As part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the U.S. Virgin Islands are a group of islands consisting of the main islands, Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas. There are many smaller islands, and the total population of the islands put together exceeds 100,000 people.

Christopher Columbus’s second voyage included the discovery and naming of the Virgin Islands in 1493, which he named after Saint Ursula and her followers. Over the next hundred years, the islands changed hands several times between many European powers. By the middle of the 18th century, the islands were property of the Danish, who focused on the production of sugarcane aided by slave labor to fuel the economy of the islands. World War I made the Virgin Islands vulnerable and exposed, something which the United States feared the Germans would exploit in order to take over the islands and build a base there. Thus, they purchased them from the Danish for $25 million after months of negotiation. Since 1917, the Virgin Islands have remained a territory of the United States whose inhabitants are American citizens.

Located in the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, the Virgin Islands consist of several dozen islands. Known for strategic harbors and white sandy beaches, the Virgin Islands are hilly and volcanic in origin. A subtropical climate classification means that the Virgin Islands have little temperature fluctuation throughout the year, low humidity, and a rainy season which lasts from May to November.

Tourism is the main driving force behind the economy of the Virgin Islands with over 2 million visitors arriving each year, many of whom visit on cruise ships. Visitors to the Virgin Islands can enjoy the distinct culture, as well as the pristine beaches and a growing resort industry. There is a manufacturing sector as well as a small agricultural sector that comprise the rest of the Virgin Islands’ economy.

As Florida’s third-largest metropolitan area, the principal city of Greater Orlando, and the seat of Orange County, Florida, Orlando is an extremely important city to the state. To the average person, though, the city is most well-known for its huge amount of tourist attractions, drawing over 52 million visitors every year.

Also known as “The City Beautiful”, Orlando’s history dates back to 1837, when a soldier named Orlando Reeves died in the area during the war with the Seminole Indians. Settlers found his name etched into a tree and began to refer to the area as “Orlando’s Grave”, later just Orlando. The Reconstruction Era after the Civil War brought the city its first population boom, and this sort of boom continued during the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s. The most important event for Orlando’s economy in the modern times was the creation of Walt Disney World, which brings millions of tourists to the area each year.

The climate in Orlando is a warm and humid subtropical climate with two distinct seasons during the year. From May until October, the hot and rainy season takes place, when temperatures hover between the mid 70s and the high 90s throughout the day. The winter season takes place the rest of the year, and temperatures drop to the 60s, with lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s. About 50 inches of rainfall is common annually in Orlando.

Orlando’s culture is characterized by a large Latino population, especially those of Puerto Rican descent. Spanish music is commonly featured on Orlando radio stations, and there are plenty of Puerto Rican restaurants. Orlando has an even larger African-American population, as well as a thriving pocket of Vietnamese people. The mix of these cultures makes Orlando a quite the melting pot.

As far as entertainment and tourism go Orlando boasts a bustling music scene, plenty of performance art with a substantial theater population, several of important museums, and, of course, Walt Disney World.

When one thinks of cities with supreme levels of historical, artistic, cultural, and commercial importance in the world, Paris, the capital of France, is not far from the top of the list. As one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world for various reasons, Paris is a city of great global importance and a mainstay for the European tourism experience.

Paris has been inhabited since around 250 BC. By around 500 AD, the city had undergone a great period of growth under Roman control, decline when the Roman Empire collapsed, and then growth again under the Frankish king Clovis I. Over the next thousand years, the city’s power fluctuated. At times it was not even the capital of France, and other times it was the most powerful city in the region. The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century brought about the city’s largest growth in its history and set the stage for its modern prominence as a cultural and commercial bastion of Europe.

The elevation of the city is rather flat, and it is built around the north-bending arc of Seine River. Paris’s climate is classified as oceanic and is influenced heavily by the North Atlantic Current. Because of this, temperatures rarely exceed high and low temperatures, which are around 59 degrees and 45 degrees respectively. Recently, though, the heat wave of 2003 and the cold wave of 2006 put the city through extreme temperature situations.

Paris is a globally-renowned center for almost every art form. High fashion is very popular, with some of the most recognizable names in the design world coming from France. The Louvre Museum is one of France’s most visited museums and contains many of the most important pieces in art history. Theater and performance are large parts of the French experience. All of these things, including the beauty of the architecture and the sheer amount of things to see in Paris, contribute to the city’s huge amount of tourism annually.

Santiago, Chile is the capital of the country of Chile, at the center of a large metropolis located in the central valley of Chile. A boom in the economy of Santiago has made the capital into one of Latin America’s most modern metropolitan areas. With a population of about 6.5 million people in the metropolitan area of Santiago, many modern transportation systems are rising to suit the population.

A Spanish conquistador by the name of Pedro de Valdivia founded Santiago on February 12, 1541, due to the moderate climate the area had to offer and the ease of defending the area. Ironically though, the city was destroyed 8 months later by native forces. In the early 19th century, Santiago remained a small town with a small amount of buildings. Later in the century, exports began to bring the country into prosperity, which promoted the capital city’s development. In the early 20th century, important landmarks were erected in celebrations of the independence from Spain. In the 1930s, Santiago took a turn as a more modern city, and flourished with population due to migrations from the north and south of Chile.

Santiago lies in the center of the Santiago Basin, which is a bowl-shaped valley consisting of large fertile plains surrounded by mountains and a few volcanoes. East of Santiago, there are the majestic Andes mountain chain, and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west. The Santiago Basin is part of the Intermediate Depression which is remarkably flat, and only interrupted with a few hills. The city has relatively hot dry summers and cold humid winters. There is snowfall in suburbs at higher altitudes, which possibly could spread through the city, but happens infrequently.

Tourists would enjoy the modern metropolitan area around Santiago, with dozens of shopping malls, impressive high-rise architecture, and the very modern transportation system which could easily take the tourists around the city comfortably. With an endless list of museums, theatres, symphonies, parks, ski resorts, amazing vineyards, sport venues, plazas, and squares, tourism in Santiago cannot possibly go wrong, and is a must for those who yearn for culture and history.

Widely considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe as well as one of the most visited, Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, has been the political, cultural, and commercial center of the country for over 1,000 years. As a testament to the city’s historic importance, much of the historic district is classified as a World Heritage Site.

The area upon which the city of Prague stands has been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age. As far as the city as it exists today, the first nucleus of the city was created in the latter half of the 9th century. The city flourished during the 14th century under Charles IV, who built the new town and led the city to its ascent to the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The 16th century was characterized by social and religious dissent, while the 18th saw a wealthy populace undergo efforts to beautify the city, which is responsible for much of the beauty that exists today.

The climate of Prague is generally mild, with warm, wet summers and cold winters. During the summers, temperatures are mostly in the high 70s during the day while the nights tend to be chilly. The winter sees temperatures hover around freezing, falling several degrees during the nighttime, but snow is rare. Most of the rainfall happens from May to August during the summertime.

Prague’s unique culture and the beauty of the city itself make it one of Europe’s most prominent cultural centers. The National Theater, the National Gallery, the National Museum, the Estates Museum, and other cultural fixtures host many important cultural events that draw tourists from all over Europe and the rest of the world. Hundreds of concert halls, galleries, and music clubs give the city a refined air of sophistication and artistic appreciation. The Prague Writers Festival, the Prague Fringe Festival, and other such communal celebrations make the city an active one with plenty to do at any given time.