Natural Wonders of the World

MOORE
NATURAL WONDERS
About the Author
Historian for the National Park Service at
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial,
Robert J. Moore, Jr., has written several books
and has traveled extensively.
Also Available from Abbeville Press
America, America
Photographs by Sonja Bullaty and
Angelo Lomeo
Text by Robin Magowan
ISBN 0-7892-0530-0
The Arctic World
Landscapes, Wildlife, and Peoples
By Marco Nazarri
ISBN 0-7892-0629-3
The Serengeti’s Great Migration
OF THE
Photographs by Carlo Mari
Text by Harvey Croze
ISBN 0-7892-0669-2
Printed in Italy
ISBN 0-7892-0667-6
0-7892-0667-6
ISBN
UPC
EAN
ISBN 0-7892-0667-6
7
35738 06676
8
NATURAL
WONDERS
OF THE WORLD
BY R O B E RT J . M O O R E , J R .
N A T U R A L
W O N D E R S
OF THE WORLD
WORLD
ABBEVILLE PRESS
22 Cortlandt Street
New York, NY 10007
1-800-Artbook (in U.S. only)
Available wherever fine books are sold
Visit us at www.abbeville.com
Natural History/Travel
9 780789 206671
U.S. $59.95
55995
ROBERT J. MOORE, JR.
From the Everglades, unique among the earth’s
wetlands, to the sculpted stretches of the Sahara,
the coral groves of the Great Barrier Reef to the
icy altitudes of the Himalayas at the roof of the
world, marvels of nature adorn every continent
and sea. Some of these wild places are celebrated
for their sheer physical beauty, others for their
incomprehensible vastness, their flourishing
animal and plant communities, or their vanishing ecosystems, and many are so breathtaking that
they are considered sacred. More than fifty of
these astonishing natural wonders are exquisitely
photographed and vividly narrated in this
captivating armchair traveler.
Other wondrous places of the world
featured include: New Zealand’s Alps; Africa’s
Namib Desert and Victoria Falls; Asia’s Dead Sea
and rain forest in Borneo; Europe’s Greek
Islands and Norwegian fjords; North America’s
Canyonlands and Mount McKinley; South
America’s Monteverde Cloud Forest and
Galapagos Islands; and Antarctica’s glaciers.
The lively text presents a thorough survey of
each place’s geography, geology, and natural
history, providing a concise overview of how these
wonders came to be and the myriad of plants and
animals that inhabit them. The author also
discusses the importance of national parks and
conservation areas in the protection and
preservation of these precious locales for future
generations to behold.
Natural Wonders of the World is both an inspirational book for the intrepid traveler as well as an
exciting but comfortable journey for the
armchair tourist.
Natural History/Travel
OF THE WORLD
BY R O B E RT J . M O O R E , J R .
From the Everglades, unique among the earth’s
wetlands, to the sculpted stretches of the Sahara,
the coral groves of the Great Barrier Reef to the
icy altitudes of the Himalayas at the roof of the
world, marvels of nature adorn every continent
and sea. Some of these wild places are celebrated
for their sheer physical beauty, others for their
incomprehensible vastness, their flourishing
animal and plant communities, or their vanishing ecosystems, and many are so breathtaking that
they are considered sacred. More than fifty of
these astonishing natural wonders are exquisitely
photographed and vividly narrated in this
captivating armchair traveler.
Other wondrous places of the world
featured include: New Zealand’s Alps; Africa’s
Namib Desert and Victoria Falls; Asia’s Dead Sea
and rain forest in Borneo; Europe’s Greek
Islands and Norwegian fjords; North America’s
Canyonlands and Mount McKinley; South
America’s Monteverde Cloud Forest and
Galapagos Islands; and Antarctica’s glaciers.
The lively text presents a thorough survey of
each place’s geography, geology, and natural
history, providing a concise overview of how these
wonders came to be and the myriad of plants and
animals that inhabit them. The author also
discusses the importance of national parks and
conservation areas in the protection and
preservation of these precious locales for future
generations to behold.
Natural Wonders of the World is both an inspirational book for the intrepid traveler as well as an
exciting but comfortable journey for the
armchair tourist.
Historian for the National Park Service at
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial,
Robert J. Moore, Jr., has written several books
and has traveled extensively.
