Geilo is one of Norway’s oldest ski resorts and realizes everything you imagine Norwegian ski resorts should be. Here it is family friendly, close to everything and there is also a lot to do in addition to skiing. Traditional Geilo is located in a valley between Bergen and Oslo, right on the border of Norway’s…
Author: hyperrestaurant
Galapagos Climate and Weather
The climate in the Galapagos Islands is relatively stable. Despite its proximity to the equator, the Galapagos has cool and warm seasons, but temperatures fluctuate only slightly. The reason for the fluctuations is on the one hand the relatively cool Humboldt Current, on the other hand the southern trade winds have an impact on the…
Before the trip to Cambodia
Passport, visa and customs Visas are required for travel to Cambodia. The passport must be valid for at least six months after entry. Tourist visas are best suited for those staying in the country for 30 days or less. It can be obtained upon arrival at the airport at a cost of USD 30. On…
Places to Visit in Krabi Part 2
Noppharat Thara Much calmer and more elegant than Ao Nang is the Noppharat Thara next to it, which is known in so many different forms that it is not even worth thinking about (e.g. Nappharat Thara and Napparattara). It is along the same promenade (Road 4203), and there are open-top buses running in both directions, making…
Places to Visit in Krabi Part 1
Krabi is a large area with a few islands worth visiting and Phuket is also a short boat ride away. However, Krabi itself has so much to see and do that it is not worth going beyond the sea to fish for at least a week or two. Thus, the city of Krabi, Ao Nang, Noppharat…
Innsbruck Travel Guide
Innsbruck has two attractions: a charming historic city and is surrounded by the Alps. The city is called the capital of the Alps, which is indicated at least by the number of tourists visiting Innsbruck. If the idea of a holiday involves adrenaline rushes on the mountain slopes or eating a mouth-watering chocolate cake in…
Rovaniemi Travel Guide
Rovaniemi’s nightless nights and bustling frosts exude the exoticism of Lapland. Whatever the season, Lapland’s nature offers the tourist experiences. Rovaniemi is known above all as a winter destination, but it is also worth traveling to the capital of Lapland in summer. Enjoy the sunless night sun and the magic of the Arctic Circle and experience the enchantment…
Rio de Janeiro Travel Guide
City of opposites Rio de Janeiro adorns the Atlantic coast near the Capricorn Turning Circle. It is located about 450 kilometers northeast of São Paulo, the largest city in the country. In addition to boisterous samba and world-class football, Rio is known for its stunning sandy beaches and iconic attractions. The Christ statue of Corcovado…
Zimbabwe 2009
Yearbook 2009 Zimbabwe. It was not until February 2009 that the unifying government could be formed under which President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed an agreement as early as September 2008. By then, Parliament had first adopted a constitutional amendment that created a new post as prime minister, weight for Tsvangirai, and…
Zambia 2009
Yearbook 2009 Zambia. The news from Zambia in 2009 was a lot about corruption. Former President Levy Mwanawasa was praised for his fight against corruption, but since he died in 2008, the problems seem to have increased again. While former president’s wife Regina Chiluba was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for buying several properties…
Yemen 2009
Yearbook 2009 Yemen. During the year, the government became increasingly crowded on several fronts and assessors questioned whether it actually had control of the country. In the province of Sada in the north, government troops launched an air and armor offensive against Shiite al-Huthirebeller in August. Victim information was uncertain but at least 80 refugees,…
Western Sahara 2009
Yearbook 2009 Western Sahara. Moroccan authorities in November denied human rights activist Aminatou Haidar from Western Sahara to return home after a visit to the United States where she received a prize for her fight. She flew to the Canary Islands where she hungered for more than a month to draw the world’s attention to…
Vietnam 2009
Yearbook 2009 Vietnam. In June, the Vietnamese parliament passed a resolution to abolish the death penalty for rape, fraud, piracy, smuggling, hijacking and bribery. However, more serious drug crimes, such as drug smuggling, remained subject to the death penalty. During the summer, the famous dissident and lawyer Le Cong Dinh was arrested, charged with “cooperating…
Venezuela 2009
Yearbook 2009 Venezuela. In July, just six months after diplomatic relations were re-established with neighboring Colombia following last year’s conflict, President Hugo Chávez again froze contacts. The reason was Colombia’s plans to give several of its military bases to the US military to help with the fight against organized crime and terrorism, which Chavez perceived…
