.

Abarim

The Abarim are a mountain range in East Palestine (Israel).

Abbeville

Abbeville is a town in France on the River Somme.

Abbiategrasso

Abbiategrasso is a town in north Italy.

Abbotsbury

Abbotsbury is a village in Dorset. It is noted for its swannery which was founded in the 14th century.

Abdera

Abdera was an ancient Greek city on the Thracian coast. Its inhabitants were reputedly stupid.

Abensberg

Abensberg is a village in Bavaria, in the Danube Valley where Napoleon defeated the Austrians in 1809.

Aber

Aber is a Celtic prefix given to place names signifying the mouth or entrance of a river into the sea or into another river.

Aberbrothock

Aberbrothock is the old name for Arbroath.

Aberdare

Aberdare is a town in South Wales at the junction of the Cynon and Dare.

Aberdeen

Aberdeen is a city on the east coast of Scotland in the region of Grampian.

Aberfan

Aberfan is a town in Wales. A slag-heap slid into a school playground here in 1966 killing 144 people, most of them children.

Abergavenny

Abergavenny is a town in England. It was a coal and iron mining centre around 1900.

Aberystwith

Aberystwith is a seaport in Wales on the Cardigan Bay.

Abingdon

Abingdon is a town in Berkshire 80 km north west of London. It was an important Saxon town where King Offa had a palace.

Abinger Hammer

Abinger Hammer is a village in Surrey noted for a remarkable clock which just out over the Dorking to Guildford road. There is a monument here marking the spot where Bishop Wilberforce was killed in a riding accident in 1873.

Abo

Abo is a one-time capital of Finland. It was capital until 1819 when it was supplanted by Helsinki.

Abydos

Abydos is an ancient city in north Egypt.

Abyss

An abyss is a very deep gorge.

Acadia

Acadia is the old name of Nova Scotia.

Accra

Accra is the capital of Ghana.

Achaea

Achaea was a district of ancient Greece on the south shore of the gulf of Corinth.

Aconcagua

Aconcagua is an extinct volcano and the highest peak of the Andes.

Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia.

Adelaide

Adelaide is a seaport in Australia. Capital of south Australia.

Adelie land

Adelie land is a French owned part of Antarctica.

Aden

Aden is a country in south west Arabia.

Adrianople

Adrianople was the scene of the battle in 378 when the Romans were defeated by the Visigoths.

Adriatic

The adriatic sea is the mediterranean sea between Italy and the Balkans.

Aegean

The aegean sea is between Greece and Asia minor.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a country in Asia. It has a total area of 647,500 km2 and a land area of 647,500 km2 The climate is arid to semiarid with cold winters and hot summers. The terrain is mostly rugged mountains with plains in north and southwest. Natural resources include natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semi-precious stones. The religion is 74% Sunni Muslim, 15% Shia Muslim, 11% other. The language is 50% Pashtu, 35% Afghan Persian (Dari), 11% Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen), 4% thirty minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) with much bilingualism.

Africa

Africa is a large continent. It straddles both the equator and zero degrees longitude.

Agadir

Agadir is a seaport in South Morocco. The original town was wrecked by an earthquake in 1960, and the new town built south of the old city in an area of greater geological stability.

Agana

Agana is the capital of Guam.

Agen

Agen is a market town in France. It is the site of a bridge over the Garonne River.

Agincourt

Agincourt is a village in north west France where Henry V defeated the French army in 1415.

Agra

Agra is a town in Uttar Pradesh on the Jumna River. It was the capital of the Mogul Empire.

Agulhas

Agulhas is a rocky projection 160 km east of the Cape of Good Hope. It is the most southerly part of Africa.

Ahlen

Ahlen is a town in Germany on the river Werse. It is a coal mining town with metal and engineering works.

Ahvaz

Ahvaz is the capital of Khuzestan province in Iran. It has an airport.

Ajanta

Ajanta is a village in south central India.

Al-Uqsur

Al-Uqsur is the Arab name for Luxor.

Alabama

Alabama is a state in south USA.

Alamein

Alamein is a place in north east Egypt where Axis forces were defeated in 1942 by the Allies.

Alaska

Alaska is a state in the extreme north west of America.

Alatau

The Alatau are three mountain ranges in central Asia on the Russian and Chinese frontiers.

Alba Longa

Alba Longa was the chief city of the league of the Latins in ancient Latium. It was reportedly built by Ascanius some 300 years before the foundation of Rome.

Albania

Albania is a Balkan state between Greece and Yugolsavia.

Alberta

Alberta is the western prairie province of Canada.

Alcaniz

Alcaniz is a town in north east Spain.

Alcira

Alcira is a strongly fortified town in Valencia Province, Spain. It was founded by the Carthaginians.

Aldbourne

Aldbourne is a large village in Wiltshire.

Aldeburgh

Aldeburgh is a town in Suffolk. During the 16th century it was a seaport.

Aldermaston

Aldermaston is a village in Berkshire, England. It is home to Britain's atomic weapons research establishment.

Alderney

Alderney is one of the Channel Islands in the English Channel.

Aldershot

Aldershot is a town in Hampshire and home of the British army.

Aldworth

Aldworth is a village in Berkshire.

Aleppo

Aleppo is an important market city in north Syria.

Aletsch

The Aletsch is the most extensive glacier in Europe. It is 16 km long.

Aleutian

The aleutian islands progress south west from Alaska.

Aleutians

The Aleutians are a chain of islands in the north pacific ocean. They stretch west south west from Alaska.

