Thanks to the plethora of information available on the Internet, we can learn a lot more about the world by turning that raw data into visual representations. The following websites do just that – they take certain kinds of data and present it to you in a visual way that’s easy to understand - and is quite impressive! Some of these sites might change how you view the world entirely.
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1. Life & Death
This map uses available data on birth and death rates to show you how it looks around the world. The intricate back and forth dance between the green dots of birth and the red dots of death is mesmerizing.
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There are hundreds of cyber-attacks happening in the world every minute. They come from private people, organizations, and even governments, and directed at them as well. It’s hard to fathom the scale of these attacks, as some are momentary and some last hours. Watching the cyberwar as it rages in real time is mesmerizing and somewhat frightening.
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If you have a smartphone that is associated with a Google account (Gmail/Youtube/etc), there’s a good chance your phone has been tracking where you’ve been, and sending that data to Google. The map display will show you where your phone knows that you’ve been, as far back as 30 days.
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Did you ever wonder how much a Facebook app can learn about you in an instant? This website was originally designed as part of a promotion for a computer game about hacking, but it makes it very clear that just by adding a game or linking some promotion to your Facebook page, you expose a lot of information about yourself in an instant. Find out just how much Facebook finds out about you.
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Newsmap is a service that aggregates all of the major news stories in the world, and displays them by categories. You can filter the news by limiting it to certain countries, topics, time, and more. The service is free, and is a great way to catch up on what is happening everywhere, right now.
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Tuesday, June 30, 2015
5 Websites That Visualize the Web
50 Great Kitchen Hacks
The kitchen may look like an ordinary room, but it is actually a place where ingredients come in and meals go out, a magical place that is part factory, part restaurant. There are so many ways to use the kitchen to prepare food and drinks. Anyone who likes to cook knows there are thousands of little shortcuts, tricks and tips to be learned. Here are 50 such easy tips and tricks to add to your repertoire.
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Monday, June 29, 2015
Neatness Counts
Neatness counts:
This, according to Brian Tracy.
"I run into people all the time who tell me it's OK
that my desk is messy, I know where everything is.
Now you have to understand one thing: intelligent people,
people with good memories can very often remember where everything is but it
just means that they are using their intelligence to combat the inefficiency of
neatness.
Every single study
that has been done says this: That if
you'll just clean up your work environment so it is completely neat end
everything is off your desk except the
one thing you are working on you will
increase your productivity by 20% to 40%".
In a study that was done recently 98% of senior executives
said that they would not promote a messy person; that they would not give a
messy person greater responsibilities.
That if you are messy, no matter how much you kid yourself, everybody
around you concludes that you are inefficient, undependable , unreliable, incompetent,
and even if you do the job well, they think it's just an accident.
Save Yourself Calories With These Food Swaps!
You have your diet and you stick to it, but a substitute here and there could help you lose up to a pound a month! Here are some great suggestions for food substitutes that will save you up to 100 calories per meal.
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| 1. Try English Muffins Instead of Bagels |
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The average bagel measures nearly 3 1/2 inches, which is a whole lot of carbohydrates that you don't need first thing in the morning (or really any time of the day). Instead, use one tablespoon of peanut butter and some fresh sliced strawberries in a whole-wheat English muffin.
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| 2. Try Greek Yogurt Instead of Low-Fat Milk |
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Instead of pouring 1/2 a cup of low-fat milk into your 2/3 cup of cereal or granola, pour a 1/4 cup of granola or cereal over 6 ounces of non-fat Greek yogurt. Try using low-fat granola, which has about 75 percent less fat than the regular one.
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| 3. Eat Oranges Instead of Drinking Orange Juice |
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Orange juice usually contains a lot of sugar, unless it is very freshly squeezed. Instead, eat an orange that you know is completely natural. In fact, one cup of orange juice has 24 grams of sugar, while one whole orange has just 12 grams! Eating an orange will also give you 3 extra grams of fiber that drinking orange juice won't.
