Alexandria is a city - the second largest after Cairo - and seaport of Egypt. An ancient city and seaport in Egypt, Alexandria is located at the north-west angle of the Niledelta, on a ridge of land between the sea and Lake Mareotis. Ancient Alexandria was founded by, and named in honour of, Alexander the Great, in 332 BC, and was for a long time a great and splendid city, the
centre of commerce between the east and west, as well as of Greek learning and civilization, with a population at one time of perhaps 1,000,000. It was especially celebrated for its great library, and also for its famous lighthouse, one of the wonders of the world, standing upon the little island of Pharos, which was connected with the city by a mole.
Under Roman rule it was the second city of the empire, and when Constantinople became the capital of the East it still remained the chief centre of trade; but it received a blow from which it never recovered when captured by Amru, general of Caliph Omar in 641, after a siege of fourteen months. Its ruin was finally completed by the discovery of the passage to the Cape of Good Hope, which opened up a new route for the Asiatic trade. Modern Alexandria stands partly on what was formerly the island of Pharos, partly on the peninsula which now connects it with the mainland and has been formed by the accumulation of soil, and partly on the mainland. At the beginning of the 19th century Alexandria was an insignificant place of 5000 or 6000 inhabitants. The origin of its more recent career of prosperity it owes to Mohammed Ali.
Alexandria is a city and port on the Potomac River in Virginia, USA. The city was founded in 1749 and in 1814 was captured and plundered by the British. When the District of Columbia was formed, Alexandria was ceded, only to be returned to Virginia in 1846. In 1861 the city was entered by Union troops under ColonelEllsworth who was shot while hauling down the Confederate flag.
Alexandria is a town on a tributary of the Dnieper river in southern Russia.
California is a state in the west USA on the Pacific Ocean. It was discovered in 1533 and named California after a fictional island in a story by a contemporary Spanish author, or perhaps it was so named from the Spanish Caliente Fornalla, meaning hot furnace and alluring to the climate. California was admitted into the USA in 1850.
The coast extends the full length of the state, measuring about 700 miles, following the indentations. On the southern part of the coast are a few islands. The state may be divided into three distinct portions - the central being much the most densely populated. This central portion is embraced between the parallels 35 degrees and 40 degrees, and has on its eastern side the Sierra Nevada, and on its western the Coast Ranges. Between these two mountain chains lies the Great Central Valley of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, renowned for its beauty and fertility.
The principal river is the Sacramento, which flows south for upwards of 300 miles, receiving numerous affluents from the Sierra Nevada, and falls into the Bay of Suisun. The San Joaquin rises in the SierraNevada, flows north for about 250 miles, and joins the Sacramento about 15 miles above Suisun Bay. It receives the waters of lakeTule or Tulares, and has numerous tributaries. The Bay of San Francisco, forming the most capacious harbour on the Pacific coast, is about 60 miles in length, 14 broad, and with a coast-line of 275 miles. It is connected with the ocean by a strait about two miles wide, and from five to seven long, called the Golden Gate. The city of San Francisco stands on the north-west shore of the southern arm.
The peaks of the SierraNevada - MountShasta, Lassen's Butte, Spanish Peak, Pyramid Peak, Mounts Dana, Lyell, Brewer, Tyndall, Whitney, and others - reach from 10,000 to nearly 15,000 feet above the sea (MountWhitney is 14,886). The volcanic character of the state is manifested by the mountain formations; and earthquakes are frequent.
California is celebrated for its many wonderful natural objects and remarkable scenery. Noteworthy are the Yosemite Valley and the 'big tree groves,' containing groups of giantredwood trees - Sequoia gigantea - some of which reach the height of nearly 400 feet.
The mineral resources of California are of great importance. Gold is found in abundance, being first discovered in 1848, and subsequently brought a great rush of settlers to this part of the world. Among other minerals found in the state are silver, mercury, copper, coal, lead, tin, antimony, cobalt, etc.
California, being intersected by the isothermal line of 60 degrees, has the same mean annual temperature as the north of Spain and the centre of Italy, and may, generally speaking, be esteemed genial and mild. The year may be divided into a dry and a wet season. On the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada the climate is said to be that of constant spring. Wheat, barley, oats, maize and other cereals, the root-crops and vegetables of temperate climates are very largely grown. Fruits are most varied, including olives, grapes, apples, pears, plums, figs, oranges, peaches, pomegranates, plantains, bananas, and cocoa-nuts; the indigo-plant also, and the sugar-cane and tobacco, yield abundant returns. The cultivation of the vine rapidly extended from the 19th century, and the production of wine and brandy and raisins increased rapidly, and by the late 20th century Californian wines were world famous.
Abbreviations
Research Alexandria
