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Southwest (United States of America)

The American Southwest contains more than its fair share of natural wonders: Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park are only three of the most famous natural attractions that draw people from all over the world. The region is home to a wonderful and vibrant mix of Anglo, Latino, Hispanic, and American Indian traditions making it one of the more diverse and interesting corners of America with regards to history, landscape and culture.

States
The Navajo Nation is a reservation that overlaps areas of three of these states.

Note: Parts of California, Colorado, and Texas are usually considered to be part of the "Southwest", but they appear in other travel guides.

Cities

 * – the largest city, transportation hub, and economic center of New Mexico.
 * – home to New Mexico State University and close to the Mexican border.
 * – "Sin City", the lavish, indulgent destination for all manner of extravagant entertainment, including gambling and other vices.
 * – the capital of Arizona, a huge city in the desert.
 * – Las Vegas' lesser-known cousin is the "Biggest Little City in the World", with plenty of gambling, resorts, and other entertainment.
 * – the capital of Utah and of the Mormon Church, host of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and a starting point for Utah's breathtaking outdoor attractions.
 * – the capital of New Mexico with history, architecture, and a thriving art scene.
 * – Arizona's second city, a blend of cultures in the midst of scenic desert landscapes.

Other destinations

Landscape
Contrary to the Southwest's image as a sprawling desert, it is one of the most geographically diverse regions in the United States. Beginning at the high elevations of the Wasatch and Rocky Mountains the landscape descends into dramatic bluffs and mesas before emptying out on the flatlands of the Rio Grande. The dry climate and dramatic red rock landscapes help tie the region together despite the dramatic differences in elevation.

History
Human settlement in the Southwest dates back over 12,000 years, and is preserved today by the rock art, cliff dwellings, and other archaeological remains found throughout the region. The Pueblo (sometimes known as the Anasazi) people inhabited the area for well over one thousand years, but disappeared during the 12th or 13th century AD. The Athabascan people (Navajo and Apache) began arriving as early as 1000 AD and remain the largest indigenous group in the area to this day. In the 1500s Spanish explorers arrived and remained a dominant military force for nearly three hundred years. The area became part of Mexico in 1821 after Mexico won its independence from Spain. By the mid-1800s the expanding United States established a presence, and in 1848, after a war with Mexico, much of the area became United States territory. The colonization was commemorated in the legends of the Old West.

In the post-war years, the Southwest has seen become part of the prosperous Sun Belt, with newcomers both from north and south, for gambling, mining, technology industry, and retirement.

Climate
The region experiences the full range of climate extremes from 100-125°F (38-52°C) in the summer down to sub-zero in the northernmost regions in the winter. The dry, cold conditions in the northern mountainous regions make for excellent skiing, while the desert heat is perfect for those looking to escape winter's bite.

Talk
Although English is the predominant language spoken throughout the Southwest, Spanish is also common among Hispanic populations throughout the region. Most of this region was once under the rule of Spain and Mexico, and also has large immigrant populations from Mexico and Latin America. Numerous indigenous tribes throughout the region speak a myriad of languages; however, this is a trait most particularly observed within reservation boundaries. Linguistic diversity is more prevalent in larger metropolitan areas. The larger national parks and museums in the region provide signage and reading materials in other common languages such as German, French and Japanese.

By plane
The region's primary airports are in:
 * Albuquerque -- hub for Southwest Airlines, served by most majors, nominally an "international airport" but no nonstop international flights.
 * El Paso ( -- Although not part of the "southwest" in context of this article it serves as the nearest airport to Las Cruces, Silver City, Almagordo, Carlsbad Cavarens NP, and other parts of southern New Mexico.
 * Las Vegas -- another hub for Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines, some international services (on other airlines). It is also the nearest major airport to Grand Canyon, Lake Havasu, and other points in southern Utah and Northern Arizona.
 * Phoenix -- home base and largest hub for Southwest Airlines, as well as a major hub for American Airlines; a major airport with service to a number of international destinations; Tucson also has limited international service.
 * Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport -- serves as the secondary airport in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, it serves as a southwestern base for Allegiant Airlines form multiple locations in the U.S. and by Sun Country from Minneapolis-St Paul. Plans are underway to expand the airport facilities in Mesa.

 * Reno -- nearest airport for Reno, Carson City and Lake Tahoe from all parts of the U.S. with major U.S. airlines. The only international connection is to Guadalajara, Mexico with Volaris.
 * Salt Lake City -- major hub for Delta Air Lines with service to many domestic and international destinations.
 * Tucson -- major airport for southern Arizona with flights from much of the U.S. with Alaska Airlines, American/American Eagle, Delta, Southwest, Sun Country and United. American Eagle operates the Phoenix and Tucson flights.

By car
Entry from Mexico is surprisingly limited given the length of the region's Mexican border. New Mexico has border crossings at Santa Theresa, Columbus and Antelope Wells, of which the small town of Columbus is the only 24-hour port of entry; most traffic entering New Mexico from Mexico arrives via the 4 border crossings at El Paso, Texas, just outside the state. Arizona has border crossings at Douglas, Nogales and (outside) Yuma, with a few others that may or may not be open at any given time.

Major highways entering the region from other parts of the United States all have their western entries to the region from California (note that produce brought into California from Arizona is subject to inspection). East- and north-side entry points are:

 * I-10.svg Interstate 10: from Texas at Las Cruces, New Mexico, and from California at Blythe.
 * I-15.svg Interstate 15: from Idaho near Salt Lake City and from California south of Las Vegas.
 * I-25.svg Interstate 25: from Colorado near Raton, New Mexico. Interstate 25 terminates at it junction with Interstate 10 in Las Cruces.
 * I-40.svg Interstate 40: from Texas in empty country in eastern New Mexico, and from California at Needles.
 * I-70.svg Interstate 70: from Colorado in eastern Utah.
 * I-80.svg Interstate 80: from Wyoming near Salt Lake City.

I-17, I-25 (north end), I-40, I-70 (east end) and I-80 (east end) are all subject to occasional delays or closures in the winter owing to snowfall, as they go over mountainous country en route to (and within) the Southwest.

By train
Amtrak has three routes running through the Southwest, all of which run east-west connecting California to cities in the east. The California Zephyr cuts across Utah and Nevada, running roughly parallel to I-70 and I-80, stopping in Salt Lake City and Reno. The Southwest Chief runs through New Mexico and Arizona, parallel to I-40 west of Albuquerque with stops near Santa Fe and in Albuquerque and Flagstaff. Finally, the Sunset Limited zips through the small southwestern corner of New Mexico and across southern Arizona, with a stop in Tucson.

Get around
The southwestern United States was the first region extensively served by Southwest Airlines, which began as a Texas-only low-cost (and low-frills) carrier before expanding first into the Southwest and now into most of the U.S. Southwest is notable for its widely distributed network of minor hubs in contrast to the hub-and-spokes approach used by most airlines in the United States. Not only as a result of Southwest's approach, but also because its competitors in the region have adopted its ways to some extent, the major cities of the region tend to be connected very well by air, and fares are relatively low. Intra-regional air service to the lesser cities can be much more expensive, due in part to the fact that Southwest has no agreements with commuter airlines that service the smaller airports.

The imposing obstacle of the Grand Canyon limits road and rail traffic within the region. South of the Grand Canyon, Interstate highways 10 and 40 connect New Mexico and Arizona cities reasonably conveniently. I-40 basically follows the route of historic Route 66 in the region. I-80 serves a similar function for Nevada and Utah.

However, getting from north to south or vice versa by road is a more challenging proposition. No railroads make this connection, and the few highways that connect Arizona to Utah or eastern Nevada are minor, generally two-lane, lightly traveled, and frequently far from traveler services. If you're driving north-south from Arizona, pay careful attention to your fuel level, and make sure your vehicle is in good mechanical condition. I-15 runs southwest to northeast from Barstow, California through Las Vegas, Nevada and Salt Lake City across Utah. I-17 runs in Arizona between Phoenix and Flagstaff. I-19 connects Nogales and Tucson. New Mexico is bisected north-south by I-25, which runs from I-10 in Las Cruces though Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Denver into Wyoming.

Outside the major cities you will most likely have to rely on a car, but despite the reputation of the Southwest in general as a very car centric region, Salt Lake City actually has decent (by US standards) public transit. Other southwestern cities however, do live up to that reputation and touring this part of the United States without a car can be a challenge bordering on the impossible.

See
The Southwest is best known for its stunning scenery. The terrain is incredibly varied. You might find yourself driving through a desert landscape of red rock, and within a few hours you'll wind up climbing into the mountains. Some of the most striking sights are National Parks, protected from development and offering easy access to some of the most stunning attractions - parks like Carlsbad Caverns N.P., Grand Canyon N.P., Bryce Canyon N.P., and Zion N.P.

While known for its incredible natural beauty, the Southwest also has many historical sites. Throughout Arizona and New Mexico are reminders of the Native American culture, from the ruins of great pueblos in Canyon de Chelly in northeastern Arizona, Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico, and Mesa Verde in nearby Southwestern Colorado, to the thriving culture in communities still inhabited, like Taos Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico. The Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico from Albuquerque to Taos was the site of some of the first permanent European settlements in the country, and many towns in the area hold on to their Spanish roots, with the town plan of a central plaza and an adobe church overlooking it, surrounded by small adobe homes. On the other hand, in Utah (particularly all of Northern and Central Utah and the Dixie region) most of the historical sites are based around the Mormon Pioneers who transformed what many considered to be an uninhabitable wasteland into a thriving oasis of farmland and neatly planned cities and towns.

Winter sports
Considering the vast deserts and red rock landscapes that the Southwest is so well known for, it may seem hard to believe that this region offers some of the best skiing in the country, gifted by the varied terrain and exquisite powder. Salt Lake City, site of the 2002 Winter Olympics, is about 60 miles from nearly a dozen ski and snowboarding resorts in the Wasatch Range just to the east. Utah also has a couple of smaller but far less crowded resorts, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of North Central New Mexico offer a handful of resorts, notably Taos Ski Valley near Taos.

