North America

The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, shines above Bear Lake [ Photo by Senior Airman Joshua Strang ]

Auroras, sometimes called the northern and southern (polar) lights or aurorae (singular: aurora), are natural light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar regions. They typically occur in the ionosphere. They are also referred to as polar auroras. In northern latitudes, the effect is known as the aurora borealis. The aurora borealis is also called the northern polar lights, as it is only visible in the sky from the Northern Hemisphere, the chance of visibility increasing with proximity to the North Magnetic Pole, which is currently in the arctic islands of northern Canada. (based on a wikipedia article)

Overlooking the Bay of Fundy [ Photo by Inmouchar ]

The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. The Bay of Fundy is known for its high tidal range and the bay is contested as having the highest vertical tidal range in the world with Ungava Bay in northern Quebec and the Severn Estuary in the UK. Some sources believe the name “Fundy” is a corruption of the French word “Fendu”, meaning “split”, while others believe it comes from the Portuguese fondo, meaning “funnel. (based on a wikipedia article)

Dinosaur Provincial Park Hoodoo [ Photo by Joanne Merriam / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Dinosaur Provincial Park is a World Heritage Site located about two and a half hours drive southeast of Calgary, Alberta, Canada or 48 kilometers (30 mi) northeast of Brooks. The park is situated in the valley of the Red Deer River, which is noted for its striking badland topography. The park is well known for being one of the richest dinosaur fossil locales in the world. Forty dinosaur species have been discovered at the park and more than 500 specimens have been removed and exhibited in museums across the globe. (based on a wikipedia article)

Same old shot, but beautiful [ Photo by Mel B. / CC BY 2.0 ]

Yosemite National Park is a national park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of 761,266 acres (308,073 ha) and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain. Yosemite is visited by over 3.5 million people each year, many of whom only spend time in the seven square miles (18 km2) of Yosemite Valley. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves, and biological diversity. (based on a wikipedia article)

Grand Canyon, USA [ Photo by ritesh3 / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery. Grand Canyon National Park is one of the world’s premier natural attractions, attracting about five million visitors per year. Overall, 83% were from the United States (based on a wikipedia article)

Bryce Canyon [ Photo by Chris Isherwood / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. Contained within the park is Bryce Canyon. Despite its name, this is not actually a canyon, but rather a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to its geological structures, called hoodoos, formed from wind, water, and ice erosion of the river and lakebed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views to visitors. (based on a wikipedia article)

Castle geyser [ Photo by my camera and me / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress as a national park on March 1, 1872, is located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho. The park was the first of its kind, and is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular features in the park. It has many types of ecosystems, but the subalpine forest is dominant. (based on a wikipedia article)

Redwood National Park, California [ Photo by Michael Schweppe / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are located in the United States, along the coast of northern California. The parks consist of a combined area of 131,983 acres (534.12 km2) located entirely within Del Norte and Humboldt Counties and they protect 45% of all remaining Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) old-growth forests, totaling at least 38,982 acres (157.75 km2). These trees are the tallest and one of the most massive tree species on Earth. In addition to the redwood forests, the parks preserve other indigenous flora, fauna, grassland prairie, cultural resources, portions of rivers and other streams, and 37 miles (60 km) of pristine coastline. (based on a wikipedia article)

Mammoth Cave tour [ Photo by Daniel Schwen / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Mammoth Cave National Park is a U.S. National Park in central Kentucky, encompassing portions of Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system known in the world. The official name of the system is the Mammoth-Flint Ridge Cave System for the ridge under which the cave has formed. The park was established as a national park on July 1, 1941. It became a World Heritage Site on October 27, 1981, and an international Biosphere Reserve on September 26, 1990. (based on a wikipedia article)

South America

2 weeks before the rupture of the glacier. [ Photo by Marianocecowski / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Perito Moreno Glacier is a glacier located in the Los Glaciares National Park in the south west of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia. Due to its size and accessibility, Perito Moreno is one of the major tourist drawcards to southern Patagonia. It is less than two hours by bus from El Calafate, and many tour companies run daily visits. (based on a wikipedia article)

Laguna Colorada - Vermelha mesmo! [ Photo by Valdiney Pimenta / CC BY 2.0 ]

Laguna Colorada (Red Lagoon) is a shallow salt lake in the southwest of the altiplano of Bolivia, within Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve and close to the border with Chile. The lake contains borax islands, whose white color contrasts nicely with the reddish color of its waters, which is caused by red sediments and pigmentation of some algae. (based on a wikipedia article)

Lake Titicaca on the Andes from Bolivia [ Photo by Vico ricab / CC BY 3.0 ]

Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It sits 3,812 m (12,500 ft) above sea level, making it one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world. By volume of water it is also the largest lake in South America. The lake is located at the northern end of the endorheic Altiplano basin high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. The western part of the lake lies within the Puno Region of Peru, and the eastern side is located in the Bolivian La Paz Department. (based on a wikipedia article)

Taken in Rurrenabaque, El Beni, Bolivia [ Photo by Paul Bridgewater / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Amazon Rainforest, also known as Amazonia, or the Amazon jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. This basin encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), of which five and a half million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, and with minor amounts in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. States or departments in four nations bear the name Amazonas after it. The Amazon represents over half of the planet’s remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. (based on a wikipedia article)

Iguazu Falls - Garganta Del Diablo [ Photo by gamillos / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

Iguazu Falls, Iguassu Falls, or Iguaçu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers (1.67 miles) of the Iguazu River. The falls can be reached from the two main towns on either side of the falls: Foz do Iguaçu in the Brazilian state of Paraná, and Puerto Iguazú (based on a wikipedia article)

Fernando de Noronha - dois Irmãos - praia do sancho [ Photo by Magglz / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, around 354 km (220 miles) offshore from the Brazilian coast. The main island has an area of 18.4 square kilometres (7.1 sq mi) and had a population of 3,012 in the year 2008. The area is a special municipality (distrito estadual) of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco (despite being closer to the state of Rio Grande do Norte) and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its timezone is UTC−2h. The local population and travellers can get to Noronha by plane or cruise from Recife (545km) or by plane from Natal (360km). A small environmental preservation fee is charged from tourists upon arrival by Ibama (Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources). (based on a wikipedia article)

