Thousands of people die every year across the world due to of road accidents. There are different reasons for accidents, in some cases drivers are drunk or careless but it doesn’t mean all accidents are because of that some accidents are because of the roads also.

There are some roads, which can be called as “ Death Invitation” roads. In this article world’s most dangerous roads are mentioned.

Yungas Road (Highway of Death Bolivia)

This Bolivian road of death is most dangerous road in the world. This road is located between La Paz and Coroico cities. This region is called Yungas because of that this road is named as Yungas Road.

Heavy vehicles like buses, trucks, and lorries use this road. The wreckage of so many buses and lorries can be seen there. From last few years this road got great attention of cyclists and motorcyclists also. “ Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking” is one of most extreme sports, which is played on this road.

Every month more 200 people die on this road and annual figures for death  toll on this road is more than 3000.

Guoliang Tunnel Road (China)

This road is well known road among the killer roads around the world.  The villagers living in Guoliang region built this road. Total length of this road is almost 1200 meters and its located in Taihang mountains in China.

Villagers completed this road in 5 years. The road is having tunnels with height of 5 meters and 4 meters width. This road is called death machine.

Pasubio Road (Italy)

This road was constructed in Vicenza, Northern Italy. In past it was really a death machine and extremely dangerous but now it is only used for motorcycling.

The thing that makes it most dangerous is the hairpin turns and tunnels.

The largest hydroelectric dam in the world is the Itaipu Dam. This dam represents the great efforts and accomplishments of two neighboring countries Brazil and Paraguay. The Itaipu Dam’s construction was started in 1975 and it was completed on 1991. The dam was built on the Parana River.

It is having 18 power generating units, which have capacity of generating a total production of 12,600 MW and a reliable output of 75 million MWh a year. The energy production of Itaipu had broken so many records in the past years after the last unit was commissioned in 1991. In 1995 its power production was 77,212,396 MWh and in 1996 it got more than the mentioned figure and new record will be around the 80 million MWh a year mark.

The largeness of the project can be explained by the fact that in 1995 Itaipu alone supplied 25% of the energy to Brazil and 78% to Paraguay. This power plant is the major tourist attraction in the Foz do Iguacu area, having received around 9 million visitors from 162 countries. Foz do Iguacu city of Brazil is located at the Western tip of Parana State right by the border with Paraguay and Argentina.

Outline of the Project

The Itaipu hydroelectric power plant is located 14 km North of the International Bridge linking the cities of Foz do Iguacu, Brazil and Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, the area is consists of a series of various dams a total distance of 7.744 meters with a crest elevation of 225 meters.

Location of the Powerhouse is right at the toe of the dam, most part of it is on the riverbed and rest is on the Diversion Channel. Total capacity of the Power plant is 12,600 MW and its having 18 generating units each of them make 700MW. From these 18 generating units 15 are located in the main Powerhouse and the remaining three on the Diversion Channel. Its Spillway is located on the right bank having 14-segmented sluice gates with a total discharge rate of 62,200 cubic meters per second. The concrete main dam is of the hollow gravity type and is connected to the Spillway by a concrete buttress type wing dam, which continues thereon as a small cardhfill dike. A rock fill dam is linked to the main dam on the left bank and at other end earth fill dam is linked. To build the main dam wall and the Powerhouse the river was diverted through a Diversion Channel on the left bank.

Amazing Facts about Itaipu

The volumes of construction in Itaipu are amazing. The volume of the iron and steel which is used in the structure of the dam is enough to build 380 Eiffel Towers, the volume of concrete used in Itaipu embody 15 times the volume utilized to build the Channel Tunnel between France and England.

Wonder of the Modern World

The Itaipu Dam is one the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The American Society of civil Engineers (ASCE) conducted a worldwide survey and it was published in 1995 that survey is having a cover article of the North American “ Popular Mechanics”.  In that article its written that to build this dam workers had re-enacted a labor of Hercules, the course of the 7^th biggest river in the world was shifted and more than 50 million tons of earth and rock was removed.

