9 Places to See Before They Slip Away!

Dead Sea - The giant lake's water level has sunk more than 80 feet

(25 meters) in the past 40 years due to water diversion. Bordering 

Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank, the Dead Sea already sits in the

lowest place on Earth. 

Kyoto, Japan - The machiya, which date to Japan's Edo Period

(1603 to 1867), once functioned as both houses and workplaces for 

Kyoto's merchant class.

Solomon Islands --Black-tipped reef sharks swarm Tetapare, the largest uninhabited tropical island in the Southern Hemisphere.

Glacier National Park, Montana --Montana's Glacier National Park 

may soon face an identity crisis: Some scientists have predicted the 

park will be glacier free by 2020 due to climate change.

Bhutan --As long-isolated Bhutan embraces the outside world, there's

a "balancing act" the Buddhist country has to strike between tourism and 

historic traditions, noted the World Monument Fund's Avrami. 

Atlantic Forest, South America --Shown abutting the Brazilian city 

of Belo Horizonte in 2004, the species-rich Atlantic Forest originally

spanned 520,000 square miles (1.35 million square kilometers) in Brazil, 

Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay.

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania --They've been around for at least 

10,000 years, but Mount Kilimanjaro's glaciers (pictured) have shrunk 

by 80 percent in roughly the past century, according to the UN.

The Everglades, Florida --The Everglades has had its share of troubles,

from invasive pythons to polluted waters to damaging recreation practices.

Maldives --Smoke rises from burning waste on Thilafushi, Maldives,

the lowest-lying country on Earth—and therefore among the most

threatened by potential sea level rise, which the Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change estimates could total up to 23 inches 

(60 centimeters) by 2099. 

Norway

Norway is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy with a total area of 385,252 square kilometres (148,747 sq mi) and a population of about 5 million. It is the second least densely populated country in Europe. The capital city of Norway is Oslo.

Norway is popular for stunning and dramatic scenery and landscape. The west coast of southern Norway and the coast of northern Norway present some of the most visually impressive coastal sceneries in the world. National Geographic has listed the Norwegian fjords as the top tourist attraction in the world.

The 2012 Environmental Performance Index put Norway in third place, based on the environmental performance of the country's policies.

Thailand’s Phi Phi islands

Once a backpacker’s secret, Thailand’s Phi Phi islands exploded onto the tourist map after the release of The Beach, a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio that was filmed on one of the islands. Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Phi Phi Lee are located between the island of Phuket and mainland Thailand off the West coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Ko Phi Phi Don is the larger of the two islands and is home to permanent residents and a myriad of accommodations for tourists. Ko Phi Phi Lee has spectacular white sand beaches and can be visited by boat only, with trips leaving from the larger island throughout the day. Visitors can enjoy diving, snorkeling and kayaking in the waters off both islands.

There are six islands in the group known as Phi Phi. They lie 50 km south-east of Phuket and are part of Hadnopparattara-Koh Phi Phi National Park which is home to an abundance of corals and marine life. There are limestone mountains with cliffs, caves and long white sandy beaches. The national park covers a total area of 242,437 Rai.

Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le are the largest and most well-known islands. Phi Phi Don is 28 sqkm: 8 km in length and 3.5 km wide. Phi Phi Le is 6.6 km. via

Blue Lake in Russia

Underwater photographer Viktor Lyagushkin explores the Blue Lake in Russia 

National Geographic photographer Victor Lyagushkin accompanied a team of divers to explore the underwater cave network of the Blue Lake, near the Caucasus Mountains in Russia.

At 770 feet long, 400 meters wide and 800-feet-deep, the Blue Lake is currently considered to be the deepest type of lake in the world, called a Karsk lake. Karsk lakes are usually formed from limestone rock which is eroded by water from below.

"Russian divers attempted to locate the cave system and source of the spring leading into one of the deepest underwater cave systems in the world," said Victor. "Such complicated and deep dives need a big team of well-educated and experienced divers who work together as a team."

"The problem is that this unique natural object was not explored at all - we know almost nothing about it. The aim of the project was to make scientists pay attention to this lake and to make them start researching it. We wanted people to understand that this is not a puddle, but an unknown and wonderful world under the water."