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| 4. Wrap Your Sandwich Instead of Using Bread |
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Find 100-calorie whole-wheat wraps (or really any kind of wrap you can find besides white flour ones) that usually measure about 8 inches. These delicious wraps will save you on calories and carbs while still leaving you feeling full.
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| 5. Try Fresh Apple Slices Instead of Crackers |
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When you are craving for a snack, try using fresh apple slices as the vehicle for your cheese instead of greasy and fatty crackers. Substituting apples will also help you up your daily fruit count and will leave you feeling lighter come dinner time. Apples don't have the sodium that crackers do - another point in their favor. Five wheat crackers have about 200mg of sodium in them, while apples have none.
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| 6. Corn Tortillas Instead of Flour Ones |
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So long to fattening and heavy burrito night. Introduce your family to a new and healthier option - corn tortillas. They have more or less the same texture as flour tortillas, but differ slightly in taste. Stuff the tortillas with the meat, veggies and fajita mix you've cooked, and people will thank you later for saving them over 100 calories and nearly 450mg of sodium.
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| 7. Try Trail Mix Instead of Mixed Nuts |
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This one may be surprising, as nuts are so healthy for you, but if you are looking for an in-between-meals snack, it's better to go for trail mix, which is lower in calories. Instead of eating 2 handfuls of mixed nuts, make it one and add in a bit of air-popped popcorn and wholegrain cereal like Chex (not trail mix).
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| 8. Eat Dark Chocolate Instead of Milk Chocolate |
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Dark chocolate has nearly half the sugar that milk chocolate does and can be just as tasty. When intense dark chocolate is slowly savored, it's flavor can be just as delicious and satisfying as the same amount of milk chocolate. Also, try to minimize your portion to 2 or 3 squares (as pictured above) instead of a whole chocolate bar.
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| 9. Try Local Beers Instead of Ultra Light |
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A recent fad among avid beer drinkers that want to watch their weight has been to reach for ultra light beers instead of regular, full fat beers. However, if you are only looking to have a light drink, it is better to go for the full-flavor and superiority of the locally crafted beer. But be careful: some craft beers can have up to 10 percent alcohol, much more than wine or regular beers.
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| 10. Try Radishes Instead of Corn Chips on Your Chili |
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Instead of corn chips that are full of carbs, oil and - of course - fat, try sliced fresh radishes for a nice crunch with your chili. You can also add jalapenos if you like extra heat and, instead of sour cream, a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt. With all these subsitutions there's even room for a bit of cheese.
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| 11. Have a Bowl of Bran Cereal Instead of a Bran Muffin |
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The average coffee shop muffin has upwards of 400 calories, which means that you should probably stick to healthy bran cereal instead. Have your cereal with 2/3 cup of low-fat milk and you'll be getting 2 more grams of fiber and 200 mg more of calcium than you would with the muffin.
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| 12. Try a Veggie and Cheese Filling Instead of Ham and Cheddar |
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Some of us love a good melted ham and cheese sandwich or omelet, but try using vegetables and goat cheese instead. How about spinach. tomatoes and about an ounce of goat cheese, along with peppers? You'll be saving yourself over 300mg of sodium by substituting the ham.
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| 13. Make Your Own Parfaits Instead of Purchasing Pre-Made |
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Most of the parfaits that you get when you are on the go have lots of extra sugar and fat that you just don't need. They are actually more of a dessert than they are breakfast. Instead, make your own parafait using about 6 ounces of fat-free yogurt, a fresh fruit of your choosing and about 2 tablespoons of low-fat granola. If your sweet tooth still isn't satisfied, drizzle a teaspoon of honey over the parfait and you've got yourself a sweet and healthy breakfast treat!
