World's Natural Wonders

Mount Vesuvius, One of World's Most Dangerous Volcano

2009-08-06T21:59:00.007-04:00

Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano located in the east of Naples, Italy. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years. It is considered as one of world's most dangerous volcano because of the population of 3,000,000 people living nearby.

Mount Vesuvius with it's crater seen from a plane. (Source)

The most famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius happened in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the death of 10,000 to 25,000 people.

Mount Vesuvius seen from City of Pompeii which was destroyed in the eruption of AD 79. (Source)

The summit of Mount Vesuvius is open to visitors and tourists and there is a small network of paths around the mountain that are maintained by the park authorities on weekends. There is also an access by road to within 200 metres (660 ft) of the summit, but thereafter access is on foot only. There is a spiral walkway around the mountain from the road to the crater.

Inside the Mount Vesuvius crater where tourists can take a pictures. (Source)

The Mount Vesuvius area it is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world. The area around it was officially declared a national park on June 1995.

Mount Vesuvius seen from Italian City of Napoli. (Source)

Bay of Fundy, World's Highest and Lowest Tides

2009-08-04T04:54:00.008-04:00

Located between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Bay of Fundy features the world's highest, at 16.2 meters, and lowest tides.

Everyday 100 billion tons of seawater flows in and out of the Bay of Fundy during one tide cycle. It is estimated that during this cycle, more water flows in and out of the bay than the combined flow of the world’s freshwater rivers. It is this phenomenon that tourists are drawn to this amazing place. Visitors can see two extraordinary high and low tides every 24 hours.

The famous Hopewell Rocks at low tide. (Source)

The famous Hopewell Rocks at high tide. (Source)

The bay's extreme tides create a dynamic marine ecosystem. Aside from extreme tidal effects - vertical, horizontal, rapids and tidal bores, it is also renown for its coastal rock formations and sustainable coastal development. It is also a critical international feeding ground for migratory birds, a vibrant habitat for rare and endangered Right whales, one of the world’s most significant plant and animal fossil discovery regions.

Bay of Fundy's tide level. (Source)

Bay of Fundy is one of North America’s top ten nature tourism destination. Every year, an average of 1 million nature tourists come to this place to experience the tides.

Tourists watching the beginning of high tide. (Source)

High and low tide view. (Source)

Jurassic Coast

2009-06-27T17:05:00.008-04:00

The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site located in Dorset and East Devon Coast in southern England. The coast which measures 153 kilometres (95 mi) stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset and is England's first natural World Heritage Site and is truly a stunning coastline.

Gad Cliff to St. Alban's Head (Source)

Jurassic Coast was named so because the area consists of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous cliffs, spanning the Mesozoic Era which documents 180 million years of geological history which scientists called geological "walk through time".

The Jurassic limestones on the Isle of Portland which was extensively quarried (Source)

The site contains unique geological features and excellent examples of different landforms. Some of the famous is the natural arch at Durdle Door, the cove and limestone folding at Lulworth Cove and an island, the Isle of Portland. Chesil Beach is a fine example of both a tombolo and a storm beach.

The Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast (Source)

Landslip near Lyme Regis where the first complete Ichthyosaur fossil was found by palaeontologist Mary Anning (Source)

Ngorongoro Crater, World's Largest Unbroken Caldera

2009-02-15T10:36:00.012-05:00

Called the eighth wonder of the world, Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest unbroken and unflooded volcanic caldera in the Eastern (Great) Rift Valley, northern Tanzania, Africa. It lies 75 miles west of the town of Arusha. The crater measures between 10 and 12 miles across and has an area of 102 square miles. It's rim is heavily forested and rises 2,000 feet above the caldera’s floor to an elevation of 7,500 feet. It is included within a UNESCO World Heritage site designated in 1979.

Panoramic view of the Ngorongoro Crater (Source)

When it was active some 2.5 million years ago, Ngorongoro volcano was one of the world's tallest mountains. After a major eruption, it's volcanic cone collapsed inward leaving the present vast, unbroken caldera as its chief remnant and a flat plain area.

Ngorongoro Crater Map (Source)

The Ngorongoro Crater floor is predominantly open grassland and is haven to a diverse array of animals including elephants, black rhinoceroses, leopards, buffalo, zebras, warthogs, wildebeests, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles, and the densest population of lions in the world.

Female lion on a hunt for zebra

Lake Magadi, a shallow soda lake ringed by extinct volcanoes, is renowned as a habitat for great flocks of pink flamingos.

