Photo Essay: The Most Alien Landscapes on Earth
***Copyright: Please visit the photographer links for licensing conditions for each photo. Some are available through a Creative Commons license, but many are copyrighted against unauthorized use. We were granted special permission to feature them in this Matador photo essay. ***
1. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
The largest salt flat in the world reflects the sky during the wet season (above). In the dry winter months, it becomes a mosaic of salt tiles (below).
Photographer: Luca Galuzzi
Photographer: Sergio Pessolano
2. Antarctica
Icebergs drift in dark Antarctic waters.
Photographer: winkyintheuk
3. The Richat Structure, near Ouadane, Mauritania
A circular feature, 50 km across, in the middle of the otherwise featureless Mauritanian Sahara. Picture courtesy of NASA.
Photographer: trodel_wiki
4. Alvord Playa, southeastern Oregon, USA
You might not expect to find a desert in the Pacific Northwest, but this dry lake bed averages only 180 mm of rain a year.
Photographer: rasone
5. Cappadocia, Turkey
Fairy chimneys dominate the landscape between Cavusin and Zelve.
Photographer: Timothy Neesam
6. Socotra Island, Yemen
Socotra’s isolation in the Indian Ocean has given rise to plant life you won’t see anywhere else. Behold the dragon’s blood tree.
Photographer: Sotti
About the Author
More By This Author
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152 Comments... join the discussion!
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Nature, pure nature. Nothing is man made. All GOD’s creations.
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To all those who are using comments here to propagandize your personal belief that nature was created by a god, would you please stop.
It’s not fair to me. I think it’s not fair to others too.
Appreciate the photos and their object & process. Please restrain yourself.
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EVERYONE has freedom of speech, and EVERYONE is entitled to voice their own opinions. you shouldnt be telling people to not do something just because YOU dont believe in it. take your own advice, and restrain YOURSELF!
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http://www.funny-design-funny-photos.info/
Appreciate the photos . I like them!↵ -
“omaniblog” What makes you so special? Everyone has their right to their opinions, just as you do!!
I believe God has made this world and you won’t change what Jesus has given me!!
Thank you, Alison Napier, for saying what I was thinking!! =)↵ -
Nice photos. I would like to see them unenhanced. Beauty in photos like these is from the natural color, shadows, and composition not from color and light enhancing program in my opinion. Show before and after photos.
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Those that don’t believe God created all will receive a hot pitchfork to the butt after they die.
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I would just like to say how amazing these pictures are, and how horrible it is that this had to turn into a religious debate. But, far be it for me to break with tradition, so I’m just going to say how amazing evolution is–look at those bipeds in the pictures! One could hardly believe they evolved from pond scum!
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we should all be lucky and proud to be part of this amazing scene!!!
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Have unsubscribed from this topic…because it’s in human nature to ruin an appreciation with political, religious, and/or selfish destructiveness. Have fun arguing over nothing.
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Wow! Unbelievable sites. Just gorgeous photography!
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Stop. I’m Christian and I believe in God. Feel how you want, say what you want, so what follows is not an order: stop being hypocrites by contradicting yourself in the same post. Ex. “Everyone has a right to freedom of speech. Take your own advice and restrain yourself!”. Plus its bullshit to believe with all the discrimination that goes on that everyone has a right. Or perhaps did you mean all rich religious whitefolk(I am Caucasian myself)? And some things ARE manmade in regard to the first comment.
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Alrighty, folks. It’s been fun, but I’m gonna have to ask that we move away from comments dealing solely with religion. This is a destination-centered travel site–we’re not in the business of affirming or contradicting anyone’s spiritual beliefs.
Nature rocks–let’s leave it at that.
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Whether created by God, the devil, evolution or Winston Churchill, I love the feeling I get just looking at these and I think that’s something we can all really appreciate. I can’t imagine seeing them with my own eyes. Fantastic finds, Hal, thank you!
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Wow Awesome, the desolate can be so beautiful, what an amazing variety of scenery
very cool I hope to visit some of these some day.
Thanks for showing us↵ -
Thank you for putting together such an amazing collection of photographs. Much appreciated! (Found via stumbleupon).
