Since South Korea’s Jeju Island has been named as one of the new seven natural wonders of the world by New 7 Wonders foundation, we have been reminded of Jeju’s beauty. But how about appreciating the value and learning about the other six chosen beautiful sites which are the Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Komodo National Park, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River and Table Mountain? Moreover, taking a trip to these sites during the winter vacation would be a great choice if you have the opportunity.
 

Jeju Island
Jeju Island is one of the most famous tourist sites in Korea and his renowned for its volcanic mountain, forests and waterfalls. Since Jeju has all seven features of being an island, forests, waterfalls, seashores, national parks, caves and a volcano it is the perfect choice for N7W used as a criteria for their selection. Halla Mountain is the highest dormant volcano in South Korea. Moreover, Jeju Olle, a well-known walking course across Jeju, helps tourists to enjoy Jeju while taking a walk. 
 
Amazon
The rainforests of the Amazon hold more than one-third of the species of animals in the world and it produces 10% of the air we breathe. About 2.5 million insect species, tens of thousands of plants, and some 2,000 birds and mammals live in the forest. The diversity of plant species is the highest on earth and there are numerous natural resources in the rainforest. Therefore, the natural value of the Amazon is extremely high.

Halong Bay
Halong Bay is located in Vietnam and has many islands and limestone karsts. ‘Halong’ means the place of a dragon. There is a legend that says when enemies invaded Vietnam, a dragon fought against them and saved the Vietnamese. Halong Bay is named for the dragon in the legend. It is said that the dragons that used to protect the Vietnamese became karsts in Halong Bay. Some islands are hollow and have caves while other islands have floating villages. You can see many fishermen who catch various kinds of fish around those villages. Moreover, you can see lakes on the limestone islands.

Iguassu Falls
Iguassu Falls is called ‘one of the top three waterfalls in the world’. It is located at the border of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. It is composed of about 275 big and small waterfalls. The height is 82m, and the width is 4km. When compared to Niagara Falls, it is 4times larger. Besides its huge volume, this giant falls are among wonderful scenery full of undeveloped forests and valleys. Argentina and Brazil designated Iguassu Falls as a national park and protect it from being developed and damaged.

Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park includes three major islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar, and numerous smaller islands together totaling 603 km2 of land. It is in Indonesia, and was designated as a national park in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon lizards inhabiting the park. Not only the lizards but many marine organisms live there. Still it is famous for the Varanus Komodoensis, the largest lizard in the world. On this island, you can see various terrains such as tropical rainforests, savannas, and coral reefs.

 

 

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, in the Philippines. The Palawan islands, composed of a total 1780 big and small islands, are respectively unknown compared to Boracay. As it is far away from other islands, we can see the pure nature like scarce and exotic animals, plants, and marine organisms. The total length of the river is 8.2 km and it is estimated to be the longest river that people can enter into. Clear sandy beaches, limestone islands and a magnificent mountain range surround it.

Table Mountain
Table Mountain is situated at the south of Cape Town in the Republic of South Africa. The highest peak is Maclear’s Beacon: 1996 m above the sea level. The shape of the peak resembles a ‘table’. The geographic feature of this area was formed with prolonged weathering. Table Mountain’s tablecloth is famous especially in the summer. Because the sea air evaporates at the peak, white clouds cover the mountain as a whole, where its name has become famous.

Park Su-jeong, Ha Sun-jin  happy2uy@dongguk.edu, honeyfunnybunny@dongguk.edu

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