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| 14. Have Two Slices of Raisin Bread Instead of a Cinnamon Roll |
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The average cinnamon roll contains so many calories that you'll be working it off for weeks. Instead, pick up 2 slices of sweet raisin bread, toast them and spread low-fat cream cheese on them. Then sweeten the cream cheese with about 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a spicy finish.
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| 15. Try Pecans and Yogurt Instead of Butter and Syrup on Pancakes |
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When you are eating pancakes for breakfast, it's best to leave the butter out at all costs (if possible). You can substitute calorie-filled butter and syrup with 1 tablespoon of chopped pecans and a dollop of non-fat Greek yogurt. You can also cut a lot of calories by making a shorter stack of pancakes...
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| 16. Try a Bubbly Mimosa Instead of a Bloody Mary |
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A 12-ounce Bloody Mary contains about 2 shots of vodka, the main source of calories in the cocktail, and it has about 1000 grams of sodium (way more than you need). Instead, try a lower-calorie mimosa - a champagne and orange juice combo - and if you can, use freshly squeezed orange juice that contains less sugar.
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| 18. Top Your Oatmeal with Apples and Honey, not Brown Sugar |
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If you're used to topping your morning oatmeal with nuts, brown sugar and cream, you should try adding just apples, honey and cinnamon instead. While the high-calorie toppings do taste good, they weigh down the entire dish with their high fat and sugar content, which is hard to digest. However, apples, cinnamon and honey are all very easy to digest and healthy at that and will save you a good deal of fat and calories. If you miss the creamy taste, try adding a bit of non-fat Greek yogurt.
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| 18. Have Center-Cut Bacon Instead of Sausage Patties |
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Sausage patties were probably the morning staples when you were a child, but nowadays you've got to watch your cholesterol and fat intake. Thus, you should try two pieces of center-cut bacon, which has only 25 calories per slice. That's much less when compared to two sausage patties. Bacon is rather high in sodium, however, so use moderation when indulging in this greasy treat.
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| 19. Have Whole Grain Trail Mix Instead of The Traditional One |
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For all you snackers out there, listen up. Instead of regular, full-fat trail mix, try the whole-grain variety that contains whole-grain cereal and a lot less sugar and oil. Indeed, the regular cup of trail mix has over 600 calories, which is great for thosewho exercise a lot, but when you are sedentary like most of us, those calories can pile on the pounds.
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| 20. Try an Ice Cream Sandwich Instead of Full-Fat Ice Cream |
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Some of you may enjoy hearing this next fact: The average ice cream sandwich has 100 calories less than one scoop of full-fat ice cream, and it is 8 grams lower in dangerous saturated fats. So, next time you see the ice cream truck pass down the block, make sure to pick up your ice cream sandwich treat.
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| 21. Have a Chocolate Graham Instead of Chocolate Almonds |
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When you're in a fix for some chocolate, don't reach for those chocolate almonds that may seem like a healthier alternative, but which really have over 240 calories in just 2 handfuls. Instead, smear some chocolate hazelnut spread, like Nutella, on a graham cracker. Top the cracker with 1 teaspoon of chopped nuts and you'll be saving yourself 100 calories and over 16 grams of sugar.
Note: Make sure not to over do it with the Nutella. Aim for about 2 teaspoons per graham. |
| 22. Drink a Lemon Sparkler and Not Lemon-Lime Soda |
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It is important to always remember that soft drinks have calories too. A 12-oz. can of lemon-lime soda contains over 36 grams of sugar, which is nearly 3 tablespoons! Instead, mix about 4 ounces of lemonade with 8 ounces of sparkling water and garnish with a lemon slice. You won't be able to tell the difference, and you surely won't get a sugar spike afterwards.
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| 23. Have Cream Cheese and Honey Crackers Instead of Cheesy Snacks |
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If you are a fan of cheesy cracker snacks, try this delicious sweet and salty combination. Spread about 1 tablespoon of part-skin ricotta or low-fat cream cheese on two thin multigrain flatbreads. Then drizzle both with a teaspoon of honey for that delectable sweet kick.