Also Available from Abbeville Press
America, America
Photographs by Sonja Bullaty and
Angelo Lomeo
Text by Robin Magowan
ISBN 0-7892-0530-0
The Arctic World
Landscapes, Wildlife, and Peoples
By Marco Nazarri
ISBN 0-7892-0629-3
The Serengeti’s Great Migration
Photographs by Carlo Mari
Text by Harvey Croze
ISBN 0-7892-0669-2
ABBEVILLE PRESS
22 Cortlandt Street
New York, NY 10007
1-800-Artbook (in U.S. only)
Available wherever fine books are sold
Visit us at www.abbeville.com
Printed in Italy
ISBN 0-7892-0667-6
UPC
NATURAL
WONDERS
About the Author
7
35738 06676
8
9
Hawaii’s Kiluea volcano
erupts, an event integral to
the formation of planet earth.
Over the course of millions of
years, volcanism has shaped
the world we live in.
10–11
The north face of Mount
Everest, the tallest mountain
on the planet at 29,028 feet
above sea level.
C O N T E N T S
PREFACE
EUROPE
ICELAND
Land of Frost and Fire
NORWAY’S FJORDS
Towering Majesty
FINLAND’S LAKES REGION
Land of Thousands of Lakes
ENGLAND’S LAKE DISTRICT
“A Blended Holiness of Earth and Sky”
THE WEST COAST OF IRELAND
Emerald Peninsulas
THE BLACK FOREST
The Postcard Germany
THE ALPS
Centerpiece of Europe
FRANCE’S MEDITERRANEAN COAST
Sun-drenched Region of Color
CORSICA
The Most Beautiful Island
SARDINIA
A Contested Jewel
TUSCANY
Italy’s Cultural Gem
DOÑANA NATIONAL PARK, SPAIN
Bird-watcher’s Paradise
THE GREEK ISLANDS
Endless and Sublime Variety
14
24
30
ASIA
CAPPADOCIA,TURKEY
Fairy Chimneys
THE SINAI DESERT
Sacred Places
THE NEGEV AND THE DEAD SEA, ISRAEL
The High and the Low
THE BAND-I-AMIR LAKES, AFGHANISTAN
Blue Gems of the Desert
THE HIMALAYAS AND KARAKORAM
The Roof of the World
BORNEO
The Deepest Jungle
88
92
1
The peaks of Kata Tjuta seem
to glow a fiery red at sunrise
and sunset, the reddish light of
the sun accentuating the natural
tint of the rock.
36
38
42
44
50
52
62
66
70
74
78
80
94
100
106
108
120
AFRICA
124
130
THE NILE RIVER
Mother of Civilizations
134
THE SAHARA DESERT
The Hidden Oasis
142
THE RED SEA
The World Beneath
146
MOUNT KILIMANJARO
As Wide as all the World
NGORONGORO, SERENGETI AND NATRON LAKE 148
The Empty Place
158
LAKE VICTORIA AND RUBONDO ISLAND
The Heart of Africa
THE RUWENZORI AND VIRUNGA MOUNTAINS 162
The Mountains of the Moon
166
VICTORIA FALLS
The Smoke that Thunders
168
THE NAMIB DESERT
Place of No People
174
THE SEYCHELLES ISLANDS
Incomparable Beauty
NORTH AMERICA
176
180
THE CANADIAN ARCTIC AND GREENLAND
The Top of the World
MOUNT MCKINLEY AND DENALI NATIONAL PARK 188
Tundra Paradise
JASPER AND BANFF NATIONAL PARKS, CANADA 194
Alpine Wonders
200
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
Nature’s Wonderland
THE CANYONLANDS
OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST
206
Silent Majesty
218
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
Towering Rocks and Plunging Water
222
CALIFORNIA’S EXTRAORDINARY COAST
Romantic Meeting of Land and Water
226
THE EVERGLADES
River of Grass
230
NIAGARA FALLS
An Immense Boiling Cauldron
2–3
Antarctica supports such
animal species as the
chinstrap penguin, seen here
on a gorgeous blue iceberg
in the Weddell Sea.
4–5
Lying east of Serengeti and
Ngorongoro Crater and west of
Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania’s
Great Rift Valley, Lake Natron
lies amid a wild landscape of
the cones of ancient volcanoes.
