Dangerous Far Away: 10 incredibly beautiful yet terrifying places (11 photos)

The ability to appreciate beauty is uniquely human, as the planet has no concept of aesthetics. Many stunningly beautiful terrestrial and underwater creatures can actually be extremely toxic and dangerous. Likewise, the landscapes we enjoy aren't always as harmless as they appear on our computer screens. We've selected 10 places where, once you visit, you're likely to forget their beauty.







1. Commonwealth (translated as "Common Good") is a bay almost 50 kilometers wide between Cape Alden and Cape Grey in Antarctica. It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records (and many other rankings) as the windiest place on Earth. Wind gusts sometimes reach 240 km/h (150 mph), and the average annual wind speed is 80 km/h (50 mph).





2. South Africa's Gansabai is famous for one of the world's largest populations of great white sharks. Although shark diving has been a tourist attraction for 20 years, exploring the local open waters is quite risky for an untrained person.



3. The village of Oymyakon in Yakutia is known as one of the "poles of cold." By several parameters, the Oymyakon Valley is the harshest permanently inhabited place on Earth. On January 26, 1926, a temperature of -71.2 degrees Celsius was recorded there.



4. The water in Spain's Rio Tinto River is highly acidic. So acidic, in fact, that it can rival our stomach acid. This is more than enough to kill any fish that finds itself in it, as well as humans. This unique property is due to bacteria and iron, which has been dissolved in the water for many years. Similar phenomena have been observed on Mars, so Rio Tinto could potentially aid scientists in exploring the Red Planet.



5. The Tristan da Cunha Islands are located in the South Atlantic Ocean. What makes them unique is that the nearest land is approximately 2,000 miles away. Moreover, the main island is so small that it doesn't even have room for an airstrip. Therefore, ordering goods there by mail isn't the most promising option. However, for the 272 people (with only eight last names) who inhabit the islands, this doesn't seem like a problem.



6. The Everglades is a unique ecoregion in southern Florida, USA. Here you can encounter crocodiles, alligators, venomous snakes, and even bears and panthers. Fortunately, the risk of coming face to face with them is not that great—the area is well protected from accidental passersby.



7. There are disagreements regarding the hottest place on Earth. Some say it's El Aziziya in Libya, others say it's Death Valley in the United States. However, according to NASA, the record temperature of 71 degrees Celsius was recorded in the Dasht-e Lut Desert in Iran. This is believed to be the highest temperature ever recorded on our planet.



8. The Drake Passage is a very dangerous shipping route with strong winds and icebergs between Antarctica and Cape Horn in South America. However, the main reason this area can be a threat to ships is the underwater currents created by underwater mountain ranges. Before the construction of the Panama Canal in 1914, the main route from the South Pacific to the South Atlantic ran through the Drake Passage.



9. The average altitude of Tibet is 4,000 meters above sea level. Given the popularity of these undoubtedly beautiful places among tourists, it's important to understand that not everyone enjoys such high-altitude terrain.



10. The Amazon Rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest on Earth, is home to 20% of all species on the planet. As you can probably imagine, it can also pose a danger to those who venture into this area without proper preparation.