The Blue Lake, near the Caucasus Mountains in Russia

Obseving underwater shrubs

Plant like growths

This can be a totally new experience and adventure

Sunlight shows through water

After the exploration, it is time to head for the surface

Unique Countries Of The World

Australia : Country As Well Continent

Australia is the only country in the world which covers a whole

continent, every other continent has more than one country. It is the only 

country that is also a continent, and the only continent that is also a country. 

It is the sixth largest country in the world with a total area of 7,686,850 sq km (2,967,909 sq. mi), making it slightly smaller than the contiguous 48 states of the United States and 31.5 times larger than the United Kingdom. The photo is of olgas in Northern Territory of Australia.

Canada: Country Of Lakes

Canada has an extremely large number of lakes. More than 60 percent 

of the world's lakes are in Canada, this is because of the deranged drainage 

system that dominates the country. Canada has a huge number of lakes (the 

exact total number is unknown). Part of the reason is that Canada has at least 3 million lakes and in some regions, there are as many as 30 lakes for every 100 sq km (39 sq mi). The picture of Peyto Lake. 

Mongolia : Least Densely Populated Country

The country with the world's lowest population density is Mongolia 

with a population density of approximately 4,4 people per square mile 

(1,7 people/sq km). Mongolia's 2.5 million people occupy over 600,000 

square miles of land (about 1,560,000 sq km). Most of that population is

in urban areas, since development in Mongolia's vast deserts and grazing

lands is hindered in part by drought and dust storms, leaving those parts

of the country nearly as empty as they were in Genghis Khan's time. 

Libya :Country Of Deserts

Country with the highest percentage of desert is Libya (99%). The Libyan

Desert, which covers most of Libya, is one of the most arid places on earth. 

In some places, decades may pass without rain, and even in the highlands 

rainfall seldom happens, once every 5-10 years. The picture is Libyan Desert.

Suriname :Country Of Jungles

The estimated forest area is 14.8 million hectares (57 000 sq mi), which 

is 91% of the total land area (16.3 million hectares or 63 000 sq mi). 

Suriname's extensive forest cover and low population, about 400,000 

concentrated in the capital and coastal cities, give it one of the lowest deforestation rates in the world. Only 5 percent of the population lives in

the rainforest; this includes indigenous peoples and six tribes of Maroons-descendants of escaped slaves who recreated forest communities centuries

ago and today retain their traditional West African style. The photo is of central Suriname Nature Reserve. 

Ukraine :Fastest Disappearing Nation

The country with the highest decrease in the natural birth rate is Ukraine, 

with a natural decrease of 0.8% each year. Ukraine is expected to lose 

28% of their population between now and 2050 (from 46.8 million now to 

33.4 million in 2050). 

Netherlands :Country Below Sea Level

More than half of the Netherlands sits below sea level, and if a massive 

storm were to break through the dunes, Rotterdam would be inundated in 

24 hours. Today, approximately 27 percent of the Netherlands is actually 

below sea level. This area is home to over 60 percent of the country's population of 15.8 million people. The Netherlands, which is approximately the size of the U.S. states Connecticut and Massachusetts combined, has an approximate average elevation of 11 meters (36 feet). The Netherlands ties Lemmefjord, Denmark for claim to the lowest point in Western Europe - Prince Alexander Polder lies at 23 feet (7 meters) below sea level. 

Tuvalu :The Least Visited Country

This is the fourth smallest country in the world. Tuvalu is located 

halfway between Australia and Hawaii, and it's predicted to be the first

country to vanish beneath the waves when global warming pushes sea-

levels high enough. It's also very difficult to get to - you're looking at 

sporadic, expensive flights from Fiji. Tuvalu has a grand total of 1,100

tourists a year.

Indonesia :Country Of Islands

Indonesia consists of more than 17,500 islands with a total coastline

of 81,350 km (50,549 miles). Around 6,000 of these are inhabited. The 

largest islands are Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, Bali, Lombok and 

Flores. This country contains 10-15 percent of the world's coral reefs.

India :Country Of Geographical Diversities

The uniqueness of Indian culture lies in its geographical diversities,

natural wealth, vast population and people's attitude among other things. 

There are few countries, which may compare with extreme climatic

conditions like India has. When people in the northern parts of country would 

be shivering with chilling cold one can find people in the south bare feet. 

Top 10 Iconic Places to Photograph

Antarctica

Venice, Italy

Machu Picchu, Peru

Stonehenge, England

Taj Mahal, India

Easter Island

Ta Prahm Temple, Cambodia

The Serengeti, Tanzania

The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

Papua New Guinea