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(#1) Giant's Causeway
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Northern Ireland's coast is home to one of the most unique shorelines in the world. Giant's Causeway is considered a true wonder, and it's not hard to see why. The bizarre site is made up of 40,000 hexagon-shaped columns made out of basalt, and it's a completely natural formation. The columns are roughly 60 million years old, and are the result of ancient volcanic activity.
As for the name, it comes from a local legend. According to lore, a giant built the causeway in order to cross the sea to Scotland where a sister-shoreline bears similar geographic abnormalities.
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(#2) Puerto Mosquito, Puerto Rico
There is nothing quite as ethereally beautiful as the bright glow of Puerto Mosquito, a place brimming with bioluminescent plankton that causes the water to shine like stars. Located in a cove on the southern shore of Vieques, a small island off the east coast of Puerto Rico, Puerto Mosquito has become an international tourist attraction for its amazing natural light show. In fact, it's the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world.
The shimmering blue light comes from a dinoflagellate known as Pyrodinium bahamense. These tiny creatures discharge a luminous chemical cocktail whenever they are disturbed, whether by the waves or a swimmer's body. The bay was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017, and for a time it seemed like the lights might have been put out for good. Luckily, the bay has been slowly recovering and the precious plankton have returned to their home.
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(#3) Lake Hillier
- Lake
Lake Hillier, located in Western Australia, is like no other body of water in the world. Sure, it's small – less than 2,000 feet in length - but it's hard to miss due to the shocking bright pink color of its waters. Scientists believe that the color comes from a specific type of algae that resides in the lake, but this has not been conclusively proven. From the lake's banks, the water does not look as pink as it does from above.
The lake has only been known to Westerners since 1802, but it's actually not the only pink lake in the world. While it is possible to swim in the lake with no ill effects, local laws prohibit tourists from visiting.
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(#4) Easter Island
- Place
Few places make an impression like Easter Island. Located in the Pacific Ocean, this Chilean territory features pink sand beaches and rolling plains – oh, and all those giant statues.
There are almost 900 of these statues, called moai, dotted across the island. They're believed to have been crafted between 1100 and 1500 CE by the Rapa Nui people. And while you make think of them as merely giant heads, archaeologists discovered that they have bodies buried beneath the soil, too.
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(#5) Nazca Lines
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Peru's Nazca Lines are one of the great mysteries of the world, and their murky purpose has spawned theories involving everything from holy rituals to ancient aliens. The lines themselves are approximately 2,000 years old and were constructed by the native Nazca people. The shapes range from geometric patterns to detailed images of local wildlife like spiders and monkeys, all dug into the ground. Despite their age, the lines have survived for thousands of years with little changes or damage.
No one is sure why exactly the Nazca built these strange geoglyphs, but the leading theory is that they were used as a spot to pray to the gods for rain.
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(#6) Spotted Lake
- Lake
The inspiration for Spotted Lake's name is clear: the lake, located in British Columbia, bears a distinctive polka-dot pattern. But it doesn't always look like that; each summer, Spotted Lake slowly evaporates to form those dots.
The pattern is the result of a unique mineral concentration that scientists believe is similar to the makeup of ancient Martian soil. It is incredibly salty and gets no water from any rivers or streams, which also plays a part in this lake's strange appearance. Each individual "spot" can be a different color based on what minerals are inside, so the view can be quite breathtaking.
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(#7) Tianzi Mountain
- Mountain
Picture a mountain, and chances are nothing like Tianzi Mountain come to mind. These remarkable pillars can be found in China's Hunan province, where an ocean used to ebb and flow. These massive structures are the only evidence that remains.
Visitors can take a cable car through the beautiful peaks. Their alien appearance has inspired plenty a dreamer, including director James Cameron – he modeled Pandora in Avatar after Tianzi Mountain.
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(#8) Blue Lagoon
How would you like to be freezing and boiling at the same time? The Blue Lagoon in Iceland invites you to escape from freezing temperatures by taking a dip in a natural hot spring surrounded by snow and volcanic rock. Iceland is a volcanic island with many geothermal hotspots, but the Blue Lagoon stands out as one of the island's greatest tourist attractions. People from all over the world travel to Iceland just to enjoy the lagoon, so much so that a luxury spa has been built around it.
The water holds a temperature of about 100° year round, and it has an attractive baby blue coloration that comes from the high levels of silica in the water. The salty water is said to work wonders for the skin, too.
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(#9) Fly Geyser
- Tourist attraction
Fly Geyser, located in Nevada, was actually created by accident in 1964 after a thermal drilling test went terribly wrong. Heated water has been spewing from the bore hole ever since, and the heavy minerals in the water have created the geyser's unique shell of calcium carbonate. The red and green colors come from different algae that have adapted to survive in this intense environment.
While this geyser is beautiful, the ability to view it in person is extremely limited. The geyser is technically on private property and closed off to the public, save for some small tours.
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(#10) Salinas Grandes
- Location
No, that's not snow. Salinas Grandes, known as the Salt Flats in English, is a massive area of land completely covered in crystallized salt. Over 3,000 square miles of salt fields stretch across the country. The area was at one point a massive body of water, but generations of evaporation have left nothing behind but salt.
Not much can survive in this salty soil. Pant life is sparse and there aren't many humans out there either. It's actually possible to cook with the salt, although it is much more concentrated than your typical table varieties.
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(#11) Chocolate Hills
- Tourist attraction
Explore Bohol island in the Philippines, and you'll discover a bizarre sight: over 1,000 peculiar mounds known as the Chocolate Hills. The hills cover 31 square miles of land on the island, and are one of the most visited locations in the Philippines.
The hills' unusual name comes from their color. During the dry season, the grass here dries up and gives them a distinct chocolate hue. They are believed to have been formed by coral deposits that were brought to the Earth's surface some millennia ago.
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(#12) Dead Sea
- Lake
Also known as the Salt Sea, this historic body of water can be found between Israel and Jordan. Its unique elevation below sea level makes it the lowest point in the world, and it is full of massive amounts of sediments like shale, clay, sandstone, rock salt, and gypsum. The lake is also full of harsh chemicals and has a remarkably high salt content, making it impossible for anything but bacteria to survive in the water.
The sea has been slowly shrinking over the decades as its water has been siphoned by Israel for human use. Since there is little rainfall in that part of the world, the sea has been steadily decreasing in size by about three feet every year.
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(#13) Aoshima, Miyazaki
- Location
Every cat lover dreams of a pilgrimage to the Japanese island of Aoshima, better known as "Cat Island" to tourists. Japan actually has several islands that appear to have been conquered by felines, and on Aoshima cats outnumber the human population six to one.
The cats were originally brought to the island to control the spread of mice. Their remarkable population boom is likely recent; according to the Japan Daily Press, the cats began reproducing like mad in the mid-2000s. Fewer people lived on Aoshima then, meaning fewer cats were neutered or spayed.
Unfortunately, the island is becoming so popular that it's putting stress on the small local population (other than cats, the island is is home to a small fishing settlement and not a whole lot else). It might be best to enjoy the snapshots of cute kitties and leave the residents of Aoshima in peace.
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About This Tool
The earth is the only planet in the universe where we know there is life. Facts have proved that life can be found almost everywhere on earth, and evolutionary survival methods include bacteria, even in the strangest places on earth. Our planet is full of mysteries. From history to science, there are always some places that are difficult to explain. From mysterious, strange, and even terrifying places, to scenery and regions, many scenes that look like Hollywood science fiction movies.
Here is an interesting collection of random 13 strangest places on earth, they have a long history and the magical process of formation, such as the Lake Hillier, Easter Islan, Nazca Lines, and more.
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