There are also many opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing in most of the forests of the region, scattered throughout Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Water sports
While you won't find any good places to surf or sail, the Colorado River and its two man-made reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, offer a chance for boating, kayaking, and white-water rafting through the canyons and expanses of red rock. Other rivers in the region give further opportunities for rafting, like the Rio Grande near Taos.

Bicycling
Cycling is hugely popular in the Southwest, from touring and road cycling to mountain biking, from high mountain valleys to rugged red rock landscapes. You can find a decent bike shop in just about every decent-sized town. Just keep in mind that nearly all National Parks have strict restrictions on just where you can bike, and some National Forests have their own rules as well.

Hiking and backpacking
The majority of the Southwest is public land, and just about anywhere you go you'll find a trail. All of the National Parks offer a range of trails, from easy, paved walks to strenuous hikes. Most of the trails in the National Forests are well-marked and traverse long distances, great for overnight backpacking. Bureau of Land Management property is a bit hazier - if there isn't a well-marked trail, be cautious as you could wind up entering private land. Be sure to prepare for any hike: pack lots of water, apply sunscreen, and watch for rapidly changing conditions.

Hunting and fishing
With the exception of salt-water fishing, this region offers just about every kind of recreational fishing there is, from renting a boat and casting in the middle of a lake to fly-fishing in mountain streams. The region also offers excellent hunting opportunities for both large and small game. Be sure to check the local laws and regulations before you do anything, though.

Camping
The Southwest offers thousands of camping opportunities which can be enjoyed year round. Choose your destination wisely. Camping in the summer months will be too hot in the desert, however the mountains will offer cool camping possibilities. In the late fall through early spring is the time to visit the deserts. The spring can be especially rewarding with the wildflowers.

Eat
For the most part you can find a diner or a place selling "American Food" in any town, and in most places you should be able to find a fast food chain, be it a regional or national one. In the larger cities cuisine options tend to open up, and in the largest cities you can find just about any form of cuisine you may be looking for.

New Mexico has a distinctive cuisine of its own, characterized by chile (chile, not chili) peppers, pork, beans, blue corn, and other common ingredients. Any town anywhere in New Mexico will have a diner selling both American and New Mexican food, and specific recipes may vary. Wherever you go, you will probably be asked the question "Red or Green?". What this means is what kind of chile you want on your dish, red chile (which tends to be the hottest) or green chile.

The Native Americans in the area also have a cuisine of their own, and you may find local restaurants specializing in frybread, Navajo tacos, cornbread, or posole.

Drink
Be warned that alcoholic beverages are forbidden in the Navajo Nation and in many other American Indian pueblos and reservations. Note that many Mormon-owned restaurants do not serve coffee, tea, or alcohol. There are many other drinks to have there.

Driving
Common sense should be applied to any problems you may face. The desert is beautiful, but it does not suffer fools kindly. Cell phone coverage is extremely spotty outside of urban areas, and while it's usually possible to use a cell phone from the interstate highways, this is nowhere close to universally true. Also, many areas of the Southwest can be as much as two hundred miles from the nearest tow truck, so be prepared. Have a spare, a jack, and a lug wrench, not to mention a full gas tank, blankets and extra water for use in an emergency. Winter nights can be bitterly cold in the desert, especially at higher altitudes, even at times when the daytime temperatures are quite hot.

Dust storms
Some areas experience dust-storms where visibility is almost nil. While usually brief, dust storms need to be taken seriously as they can quickly decrease visibility. Similar as with blizzard "whiteout conditions", multiple-car collisions are unfortunately a rather common occurrence in dust storm "brownout conditions" in the southwest, as drivers underestimate or disregard their reduced visibility.

If you see a dust storm while driving:
 * Turn on your headlights and slow to an appropriate speed.
 * If you can safely avoid it, do not enter the dust storm.
 * If you need to pull off the road, get as far to the right as possible, going even beyond the shoulder into the ditch if possible.
 * Turn off the car, headlights and parking lights, set the parking brake, and keep your foot off the brake pedal - go dark, otherwise other drivers may think you're a car in motion and likely rear-end you.

Rain and flash floods
During summer, typically central Arizona and New Mexico do experience heavy rainstorms, called monsoons. While these may be brief in any given area, the heavy rain can cause flooding in low-lying areas. If you find yourself driving during one of these storms:

 * Slow down: road surfaces are slick from the water, but also the oils especially if it's the first rain of the season.
 * If you need to pull off the road, get as far to the right as possible. Turn off the car, headlights and parking lights, set the parking brake, and keep your foot off the brake pedal - go dark, otherwise other drivers may think you're a car in motion.
 * Pay attention to hazard signs and roadblocks. If you see a sign that says "Do Not Cross When Flooded", take it seriously and find another way. In some states and municipalities, any motorist who drives around barricades into a flooded stretch of roadway may be charged for the cost of his or her rescue. In Arizona this is commonly known as the "Stupid Motorist Law".
 * Don't cross rain-swollen washes. You could get caught in a flash flood, and you don't know what's under the water. That guy out there who seems to be only ankle-deep in water may be standing on the roof of his pickup truck.
 * Most of these summer monsoon rainstorms are accompanied by lightning; some bring hail. Take proper precautions.

Hiking
If you choose to enter the desert to go hiking or sight-seeing, wear comfortable shoes with a tread and bring water. Natives to the area are disdainful of those who are lost or injured while hiking or exploring. Many desert and mountain areas do not have cell phone reception; it is vital to bring maps and tell someone where you will be going and when you expect to return. Hiking during the day is often a poor choice, due to the intense heat, it's better to start around dawn when it is cool.

Also, it is best to hike during the earlier part of the day, as thunderstorms tend to develop suddenly during the afternoon. Don't enter narrow canyons or dry river beds if rain or storms are in the forecast. In the event you encounter inclement weather conditions, seek high ground immediately! When it does rain in the desert, it can be quite heavy and come real fast. Thunderstorms can cause flash flooding in canyons and other low laying areas, even if it is not raining in the immediate vicinity.

Heat and summer weather
It is not uncommon for people to become very ill in the intense heat, or even die. It is vital to constantly drink water in the summer. If you're feeling thirsty, you're already behind on your water intake. Restaurants will give small cups of cold tap water for free (in moderation) and most establishments will be sympathetic and give cups for water, even if they do not sell it. Some restaurants will want to sell you bottled water, but you can ask for a glass of tap water.

Sunburn is a serious risk, even for people who are very dark. If you are not familiar with incredibly hot, dry, desert climates, it is vital to apply sunscreen every 45 minutes. Sunburns can range from uncomfortable to serious damage requiring medical attention. Burns also mark you as a tourist or non-native to the area.

Despite the intense heat, it is good to wear very thin layers of clothing that cover as much skin as possible: long sleeves and long pants such as of breathable, quick-dry fabrics. Sunglasses and hats with a wide brim and neck shade are also recommended. Americans in the Southwest value air conditioning; some stores, restaurants, and movie theatres will be cooled to temperatures as low as 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Forest fires
Under no circumstances light fires except where specifically posted, even in forest areas that do not seem at first glance particularly dry. This includes campfires, fireworks, and cigarettes (unless you are in an established area). The southwest is vulnerable to massive fires sweeping across several states; these often start from a single match or small campfire. These large fires destroy homes, entire towns, wildlife, and huge swaths of forest. Anyone who starts fires, accidentally or on purpose, will get no sympathy and probably no mercy either.

Desert wildlife
Coyotes are a desert animal, similar in appearance to a small wolf or dog. They are extremely intelligent and have adapted to also live in urban areas where they eat garbage. They travel in packs and can interbreed with dogs. They are often considered pests or nuisances and can be seen at night. Do not approach or disturb them - they are wild animals. They rarely attack humans, preferring to run, but cornering one or approaching pups is a good way to get hurt.

There are poisonous animals in the desert. Rattlesnakes often live in cool ledges or hidey-holes outside away from people. Do not stick your hand in a place you cannot see (say, onto a ledge while rock climbing). They often "rattle" as a warning before they strike, a very loud sound similar to that of a baby rattle. If you hear a rattle stop what you are doing immediately. Their bite is both painful and venomous, it's imperative you immediately seek medical care. Rattler bites can be fatal.

Scorpions are small arachnids with a large tail that curls over their body into a stinger. Common in the Sonoran Desert, the bark scorpion is light brown. They range in size from the palm of your hand to the size of a paperclip (3 in, 8 cm). They also hide in cool places, such as linen closets and shoes. Their sting ranges from mildly irritating to extremely painful. Check your shoes before putting them on by turning them upside-down and banking them, like you're trying to get sand out of them. If you are stung, seek medical attention or call the national Poison Control hotline (+1 800-222-1222). A person should see a doctor if they have severe conditions, such as difficulty swallowing, or symtoms that worsen within 2-3 hours of the sting. It is very unlikely to be fatal.

Black widows are a form of spider common to this area. They are often shiny, black, with a large or swollen abdomen with a red hourglass figure on it. They build webs and hide in areas such as corners, under beds, and again, in shoes. Their bite is extremely painful and poisonous, unlikely to cause death but can cause damage.

Africanized bees are common in this area. Africanized bees are extremely territorial and aggressive, they build their hives in any undisturbed area - awnings of houses, old cars, trees, and so on. Do not harass these bees or approach a hive. They will swarm and give chase for up to a mile; diving under water does not dissuade them. An individual sting in unpleasant and painful, multiple stings can lead to death.

Fire ants are also found in the area, both urban and rural areas, including residential yards. Watch for anthills if you choose to sit on the ground or lay an object on the ground. They build hives underground with few signs on the surface. They are often a dull red color. Their sting is painful. If the hive is disturbed or threatened, they will attack en mass. Leave the area immediately and treat the stings with minimal medical care as soon as possible.

title: Southwest (United States of America)


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South West (Western Australia)

South West is a region of Western Australia. It offers some of the most varied travel experiences in Western Australia.

