Petra | | For a unique location one might look to the small country of Jordan and find Petra, a city carved within the face of Mount Hor. The Lost City was established as the capital of Nabataens in the sixth century. The site was as strategic as it was beautiful, as it was chosen for its placement for main travel routes, and thus was a hub of trade. Petra is still marveled at today by tourists because of the fact that the impressive city is literally carved out of the wall of the mountain and its formations are not simple boxed houses. Instead, there are elegant designs and intricate models engraved within the stone. One can only imagine the painstaking efforts it must have taken to chip away, knowing one only had a single chance to get the model right.

8. |

Aurora Borealis

 

 

The most well known auroras are the northern lights, but a southern aurora does occur in the southern hemisphere. These beautiful, colorful glowing sheets or dancing waves are naturally occurring lights that create intriguing and spectacular displays in the sky. The lights frequently appear as a diffused glow lighting up the horizon.

 

7. |

The Grand Canyon

 

 

The Grand Canyon is a massive gorge located in the state of Arizona in the United States and was created by the Colorado River. Although it is not the steepest nor the longest canyon in the world at 277 miles long and over 1 mile deep, the canyon is recognized as a natural wonder based on the overall scale and size combined with the beautifully colored landscape.

 

6. |

Paricutin

 

 

Paricutin is a cinder cone volcano in Michoacan, Mexico. It was named one of the seven natural wonders as an active volcano but has been dormant since the last eruption in 1952. It was established as a natural wonder because mankind witnessed its birth. It is the youngest volcano in America that is fast growing, reaching three-fourths of its size within the first year. Its official height is reported between 9,100 and 10,100 feet.

 

5. |

Victoria Falls

 

 

Also called Mosi-oa-Tunya meaning “smoke that thunders,” Victoria Falls is a spectacular waterfall located in southern Africa on the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Zambezi River serves as the fall’s water source. With the collective height and width of the falls, it is attributed as the largest sheet of falling water in the world.

 

4. |

The Great Barrier Reef

 

 

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest individual formation created by living organisms. As the largest coral reef in the world, it includes over 900 islands, over 2,900 separate reefs, and supports one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. The reef also stretches over 1,600 miles, covers over 133,000 square miles, and can be seen from outer space.

 

3. |

Mount Everest

 

 

With a summit reaching a peak of 29,029 feet, Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. It is located in the Himalayan mountain range on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China. Mount Everest represents the highest spot on earth, but it is not the tallest mountain in the world. Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the actual tallest mountain in the world measured from its base, of which most of it is under water, and rises 6.3 miles to its peak at 13,796 feet.

 

2. |

The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro

 

 

Located around Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the harbor was created by erosion from the Atlantic Ocean and is also known as Guanabara Bay. The largest by in the world based on volume of water is surrounded by gorgeous granite monolith mountains that include the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corcovado Peak, and the hills of Tijuca.