POLAND #13

Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland's principal seaport and the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area. The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay (of the Baltic Sea), in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the Tricity (Trójmiasto), with a population near 1,400,000. Gdańsk itself has a population of 460,427 (December 2012), making it the largest city in the Pomerania region of Northern Poland.

Thanks Iwona!

PL-1074810

MALAYSIA #3

Malacca (Malay: Melaka), dubbed "The Historic State", is the third smallest Malaysian state after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Straits of Malacca and Muar the Royal City. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and Johor to the south. The capital is Malacca City, which is 148 kilometres south east of Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur, 235 kilometres north west of Johor's largest city Johor Bahru, and 95 km north west of Johor's second largest city, Batu Pahat. This historical city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.

Thanks Wei Yi!

MYS-1585

PERU #3 Direct Swap

The Costa Verde beaches circuit, popularly known only as Costa Verde is a road located in the city of Lima, capital of Peru which runs along the south central part of the Lima coast linking the districts of San Miguel, Magdalena, San Isidro, Miraflores , Barranco, Chorrillos.

Thanks Victor!

FINLAND #3

The Church of Pielpajärvi is a wooden church in the municipality of Inari in Finnish Lapland . The church was built in 1752-1760 is one of the oldest buildings in northern Lapland. It is located around 10 kilometers north of the village of Inari on the bank of the lake Iso Pielpajärvi midst of uninhabited wilderness, which is why it is often referred to as "Einödkirche". The church can only be reached via a 4.5 km long footpath.

Thanks Sirpa!

FI-2417121

BULGARIA #3 Direct Swap

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. The city is located at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country. It occupies a strategic position at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula. Sofia is the 14th largest city in the European Union with population of around 1.3 million people. It has been ranked by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network as a Beta− city. Many of the major universities, cultural institutions and commercial companies of Bulgaria are concentrated in Sofia.

Thanks Alexander!

GERMANY #18

Munich (in UK English; German: München) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Bavaria, on the banks of River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, with a population of around 1.5 million. The Munich Metropolitan Region is home to 5.8 million people. The name of the city is derived from the Old/Middle High German term Munichen, meaning "by the monks". It derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who ran a monastery at the place that was later to become the Old Town of Munich; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat of arms

Thanks Uwe!

DE-4258861

ITALY #5 Direct Swap

Pope Francis (Latin: Franciscus; Italian: Francesco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is Pope of the Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and Sovereign of the Vatican City.Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technician and nightclub bouncer before beginning seminary studies. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina's provincial superior of the Society of Jesus. He was accused of handing two priests to the National Reorganization Process during the Dirty War, but the lawsuit was ultimately dismissed. He became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina, and the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him a political rival. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European pope since the Syrian Gregory III in 741.

Thanks Andrea!

USA #14

The Sol Duc River (also spelled Soleduck) is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. About 78 miles (126 km) long, it flows west through the northwest part of the Olympic Peninsula, from the Olympic Mountains of Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest, then through the broad Sol Duc Valley. Near the Pacific Ocean the Sol Duc River joins the Bogachiel River, forming the Quillayute River, which flows about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the Pacific Ocean at La Push. Although the Quillayute River is short, its large tributary rivers—the Sol Duc, Bogachiel, Calawah, and Dickey Rivers—drain the largest watershed of the northern Olympic Peninsula, 629 square miles (1,630 km2). The Sol Duc's watershed is the largest of the Quillayute's tributaries, at 219 square miles (570 km2).

Thanks Sara!

US-3414204

NETHERLANDS #9

Huis te Ruurlo is a castle and estate in the municipality Berkelland , South from the village Ruurlo , in the Dutch province of Gelderland . It is part of a designated since 2008, and registered since 2010 rich protected complex Historic Country under the name Ruurlo. It is part of the estate zone Baakse Beek .

Thnaks Monique!