Alexandria

Alexandria is a city and seaport of Egypt.

Alfriston

Alfriston is an ancient town in Sussex. The Star Inn at Alfriston is one of the oldest pubs in England, dating back to the 15th century.

Algeria

Algeria is a republic in north Africa. It has a total area of 2,381,740 km2. The climate is arid to semiarid with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers along the coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in the summer. The terrain is mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain. Natural resources are crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc. The religion is 99% Sunni Muslim (state religion), 1% Christian and Jewish. The language is Arabic (official), French, and Berber dialects.

Algiers

Algiers is the capital of Algeria

Alhama

Alhama is a town in Southern Spain in Granada province on the Motril 40 km south-west of Granada. It is renowned for its warm baths and drinking waters. It was ruined in 1884 by an earthquake.

Alhaurin

Alhaurin is a spa town in southern Spain.

Alice Springs

Alice Springs is a town in Australia. It was originally a telegraph station on the Todd river.

Aliwal

Aliwal is a village in Punjab on the left bank of the Sutley. A battle was fought here on January 28, 1846 between the Sikhs and the British army resulting in the total defeat of the Sikhs.

Allhallows

Allhallows is a small holiday resort on the Thames Estuary in Kent. It is the site of an Elizabthan iron beacon erected to warn of invasion.

Almaden

Almaden is a town in Ciudad Real province, Spain. It has large mercury deposits.

Alphen

Alphen is a market town in the Netherlands 16 km south east of Leiden.

Alps

The Alps are the highest mountain range in Europe. They are 960 km long and separate south and central Europe.

Alresford

Alresford is a market town in Hampshire.

Alston

Alston is a town in Cumbria, England. It is the site of limestone quarrying.

Altai

The Altai is a mountain range in west Siberia and Mongolia.

Altamira

Altamira is a cave near the village of Santillana del Mar. It contains remarkable paleolithic wall paintings.

Altdorf

Altdorf is the capital of Uri canton, Switzerland.

Alton

Alton is a town in Hampshire, England. It was the site of the Watney's Brewery. Alton is a town on the Mississippi in Illinios in the USA.

Amasra

Amasra is a sea port on the Black Sea in north Turkey.

Amazon

The Amazon is a major river in South America.

Amba Alagi

Amba Alagi is a mountain in Ethiopia 129 km north of Magdala. It is 10000m high.

Amberley

Amberley is a village in Sussex. It was home to the Bishops of Chichester (in Amberley Castle).

Ambleteuse

Ambleteuse is a French seaport 10 km from Boulogne. James II landed here in 1688 in his flight from England. Ambleteuse was also the sight where Napoleon assembled his flotilla of barges to invade Britain.

America

America is a large continent in the western hemisphere. It comprises North America, Central America and South America.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city in the Netherlands. It is the commercial and intellectual centre of the Netherlands. It stands on the river Amstel.

Amu Darya

The Amu Darya is a river in Asian Russia. It rises in the Pamirs and flows to the Aral Sea. It is 2398 km long.

Anatolia

Anatolia is a region of central Turkey.

Ancona

Ancona is the capital of Marche region in Italy.

Andes

The Andes are a mountain range running north south in South America.

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is a state in east India.

Andorra

Andorra is an autonomous republic in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. Andorra has a total area of 450 km2. The climate is temperate; snowy, cold winters and cool, dry summers. The terrain is rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys. Natural resources are hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore and lead. The religion is virtually all Roman Catholic. The language is Catalan (official). Many people also speak some French and Castilian.

Andover

Andover is an old town in Hampshire. It was once an importan wool centre.

Anglesey

Anglesey is an island off the north west coast of Wales.

Angola

Angola is a country in west Africa. It has a Total area of 1,246,700 km2. The climate is semiarid in the south and along the coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April). The terrain is a narrow coastal plain which rises abruptly to a vast interior plateau. Natural resources are petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite and uranium. The religion is 47% indigenous beliefs, 38% Roman Catholic, 15% Protestant. The language is Portuguese (official) and various Bantu dialects.

Anhui

Anhui is a province in east China.

Anhwei

Anhwei is a province of China.

Ankara

Ankara is the capital of Turkey.

Antarctica

The antarctic is the south polar continent. It has a total area of about 14,000,000 km2. The climate is severe low temperatures which vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than the Antarctic Peninsula in the west; warmest temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing. The terrain is about 98% thick continental ice sheet, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to 5,000 meters high; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, and the scientific research areas of Graham Land and Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of coastline. Natural resources are coal and iron ore; chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum, and hydrocarbons have been found in small quantities along the coast; offshore deposits of oil and gas

Antilles

The Antilles are a group of islands in the caribbean.

Antofag'asta

Antofag'asta is a town in Chile on the Pacific coast. It has a port and smelting plant serving the local silver mines.

Antwerp

Antwerp is a seaport in Belgium on the river Scheldt. It is also an important diamond centre.

Anzio

Anzio was the scene of the Allied invasion of Italy during the Second World War in 1944.

Aosta

Aosta is the capital of Valle d'Aosta.

Apapa

Apapa is a seaport in Nigeria on the mainland opposite Lagos.

Apennines

The apennines are a chain of mountains stretching the length of the Italian peninsular.

Apia

Apia is the capital city of Western Samoa. It is a port on the north coast of Upolu island in the West Pacific. It was at one time home to Robert Louis Stevenson.

