Australia and First Tennis Grand Slam of 2006!

World No 3 Amelie Mauresmo (Fra) bt World no 8 Justine Henin-Hardenne (Bel) 6-1 2-0 ret. Amelie Mauresmo has charged to her first ever grand slam title with an emphatic victory over 2004 champion Justine Henin-Hardenne in the Australian Open final, the first ATP Grand Slam of the year 2006.

The Frenchwoman put to bed once and for all the label of 'best current player not to have won a major' with a demolition job before the more favoured Belgian pulled out of the contest.

Mauresmo took the match 6-1 2-0 when after Henin-Hardenne retired because of illness, and never looked like loosening her grasp on the title she first missed out on in the 1999 final against Martina Hingis.

For the usually composed Henin-Hardenne it was a performance worth forgetting as her powerful opponent coaxed her into an uncharacteristically high number of unforced errors. More on Major Win At Last For Mauresmo!

There is much to love about Melbourne. Just ask the locals. This sophisticated world city in the south-east corner of mainland Australia inspires a deep passion in those lucky enough to live here. They love its vibrant energy, staggering choice of restaurants, funky boutiques, café-filled laneways, cool bars, unbeatable galleries, luscious parks and village-like inner suburbs, each with its own special character.

Melbourne, a relatively modern city which is less than 200 years old, never sits still. New futuristic designs add to the fascinating mix of architecture and ensure the skyline is constantly changing. Melbourne is very much about lifestyle. It is no huge surprise to residents that their city has been named in an international poll as the world’s most liveable city.

Melburnians embrace three things in particular:

sport (Australian Rules football is almost a religion);
fashion (the look is chic with a dash of quirky); and
festivals (the calendar is packed year round).
They even embrace their notoriously changeable weather. A standing joke in Australia is that Melbourne can experience four seasons in a day. But, really, it’s just another example of how they have it all!

Sometimes, the best part of visiting a new city is when you unexpectedly depart from the tourist trail and glimpse the city’s “real” side. While the big attractions can be great fun, often it’s the more subtle “insider” experiences that leave you feeling really satisfied.

Here is some inside information to help you discover Australia's second largest city (also the capital of Victoria).

Warning: you might never want to go home.

Matt, a friend who is going on a World Tour and visiting Australia is the reason why I compiled this information. He is a well-read man but as he is a very busy man too, I thought I'd help find some info about the Antipodes. I hope you find this link About Australia useful Matt.

Happy travelling, take care and God bless

Alan Aldana

Brazil Facts!

I thought it best to give you some facts about Brazil after blogging about Rio. Facts about - Brazil's background, geography, people and government. I have a few info here to start you with and a couple of links as a reference.

Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labour pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem.

Federative Republic of Brazil

National name: República Federativa do Brasil

President: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003)

Area & area comparative: slightly smaller than the USA

total: 8,511,965 sq km
land: 8,456,510 sq km
water: 55,455 sq km
note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo

Population (2005 est.): 186,112,794 (growth rate: 1.1%); birth rate: 16.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 29.6/1000; life expectancy: 71.7; density per sq mi: 57

Capital (2003 est.): Brasília, 2,160,100

Largest cities: São Paulo, 18,847,400 (metro. area), 10,195,000 (city proper); Rio de Janeiro, 11,437,100 (metro. area), 6,119,800 (city proper); Salvador, 2,590,400; Belo Horizonte, 2,347,500; Recife, 1,485,500; Porto Alegre, 1,372,700

Monetary unit: Real

Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Ethnicity/race: white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed white and black 38%, black 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%

Religion: Roman Catholic 80%

Literacy rate: 80% (2003 est.)

for more info and reference

CIA Publication

Brazil covers nearly half of South America and is the continent's largest nation. It extends 2,965 mi (4,772 km) north-south, 2,691 mi (4,331 km) east-west, and borders every nation on the continent except Chile and Ecuador. Brazil may be divided into the Brazilian Highlands, or plateau, in the south and the Amazon River Basin in the north. Over a third of Brazil is drained by the Amazon and its more than 200 tributaries. The Amazon is navigable for ocean steamers to Iquitos, Peru, 2,300 mi (3,700 km) upstream. Southern Brazil is drained by the Plata system—the Paraguay, Uruguay, and Paraná Rivers.

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $1.492 trillion; per capita $8,100. Real growth rate: 5.1%. Inflation: 7.6%. Unemployment: 11.5%. Arable land: 7%. Agriculture: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef. Labour force: 89 million; agriculture 20%, industry 14%, services 66% (2003 est.). Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment. Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber. Exports: $95 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos. Imports: $61 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil. Major trading partners: U.S., Argentina, China, Netherlands, Germany, Japan (2003).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 38.81 million (2002); mobile cellular: 46,373,300 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999). Television broadcast stations: 138 (1997). Internet hosts: 3,163,349 (2003). Internet users: 14.3 million (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 29,412 km (1,567 km electrified) (2004). Highways: total: 1,724,929 km; paved: 94,871 km; unpaved: 1,630,058 km (2000). Waterways: 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2004). Ports and harbors: Gebig, Itaqui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, San Sebasttiao, Santos, Sepetiba Terminal, Tubarao, Vitoria. Airports: 4,136 (2004 est.).

International disputes: unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute with Uruguay over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada boundary streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina; in 2004 Brazil submitted its claims to UNCLOS to extend its maritime continental margin.

for more info and reference

InfoPlease

Many thanks,

Alan Aldana