Touring the World's Capital Cities

Founded in 1394 Seoul is both the cultural and economic centre of South Korea and with twelve million inhabitants it is also the fifth largest city in the world. In 1988 the twenty fourth Olympic Games took place in Seoul. Historic buildings, palaces, shrines and bridges all serve to underline the ultra modern appearance of Seoul, a mega city in the Land Of The Silent Morning.

Now an autonomous region of China,.Tibet is an intriguing and mysterious land of snow high up in the Himalayas that borders Nepal, Bhutan and India. For centuries it was a dream destination for scientists, adventurers and missionaries and, once almost inaccessible, it was a blossoming yet hidden kingdom. Lhasa, the 'holy city' and 'place of the gods' is the capital of Tibet.

Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia, a metropolis that is the pulsating heart of the country and combines the cultures of old with a lively feeling of stepping forward to new horizons. The spiritual center of Mongolia once lay directly on the Peking -Irkutsk trading route, thus it became an important center of trade. At that time the city was called 'Urgöö'.

Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, is said to be the most European city in South America with buildings that are reminiscent of bygone times, with melancholy, romance and Latin flair part of daily life as well as a passion for steak, tango and football! Mysterious, dark and full of burning desire. An extraordinary metropolis of the superlative!

Quito, otherwise known as the 'divine city', is the capital of Ecuador. It is a Spanish colonial city and Baroque gem surrounded by volcanic mountains, its historic centre having been built on the ruins of an Inca city. the most Spanish city of the New World and today, churches, monasteries and squares continue to gleam in all of their colonial splendour. The remarkable legacy of a rich past!

Rio De Janeiro is the secret capital of Brazil and a veritable firework display of unashamed joie de vivre, football, samba and religious faith. The Centro is a modern city centre of urban canyons with faceless skyscrapers and chaotic traffic. The city's beaches, such as Ipanema and the Copacabana, the biggest city beach in the world, are real features of this wonderful city.

Capital of the Republic of Turkey, Ankara is today one of the country's most modern cities and a vibrant world metropolis that offers a diverse variety of leisure time activities as well as being steeped in both history and tradition. Ankara is full of contradictions and yet it is the extraordinary charm of this remarkable metropolis that makes everything make sense.

Kiev is the capital of the Ukraine and, as with Rome, is built on seven hills. It is dominated by many churches and monasteries. Following Independence, Kiev has been transformed. This Soviet city has turned into an East European metropolis. But its culture, history and ambience of bygone days has managed to survive right up to the present day.

Sofia, the 'wise woman', has since 1879 been the capital of the new Bulgaria and is a city whose roots date back to the fifth century B.C. Once Thracians settled in the city followed by Romans, Goths, Huns and Ottomans. In the fourteenth century the city was named after its patron saint, the Goddess Of Wisdom. Young, modern and exciting with all the flair of the mystical Balkans!

Moscow is the capital of Russia and the largest city in Europe. Both Tsar rule and soviet communism gave the city its present appearance. It has witnessed much change and has become a prosperous city and one of contrast and the superlative, of millionaires and also the very poor. A restless and powerful city of fantastic culture and truly dramatic history.

Skopje is the capital of Macedonia and is located in the valley of the Vardar River with a dramatic history that spans many thousands of years. It forms the junction of two trading routes in southeast Europe that unites both western and eastern civilisation. Skopje has become a symbol of fraternity and solidarity. A prospering city at the south-eastern end of the world!