Most beautiful country (distance, architect, place)

[ABQSunseeker]

Having now visited South Africa, I would now place it on any list of most beautiful countries.

[Natnasci]

Originally Posted by ABQSunseeker

Having now visited South Africa, I would now place it on any list of most beautiful countries.

Did you get to Durban? I haven't been to SA, but friends have and I know someone who immigrated to Canada from there, so I've heard and seen photos about it for years.

I met someone once from Durban many years ago, and I hadn't even heard of the place at that time. It looks like that city might be worth a visit. Do you now if it is?

[manitopiaaa]

Top 10 Overall (exhibit an exceptional mix of both urban and natural beauty)
1-China (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Xian + Shangri-La, Mount Everest, Jiuzhaigou, Huangshan, Huanglong, Wulingyuan Pinnacles, Li River and Guilin Karst, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Silver Cave, Taklamakan Desert, Hainan)
2-USA (New York, San Francisco, Boston, Washington + Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Denali, Zion, Everglades, Appalachian Mountains, Hawaii, Death Valley, Glacier National Park, Olympic National Park, Rocky Mountains)
3-India (Jaipur, Varanasi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Amritsar, Agra + Himalayas, Kashmir, Valley of Flowers, Amarnath Cave, Andaman and Nicobar Beaches, Tiger Reserves, Aleya Ghost Lights)
4-Italy (Too many beautiful cities to name + Amalfi, Cinque Terre, Alps, Aeolian Islands, Dolomites, Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Etna, Appennines, Lake District, Mont Blanc)
5-Tanzania (Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam Old Towns + Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti Migration, Great Rift Valley, Kilimanjaro, Maasai Lands, Indian Ocean Beaches, Lake Victoria, Gombe Stream National Park, Ruaha and Kitulo Parks)
6-Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart + Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Outback, Blue Mountains, Queensland Jungles, Pacific Coast Beaches, Tasmania, Wineries)
7-Argentina/Chile (Buenos Aires, Santiago, Salta, Valparaiso, Mendoza + Iguazu Falls, Torres del Paine, Perrito Moreno Glacier, Easter Islands, Lake Country, Atacama Desert, Pampas, Tierra del Fuego)
8-Turkey (Istanbul, Izmir + Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ararat, Mediterranean Beaches, Black Sea, Bosporus)
9-France (Too many cities to name, but Paris + Mont Blanc, Loire Valley, Lavender Country, Corsica, Alps, Rural Villages)
10-Spain (Too many cities to name, but Barcelona + Canary Islands, Tenerife, Balearic Islands, Costa del Sol, Asturias, Pyrenees, Mediterranean Beaches, Forests of Northern Spain, Ronda Cliffs)

Pound for Pound
1-New Zealand
2-Switzerland
3-Slovenia
4-Croatia
5-Panama
6-Malta
7-Nepal
8-Tajikistan
9-Norway
10-Costa Rica

Under-the-Radar
1-Morocco
2-Iran
3-Romania
4-Peru/Ecuador
5-Bhutan
6-Belize
7-Yemen
8-Laos
9-Iceland
10-Botswana/Namibia

[Razza94]

I think Wales, especially the north, does well on a pound for pound basis. Although I am somewhat biased

[ABQSunseeker]

Originally Posted by Natnasci

Did you get to Durban? I haven't been to SA, but friends have and I know someone who immigrated to Canada from there, so I've heard and seen photos about it for years.

I met someone once from Durban many years ago, and I hadn't even heard of the place at that time. It looks like that city might be worth a visit. Do you now if it is?

Yes, Durban is worth a visit. The city itself on street level is not so beautiful, but it's situation on the shore of the Indian Ocean is beautiful as are its beautiful beaches.

[BigCityDreamer]

Probably China

[survivingearth]

Originally Posted by manitopiaaa

Top 10 Overall (exhibit an exceptional mix of both urban and natural beauty)
1-China (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Xian + Shangri-La, Mount Everest, Jiuzhaigou, Huangshan, Huanglong, Wulingyuan Pinnacles, Li River and Guilin Karst, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Silver Cave, Taklamakan Desert, Hainan)
2-USA (New York, San Francisco, Boston, Washington + Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Denali, Zion, Everglades, Appalachian Mountains, Hawaii, Death Valley, Glacier National Park, Olympic National Park, Rocky Mountains)
3-India (Jaipur, Varanasi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Amritsar, Agra + Himalayas, Kashmir, Valley of Flowers, Amarnath Cave, Andaman and Nicobar Beaches, Tiger Reserves, Aleya Ghost Lights)
4-Italy (Too many beautiful cities to name + Amalfi, Cinque Terre, Alps, Aeolian Islands, Dolomites, Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Etna, Appennines, Lake District, Mont Blanc)
5-Tanzania (Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam Old Towns + Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti Migration, Great Rift Valley, Kilimanjaro, Maasai Lands, Indian Ocean Beaches, Lake Victoria, Gombe Stream National Park, Ruaha and Kitulo Parks)
6-Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart + Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Outback, Blue Mountains, Queensland Jungles, Pacific Coast Beaches, Tasmania, Wineries)
7-Argentina/Chile (Buenos Aires, Santiago, Salta, Valparaiso, Mendoza + Iguazu Falls, Torres del Paine, Perrito Moreno Glacier, Easter Islands, Lake Country, Atacama Desert, Pampas, Tierra del Fuego)
8-Turkey (Istanbul, Izmir + Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Ararat, Mediterranean Beaches, Black Sea, Bosporus)
9-France (Too many cities to name, but Paris + Mont Blanc, Loire Valley, Lavender Country, Corsica, Alps, Rural Villages)
10-Spain (Too many cities to name, but Barcelona + Canary Islands, Tenerife, Balearic Islands, Costa del Sol, Asturias, Pyrenees, Mediterranean Beaches, Forests of Northern Spain, Ronda Cliffs)

Pound for Pound
1-New Zealand
2-Switzerland
3-Slovenia
4-Croatia
5-Panama
6-Malta
7-Nepal
8-Tajikistan
9-Norway
10-Costa Rica

Under-the-Radar
1-Morocco
2-Iran
3-Romania
4-Peru/Ecuador
5-Bhutan
6-Belize
7-Yemen
8-Laos
9-Iceland
10-Botswana/Namibia

I agree with everything except Australia. For such a huge country it lacks in diversity when it comes to geography and biodiversity.

[Bakery Hill]

Originally Posted by survivingearth

I agree with everything except Australia. For such a huge country it lacks in diversity when it comes to geography and biodiversity.

Huh? Ever actually seen much or any of Australia? It's as diverse as any land mass of equivalent size. Even places like the Red Centre which a lot of people from overseas imagine to be sandy desert are actually pretty diverse: travel for a few hundred kilometers out from Alice Springs and you pass through a range of distinct climatic and ecological zones.

[wanderlust76]

I think you have to categorize it I would love to go to Europe and see some of the little villages with old style buildings with big mountains in view, like in Switzerland or something. but the US does have that to a degree too and geographically the US is pretty much impossible to beat since it has everything.

[NigerianNightmare]

Three of the best looking Natural Landscapes in my opinion.
France-(Southeastern Part)
Afghanistan-(Watch a U.S military video on Youtube, breathtaking)
China- Rainbow Mountains..........