UK
Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two Wor ......more... | Portugal
Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive gov ......more... |
Liverpool
Liverpool's urban renaissance has been only partly successful and the city's essential shabbiness is unshakable, despite an impressive public face graced by more Georgian buildings than even Bath can muster. Its infamous late-closing nightlife can be sharp edged at times, and abandonment is often mixed with desperation in this exhilaratingly down-a ... ...more... | Porto
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