Appalachians

The Appalachians are a mountain system in eastern North America stretching 2400km from Alabama to Quebec.

Apulia

Apulia is a region of Italy comprising the south eastern heel.

Aquila

Aquila is the capital of Abruzzi province in Italy.

Aquitaine

Aquitaine is a region of south west France. It was an English possession from 1152 until 1452.

Arabia

Arabia is a country in south west Asia comprised of independent states.

Arabistan

Arabistan is a former name of the Iranian province of Khuzestan.

Arad

Arad is an industrial town in the Negev desert in Israel.

Aral

The Aral Sea is an inland sea in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Ararat

Ararat is a mountain in Turkey close to the border with Armenia. It is 3932 metres tall.

Archipelago

An archipelago is a group of islands caused by the sea rising over a hilly landscape. Archipelagos are often volcanic in origin.

Arctic

The Arctic is the north polar region. The climate is persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow. The terrain at the central surface is covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack which averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times that size; there is a clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight line movement from the New Siberian Islands (USSR) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the ice pack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling land masses. Natural resources are sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals, whales).

Arctic ocean

The arctic ocean is the sea north of Europe, America and Asia.

Ardeche

The ardeche is a river in south east France.

Ardennes

The Ardennes is a wooded plateau in North-East France, South East Belgium and Northern Luxembourg, cut through by the river Meuse. There was heavy fighting here during the Great War and the Second World War.

Arequipa

Arequipa is a city in Peru at the base of the volcano El Misti. It was founded in 1540 by Pizarro. Today it is a busy commercial and cultural centre.

Argentina

Argentina is a republic in South America. It has a total area of 2,766,890 km2. The climate is mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in the southwest. The terrain is rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border. Natural resources are fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, crude oil, uranium The religion is 90% nominally Roman Catholic (less than 20% practicing), 2% Protestant, 2% Jewish, 6% other The language is Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French.

Argos

Argos was a city in ancient Greece at the head of the Gulf of Nauplia. It was a cult centre of the goddess Hera.

Arizona

Arizona is a state in USA.

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state in central south USA.

Arlberg

Arlberg is an Alpine pass forming the main western entry to Austria.

Armagh

Armagh is a county in Northern Ireland.

Armenia

Armenia is a republic in east Europe.

Arnold

Arnold is an industrial town in Nottinghamshire, England.

Arran

Arran is an island in Scotland.

Arras

Arras is the capital of Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is a market town famous for its tapestry. It was alsmost destroyed during the Great War.

Aruba

Aruba is an island in the Caribbean. It was one of the Netherlands Antilles until 1986 when it achieved full autonomy.

Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh is a union territory in India. It is located in the Himalayas on the borders of Tibet and Burma.

Arundel

Arundel is a market town on the River Arun in West Sussex, England. It is the site of Arundel castle, the home of the Duke Of Norfolk.

Ascension

Ascension Island is a British island of volcanic origin in the south Atlantic. It is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns.

Ascot

Ascot is a town in Berkshire. The race course at Ascot was laid in 1711 on the orders of queen Anne.

Ashburnham

Ashburnham is a town in Sussex. It was the last place where the Sussex iron industry survived, its iron foundery closing in the 19th century.

Ashford

Ashford was once a village in Kent, but became an important railway junction and so grew into a major commercial town. It has one of the oldest cattle markets in England.

Ashkhabad

Ashkhabad is the capital city of Turkmen.

Ashmore

Ashmore is the highest village in Dorset, 213 metres up in the chalk hills of Cranbourne Chase.

Asia

Asia is the largest continent. It is the landmass east of Europe.

Asia Minor

Asia Minor is an historical name for Anatolia, the Asian part of Turkey.

Asmara

Asmara is the capital city of Eritrea. It is situated on the Red Sea.

Assam

Assam is a state in India between east Pakistan and Burma. It is famed for its tea.

Assisi

Assisi is a town in Umbria, Italy. It was the birthplace of Saint Francis.

Assyria

Assyria was an empire in the Middle East from 2500BC until 612BC in what was then called Mesopotamia, now Iraq.

Asturias

Asturias is an autonomous region of northern Spain. It is a major coal producing area.

Aswan

Aswan is a winter resort town in Egypt.

Atacama

The Atacama is an extensive desert in South America covering a large area of northern Chile.

Athens

Athens is the capital city of Greece.

Atlanta

Atlanta is the capital and largest city in Georgia, USA.

Atlantic

see "atlantic ocean"

Atlantic ocean

The atlantic ocean is the sea to the west of Europe and east of America.

Atlas

The Atlas are a mountain range in north west Africa. They extend from the Atlantic coast of Morocco to the Gulf of Gabes in Tunisia. They are 2414 km long.

Attica

Attica is a region of Greece comprising Athens and the district around it.

Auckland

Auckland is a city and seaport of New Zealand.

Auschwitz

Auschwitz is a town near Krakow in Poland. It was the site of a camp used by Nazis to exterminate Jews during the Second World War.

Austerlitz

Austerlitz is a town in Czechoslovakia, formerly in Austria, where Napoleon defeated Alexander I of Russia and Francis II of Austria in 1805.

Austin

Austin is the state capital of Texas.

Australasia

Australasia is the countries of Australia, New Zealand etc.

Australia

Australia is an island continent in the southern hemisphere.