But the true wonderful thing in Itaipu is its Powerhouse, a single building that puts out 12,600 megawatts.

Television, a technological wonder of the 20^th century spurred the building of the era’s tallest freestanding structure. The signals from conventional transmission towers started getting problem because the skyscrapers in Toronto were creating disorders in transmission signals. The signals bounce off the city’s skyscrapers and create a lot of problem in television sets.  Stronger and weaker signals were competing each other and in result viewers were getting two programs at once. To tackle this problem, Canadian National Railways or CN suggested building a transmission tower that would stand taller than all standing buildings in Toronto.

Description

CN Tower’s initial design was prepared by a Toronto firm along the enlisting of engineering experts world over. The initial or original plan was showing three towers linked by structural bridges but gradually the design was developed into a single 1,815.5-foot-tall tower comprised of three hollow legs.

Its foundation work was started in 1973. The giant backhoes dig out more than 62,000 tons of soil and almost 50 feet deep in earth along the shore of Lake Ontario in Toronto harbor. After that stretched wires and 22 feet thick reinforced concrete was put in Y – shaped order strengthened it. Every hollow leg of the Y is having capacity of carrying burden of 130,000 ton.

The foundation work was completed only in 4 months. But the height of the tower was a challenge because it was impossible to build it up with the technique of poured concrete. For this problem the engineers designed a huge mold known as a slip form. Concrete was poured in the molds 24 hours a day, five days a week and when it get hardened the molds were moved upward with the help of a ring of a hydraulic jacks. The ascending slip form gradually decreased in girth to give the tower its tapering shape.

SkyPod

SkyPod a seven-story structure consists of two observation decks, a revolving restaurant, a nightclub, and broadcasting equipment.

When the tower was constructed till the height of 1,100-foot mark then preparations were made to build SkyPod. 12 steel and wooden brackets were pushed up to the tower by 45 hydraulic jacks for stabilizing the SkyPod. SkyPod is having concrete walls and a doughnut shaped ring, called a radome that was added to its base to protect the delicate microwave dishes receiving radio and television transmissions. To access the SkyPod on the tower there are 4 high-speed glass fronted elevators.

The concrete tower ends up at the Space Deck 1,465 feet up. The Space Deck is having support of cantilevers that stretch out of the concrete section beneath it. A 58 second elevator ride from the SkyPod below, visitors can take a breathtaking view from a glass-enclosed balcony. On a clear sunny day 75 miles a way sites can be seen also.

In the last phase of construction a Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter were used to install the tower’s 335-foot communications mast.

The helicopter lifted up one by one 47-ton sections of the mast to the top of the tower where workers received them. At the top those sections were secured by a total of 40,000 bolts. After that whole mast was covered with a fiberglass-reinforced sheathing to prevent icing.

The CN Tower was completed in 1975 with the cost of $57 million.

The CN Tower’s wind tolerance standard is 260 miles an hour, which is well above nature’s most extreme demands. The antenna is having counterbalancing weights that makes it to not wobble in high winds. To protect it from lightening copper grounding wires were installed.

In new developments on the CN Tower are that two new elevators are gained to accommodate an increase in visitors. A glass floor is added on the SkyPod’s observation deck.

In height CN Tower is twice taller than Eiffel Tower and thrice than the height of the Washington Monument. The CN Tower is proud of the Toronto and most of all it expelled all ghost from the TV sets of Torontonians.

El Camino del Rey is a very dangerous walkway that goes along the steep walls of a narrow gorge known as El Chorro.

Location of El Chorro

The El Chorro gorge is located in Spain near Alora, a village close to Malaga. It’s very close to the Mediterranean Sea.

