Ali-Sadr Cave

One of the most beautiful and most unique natural phenomena in the world is the Ali-Sadr cave in the Hamadan province, Iran, views of which attract visitors' interest and attention. This huge cave is located 75Km due northeast of city of Hamadan in the heart of mountains called Subashi in the Kaboudar-Ahang town.

The cave was originally discovered during the reign of Darius I (521-485 BC) which can be verified by an old inscription at the entrance of the tunnel. However, the knowledge of the existence of the tunnel was lost, and only rediscovered in 1978 when a local shepherd followed the tunnel searching for water or a lost goat.

In the summer of 2001, a German/British expedition surveyed the cave to be 11 kilometers long. The main chamber of the cave is 100 meters by 50 meters and 40 meters high.

There were also discoveries of historical tools and works of arts aging thousands of years, including jugs and pitchers, indicates that humans lived in this place since 12000 years ago. The paintings of deer, gazelles and stags, the hunting scenes and the image of bow and arrow on the walls and passages of the exit section and prove the point that at the primitive historical ages and in the hunting era man was living in this cave. The age of this cave is 70 million years and now more than 16Km of its water and land routs have been explored, yet not all the routs are known and the exploration is continuing.

For more:
Iran Chamber Society
Hadi Islampanah Photo Gallery

Falls with the Greatest Volume

Boyoma Falls, located on the Congo river in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The waterfall is the world with the greatest volume flow of about 17 million litres per second over a drop of 60 m. The falls consists of seven cataracts, each no more than 15' high, extending over 10 km (60 miles)along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani in the Orientale region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At Kisangani, at the bottom of the falls, the Lualaba becomes the Congo Riverflowing generally westward. It has a total drop of 61 meters (200 feet). A rail line goes around the falls, connecting Kisangani and Ubundu.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyoma_Falls

The Most Beautiful Mountain in the World!

Alpamayo (Spanish: Nevado Alpamayo) is one of the most conspicuous peaks in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range of the Peruvian Andes. It is a steep (sixty degrees), almost perfect pyramid of ice, one of a number of peaks that compose the Santa Cruz massif, the northernmost massif of the Cordillera Blanca.

Although smaller than many of its neighboring peaks, it is distinguished by its unusual formation and overwhelming beauty. It actually has two sharp summits, North and South, separated by a narrow corniced ridge. Its name comes from Quechua Allpa = earth Mayu = river: muddy river. On July 1966, on the German magazine "Alpinismus", a photo made by American photographer Leigh Ortenburger, came together with an article resulting from an international sourvey among climbers, photographers, etc, making the choice for Alpamayo as "The Most Beautiful Mountain in the World".

Will, as we can see in the images, it really is the most beautiful mountain. The snow and ice caps covering the moutain, making it like a floor of a heavenly ground. Maybe the gods lived there. .

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpamayo

Aitutaki the Triangle

Aitutaki is one of the island in Cook islands. Traditionally known as Araura, Ararau and Utataki, it is the second most visited island in Cook Island, is capital or main village, the Arutanga.

Aitutaki is an "almost atoll". It has a maximum elevation of approximately 123 metres with the hill known as Maunga Pu close to its northernmost point. The barrier reef that forms the basis of Aitutaki is roughly the shape of an equilateral triangle with sides 12 kilometres in length. The southern edge of the triangle is almost totally below the surface of the ocean, and the eastern side is composed of a string of small islands (including Mangere, Akaiami, and Tekopua).

On the Second World War, the island were used as bases by the Allied troops against the Japanese. The island was also used in the reality tv show of UK, the Shipwrecked in 2000. On 2006, the island was used as the location for the tribal council for the Survivor: Cook Island. Then after, the Shipwrecked: Battle of the Island was shoot there.

The main attractions on the island is the turquoise central lagoon, uninhabited islands and palm-fringed beaches. There is also an old church (the oldest in the Cook Islands) and some gigantic Banyan Trees.

Another attraction is the One Foot Island. It is often said to be the most important attraction. It is regarded as providing the visitor with the best views of the Aitutaki lagoon and depending on the tide one is able to walk on a sandbank a decent distance away from One Foot Island. The trip to this island is the most frequented trip available on Aitutaki and is bookable in most hotels.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aitutaki

Arenal Volcano

The Arenal Volcano, in Spanish Volcán Arenal, is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica, around 90 km north-west of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. Recognized as a volcano since the 19th century, it was known by foreign investigators as Volcan Costa Rica, Rio Frio, Canastos Volcano and Cerro de los Guatusos. Arenal is the youngest and most active of all the mountains in Costa Rica. Scientists have been able to date it back to more than 4000 years ago. The area remained largely unexplored until 1937, when a documented expedition took place to reach the summit.

What I like the most when it comes to volcanoes is when they erupt. On nights, you can see the red lava flowing down the hill.

Aletsch Glacier: Like a Vanilla Icecream

Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps, covers more than 120 square kilometres in southern Switzerland. It descends round the south of the Jungfrau into the valley of the Upper Rhône; at its eastern extremity lies a glacier lake, Lake Märjelen. To the west rises Aletschhorn. The Rhône River flows along the southern flank of the mountains.

The mountain that covers looks like a vanilla icecream. The glacier covering the mountains with white snow and ice. The Aletsch Glacier was famous because on August 18th, 2007, photographer Spencer Tunick used hundreds of naked people in a "living sculpture" on the Aletsch Glacier in a photo shoot intended to draw attention to global warming and the shrinking of the world's glaciers. The temperature was about 10 °C at the time of the photo shoot. The 600 participants on the shrinking glacier volunteered for Tunick, a collaboration with Greenpeace to let the world know about the effects of global warming on the melting Swiss glaciers. The Aletsch Glacier receded by 100m between 2005 and 2006.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aletsch_Glacier

Aldabra Atoll: Home of the Giant Tortoises

Aldabra is a raised coral atoll in the Indian Ocean, virtually untouched by humans, with distinctive island fauna, including the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. The atoll is home to the world's largest population of giant tortoises, numbering some 100,000 individuals. The islands are designated a World Heritage Site. They are also known for their green turtles, hawksbill turtles, and birds, including the Aldabra rail, the last surviving flightless bird of the Indian Ocean region. Politically, Aldabra is part of the Seychelles.

Maybe we can call this the kingdom of the turtles. For so many tortoises living in their, maybe the Ninja turtles came from this Island.