Austria

Austria is a republic in central Europe. It has a total area of 83,850 km2. The climate is temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional showers. The terrain is mostly mountains with Alps in west and south; mostly flat, with gentle slopes along eastern and northern margins. Natural resources are iron ore, crude oil, timber, magnesite, aluminum, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower The religion is 85% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant, 9% other The language is German.

Auvergne

Auvergne is an ancient province of central France.

Auxerre

Auxerre is the capital of Yonne department in France. It is a commercial and industrial centre. It is the site of a Gothic Cathedral.

Avebury

Avebury is a village in Wiltshire, England 10 km west of Marlborough. It is built on the world's largest stone circle.

Avignon

Avignon is the capital of Vaucluse department in France. It is an ancient Roman town at the crossing of the Rhone. Avignon is the Provencal tourist centre.

Avila

Avila is a town and capital of Avila province in Spain. It was the birth place of St. Teresa.

Avington

Avington is a village in Hampshire on the River Itchen.

Avon

Avon is a non-metropolitan county in southern England based upon the Lower Avon valley and Severnside. The River Avon flows 128 km from the Cotswolds to enter the Bristol Channel at Avonmouth.

Awe

Awe is a freshwater loch in Strathclyde, south east of Oban. It is drained by the River Awe into Loch Etive.

Axbridge

Axbridge is a town in Somerset. Anglo-Saxon and Norman Kings hunted stags on the Mendips from here. During the Middle Ages Axbridge became a wool centre producing knitted stockings.

Axminster

Axminster is an industrial town in Devon famous for its carpets.

Aylesford

Aylesford is an old village in Kent 5 km from Maidstone.

Aylsham

Aylsham is a market town in Norfolk on the River Bure.

Ayrshire

Ayrshire was once a county of south west Scotland.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a republic in Asia. The religion is traditionally Shi'ite Muslim. The language is Turkic.

Azores

The Azores are an island group in the atlantic ocean.

Azov Sea

see "Black Sea"

Babel

Babel is the old Hebrew name for the city of Babylon.

Babylon

Babylon was the capital of the ancient Chaldean empire in Asia. Its hanging gardens were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, until it was sacked by Cyrus of persia in 538 b.C.

Bactria

Bactria was a region of central Asia comprising modern Afghanistan, Pakistan and central Soviet Asia.

Bacup

Bacup is a market town in Lancashire, England 31 km north east of Manchester.

Baden

Baden was a state in south west Germany. In 1952 it was made part of Baden-Wurttemberg.

Baden-Wurttenberg

Baden-Wurttenberg is an administrative region of Germany.

Baghdad

Baghdad is the capital city of Iraq.

Bahamas

The Bahamas are a group of islands in the Caribbean. They have a total area of 13,940 km2. The climate is tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream The terrain is long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills. Natural resources are salt, aragonite, timber. The religion is Baptist 29%, Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 22%, smaller groups of other Protestants, Greek Orthodox, and Jews The language is English; some Creole among Haitian immigrants.

Bahrain

Bahrain is a country composed of a group of islands in the Arabian gulf. It has a total area of 620 km2. The climate is arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers. The terrain is mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment. Natural resources are oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish. The religion is Muslim (70% Shia, 30% Sunni) The language is Arabic (official); English also widely spoken; Farsi, Urdu

Baikal

Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in Asia, and the deepest freshwater lake in the world.

Baku

Baku is the capital of Azerbaydzhan. It is a port on the Caspian Sea.

Bala

Bala is a lake and town in Gwynedd, North Wales.

Balaton

Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Hungary. It is 596 km2.

Baldwin

Baldwin is a fishing town on Long Island, New York, USA.

Balearic islands

The Balearic islands are a group in the Mediterranean.

Bali

Bali is an island in Indonesia.

Balkans

The Balkan Peninsular (Balkans) are a mountain range between the Adriatic and Ionian seas in eastern Europe.

Balkash

Balkash is a lake in Kazakh. It covers an area of 6680 square meters.

Balsas

The River Balsas flows 800 km east to the Pacific through the valley of Morelos in Mexico.

Baltic

see "Baltic Sea"

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea (The Baltic) is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean which opens into the North Sea by narrow channels between Denmark and Sweden.

Baltimore

Baltimore is an industrial city and seaport in Maryland, USA. It is the home of Johns Hopkins university.

Baluchistan

Baluchistan is a mountainous desert area comprising part of Iran, part of Pakistan and part of Afghanistan.

Bamako

Bamako is the capital city of Mali. It is on the River Niger. Bamako is the main industrial centre of Mali.

Bamberg

Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is an important river port on the Trans-European waterway.

Bandung

Bandung is a commercial city and capital of Jawa Barat province on the island of Java.

Bangalore

Bangalore is the capital city of Karnataka state in south India.

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a country in Asia. It has a total area of 144,000 km2. The climate is tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October). The terrain is mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast. Natural resources are natural gas, uranium, arable land, timber. The religion is 83% Muslim, about 16% Hindu, less than 1% Buddhist, Christian, and other. The language is Bangla (official), English widely used.

Bangui

Bangui is the capital of the Central African Republic. It stands on the River Ubangi.

Banjul

Banjul is the capital city of Gambia. It is also the chief port of Gambia, and is situated on an island at the mouth of the River Gambia.

Bantustan

Bantustan (Bantu Homelands) was the name until 1978 of the Black National States in the Republic of South Africa.

