<p>Grace Episcopal Church is an historic Carpenter Gothic church in Georgetown, Colorado. Built in 1870, it now overlooks Interstate 70. Grace Episcopal is still an active church in the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado. On August 14, 1973, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The first Episcopal congregation in Georgetown was organized by 1867, eight years after Georgetown was founded. Its members included transplants to Georgetown from England, Cornwall, Wales, and the Eastern United States. The Church building was designed by local resident D. H. Joy, and construction began on the structure in 1869. A strong wind blew the half-completed structure down in November of that year, delaying construction until 1870. The building was finally consecrated in 1872.</p><br>
<p>The interior of the church reflects the wealth of Georgetown in the 1870s. The original pews, which are still in use today, are made of walnut. The pipe organ, constructed by C. Anderson in Denver, was purchased in 1877. Still in use, it is the oldest operational organ in the state. In 1882, a three-panel reredos was painted by Mrs. Anderson P. Stephens of Lawson, Colorado. The reredos still stands above the altar.</p><br>
<p>The church continued to draw a small congregation after the 1894 silver crash. At times it has shared priests with the Episcopal churches in Central City and Idaho Springs. Services are still held in the church every Sunday.</p><br>
<h2>Historic preservation</h2><br>
<p>Interest in preserving the church has been bolstered by the availability of funds which are taken by the State from gambling revenues in Central City and Black Hawk, for use in the preservation of historic buildings. The church received a State Historical Fund for exterior preservation in 2002.</p><br>
<p>In 2006, the church received a Stephen H. Hart Award from the Colorado Historical Society for their outstanding work in restoring the neighboring Snetzer Building.</p><br>
<p>Margariti  is a village and a former municipality in Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Igoumenitsa, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 149.223 km. Population 2,491 .</p><br>
<h2>Names</h2><br>
<p>Margariti was named after the white flower Margarita (Μαργαρίτα) which is known to grow in vast amounts in the region around the valley of Margariti. Margariti is known as Margëlliç in Albanian and as Margliç in Ottoman Turkish.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>In February 1913, Margariti was taken by the Greek army and joined Greece following the Treaty of London. During that period all village elders of the region gathered and declared that they would resist the incorporation of the area into Greece. At that time the town had a mixed population of Greeks and Cham Albanians until the final expulsion as a result of the Cham collaboration with the Nazi occupation forces. Almost all Cham Albanian monuments of Margariti were destroyed during World War II.</p><br>
<h2>Province</h2><br>
<p>The province of Margariti (Επαρχία Μαργαριτίου) was one of the provinces of the Thesprotia Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipal units Margariti and Perdika. It was abolished in 2006.</p><br>
<h2>Notable residents</h2><br>
<p>Hamdi Çami, deputy of Preveza in the Ottoman Parliament</p><br>
<p>Jakup Veseli, representative of Chameria in Vlora Congress, signatory of Albanian Declaration of Independence.</p><br>
<p>Konstantinos Zakas (1916–1986) Greek Army General.</p><br>
<p>Paramythia  is a town and a former municipality in Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Souli, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 342.197 km. The town&#39;s population is 2,730 as of the 2011 census.</p><br>
<p>Paramythia acts as a regional hub for several small villages in the Valley of Paramythia, and features shops, schools, a gym, a stadium and a medical center. Primary aspects of the economy are agriculture and trade. The town is built on the slopes of Mount Gorilla and overlooks the valley, below. The Castle of Paramythia was built on a hill in one of the highest points of the town during the Byzantine period and today is open to the tourists.</p><br>
<p>The modern Egnatia Highway which links Igoumenitsa with Ioannina, goes through the valley, north of the town of Paramythia.</p><br>
<h2>Name</h2><br>
<p>The name "Paramythia" derives from one of the Virgin Marys names in Greek ("Paramythia" in Greeks means comforter). During the Byzantine era the town was also known as Agios Donatos (Άγιος Δονάτος), after Saint Donatus of Evorea, the towns patron saint. This is also the basis of the Albanian and the Turkish name of Paramythia, Ajdhonat, Ajdonat, Ajdonati and Aydonat.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The Paramythia municipal unit consists of 23 communities. The total population of the municipal unit is 7,459 (2011). The town of Paramythia itself has a population of 2,730 and lies in an amphitheatre at an altitude of 750 m, at the foot of Mount Gorilla, between the Acheron and the Kalamas rivers. The Gorilla range (altitude 1,658 m) lies on the eastern side of the city and the Chionistra (1,644 m) to the Northeast. At the city limits is the Kokytos (Cocytus) River, one of the rivers of the underworld in Greek mythology. Paramythia&#39;s valley is one of the largest in Thesprotia and is one of the major agricultural areas in Epirus.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Antiquity</h3><br>
<p>The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Greek tribe of the Chaonians. Late bronze antiquities have been found in the "Tsardakia" area were a Mycenean settlement probably existed.</p><br>
<p>Paramythia has been identified with the ancient Chaonian city of Photike (Φωτική), named after Photios, a leader of the Chaonians. A famous hoard of bronzes dating from the mid 2nd Century AD, nineteen bronze sculptures were discovered during the 1790s, near the village of Paramythia. Soon after their discovery, the hoard was dispatched to St Petersburg, to become part of Catherine the Great&#39;s collection. After her death, the original hoard was dispersed to various European collections. Eventually fourteen of the statuettes reached the British Museum.</p><br>
<h3>Medieval era</h3><br>
<p>Photike, as with the rest of Epirus, became part of the Roman and subsequently Byzantine Empires. In the late Roman era it was the seat of a Bishopric and was renamed after Saint Donatus of Evorea.</p><br>
<p>Following the fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade in 1204, Paramythia became part of the Despotate of Epirus. The Despotate remained independent for the next two centuries, maintaining the Greek Byzantine traditions. For a brief period in the 14th century (1358–1367), Paramythia came under the rule of the Albanian chieftain Gjin Bua Shpata, but returned to the Despotate of Epirus by despot Thomas II Preljubović, before falling to the Ottomans in 1449. Paramythia was part of the Ottoman Sanjak of Ioannina.</p><br>
<h3>Modern era</h3><br>
<p>A Greek language school, had been attested since 1682. It declined and close in the mid-18th century, however, another Greek school was continuously operating from the late 17th century and at 1842 was expanded with additional classes. In 1854 a major revolt took place in Epirus and the town came briefly under the control of guerilla Souliote forces that demanded the union of Epirus with Greece.</p><br>
<p>After the end of the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) the town became part of the Greek state, as with the rest of Epirus region. Until the Second World War the town had a mixed population of Greeks and Cham Albanians. During the Greek-Italian War the town was burned by Cham Albanian bands (October 28-November 14, 1940) Almost all buildings inhabited by Muslim Albanians in the town were destroyed during World War II warfare.</p><br>
<p>On the night of 27 September 1943, Cham militias arrested 53 Greek citizens in Paramythia and executed 49 of them two days later. This action was orchestrated by the brothers Nuri and Mazar Dino (an officer of the Cham militia) in order to get rid of the town&#39;s Greek representatives and intellectuals. According to German reports, Cham militias were also part of the firing squad.</p><br>
<p>During September 20–29, as a result of serial terrorist activities, at least Greek 75 citizens were killed in Paramythia and 19 municipalities were destroyed. On September 30, the Swiss representative of the International Red Cross, Hans-Jakob Bickel, visited the area and confirmed the atrocities committed by the Cham militia in collaboration with the Axis forces.</p><br>
<h2>Notable inhabitants</h2><br>
<p>Sotirios Voulgaris, the notable Greek who founded the jewelry and luxury goods company Bulgari. His jewelry store in Paramythia survives. Following his wish, his sons funded the building of the elementary school of the town.</p><br>
<p>Dionysius the Philosopher (1560–1611), Greek monk and revolutionary.</p><br>
<p>Alexios Pallis (1803–1885), Greek writer.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit Paramythia is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Agia Kyriaki</p><br>
<p>Ampelia (Ampelia, Agios Panteleimonas, Rapi)</p><br>
<p>Chrysavgi</p><br>
<p>Elataria</p><br>
<p>Grika</p><br>
<p>Kallithea (Kallithea, Avaritsa, Vrysopoula)</p><br>
<p>Karioti</p><br>
<p>Karvounari (Karvounari, Kyra Panagia)</p><br>
<p>Krystallopigi (Krystallopigi, Kefalovryso)</p><br>
<p>Neochori (Neochori, Agios Georgios, Neraida)</p><br>
<p>Pagkrates</p><br>
<p>Paramythia (Paramythia, Agios Georgios, Agios Donatos)</p><br>
<p>Pente Ekklisies</p><br>
<p>Petousi</p><br>
<p>Petrovitsa</p><br>
<p>Plakoti</p><br>
<p>Polydroso</p><br>
<p>Prodromi (Prodromi, Dafnoula)</p><br>
<p>Psaka (Psaka, Nounesati)</p><br>
<p>Saloniki</p><br>
<p>Sevasto</p><br>
<p>Xirolofos (Xirolofos, Rachouli)</p><br>
<p>Zervochori (Zervochori, Asfaka, Kamini)</p><br>
<p>Sagiada  is a village and a former municipality in Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Filiates, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 87.803 km. In 2011 its population was 594 for the village and 1,740 for the municipal unit. The seat of the municipality was in Asprokklisi. Sagiada stretches between the Ionian Sea to the west and Albania to the north. It is the westernmost point of mainland Greece. The river Thyamis flows into sea 4 km south of the village Sagiada. There are plains in the southern part of the municipal unit, and mountains on the Albanian border. The village Sagiada is 10 km west of Filiates, 15 km northwest of the capital of Thesprotia, Igoumenitsa, and 4 km south of the Albanian town of Konispol.</p><br>
<p>The origin of the name Sagiada is most probably arabic, meaning a place where fish is in abundance. There are two more fishing towns with the same name; a Sayada in Tunisia and a Sayada in Algeria.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The former municipal unit of Sagiada was subdivided into the following communities:</p><br>
<p>Sagiada</p><br>
<p>Asprokklisi</p><br>
<p>Kestrine</p><br>
<p>Ragi</p><br>
<p>Smertos</p><br>
<p>Syvota  is a village and a former municipality in Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Igoumenitsa, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 72.439 km. The population in 2011 was 875 for the village, and 2,640 for the municipal unit. The seat of the municipality was in Plataria.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The earliest recorded inhabitants of the region are the Thesprotians, a Greek tribe of Epirus. In antiquity, the location was called Sybota and was the site of the Battle of Sybota.</p><br>
<p>During the Middle Ages, Syvota, like the rest of Epirus, was part of the Byzantine Empire and the Despotate of Epirus. Under the Turks, it was called Mourtos.</p><br>
<p>After nearly 500 years of Ottoman rule, Syvota joined Greece in 1913, following the Balkan Wars. The coastal village of Syvota (Murto or Vola) was home to Cham Albanians before 1944, when they were expelled for collaborating with the Axis Powers.</p><br>
<p>Today, Syvota town is a well-developed resort, owing largely to the numerous pristine beaches with clear waters located on several islets immediately offshore.</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<p>The population of Syvota is 875 (as of 2011).</p><br>
<p>Filiates  is a town and a municipality in Thesprotia, Greece. It is located in the northernmost part of the regional unit, bordering western Ioannina regional unit and southern Albania.</p><br>
<h2>Name</h2><br>
<p>Filiates was known as Cestrine prior to the Ottoman period. Other ancient names for it were Cammania, Cestria, Ilion, Epirus, Troy, Epirus and Troia and Epirusis. Filiates is known as Filat in Albanian, and as Filyat in Ottoman Turkish.</p><br>
<h2>Municipality</h2><br>
<p>The present municipality Filiates was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 2 former municipalities, that became municipal units (constituent communities in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Filiates (Achladea, Aetos, Agios Nikolaos, Agioi Pantes, Ampelonas, Anavryto, Charavgi, Faneromeni, Filiates, Foiniki, Gardiki, Giromeri, Gola, Kallithea, Kato Xechoro, Kefalochori, Keramitsa, Kerasochori, Kokkinia, Kokkinolithari, Kouremadi, Kryoneri, Kyparisso, Leptokarya, Lia, Lista, Malouni, Milea, Palaiochori, Palaiokklisi, Palampas, Pigadoulia, Plaisio, Platanos, Raveni, Rizo, Sideri, Trikoryfo, Tsamantas, Vavouri, Vrysella, Xechoro)</p><br>
<p>Sagiada (Asprokklisi, Kestrini, Ragi, Sagiada, Smertos)</p><br>
<p>The municipality has an area of 583.530 km, the municipal unit 495.727 km.</p><br>
<h2>Province</h2><br>
<p>The province of Filiates (Επαρχία Φιλιατών) was one of the provinces of Thesprotia. It had the same territory as the present municipality. It was abolished in 2006.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Filiates is located in a largely mountainous area. The Mourgana mountains lie to the north, on the border with Albania. Filiates is located southwest of Konitsa, west of Ioannina, northeast of Igoumenitsa and southeast of Sarandë, Albania. The Greek National Road 6 (Larissa - Ioannina - Igoumenitsa) and the Egnatia Odos motorway (Alexandroupoli - Thessaloniki - Ioannina - Igoumenitsa) pass south of the municipal unit.</p><br>
