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          The city of Port of Spain is the Capital of Trinidad and Tobago, a twin island country in the West Indies. The city is located on the west coast of the island of Trinidad, below the northern peninsula on the Gulf of Paria. Spain had made Trinidad a colony from the mid-16th century onwards. The early Spanish settlers who established a port there, and called it ‘Puerto de Espana’, which in English means the ‘Port of Spain’. Port of Spain has an interesting urban layout with parks and squares in geometric patterns.

          The city houses the business district at its centre. This business district is situated near the Gothic-style Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Queen’s Park Savannah, the city’s largest open space and a popular site for recreation. There are many monuments of historical and architectural interest in the city such as the President’s House, Whitehall, which houses the office of the prime minister, the house of the Roman Catholic archbishop of Port of Spain, the Knowsley Building, All Saints’ Church and the Neo-Renaissance Red House, which was rebuilt in 1906 and contains the Parliament and government offices.

 

          Which is the most powerful country in the world? Most people would, without any hesitation, answer, ‘The United States of America’. Being the capital of the most powerful country, Washington, D.C. is therefore the most powerful city too.    

          Washington, D.C. is formally known as the District of Columbia. Columbia is a reference to Christopher Columbus, an early European explorer of the Americas. The city is named after George Washington, the first president of the United States and military leader of the American Revolution. It was referred to as the Federal City or Washington City in the nineteenth century.

          The district houses the centres of all three branches of the U.S. Federal government. It is also the commercial and economic powerhouse of the world as the headquarters for the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank and other national and international institutions including labor unions and professional associations are located there.

          The city is also a major tourist destination. Some of the landmarks and monuments include the National Mall, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, National World War II Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the White House and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

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          Have you heard of a country named Saint Vincent and the Grenadines? This small country lies in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of this country, which is frequently known simply as Saint Vincent, is Kingstown. The town is also the largest port of the country.

          French settlers founded Kingstown as a modern town in the 1720s. However, Saint Vincent and its capital later came under British rule.

          The town’s economy largely depends on exports, which include bananas, arrowroot, coconuts, sweet potatoes, plantains, yams, taro and tannias. The beautiful steep hills that surround the town are a major attraction of the place. The St Vincent and the Grenadines Botanic Gardens is located on the northern side of the town, and it attracts thousands of spectators every year. Fort Charlotte is another monument in the town that attracts tourists’ interest.

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          Nicaragua is a Central American country. In the Central American isthmus, the narrow land that connects South and North American continents, Nicaragua is the largest country. Managua is the capital of Nicaragua. The city lies amid small crater lakes on the southern shore of Lake Managua. One of the warmest capitals of Central America, Managua is situated only 50 metres above sea level.

          The capital is the largest city and the commercial and cultural hub of the country. Managua’s economy is dependent on a variety of small industries such as meat processing, furniture, metal work and textiles. The city has oil refineries too. In the agricultural sector, coffee and cotton are the principal, crops. There is an increasing demand for the sugarcane, rice, sorghum, cattle and horses of the city too.

          Managua is connected to the rest of the world through the Pan-American Highway and the international airport. It has rail-roads and other highway connections too. One of the chief attractions of Managua is the rich agricultural lands that surround the city.

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          Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea. Jamaica’s largest city and national capital is Kingston. The key port of the country, the city is located on the south-eastern coast of Jamaica. There is a beach-like formation known as Palisades in front of the city, which connects the town of Port Royal, a shipping centre, to the mainland of the island.

          There is a glaring inequality between classes in the city. A good part of the city is merely shantytown. There are two parts that make up Kingston. One part, the old and troubled Downtown, inhabited mostly by poor people. The other part, the business area, which is occupied by a modern and affluent population.

          A major landmark of the city is the Bob Marley Museum, dedicated to the memory of the world renowned musician, Bob Marley. Other monuments of tourist interest include the ruins of Port Royal, the Jamaica Defence Force Museum, Hellshire Beach, a popular weekend destination for the people of Kingston, and Lime Cay Beach.

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          Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti, also known as the West Indian Republic of Haiti. Haiti is also the chief port and commercial hub of the city.