Geography
The region covers about 24,000 square kilometres. It comprises the area south of the Perth and Wheatbelt regions and southwest of Goldfields–Esperance. It includes the Peel and Great Southern areas. To the west the region is bordered by the Indian Ocean and to the south by the Southern Ocean. This beautiful corner of the continent boasts a rugged coastline, caves, wineries, and very good surfing.

Climate
Temperatures are influenced by the proximity to the Southern Ocean, and the distance from the coast. Significant regional variations are possible, and it is quite possible at certain times of year to be swimming at Bunbury at lunchtime, and sitting by an open fire in Albany in the evening. Check local guides.

Cities

 * - the oldest settlement in Western Australia
 * - A wild bit of coastline with a famous lighthouse and waterwheel.
 * - A friendly township known for its annual Blues music festival.
 * - A bustling port city with fine beaches, surfing and dolphins.
 * - A historical coal mining town among the tall trees.
 * - A historic timber town surrounded by boutique food and wine producers, and a bit of a hippy vibe.
 * - A popular surf spot.
 * - a sprawling urban area on the coast.
 * - wineries, surf, forests, coastal scenery
 * - tall trees, wineries, forests
 * - One of the wettest places in the state is close to surf and forest.
 * Rockingham (Australia)
 * Rockingham (Australia)
 * Rockingham (Australia)
 * Rockingham (Australia)

Get in
The main gateway to the region is the state capital of Perth. From here, just about everywhere within the region is within a day's drive.

The only scheduled air services within the region are between Perth and Albany.

TransWA have coach services from Perth to all the major regional centres. Bunbury is connected to Perth with a train every morning and evening, with coach connections further south.

South West Coaches run as far south as Augusta, connecting to Bunbury.

Get around
Unless you are doing a long distance hike, or just hanging out on a beach somewhere, a car or an arranged tour is required to see all the highlights of the region. Bicycle touring, especially around the Margaret River region, is popular, but as always requires some preparation and route planning - the roads in the area often have no shoulder and have fast traffic.

A map can give you little indication of driving times, and even GPS and online mapping services can grossly misrepresent these times. Seek local advice.

Itineraries
A common loop around the Southwest is to start from Perth, and take the Albany Highway through Mount Barker to Albany, this is a reasonable half-day drive. You can then return via the coast, seeing the trees and wineries in Pemberton, before travelling back via Margaret River, Busselton, Bunbury, and back up through Mandurah to Perth. If doing this loop, it is unusual to allow more than a day for the trip to Albany, as the road is featureless and the towns are small. Allow much more time in Albany, and for the return trip. The roads are slower, and there are many stopping opportunities, beaches, sights and diversions of the roads for parks and walks.

Serpentine National Park

 * Serpentine Falls has well kept picnic grounds set in natural surroundings. The falls are about 400 m from the picnic grounds but there is a falls car park closer, The falls descend into a deep, clear pool of water which is perfect for swimming. Concrete has been used to make steps that ascend into the water making it easier for those with disabilities. During the weekends, public and school holidays, the falls are usually crowded. Visiting outside of these periods would be a more enjoyable visit. Just outside the town of Serpentine which about 35 minutes drive East of Mandurah.

The Serpentine Falls National Park is open daily from 8:30AM to 5PM daily with an entry fee of $9 per car.

Do

 * Canoeing, kayaking and rafting
 * Caving
 * Cycling
 * Diving
 * Hiking
 * Mountain biking
 * Nature walks
 * Rock climbing and abseiling
 * Scenic drives
 * Surfing
 * Swimming
 * Whale watching
 * Winery tours and wine tastings

Eat

 * Marron - a local crayfish with a sweet lobster taste, that makes good eating.
 * Cheese and dairy

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: South West (Western Australia)


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Southwest Angola

Southwest Angola is a region of Angola.

Other destinations

 * — a very pretty lagoon about an hour south of Namibe with natural rock arch formations.
 * — impressive segmented waterfalls right on the Namib border.
 * — the steepest mountains of Angola, with scenic drives (4x4 only), opportunities for adventurous hikers, and some spectacular views, such as.
 * — adjacent to Namibia's Skeleton Coast, a sparsely inhabited desert region, accessible but short on infrastructure, home to some isolated and very traditional semi-nomadic peoples.
 * – a ghost town, abandoned in the 1970s due to sea level rise
 * - among the largest waterfalls in Africa in terms of volume and width.
 * - among the largest waterfalls in Africa in terms of volume and width.

title: Southwest Angola


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Southwest Bengal

Southwest Bengal is region in West Bengal, consisting of the districts of Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur.

Jhargram

 * — famous for its forests and undulating topography

 * — a forest paradise at the foothills

Paschim Medinipur

 * — headquarters of Paschim Medinipur, home to one of the IITs

 * — temple town, home to Prayag Film City

Purba Medinipur

 * (Tamralipta) — headquarters of Purba Medinipur

 * (Kanthi) — the gateway to the beach resorts in the region

 * — a popular beach spot

 * — a developing port city

 * — a popular picnic spot

 * — Mahishadal is known for its Rajbari complex, while Geonkhali is a picnic spot at the confluence of Hooghly and Rupnarayan rivers.

 * — a beach resort

Other destinations

 * — an archaeological site with a Buddhist monastery dated between 6th to 12th century

Understand
Southwest Bengal is an emerging educational, economic and tourist hub of West Bengal. It is home to the Haldia Port, a major seaport acting as a feeder to the Port of Kolkata. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur is also in this region. Most of the well-known beach spots are in Southwest Bengal.

Southwest Bengal was also an epicentre of political movements during the British Raj. It was the birthplace of Khudiram Bose, a young freedom activist who was hanged in 1908. Another freedom activist, Matangini Hazra, was killed by a gunshot in 1943. During the Quit India Movement, a parallel government named "Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar" was formed in Tamluk.

Geography
Southwest Bengal is diverse in landscape. The road from Bankura to Balasore cuts across the region and divides it into two natural divisions. To the east of this road, the soil is fertile alluvial and the area is flat. To the west, the Chota Nagpur Plateau gradually slopes down creating an undulating area with laterite rocks and soil. The coastal areas of the region are occasionally affected by cyclones and tornadoes.

Talk
The Manbhumi dialect of Bengali is prevalent in this region. In particular, the word bôte ('okay') is used in Manbhumi more often than in any other Bengali dialect. The dialect is more Odia-centric in Contai and Dantan and less so in Midnapore.

Besides, Odia is another common language in the region, especially along the border with Odisha.

By train
The major railway stations are in Digha, Kharagpur and Tamluk.

By car
National Highway 16 (NH 16) crosses over Kharagpur, Kolaghat and Panskura. NH 116, a spur road of NH 16, runs over Tamluk and Haldia. Its spur road, NH 116B, runs over Contai and Digha.

Go next

 * Odisha — Southwest Bengal's southern neighbour is famous for beaches and pilgrimage.

title: Southwest Bengal


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Southwest China

Southwest China is the most exotic area of China, home to many minority ethnic groups. It has much in common with Northwest China; both areas are far less prosperous than the eastern and southern coastal regions.

Much of the terrain is quite mountainous. Tibet and Northwestern Yunnan are located on the Tibetan Plateau and have many very high mountains; including the world's highest (Mount Everest) which is located in on the Tibet/Nepalese border. Guizhou has smaller mountains, terraced rice fields, and many caves.

The regions of Sichuan and Chongqing are considered part of Western China, because they are the edge of "China proper" (the area historically inhabited by Han Chinese) even though they are near the geographical center of the modern Chinese state. Western Sichuan was once part of a Tibetan Empire and part of Eastern Tibet; it lies at the edge of the region and is the gateway to the frontier/minority provinces of Tibet and Qinghai.

Chongqing is historically and culturally part of Sichuan, but is now administratively a separate municipality and a mega-city in its own right. It is China's largest city, with a population of almost 30 million counting suburbs, countryside, and the many towns under its administration.

Cities

 * , Sichuan
 * , the central urban part of Chongqing Municipality
 * Yunnan
 * , Sichuan
 * Tibet
 * Tibet
 * , Sichuan
 * Tibet
 * Tibet

Other destinations

 * — a lake between Sichuan and Yunnan
 * , known as Gang Rinpoche in Tibetan, Tibet (5,656 meters), sacred to Hindus, Jains and some Buddhists
 * Two fantastic hiking areas hiking areas in Yunnan, both featuring large gorges winding between large mountains:
 * , accessible and popular
 * , more remote but sensational
 * , Sichuan Province (3,099 meters)

Talk
This part of China is culturally very rich, with many ethnic minorities like the Zhuang, Miao, Naxi, Bai and Tibetans who speak their own languages. Nevertheless, as Mandarin is the medium of instruction in all Chinese schools, nearly all younger locals are bilingual in their ethnic language and Mandarin.

Get around
The Wikivoyage itinerary Hong Kong to Kunming overland covers travel through this region.

See

 * The impressive Leshan Buddha rock carving in Leshan
 * Visit the Panda Research Base in Chengdu

Itineraries

 * Overland to Tibet
 * Yunnan tourist trail
 * Hong Kong to Kunming overland

Eat
No visit to Chongqing would be complete without a visit to one of the famous hot pot restaurants throughout the city. A spicy broth with seasonings most westerners have never tasted, diners boil their meats and vegetables in this heavenly stock. Try the pig brain and lotus roots or stick with the beef and potatoes - everything tastes better from a hot pot!

title: Southwest China


text:
Southwestern Alaska

Southwestern Alaska is a region in Alaska, including the Aleutian Islands and the mainland which forms the "chin" of Alaska.