<p>The municipal unit Filiates has a land area of 495.727 km² and a population of 5,970 (2011 census). The population of the town Filiates, one of the biggest towns in the area, was 2,512 and the community population was 2,639. The largest other villages in the municipal unit are Keramítsa (pop. 149), Palaiochóri (142), Vrysélla (267), Leptokaryá (193), Trikóryfon (177), Aetos (134), Keramitsa (149), Kyparisso (111), Pigadoulia (116), Raveni (123) and Kokkiniá (130). The municipal unit has a total of 42 communities.</p><br>
<p>Because of its high altitude (~850m) location on a west-facing slope, Filiates has one of the wettest climates in Greece.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Ancient history</h3><br>
<p>In antiquity, the area of Filiates was inhabited by the Epirot Greek tribe of the Chaonians.</p><br>
<p>In antiquity the city was known as Cestrine (or Kestrine) (Κεστρίνη), separated from Thesprotia by the River Thyamis. In the past, the city was also known as Cammania, Cestria, Filiates, Ilion, Epirus, Troy, Epirus and Troia, Epirus. According to Pausanias (Description of Greece), Cestrine took its name from Cestrinus, the son of Helenus, having previously borne the appellation of Cammania.</p><br>
<h3>Modern history</h3><br>
<p>In 15th century Filiates came under Ottoman rule and became part of Sanjak of Ioannina. During 17th and 18th century Ottoman rule a significant part of the town&#39;s population converted to Islam.</p><br>
<p>In 1911 during the period of the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Albanians of Filiates formed çetes, armed guerilla groups fighting for autonomy from the Ottoman Empire. On the other hand, the local Greek population displayed tolerance towards actions by the Albanians that didn&#39;t reveal chauvinist inclinations.</p><br>
<p>During the Greek-Italian War the town of Filiates was burned by collaborationist Cham Albanian bands (October 28-November 14, 1940). Filiates region was until 1944, home to a Cham Albanian community. Almost the entire population of them fled during the liberation of Greece, because a large part of the community collaborated with Nazi forces. In September 1944, during the Axis withdrawal, the EDES resistance managed to quickly overcome the remaining Cham collaborator units stationed in the town. After the initial chaos and destruction that lasted for five days, the town&#39;s Cham community fled to Albania. The Cham leaders had managed to retreat together with the German troops. Almost all Cham Albanian monuments of Filiates were destroyed during World War II.</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<h2>Notable people</h2><br>
<p>Anthimus VII of Constantinople (1835–1913), Ecumenical Patriarch.</p><br>
<p>Aziz Çami, officer of the Albanian army and Balli Kombëtar commander.</p><br>
<p>Qamil Çami, teacher and poet of era of the Albanian National Awakening.</p><br>
<p>Ali Demi, Albanian resistance fighter (World War II).</p><br>
<p>Musa Demi, revolutionary and important figure of the Albanian National Awakening.</p><br>
<p>Niazi Demi, minister of trade of Albania.</p><br>
<p>Rexhep Demi, leading member of the Albanian independence movement and signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence.</p><br>
<p>Tahir Demi, high-ranking member of the Party of Labour of Albania and representative of Albania at Comecon.</p><br>
<p>Stavroula Dimitriou, author and poet.</p><br>
<p>Nicholas Gage, Greek American author and investigative journalist.</p><br>
<p>Vasiliki Kontaxi, wife of Ali Pasha and member of the patriotic organization Filiki Eteria</p><br>
<p>Fanis Moulios, Greek poet and writer.</p><br>
<p>Ioannis Papacostas, Greek revolutionary and participant of Second Boer War, Balkan Wars and the autonomist struggle of Northern Epirus.</p><br>
<p>Agios Athanasios  is a town and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Chalkidona, of which it is a municipal unit. In 2011 the population was 14,753. The municipal unit Agios Athanasios has an area of 155.34 km, and the community Agios Athanasios has an area of 35.527 km.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Agios Athanasios is a small town in the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki. It is situated 20 km west of Thessaloniki, on the old national road from Thessaloniki to Athens. According to the general population census 2011, the population of Agios Athanasios is 4,932 and the total population of the former Municipality of Agios Athanasios is 14,683.</p><br>
<p>Agios Athanasios is the biggest refugee town in the Prefecture of Thessaloniki. It is built on the old national road that linked, in the past, Thessaloniki to the Western Macedonia and to the Southern Greece.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The modern town was founded by refugees from 25 villages of Eastern Thrace and 7 villages of Asia Minor, the region of Smyrna. The refugees moved in Agios Athanasios from October 1922 till 1924.</p><br>
<p>The first refugees settled in the manoir (chiflik) Kavakli in October 1922. The first 25 families came from Kermeni in Eastern Thrace. Apart from the manoir Kavakli, there were also the manoirs Paliocopi, Tsalkato, Kouloupantza and Tsalikovo in the area.</p><br>
<p>Around 1850, the tenant farmers built the small church of Saint George, which is the oldest building of the town. The first refugees were settled in the few poorly built houses, in the storing places and the stables of the chiflik Kavakli. Till the autumn of 1924 about 600 families, that is about 2,800 inhabitants, settled in.</p><br>
<p>The first name of the town was Perintos, after the ancient town in the Eastern Thrace. In 1928 the town was given the name of Agios Athanasios. The people were farmers and stock breeders and they never forgot the customs of their homeland.</p><br>
<p>Today, Agios Athanasios is a modern, nicely developed town with three nursery schools, two primary schools, a junior high school, a high school and a vocational high school.</p><br>
<h2>Macedonian tombs</h2><br>
<p>In 1994, two small ancient Macedonians tombs were discovered, dated to 4th BC.</p><br>
<p>Assiros  is a village and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lagkadas, of which it is a municipal unit. The 2011 census recorded 1,975 inhabitants in the village of Assiros, 2,216 inhabitants in the community and 3,861 inhabitants in the municipal unit.</p><br>
<h2>Administrative division</h2><br>
<p>The community of Assiros consists of two separate settlements:</p><br>
<p>Assiros (population 1,975)</p><br>
<p>Examili (population 241)</p><br>
<p>The aforementioned populations are as of 2011.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The archaeological site of Assiros Toumba, a 4000 year old settlement mound, is located within the territory of modern Assiros. Excavation between 1975 and 1989 at this site has made a major contribution to understanding the nature of settlement, society, economy and material culture in prehistoric Macedonia. In addition a combination of radiocarbon and dendrochronological research on building timbers and radiocarbon dates for animal bones recovered from the site has provided one of the few accurate dates for the transition from Bronze to Iron Age in the Aegean area c.1070 BC, see Dating the End of the Greek Bronze Age: A Robust Radiocarbon-Based Chronology from Assiros Toumba</p><br>
<p>Vertiskos  is a village a community and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lagkadas, of which it is a municipal unit.</p><br>
<h2>Administrative division</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit of Vertiskos comprises four communities:</p><br>
<p>Exalofos</p><br>
<p>Lofiskos</p><br>
<p>Ossa</p><br>
<p>Vertiskos</p><br>
<p>The community of Vertiskos consists of two separate settlements:</p><br>
<p>Chorouda (population 51)</p><br>
<p>Vertiskos (population 343)</p><br>
<p>The aforementioned population figures are as of 2011.</p><br>
<h2>Name and history</h2><br>
<p>The name of the municipality Vertiskos came from the village Vertiskos, which means "The green" in Latin. The old name of Vertiskos was "Berva". The village Vertiskos was built in the end of the 1700 by Vlachs from Grevena region. Today the people in Vertiskos speaks only Greek, but they have retained some of their old customs. The village Vertiskos in the 1900s was a developed society. They had their own electricity and manufactories. Vertiskos workers built a trade union in the beginning of 1900 which was unique among the Balkan region. This union together with other cultural organisations in Vertiskos organised cultural and political activities. After the civil war in Greece, the village was disintegrated. Today Vertiskos has only about 100 permanent residents.</p><br>
<p>The summer school for classical music which existed many years is closed today and has been replaced by a series of seminars about the environment for students and teachers.</p><br>
<p>Epanomi  is a town and was a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Thermaikos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located 25 km away from the city center of Thessaloniki. The municipal unit includes the village of Mesimeri, with a combined population of 10,810 .</p><br>
<p>Epanomi has a long, historic path as it is the second oldest establishment in Macedonia (Greece) after Angelochori (as archaeologist Theocharis Pazaras indicated with his work) since the area of Epanomi has been inhabited since the neolithic period. The town circulates its economy on tourism and farming, as it is well known among Greeks for its coasts and organized beautiful beaches (awarded annually the blue flag) easily approached from Thessaloniki. It is also known and visited for its tradition in good wine and tsipouro (a strong distilled alcoholic beverage made by fermentation of grape pomace).</p><br>
<p>The local football team Anagennisi Epanomi F.C. has recently played in the second division in Greece.</p><br>
<p>Thermaikos  is a suburban municipality of the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Greece. It consists of the municipal units Thermaikos, Epanomi and Michaniona. The municipal unit Thermaikos is subdivided into the communities Peraia, Neoi Epivates  and Agia Triada. The municipality Thermaikos has an area of 133.41 km and the municipal unit Thermaikos has an area of 20.300 km. Thermaikos stretches for 10 km along the southeastern coast of the Thermaic Gulf. The seat of the municipality is in Peraia.</p><br>
<h2>Municipality</h2><br>
<p>The municipality of Thermaikos was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 3 former municipalities, that became municipal units:</p><br>
<p>Epanomi</p><br>
<p>Michaniona</p><br>
<p>Thermaikos</p><br>
<p>Langadas  is a large town, cultural center, and a municipality in the northeast part of Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Population 19,587 .</p><br>
<h2>Municipality</h2><br>
<p>The municipality Langadas was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 7 former municipalities, that became municipal units:</p><br>
<p>Assiros</p><br>
<p>Kallindoia</p><br>
<p>Koroneia</p><br>
<p>Lachanas</p><br>
<p>Lagadas</p><br>
<p>Sochos</p><br>
<p>Vertiskos</p><br>
<p>The municipality Langadas has an area of 1,222.65 km, the municipal unit Langadas has an area of 197.411 km, and the community Langadas has an area of 31.761 km.</p><br>
<h2>Notable natives</h2><br>
<p>Zübeyde Hanım (1857–1923), Mustafa Kemal Atatürk&#39;s mother</p><br>
<p>Menemeni is a suburb of the Thessaloniki Urban Area and a former municipality of the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ampelokipoi-Menemeni, of which it is a municipal unit. It neighbors Evosmos, Ampelokipoi, Thessaloniki and Echedoros. Menemeni includes the quarters of Vosporos, Agios Nektarios, Dialogi, Agia Varvara and Lachanokipoi.</p><br>
<p>According to the 2011 census the population was 14,746 inhabitants.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Soon after the 1912 release and the incorporation in the national trunk of the Greek territories of Macedonia, the Municipality of Thessaloniki was recognized by the “Official journal of the Hellenic Republic 98/5-5-1918) on 3 May 1918.</p><br>
<p>The particular conditions that prevailed, the local peculiarities and the dynamics of developments determined so much the development of the Municipality of Thessaloniki that the communities slowly began to integrate. Between these also Menemeni, that was created by families of refugees afterwards the Asia Minor destruction in 1922.</p><br>
<p>In 1926 Menemeni was extracted from the municipality of Thessaloniki along with the settlements of Charmankioi, Lempet, Efkarpia and Kara-Isin and they constituted the Community of Charmankioi, in which were added the settlements of Neos Koykloytzas aka Evosmos, Ampelokipoi, Nea Menemeni and Neo Kordelio.</p><br>
<p>This community included itself once again in the Municipality of Thessalonika in 1929. Until 1934 the Municipality of Thessaloniki included almost entire the built-up urban group of city.</p><br>
<p>With the “Official journal of the Hellenic Republic 23/34” in 1934, important realignments in the administrative limits of Municipality of Thessaloniki came into effect and new communities were created. Thus, the settlements of Menemeni, New Charmankioi, New Bosporus, New Menemenis constituted the Community of Menemeni. The communities of Eleftherio, Menemeni, Pylaia and Triandria were recognized as municipalities afterwards the inventory of year 1981, when population increased bigger than the limit of ten thousands of residents.</p><br>
<h2>Transportation</h2><br>
<p>Public transport in Menemeni is currently served only by buses (Route 20 Menemeni-Ermou). The bus company operating throughout the city is called Organismos Astikon Sygkoinonion Thessalonikis (OASTH).</p><br>
<p>An underground service is about to be launched near 2010 operating, at the beginning at least, mainly in the center of the Thessaloniki city. Further expansions on the west side are still under consideration for the "Thessaloniki Metro".</p><br>
<p>Mygdonia  is a suburb and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oraiokastro, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 10,491 . The municipal unit of Mygdonia includes three communities, Drymos , Liti  and Melissochori . The seat of the municipality was in Liti. The municipal unit has an area of 98.506 km.</p><br>
