Beijing, China: Center of the World

One of the world's oldest major capitals still serving as the national hub today, Beijing -- or Peking or Yanjing, depending on who you speak to -- is the heart and brain of China itself, and has been so for centuries. First settled about a quarter million years ago, it is home to some 20 million people over 3,000 square miles, and to so many temples and structures of great historical and cultural significance that it truly earns its nickname of the Celestial City. (Life - Your World in Pictures)