Cities

 * - the westernmost city in the United States and the southernmost in Alaska. Closer to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky than to Anchorage. Closer to Hong Kong and Astana than to DC.
 * - where Sarah Palin and her husband work on their fishing business.
 * - the largest city in the Aleutians West Census Area
 * - the only settlement on Nunivak Island
 * - the borough seat of Aleutians East Borough
 * - the smaller of two settlements in the remote Pribilof Islands
 * - terminus of the Yukon River, which is used to transport goods.
 * - the larger of two settlements in the remote Pribilof Islands
 * - the largest city in the Aleutians West Census Area
 * - the only settlement on Nunivak Island
 * - the borough seat of Aleutians East Borough
 * - the smaller of two settlements in the remote Pribilof Islands
 * - terminus of the Yukon River, which is used to transport goods.
 * - the larger of two settlements in the remote Pribilof Islands
 * - the smaller of two settlements in the remote Pribilof Islands
 * - terminus of the Yukon River, which is used to transport goods.
 * - the larger of two settlements in the remote Pribilof Islands

Other destinations

 * Alagnak Wild River - Meandering west towards Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea, the Alagnak traverses the beautiful Alaska Peninsula, providing an unparalleled opportunity to experience the unique wilderness, wildlife, and cultural heritage of southwest Alaska
 * Aleutian World War II National Historic Area - concrete remains of the Aleutian World War II National Historic Area speak silently of a time of war
 * - vibrant reminder of Alaska's location in the volcanically active Ring of Fire
 * - created to preserve the famed Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a spectacular, 100- to 700-foot-deep ash flow deposited by Novarupta Volcano
 * - spectacular scenery providing a true wilderness experience

By boat
The Alaska Marine Highway is an option

By plane
Ravn Alaska suspended flights in Apr 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
 * Adak (ADK); Scheduled passenger service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service (EAS) program. Alaska Airlines operates two flights weekly, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, using Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 jet aircraft.
 * Aniak (ANI): There are no flights as of Apr 2030.
 * Bethel (BET): There are flights to Anchorage and King Salmon with Alaska Airlines. Grant Aviation also operates to other communities in Alaska.
 * Dillingham Airport : Alaska Airlines operates seasonal flights from Anchorage. Grant Aviation operates from small communities throughout Alaska.
 * Dutch Harbour/Unalaska (DUT): Ravn Alaska operates flights to Anchorage. Grant Aviation serves Unalaska with other communities around the Aleutian Islands.
 * King Salmon Airport (AKN): Served by Alaska Airlines with seasonal flights to Anchorage. Grant Aviation serves to other communities in Alaska.
 * Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport : Served by Alaska Airlines and Ravn Alaska with flights to Anchorage. It is also served by local airlines.
 * St. Mary's (KSM): Ravn Alaska operates flights to Anchorage and Bethel and other nearby Alaskan communities.

Get around
With no roads connecting the settlements with each other, the only way to travel is by air or boat.

Do
This area is great for viewing wildlife, rafting, camping, hiking & flightseeing.

title: Southwestern Alaska


text:
Southwestern Colorado

Southwestern Colorado, commonly called Mesa Verde Country, is a region of the state of Colorado in the United States of America that is known for beautiful landscapes, rich history, cultural heritage, and an abundance of outdoor activities. It is also home to the West Elks American Viticultural Area (AVA), part of Colorado's Wine Country and home to the highest wine vineyards in North America.

Cities

 * - The self-proclaimed archaeological center of the United States, Cortez is in the very southwestern corner of the state, nestled between the La Plata Mountains, Sleeping Ute Mountain, and the flat plateau of Mesa Verde National Park.
 * - A major ski resort located in the far northeastern corner of the region.
 * - The largest town in the region and the southern terminus of a superb scenic narrow-gauge railway
 * - Gateway town to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
 * - Home to part of Colorado's Wine Country and offering plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities.
 * - Nicknamed the "Switzerland of America," Ouray is a Victorian town home to hot springs and lots of outdoor recreation.
 * - A town at the southeastern corner of the region famed for its hot springs and nearby excellent skiing.
 * - An old mining and railroad town in the San Juans at the northern end of the scenic railroad linking it to Durango.
 * - A posh resort town with miles of great downhill skiing terrain.
 * - The present tribal headquarters of the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation.
 * - An old mining and railroad town in the San Juans at the northern end of the scenic railroad linking it to Durango.
 * - A posh resort town with miles of great downhill skiing terrain.
 * - The present tribal headquarters of the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation.

Other destinations

Archeological and geological points of interest abound throughout Southwestern Colorado's many parks and monuments.

 * - of a spectacular and scenic gorge.
 * - A national monument near Cortez that contains more than 6,000 archaeological sites, representing Ancestral Puebloan and other Native American cultures. Just outside the monument is the Anasazi Heritage Center, an archaeological museum.
 * - Three reservoirs, including, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado's largest body of water.
 * - Twist your body and be in four states simultaneously.
 * - Protects six Ancestral Puebloan villages spread over a expanse of mesa tops and canyons along the Utah-Colorado border. Iconic to the monument are the multi-storied ruins.
 * - Home to an iconic set of Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.
 * - A monument near Towaoc that preserves an entire unexcavated city of Ancestral Puebloan houses, built between 1150 and 1300 AD.
 * - Protects six Ancestral Puebloan villages spread over a expanse of mesa tops and canyons along the Utah-Colorado border. Iconic to the monument are the multi-storied ruins.
 * - Home to an iconic set of Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.
 * - A monument near Towaoc that preserves an entire unexcavated city of Ancestral Puebloan houses, built between 1150 and 1300 AD.
 * - A monument near Towaoc that preserves an entire unexcavated city of Ancestral Puebloan houses, built between 1150 and 1300 AD.

Understand
Region boundaries in Colorado tend to be somewhat controversial (even in day-to-day life in the state) and are done in an ad-hoc way here. If you're expecting to read about some destination in this article and can't find it, check in the neighboring Northwestern Colorado and South Central Colorado sections to see if it's covered there. Broadly, this region is bounded on the:
 * North, by Northwestern Colorado, which contours along the southern borders of Mesa and Pitkin Counties, an arbitrary line 50 (80 km) to 100 (160 km) miles south of the east-west running Interstate 70.
 * East, by the Continental Divide as it winds its way along the ridge line of the San Juan Mountains, which separates this region from South Central Colorado.
 * South, by the New Mexico state line.
 * West, by the Utah state line.

This is a tremendously diverse area from both a geological and recreational perspective. Some of the greatest American ski resorts are here, and the San Juans pose some of the most serious mountaineering challenges in Colorado (Dallas Peak, in the San Juans, is generally considered the most difficult of Colorado's high summits to reach, and should be attempted only by the technically proficient climber). On the other hand, the lower terrain near Four Corners barely seems "mountainous" at all (although you can see mountains in the distance pretty well everywhere in the region), and the main attractions reside in canyon-and-mesa country are the numerous Ancestral Puebloan sites there.

Southwestern Colorado is dominated by two geological features: the mountains that reach as high as 10,000 and 14,000 ft (3048 and 4267 m) along the Western Slope of the Continental Divide, and a zone comprised of the Uncompahgre and Colorado Plateaus. The Rockies in the mountainous zone includes such ranges as the San Juans, Elks and West Elks, as well as smaller ranges like the Uncompahgre, San Miguel, La Plata, and La Sals. This region is dotted with mining towns converted into tourist resorts like Crested Butte, Telluride, Durango and Silverton. The mountains are still growing, thrust upwards by a subducting tectonic plate that scientists hypothesize is situated at an odd angle, which explains why Southwestern Colorado is curiously free of any volcanoes similar to the Cascades in Washington and Oregon (although there has been volcanic activity in the past, and Southwestern Colorado is dotted with geothermal pools in places like Ouray).

The plateau country is criss-crossed by tributaries of the Colorado River, such as the Gunnison and Uncompahgre, which have carved deep, narrow canyons with steep walls, including the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The broad valleys and mesas of this area are the home of agricultural towns like Delta, Montrose and Gunnison. Called Colorado's Wine Country, the grape-growing portions of this region comprise the highest vineyards in North America.

The Colorado Plateau largely features an arid, rocky region of pinon pines, box canyons, high cliffs, uranium mines and oil exploration. Hardscrabble 20th century mining towns like Vanadium and Uravan are located here, as well as an area rich in archaeological finds like the cliff palaces of Mesa Verde National Park. Much of the Four Corners vicinity is occupied by the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation, not to be confused with the better-known Navajo Nation which occupies much of the Four Corners region across the state lines in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

History
Around 10,000 years ago, the first humans entered Southwestern Colorado. Part of the Folsom culture, these hunters are believed to have been amongst the earliest transcontinental migrations to North America from Asia. Crude implements and other weapons have been discovered on the Uncompahgre Plateau.

As early as 1500 BC and through 1300 AD, the Ancestral Puebloan (formerly called the Anasazi) people populated the land. They made their homes from shaped stones, building pit houses and eventually, multi-level dwellings inside rock overhangs. These "cliff palaces" are preserved in an over a dozen national parks and monuments throughout the Four Corners area. An advanced civilization, the Puebloan culture collapsed due to environmental pressure during the global "Little Ice Age" of the Middle Ages. Prolonged drought may have forced the Puebloans to abandon their villages and look elsewhere to grow their crops.

Circa 1500, the nomadic Ute nation moved into Northwestern Colorado, with the Spanish not far behind (at least on paper). From the 1520s through the 1820s, Spain claimed a large portion of Southwestern Colorado as part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The borders were not firmly fixed on a map, and the Spanish only managed to settle as far as South Central Colorado.

During the 19th century, the area was very much in dispute with a young nation, the United States. After the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the U.S. claimed all the land south and west of the Arkansas River. Spain declared a large trade zone around its colony of Santa Fé de Nuevo Méjico, a claim the U.S. challenged.

