A long-awaited new bridge has been opened in China. Yes, not just a bridge, but the longest bridge across the sea in the world. Its length is 55 kilometers, of which more than six and a half are located under water. In a special tunnel. The bridge connected the southern cities of Hong Kong and Macau with the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong Province (mainland China), which greatly facilitated communication between these two important points for the country's economy. If earlier the journey from one city to another lasted three hours, now it has been reduced by 6 times and will take only half an hour. However, not everyone can ride on the bridge. And we are not talking about those who do not live in China - a number of restrictions have also been introduced for residents of the country.
China has opened the world's longest sea bridge. Its length was 55 kilometers, and it crosses the Pearl River Delta
For lovers of everything “the most”, you need to immediately make a reservation: this is not the longest bridge in the world, it is only the sixth in this indicator. However, he is the first among all automobiles, while those five mastodons are railway ones. The longest on the planet is also the Chinese Danyang-Kunshan viaduct, which stretches for more than 164 kilometers.
The six-lane bridge Hong Kong - Zhuhai - Macau began to be built back in 2009 and could have been opened in 2016, but it did not work out
But due to unforeseen situations related to the weather, corruption and numerous accidents, the grand opening of the project was postponed. Up to this day.
The grandeur of the building is amazing! It took 400,000 tons of steel to build it. Oh, and $200 billion to boot.
The photo shows a tunnel under the bridge, and its appearance also emphasizes the power and size of the project. The bridge, of course, is designed for all kinds of aggressive natural manifestations - typhoons and powerful earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.0. Its service life is 120 years.
Two artificial islands were also built for the project, as part of the route passes through underwater tunnels
The length of the tunnels is 6.7 kilometers. The bridge connects mainland China (Zhonghai) and the south of the country (Hong Kong and Macau). Now the way from point A to point B will not be three hours, as before, but only some miserable half an hour.
However, some strange operational nuances are associated with this handsome man. For example, not everyone will be able to ride on it.
Yes, yes, the bridge has been built, but an ordinary resident of Hong Kong or Zhuhai should not expect that he will be able to get into his Lifan and drive freely along it. The fact is that to ride it you need a special permit, which is so easy (and cheap) not to get. Those wishing to cross the bridge will have to transfer from their car to a special shuttle. The fare in one direction will be about 550-650 rubles.
Also, the bridge has been heavily criticized from all sides: it was built incorrectly (many accidents), and too much money was spent, and rare white dolphins are now under even greater threat.
In addition, Hong Kong residents fear that they will now be flooded with an uncontrollable flow of tourists from mainland China. As for money, experts say that the bridge will never pay for itself - according to expectations, the profit from it will be only 86 million dollars a year. And as for the white dolphins, the huge construction site was by no means good for the environment, so the number of dolphins in the Pearl River Delta has declined.
Locals and critics have given the building several offensive nicknames: "Death Bridge" and "Big White Elephant". But at the same time, the bridge is terribly beautiful and will surely become one of the symbols of China.
Rocks that rise straight from the water, as well as snowy peaks and mountains richly covered with vegetation, are very popular with tourists from all over the world. These slopes are called fjords. They are part of the natural landscape. There are also "special territories" on the Internet. One such special zone is the Howling Fjord. It is located in the southeast of Northrend (World of Warcraft), at the very top of the Great Sea.
Origin of natural rocky bays
Often, when hearing the word "fjord" in a conversation, not every person understands what it is about. Let's look into this issue a little. So, fjord - the term is usually called a long sea bay that crashed into land with rocky shores surrounding it. Usually the length of the fjord is tens of times greater than its width. It has cliffs reaching a height of 1000 meters. The origin of the fjords is due to a sharp change in the movement of tectonic plates. The result of this is the formation of numerous faults and cracks, which are subsequently filled with sea water. Such fjords are most often characterized by considerable depth, in some cases reaching 800 meters.
The most famous rocky bays in the world
So, to the question: "fjord - what is it?" we partially answered. But for those who still have a poor idea of what is at stake, we will give examples. The most famous are 4 areas with fjord formations. These include the coasts of Chile, North America, Norway and These places are the most visited by tourists. In addition, there are fjords on the shores of Iceland, Russia, Scotland, and the Arabian Peninsula. They can be found even near some Arctic islands.
The longest rocky bay in the world
Fjords of Norway
What are these rock formations? Why are they remarkable? Many have repeatedly heard about So let's dwell on this point in more detail. It turns out that the second largest rocky bay is located in Norway. Sognefjord (this is the name of this massif) is the largest in Europe, its length is 204 km. The royal capital of the fjords - Oslo - is a unique and original city of Scandinavia. It is located in the depths of a rocky bay with a length of 107 km. 8 rivers flow through the city, in addition, it is surrounded by 343 lakes and 40 islands. Anyone who wishes can admire the splendor of the beaches and untouched nature, just take a ferry to one of the islands. Norway is famous for the most picturesque and majestic rock formations, not without reason its second name is the Land of the Fjords.
most visited bay
This place should be discussed separately. The most visited Norwegian bay is the Geirangerfjord. It is located in the county of Mere og Romsdal, about 100 km from the city of Ålesund. Going on a trip to this corner of wildlife, be sure to visit the famous observation decks on the Fludalsjuve Ridge and Dalsnibba Mountain. In addition, you should not deny yourself the pleasure of taking a walk. But most importantly - do not miss the opportunity to swim in these waters! For tourists (and not only) there is an opportunity to take a cruise on a boat and admire wonderful waterfalls from its side. The Seven Sisters or the Bridal Veil are very picturesque.