NL-3023393

RUSSIA #14

Lena Pillars is the name given to a natural rock formation along the banks of the Lena River in far eastern Siberia. The pillars are 150–300 metres (490–980 ft) high, and were formed in some of the Cambrian period sea-basins. The Lena Pillars National Park was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2012. The site lies less than a day's boat ride upriver (south) from the city of Yakutsk, the capital of the autonomous Sakha Republic. The pillars consist of alternating layers of limestone, marlstones, dolomite and slate of early to middle Cambrian age, which are weathered, producing the rugged outcrops. These types of rocks are commonly formed in marine environments and the horizontal layering and vertical variation indicates marine transgression/regression; with the slate representing the deep marine, slightly metamorphosed shales.

Thanks Mihail!

RU-3729828

ITALY #4

Pope Saint John XXIII (Latin: Ioannes XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, 25 November 1881 – 3 June 1963) reigned from 28 October 1958 to his death in 1963 and was canonized on 27 April 2014. Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was the fourth of fourteen children born to a family of sharecroppers who lived in a village in Lombardy. He was ordained a priest on 10 August 1904 and served in a number of posts, including papal nuncio in France and a delegate to Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. In a consistory on 12 January 1953 Pope Pius XII made Roncalli a cardinal as the Cardinal-Priest of Santa Prisca in addition to naming him as the Patriarch of Venice. Roncalli was elected pope on 28 October 1958 at age 76 after 11 ballots. His selection was unexpected, and Roncalli himself had come to Rome with a return train ticket to Venice

Thanks Paola!

IT-72

RUSSIA #13

Kungur is a town in the southeast of Perm Krai, Russia, located in the Ural Mountains at the confluence of the Iren and Shakhva Rivers into the Sylva River (Kama's basin). Kungur was founded 17 kilometers above the Iren River's mouth on the banks of the Kungurka River in 1648. In 1662, it was burnt by Bashkirs. In 1663, it was rebuilt as a fortress on the place of the village of Mysovskoye. In the beginning of the 18th century, leather and footwear industries started to develop here, and in 1724, a tannery was built. By the mid-18th century, Kungur became one of the most populated areas in the Urals.Among the notable buildings in Kungur are the Transfiguration Church (1781), Nikola Cathedral, former Guest courtyard with the Burse (1865–76, architect R. O. Karvovsky), the Zyryanov Hospice (1881, now the surgical department of a hospital), the 19th century storehouses of the Kopakov merchants (now a culture center).

Thanks Nikita!

RU-3716068

USA #13

Arizona is a state in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the Western United States and of the Mountain West states. It is the sixth largest and the 15th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is one of the Four Corners states. It has borders with New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, and Mexico, and one point in common with the southwestern corner of Colorado. Arizona's border with Mexico is 389 miles (626 km) long, on the northern border of the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California.

Thanks Savant!

US-3396270

GERMANY #17

Velen is a municipality in the district Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with about 12,000 citizens. It consists of the two settlements of Velen and Ramsdorf and the four rural regions Ostendorf-Krueckling, Bleking-Holthausen, Nordvelen and Waldvelen. In 2003 the city received the title "staatlich anerkannter Erholungsort" (recreation village approved by the state) from the regional president. Since August 2012 it is a town.

Thanks Silke!

DE-4237227

BRAZIL #13 Direct Swap

Guarda do Embaú is a beach located in the municipality of Palhoça, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, 46 km south of Florianopolis.

Thnaks Ana!

RUSSIA #12

Completed in 1783, the beautiful and historic the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in St. Petersburg and presents a truly fascinating combination of baroque and classical architectural styles. The church is crowned with five onion-shaped cupolas, which rise into the sky above Vladimirskaya Ploschad in one of the most historic areas of the city. An impressive four-tiered bell tower stands adjacent to the church. The church is also home to one of the oldest and most elaborate iconostases in Russia. The church was built to shelter the historic Vladimir icon of the Mother of God. The icon traveled to Jerusalem, Constantinople and then Kiev, where Prince Andrey Bogolyubskiy bought it and brought it to the ancient Russian city of Vladimir after which it is named. Subsequently the icon was credited by the Orthodox Church with freeing Moscow from the control of the Mongols.

