Plan: Popular cities

Theme: Popular cities.

Plan:

1.Popular cities.

2. My favourite city.

3. The best city in the world to travel.

London is the capital of Great Britain, the city great and ancient, large industrial and cultural centre. London stands on the river Thames. One of the eldest buildings is the Tower. Its old is for nearly a thousand years. In its long history the Tower has been a palace, a fortress and a prison. William the Conqueror built it. Now it is a museum.

One of the different bridges across the Thames is the Tower Bridge built in 1894.

The City of London is the centre of British business and commerce. It’s also famous for its greatest monument St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was built in 1708.

Westminster is to the west of the City of London. The House of Parliament (or the Palace of Westminster) stands on the bank of the Thames. The national flag over the Victoria Tower indicates that the Parliament is sitting. The Clock Tower of the House of Parliament contains the hour-bell called “Big Ben”.

Buckingham Palace is used now as an official London residence of the Queen. It is also in the part of London known as Westminster.

Piccadilly Circus is the London theatre-land. Piccadilly Circus is the symbol of London wealth.

London has many other famous places such as Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar square and others.

Beginning in the eighth century B.C., Ancient Rome grew from a small town on central Italy’s Tiber River into an empire that at its peak encompassed most of continental Europe, Britain, much of western Asia, northern Africa and the Mediterranean islands. Among the many legacies of Roman dominance are the widespread use of the Romance languages (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian) derived from Latin, the modern Western alphabet and calendar and the emergence of Christianity as a major world religion. After 450 years as a republic, Rome became an empire in the wake of Julius Caesar’s rise and fall in the first century B.C. The long and triumphant reign of its first emperor, Augustus, began a golden age of peace and prosperity; by contrast, the Roman Empire’s decline and fall by the fifth century A.D. was one of the most dramatic implosions in the history of human civilization.

Antalya is located in the west of the Mediterranean region. In ancient times it covered all Pamphylia which means "the land of all tribes". The land really deserves the name since it has witnessed many successive civilizations throughout history. In 1st century BC the Pergamum king Attalus ordered his men to find the most beautiful piece of land on earth; he wanted them to find "heaven on earth". After a long search all over the world, they discovered this land and said "This must be 'Heaven' " and King Attalus founded the city giving it the name "Attaleia". From then on many nations kept their eyes on the city. When the Romans took over the Pergamene Kingdom, Attaleia became an outstanding Roman city which the great Roman Emperor Hadrian visited in 130 AD; an arch was built in his honor which is now worth seeing. Then came the Byzantines, after which the Seljuk Turks took over the city in 1207 and gave it a different name, Adalya, and built the Yivli Minaret. The Ottomans followed the Seljuks and finally within the Turkish Republic it became a Turkish city and an important port. Antalya has been growing rapidly since 1960 and its population is 1,146,109 according to the 1990 census.

Bangkok, official name Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, is the capital of Thailand and, with a population of over eleven million inhabitants, by far its largest city. Its high-rise buildings, heavy traffic congestion, intense heat and naughty nightlife may not immediately give you the best impression — but don't let that mislead you. It is one of Asia's most cosmopolitan cities with magnificent temples and palaces, authentic canals, busy markets and a vibrant nightlife that has something for everyone.

For years, it was only a small trading post at the banks of the Chao Phraya River, until King Rama I, the first monarch of the present Chakri dynasty, turned it into the capital of Siam in 1782, after the burning of Ayutthaya by Burmese invaders but they did not take over Ayutthaya. Since then, Bangkok has turned into a national treasure house and functions as Thailand's spiritual, cultural, political, commercial, educational and diplomatic centre.

From the moment you arrive, Bangkok is an invigorating assault on the senses. The heat, the noise, and the smells will leave you reeling if you're not used to the insanity of Asia's mega cities. It certainly is not a destination that many people will forget in a hurry.