The ability to enjoy the beautiful is unique to man, because the planet has no concept of aesthetics. Many terrestrial and underwater inhabitants with stunning appearance can actually turn out to be extremely poisonous and dangerous. In exactly the same way, the landscapes whose beauty we enjoy are not always as harmless as it seems from the monitor screen. We have selected 10 places where you will most likely forget about their beauty.
1. Commonwealth (translated as “Common Good”) is a bay almost 50 kilometers wide between Cape Alden and Cape Grey in Antarctica. It appears in the Guinness Book of Records (as well as in many other ratings) as the windiest place on Earth. Wind gusts sometimes reach 240 km/h, and the average annual wind speed is 80 km/h.
2. South African Gansabai It is famous for one of the largest populations of great white sharks. Although this phenomenon was turned into a tourist attraction 20 years ago — diving with sharks — it will be quite risky for an unprepared person to find themselves in local open waters.
3. The villageOymyakon, in Yakutia It is known as one of the “poles of cold”. According to a number of parameters, the Oymyakon Valley is the harshest place on Earth where a permanent population lives. On January 26, 1926, a temperature of -71.2 degrees was recorded here.
4. Water in the Spanish river Rio Tinto it has an increased acidity. And so much so that it can be compared with our gastric juice. This is more than enough to kill any fish that turns out to be in it, as well as a person. This unique property appeared in the river thanks to bacteria and iron, which dissolved in the water for many years. Similar phenomena have been discovered on Mars, so Rio Tinto may be able to help scientists explore the red planet.
5. Tristan da Cunha IslandsThey are located in the south of the Atlantic Ocean. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that the nearest piece of land is about 2,000 miles away. Moreover, the main island is so small that even the runway cannot fit on it. Therefore, ordering goods there by mail is not the most promising business. However, for the 272 people (who have only 8 surnames) who inhabit the islands, this does not seem to be a problem.
6. The Everglades – a special ecoregion in the south of the state of Florida, USA. Here you can meet crocodiles, alligators, venomous snakes, and even bears with panthers. Fortunately, the risk of coming face to face with them is not so great — the territory is reliably protected from accidental passers-by.
7. There are discrepancies about the hottest place on Earth. Some call it the Libyan El Azizia, others — the Valley of Death in the United States. However, according to NASA, a record temperature of +71 degrees was recorded in the Deshte Lut desert in Iran. This is supposedly the highest temperature ever recorded on our planet.
8. Drake Strait It is a very dangerous navigable area with strong winds and icebergs between Antarctica and Cape Horn in South America. However, the main reasons why this place can be a threat to ships are the undercurrents created by underwater mountain ranges. Before the Panama Canal was built in 1914, the main route from the South Pacific to the South Atlantic Ocean ran just through the Drake Strait.
9. The average height of the territory of Tibet — 4000 meters above sea level. Considering how popular these undoubtedly beautiful places are among tourists, it must be understood that not everyone likes such a high-altitude area.
10. The Amazon Rainforest, the largest rainforest on Earth, is home to 20% of all living species on the planet. As you can probably guess, there may also be a threat here for someone who finds himself in this area without special training.
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