Desert landscape, With the geyser (actually fumaroles) of El Tatio and the Andes in the background. [ Photo by magical-world / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

The Atacama Desert is a virtually rainless plateau in South America, covering a 600-mile (1,000 km) strip of land on the Pacific coast of South America, west of the Andes mountains. The Atacama desert is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world. The rain shadow on the leeward side of the Chilean Coast Range, as well as a coastal inversion layer created by the cold offshore Humboldt Current, keep this over 20 million-year-old desert 50 times drier than California’s Death Valley. The Atacama occupies 40,600 square miles (105,000 km2) in northern Chile, composed mostly of salt basins (salares), sand, and lava flows. (based on a wikipedia article)

Close-up to one of the geysers in "El Tatio" in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. [ Photo by AndresGottlieb ]

El Tatio is a geyser field located within the Andes Mountains of northern Chile at 4,200 meters above mean sea level. Contrary to some reports, it is not the highest-elevation geyser field in the world. Puchuldiza Geyser Field, Chile, and possibly several other fields are higher in elevation (Glennon, J.A. and Pfaff, R.M., 2003). Tourists often visit the geysers while touring the nearby Atacama Desert and the village San Pedro de Atacama. “With over 80 active geysers, El Tatio is the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere and the third largest field in the world, after Yellowstone, USA, and Dolina Giezerov (partially destroyed June 2007), Russia” (Glennon, J.A. and Pfaff, R.M., 2003). (based on a wikipedia article)

Teleferico Chicamocha [ Photo by Serepasare ]

Chicamocha National Park also known as Panachi is a Colombian Natural park along the Chicamocha Canyon (Cañón del Chicamocha) located 50 km from the city of Bucaramanga, Santander. The site is a tourist attraction due to is spectacular landscape and the variety of outdoor activities that it offers such as paragliding, spelunking, bushwalking, camping, fishing, kayaking, rafting, mountain climbing, etc. Cultural activities include the Museo Guane, Plaza de los Costumbres and the Salón de Exposiciones. (based on a wikipedia article)

Egret [ Photo by dagpeak / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km west of continental Ecuador. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site: wildlife is its most notable feature. The Galápagos islands and its surrounding waters are part of a province, a national park, and a biological marine reserve. The principal language on the islands is Spanish. The islands have a population of around 40,000, which is a 40-fold expansion in 50 years. (based on a wikipedia article)

Kaieteur Falls, Guyana [ Photo by madmack66 / CC BY 2.0 ]

Kaieteur Falls is a magnificent, high-volume waterfall on the Potaro River in central Guyana. It is located in Kaieteur National Park. It is 226 meters (741 ft) when measured from its plunge over a sandstone cliff to the first break. It then flows over a series of steep cascades that, when included in the measurements, bring the total height to 251 meters (822 ft). While many falls have greater height, few have the combination of height and water volume. This has given Kaieteur Falls the misleading label of “largest single drop” waterfall in the world which is often misinterpreted as “tallest single drop.” However, it is likely one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world. (based on a wikipedia article)

Colca Canyon [ Photo by Bruno Girin / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru. It is located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Arequipa. It is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States 4,160 m. However, the canyon’s walls are not as vertical as those of the Grand Canyon. Since they are such major features of the landscape.The Colca Valley is a colorful Andean valley with towns founded in Spanish Colonial times and formerly inhabited by the Collaguas and the Cabanas. The local people still maintain ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces. (based on a wikipedia article)

Taulliraju mountain in Huascarán National Park in Peru [ Photo by Florian Ederer / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Huascarán National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Huascarán) is a national park in the Cordillera Blanca, a range of the Andes, in Ancash of central Peru. It was also pronounced as Natural Heritage of Humanity and recognized as Reserve of Biosphere Core. The highest mountain in Peru is located in the park (also named Huascarán, reaching 6,768 meters high). This park is the habitat of the Puya raimondi, the Cougar, the Jaguar, the Llama, the Guanaco, the Marsh Deer, the Peruvian Tapir, the Peruvian Piedtail, a hummingbird species, and many kinds of ducks including the Southern Pochard. (based on a wikipedia article)

Salto Angel from Raton [ Photo by Yosemite / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Angel Falls is the world’s highest waterfall, with a height of 979 m (3,212 ft) and a plunge of 807 m (2,647 ft). It is located in the Canaima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima), a UNESCO World Heritage site, in the Gran Sabana region of Bolivar State, Venezuela. The height of the falls is so great that before getting anywhere near the ground, the water is atomized by the strong winds and turned into mist. The mist can be felt a mile away. The base of the falls feeds into the Kerep River (alternatively known as the Rio Gauya), which flows into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River. (based on a wikipedia article)

Central America & Caribbean

Dean's Blue Hole, Bahamas [ Photo by Caprice7 ]

Dean’s Blue Hole is the world’s deepest blue hole (underwater sinkhole), which plunges 202 metres (663 ft) to the ocean floor, in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas. Blue holes are the results of rainwater having soaked through fractures of limestone bedrock onto the watertable of glacial sea levels during the Pleistocene epoch (ice age), some 15,000 years ago. The maximum depth of other known blue holes and sinkholes is 110 metres (360 ft), which makes the 202 metres (663 ft) depth of Dean’s Blue Hole quite exceptional. (based on a wikipedia article)

Coco Island - the most magnificent island in the world [ Photo by jonrawlinson / CC BY 2.0 ]

Cocos Island is an uninhabited island located off the shore of Costa Rica. It constitutes the 11th district (one of 13) of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. It is one of the National Parks of Costa Rica. It is located in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 550 km (340 mi) from the Pacific shore of Costa Rica. With an area of approximately 23.85 km² (9.2 mi²), about 8×3 km (5×1.9 mi) and a perimeter of around 23.3 km[4] this island is more or less rectangular in shape. (based on a wikipedia article)

Lake Coatepeque [ Photo by Andrew / CC BY 2.0 ]

