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Heavens Gate Cave, Tianmen Mountain National Park, China
Heavens Gate Cave, Tianmen Mountain National Park, China
The rock arch formation you"re looking at today is Heaven"s Gate Cave, a popular landmark in Hunan province, China. This busy tourist destination is located on Tianmen (Heaven"s Gate) Mountain in Tianmen Mountain National Park. To reach the arch, you must either ride a cable car or take a bus up a twisty, winding road with 99 turns. (The number 9 represents eternity in Chinese numerology.) Once off the bus, you"ll need to walk 999 steps up a 45-degree incline—a stairway to the heavens. It"s no easy feat, but this is no ordinary cave. At an elevation of 4,100 feet, the arch is 440 feet high and 180 feet wide.Desktop Version
World Turtle Day
World Turtle Day
With distinctive markings on their shells, western box turtles, such as the one seen here, are among the most widely recognized turtle species and one of two box turtle species in the US. Box turtles are named after their dome-shaped shells which are hinged at the bottom, allowing the shell to close like a box if it needs to hide from predators. They generally live for around 25 years but can survive for more than 50, and there have been reports of some living for 100 years.Desktop Version
World Wildlife Day
World Wildlife Day
Today is World Wildlife Day, the UN-sponsored tribute to efforts that protect the plants and animals that make our world so special. This year"s WWD theme is "recovering key species for ecosystem restoration"—key species like the greater one-horned rhinoceroses you see here in northeastern India"s Kaziranga National Park. These unique creatures have staged a remarkable comeback from the verge of extinction in the early 20th century, when their numbers had dwindled to a precarious low of around 100 animals. But with the concerted efforts of Indian and Nepalese wildlife authorities, the population of greater one-horned rhinos has slowly built back up to around 3,700 today.Desktop Version
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Though you might instinctively watch out for invading fleets or dragons overhead, you"re more likely to encounter a tourist than a Lannister in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik. As you may know, "Game of Thrones" filmed here frequently throughout the run of the show, and you can scarcely blame them; Dubrovnik"s Old Town is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world. For centuries it flourished as the Republic of Ragusa, maintaining independence through diplomacy and robust trade networks. This "Pearl of the Adriatic" has withstood military bombardments and devastating earthquakes, yet the city has always rebuilt and persevered. While pop culture, history, and UNESCO World Heritage Site status are all big draws, they might be too effective: A recent report estimated that in 2019 there were 36 tourists for every resident.Desktop Version
Pamukkale, Turkey
Pamukkale, Turkey
The stunning travertine terraces and hot pools of Pamukkale, Turkey, have dazzled visitors since at least the end of the 2nd century BCE, with the founding of the Greco-Roman thermal spa of Hierapolis. Since then, people have enjoyed a relaxing soak in the 97-degree Fahrenheit water, claiming curative powers for many ailments.Desktop Version
World Philosophy Day
World Philosophy Day
On World Philosophy Day, we"re in Athens, the capital of Greece, the birthplace of Western philosophy and democracy. The iconic Acropolis, the ancient citadel that towers over Athens, and its most famous monument, the Parthenon, remind us of the brilliant minds of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Ancient Greek philosophy focused on critical thinking and questioning and started a revolution of rationale that is still shaping our society today. UNESCO recognizes the profound impact philosophy has on human thought, cultures, and individuals on World Philosophy Day. Take time today to discover the depths of the "love of wisdom"!Desktop Version
Roman bridge of Córdoba, Spain
Roman bridge of Córdoba, Spain
The Roman bridge of Córdoba, in the ancient Spanish city’s historic center, has been rebuilt several times over the centuries. For 2,000 years it was the city’s only bridge across the Guadalquivir River, originally built in the first century BCE during the expansion of the Roman Empire. Much of the current bridge dates from reconstruction in the 8th century following the Moorish conquest, a period when hundreds of mosques and palaces were built, and Córdoba became one of Europe"s largest cities and a center of learning and culture.Desktop Version
50 years of World Heritage Sites
50 years of World Heritage Sites
At its World Heritage Convention on November 16, 1972, UNESCO adopted an international treaty that for the first time linked the concepts of nature conservation and preservation of cultural properties. The World Heritage Sites program was sparked by Egypt"s plans to construct the Aswan High Dam. UNESCO helped save thousands of antiquities that would have been lost as a result of the dam, which flooded a large swath of the Nile Valley.Desktop Version