Panoramic view of the Ngorongoro Crater (Source)

The local Masai people also graze their livestock in the crater. Some villagers don't like to be taken pictures, others ask money from tourist in exchange of pictures.

Masai family in Ngorongoro (Source)

When a lodge was built on its rim in the 1930s, large numbers of tourists began visiting the caldera. Since the region’s incorporation into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in 1959, additional lodges have been built.

Tourists taking pictures from Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge(Source)

Niagara Falls, The Most Powerful Waterfall in North America

2009-02-09T01:00:00.003-05:00

Located in the borders of Canada and US, in the province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York, the Niagara falls is a group of waterfalls in the Niagara River. This massive waterfalls lies between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Google Map view of Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls comprises of three separate waterfalls: the Horseshoe Falls in the Canadian side and the American Falls, and the smaller Bridal Veil Falls, both in the US side.

Aerial view of Niagara Falls (Source)

The two major sections, the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls, are separated by Goat Island while the Bridal Veil Falls is separated from the American Falls by the Luna Island. The Horseshoe Falls drop about 173 feet and 2,600 feet wide.

The Horseshoe Falls (Source)

On the other hand, the American Falls varies between 70-100 feet in height because of the presence of giant boulders at its base and 1,060 feet wide.

The American Falls and the smaller Bridal Veil Falls (Source)

Though not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls is very wide. So wide the more than six million cubic feet of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet on average. This amount of water flow makes the Niagara Falls the most powerful waterfall in North America.

Niagara Falls at night (Source)

Mount Fuji, Japan's Highest Mountain

2009-02-08T12:08:00.010-05:00

At 3,776 meters (12,388 ft), Mount Fuji is Japan's Highest Mountain. It stands on the border between Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures and can be seen from Tokyo and Yokohama on clear days. It is located near the Pacific coast of central Honshū. There are three small cities surrounding it: Gotemba (south), Fujiyoshida (north) and Fujinomiya (southwest).

Google Map View of Mount Fuji (Source)

Although it's last eruption was in 1708, Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano volcano. This nearly perfectly shaped volcano has been worshiped as a sacred mountain and experienced big popularity among artists, common people and tourists.

Mount Fuji capped wit snow (Source)

Mount Fuji is surrounded by five lakes: Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Yamanaka, Lake Sai, Lake Motosu and Lake Shoji. The climate is very cold due to the altitude and the cone is covered by snow for several months of the year. The lowest recorded temperature is −38.0 °C while on June 2008 the highest temperature was recorded at 17.8 °C.

Mount Fuji from Osezaki beach (Source)

Mount Fuji view from an airplane (Source)

Lake Baikal, World's Deepest and Largest Freshwater Lake

2009-01-31T19:59:00.006-05:00

At 1,637 meters in deep and with a surface area of 31,494 square kilometers, Lake Baikal is the deepest and largest freshwater lake in the world. It is located in Southern Siberia in Russia. It is also known as the "Blue Eye of Siberia" and "the Pearl of Siberia" and contains more water than all the North American Great Lakes combined.

Map of Lake Baikal (Source)

During winter months, Lake Baikal's upper layer solidify into ice. The ice is so thick that it can support people and snowmobiles.

Lake Baikal during winter months (Source)

At more than 25 million years old, it is the oldest lake in the world. It hosts 1,085 species of plants and 1,550 species and varieties of animals and more than 80% of the animals found in the area are endemic. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Satellite image of Lake Baikal (Source)

Olchon Island inside the lake (Source)

Dead Sea, the World's Saltiest Lake

2009-01-21T21:31:00.008-05:00

Despite it's name, Dead Sea is a salty lake between the West Bank/Palestine/Israel and Jordan. The "sea" in it's name is because it is so salty. In fact, it is the world's saltiest lake. It is called "dead" because fish and aquatic plants cannot grow in it because of its high salt and mineral content.

Blue water of the Dead Sea (Source)

The Dead Sea is 420 metres below sea level and its shores are the lowest point on Earth that are on dry land. With 30 percent salinity, it is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. In times of drought, to salinity climb to 35 percent.

Salt deposit in the shores of Dead See (Source)

Because of it's salinity, the Dead Sea is famous among tourists because one can float in it without using a life vest. The famous trick is to float and read a book.

