New Zealand

With a capital in Wellington, North Island and the largest city of Auckland, New Zealand is home to abundant resources and vast wilderness. Christchurch is the largest city on the South Island and Dunedin, NZ is the second largest on the South Island.


Dunedin


Photo taken by Steffen Hillebrand, near Totaranui, Abel Tasman National Park, NZ.



New Zealand's Milford Sound


Mount Cook, Photo: Jonathan Keelty


A view from Knight's Point, West Coast, New Zealand


Ducks on pond, Ashburton Domain, Ashburton, NZ, Photo: Greg O'Beirne


Panorama of Lake Taupo, North Island, New Zealand Photo: Nydhogg



The central business district of Gisborne viewed from Kaiti hill, Photo: Richard Grevers


Historic Kerikeri buildings -- Stone Store, St James, and Kemp House


A vineyard in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand, taken in autumn, Photo: HuttyMcphoo


A Photo of the canyon in the Huka Falls in Taupo, NZ, Photo: Antilived




Boat on Lake Karapiro, New Zealand, Photo: Floyd Wilde

City Profile 003: Shanghai, China

CITY PROFILE 003: SHANGHAI, CHINA


Coordinates: 31°12′N 121°30′E / 31.2°N 121.5°E / 31.2; 121.
Elevation: 4 m (13 ft)
Daily Mean Temp: 16.55 celcius (61.8 fahrenheit)
Metro Population: 22,210,000
Estimated 2050 Metro Population: 50,000,000
Risks: Gigantic population, housing problems, traffic problems, political unrest, military unrest, demographic challenges, censorship, smog, environmental issues.
Advantages: Booming economy, one of the wealthiest cities in China, abundant water, busy port.
Resources: Immediate: Port. Regional: Offshore oil, offshore natural gas.
Other:

