Amazing Places on the Planet
There are various places in the world that differ in their natural beauty, colorfulness, landscapes, and rich vegetation. Others are beautiful in their simplicity and delicacy. In this article, you will find things you probably haven't seen before: places in the world of incredible beauty.
Bagan, Myanmar
Bagan was founded in the 9th century by the Burmese in central Burma and was destroyed by the Mongols in 1287. Bagan is one of the most remarkable places in Myanmar. In ancient times, there were about 13,000 religious structures here, built over a period of 200 years. Now, in an area of 42 square kilometers, you can see about 5,000 well-preserved temples, pagodas, and stupas.
Colorful Zhangye Danxia Landform in Gansu Province, China
In China, there is a curious place where the rocks are painted in countless colors, predominantly brown and red shades. This natural wonder is located in Gansu Province near the town of Zhangye in the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains. The colorful mountains are part of the national park of the same name in China. These places were designated as a National Park only in November 2011. The area of the park is 510 km².
Li River, China
Li, the Chinese name for Lijiang River, is a river known for its exceptional clarity and transparency of water in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Lijiang is the main river of Guilin. Stretching for 437 km, the Li River is situated in a beautiful setting of green hills. The picturesque Li winds around intricate mountain peaks, and along its banks, beautiful landscapes unfold. In one 100-kilometer stretch of the Li River, mountain peaks rise high into the sky. This is one of the most scenic areas in China.
Meteora Monastery Complex, Greece
The Meteora monasteries are among the most striking attractions in Greece. The name of this place comes from the Greek word "Meteora" (Μετέωρα), which literally means "suspended in air," perfectly describing these six remarkable Greek Orthodox monasteries. The sandy peak was first inhabited by Byzantine hermits in the 11th century, who climbed to the top of the rock to be alone with God. The actual monasteries were built in the 14th - 15th centuries during times of instability and the revival of hermit ideals.
Tianzi Mountains, China
These magnificent mountains are located in Zhangjiajie National Park (China) and resemble the fantastic floating islands from the famous movie "Avatar." Shrouded in mist, the Tianzi mountain peaks leave an indelible impression, as seeing anything like this is impossible in any other corner of our planet. The name of these mountains translates as "son of heaven," and traditionally, this epithet was used to refer to Chinese emperors.
Giant Temple Complex Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat is considered the largest temple in the world dedicated to the god Vishnu (the supreme god in the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism). The Angkor Wat temple complex is the largest Hindu temple not only in Cambodia but also in the world, the largest cult structure left to us by the Khmer king Surya Varma II about a thousand years ago (1113-1150 AD).
Yosemite Valley, USA
Yosemite in the Apache language means the name of the American black bear – the master of these places. The amazing beauty of the current territory of the park was revealed to Americans of European descent in the mid-19th century during the gold rush. This unique area was formed millennia ago under the influence of a massive continental glacier.
In the 1850s, Yosemite Valley became a very popular vacation spot. To preserve the wilderness of this area, President Abraham Lincoln issued a special document, the Yosemite Grant, in 1864, which stated the transfer of the valley and the grove of giant sequoias to the ownership of the state of California. In October 1890, the park was granted national status. Subsequently, Yosemite National Park was repeatedly expanded by purchasing land from private owners.
Plitvice Lakes - the largest national park in Croatia
Plitvice Lakes (Plitvička jezera) is the largest and oldest national park in Croatia. This magical creation of nature, located on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, is among the ten most beautiful cascading lakes in the world. The Croats themselves call Plitvice Lakes the eighth wonder of the world. In 1979, the park, which became a popular tourist attraction rightfully considered the jewel of the country, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Geirangerfjord, Norway
The small fjord (only 20 km long) features a stunning landscape. Geirangerfjord is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most visited fjords in Norway. Local activities include fishing, kayaking, rafting, horseback riding, and summer skiing in Stryn.
Antelope Canyon, USA
Nature has created a truly magical place. For many thousands of years, rains, river flows, and natural weathering processes have carved mesmerizing ravines and gorges from small crevices. Today, the depth of some of these depressions has already reached hundreds of meters. Photos of this natural wonder are impressive. However, during the rainy season in Arizona, which lasts from June 15 to September 30, the canyon is completely flooded with water. Therefore, visiting it during this period is dangerous.
"Blood Pond" in Japan
The Blood Pond is located in the town of Beppu in the northeastern part of Kyushu Island. The pond, with its unnatural color, has long been surrounded by a mystical aura among the locals. Legends say that this is a hellish place. As befits a hellish place, it is believed that the souls of sinners inhabit here. The pond itself is considered a gateway to hell. Its final resemblance to a piece of hell on earth is given by the water temperature, which heats up to nearly 80 degrees Celsius. Additionally, every 35-40 minutes, eruptions of boiling water occur, giving the pond a truly mystically terrifying appearance. The bubbling red pond is mystical, horrifying, yet still captivating.
Socotra Island
This island has very interesting vegetation, making it a unique and almost anomalous ecosystem. It is part of an archipelago consisting of four islands in the Indian Ocean, which were separated from Africa about 7 million years ago. Like the Galapagos Islands, they contain over 700 very rare species of both flora and fauna, about a third of which are endemic to this area.
Danakil Depression
The Afar Depression (Danakil Depression, Afar Triangle) in Ethiopia, more commonly known as the Danakil Depression, is one of the hottest inhabited places on Earth. The average summer temperature here is 46 °C.
The Afar Depression is a tectonic triple junction (Afar Triangle), where the Red Sea Rift, East African Rift, and Aden Ridge intersect. The intersection point is Lake Abbe. The depression is the second place in the world (besides Iceland) where ocean ridges can be studied on land. The depression is undergoing constant tectonic movement (1-2 cm per year), leading to frequent earthquakes and the emergence of thermal waters and volcanic gases.
Fly Geyser, Nevada
Fly Geyser is not a natural creation but a result of human activity. In 1916, a well was drilled in this area, which functioned for several decades.
In the 1960s, various reactions began underground, causing the water to heat up and actively dissolve salts, which in turn led to the formation of an elevation around the well. The growth of the geyser's walls continues to this day. The height of the jet now reaches 1.5 meters. Over 50 years, 40 pools have formed around the geyser over an area of 30 hectares. The geyser's coloration is due to sulfur gas and other minerals dissolved in the water.
Surreal Landscapes of Deadvlei in Namibia
Deadvlei (Deadvlei) is a famous Namibian attraction, representing a clay pan filled with white clay, dotted with whimsical dried trees and bordered by the tallest sand dunes in the world. It lies within the clay plateau of Sossusvlei in the center of the Namib Desert in the southwestern part of the Republic of Namibia. The unusual landscapes of Deadvlei are considered one of the main prides of the Namib-Naukluft National Park.
About 900 years ago, when climate changes occurred and the region was hit by a severe drought, huge sand dunes blocked access to water in the valley. Over time, due to the lack of moisture, the trees died, and since then hundreds of "skeletons" of camel thorn acacias have frozen in a lifeless dance in the middle of the vast Namibian desert. Over the years of exposure to relentless sunlight, they have turned into petrified black pillars, and due to the dry climate, the wood has not yet decayed and continues to adorn the plateau, reminding of the former green prosperity of this area. In the clay pan, there is not even a hint of wind, and during the hottest period, temperatures reach 50°C in the shade, creating remarkable conditions for preserving the ancient sun-dried trees.