El Chorro is a limestone gorge in Andalusia through that passes the Guadalhorce River. In 1921 Dam was made on this river forming three reservoirs, which are having thick pine forests on the sides. Makinodromo is having rivers, lakes, canyons and full of trees, this area is well known in Europe for rock climbing and its also popular for mountain biking, hiking and camping.

Next to El Chorro gorge there is a 700 meters high Desfiladero de los Gaitanes Pass and on the side of this high mountain there is a walkway. This path is famous as a very dangerous path called El Camino del Rey (The King’s little path).

This path was constructed in 1901 and it got its name because Alfonso XIII of Spain officially opened the path.

People are traversing this path from many years but now this path is in poor condition due to lack of repairs. In 2000 a tourist had died trying to cross it. But that accident hasn’t affected many people. El Camino del Rey is still a popular climb even today.

Description

The Camino del Rey is a path constructed on the gorge wall. This unusual walkway is hundred meters above the canyon base and travels the full length of the gorge.

Currently the walkway is no longer in best shape because different sections of concrete are broken away. Still the walking the full length on it is possible. It is said that the walkway was built so that the king can observe the engineering work taking place in the gorge. But now this walkway instead of Royalty gets the climbers.

This walkway is only 3 feet wide and its held to the mountainside by pins driven into the stone. 700 feet below the river is flowing.

On purpose of its building was to allow local workers the ability cross between two nearby waterfalls, Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls and it was serving as a shortcut to workers so that they wont have to climb down the mountain on one side and climb back up on the other.  But now this walk is in status of serious disrepair many parts of this walkway are completely collapsed leaving nothing but a metal beam and a wire. So if you got chance to walk on that then that’s best for you to never look down.

Though there is a great danger and risk but that doesn’t seem to stop people from climbing it. This walkway is still serving as short cut to Makinodromo the famous climbing sector of El Chorro. A century ago this walkway was a shortcut and its still serving as a short cut several people risk their lives on a daily basis to climb on that though is illegal.

In the history mankind, construction of the Panama Canal has a great significance that symbolizes the dignity of mankind. International work force under the leadership of American visionaries made this great achievement possible. The old dream of uniting two great oceans finally became a reality.

History

Charles I of Spain ordered 1st survey of canal route through the Isthmus of Panama in 1534. While its first construction was started three centuries later, the French labored there for almost 20 years from 1880 to 1900 but because of diseases and financial problems they cannot make it through.

A treaty later then was signed between United States and Panama in 1903 to construct an inter-oceanic ship canal across the Isthmus of Panama. The United States purchased rights and properties from the French Canal Company for $40 million and started construction in the following year. This stupendous project was completed in 10 years with the cost of almost $387 million. The United Stated invested almost $3 billion in the Canal enterprise project since 1903 and from that approximately two third of it had been recovered.

There was three main problems in the building of the Panama Canal 1^st was engineering, 2^nd sanitation and third was organization. This project was completed successfully because of the main leading engineering and administrative skills of such men as John F. Stevens and Col. George W. Goethals and to the solution of extensive health problems from Col. William C.Gorgas.

The engineering problems which this project faced were digging through the Continental Divide, constructing the largest earth dam ever built till that time, designing and building the most massive canal locks ever seen, constructing the largest gates ever swung and solving extremely large proportions environmental problems.

After so many years of the first official ocean-to-ocean transit of the waterway the United Stated and Panama had agreed on a partnership for the management, operation and the defense of the Panama Canal. On September 7, 1977 at OAS headquarters in Washington D.C. two new treaties were signed in a ceremony. The Canal will be operated until the turn of the century under arrangements designed to strengthen the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. The treaties were approved in Panama by a referendum on October 23, 1977 and U.S. Senate approved it in March and April 1978. The new treaties are affected from October 1, 1979.

Panama Canal Commission

Panama Canal Treaty implemented on October 1, 1979.  According to that treaty a U.S. government agency will operate the Canal during the 20-year transition period. A nine-member binominal board supervises the Commission. For 1^st ten years a U.S. citizen served as Chief Executive Officer under the title of Administrator and Panamanian was the Deputy. From January 1, 1990 as mandated by the treaty a Panamanian served as administrator and a U.S. citizen is the Deputy.