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| 24. Try Edamame Instead of Peanuts For a Salty Snack |
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If you are looking for a salty snack that's full of protein, try some Japanese soy beans called 'edamame', instead of your regular roasted peanuts. Peanuts can contain over 200 calories in just 1/2 a cup and are usually full of oil. Pick up some frozen edamame in the frozen food isle, heat it up in the microwave or oven and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds or sea salt to save yourself 100 calories and gain 4 more grams of protein too.
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50 International Borders From Around the World
Countries are one of the oldest ways to separate between large groups of people. They are political lines drawn in the sand, sometimes separating different cultures, religions and even enemies. Some are very relaxed, taking only a skip and a jump to go from one country to the other, while some are defined by natural geography. Here is a fantastic collection of 50 international borders from around the world!
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| 1. Residents Of Naco, Arizona and Naco, Mexico play a game of volleyball over the fence between USA and Mexico. |
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| 2. Slovakia, Austria and Hungary |
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| 3. Norway and Sweden |
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| 4. Netherlands and Belgium |
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| 5. Poland and Ukraine |
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| 6. Australia and everywhere |
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| 7. Haiti, on the left and the Dominican Republic, on the right; distinguished by their radically different environmental protection policies. |
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| 8. A zipline connects Spain and Portugal |
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| 9. Macau drives on the left side of the road, mainland China drives on the right, so this is what they do at the order. |
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| 10. USA and Mexico |
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| 11. Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay |
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| 12. Bolivia and Brazil |
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| 13. USA and Mexico |
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| 14. Denmark and Sweden |
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| 15. Point where borders of Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium converge near the city of Aachen. |
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| 16. USA and Canada |
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| 17. Germany and Czech Republic showcase two different approaches to bark beetle infestation – Silvicultural intervention vs. intentional neglect. |
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| 18. Sweden and Norway |
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| 19. The Lithuanian woman to the right is speaking with her Belarusian relatives across the fence at the border between Belarus and Lithuania. |
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| 20. Egypt and Israel |
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| 21. Spain and Portugal |
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| 22. Germany and Poland and Czech |
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| 23. North Korea vs. South Korea |
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| 24. North Korea and South Korea (on the ground) |
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| 25. A golden triangle between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos |
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| 26. River Prut as the border between Romania and the Republic of Moldova. |
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| 27. Iguazu Falls (border between Argentina and Brazil) |
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| 28. Austria – Slovenia Alpine Border |
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| 29. The border between Germany and Poland, on the beach of Usedom |
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| 30. Russia and Belarus |
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| 31. Poland-Ukraine-Slovakia Border on the top of Krzemieniec Mountain |
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| 32. India and Pakistan border, visible from space |
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| 33. Canada-USA Border, 1000 Islands |
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| 34. USA and Canada |
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| 35. Hadrian’s Wall Scotland - England (built because the Romans were afraid of the Scots). |
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| 36. Hermann Castle and Ivangorod Castle on the Estonian-Russian border, formed by the Narva River. |
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| 37. Finland–Sweden–Norway |
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| 38. Between Asia and Europe in Russia |
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| 39. India – Pakistan Border (Atari – Wagah) |
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| 40. Slovakia (left) vs. Ukraine (right) |
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| 41. Chile-Argentina |
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| 42. Bulgarian-Turkish Border |
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| 43. Poland (Cieszyn) and Czech (Český Těšín) |
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| 44. France – Switzerland – Germany (in Basel) |
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| 45. Belize-Guatemala border in the jungle |
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| 46. The real border between Chile (left) and Argentina (right): Cordillera De Los Andes |
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| 47. EU and Rest of the World (Spain and Morocco) |
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| 48. Between France and Germany – Only the different city limit sign shows the difference |
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| 49. Border between Brazil and Uruguay |
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| 50. Ban Gioc Waterfall at the border between Vietnam and China |
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Ricardo S.
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