Barbados

Barbados is an island in the Caribbean. It has a total area of 430 km2. The climate is tropical; rainy season (June to October). The terrain is relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region. Natural resources are crude oil, fishing, natural gas. The religion is 70% Anglican, 9% Methodist, 4% Roman Catholic, 17% other, including Moravian The language is English.

Barcelona

Barcelona is a city and sea port in Spain. It is the capital city of Catalonia.

Bari

Bari is the capital of Apulia region in southern Italy. It is an industrial city and port on the Adriatic coast. Bari is renowned for its electronics industry and being the site of Italy's first nuclear power station.

Barnstaple

Barnstaple is a town in Devon. It was a major ship-building town in the Middle Ages.

Barotseland

Barotseland was a native kingdom in Africa. It is now part of Zambia.

Barranquilla

Barranquilla is a seaport in north Colombia on the River Magdalena.

Basel

Basel is the capital city of Basel canton in Switzerland.

Bashkir

Bashkir is an autonomous republic in eastern Europe. It was annexed by Russia in 1557, and was given autonomy in 1919.

Basing

Basing was once the site of a Norman castle which was replaced in the 16th century by a Tudor mansion. It is a village just outside Basingstoke in Hampshire.

Basingstoke

Basingstoke is a town 80km south and west of London. It was once a small market town, it developed an industry of light engineering in the middle of the 20th century. During the 1960s and 1970s Basingstoke was expanded and finance industries moved in.

Basque

Basque is 3 provinces of Spain close to the border with France. Some of the residents wish to form a separate Basque state.

Basra

Basra is the only port in Iraq. It is located in the Shatt-al-Arab delta, 97 km from the Persian Gulf.

Bath

Bath is a city in England. Bath is a faming community and mineral spa in east Jamaica. The spa was discovered by a runaway slave in the 1690s.

Batley

Batley is an old town in Yorkshire, 10 km south west of Leeds.

Battle

Battle is a town in East Sussex, England. It was the scene of the battle of Hastings in 1066.

Bavaria

Bavaria is an administrative region of Germany.

Bay of Biscay

The Bay Of Biscay is a stormy area of the Atlantic Ocean west of France and north of Spain.

Bay of Pigs

The Bay of Pigs is an inlet on the south coast of Cuba. It was the site of an unsuccessful invasion attempt by the USA in 1961.

Bayern

Bayern is the German name for Bavaria.

Bayeux

Bayeux is a town in Calvados department, France 29 km north west of Caen.

Bayreuth

Bayreuth is a town in Bavaria 68 km north east of Nuremberg.

Beaminster

Beaminster is a town in Dorset.

Beaulieu

Beaulieu is a village in southern Hampshire on the Beaulieu River.

Beccles

Beccles is a town in Suffolk on the River Waveney.

Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a county in central southern England.

Beijing

Beijing (formerly Peking) is the capital city of China.

Beirut

Beirut is the capital city of Lebanon. It is a sea port which was devastated by the civil war of the 1970s and 1980s.

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of northern Ireland. It is an industrial port and has suffered from guerrilla activity since 1968.

Belfort

Belfort is a town in France between the Vosges and the Jura mountains.

Belgian Congo

The Belgian Congo is a former name of Zaire. It was used from 1908 until 1960.

Belgium

Belgium is a kingdom in west Europe. It has a total area of 30,510 km2. The climate is temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy. The terrain is flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast .Natural resources are coal, natural gas. The religion is 75% Roman Catholic; remainder Protestant or other. The language is 56% Flemish (Dutch), 32% French, 1% German; 11% legally bilingual; divided along ethnic lines.

Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital of Yugolsavia and Serbia. It is a river port situated on the Danube and linked with the port of Bar on the Adriatic.

Belize

Belize (formerly British Honduras) is a country in Central America south of Mexico and east of Guatemala. The terrain is mainly forest. The religion is about 60% Roman Catholic and 35% Protestant. The language is English (official) Spanish is widely spoken, and native Indian dialects.

Belize City

Belize City was the capital city of Belize until following its destruction by a hurricane in 1961 it was decided to move the capital inland to Belmopan in 1970.

Belorussia

Belorussia is a republic in eastern Europe.

Belsen

Belsen was the site of a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony during the second World War.

Bembridge

Bembridge is the most easterly village on the Isle Of Wight.

Ben Lawers

Ben Lawers is a mountain in Perth and Kincross, Scotland. It is 1215m high.

Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It stands 1342 meters high in the Grampians in Scotland.

Benfleet

Benfleet is a residential town in Essex, England.

Bengal

Bengal was a province of British India. It was divided in 1947 into West Bengal and East Bengal. East Bengal fought for independance from India and formed Bangladesh in 1972.

Benghazi

Benghazi is an historic city and industrial port in north Libya on the Gulf of the Sirte.

Benin

Benin is a province in west Africa. It has a total area of 112,620 km2. The climate is tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north. The terrain is mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains. Natural resources are small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber The religion is 70% indigenous beliefs, 15% Muslim, 15% Christian. The language is French (official); Fon and Yoruba most common vernaculars in south; at least six major tribal languages in north.

Benin City

Benin City is a former slave centre in Nigeria.

Bere Regis

Bere Regis is a water-cress growing village in Dorset. During the Middle Ages it was famed for its fairs, and was a resort of Kings.

Bergen

Bergen is a seaport and city in Norway.

Bering Sea

The bering sea is the northern part of the Pacific ocean. It separates America from Asia.

Berkeley

Berkeley is a village in Gloucestershire near to the River Seven, 24 km north of Bristol. It was the scene of the murder of Edward II.