The U.S. relinquished its claim on the region as part of the purchase of Florida from Spain with the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. In 1821, the Viceroyalty of New Spain successfully revolted, splitting with the Spanish crown. Southwestern Colorado become part of the nebulous northern border of Alta California, a province in the new nation of Mexico.

Hoping to develop the area, Mexican officials opened the land up to mountain men, trappers and traders. Between 1821 and 1840, explorer Antoine Robidoux ventured through the region in search of beaver pelts. With this influx of adventurers and speculators came many of the men who would later lead U.S. Army expeditions and Government Surveying parties through the area: Kit Carson, "Pathfinder" John Charles Fremont and Captain John Gunnison.

In 1846, the U.S. Army invaded and defeated Mexico in the Mexican-American War. With the Treaty of Guadalupe y Hidalgo, the U.S. gained control of Southwestern Colorado, as well as California, Nevada, Utah, and portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming.

In the 1870s, gold and silver were discovered in the San Juan Mountains to the south. The U.S. Army forcibly relocated the Utes to Utah, and into a tiny corner of Southwestern Colorado, near Cortez.

With the Uncompahgre Reservation open to settlers in 1881, towns like Delta, Montrose and Gunnison were rapidly established to service mining towns like Crested Butte, Silverton and Telluride. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad laid narrow gauge tracks through the San Juans, founding what is today one of the oldest railroad lines still in continuous operation.

Ranching, farming and mining remained the backbone of the region's industry for the next 80 years. With the rise of the automobile and a reliable highway system, Southwestern Colorado increasingly relied on tourism as a source of income. The mining towns of Telluride and Crested Butte were remade into ski resorts in the 1960s and 1970s. This brought an influx of new money and wealth to a few isolated pockets of the region.

In the 21st century, Southwestern Colorado continues to draw people with its rugged natural beauty, abundant recreational opportunities and archeological heritage.

Talk
English is spoken, even on the Ute reservations. There is a wide circle of Spanish speaking laborers who are the working class backbone of the mountain resorts, energy, construction and hospitality industries. See the Spanish phrasebook for more information on how to better engage this group.

Also, within the ski towns, there are large, developed exchange programs with college-age students from Europe and South America. You will find them running the ski lifts and equipment rental shops, so hearing French, German, and Italian is not uncommon during the ski season. All, however, are required to speak English.

Speakers of the major European languages can sometimes be found in Durango, while Mesa Verde National Park has interpretive materials in several languages.

Get in
To visit Southwestern Colorado, travelers are going to have fly and/or drive.

By plane
The only major airport in the state is the Denver International Airport, which is a major air hub and served by all major domestic airlines, as well as a few international ones. A closer option is Walker Field in Grand Junction, just to the north of this region, which is a minor airport served by several airlines with nonstop service to Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City, with some service being seasonal. For private pilots, it is also possible to fly your small plane into the airport and leave it while you tour the area. Taxi and rental car service is also available at the airport.

Within the region there are three small airport with limited commercial service. All three offer rental car service.

 * in Cortez has daily flights to Denver International Airport offered through Great Lakes Airlines.
 * in Gunnison provides service to Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Chicago, and Los Angeles through Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and United.
 * in Montrose is a small airport which has seasonal service on Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta, and United. Used most heavily during ski season.

By car

 * Cortez - US 160 runs east west from Durango and terminates in the center of town, joining the north-south running US 491. On 491, Cortez is situated between Monticello, Utah to the northwest and Shiprock, New Mexico to the south. It's 46 mi (74 km), or about an hour's drive from Durango, while it's 60 mi (97 km) or hour's drive from Monticello. From Shiprock, it's a 42 mi (68 km), or 45 minute drive.
 * Delta, Montrose - US 50 runs north-south from Grand Junction to the north, then curves and runs and east-west to Gunnison and Pueblo. US 92 runs east-west from Hotchkiss, Paonia and Aspen. Grand Junction is about 45 mi (73 km), or an hour's drive, while Aspen is 161 mi (259 km), or about 3 hours away.
 * Durango - To the south, Farmington, New Mexico is about away, about a one-hour drive. To the southwest, Cortez is about 45 mi (73 km) away and is also about an hour's drive. To the north, Montrose is 206 mi (332 km), or a two-hour drive on US 550. To the east, Walsenburg is 221 mi (356 km) or 4 hours away on US 160.
 * Gunnison - US 50 runs east-west from Montrose and Pueblo. From the west, it's about 65 mi (105 km), or an hour's drive from Montrose on US 50. From the east, it's 160 mi (258 km) or about 3 hours from Pueblo.
 * Ouray, Silverton, - US 550 runs north-south from Montrose in the north to Durango in the south. It's about 60 mi (97 km) or an hour's drove from Montrose, and 48 mi (77 km) or an hour's drive from Durango.

By train
Amtrak has no direct service to this region; the closest train station is in Grand Junction on the daily California Zephyr line between the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago.

By bus
Greyhound offers service to Delta, Durango, Gunnison, Montrose and Silverton; note that the stop in Silverton has no Greyhound ticketing office.

Get around

There's really no alternative to driving. Motorists should be aware that the eastern side of this region contains some seriously high passes, particularly Wolf Creek Pass on US 160 as it crosses the Continental Divide, and Coal Bank Pass, Molas Pass, and Red Mountain Pass on US 550 (the "Million Dollar Highway") between Durango and Silverton. These are commonly closed for periods of time during the winter. There are even "avalanche tunnels" along some of the routes, to prevent your car from being swept off the road into deep ravines by falling blocks of snow. The western part of the region is lower and less prone to road closures, but towns with gas stations and services are few and far between.

During the winter, heavy ice and snow are a major concern, which can make driving difficult and slow going. Always check the weather and road conditions before heading out. Even on a clear winter's day, make sure your vehicle's wiper fluid reservoir is full. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) spreads both sand and magnesium chloride on the roads, which makes for an impenetrable, gluey mess on your windshield.

In the summer months, it's not uncommon to see the shoulders of the highways littered with broken-down vehicles that could not handle the steep grades and high altitude air of the Rocky Mountains. If you are venturing from a lower altitude, make sure your car can handle mountain driving. Thinner air means you will be burning more gasoline. Also, with so many steep grades, expect to gear down to avoid unnecessary friction to your brake pads.

Eat
World class dining is available in Telluride and Colorado's Wine Country. There are a variety of restaurants available in Cortez and Gunnison, outside of the National Parks. Durango is another spot for decent dining.

But if you really want to eat authentically in the region, it's not that difficult to eat like an Ancestral Puebloan. A trip to one of Southwestern Colorado's many farmers markets can provide a lot of the same ingredients the Ancestral Puebloans cultivated: garden corn, squash, pumpkins and beans. They also raised turkeys and hunted game. A visit to a small town butcher that processes wild game could add venison, elk, sage hens, ducks and geese to your menu. The Ancestral Puebloans gathered sunflower seeds and pinon nuts from the mesa tops; you can gather these ingredients a little easier at the local grocery store. Coarse-ground cornmeal could be added to the list, as native women used to spend long, grueling hours grinding grain on stone metates to have enough to eat. A majority of these ingredients are available in restaurants, since they are still heavily used today in Southwestern cuisine.

Harder to come by are staples of the Ancestral Puebloan diet like prickly pears and yucca fruit. Pickled clean of their spines, the buds of the prickly pear can be cooked and served, as can its fruit. Also called Spanish bayonette, the yucca could be eaten raw, cooked, or mixed with other ingredients. The yucca's white blossoms taste sweet and can be eaten raw. Today, prickly pear is available fresh, canned and as jelly and candy, while a Central American cousin of the Southwestern yucca can be bought diced and frozen. Both foods are usually available at gourmet and natural foods grocery stores.

However, the biggest difference between you and the Ancestral Puebloan is how easily you procure your meal and how much you get to eat. The master builders of Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde spent the majority of each day simply eking out a subsistence diet.

Drink
There are trendy bars, brewpubs, as well as honky tonks and a handful of authentic mining-era 19th century saloons. The mountain resorts are famous for their apres-ski nightlife and clubs.

There is a long, storied history between drinking and the area.

It's unclear whether the Ancestral Puebloans drank. The conventional scientific wisdom says no, and that alcohol was introduced to Southwestern Colorado by the Spanish, 200 years after the Puebloan peoples left the region. However, a study conducted at Sandia National Laboratories says the Puebloans may have brewed their own beer using corn in clay pots. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometers to analyze vapors produced by mild heating of pot samples, scientists produced chemicals associated with alcohol. So were the first microbreweries in the area inside the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde? Perhaps not, since the corn could have fermented unintentionally on its own inside the clay containers.

Alcohol trickled into the region in between 1800 and 1840 with the arrival of the mountain men and fur trappers. Often working alone with long hours and in extreme conditions, many Mountain Men passed their leisure hours in the solace of drink. This is recorded in their first hand journals and in the legacy of the colorful vocabulary they left behind. For instance, cheap whiskey could be called arwerdenty whiskey, from the Spanish words "agua ardiente", which means "fiery water". Other terms for cheap whiskey include "John Barleycorn", "baldface", "panner piss", or "panther piss"). The trappers would carry this rot gut whiskey in a "jack of likker" a leather sack of fire water, or in "hollow woods", a Native American term for the small kegs used to haul alcohol. To drink was called "take a horn", since sometimes bone horns of bulls or bighorn sheep were fashioned into drinking flasks, or powder horns that usually contained gunpowder were converted for the purposes of partying. Whilst imbibing, the mountain men would chew or smoke "baccer" or "baccy" tobacco, also called "honeydew" or "ol Virginny", because a lot of tobacco was grown in the state of Virginia.

