As so often in Australia's history, Melbourne was founded through deception when explorer John Batman, an Australian who spoke in several aboriginal languages, made a "deal" with aborigines to lease land on behalf of investors While offering the Aborigines any compensation at all was progressive in a colonial culture that preferred to simply run them off the land, the fact that the native people had little understanding of rents, leases or indeed, the concept that land was something to be bought, sold and leased at all, made his arrangements no less exploitative

Mumbai, once known as Bombay, is one of the most densely populated cities in the world In 1533, when the Portuguese set up Bom Bahia, which means “good bay”, no one could have imagined how Mumbai would work out

Tehran is currently among the most densely populated capitals on the planet, yet for many centuries Tehran was nothing more than a small, insignificant city on the stage of world history Aga Muhammed Khan, founder of the Qajar dynasty, chose Tehran as the capital of the Persian Empire in 1795, largely because of its location on the cool Elbur hillsides

The cost of flying within Italy is often comparable to the cost of train travel, although be sure to include the expense of getting to and from the airport When flying out of Italian airports, always check with the airport or tourist agency about upcoming strikes, which are frequent in Italy and often affect air travel

One of the world’s most evocative squares, Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square) is the heart of Venice, a vast open space bordered by an orderly procession of arcades marching toward the fairy tale cupolas and marble lacework of the Basilica di San Marco

South India has a multitude of beautiful things to buy The region produces fabulous textiles including the famous Kanchipuram silk