Bangalore to Bengaluru
A Special Ben’s Place of the Week
Bangalore changes its name to Bengaluru.
Salt Spain
Ben’s Place of The Week
Ben’s place of the week is Salt, Spain.
Maasbommel
Ben’s Place of the Week
A certain preoccupation with water can be expected in a country located at the mouth of three major rivers and where roughly half of the total land area is at or below sea level.
Santander Department
Ben’s Place of the Week
Ben’s Place of the week is Santander Department.
Kiel Canal
Ben’s Place of the Week
Oxford Editor of the Atlas of the World shares his place of the week.
Staten Island
Ben’s Place of the Week
Ben’s Place of the Week is Staten Island.
Santa Cruz
Ben’s Place of the Week
Ben’s Place of the week is Santa Cruz, California.
Surtsey, Iceland
Ben’s Place of the Week
Ben’s place of the week is Surtsey, Iceland.
Dallol, Ethiopia
Ben’s Place of the Week
Dallol, Ethiopia Coordinates: 14° 14 N | 40° 18 E Elevation: -157 feet (-48 meters) If beating the heat is your goal, then Death Valley, California–the hottest location in the United States–might be one spot to avoid in late August. Dallol, Ethiopia is another. A small settlement in the state of Afar near the Eritrean […]
South Queensferry
Ben’s Place of the Week
South Queensferry Coordinates: 55° 59 N | 3° 23 W Population: 9, 370 (2001 est.) Mad dogs and Englishmen may be unable to resist the midday sun, but it’s the Scottish who will venture into the heat covered head to toe in 10,000 prickly seed pods from the burdock plant. For centuries now, August in […]
Palm Islands
Ben’s Place of the Week
Palm Islands Coordinates: 25° 18 N | 55° 20 E Dubai’s Population: 1,182,439 (2006 est.) As the relative ease of international travel increases, countries seeking to compete for tourist dollars have become more creative in their efforts to market themselves as unique destinations. The United Arab Emirates, to take one example, chose to adopt the […]
Napa Valley
Ben’s Place of the Week
Napa Valley Coordinates: 38° 30 N | 122° 20 W Area: 754 square miles (1,953 sq. km) Bavarian beer baths are fine for some, but the more sophisticated may prefer a Chardonnay massage–a truly intoxicating way to de-stress. Popular among the Parisian upper class in the eighteenth century, the long relaxing soak in a barrel […]
Stone Circles of Senegambia
Ben’s Place of the Week
Stone Circles of Senegambia Coordinates: 13° 41 N | 15° 31 W Approximate area: 15,000 square miles (39,000 sq. km) Mention stone circles and most people probably think of the photogenic megaliths that beckon tourists to England’s Salisbury Plain. Farther to the south however, along the River Gambia in West Africa, 93 stone circles arranged […]
Tallinn – Ben’s Place of the Week
Tallinn Coordinates: 59° 22′ N | 24° 48′ E Population: 401,502 (2005 est.) Novel as it may seem, some places in the world are actually attempting to make their governments more efficient, and their societies more open. Across the Gulf of Finland, not quite fifty miles from Helsinki, the Estonian cabinet conducts its paperless meetings […]
Montélimar, France
Coordinates: 44° 33′ N | 4° 45′ E Distance from Beziers: 143 miles (230 km) Geographic Theme: Movement Yellow jerseys and stuffed lions are fine prizes, sure, but after completing the longest leg of the Tour de France, wouldn’t a tired cyclist rather cross the finish line for the promise of something sweeter, say a […]
Kabylia
Coordinates: 36° 40′ N | 4° 55′ E Number of provinces included: 8 As a descriptive category, world music succeeds in being a particularly vague label for such a wide range of sound. The musical styles and traditions rooted in specific places usually have more meaningful names. Kabylia for example, a small region along Algeria’s […]