Photo:FASTILY

List Of Every Country Capital

COUNTRY CAPITAL LIST


Afganistan - Kabul
Albania - Tirane
Algeria - Algiers
Andorra - Andorra la Vella
Angola - Luanda
Antigua and Barbuda - Saint John's
Argentina - Buenos Aires
Armenia - Yerevan
Australia - Canberra
Austria - Vienna
Azerbaijan - Baku
The Bahamas - Nassau
Bahrain - Manama
Bangladesh - Dhaka
Barbados - Bridgetown
Belarus - Minsk
Belgium - Brussels
Belize - Belmopan
Benin - Porto-Novo
Bhutan - Thimphu
Bolivia - La Paz (administrative); Sucre (judicial)
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sarajevo
Botswana - Gaborone
Brazil - Brasilia
Brunei - Bandar Seri Begawan
Bulgaria - Sofia
Burkina Faso - Ouagadougou
Burundi - Bujumbura
Cambodia - Phnom Penh
Cameroon - Yaounde
Canada - Ottawa
Cape Verde - Praia
Central African Republic - Bangui
Chad - N'Djamena
Chile - Santiago
China - Beijing
Colombia - Bogota
Comoros - Moroni
Congo, Republic of the - Brazzaville
Congo, Democratic Republic of the - Kinshasa
Costa Rica - San Jose
Cote d'Ivoire - Yamoussoukro (official); Abidjan (de facto)
Crotia- Zagreb
Cuba - Havana
Cyprus - Nicosia
Czech Republic - Prague
Denmark - Copenhagen
Djibouti - Djibouti
Dominica - Roseau
Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo
East Timor (Timor-Leste) - Dili
Ecuador - Quito
Egypt - Cairo
El Salvador - San Salvador
Equatorial Guinea - Malabo
Eritrea - Asmara
Estonia - Tallinn
Ethiopia - Addis Ababa
Fiji - Suva
Finland - Helsinki
France - Paris
Gabon - Libreville
The Gambia - Banjul
Georgia - Tbilisi
Germany - Berlin
Ghana - Accra
Greece - Athens
Grenada - Saint George's
Guatemala - Guatemala City
Guinea - Conakry
Guinea-Bissau - Bissau
Guyana - Georgetown
Haiti - Port-au-Prince
Honduras - Tegucigalpa
Hungary - Budapest
Iceland - Reykjavik
India - New Delhi
Indonesia - Jakarta
Iran - Tehran
Iraq - Baghdad
Ireland - Dublin
Israel - Jerusalem
Italy - Rome
Jamaica - Kingston
Japan - Tokyo
Jordan - Amman
Kazakhstan - Astana
Kenya - Nairobi
Kiribati - Tarawa Atoll
Korea, North - Pyongyang
Korea, South - Seoul
Kosovo - Pristina
Kuwait - Kuwait City
Kyrgyzstan - Bishkek
Laos - Vientiane
Latvia - Riga
Lebanon - Beirut
Lesotho - Maseru
Liberia - Monrovia
Libya - Tripoli
Liechtenstein - Vaduz
Lithuania - Vilnius
Luxembourg - Luxembourg
Macedonia - Skopje
Madagascar - Antananarivo
Malawi - Lilongwe
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur
Maldives - Male
Mali - Bamako
Malta - Valletta
Marshall Islands - Majuro
Mauritania - Nouakchott
Mauritius - Port Louis
Mexico - Mexico City
Micronesia, Federated States of - Palikir
Moldova - Chisinau
Monaco - Monaco
Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar
Montenegro - Podgorica
Morocco - Rabat
Mozambique - Maputo
Myanmar (Burma) - Rangoon (Yangon); Naypyidaw or Nay Pyi Taw (administrative)
Namibia - Windhoek
Nauru - no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
Nepal - Kathmandu
Netherlands - Amsterdam; The Hague (seat of government)
New Zealand - Wellington
Nicaragua - Managua
Niger - Niamey
Nigeria - Abuja
Norway - Oslo
Oman - Muscat
Pakistan - Islamabad
Palau - Melekeok
Panama - Panama City
Papua New Guinea - Port Moresby
Paraguay - Asuncion
Peru - Lima
Philippines - Manila
Poland - Warsaw
Portugal - Lisbon
Qatar - Doha
Romania - Bucharest
Russia - Moscow
Rwanda - Kigali
Saint Kitts and Nevis - Basseterre
Saint Lucia - Castries
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Kingstown
Samoa - Apia
San Marino - San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe - Sao Tome
Saudi Arabia - Riyadh
Senegal - Dakar
Serbia - Belgrade
Seychelles - Victoria
Sierra Leone - Freetown
Singapore - Singapore
Slovakia - Bratislava
Slovenia - Ljubljana
Solomon Islands - Honiara
Somalia - Mogadishu
South Africa - Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judiciary)
Spain - Madrid
Sri Lanka - Colombo; Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative)
Sudan - Khartoum
Suriname - Paramaribo
Swaziland - Mbabane
Sweden - Stockholm
Switzerland - Bern
Syria - Damascus
Taiwan - Taipei
Tajikistan - Dushanbe
Tanzania - Dar es Salaam; Dodoma (legislative)
Thailand - Bangkok
Togo - Lome
Tonga - Nuku'alofa
Trinidad and Tobago - Port-of-Spain
Tunisia - Tunis
Turkey - Ankara
Turkmenistan - Ashgabat
Tuvalu - Vaiaku village, Funafuti province
Uganda - Kampala
Ukraine - Kyiv
United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
United Kingdom - London
United States of America - Washington D.C.
Uruguay - Montevideo
Uzbekistan - Tashkent
Vanuatu - Port-Vila
Vatican City (Holy See) - Vatican City
Venezuela - Caracas
Vietnam - Hanoi
Yemen - Sanaa
Zambia - Lusaka
Zimbabwe - Harare

South Africa

This is South Africa, one of the most spectacular collections of landscapes within a single country.
 There is some exquisite architecture I did not know about as well.

Durban beach, Photo: Simisa


Durban City Hall, Photo: Mister-E


Union Building, Pretoria, Photo: Davinci77


 Drakensberg mountains, Photo:  PZFUN


A field of flowers in the West Coast National Park in South Africa, Photo: Morne



Franschoek Valley, Photo: Ngb


The Huguenot Monument in Franschhoek, South Africa, commemorating the cultural contribution of French Huguenots, Photo: Dewet


Obelisks of the Afrikaans Language Monument, near Paarl, South Africa. Photo: C. Hill.