<p>According to archaeologists, the area has been inhabited since the Mesolithic era (9000-7000 BC). The first inhabitants were Pelasgians, followed by Thracian tribes such as the Mygdones and the Edoni, until Alexander I of Macedon conquered and annexed the area.</p><br>
<p>Archaeological discoveries have been made in the area, near the Liti village and at the location Derveni. Discoveries include the ruins of the ancient city of Lete, ancient Macedonian tombs, tombstones, altars, statues, clay statuettes, coins, etc. Perhaps the most important discovery is the Derveni papyrus, an ancient Greek papyrus scroll, found in the city&#39;s necropolis in 1962 - a philosophical treatise on Orphic religion.</p><br>
<p>Rentina  is a village and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it has been a municipal unit within the municipality of Volvi. Its population was 5,821 in 2011. The municipal unit has an area of 128.770 km. The seat of the  municipality was in Stavros. The village Rentina , part of the community Volvi, lies at the eastern end of Lake Volvi.</p><br>
<p>The well preserved Rentina fort served as a strategic strong hold on the Mygdonian basin, overseeing Via Egnatia, at the most eastern domain of thema Thessalonikon and adjacent to thema Strymonikon, particularly during the last 200 years of the Byzantine Empire. References on the last military company that served at Rentina are reflected in the recordings of megas domestikos John Kantakouzenos who as participant observer specified in his History that: " between Thessaloniki and the fort of Rentina situated on a hill by the shore of lake Bolbi Emperor Andronikos III laid camp for his army, at a certain village known as that of the Cretans which was inhabited by an army of Cretans who for a cause had risen up and moved off the island".</p><br>
<p>Sochos  is a community and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lagkadas, of which it is a municipal unit. The community of Sochos covers an area of 153.042 km while the respective municipal unit covers an area of 281.518 km.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<h3>Location</h3><br>
<p>Sochos lies on a plateau of an altitude of about 600m above sea level, that is 15km north of Lake Volvi. The forest area of Vertiskos Mountain begins at the outskirts of the settlement.</p><br>
<h3>Administrative division</h3><br>
<p>The municipal unit Sochos is subdivided into the following communities:</p><br>
<p>Sochos</p><br>
<p>Kryoneri</p><br>
<p>Askos</p><br>
<h3>Population</h3><br>
<p>The population of the community of Sochos was 3,093 people as of 2011. The population of the municipal unit was 5,830.</p><br>
<p>Crowders Mountain is one of two main peaks within Crowders Mountain State Park, the other peak being The Pinnacle. The park is located in the western Piedmont of North Carolina between the cities of King&#39;s Mountain and Gastonia or about 25 mi west of Charlotte. Crowders Mountain abruptly rises nearly 800 ft above the surrounding terrain, and has an elevation of 1,625 feet  above sea level.</p><br>
<p>Although stated as true on some sites, the mountain was not named after Ulrich Crowder, a German merchant and farmer. In 1789, Ulrich purchased land much farther north of the mountain before moving west. The mountain is named for Crowders Creek, which originates near the base of the mountain. The original namesake of Crowders Creek is unknown, but mostly likely lived farther south along Crowders Creek. Crowders Mountain and The Pinnacle, located to the southwest, once served as markers to separate the hunting grounds of the Catawba and Cherokee Indians.</p><br>
<p>In the early 1970s a mining company began doing exploratory sampling of areas along what is now the Backside Trail with the intent of purchasing the minerals rights to excavate the mountain for kyanite, barite, and iron. This led local concerned citizens, educational institutions, and local governments to join together and convince state government pursue the creation of a state park in order to protect the area.</p><br>
<p>In 1973 the State of North Carolina created Crowders Mountain State Park. It opened to the public in 1974. Crowders Mountain proper was added to the new park in 1978. The Pinnacle was added in 1987. In the year 2000, 2000+ acres were purchased. This purchase brought the entire ridge line of Kings Mountain into the park and took park boundaries to the North Carolina/South Carolina state line. Both monadnocks present sheer rock cliffs which are 100 - in height. The cliffs of Crowders Mountain are popular among rock climbers. Rock climbing is no longer permitted on The Pinnacle. Hiking trails lead to both summits, from which it is possible to view the skyscrapers of nearby Charlotte, North Carolina, on a clear day.</p><br>
<h2>Communications center</h2><br>
<p>One of the first FM radio stations in North Carolina, Gastonia&#39;s WGNC-FM, erected a transmission tower on Crowders Mountain in the late 1940s. Today three radio towers are located on the mountain. The transmitters are located within a 12,197 ft&sup2; plot of land on the summit that remains privately owned. In addition to commercial radio, the towers relay signals for wireless phone companies, railroads and local emergency services.</p><br>
<p>On June 19, 2007, the Gastonia City Council denied a request to add 107 ft to a 143 ft communications tower on Crowders Mountain. Crown Castle International had requested the change to allow the signal of a Spanish-language radio station in Gaffney, South Carolina, to reach Charlotte.</p><br>
<p>The council cited concerns that the taller tower would damage views of the mountain and that construction equipment would harm the mountain&#39;s environment.</p><br>
<p>The tallest tower on the mountain is owned by CBS Communications and rises 268 ft.</p><br>
<p>Chortiatis  is a suburb and a former municipality in the Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 Kallikratis local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylaia-Chortiatis, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies at 600 metres altitude on the slopes of the Mount Chortiatis, from which it takes its name. The municipal unit Chortiatis has an area of 109.934 km, and the community Chortiatis has an area of 57.315 km.</p><br>
<h2>History of the area</h2><br>
<p>In the antiquity, mountain and town were known as Cissus and Homer tells us that Cisseus was the king of this town. The town and its people are mentioned as members of the Delian League in the 5th century BC.</p><br>
<p>The modern name and town Chortiatis can be traced back to the 12th century, when a Byzantine monastery under the name Chortaites, on the northern slopes of the mountain, provided Thessaloniki with fresh water by an aqueduct whose remains have been partly preserved. By the 15th century the settlement with the monastery was called Kastron Chortiatis (Castle Chortiatis) and it fell in 1423 under Ottoman rule. In 1912 the Greek town was liberated.</p><br>
<h3>The Massacre of Chortiatis</h3><br>
<p>The Chortiatis massacre was a World War II mass murder of 146 civilians by the Wehrmacht, at the end of the occupation of Greece by the Axis powers on 2 September 1944.</p><br>
<p>After the capture of three German soldiers by the Greek Peoples Liberation Army (ELAS) on mount Chortiatis, the German occupation authorities decided to react immediately with a reprisal operation against the civilian population of the village Chortiatis. About twenty trucks with German soldiers and the paramilitary force Jagdkommando Schubert, named after the Wehrmacht sergeant Friedrich Schubert who was in command, surrounded the village. They gathered all the people they found in the town square, and began to loot and burn houses down. One group of the civilians was led into the house of villager Evangelos Ntinoudis. They were locked inside and the building was set on fire. They were burnt alive. The other group was locked in the bakery. Schuberts men set up a machine gun and began to shoot them down from a small window in the door. After this they set fire to burn alive those who were not killed by the bursts of the machine gun. Apart from the people who were killed in the two groups, others were raped and killed outside their homes or even the village, while trying to escape. A total of 146 civilians residents of Chortiatis were killed that day. 109 of them were women and girls. 300 homes were burned down.</p><br>
<p>Agios Dimitrios  is a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Dodoni, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,566 , The seat of the municipality was in Theriakisi. The largest village is Kato Mousiotitsa which has a school, gymnasium and lyceum. The municipal unit covers the northwestern part of the Xerovouni mountains.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit Agios Dimitrios is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Agia Triada</p><br>
<p>Avgo</p><br>
<p>Episkopiko</p><br>
<p>Kopani</p><br>
<p>Kouklesi (Kouklesi, Potamia)</p><br>
<p>Kryfovo (Kryfovo, Kato Kryfovo)</p><br>
<p>Melia (Melia, Agia Paraskevi, Lagkiotissa)</p><br>
<p>Mousiotitsa (Nea Mousiotitsa, Ano Mousiotitsa, Kato Mousiotitsa, Mesoura)</p><br>
<p>Myrodafni</p><br>
<p>Perdika (Perdika, Vasaiika)</p><br>
<p>Pesta</p><br>
<p>Ravenia</p><br>
<p>Serviana (Serviana, Molyvadia, Taxiarchis)</p><br>
<p>Sklivani (Sklivani, Agios Georgios, Agios Christoforos, Koulouraiika, Profitis Ilias, Rachi, Stavros, Chora)</p><br>
<p>Terovo (Terovo, Rapsaioi, Chani Terovou)</p><br>
<p>Theriakisi (Theriakisi, Agia Kyriaki, Eisodia Theotokou, Kanneta)</p><br>
<p>Varlaam</p><br>
<p>Vouliasta</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<p>Delvinaki  is a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pogoni, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 255.835 km, the community 54.824 km. In 2011 its population was 772 for the village and 2,540 for the municipal unit. Delvinaki is part of the traditional area Pogoni.</p><br>
<p>Delvinaki is situated on the road GR-22/E853 which links Kalpaki with the Albanian border. The border crossing Kakavia is west of town.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit Delvinaki is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Agia Marina</p><br>
<p>Argyrochori</p><br>
<p>Charavgi</p><br>
<p>Delvinaki</p><br>
<p>Farangi</p><br>
<p>Kastani</p><br>
<p>Kerasovo</p><br>
<p>Kryoneri</p><br>
<p>Ktismata (Ktismata, Neochori)</p><br>
<p>Limni</p><br>
<p>Mavropoulo (Mavropoulo, Zavrocho, Chrysodouli)</p><br>
<p>Oreino Xirovaltou (Oreino, Xirovaltos)</p><br>
<p>Peristeri</p><br>
<p>Pontikates</p><br>
<p>Stratinista</p><br>
<p>Teriachi (Teriachi, Stavrodromi)</p><br>
<p>Vissani</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Delvinaki joined Greece after the Balkan Wars of 1913.</p><br>
<h2>Notable people</h2><br>
<p>Petroloukas Chalkias, musician.</p><br>
<p>Hatzimichalis Dalianis, hero of the Greek War of Independence.</p><br>
<p>Evangelos Psimmas, (1905–1962), bishop of Ermoupoli.</p><br>
<p>Konstantinos Iroklis Vasiadis, (1821–1890), scholar.</p><br>
<p>Lakka Souliou  is a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Dodoni, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 158.578 km. Its population was 2,405 according to the census of 2011. Lakka Souliou is a historical site in the wider area of Souli.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Ancient times</h3><br>
<p>Lakka Souliou has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, as it is testified by the fossils which were found in the region, like axes made of granite and flint, coppery and iron weapons, vessels of clay as well. There are traces of Pelasgic walls in many places of the region, like in Achladea, Bestia, Sistrouni, Alepochori and Paleochori Botsari. In addition to these, there are several acropoleis, ancient boxy tombs and coins of the ancient Epirotes found throughout Lakka Souliou. It is supposed that the plains of the region were covered by sea about 500 millions of years ago.</p><br>
<p>Homer mentions that the first historical people who inhabited the region were the Pelasgians in the early 3rd millennium BC, while several Greek tribes started to migrate there from Thessaly in the early 2nd millennium BC, among which the Selloi, Chaonians, Thesprotians and Molossians were included. The Thesprotians dominated upon the other tribes and they expanded eastward from their initial settlement, to the Epirus coastline and present-day Lakka Souliou was included in their possession.</p><br>
<p>In the 5th century BC, the Molossians began to strengthen and under the reign of Tharrhypas, in 429 BC, they overrode and definitely fended the Thesprotians from the region. During the reign of Tharrypas and his son Alcetas I (390 - 370 BC), the Molossians founded the Molossian League, in 385 BC, with the joining of the Chaonians and Thesprotians. That league grew to be the Epirote League in 325 BC, part of which was the region of Lakka Souliou.</p><br>
<p>The Epirotes made a treaty with Macedon and their alliance was cemented in 357 BC with the marriage of the Macedonian basileus, Philip II, to Olympias, the daughter of the basileus of Epirus, Neoptolemus I. In 286 BC, the kingdom of Epirus took control over the kingdom of Macedonia, and it expanded later to the west, in Magna Græcia, under the leadership of Pyrrhus. In the struggle of Rome against Macedon, Epirus was an alliant of the latter, but both were defeated in the battle of Pydna in 168 BC. In the same year the Roman general, Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus, ordered the sacking of 70 epirote towns, among them several towns of modern Lakka Souli, and 150,000 people were enslaved or killed. Epirus was left to bankruptcy and led to decline.</p><br>
<h3>Byzantine era and Ottoman rule</h3><br>
<p>During the Byzantine times, the region of Lakka Souli was part of the Byzantine Empire and saw several raids against it of foreign tribes. After the Fourth Crusade and the capture of Constantinople in 1204, it became part of the Despotate of Epirus.</p><br>
