Nouakchott

Nouakchott (/nwɑːkˈʃɒt/, Arabic: نواكشوط‎ Nuwākshūṭ, originally derived from Berber Nawākšūṭ, "place of the winds") is the capital and by far the largest city of Mauritania. It is one of the largest cities in the Sahara. The city is the administrative and economic centre of Mauritania.

Nouakchott was a small village of little importance until 1958, when it was chosen as the capital of the nascent nation of Mauritania. It was designed and built to accommodate 15,000 people, but droughts since the 1970s have displaced a vast number of Mauritanians, who resettled in Nouakchott. This caused rapid urban growth and overcrowding, with the city having an estimated population of 2 million in 2008 despite the official figures being under a million. The resettled population inhabited slum areas under poor conditions, but the living conditions of a portion of these inhabitants have since been ameliorated.

Nouakchott is the hub of the Mauritanian economy and is home to a port that handles 500,000 tonnes of cargo per year and one of the country's two international airport (the other is Nouadhibou, the country's second largest city and a major port, in the north. A significant part of the population had lead a nomadic lifestyle, but massive droughts in the 1970s and following years brought about significant urbanization, with many former nomads setting up tents and relocating within the city. The city hosts the University of Nouakchott and several markets.

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's oceanic divisions, following the Pacific Ocean. With a total area of about 106,400,000 square kilometres (41,100,000 sq mi), it covers approximately 20 percent of the Earth's surface and about 29 percent of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to Atlas of Greek mythology, making the Atlantic the "Sea of Atlas".

The oldest known mention of "Atlantic" is in The Histories of Herodotus around 450 BC (Hdt. 1.202.4): Atlantis thalassa (Greek: Ἀτλαντὶς θάλασσα; English: Sea of Atlas). The term Ethiopic Ocean, derived from Ethiopia, was applied to the southern Atlantic as late as the mid-19th century. Before Europeans discovered other oceans, their term "ocean" was synonymous with the waters beyond the Strait of Gibraltar that are now known as the Atlantic. The early Greeks believed this ocean to be a gigantic river encircling the world.

The Atlantic Ocean occupies an elongated, S-shaped basin extending longitudinally between Eurasia and Africa to the east, and the Americas to the west. As one component of the interconnected global ocean, it is connected in the north to the Arctic Ocean, to the Pacific Ocean in the southwest, the Indian Ocean in the southeast, and the Southern Ocean in the south (other definitions describe the Atlantic as extending southward to Antarctica). The equator subdivides it into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean.

Flaming Pie

Flaming Pie is the tenth solo studio album by Paul McCartney, first released in 1997. His first studio album in over four years, it was mostly recorded following McCartney's involvement in the highly successful Beatles Anthology project. The album was recorded in several locations over two years, 1995 and 1997, featuring two songs dating from 1992. The album featured several of McCartney's family members and friends, most notably McCartney's son, James McCartney. In Flaming Pie's liner notes, McCartney said: "[The Beatles Anthology] reminded me of The Beatles' standards and the standards that we reached with the songs. So in a way it was a refresher course that set the framework for this album."

Flaming Pie peaked at number two in both the UK and US and was certified gold. The album, which was well received by critics, also reached the top 20 in many other countries. From its release up to mid-2007, the album sold over 1.5 million copies.

Background

"Calico Skies", which Paul McCartney had written when Hurricane Bob had hit while McCartney was staying on Long Island in 1991, and "Great Day", which features backing vocal from his wife Linda McCartney, hailed from a 1992 session, recorded even before Off the Ground had come out. Starting from the mid-1990s for four years, McCartney was involved in The Beatles Anthology, a documentary on the history of the Beatles. The documentary was originally titled The Long and Winding Road, named after McCartney's song of the same name. During 1995, as the Anthology albums were starting to be released over a two-year period, EMI did not want McCartney to release a solo album in the meantime. McCartney said that he "was almost insulted at first" before then realising that "it would be silly to go out against yourself in the form of the Beatles. So I fell in with the idea and thought, 'Great, I don't even have to think about an album.'" McCartney was occupied with working on Standing Stone in the interim.

Atlantic Ocean (band)

Atlantic Ocean is the Dutch trance/electronic duo, comprising Lex van Coeverden and Rene van der Weyde.

The duo is most remembered for its hit single, "Waterfall". They entered the UK Singles Chart four times in the 1990s, the entries being "Waterfall", "Body in Motion", "Music is a Passion" and a remix of "Waterfall". Another single, "Cycle of Life", failed to chart and further releases of "Waterfall" were made, though either failed or were ineligible for the chart. The band released several EPs including Lorelei, Pegasus, Set You Free and Trance-Atlantis.

"Waterfall"

The duo's first and most successful track was "Waterfall". It was originally released as a single in 1993. However, the track is included in many Ministry of Sound compilation albums. In the track's original single release, three versions of the song were included. These were a radio edit, a tranquil mix and an original 12" edition.

The single reached number 22 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1994. A remixed version achieved one better, peaking at 21 in November 1996.