National Llama Day
National Llama Day
Strap on your hiking boots because it"s National Llama Day! December 9 is a designated day to appreciate these intelligent and trainable creatures. You"ll need to visit the Andes Mountains to see their wild cousins, guanacos. Guanacos are believed to have originated in the central plains of North America 40 million years ago, but they gradually migrated to South America. Scientists think llamas descended from guanacos and were first domesticated around 4500 BCE.Desktop Version
Wildebeests in Maasai Mara, Kenya
Wildebeests in Maasai Mara, Kenya
Welcome to Kenya"s Maasai Mara National Reserve, where some of its most iconic inhabitants are out for an evening stroll. Wildebeests, also known as gnus, are social animals which often form large herds. There are two types: black wildebeests and blue wildebeests and it is the latter which take part in the famous Great Migration, one of the world"s greatest wildlife spectacles.Desktop Version
April Fools Day
April Fools Day
In honor of April Fools" Day, take a moment to appreciate this trick of the eye created by the French street artist and photographer who goes by the name JR. He"s known for surreptitiously posting large black-and-white photographs in public locations, often in humorous contexts. This cheeky public-art piece from 2021 was installed in the desert sands of the Giza pyramid complex in Egypt. The installation makes it look as if the detached tip of the Pyramid of Khafre magically hovers above its base.Desktop Version
National Hummingbird Day
National Hummingbird Day
It"s National Hummingbird Day, a day to celebrate these tiny wonders. Their colorful plumage and ability to hover mid-air make them particularly eye-catching. The rapid flapping of their wings—an average of 53 times a second—creates their trademark humming sound and works up quite an appetite: These little birdies can feed every 10–15 minutes! Today"s homepage star is an Allen"s hummingbird, which grows to about 3.5 inches in length and is found along the west coast of North America, most commonly in California. National Hummingbird Day aims to boost the preservation of these mini marvels, by protecting them and their habitat.Desktop Version
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
Few structures achieve the status of the Golden Gate Bridge—so recognizable that it needs no introduction. Opened on this day in 1937, the bridge was a marvel of engineering, built to withstand ferocious winds above and swirling currents below. Its construction was embraced by the local population because it would finally connect the rising metropolis of San Francisco to communities in Marin County and all that lay north. Before the bridge was completed, a ferry was the only way across the Golden Gate, the mile-wide strait that connects the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco Bay. Building a bridge to cross the span would be no small feat, and many thought it impossible.Desktop Version
International Surfing Day
International Surfing Day
Of all the tricks humans have taught themselves, few delight and impress more than surfing. A sport, a pastime, an art, a philosophy of life, surfing is as close to magic as a person can perform on the untamed ocean. Today, the sport of wave riding gets its well-earned due with International Surfing Day, a time each year to honor the sport, the lifestyle of surfing, and the ocean itself, whose good health is vital to the sport and so much else. Surfers have a special connection to the ocean and the waves it produces. A surfable wave is shaped by countless variables: The winds hundreds or thousands of miles away that produced the energy to set the swells in motion, and then the reef or point of land or underwater boulder upon which a swell will break into a perfectly shaped wave. Wind and timing are everything, and devoted surfers know the weather and the shore intimately.Desktop Version
Golden Bridge, Bà Nà Hills, Da Nang, Vietnam
Golden Bridge, Bà Nà Hills, Da Nang, Vietnam
Two colossal stone hands cradle a shimmering, golden walkway, as though the mountains themselves are offering it to the sky. This is Cầu Vàng, or the Golden Bridge, a pedestrian bridge in the misty mountains near Da Nang in central Vietnam. Opened in 2018, the bridge quickly became a global sensation, captivating travelers with its unique design and awe-inspiring setting.Desktop Version
Big Bend National Park turns 78
Big Bend National Park turns 78
Join us for a hike at one of America"s least-visited national parks. Big Bend National Park may be among the country"s largest national parks with an area of over 800,000 acres (about the size of Rhode Island), but it"s also one of the most remote. Found in West Texas along the Rio Grande at the Mexico border, the park entrance is roughly a two-hour drive from the nearest interstate. The good thing is, even in a "busy" year when half a million people visit, there"s plenty of space to enjoy the great outdoors unhindered by crowds.Desktop Version
Gemsbok in Namibian sand dunes
Gemsbok in Namibian sand dunes
