A visit to any of the 7 natural wonders of the world is truly awe-inspiring. The most inspiring thing about these wonders is that they were entirely created by nature, a very humbling experience!
Each natural wonder has its own tale of discovery and introduction into the modern world.
The Grand Canyon
The view is so expansive; it’s easy to believe that it took millions of years of erosion to carve. As the sun rises and sets casting different shadows the scenery changes before you. It is easy to understand that it took millions of years to carve out this beautiful canyon.
There are two very different parts to this natural wonder.
The North Rim is where a canopy of Douglas firs, ponderosa pines, birch and aspen trees, mule deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, coyotes, lynxes, mountain lions and bears, make their homes. While overhead ravens, Pinon Jays, Stellar’s Jays and other birds soar.
The South Rim is very a desert-like with a few Pinon pines, Utah Juniper, Douglas firs, cacti, agaves and yucca.
The first European to see the Grand Canyon was Spanish explorer Garcia Lopez de Cardenas. He totally underestimated the size of the canyon and was surprised when after 3 days of trekking had not reached the river at the bottom.
The Northern Lights
Standing under the dark sky and seeing the veils and ribbons of colours flowing through the night sky, you understand why “Aurora Borealis” is filled with intrigue, mystery and the source of many spirit tales. “Aurora is the name of the Roman Goddess of Dawn and borealis is the Greek God of the north wind.
This natural wonder of the world is formed the when the solar wind stir up the protons and electrons trapped in the earths magnetic field. At first there is a dull greenish glow, but as the solar winds strengthen the colors change to blue, pink and violet.
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, which will be admired from a distance by most. Along the Himalayas, Everest rises to over 29,000 feet above the earth. Named Himalaya “abode of snow” because of the sheer mass of snow on the mountain’s side.
Many aspiring climbers have aspired to get to the summit of Everest, New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the pinnacle on May 29, 1953. And since then more than 700 have also achieved this goal, but 150 have died trying.
There is more to Mount Everest, it is located in the beautiful Sagarmatha National Park. The torrential monsoon rains in June, turn the park into a beautiful landscape with different flowers where 118 species of birds and 26 species of butterflies live. The park is home to deer, wild yak, red panda, snow leopard, and Himalayan wolves who have adapted to the thin oxygen and cold temperatures.
The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef lies under the sea off the north eastern coast of Australia. Once underwater the crystal clear water you are treated to a wonder world of approximately 2,800 species of fish, 400 different types of coral, 500 species of seaweed, 15 types of sea snakes, and 6 species of sea turtles living in about 1,242 miles of coral reef. It is so big that it can be seen from outer space.
This very popular tourist attraction is being affected by pollution, climate change and human intrusion.
Victoria Falls
Through the green forest of Africa run the calm waters of the Zambezi River but as it reaches the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique the tranquil river changes into a torrential waterfall as it plummets 328 feet into the Batoka Gorge. Flanked by a sheer cliff of basalt on the opposite side, the waters churn around in a pool about 11/4 miles across before leaving the gorge making its way to the Mozambique Channel.
Known to the natives as is “Mosi oa Tunya” which means “The smoke that Thunders” the spray of the falls soaks the rain forest surrounding the falls is home to many of Africa’s great wildlife.
Harbor in Rio
Surrounded by the spectacular Sugar Loaf Mt (1,325 ft), the Corcovado Peak (2,310ft) is world’s most spectacular natural harbour. It was in January 1502 that Portuguese explorers discovered the bay, thinking that it was the mouth of the a huge river named it Rio de Janeiro “River of January”.
In 1555, the French colonized the area and established the city of Sebastiao do Rio de Janerio. The Portuguese fought back and the French where expelled.
In 1931 the statue “Christ the Redeemer” was completed after being commissioned by the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro.
Despite problems with pollution, Rio de Janeiro is a very popular tourist attraction.
Paricutin
It was early 1943, in a cornfield 200 miles from Mexico City, when a powerful force, thick clouds of ash, broke the silence and hot rocks filled the blue skies. Lava started to flow covering everything in its path. The world was witnesses the birth of a volcano. The mysteries of this birth intrigued scientists and non-scientists alike.
It took a year for the volcano to grow to 1,100 ft. Two years after the lava started flowing, the lava buried the town of Paricutin and partly buried San Juan Parangricutiro covering an area of 10 sq miles. For nine years, the volcano spewed out lava and ash growing to 10,400 feet. Finally, in blaze of activity in 1952 the volcano came to rest. Despite all the deadly activity no one was directly killed by the volcano, although 3 people were struck and killed by the lightning caused by the eruption.
The landscape was now ready to start growing again. Over the years, plants and trees have grown from the once red-hot land.