The culmination of all this hard living was in the drink, trade whiskey - a dubious combination of "red eye" whiskey, hot chili peppers, plug tobacco and gunpowder. (A gourmet recreation of the drink can still be sampled at The Fort Restaurant, in Morrison, Colorado), near Denver. At summertime rendezvous with other trappers and in wintertime quarters like Fort Robideaux, the mountain men would drink themselves blind with earthen jugs of trade whiskey, inducing the euphoric good feelings the fur trappers dubbed, "Shinin Times".

One note of caution - while experiencing your own "Shinin Times," you may want to take it a little slower at first. Some people find that their alcohol tolerance is lower at higher altitudes. Drink slowly until you acclimate. Otherwise, the consequences may include extreme hangover and nausea.

Health
There's no reason to fear the mountains, as long as you approach them with proper respect and preparation. As with anywhere else, recklessness and a lack of forethought can get you into trouble, especially in Colorado's vast back country.

 * Altitude sickness - Can lead to dizziness, headaches, nausea, even blackouts and pulmonary edema. Give your body a few days to adjust to the high altitudes before going full throttle with your hiking or skiing.
 * Dehydration - When you engage in strenuous outdoor activities, be sure to replenish your fluids as you go. You may be losing moisture through your mouth and nose and through sweating, but be completely unawares due to the arid mountain air. May result in dizziness, intense thirst and elevated heart and breath rates.
 * Giardia - Drinking untreated water from regional streams is not a good idea owing to Giardia parasites, but tap water is not a problem.
 * Hypothermia - Prolonged exposure to the cold can result in confusion, a slowed heart rate, lethargy, even death. Dress warmly in non cotton clothing to allow any sweat to wick away from your body and evaporate. Otherwise, it may thoroughly chill you later in the day when temperatures drop.
 * Frostbite - During periods of severe cold, your circulatory system pulls all your warming blood into the core of your body to protect your vital organs. This makes your extremities such as your ears, fingers and nose especially vulnerable. Wear a face mask, insulated gloves and other heavy gear on the worst winter days. It gets cold sitting still on those ski lifts!
 * Sunburn - Lather up with sunscreen, even if there's cloud cover. Colorado's high elevation means you have less protection to the sun's powerful ultra violet rays. This can be compounded while skiing or snowboarding, when the rays are reflected off the snow and hits the underside of your jaw. Don't forget to wear UV-rated goggles or sunglasses, as well. There's nothing more painful than sunburned eyeballs.

Safety

 * Avalanches - Colorado claims about a third of all avalanche deaths in the U.S. The ski resorts have groomed slopes that are safe, but it is extremely dangerous to ski or snowboard outside of the designated terrain. It's popular amongst daredevil skiers to "run the shutes," steep, shaded slopes that funnel into tight gullies. These are classic avalanche zones. Far more common (and deadly) are slab avalanches that break along a fault line and bury unsuspecting snow mobilers or skiers. Always wear a homing beacon and check the conditions at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center before heading into the back country.
 * Lightning - This is especially deadly in the high country above timberline when no shelter is nearby. If you hear crackling or hissing sounds, or your hair begins to stand on end, squat down immediately in the "lightning desperation position" - feet together and your hands clapped over your ears. Remember, a tent and inflatable mattress offer no protection from a lightning strike. Avoid the high ground, or solitary objects like trees that stick out higher than the surrounding terrain (they may act like natural lightning rods). For more information, see the safety tips at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA).

Go next

 * Northwestern Colorado lies to the north, and is a diverse area of both red rock country and snow-capped peaks. Within this area is Colorado National Monument, red rock pinnacles, arches and other geologic features, the rich fossil beds of Dinosaur National Monument, the trendy ski town known of Aspen, and Vail, with some of the largest ski slopes in North America.
 * To the east, on the other side on the San Juan Mountains, is the San Luis Valley of South Central Colorado. Within the valley is Great Sand Dunes National Park, which holds North America's tallest dunes.
 * The canyon and mesa country of the larger Four Corners region, including Northwest New Mexico to the south and Utah's Canyon Country to the west, offers many more famous national parks and monuments that preserve red rock wonders and Ancestral Puebloan ruins.

title: Southwestern Colorado


text:
Southwestern Forests

The Southwestern Forests are an area of Côte d'Ivoire consisting of broadleaf tropical moist forestland, populated primarily by the Kru people (also in neighboring Liberia).

Cities

 * - port
 * – a charming fishing town with idyllic beaches
 * - port
 * – a charming fishing town with idyllic beaches
 * - port
 * – a charming fishing town with idyllic beaches
 * - port
 * – a charming fishing town with idyllic beaches
 * - port
 * – a charming fishing town with idyllic beaches

Other destinations

 * - primary tropical rainforest, near Guiglo
 * - primary tropical rainforest, near Guiglo

title: Southwestern Forests


text:
Southwestern Georgia

Southwestern Georgia is a region along Georgia's Black Sea coast, which borders Turkey to the south.

Cities

 * – capital of Ajara and Georgia's third largest city is a pleasant Black Sea port with great Ajaruli cuisine
 * – small town in Guria, district center
 * – town in Ajara's highland, and the district center
 * – small town, district center
 * – with medieval fortress and 15th century church
 * – with medieval Askana Fortress
 * – capital of Guria is a fairly small town; near the Shemokmedi Monastery and the Likhauri Church
 * – beach resort famous for its magnetic sand
 * – coastal village and transport hub right next to the border with Turkey
 * – with 6th century Monastery

Other destinations

 * – small beach resort and gateway to Chakvistavi National Park
 * – beach resort
 * – district center
 * – small town and beach resort
 * – source of mineral water of the same name
 * – balneotherapeutic health resort with mineral water
 * – venue for the annual Leloburti (a rugby match between the neighboring villages of Kvemo and Zemo Shukhuti), always on the Orthodox Easter Sunday
 * – village with 3,000-year-old Petra Fortress

Ajara

 * Kintrishi National Park
 * Kobuleti National Reserve
 * Mtirala National Park
 * Machakhela National Park

Guria

 * — mountain resort
 * — mountain resort
 * Kolkheti National Park and Paliastomi lake

Understand
Southwestern Georgia consists of two regions: Ajara and Guria. The region includes a variety of localities, from historic towns and cities, through ports, industrial areas, beach resorts and natural reserves. It therefore offers a varied mixture of holiday opportunities to the travelers, as you can engage in traditional beach activities and do a fair share of inspiring sightseeing. Ajara is an autonomous region of Georgia 30% of whose population is Muslim. It has beaches, palm trees, and wonderfully fattening food. Guria, on the other hand, is famous for its "Gurian Riders", trick horse riders who toured the United States as part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

The climate of Southwestern Georgia ranges from subtropical to high alpine, and is one of Georgia's greenest and wettest regions.

Talk
Georgian is unquestionably the main language in the region. Turkish is also fairly prevalent in Batumi. Much of the older generation speak Russian and the younger generation is increasingly speaking English due to hostility towards Russia, and also because English is taught in schools since independence and has replaced Russian as a second language in schools nation-wide. When in need for help, look for younger people, as they are more likely to know some English.

By plane
Batumi has its international airport. Taxi from airport to the city costs about 10 lari. Other nearest major international airports are in Trabzon, Turkey and Kutaisi. There are regular flights from Tbilisi to Batumi international airports.

By train
Batumi, Ureki, Kobuleti and Ozurgeti has a railway stations. These cities are linked to each other and to Tbilisi by the railway. Tickets can be bought at stations and online.

By bus
There are daily coach arrivals and departures in several directions: Kutaisi, Samtredia, Poti and Tbilisi, also from Istanbul, as well as easy marshrutka. Marshrutkas head to Btumi and Ozurgeti from the bus stations in Tbilisi and Kutaisi. Batumi is the easiest destination to get to, and is widely served by public transport.

By car
Batumi, Kobuleti and Ureki lies on the well-developed international road which links Turkey to Georgia. Other cities lies on national roads which are paved with concrete. Roads are beautiful and ideal for a scenic drive.

Get around
Marshrutkas go into the surrounding area. Cycling is easy in Batumi. Marshrutkas are generally the way to go when traveling outside of Batumi or Kobuleti.

See
There are many historic monuments, museums, galleries and other attractions in the old city of Batumi, which is probably where more tourists will start their visit anyway. Do not miss Roman era Gonio Fortress in the souther part of the city.

Head for the beaches of Gonio, Kvariati, Sarpi, Chakvi to experience the black sea and high night life of the resorts, or head to Shekvetili, Ureki or Grigoleti which also offer a number of more relaxed beaches and curable sands than those close to Batumi.
 * See Ozurgeti, historical capital of the region, with Soviet era architecture
 * Explore Guria's historic medieval monasteries, churches and fortresses in villages Likhauri, mTispiri and Shemokmedi.
 * Four of the seven components making up the natural world heritage site Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands;, , and  are in the northern and western corner of this region (the others are in Northwestern Georgia).

Parks

 * Batumi Botanical Garden
 * Kintrishi National Park — east from Kobuleti
 * Kobuleti National Reserve — in Kobuleti
 * Machakhela National Park
 * Mtirala National Park — east from Chakva
 * Kolkheti National Park — north from Ureki
 * Eristavi Palace and Park — near Chokhatauri

Do

 * Ski – Goderdzi Pass, mountainous resort of Ajara
 * Trekking and Hiking in other mountain resorts – Bakhmaro, Gomismta or Beshumi
 * Batumi offers great biking opportunities
 * Visit Guria Park – A large amusement center between Ureki and Kobuleti
 * Hiking – Mt. Chakvistavi or the Two Mountains Trail from Batumi

Eat

The food differs slightly in Gurian and Ajara. You should try khachapuri in Ajarian style. You also need to make sure you experience the fresh fish and other seafood, which is served at restaurants in Batumi and Ureki, as well as in villages of Guria and Ajara you can try river fish. Try "Bachlava" for dessert.

Drink
You will fins some wineries in Keda (Ajara) and Bukistsikhe (Guria) and a lot of pubs and bars in coastal resorts: Batumi, Kobuleti and Ureki during summer season. The most famous local wine is "Chkhaveri".