<p>In 1449, the region and whole Epirus came under the Ottoman rule. It is then that the inhabitants of the Souli area, the famous Souliotes began the ceaseless struggle against the Ottoman Turks and later, around 1600, they formed the Souliote Confederation, an autonomous confederacy dominating a large number of neighbouring villages in the remote mountainous areas of Epirus, where they could successfully resist Ottoman rule. In 1611, a peasant revolt led by Dionysius the Philosopher came close to the liberation of Ioannina. In that revolt the Lakkiotes are recorded to have taken part.</p><br>
<p>During the attacks of the Ottomans against Souli in 1732 - 1778 and 1792–1803, Lakka Souli was the "watchtower" of the Souliotes, so as Ali Pasha wanted to occupy this place because of its strategical location. After the Fall of Souli, Ali Pasha gave some lands of the region to squires: Alepochori Botsari, Paleochori Botsari and Romano to Jamali Aga and Acladea to P. Sakellariou, while Georgani and Derviziana remained in the state of Ali Pasha until his death. Epirus was finally liberated in 1913.</p><br>
<h3>After 1913</h3><br>
<p>In the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) many Lakkiotes took part and were honored for their bravery. In 1940, the Lakkiotes were also involved in the war against the Axis powers, the defeat of the invasion of Benito Mussolini&#39;s forces to Greece and the pushing of them back to Albania, in the World War II, and they fought along with Napoleon Zervas against Nazi Germany, while Lakka Souli suffered a lot during the Axis occupation of Greece.</p><br>
<h2>Municipality</h2><br>
<p>At the 1997 Kapodistrias reform, the municipality Derviziana was formed out of 14 previously independent communities. The seat of the municipality was the village Derviziana. In 2003, this municipality was renamed to Lakka Souliou. At the 2010 Kallikratis reform, the municipality Lakka Souliou was merged into the municipality Dodoni, of which it became a municipal unit.</p><br>
<p>The communities of the municipal unit Lakka Souliou are:</p><br>
<p>Achladies</p><br>
<p>Alepochori</p><br>
<p>Ardosi</p><br>
<p>Bestia</p><br>
<p>Derviziana</p><br>
<p>Elafos</p><br>
<p>Georganoi</p><br>
<p>Palaiochori</p><br>
<p>Pentolakkos</p><br>
<p>Romanos</p><br>
<p>Seriziana</p><br>
<p>Sistrouni</p><br>
<p>Smyrtia</p><br>
<p>Vargiades</p><br>
<p>Egnatia  is a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Metsovo, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 131.424 km. In 2011 its population was 2,331. The seat of the municipality was in Mikro Peristeri. The municipal unit is connected with both the GR-6/E92  and the new Via Egnatia.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit Egnatia is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Chrysovitsa (Chrysovitsa, Ampelia, Analipsi, Myloi, Xiriko, Siolades)</p><br>
<p>Megali Gotista (Megali Gotista, Baltouma)</p><br>
<p>Mega Peristeri (Mega Peristeri, Ampelakia, Karyofyto, Kastri, Kerasia, Milies)</p><br>
<p>Mikra Gotista (Mikra Gotista, Agios Minas, Batza, Riza, Sioutsos)</p><br>
<p>Mikro Peristeri (Mikro Peristeri, Giarakari, Neo Gerakari, Palaiochori, Prosilia, Rachoula, Tampouria)</p><br>
<p>Sitsaina</p><br>
<p>Evrymenes  was a short-lived municipality  in the Ioannina Prefecture, Greece. Following the massive mergers that took place in accordance to Kallikratis Plan, since 2011 it holds the status of "municipal entity"  within the Municipality of Zitsa. The municipal unit has an area of 73.958 km. In 2011 its population was 1,009. The seat of the entity was in Klimatia. It is situated in the mountainous western part of the Ioannina regional unit.</p><br>
<h2>Communities</h2><br>
<p>Evrymenes is subdivided into 8 communities, consisting of a total number of 11 villages.</p><br>
<p>Delvinakopoulo (Delvinakopoulo, Spilaio)</p><br>
<p>Klimatia</p><br>
<p>Kokkinochoma</p><br>
<p>Lefkothea</p><br>
<p>Paliouri</p><br>
<p>Raiko</p><br>
<p>Soulopoulo (Soulopoulo, Mikro Soulopoulo)</p><br>
<p>Vasilopoulo (Vasilopoulo, Kastri)</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<p>Wakaw Lake is a lake near Wakaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a 45-minute drive northeast of the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and about an equal distance south of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. It takes its name from a Cree word meaning "crooked."</p><br>
<p>There are currently about 800 cabins located on the lake, some of which are winterized and occupied year-round. Some of these cabins have permanent boat houses, but a bylaw has been issued that no more boat houses are to be built. Some cabin-owners are getting around this by rigging up temporary coveralls.</p><br>
<p>The lake hosts a regional park with camping, golfing and swimming as well as many cabins. It is a long, narrow body of water situated in aspen parkland and home to several species of fish including Northern Pike and Walleye. While not a deep lake, it still suffices for some watersports.</p><br>
<p>In general, the bottom of the lake is muddy, shallow and covered in seaweed, but there are a few areas where a deep, rocky bottom is found.</p><br>
<p>Mount Conness is a 12,590 foot mountain in the Sierra Nevada range, to the west of the Hall Natural Area. Conness is on the boundary between the Inyo National Forest and Yosemite National Park. The Conness Glacier lies north of the summit.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Mount Conness is named for John Conness (1821–1909), a native of Ireland who came to United States in 1836. Conness was a member of California legislature (1853–1854, 1860–1861) and the United States Senator from California (1863–1869). He resided in Massachusetts from 1869 until his death in 1909.</p><br>
<p>In 1860 Josiah Dwight Whitney, Jr. was appointed State Geologist of California and he organized the California Geological Survey (1863–1870). Whitney, along with William H. Brewer, Clarence King, James T. Gardiner, Charles F. Hoffmann, Lorenzo G. Yates, Richard D. Cotter and others, made an extensive survey of California, including the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite region. Whitney wrote:</p><br>
<p>"Mount Conness bears the name of a distinguished citizen of California, now a United States Senator, who deserves more than any other person, the credit of carrying the bill, organizing the Geological Survey of California, through the Legislature, and who is chiefly to be credited for another great scientific work, the Survey of the 40th Parallel."</p><br>
<p>Clarence King, a geologist for the Survey and the first to ascend Mount Conness along with James T. Gardiner in 1864, wrote:</p><br>
<p>"I recognized the old familiar summit... and that firm peak with titan strength and brow so square and solid, it seems altogether natural we should have named it for California’s statesman, John Conness."</p><br>
<p>The members of the Whitney Survey were naturally appreciative of Senator Conness for helping their cause.</p><br>
<h2>Climbing</h2><br>
<p>Conness is a training ground for alpine climbing since it utilizes all aspects of mountaineering: trails, scrambling, and glacier trekking; all at a high altitude for California. Usually climbers camp near Tioga Pass and begin the climb at dawn. It takes about a full day to summit.</p><br>
<p>The summit block consists of scrambling along a knife edge ridge leading to the summit consisting of views to the east of the Conness Glacier and to the west toward Tuolumne Meadows.</p><br>
<p>Zitsa  is a village and a municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Eleousa. The municipality has an area of 565.566 km, the municipal unit 65.868 km, the community 29.169 km.</p><br>
<h2>Municipality</h2><br>
<p>The present municipality Zitsa was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units (constituent communities in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Ekali (Asfaka, Vatatades, Vlachatano, Gavrisioi, Ligopsa, Metamorfosi, Petsali)</p><br>
<p>Evrymenes (Delvinakopoulo, Klimatia, Kokkinochoma, Lefkothea, Paliouri, Raiko, Soulopoulo, Vasilopoulo)</p><br>
<p>Molossoi (Aetopetra, Chinka, Despotiko, Dovla, Ekklisochori, Foteino, Giourganista, Granitsa, Granitsopoula, Grimpovo, Kalochori, Kourenta, Polydoro, Radovizi, Rizo, Vereniki, Voutsaras, Vrosina, Vrysoula, Zalongo)</p><br>
<p>Pasaronas (Agios Ioannis, Anargyroi, Ano Lapsista, Eleousa, Grammeno, Kato Lapsista, Lofiskos, Lyngos, Mega Gardiki, Neochori, Peratis, Petralona, Polylofo, Rodotopi, Vageniti, Vounoplagia, Zoodochos)</p><br>
<p>Zitsa (Dafnofyto, Karitsa, Lithino, Protopappas, Zitsa)</p><br>
<h2>Notable people</h2><br>
<p>Patriarch Jeremias I of Constantinople (died 1546)</p><br>
<p>Dimitrios Zitsaios, benefactor</p><br>
<p>Dimitrios Sarros (1870–1938), writer</p><br>
<p>Chrysanthi Zitsaia (1903–1995), writer</p><br>
<p>Chronis Vagios (nom de guerre: Achilleas Petritis), ELAS and DSE officer.</p><br>
<p>Kalpaki  is a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pogoni, of which it is a municipal unit. It is situated about 30 km northwest of Ioannina, and southwest of Konitsa. The municipal unit has an area of 116.756 km, the community 13.189 km. Population 1,719 . The Greek National Road 20 connects Kalpaki with Ioannina and Konitsa. The GR-22 connects Kalpaki with Kakavia, the border crossing into southern Albania.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit Kalpaki is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Kalpaki (Kalpaki, Lioumpa)</p><br>
<p>Ano Ravenia</p><br>
<p>Chrysorrachi</p><br>
<p>Doliana (Doliana, Agios Georgios Dolianon)</p><br>
<p>Geroplatanos</p><br>
<p>Kato Ravenia</p><br>
<p>Mavrovouni</p><br>
<p>Negrades</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Kalpaki joined Greece after the Balkan Wars of 1913. The Battle of Elaia–Kalamas took place in the area in November 1940, during the Italian invasion of Greece.</p><br>
<p>Molossoi  is a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zitsa, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 241.281 km. In 2011 its population was 1,646. The seat of the municipality is in Voutsaras.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit Molossoi is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Aetopetra (Aetopetra, Kato Aetopetra)</p><br>
<p>Chinka (Chinka, Laliza, Zorgiani)</p><br>
<p>Despotiko</p><br>
<p>Dovla (Dovla, Fteri)</p><br>
<p>Ekklisochori</p><br>
<p>Foteino (Foteino, Kournorrachi)</p><br>
<p>Giourganista (Agios Christoforos)</p><br>
<p>Grimpovo (Grimpovo, Seltsana)</p><br>
<p>Granitsa</p><br>
<p>Granitsopoula</p><br>
<p>Kalochori</p><br>
<p>Kourenta (Kourenta, Petsali)</p><br>
<p>Polydoro</p><br>
<p>Radovizi (Radovizi, Dichouni)</p><br>
<p>Rizo</p><br>
<p>Vereniki (Vereniki, Venterikos, Kato Vereniki, Palaiochora)</p><br>
<p>Voutsaras</p><br>
<p>Vrosina (Vrosina, Agios Georgios)</p><br>
<p>Vrysoula</p><br>
<p>Zalongo (Zalongo, Kato Zalongo)</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<p>Bizani  is a village and a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ioannina, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 91.372 km, the community 11.660 km. In 2011 its population was 5,124. The seat of the municipality was in Pedini. The municipal unit is situated in the plains and low hills south and southwest of Ioannina. The Greek National Road 5 , the Greek National Road 17  and the Egnatia Odos motorway  pass through the municipal unit.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipalunit Bizani is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Ampeleia (Ampeleia, Filothei)</p><br>
<p>Bizani (Neo Bizani, Koloniati)</p><br>
<p>Asvestochori</p><br>
<p>Kontsika (Kontsika, Synoikismos Kontsikas)</p><br>
<p>Kosmira</p><br>
<p>Manoliasa</p><br>
<p>Pedini (Pedini, Fteri, Chioniasa)</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Bizani was the location of the Battle of Bizani that took place in February 1913 as part of the Balkan Wars as the last stronghold for Ioannina and the remainder of Epirus before ending almost five centuries of Ottoman Turkish rule.</p><br>
<p>The village and former municipality, gets its name from the nearby fort built by the Ottoman Empire which in turn may have been inspired by the nearby mountain range. Fort Bezhani, as referenced by some groups like the US Congress Committee on Military Affairs, is known in Greek as "Bizani" (also Fort Bijan). It was the key fort protecting the city of Ioannina, most likely taking its name from the mountain range that dominates the area and was an important part of the Battle of Bizani</p><br>
<p>Octoraro Creek is a 22.1 mi tributary of the Susquehanna River, joining it 9 mi above the Susquehanna&#39;s mouth at Chesapeake Bay. The Octoraro rises as an East and West Branch in Pennsylvania. The East Branch and Octoraro Creek form the southern half of the border between Lancaster and Chester counties until the creek crosses the Mason-Dixon line. It winds through northwestern Cecil County, Maryland before joining the Susquehanna.</p><br>
<p>Each of the branches is less than 20 mi long. The entire creek drains 208 square miles of watershed.</p><br>
<p>Octoraro Creek was designated a Pennsylvania Scenic River by Legislative Act 1983-43, managed by the Octoraro Creek Watershed Association. A brick tunnel leading to Octoraro Creek was built by Charles Spotts and used by slaves travelling the Underground Railway through Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.</p><br>
<h2>East Branch Octoraro Creek</h2><br>
<p>The East Branch Octoraro Creek, 18.1 mi long, starts at Christiana, Pennsylvania, created by the confluence of Williams Run and Pine Creek, which carries the Lancaster - Chester County border for about a mile. The East Branch continues the border with Lancaster County to the west and Chester County on the east bank. The branch enters a steep wooded valley and passes under the Mercer&#39;s Mill Covered Bridge at Bailey Crossroads Road. The branch continues through the valley which widens out near Steelville. The branch loops through another steep valley north of Homeville, which widens out before the creek passes under PA Route 896 at Andrews Bridge. Muddy Run joins the East Branch from the east out of its own set of steep valleys. The East Branch widens out into the eastern part of Lake Octoraro about 3 mi northwest of Oxford, Pennsylvania.</p><br>
<h2>West Branch Octoraro Creek</h2><br>