Lake Coatepeque (Lago de Coatepeque) is a large crater lake in the east part of the Coatepeque Caldera. It is in Coatepeque municipality, Santa Ana, El Salvador. There are hot springs near the lake margins. At 26 km², it is one of the largest lakes in El Salvador. In the lake is the island of Teopan, which was a Mayan site of some importance. (based on a wikipedia article)

Lake Atitlan - Lago de Atitlán [ Photo by alq666 / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

Lake Atitlan (Lago de Atitlán) is a large endorheic lake (one that does not flow to the sea) in the Guatemalan Highlands. While Atitlan is recognized to be the deepest lake in Central America, its bottom has not been completely sounded. Estimates of its maximum depth range up to 340 meters. The lake is shaped by deep escarpments which surround it and by three volcanoes on its southern flank. Lake Atitlan is further characterized by towns and villages of the Maya people. (based on a wikipedia article)

Volcán Concepción [ Photo by Mat Honan / CC BY 2.0 ]

Ometepe is an island formed by two volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua in the Republic of Nicaragua. Its name derives from the Nahuatl words ome (two) and tepetl (mountain), meaning two mountains. The two volcanoes, Concepción and Maderas, are joined by a low isthmus to form one island in the shape of an hourglass. Ometepe has an area of 276 km². It is 31 km long and 5 to 10 km wide. The island has a population of 42,000, and an economy based on livestock, agriculture, and tourism. Plantains are the major crop. (based on a wikipedia article)

Sumidero clouds [ Photo by Eternalsleeper ]

Sumidero Canyon is a canyon located about 40 km from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, capital of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Its cliffs are 900 meters above sea level and overlook the Grijalva River, which extends across the states of Chiapas and Tabasco and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. In its southern entrance, the canyon begins near the city of Chiapa de Corzo, and flows into the reservoir of the hydroelectric dam–Manuel Moreno Torres, best known as Chicoasén. (based on a wikipedia article)

Parícutin, Volcán de Parícutin, Paricutín [ Photo by Karla Yannín Alcázar Quintero / CC BY 2.0 ]

Parícutin (or Volcán de Parícutin, also accented Paricutín) is a cinder cone volcano in the Mexican state of Michoacán, close to a lava-covered village of the same name. It appears on many versions of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Paricutín is part of the Michoacán-Guanajuato Volcanic Field, which covers much of west central Mexico. (based on a wikipedia article)

A panoramic view of El Yunque National Park from atop Yokahu Tower, 1575ft elevation [ Photo by Kamran Saraf / CC BY 3.0 ]

El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as the Luquillo National Forest and the Caribbean National Forest, is located on the island of Puerto Rico. It is commonly known as only El Yunque, a Spanish approximation of the aboriginal Taino word “Yu-ke”, thought by scholars to mean “White Lands”. However the lightning storms that occur there were to the Spaniards the sound of a giant hammer hitting an anvil (yunque in Spanish). It is also the name of the second highest mountain peak in the Forest (based on a wikipedia article)

Europe

Ohrid Lake [ Photo by Apcbg ]

Lake Ohrid straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern Republic of Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe’s deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem with more than 200 endemic species that is of worldwide importance. The importance of the lake was further emphasized when it was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979. However, human activity on the lake shores and in its catchment area is resulting in the ecosystem coming under stress. (based on a wikipedia article)

Entrance to Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves [ Photo by Dale Harvey / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Eisriesenwelt (German for “World of the Ice Giants”) is a natural limestone ice cave located in Werfen, Austria, about 40 km south of Salzburg. The cave is inside the Hochkogel mountain in the Tennengebirge section of the Alps. It is the largest ice cave in the world, extending more than 42km and visited by about 200,000 tourists every year. The tour begins at the entrance to the cave, and continues inwards to Posselt Hall, a large room with a stalagmite called Posselt Tower in the centre. Past the Posselt Tower, one encounters an ashen cross on the wall of the cave, marking the farthest point of exploration of Anton Posselt. (based on a wikipedia article)

Grotten van Han - grot [ Photo by Hullie / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Caves of Han-sur-Lesse (in French: Grottes de Han-sur-Lesse or simply Grottes de Han) are a major Belgian tourist attraction (around half a million visitors per year) located on the outskirts of the village of Han-sur-Lesse. The caves are the result of the underground erosion of a limestone hill by the river Lesse. The river forces its way under the hill over a distance of over one kilometer as the crow flies. The caves have a constant temperature of 13°C (55°F) and a high level of humidity. Access is only possible via a vintage streetcar, a remnant of the country’s once extensive vicinal tramway system, which departs from the center of Han-sur-Lesse. (based on a wikipedia article)

The Rocks of Belogradchik, Bulgaria… [ Photo by Klearchos Kapoutsis / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Belogradchik Rocks are a group of bizarrely shaped sandstone, limestone and conglomerate rock formations located on the western slopes of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) near the town of Belogradchik in northwest Bulgaria. The Belogradchik Rocks are a major tourist destination in northwest Bulgaria, along with the town of Belogradchik and the Belogradchik Fortress, which incorporates the rocks as part of its natural defense, and the nearby Magura Cave, situated near the village of Rabisha. Another tourist attraction in the area is the Baba Vida medieval fortress in the nearby town of Vidin on the Danube river. (based on a wikipedia article)

Saimaan Aalto [ Photo by Tuohirulla ]

Lake Saimaa is a lake in southeastern Finland. At approximately 4,400 square kilometres (1,700 sq mi), it is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest in Europe. It was formed by glacial melting at the end of the Ice Age. Major towns on the lakeshore include Lappeenranta, Imatra, Savonlinna, Mikkeli, Varkaus, and Joensuu. The Vuoksi River flows from Saimaa to Lake Ladoga. Most of the lake is spotted with islands, and narrow canals divide the lake in many parts, each having their own names. (based on a wikipedia article)

