Carsten Borchgrevink (1864–1934) was an Anglo-Norwegian polar explorer and a pioneer of modern Antarctic travel. He was the precursor of Robert Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton, Roald Amundsen and others associated with the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. He began his exploring career in 1894 by joining a Norwegian whaling expedition, from which he brought back a collection of the first specimens of vegetable life within the Antarctic Circle. From 1898 to 1900 Borchgrevink led the British-financed Southern Cross Expedition, which in 1899 became the first to overwinter on the Antarctic mainland and the first to visit the Great Ice Barrier since the expedition of Sir James Ross nearly sixty years previously. Borchgrevink landed on the Barrier with two companions and made the first sledge journey on its surface, setting a new Farthest South record at 78°50'S. He was one of three scientists sent to the Caribbean in 1902 by the National Geographic Society to report on the aftermath of the Mount Pelée disaster. His pioneering work was recognised and honoured by several countries, and in 1912 he received a handsome tribute from Roald Amundsen, conqueror of the South Pole. (Full article...)
A total of 41 counties in Romania, along with the municipality of Bucharest, constitute the official administrative divisions of Romania. For most of the time since modern Romania was formed in 1859, the administrative division system has been similar to the French departments one. The system has been changed several times since then, and the number of counties has varied over time. The current format has largely been in place since 1968 as only small changes have been made since then, the last of which was in 1997. According to 2011 census data from the National Institute of Statistics, the average population of Romania's 41 counties is about 445,000, with Iași County(coat of arms pictured) as the most populous and Covasna County the least. The average county's land area is 5,809 square kilometres (2,243 sq mi), with Timiș County the largest and Ilfov County the smallest. The municipality of Bucharest, which has the same administrative level as that of a county, is both more populous and much smaller than any county, with 1,883,425 people and 228 square kilometres (88 sq mi). (Full list...)
Five views of the shell of the veined rapa whelk (Rapana venosa), a species of large predatory sea snail in the family Muricidae. The species' shell is rounded and heavy, possessing a very short spire, a large body whorl, a strong, orange columella and a deep umbilicus. The aperture is a deep orange, large, and roughly ovate. On the outside, the shell color varies from gray to reddish-brown, with dark brown dashes on the spiral ribs.
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