Berkshire

Berkshire is a county of southern England.

Berlin

Berlin is a large industrial city in Germany.

Bermuda

Bermuda is an island in the Caribbean. It has a total area of 50 km2. The climate is subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter. The terrain is low hills separated by fertile depressions. Natural resources are limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism. The religion is 37% Anglican, 14% Roman Catholic, 10% African Methodist Episcopal (Zion), 6% Methodist, 5% Seventh-Day Adventist, 28% other. The language is English

Bern

Bern is the capital city of Bern canton and the federal capital of Switzerland. It stands on the Aare River.

Bernese Alps

The Bernese Alps (Bernese Oberland) are a mountain range in Berne Canton, Switzerland.

Bexhill-On-Sea

Bexhill-On-Sea is a popular seaside resort in Sussex.

Bhopal

Bhopal is an industrial city and capital of Madhya Pradesh in central India.

Bhutan

Bhutan was a state in India, it is now a country in south east Asia.

Biafra

The Republic of Biafra was an African state established in 1968 within Nigeria. Civil war led to its destruction in 1970.

Bideford

Bideford is a town in Devon. It was a major seaport from 1550 until 1750.

Bihar

Bihar is a state in north east India.

Bikini Atoll

Bikini Atoll is an atoll in the Marshall Islands, in the north Pacific, where the USA conducted atomic weapon tests between 1946 and 1963.

Bilbao

Bilbao is an industrial seaport in Spain.

Binham

Binham is a village in Norfolk. It was originally a Benedictine priory and centre founded around 1100.

Bio-Bio

The Bio-Bio is the longest river in Chile. It is about 370 km long. It flows from the Andes to the Pacific.

Bioko

Bioko is an island in the Bight of Bonny, West Africa. It is part of Equatorial Guinea. It was formerly a Spanish possession and known as Fernando Po.

Birkenhead

Birkenhead is a seaport on the River Mersey opposite Liverpool.

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city in the English midlands. Birmingham is an industrial city in Alabama, USA.

Birnam

Birnam is a village in Pert and Kinross, Scotland. It is mentioned in Macbeth.

Bisceglie

Bisceglie is a seaport town on the east coast of Italy.

Bishop's Cannings

Bishop's Cannings is a village in Wiltshire.

Bishop's Waltham

Bishop's Waltham is an old town in Hampshire.

Biskra

Biskra is a winter resort and market town in Algeria.

Bisley

Bisley is a village in Surrey and home to the National Rifle Association. Annual rifle shooting contests are held at Bisley.

Bissau

Bissau is the capital city and chief port of Guinea-Bissau. It stands on an island at the mouth of the Geba river. It was originally a fortified slave-trading centre, in 1869 it became a free port.

Black Country

The Black Country is the area of central England around and to the north of Birmingham. It is a heavily industrialized area which got its name in the 19th century from its belching chimneys.

Black Forest

The Black Forest is a mountainous coniferous forest region of Baden-Wurttenberg in west Germany. It is bounded to the west and south by the Rhine which separates it from the Vosges.

Black Prairie

The Black Prairie is a region of Texas which extends 560 km south west from the Ouachita Mountains to Austin. It contains some very fertile areas which are primarily used for growing cotton.

Black River

Black River is a fishing town in south west Jamaica. Watchout for the crocodiles if you visit!

Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea of Europe.

Blackpool

Blackpool is a seaside resort town in Lancashire, England.

Blakeney

Blakeney is a small town on the north coast of Norfolk at the estuary of the River Glaven.

Blantyre-Limbe

Blantyre-Limbe is the chief industrial and commercial centre for Malawi.

Blarney

Blarney is a small town in County Cork, Ireland.

Blenheim

Blenheim is a village in Bavaria. It was the scene of a battle in 1704 when English troops under the Duke of Marlborough defeated the French and Bavarian armies.

Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein is the capital of the Orange Free State and the judicial capital of the Republic of South Africa.

Blois

Blois is a city in France on the right bank of the loire river.

Blue mountains

The blue mountains are a mountain range in east Jamaica famed for coffee.

Blue Ridge Mountains

The Blue Ridge Mountains are a mountain range extending from West Viginia to Georgia in the USA.

Bocking

Bocking is a town in Essex on the outskirts of Braintree.

Bodmin Moor

Bodmin Moor is a plateau in Cornwall comprised of rough grass.

Boeotia

Boeotia was a central district of ancient Greece.

Bognor Regis

Bognor Regis was one of the first English seaside resorts.

Bogota

Bogota is the capital of Columbia.

Bohemia

Bohemia is the western area of Czechoslovakia.

Bolivia

Bolivia is a republic in south America. It has a total area of 1,098,580 km2. The climate is varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid. The terrain is high plateau, hills, lowland plains. Natural resources are tin, natural gas, crude oil, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron ore, lead, gold, timber The religion is 95% Roman Catholic; active Protestant minority, especially Evangelical Methodist. The language is Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara (all official).

Bologna

Bologna is an industrial city and the capital of Emilia-Romagna in Italy. It is 80km north of Florence.

Bombay

Bombay is a city and seaport in India.

Bonchurch

Bonchurch is a village on the Isle of Wight.

Bondu

Bondu (Bondou) was once a sovereign country in West Africa inhabited by the Foulahs.

Bonin

Bonin is a group of islands in the north Pacific.

Bonn

Bonn is an industrial city and former capital of West Germany.

