Parks & Gardens
The great parks and gardens of the world display humankind’s capacity to preserve natural spaces, as in national parklands, and to creatively arrange the raw materials of nature to astonishing aesthetic effect, as in the immaculately landscaped gardens of great estates as well as in urban and rural parks in which trees, ponds and fields are harmoniously combined with statues, sculptures and beautiful buildings.
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18th Century Royal Palace at Caserta
Location: Caserta, Italy, Europe
The 18th century Royal Palace at Caserta, in Naples, Italy, and its park, together with the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli and the nearby complex at Leucio served as a royal enclave and as an industrial town.
See also: Palaces & Castles
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Golden Gate Park Conservatory of Flowers
Location: San Francisco, United States, North America
The Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is a spectacular living museum of rare and beautiful tropical plants that include orchids, bromeliads, palms and carnivorous plants.
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Grand Canyon
Location: United States, North America
Carved out by the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon (nearly 1,500 m deep) is the most spectacular gorge in the world. Located in the state of Arizona, it cuts across the Grand Canyon National Park.
See also: Wonders of Nature
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Kakadu National Park
Location: Jabiru Northern Territory, Australia, Oceania
Kakadu National Park, in one of the most remote and wild regions of Australia, is an ancient wilderness of extraordinary natural and human history.
See also: Wonders of Nature
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Palace and Park of Versailles
Location: Versailles, France, Europe
The Versailles Palace is a sprawling château set amidst landscaped grounds and formal gardens, representing an extraordinary achievement of 18th-century French architecture and landscape design.
See also: Palaces & Castles
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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Location: Kew, United Kingdom, Europe
The Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew in London, England, is one of the world’s leading plant species conservation centers.
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Studley Royal Park and the Ruins of Fountains Abbey
Location: Studley, United Kingdom, Europe
Built around the ruins of the 12th-century Cistercian Fountains Abbey, Studley Royal Park is a historically rich garden estate in North Yorkshire, England.
See also: Historic Sites
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Yellowstone National Park
Location: United States, North America
Yellowstone National Park sits atop a supervolcano. It is the first national park in the world and home of Old Faithful Geyser.
See also: Wonders of Nature
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Yosemite National Park
Location: United States, North America
Yosemite National Park, California, boasts hanging valleys, plunging waterfalls, granite domes, a grove of ancient Sequoia trees and hundreds of wildlife species.
See also: Wonders of Nature