Thanks Lyudmila!

RU-3720364

HONG KONG #3

Hong Kong, officially known as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory located on the southern coast of China at the Pearl River Estuary and the South China Sea. Hong Kong is well known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. It has an area of 1,104 km2 and shares its northern border with the Canton Province of Mainland China. Home to around 7,200,000 Hongkongers and other nationalities, Hong Kong is one of the world's most densely populated regions.

Thanks Mankey!

HK-337132

CHINA #8

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian Steppe. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century bc;these, later joined together and made bigger and stronger, are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall. Especially famous is the wall built 220–206 bc by Qin Shihuang, the first Emperor of China. Little of that wall remains. Since then, the Great Wall has on and off been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced; the majority of the existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty.

Thanks Dong Ming!

CN-1630826

NETHERLANDS #8

IJmuiden is a port city in the Dutch province of North Holland and is the main town in the municipality of Velsen. It is located at the mouth of the North Sea Canal to Amsterdam, and lies approximately 17 kilometres north of Haarlem.

Thanks Chantal!

NL-2998934

USA #12

The United States Capitol, atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government, completed in the year 1800. Though not at the geographic center of the Federal District, the Capitol forms the basis for the District's street-numbering system. It is the origin point at which the District's four quadrants meet, and around which the city was laid out. Like the principal buildings of the executive and judicial branches, the Capitol is built in a distinctive neoclassical style and has a white exterior. Though both its east and west elevations are formally referred to as fronts, only the east front was intended for the reception of visitors and dignitaries. In 2014, the appearance of the dome was altered by the scaffolding erected for a restoration project scheduled to be completed by early 2017.

Thanks Christel!

US-3395865

TAIWAN #2

Jianshi Township (Chinese: 尖石鄉; pinyin: Jiānshí Xiāng) is a rural township in Hsinchu County in northern Taiwan. It had an estimated population of 9,506 as of 2014.

Thanks Judy!

TW-1599871

MALAYSIA #2

The Cheng Hoon Teng temple (Chinese: 青云亭; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tshinn-hûn-tîng; lit. "Temple of Green Cloud") is a Chinese temple practicing the Three Doctrinal Systems of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism located at No. 25 Jalan Tokong, Malacca Town, Malaysia. It is the oldest functioning temple in Malaysia.The Cheng Hoon Teng is situated close to Jalan Tukang Emas, also known as "Harmony Street" because of its proximity to the Kampung Kling Mosque and Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple. The richly decorated Cheng Hoon Teng temple covers an area of 4,600 m2.

Thanks Yong Ee!

MYS-1474

RUSSIA #11

Ryazan Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve — a unique complex of architectural and archaeological monuments. Founded in 1884, he now includes defenses XII — XVII centuries., a complex of temples and civic buildings XV — XIX centuries. In the restored monuments of the Kremlin collections of archeology and ancient jewelry, manuscripts XV — XIX centuries., numismatics and ethnography are presented. The memorial museum collection tells of the famous Ryazan scientists, writers, artists who have made a significant contribution to the world treasury of science, art and culture.

Thanks Vladimir!

RU-3696965

MALAYSIA #1

The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers (Malay: Menara Petronas, or Menara Berkembar Petronas), are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)'s official definition and ranking, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers in the world. The buildings are a landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower.

Thanks Rizal!

MY-261918

USA #11

The Grotto Our Lady of Lourdes, which was built in 1896, is a replica of the original in Lourdes, France. It is very popular among student and alumni as a place of prayer and meditation, and it is considered one of the most beloved spots on University of Notre Dame campus. The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located near South Bend, Indiana, in the United States. In French, Notre Dame du Lac means "Our Lady of the Lake" and refers to the university's patron saint, the Virgin Mary.

Thanks Suzie!

USA-1179