Tag: Nature
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Discover the wonder of Onekotan Island
Onekotan is a deserted volcanic island in the northwest Pacific Ocean near the northern end of Russia’s Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk. The archipelago consists of two stratovolcanos at each end, Krenitsyn and Nemo, connected by a flat strip of land. Crater lakes surround both volcanoes. The 4344-foot Krenitsyn volcano on the […]
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Valais Blacknose sheep from Switzerland
Strange-looking but cute — if you can even see their faces — the Valais Blacknose sheep is a type of mountain-breed sheep from the Valais region of Switzerland. These fancy-looking lambs are called ‘luxury sheep’ for their magical faceless features, shaggy coats, and spiral horns. Although they’re used for their wool and meat in Switzerland, the […]
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Zhangjiajie’s Bailong Elevator is the highest outdoor elevator in the world
The Bailong Elevator is the world’s highest outdoor elevator, towering an astonishing 1,080 feet high. It’s built inside a massive sandstone column in a mountain range consisting of the National Forest Park in the Wulingyuan area of Zhangjiajie, China. Opened in 2002, the cliff-facing elevator allows 50 visitors at a time to ride up the […]
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Meet the inconspicuous Vietnamese Mossy Tree Frog
The Vietnamese Mossy Tree Frog is a species of frog that can be found in northern Vietnam, China, and Laos. The tree frog looks like a crocodile smushed into a tiny 3” body. Never mind that it can throw its voice up to 13 feet, making the creature hard to spot. In addition to its […]
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Disappearing sandpipers in murmuration
Behold one of the greatest shows in nature — sandpiper murmurations. Sandpipers, like starlings, often fly low in coordinated swirls that give the group the appearance of a disappearing magic trick. Rather, it’s the unison of thousands of individual black backs and white chests against the backdrop of a blue sky that gives off the […]
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Turkmenistan’s Darvaza gas crater, the ‘door to hell’
The Darvaza gas crater also called the Gates of Hell or Door to Hell, is a natural gas field in Turkmenistan that collapsed into an underground cavern. Soviet engineers set the 230-foot hole on fire while exploring for gas in 1971. They expected the flames to die after a few days, but the opening burned […]
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The Rock: Urup Island, Russia
Here’s the last island you’d ever want to be stranded on. This uninhabited volcanic rock formation is part of a 552 square mile Russian island called Urup, which means ‘salmon trout’ in Ainu language. Urup island sits south of the Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. One can […]
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Aogashima Island in Japan is a volcanic phenomenon
Aogashima is a volcanic Japanese island located in the Philippine Sea. It’s known as one of the most intriguing places globally for its unique structure and intense greenery. The island formed out of an active volcano’s crater and currently operates as a giant volcano with a mini volcano inside it. The 200 people who live […]
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Mount Bromo Crater, East Java Indonesia
Mount Bromo is an active volcano located in the Tengger mountain range of East Java, Indonesia. It is also one of the most visited tourist attractions in the rugged Indonesian province. The views from atop the mountain are extraordinary, as one can see well into the crater and the beautiful countryside surrounding it. There’s also […]
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Ireland’s impressive Dún Briste Sea Stack
Dun Briste is a 150-foot sea stack off County Mayo, Ireland, at Downpatrick Head. According to the legend, this impressive site broke off the mainland during a massive sea storm in 1393. Ships rescued those living on the cliffs who had fallen into the water. During the 1980s, a team of scientists discovered remnants of […]
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The colorful slots of Antelope Canyon
There’s a colorful slot canyon in Arizona where the interplay of light and geometric sandstone create a remarkable effect. Antelope Canyon consists of an upper and lower section, aptly named Upper Antelope Canyon (The Crack) and Lower Antelope Canyon (The Corkscrew). Both parts exist on Navajo territory in northern Arizona. Wind and rainwater eroded and smoothed out […]
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The ongoing mystery behind Poland’s ‘Crooked Forest’
Located outside Nowe Czarnowo, Poland, is an eerie-looking collection of curved pine trees nicknamed The Crooked Forest or Krzywy Las. No one knows how the original 400 pine trees got their identically bent shape — all 90-degree drops at the base, like elephant trunks. But it’s believed that a special technique was used in the […]