Paarl Mountain, Photo: Nick Boalch


Grootberg and the mountain scenery of the Boosmansbos and Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserves in the Barrydale area of the Langeberg Range, Western Cape, South Africa, Photo: Winfried Bruenken

Trillions In Lithium Found In Afganistan

Most people know one of Afghanistans most important resources, albiet illegal, is its poppy crop. Few, however, know that Afghanistan has 1 TRILLion dollars in lithium resources. These deposits have only recently been discovered, or, at least only recently been made public. These lithium deposits rival deposits in the salt flats of Uyuni in Bolivia, currently the worlds largest. Afghanistan has an incredibly low gdp and these deposits would single handedly become the most dominate economic activity in the country, possibly doubling the gdp.

Lithium is important because it has uses in the manufacturing of enviornmentally friendly cars. Due to the enviornmental revolution currently starting, lithium will be sure to be important for a long time. The pentagon has now labelled Afghanistan the Saudi Arabia of lithium. For now, only time will tell how much lithium is really in Afghanistan and what other countries such as the United States, China and Russia's involvement will be in the extraction of these massive deposits.

Heritage Park Mall (Midwest City, Oklahoma)

Heritage Park Mall in Midwest City, Oklahoma has been located for over 30 years at Reno and Air Depot roads. Now all that is left is a trashed building. HPM is off the main crossroads of I-40 and I-35 by a couple of minutes. I am sure had it been nearer to the intersection of two of the most import roads in North America, it might have lasted a little longer. Though, it probably would have eventually died out, just as Crossroads Mall located on I-35, not too far away, is in the process of doing. I saw HPM from the outside a couple of time in the year or two before it closed. There is a Whataburger in the same parking lot and I had dinner there a couple of times over a couple of years. I wish badly I would have gone in. From the outside I always saw a mall parling lot which was virtually empty (and keep in mind, some of the few cars were for employees of the mall). It was emptier than even Crossroads Mall (which is still open). A security guard was always in the parking lot patrolling dutifully, though I was certain the pennyless mall had to be paying him on credit.

Recently, in 2010, the mall shut down for good. There is still a Sears which does have some buisness as well as an unattached Whataburger which is doing fine.

I took these photographs in late fall 2010, less than a year after it closed.

City Profile 002: Brasília, Brasil

CITY PROFILE 002: BRASILIA, BRASIL

Coordinates: 15°48′00″S 47°54′00″W
Elevation: 1,172 m (3,845 ft)
Daily Mean Temp:  21 celcius (70 fahrenheit)
Metro Population: 2,851,549
Estimated 2050 Metro Population: ?
Risks: Capital city therefor vunerable to political unrest, somewhat isolated, droughts, wildfires.
Advantages: Geographic central location in Brasil, low regional population density, mild weather, abundant water, plentiful resources, historically safe region of the world from war, 3rd richest city in Brasil. 
Resources: Immediate: abundance of land. Regional: abundance of land, arable land, soybeans, cotton, forests, nickel, iron, silver, phosphate, niobium.
Other: Planned capital city finished in 1960.


Photo: Uri Rosenheck

Kiribati

Kirbati is a country comprised of a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. Its population is 98,000 and it is within the region of Oceania known as Micronesia. Like many islands, Kirbati has few natural resources. Also like many islands, Kirbati is poor and not highly developed. Farming is bad as the soil is calcareous and thin. One of the islands, Banaba (or 'Ocean Island') is a type of island called a 'phosphate rock' (Nauru and Makatea are two others). Banaba also has the countries highest point, at 266 feet. The climate of Kirbati, located near the equator, is tropical and humid.




Caroline Atoll channel


Teraina/Washington Island. Men's meeting house; November 1968.


Flint Island vegetation


Manra Island; Scaevola taccada Thicket. Photo: Angela K. Kepler


Starbuck Island. Photo: Angela K. Kepler

Kay County, Oklahoma Photographs

Last fall (2010) I took several pictures in a rest area on I-35 just south of the exit for Ponca City, OK after visiting a friend. It was evening and I got a couple of good pictures of the sun setting over the North American Great Plains. I have come to be very interested in the Great Plains and believe them to be a National Treasure. Just a few years ago I did not give the vast 2000 mile north/south plains a second thought. Now, I feel a connection to them having lived in Oklahoma for a couple of years in college. I might never call the Great Plains home but they will always be in my mind. Enjoy.