Blick über den Mittleren Schwarzwald [ Photo by Arminia / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Black Forest (German: Schwarzwald) is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). The region is almost rectangular with a length of 200 km (120 mi) and breadth of 60 km (37 mi). Hence it has an area of approximately 12,000 km2 (4,600 sq mi). The cities of Freiburg and Baden-Baden are popular tourist destinations on the western edge of the Black Forest; towns in the forest include Bad Herrenalb, Baiersbronn, Calw (the birth town of Hermann Hesse) Freudenstadt, Furtwangen, Gengenbach, Gütenbach, Sasbachwalden, Schramberg, Staufen, Titisee-Neustadt, Hausach, and Wolfach. (based on a wikipedia article)

Olympus Litochoro [ Photo by JFKennedy ]

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain range in Greece, its highest peak Mýtikas rising to 2,919 metres high (9,577 feet). It is one of the highest peaks in Europe in terms of topographic prominence. It is located in the borders of Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 km away from Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city. (based on a wikipedia article)

Cliffs of Moher [ Photo by Tobias Helfrich / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Cliffs of Moher are located in the parish of Liscannor at the south-western edge of the Burren area near Doolin, which is located in County Clare, Ireland. The cliffs rise 120 meters (394 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag’s Head (Irish: Ceann na Cailleach), and reach their maximum height of 214 meters (702 ft) just north of O’Brien’s Tower, eight kilometres away. The cliffs boast one of Ireland’s most spectacular views. On a clear day the Aran Islands are visible in Galway Bay, as are the valleys and hills of Connemara. The Cliffs of Moher is amongst the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland, and topped the list of attractions in 2006 by drawing almost one million visitors. (based on a wikipedia article)

Grimsvötn in Vatna Jökull glacier in Iceland on 29 Jul 1972. [ Photo by Roger McLassus / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Vatnajökull (English: Glacier of lakes) is the largest glacier in Iceland. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8% of the country. With a size of 8,100 km², it is the largest glacier in Europe in volume (3,100 km³) and the second largest (after Austfonna on Nordaustlandet, Svalbard) in area (not counting the still larger ice cap of Severny Island of Novaya Zemlya, Russia, which is located in the extreme northeast of Europe). (based on a wikipedia article)

Matterhorn Panorama ding dong [ Photo by Canon in 2D / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Matterhorn (German), Cervino (Italian) or Cervin (French), is a mountain in the Pennine Alps. With its 4,478 metres (14,692 ft) high summit, lying on the border between Switzerland and Italy, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps and its 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) north face is one of the Great north faces of the Alps. It is one of the deadliest peaks in the Alps: from 1865 – when it was first climbed – to 1995, 500 alpinists died on it. The mountain overlooks the town of Zermatt in the canton of Valais to north-east and Cervinia in the Aosta Valley to the south. (based on a wikipedia article)

Vesuvius from Pompeii [ Photo by Morn the Gorn / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Mount Vesuvius (in Italian Monte Vesuvio and in Latin Mons Vesuvius) is a stratovolcano east of Naples, Italy. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting. The two other volcanoes in Italy, (Etna and Stromboli) are located on islands. Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption 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. (based on a wikipedia article)

Grotta azzurra, Capri, Italy [ Photo by Frédéric de Goldschmidt / CC BY 3.0 ]

The Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra) is a noted sea cave on the coast of the island of Capri, Italy. Sunlight, passing through an underwater cavity and shining through the seawater, creates a blue reflection that illuminates the cavern. The beauty of the Blue Grotto was described in 1826 by the German writer August Kopisch. Since then, the Blue Grotto has become the emblem of the island of Capri. The grotto was known by the Romans, as proved by the antique statues which were found in the Grotto. (based on a wikipedia article)

Seen from Ornevegen (the Eagles Road), Norway. It's a fjord, so it's at sea level. [ Photo by doegox / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

The Geiranger fjord (Geirangerfjorden) is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region, located in the southernmost part of the county Møre og Romsdal in Norway. It is a 15 km long branch of the Storfjord (Great Fjord). At the head in the fjord lies the small village of Geiranger. The fjord is one of Norway’s most visited tourist sites and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, jointly with Nærøyfjord, since 2005, although this status is now threatened by the disputed plans to build power lines across the fjord. (based on a wikipedia article)

Morning, Bialowieza Forest [ Photo by vlod007 / CC BY 2.0 ]

Białowieża Primaeval Forest, known as Belavezhskaya Pushcha or Belovezhskaya Pushcha in Belarus and Puszcza Białowieska in Poland, is an ancient woodland straddling the border between Belarus and Poland, located 70 km (43 mi) north of Brest. It is one of the last and largest remaining parts of the immense primeval forest which once spread across the European Plain. This UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve lies in parts of the Brest Voblast (Kamianiec and Pruzhany districts) and Hrodna Voblast (Svislach district) in Belarus, and near the town of Białowieża in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (62 km (39 mi) south-east of Białystok and 190 km (120 mi) north-east of Warsaw) in Poland. (based on a wikipedia article)

Duero River, Portugal [ Photo by Paula Santos / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Douro or Duero River is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in the province of Soria across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto. Its total length is 897 km, of which only sections on the Portuguese river are navigable by light rivercraft. Once the Douro enters Portugal, major population centres are less frequent. Except for Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia at the river mouth, the only population centres of any note are Foz do Tua, Pinhão and Peso da Régua. (based on a wikipedia article)

Lake Matka [ Photo by Markus Bernet / CC BY-SA 2.5 ]

Matka is a canyon located west of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Covering roughly 5,000 hectares, Matka is one of the most popular outdoor destinations in Macedonia and is home to several medieval monasteries. There are 10 caves at Matka Canyon, with the shortest in length being 20 metres (65.6 feet) and the longest being 176 metres (577.4 feet). The canyon also features two vertical pits, both roughly extending 35 metres (114.8 feet) in depth. (based on a wikipedia article)

Piton-des-Neiges and its cloud @ Ile de la Reunion, Early morning on the way Piton de la Fournaise. [ Photo by Simon-And-You / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