Former Panama Canal Company was replaced the Commission because of that Canal Zone and its government was terminated on October 1, 1979. The United Stated transferred the Canal to Panama on December 31, 1999 as it was written in the treaty.

The Commission is highly committed to serving the world trade with the standards of excellence that are the tradition of the waterway throughout its history. The Canal will remain a viable economic transportation artery for world trade well into the future due to of prudent investment in maintenance, modernization and training programs.

Some people or parents think the travelling with children is difficult and a complete wastage of time and money. However, this is not true. Travelling is important for both children and parents and is not at all difficult if you plan your travelling properly.

Why Travel With Your Children?

• It brings the family closer .
• Your children get to see new things and attractive places.
• They get to learn new languages and see different cultures.
• Get to hear about different views from different people.
• Children get to have close interaction with other children belonging to different culture and backgrounds.

Five Tips for Actually Enjoying Traveling With Your Kids

Tip #1: Be flexible when it comes to treats and food.

Flexibility is important if you want to make your trip enjoyable and pleasurable.

Tip #2: Plan for things not to go smoothly.

Always be prepared for the most awful situations because bad moments come once in a blue moon. Everybody will feel happier if they are prepared for the worst.

Tip #3: Whenever possible, include a visit to a beach, swimming pool, or lake into your trips.

In order to make your visit more enjoyable, go to beaches, swimming pool and lake. This will further add to entertainment.

Tip #4: Don’t let your kid’s reluctance to the unknown sway you.

Your children might hesitate to experience an adventurous moment but once they do they will enjoy a lot.

Tip #5: Plan trips with your kid’s energy levels and interests in mind.

For more enjoyable trips, only do one activity at a time because too many activities at one time can be less pleasing and knowledgeable for kids.

Camping is surely a lot of fun, but one has to be careful while going into the forest. Follow these safety camping tips and make the best out of your camping:

• Set up the camp before it gets dark. Try to travel during daylight whenever possible as traveling after darkness has resulted in many accidents from falls.

• Look out for potential hazards. Be sure to check thoroughly for glass, sharp objects, branches, large ant beds, poison ivy, bees and hazardous terrain.
• Avoid areas where threat of natural hazards is high. Check the contour of the land and for potential trouble due to rain.
• Inspect the site carefully before setting up the camp. Look for a level site with enough room to spread your gear.

• Build fires in a safe area. Your open fires and fuel burning appliances must be far enough away from the tent to prevent ignition from sparking flames and heat.
• Don’t ever leave your fires unattended. Be sure you have an area for a fire that cannot spread laterally or vertically – a grill or stone surface is ideal.
• Beware when encountering wildlife. Avoid using a flashlight at night as many animals feed at night and the use of a flashlight may warn them away. To ward off bears, keep your campsite clean and do not leave food, garbage, coolers, cooking equipment or utensils out in the open.
• Watch out for bugs. Avoid attracting stinging insects by wearing light colored clothing and avoiding perfume and cologne.
• Beware of poisonous plants. Be sure to familiarize yourself with any dangerous plants that are common to the area where you are camping.
• Think before you drink. No matter how clean or pure stream water looks, it’s likely to contain water-borne parasites and microorganisms that can cause discomfort or serious illness.

People presume that spending holidays in France is very costly. This is because they are unaware of the fact that you can also plan vacation at low cost and within your budget. You will not only visit France at cheaper rate but will also experience a good and quality trip.

Tips For A Cheap Vacation In France

There are some common mistakes people make which make their trip expensive. Cost depends of which city of France you stay in. If you go to a cheaper city you’re cost will be low and similarly is you go to an expensive city you’re vacation cost will be higher. Few guidelines for a low-cost vacation in France are as follows:

• You can go to several interesting and remarkable cities in France that save you money without sacrificing a memorable vacation.

