International Parks and UNESCO Sites

Water Woes in Doñana National Park
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Water Woes in Doñana National Park

Satellite data show wetlands in Spain desiccated by demands on groundwater and persistent drought.

Published Jun 26, 2023

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Quirimbas Islands
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Quirimbas Islands

Skirting the coastline of Mozambique, these 32 small islands are home to a diversity of corals and sea turtles.

Published Feb 4, 2023

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Dzanga Bai Elephant Enclave
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Dzanga Bai Elephant Enclave

The charismatic creatures have cleared and maintained an open mud and mineral bath amid the rainforest in the Central African Republic.

Published Jul 9, 2022

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São Miguel, Azores
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São Miguel, Azores

São Miguel Island is the largest, most populous, and most volcanically active of the nine islands of Azores archipelago.

Published Jul 7, 2022

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Terceira Island, Azores
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Terceira Island, Azores

Terceira Island is one of nine volcanic islands in the Azores archipelago, which straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at a triple junction.

Published Jun 22, 2022

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Triassic Talampaya
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Triassic Talampaya

This national park in western Argentina is rich in plant, mammal, and dinosaur fossils, as well as rocks dating back 200 million years.

Published Jun 18, 2022

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Reefs of New Caledonia
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Reefs of New Caledonia

Home to an estimated 9,300 marine species and almost 500 species of coral, the reefs and lagoons are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Published May 29, 2022

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The Emerald Isles of Hạ Long Bay
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The Emerald Isles of Hạ Long Bay

Limestone mountains that rise steeply from the waters off Northern Vietnam feature distinctive geologic formations, verdant forests, and extreme biodiversity.

Published May 7, 2022

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Divine Providencia
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Divine Providencia

Once a sanctuary for pilgrims and privateers, the Caribbean island is now a refuge for a quiet Caribbean life and raw natural beauty.

Published Mar 27, 2022

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A Seasonal Emerald in the Sahel
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A Seasonal Emerald in the Sahel

The Inland Delta of the Niger River is one of the world’s most productive wetlands.

Published Nov 28, 2021

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Turkey’s Cotton Castle
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Turkey’s Cotton Castle

The hot springs at Pamukkale, Turkey, have produced the world’s largest deposit of travertine.

Published Nov 24, 2021

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Burst of New Evidence for Viking Travels
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Burst of New Evidence for Viking Travels

Novel geochemical dating techniques show that Norse people were in L'Anse aux Meadows exactly 1,000 years ago.

Published Nov 16, 2021

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A Meeting of Ice and Dunes
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A Meeting of Ice and Dunes

Shadows accentuate the topography in and around Ulaagchinii Khar Nuur in Mongolia.

Published Sep 13, 2021

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Spotlight on the Galápagos Islands
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Spotlight on the Galápagos Islands

Sunglint helps tease out features that are not often visible.

Published Sep 5, 2021

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Venezuela’s Flat-Topped Mountains
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Venezuela’s Flat-Topped Mountains

Decorated with steep cliffs and impressive waterfalls, Canaima National Park is biologically and geologically unique.

Published Jul 13, 2021

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A Swampy Home for Shoebills
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A Swampy Home for Shoebills

Zambia’s Bangweulu wetlands make ideal hunting grounds for this distinctive bird species.

Published Jun 5, 2021

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Saint Petersburg Keeps the Sea at Bay
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Saint Petersburg Keeps the Sea at Bay

A city full of cultural, historical, and architectural riches has gone to great lengths to protect itself from floods.

Published May 10, 2021

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Kutch’s Coral Reefs
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Kutch’s Coral Reefs

The Gulf of Kutch is home to India’s first national marine reserve.

Published May 8, 2021

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Hingol National Park
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Hingol National Park

With its rocky terrain, mountain caves, and beautiful beaches, Hingol National Park is one of the natural wonders of Pakistan.

Published May 1, 2021

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A Short Journey to the Center of the Earth
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A Short Journey to the Center of the Earth

A geologist’s dream, Gros Morne National Park is one of the few places where you can set foot on the Earth's mantle without digging an inch.

Published Feb 12, 2021

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Where the Dunes End
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Where the Dunes End

Namibia’s sea of sand is bounded on its northern side by the impermanent Kuiseb River.

Published Jan 2, 2020

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Time Traveling to the Triassic
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Time Traveling to the Triassic

Fossil remains in Argentina's Talampaya and Ischigualasto Natural Parks document the origins of mammals and dinosaurs.

Published Feb 5, 2019

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Lake Urmia
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Lake Urmia

This shallow, saline lake in Iran is one of the largest in the Middle East. But drought and water withdrawals for farming are shrinking it.

Published Aug 4, 2014

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Revisiting Bikini Atoll
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Revisiting Bikini Atoll

Sixty years ago, operation Castle Bravo unleashed the unexpectedly potent power of a hydrogen bomb on a small island chain in the western Pacific.

Published Mar 1, 2014

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El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
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El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Shrubs, dunes, mangroves, and salt mines mingle in this picture of a wildlife reserve midway down the Baja California Peninsula.

Published Mar 25, 2012

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Tassel n’Ajjer National Park
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Tassel n’Ajjer National Park

Part of the Sahara Desert, the rocky plateau is rich in geologic and human history.

Published Mar 27, 2011

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Great Blue Hole, Belize
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Great Blue Hole, Belize

A vertical cave in Belize’s Lighthouse Reef Atoll comprises a popular diving site known as the Great Blue Hole. The Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 satellite captured an image of the Great Blue Hole and Lighthouse Reef in March 2009.

Published Apr 3, 2009

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Shiretoko National Park
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Shiretoko National Park

Hokkaido’s Shiretoko Peninsula provides mostly temperate Japan with a taste of the Arctic.

Published Aug 13, 2006

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