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
THE CARIBBEAN
Colorful Islands of History
MONTEVERDE CLOUD FOREST RESERVE,
COSTA RICA
Eco-tourism and Rainforests
ANGEL FALLS,VENEZUELA
The Lost World
THE AMAZON RIVER AND ITS RAINFOREST
“The Lungs of the Planet”
MANU BIOSPHERE RESERVE, PERU
The World’s Crucial Ecosystem
THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
“A Little World Within Itself ”
IGUACU FALLS
The Great Waters
THE ANDES
Ridgepole of a Continent
ANTARCTICA
Continent of Mystery
232
236
244
248
250
254
258
262
264
272
THE SOUTH SEAS
AUSTRALIA’S PINNACLES DESERT
Haunting Spires
AYERS ROCK
Landmark on the Dreaming Trail
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
The Ultimate Work of Nature
NEW ZEALAND’S ALPS
Reaching for the Sky
THE PALAU ISLANDS
God’s Aquarium
FRENCH POLYNESIA
A Dream of Paradise
HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
Land Forged by Fire
284
288
PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS
320
6–7
A few of the many coral
islets called motus that ring
Bora Bora in French Polynesia
are seen in this view.
290
294
302
306
310
316
8
The Atlantic Ocean crashes
onto the beaches of
Portugal’s Algarve Coast,
highlighting the beauties of
the sea.
Asia
THE DEEPEST
JUNGLE
B
O R N E O
BORNEO
PACIFIC
OCEAN
INDIAN
OCEAN
Australia
A
large green snake slithers across a tree
limb so wet and smooth it looks like a piece
of polished mahogany furniture. Monkeys swing from limb to
limb, shaking loose leaves, which flutter to the forest floor.
Low, lush mountains covered with tangles of trees, vines and
undergrowth overlook warm azure seas. Native peoples live
in longhouses squeezed between the rainforests and the
rivers. Huge palm fronds are everywhere and even larger
lizards skitter through the underbrush and dart below the
sudden surprise of waterfalls that seem to rush from the
green jungle rocks above. All of these adventures make up
the marvelous, strange, and wonderful world found on the
spectacular island of Borneo.
If asked what their initial impressions of Borneo might be,
most westerners would probably answer with words like
unknown and mysterious, then go on to mention the
rainforest and headhunters. All of these things are or were
part of Borneo at one time, but today it is a region known for
its pristine beaches, coral reefs, and efforts to save a
rainforest dating back millions of years from deforestation
by corporations.
The world’s third largest island, Borneo is famous for its
rainforests, rivers, and wildlife. The rainforests are some of
the oldest and most pristine in the world. The diversity of
species is incredible, including many that can be found in few
other places on planet earth. The weather is hot and humid
all year round, averaging 86 degrees Fahrenheit with
humidity at about 90 percent. September to January is the
official wet season, when it is even warmer and wetter.
To see the wonders of Borneo, one might start with the
rugged peak of Mount Kinabalu and the National Park that
surrounds it. The mountain, 13,461 feet tall, is the highest in
Southeast Asia. Its crest of bald granite rises above the
surrounding jungle, a site of religious significance to the
tribesmen of the island. Within the Kinabalu National Park are
over 1,500 species of orchids, 27 species of rhododendrons,
450 species of ferns, and 300 species of birds. Other flowers
include ten species of the rare carnivorous pitcher plant with
its five long green leaves. A high suspended walkway, 120
feet above the forest floor, has been built into the canopy to
allow visitors to see the abundance of wildlife. Vegetation
ranges from lowland through oak, rhododendron, and conifer
forests to alpine meadows and the stunted bushes of
Kinabalu’s summit.
Nearby Poring Hot Springs includes sulfur health spas and
a chance to see the world’s largest flowers, rafflesias, which
grow there. One must be lucky to see these incredible
121
blooms, for they are rare. Most of the rafflesia species are
large, but the largest recorded so far was three feet in
diameter, three-quarters of an inch thick and weighing fifteen
pounds. These flowers have no roots, stem, or leaves, and
bloom singly. Each flower produces one seed that must
germinate by lodging itself within the tetrastigma variety of
cissus vine on the forest floor. If this fails to happen, a bloom is
not produced.
In addition to national parks, which are attempting to
preserve the rainforest, other groups are trying to save wildlife
that has been displaced as a direct result of clearcut logging
operations. One of the species most endangered by this
commercial activity is the orangutan, one of the most
intelligent animals on the planet. The Sepilok orangutan
Rehabilitation Centre takes in orphaned orangs and feeds
them on platforms built into the trees. The animals are not
captive and can come and go at will. The center is situated in
a rich tropical rainforest with over 277 different bird species
and 300 types of trees. Other protected wild animals brought
to the center include Malay sun bears, baby elephants,
wildcats, and crocodiles.
