Polo... In India!

Polo is a team sport played on horseback. The objective of the game is to score goals against the opposing team. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposition's goal using a long-handled mallet. Polo is played at fast speed on a large grass field up to 300 yards in length.

There are a number of different forms of polo, as there is with many sports. However, the traditional seven-a-side game of polo was derived from one of the seven states of India - the state of Manipur in north east India. The city of Imphal is the capital of the state of Manipur. Manipur is surrounded by three other Indian states and another country - Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south, Assam to the west and the country Myanmar to the east.

There are four major river basins in Manipur. The Barak river is the largest river in Manipur. It originates in the Manipur Hills and it is joined by a number of tributaries.  The Manipur river basin has eight major rivers. All of those rivers originate from the surrounding hills.

Almost all of the rivers in the surrounding area are in their youthful stages and so they deposit their load in the Loktak Lake.

Manipur can be classified into two very distinct physical regions. The first is an outlying area of rugged hills and narrow valleys. The second region is the inner area of flat plain. Not only are these two regions distinct from a physical point of view, but they are also distinct with regards to flora and fauna.

The soil can be divided into two broad types. The red ferruginous soil ,which is soil with iron oxide in it, in the hill area and the alluvium soil, loose and unconsolidated soil, in the valley. On the plains, especially the flood plains and the deltas, the soil is quite thick. The top soil on the steep slopes is very thin.

The vegetation in Manipur consists of a large variety of plants ranging from short and tall grasses, reeds and bamboo to trees of various species.

The climate of Manipur is greatly influenced by the topography of the hilly region. Manipur is wedged between hills on all sides. It usually enjoys an amiable climate but sometimes the winters are chilly. Snow sometimes falls in some of the hilly regions. Kind of like Ireland, the coldest month is January and the warmest month is July. The state is hit with monsoon rains from May until the middle of October.

Night view - City of Imphal, Manipur India.

Australian football... in Australia! :L

Melbourne is located in the south-eastern part of mainland Australia. It is within the state of Victoria. Melbourne is built on lava flows to the west, mud stones to the east and sand accumulation to the southeast along Port Philip, which is a large bay located in Melbourne. Port Philip is the largest bay in the state of Victoria and one of the largest bays of inland Australia. The southeastern suburbs of Melbourne are situated on the Selwyn fault, a discontinuity in the volume of rock, which transects Mount Martha and Cranbourne, two suburbs in Melbourne.

Melbourne extends along the Yarra, a river on which Melbourne was established in 1835, towards the Yarra Valley and further towards the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Ranges.

Melbourne has a moderate oceanic climate and is very well known for its changeable weather conditions. These changing conditions are mainly due to the location of the city. It is situated on the boundary of the very hot inland areas and the cold southern ocean. The temperature differential in the Spring and Summer months can cause very cold fronts to form, resulting in all sorts of severe weather from gales to thunderstorms and hail, large temperature drops and heavy rain.
Port Philip is often warmer than the surrounding oceans. Narrow streams of heavy showers can affect the same places for a long period of time while rest of Melbourne and its surroundings stays dry.
Melbourne, like Ireland, is very well known for having "four seasons in one day". This name has been given to Melbourne because of the quick change in weather conditions every while.

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Baseball... in America!

Baseball is a bat and ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal of this sport is to hit a thrown ball and score runs by touching four bases that are lined out at the corners of a ninety foot square or diamond. Baseball is very similar to the traditional game of 'Rounders'.

Baseball first began in America in 1791, in Pittsfield Massachusetts.


Pittsfield is the largest city in Berkshire County. It is also the county seat of Berkshire County.Pittsfield is an in-land city. Lanesborough is North of the city, Dalton is to the east, Washington is southeast, Lenox is south of the city, Richmond is southwest of the city and Hancock is west of the Pittsfield. Pittsfield is located 135 miles west of Boston.

The city of Pittsfield lies on the confluence of the Housotonic River. This river flows south from the city towards it's mouth at Long Island Sound. Pittsfield lies between the Berkshire Hills to the east and Taconic Range to the west. From 1932 to 1977, this river was contaminated with PCB pollution. These discharges of pollution came from the General Electric plant in Pittsfield. Although water quality has improved in the past few decades, the water is still not clear of the PCB pollution.

The west of the city contains Pittsfield state forest. This forest is great for hiking. It has cross-country skiing trails, camping, picnic areas and a swimming beach.



Pittsfield, Massachusetts.



Baseball... in Cuba! :)

Havana, the city in Cuba, in which the first baseball team was formed, lies on the northern coast of the country. It is just below the Florida Keys, where the Gulf of Mexico joins the Caribbean sea. The city extends south westerly from the bay which is entered through a narrowed inlet. Here, the city divides into three main harbours.

The Almenderes River flows through the city from south to north. This river enters the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay. The Almenderes River is forty five kilometres long and it acts as a water supply to the city of Havana. Several industrial plants line the banks of the river, like construction plants, food production plants, breweries etc.

The city lies on low hills which gently rise from the waters of the straits. The straits are the channels of water that lie between two land masses. Within these hills is an elevation of 200 feet. This elevation is a limestone ridge that slopes up from the east and reaches its highest point in the heights of La Cabana. This is a site of colonial fortification.

Havana, like most of the country, has a pleasant tropical climate all year round. This climate is tempered by the island's position in the trade winds and by the warm offshore currents. Rainfall in Havana is heaviest in the months of June and October. There is little rainfall from December through to April. Cuba is occasionally struck by hurricanes. Havana is one of the cities in the country that is less likely to be damaged.



City of Havana, Cuba.