A major port city on the River Scheldt, Antwerp, Belgium, is a cultural, historical, and commercial hub and the country's most populous city. Known as the "diamond capital of the world," Antwerp is renowned for its cut diamonds.
Travelers on the Arabian Sea often find themselves in Muscat, on the Gulf of Oman. This port capital is situated between ocean and mountains, and boasts lovely beaches, great diving sites (watch for turtles!), 16th-century forts, and the impressive Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, which can hold 20,000 people.
Indonesia is an island republic of Southeast Asia, constituting most of the Malay Archipelago. The country consists of nearly 13,700 islands. Indonesia also shares the island of New Guinea: The western section, known as Irian Jaya (West Irian) and the eastern section is part of Papua New Guinea.
Mongolia has a harsh climate, with temperatures ranging between -15° and -30° C (-5° and -22° F) in winter and 10° and 26.7° C (50° and 80° F) in summer. Winters are dry, and summer rainfall seldom exceeds 380 mm (15 in) in the mountains and 125 mm (5 in) in the desert. Mongolia's capital and largest city Ulaanbaater, includes many points of interest: Mongolia's State Archives and State Public Library, which contains about 3 million volumes; the State Central Museum, which contains art treasures and antiquities; the Fine Arts Museum, with a collection of painting and sculpture; two museums with items from the revolutionary movement; and the Museum of Religion, with a collection of Lamaist relics.