Piton de la Fournaise (French): “Peak of the Furnace” is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island (a French territory) in the Indian Ocean. It is currently one of the most active volcanoes in the world, along with Kīlauea in the Hawaiian Islands (Pacific Ocean), Stromboli, Etna (Italy) and Mount Erebus in Antarctica. A recent eruption began in August 2006 and ended in January 2007. The volcano erupted again in February 2007, and on 21 September 2008. Most recently, an eruption occurred on 5th November 2009. Piton de la Fournaise is often known locally as le Volcan (The Volcano); it is a major tourist attraction on Réunion island. (based on a wikipedia article)

Gura Apei [ Photo by pgpdesign (paul) / CC BY 2.0 ]

Retezat National Park is a natural reserve area located in the Retezat Mountains in Hunedoara county, Romania. Containing more than 60 peaks over 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) and over 100 crystal clear deep glacier lakes, the Retezat Mountains are some of the most beautiful in the Carpathians. In 1935 the Government of Romania set aside an area of the Retezat Mountains creating the country’s first national park. (based on a wikipedia article)

Đavolja Varoš [ Photo by Nikolic / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Đavolja Varoš is a peculiar rock formation, located in south Serbia on the Radan Mountain near Kuršumlija. It features 202 exotic formations described as earth pyramids or “towers”, as the locals refer to them. They are 2-15 m tall and 4-6 m wide at the base. These formations were created by strong erosion of the soil that was scene of intense volcanic activity millions of years ago. Most of the towers have “caps” or “heads” of andesite, which protect them from further erosion. (based on a wikipedia article)

Bled Overview [ Photo by Adiel lo / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Lake Bled is a glacial lake in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia, where it adjoins the town of Bled. The area is a popular tourist destination. The lake is 2,120 m long and 1,380 m wide, with a maximum depth of 30.6 metres. The lake is situated in a picturesque environment, surrounded by mountains and forests. A medieval castle stands above the lake on the north shore. (based on a wikipedia article)

Štrba Lake, Slovakia [ Photo by Ján Ťažký / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Štrbské pleso is a picturesque mountain lake of glacial origin and a top tourist destination in the High Tatras, Slovakia. Štrbské pleso is now part of the neighborhood of Štrbské Pleso (spelled with a capital P). It is on the municipal lands of the village of Štrba, after which Štrbské pleso (”Lake Štrba”) is now named. The word pleso (”tarn”) is applied only to mountain lakes. The locals used to call it “the puddle” or “pond” (mláka) in the past. It is the second largest glacial lake on the Slovak side of the High Tatras, after Hincovo pleso to which it loses by 0.8 acres (3,200 m2). It is fed by underground springs and has no visible outflow stream. Its surface remains frozen for around 155 days per year. (based on a wikipedia article)

Aletsch is beautiful [ Photo by Jo Simon / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Aletsch Glacier or Great Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about 23 km and covers more than 120 square kilometres (more than 45 square miles) in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss canton of Valais. The Aletsch Glacier is composed by three smaller glaciers converging at Concordia, where its thickness is estimated to be near 1 km. It then continues towards the Rhone valley before giving birth to the Massa river. The Aletsch Glacier is one of the most impressive features of the Swiss Alps. The whole area, including other glaciers is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. (based on a wikipedia article)

Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland. [ Photo by pawelbak / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Giant’s Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim, on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about two miles (3 km) north of the town of Bushmills. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, and a National Nature Reserve in 1987 by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Giant’s Causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. (based on a wikipedia article)

White Cliffs of Dover [ Photo by Ian Wilson / CC BY 2.0 ]

The white cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to 348ft (106m) high, owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk (pure white calcium carbonate) accentuated by streaks of black flint. The cliffs spread east and west from the town of Dover in the county of Kent, an ancient and still important English port. (based on a wikipedia article)

Pacific & Antarctica

Ross Ice Shelf, 1997 [ Photo by Michael Van Woert ]

The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (an area of roughly 487 000 km2, and about 800 km across: about the size of France). It is several hundred meters thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 km long, and between 15 and 50 meters high above the water surface. 90 percent of the floating ice, however, is below the water surface. Ice shelves are thick plates of ice, formed continuously by glaciers, that float atop an ocean. The presence of the shelves acts as “brakes” for the glaciers. (based on a wikipedia article)

Big, big underwater flowers [ Photo by Shayan (USA) / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. The most significant threat to the Great Barrier Reef is climate change. Mass coral bleaching events due to rising ocean temperatures occurred in the summers of 1998, 2002 and 2006, and coral bleaching will likely become an annual occurrence. (based on a wikipedia article)

Uluru sunset [ Photo by Richard.Fisher / CC BY 2.0 ]

Uluru, also referred to as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies 335 km (208 mi) south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; 450 km (280 mi) by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park. Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area. It has many springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a World Heritage Site. (based on a wikipedia article)

A photo of the Three Sisters taken on the 17th of June, 2005 from the Katoomba lookout shortly before sunset. [ Photo by Diliff / CC BY-SA 2.5 ]

The Blue Mountains is a mountainous region in New South Wales, Australia. It borders on Sydney’s metropolitan area, its foothills starting approximately 50 kilometres west of the state capital. The area begins on the west side of the Nepean River and extends westward as far as Cox’s River. When the Europeans arrived in Australia, the Blue Mountains had already been inhabited for several millennia. Proof of this can be found in many places. In the Red Hands Cave, a rock shelter near Glenbrook, the walls contain hand stencils from adults and children (based on a wikipedia article)

Zachodnia Australia. Pustynie Pinnacles [ Photo by Andrzej Kulka / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Pinnacles are limestone formations contained within Nambung National Park, near the town of Cervantes, Western Australia. The raw material for the limestone of the Pinnacles came from seashells in an earlier epoch rich in marine life. These shells were broken down into lime rich sands which were blown inland to form high mobile dunes. This represented the raw material for the formation the Pinnacles. (based on a wikipedia article)

Bora Bora [ Photo by tensaibuta / CC BY 2.0 ]

Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island, located about 230 kilometres (140 mi) northwest of Papeete, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the center of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu, the highest point at 727 metres (2,385 ft). The original name of the island in the Tahitian language might be better rendered as Pora Pora, meaning “First Born”; an early transcription found in 18th- and 19th century accounts, is Bolabolla or Bollabolla. (based on a wikipedia article)

