The World A Traveller’s Guide to the Planet 000-contents.indd0-contents.indd 1 220/06/20140/06/2014 11:35:16:35:16 PPMM THE WORLD Welcome to the World . 4 Cayman Islands . 163 Greenland . .335 Need to Know . 6 Central African Grenada . .339 If You Like… . 8 Republic . 165 Guadeloupe . .343 Itineraries . 10 Chad . 167 Guam . .347 Afghanistan . 15 Chile . 169 Guatemala . 349 Albania . 17 China . 175 Guinea . .355 Algeria . 21 Colombia . 183 Guinea-Bissau . .357 Andorra . 23 Comoros & Mayotte . 189 Guyana . .359 Angola . 25 Congo (DRC) . 191 Haiti . 361 Anguilla . 27 Congo, Republic of the . 193 Honduras . .365 Antarctica . .29 Cook Islands . 197 Hong Kong . .367 Antigua & Barbuda . .33 Costa Rica . .201 Hungary . .373 Argentina . 37 Côte d’Ivoire . .207 Iceland . .379 Armenia . .45 Croatia . 209 India . .387 Aruba, Bonaire Cuba . 215 Indonesia . .395 & Curaçao . .49 Cyprus . 221 Iran . .401 Australia . 51 Czech Republic . .225 Iraq . .407 Austria . 59 Denmark . 231 Ireland . 411 Azerbaijan . .65 Djibouti . .235 Israel & the Palestinian Bahamas, The . .69 Dominica . .237 Territories . 417 Bahrain . 73 Dominican Republic . 241 Italy . .423 Bangladesh . 75 East Timor . .245 Jamaica . .431 Barbados . 79 Ecuador . .247 Japan . .437 Belarus . .83 Egypt . .253 Jordan . 445 Belgium . .85 El Salvador . .259 Kazakhstan . 451 Belize . .89 England . 261 Kenya . .455 Benin . 93 Equatorial Guinea . .269 Kiribati . .461 Bermuda . .95 Eritrea . 271 Kosovo . 463 Bhutan . .99 Estonia . .273 Kuwait . .465 Bolivia . .105 Ethiopia . 277 Kyrgyzstan . .467 Bosnia & Hercegovina . .111 Falkland Islands . .283 Laos . 471 Botswana . 115 Fiji . .285 Latvia . 477 Brazil . 123 Finland . .289 Lebanon . .481 Brunei . 129 France . .293 Lesotho . 485 Bulgaria . 133 French Guiana . .301 Liberia . 489 Burkina Faso . 137 Gabon . .303 Libya . .491 Burundi . 139 Gambia, The . .307 Liechtenstein . .493 Cambodia . 141 Georgia . 311 Lithuania . .497 Cameroon . 147 Germany . 315 Luxembourg . .501 Canada . 151 Ghana . .323 Macau . .505 Cape Verde . 159 Greece . .327 Macedonia . .507 000-contents.indd0-contents.indd 2 220/06/20140/06/2014 11:35:44:35:44 PPMM Contents Madagascar . 511 Poland . 677 Thailand . .845 Malawi . 517 Portugal . .683 Tibet . .853 Malaysia. 521 Puerto Rico . .689 Togo . .859 Maldives . .527 Qatar . .693 Tonga . 861 Mali . 531 Romania . .697 Trinidad & Tobago . .865 Malta . .533 Russia . 701 Tunisia . .869 Marshall Islands . .537 Rwanda . .709 Turkey . .873 Martinique . .539 Samoa . 713 Turkmenistan . .879 Mauritania . .543 San Marino . 717 Turks & Caicos . 881 Mauritius . .545 São Tomé & Príncipe . 719 Tuvalu . .885 Mexico . .549 Saudi Arabia . 721 Uganda. .887 Micronesia . 557 Scotland . .725 Ukraine . 891 Moldova . .559 Senegal . 731 United Arab Emirates . .895 Monaco . 561 Serbia . .735 United States of America (USA) . .899 Mongolia . .563 Seychelles . .739 Uruguay . .907 Montenegro . .567 Sierra Leone . .743 Uzbekistan . 911 Morocco . .573 Singapore . .745 Vanuatu . 915 Mozambique . .579 Slovakia . .749 Vatican City . 917 Myanmar (Burma) . .583 Slovenia . .753 Venezuela . 919 Namibia . .587 Solomon Islands . 757 Vietnam . .925 Nauru . .593 Somalia & Somaliland . 761 Nepal . .595 Virgin Islands, South Africa . .763 US & British . 931 Netherlands, The . .601 South Korea . .769 Wales . .935 New Caledonia . .607 South Sudan . 775 Yemen . .939 New Zealand . 611 Spain . 777 Zambia . .941 Nicaragua . 619 Sri Lanka . .785 Zimbabwe . .945 Niger. .625 St Kitts & Nevis . 791 Index . .949 Nigeria . .627 St Lucia . .795 North Korea . 631 Acknowledgements . 960 St Vincent & Northern Ireland . .633 the Grenadines . .799 Northern Marianas . .635 Sudan . 803 Norway . .637 Suriname . 805 KEY Oman . 643 Swaziland . .807 Pakistan . .647 Sweden . 811 Africa Palau . 651 Switzerland . 819 America Panama . .653 Syria . .825 Antarctica Papua New Guinea . .657 Tahiti & French Paraguay . 661 Polynesia . .827 Asia Peru . .663 Taiwan . 831 Australia/Oceania Philippines . .669 Tajikistan . .835 Europe Pitcairn Island . .675 Tanzania . .839 000-contents.indd0-contents.indd 3 220/06/20140/06/2014 11:35:44:35:44 PPMM Welcome to the World Third Rock from the Sun. Mother Earth. The Blue Marble. The spinning ball of rock that is the world goes by many names, but it is also the place that each and every one of us calls home. And wherever it is that you call home, you can be sure that if you travel – near or far – the world will exhibit its overwhelming beauty and diversity. Adventure and inspirational experiences await around every corner, so what’s stopping you? Go forth and explore. Natural Wonders Spectacular Cities Comedian Steven Wright once quipped, It is people, not animals, who have colo- ‘You can’t have everything – where would nised the entire planet. Since foregoing you put it?’ Weighing in at 5.97219×1024 kg, stone tools, inventing the wheel (3300BC) and with 149 million sq km of landmass and first smelting iron (1200BC), human- (and another 361 million sq km of ocean), kind has embarked on a big production the world has room enough to fit ‘every- number that features countless cultures, thing’. Amidst all of that ‘everything’ there civilisations and empires. History suggests is so much to discover, from rivers deep, like that humans were naturally inclined to the Nile (snaking 6850km from central Af- warfare but also –more positively – to con- rica to the Mediterranean), and the sunken gregating and cohabiting, thus, over time shores of the Dead Sea (427m below sea the city was born. level), to mountains high, like the Himalayas More than half of the world’s population (more than 100 peaks over 7200m, including now live in cities. They are the pulsating Everest at 8848m), the Andes and.