Recent questions tagged natural-wonders

Description : Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal in U.K.

Last Answer : Another engineering feat added to the World Heritage List in 2009 is this symbol of the Industrial Revolution. The Pontcysyllte aqueduct and canal in North Wales was one of the first water ... iron. Its soaring archways and impressive length were described by UNESCO as "monumental and elegant."

Description : La Chaux-de-Fonds/Le Locle Watchmaking Town Planning in Switzerland

Last Answer : Visiting these neighboring watchmaking towns in the Swiss Alps is a trip for the mind. After devastating fires, early-19th-century builders redesigned the municipalities with painstaking planning to ... skilled artisans was so successful Karl Marx cited their manufacturing practices in Das Kapital.

Description : The Sacred City of Caral-Supe in Peru

Last Answer : Like many of the other wonders UNESCO added in 2009, the Scared City of Carnal-Supe is far from new. In fact, it is the oldest center of civilization in the Americas and thirdoldest ... and ceremonial stages, continuing excavations of Caral-Supe are a window into lives lived so long ago.

Description : Shushtar, Historical Hydraulic System in Iran

Last Answer : The system that provides water for the western Iranian city of Shushtar is a marvel of engineering dating back to the 5th century B.C., built under the direction of Darius the Great. With two main ... as "a masterpiece of creative genius"--brought to new attention with its 2009 addition to the list.

Description : Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande in Cape Verde

Last Answer : Located off of Africa's northwest coast, this city center was the first European colonial settlement in the tropics. Some of the meticulously planned original design of the site is still intact, from ... located on the island of Santiago, is an Atlantic shipping stop and center for Creole culture.

Description : The Ruins of Loropéni in Burkina Faso

Last Answer : Mystery engulfs the Ruins of Loropeni. The 1,000-year-old stone fortresses at the site are the first in the country to be ascribed World Heritage status. The ruins are thought to have once been a gold- ... to discover more, a trip to this remote West African spot may shed light on the site's past.

Description : Stoclet House in Belgium

Last Answer : When banker Adolph Stoclet gave his builders and artists complete freedom to create for him a Brussels home in the early 20th century, this new UNESCO site came into being at what is said ... while its inside boasts lavish murals by Vienna Succession artists such as Gustav Klimt and Koloman Moser.

Description : The Wadden Sea in Germany and the Netherlands

Last Answer : This body of water is one of the last undisturbed ecosystems of its kind in the world. Rich with wildlife, the expansive network of mud channels, seagrass meadows, marshes and dunes on the northern coast of ... miles. The sea is also a bird-watcher's paradise, home to 12 million birds each winter.

Description : The Dolomites in Italy

Last Answer : The limestone peaks of this mountain range within the Italian Alps jut into the ever-blue sky and tower over breezy green valleys below. Its 90-degree walls and glacier-carved valleys make ... and paraglide in the summer and can find accommodations from exclusive resort towns to quaint villages.