Do you dream of warm and sandy beaches? Then Ürümqi isn't the place for you!

To enjoy some time staring at the sea, listening to the quiet sound of the ocean waves, sunbathing and having fun at the beach must be a real dream for the people living in the city of Ürümqi.

This place is the capital of the Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang, which lies in the northwestern portion of the country's territory. And the reason for which I assume that spending time on the beach must be a dream for its inhabitants is because this town is recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as the remotest city from any sea in the world. And although that book of records states that Ürümqi lies at a distance of about 2,500 km from the nearest coastline, I found out (with the help of Google Earth) that the nearest exit to the sea from such city is a point somewhere in southeastern Bangladesh. To reach this point, it is necessary for the people from Ürümqi to travel about 2,361 km considering the city's international airport as the starting point. A considerable distance anyway, isn't it?

So next time you think that spending your vacations at the beach is not practical because the beach is too far away, think twice. Maybe spending some time at Ürümqi could help you change such point of view.