On another note, many of your comments epitomize what I see as the sheer folly of providing a space for people to leave comments. The religious comments are inane at best, while the athiestic comments (which I personally appreciate) are equally misplaced and self-serving. The lot of you spit in the face of the author and the photographers by taking advantage of the ability to leave a comment, doubtless that the author intended for commentary to be germane to the photographs. I would suggest to Hal Amen that in the future he disable the ability for the great unwashed to leave commentary so that this kind of internet graffiti can’t be seen to ruin an otherwise splendid experience.
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I was afraid you were going to forget my Utah! So happy the Four Corners made it in. The slot canyons, hoodoos and goblins are like nothing you’ll ever see!
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I grew up and live in NYC, and while I love my city, and cityscapes in general, there is absolutely nothing like natural settings. These are a wonderful collection of images, it just reaffirms my desire to get out and try to travel to some more exotic locales.
And bring my cameras.
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You are little boys and girls in the big sandbox of the world bitching about whos daddy is right. And i’m the senior sitting on a bench near the sandbox laughing silently at you.
You were shown beauty, and you turned it into a fight over who knows better. You silly little things.
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I think the most interesting is the Chocolate hills in the Philippines. It’s amazing how they could be formed naturally and look so symmetrical,ya know? I also like the big red sand dunes of Namibia. That would be one of my dream vacations, Namibia.
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Beautiful Photos.I enjoyed them : ) Thanks for inviting me
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Excuse me please. I with pleasure would like to discover the beautiful locations you recommend. But, stop your stupid claims and advertisements please! First of all, Turkiye is the most beautiful country on the earth surely. Also, Bodrum Peninsula is the most beautiful location on the earth! Nothing can be compared to the natural beauty of the true paradise! Go and see it. Even a few pictures are enough to tell you what I say. You will shame with your so-called knowledge… That’s all!
Sincerely, George Hardhttp://www.panoramio.com/map/#lt=37.029966&ln=27.375183&z=7&k=2&a=1&tab=1
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Great pics. Made by day.
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Amazing photos. Thanks for sharing them. Truly a shame people don’t appreciate their environment enough, putting things like this into jeopardy.
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I’m one of those highly political, self opinionated, argumentative types always pent up and discussing or opening up one some flaw in this world. And then I saw these photos and ya know what, I just shut up inside. To think all of this is out there and most (including myself) will never see any of it. I just sat there imagining how incredible it would be to stand in awe of even one of these sites. We are always trying so hard to redefine beauty in our lives and then nature makes it all seem so effortless. Its such a shame on mankind to think we are destroying such things. I hope we learn before its all gone. Thanks for the amazing photos, made my night.
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É só Fantastico.
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Just Shutup everyone!
Jeez, appreciate this pictures and get lost!
There pretty okay i get it and also some might be man-made some might be god’s creation!
So just listen and wait all those people saying that they have a freedom of speech and all that bull crap
well they don’t reliease that they are ruining this forum eg. this is a photo essay on ‘The Most ALein Landscapes on Earth’
not ‘Is this Man-made or God’s creation?’OKAY! so please have appriorate (relevant to the pictures) posts!
Thankyouu
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This dragontree of Socotra is amazing. You should also check the desert rose endimic to the same island it is a tree out of the world, really alien. All the other pictures are incredibly fantastic. Thank you for puting them together and sharing them. They only strengthen my belief in the one and only God.
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Namib Desert, Namibia, Africa Namibia lies North of South Africa on the Western side. It has a very dry climate with most of the land, bordering the coast for the first 100 km inland, being desert. Sossusvlei is right in the middle of the desert that is predominantly red sand dunes, rising to a great height. At times, after a very infrequent rainfall, a pan (vlei) of water forms in the heart of the dunes. It is a magnificent area for any one who loves the majesty of Nature in its pristine state.
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A very nice set of images. I truly inspires me to get out into my own backyard.
We have the Bungle Bungle ranges in the north and rolling sand dunes by the bucket load.
Beautiful pink salt lakes and other places yet to be seen by a westerner.
I live in Western Australia. You may have heard of us.
I guess it’s up to me now.↵ -
Privileged to have been to number 8 on the list, here is my photo evidence http://elking.deviantart.com/art/No-Man-s-Land-146205859
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