Sterling Falls Impact [ Photo by AdamSelwood / CC BY 2.0 ]

Milford Sound (Piopiotahi in Māori) is a fjord in the south west of New Zealand’s South Island, within Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world’s top travel destination in an international survey, and is acclaimed as New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling had previously called it the eighth Wonder of the World. (based on a wikipedia article)

Franz Josef Glacier [ Photo by reurinkjan / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Franz Josef (Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere in Māori) is a 12 km long glacier located in Westland National Park on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Together with the Fox Glacier 20 km to the south, it is unique in the fact that it descends from the Southern Alps to less than 300 metres above sea level amidst the greenery and lushness of a temperate rainforest. The area surrounding the two glaciers is designated a World Heritage Site. The river emerging from the glacier terminal of Franz Josef is known as the Waiho River. (based on a wikipedia article)

Norfolk Island Captain Cook lookout [ Photo by Steve Daggar / CC BY 3.0 ]

Norfolk Island National Park is a protected area of 6.50 km². It comprises two sections, the Mt Pitt section on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific Ocean with an area of 4.60 km² and the neighbouring 1.90 km² Phillip Island, as well as the much smaller Nepean Island. The Norfolk Island group is an Australian territory and the park is managed by Parks Australia. It is the only place in the world where the Norfolk Island Parakeet and the White-chested White-eye occur. (based on a wikipedia article)

Africa

Tunisia Sahara Desert [ Photo by Tom T / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Sahara “The Greatest Desert” is the world’s largest hot desert. At over 9,000,000 square kilometres (3,500,000 sq mi), it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as the United States or the continent of Europe. The desert stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean. To the south, it is delimited by the Sahel: a belt of semi-arid tropical savanna that comprises the northern region of central and western Sub-Saharan Africa. (based on a wikipedia article)

Pt Thomson Batian Nelion Mt Kenya [ Photo by Chris 73 / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (5,199 metres (17,057 ft)), Nelion (5,188 metres (17,021 ft)) and Point Lenana (4,985 metres (16,355 ft)). The glaciers on Mount Kenya are retreating rapidly. The Mountain Club of Kenya in Nairobi has photographs showing the mountain when it was first climbed in 1899, and again more recently, and the retreat of the glaciers is very evident. Most of the peaks on Mount Kenya have been summited. The majority of these involve rock climbing as the easiest route, although some only require a scramble or a walk. (based on a wikipedia article)

Avenue of the Baobabs [ Photo by Bernard Gagnon / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Avenue or Alley of the Baobabs is a prominent group of baobab trees lining the dirt road between Morondava and Belon’i Tsiribihina in the Menabe region in western Madagascar. Its striking landscape draws travelers from around the world, making it one of the most visited locations in the region. It has been a center of local conservation efforts, and was granted temporary protected status in July 2007 by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, the first step toward making it Madagascar’s first national monument. (based on a wikipedia article)

At the big Tsingy. [ Photo by Olivier Lejade / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located close to the western coast of Madagascar (Tsigy). Because of the unique geography, preserved mangrove forests, and wild bird and lemur populations of the area, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. Since that time the southern end of the protected area has been changed into a national park covering 666 square kilometres (257 sq mi). The northern end of this protected area complex remains a strict nature reserve (Réserve Naturelle Intégrale) covering 853 square kilometres (329 sq mi). (based on a wikipedia article)

Sossusvlei [ Photo by untipografico / CC BY 2.0 ]

Sossusvlei is a clay pan in the central Namib Desert, lying within the Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia. Fed by the Tsauchab River, it is known for the high, red sand dunes which surround it forming a major sand sea. Vegetation, such as the camelthorn tree, is watered by infrequent floods of the Tsauchab River, which slowly soak into the underlying clay. The Dead Vlei and Hidden Vlei clay pans lie near Sossusvlei. (based on a wikipedia article)

Cape Town & Table Mountain View from Signal Hill [ Photo by Hilton Teper / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park. Hiking on Table Mountain is popular amongst locals and tourists, and a number of trails of varying difficulty are available. (based on a wikipedia article)

Kibo summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. [ Photo by Yosemite / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Mount Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania rising 4,600 m (15,092 ft) from its base (and approximately 5,100 m/16,732 ft from the plains near Moshi), and is additionally the highest peak in Africa at 5,892 metres (19,331 ft), providing a dramatic view of the surrounding plains. The views of Mount Meru are also dramatic. (based on a wikipedia article)

Black Rhinos in Ngorongoro Crater. [ Photo by Mila Zinkova / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area or NCA is a conservation area situated 180 km (112 miles) west of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania. The main feature of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the Ngorongoro Crater, which is the world’s largest unbroken, unflooded volcanic caldera. The Crater, which formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself some two to three million years ago, is 610 m (2,001 ft) deep and its floor covers 260 km² (102 square miles). Estimates of the height of the original volcano range from fifteen to nineteen thousand feet (4500 to 5800 metres) high. (based on a wikipedia article)

Zebra in the Serengeti Wildebeest Migration [ Photo by DavidDennisPhotos.com / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region located in north-western Tanzania and extends to south-western Kenya between latitudes 1 and 3 S and longitudes 34 and 36 E. It spans some 30,000 km2. The Serengeti hosts the largest and longest overland migration in the world, a semi-annual occurrence. This migration is one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world. The region contains several national parks and game reserves. Serengeti is derived from the Maasai language, Maa; specifically, “Serengit” meaning “Endless Plains”. (based on a wikipedia article)

Victoria Falls [ Photo by John Walker ]

The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Mist that Thunders) is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The falls are some of the largest in the world. By the end of the 1990s, almost 300,000 people were visiting the falls annually, and this was expected to rise to over a million in the next decade. (based on a wikipedia article)

Asia

Gobustan Mud Volcnoes [ Photo by indigoprime / CC BY 2.0 ]

