30TH PARALLEL NORTH KEY LOCATIONS
The Atlantic Ocean
The Canary Islands — northern part
Whales and dolphins of the Atlantic Ocean (29°26'N 16°11'W)
The water of the Canary Islands (Tenerife, La Gomera, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, etc.) — one of the favourite habitats for most whale and dolphin species of the Atlantic.
Africa
Morocco
Essaouira (31°30′N 9°46′W)
Located on the Atlantic shore, close to habitats of whales and dolphins, this city has outlasted Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans; now it is one of the main pilgrimage destinations for Berbers.
Marrakech (31°38′N 8°0′W)
"Ochre city" — the old fortified city is included on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
the Draa region (29°54'N 5°37'W)
Famous for numerous rock paintings and a stone figurine found in the valley and named The Venus of Tan-Tan. It has been claimed as the earliest representation of the human form (between 300,000 and 500,000 years).
Tamegroute is a village in the south of Morocco, in the valley of the Draa River. It has a history as an important center of learning and religion through its famous Sufi zawiya, historical center of the Nasiriyya Sufi order.
Libya
Ghadames — an old city (30°8′N 9°30′E)
An oasis town in the Nalut District - one of the oldest cities on the edge of Sakhara - included on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Gulf of Sidra (31°30′N 18°0′E)
The Southermost point of Mediterranean Sea, a perfect place to meet and interact with free dolphins.
Egypt
Siwa Oasis (29°11'N 25°33'E)
An oasis in Egypt located in the Libyan Desert. Its fame lies primarily in its ancient role as the home to an oracle of Amon, the ruins of which are a popular tourist attraction which gave the oasis its ancient name Ammonium. Although oasis is known to have been settled since at least the 10th millenium BC, archaeologists have recently found in the oasis the footprint with modern human anatomy that could go back about 2 million years.
Alexandria (31°11'N 29°52'E)
A scientific centre of the ancient world, best known for the largest ancient library and the Lighthouse of Alexandria — one of the Wonders of the Ancient World.
Cairo, the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx (29°58′N 31°07′E)
One of the most impressive ancient sacral complexes on the planet.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.
Whale Valley (29°16′N 30°02′E)
A paleontological site designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its hundreds of fossils of the earliest, now extinct suborder of whales.
The Gulf of Suez (28°59'N 32°51'E) and The Gulf of Aqaba (29° 7'N 34°47'E) — probably the most popular divesites in the World.
South-West Asia
Israel
Jerusalem (31°47′N 35°13′E)
One of the most ancient cities of the world and as well as the sacred place of the three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Qumran (31°44′N 35°27′E)
This is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
Har Karkom (30°17′N 34°45′E)
"Mountain of Saffron" — an important religious monument with numerous altars, cromlechs, menhirs and rock paintings has been excavated on this site. Some believe it to be the Biblical Mount Sinai.
Eilat (29°33′N 34°57′E)
Archaeological excavations uncovered impressive prehistoric tombs dating to the 7th millennium BC. Located on the Red Sea near the Dolphin Reef.
Jordan
Petra (30°19′N 35°26′E)
An ancient town discovered among the sand and rock just over a century ago — so far only ten per cent of the site has been excavated.
Central Asia
Iraq
Ur (30°57′N 46°06′E)
Ur was an important Sumerian city-state in ancient Mesopotamia. The city is recorded in written history as a City State from the 26th century BC. The site is marked by the ruins of the Ziggurat of Ur, which contained the shrine of Nanna (Assyrian-Babylonian moon god), excavated in the 1930s.
Basra (30°30′N 47°49′E)
Venice of the East - part of the ancient Sumerian territory, the home of Sinbad the Sailor, and the proposed location of the Garden of Eden.
The Persian Gulf (29° 0'N 49°30'E)
Iran
Shiraz (29°37′N 52°32′E)
The city of poets, flowers and wine — home to a whole galaxy of outstanding cultural figures of medieval Iran.
Persepolis (29°56′N 52°53′E)
The sacred "City of Persians" near the Persian Gulf, with astounding architectural ensembles that have survived to this day.
Pakistan
Multan (30°11′N 71°28′E)
The City of Sufis, or the City of Saints, one of the oldest cities in the world. Located on a major invasion route between South Asia and Central Asia.