Vatican City 2009
Yearbook 2009 Vatican City. At the beginning of the year, the tension in the Vatican’s relations with Israel rose since Israel on January 8 condemned a high-ranking Vatican official, Cardinal Renato Martino, for comparing the Gaza Strip to “a large concentration camp.” Cardinal Renato Martino leads the Vatican’s Council for Peace and Justice. According to…
Vanuatu 2009
Yearbook 2009 Vanuatu. According to countryaah, the country’s president, Kalkot Kelekele, in June appealed to Parliament and the government to try to overcome the political instability in the country. The policy is characterized by personal power struggles, government transformations and many distrustful votes against incumbent prime ministers. Kelekele proposed eight constitutional amendments, which he believed…
Uzbekistan 2009
Yearbook 2009 Uzbekistan. At the beginning of the year, Uzbekistan agreed with the United States that non-military US equipment should be transported through the country to Afghanistan. According to countryaah, US criticism of the country’s repression of human rights has been mitigated in recent years as the US military has increased the need for allies…
Uruguay 2009
Yearbook 2009 Uruguay. According to countryaah, José Mujica of the coalition Frente Amplio (FA) did not succeed in gaining his own majority in the first round of the October 25 elections, but was forced into a second round of 29 November against Luís Alberto Lacalle (1990-1955) from the opposition party Partido Nacional. November 29 election…
United States 2009
Yearbook 2009 USA. According to countryaah, a record crowd gathered in Washington on January 20 to commemorate the historic day when Barack Obama swore the oath as America’s first black president. The government included primary election rival Hillary Clinton as foreign minister, while incumbent Defense Secretary Robert Gates retained his post. An early setback for…
United Kingdom 2009
Yearbook 2009 UK. According to countryaah, the international recession hit the UK economy hard, and according to a government forecast in the spring, GDP would fall by 3.5 percent in 2009. To try to boost the economy, the Bank of England cut its key rate during the first quarter of the year to 0.5 percent,…
United Arab Emirates 2009
Yearbook 2009 United Arab Emirates. According to countryaah, the Dubai debt crisis became acute at the end of November when the Emirate government announced that it wanted to renegotiate the loans the state-owned company Dubai World had taken to primarily finance luxury projects in the real estate industry. This involved most of Dubai’s total debt…
Ukraine 2009
Yearbook 2009 Ukraine. On New Year’s Day, Russian gas supplies to Ukraine were stripped after the country refused to join the Russian Federation’s price increase for 2009. According to countryaah, the countries also disagreed on the terms of Ukraine’s unpaid debts. The conflict led to energy crisis in several EU countries in Central Europe, which…
Uganda 2009
Yearbook 2009 Uganda. Despite a finalized peace agreement between the government and the rebel movement The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), there was no peace in 2009. The LRA demanded that the agreement be renegotiated in order for leader Joseph Kony to sign it. According to countryaah, the rebels are expelled from Uganda but still operate…
Tuvalu 2009
Yearbook 2009 Tuvalu. According to countryaah, Taiwan has promised to help Tuvalu cope with the consequences of rising sea levels. Tuvalu, which has just over 12,000 residents, is only an average of two meters above sea level. According to some studies, the islands can disappear into the sea in just 30-40 years. Tuvalu belongs to…
Turkmenistan 2009
Yearbook 2009 Turkmenistan. According to countryaah, the country’s gas export was a major political conflict issue during the year. An explosion in the pipeline halted deliveries to the Russian Federation in April, prompting Turkmenistan to accuse the Russian federation of causing the explosion with the intention of stripping gas imports. It was rejected by the…
Turkey 2009
Yearbook 2009 Turkey. Nearly 100 people – exgenerals and other officers, influential journalists and university rectors – were arrested during winter and spring for involvement in the ultranationalist conspiracy Ergenekon (“the deep state”). 56 people were charged with suspicion of attempting to provoke a coup against the country’s Islamist government, for example through acts of…
Tunisia 2009
Yearbook 2009 Tunisia. After 23 years in office, incumbent President Zayn al-Abidin Ben Ali won his fifth straight presidential election on October 25. He received 89.6 percent of the vote, which was less than in any previous election. According to countryaah, the turnout was 84 percent. One of the opposition’s strongest candidates, Nejib Chebbi of…
