Our planet Earth is not only forests, fields and rivers. Some of its corners will make you doubt whether we have been transported to another planet. We present to you 7 of the most unusual landscapes in the world.
Socotra Island
The small Socotra archipelago belongs to Yemen and is located in the middle of the Indian Ocean. This island is distinguished by its unique flora and fauna. More than 800 plant species grow here, many of which are not found anywhere else in the world.
Socotra's most famous plants are the bottle tree and the cinnabar dracaena, which is also the island's symbol. Dracaena reaches 10 meters in height and in its shape resembles a mushroom with a cap. And the bottle tree is actually a shrub with a thick trunk and bright red flowers.
Goreme National Park
The stunning landscapes of Goreme National Park in Cappadocia in Turkey are immensely popular with tourists. The park consists of numerous bizarre rock formations that have appeared as a result of erosion.
Apart from its appearance, Goreme is of great historical value. The first settlements appeared here from the 4th century. To defend against Arab raids, houses were built underground.
Subsequently, a cave nunnery grew up on this place. In total, there are about 10 churches, as well as residential and office premises of the 6th-9th centuries. The interiors of the underground temples are richly decorated, including Byzantine icons.
Shilin stone forest
Shilin Stone Forest is part of the South China Karst and is under the protection of UNESCO. Shilin is an amazing phenomenon - a forest consisting of tall stone and limestone blocks that look like huge stalactites.
Local peoples have a belief that a young girl suffering from unhappy love has turned into such a rock. In fact, this stone forest is more than 270 million years old and grew on the site of a dried up salt sea.
Shilin Stone Forest is very popular with tourists. You can get to it from the city of Kunming, from where bus tours follow.
Chocolate hills
The Chocolate Hills are located in the Bohol province of the Philippines. They are not actually made of chocolate, but volcanic material, limestone and karst. The hills are covered with green grass that turns brown during drought - hence the name.
The hills cover an area of 50 square kilometers. Moreover, they are relatively low: the largest hill reaches 120 meters in height. In total, there are from 1260 to 1776 such hills.
The Chocolate Hills themselves are under state protection, but you can admire them from observation platforms equipped in neighboring cities. One of them, Sagbayan Peak, is slightly similar to the miniature Great Wall of China in its appearance.
Hell Gate
In Turkmenistan, there is the shortest way to the underworld - the famous Gates of Hell, which is a continuously burning crater in the middle of the desert. But this frightening phenomenon is explained very prosaically - it is underground gas accumulated in the crevice.
Geologists who discovered this crater in 1971 decided to set it on fire. But the gas does not stop flowing and therefore this endless fire has been going on for 50 years. There are other similar gaps near the Gates of Hell. They do not burn and are filled with liquid of unusual colors.
This is not the first such case - the famous Eternal Fire at the Baba Gurgur oil field in Iran has been going on for over 4,000 years. It was even described in the Bible.
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is not as famous as the famous Grand Canyon in the same state of Arizona, but it impresses with its appearance and winding relief of the walls.
The canyon got its name from the red and yellow sandy rocks that resemble the skin of an antelope. And on sunny days, amazing lighting is created inside the canyon - it feels like the whole space is flooded with light.
Since Antelope Canyon is located in the territory belonging to the Navajo Indian tribe, it can only be visited with a local guide.
Dallol volcano
Dallol volcano is located in the northeast of Ethiopia, but it may seem that it is located on another planet - its landscape is so bizarre.
Dallol is located in a lowland almost 50 meters below sea level and is surrounded by salt marshes, hot underground springs and geysers. The landscape is dominated by green and orange colors due to the presence of iron and sulfur in the waters. And after the eruption almost 100 years ago, a large hot purple lake was formed here.
The impression is enhanced by the heat - it never rains here, and the temperature does not drop below 25 degrees.
