An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns. In modern usage the space allows people to walk for recreational purposes; esplanades are often on sea fronts, and allow walking whatever the state of the tide, without having to walk on the beach. Esplanades became popular in Victorian times when it was fashionable to visit seaside resorts. A promenade, often abbreviated to '(the) Prom', was an area where people - couples and families especially - would go to walk for a while in order to 'be seen' and be considered part of 'society'.
In North America, esplanade has another meaning, being also a median (strip of raised land) dividing a roadway or boulevard. Sometimes they are just strips of grass, or some may have gardens and trees. Some roadway esplanades may be used as parks with a walking/jogging trail and benches.
Esplanade and promenade are sometimes used interchangeably. The derivation of "promenade" indicates a place specifically intended for walking, though many modern promenades and esplanades also allow bicycles and other nonmotorized transport. Some esplanades also include large boulevards or avenues where cars are permitted.
A similar term with the same meaning in the eastern coastal region of Spain is rambla, but more widely referred to as paseo marítimo ("esplanade"), paseo ("promenade") or explanada ("esplanade") in the Hispanic world.
India
Esplanade, also known as the Central Business District in Kolkata
Kamarajar Salai, Chennai in Chennai, India
Marine Drive, Kochi in Kochi, India
Marine Drive in Mumbai
Bandstand Promenade in Mumbai
Promenade Beach in Pondicherry
Malaysia
Esplanade, George Town, Penang
Gurney Drive, George Town, Penang
Karpal Singh Drive, George Town, Penang
Rejang Esplanade in Sibu, Sarawak
Philippines
Baywalk, Manila
Dipolog Boulevard, Dipolog City
Rizal Boulevard Promenade, Dumaguete City
Iloilo Esplanade, Iloilo City
Others
Tsim Sha Tsui East, Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong
The Esplanade, Aktau, Kazakhstan
Corniche Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
The Esplanade, Singapore
Galle Face Green, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Breakwater Corniche or Al-Kasr in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Doha Corniche, Doha, Qatar
America and Caribbean
United States
The Charles River Esplanade, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
The Esplanade, Redondo Beach, California, United States
The Esplanade, Rio Del Mar, California, United States
Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, United States
Others
Calçadão de Copacabana and Calçadão de Ipanema (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Malecón, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Malecón, Havana, Cuba
The Scarborough Esplanade, Scarborough, Tobago
Rambla de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
Terrasse Dufferin, Quebec City, Canada
Esplanade, Exmouth, England
La Promenade des Anglais, in Nice, France
Usedom Beach Promenade, Western Pomerania, Germany (Europe’s longest beach promenade)
Riga, Esplanade, Latvia
Świnoujście, by the Baltic Sea, Poland
Trzebież, by the Szczecin Lagoon, Poland
The Esplanade, in Weymouth, England
The Promenade, at Portobello, in Edinburgh, Scotland
The Esplanade, in Bangor, Dalriada
Esplanadi, in Helsinki, Finland
St. Clair Esplanade in Dunedin, New Zealand
Marine Parade, in Napier, New Zealand
The Golden Mile, Durban, South Africa
Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa
Inland
Esplanade of the European Parliament, in Brussels, Belgium
Ministries Esplanade, in Brasília, Brazil
Thames Embankment, in London, England
Brühl's Terrace, Dresden, Germany
The Danube Promenade in Budapest, Hungary
Esplanade, in Calcutta, India
Sibu Esplanade, Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
Iloilo River Esplanade in Iloilo City, Philippines
Błonia, Kraków, Poland
L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., United States
Charles River Reservation, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
The Eastbank Esplanade, in Portland, Oregon, United States
Esplanade Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA