10 Facts on the Geography of Beijing China

10 Facts on the Geography of Beijing China Population: 22,000,000 (2010 estimate)Land Area: 6,487 square miles (16,801 sq km)Bordering Areas: Hebei Province to the north, west, south,  and part of the east and the Tianjin Municipality to the southeastAverage Elevation: 143 feet (43.5 m) Basics About Beijing Beijing is a large city located in northern China. It is also Chinas capital city and it is considered a direct-controlled municipality and, as such, it is controlled directly by Chinas central government instead of a province. Beijing has a very large population at 22,000,000 and it is divided into 16 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties.Beijing is known as being one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China (along with Nanjing, Luoyang and Changan or Xian). It is also a major transportation hub, a political and cultural center of China, and was host to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Geographic Facts The following is a list of ten geographic facts to know about Beijing.1)The name Beijing means Northern Capital but it has been renamed several times in its history. Some of these names include Zhongdu (during the Jin Dynasty) and Dadu (under the Yuan Dynasty). The citys name was also switched from Beijing to Beiping (meaning Northern Peace) twice in its history. After the founding of the Peoples Republic of China,  however, its name officially became Beijing.2) It is believed that Beijing has been inhabited by modern humans for about 27,000 years. In addition, fossils from Homo erectus, dating back to 250,000 years ago have been found in caves in Beijings Fangshan District. Beijings history consists of struggles between various Chinese dynasties which fought for the area and used it as Chinas capital.3) In January 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, Communist forces entered Beijing, then called Beiping, and in October of that year, Mao Zedong announced the creation of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and renamed the city Beijing, its capital. 4) Since the founding of the PRC, Beijing underwent many changes to its physical structure, including the removal of its city wall and the construction of roads intended for cars instead of bicycles. Most recently, land in Beijing has developed at a rapid pace and many historical areas have been replaced by residences and shopping centers.5) Beijing is one of the most developed and industrial areas of China and it was one of the first post-industrial cities (meaning its economy is not based on manufacturing) to emerge in China. Finance is a major industry in Beijing, as is tourism. Beijing also has some manufacturing located on the western outskirts of the city and agriculture is produced outside of major urban areas.6) Beijing is located at the tip of the North China Plain (map) and it is surrounded by mountains to the north, northwest,  and west. The Great Wall of China is located in the northern part of the municipality. Mount Dongling is Beijings highest point at 7,555 feet (2, 303 m). Beijing also has several major rivers flowing through it which include the Yongding and the Chaobai Rivers.7) The climate of Beijing is considered humid continental with hot, humid summers and very cold, dry winters. Beijings summer climate is influenced by the East Asian monsoon. The average July high temperature for Beijing is 87.6 °F (31 °C), while the January average high is 35.2 °F (1.2 °C).8) Because of Chinas rapid growth and the introduction of millions of cars into Beijing and surrounding provinces, the city is known for its poor air quality. As a result, Beijing was the first city in China to require emissions standards to be implemented on its cars. Polluting cars have also been banned from Beijing and are not allowed to even enter the city. In addition to air pollution from cars, Beijing also has air quality problems due to seasonal dust storms that have developed Chinas northern and northwestern deserts due to erosion.9) Beijing is the second-largest (after Chon gqing) of Chinas direct-controlled municipalities. The majority of Beijings population is Han Chinese. Minority ethnic groups include Manchu, Hui and Mongol, as well as several small international communities.10) Beijing is a popular tourist destination within China because it is a center of Chinas history and culture. Many historic architectural sites and several UNESCO World Heritage Sites are within the municipality. For example, The Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City,  and Tiananmen Square are all located in Beijing. In addition, in 2008, Beijing hosted the Summer Olympic Games and sites constructed for the games, such as the Beijing National Stadium are popular.To learn more about Beijing, visit the municipalitys official website.Sources: Wikipedia.com. Beijing - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing

