A place in the world a day

I've been chatting with Magical about South Africa, and about the animal and marine life there.

I thread would be nice, where a different place is chosen each day and where posters can post anything on that place, literature, culture, flora and fauna, music, history etc.

Anyone wishing to start?

I'll choose Venezuela then for today:



Orinoco River, Venezuela

The Orinoco River in South America happens to be one of the largest rivers of this continent. The river has its origin in the southern stretches of Venezuela. After completing 76% of its journey in this beautiful country, the waterway then flows into Columbia. Regarded as one of the largest river systems in the world, the Orinoco River has a huge river basin as well. Once it starts off its journey, the river moves towards the west and then travels northwards by invading the borders of Columbia. After completing a long journey encompassing a number of courses (upper, lower, middle), the stunning river finally falls into the Atlantic Ocean.

Follow the torrents on the Orinoco River, as you travel along the heart of Venezuela, and get a glance of the lush rainforest and the rich wildlife. As you go rafting on the tumultuous rapids, you will be amazed by the splendor of the strong whitewaters and the exquisiteness of the frothy waves. The great abundance of whitewaters and the scenic beauty will certainly take your breath away! The challenging waves teamed with the mysterious environment will certainly have a profound visual impact on you. The whitewaters of the Orinoco River can is famous for generating amazing attraction, thus pulling you towards the magnificent waves. Now, as you move along the extensive savannas and the vast tropical forests, the exotic locales are sure to keep you spellbound!

Venezuela is epic in proportion: it boasts South America's largest lake and third-longest river, the highest waterfall in the world, the longest of all snakes, and some of the most spectacular landscapes you'll ever see.

There are the snowcapped peaks of the Andes in the west; steamy Amazonian jungles in the south; the hauntingly beautiful Gran Sabana plateau, with its strange flat-topped mountains, in the east; and miles of white-sand beaches fringed with coconut palms on the Caribbean coast.

I missed this thread,I never saw it until now :shock:

Venezuela brings to mind a boyfriend I once had from there,he was a bloody nightmare but very handsome,however his looks could'nt justify his nasty temperment :shock: so it put me off the country somewhat.


I believe the scenery and beaches Angel falls are fantastic.The jungle interests me,Id like a jungle trek but without the snakes

My late father spent the last 23 years of his life living by in Valencia named after the one in Spain but I never got round to visiting the place. I have two younger brothers there although one now lives in New York. It always looks like a lovely place to me and I knew many Venezuelan people when I was younger and they were lovely.

Just getting past the stretched bit before I add to this thread :shock:

And again

:shock:

it's still there

Can't seem yo get rid of it

It's still there

Costa Rica

I would love to travel around this country,the diversity of climates is amazing,it has Cloudforests,jungles and lovely beaches besides all the wildlife

Quote taken from The Lonely Planet Guide[I always use these guides when travelling]

Quote :

Introducing Costa Rica




The bellowing of the howler monkeys echoes across the treetops of the
Parque Nacional Corcovado
and you wonder if it was wise to venture into the jungle at the crack
of dawn. You spot the creatures in a nearby fig tree, feasting on
fruit. Out on the deserted beaches of San Miguel and Coyote,
magnificent frigate birds are circling high overhead.
Less-than-sonorous squawking gives away a pair of scarlet macaws,
alighting from an almond tree. Morning has broken in the coastal rain
forest.
Similar scenes are unfolding across Costa Rica: from the dry tropical forest along the
Central Pacific Coast to the misty cloud forests of
Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo
at higher altitudes, this wildlife wonderland is coming alive. More
than 27% of the country's area is protected, creating a haven for
countless species of flora and fauna.

The
value of this natural resource is unquantifiable: annually Costa Rica
attracts more than one million visitors eager to catch a wave, bathe
under a waterfall, spot a sloth or otherwise partake of paradise.
Tourism is the country's top source of employment and investment.
It's
not easy to maintain the delicate balance between preserving natural
resources and cashing in on economic opportunity. But most Ticos are
proud of their natural heritage, and they recognize that the goals of
environmental conservation and economic prosperity are not mutually
exclusive. This is the enlightened approach that has earned Costa Rica
its reputation as the paradigm of ecotourism.
It's no
wonder that the Ticos extend such a warm welcome to travelers. This
peace- loving people is eager to share - the staggering scenery, the
bountiful biodiversity and the complete contentment that comes with pura vida, the 'pure life' of Costa Rica.