Tourist floating in the Dead Sea (Source)

The Dead Sea's salt content is due to it's location. Being the lowest point on Earth, during wet season, minerals flow to it's basin. This has been happening for millions of year, thus the water became concentrated with minerals including salt.

Ali Sadr Cave

2009-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ali Sadr or Alisadr Cave is a cave located in 75 km north of Hamedan in Iran. It was formed 130-190 million years ago in the second Jurassic period. The caves walls can extend up to 40 meters high, and it contains several large, deep lakes.

Near the entrance of the cave (Source)

It has a river flowing through it and and so traveling through the cave is mostly done by boats. In the summer of 2001, a German/British expedition surveyed the cave to be 11 kilometers long. The main chamber of the cave is 100 meters by 50 meters and 40 meters high.

Rental boats and tourists (Source)

Ali Sadr cave is situated between the large cities in Hamedan, Tehran and Zanjan making it a popular destination for Iranians and foreign tourists.

Rock wall (Source)

The cave was originally discovered during the reign of Darius I (521-485 BC) which can be verified by an old inscription at the entrance of the tunnel. However, the knowledge of the existence of the tunnel was lost, and only rediscovered in 1978 when a local shepherd followed the tunnel searching for water or a lost goat.

The lion-elephant rock (Source)

Lake Saiful Muluk, One of the Most Beautiful Lake in Pakistan

2009-01-11T10:56:00.008-05:00

Located in the northern end of the Kaghan Valley near Naran, Pakistan, Lake Saiful Muluk is dubbed the most beautiful lake in Pakistan. At an altitude of 3,224 m above sea level, it is one of the highest lakes in the country. The lake's water is clear with a slight green tone.

Tourist boat at Lake Saiful Muluk (Source)

Lake Saiful Muluk is feed by multiple glaciers from the surrounding mountains. These glaciers contribute to the clear water of the lake.

Crystal clear water at Lake Saiful Muluk (Source)

Due to the natural beauty of the Kaghan Valley, this place has a flourishing tourism industry.

Lake Saiful Muluk during summer months (Source)

If you're planning to visit this place, it is accessible by a 14 km jeep road from Naran or you can trek from Naran to the lake takes which about 4-6 hours.

Full view of Lake Saiful Muluk and the surrounding mountains (Source)

Subterranean River, the Navigable Underground River

2009-01-03T08:39:00.008-05:00

Located in the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan in the Philippines, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 kilometers navigable underground river. This park is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Subterranean River entrance (Source)

The underground river is said to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.

Inside the Subterranean River (Source)

Inside the cave are major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers.

Subterranean River rock formation (Source)

The most spectacular feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences.

Subterranean River exit (Source)

Auyantepui, the Devil's Mountain

2008-12-29T21:34:00.005-05:00

Mount Auyantepui a.k.a. the Devil's Mountain is the most visited and famous table-top mountain in Venezuela. At more or less 700 square kilometers, it is one of the largest table-top mountain in the world and is located in the Gran Sabana region in Bolivar State.

Mount Auyantepui, the Devil's Mountain (Source)

This impressive and heart-shaped table-top mountain is almost 3,000 meters high and houses the Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world,

Mount Auyantepui with the Angel Falls (Source: ent108)

Auyantepui surrounded by clouds (Source)

Panoramic view of Auyantepui (Source)

Flaming Cliffs, the Dinosaurs' Graveyard

2008-12-27T20:09:00.011-05:00

The Flaming Cliffs is the area of the Gobi desert in Mongolia famous for the first nest of dinosaur eggs and other fossils found by the American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews in 1922. Andrews nicknamed the site "Flaming Cliffs" because of the surreal glowing orange color of the rocks.

The Flaming Cliffs panorama (Source)

In Mongolian dialect, this region is called Bayanzag, which means "rich in saxaul shrubs". It is comprised of red sand, rocks, scorching sun, and emptiness.

The Flaming Cliffs (Source)

Flaming Cliffs is also close to the region where researchers discovered the tangled remains of a Protoceratops and a Velociraptor. The remains appear to have been locked in a death struggle at the time of their sudden demise. Researchers suggested that the dinosaurs who died at Flaming Cliffs died quickly, possibly by fierce sandstorms which buried them alive.

Rock formation at Flaming Cliffs (Source)

The Flaming Cliffs at mid-day (Source)

Al-Hasa Oasis, World's Largest Oasis

2008-12-21T10:09:00.009-05:00

The Al-Hasa oasis is the largest oasis in the world. It is located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and has an area of of about 120 km with a population of 600,000 based on 2003 estimate. The Oasis has a dry and tropical climate, with a five-month summer and a relatively cold winter. Despite being surrounded by desserts, it enjoys the benefits of copious reserves of underground water.