Sleep
There is wide range of hotels, hostels and guesthouses in Batumi, Kobuleti and Ureki, included splurge international brands such as Hilton, Radisson, and Sheraton hotels in Batumi.

There are seven resorts in the region, of which Ureki, Shekvetili and Grigoleti are located on the Black Sea; Bakhmaro, Gomi Mountain, Balneological Nabeghlavi and Nasakirali—in the mountainous alpine zone.

Stay safe
Guria and Ajara are quite safe regions of Georgia. Take common precautions, especially during nighttime. Also avoid dark streets.

Go next
International road links Georgia trough Batumi with Turkey and it is fairly easy to catch a marshrutka or hire a taxi going to the Sarpi border, or travel to Trabzon or Istanbul from Batumi by bus.

North of the region is Northwestern Georgia and east of the region is Samtskhe-Javakheti. They can be reached by the well developed local roads.

title: Southwestern Georgia


text:
Southwestern Idaho

Southwestern Idaho is in Idaho.

Do

 * - located in Meridian
 * Bear Valley Rafting, 7864 Idaho 55, Banks, ID 83602 (a 45 minute drive north of Boise). Bear Valley Rafting offers half-day and full-day whitewater rafting trips on the Payette River, with family-friendly class II & III rapids, to more thrilling class IV rapids.
 * Bear Valley Rafting, 7864 Idaho 55, Banks, ID 83602 (a 45 minute drive north of Boise). Bear Valley Rafting offers half-day and full-day whitewater rafting trips on the Payette River, with family-friendly class II & III rapids, to more thrilling class IV rapids.
 * Bear Valley Rafting, 7864 Idaho 55, Banks, ID 83602 (a 45 minute drive north of Boise). Bear Valley Rafting offers half-day and full-day whitewater rafting trips on the Payette River, with family-friendly class II & III rapids, to more thrilling class IV rapids.
 * Bear Valley Rafting, 7864 Idaho 55, Banks, ID 83602 (a 45 minute drive north of Boise). Bear Valley Rafting offers half-day and full-day whitewater rafting trips on the Payette River, with family-friendly class II & III rapids, to more thrilling class IV rapids.
 * Bear Valley Rafting, 7864 Idaho 55, Banks, ID 83602 (a 45 minute drive north of Boise). Bear Valley Rafting offers half-day and full-day whitewater rafting trips on the Payette River, with family-friendly class II & III rapids, to more thrilling class IV rapids.

title: Southwestern Idaho


text:
Southwestern Indiana

Southwestern Indiana is in Indiana.

Cities

 * - A small town that was once a failed experiment in creating a Utopian society.
 * - A small little town in the middle of Amish Country
 * , location of Holiday World theme park
 * - A small town that was once a failed experiment in creating a Utopian society.
 * - A small little town in the middle of Amish Country
 * , location of Holiday World theme park

Get in

 * Evansville Regional Airport from Chicago, Dallas, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Memphis, and Detroit.

title: Southwestern Indiana


text:
Southwestern Niger

Southwestern Niger is the western and southernmost region of Niger, spanning the Tillabére and Dosso provinces as well as the nation's capital on the Niger River.

Cities

 * — an important market town on a picturesque section of the Niger River.
 * — a market town home to one of West Africa's largest animal markets.
 * — at the junction of the roads to Benin and Zinder, this small town has a colorful market and an even more colorful chief's palace.
 * — the laid back national capital.

Other destinations

 * — home to the last herd of giraffes.
 * — one of the Sahel's most important nature reserves and a popular tourist destination, straddling the border with Burkina Faso and Benin.

Get in

 * Diori Hamani International Airport

title: Southwestern Niger


text:
Southwestern Ontario

Southwestern Ontario is the geographic area of Ontario extending from the Bruce Peninsula and Lake Huron on the north, the Lake Huron shoreline on the west, the Lake Erie shoreline on the south, and neighbouring the Toronto-Hamilton-Niagara Golden Horseshoe region on the east. Its principal population centres are on the '401 corridor' cities - Windsor and Chatham-Kent, London and St Thomas, Woodstock and Ingersoll, Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph, with Sarnia, the western terminus of Highway 402; Brantford, on Highway 403, and Stratford. Other significant centres are Collingwood and Owen Sound, Goderich, Tillsonburg and Simcoe.

Cities

 * — where Alexander Graham Bell said he invented his telephone; his home is an international tourist attraction
 * — part of the African-Canadian Heritage Tour route and the Underground Railroad
 * — known for its beautiful limestone architecture, vibrant culture and a variety of festivals
 * -Waterloo-Cambridge — three closely-knit cities with a strong German/Mennonite and Scottish heritage that now form a multicultural technology triangle
 * — a medium-sized city with many historical sites and parks
 * — an administrative and commercial hub for Dufferin County and the surrounding area
 * — an excellent base for exploring the Grey-Bruce region
 * — a small city across the river from Detroit
 * — the Dairy Capital of Canada offers several historic sites

Other destinations

 * — well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture and the beautiful Elora Gorge
 * — one of the longest freshwater beaches in Ontario with shallow waters that are ideal for children
 * — the southernmost inhabited place in Canada is a place of peace and relaxation for its many visit, especially migrating birds and butterflies
 * , the southernmost point in mainland Canada, with accessible boardwalks through the marshlands tghat are important habitats for migrating birds
 * — known for its beautiful limestone buildings, and as the home of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
 * — known for its beautiful limestone buildings, and as the home of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
 * — internationally known for its theatre festival
 * — port town on the shores of Georgian Bay at the tip of the peninsula; well known for its two national parks: Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park

Understand
Southwestern Ontario occupies an area roughly the size of Belgium or Switzerland, but with a population of only about 2.5 million, which is better compared to Lesotho or Qatar. Its largest city is London, with a population of about 390,000, while its largest urban area is the Waterloo region, with a population of about 540,000.

Traditionally inhabited and exchanged by a variety of Indigenous First Nations, it was later settled by the French, colonized by the English, populated by United Empire Loyalists who fled the United States, and urbanized by every wave of immigrants ever to come to Canada. It's Canada's most southern reach, and its manufacturing heartland, pinned between two massive freshwater lakes, and bordering two American industrial giants. In the early 20th century, it was a relatively self-sufficient manufacturing and transportation hub. In the 21st century, the sprawling mega-city of Toronto is increasingly affecting the economies and population dynamics at the furthest reaches of southwestern Ontario.

Ontario's changing economy has struck southwestern Ontario hard. Industrial pollution and regulation, the dissolution of the tobacco industry, followed by the corrosion of the manufacturing sector, has eviscerated rural areas and left cities like Windsor and London with some of Canada's highest unemployment levels. Others, like Waterloo and Guelph, having turned to technology and the arts, emerged unscathed and even vibrant.

Visitors to southwestern Ontario often come as an escape from the urban crush of Toronto and Detroit, but stay for its long beaches, clean parks, efficient highways, interesting towns, and economic opportunities.

By plane
London has the only airport in the area with regularly scheduled services to more than one destination, generally flying to Toronto and cities in Western Canada. Waterloo Region Airport flies nonstop to Calgary, while Windsor and Sarnia have services to Toronto. Residents often use Detroit, Buffalo, or Toronto airports for long-haul flights. All of these airports and a few others are regularly affected by route changes, new route developments, and the emergence and loss of small regional airlines.

By car
Southwestern Ontario has three major controlled-access highways. Highway 401, sometimes claimed to be the world's busiest, begins in Windsor and bisects southwestern Ontario on its way to Toronto and onwards to the Quebec border. The other major highways are the 402, which begins at the Sarnia-Port Huron border and connects to the 401 in London, and the 403, which begins in Woodstock and proceeds through Brantford on its way to Hamilton and Toronto.

By public transport

 * Via Rail, Canada's national passenger railway, serves the region on the Windsor-London-Toronto route, and the Sarnia-London-Toronto route.
 * GO Transit, Toronto's commuter rail and bus service, has a few lines/routes that reach into southwestern Ontario, with an assortment of services terminating in Orangeville, Guelph, Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, or Brantford on their way from Toronto and its suburbs.

Get around
While urban public transport is generally adequate, inter-city services are limited. Locals generally rely on personal vehicles, or limit their travel between the cities and towns in the area. Car rentals are widely available. Hitchhiking is illegal on the 400-series highways, and is both uncommon and challenging on rural roads. Casual ride sharing exists but is disorganized; Try searching on Kijiji.ca or on city-specific Facebook groups.

Intercity public transit services include:

 * Via Rail's Windsor-Toronto line serves Chatham, Glencoe, London, Ingersoll, Woodstock, and Brantford enroute to the GTA. The Sarnia-Toronto line serves Wyoming, Strathroy, London, St Mary's, Stratford, Kitchener, Guelph and Georgetown enroute to the GTA. Tickets can be purchased online and are generally cheaper if bought further in advance.
 * Megabus (Coach Canada) serves the Fort Erie to Toronto route, with stops including Niagara Falls and St Catharines.
 * TOK Coach (formerly Can-Ar Coach) connects Toronto to Port Elgin via Orangeville and Kincardine.
 * RobertQ's airport services to London, Toronto, and Detroit, can make stops at Sarnia, Chatham, St Thomas, Strathroy, Tilbury, Woodstock, and Windsor.
 * BendBus offers limited transport for daytrips from London to Grand Bend during the summer

See
Southwestern Ontario are the final stop on the Underground Railroad for many of those escaping slavery in the United States. The Buxton National Historic Site & Museum and Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site in Chatham-Kent are good place to explore this history.

The Alexander Graham Bell Homestead, just outside Brantford, is a museum that has been restored to how it looked when Bell invented the telephone here in the 1980s.

Her Majesty's Chapel of the Mohawks, on the outskirts of Brantford, was built by the British Crown in 1785 for the Mohawk and Iroquois people as a reminder of the agreements made with the British during the American Revolution.