To quote Jurassic Park"s Dr. Malcolm: "Life, uh, finds a way." Animals and plants are found in some of Earth"s most inhospitable places, from penguins and polar bears in the freezing Arctic to camels in scalding deserts. This lonely gemsbok, seen here in sand dunes in Namibia, is used to living in an inhospitable environment. Also known as the oryx, it is native to the arid regions of Southern Africa, especially around the Namib and Kalahari deserts. The gemsbok does not need to drink much water, instead finding hydration in the vegetation it grazes upon—including wild tsamma melons and cucumbers. When vegetation is sparse, they can dig deep to find roots and tubers to supplement their diet.Desktop Version
Zelenci Nature Reserve, Slovenia
Zelenci Nature Reserve, Slovenia
Experience nature"s palette at its colorful best at Zelenci Springs, where Italy, Austria, and Slovenia meet, and multiple springs combine to form this aquamarine lake. Here in Slovenia’s Triglav National Park, these crystal-clear waters are the source of the Sava Dolinka, which runs into the country’s longest river, the Sava. Peer closely at the lakebed and you will see tiny springs bubbling up beneath the water"s surface. These spring waters never freeze as underground water temperatures stay around 41 degrees Fahrenheit, enough to keep flowing through harsh winters in this alpine region.Desktop Version
Walk the line
Walk the line
Our homepage today shows two climbers slacklining between boulders near Bishop, California. Look closely and you’ll see something very similar to tightrope walking: The slackliners anchor a thin strip of webbing between two points and then walk across (very carefully, of course). Bishop is near the Sierra Nevada and is a popular destination for climbers interested in both slacklining and bouldering. What"s bouldering? That"s rock climbing without ropes or harnesses. Instead, climbers simply shimmy up rocky crags and free-standing boulders—but no higher than 20 feet, for safety’s sake. And where there are rock climbers, you’ll likely find slackliners.Desktop Version
National Find a Rainbow Day
National Find a Rainbow Day
Happy National Find a Rainbow Day! These colorful natural marvels appear when light strikes water droplets, creating a natural prism effect. So, areas that have plenty of sunshine and showers are a good place to start your search.Desktop Version
Fiddlehead fern fronds
Fiddlehead fern fronds
You"re officially on notice: Fiddlehead season is about to ramp up! Foragers already know that spring is the best time to find this delicacy in the wild. Fiddlehead fern fronds are one of the first fresh vegetables ready for the yearly harvest. Eaten in Europe, Asia, and North America for centuries, fiddleheads are not only tasty but are also nutritious: They"re a source of antioxidants and omega fatty acids, as well as iron and fiber. When cooked, fiddleheads are said to have a somewhat nutty, grassy flavor akin to a cross between spinach and asparagus.Desktop Version
Mada in Saleh, Saudi Arabia
Mada in Saleh, Saudi Arabia
About 2,000 years ago, Mada"in Saleh, or Hegra as the Romans called it, was a thriving city of the Nabataean Kingdom, and a center for the trade of spices, incense, and myrrh, a valuable tree resin used to make perfume and medicine. The Nabataeans were Arab people whose precise origins are unknown. They lived in northern Arabia and the Southern Levant. Mada"in Saleh was their second-largest and southernmost city after Petra, their capital city to the north. About halfway between Petra and Mecca, Mada"in Saleh served primarily as a trading crossroads and was instrumental in establishing the Nabataeans as prosperous middlemen to the rest of the ancient world.Desktop Version
Extraterrestrial Culture Day
Extraterrestrial Culture Day
Evidence of ancient aliens? Nah, more likely the etchings of a prankster hiker. Though Pueblo peoples here in northern New Mexico made pictographs in this style several centuries ago, there"s no evidence they were depicting extraterrestrials. But don"t get us wrong: We want to believe.Desktop Version
Llama Day
Llama Day
Prick up your ears and crane your neck—it"s National Llama Day. Part of a family that includes camels, alpacas, and guanacos, llamas have long been domesticated in South America because of their hardiness and ability to thrive on the bleak vegetation in the mountains and plateaus of the Andes. At up to 6 feet tall and weighing up to 400 pounds, they were used primarily as pack animals for about 6,500 years. They were also bred as a source of food, hides, tallow for candles, dung for fuel, and fabric. While inferior to alpaca and guanaco wool, llama fleece is soft, warm, durable, and fairly lightweight. It"s used for clothing, rugs, and rope.Desktop Version
Panda Day
Panda Day
Giant pandas are loved the world over but nowhere more than in China, where they are considered national treasures. On March 16, we celebrate these distinctive bears, which live mainly in forests in the mountains of western China and subsist almost entirely on a diet of bamboo. These black-and-white giants start off small—a newborn panda is about the size of a stick of butter—but after eating their way through between 26 and 84 pounds of bamboo a day, male adults can weigh in at up to 300 pounds.Desktop Version