Map of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World by rachel youm

Victoria Falls

rachel_youm — 2025-04-04 21:02:53 UTC

Known as 'The Smoke that Thunders' by locals, Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world based on combined width (1,708 meters) and height (108 meters). Located on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe, this incredible waterfall creates a spectacular mist that can be seen from miles away! The falls produce such a loud roar that you can hear it from 40 kilometers away. During the rainy season, over 500 million liters of water flow over the edge every minute! 🌊

Great Barrier Reef

rachel_youm — 2025-04-04 21:02:53 UTC

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, stretching over 2,300 kilometers along Australia's coast. It's so big that it can be seen from space! 🐠 Home to over 1,500 species of tropical fish, 400 types of hard coral, 4,000 types of mollusks, and 240 species of birds. This underwater wonder is actually made up of nearly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands. It's like an underwater city for marine life!

Mount Everest

rachel_youm — 2025-04-04 21:02:53 UTC

Standing at a mighty 8,848 meters (29,029 feet), Mount Everest is Earth's highest mountain above sea level! 🏔️ Located in the Himalayas between Nepal and Tibet, this giant continues to grow about 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) every year. The first confirmed summit was by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. The temperature at the top can drop as low as -60°C (-76°F), and the peak has about one-third the oxygen available at sea level!

Grand Canyon

rachel_youm — 2025-04-04 21:02:53 UTC

The Grand Canyon in Arizona was carved by the Colorado River over millions of years! This massive canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and over a mile deep. 🦅 The rocks at the bottom of the canyon are nearly 2 billion years old! The canyon has different colored layers of rock that tell the story of Earth's history. Native Americans have lived in and around the canyon for thousands of years, and it remains sacred to many tribes today.

Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

rachel_youm — 2025-04-04 21:02:53 UTC

The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, create magical displays of colorful lights dancing in the night sky! 🌈 These lights are caused by particles from the sun colliding with gases in Earth's atmosphere. The best places to see them include Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and Norway. The lights can appear in many colors, but green is the most common. The Vikings believed these lights were reflections from the shields of the Valkyries!

Harbor of Rio de Janeiro

rachel_youm — 2025-04-04 21:02:53 UTC

The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is the largest natural bay in the world! 🌊 Famous for its stunning natural setting, it's surrounded by gorgeous mountains including the iconic Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado Peak with its Christ the Redeemer statue. The harbor contains more water than any other bay in the world and is bounded by unique granite mountains that rise right from the water's edge!

Parícutin Volcano

rachel_youm — 2025-04-04 21:02:53 UTC

This volcano in Mexico is special because it's the youngest volcano in North America and scientists got to watch it being born! 🌋 In 1943, a farmer was working in his cornfield when the ground began to shake and crack. Within a week, the volcano had grown to 5 stories tall! It continued growing for 9 years, eventually reaching a height of 424 meters (1,391 feet). It's the only volcano whose entire life cycle has been observed by scientists from beginning to end!

Aurora Prediction Center for North America

rachel_youm — 2025-04-04 21:11:40 UTC

Look up the forecast for the best place to view the auroras on the North American Continent. Learn more about the science of auroras too.

Alaska

rachel_youm — 2025-04-04 21:26:01 UTC

Aurora Borealis Sky Cam Cameras

Scan down to see the Aurora Borealis in Alaska and learn about the best place to view them in Alaska.

Finland

rachel_youm — 2025-04-04 21:30:40 UTC

Auroras in Finland

Tips for seeing the Northern Lights from Europe.