In Owen Sound, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery exhibits a collection of works by Thompson and the Group of Seven, who were an important group of Canadian artists in the early 20th century.

The ports, towns and villages along Lake Erie, including Port Dover, Port Stanley, Turkey Point and Long Point, are lovely places for hanging out on the beach, browsing in shops, or having a drink overlooking the lake. The Lake Huron beach towns are also buzzing in the summer because of their long stretches of fresh water beaches.

Do
The Stratford Festival is one of the main tourist draws for the region. It runs from April to October, and is recognized worldwide for its productions of Shakespearean plays. The Blyth Festival produces a summer season of all-Canadian plays.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is a Bavarian festival held annually in October; it is the largest in the world outside of Munich, Germany.

The Elora Gorge attracts sightseers, campers, hikers, kayakers, zipliners and tubers. The limestone cliffs are 22 metres high and the Grand River exits frantically through the Gorge.

There are many beautiful parks in the region for scenery and outdoor recreation, including Point Pelee National Park, Ontario's southernmost mainland point, and a marshy peninsula home to significant wetlands. The untamed shores of the Bruce Peninsula are particularly beautiful near Tobermory, where the Bruce Peninsula National Park protects and the Fathom Five National Marine Park protect the shoreline, cliffs, rocky islands and underwater diving sites where the Niagara Escarpment meets Lake Huron. Smaller provincial parks and conservation areas, such as Rockwood Park, offer day-use and overnight camping experiences throughout the region.

The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail stretches over 2,100 km (1,300 mi) along the Canadian shores of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, Lake Huron and the Niagara, Detroit, and St. Lawrence Rivers, connecting 114 communities and hundreds of parks and natural areas including wetlands, forests, and beaches. The Bruce Trail stretches more than 890 km, mostly following the edge of the Niagara Escarpment from Tobermory, at the tip of the peninsula, to Queenston near Niagara Falls.

The Village at Blue Mountain in Grey County is a year-round centre for skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, golf, mountain biking, rock climbing, and caving.

Buy
The St. Jacobs Farmers' Market draws visitors from all over southern Ontario: over 600 vendors, including many Mennonite families, bring their fresh produce, baked goods, ethnic foods, furniture, and clothing.

Drink
Because of its mild climate, the Lake Erie shore is Ontario's second most important wine region after Niagara. There are many wineries open for tours and tastings.

Go next
Staying in Canada, the Greater Toronto Area is the next segment of the Windsor-Quebec corridor, and the Niagara Peninsula is almost due east of most of Southwestern Ontario. If you're in Tobermory, you can take a ferry to Manitoulin Island and from there continue on to Northern Ontario.

Leaving Canada, you can go north from Windsor to visit Detroit or west from Sarnia to visit Flint, and from either of those cities start your exploration of Michigan and the Midwest United States of America.

title: Southwestern Ontario


text:
Western Papua New Guinea

Western Papua New Guinea  consists of the country's Gulf and Western Provinces.

Cities

 * — in Western Province
 * — in Gulf Province
 * — on the delta of the Kikori river in Gulf Province, this is a small fishing centre and a good place for birdwatching
 * — in Western Province

Orientation
The western region consists of the following provinces:

 * Western Province. This province covers almost 100,000 km2 and is the largest province in Papua New Guinea. In 2000 it had just over 150,000 inhabitants. It has several large rivers, namely the Fly River and its tributaries the Strickland and Ok Tedi rivers. Crocodiles are to be found in the river areas and provide income to villagers who catch them when young, fatten them up and then sell the skins. Lake Murray is the largest lake in Papua New Guinea. The major economic activity is the Ok Tedi Gold and Copper Mine. This has been the subject of considerable dispute, with much opposition from traditional landowners. The province is dominated by dense forest, jungle and marshes. Barges and cargo vessels use the Fly River and its tributaries but do not carry passengers.
 * Gulf Province. This 34,500 km2 province has the second-smallest population of all the provinces of Papua New Guinea with less than 110,000 inhabitants in 2000. It is dominated by mountains, lowland river deltas, and grassland flood plains. It is rarely visited by tourists although some hardy souls do make it to Lakekamu Basin. The Province has abundant marine life and rich jungle. Traditional crops include sago and betelnut (buai). There is some oil exploration and logging.

Do

 * Birdwatching near Kiunga. The area around Kiunga in Western Province offers an enormous number of species including the Palm Cockatoo, Lesser Black Coucal, White-spotted Munia, Yellow-eyed Metallic starling, Rufous Babbler, many species of Bird of Paradise, Common Paradise-Kingfisher, Hooded Monarch, New Guinea Bronzewing, Red-bellied Pitta, Southern Crowned Pigeon, Blyth's Hornbill, Great Fig-Parrot, Flightless Rail, Pesquet's Parrots, Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, Dwarf Koel, Flame Bowerbird, and a selection of Honeyeaters. Tours are offered by Ecotourism Melanesia or you could make your own arrangements as there are daily flights from Port Moresby.

title: Western Papua New Guinea


text:
Southwestern Quebec

Southwestern Quebec is a region in Quebec. The culturally rich and lively city of Montreal is the focal point of the region. North of the city and the St. Lawrence River lie the Laurentian Mountains, a popular recreation area, especially for skiing. South of the city and the St. Lawrence River are many small towns, farms, lakes, and hills. Parts of this area were settled by Loyalists from the American Revolution, giving the area a bit of a New England feel.

Cities

 * — the island just north of Montreal, made up of rural and suburban communities
 * — a suburban community south of Montreal with an interesting museum dedicated to the role of women in Quebec
 * — skiing, wineries, water sports, and home to Memphré, a legendary lake creature
 * — the city and island of Montreal
 * — a university town surrounded by mountains, rivers and lakes
 * — a historic town surrounded by water, canals. The city is nicknamed The Venice of Quebec.

Other destinations

 * — a resort town focused on skiing, golfing, and lots of other winter and summer sports

Understand
Montreal is the economic and cultural powerhouse of Quebec. Much of the tourism in the rest of the southwest region is focused on weekend and summer get-aways for Montrealers. Montreal has so much to offer in terms of culture, cuisine, sports, recreation, entertainment, history and joie de vivre that it's hard for an outsider to understand what it is they need to get away from.

The rest of the region offers a wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities for Montrealers and for visitors.

Get in
As a major transportation hub, it's easy to get into the region through Montreal's Pierre Trudeau International Airport.

By train
Via Rail has trains from:
 * Toronto (6 per day, 5 hr)
 * Ottawa (6 per day, 2 hr)
 * Quebec City (5 per day, 3 hr 15 min)
 * Halifax (3 per week, 22 hr 20 min)

Amtrak has a train from:
 * New York City (1 per day, 11 hr)

By car
Montreal is:
 * 255 km from Quebec City along Quebec Autoroute 20
 * km from Toronto along Ontario Highway 401/Quebec Autoroute 20
 * 200 km from Ottawa along Ontario Highway 417/Quebec Autoroute 40
 * from New York City along New Jersey Highways 4 and 17, Interstate 87 through New York State, and Quebec Highway 15 from the Canada-US border

By bus
To Montreal:
 * Orleans Express has departures from Quebec City (3 hr)
 * Megabus has buses from Toronto (6 hr)

By car
Autoroutes (expressways or freeways) can be challenging for visitors, as most signs are in French, but most symbols are the same as in English Canada and the United States.

An important point about driving in this region is that on the Island of Montreal right turns on red lights are strictly prohibited. Turning right on a red light is allowed across the rest of Quebec (except at intersections where a sign indicates this is not permitted).

During the winter months, heavy snowfalls are common. In the aftermath of a snowstorm, snow removal begins with intimidatingly large snow plows and trucks clearing, chewing up, and transporting away the snow. The use of road salt to keep roads ice-free during severe winters takes its toll on the roadways, which are either heavily potholed or subject to perpetual construction.

By public transit
The island of Montreal has a subway and an extensive bus system run by the STM, while the surroundings are accessible by commuter trains and a bus system run by Exo (formerly RTM and AMT) with terminal at the Montreal Central Station (Gare Centrale) and at Lucien-L'Allier Station (both are accessible from the Montreal Metro). Commuter trains are handy for getting to suburbs and neighbouring towns.

See
Montreal has the second largest population of people who speak French as their mother tongue of any city in the world. As the cultural centre of French-speaking Canadians, and the economic centre of Quebec, it has a lot to offer. Montreal offers museums, art galleries, shopping professional sports (hockey, Canadian football, soccer), excellent restaurants and lovely nightlife. For a more relaxed pace, join the other flaneurs sipping wine or coffee in one of the city's many cafes. The Old Montreal quarter's 17th-19th century buildings, cobblestone streets, shops, galleries and restaurants make it a favourite amongst visitors.

For history buffs, the Montérégie region offers Fort Chambly, an 18th-century French fort, and Fort Lennox, a 19th-century British fort that can be visited on day-trips from Montreal.

Do
A large part of Montreal's downtown has been redesigned to accommodate its many summer festivals that spill into the streets — jazz, pop, comedy, francophone music, LGBT Pride, are just the start.

Montreal has lots of hiking and cycling opportunities, especially on its riverside and canalside trails. Its "mountain" is a massive park,with lots of cycling and walking trails, and in winter, many of these trails are available for cross-country skiing.

The surrounding region offers small town delights, and lots of outdoor recreation opportunities. You'll find skiing, golfing, lakeside cottages, and winery tours throughout the Eastern Townships, Montérégie, Laurentians and Lanaudière.

In March and April, visit a cabane à sucre (sugar shack) in the Montérégie region. You can see how the maple syrup is collected, and these are also among the few places in Quebec where you can get a traditional rural meal.

Go next

 * Quebec City
 * Gaspe Peninsula
 * Ottawa

title: Southwestern Quebec