Al-Hasa Oasis (Source)

Having an abundant source of water, the central economic activity of the oasis is agriculture. Some of agricultural products are date palms, rice, corn, citrus and other fruits and raising of sheep, goats, cattle and camels also exists making Al-Hasa one of the major food producers in this arid country.

Al-Hasa Natioanl Park (Source)

A river in Al-Hasa (Source)

Hikers in a river in Al-Hasa (Source)

Ha Long, Bay of the Descending Dragon

2008-10-07T07:10:00.012-04:00

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the northeastern part of Vietnam in Quảng Ninh province. It is the country's pride, and Vietnamese consider it the Eight Wonders of the world. Ha Long literally means descending dragons. The bay features thousands of karsts and isles.

Ha Long Bay features some 1,600 limestone islands and islets in various shapes and sizes, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. The site's outstanding scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest.

Towering rocks at Ha Long Bay [Source]

Misty morning at Ha Long Bay [Source]

Another main attractions of Ha long is the bay's calm water and the thousands of limestone mountains dotting the seascape. The Bay's water is clear during the spring and early summer. Some of the islands are quite large and there are small alcoves with sandy beaches where swimming is possible.

A quiet and relaxing beach at Ha Long [Source]

Tourist boats at Ha Long [Source]

World's Natural Wonders Video - Part 2

2008-10-03T23:37:00.001-04:00

Rock Formation of Cappadocia

2008-09-28T15:02:00.010-04:00

Cappadocia is the common name of the plains and mountainous region of eastern central Anatolia around the upper and middle reaches of the river Kizilirmak. It's name is said to be derived from Hittite language, Katpatuka, which means land of the beautiful horses.

A beautiful rock formation of Cappadocia. Source: http://flickr.com/photos/terdata

This region's amazing landscape is largely underlain by sedimentary rocks formed in lakes and streams, and ignimbrite deposits erupted from ancient volcanoes approximately 9 to 3 million years ago (late Miocene to Pliocene epochs). The volcanic deposits are soft rocks that, for hundreds of years, the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches, monasteries and underground cities. Forces of erosion have shaped the incredible and unique Cappadocian tuff-coned landscape. This nature and man made structures now make a popular tourist destination.

A view of Cappadocia Rock Formation. Source: wikipedia.org

A church carved from the rock in Cappadocia. Source: flickr.com/photos/morgui

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Uçhisar Hill and Castle, the highest point in Cappadocia. Source: wikipedia.org

Cappadocia is also famous for it's fairy chimney - a conical rock formation which consist of a cap of hard rock resting on a cone-shaped pinnacle of softer rock

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Fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. Source: wikipedia.org

Fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. Source: flickr.com/photos/morgui

World's Natural Wonders Video - Part 1

2008-09-26T07:48:00.002-04:00

I decided to share the world's natural wonders I posted last month via YouTube. I plan to make it monthly. So it check here monthly for new videos.

Mekong River, Asia's 7th Longest River

2008-09-23T16:06:00.008-04:00

The Mekong river is the 11th longest river in the world. It run in six countries - China's Yunnan province, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. With it's length of 4,350 kilometers, it is the 7th longest river in Asia. It discharges an estimated of 475 km3/114 cu mi of freshwater to the sea annually and it drains an area of 795,000 km2.

Map of Mekong River. Source: hereticdhammasangha.wordpress.com

Because of it's massive size, no wonder Mekong is home to the world's giant freshwater fishes. This giants are now becoming small in number due to human activities.

Giant catfish of Mekong River. Source: nationalgeographic.com

Giant of barb Mekong River. Source: nationalgeographic.com

The name "MEKONG" originate from the Thai language, Mae Nam Khong, which means "Mother-River Khong".

Evening in the Mekong River. Source: flickr.com/photos/hschmid

Mekong river serves as a major transportation and economic route to all villages around it.

Market in the Mekong River. Source: flickr.com/photos/kateyaeger

Two boats in the Mekong River. Source: flickr.com/photos/hschmid

Amazon River, World's Largest River

2008-09-22T01:01:00.007-04:00

The Amazon river is the largest and the second longest river in the world. It is so huge that it covers six countries, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. It has the largest drainage basin in the world and accounts for approximately one fifth of the world's total river flow.

