The Galápagos tortoise or Galápagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) is the largest living species of tortoise and 13th-heaviest living reptile, reaching weights of over 400 kg (880 lb) and lengths of over 1.8 meters (5.9 ft). With life spans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates. A captive individual lived at least 170 years. The tortoise...
In Arizona, near the border with Utah, in the United States, you can find a stunning sandstone rock formation called The Wave. The Wave is on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes, which are in turn located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, on the Colorado Plateau. This formation is actually sand dunes calcified in vertical and horizontal layers, and the fascinating color...
The beautiful and somewhat eerie ruins of Kilchurn Castle lie on the northeastern shore of Loch Awe in Scotland. Its construction dating back to the 15th century, Kilchurn Castle was originally built on a tiny island. The loch’s water levels were changed in 1817 causing the island to connect to the mainland. While the oldest part of Kilchurn Castle was built in 1450...
Angel Falls is the world’s highest waterfall at 979 meters (3,212 feet). Because the water falls so far it becomes a fine mist which can be felt a mile away before it reaches the ground below. The falls spill from a cliff near the summit of Mount Auyantepui into the Kerep River (also called the Rio Gauya). Named after the American aviator Jimmie...
Venice is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, due to the city’s being one of the world’s greatest and most beautiful cities of art. The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a day (2007 estimate). In 2006, it was the world’s 28th most internationally visited city, with 2.927 million international arrivals that year. Tourism has been a major...
The incredible moonscape hills and the impossibly beautiful cities of Turkey’s Cappadocia region are a sight to behold. Located in the center of Turkey, the Cappadocia region includes the towns of Avanos, Göreme, Nevsehir, Ortahisar, Uçhisar, and Ürgüp. Popular activities in the region include visits to the underground cities, viewing the ancient Christian cave art, exploring numerous hiking trails and volcanos, seeing the...
China’s Hua Shan is one of the Five Sacred Daoist Mountains located in the country. Hua Shan has five main peaks, with the 2160m (7086ft) tall South Peak being the highest. Hua Shan, literally Splendid Mountain, has been home to Daoist temples as far back as the second century BCE. Today, it is popular with monks and tourists alike, though tourists have only...
One of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland, the Gullfoss is a 2-tiered waterfall with a total height of 32m (105ft). Also known as the Golden Falls, the Gullfoss is part of the HvÃtá river. Nearby attractions include the Haukadalur geysers and Þingvellir national park. Together, these 3 sites are called the Golden Circle. Because of the popularity of the falls there...
Vienna is the capital city of the Republic of Austria in Europe. Major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn (also home to the world’s oldest zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn) and the Riesenrad in the Prater. Cultural highlights include the Burgtheater, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Lipizzaner horses at the spanische Hofreitschule and the Vienna Boys’ Choir, as well as excursions...
The Taklamakan Desert (or Takla Makan Desert) is the 15th largest sandy desert in the world, covering 320,000 square kilometers (123,550 square miles). It is located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. The desert is seen mainly by those crossing it on the road between the towns of Hotan and Luntai. The famous Silk Road edges around the Taklamakan Desert so...
On the edges of Cairo, Egypt lie the three ancient Pyramids of Giza. The largest of the three, the Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu, or Pyramid of Cheops) is the only surviving monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. For over 3,800 years the Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest structure in the world....
