Guess This Southern California Tree II

Now that I am in Southern California I am going post pictures of some of the trees I come across and try to identify them. Some of them should be easy, while others might take a while or go unidentified altogether. If you would like to help me, leave a comment below with your answer. 

Guess This Southern California Tree II:

 (Picture taken in Carlsbad, CA in July 2013)

Answer: ?

Yukon Territory, Canada

The Yukon territory is a political region in the northwestern most corner of Canada covering more than 186,000 square miles (more than 482,000 square meters). It is one of three territories in Canada, along with Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. The territory's population is 33,897. Whitehorse is the largest city and capital of Yukon with a metropolitan area of nearly 23,000. Dawson City is the second largest city in Yukon with a population of approximately 1,300. Dawson City served as the capital of the Yukon territory until 1952.

The highest mountain in Yukon is Mount Logan at 19,550 feet (5,959 meters). The second tallest mountain in Yukon is Mount Saint Elias, located on the border between Yukon and Alaska. At 18,008 feet (5,489 meters) Mount Elias is not only the second tallest mountain in Yukon but also the second tallest in Canada. In fact, all but 1 of the 10 tallest mountains in Canada are in the Yukon territory.

The coldest temperature ever in Canada was in Snag, Yukon, on February 3, 1947. On that day it reached -81.4 °F (-63 °C). This is also the coldest temperature ever recorded in North America (not including Greenland).

The Klondike gold rush was one of the most important points in the Yukon's history. After gold was discovered in Bonanza creek in 1896, as many as 40,000 people hurriedly came to Yukon to strike a fortune in gold. Today, though the Yukon is no longer in the midst of a gold rush, mining of a variety of minerals is still the largest industry. Tourism, is the second largest industry. The First Nations peoples are an important part of Yukon with 14 different First Nations governments located within the territory.



Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada in 2008.


Forty Mile historic site, Yukon, Canada in 2006. Photo Credit: Maedward


Bonanza Creek, Yukon Territory, Canada in 2005. Photo Credit: Janothird

Tombstone Mountains, the Yukon, Canada. Photo Credit: David Adamec

Guess This Southern California Tree I

Now that I am in Southern California I am going post pictures of some of the trees I come across and try to identify them. Some of them should be easy, while others might take a while or go unidentified altogether. If you would like to help me, leave a comment below with your answer. 

Guess This Southern California Tree I:

 (Picture taken in Carlsbad, CA in July 2013)

Answer: Washingtonia robusta (Mexican Fan Palm)

Iowa

The capital and largest city of Iowa is Des Moines with a metropolitan area of nearly 589,000. Davenport, is the second largest city in terms of metropolitan area, known as the Quad Cities, with nearly 383,000 people. Cedar Rapids is the third largest city by metropolitan area with nearly 262,000 people. Other large cities in decreasing metropolitan population size include: Sioux City, Iowa City, Waterloo, Council Bluffs and Ames, of straw poll fame.

The population of Iowa in 2012 was 3,074,186 which makes it the 30th largest state by population in the United States. Iowa is the 26th largest state in the United States by area. The highest point in Iowa is Hawkeye Point, at 1,671 feet. The Mississippi river runs along Iowa in the East forming the border with Illinois and Wisconsin. The state bird of Iowa is the Eastern Goldfinch.

Iowa is the site of a crater from a meteorite, called the Manson crater, though, it is no longer noticeable on the surface in modern times. It is possible the meteor that created the crater was over a mile in diameter. The Manson crater is in near the northwest of Iowa.

Though the state has been altered by agriculture which is the dominant landscape, Iowa's natural setting is mainly tallgrass prairie and savanna and to a lesser extent forests especially near rivers. In Iowa, the prairie remains intact in less than 1% of the area it once did. 


Overlooking the Mississippi River at Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa. Photo Credit: McGhiever.


Wind turbines near Williams, Iowa. Photo Credit: Bill Whittaker.


Map of Iowa. Map credit: National Atlas of the United States, 2004.

Minnesota

Minnesota has a diverse geography of at least four regions: Eastern Broadleaf Forest, Plains, Laurentian Mixed Forest and Tallgrass Aspen Parkland. Approximately a third of the state is forested. The Mississippi river originates in Minnesota and Minneapolis is built along it. The capital and second largest city of Minnesota is St. Paul. The largest city is Minneapolis, the third largest is Rochester and the fourth largest is Duluth. The Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro area has about 3.3 million people and is the 16th largest metro area in the United States. Minnesota is often known a state with an abundance of water. In addition to more than 11,000 lakes, there are over 6,500 rivers and streams in Minnesota. The state experiences a wide array of temperatures, from a record low of -60 degrees Fahrenheit (-51 Celsius) to a record high of 114 degrees Fahrenheit (46 Celsius).


Skyline of St. Paul, Minnesota. Photo by: AlexiusHoratius


Blue Mounds State Park, Minnesota. Photo by: Kirs10


View from near the top of the highest point in Minnesota, Eagle Mountain. Photo: Douglas Kaye, 2006.



Summit of Lima Mountain, Cook County Minnesota. Photo: Pete Nekola.


Bear Head Lake, Minnesota. Photo: McGhiever

Luxembourg

Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in the world, in area and population. It is a landlocked country in Europe and is bordered by France, Belgium and Germany. There are three official languages of Luxembourg; French, German and Luxembourgish. The Luxembourgish language is spoken by about 400,000 people in the world and has borrowed many French words. When Luxembourg is grouped with The Netherlands and Belgium it is sometimes referred to as being a part of 'Benelux'. The name 'Benelux' is formed with the first few letters of each country: Be= Belgium ne= Netherlands lux= Luxembourg. Luxembourg City is the largest city in Luxembourg with almost 104,000 people and is also the capital of the country. With nearly 30,000 people, Esch-sur-Alzette (Which is French, it is known as Esch-an-der-Alzette in German), is the second largest city in Luxembourg.


Kneiff, the highest point in Luxembourg at 1,837 feet (560 meters). Photo by David Edgar.


 

Picture from Esch-sur-Alzette, the second largest city in Luxembourg.


Map of Luxembourg

What Is An Archipelago?

No, an archipelago is not a music theory term; it is a geographic term for a group or chain of islands in close proximity to each other.

Some of the most well known examples include Indonesia and the Philippines, while well known countries that many might not realize are archipelago's include Japan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. There are many archipelagos in the world, including Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, South Orkney Islands, Åland Islands, Canary Islands, Seychelles Islands, Florida Keys, Aleutian Islands, Balearic Islands and many more. Some, like the Ryukyu Islands, are a part of larger archipelagos; the Ryukyu islands being a part of Japan. Even freshwater lakes can have archipelago's, Lake Erie has the uncreative yet effectively named Lake Erie Islands. Here are the maps of two archipelagos:


Map of the Canary Islands. Map credit: Wikipedia user: Mysid


1916 map of the Western Aleutian Islands in what was then the Alaska Territory.