India
The Golden Temple in Amritsar (31°38′N 74°52′E)
The spiritual and cultural center for the Sikh religion.
Kurukshetra (29°58'N 76°53'E)
A land of historical and religious importance. It is also known as "Holy City". The importance of the place is attributed to the fact that the Kurukshetra War of the Mahabharata was fought on this land and the Bhagavad Gita was preached on this land during the war when Lord Krishna found Arjuna in a terrible dilemma.
Delhi (28°50'N 77° 9'E)
One of the world's most important spiritual centers, one of the oldest cities in the world.
Badrinath (30°44′N 79°29′E)
Not only Badrinath Temple, but the whole city is sacred for Hindus. It is considered to be the place where the Vedas were composed.
Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers (30°25′N 79°50′E)
One of the most wildest and most picturesque places in Western Himalayas; included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1988.
Tibet
Mount Kailash (31°4′N 81°18′E)
A mountain that is sacred to the followers of four religions: Hindus, Buddhists, Jainas, and Bon practitioners, the "Navel of the Earth", its spiritual centre.
Lhasa (29°39′N 91°06′E)
The "Roof of the World" - the historical residence of the Dalai Lama. One of the most revered sacred places in the world.
East Asia
China
Sacred Mountains (29°31′N 103°19′E)
There are three sacred Buddhist mountains (Emei Shan, Jiuhua Shan, Putuo Shan) and one sacred Taoist mountain (Qingcheng Shan) located on the 30th parallel in China.
The Leshan Giant Buddha (29°32′N 103°46′E)
This is a rock carved image of Buddha Maitreya — one of the tallest statues in the world.
Tianmen Mountain ("Heaven's Gate" 29°4'N 110°28'E)
Tianmen Mountain Cableway is claimed to be the "longest passenger cableway of high mountains in the world". One can walk on kilometres of paths built onto the cliff face at the top of the mountain, including sections with glass floors. An 11km road with 99 bends also reaches the top of the mountain and takes visitors to Tianmen cave, a natural arch in the mountain of a height of 131.5 metres. A large temple is also located on the summit with chairlift or footpath access.
Mount Sanqingshan National Park (28°54′N 118°3′E)
A unique site consisting of 48 peaks and 89 granite pillars, many of which resemble people and animal silhouettes. Listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Shanghai (31°12′N 121°30′E)
Shanghai is the most populated city in the world, the busiest port on the planet, one of China's biggest religious centres.
The East China Sea (29° 2'N 125° 5'E)
Japan
Yakushima Island (30°21′N 130°31′E)
A unique example of a relict tropical forest home to the oldest trees in the world, including the oldest living cedar tree Jōmon Sugi that is between 2000 and 7200 years old. Included on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Pacific ocean
The Hawaii islands (USA) — northern part
Whales and dolphins of the Pacific Ocean (28°50'N 178°19'W)
One of the favourite habitats for dolphins and whales and the largest marine reserve in the world. In summer time it is an important meeting place for humpback whales.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch — northern part
100 million tons of plastic and other garbage (31°29'N 144°27'W)
The world's largest floating garbage dump twice the size of the USA — an outrageous example of water pollution.
North America
Mexico
The Gulf of California — northern part (29°58'N 113°24'W)
Also known as the Sea of Cortez. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. Jacques-Yves Cousteau called it "the Aquarium of the world" that is home to resident populations of Fin Whales and Sperm Whales that do not migrate annually.
Casas Grandes (30°21′N 107°56′W)
A unique evidence of original, highly developed culture that had suddenly disappeared just before the Spanish Conquest.
USA
Los-Angeles (34°03′N 118°15′W)
The Embassy's starting point for the American part of the journey (Hawaii-Mexico-Houston). One of the world largest centre for culture, science, economics and education, located on the Pacific coast in one of the main migration points of whales and dolphins.
Houston (29°45′N 95°22′W)
NASA Space Center gave Houston its second name — Space City. Located on the Mexican Gulf shore, near the habitat of several dolphin species.
New Orleans (29°58′N 90°03′W)
The cradle of jazz — "The City that Care Forgot" — is located at the confluence of Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico, the permanent habitat for several dolphin species.
The Caribbean
The Bahamas and the Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle (29°52'N 68°12'W)
One of the most mysterious places in the world. There is a great number of dolphins in coastal waters of the Bahamas that form one side of the Devil's triangle.