1. Mount Roraima is the world's highest tepui (tabletop mountain) located in Venezuela and was the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel "The Lost World." 2. The Bridge Between the Two Continents in Iceland spans a rift valley formed by continental drift between the Eurasian and North American plates. 3. The tunnels of Củ Chi in Vietnam were an extensive underground network used by guerrillas during the Vietnam War for shelter, transportation, and storage.

1. What on Earth? 05

2. Mount Roraima , at 2739 metres (8986 feet), is the world's highest tepui (tabletop mountain). Roraima is a sandstone plateau rising above the surrounding savanna and forest and it is thought that the reports from early Victorian expeditions to the mountain inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write his classic adventure, The Lost World , in 1912. VENEZUELA

3. The Bridge Between The Two Continents (also know as the Leifur Eiríksson Bridge ), located on the Reykjanes peninsula, spans the Alfagja rift valley, a chasm that marks the boundary of the Eurasian and North American continental tectonic plates. The valley was formed in the early 13th century when there was active volcanism in the area. ICELAND

4. M/S Freedom of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship and is the world's largest passenger vessel, she can accommodate over 4,300 passengers on her fifteen passenger decks, served by over 1300 crew. Hamburg is Germany's "Gateway to the World" and is the 2nd largest sea-port in Europe. GERMANY

5. The tunnels of Củ Chi are a 75 mile long network of connecting underground tunnels which were used by NLF guerrillas during the Vietnam War as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The tunnels have been preserved as a war memorial park and have become a popular tourist attraction. VIETNAM

6. Basel , like many Swiss cities has an extensive and efficient tram (light rail) system. Green trams serve the city itself and the yellow trams travel out into the Baselland canton. The ‘ Kantonalbank’ tram , advertising a city bank, is designed to look like a piggy bank and has become popular with locals as well as tourists. SWITZERLAND

7. The Palm Islands in Dubai are the three largest artificial islands in the world. The islands were commissioned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in order to increase Dubai's tourism. Each settlement will be in the shape of a palm tree, topped with a crescent, and will have a large number of residential, leisure and entertainment centres. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

8. The Chernobyl disaster was a major nuclear power station accident in 1986 when an explosion was followed by radioactive contamination as a plume of fallout drifted over large parts of Europe, reaching as far as North America. Large areas of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were particularly badly affected. Although only 56 deaths have been officially attributed to the accident it is estimated that over 9,000 people may die from some form of cancer. UKRAINE

9. The Panama Canal is a 50-mile-long structure that allows ships to cross between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans by cutting through the Isthmus of Panama. Built by the United States government in 1914, the canal currently handles almost 5% of global shipping trade. But cargo ships have grown in size and weight over the years and in 2006 a major programme to modernise and expand the canal was started. PANAMA

10. The Burj al-Arab is a luxury hotel in Dubai, standing on an artificial island linked to Jumeirah beach by bridge. At 321 metres (1,053 ft), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel. It has been styled as the world’s ony 7 star hotel and was designed to symbolise Dubai's urban transformation and to represent the shape of the sail of an Arabian dhow . UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

11. The Baobab or bottle tree is noted for storing water inside the swollen trunk, with the capacity to store up to 120,000 litres to endure the harsh drought conditions. It is found in seasonally arid areas, and is deciduous, shedding its leaves during the dry season. Some are reputed to be many thousands of years old, though as the wood does not produce annual growth rings, this is impossible to verify, and is unlikely. ZAMBIA

12. The rocks of Cappadocia near Göreme have been eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and minaret-like forms. The volcanic deposits are soft rocks that the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches and monasteries. The area is a World Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction. TURKEY

13. Bamboos are grasses and some of its members are giants that can grow over 1 metre per day. When treated, bamboo forms a very hard wood which is both light and exceptionally tough. In tropical climates it has a huge range of uses including construction scaffolding , and as a substitute for steel reinforcing rods in concrete. CHINA (HONG KONG)

14. The Prison Boab tree was used as a rest point by police and their aboriginal prisoners on their way to trial at Derby in Western Australia, in the late 19 th century. The tree, a species of baobab , is believed to be around 1,500 years old and has a girth of 14.7 metres. The tree is hollow and a hole has been cut in its side to allow it to be used as a cell. AUSTRALIA

15. Angel Falls is the world's highest waterfall at 979 m (3,212 ft), located in the Canaima National Park. Although sighted in the early 20th century the waterfall was not known to the Western world until it was visited in 1935 by American aviator James Crawford Angel, after whom it is named. VENEZUELA

16. The European Central Bank (ECB) is one of the world's most important central banks, responsible for monetary policy covering the 15 member countries of the Eurozone . The ECB was established on 1 June 1998 and its headquarters are located in Frankfurt. GERMANY

17. Snake wine is an alcoholic beverage sold widely in Vietnam. Despite bans on the killing of snakes because of the increase in the rat population the wine remains popular. Snakes are widely believed to possess medicinal qualities and the wine is often advertised to cure anything from farsightedness to hair loss. It is illegal to import snake wine to many countries because the cobras and other snakes killed in the production are often endangered species. VIETNAM

18. Prypiat is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, near the border with Belarus. It was home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers. The city, with a population of 50,000, was abandoned in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster. Some buildings have already collapsed and in a few decades the city will most probably lie in ruins. Prypiat and the surrounding area will not be safe for human habitation for several centuries to come. UKRAINE

19. Over the last 50 years milk has become Japan’s 2 nd most important agricultural product after rice. With limited land available dairy farming has become increasingly intensive to meet growing consumer demand. JAPAN

20. Ko Tapu ( nail island ) is an island located in the Phang Nga Bay, It has become a popular tourist site since it was featured in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun - for this reason, it is also often referred to as James Bond island . The limestone rocks have been eroded by carbonation to form typical karst scenery, mainly as a result of biological activity. THAILAND

21. Mount Etna is an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, and is the largest active volcano in Europe, currently standing about 3,326 m (10,910 ft) high, though this varies with summit eruptions. Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of eruption. Although it can occasionally be very destructive, it is not generally regarded as being particularly dangerous, and thousands of people live on its slopes and in the surrounding areas. The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture. ITALY

22. 02 VENEZUELA Roraima 03 ICELAND Bridge between Two Continents 04 GERMANY Freedom of the Seas in Hamburg 05 VIETNAM Cu Chi tunnels 06 SWITZERLAND Basel Kantonalbank tram 07 UAE Palm Islands 08 UKRAINE Chernobyl 09 PANAMA Panama Canal 10 UAE Burj al-Arab 11 ZAMBIA Baobab tree 12 TURKEY Goreme rock houses 13 CHINA (HONG KONG) Bamboo scaffolding 14 AUSTRALIA Prison boab tree 15 VENEZUELA Angel Falls 16 GERMANY European Central Bank Frankfurt 17 VIETNAM Snake wine 18 UKRAINE Prypiat abandoned city 19 JAPAN Intensive dairy farming 20 THAILAND James Bond Island 21 ITALY Mount Etna Geography What on Earth?