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Mt Kilimanjaro
Tanzania, 3433S 372112E
Mt Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and is located in the Kilimanjaro National park in Tanzania. It is in fact a volcano with three distinct cones called Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira Kibo being the largest of the three and also having the mountains highest summit. Even though the huge volcano is located close to the equator, has lush tropicaland sub-tropical forests, savannahs and grasslands surrounding it, and receives up to 2000mm of rainfall per year, it is still capped with snow year round due to its enormous height of 5895m. After running tests on snow samples from the summit, it was determined that the base snow is over 11,000 years old. A major decrease in the amount of snow that caps Kilimanjaro has been witnessedsince 1912, it now carries an 80% lighter load than then, and is expected to be snow free by 2030. The two smaller volcanic cones are extinct, but Kibo, the largest, is only dormant and could erupt again in thefuture.
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Islands of Maldives
Maldives, 3 15 N, 73 00 E
The Maldives, or the Republic of the Maldives, is a series of 26 natural Atolls (coral islands that surround a lagoon completely or partially) situated in the Indian Ocean, about 400km south-west of India. Each atoll consists of smaller islands and coral reefs and the Maldives 26 atolls form about 1130 smaller islands, of which only about 200 are inhabited. The Maldives are renownd for their diverse variety of colorful corals and is home to over 300 species of tropical fish. Seven new species of fish have been discovered fairly recently in the Maldives. Sadly, in 1998 the increase in water temperature brought on by El Nio, killed two thirds of the entirecoral population, but by 2004 methods using electrified, coral larvaattracting cones that speed up coral growth was discovered and the reefsare being rehabilitated.
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Masurian Lake District
Poland, 5346N 2145E
The Masurian Lake District is found tothe north-east of Poland. It has over 2000 lakes spread across 52,000km2. Most of the lakes are interconnected by rivers forming a large, extensive system of waterways. The entire district was shaped by the Pleistocene Ice Age and is now a very popular tourist destination which offers fantastic boating opportunities, angling, cycling, hiking and canoeing, perfect for any nature lover. The entire area boasts 11 nature reserves with a wide variety of wild life. The area has a temperate climate with warm summers and cold winters, during which time the lakes freeze over.