Costa Rican Cloud Forests

Quote :

One of the most unique environments in the world survives on Costa
Rica’s mountaintops-at least for the moment. Cloud forests like
Monteverde’s are formed by a combination of wind and geography
(individual cloud forest descriptions are listed in the menu to the
left).

When tradewinds
flow from the northeast across the warm Caribbean Sea they drive moist
air into the Cordillera Tilarán. The slope of the mountains pushes the
air upwards to cooler elevations around Montevede. Since cool air
holds less moisture the excess humidity forms tiny droplets, mist and
clouds. When
topology like the Cordillera de Tiláran pushes moving air up and
creates clouds it's called orographic forcing (Toucan Guides)



When
tiny droplets are deposited on surfaces before they collect together
and fall as rain it’s called horizontal precipitation and in cloud
forests it can be the main source of moisture.

Peaks enveloped
by tradewind-derived clouds can capture huge amounts of water when they
are covered with tropical montane cloud forests. Their sponge-like
epiphytes (mosses, ferns and bromeliads) massively increase the surface
area for horizontal precipitation. The whole ecozone functions as a
water regulator-soaking it up in the rainy season (preventing erosion),
and releasing vapor to the atmosphere and runoff downstream in the dry
season.

Cloud forests are distinctive biologically as well. They
don’t quite match the biodiversity found in the world champion
ecozone-tropical lowland rainforests-but they exceed them in
uniqueness. The concentration of endemics (species found in only one
location) is higher than other locations except for islands like the
classic example at Galapagos which are isolated by the ocean.

Deforestation
eliminated most of the world’s tropical montane cloud forests years ago
and continues today. Unfortunately even protected areas like
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve are threatened as rising world
temperatures move the elevation where the clouds first form higher and
higher. Plants and animals from lower climactic associations have been
encroaching on the reserve and other Costa Rican cloud forest areas for
more than a decade.

BEACHES IN Costa Rica

Warm waters year-round, an unparalleled tourism infrastructure, and
limitless attractions spanning two coasts are the reasons Costa Rica's
beaches rank among the best in the world. And since nearly two thirds
of Costa Rica's borders are coastline, there are a whole lot of beaches
to explore.

SURFING in COSTA RICA 8)

http://www.crsurf.com/

Costa Rica is a legendary surfing location and is seen as
more of a 'hardcore' surfing trip. Its geography makes it
a classic surfing destination choice having two coastlines
- the Caribbean and the Pacific - which both produce great
waves and have quality surf spots. The Caribbean side has
a short surfing season and produces large swells from tropical
storms off Mexico. The Pacific coast has smaller but more
consistent surf generated by low pressure systems located
off New Zealand.

Wildlife and Bio diversity in Costa Rica

Costa Rica supports an enormous variety of wildlife, due in large part to its geographic position between the North and South American continents, its neotropical climate, and its wide variety of habitats. Costa Rica is home to more than 500,000 species,which represents nearly 4% of the total species estimated worldwide,
making Costa Rica one of the 20 countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. Of these 500,000 species, a little more than 300,000 are insects.
One of the principal sources of Costa Rica's biodiversity is that the country, together with the land now considered Panama,formed a bridge connecting the North and South American continentsapproximately three to five million years ago. This bridge allowed the
very different flora and fauna of the two continents to mix

http://www.geometer.org/costarica/animals.html

Bella, that must be one of the best posts on AIR that's been made since its inception. A truly remarkable effort of yours. Thank you so much. I learnt from the post and this indicates what a good post should be.
I certainly would like to visit there: pure magic!

I havent finished yet,it looks more like some kind of school project ,kept me amused anyway and my thoughts looking forward