Natural Wonders of Civ 6

Cliffs of Dover

aka The White Cliffs of Dover. Eight mile stretch of cliffs in England. The stunning white color comes from "its composition of chalk accentuated by streaks of black flint." Not only are they incredible to look at, but they are a symbol of Britain, "because they face towards continental Europe across the narrowest part of the English Channel, where invasions have historically threatened and against which the cliffs form a symbolic guard."

Crater Lake

Crater Lake, located in Oregon, was formed "around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years."

Dead Sea

The Dead Sea "is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west." It is also 9.6 times more salty than the ocean. "This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish, hence its name . . . [it's] water has a density of 1.24 kg/litre, which makes swimming similar to floating." Another cool fact is that Herod the Great used it as a "health resort," and materials from the Dead Sea have been used in "asphalt for Egyptian mummification."

Mount Everest

Mount Everest is Earth's highest mountain, and the border between Nepal and China. As we all know, this is a popular climbing attraction: "As of 2016, there are well over 200 corpses still on the mountain, with some of them even serving as landmarks."

Galapagos Islands

The islands "are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the Equator in the Pacific Ocean surrounding the centre of the Western Hemisphere, 906 km (563 mi) west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part." Also, I didn't know this, but there's a population of about 25,000 people on the islands! "The islands are known for their vast number of endemic species and were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection." The earliest written record we have of the Galapagos comes from 1535, "when Fray Tomás de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panamá, was blown off course during a voyage to Peru to arbitrate in a dispute between Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro."

Great Barrier Reef

So much about the reef is cool: "The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia." Not only that, but it can be seen from space AND it "is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps."

Mount Kilimanjaro

Mt. K is a dormant volcano in Tanzania, the highest in Africa. Interestingly, "On 26 September 2014, a new world record for the highest-ever cricket match was set when a group of international cricketers played on a flat crater on the mountain at an elevation of 5,730 metres (18,800 ft)."

Pantanal

Civ knocked it out of the park with this one. Pantanal is mostly in Brazil, but also extends into Bolivia and Paraguay. "Roughly 80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged during the rainy seasons, nurturing an astonishing biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping to support a dense array of animal species."

Tsingy de Bemaraha

Tsingy "is a national park located in Melaky Region, northwest Madagascar. The national park centers on two geological formations: the Great Tsingy and the Little Tsingy." Its peaks come from limestone that has been carved out by groundwater, and the "superposition of vertical and horizontal erosion patterns has created dramatic 'forests' of limestone needles." The best part is that Tsingy can be literally translated to mean "where one cannot walk barefoot."

Piopiotahi

aka Milford Sound. Piopiotahi "is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island." There are two year-round waterfalls at Piopiotahi, "Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls. After heavy rain however, many hundreds of temporary waterfalls can be seen running down the steep sided rock faces that line the fiord." There are seals, penguins, the southernmost population of Bottlenose dolphins, and whales. It is also a breeding site for Fiordland penguins. It was also "a playground" for the local Maori.

Torres del Paine

aka The Cordillera Paine. It is a small mountain range in Chile near Santiago. "The Torres del Paine are the distinctive three granite peaks of the Paine mountain range or Paine Massif. They extend up to 2,500 meters above sea level, and are joined by the Cuernos del Paine. The area also boasts valleys, rivers such as the Paine, lakes, and glaciers."

Yosemite

Yosemite Valley "is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern California. The valley is about 8 miles (13 km) long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines. The valley is drained by the Merced River and a multitude of streams and waterfalls including Tenaya, Illilouette, Yosemite and Bridalveil Creeks. Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America, and is a big attraction especially in the spring when the water flow is at its peak. The valley is renowned for its natural beauty, and is widely regarded as the centerpiece of Yosemite National Park, attracting visitors from around the world."