<p>The West Branch Octoraro Creek runs 15.3 mi entirely in Lancaster County. The branch, which starts about a mile south of Green Tree, is created by the confluence of Meetinghouse Creek, Mine Run, and a small unnamed creek which starts near the village of Ninepoints. The branch flows under the Jackson&#39;s Sawmill Covered Bridge, northwest of Bartville, then flows for a few miles through a narrow valley, southwest of Collins. The valley widens as the branch passes under Puseyville Road. The branch passes under Noble Road at Kings Bridge and under the White Rock Forge Covered Bridge at White Rock. The branch then widens out into the western part of Lake Octoraro about two miles east of Oak Shade.</p><br>
<h2>Main branch Octoraro Creek</h2><br>
<p>The dam that forms Octoraro Lake is on the main branch, just below the East and West Branch confluence, in Pine Grove. Below the dam is a filtration plant belonging to the Chester Water Authority. The main branch passes under Pine Grove Covered Bridge (Forge Road) before continuing generally southwestward. The creek passes under PA Route 272 at Kirks Bridge, less than three miles west of Nottingham. As the creek nears the Pennsylvania - Maryland border it goes through a series of alternating loops. The final horseshoe-like loop, where the creek first crosses the border, gives the name to the Boy Scouts of Americas Horseshoe Scout Reservation and the Chester County Councils Order of the Arrow Lodge. The west-bound portion of that loop passes over Grays Hollow Ford, now replaced by an Army Corps of Engineers bridge. At this point the contrast of the BSA wilderness camp on the left bank with the active gravel mine on the right is apparent. The horseshoe loops back to the east, then briefly north up into Pennsylvania, all within the Reservation, before it swings back south into Maryland for good. The Scout Reservation contains the original Mason-Dixon Line mile-19 stone monument, along with the remains of a former grist mill along the old camp road.</p><br>
<h2>Octoraro Creek in Maryland</h2><br>
<p>In Maryland, Octoraro Creek winds generally southwest through a steep valley. The creek loops under the high tension lines from the Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant on their way toward Philadelphia and passes by the site of a removed dam. The creek crosses under USA Route 1 on that road&#39;s way from Philadelphia to the Conowingo Dam bridge and Baltimore. The creek then passes the washed-out Porters Bridge at Richardsmere and passes one final time under the high tension lines. At Rowlandsville, the creek passes under Doctor Jack Road and two abandoned railroad bridges on a defunct spur. The Octoraro passes under the active Norfolk Southern Railway bridge and MD Route 222 (formerly USA Route 222) before it reaches the Susquehanna River, below the Conowingo Dam. When the hydroelectric plant is not generating, along with a low tide (the Susquehanna experiences tides below the dam), the creek turns parallel to the river for a few hundred yards before joining. The six foot rise in water when the hydroelectric plant is operating inundates this parallel stretch and can cause the Octoraro to reverse flow as far as the 222 bridge.</p><br>
<p>The Wilson Building is an historic 12-story building in the Main Street district of downtown Dallas, Texas. The building was completed in 1904 and patterned after the Palais Garnier in Paris, France. The historic structure fronts Main Street on the south, Ervay Street on the east, and Elm Street on the north. The Wilson building was the tallest structure in Dallas from 1904–1909 and was considered the premier commercial structure west of the Mississippi. The Wilson Building is situated across from the flagship Neiman Marcus Building and is adjacent to the Mercantile National Bank Building.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The building was built for John B. Wilson (1847–1920), who moved from Canada to Dallas with his brother Frederick P. Wilson, and together made their fortune in cattle during the 19th century. Designed by Sanguinet & Staats of Fort Worth, the plan of the building is "E"-shaped with rounded corners featuring intricate stone and brick work. The building contained 9 elevators: 2 for the department store and 7 for office tenants. Among its many luxuries, it was connected to a 1,500 ft deep artesian well and contained 2 telegraph offices.</p><br>
<p>The structure originally housed the Titche-Goettinger Department Store (later known as Titches) in the basement and first two levels; upper levels housed offices accessed through a lobby on Main Street. Prior to the buildings opening, most of Dallas retail traffic was centered several blocks to the west. The success of the Wilson Building and Titche-Goettinger convinced Neiman Marcus to build their flagship store across Main Street and forever changed the city&#39;s retailing history.</p><br>
<h3>Expansion</h3><br>
<p>In 1911 a 12-story addition was completed along Elm Street, generally matching the style of the original building. This structure was used by Titche-Goettinger and was said to be the tallest building in the South occupied exclusively by a retail establishment.</p><br>
<p>Titche-Goettinger remained the largest tenant until 1929, when it moved to the larger Titche-Goettinger Building two blocks east. The Wilson buildings office space was renovated to provide accommodations for medical offices, an arcade was constructed to connect Elm Street and Main Street entrances. The W.A. Green department store moved into the tower space formerly occupied by Titche-Goettinger, while the H.L. Green Variety Store moved into the lower floors of the main building. When W.A. Green moved out in 1961, H.L. Green took over that space as well. The store became a fixture in downtown Dallas for several decades, and its lunch counter was the citys first to be integrated during the 1960s.</p><br>
<p>As the offices vacated for newer buildings the upper levels of the building became vacant and the outside was notoriously grimy, although the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. In 1997 H.L. Green closed its doors after nearly 70 years of operating from the Wilson Building.</p><br>
<h3>Adaptive Reuse</h3><br>
<p>The building was owned by actress Pia Zadora for several years. The store&#39;s closure resulted in a redevelopment opportunity, and the City of Dallas acquired the building for $3.4 million in 1999. Post Properties then leased the building from the city and converted the historic structure into 143 loft apartments, featuring hardwood floors and a rooftop sky terrace. The property was sold to Forest City Enterprises in 2008 to become part of the Mercantile Place on Main development, and residents share building amenities in the neighboring Mercantile Bank Building.</p><br>
<p>Lake Quannapowitt , which was originally known as Reading Pond, has numerous nicknames today. Some area natives refer to the lake as "Lake Quannapolluted" due to their view of the state of health of the lake, but the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection handled only one isolated open case of contamination from the electric company that was remediated in 2008. The two former beaches remain closed to swimming, due to arsenic which was introduced into the lake in the early 1960s to deal with aquatic weeds.</p><br>
<p>The town common of Wakefield is on the south shore of the lake. Probably the most well known scene in the town is of its iconic bandstand on the town common, with Lake Quannapowitt in the background.</p><br>
<p>The lake has active populations of warmwater species of fish.</p><br>
<p>Salerno Lake, formerly Devil&#39;s Lake, is a lake in the municipalities of Highlands East and Minden Hills in Haliburton County in Central Ontario, Canada. The lake is part of the Kawartha Lakes, and lies in the Great Lakes Basin. It is part of cottage country approximately a -hour drive away from Toronto.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Salerno Lake is about 5.8 km long. It is a narrow lake, at most 750 m, that resembles a large river. The lake is in a big valley, and the water depth increases quickly. Most places in the lake are about 25 ft deep, but there are two spots where it can get as deep as 45 ft.</p><br>
<p>Nearby communities are Gooderham, Irondale and Kinmount; Haliburton is a 25–35 minute drive away.</p><br>
<p>The primary inflow, at the southwest, is Salerno Creek from White Lake. The primary outflow, at the northwest, is also Salerno Creek, which flows over a dam to the Irondale River, then via the Burnt River, the Kawartha Lakes, the Otonabee River and the Trent River to Lake Ontario.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Like many water bodies in this system, the lake was used to transport logs in the 19th and 20th Century.</p><br>
<h2>Etymology</h2><br>
<p>Originally named Devil&#39;s Lake, the name was changed to Salerno to commemorate the prominent role of the Canadian Army in the Salerno landings of 1943 at the Italian city of that name. The name change was suggested by the government of Ontario and published on a federal map in 1944 as a distinctive name in order to eliminate the common name "Devil". The name Salerno Lake was eventually approved by the Canadian Board on Geographical Names in 1953.</p><br>
<h2>Natural history</h2><br>
<p>Salerno Lake is home to smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, perch, walleye, and muskie. It also has rock bass, sunfish, mussels, and crayfish.</p><br>
<h2>Cottagers' Association</h2><br>
<p>The Salerno/Devils Lake Cottagers Association is over 40 years old. It consists of a board of directors that deal with issues and organize events such as the annual canoe race and the Canada Day fireworks. The association encourages all cottagers to become a member, and sends out a newsletter by mail.</p><br>
<p>Pramanta  is a village and a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality North Tzoumerka, of which it is a municipal unit. In 2011 its population was 1,137 for the town, 1,527 for the community and 1,774 for the municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 69.058 km, the community 39.435 km. Pramanta is situated in the Athamanika mountains, at about 840m elevation. It is 4 km west of Melissourgoi, 6 km north of Agnanta, 6 km south of Prosilio, 65 km southeast of Ioannina, 70km north east of Arta and 28 km south of Metsovo.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit Pramanta is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Ampelochori</p><br>
<p>Pramanta (Pramanta, Tsopela, Christoi)</p><br>
<p>Raftanaioi (Raftanaioi, Vounoreia, Zalouchos, Megali Rachi, Mylokopeio, Palaiomochousti, Pallikari, Plaka, Rouga, Fraxos)</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<h2>Attractions</h2><br>
<p>Pramanta is a village with a natural beauty. In the central square one can view the known perennial plane tree, the historic fountain called "Arapis" and the central church of the village, Agia Paraskevi. Close to Pramanta you may also find the cave "Anemotrypa" and the mountain retreat in the place "Isioma".</p><br>
<p>Takuu, pronounced , known also as Takuu Mortlock or Marqueen Islands, is a small, isolated atoll off the east coast of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Takuu lies about 250 km to the northeast of Kieta, capital of Bougainville. The atoll consists of about 13 islands to the east and one island to the northwest. Its position is 4&deg;45&prime;S latitude, 157&deg;2&prime;E longitude. Takuu Island is the southernmost and largest of the islands on the eastern side of the atoll. Most of the population however, lives on a small neighbouring island named Nukutoa.</p><br>
<p>The islands in the atoll are very low-lying, about a meter above the high tide mark. Local rise in sea level has been noticed by the people of Takuu and by Richard Moyle, an anthropologist who has been visiting for the last decade. It is, however, much lower than the publicised 20 centimeters a year. Two scientists (Scott Smithers and John Hunter) who visited the atoll in November and December 2008 say it does not appear to be sinking due to tectonic activity.</p><br>
<p>While the atoll is likely to persist physically for some time, a variety of problems due to apparent climate-change related phenomena and the political situation are making life on Takuu very difficult. Professor Richard Moyle of Auckland University has predicted that climate change will eventually extinguish the atolls ability to sustain life. "Takuu families living elsewhere in Papua New Guinea will take in as many as they can, but with no single resettlement location, I cant see Takuu continuing to function as a community" (Wane 2005:10).</p><br>
<h2>Population and culture</h2><br>
<p>The islands are inhabited by approximately 400 people of Polynesian origin. Takuu is one of the Polynesian outlier cultures which are situated outside of the Polynesian Triangle. The people of Takuu have traditionally placed great value on the retention of their indigenous practices and religious sites. To protect Takuu from outside influences, the Ariki (chief) banned Christian missionaries for the last 25 years. Only four researchers have been permitted to spend time on the islands in that time. The ban was only lifted in the last five years, as young islanders who had lived and studied on the Papua New Guinea mainland returned to their homeland. A number of churches have now been established on Nukutoa.</p><br>
<p>Since 2006 a team of filmmakers (principally Briar March and Lyn Collie) have visited the atoll twice, making a documentary that records culture and life on the atoll, and examines the possibility that the community might have to relocate to the Bougainville mainland if their physical situation worsens. The second shoot in 2008 included the visit of scientists Scott Smithers and John Hunter.</p><br>
<p>Traditional life continues to this day on Takuu. Traditional thatched houses stand in crowded rows, so close to each other that the eaves almost touch. There are few trees on the island apart from coconut palms, and the main street serves as a marae, a space for ritual ceremonies. Music is still a fundamental part of life on Takuu. Because of the long period of isolation, many of the indigenous songs, stories and dances have survived. Many of the songs date from the period before European contact, which occurred in the mid 19th century. The songs tell stories of voyages between the islands, while "dance performances fill 20 or 30 hours a week" (Wane 2005). Many of the songs are celebrations of successful relationships, whether relationships that link extended families together in productive activity or relationships binding people with their ancestors in times of need.</p><br>