          The city, it is said, was named by a captain by the name of de Saint-Andre. He was sailing through the area in a ship named Le Prince and called the port ‘Port of the Prince’. The city is located on the beautiful bay at the top of the Gulf of Go-nave. In 2010, there was a devastating earthquake in Port-au-Prince. This quake caused so much damage in the city and many major landmarks of the city were destroyed. The du Champ-de-Mars, the site of a number of historically notable structures in the centre of the city, was hit the hardest.

          Some of the most important monuments in the city are the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, and the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Both these buildings were nearly destroyed in the earthquake. The National Archives, National Library and National Museum are also major tourist hotspots.

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          The largest city in Central America, Guatemala City is the capital of the Republic if Guatemala. The city is also the country’s economic, social and cultural capital. Do you know that there is a parliamentary body for the Central American states called ‘the Central American Parliament’? Aso known as PARLACEN, the institution is officially located in Guatemala City. The city is home to the regional headquarters of the Organization of American States too.

          The city’s name originates from the Nahuatl language of an American Indian tribe. Although experts disagree over the source, some hold that the original name was ‘Quauhtemallan’ meaning ‘land of trees’, while some others believe that it is derived from Guhatezmalha, meaning ‘mountain of vomiting water’. There was a series of earthquakes that shook the city in 1917. The tremors and quakes that started in the mid November lasted more than six weeks. The city was destroyed completely. The earthquakes recurred in 1976, taking more than 23,000 lives and injuring around 76,000 people.

          There are several important museums and artistic, commercial, vocational and military institutions in the city. The concrete relief map of the country in Minerva Park, the archaeological and historical museums, the colonial aqueduct, the central market and the Olympic City, built for the Central American Olympic Games of 1950 are some of the monuments of tourist interest. 

            El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. Its national capital is San Salvador. The city is also the political, cultural, educational and financial centre of El Salvador. After Guatemala City, this is the largest city in Central America. Almost one third of the entire country’s population lives in San Salvador; and therefore, there is noticeable inequality in the city. The city houses very affluent suburbs as well as squalid slums, representing gross imbalance in the country’s wealth distribution.

            San Salvador is home to a rich Spanish heritage. The city’s name means ‘Holy Saviour’, referring to Christ the redeemer.

            The largest soccer venue in Central America, Estadio CuscatIan, with a capacity of over 45,000, is located in San Salvador. The landmarks in the city include a small cathedral, several libraries, the National Museum of Science and Industry and the National Museum of El Salvador.

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            There is a small island country in the West Indies called Dominica. Roseau, the country’s capital, lies on the south-western coast of the island at the mouth of the Roseau River. The city was a bone of contention between the French and the British until the latter took control of Roseau by the late 18th century. It was formerly called Charlotte Town and was burned by the French in 1805. The city suffered near total destruction once again in 1979 - this time it was wrecked by a hurricane.

            The city’s port is an important place for Roseau. The city exports limes, lime-juice, essential oils, tropical vegetables and spices. There are important monuments in the city such as a Roman Catholic cathedral, St George Anglican Church, Government House and Victoria Memorial Museum.

            The Morne Trois Pitons National Park, which contains a flooded fumarole known as Boiling Lake, is located east of the city. The city also hosts a park, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. There is an agricultural museum in the city known as the Roseau Pioneer Farm and Village.

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             Havana, the capital of the island of Cuba was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century. Havana served as a springboard for the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and also as a halting point for treasure laden Spanish ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean, because of its strategic location. Ships from all over the New World carried products first to Havana, in order to be taken by the fleet to Spain. The thousands of ships that gathered in the city’s bay also fuelled Havana’s agriculture and manufacturing industries, since they had to be supplied with food, water, and other products needed for a long ocean voyage. The city was captured by the British in the eighteenth century, but was later reclaimed by Spain. In the 20th century, Cuba and Havana were occupied by the USA. The American occupation of Cuba ended in 1902. 1n 1959, a revolution saw Fidel Castro and the communists taking control of Cuba. Today, the city is the seat of the Cuban Government and its colourful history draws millions of tourists every year.       