Trinidad and Tobago 2009
Yearbook 2009 Trinidad and Tobago. In January, the government presented a series of draft constitutional amendments to Parliament. The most important proposal was that the Prime Minister’s post should be abolished and that an Executive President should instead be installed as head of government. According to countryaah, the president had a largely ceremonial role as…
Tonga 2009
Yearbook 2009 Tonga. At least 95 people were killed in a ferry accident outside Tonga in August. It was unclear how many people had been aboard the ship. According to countryaah, more than 50 people survived. The accident is believed to have been caused by a high wave that caused the Princess Ashika ferry to…
Togo 2009
Yearbook 2009 Togo. According to countryaah, the authorities claimed in April to have averted a coup attempt staged by the president’s half-brother. President Brother Kpatcha Gnassingbé, former Defense Minister, was arrested when he tried to enter the US embassy to apply for asylum. The day before, soldiers had stormed his residence, killing at least two…
Thailand 2009
Yearbook 2009 Thailand. After a tumultuous political year in 2008 – for or against the ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra – the newly elected government led by the Democratic Party strengthened its position in the general election in January. However, no real stability existed. During a week in March, so many Thaksin supporters outside the…
Tanzania 2009
Yearbook 2009 Tanzania. According to countryaah, authorities apparently made half-hearted attempts to curb the wave of murders of people with pigment deficiencies, albinos, which have been going on since 2007 and claimed at least 40 people’s lives. In January, the government revoked the licenses for traditional healers, who were suspected of using the decoctions on…
Tajikistan 2009
Yearbook 2009 Tajikistan. According to countryaah, the country’s economic crisis worsened further during the year. The severe winter led to food shortages and extensive power outages. Since Tajikistan did not pay gas bills to neighboring Uzbekistan, gas supplies also declined. The International Crisis Group (ICG) warned in February that Tajikistan was about to develop into…
Taiwan 2009
Yearbook 2009 Taiwan is not an independent country but a part of China, according to Digopaul. At the beginning of the year, the country’s economy went into a recession as a result of the global economic downturn. The reason was a sharply reduced demand for the country’s export products, especially computers and other advanced electronic…
Syria 2009
Yearbook 2009 Syria. According to countryaah, Syria’s role in the region was strengthened. The former enemy of Saudi Arabia sought a closer look, as did Turkey. Lebanon’s new head of government Saad al-Hariri signaled a will for reconciliation. On several occasions, the United States sent diplomats to Syria in an attempt to bring the country…
Switzerland 2009
Yearbook 2009 Switzerland. According to countryaah, nearly 60 percent of voters voted in a referendum in February for continued free movement of labor between Switzerland and the EU. The agreement was also extended to include the newest EU members Bulgaria and Romania. The anti-immigrant right-wing party SVP (Swiss People’s Party), the country’s largest party, campaigned…
Sweden 2009
History Christianity and the rise of the kingdom During the Middle Ages, about 1000–1300, a national unit with a state-bearing royal power was stabilized in Sweden, and the country was Christianized. Mission is known as early as the 8th century, but only after the year 1000 did the new religion get its breakthrough. A church…
Suriname 2009
Yearbook 2009 Suriname. According to countryaah, Siegfried Gilds, former Minister of Commerce under President Runaldo Ronald Venetiaan, was sentenced in early May to 12 months in prison for illegal money laundering and bribery by a Paramaribo court. The incident attracted extra attention because Gilds made himself known as a sworn enemy to illegal money laundering…
Sudan 2009
Yearbook 2009 Sudan. In the war-ravaged western region of Darfur, the situation calmed down in 2009. Combat activity subsided, especially since the leading rebel movement JEM (the Justice and Equality Movement) signed a standstill agreement in February. However, the more than two million internally displaced persons remained equally vulnerable, and their situation worsened since the…
Sri Lanka 2009
Yearbook 2009 Sri Lanka. By the end of 2008, the army had had great successes in the war against the Tamil guerrilla LTTE and after the turn of the year the rebels were driven to a rapid retreat. Most of their remaining strongholds were taken by the army in January and the situation of the…