Category: Recreation

Antarctica, characterized by its low temperatures, is a continent asymmetrically surrounding the South Pole and located almost entirely within the Antarctic Circle. Speculation over the existence of a “southern land” was not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and the American commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions began exploring the Antarctic Peninsula region and other areas south of the Antarctic Circle. Antarctica was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands – a fact that was not established until 1840. Geographically, Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, smaller than Asia, Africa, and North and South America, but larger than Australia and the subcontinent of Europe.

The severe low temperatures in Antarctica vary with the latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean. East Antarctica has a higher elevation than West Antarctica and is therefore colder. Similarly, the Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing. Overall, Antarctica has very low temperatures. The low temperature in the continent explains why there are no indigenous inhabitants, but there are both permanent and summer-only staffed scientific research stations.

Antarctica has not developed a legal system of its own. Its administration is carried out through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws. US law, including certain criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such as murder, may apply extra-territorially; some directly apply to Antarctica.

Antarctica has no developed ports and harbors. Also, there are no developed public access airports or landing facilities in the continent. Off-coast fishing and tourism, both based abroad, account for the limited economic activity in the Antarctic region.

Antarctica is the most non-developed and coldest place on earth. That makes it no fit place for human population or socio-economic development.

Planning a trip to Antarctica for your vacation? It can be your most adventurous vacation ever. A vacation in Antarctica will give you a chance to explore what is known as the final frontier of the earth, untouched by the civilization and still in its purest form. During the Antarctic summer, from November to March, you can witness the vast colonies of penguins, observe some of the great whales, watch hundreds of seals resting lazy on ice floes, and marvel at the extraordinary variety of shapes, sizes and colors of icebergs.

Traveling to Antarctica needs proper planning. The most common and safest way to travel in Antarctica is on a cruise. The cruises are generally guided by travel experts and guides that keep you cautious and aware of the problems you can face while vacating in Antarctica. Other travel means are not recommended, keeping in mind the harsh and wild climatic conditions there. Since no one owns Antarctica you don’t need a visa to visit the continent. However, you will need visas for any countries that your ship visits en route to Antarctica. The common itineraries for a vacation in the continent include: the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Orkney Islands. Other common stops while on a tour of the continent are King George Island, home to elephant seals; and the South Shetland Islands, where thousands of Chinstrap penguins nest.

A vacation in Antarctica is a feast for the senses. The cracking sound of calving glaciers, the bright sun glistening on spectacular icebergs adrift in the deep blue water, and a deep breath of the freshest air imaginable will complete the Antarctic travel experience.

Antarctica is one of the coldest places on earth. It is a scarcely populated continent with around 1,000 people in winter to over 30,000 in summer. Even though Antarctica is not an easy place to visit, large numbers of tourists visit the continent every year. These tourists usually go as a part of an organized expeditionary cruise, which is frequently guided by experts who are a mixture of seasoned seafarers, and ice or wildlife experts.

Most of the cruise trips to the Antarctica are for about 10 days to 3 weeks from port to port, though longer or shorter trips are possible. If you want, you can even arrange your own trip with other people by hiring a small vessel operator and running your own itinerary. The cost is negotiable, but $7,000 -$10,000 for a two-week cruise is a reasonable amount if you choose to travel in your own vessel. The cruise visits to Antarctica are generally concentrated at ice-free coastal zones over the Antarctic summer. In high summer, the five-month period from November to March, you can witness a 20+ hours of daylight.

Taking into consideration the climatic conditions of the continent, your choice of ship can make a big difference to your journey and experiences. First of all, Antarctic cruises aren’t like the more well-known cruises to warmer climates, with discos and showbiz entertainment, though the larger the ship, the more likely there is to be entertainment provided. Rather, you will find on the cruise a number of well-informed and experienced cruise guides who will give lectures on a regular basis about various aspects of Antarctic history and natural history. There are certain rules laid down for the cruise entering the continent. One of the main rules that might impact on your visit is that only 100 passengers at any one time may land in any one place in Antarctica. If you are on a small ship of up to 100 passengers, then you get a chance to go ashore every time. Although, surprisingly, there are number of people who go to Antarctica even though they never get a chance to leave the ship, since the ship, being larger, offers fewer opportunities for landing. The choice, obviously, is yours.

As the legend goes, Romulus and Remus, Roman twins, were separated from their mother and left by the river Tiber to starve. However, a mother wolf found them and took care of them. Years later the boys were instructed by Mars, the Roman God of war, to build a city in the place where they had been found. They built the city but declared war against each other. Romulus won and thus the city came to be known as Rome.

