My Science School

            Solomon Island is a country in The Pacific Ocean consisting of six main islands and over 900 smaller ones. Honiara, located at the mouth of the Mataniko River on the north coast of Guadalcanal, is the capital of the country.

            The town is an important port and communication centre. The economy of Honiara depends on trade chiefly in coconut, timber, fish and gold. The urbanization of the city started in the 1960s. Today, most of the government buildings and institutions and important educational centres are housed in the town. One of the main attractions of the city is its market, known as the Honiara Central Market. The market is the centre of trading activity in the islands.

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          Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, is located in the extreme south of North Island. A beautiful city, Wellington is located on the shores and hills surrounding Wellington Harbour known as Port Nicholson. A landlocked bay, Port Nicholson is one of the finest harbours in the world.

          The city is reputed for its spellbinding natural harbour and green hillsides adorned with exquisite suburbs of colonial villas. A good portion of the city is built on land reclaimed from the bay. There are many important monuments in the city such as the Parliament buildings, the National Library, the City Gallery Wellington and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. Another tourist attraction, the old Government Building, which was built in 1876, is one of the World’s largest wooden structures.

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               The Federated States of Micronesia is an independent republic associated to the United States. Palikir is the capital of the country. It was an inconsequential village long ago. Colonialism slowly transformed the place to a town. Located on the north-west side of Pohnpei Island, the town is a high volcanic island surrounded by a beautiful fringing coral reef. The largest settlement of Palikir is Kolonia, situated at the northeast side of the island. One of the most favourite locations for tourists are the underwater coral reefs, which are found all around the coastal region of the island.

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Tarawa is the capital of Kiribati, a country in Micronesia in the central Pacific Ocean. In Kiribati mythology, Tarawa meant the earth. According to the legends, Nareau the spider, the creator of the universe, after creating the earth, called the sky ‘karawa’ and the ocean, ‘Marawa’. He stood on the ground and called it ‘Tarawa’.

            The city’s economy is supported by its export of Copra and mother-of-pearl. There are light manufacturing facilities in the city too. When the war between the U.S. and the Japanese took place, the city suffered significant damage. Tarawa is an atoll, meaning that it is a lagoon surrounded by a coral rim. There are many culturally significant spots in the city.

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          Suva is not only the capital of Fiji, but also the chief port and commercial centre of the country. The city is situated on Suva Point between the mouth of the Rewa River and Suva Harbour.                              The economic activities of the city include tourism and light manufacturing such as cigarette making and soap-making, copra crushing, baking and brewing. The city is home to the Fiji School of Medicine, the main campus of the University of the South Pacific, the Pacific Theological College, and the Pacific Regional Seminary. The city accommodates a teachers’ training college, an institute of technology and several hospitals. The Fiji Museum in the city has numerous important historical and ethnographical exhibits.

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          The federal capital of the Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory. Canberra is a planned city. Due to the influence of the Garden City Movement that necessitated the involvement of natural vegetation in the city design, Canberra is sometimes referred to as the ‘Bush Capital’.

         Tourism and light industry are the two major sources of the city’s income. The Mount Stromlo Observatory, the National Library of Australia, the High Court of Australia, the Australian National Gallery, the Church of St. John the Baptist, the Australian National War Memorial and Parliament House are some of the most notable features of Canberra. Batemans Bay, a popular holiday spot on the New South Wales coast, is only around two hours from the city.

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          Buenos Aires, the capital and the largest city in Argentina, was established by the Spanish in 1536.

          From its earliest days, Buenos Aires depended primarily on trade, and it developed into an important port, both under the Spanish, and later, the British. It became the seat of the Argentine government in 1880, and also an economic power hub as well.

          Today, Buenos Aires is the most visited city in South America. It is a top tourist destination that is known for its European style architecture, and vibrant atmosphere.

          Over the last 150 years, millions of immigrants from all over the world have made Buenos Aires their home.

          An interesting fact is that Buenos Aires has the widest avenue, in the world- Avenida 9 de Julio, which is an impressive 16 lanes wide!

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            Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, was founded in 1960. Till then the capital was Rio de Janeiro, but it was felt that a more central location was needed, and Brasilia was planned and developed to fulfill this need. The city is distinguished by its modern, White architecture and its shape which resembles an aero plane or a bird in flight. Beauty, simplicity and functionality are the keywords that describe the city. It is a harmonious blend of magnificent administrative centres, Public places and innovative ideas of urban living that include six storey housing blocks supported on pylons that allow the landscape to flow beneath and around them. It is this visionary planning and futuristic architecture that has made Brasilia a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

            One of the principal cities of South America, Caracas is the capital of Venezuela. Officially, the city is known as Santiago de Leon de Caracas. It is situated along the Guaire River, a short river in Venezuela.

