"other two was delayed due to political instability in the region. Library damage resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake Library damage resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake has been reported in six Asian countries. On December 26, the massive 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake struck off the northwest coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The resulting tsunamis killed more than 180,000 people. In addition to the loss of human lives, cultural institutions were destroyed in several Asian nations. Libraries on the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka and the northern province of Aceh on Sumatra were most severely affected"
"Pearl Islands The Pearl Islands (Spanish: Archipiélago de las Perlas or Islas de las Perlas) is a group of 200 or more islands and islets (many tiny and uninhabited) lying about off the Pacific coast of Panama in the Gulf of Panama. The most notable island is Contadora Island (or Isla Contadora in Spanish), known for its resorts. Contadora was said to be used by the Spanish conquistadors as a stop for taking inventory of booty prior to returning to Spain, hence the name (""contador"" means counter or bookkeeper in Spanish). Contadora is a resort island, with many homes owned"
"known as the ""Silicon Valley of the East"" and a booming tourist destination. George Town's historical core is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while its beaches and the Penang Hill, the tallest point in Penang, are popular amongst tourists as well. The state of Penang is named after Penang Island, which was, in turn, named after the areca nut palm (""Areca catechu"", family: Palmae), also known as ""pinang"" in Malay. To this day, the island has also been known as the Pearl of the Orient, or ""Pulau Mutiara"" (The Island of Pearls) in Malay. The early Malays called the island"
"Pearl of Lao Tzu The Pearl of Lao Tzu (also referred to as Pearl of Lao Tze and previously as Pearl of Allah) used to be the largest known pearl. The pearl was found in the Palawan sea, which surrounds the island of Palawan in the Philippines, and was found by a Filipino diver. It is not considered a gemstone pearl, but is instead known as a ""clam pearl"" or """"Tridacna"" pearl"" from a giant clam. It measures 24 centimeters in diameter (9.45 inches) and weighs 6.4 kilograms (14.2 lb). The pearl came from Brooke's Point, Palawan in the Philippines."
"Tail—which replaced Ptolemy's unknown eastern shore of the Indian Ocean. Its center was given at 173° east of al-Khwārizmī's prime meridian off west Africa and 2° north of the equator. It subsequently appeared in the world map of the ""Book of Curiosities""—where it is labelled ""The Island of the Jewel, and its mountains encircle it like a basket"" or ""like scales""—and in other medieval Arabian and Persian texts. It is now typically identified with one of the Indonesian islands or with Taiwan, although al-Khwārizmī's description seems to borrow from Ptolemaic and legendary accounts of Taprobane (Sri Lanka). Island of the"
"Caroline Island Caroline Island or Caroline Atoll (also known as Millennium Island and Beccisa Island), is the easternmost of the uninhabited coral atolls which comprise the southern Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. First sighted by Europeans in 1606, claimed by the United Kingdom in 1868, and part of the Republic of Kiribati since the island nation's independence in 1979, Caroline Island has remained relatively untouched and is considered one of the world's most pristine tropical islands, despite guano mining, copra harvesting, and human habitation in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is home to one of the world's"
"pearl was estimated to achieve $300,000 to $400,000, but it was not sold. Pearl of Lao Tzu The Pearl of Lao Tzu (also referred to as Pearl of Lao Tze and previously as Pearl of Allah) used to be the largest known pearl. The pearl was found in the Palawan sea, which surrounds the island of Palawan in the Philippines, and was found by a Filipino diver. It is not considered a gemstone pearl, but is instead known as a ""clam pearl"" or """"Tridacna"" pearl"" from a giant clam. It measures 24 centimeters in diameter (9.45 inches) and weighs 6.4"
"home to 14 British women. Isla Gibraleón Isla Gibraleón is a small, uninhabited Panamanian island that is part of the Pearl Islands archipelago () in the Gulf of Panama. It is located west of Isla Casaya, and is part of a group of 200 or more islands and islets (many tiny and uninhabited) lying about off the Pacific coast of Panama. The island has an coastline, five beaches, a mangrove swamp, and is covered in of dense jungle. It has a total surface area of , which makes it the 12th largest island in the archipelago. Isla Gibraleón rises to"