Life in ancient Rome is said to have started in the 8th or 9th century BC. This happened when northern warriors shifted to the Italian peninsula and rehabilated around the river Tiber. For centuries, Rome was considered to be the most significant city in the ever expanding Roman Empire. Rome was the capital city and held all seats of power.

In historic times Rome was ruled by kings. These kings had the reputation of being extremely cruel. Owing to this, the last king, Tarquin the Proud, was overthrown and Rome gained a republic status for the next four centuries. Rome was then ruled by a Senate. Romans elected senators who carried out administrative tasks. A distinct feature about the Roman empire was that only Roman citizens were permitted to vote during elections. However, women, poor people and slaves were not considered to be citizens.

Rome also went through a phase where it was ruled by military generals. However, since these generals were many, decision making became a problem. The Romans needed an emperor to centralize power. This came in the form of Augustus Caesar who came to power in 27 B.C.

When Christianity gained popularity, Rome became an important seat of the Roman Catholic Church and home to the Pope. With the advent of the Middle Ages, mankind saw the decline of the Roman Empire. Inspite of a declining empire, the city revived its fame as the political capital of Europe for several hundred years uptil the Renaissance. Even today, Rome remains powerful and prominent as the capital of Italy with its beautiful architecture and culture.

The Greek civilization is considered by historians as the first one in the history of mankind. A study of their archeological remains confirms that the ancient Greeks were a highly developed community. Their lifestyle and inventions indicate a high sense of order and aesthetics.

The ancient Greeks built houses along the shores of the land. They were dependant on the Aegean seas for their food supplies and other trade. Traveling brought them in contact with other cultures. They gained exposure to various agricultural methods and different types of metal work.

Different communities arose from the ancient Greece civilization. Some of them were the Aegean, Achaeans and the Pelasgians. Crete was the center of the Aegean civilization and was the dominant community in 2500 BC. The Achaeans made Mycenae their capital. A volcano caused the destruction of the Aegean community around 1400bc. The Mycenaeans absorbed the culture of the Aegean community.

In course of time, Greek settlements were transformed into city-states or poleis and each city-state was ruled by a king. The government was usually unstable due to the tyranny of the aristocrats. Democracy was hardly ever practiced.

The ancient Greeks were very keen on sports. The great athletic contest called the Olympic games began in 776 BC, which marked the beginning of the rise of the Greek civilization. At that point of time, Greek ideas were greatly influenced by many different foreign cultures. Artists were focusing on recreating human figures of mythology. The civilization saw its zenith around 500 BC. Excellence was seen in the fields of philosophy, art and literature. Wars with other civilizations began in 490 BC and the superior Greek armies overran their opponents to establish their supremacy. The ancient age of Greek civilization saw the birth of great philosophers like Pluto, Socrates, and the great emperor, Alexander.

The ancient Greeks were pagan. They prayed to the various elements of nature. They believed that favorable climate and good crops occurred when the gods were pleased. When things turned bad, they attributed it to the wrath of the gods. They performed sacrifices to appease the enraged gods.

Ancient Greeks were essentially simple-minded folks who left behind a beautiful legacy of art, philosophy and literature.

The Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest in the world and dates back more than 6000 years. Early settlements were around the banks of the Nile river and irrigation formed the basis of this civilization.

In ancient Egypt, the most-powerful person was the ‘pharaoh’, who was both the political and religious leader. The duties of the pharaoh included collecting taxes, making laws and protecting the people from foreign invasions. People in ancient Egypt were involved in activities like farming and making crafts. Craftsmen formed one of the communities in ancient Egypt. These men were skilled and made beautiful and expensive objects for temples and pharaohs.

People built mud-brick homes and grew their own food. Additionally, they traded villages for goods that could not be produced. The ancient Egyptians were pious people and believed that worshipping different Gods and Goddesses would make their lives peaceful and harmonious.

Pyramids were built in Egypt as ‘tombs’ for the pharaohs and their queens. In addition, temples were built as a dedication to Gods and Goddesses, who were worshipped by the priests and the pharaohs. Egyptians practiced the art of ‘mummification’. It was believed that when a person died, his soul would leave him, thus, in order to re-unite the soul and the body, people were buried in pits in the desert. This method was gradually replaced with burying dead people in coffins to protect them from decaying. Mummification ensured that the dead bodies remained ‘life-like’.

One of the vital activities of the Egyptians was communication, in order to preserve information about religion and the government. Scripts were invented, one of which is known as the hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics involved using pictures to describe events and tell stories, and is one of the earliest forms of written communication.