most photogenic and breathtaking places in the world

Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities in Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognized as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Almera Cadiz Cordoba Granada Huelva Jaen Malaga and Seville. Its capital is the city of Seville (Spanish: Sevilla).Andalusia is in the south of the Iberian peninsula immediately south of the autonomous communities of Extremadura and Castile La Mancha west of the autonomous community of Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea east of Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean and north of the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar. The small British overseas territory of Gibraltar shares a three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian province of Cadiz at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar.The main mountain ranges of Andalusia are the Sierra Morena and the Baetic System consisting of the Subbaetic and Penibaetic Mountains separated by the Intrabaetic Basin. In the north the Sierra Morena separates Andalusia from the plains of Extremadura and Castile La Mancha on Spains Meseta Central. To the south the geographic subregion of Upper Andalusia lies mostly within the Baetic System while Lower Andalusia is in the Baetic Depression of the valley of the Guadalquivir.The name Andalusia is derived from the Arabic word Al-Andalus. As well as Muslim and Romani influences the regions history and culture have been influenced by the earlier Iberians Carthaginians/Phoenicians Greeks Romans Vandals Visigoths Byzantines all of whom preceded the Muslims as well as the Castilian and other Christian North Iberian nationalities who regained and repopulated the area in the latter phases of the Reconquista. There was also a relatively large Sephardic Jewish presence.Andalusia has been an economically poor region in comparison with the rest of Europe.[citation needed] However the growth of the community especially in the sectors of industry and services was above average in Spain and higher than many communities in the eurozone. The region has however a rich culture and a strong cultural identity. Many cultural phenomena that are seen internationally as distinctively Spanish are largely or entirely Andalusian in origin. These include flamenco bullfighting and certain Moorish-influenced architectural styles.

Olympic National Forest offers diverse recreation opportunities for day-trippers and vacationers alike. Visitors are rewarded with sounds of rushing rivers lush rain forests alpine wildflowers and views of the Puget Sound from the many peaks on the Olympic mountain range. Five wilderness areas offer solitude and a chance to experience the rich biodiversity the Olympic Peninsula is known for.Dont know where to go or how to get there? Weve organized our information into six large areas to help you find a place on the forest for your favorite activity. These areas border Olympic National Park and follow major watershed boundaries across the forest. All areas may be accessed by Highway 101 which loops around the entire peninsula.

We all know cathedrals made of bricks and stone but have you heard of the one made oF well Wind? The answer to that question is the Wind Cathedral of Namibia. Paul Godard turned the worlds attention to the beauty of the Namibian desert back in 2005 through his controversial photograph(shown above) of its sand dunes. It still remains a topic of debate as to whether the snapshot was genuine or was it adulterated by Photoshop. Nonetheless the effect that he created was sensational. People got curious and wanted to witness the Wind Cathedral for themselves. The place in question is Sossusvlei which literally means dead end marsh. Despite its name it still manages to be one of the topmost tourist attractions of the country. You can find it at the southern part of the oldest desert in the world-the Namib desert in the Namib Naukluft National Park. The place happens to be a photographers paradise. The characteristic feature is the presence of sand dunes exhibiting a myriad range of colours from pink to orange. These dunes are not only vividly coloured but also monstrously high akin to miniaturised version of mountains many of them being 200 meters tall. The highest one of them all is aptly named as the Big Daddy standing at a height of 380 meters. These dunes have been formed over a period of a million years. They are believed to be 60-80 million years old and were formed by the Atlantic Ocean drifts that pushed the sands for eons. The sand dunes display a dynamic behaviour as in they constantly keep changing their contours and shapes due to the shifting of the wind. As a result we have:

etretat is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in north-western France. It is a tourist and farming town situated about 32 km (20 mi) northeast of Le Havre at the junction of the D 940 D 11 and D 139 roads. Its located on the coast of the Pays de Caux area.

Gardeners who want to attract butterflies to their gardens often plant butterfly bush (genus Buddleia) a fast growing shrub that blooms prolifically. While butterfly bush is easy to grow inexpensive to buy and a good attractant for butterflies its one of the worst choices for a butterfly garden.

