Tuvans speak their own language, which is called Tuvan. It is a Turkic language. And it is related to Turkish. Before Tuva joined the Soviet Union, the Tuvan language used the Roman alphabet, which is the same alphabet that English uses. Since Tuva joined the Soviet Union, they have used the Cyrillic alphabet, which is the same alphabet that Russian uses. Because Tuva is part of Russia, Tuvans also learn to speak Russian.
Before they joined the Soviet Union, Tuvans were nomadic people. They traveled on horses. Therefore, horses were very important in Tuvan culture. Tuvan art often shows horses. And many Tuvan songs are about horses. Tuvans lived in yurts (round, felt covered houses that are easy to take apart and carry). Even today, a few Tuvans are nomads. Ethnically they are Mongols.
Tuvans are famous for their throat singing. Throat singing is a very old art. And it is very special because a throat singer can sing two or more notes at the same time. Throat singers imitate the sounds of nature. They can sound like a bird or like the howling wind. One style of throat singing has a rhythm like a horse trotting. For many centuries only men were allowed to be throat singers. But now women are throat singers too. Singing more than one note at the same time is sometimes called overtone singing.
Tannu-Tuva was also famous for its colorful and unusual postage stamps. Some were triangles. Many showed interesting pictures of life in Tuva.
Senkaku Islands
Senkaku Islands, also called , Diaoyu Dao Islands () and Tiaoyutai Islands (), are uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.
The group of islands, islets and rocks is east of mainland China, northeast of Taiwan, west of Okinawa, and north of the southwestern end of the Ryukyu Islands. The islands are about 200km from Taiwan, and about 300 km from Okinawa.
Control over these islands and rocks is disputed. The dispute issues are complex.
The Japanese government describes the islands as part of Japan.
The islands are also described as part of China. There are conflicts in the positions of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC). The PRC and ROC have a shared history.
The United States occupied the islands from 1945 to 1972 when they reverted to Japan. The official US position is neutral in a dispute among Japan, China and Taiwan.
Sino-Japanese War
There were two wars known as the Sino-Japanese War (between China and Japan):
World Youth Day
World Youth Day (WYD) is a gathering (meeting) of young Catholic people. It was created by Pope John Paul II in 1984 "to consolidate the ordinary youth ministry by offering new encouragement for commitment, objectives which foster ever greater involvement and participation". In other words, the Pope wanted young Catholics to come together, and work together.
The day is celebrated around the world every year, and every two or three years, a gathering is held at a different place. Thousands of people (including young people) from many countries go to this celebration. Because of World Youth Day, many young people are more likely to work together around the world.
The last World Youth Day celebration was held in 2005, in Cologne, Germany, the country in which Pope Benedict XVI was born in. About 1,200,000 attended the event. In 2008 World Youth Day was held in Sydney, Australia and in 2011 in Madrid,Spain and in 2013 in Rio,Brazil
Carl XVI Gustaf
Carl XVI Gustaf (born 30 April 1946) is the king of Sweden. He became king or as he himself wrote; "knug", on 15 September 1973. He is married to Silvia Sommerlath who is half German, half Brazilian. With her he has three children:
Internationally King Carl XVI Gustav is best known for presenting the Nobel Prizes every year.
Age of Empires III
Age of Empires III is a 2005 computer game made by the company Ensemble Studios. It is published by Microsoft. It is the third game of the Age of Empires games, and has better graphics than the ones before it. It is a real-time strategy game. The plot is from 1500 to 1860. An expansion pack, "Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs", was released for the game on October 17, 2006. The second expansion, "Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties", was released on October 23, 2007. "Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition was announced on August 21, 2017, and it is still in development.
The game is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10. The game is available on Steam.
Bank of China Tower
The Bank of China Tower (BOC Tower, 中銀大廈) is one of the most well known skyscrapers in the central parts of Hong Kong. In the tower, the Bank of China has their offices.
The tower was designed by the architect I. M. Pei and is 315 meters high. On the tower there are two masts that are 369 meters (1209 feet) high.
Ulan Bator
Ulaanbaatar, or Ulan Bator, is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. The city is an independent municipality not part of any provinces, and its population as of 2008 is just over 1 million. Located in the north central part of the country, the city is at an elevation of about 1310 m in a valley on the Tuul River. The city is the country's center for culture, industry and finance, and since it is more than 13 times bigger than the second largest city in Mongolia, Erdenet, it is the country's primate city. Ulaanbaatar is connected by highway to all the major towns in Mongolia and by rail to the Trans-Siberian Railway and Chinese railroad network. The city was founded in 1639 as a Buddhist monastery center and, in the 20th century, grew into a major manufacturing center.
Ulaanbaatar has had many names in its history. From 1639–1706, it was known as Örgöö (Mongolian: Өргөө, "residence"), and from 1706–1911 as Ikh Khüree (Mongolian: Их = "great", Хүрээ = "camp"), Da Khüree or simply Khüree. Upon independence in 1911,the city's name changed to Niislel Khüree (Mongolian: Нийслэл = "capital", Хүрээ = "camp"). When the city became the capital of the new Mongolian People's Republic in 1924, its name was changed to Ulaanbaatar, literally "red hero", in honour of Mongolia's national hero Damdin Sükhbaatar, that liberated Mongolia from Ungern von Sternberg's troops and Chinese occupation with the Soviet Red Army. In Europe and North America, Ulaanbaatar was generally known as Urga (from "Örgöö") or sometimes "Kuren" (from "Khüree") or "Kulun" (from 庫倫, the Chinese transcription of "Khüree") before 1924.
Ulaanbaatar is at about 1350 meters (4430 ft) above sea level. For this high elevation, and for the high latitude, and location hundreds of kilometres from any coast, Ulaanbaatar is the coldest national capital in the world, with a subarctic climate.
Most important events:
- 1639: The city was Founded.
- 1778: the city settled for good at its current location, near the confluence of the Selbe and Tuul rivers and beneath Bogd Khan Uul, back then also on the caravan route from Beijing to Kyakhta.
- 1911: Mongolian leaders in Ikh Khüree for Naadam met in secret and resolved upon independence from China for their country. On December 29, 1911, the Bogd Khan was declared ruler of an independent Mongolia.
- 1919: the city was occupied by Chinese troops
- 1921: the city has been controlled first by Baron Ungern's Whites Soldateska, and in July to the Soviet-supported Mongolian troops controlled by Sükhbaatar.
- October 29, 1924: the town was renamed to Ulaanbaatar ("red hero") in honour of Sükhbaatar.
- 1956: The Transmongolian Railway, connecting Ulaanbaatar with Moscow and Beijing, was completed.
- Many of the temples and monasteries of pre-socialist were destroyed following the anti-religious purges of the late 1930s.
- After the growth of 1990 many buildings as, cinemas, shops were built. Now the biggest cinema is Urguu and Tengis cinema. Main shopping district is 3rd and 4th distirict.
- 2008, Ulaanbaatar was the scene of riots after the opposition Mongolian Democratic Party protested its defeat by the MPRP in parliamentary elections.