Buffalo, the second-largest city in New York State, sits at the eastern end of Lake Erie where the Niagara River begins its journey toward Niagara Falls. Once a powerhouse of American industry and trade, Buffalo thrived in the 19th and early 20th centuries as a major shipping and manufacturing hub, thanks to its strategic location along the Erie Canal and Great Lakes.

Great Blasket Island, or An Blascaod Mór, lies off the western tip of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, separated from the mainland by the Blasket Sound. The island is the largest of the Blasket Islands and is characterized by steep hills, rugged cliffs, grassy slopes, and the long sandy beach of An Trá Bán. Its small settlement is now deserted, with stone cottages and field boundaries remaining across the hillside.

Atauro Island is a mountainous island north of Dili in Timor-Leste, separated from the mainland by the Ombai Strait. Its landscape includes dry hills, forested slopes, grassy areas, rocky cliffs, and small coastal villages. The island is surrounded by exceptionally diverse coral reefs and clear tropical waters, making its marine environment one of its defining features.

Yangshuo lies along the Li River in southern China’s Guangxi region, long known for landscapes that have shaped Chinese art and poetry for centuries.

Sasebo is a port city in Nagasaki Prefecture on the northwestern coast of Kyushu, shaped by its sheltered harbor, islands, and long maritime connections. Its identity reflects both Japanese and international influences, with naval facilities, American cultural connections, and a busy waterfront existing alongside traditional neighborhoods. The city is also a gateway to the Kujukushima area, a coastal landscape known for its many small islands and winding shorelines.