Jacobs Well is a perennial karstic spring in the Texas Hill Country flowing from the bed of Cypress Creek located northwest of Wimberley Texas. The twelve foot (four meter) diameter mouth of the spring serves as a popular swimming spot for the local land owners whose properties adjoin Cypress Creek. From the opening in the creek bed Jacobs Well cave descends vertically for about thirty feet (ten meters) then continues downward at an angle through a series of silted chambers separated by narrow restrictions finally reaching a depth of one hundred and twenty feet (forty meters). Until the modern era the Trinity Aquifer-fed natural artesian spring gushed water from the mouth of the cave with a measured flow in 1924 of one hundred and seventy gallons per second (six hundred and forty liters per second) discharging six feet (two meters) into the air. The spring is the greatest source of water recharging the Edwards Aquifer.Due to development in the area the level of the Trinity Aquifer has dropped affecting the flow of water through Jacobs Well. In the modern era what remains visible of the spring is a faint ripple on the surface of Cypress Creek. The spring ceased flowing for the first time in recorded history in 2000 again ceasing to flow in 2008. This resulted in now ongoing measures to address local water conservation and quality. Hays County purchased fifty acres (about 20 hectares) of land around Jacobs Well in 2010 in an attempt to protect the spring from development. An additional thirty-one acres was transferred to the county from the neighboring Jacobs Well Natural Area (administered by the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association (WVWA)) the new eighty-acre (32 hectares) named the Westridge Tract.

The Blue Grotto (Maltese: Taht il-Hnejja) is actually a number of sea caverns on the south coast of Malta east of the fishermens harbour Wied iz-zurrieq in the village of Qrendi. It is located right across from the small uninhabited islet of Filfla.Every day from sunrise until about 1 pm a unique sight can be observed here. The location of the cave combined with the sunlight lead to the water mirroring showing numerous shades of blue. Several caverns mirror the brilliant phosphorescent colours of the underwater flora other caverns show a deep dark shade of blue.The Blue Grotto is a popular destination for tourists on the island of Malta with boat trips to visit the caves scuba diving snorkeling and rock climbing being the most popular activities here. It also has some typical local restaurants that offer good food with stunning views. The location has been used many times by filmmakers including a Milky Way advert showing a cliff diver jumping 30m into the sea numerous promotional videos about Malta a scene of the 2004 film Troy and most recently in a RAI TV 2 filming for the popular travel programme Sereno Variabile.

Athabasca Falls is a waterfall in Jasper National Park on the upper Athabasca River approximately 30 kilometres south of the townsite of Jasper Alberta Canada and just west of the Icefields Parkway. A powerful picturesque waterfall Athabasca Falls is not known so much for the height of the falls (23 metres) as it is known for its force due to the large quantity of water falling into the gorge. Even on a cold morning in the fall when river levels tend to be at their lowest copious amounts of water flow over the falls. The river falls over a layer of hard quartzite and through the softer limestone below carving the short gorge and a number of potholes. The falls can be safely viewed and photographed from various viewing platforms and walking trails around the falls. Access is from the nearby parking lot which leads off Highway 93A just northeast of the falls. Highway 93A takes off from the nearby Icefields Parkway and crosses the falls on the way north to the town of Jasper. White water rafting often starts below the falls to travel downstream on the Athabasca River to Jasper.

Cathedral Cove is arguably one of the most picturesque spots (and there are many) in The Coromandel Peninsula.From beautiful Hahei Beach you can walk to Cathedral Cove where a naturally formed archway deserves photographic attention.From the north end of the beach a one hour walking track leads along the cliff top and then descends to the Cove. Here a gigantic arched cavern passes through a white rock headland to join two secluded coves. The cathedral-like arch gives whole area an air of grandeur. The beach is sandy with shady pohutukawa trees along the foreshore - a perfect place for a picnic and a swim.Just off the beach at Cathedral Cove is a large pinnacle of pumice breccia rock known as Te Hoho. Over centuries this has been sculpted by wind and water - it now looks like the prow of a large ship steaming into the beach.If you prefer a slightly shorter walk (about 1.5 hours return) start from the car park at the end of Grange Road in Hahei - turn left just after the Hahei shops.For snorkellers and scuba divers Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve provides a visual feast of sponge gardens reef systems and marine life to observe.

Antelope Canyon is the most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest. It is located on Navajo land near Page Arizona. Antelope Canyon includes two separate photogenic slot canyon sections referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon or The Crack and Lower Antelope Canyon or The Corkscrew.The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tse bighanln which means the place where water runs through rocks. Lower Antelope Canyon is Hazdistaz (advertised as Hasdestwazi by the Navajo Parks and Recreation Department) or spiral rock arches. Both are located within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation.