Kuredu, Maldives Islands Webcam
December 22, 2008
The Maldives, is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls stretching south of India’s Lakshadweep islands, and south-west of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.
The Maldives holds the record for being the lowest country in the world, and the surrounding reef is composed of coral debris and living coral. In ancient times the Maldives were renowned for cowry shells, coir rope, dried tuna fish, ambergris and coco de mer. Local and foreign trading ships used to load these products in Sri Lanka and transport them to other harbors in the Indian Ocean.
A tsunami in the Indian Ocean caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake caused serious damage to the socioeconomic infrastructure which left many people homeless, and irreversible damage to the environment. After the disaster, cartographers are planning to redraw the maps of the islands due to alterations caused by the tsunami.
Tokyo, Japan Webcam
November 23, 2008
Tokyo (東京) is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The population of the prefecture exceeds 12 million.
Tokyo was originally a small fishing village named Edo. In 1457, Ōta Dōkan built Edo Castle. In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu made Edo his base and when he became shogun in 1603. During the subsequent Edo period, Edo grew into one of the largest cities in the world with a population topping one million by the 18th century.
Tokyo suffered two major catastrophes in the 20th century, but it recovered from both. One was the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, and the other was World War II. The firebombings in 1945, with 75,000 to 200,000 killed and half of the city destroyed, were almost as devastating as the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. As a result, Tokyo’s current urban landscape is one of modern and contemporary architecture, and older buildings are scarce.
Mt. Fuji, Japan Webcamera
November 11, 2008
Mount Fuji (富士山)is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 m (12,388 ft). Along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, it is one of Japan’s “Three Holy Mountains”.
Mount Fuji is a frequent subject of Japanese art. Amongst the most renowned works are Hokusai‘s 36 Views of Mount Fuji and his One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji. The mountain is also mentioned in Japanese literature and is the subject of many poems.
The volcano is currently classified as active with a low risk of eruption. The last recorded eruption started on December 16, 1707 and ended about January 1, 1708 during the Edo period. This is sometimes called “the great Hōei eruption.” Fuji spewed cinders and ash which fell like rain in Izu, Kai, Sagami, and Musashi.
Mount Fuji is located at the point where the Eurasian Plate (or the Amurian Plate), the Okhotsk Plate, and the Philippine Plate meet. Those plates form the western part of Japan, the eastern part of Japan, and the Izu Peninsula respectively.
Hyūga, Japan Webcam
November 9, 2008
Hyūga (日向市) is a city located in Miyazaki Japan on the island of Kyūshū. The city was founded on April 1, 1951. Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture.
The symbols for the city are the sunflower and Osmanthus a shrub like tree. Osmanthus are popular shrubs in parks and gardens throughout the warm temperate zone.
The Miyazaki Pref. Art Museum has a collection of about 2,000 works of art, including Picasso’s “Woman with a Velvet Hat on an Armchair, and Pigeon”, and the Art’s Center possesses Japan’s largest pipe organ, located in the Isaac Stern hall.
This prefecture is also home the the worlds largest indoor waterpark the Seagaia Ocean Dome and is listed on the Guinness World Records. This web camera features a very nice cluster of presets centering around a home weather station
Chandigarh, India Webcam
October 18, 2008
Chandigarh also called The City Beautiful, is a city in India that serves as the capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana, and is a union territory of India. The name translates from Hindi to English as “the fort of Chandi”, Chandi being a Hindu Goddess.
Chandigarh is located near the foothills of the Shivalik range of the Himalayas in Northwest India. Known internationally for its architecture and urban planning, Chandigarh is home to numerous architectural projects.
Le Corbusier produced a plan for Chandigarh that conformed to the modernist city planning principles of CIAM, in terms of division of urban functions, and a hierarchy of road and pedestrian networks. Hindi and Punjabi are the main spoken languages in this area.
Suntec City, Singapore Camera
October 17, 2008
Republic of Singapore, is an island country located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies slightly north of the equator and is one of four remaining true city-states in the world.
The Fountain of Wealth (Chinese: 财富之泉) is listed by the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the largest fountain in the world. It is located in one of Singapore’s largest shopping malls, Suntec City.
During certain periods of the day, the fountain is turned off and visitors are invited to walk around a mini fountain at the center of the fountain’s base for good luck. At night, the fountain is the setting for laser performances, as well as “live” song and laser message dedications between 8pm to 9pm daily.
Chita, Russia Webcam
October 14, 2008
The City of Chita is a the administrative center of the Chita Oblast, which is similar to a state. It is located in the middle of Siberia and is about 500 miles east of Lake Baikal.
From the 1930’s through the end of communism, Chita was a closed city. During this period, foreigners were prohibited from traveling to Chita as were many Russians. The basis for the closing of the city was apparently its proximity to China and military installations.
In some circles, Chita is known as the City of Exiles because prominent intellectuals starting with the “Decembrist” were exiled to the city after failed uprisings in 1825. Despite this informal name, the arrival of the Decembrists was a boon for the city. The well-educated exiles made an effort to educate the citizens of Chita and pursue trade. Through these efforts, the City became a major trading portal in Siberia, particularly since the natural resources of the area included timber, gold and uranium.
Soppong, Thailand Camera
October 11, 2008
Mae Hong Son (The City of Three Mists) is nestled in a deep valley hemmed in by high mountain ranges. Mae Hong Son has long been isolated from the outside world and is the most mountainous province in Thailand. Most of the areas are complex mountain ranges and likely still pristine virgin forest.
The name refers to the fact that this terrain is highly suitable for the training of elephants. Former governors of Chiang Mai used to organize the rounding up of wild elephants which were then trained to work in the capital.
Several prehistoric sites are known within Pang Mapha area. The most famous one is the Spirit Cave occupied from about 9000 till 5500 BC by Hoabinhian hunters and gatherers.
Keep in mind, this is a very remote area. The webcam is not always on, but it is well worth the wait.
