AHMEDABAD RANKS IN UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST 2017

In its 41st session on July 12, the World Heritage Committee inscribed 21 new sites in its UNESCO world heritage list which features the Indian city of Ahmedabad.

Founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah in the 15th century, the ancient walled city of Ahmadabad has been marked as a UNESCO world heritage spot. The city showcases the rich architecture of the sultanate era that can be perfectly captured by the Bhadra citadel.

Inside the walls of the fort city there are many mosques, tombs, notable Hindu and Jain temples.

The committee, that carried out its meeting in Krakow, Poland, from 2 to 12 July, have added locations ranging from ruins in Turkey and ancient temple cities across europe to picturesque landscapes and mountains in Greenland.

The planet is now home to 1,073 cultural, historic and naturally significant sites.

Apart from Ahmedabad, these are the list of cities ranked by UNESCO:

• City of Yazd, Iran
• Venetian Works of Defence, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro
•  Valongo Wharf, Brazil
•  Tarnowskie Gory Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine, Poland
•  Taputapuatea, France
•  Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, Cambodia
•  Qinghai Hoh Xil, China
•  Okinoshima, Japan
•  Mbanza Kongo, Angola
•  Los Alerces national park, Argentina
•  Kulangsu, China
•  Kujataa, Denmark
•  Assumption Cathedral, Russia
•  Aphrodisias, Turkey
•  Swabian Jura, Germany
•  Khomani Cultural Landscape, South Africa
•  Dauria, Mongolia / Russia
•  Hebron/Al-Khalil, Palestine
•  Asmara, Eritrea

NINE CITIES IN AMARAVATI

       The Government of Andhra Pradesh allotted lands to nine thematic cities. This lends clarity to sector-wise infrastructure to be created in the capital city which will be spread over a mammoth217 sq.km.

         Government, Finance, Knowledge, Justice, Health, Sports, Tourism, Media and Electronics cities are the ones that the GoAP proposed to construct on the basis of urban development models. Officials of the A.P. Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) and Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department have studied these models in China, Europe, Eurasia, Middle East and South America.

         These cities will be in conformity with the internationally acclaimed fused grid model of development where a huge chunk of the population will ‘walk to work’ and also have most of their daily needs available within walking distance.

        A total of 6,577 acres has been set aside within the cities for future purposes.

         The Government City is the most important one that will have the Legislative Assembly and Council, Secretariat buildings and head offices of various government departments.

          Land for residential buildings (covering 833 acres), for entertainment and social requirements (567 acres) and for commercial establishments (237 acres) have been earmarked within this city.

           The Tourism City will have offices related to the hospitality sector, star hotels and other amenities which will be of tourist attraction. The Knowledge City will have campuses of universities and educational institutions of global repute. The river-front development is a part of this city.

         The Finance City will be like a ‘central business district’ where the offices of the Finance Department of GoAP and private financial institutions will be located. Sports stadia and other facilities will come up in the Sports City.

          The A.P. High Court will be established in the Justice City in addition to other courts and offices of various judicial departments. The residential quarters of the Chief Justice of AP will be one of the prominent structures that will be built in this city.

DEAD SEA - LOWEST ELEVATION ON LAND

1.    The Dead Sea or Salt Sea is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west.

2.    Its surface and shores are 430.5 metres (1,412 ft) below sea level, Earth's lowest elevation on land.

3.    The Dead Sea is 304 m (997 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With 34.2% salinity (in 2011), it is 9.6 times as salty as the ocean.

4.    The salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish, hence its name.

5.    It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley and its main tributary is the Jordan River.

6.    The Dead Sea water has a density of 1.24 kg/litre, which makes swimming similar to floating.

CLICK HERE  FOR   MAWSYNRAM - WETTEST PLACE ON INDIA AND EARTH

MAWSYNRAM - WETTEST PLACE ON INDIA AND EARTH

1.     Mawsynram of Khasi Hills in Meghalaya, North East India, has the title of being the wettest place of India and of the world.

2.     It is located on the top of a hill in the middle of a valley.

3.     It has a recorded 11, 872 mm. of rainfall during peak monsoons in India. 

4.     Famous for the gigantic formation of stalagmite, which resembles the shape of a 'Shivalinga'.

5.     Subtropical highland climate and the monsoon season is lengthy.

CLICK HERE FOR   DEAD SEA - LOWEST ELEVATION ON LAND

HYDERABAD AIRPORT STANDS FIRST

Hyderabad airport ranks 1st in world in airport service quality Survey

According to a GHIAL statement, the survey shows that Hyderabad Airport has steadily improved its score on a scale of 1 to 5 from 4.4 in 2009 to 4.9 in 2016.

GMR's Hyderabad International Airport has secured first position in the esteemed Airports Council International (ACI)-Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey in the 5-15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) category for the year 2016.

According to a GHIAL statement, the survey shows that Hyderabad Airport has steadily improved its score on a scale of 1 to 5 from 4.4 in 2009 to 4.9 in 2016.

SGK Kishore, CEO, GHAIL, thanked the passengers and its stakeholders including ministry of civil aviation, CISF, airlines, immigration and customs. "The immense efforts put in by our partner airlines, concessionaires, housekeeping and other support staff have played a major role in this achievement", he said.

Running into its 9th year of operations, Hyderabad International Airport is designed to cater to 12MPPA. The airport has witnessed a growth of more than 20 per cent in the last year with passenger operations close to 15MPPA in 2016. Kishore also mentions that "We soon plan to go for expansion of the airport, where it can enhance its capacity to meet 20 MPPA".

Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI World, was quoted as saying, "We congratulate Hyderabad Airport for dedicating itself to deliver a stellar customer experience".

The ACI ASQ survey is industry's most comprehensive passenger service benchmarking tool and has consistently and dependably captured passengers' immediate appraisal from check-in through departure at the gate at more than 300 airports worldwide.

The ASQ award ceremony will be held at the 27th ACI Africa/World Annual General Assembly, Conference & Exhibition in Port Louis, Mauritius from 16-18 October.

"KUTTANAD" REGION - LOWEST ALTITUDE IN INDIA

Kuttanad is the region with the lowest altitude in India, and one of the few places in the world where farming is carried out below sea level. Kuttanad, “The Rice Bowl Of Kerala” noted for its farming below sea level (about 4 to 10 feet).

Kuttanadu is a region in the Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam Districts, in the state of Kerala, India, well known for its picturesque vast paddy fields and its geographical peculiarities. Four major rivers in Kerala viz. Pampa, Meenachil, Achankovil and Manimala flow into the region.