Borneo’s bounty extends below the surface of the land as
well. Its giant-sized caves, large enough to house cathedrals,
are home to bats and swiftlets. Each evening incredible
numbers of bats pour from the mouths of the caves to feed on
the abundant insect life of the island. Some of the caves have
as much as forty-one miles of identified passages.
Just offshore are the warm, pristine, clear waters of the
South China Sea, which lap over coral reefs. Islands like Pulau
Sipadan off the northeastern coast of Borneo provide one of
122 Bottom
A Sumatran rhinoceros browses in
the thick foliage of the rainforest.
Another animal whose range is
shrinking quickly due to
deforestation and hunting, it is one
of five rhinoceros species left in the
world. It is differentiated from the
others by the combination of two
horns, incisors and canine teeth, and
an armor-plate skin arrangement.
Rhinoceros are herbivorous
creatures with poor eyesight but a
highly developed sense of smell.
122 Top
Looking like the branches of a
tree, the tributaries of a river
lead to Sadakan Bay in Borneo.
The thick vegetation here is a
mangrove forest, an ideal
breeding habitat for many
types of birds and animals.
Mangroves grow in shallow and
muddy salt water and have
arced, tangled root systems.
123
An aerial view of the rainforest at
Sabah, Malaysia, gives an idea of
the seemingly endless profusion of
trees and waterways. Low-lying,
forested swamps like these protect
elephants and orangutans.
122 Center
A female orangutan with her
baby faces an uncertain future
due to logging operations in
Borneo. Male orangs stand
four-and-a half feet tall and
have an enormous arm span of
seven feet. Females are roughly
half this size. Orangs live in
trees and eat leaves and fruits,
particularly figs.
Borneo
the richest coral reefs in the world, harboring barracuda,
buffalo fish, jack fish, butterfly fish, parrot fish, clown fish,
dragon fish, white tip sharks, giant clams, feather starfish, sea
urchins, and many species of turtles. The brilliant coral itself
forms a paradise of shapes named staghorn, mushroom,
cabbage, and brain, in staggeringly bright yellows, greens,
reds, blues, and purples.
Back on dry land, Borneo’s wonders continue in the Gunung
Mulu National Park, a region created about five million years
ago when the uplifting of an ancient ocean floor formed its
limestone mountains. Erosion has produced an array of
pinnacles amid the green forest, while below is an extensive
system of limestone caverns. Wildlife includes colorful hornbills,
giant flying squirrels, and flying frogs, along with hundreds of
species of butterflies.
Bako National Park on Muara Tebas, a ten-square-mile
peninsula jutting into the South China Sea, is a region where
waves have eroded rocky headlands, sea arches, and steep
sandstone cliffs. Giant monoliths covered with vegetation tower
above long stretches of white sand beaches. The jungle
supports long-tailed macaques, silver-leaf monkeys, monitor
lizards that can grow up to eight feet long, plantain squirrels,
wild boars, and mouse deer. The proboscis monkey may be the
region’s most interesting and reclusive resident. This large
primate has a long pink nose, fat belly, thick white tail, gray
legs, and an orange back, and is endemic to Borneo.
Carnivorous and rare pitcherplants, sundews, and bladderworts
can also be found in these forests.
Borneo still has, at least for the present, a wild, spectacular
jungle full of fascinating creatures and plant life. Although there
are other rainforests in the world, there are few as undisturbed
and continuous as those in Borneo. The low-lying forested
swamps that protect elephants and orangutans; the jungles
with edible ferns, bamboo shoots, and unusual tropical fruits;
and the skies alive with egrets, Oriental darters, swifts, and
vividly colored bee-eaters make Borneo like nowhere else on
earth. This wildlife, along with its coral reefs, caves, and jungles
make Borneo one of nature’s most spectacular wonders.
122
120–121
A tangle of roots and a profusion of
plant life characterizes the Borneo
rainforest, one of the oldest in the
world. Its incredible diversity of plant
and animal species is found in
few other places. Hot and humid
weather contributes to and
encourages the growth of all
sorts of creatures and plants.
120 Bottom left
A rare sight, a rafflesia, the
world’s largest flower, blooms
on a cissus vine along the
rainforest floor. Rafflesias have
121
A rhinoceros hornbill sports his
huge, colorful bill amid the lush
foliage of the rainforest. The largest
120 Bottom right
A colony of pitcher plants grows
on the floor of the rainforest. The
leaves of a pitcher plant are
shaped like a cone. Inside the
cone are downward-pointing,
spiky hairs. Insects are attracted
to the plant, crawl inside the
tubular leaf, and then are
trapped by the hairs. Eventually
they fall to the bottom of the
plant where the plant’s juices
digest them. Typically pitcher
plants grow in poor soils. The
digested insects bolster their
nutrients.
