Spanish one day, French the next: Pheasant Island in the Bidasoa River changes sovereignty every six months. This curious state of affairs dates back to a treaty signed in 1856. Luckily, the tiny island has no inhabitants who might otherwise suffer an identity crisis.
Saguaro cactuses (Carnegiea gigantea) can grow 20 meters tall and are found in Arizona, southern California and Mexico’s Sonora Desert. The amateur naturalists of the online community Crested Saguaro Society document the rare species.
Mexican photographer Christian Vizl spends his life capturing the beauty of the planet’s oceans with his camera and has won dozens of awards for his work. New out: his black-and-white book of plates, Silent Kingdom: A World Beneath the Waves (published by Earth Aware Editions).
The colorful paintings typically found on the walls of Somalia’s grocer stores, doctor’s offices and electrical stores have a positive dual purpose: Everyone can see at a glance exactly what’s on offer, and the artists earn a living with their street art.
So you think winter’s the only good time to ski and sled? Think again! These summer toboggan runs promise breathtaking descents.
It takes 9 minutes to cover the 3.5 kilometers of the world’s longest summer toboggan run, which you will find in Imst, Tirol.
Sled runs, called sommerrodelbahn even outside Germany, are a real export hit. You can even speed down the Great Wall of China on a 1.5-kilometer track near Mutianyu, 70 kilometers northeast Beijing.
In Ocho Rios in northern Jamaica, you can race through the rain forest on a sled and enjoy the Caribbean beaches of the former fishing village after whizzing down the 1000-meter piste.