<h2>Language</h2><br>
<p>The people of Takuu speak a Polynesian language. Recent classifications of the Polynesian languages place the Takuu language in an Ellicean branch, along with Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi, Nukuria, Nukumanu, Luangiua, and Sikaiana. Twentieth-century classifications had placed these languages in a Samoic Outlier group.</p><br>
<h2>Economy</h2><br>
<p>In early 2006 a cyclone devastated the islands and added to their already compromised situation. In December 2008, a series of floods at high tide over three days washed away kitchens, flooded homes and destroyed a number of churches, terrifying the people. The service boat was unable to come for several weeks afterwards, emphasising the vulnerability of the atoll community. It appears that some of the community are now looking to relocate permanently to the Bougainville mainland.</p><br>
<p>Mount Nebo, a tall hill that is part of the Illawarra Range, is located in the foothills of the Illawarra escarpment on the edge of the suburban fringe of the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. At 251 m above sea level, the hill is reached by the steep OBriens Road from the suburb of Figtree.</p><br>
<h2>Features and location</h2><br>
<p>OBriens Road was built as a private toll road in the early 19th century to connect Sydney and the Illawarra. O&#39;Briens Road began at the locally famous fig tree that gave the name to the suburb of Figtree. Views from the top look over Wollongong, Lake Illawarra and the local mountains. Nebo is the Aboriginal name for the hill, and the name was retained as in the case of Woonona Mountain and Mount Warrigal hill at Lake Illawarra.</p><br>
<p>In 1999 the council stopped vehicles from continuing from the summit due to illegal dumping, and the road has become a track to OBriens Gap and Mount Brisbane, at 469 m above sea level. However litter remains a problem.</p><br>
<p>The hill provides views of Mount Kembla and Mount Keira and is popular for photograph taking. It is connected to the Illawarra escarpment by Nebo Ridge. From the end of the trafficable part of O&#39;Briens Road a short trail climbs to the summit area where, near television re-transmission towers and a water tank. From here the Illawarra Coastal Plain is visible, with the hills of Mount Mangerton, Mount Saint Thomas and Cobblers Hill visible amidst residential areas. To the southeast lies Saddleback Mountain, Noorinan Mountain and Barren Grounds Nature Reserve, Knights Hill, the southern escarpment and, most obviously, Mount Kembla and Kembla West.</p><br>
<p>The walking and bridle track goes from near the summit (a vegetated area east of the towers), down along Nebo Ridge, which rises to its own summit with views of Mount Keira, Mount Brisbane and the colliery below. A number of species of birds, snakes and plants are found here, as well as the problematic imported deer and Lantana. The track remains fairly consistent except for one section where it climbs very steeply up a 100 m hill before going along the side of Pupiana, an extension of Mount Brisbane. The track then makes its way past a waterfall, unused water pipes and a gate to Harry Graham Drive, a tourist route along the escarpment. From here it is a short walk to the Motocross Track and the Stafford&#39;s Farm Track.</p><br>
<p>The east and south sides of the hill have been encroached by residential development. The southwest slopes are taken up by agriculture and in the valley to the southwest is the Mount Nebo Colliery in the Kemira valley, the name comes from Mount Kembla and Mount Keira, two prominent local mountains. The track is used as a walking and jogging track and as a birdwatching site. The old road is crumbled in several sections, but this does not stop walkers.</p><br>
<p>Sella Nevea , at an altitude of 1,195 m, is a high mountain pass in the Julian Alps, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. Sella Nevea also lends its name to a frazione of the Chiusaforte municipality and the nearby Kanin-Sella Nevea Ski Resort.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The mountain pass is located between the Montasio massif in the north and Mt. Kanin in the south, in the Province of Udine near the border with Slovenia. The pass road connects Chiusaforte via the steep Raccolana valley in the southwest with Cave del Predil and Tarvisio in the north.</p><br>
<p>Sella Nevea is part of a European Watershed dividing the basin of the Tagliamento river, running southwards to the Adriatic Sea, from the Slizza creek in the north, which is part of the Danube catchment area. About 10 km (6 mi) north of the pass is the picturesque Lago del Predil, a popular destination for canoeing, wind-surfing, and other water sports.</p><br>
<p>Sella Nevea offers facilities and equipment for winter sports, such as alpine skiing, cross-country skiing snowboarding, and ice skating. In the summer, the location is used as a base for mountain trekking and rock climbing.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>For centuries, the Sella Nevea mountain pass marked the border between the Domini di Terraferma territories of the Republic of Venice and the Imperial Duchy of Carinthia in the north. Incorporated into the Austrian Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia from 1815, the former Venetian territory in the south finally became part of the newly established Kingdom of Italy upon the Third Italian War of Independence in 1866. The remote border region remained an agricultural area. In the late 19th century, the mountaineer Julius Kugy (1858–1944) described it as a "forest paradise".</p><br>
<p>In World War I, however, the Italian Front ran along Sella Nevea, while the bloody Battles of the Isonzo raged nearby. When in late 1917 Austro-Hungarian forces were able to break into the Italian front line during the Battle of Caporetto, they also rolled over the top of the pass, nevertheless, they again moved out of the area after the Austrian defeat at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto one year later. By the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain, the area of Cave del Predil (Raibl) and Tarvisio (Tarvis) north of the pass also fell to Italy.</p><br>
<h2>Ski resort</h2><br>
<p>The beginning of the ski area date back to the 1930s, while the present-day Sella Nevea ski resort and hotel village started about 1965, when by resolution of the Chiusaforte municipal council plans for the first ski runs were developed. Considered as "snow-reliable", the area was projected to be a heaven for winter sports, including cable transport to the Celso Gilberti mountain hut at Mt. Kanin, several surface lifts and a hotel complex. However, Sella Nevea&#39;s development suffered a serious setback after a series of avalanches struck it in March 1975. In 1980, the company that managed the ski runs went bankrupt.</p><br>
<p>In the 1990s, Sella Nevea&#39;s ski runs fell under the control of Promotur, a state-owned but independent company, which took charge of all five main regional ski resorts. The Sella Nevea resort suffered from neglect that caused it to lose popularity. Promotur said repeatedly that despite the potential of the location, nothing further have been done to arrest its decline. In 2001, preventive measures against avalanches were finally completed. While Sella Nevea was excluded from the 20013 Winter Universiade in Tarvisio, the location grew in popularity as a ski racing training camp. It acquired a reputation for uncrowded slopes.</p><br>
<h3>Connection to Bovec</h3><br>
<p>In 2005, it was announced that Sella Nevea will receive substantial funds to replace outdated ski equipment, and that a cableway will be built that will connect it to the neighbouring Goriška municipality of Bovec, one of the largest winter ski resorts in Slovenia. The cross-border link of the two resorts was completed in December 2009. It is now possible to ski at both resorts. Because both Italy and Slovenia are members of the European Schengen zone, skiers are able to cross the border between Italy and Slovenia freely, effectively merging the Sella Nevea and Bovec ski resorts into one large ski resort covering both sides of the Kanin mountain.</p><br>
<p>Tymfi or Mt Tymphe, Timfi, also Tymphi  is a mountain in the northern Pindus mountain range, northwestern Greece. It is part of the regional unit of Ioannina and lies in the region of Zagori, just a few metres south of the 40° parallel. Tymfi forms a massif with its highest peak, Gamila, at 2,497 m, being the sixth highest in Greece.</p><br>
<p>The massif of Tymfi includes in its southern part the Vikos Gorge, while they both form part of the Vikos–Aoös National Park which accepts over 100,000 visitors per year. The former municipality of the same name owed its name to the mountain. It also gave its name to the ancient land known as Tymphaea and to the Tymphaeans, one of the tribes in Ancient Epirus.</p><br>
<h2>Etymology</h2><br>
<p>Tymfi is tranlitareted in similar forms: Tymphe, Timfi, also Tymphi. The name "Tymphe" or "Stymphe" is mentioned by ancient geographer Strabo and it gave its name to the district of Tymphaea and the ancient tribe that inhabited it. The etymology of the peaks are mainly of Greek origin. The highest peak "Gamila" derives from the Greek word for "camel". "Megala Litharia" stands for "Big rocks" and "Karteros" for "mighty, powerful". The word "Astraka" means "gutter" and its origins can be either Greek or Slavic. A notable exception is the peak of "Tsouka Rossa" which is in Aromanian and stands for "red peak".</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>The mountain is surrounded by various massifs that also form part of the northern Pindus mountain range. Northeast of Tymfi lies the highest mountain of Pindus, Smolikas. The mountain of Trapezitsa lies to the north, Lygkos to the east and Mitsikeli to the south. The Aoos river flows to the north and its tributary Voidomatis to the southwest. Vikos Gorge is formed by the latter to the southwestern side of the mountain. The length of the mountain is approximately 20 to 25 km with a direction from east to west and its width is approximately 15 km from north to south. The southern and southeastern slopes of the mountain are comparatively smooth. The north side, however, forms cliffs reaching 400 m, whereas the western side is equally steep since the mountain is fragmented by Vikos Gorge.</p><br>
<p>The massif includes several peaks that stand above 2400m. From west to east the most prominent are the following: Astraka, 2,436 m, Ploskos, 2,377 m, Gamila, 2,497 m, Gamila ΙΙ, 2,480 m, Karteros, 2,478 m, Megala Litharia, 2,467 m, Tsouka Rossa, 2,379 m, and Gkoura, 2,466 m. With the exception of Astraka, the peaks are arranged from north to northeast with their southern slopes forming a plateau. Astraka, being the only peak located to the south, dominates that plateau with its north face. A mountain hut, which operates during the summer months, is located at the mountain pass between the peaks of Astraka and Lapatos at 1930m of altitude. Several lakes are formed on the mountain some of whom drain during the summer. From those that maintain water around the year the most famous is Drakolimni (Dragonlake in Greek), a formation that was created after the retreat of the glaciers. It is located at a height of 2,000 m northwest of Ploskos. Its maximum depth is 4.95 m, while its surface covers 1 hectare.</p><br>
<h3>Geology</h3><br>
<p>Mount Tymfi represents a series of uplifted fault blocks and faulted escarpments and is largely composed of Palaeocene-Eocene limestone, with some exposures of Campanian-Jurassic dolomite and limestone on the northern scarp. The lower slopes are dominated by younger flysch rocks, which consist of thin beds of graded sandstones intercalated with softer, fissile siltstones. Extended glacial conditions prevailed on the uplands of Mount Tymfi during the Late Quaternary period, ca. 28,000 years ago. The glacial landscape is well-developed, especially on the southern slopes of Mount Tymfi, across the Astraka-Gamila plateau, and in the upland terrain above the villages of Skamneli and Tsepelovo, where lateral and terminal moraines form major landscape features. Additional forms of glacial deposits, which extend down to 850 m above sea level, include rock glaciers and limestone pavements.</p><br>
<p>A number of vertical caves and precipices are found in the area around the village of Papingo, which lies near Gamila and Astraka peaks. Some of them bear names inspired from mythology, such as the Hole of Odysseus and Chasm of Epos. These are being studied and explored by caving enthusiasts. The cave of "Provatina" ("Ewe&#39;s Cave), with a depth of 408 m, one of the deepest worldwide, was first discovered in 1965 by British speleologists of the Cambridge University Caving Club, and has since then been surveyed by a large number of expeditions. The nearby Chasm of Epos, with a depth of 451 m, drains the water coming from the surrounding plateaus.</p><br>
<h3>Climate</h3><br>
<p>There is no meteorological station at the mountain itself and the closest one is located at the village of Papingo. The overall climate of the Vikos–Aoös National Park which includes the mountain is Mediterranean, transitioning to continental. The Mediterranean character is characterized by the annual distribution of precipitation, high in the winter months and experiencing a drought period of two to three months in summer. The continental climatic element is attributed to the high amplitude of annual temperature variation, to such a degree that the difference between mean maximum and mean minimum annual temperature, exceeds 40 &deg;C. It should be noted that conditions in the mountain might be significantly different from those of lower regions in the same area. Winters are particularly harsh and the mountain is covered in snow from autumn until late May.</p><br>
<h2>Αccess</h2><br>