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          Costa Rica is a small country in Central America. San Jose, the capital and largest city of the country, is located in the broad, fertile Central valley, above sea level. When the city was founded in 1736, it was known as Villa Nueva. During the Spanish colonial era, the city started developing as a tobacco centre. Although the language spoken in Costa Rica is Spanish, the language has distinct characteristics; and therefore, it is a form of Central American Spanish. The city is named after Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus Christ.

          San Jose is a modern city. Art, architecture and commerce thrive in the city. Two of the historic buildings of the city are a 19th century cathedral and the National Theatre, modelled after the Paris Opera. San Jose boasts of a unique collection of Plazas including the Democracy, Culture, and Social Guarantees plazas that commemorate the country’s progressive and democratic traditions.

          The John F. Kennedy Park, the National Museum, famed for its archaeological and historical exhibits and several collections of pre-Columbian gold-work and binational cultural centres are among the tourist attractions of the city.

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            In 1857, when presented with the responsibility of choosing a city for the permanent capital of Canada, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa because it was centrally located between the cities of Montreal and Toronto, and was along the border of Ontario and Quebec. It is also the place where both the English and French languages are spoken. The city was founded in 1826 by the name ‘Bytown’, although there was human presence in the place ten millennia ago.

           Ottawa of the present day is a modern city. It is steeped in culture with world-class museums and galleries displaying stunning national collections and special exhibitions from Canada and around the world. Ottawa is the site of federal government institutions such as the Bank of Cana the Royal Canadian Mint, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the Queen’s Printer.

           There are many cultural landmarks in the city such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the Canadian War Museum, and the Bytown Museum. 

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              Rome, the capital of Italy, is a city whose history goes back to 753 BC when it is believed to have been founded. What is remarkable is that it is a city that has been continuously occupied since then, thus giving it the title of “The Eternal City”. Over the centuries, it has been the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Ancient Roman Empire. In fact, the city has been considered to be one of the cradles of western civilization. Later the city came under the control of the church and the Popes. Rome was one of the centres of the Renaissance, and famous artists, painters, sculptors and architects created masterpieces in Rome that captivated stunned the world and continue to do so to this day. In 1871 Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1946 that of the Italian Republic. Today, Rome is a global city, and its historic heart, with its monuments and museums, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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             Berlin, the capital of Germany, has had a fascinating history. Throughout the ages, it has played an important role in Europe. Berlin was established in the 13th century, at the crossroads of two historic trade routes. It has served as the capital of different kingdoms, empires and republics.

            By the early part of the 20th century, Berlin had become a major world capital and was known for its leadership role in science, technology, arts, the humanities, city planning, cinema, higher education, government and industries. However, after World War II, the country was divided into two - East Germany and West Germany, and the city was similarly divided, and ruled by different governments. Tragically, a wall was built across the city, cutting right through it and separating families in the name of politics. Fortunately, both Germany and Berlin were reunited in 1990, and today, the city is the capital of united Germany. Once again, Berlin has reclaimed its status as a world city. Its economy is based on high tech industries, research institutions and media corporations. Berlin is, without doubt, one of the most dynamic, vibrant and beautiful cities in the world, with one third of its area covered with forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.

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            Moscow, the capital of Russia, is among the world’s largest cities. Located on the Moskova River, it is one of the northernmost and coldest cities on Earth as well. The city has served as the capital of a progression of states. These include The Grand Duchy of Moscow in medieval times, the empire of the Tsars, the Soviet Union, and the present day Russian federation. Moscow is the major political, economic, cultural, and scientific centre of Russia, and the home of Russian artists, scientists and sports icons.

            In its historic core is the Kremlin, a fortified complex that’s home to the president and the treasures of the former Tsars. Outside its walls is the Red Square, the country’s symbolic centre and site of Lenin’s Mausoleum, the State Historical Museum and St. Basil’s Cathedral, known for its colourful, patterned, onion-shaped domes.

            In Moscow, the ancient and the modern exist side by side, making it a fascinating study of contrasting extremes.

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