Jeju-do, the only special autonomous province of South Korea.

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Jeju-do[1] (transliterated Korean for Jeju Province, short form of Jeju Special Self-governing Province) is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946. Its capital is the city of Jeju.

The island contains the Natural World Heritage Site entitled Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.[2]

@Wiki

Cheomseongdae, South Korea - the oldest surviving observatories in East Asia, and one of the oldest scientific installations on Earth

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Cheomseongdae is an astronomical observatory in Gyeongju, South Korea. Cheomseongdae means star-gazing tower in Korean. Cheomseongdae is the oldest surviving observatories in East Asia, and one of the oldest scientific installations on Earth. It dates to the 7th century to the time of kingdom of Silla, which had its capital in Gyeongju. Cheomseongdae was designated as the country's 31st national treasure on December 20, 1962[1].

- Cheomseongdae@Wikipedia -

Okinawa Prefecture (沖縄県)

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Okinawa Prefecture (沖縄県 ,Okinawa-ken?, Okinawan: Uchinā) is one of Japan's southern prefectures, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū (the southwesternmost of Japan's main four islands) to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of the largest and most populous island, Okinawa Island, which is approximately half-way between Kyūshū and Taiwan. The disputed Senkaku Islands (Mandarin: Diaoyu Islands) are also administered as part of Okinawa Prefecture at present.

- Okinawa Prefecture - Wikipedia -

Hampton Court Palace

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Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London; it has not been lived in by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located 11.7 miles (18.8 km) south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames. It was originally built for Cardinal Wolsey, a favourite of King Henry VIII, circa 1514; in 1529, as Wolsey fell from favour, the palace was passed to the King, who enlarged it.

The following century, William III's massive rebuilding and expansion project intended to rival Versailles was begun.[1] Work halted in 1694, leaving the palace in two distinct contrasting architectural styles, domestic Tudor and Baroque. While the palace's styles are an accident of fate, a unity exists due to the use of pink bricks and an, albeit vague, symmetrical balancing of successive low wings.[2]

Today, the palace is open to the public, and is a major tourist attraction. The palace's Home Park is the site of the annual Hampton Court Palace Festival and Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Along with St. James's Palace, it is one of only two surviving palaces out of the many owned by Henry VIII.

- Hampton Court Palace - Wikipedia -

Dumaguete City, one of the fastest developing cities in the Philippines

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The City of Dumaguete is a city in the Philippine province of Negros Oriental. It is the capital, principal seaport, and largest city of the province. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 116,392 people. A person from Dumaguete is called a "Dumagueteño". The city is nicknamed The City of Gentle People.

Dumaguete is referred to as a university town because of the presence of seven universities and colleges, where students of the province converge to enroll for tertiary education. The city is also a popular educational destination for students of surrounding provinces and cities in Visayas and Mindanao. The city is best known for Silliman University, the country's first Protestant university and the first American university in Asia. There are also 12 elementary schools and 9 high schools. The city's student population is estimated at 30,000.

The city attracts a considerable number of foreign tourists, particularly Europeans, because of easy ferry access from Cebu City, the availability of beach resorts and dive sites, and the attraction of dolphin and whale watching in nearby Bais Bay. It is also becoming one of the country's retirement hubs because of its quiet, rustic and laid-back atmosphere, numerous medical facilities and other urban amenities which are comparable to, if not better than, those found in the metropolitan areas.

The city has a domestic airport which provides daily flights to and from Manila and Cebu City through Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, and Philippine Airlines.

Dumaguete is considered one of the fastest developing cities in the Philippines.

- Dumaguete City@Wiki -

Buckingham Palace/Buckingham House - the official London residence of the British monarch.

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Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch.[1] Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality, and a major tourist attraction. It has been a rallying point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 and acquired by George III in 1761[2] as a private residence, known as "The Queen's House". It was enlarged over the next 75 years, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, forming three wings around a central courtyard. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the present-day public face of Buckingham Palace. However, the palace chapel was destroyed by a German bomb in World War II; the Queen's Gallery was built on the site and opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection.

The original early 19th-century interior designs, many of which still survive, included widespread use of brightly coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis, on the advice of Sir Charles Long. King Edward VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle epoque cream and gold colour scheme. Many smaller reception rooms are furnished in the Chinese regency style with furniture and fittings brought from the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and from Carlton House. The Buckingham Palace Garden is the largest private garden in London, originally landscaped by Capability Brown, but redesigned by William Townsend Aiton of Kew Gardens and John Nash. The artificial lake was completed in 1828 and is supplied with water from the Serpentine, a river which runs through Hyde Park.

The state rooms form the nucleus of the working Palace and are used regularly by Queen Elizabeth II and members of the royal family for official and state entertaining. Buckingham Palace is one of the world's most familiar buildings and more than 50,000 people visit the palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and the royal garden parties.

- Buckingham Palace - Wikipedia -

Billingham

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Billingham is a civil parish and town in the Borough of Stockton on Tees in North East England with a population of 35,765 (2006).[1] It was founded circa 650 by a group of Saxons known as Billa's people,[2] which is where the name Billingham is thought to have originated. In modern history, the chemical industry and in particular the company ICI played an important role in the growth of Billingham. Today ICI no longer operates in Billingham, although other chemical companies are working in the area.

Billingham@Wikipedia

Urquhart Castle

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Urquhart Castle ( [show location on an interactive map] 57°19′27″N 4°26′41″W / 57.32417°N 4.44472°W / 57.32417; -4.44472Coordinates: [show location on an interactive map] 57°19′27″N 4°26′41″W / 57.32417°N 4.44472°W / 57.32417; -4.44472; Ordnance Survey grid reference NH530286) sits beside Loch Ness in Scotland along the A82 road, between Fort William and Inverness. It is close to the village of Drumnadrochit. Though extensively ruined, it was in its day one of the largest strongholds of medieval Scotland, and remains an impressive structure, splendidly situated on a headland overlooking Loch Ness. It is also near the castle where the majority of Nessie (Loch Ness Monster) sightings occur.

- Urquhart Castle@Wikipedia -