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Pictures of City Belgium Brussels

By Pictures of cities

on February 14, 2009

Pictures of City Belgium Brussels

Brussels is the largest urban area in Belgium and de facto capital city of the European Union. Officially, Brussels is known as ‘Brussels Capital-Region. People often confuse Brussels with the much smaller ‘City of Brussels’ withing it, which is the capital of Belgium. Brussels has turned from a 10th century fortress into a metropolis of more than one million inhabitants. After WWII, Brussels has remained as an important center of international politics. Main institutions of European Union and headquarters of NATO are situated at Brussels. In terms of per capita income, Brussels is the third richest city in EU.

Although historically Brussels was a Dutch speaking city but majority of the inhabitants are French speaking and thus both the languages are official. Due to its close proximity to the coastal area, the climate of Brussels is influenced by marine air masses from the Atlantic Ocean. Brussels faces on an average 200 days of rain per year. Brussels is divided into 19 municipalities. Architecture in Brussels is diverse, spanning from the medieval constructions on Grand Place to the modern buildings of EU institutions. Brussels is the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. Main attractions of Brussels include Grand Place, Gothic Town Hall, Basilica of the Sacred Heart, St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral, Laken Castle with large greenhouses, Royal palace and many other museums and historical structures and buildings.

Pictures of City Belgium Brussels

Pictures of City Finland Helsinki

By Pictures of cities

on February 14, 2009

Pictures of City Finland Helsinki

Capital and largest city of Finland, Helsinki is located in the southern part of Finland, on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. With a population of around 575,000, helsinki is the most populous municipality in Finland. Fireign-born population of Helsinki stands at 10%. Helsinki along with the neighboring cities of Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen constitues the capital region, which has about 1 million inhabitants. Helsinki is the cultural, educational, political, government and business center of Finland.

Helsinki is spread across a nmber of bays and peninsulas and over a number of islands. The city has a temperate continental climate, with maximum summer temperature of around 20 Celsius during June to August and with maximum winter temperature of around -5 Celsius during January and February. Helsinki is famous for its architecture, most notable being its numerous Art Nouveau buildings designed in the early 1900s. National Museum of Finland is the largest museum in Helsinki, which displays a vast historical collection prehistoric times to 21st century. With its romantic style neo-medieval castle, the museum building itself is a major tourist attraction.