Albufeira originates from the Arab Al-buhera. It means castle of the sea. Alternately it originates from al-Buħayra, for the lagoon. This is a reference to the lagoon that formed in the lowlands. The Arabs constructed strong defensive structures. This made the area almost impregnable. Albufeira therefore remained in the hands of their forces longer than other possessions in Portugal.
Paris is the capital and most populous city of France. With 200,000 inhabitants in 1328, Paris, then already the capital of France, was the most populous city of Europe. Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of Europe’s major centres of finance, commerce, fashion, science, music, and painting.
Sintra is a city located on the Portuguese Riviera. Sintra is a major tourist destination in Portugal, famed for its picturesqueness and for its numerous historic palaces and castles. Sintra is consistently ranked as one of the wealthiest and most expensive municipalities in both Portugal.
Bali is part of the Coral Triangle, the area with the highest biodiversity of marine species. In this area alone, over 500 reef-building coral species can be found.
Sa Pa is a frontier township in Lào Cai Province in north-west Vietnam. It was first inhabited by people about whom nothing is known. They left in the entire valley hundreds of petroglyphs, mostly composed of lines, which experts think date from the 15th century and represent local cadastres.
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the country’s second largest city by population. The French built a modern administrative city south of Old Hanoi, creating broad, perpendicular tree-lined avenues of opera, churches, public buildings, and luxury villas.