             While there are many prosperous cities in Venezuela, governments have had difficulty in dealing with poverty and lawlessness in Caracas.

            The city lacked in running water, electricity and social services. There was a steady increase in the crime rate in Caracas and this has resulted in it being termed as the most dangerous city in Latin America. Some of the most important historic buildings and monuments of the city include the Caracas Cathedral, the National Capitol, the Municipal Council building, the Miraflores Palace, the National Pantheon and the twin towers of the Simon Bolivar Centre.

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            Montevideo is the national capital of Uruguay. It is also the largest city and chief port of Uruguay. Among the cities of Uruguay, Montevideo is the only city with a population over 10 lakhs. With beautiful beaches and one of the most important harbours in the Americas, the city has a very high quality of life.

            Montevideo is the commercial, political, and intellectual centre of Uruguay. The architecture in the city shows a strong influence of European styles. The city is an important centre for learning and the arts. The Government House, the Museum of Natural History, the Salvo Palace, the Soils Theatre and the Victoria Plaza Hotel are some of the most important monuments of Montevideo.

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          Have you heard of Suriname, a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America? Paramaribo is the capital of the country. The city was the location for the first Dutch settlement. Much of its distinctive Dutch colonial architecture, as well as a canal system, can be found even today.

          The primary support of the city’s economy comes from exports. The city exports bauxite, sugarcane, rice, cacao, coffee, rum and tropical woods. Paramaribo also manufactures cement, paint, margarine and beer. The city’s centre was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2002 for its fusion of European and local elements. The 17th-century Fort Zeelandia, built to protect the Dutch West India Company from European rivals, the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral and De Waag, where colonial agricultural products were once weighed and sorted before being shipped, are some of the most notable monuments of the city.

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          Lima is the capital of Peru. It is the country’s commercial and industrial centre. The city is a modern oasis, surrounded by the Peruvian coastal desert close to the western side of the Andes Mountains. The name Lima evolved from the Quechua name Rimac, meaning ‘talker’.

          Metropolitan Lima is a huge, city without a fixed form. Its shapelessness and varying concentration of population within has given it a nickname: El Pulpo, ‘the Octopus’! The city has been under the process of industrialization from the 1930s. Today, there are around 7,000 factories in the city, which manufacture and process textiles, clothing, food, chemicals, fish, and leather and oil derivatives. Lima’s historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site from 1988. The Cathedral and the Monastery of San Francisco, the Sanctuary of Las Nazarenes and its beaches are some of the major attractions of the city. Elevated levels of air pollution from automobiles and buses and by earthquakes threaten Lima’s historic monuments.

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            Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, is the chief industrial and cultural centre of the country. The city is situated at the estuary where the Pilcomayo River joins the Paraguay River. A very important strategic point, the city served as a gateway to the South American heartland, and was thus crucial to Spain as a world power.

            The city has a rich agricultural and pastoral hinterland that produces cotton, sugarcane, corn, tobacco, fruits and cattle products. There are industrial plants that produce textiles, vegetable oils, footwear, flour, small river craft, and tobacco products within the city.

            Asuncion’s atmosphere dominates the social, cultural and economic currents of the nation. A charming city, Asuncion has beautiful flowering trees along its streets and large parks. The Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Pantheon of the Heroes, the old Senate building and Manzana de la Rivera re some of the tourist attractions of the city.

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          Quito is the capital of Ecuador, another South American country. The city is the oldest of all South American capitals. It is designated a UNESCO World Heritage for its well-preserved old town with narrow and winding cobblestone streets, spectacular churches and open squares.

          The Old City, the historic centre of Quito, represents the Spanish colonial past with its Spanish architecture. The exquisite Spanish style combined with indigenous art gives the city a magnificent appearance and it is often called the ‘Florence of America’.

          Quito is one of the industrial centres of Ecuador and relies on textiles, pharmaceuticals, light consumer goods and handcrafted objects of leather, wood, gold and silver for much of its economy. The weekly outdoor Indian fairs and small shops selling native crafts are some of the compelling sights of Quito.

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            Bogota is the national capital of the Republic of Colombia, a South American nation. It is also the largest and most populous city in the country. Various indigenous people were living in the city when Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, the Spanish conquistador, founded the city. Today, the city’s population is well over 7 million.

           Bogota is a city of diversity and multiplicity of cultures with great economic and cultural contrasts among the people. Due to its rich cultural diversity and the presence of the mixed flavours of its Spanish, English and indigenous heritage, the city is often called the ‘Athens of South America’. The National Library of Colombia, various museums, galleries and theatres contribute to the lure of the city.

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