Boothia

Boothia is a peninsular on the Canadian Arctic coast.

Bootle

Bootle is a town in Merseyside, England. It shares a line of docks with Liverpool. It's industry includes tanning, ship-repairing and a tin plant.

Bophuthatswana

Bophuthatswana is an independant Bantu territory in South Africa. It was established by the then apartheid govenment of South Africa to consolidate their policy of apartheid.

Borbonnais

Borbonnais was once a province in France, and later a duchy.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port on the Garonne and capital of Aquitaine in south west France.

Borders

The Borders are a region of Scotland.

Boreham

Boreham is a village in Essex.

Borneo

Borneo is an island in the east Indian archipelago.

Boscombe

Boscombe is a village in Wiltshire.

Bosham

Bosham is the most westerly town in Sussex. It was here that King Cnut demonstrated that even he had not the pwoer to turn back the sea.

Bosnia

Bosnia is a country in south east Europe. Part of Yugolsavia.

Bosporus

The Bosporus is a 27km long strait joining the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and forming part of the water division between Europe and Asia.

Boston

Boston is the capital of Massachusetts.

Botany Bay

Botany Bay is an inlet on the east coast of Australia. It was chosen in 1787 as the site for a penal colony.

Botswana

Botswana is a country in southern Africa. It has a total area of 600,370 km2. The climate is semiarid; warm winters and hot summers. The terrain is predominately flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest Natural resources are diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver, natural gas. The religion is 50% indigenous beliefs, 50% Christian. The language is English (official), Setswana

Bourg

Bourg is a town in Eastern France.

Bourges

Bourges is an ancient city in France. It is at the confluence of the Auron and Yevre 200 km south of Paris.

Bourgogne

Bourgogne is a region of France and former independant kingdom. It was incorporated into France in 1477.

Bournemouth

Bournemouth is a seaside resort in Hampshire. It was a small village until the 19th century and it has been growing ever since.

Bouvet Island

Bouvet Island is an island in Antarctica. It has a total area of 58 km2. The climate is antarctic. The terrain is volcanic; maximum elevation about 800 meters; the coast is mostly inacessible.

Bovington

Bovington is a village in Dorset. It is the site of the British Army tank research centre and museum.

Box Hill

Box Hill is a 700 foot high hill in Surrey. It is a popular beauty spot.

Brabant

Brabant is a former duchy of western Europe comprising part of Belgium and the Netherlands.

Bradford

Bradford is an industrial city in west Yorkshire in England. It is 14km west of Leeds. It was once an important wool and later cloth manufacturing centre but this has declined since the 1970s.

Bradford Abbas

Bradford Abbas is a village in Dorset.

Brading

Brading was a harbour on the Isle of Wight, however since 1880 a 2 km long causeway has cut off the town from the sea.

Brahmaputra

The Brahmaputra is a 2900km long river in Asia. It is a tributary of the Ganges.

Braintree

Braintree is a town in Essex. It formed around the junction of important Roman roads. Braintree derived its prosperity from the silk trade which followed the wool trade.

Bramber

Bramber is a village in Sussex. It is the site of the Exhibition of Humerous Taxidermy, a museum established in the late 19th century by William Potter.

Brancaster

Brancaster is a village in Norfolk. It was originally a Roman fort (Branodunum).

Brand's Hatch

Brand's Hatch is a motor racing circuit in Kent.

Brandenburg

Brandenburg is a former Prussian and German province. It was divided in 1945 between Poland and Germany.

Brasil

Brasil is the Brazilian name for Brazil.

Brasov

Brasov is an industrial town in Romania at the foot of the Transylvanian Alps. It was part of Hungary until 1920.

Brasso

Brasso is the Hunagarian name for the Romanian town of Brasov.

Bratislava

Bratislava (Pressburg) is an industrial port on the Danube in Czechoslovakia.

Braunschweig

Braunschweig is the German name for Brunswick.

Bray

Bray is a village in Berkshire set on a bend in the River Thames. A 17th century vicar of Bray continualy changed his religion in keeping with that of the King of the day inorder to keep his living, so the story goes.

Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in south America. It has a total area of 8,511,965 km2. The climate is mostly tropical, but temperate in south. The terrain is mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt Natural resources are iron ore, manganese, bauxite, nickel, uranium, phosphates, tin, hydropower, gold, platinum, crude oil, timber. The religion is 90% Roman Catholic (nominal). The language is Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French.

Brazzaville

Brazzaville is the capital city of the Congo. It is an industrial port on the Zaire river opposite Kinshasa.

Breamore

Breamore is a village on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire. It is the site of one of the few complete Anglo-Saxon churches in England.

Bremen

Bremen is an old town on the banks of the river Weser in Germany 64km from the North Sea. It is an industrial and commercial centre.

Brenner Pass

The brenner pass is the lowest pass over the alps.

Brentwood

Brentwood is a town in Essex just off the main London to Chelmsford road.

Brescia

Brescia is an historic industrial city in northern Italy 84km east of Milan.

Breslau

Breslau is the German name of Wroclaw.

Brest

Brest is a naval base and industrial port on the Rade de Brest at the western extremity of Brittany, France.

Bretagne

Bretagne is the French name for Brittany.

Bretton Woods

Bretton Woods is a township in New Hampshire, USA.

Breydon Water

Breydon Water is an extension of the estuary of the River Yare in Norfolk. It was a natural harbour in Roman times.