The term mud volcano or mud dome is used to refer to formations created by geo-excreted liquids and gases, although there are several different processes which may cause such activity. Temperatures are much cooler than igneous processes. The largest structures are 10 km in diameter and reach 700 metres in height. Azerbaijan and its Caspian coastline are home to nearly 400 mud volcanoes, more than half the total throughout the continents. In 2001, one mud volcano 15 kilometers from Baku made world headlines when it suddenly started ejecting flames 15 meters high. (based on a wikipedia article)

Cox's Bazar Himchari [ Photo by Shahnoor Habib Munmun ]

The main attraction of Cox’s Bazar is the long sandy beach that stretches from the mouth of the Bakkhali river going all the way to Teknaf. Although commonly known as Cox’s Bazar beach, it stretches far beyond the area designated as Cox’s Bazar town. Cox’s Bazar, arguably the best tourist spot in Bangladesh, is visited by a large number of tourist from Britain, America, Korea, Japan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and many more countries each year. (based on a wikipedia article)

Dawn near the Bay of Bengal [ Photo by joiseyshowaa / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

The Sundarbans is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The name Sundarban can be literally translated as “beautiful jungle” or “beautiful forest” in the Bengali language (Sundar, “beautiful” and ban, “forest” or “jungle”). The name may have been derived from the Sundari trees that are found in Sundarbans in large numbers. The forest lies at the feet of the Ganges and is spread across areas of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, forming the seaward fringe of the delta. The seasonally-flooded Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lie inland from the mangrove forests. The forest covers 10,000 km2 of which about 6,000 are in Bangladesh. It became inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997. (based on a wikipedia article)

Mount Everest from base camp one [ Photo by Rupert Taylor-Price / CC BY 2.0 ]

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, and the highest point on the Earth’s continental crust, as measured by the height above sea level of its summit, 8,848 metres (29,029 ft). The mountain, which is part of the Himalaya range in Asia, is located on the border between Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal, and Tibet, China. The highest mountain in the world attracts climbers of all levels, from well experienced mountaineers to novice climbers willing to pay substantial sums to professional mountain guides to complete a successful climb. (based on a wikipedia article)

K2 in the morning [ Photo by mariachily / CC BY 2.0 ]

K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth (after Mount Everest). With a peak elevation of 8,611 metres (28,251 ft), K2 is part of the Karakoram range, and is located on the border between the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China and Gilgit, in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the 2nd highest fatality rate among the ‘eight thousanders’ for those who climb it. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying. (based on a wikipedia article)

Around China: Huang shan [ Photo by andreaqi / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

Mount Huang, also known as Huangshan, is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China. The area is well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly-shaped granite peaks, Huangshan Pine trees, and views of the clouds from above. Mount Huang is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature, as well as modern photography. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of China’s major tourist destinations. (based on a wikipedia article)

Shilin Stone Forest Entrance [ Photo by Chenyun / CC BY-SA 2.5 ]

Shilin (Stone Forest) is a notable set of karst formations in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, in the Yunnan province of southwest China, approximately 85 km from the city of Kunming. The tall rocks seem to emanate from the ground in the manner of stalagmites, with many looking like trees made of stone, creating the illusion of a forest made of stone. Each year around the 24th and 25th day of the sixth lunar month, many Yi people celebrate the Torch Festival, which features folk dances and wrestling competitions. (based on a wikipedia article)

This shows one of the many multi-level waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou Valley in northern Sichuan province, China. [ Photo by Gjl / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Jiuzhaigou National Park is a nature reserve in the north of Sichuan, a province in south western China. It is known for its many multi-level waterfalls and colorful lakes, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It belongs to the category V (Protected Landscape) in the IUCN system of protected area categorization. Jiuzhaigou is composed of three valleys arranged in a Y shape. The Rize and Zechawa valleys flow from the south and meet at the centre of the site where they form the Shuzheng valley, flowing north to the mouth of the valley. (based on a wikipedia article)

Kaziranga National Park in India [ Photo by Peter Andersen / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. A World Heritage Site, the park hosts two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned Rhinoceroses. Kaziranga boasts the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognised as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species. Compared to other protected areas in India, Kaziranga has achieved notable success in wildlife conservation. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility. (based on a wikipedia article)

Komodo Dragon [ Photo by Thomas Hirsch / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Komodo National Park is a national park in Indonesia located near the Lesser Sunda Islands in the border region between the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara. The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, and a total area of 1817 km² (603 km² of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 in order to protect the Komodo dragon. Later it was dedicated to protecting other species, including marine species. (based on a wikipedia article)

Fuji Sunrise Kawaguchiko [ Photo by Fg2 ]

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 m (12,388 ft). Along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, it is one of Japan’s “Three Holy Mountains”. An active volcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji is just west of Tokyo, and can be seen on a clear day. Mount Fuji’s exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers. (based on a wikipedia article)

Fish in Anemone [ Photo by 88rabbit / CC BY 2.0 ]

Sipadan is the only oceanic island in Malaysia, rising 600 metres (2,000 ft) from the seabed. It is located in the Celebes Sea east of the major town of Tawau and off the coast of East Malaysia on the Island of Borneo. It was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct volcanic cone that took thousands of years to develop. Sipadan is located at the heart of the Indo-Pacific basin, the centre of one of the richest marine habitats in the world. More than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species have been classified in this ecosystem. (based on a wikipedia article)

Climbing Mount Kinabalu [ Photo by Robert Nyman / CC BY 2.0 ]

Mount Kinabalu is a prominent mountain in Southeast Asia. It is located in Kinabalu National Park (a World Heritage Site) in the east Malaysian state of Sabah, which is on the island of Borneo in the tropics. It is the 4th tallest mountain in the Malay Archipelago after Indonesian Papua’s Puncak Jaya, Puncak Trikora and Puncak Mandala. The mountain and its surroundings are among the most important biological sites in the world, with over 600 species of ferns, 326 species of birds, and 100 mammalian species identified. (based on a wikipedia article)

Cave of The Winds (Borneo) [ Photo by ALEX GOOI / CC BY 2.0 ]

