diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 47000fd..46cb50d 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -16,4 +16,4 @@ ext/opencv/test.txt
 pkg/
 log.txt
 *.avi
-examples/rotated-boxes-with-detected-bounding-rectangles.jpg
+examples/contours/rotated-boxes-with-detected-bounding-rectangles.jpg
diff --git a/examples/contours/bitmap-contours-with-labels.png b/examples/contours/bitmap-contours-with-labels.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..674050a
Binary files /dev/null and b/examples/contours/bitmap-contours-with-labels.png differ
diff --git a/examples/contours/bitmap-contours.png b/examples/contours/bitmap-contours.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4890a4e
Binary files /dev/null and b/examples/contours/bitmap-contours.png differ
diff --git a/examples/bounding-box-detect-canny-no-gui.rb b/examples/contours/bounding-box-detect-canny.rb
similarity index 56%
rename from examples/bounding-box-detect-canny-no-gui.rb
rename to examples/contours/bounding-box-detect-canny.rb
index b61158b..a2a6c33 100755
--- a/examples/bounding-box-detect-canny-no-gui.rb
+++ b/examples/contours/bounding-box-detect-canny.rb
@@ -30,15 +30,35 @@ contour = canny.find_contours(:mode => OpenCV::CV_RETR_LIST, :method => OpenCV::
 while contour
   # No "holes" please (aka. internal contours)
   unless contour.hole?
+
+    puts '-' * 80
+    puts "BOUNDING RECT FOUND"
+    puts '-' * 80
+
+    # You can detect the "bounding rectangle" which is always oriented horizontally and vertically
     box = contour.bounding_rect
-    puts "found external contour from #{box.top_left.x},#{box.top_left.y} to #{box.bottom_right.x},#{box.bottom_right.y}"
+    puts "found external contour with bounding rectangle from #{box.top_left.x},#{box.top_left.y} to #{box.bottom_right.x},#{box.bottom_right.y}"
+
+    # The contour area can be computed:
+    puts "that contour encloses an area of #{contour.contour_area} square pixels"
+
+    # .. as can be the length of the contour
+    puts "that contour is #{contour.arc_length} pixels long "
 
     # Draw that bounding rectangle
     cvmat.rectangle! box.top_left, box.bottom_right, :color => OpenCV::CvColor::Black
+
+    # You can also detect the "minimal rectangle" which has an angle, width, height and center coordinates
+    # and is not neccessarily horizonally or vertically aligned.
+    # The corner of the rectangle with the lowest y and x position is the anchor (see image here: http://bit.ly/lT1XvB)
+    # The zero angle position is always straight up. 
+    # Positive angle values are clockwise and negative values counter clockwise (so -60 means 60 degree counter clockwise)
+    box = contour.min_area_rect
+    puts "found minimal rectangle with its center at (#{box.center.x.round},#{box.center.y.round}), width of #{box.size.width.round}px, height of #{box.size.height.round} and an angle of #{box.angle.round} degree"
   end
   contour = contour.h_next
 end 
 
 # And save the image
-puts "Saving image with bounding rectangles"
+puts "\nSaving image with bounding rectangles"
 cvmat.save_image("rotated-boxes-with-detected-bounding-rectangles.jpg")
diff --git a/examples/contours/contour_retrieval_modes.rb b/examples/contours/contour_retrieval_modes.rb
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..929b42c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/contours/contour_retrieval_modes.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env ruby
+#
+# This file shows the different retrieval modes for contour detection
+#
+require "opencv"
+
+# Load image
+# The structure of the image is "explained" in bitmap-contours-with-labels.png
+cvmat = OpenCV::CvMat.load("bitmap-contours.png")
+
+# "find_contours" does only operate on bitmap images (black/white)
+mat = OpenCV::CvMat.new(cvmat.rows, cvmat.cols, :cv8u, 1)
+(cvmat.rows * cvmat.cols).times do |i|
+  mat[i] = (cvmat[i][0] <= 128) ? OpenCV::CvScalar.new(0) : OpenCV::CvScalar.new(255)
+end
+
+# find_contours takes two parameters:
+# 1. Retrieval mode (:mode, defines the structure of the contour sequence returned)
+#    - CV_RETR_LIST (default)
+#    - CV_RETR_EXTERNAL
+#    - CV_RETR_CCOMP
+#    - CV_RETR_TREE
+# 2. Retrieval Method (:method, how the contours are approximated)
+#    - CV_CHAIN_CODE
+#    - CV_CHAIN_APPROX_NONE
+#    - CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE (default)
+#    - CV_CHAIN_APPROX_TC89_L1