"Pearl Fishery Coast The Pearl Fishery Coast refers to a coastal area of southern India, extending along the Coromandel Coast from Tuticorin to Comorin ruled by Paravars. The coast took its name from the presence of pearls on the coast, and the numerous fisheries that operated to exploit them. In a conflict between the Paravas and the Arabs in 1532, the Paravas sought protection from the Portuguese. In 1535, the Portuguese led an army under Pedro Vaz and expelled the Arabs. As a compensation, the Paravas accepted to convert to Christianity. The Portuguese conquered the Pearl Fishery Coast from the"
"Contadora Island Isla Contadora (or Contadora Island in English) is a Panamanian island on the Pearl Islands archipelago (""Spanish: Archipielago de las Perlas"") in the Gulf of Panama. It has an area of 1.39 km², which makes it the 11th largest island of the archipelago. With a population of 253 (census 2000), however, it ranks third, after Isla del Rey and Isla Taboga. A popular tourist destination, Contadora has a small regional/domestic airport (""IATA"" code: OTD), and has regular flights to and from Panama City and the rest of the islands in the archipelago. Contadora was the island where the"
"Île Amsterdam Île Amsterdam (), also known as Amsterdam Island, New Amsterdam, or Nouvelle Amsterdam, is an island of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands in the southern Indian Ocean that together with neighbouring Île Saint-Paul to the south forms one of the five districts of the territory. The research station at Martin-de-Viviès, first called ""Camp Heurtin"" and then ""La Roche Godon"", is the only settlement on the island and is the seasonal home to about thirty researchers and staff studying biology, meteorology, and geomagnetics. The island is named after the ship ""Nieuw Amsterdam"", which is in turn named after"
"Brooke's Point ', officially the ', is a in the province of , . According to the , it has a population of people. It is named after Sir James Brooke. This is where the original home of the biggest pearl in the world, known as the Pearl of Lao Tzu or the Pearl of Allah, found in its waters on May 7, 1934. Brooke’s Point is situated in the south-eastern section of Palawan Island, approximately from Puerto Princesa City. It has a total land area of stretching about along the length of Palawan. Brooke's Point is bounded by in"
"Rey was Vasco Núñez de Balboa in October 1513 on his first expedition to the Pacific Ocean. He could only see the islands from afar, as the poor weather prevented his canoes from landing there. He named the island Isla Rica (Rich Island). Isla del Rey, Panama Isla del Rey is the largest island in the Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama. It has an area of , and a population of 1,676 (census 2000). Its current name is probably more a reference to Christ the King than to a secular king. There are four towns, which are San"
"Pearl Cays The Pearl Cays (Spanish: ""Cayos de Perlas"") is a group of 18 cays located about 35 kilometers from Pearl Lagoon (Spanish: Laguna de Perlas) off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. They are part of the RACCS autonomous region. The Pearl Cays are covered with vegetation and are lined with white sand beaches. They are an important nesting site for turtles, including the critically endangered Hawksbill turtle. There are a total of eighteen islands in the cluster of Pearl Cays. This includes Calala Island. A number of islands that are part of the Pearl Cays, were purchased by business"
"Isla del Rey, Panama Isla del Rey is the largest island in the Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama. It has an area of , and a population of 1,676 (census 2000). Its current name is probably more a reference to Christ the King than to a secular king. There are four towns, which are San Miguel (pop. 967), La Esmeralda (pop. 524), La Ensenada (pop. 94) and La Guinea (pop. 83). It is easily larger than the other Pearl Islands combined, and is the second largest island in Panama, after Coiba. The first European to see Isla del"
"at harvesting large pearls, especially in the Sulu Archipelago. At times, the largest pearls belonged by law to the sultan, and selling them could result in the death penalty for the seller. Nonetheless, many pearls made it out of the archipelago by stealth, ending up in the possession of the wealthiest families in Europe. Pearling was popular in Qatar, Bahrain, Japan, and India. The Gulf of Mexico was also known for pearling. Native Americans harvested freshwater pearls from lakes and rivers like the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi, while others dived for marine pearls from the Caribbean and waters along the"
"Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It has been long visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is now a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet. The U.S. government first obtained exclusive use of the inlet and the right to maintain a repair and coaling station for ships here"
"and they are now rented out to tourists. A small school is present on the island, where several children attend; however, most of the island life is centered around tourism, so most of the locals spend their time catering to such industries. Contadora Island Isla Contadora (or Contadora Island in English) is a Panamanian island on the Pearl Islands archipelago (""Spanish: Archipielago de las Perlas"") in the Gulf of Panama. It has an area of 1.39 km², which makes it the 11th largest island of the archipelago. With a population of 253 (census 2000), however, it ranks third, after Isla"
"Easter Island Easter Island (, ) is a Chilean island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. Easter Island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called ""moai"", created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park. It is believed that Easter Island's Polynesian inhabitants arrived on Easter Island sometime near 1200 AD. They created a thriving and industrious culture, as evidenced by the island's numerous enormous stone ""moai"" and"
"Pearl and Hermes Atoll The Pearl and Hermes Atoll () is part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a group of small islands and atolls that form the farthest northwest portion of the Hawaiian island chain. The atoll consists of a variable number of flat and sandy islets, typically between five and seven. More were noted in historical sources but have since been lost to erosion and rising sea levels. The atoll is named after the ""Pearl"" and the ""Hermes"", a pair of English whaleships that wrecked there in 1822. It has been the site of at least eight known shipwrecks,"
"Asia, the Pearl of the Orient Seas, center of the Coral Triangle, and the capital of fun. The country is also a biodiversity hotspot, having the world's highest endemism rate for bird species, and one of the highest for mammals and flora. It is also the largest bastion for Roman Catholicism in all of Asia. The country is also home to one of the New7Wonders of Nature, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, and one of the New7Wonders Cities, the Heritage City of Vigan. It is also home to 6 UNESCO world heritage sites scattered in 9 different locations,"
"of the point was changed from Pygmalion Point on 18 October 1985 in commemoration of Indira Gandhi. It was formerly known by various names that include Pygmalion Point, Parsons Point, and for a brief period India Point. It is located 540 km and more than a day’s sea voyage from Port Blair, the capital city and main port of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is approximately 163 km by sea from Sumatra, Indonesia. Rondo Island, Indonesia's northernmost island in Sabang district of Aceh province of Sumatra, lies south of Indira point. India and Indonesia are planning to collaborate to"
"Chryse, the ""Golden One,"" which is the name given by ancient Greek writers in reference to an island rich in gold east of India. Pomponius Mela, Marinos of Tyre and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentioned this island in 100 BC, and it is basically the equivalent to the Indian ""Suvarnadvipa"", the ""Island of Gold."" Josephus calls it in Latin ""Aurea"", and equates the island with biblical ""Ophir"", from where the ships of Tyre and Solomon brought back gold and other trade items. The Visayan Islands, particularly Cebu had earlier encounter with the Greek traders in 21 AD. Ptolemy"
"Territory. The surfing reef Temple reef is off the coast of Pondicherry, India constructed of fully recycled materials such as concrete, rocks, trees, palms, and iron bars. It is located at a depth of . Pearl of Dubai is an art-inspired Lost City off the coast of Dubai. The site encompasses five acres and is located at the World Islands. At a depth of , the site is designed as an ancient lost city, complete with temples and statues using regional design cues from 800 BC. Underwater Chocolate Hills is an artificial reef project undertaken by Spindrift Reefs Dive Center"
"Sedir Island Sedir Island (), also known as Cleopatra Island, is a small island in the Gulf of Gökova of southeastern Aegean Sea off the coast of Ula, part of Muğla Province of Turkey. It is famous for its beach made from seashells. It is said that this organic sand was brought by ships from the Red Sea especially for Cleopatra. Each grain of sand is a perfect sphere, for this reason the beach is heavily protected by the government to prevent any sand being removed from the beach. According to legend, Anthony and Cleopatra swam here and the sands"
"a protected natural site. The island is home to several species of birds, and a few types of lizards. Isola Bella (Sicily) Isola Bella (Sicilian: Ìsula Bedda) is a small island near Taormina, Sicily, southern Italy. Also known as The Pearl of the Ionian Sea, it is located within a small bay on the Ionian Sea; it was a private property owned by Florence Trevelyan until 1990, when it was bought by the Region of Sicily, being turned into a nature reserve, administrated by the Italian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature. There is a narrow path that"
"Elephanta Island Elephanta Island (also called Gharapuri Island or ""place of caves"" or Pory Island) is one of a number of islands in Mumbai Harbour, east of Mumbai, India. This island is a popular tourist destination because of the island's cave temples, the Elephanta Caves, that have been carved out of rock. The island is easily accessible by ferry from Mumbai, being about from the south east coast of the island city. Boats leave daily from the Gateway of India, taking about an hour each way. The tickets for these can be bought at the Gateway itself. The first ferry"
"Ocean, in areas such as the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and in the Gulf of Mannar (between Sri Lanka and India). A fragment of Isidore of Charax's Parthian itinerary was preserved in Athenaeus's 3rd-century ""Sophists at Dinner"", recording freediving for pearls around an island in the Persian Gulf. Pearl divers near the Philippines were also successful at harvesting large pearls, especially in the Sulu Archipelago. In fact, pearls from the Sulu Archipelago were considered the ""finest of the world"" which were found in ""high bred"" shells in deep, clear, and rapid tidal waters. At times, the largest pearls belonged"
"of Gold, access to which is forbidden to humans by griffins and dragons. Off the Indian coast are the islands of Taprobane (Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon), abundant with gems and elephants, Chrysa and Argyre, rich in gold and silver respectively, and finally Tyle, whose trees never lose their leaves (it has been speculated that this is some island of Indonesia). To the west of India one finds Parthia, a region that extends between the rivers Indus and Tigris. It is divided into five different provinces: Aracusia; Parthia proper, called thus by the Parthians, brave soldiers from Scythia who founded an"
"Polynesian Triangle The Polynesian Triangle is a region of the Pacific Ocean with three island groups at its corners: Hawaii (formerly ""the Sandwich Islands""), Easter Island (""Rapa Nui"") and New Zealand (""Aotearoa""). It is often used as a simple way to define Polynesia. Outside the triangle, there are traces of Polynesian settlement as far north as Necker Island (""Mokumanamana""), as far east as Salas y Gómez Island (""Motu Motiro Hiva""), and as far south as Enderby Island (""Motu Maha""). There was also once Polynesian settlement on Norfolk Island and Kermadec Island (""Rangitahua""). However, by the time the Europeans first arrived,"
"Pearl Islands combined, and is the second largest island in Panama, after Coiba. Other islands are Bolano Island, Buena Vista Island, Cana Island (Panama), Casaya Island, Chapera Island, Chitre Island, Cocos Island (Panama), Espiritu Santo Island (Panama), Galera Island, Gallo Island, Gilbraleon Island, Lampon Island, Marin Island, Mina Island, Mogo Mogo o Pajaro, Pacheca Island, Pachequille Island, Pedro Gonzalez Island, Puerco Island, San Jose Island, Senora Island, Vivenda Island, Vivienda Island and Viveros Island. The island of Galera has a façade of very tall coconut palm trees and a white sandy beach. Strong currents, combined with shallows and jagged reefs"
"and in the final chapter of ""Cloud Atlas"", the 2004 novel by David Mitchell. The novel was adapted for screen. Chatham Island Chatham Island is by far the largest island of the Chatham Islands group, in the south Pacific Ocean off the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is said to be ""halfway between the equator and the pole, and right on the International Date Line"", though the point (180°, 45°S) in fact lies ca. 173 miles WSW of the island's westernmost point. The island is called ""Rekohu"" (""misty skies"") in Moriori, and ""Wharekauri"" in Māori. The island"
"of Chryse, the ""Golden One,"" which is the name given by ancient Greek writers in reference to an island rich in gold east of India. Pomponius Mela, Marinos of Tyre and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentioned this island in 100 BC, and it is basically the equivalent to the Indian ""Suvarnadvipa"", the ""Island of Gold."" Josephus calls it in Latin ""Aurea"", and equates the island with biblical ""Ophir"", from where the ships of Tyre and Solomon brought back gold and other trade items. Ptolemy locates the islands of Chryse east of the ""Khruses Kersonenson"", the ""Golden Peninsula,"" i.e."