Gunung Mulu National Park near Miri, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that encompasses incredible caves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. The park is famous for its caves and the expeditions that have been mounted to explore them and their surrounding rainforest, most notably the Royal Geographical Society Expedition of 1977 - 1978, which saw over 100 scientists in the field for 15 months. (based on a wikipedia article)

Maldives, a place you want to be [ Photo by nattu / CC BY 2.0 ]

The Maldives or Maldive Islands, officially Republic of Maldives, is an island country in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching in a north-south direction off India’s Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and Chagos Archipelago. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, about seven hundred kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka. (based on a wikipedia article)

Lake Saiful Muluk has a touch of the unreal about it, nestling 3,200 metres [ Photo by Hassan Sarmad / CC BY 2.0 ]

Lake Saiful Muluk is a lake located at the northern end of the Kaghan Valley near Naran. It is in the north east of Mansehra District in the North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. At an altitude of 3,224 m (10,578 feet) above sea level it is amongst one of the highest lakes in Pakistan. The Guardian ranked Lake Saiful Muluk as the 5th Best Tourist Destination in Pakistan. Mansehra District has had a flourishing tourism industry in the past due to its many mountain ranges and the Saiful Muluk Lake. (based on a wikipedia article)

View on the Chocolate Hills from the Chocolate Hills Complex, Carmen, Bohol, The Philippines. [ Photo by Jeroen Hellingman / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Chocolate Hills are an unusual geological formation in Bohol, Philippines. According to the latest accurate survey done, there are 1,776 hills spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi). They are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, hence the name. The Chocolate Hills are a famous tourist attraction of Bohol. They are featured in the provincial flag and seal to symbolize the abundance of natural attractions in the province. They are in the Philippine Tourism Authority’s list of tourist destinations in the Philippines;[3] they have been declared the country’s 3rd National Geological Monument and proposed for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. (based on a wikipedia article)

Caves entrance exit [ Photo by Paul Chin / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 kilometers north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. The National Park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the northern coast of the island. It is bordered by St. Paul Bay to the north and the Babuyan River to the east. The City Government of Puerto Princesa has managed the National Park since 1992. It is also known as St. Paul’s Subterranean River National Park, or St. Paul Underground River. The entrance to the Subterranean River is a short hike from the town of Sabang. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park has been nominated for the “New Seven Wonders of Nature” competition. (based on a wikipedia article)

Samseonghyeol [ Photo by Dolmang / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

Jeju-do (transliterated Korean for Jeju Province, short form of Jeju Special Self-governing Province) is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country’s largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946. Its capital is the city of Jeju. The island contains the Natural World Heritage Site entitled Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. (based on a wikipedia article)

Yu Shan Summit Trek [ Photo by Prince Roy / CC BY 2.0 ]

Yushan National Park is one of the seven national parks in Taiwan and was named after the summit Yushan, the highest peak of the park. The Park covers a total of 105,490 hectares including large sections of the Central Mountain Range. The Park contains over thirty peaks more than 3,000 meters in elevation, and two-thirds of the area within the park is above 2,000 meters. The elevation difference in the park is 3,600 meters, and there are many canyons, cliffs, and valleys. (based on a wikipedia article)

Ha Long Bay with boats [ Photo by Ekstazo ]

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam. Administratively, the bay belongs to Ha Long City, Cam Pha Town and part of Van Don District. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. Ha Long Bay is a center of a larger zone which includes Bái Tử Long bay to the northeast, and Cát Bà islands to the southwest. These larger zones share similar geological, geographical, geomorphological, climate and cultural characters. Ha Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km², incuding 1,960 islets, most of which are limestone. (based on a wikipedia article)

Middle East

Damavand in winter [ Photo by Hamed Khorramyar ]

Mount Damāvand also known as Donbavand, a potentially active volcano and the highest peak in Iran, has a special place in Persian mythology and folklore. Located in the middle Alborz Range, adjacent to Varārū, Sesang, Gol-e Zard and Mīānrūd, it is the highest point in the Middle East and the highest volcano in all of Asia. It is a potentially active volcano, since there are fumaroles near the summit crater emitting sulfur, which were known to be active on July 6, 2007 (based on a wikipedia article)

Dead Sea by David Shankbone [ Photo by David Shankbone / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

The Dead Sea, also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake in Jordan to the east and in the West Bank and Israel to the west. Its surface and shores are 422 metres (1,385 ft) below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth’s surface on dry land. The Dead Sea is 378 m (1,240 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It is also one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water, with 33.7% salinity. Only Lake Assal (Djibouti), Garabogazköl and some hypersaline lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica (such as Don Juan Pond and perhaps Lake Vanda) have a higher salinity. It is 8.6 times as salty as the ocean. (based on a wikipedia article)

Wadi Rum, Jordan [ Photo by Effi Schweizer ]

Wadi Rum is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southwest Jordan. It is the largest wadi in Jordan. The name Rum most likely comes from an Aramaic root meaning ‘high’ or ‘elevated’. To reflect its proper Arabic pronunciation, archaeologists transcribe it as Wadi Ramm. The area is now also one of Jordan’s important tourist destinations, and attracts an increasing number of foreign tourists, particularly trekkers and climbers, but also for camel and horse safari or simply ‘day-trippers’ from Aqaba or Petra. (based on a wikipedia article)

fish madness [ Photo by jon hanson / CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. The Red Sea is a rich and diverse ecosystem. The rich diversity is in part due to the 2,000 km (1,240 mi) of coral reef extending along its coastline; these fringing reefs are 5000-7000 years old and are largely formed of stony acropora and porites corals. The reefs form platforms and sometimes lagoons along the coast and occasional other features such as cylinders (such as the Blue Hole (Red Sea) at Dahab). These coastal reefs are also visited by pelagic species of red sea fish, including some of the 44 species of shark. (based on a wikipedia article)

View of Cappadocia [ Photo by Mila Zinkova / CC BY-SA 3.0 ]

Cappadocia is a region in central Turkey, largely in Nevşehir Province. The name was traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history and is still widely used as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage. The term, as used in tourism, roughly corresponds to present-day Nevşehir Province. (based on a wikipedia article)