<p>The mountain is located at the Zagori region and the nearest settlements are mainly villages. Iliochori, Vrysochori and Laista lie to the east, Skamneli and Tsepelovo to the south, and Papingo and Vikos to the west and southwest respectively. Facilities in the aforementioned villages vary, but most of them offer restaurants and accommodation services. The nearest town is Konitsa to the northwest. The closest city with an airport is Ioannina, approximately 60 km south of Papingo. The coach service from Ioannina offers seven daily coaches to Konitsa and two weekly services to Papingo (on Fridays) as of 2011. The GR-20 (Kozani - Siatista - Ioannina) passes close to the western, northwestern and north sides of the mountain.</p><br>
<h2>Wildlife</h2><br>
<p>Most part of the mountain, with the exception of its southernmost part around the peak of Astraka, forms part of the Vikos–Aoös National Park. The park is a designated protected area and visitors should be aware of the limitations to activities imposed by the law. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) runs an information centre in the village of Papingo.</p><br>
<p>Tymfi holds the largest recorded population of Balkan chamois deer (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) in Greece, with a population between 120-130 individuals out of an estimated national population between 477-750. Although chamois is registered as least concern in IUCNs red list, the subspecies balcanica numbers some thousands of individuals and its populations are believed to be declining. According to the Hellenic Ornithological Society mount Tymfi along with the neighbouring mountain Smolikas are important regions for breeding birds of prey, alpine and forest dwelling bird species. The Egyptian vulture, short-toed snake eagle, rufous-tailed rock-thrush breed in the region, whereas species such as the golden eagle, red-billed chough, rock partridge, alpine chough, wallcreeper, white-winged snowfinch and the alpine accentor are sedentary. Alpine reptilian and amphibian species are also present. Vipera ursinii lives in the mountains subalpine meadows and is considered a threatened taxon. The amphibian alpine newts (Triturus Alpestris), living in the alpine lakes of the mountain, mostly in and around Drakolimni, are associated with local folktales of dragons and dragon battles. Yellow-bellied toads (Bombina variegata) are also common in that same area.</p><br>
<h2>Ascent routes</h2><br>
<p>The simplest and most commonly used route of ascent is the one beginning at the village of Mikro Papingo, located at the western side of the mountain at an altitude of 980 m. The trail that leads to the Astraka mountain hut, is approximately 6 km long. It is part of the Greek national trail O3 and is generally well marked with signs (red diamond on white) and red dots and arrows on rocks and tree trunks. From the hut, the hikers might either head northeast to the drakolimni alpine lake for another 2.8 km or southeast to reach Gamila peak, which is the highest peak of the mountain at 2,497 m for another 6 km. In both cases there are no signposts and the hikers should solely rely on red dots marked on rocks or scarce small signs attached to wooden poles. The hike from Papingo to the hut lasts between 2–3 hours and the round-trip from the hut to drakolimni another 2 hours.</p><br>
<p>The mountain is also accessible from other surrounding villages but the trails are longer and the terrain rougher and steeper. Therefore they are suggested for more experienced hikers. From the village of Vrysochori at the eastern side of the mountain, a trail of 12.8 km leads to Gamila peak through the Karteros Pass. From the village of Vradeto to the south of the mountain the trail to the peak is approximately 14.9 km. Trails that lead to the mountain can also be followed from Konitsa and Tsepelovo. Those routes are poorly and scarcely marked, mostly by dots of red paint on rocks, and are in some cases unclear and covered by vegetation.</p><br>
<h3>Climbing</h3><br>
<p>The first recorded climb of the mountain was made on 7–8 June 1956 by Giorgos Michailidis and Giorgos Xanthopoulos who climbed the face of Gamila. Four years later, on 25–26 August 1960, Guido Magnone and Spyros Antypas climbed the northeastern face of Gamila. Currently there are 17 climbing fields on the mountain, covering most of the major peaks and other geological features of the mountain. From the aforementioned fields, the northeastern face of Gamila counts 8 climbing routes, and Gamila II 6. The fields of Astraka and Tsouka Rossa have several climbing routes each. The former counts 30 routes in both its northwestern and northeastern faces, and the latter 19 routes. Potential climbers should take into account that several of the routes were first ascended several years ago and thus pitons might be compromised if present at all. Furthermore, some locations in the mountain are isolated and rescue services might find it particularly challenging to access the area in case of emergency.</p><br>
<p>Vovousa  is a village and a former community in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zagori, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 51.029 km. It is one of the original Zagori villages. Population 115 .) related to the Greek word "vous"  for "bull".</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>Vovousa is located on the river Aoos and is one of the easternmost villages of Zagori. It is also located near the National Park of Valia Kalda. The single-arched stone bridge of Misios was built in 1748 with a donation by Alexis Mitsios from Vitsa.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>Vovousa was considered among the largest villages in Zagori. After the submission of Zagori to the Turks in 1821, following the fall of Ali Pasha and the Greek War of Independence Vovousa became impoverished due to Albanian raids and was nearly deserted. Most of its inhabitants moved in the 19th century to the vicinity of Serres in Macedonia. The village was burnt by the Germans on 23 October 1943.</p><br>
<p>Pech Merle is a cave which opens onto a hillside at Cabrerets in the Lot département of the Occitania region in France, about 35 minutes by road east of Cahors. It is one of the few prehistoric cave painting sites in France that remain open to the general public. Extending for over a kilometre and a half from the entrance are caverns, the walls of which are painted with dramatic murals dating from the Gravettian culture . Some of the paintings and engravings, however, may date from the later Magdalenian era .</p><br>
<p>This area once had a great river flowing through it, cutting underground channels which were later used by humans for shelter and eventually for mural painting.</p><br>
<p>The cave art located in the deeper areas of the cave was discovered in 1922 by Andre David and Henri Dutetre, two teen-aged boys who had been exploring the cave for two years. Like other children of the area, these two had been encouraged and assisted in their exploration by Father Amedee Lemozi, the curate of Cabrerets, an amateur archaeologist who had discovered other cave paintings in the region.</p><br>
<p>The walls of seven of the chambers at Pech Merle have fresh, lifelike images of woolly mammoth, spotted horses, single colour horses, bovids, reindeer, handprints, and some humans. Footprints of children, preserved in what was once clay, have been found more than half a mile underground. In 2013 the Tracking in Caves-project tested experience based reading of prehistoric footprints by specialised trackers of Ju/&#39;hoansi San with great success. Within a six-mile radius of the site are ten other caves with prehistoric art of the Upper Palaeolithic period, but none of these are open to the public. During the Ice Age the caves were very probably used as places of refuge by prehistoric peoples when the area had an Arctic climate, very cold temperatures, and native animal species very different from those of the present day. It is supposed that, at some point in the past, rain and sliding earth covered the cave entrances with an airtight seal until the 20th century.</p><br>
<p>Experimental reconstruction work by French archaeologist Michel Lorblanchet has suggested that the application of the paint for some of the paintings was probably by means of a delicate spitting technique.</p><br>
<p>The cave at Pech Merle has been open to the public since 1926. Visiting groups are limited in size and number so as not to destroy the delicate artwork with the excessive humidity, heat and carbon dioxide produced by breathing.</p><br>
<p>Ioannina Island  is an island in the Lake of Ioannina, Epirus, Greece, a municipal unit of the municipality of Ioannina. Its area is 0,2 km, with biggest length 800 meters and biggest width 500 meters. Until the 2011 reform of local government, it was a community within the Ioannina regional unit. Its population in 2001 was 347 and in 2011 was 219. It is reached by boat from the city of Ioannina or by ferry from the nearby shore.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The island is mentioned since 13th century when the first monastery, Monastery of Agios Nikolaos of Philanthropenoi, was built in 1291. Shortly after, a second monastery was built, the Monastery of Agiou Nikolaou Ntiliou or Agiou Nikolaou Stratigopoulou. During Ottoman Rule monastic community in the island was developed, so two even monasteries were founded during 16th century or the late of 15th century, the Monastery of Agiou Nikolaou Methodiou and Monastery of Prodromou. During 17th century three even monasteries were built the Monastery of Saint Pantaleon, the Monastery of Metamorphosis tou Sotiros and Monastery of Profiti Ilia. The little settlement of the island built possibly during 17th century and it flourished in the Ali Pasha Era. In this place, Ali Pasha died in 1822, chased by Ottoman army.</p><br>
<h3>Historical population</h3><br>
<h2>Places of interest</h2><br>
<p>Monastery of Agios Nikolaos of Philanthropenoi: It is built in 1291 or 1292 and it is the oldest monastery of the island. It is located south-east of the island’s settlement.</p><br>
<p>Monastery of Agios Nikolaos Ntiliou: It is located south of Monastery of Agios Nikolaos of Philanthropenoi and it was built short after this monastery.</p><br>
<p>Monastery of Agia Eleousa: It is located south of Monastery of Agios Nikolaos Ntiliou. Initially, the monastery was named Monastery of Agios Nikalaos Methodatos. It was built possibly in 16th century.</p><br>
<p>Monastery of Profitis Ilias: It is located in the highest point of the island and it was built possibly during 17th century in place of one oldest church.</p><br>
<p>Monastery of Metamorphosis tou Sotiros: It is located in the southwest part of the island, built possibly at the beginning of the 17th century.</p><br>
<p>Monastery of Prodromos: It is located south-east of the island’s settlement, built at the beginning of 16th century.</p><br>
<p>Monastery of Agios Panteleimonas: It is located near Monastery of Prodromos. Ali Pasha was murdered in this place.</p><br>
<p>Settlement of the island: The settlement is an important sample of traditional Epirotic architecture with stone houses and slate roofs. It is located in the north part of the island.</p><br>
<p>Mason Lake is a natural elongated lake south of Belfair, Washington, United States in Mason County. Named for Charles H. Mason, the first secretary of Washington Territory, the lake is on the isthmus of the Kitsap Peninsula between the Hood Canal and Pickering Passage of the Case Inlet. The smaller Benson Lake is to its eastern side.</p><br>
<p>Mason Lake is approximately 1000 acres in size and four miles long. Its maximum depth is 90 feet and the mean depth is 48 feet. With 10.9 miles of shoreline, the lake sits at 194 feet above sea level.</p><br>
<p>More than a thousand residents live yearlong around the shores of Mason Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in Mason County, second to the manmade Lake Cushman to its northwest.</p><br>
<p>Originally a summer vacation community, the lake has always been known for its power boats, jet skis and water skiing. A county park provides picnic and boat launching access. Swimming is limited to private access parks and residences. The single lane boat launch is on the steeper side and winches tend to get jammed if they&#39;re in the locked or retrieval state.</p><br>
<p>The community of Mason Lake is located centrally between Grapeview and Harstine Island to the east, and Twanoh State Park to the west. Much of the area surrounding Mason Lake is commercial timberland in various states of harvest.</p><br>
<p>Yelagin Island  is an island at the mouth of the Neva River which is part of St. Petersburg, Russia.</p><br>
<p>Yelagin Island is home to the Yelagin Palace but has a few other buildings as well.</p><br>
<h2>Geography</h2><br>
<p>It is a flat island located in the delta of the Neva River, between the Grand Nevka branch and the Central Nevka. The island has a surface of 94 hectares. It stretches from east to west for 2.1 km and has a maximum width from north to south of 0.8 km.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<p>The island initially served as a wooded retreat for the ruling class. Originally known as Melgunov Island, the island takes its present name from its former owner, Ivan Yelagin (1725–93), best known as a founding father of the Russian Freemasonry. The palace was built in 1786 in the eastern section of the island.</p><br>
<p>In 1817 the island was bought for 350,000 rubles by the Imperial Cabinet on behalf of the Russian Monarchy. The following year the palace grounds underwent a thorough redesigning and restructuring led by architect Carlo Rossi. The works lasted four years and included a vast English landscape garden with a system of canals, bridges and ponds, as well as grottoes and gazebos.</p><br>
<p>Formerly off-limits for most local people, after the Russian Revolution, the isle was opened to the public as an urban park which still bears the name of Sergei Kirov.</p><br>
<h2>Current use</h2><br>
<p>In present times Yelagin Island is a popular weekend destination for Petersburgers. Visitors can rent boats to navigate the island&#39;s several ponds and canals. There are also rollerblade and bicycle rentals, as well as several attractions for children including pony rides, miniature trains and playgrounds. The island also features several kilometers of paved pathways.</p><br>
