North Sentinel Island

North Sentinel Island

Podcast Transcript In the Indian Ocean lies an island notorious for its extreme isolation from the outside world: North Sentinel Island.  The Sentinelese, who call North Sentinel Island home, are people who live a Stone Age existence and fiercely defend their territory.  Their isolation and violence towards outsiders mean that we know almost nothing about …

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Gros Morne National Park

Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador

From the Gros Morne National Park World Heritage inscription for Gros Morne National Park: Gros Morne National Park illustrates some of the world’s best examples of the process of plate tectonics. Within a relatively small area are textbook examples of monumental earth-building and modifying forces that are unique in terms of their clarity, expression, and …

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina

From the World Heritage inscription for Great Smoky Mountains National Park: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a major North American refuge of temperate zone flora and fauna that survived the Pleistocene glaciations. The park includes the largest remnant of the diverse Arcto-Tertiary geoflora era left in the world and provides an indication of …

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Kakadu National Park

Kakadu National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Site, Australia

From the World Heritage inscription for Kakadu National Park: Kakadu National Park is a living cultural landscape with exceptional natural and cultural values. Kakadu has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, and many of the park’s extensive rock art sites date back thousands of years. Kakadu’s rock art provides a window …

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Yosemite National Park, California

Yosemite National Park, California

Yosemite is one of the major parks in the U.S. and one of the first national parks in the U.S. Park Service. The Yosemite Valley is one of the most photographed and special places in the country. If I had to come up with a shortlist of places to visit in the United States, this …

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Durmitor National Park

Durmitor National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site,  Montenegro

From the Durmitor National Park World Heritage inscription: Durmitor is a stunning limestone massif located in Northern Montenegro and belonging to the Dinaric Alps or Dinarides. It is also the name of Montenegro’s largest protected area, the Durmitor National Park, which constitutes the heart of a landscape shaped by glaciers, numerous rivers and underground streams …

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Nahanni National Park, Northwest Territories

Nahanni National Park, Northwest Territories

From the World Heritage inscription for Nahanni National Park: Located in the southwest corner of Northwest Territories along the course of the South Nahanni and Flat rivers, the park lies in a diverse mountainous area comprising mountain ranges, rolling hills, elevated plateaus, deep canyons and huge waterfalls, as well as a unique limestone cave system. …

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What to Do in Redwood National Park, California

Redwood National Park, California

Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world. These majestic giants tower over nearly all over species of tree—the closest I’ve seen was the giant eucalyptus trees of Tasmania, which are almost as tall as the redwoods. Tasmania’s trees aren’t quite as impressive as the redwoods in California mostly because they’re hardwoods and have a …

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Wood Buffalo National Park

Wood Buffalo National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site

From the World Heritage inscription for Wood Buffalo National Park: Situated on the Northern Boreal Plains in the north-central region of Canada, Wood Buffalo comprises a vast wilderness area (44,807 km2 ) which is home to North America’s largest population of wild bison. It is also the natural nesting place of the whooping crane. Another …

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