• Prefer visiting cheaper cities in limited budget.
• Airfare cost varies from season to season. Travel in the time period when the airfare cost is low.
• Visit different cities and places at different times. This will not only benefit you save travel cost but also you will experience good treatment from locals who aren’t experiencing an onslaught of gawking tourists.

Cheap Accommodations in France

You should prefer staying in an inexpensive hotel rather than an expensive one if you have a limited budget. In France there are varieties of hotels ranging from low price to high price. Therefore, you have an advantage to choose the one that suits your budget. Some of the hotels or places include:

• Camping in France
• Gîtes de France
• Logis de France
• Bienvenue a la Ferme

Cheap Dining In France

France is known for its quality and delicious food. There are excellent chefs throughout the country. Again, when deciding on spending on food make sure that it does not exceed your budget.

A good way to save is to exclude breakfasts at your accommodation. This will help you save some amount of money. You can have breakfast of the same quality from some local bakery at cheap rates.

Cheap Transportation In France

There are few expensive and some inexpensive mode of transportation. Expensive modes include renting a car, taxi rides, and long-distance point-to-point tickets. Some inexpensive modes of transportation are as follows:

• Rail passes
• Renault
• Peugeot
• Ryanair
• easyJet.

Inexpensive Cities In France

Some less expensive cities in France consist of:

• Chartres
• Bordeaux
• Nice
• Montpellier

Having sufficient amount of cash in your pocket does not mean that you stay in an expensive hotel and lock yourself in a room with no disturbance. An individual on a business trip can prefer such visits, but for families, we recommend you to make the best out of your trip.

Travelling with kids is not just hectic. Although it may be a little difficult as compared to travelling alone, there are many benefits of travelling with your family such as these:

• Your children will be impressed by looking at children of their age group and younger than them speaking different types of languages like Japanese, Italian etc.
• By travelling around, they will come across several things that they were not aware of. For example for your kids car might be a necessity but many Americans reside in areas where they have no access to any means of transportation like buses, car or train. At this point of time, your children might realize their problem and decide to make transportation system better for them when they grow up.

• In this fast growing world it is very rare that families even sit together for a cup of tea. People are so busy in their own routine that its difficult to stay in touch. Travelling is the best option to spend time with your family and get closer to them.
• Travelling, sometime get a teenager in unexpected situations like reading a map or operating a water heater, which he/she has never been through. Your children will learn a lot of new things by facing these kinds of situations.

This trip will make your children realize that watching TV, reading story books or shopping is not the end of the world, you have a lot more to learn from your life.

Think about them one at a time before going on to the next one..

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price.
12. Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla!) (or strawberry)
13. A long distance phone call.
14. A bubble bath.
15. Giggling.
16. A good conversation.
17. The beach
18. Finding a 20 note in your coat from last winter.
19. Laughing at yourself.
20. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
21. Running through sprinklers.
22. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
23. Having someone tell you that you’re beautiful.
24. Laughing at an inside joke.
25. Friends.
26. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
27. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep…
28. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
29. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
30. Playing with a new puppy.
31. Having someone play with your hair.
32. Sweet dreams.
33. Hot chocolate.
34. Road trips with friends.
35. Swinging on swings.
36. Wrapping presents under the Christmas tree while eating cookies and drinking your favorite tipple.
37. Song lyrics printed inside your new CD so you can sing along without feeling stupid.
38. Going to a really good concert.
39. Making eye contact with a cute stranger
40. Winning a really competitive game.
41. Making chocolate chip cookies.
42. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
43. Spending time with close friends.
44. Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends.
45. Holding hands with someone you care about.
46. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
47. Riding the best roller coasters over and over.
48. Watching the expression on someone’s face as they open a much desired present from you.
49. Watching the sunrise.
50. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.

Source