Many Uses of the Word ;Con in Spanish

Many Uses of the Word ;Con in Spanish The Spanish word  con,  pronounced much like the English word cone, not like con, is one of the most commonly used prepositions. In most uses, it is the equivalent of the English word with.   The word  con is more versatile than the English with, however, and it may be used in places where with might not be used in English.  For example, con can be paired with certain verbs, can be used to form phrases that function like adverbs, indicate conditions, and form contractions. Con Used With Certain Verbs Con  can be used with various verbs where a different preposition  or none at all would be used in English. Such usages are unpredictable and need to be learned along with the verbs. Spanish Sentence English Translation Verb Combination Es necesario acabar con el escndalo. It is necessary to put an end to the scandal. acabar con/put an end to Para comer, basta con cinco dà ³lares. In order to eat, five dollars is enough. basta con/is enough El coche chocà ³ con el tren. The car crashed into the train. chocà ³ con/crashed into Puedo contar con mis amigos. I can count on my friends. contar con/count on Tengo que enfrentarme con el problema. I have to face up to the problem. enfrentarme con/face up to Me espanto con las hormigas. I am frightened of ants. Me espanto con/to be frightened of Muchas veces sueà ±o con la guerra. I often dream about the war. sueà ±o con/dream about Quiero encontrarme con mi madre. I want to run into my mother. encontrarme con/to run into When used with the verbs above, con could be understood to mean with, but it would be awkward to translate it literally that way. Con Used to Form Phrases That Function Like Adverbs In English, with can be used to form adverbial phrases, but but such phrases using con are far more common in Spanish. In some cases, such adverbial phrases  are used in preference to or instead of synonymous adverbs. This list below is far from complete. Spanish Sentence English Translation Adverbial Phrase/Literal Meaning Habla con intensidad. He speaks intensely. con intensidad/with intensity Me preguntà ³ con cortesà ­a. He asked me courteously. con cortesà ­a/with courtesy Vive con felicidad. She lives happily. con felicidad/with happiness Anda con prisa. She walks fast. con prisa/with speed No reacciona con miedo. She doesn't react fearfully. con miedo/with fear Nos abrazamos con carià ±o. We hugged affectionately. con carià ±o/with caring Comenzà ³ las tareas con buena cara. He began his homework optimistically. con buena cara/with a good face Bailan con confianza. They dance confidently. con confianza/with confidence Hablaron con calma. They spoke calmly. con calma/with calm Habla espaà ±ol con fluidez. She speaks Spanish fluently. con fluidez/with fluency Se viste con humildad. He dresses humbly. con humildad/with humility Da su opinià ³n con libertad. She freely gives her opinion. con libertad/with freedom Te quiero con locura. I love you madly. con locura/with craziness Estamos esperando con ilusià ³n. We are waiting hopefully. con ilusià ³n/with hope Juega fà ºtbol con ganas. He plays soccer enthusiastically. con ganas/with gusto El perro duerme con frecuencia. The dog sleeps often. con frecuencia/with frequency Con Used to Indicate a Condition Sometimes when followed by an infinitive or a noun, con can have a variety of translations to indicate a condition being met or not. Translations for con in this case can include if, despite, and by. Spanish Sentence English Translation Meaning of Condition Con decirle que no tengo dinero, todo estar bien. By telling him that I don't have money, everything will be fine. con decirle/by telling him Con todo, no est enferma. Despite everything, she's not sick. con todo/despite everything Con correr puedes verla. If you run you can see her. con correr/if you run Con Used as a Contraction When con is followed by the pronoun mà ­ or ti to say with me or with you, the phrase is changed to conmigo or contigo, respectively. Spanish Sentence English Translation Contraction Ven conmigo. Come with me. conmigo/with me Vendrà © contigo. I will come with you. contigo/with you Key Takeaways Although con is the usual  equivalent of the English preposition with, it is often used in situations were with is not.Con is frequently paired with numerous verbs in unpredictable ways.Con is also frequently used with prepositional objects to form phrases that function as adverbs in situations where English would more likely simply use an adverb.