+#    - CV_CHAIN_APPROX_T89_KCOS
+#    - CV_LINK_RUNS
+
+#
+# The default: CV_RETR_LIST and CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE
+# This produces a flat list of contours that can be traversed with .h_next and .h_prev
+#
+puts "Detecting using CV_RETR_LIST and CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE"
+contour = mat.find_contours(:mode => OpenCV::CV_RETR_LIST, :method => OpenCV::CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)
+cindex=1
+
+while contour
+  puts "Contour ##{cindex} is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+  contour = contour.h_next
+  cindex+=1
+end 
+
+#
+# CV_RETR_EXTERNAL retrieves only the outer most non "hole" contour
+#
+puts '-'*80
+puts "Detecting using CV_RETR_EXTERNAL and CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE"
+contour = mat.find_contours(:mode => OpenCV::CV_RETR_EXTERNAL, :method => OpenCV::CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)
+cindex=1
+
+while contour
+  puts "Contour ##{cindex} is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+  contour = contour.h_next
+  cindex+=1
+end 
+
+#
+# CV_RETR_CCOMP organizes the contours in a two level deep stack
+# The first level holds the contours
+# The second level contains the holes of the contours in level 1
+#
+# C00001 <-> C00000 <-> C000 <-> C0
+#                         |     |
+#                         V     V
+#                       H0000   H00
+#
+puts '-'*80
+puts "Detecting using CV_RETR_CCOMP and CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE"
+contour = mat.find_contours(:mode => OpenCV::CV_RETR_CCOMP, :method => OpenCV::CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)
+
+# C00001
+puts "Contour #1 is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+contour = contour.h_next
+
+# C00000
+puts "Contour #2 is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+contour = contour.h_next
+
+# C000
+puts "Contour #3 is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+contour_down = contour.v_next
+
+# H0000
+puts "Contour #4 is #{contour_down.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour_down.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour_down.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour_down.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+contour = contour.h_next
+
+# C0
+puts "Contour #5 is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+contour_down = contour.v_next
+
+# H00
+puts "Contour #6 is #{contour_down.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour_down.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour_down.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour_down.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+
+#
+# CV_RETR_TREE manages the contours in a tree structure
+# This reconstructs the complete hierarchy of contours and holes that the image displayed
+#
+# C0
+#  |
+#  V
+# H00
+#  |
+#  V
+# C000
+#  |
+#  V
+# H0000-------+
+#  |          |
+#  V          V
+# C00000   C00001
+#
+puts '-'*80
+puts "Detecting using CV_RETR_TREE and CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE"
+contour = mat.find_contours(:mode => OpenCV::CV_RETR_TREE, :method => OpenCV::CV_CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)
+
+# C0
+puts "Contour #1 is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+contour = contour.v_next
+
+# H00
+puts "Contour #2 is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+contour = contour.v_next
+
+# C000
+puts "Contour #3 is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+contour = contour.v_next
+
+# H0000
+puts "Contour #4 is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+contour = contour.v_next
+
+# C00000
+puts "Contour #5 is #{contour.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
+contour_right = contour.h_next
+
+# C00001
+puts "Contour #6 is #{contour_right.contour_area} px^2 (width: #{contour_right.bounding_rect.width}, height: #{contour_right.bounding_rect.height}, type: #{(contour_right.hole?)?"hole":"contour"})"
diff --git a/examples/contours/rotated-boxes.jpg b/examples/contours/rotated-boxes.jpg
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index 0000000..cf3a2e6
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diff --git a/examples/rotated-boxes.jpg b/examples/rotated-boxes.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 344210b..0000000
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