Barbados is an island situated near South America at the edge of the  Caribbean Sea and west of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a part of the Lesser  Antilles. Neighbours of Barbados are St. Lucia, and Saint Vincent & the  Grenadines in the west and Trinidad and Tobago to the south. The land area  of Barbados is about 430 square kilometres. The island is, unlike other  islands in the Caribbean area, of non-volcanic origin and is the upper part of  a submarine mountain range. The geological composition of the island is  limestone and coral. The population is about 1.274.000 and the capital is  Bridgtetown. The language spoken is English.   Before the European conquistadors arrived, the island had been populated  by different indigenous people like the Amerindians, afterwards Arawak  people and later the Caribs. At that time the island was called  Ichirouganaim. The first European occupants of the island were the  Portuguese which named the island Barbados. They stayed not long (mid-  1500s to the 1600s) and in 1625 British sailors landed there and Barbados  was claimed up to 1966 by the British Empire. In the end of 1966 the island got an independent state and obtained a  membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. Historically, the economy of Barbados had been dependent on sugar-cane  cultivation and related activities, but in recent years it has diversified into the manufacturing and tourism sectors.   Now see the pictures of a Caribbean paradise and below watch my video clip about it.  Disclaimer This website is copyrighted by Guy Stephany. The appearance of external links on this site does not constitute endorsement by  Holidayspicsandclips.eu of linked web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. Holidayspicsandclips.eu is not responsible  for the privacy practices, activities, or content of aforementioned sites. Holidayspicsandclips.eu does not exercise any editorial control over the  information you may find at linked locations. Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8.336  square km. The largest town of Crete is Heraklion, which is also the capital of the island. It has a population of about  650.000. Crete is one of the 13 regions into which Greece is divided.    Crete was the centre of the Minoan civilization (approx. 2700–1420 BC), the first advanced civilization in Europe.  Later it  was a part of the Byzantine Empire until Christian Venetians took over. In the seventeenth century Crete was conquered by  the Ottomans. In 1913 the island was joined with Greece.  Crete’s main economy consists of the tourism and farming industries.  Tourism dominates in the north, while the south is  quieter with more nature. The island is very mountainous with plateaus, caves and gorges. There are several tourist  attractions to visit like the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, the Venetian old city and port of Chania, the Venetian castle at Rethymno and the Samaria Gorge. All in all, it’s worth going to Crete.  Below is a video clip and on the right are some photos to get a taste.  Venice is a city in northern Italy known both for tourism and for industry, and  is the capital of the region Veneto. The population estimate of 272.000  inhabitants includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia;  around 60.000 in the historic city of Venice; 176.000 in Terraferma (the  Mainland), mostly in the large frazioni of Mestre and Marghera; and 31.000  live on other islands in the lagoon. The name is derived from the ancient  tribe of Veneti that inhabited the region in Roman times.   The city historically was the capital of an independent city-state. It was a  major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a  staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very  important centre of commerce (especially silk, grain and spice trade) and  art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. This made Venice  a wealthy city throughout most of its history. It is also known for its several  important artistic movements, especially the Renaissance period. Venice  has played an important role in the history of  symphonic and operatic music, and it is the  birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi.  Venice is one of the most important tourist  destinations in the world, due to the city being one  of the world's greatest and most beautiful cities of  art. Venice is world-famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of 117 islands formed by 177  canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which  the city is built are connected by 455 bridges. In  the old centre, the canals serve the function of  roads, and almost every form of transport is on  water or on foot.  Venice's economy is mainly based on tourism,  Glass industry, shipbuilding , services, trade and  industrial exports. Click above on the picture to start the photo  gallery.or start here on the left the video.  Bangkok is the capital, largest urban area and primary city of Thailand and has an official population of 9,100,000 residents,  while the greater Bangkok area continues some 11,971,000 (January 2008).[4].The Bangkok special administrative area  covers 1,568.7 km2 (606 sq mi), making it the 68th largest province in Thailand. Much of the area is considered the city of  Bangkok, therefore making it one of the largest cities in the world. The capital is in a heavily urbanized triangle of central and  eastern Thailand, which stretches from Nakhon Ratchasima to the heavily Industrialized Eastern Seaboard. Bangkok borders  five other provinces: Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom, and all five provinces are  joined in the conurbation of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area.Bangkok itself has gained a reputation as an independent, dynamic  and influential city. Bangkok is the political, social and economic centre of Thailand, and one of the leading cities in Southeast  Asia.The city is more formally called "Phra Nakhon", referring to the original boundaries of the 18th century, while the name  Krungthep Mahanakorn includes the urban areas which have since grown. Foreigners generally call the city by its original  name of Bangkok.  It was originally a small trading post on the west bank of the lower Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom.It  became the capital in 1768 after the destruction of Ayutthaya by Burmese invaders.Because of its strategic location in  Southeast Asia, Siam (later Thailand) acted as a buffer-zone between the French and British colonial empires. The city has  since vastly modernized and undergone numerous changes, including the introduction of transportation and utility  infrastructure in the reigns of King Mongkut and King Chulalongkorn, and quickly developed into the economic centre of  Thailand.  Bangkok has a tropical wet and dry climate. The city's many cultural landmarks and attractions in addition to its night-life  venues has made it synonymous with exoticism. Its rapid modernization, reflected in the cityscape and the urban society, has  left untouched the historic Grand Palace, Wat Arun, Vimanmek Palace Complex, hundreds of Buddhist temples, and the city's  illegal (but tolerated) red-light districts draw about 10 million international visitors each year. (source: Wikipedia.org)    On the right above you will see the pictures of this beautiful town and on the left a videoclip.  Ko Samui island of Surat Thani Province is an island off the east coast of the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland  Surat Thani town. It is Thailand's third largest island, with an area of 228.7 km2 and a population of over 50,000 (2008). It is  rich with natural resources, white sandy beaches, coral reefs and coconut trees. The central part of the island is an almost  uninhabitable jungle mountain, Khao Pom, peaking at 635 m.  The island was probably first inhabited about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen from the Malay Peninsula and Southern  China. It appears on Chinese maps dating back to 1687, under the name Pulo Cornam. Until the late 20th century, Ko Samui  was an isolated self-sufficient community, having little connection with the mainland of Thailand.  Historically the island's economy has been based around subsistence agriculture and fishing, with coconuts as the main cash  crop. From the 1980s onwards, tourism has become an economic factor and is now the dominant industry. The construction of  a stable, high-speed internet connection in recent years has also made the island a feasible location for IT-based enterprises,  which are beginning to provide a certain degree of economic diversity. The island's climate and accessibility make it particularly  attractive for international investors.  Ko Samui, being in Surat Thani Province, has essentially two seasons; warm and tropical most of the year, with a short rainy  season. The Thai food on the island is renowned for its spiciness. Much of the cuisine has its origins in Malay, Indonesian and Indian  food.  The south of Thailand is a melting pot of Buddhists, Thai Chinese, Muslims and traditional sea-faring gypsies. With this broad  mixture of cultures, Ko Samui is always celebrating some tradition or another, including some western ones.   (source: Wikipedia.org)   Click on the picture above on the left side to get an idea of this marvellous island which is definitely a paradise and on the top  right you see a video.