120
no roots, stems, or leaves, and
come in just one color, pink. They
are a parasitic plant, and although
pretty, they carry the putrid odor
of carrion.
of the hornbill species, they may
grow to sixty inches tall. Their large
but lightweight bills have an
upturned projection called a casque.
116 Bottom right
The image shows another of the
peaks close to Bhagirathi River in
Uttar Pradesh. There are three
peaks that stand at the end of
the valley leading to Gaumukh.
116–117
The majestic face of Mt. Kailash
dominates this view. The mother
of many Indian rivers, the
Himalayas ironically began as
sediment deposited by
prehistoric rivers millions of years
ago. They were raised by the
collision of continental plates and
have grown so that they are now
the world’s tallest range.
116 Bottom left
Gaumukh in northern India is at
the end of the Gangotri Glacier,
the source of the River Ganga.
Nineteen major rivers drain from
the Himalayas, including the
Indus, the Ganga River, and the
Brahmaputra.
116
The Himalayas and Karakoram
The Karakoram range contains a total of sixty peaks
averaging 22,000 feet, topped off by the incredible K2 at
28,250. Jagged, ice-capped peaks crown the horizon, but the
visitor should not be fooled into thinking that the region is
perpetually frigid. Actually, the greater Himalayas are at the
same latitude as central Florida and Cairo. Consequently
summers can be quite hot, and temperatures descend only
as one ascends in altitude.
The people of the Himalayan region take the beauties of
the mountains in stride but never take them for granted. It is
westerners who seem obsessed with naming each peak, each
pass, each stream, and charting it all on maps. How strange
Glacier, the largest glacier in the Himalayas and the source of
the Ganga River. Machhapuchhre (fishtail in Nepali) is one of
the world’s most famous and elegant peaks. It rises to a sharp
point, looking almost as though it has a white chimney on the
top. A similar peak is Shivling, which has been called the Indian
Matterhorn since it resembles that European peak.
Serene, white-faced Nanga Parbat in Pakistan (tenth tallest
mountain peak in the world) is the opposite of the sharpspired mountains of the Himalayas, and looks like a large,
massive sail spread out along the horizon. In Pakistan one
travels into the Karakoram Range, part of the same Asian
spine as the Himalayas but one with its own characteristics,
beauty, and grandeur. The serrated ridges of the mountains
can be seen along the incredible Karakoram Highway, which
winds for eight hundred miles through high, cold mountain
passes and around some of the tallest peaks on earth.
Between towns one can observe the gray rock that has fallen
down the slopes, piling up at the bottom like ashes that have
been cleaned out of a fireplace. Above, the bright sunlight
glints off the sides of the brilliant white mountains, blinding
the viewer at times with its reflected brilliance. When one sees
such magnificent peaks, it is easy to understand why the
ancient peoples of the region worshiped the mountains and
why they are still held in high regard today.
For the locals, the mountains are the abode of gods and
saints, a place of pilgrimage. In their snows arise the rivers
that bring life and in their massive size is the key to the
area’s weather.
117
117 Left
A torrent of the Ganga River,
formed from the snowmelt of the
Gangotri Glacier, is seen in this
photo. The life of India, its rivers,
comes from the Himalayas.
117 Right
One of the peaks of the
Bhagirathi Group, GarwhalShivling is located at the
headwaters of the Ganga River
in India, west of Nepal.
118 Top
The graceful lines of Mount
Siniolchu in Sikkim, India, are
tinted red by the light of the
sunrise and tempered by the
pure white snow in which it is
mantled. It can truly be said that
each of the mountains of the
Himalayas has its own personality.
Each has an individual look.
Englishman T .G. Montgomerie must have seemed in 1856,
as he moved into the region with his surveying equipment,
paper, and pencils. Montgomerie is the man who named K2,
simply numbering it as one of thirty-five summits in the
Karakoram Range that he was charting. The name, or lack
thereof, stuck, however, and the world’s second tallest
mountain is still known by a letter and a number only. To the
locals, the mountains were and are all one, all part of the
same earth and sky, all sacred.
At the far western edge of the Himalayan ranges lies the
Hindu Kush, with twenty-four peaks averaging 23,000 feet.
