Seven Wonders Of The Modern World

Angkor Wat


The city of Angkor, in northwestern Cambodia, was the capital of a kingdom known as the Khmer Empire, for over five- hundred years. In fact, the word "angkor" means capital. It became one of the most architecturally complex places in the world between the 9th and the 13th centuries, but when armies from Thailand captured the city 1431, it was abandoned by most of its citizens.The largest component of this complex is known as Angkor Wat. The word "Wat" means monastery, and it was used as just that. This huge temple was built by King Suryavarman II, who decorated and built it in his Hindu beliefs. Dedicated to the Hindu Gods Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu. It was a holy place for many. But soon in the ruling of King Jayavaraman VII decided that the Gods of Hinduism had failedhim. Buddhism was prevalent in the construction of Angkor Thom, a new nearby capital. The Hindu decorations and deities were replaced by Buddhist carvings, statues, and other art, when it became a Buddhist shrine.

The entire city where Angkor Wat is located extends fifteen miles (24 kilometers) from east to west and eight miles (13 kilometers) north to south. Around the temples the terrainis landscaped by and intricate system of reservoirs, canals, and moats that were used for water control and irrigation. The whole system symbolized the Hindu thought of a central mountain, Mt. Meru, a dwelling place for the Gods. Angkor Wat's five central towers represent the peaks of the holy mountain. The enormous moat surrounding the shrine suggests the oceans at the edge of the world. Crossingthis moat includes crossing a 617-foot (188-meter) bridge.
From the early fifteenth century, when Angkor was completely abandoned, until the late nineteenth century, Angkor was kept intact by the Theravada Buddhist monks. It became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Southeast Asia.






Preserving a Royal City
In 1431, the Khmer abandoned Angkor after the Thaiforces invaded the city. Angkor was forgotten after that for 400 years, the city was overrun by a jungle. The temple still stayed in great shape because of the fine sand foundations that the Khmer people had built. Rain caused the clay in the sandstone to dissolve, in effect weakening the structures.
In the year 1860, the French naturalist Alexandre-Henri Mouhot rediscovered the ancient citywhile on a wildlife expedition. His convincing reports to the French government, then controlling this region of Southeast Asia, persuaded the government to begin a study of the ruins. French used many funds to preserve the monuments of Angkor.
In 1991, the United Nations peace-keeping force took control of the country of cambodia. Two years later, Cambodia's constiturion was restored in amonarchy. Prince Norodom Sihanouk became the king of Cambodia. However the preservation of the temples of Angkor is still a major problem.



Panama Canal



The Panama Canal is a lake-and-lock type canal connecting the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Isthmus of Panama, in Central America. Its length from the deep waters of the Atlantic to the deep Pacific is 51miles (82 km). By using the canal (instead of going around Cape Horn), ships sailing between the coasts of the United States can shorten their voyage by about 8,000 nautical miles.

Panama Canal Time Line

The main decision facing the engineers was whether to build a sea level or high-level, lake-and-lock canal. In 1897, the French engineer, Adolphe Godin de Lepinay proposed the creation of damson the Chagres and Rio Grande Rivers, creating lakes that would be connected by a cut through the continental divide. Although early developers rejected this idea, it soon became the basis for the final draft in 1906 by John F. Stevens. Stevens was the chief engineer of the U.S. Isthmian Canal commission. U.S. construction of the canal had begun in 1904 but was stimulated after the U.S. congress...