During the dry season, the river covers and area of 110,000 square kilometers, while in the wet season the area rises to 350,000 square kilometers. At its widest point the Amazon River can be 11 kilometers wide during the dry season and 45 kilometers wide during the wet season.

Satellite image of the mouth of the Amazon river. Source: wikipedia.org

A beautiful morning in the Amazon. Source: flickr.com/photos/markgee6

The Amazon river originates from the Apacheta cliff in Arequipa at the Nevado Mismi, with a sole sign of a wooden cross.. Source: wikipedia.org

Amazon river is also home to one of the world's largest fishwater fish, the Pirarucu. Sadly, this fish is dwindling in numbers due to over fishing. Here's a video of a study funded by the National Geographic.

Guilin Mountains, The Spectacular Misty Mountains

2008-09-17T19:57:00.006-04:00

The Chinese city of Guilin is home of the Guilin Mountains - the spectacular misty mountains in all shapes and sizes that rises out of the water to form dramatic settings. These mist-shrouded limestone mountains was carved by the Li River. Today, the city of Guilin attracts innumerable tourists because of its unique landscape. Until the end of the 1970s, it was a quiet, sleepy area. Since then, Guilin and the settlements along the Li River have undergone an incredible development through tourism.

Source: flickr.com/photos/qilin

Source: flickr.com/photos/sibertekt

Jeita Grotto

2008-09-16T17:32:00.007-04:00

The Jeita Grotto of Lebanon is a compound of crystallized caves located 20 km north of Beirut, Lebanon in the Valley of Nahr al-Kalb or Dog River. This grotto complex is composed of two caves - the upper galleries and lower cave. The upper galleries was discovered in 1958 by Lebanese speleologists, while the lower cave where an underground 6230-meters-long river runs was discovered in 1863 by Reverend William Thomson. The grotto complex was nominated in the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The cave and galleries is home to one of the biggest stalactites in the world hanging 8,20 meters from the ceiling. Carved from the limestone by water are cathedral-like vaults with various sizes, colors and shapes. The cave is more than 9000 meters in length and 108 meters in height from the ceiling to the water level.

Source: jeitagrotto.com

Cedars of Lebanon

2008-09-15T14:44:00.007-04:00

The Cedars of Lebanon are evergreen coniferous trees growing up to 40 meters tall, with trunk of up to 2.5 meters in diameter. In early days, the Mount Lebanon chain used to be almost completely covered with cedars. These trees has always been a national emblem of Lebanon, in fact a cedar tree is in the middle of the Lebanese flag.

Since ancient times, these trees has always been significant to the people in the middle east. The Egyptian used its resin to mummify their dead, others burned cedars during offerings and ceremonies and also for medicinal purposes. It was also used for shipbuilding during those times.

Today, Cedars of Lebanon are most sought after because of it's good quality of wood - hard, fragrant, resistance to insects and humidity and temperature. This resulted to decreasing numbers of cedars trees in the region.

Source: wikipedia.org

Source: habeeb.com

Source: flickr.com/photos/anahon

Iguazu Falls, Argentina's Top Tourist Attraction

2008-09-13T17:54:00.008-04:00

Iguazu Falls is one of Argentina's top tourist attraction and the most visited place in the Argentinian province of Misiones. In guarani language, the term "Iguazú" means "great waters".

The falls was discovered in 1541 by Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and established as Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. It marks the border between Argentina and Brazil. It has 275 individual cascades which spread in a 2.5 miles horsehoe shape cliff which are the result of a volcanic eruption. During the rainy season the rate of flow of water going over the falls may reach 450,000 cubic feet (12,750 cubic m) per second.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina's Top Tourist Attraction (Source: wikipedia.org)

Panoramic view of Iguazu Falls (Source: wikipedia.org)

View from the foot of the falls (Source: wikipedia.org)

Sundarbans, World's Largest Mangrove Forest

2008-09-12T20:57:00.000-04:00

Located between Bangladesh and India, Sundarbans is the world's largest mangrove forest. It lies in the mouth of the Ganges river and is composed of mangrove forests, swamps and forest island all interwoven in a network of small rivers and streams. It covers an area of approximately 10,000 square kilometers.

Sundarbans is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger and many different animals including species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes. It is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site and was designated a Ramsar site on May 21, 1992. It was also nominated as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, though didn't make to the final 14.

Source: wikipedia.org