World Landmarks and Heritage

Hiram Bingham rediscovered Machu Picchu in July 1911 during his search for the lost Inca capital. The Spanish conquistadors never found this mountaintop city, though they destroyed Cuzco, the Inca capital they did capture. Cajamarca and Tiahuanaco were other significant archaeological sites but not the lost city Bingham sought.

Pierre L'Enfant, who designed Washington D.C.'s street layout, is famously associated with hauntings at the Capitol Building where his initial plans were substantially modified. Legend holds that his restless spirit returns to protest changes to his grand design. The Capitol is the most logical location for these hauntings as it was central to his original vision.

Egypt is called the 'Gift of the Nile' because the Nile River's annual flooding created fertile soil that allowed Egyptian civilization to flourish in an otherwise desert region. Rome, Italy, and Paris are not associated with this phrase.

Atlantic City did build the world's first boardwalk in 1870. It was originally constructed to keep sand out of the hotel lobbies and railroad cars, and became a model for boardwalks everywhere. The other New Jersey shore towns (Seaside Heights, Ocean City, Asbury Park) all built boardwalks later, not first.

Niagara Falls erodes and moves backward due to water flowing over the escarpment, with rock wearing away over time. The falls have retreated approximately 11 kilometers since formation. The other landmarks (Burns Building, Fort Calgary, Nose Hill Park) do not have this characteristic backward movement.

In Sanskrit, the word 'angaNa' (अङ्गण) means a field, open space, or courtyard. It does not mean city, body parts, or the planet Mars. The word is commonly used to refer to an open area or field.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, completed in 1889, was the world's tallest structure (not a building, as it's a lattice tower) at 324 meters until the Chrysler Building was completed in 1930. The Westin Peachtree Plaza (1976) and Landmark Tower are much later, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa is only 57 meters.

The Landmark Tower in Yokohama, Japan, stands 972 feet (296 meters) tall and was completed in 1993. It is Japan's second-tallest building and features a hotel and observation deck. The Umeda Sky Building is in Osaka, while the Century Tower and NEC Super Tower are in Tokyo but have different heights and completion dates.

Ayers Rock, known as Uluru, is a large sandstone rock formation in central Australia, considered a sacred site by Aboriginal Australians. It is located near the center of the continent and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Blue Grotto is a famous sea cave on the coast of the island of Capri in southern Italy, known for its brilliant blue water caused by sunlight passing through an underwater cavity. It is a popular tourist attraction accessible by boat.

Mount Athos in Greece is an autonomous monastic state where entry is prohibited to women and female animals. The prohibition, called 'avaton' in Greek, has been in place for over 1,000 years and is strictly enforced.

The Great Pyramid of Cholula in Cholula de Rivadabia, Mexico is considered the largest monument by volume (4.45 million cubic meters), though not by height. It is larger in volume than the Great Pyramid of Giza (Cheops), which is taller but smaller in total mass.

The megalithic temples on Malta and Gozo, dating back to 3600-2500 BCE, are considered the oldest free-standing structures on Earth. They predate Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids by over a millennium, making option B correct.