Road of Eagles
Describing this fjord (what this is - said above), we should especially talk about the Road of Eagles - the steepest road section on the ground. This path is a serpentine. In order to get by transport from the coast of the Geirangerfjord to the highest point of the mountain, it is necessary to overcome 11 extremely sharp turns. This is a trip for thrill seekers. The highest point is located at an altitude of 620 meters above sea level. From there, you can take amazing photos of the surroundings. For these purposes, as well as just to get acquainted with the area, special observation platforms are equipped. The most famous among them are Fludalsjuve and Dalsnibba. They are included in the list of the most famous and visited sights of the region.
History Center
It is located about a kilometer from the center of Geiranger. Here, tourists have a unique opportunity to study the history of this region, as well as get acquainted with its nature and local residents, their customs and customs. You can choose to go for an easy walk, and conquer the local mountain peak. It offers simply stunning views. Those who decide to take a chance and go to the mountains should definitely visit "Hiking". This place has many trails, which are not only marked, but also provided with excellent maps of the area. Lovers of easy walks can make a trip to a small village located on the south side of the fjord. The road to it runs along the coast of a rocky bay and has a length of 2.5 km. In the village there is a small but very cozy cafe, where you can taste wonderful homemade local food. Those wishing to get acquainted with the local nature and surroundings in more detail should visit the Vasteros farm. Here is the famous waterfall "Storseterfossen". You can walk between the seething stream and the rock, the sensations are indescribable!
Most Popular Attractions
Tourists have a unique opportunity to visit the local farm "Herdalssetra". It is also located in the Geirangerfjord. The uniqueness of this trip lies in the fact that the mentioned farm is located in Norddal. This region is included in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List. Tourists can also watch the process of making caramel and goat cheese. Another attraction that also attracts the attention of guests is the Trollstiegen mountain road. It is she who is considered the most picturesque, since she is surrounded by peaks rushing into the sky. Ski lovers should go to this wonderful place in winter. Vacationers will be able to descend from a height of 1500 meters directly to the coast. But those who have a rest in the summer should not be upset. You also have the opportunity to go skiing. At the beginning of the season, a summer ski center opens here, the exact opening time depends on the thickness of the snow cover. Now you should have no questions about the meaning of the word "fjord". What this is, theoretically, we found out in the article. For practical understanding, you must definitely visit such a place at least once in your life.
fjord, or fiord, a long, very narrow and deep sea bay with steep banks. Fjords are found only in the high latitudes of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres and are usually confined to dissected upland areas. They are especially well developed on the mountainous western coasts, where glaciers have been or are fed by heavy snowfalls. It is believed that the fjords were formed as a result of exaration by glaciers descending to the sea along ancient river valleys or along faults. The period of exaration was followed by a sinking of the land and a rise in sea levels, which led to the flooding of the valleys. In some cases, the deepening of valleys by glaciers continued below sea level. Many fjords are deepest in the interior, and sometimes have a well-defined shallow threshold at their entrance. There are very deep fjords. For example, in Norway and Chile, some fjords are up to 1,200 m deep, but probably even deeper fjords are found in the Baffin Sea, where, off the fjord coast, the depth is approx. 2000 m (however, this area has not yet been mapped). In addition, some fjord coasts are densely dissected by equally narrow and deep transverse straits. The latter serve as very convenient inland waterways of communication, for example, in the southeast of Alaska and the extreme south of Chile. The world's deepest fjords include the Sognefjord (1,308 m) in Norway and the Messier (1,287 m) and Baker (1,244 m) straits in southern Chile.
Due to the steepness of the coasts and other structural features, the fjords and fjord coasts are very interesting and beautiful. The rivers there are overthrown by picturesque cascades of waterfalls. Such, for example, is the 580 m high Sutherland Falls in Milford Bay (New Zealand).
The economy of the fjord areas is mainly related to fishing, since the development of agriculture is limited by the lack of flat land. Land communication between individual fjords is usually difficult: there are no conditions for the concentration of population and the growth of large cities. However, some fjords are of great strategic importance. During World War II, Germany used the Norwegian fjords to shelter its battleships, and the United States built the Blue West 8 Air Force Base in Sønre Ström Fjord in Greenland.
The world's most famous are four fjord areas located on the western coasts of Norway, Chile, the South Island of New Zealand and North America from Puget Sound (Washington) to Alaska. Fjords are also found on the coasts of Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, the Labrador Peninsula, the State of Maine (USA) and on some Arctic islands.
| SOME LONGEST AND DEEPEST FJORDS | ||||
| Name | Location | Length (km) |
Width (km) | Depth (m) |
| Sognefjord | Norway | 219 | 6 | 1308 |
| Hardangerfjord | Norway | 183 | 10 | 750 |
| Trondheimsfjord | Norway | 137 | 24 | 600 |
| Nurfjord | Norway | 113 | 5 | 565 |
| Milford | New Zealand | 19 | 3 | 390 |
| Portland Channel | Alaska (USA) - British Columbia (Canada) | 145 | 3 | 385 |
| Loch Morar | Scotland (UK) | 19 | 3 | 310 |
| R. Saguenay (below Shikoutimi) | Quebec (Canada) | 120 | 5 | 30 |