Bridgetown

Bridgetown is a port and the capital city of Barbados. It was founded in 1628.

Bridgwater

Bridgwater grew from being a village to a major river-port during the Middle Ages.

Bridlington

Bridlington is a sea-side resort town in north east England.

Bridport

Bridport is a town in Dorset. It was an important rope-making town once, hence the expression "Bridport Dagger" which referred to a hangman's noose.

Brighton

Brighton is a sea-side resort town in Sussex. It was formerly called Brighthelmstone.

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland in Australia.

Bristol

Bristol is a city at the confluence of the rivers Avon and Frome in west England.

Britain

Britain is the collective name for England, Scotland, Wales and northern Ireland.

British Antarctic Territory

The British Antarctic Territory is a colony created in 1962 and comprising all British territories south of latitude 60 degrees south.

British Columbia

British Columbia is a province of western Canada on the Pacific.

British Honduras

British Honduras is a former name of Belize.

British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the north west coast of Europe consisting of Great Britain, Ireland, The Channel Islands, Orkney, Shetland, Isle of Man and other islands.

Brittany

Brittany is a region of north west France in the Breton peninsular between the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel.

Brixen

Brixen is an old city in Austria in the Tyrol.

Brixham

Brixham is a fishing port in Devon on Tor Bay.

Brixia

Brixia is the ancient name for Brescia.

Brno

Brno is an industrial city in central Czechoslovakia.

Broads

The Norfolk Broads are a combination of lakes, rivers and cuts in Norfolk famous for their boating. They are largely man made, water filled pits left by turf cutters of years ago.

Broadway

Broadway is a major street in Manhattan, New York, famed for its theatres.

Brocken

Brocken is the highest summit of the Harz mountains, 1141 metres.

Brockenhurst

Brockenhurst is a village in the New Forest in Hampshire.

Brockville

Brockville is a town in Ontario on the left bank of the St Lawrence

Brownsea Island

Brownsea Island is the largest island in Poole Harbour, in Dorset. It is 2 km long and 1 km wide.

Bruges

Bruges is the capital of west Flanders. It is a mediaeval town connected by a canal to its port Zeebrugge.

Brugge

Brugge is the Flemish name for Bruges.

Brunei

Brunei is a country in the far east. It has a total area of 5,770 km2. The climate is tropical; hot, humid, rainy. The terrain is flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west Natural resources are crude oil, natural gas, timber. The religion is 60% Muslim (official); 8% Christian; 32% Buddhist and indigenous beliefs. The language is Malay (official), English, and Chinese.

Brunswick

Brunswick is an industrial city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It was the capital of the duchy of Brunswick from 1671.

Brussel

Brussel is the Flemish name for Brussels.

Brussels

Brussels is the capital of Belgium. It is an industrial city first settled in the 6th century, and a city from 1321. It became the capital of belgium in 1830.

Bruton

Bruton is a town in Somerset.

Bucaramanga

Bucaramanga is an industrial and commercial city in north central Columbia. It was founded by the Spanish in 1622.

Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital of Romania.

Buchenwald

Buchenwald was the site of a Nazi concentration camp in Germany during the Second World War.

Buckingham

Buckingham is a market town on the river Ouse in Buckinghamshire, England. It is 24km north west of Aylesbury.

Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a county in south east England.

Bucuresti

Bucuresti is the Romanian name for Bucharest.

Budapest

Budapest is the capital city of Hungary.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina.

Bulawayo

Bulawayo is an industrial city and railway junction in Zimbabwe on the River Matsheumlope.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria is a country in central Europe. It has a total area of 110,910 km2. The climate is temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers. The terrain is mostly mountains with lowlands in north and south. Natural resources are bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land The religion is religious background of population is 85% Bulgarian Orthodox, 13% Muslim, 0.8% Jewish, 0.7% Roman Catholic, 0.5% Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other. The language is Bulgarian; secondary languages closely correspond to the ethnic breakdown.

Bunbury

Bunbury is a town and seaport in Western Australia.

Bungay

Bungay is a market town in Suffolk.

Burgenland

Burgenland is a federal state in south east Austria.

Burghclere

Burghclere is a village in Hampshire.

Burgundy

Burgundy is a region in east France.

Burma

Burma is a country in Asia south of Tibet. It has a total area of 678,500 km2. The climate is tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April). The terrain is central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands. Natural resources are crude oil, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas. The religion is 85% Buddhist, 15% animist beliefs, Muslim, Christian, or other. The language is Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages.

Burnham-on-crouch

Burnham-on-Crouch is a town in Essex. It is an estuary town noted for its boat-building and yachting.

Bursa

Bursa is a city in north west Turkey. It was the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1326 until 1423.

Burundi

Burundi is a country in east Africa. It has a total area of 27,830 km2. The climate is temperate, warm with the occasional frost in the uplands. The terrain is mostly rolling to hilly highland with some plains. Natural resources are nickel, uranium, rare earth oxide, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium The religion is about 67% Christian (62% Roman Catholic, 5% Protestant), 32% indigenous beliefs, 1% Muslim. The language is Kirundi and French (official); Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area).

Burwell

Burwell is a village in Cambridgeshire.

Bury St Edmunds

Bury St Edmunds is a city in Suffolk.

Buscot

Buscot is a village in Berkshire next to the Thames.

Byblos

Byblos was an ancient Phoenician city 32km north of Beirut. Today it is called Jebeil.

Byzantium

Byzantium was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is called Istanbul.