The Hindu Kush is surmounted by Mount Tirichmir, 25,230
feet tall. The interlocking chain of mountains, valleys, rivers,
and glaciers makes up an entire region of the world, a region
dominated by physical beauty and known for the resilience
and physical toughness of its people.
It is not surprising that Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese guide,
shared the honor with Sir Edmund Hillary of being the first to
reach the top of Mount Everest. It is equally understandable
that Norgay did not want the spotlight. Norgay lived with the
mountains every day of his life, a dedicated climber who
loved the peaks of his homeland yet took them in stride in a
way that an outsider would find difficult.
When considered altogether, the incredible natural
resources of the Himalayas present a compendium of most
of the world’s geographical features—mountains, rainforests,
deserts, and plateaus. They are incredible works of nature
that remind us of our own relative insignificance in the course
of geological time. The natural beauty of these peaks
certainly provides anyone who visits them a fitting place to
contemplate the wonders of our world.
118
118–119
The face of Annapurna rises 26,504
feet. The Annapurna area is
protected by a Nepalese National
Park and is one of the most
popular trekking regions in the
Himalayas. The famed Annapurna
Circuit takes hikers through many
118 Bottom
Another of Nepal’s gorgeous
peaks, Chulatse’s snowy face and
glaciers are seen in this view. The
rocky spine of Asia is composed
of hundreds of sublime peaks
like this.
119 Bottom
The serrated crest of Annapurna
heralds breathtaking scenery and
dramatic valleys. The Tatopani
Gorge that borders the mountain
is the deepest in the world at
over six thousand feet. The
Annapurna Conservation Area
that surrounds the peak tries to
promote enjoyable tourist
experiences while at the same
time preserving the natural
beauties of the area.
119
types of geological and biological
zones with great cultural and
natural diversity. A circuit usually
takes from two to three weeks.
MOORE
NATURAL WONDERS
About the Author
Historian for the National Park Service at
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial,
Robert J. Moore, Jr., has written several books
and has traveled extensively.
Also Available from Abbeville Press
America, America
Photographs by Sonja Bullaty and
Angelo Lomeo
Text by Robin Magowan
ISBN 0-7892-0530-0
The Arctic World
Landscapes, Wildlife, and Peoples
By Marco Nazarri
ISBN 0-7892-0629-3
The Serengeti’s Great Migration
OF THE
Photographs by Carlo Mari
Text by Harvey Croze
ISBN 0-7892-0669-2
Printed in Italy
ISBN 0-7892-0667-6
0-7892-0667-6
ISBN
UPC
EAN
ISBN 0-7892-0667-6
7
35738 06676
8
NATURAL
WONDERS
OF THE WORLD
BY R O B E RT J . M O O R E , J R .
N A T U R A L
W O N D E R S
OF THE WORLD
WORLD
ABBEVILLE PRESS
22 Cortlandt Street
New York, NY 10007
1-800-Artbook (in U.S. only)
Available wherever fine books are sold
Visit us at www.abbeville.com
Natural History/Travel
9 780789 206671
U.S. $59.95
55995
ROBERT J. MOORE, JR.
From the Everglades, unique among the earth’s
wetlands, to the sculpted stretches of the Sahara,
the coral groves of the Great Barrier Reef to the
icy altitudes of the Himalayas at the roof of the
world, marvels of nature adorn every continent
and sea. Some of these wild places are celebrated
for their sheer physical beauty, others for their
incomprehensible vastness, their flourishing
animal and plant communities, or their vanishing ecosystems, and many are so breathtaking that
they are considered sacred. More than fifty of
these astonishing natural wonders are exquisitely
photographed and vividly narrated in this
captivating armchair traveler.
Other wondrous places of the world
featured include: New Zealand’s Alps; Africa’s
Namib Desert and Victoria Falls; Asia’s Dead Sea
and rain forest in Borneo; Europe’s Greek
Islands and Norwegian fjords; North America’s
Canyonlands and Mount McKinley; South
America’s Monteverde Cloud Forest and
Galapagos Islands; and Antarctica’s glaciers.
The lively text presents a thorough survey of
each place’s geography, geology, and natural
history, providing a concise overview of how these
wonders came to be and the myriad of plants and
animals that inhabit them. The author also
discusses the importance of national parks and
conservation areas in the protection and
preservation of these precious locales for future
generations to behold.
Natural Wonders of the World is both an inspirational book for the intrepid traveler as well as an
exciting but comfortable journey for the
armchair tourist.