<p>Hell&#39;s Half Acre Lava Field is a basaltic lava plain located on the Snake River Plain of Idaho in the United States. It is the easternmost of the basaltic lava fields on the Snake River Plain, located about 25 mi west of Idaho Falls, Idaho and 30 mi north of Pocatello, Idaho. In 1976, the National Park Service designated the northwestern portion of the site a National Natural Landmark. In 1986, the Bureau of Land Management recommended that 68,760 acre of the site, located just southeast of the National Natural Landmark, to be a wilderness study area.</p><br>
<h2>Description of the site</h2><br>
<p>The Hell&#39;s Half Acre lava plain is located in Bingham and Bonneville counties in the state of Idaho. The site is about 150 square miles in size. Ten circular pits and two large lava tubes are also located near the summit. Two major lava flows, each about 6.2 mi long by 3.1 mi wide, extend from the main lava field to the south and southwest. These two lava flows surround "Morgans Pasture," a kipuka (or older geologic feature which was not covered by lava). More recently, scientists studying aerial photographs of the site discovered a 328 yd long eruptive fissure partly buried under lava flows just 437 yd from the northwest boundary of the lava field. This and other features of the site indicate that the fissure vent itself may be 11.8 mi long.</p><br>
<p>The site is fairly accessible. Interstate 15 just crosses the southeast corner of the lava field. Two trails have been marked by USA Bureau of Land Management personnel. The shorter, 0.5 mi trail is marked by blue flags, and takes about 30 minutes to walk. The longer, 4.5 mi trail is marked by red flags, and takes a full day to walk. A second trail (about 1 mi in length) with educational signage may be accessed from the south parking lot. This longer trail has a gazebo and scenic overlook at about the midpoint. There is also a 0.25 mi handicapped-accessible paved loop with educational signage as well. All trails are closed in winter. Over 100,000 people used the trails in 2007.</p><br>
<p>The Hell&#39;s Half Acre lava plain is home to a variety of plant species. Among them are bitterbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, foothills death camas, evening primrose, ferns, geraniums, gray rabbitbrush, Indian paintbrush, needle-and-thread grass, penstemon, prickly pear cactus, sagebrush, Utah juniper, and wild onion. Wildlife is also abundant. Species commonly found here include bobcats, coyotes, golden eagles, mule deer, elk, prairie falcons, pronghorn, red foxes, red-tailed hawks, and sage grouse.</p><br>
<h2>History of the site</h2><br>
<p>Geologists estimate that the Hells Acre Lava Field was created about 3250 BC. The lava field was created by the Lava Ridge-Hells Half Acre fissure vent, and marks the southern edge of this area of volcanic activity. This fissure vent was created when one or more magmatic dikes (sheets or tubes of magma cutting across the existing geologic features) found their way to the surface. At the northwestern edge of the lava field is a basaltic volcano, with the fissure vent extending toward the southeast and the Hells Half Acre site. The basaltic volcano is a shield type. Pit craters and spatter cones follow this active fissure line. Two non-erupting fissures extend northwest from the shield volcano for about 2.7 mi. One scientific team hypothesized that the seven lava fields in the vicinity of Hells Half Acre may belong to as few as two fissure vents.</p><br>
<p>Hells Half Acre was created when basaltic pāhoehoe quickly flowed out of the volcanic rift. At least eight lava lobes have been identified by geologists. As magma and volcanic gases drained from underneath the lava field, the field subsided—leaving behinds hummocks, or "hills" of lava (a feature which Hells Half Acre retains today). There is evidence that lava filled and drained the lava lake numerous times, and that lava repeatedly overflowed the lake.</p><br>
<p>Lava from the fissure vent tended to flow downhill toward the southeast, covering part of the fissure. Lava tubes extend in a generally southeastern direction under the lava field, and surfaced in the far southeastern corner of the site. There is also evidence that later pāhoehoe lava lobes ran underneath or inside existing lobes, and then broke out.</p><br>
<p>The current name of the lava field was given to it by fur traders in the early 19th century seeking passage through the rough terrain of the Rocky Mountains. The term "hells half acre" was a commonly used expression to describe any rough land. One of the first white people to record their visit to Hells Half Acre was Benjamin Bonneville, a French-born United States Army officer. Bonneville traveled west in 1832, on a leave of absence from the military. His expedition was financed by the wealthy fur trader, John Jacob Astor. Bonneville saw the site in 1833. The celebrated writer Washington Irving used Bonneville&#39;s journals to write a book about the expedition, and based on his descriptions wrote about the area this way:</p><br>
<p>In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the area was the center of logging activity. Red cedar grew abundantly in the lava field, as the plant can grow directly on rock. In 1889, the village of Woodville was founded near the Woodville Bend of the Snake River (near the modern town of Shelley, Idaho). The Woodville settlers harvested large amounts of red cedar for use as lumber and fuel. These practices were significantly cut back in the 1910s and 1920s as coal became more widely available as a fuel, but the harvesting of red cedar from Hell&#39;s Half Acre continued until 1942.</p><br>
<p>A wildfire burned 500 acre of the site in 1999. In the fall of 2005, Michael Curtis Reynolds was arrested at the Hells Half Acre rest area after the Federal Bureau of Investigation lured him there with the promise of money and arms from a supporter. More recently, in 2006 the utility Utah Power tried to build an electrical substation near the easternmost part of Hells Half Acre lava field.</p><br>
<p>The Lava Trail System ("formerly Hell&#39;s Half Acre") provides pedestrian access to the lava field.</p><br>
<p>The Kanishka stupa  was a monumental stupa established by the Kushan king Kanishka during the 2nd century CE in today&#39;s Shaji-ki-Dheri on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan.</p><br>
<p>The stupa was built during the Kushan era to house Buddhist relics, and would become perhaps the tallest buildings in the ancient world.</p><br>
<h2>History</h2><br>
<h3>Background</h3><br>
<p>According to Buddhists the building of the stupa was foretold by the Buddha:</p><br>
<p>The same story is repeated in a Khotanese scroll found at Dunhuang, which first described how Kanishka would arrive 400 years after the death of the Buddha. The account also describes how Kanishka came to raise his stupa:</p><br>
<h3>First stupas</h3><br>
<p>The original Kushan stone stupa was probably built after the death of Kanishka the Great, and rebuilt under their rule in the 300s CE into a cruciform stupa that was then destroyed by the White Huns during their invasion of the area. In the 5th century CE, stucco imagery was probably added to the site, in keeping with contemporary popularity for Buddhist imagery.</p><br>
<h3>Reconstruction</h3><br>
<p>The White Huns destroyed the second stupa during their invasion of the region in the 460s CE. The stupa&#39;s wooden superstructure was rebuilt atop the stone base, and crowned with a 13-layer copper-gilded chatra. Modern estimations suggest that the stupa had a height of 400 ft.</p><br>
<h3>Destruction</h3><br>
<p>Sung Yun noted in the early 6th century that the tower had been struck by lightning at least three times, having been rebuilt after each strike.</p><br>
<h2>Excavation</h2><br>
<p>The stupa was discovered and excavated in 1908–1909 by a British archaeological mission under David Brainard Spooner, and led to the discovery in its base of the Kanishka casket, a six-sided rock crystal reliquary containing three small fragments of bone, relics of the Buddha (which were transferred to Mandalay, Burma and a dedication in Kharoshthi involving Kanishka.</p><br>
<h2>Architecture</h2><br>
<p>The final stupas symmetrically cross-shaped plinth measured 175 ft, though the plinth had large staircases at each of the stupas sides. In total, the base of the stupa may have spanned 272 ft on each side. The plinth was likely decorated with sculpted reliefs, while niches built into the dome&#39;s four cardinal points was inlayed with precious stone. The tall wooden superstructure was built atop a decorated stone base, and crowned with a 13-layer copper-gilded chatra. Modern estimations suggest that the stupa had a height of 400 ft.</p><br>
<h2>Contemporary accounts</h2><br>
<p>In the 400s CE, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Faxian visited the structure and described it as "the highest of all the towers" in the "terrestrial world", which ancient travelers claimed was up to 560 ft tall, though modern estimates suggest a height of 400 ft.</p><br>
<p>In 520 CE, Sung Yun describes the stupa in the following terms:-</p><br>
<h2>Legacy</h2><br>
<p>The stupa is believed to have influence later constructions of "tower stupas" throughout ancient Turkistan. The construction of wooden towers topped with metal chatras made such buildings act as lightning rods, which could explain why such towers have all but disappeared.</p><br>
<h2>Current status</h2><br>
<p>The site has not been preserved. The location was re-identified in 2011. It is located outside the Gunj Gate of the old Walled City of Peshawar and is called Akhunabad.</p><br>
<p>Pangaio  is a municipality in the Kavala regional unit, Greece, named after the Pangaion hills. The seat of the municipality is in Eleftheroupoli.</p><br>
<h2>Municipality</h2><br>
<p>The municipality Pangaio was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:</p><br>
<p>Eleftheres</p><br>
<p>Eleftheroupoli</p><br>
<p>Orfano</p><br>
<p>Pangaio</p><br>
<p>Piereis</p><br>
<p>The municipality has an area of 701.427 km, the municipal unit 79.634 km.</p><br>
<h2>Province</h2><br>
<p>The province of Pangaio (Επαρχία Παγγαίου) was one of the provinces of the Kavala Prefecture. It had the same territory as the present municipality, except a part of the municipal unit Eleftheroupoli. It was abolished in 2006.</p><br>
<p>Filippoi , is a village and a former municipality in the Kavala regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kavala, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 238.751 km. The 2011 census reported a population of 11,711 for the municipal unit and 894 for the village. The ruins of ancient Philippi are located in the municipal unit.</p><br>
<p>The most important cultural event of the town is its annual festival, held since 1957. It takes place in the Ancient Theatre of Filippoi during the high season with ancient and modern performances, ballets and concerts by theatrical troupes, orchestras and bands.</p><br>
<p>This ancient Greek theatre dates to 357 B.C. It was first restored in 1957 by Dimitris Lazaridis with a view of holding the festival.</p><br>
<h2>Twin cities</h2><br>
<p>Čačak, Serbia</p><br>
<p>Chrysoupoli  is a town and a former municipality in the Kavala regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nestos, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 245.181 km. The population of the municipal unit of Chrysoupoli in 2011 was 16,004.</p><br>
<p>It was known as "Sarışaban" during Ottoman rule. It was a kaza centre in the Sanjak of Drama, part of the Salonica Vilayet, before the Balkan Wars.</p><br>
<p>The Nestos Nature Museum is situated in Chrysoupoli.</p><br>
<h2>International relations</h2><br>
<h3>Twin towns — Sister cities</h3><br>
<p>Chrysoupoli is twinned with:</p><br>
<p>Jagodina, Serbia</p><br>
<p>Zlatograd, Bulgaria</p><br>
<p>Mouzaki  is a town and a municipality in the northwestern part of the Karditsa regional unit, Greece. Mouzaki is located on the southwestern edge of the Thessalian plain, where the river Pamisos descends from the Agrafa mountains. It is 17 km southwest of Trikala and 24 km northwest of Karditsa. The Greek National Road 30  passes north of the town.</p><br>
<h2>Municipality</h2><br>
<p>The municipality Mouzaki was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 3 former municipalities, that became municipal units:</p><br>
<p>Ithomi</p><br>
<p>Mouzaki</p><br>
<p>Pamisos</p><br>
<p>The municipality has an area of 313.866 km, the municipal unit 179.521 km.</p><br>
<h3>Subdivisions</h3><br>
<p>The municipal unit of Mouzaki is divided into the following communities (constituent settlements in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Amygdali</p><br>
<p>Anthochori (Anthochori, Anoixiatiko, Platanakos)</p><br>
<p>Drakotrypa (Drakotrypa, Arpakia, Keramargio, Milies, Spathes, Trygona, Tsarouchi)</p><br>
<p>Ellinokastro (Ellinokastro, Gravia, Petrota)</p><br>
<p>Gelanthi</p><br>
<p>Kryopigi (Kryopigi, Lakkes, Xirokampos)</p><br>
<p>Lazarina</p><br>
<p>Magoulitsa</p><br>
<p>Mavrommati (Mavrommati, Georgios Karaiskakis)</p><br>
<p>Mouzaki</p><br>
<p>Oxya (Oxya, Vagenia, Dafni, Zamanatiko, Koura, Megali Vrysi, Mesorrachi, Palaiampela, Palaiochori, Platania, Soula, Sykia)</p><br>
<p>Pefkofyto (Pefkofyto, Nisia, Padi, Charavgi)</p><br>
<p>Porti (Porti, Martini, Meligos, Palaiokastro)</p><br>
<p>Vatsounia</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
<p>Plastiras  is a former municipality in the Karditsa regional unit, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lake Plastiras, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 93.166 km. It was named after the Greek general and Prime Minister Nikolaos Plastiras. Population 2,412 . Lake Plastiras covers a part of the municipal unit. Its residents are engaged chiefly in agriculture. The seat of the municipality was in Morfovouni.</p><br>
<h2>Subdivisions</h2><br>
<p>The municipal unit Plastiras is subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):</p><br>
<p>Kerasea (Kerasea, Nevropoli)</p><br>
<p>Lampero (Lampero, Agios Athanasios)</p><br>
<p>Mesenikolas</p><br>
<p>Morfovouni (Morfovouni, Razia)</p><br>
<p>Moschato (Moschato, Agios Nikolaos, Tsardaki)</p><br>
<h2>Population</h2><br>
