Today the mine has become an open-air museum. It was named a World Heritage Site in 2007.
Kamiya Jutei, a Japanese merchant, started the mine in 1526. By the early 1600s the mine was producing approximately 38 tons of silver a year. That was one third of the world's production at that time.
Warlords fought over the mine until the Tokugawa Shogunate took control of it in 1600 after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Yamabuki Castle was built in the center of the complex. The mine produced less in the nineteenth century as it had trouble competing with other mines. It closed in 1923.
Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine was very important in East Asian trade because silver was the main currency. The silver mined at Iwami Ginzan was very high quality. From 17th century, coins made of the silver from the mine were not only one of the basic currencies in Japan but also used in the trade with China, Portugal and the Netherlands.
The Japanese Government named the mining town as a Special Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings in 1969. The government also applied for it to become a World Heritage Site. The application succeeded in July 2007, although the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOSMOS) did not find any "outstanding universal value" of the site.
Shrines and Temples of Nikkō
The site covers 103 buildings or structures and the natural area around them. Two Shinto shrines and one Buddhist temple are included in the site.
The area of Nikko has been a Shinto forest since pre-historic times. It has had Buddhist temples since the 9th century. Thousands of Japanese cedars were planted in the early 17th century
The shrines and temples of Nikkō are closely related to the history of the Tokugawa Shoguns.
In 1871, the Shinto areas and Buddhist areas were separated. Three sites were identified -- two Shinto shrine complexes and one Buddhist temple complex.
After the "Law on the Preservation of Shrines and Temples" in 1897, Nikkō was protected by the Japanese government.
Nikkō's shrines and temples were named a World Heritage Site in 1999.
In 2012, the World Heritage Site covers nine National Treasures of Japan and many "Important Cultural Properties".
Many gates and buildings at Nikkō have very detailed carvings. The use of color is based on records dating back to 1753. The very precise descriptions of the architectural structures
and the decorative works are used by experts who want to preserve history at Nikkō.
Wet Tropics of Queensland
The Wet Tropics of Queensland is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is in a narrow strip along the east coast of Queensland, Australia. It starts just north of Townsville and continues to just south of Cooktown, a distance of about . This is an area of in 730 separate blocks of land which includes 41 national parks covering. About 80% of the site is tropical rainforest. It is interesting because it is very old forest, and is a living record of 415 million years of evolution, going back to Pangea and Gondwana. All of Australia's marsupials, and many of its other animals, evolved in tropical rainforests, and many of their closest surviving ancestors still live in the Wet Tropics of Queensland.
The Last Temptation of Christ
The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 American drama movie. It is based on the 1953 novel of the same name. Martin Scorsese directed the movie. It stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus, Harvey Keitel as Judas and Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene. This movie was highly controversial on multiple levels: certain countries went as far as banning it. Furthermore, certain video stores, such as Blockbuster, would not carry the movie or make it available for rental due to the controversy. This movie was released on August 12, 1988.
Flag of Andorra
The national flag of the Andorra was adopted in 1866. The flag is a vertical tricolour of blue, yellow, and red. The Coat of arms of Andorra is in the centre. The three vertical bars look of equal width but the centre yellow bar is slightly wider than the other two. The ratio of bar widths is 8:9:8.
The look of the flag is from the flags of France and Spain.
The motto in the coat of arms in the middle stripe "Virtus Unita Fortior" means "Strength United is Stronger".
Important Cultural Properties of Japan
Japan's government made a Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties a to protect its culture. It chooses important items and names them as Cultural Properties The law sets rules about changing, repairing, or exporting these items.
There is also , which sets a lower level of protection and support for Registered Cultural Properties than for Designated Cultural Properties.
There are different levels of designation. Designation can be at a , or level.
Designations of a different level can coexist. For example, Sankei-en, a traditional Japanese-style garden in Naka Ward, Yokohama, owns both city designated and nationally designated Important Cultural Properties.
Coat of arms of Andorra
The coat of arms of Andorra has been used for centuries. Below the shield arms is Andorra's national motto ' (Latin for '). The coat of arms also appears on the Flag of Andorra.
El Gran Carlemany
"El Gran Carlemany" is the national anthem of Andorra. It means "The Great Charlemagne". Enric Marfany Bons wrote the song. Joan Benlloch i Vivó composed the music. It started to be used in 1921.
Andorran
Andorran may mean:
Joan Enric Vives Sicília
Archbishop Joan Enric Vives i Sicília (born 24 July 1949) is the current Bishop of Urgell and Co-Prince of Andorra.
Born in Barcelona, he became a priest in 1974. On 19 March 2010, he became an archbishop.
Nemesi Marqués Oste
Nemesi Marquès Oste (born 17 May 1935) is the personal representative to Andorra of the Bishop of Urgell. He is a Roman Catholic priest.
Saltaire
Saltaire is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The site is a complete and well-preserved industrial village of the second half of the 19th century. It has textile mills, public buildings and workers' housing.
Construction of Saltaire was started in 1851 by Sir Titus Salt. The name of the village is a combination of the founder's last name and the name of the Aire River which runs through it.
Salt owned several textile mills Yorkshire. In 1853, he moved his businesses and his workers to Saltaire.
In time, the new village grew to over 800 dwellings.
In 1933, the village was sold the Bradford Property Trust. The mill closed down in 1986.
In 2001, Saltaire was named a World Heritage Site.
Christian Frémont
Christian Frémont (23 April 1942 - 3 August 2014) was the chief of staff of Nicolas Sarkozy. He was the French Representative to Andorra from 24 September 2008 to 15 May 2012.
Frémont died in Paris, France from cancer, aged 72.
Antoni Martí
Antoni Martí Petit (born November 10, 1963) is an Andorran architect and politician. He was the Prime Minister from 11 May 2011 to 16 May 2019.
Paréage
A Paréage is an agreement between two rulers who were equal. It was used in Medieval France. The most famous paréage was in 1278. It created Andorra.
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon was a joining of multiple titles and states in the hands of the King of Aragon. In the 14th and 15th the land of Aragon covered most of present-day France and Spain. The political center was at Zaragoza.
List of countries by GDP (PPP)
This is a list of countries of the world sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is the worth of all goods and services made in a country in a year. PPP is for purchasing power parity. Purchasing power parity means how much money would be needed to buy the same item in two different countries.
All figures are in current international dollars (Int$).
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha