Wonders of nature
Wonders of nature: a chapter of the Wonders of the World Book, with a photo of each wonder and the story behind it.
10 cards · Geography
Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the chapter a few at a time.
Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 27 Oct 2026
Sources: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Britannica), World Heritage List (UNESCO), Wikimedia Commons (the photos)
Preview
Mile-deep gorge carved by the Colorado River
Show answerHide answer: Mile-deep gorge carved by the Colorado River
Grand Canyon
Learn more: Its rock layers show nearly 2 billion years of Earth's history.
Curtain of water called the smoke that thunders
Show answerHide answer: Curtain of water called the smoke that thunders
Victoria Falls
Learn more: Its local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, describes the spray, seen from tens of kilometres away.
The largest coral reef system on Earth
Show answerHide answer: The largest coral reef system on Earth
Great Barrier Reef
Learn more: Made of nearly 3,000 reefs, it is the largest structure built by living things.
The highest mountain above sea level
Show answerHide answer: The highest mountain above sea level
Mount Everest
Learn more: It stands 8,849 m high, a height Nepal and China agreed on in 2020.
Ribbons of light in the sky near the North Pole
Show answerHide answer: Ribbons of light in the sky near the North Pole
Northern lights
Learn more: Charged particles from the Sun strike gases high in the air, which glow green and red.
About this topic
Some wonders no one built. This chapter covers the seven natural wonders on a famous list from 1997, from the Grand Canyon and Victoria Falls to Mount Everest, the Great Barrier Reef, the northern lights, the bay of Rio de Janeiro and Parícutin, a volcano that grew out of a cornfield. Three more join them: the waterfalls of Iguazu, the limestone islands of Ha Long Bay and the Amazon, the largest rainforest on Earth.
This is a chapter of the Wonders of the World Book. Each card shows a picture and asks one question, with a hint before you answer and a short reason after. Every photo is credited and openly licensed.
All 10 cards
Mile-deep gorge carved by the Colorado River
Grand Canyon
Learn more: Its rock layers show nearly 2 billion years of Earth's history.
Curtain of water called the smoke that thunders
Victoria Falls
Learn more: Its local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, describes the spray, seen from tens of kilometres away.
The largest coral reef system on Earth
Great Barrier Reef
Learn more: Made of nearly 3,000 reefs, it is the largest structure built by living things.
The highest mountain above sea level
Mount Everest
Learn more: It stands 8,849 m high, a height Nepal and China agreed on in 2020.
Ribbons of light in the sky near the North Pole
Northern lights
Learn more: Charged particles from the Sun strike gases high in the air, which glow green and red.
Bay ringed by mountains, with the Sugarloaf
Guanabara Bay
Learn more: Portuguese sailors reached it on 1 January 1502 and took it for a river: Rio de Janeiro means January River.
Volcano that grew out of a Mexican cornfield in 1943
Parícutin
Learn more: It grew about 50 m in its first week and erupted for nine years, burying two villages in lava.
Hundreds of waterfalls on the Argentina–Brazil border
Iguazu Falls
Learn more: About 275 falls stretch for nearly 3 km along the edge of a forested plateau.
Thousands of limestone islands rising from the sea
Ha Long Bay
Learn more: Its name means "where the dragon descends": legend says a dragon's tail carved the islands.
The largest tropical rainforest on Earth
Amazon rainforest
Learn more: It is home to about one in ten known species, and its river carries more water than any other.
Image credits
- Mile-deep gorge carved by the Colorado River: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Source: Mile-deep gorge carved by the Colorado River
- Curtain of water called the smoke that thunders: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Source: Curtain of water called the smoke that thunders
- The largest coral reef system on Earth: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Source: The largest coral reef system on Earth
- The highest mountain above sea level: Ocrambo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain Source: The highest mountain above sea level
- Ribbons of light in the sky near the North Pole: Birgit Fostervold, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Source: Ribbons of light in the sky near the North Pole
- Bay ringed by mountains, with the Sugarloaf: Wilfredor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 Source: Bay ringed by mountains, with the Sugarloaf
- Volcano that grew out of a Mexican cornfield in 1943: Jim Luhr, Smithsonian Institution, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain Source: Volcano that grew out of a Mexican cornfield in 1943
- Hundreds of waterfalls on the Argentina–Brazil border: Falk2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Source: Hundreds of waterfalls on the Argentina–Brazil border
- Thousands of limestone islands rising from the sea: lumoplank, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 Source: Thousands of limestone islands rising from the sea
- The largest tropical rainforest on Earth: Rex, from NASA imagery, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain Source: The largest tropical rainforest on Earth
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