Atlas obscura: an explorer’s guide to the world’s hidden wonders

1272 Pages·2016·56.4 MB·English

by  Joshua Foer

Atlas Obscura
AN EXPLORER’S GUIDE TO THE WORLD’S HIDDEN
WONDERS
J F , D T & E M
OSHUA OER YLAN HURAS LLA ORTON
WORKMAN PUBLISHING • NEW YORK
An Important Note to Readers
Though the publisher and authors have taken reasonable steps to ensure the
accuracy and timeliness of the information contained in the book, readers are
strongly encouraged to confirm details before making any travel plans. Location
and direction information may change; GPS coordinates are approximations and
should be treated as such. If you discover any out-of-date or incorrect
information in the book, please let us know via [email protected].
Atlas Obscura was written in the spirit of adventure, and readers are cautioned
to travel at their own risk and to obey all local laws. Some of the places
described in this book are not open to the public and are not meant to be visited
without appropriate permissions. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be
liable or responsible for any loss, injury, or damage allegedly arising from any
information or suggestions contained in this book.
The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life
without wonder is not worth living.
—Abraham Joshua Heschel
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
EUROPE
Great Britain and Ireland
ENGLAND / IRELAND / NORTHERN IRELAND / SCOTLAND
Western Europe
AUSTRIA / BELGIUM / FRANCE / GERMANY / GREECE CYPRUS /
ITALY / NETHERLANDS / PORTUGAL / SPAIN / SWITZERLAND
Eastern Europe
BULGARIA / CROATIA / CZECH REPUBLIC / ESTONIA / HUNGARY /
LATVIA / LITHUANIA / MACEDONIA / POLAND / ROMANIA / RUSSIA
/ SERBIA / SLOVAKIA / UKRAINE
Scandinavia
DENMARK / FINLAND / ICELAND / NORWAY / SWEDEN
ASIA
The Middle East
IRAN / IRAQ / ISRAEL / PALESTINE / LEBANON / OMAN / QATAR /
SYRIA / UNITED ARAB EMIRATES / YEMEN
South and Central Asia
AFGHANISTAN / BANGLADESH / INDIA / KAZAKHSTAN /
KYRGYZSTAN / NEPAL
PAKISTAN / SRI LANKA / TURKEY / TURKMENISTAN
East Asia
CHINA / HONG KONG / TAIWAN / JAPAN / NORTH KOREA / SOUTH
KOREA
Southeast Asia
BRUNEI / CAMBODIA / INDONESIA / LAOS / MALAYSIA / MYANMAR
/ PHILIPPINES / SINGAPORE / THAILAND / VIETNAM
AFRICA
North Africa
EGYPT / MAURITANIA / MOROCCO / SUDAN / TUNISIA
West Africa
BENIN / BURKINA FASO / CAMEROON / GABON / GHANA / MALI /
NIGER / NIGERIA / SENEGAL / SIERRA LEONE / TOGO
Central Africa
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC / CHAD / DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF THE CONGO / REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
East Africa
ETHIOPIA / KENYA / SOUTH SUDAN / TANZANIA
Southern Africa
ANGOLA / MALAWI / NAMIBIA / SOUTH AFRICA / SWAZILAND /
ZAMBIA / ZIMBABWE
Islands of the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans
MADAGASCAR / SEYCHELLES / SAINT HELENA, ASCENSION, AND
TRISTAN DA CUNHA
OCEANIA
Australia
New Zealand
Pacific Islands
FIJI / MARSHALL ISLANDS / FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA
/ NAURU / PALAU / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / SAMOA / SOLOMON
ISLANDS / VANUATU
CANADA
Western Canada
ALBERTA / BRITISH COLUMBIA / MANITOBA / NORTHWEST
TERRITORIES / NUNAVUT / SASKATCHEWAN / YUKON
Eastern Canada
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR / NOVA SCOTIA / ONTARIO /
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND / QUEBEC
USA
West Coast
CALIFORNIA / OREGON / WASHINGTON
Four Corners and the Southwest
ARIZONA / COLORADO / NEVADA / NEW MEXICO / TEXAS / UTAH
Great Plains
IDAHO / KANSAS / MONTANA / NEBRASKA / NORTH DAKOTA /
OKLAHOMA / SOUTH DAKOTA / WYOMING
The Midwest
ILLINOIS / INDIANA / IOWA / MICHIGAN / MINNESOTA / MISSOURI /
OHIO / WISCONSIN
The Southeast
ALABAMA / ARKANSAS
FLORIDA / GEORGIA / KENTUCKY / LOUISIANA / MISSISSIPPI /
NORTH CAROLINA / SOUTH CAROLINA / TENNESSEE / VIRGINIA
The Mid-Atlantic
DELAWARE / MARYLAND
NEW JERSEY / NEW YORK / PENNSYLVANIA / WASHINGTON, DC /
WEST VIRGINIA
New England
CONNECTICUT / MAINE / MASSACHUSETTS / NEW HAMPSHIRE /
RHODE ISLAND / VERMONT
Alaska and Hawaii
LATIN AMERICA
South America
ARGENTINA / BOLIVIA / BRAZIL / CHILE / COLOMBIA / ECUADOR /
PERU / URUGUAY / VENEZUELA
Mexico
Central America
BELIZE / COSTA RICA / EL SALVADOR / GUATEMALA / HONDURAS
/ NICARAGUA / PANAMA
Caribbean Islands
BAHAMAS / BERMUDA / CAYMAN ISLANDS / CUBA / DOMINICA /
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC / GRENADA / HAITI / JAMAICA /
MARTINIQUE / MONTSERRAT / PUERTO RICO / ST. KITTS AND
NEVIS / ST. MAARTEN / TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO / ST. VINCENT
AND THE GRENADINES
ANTARCTICA
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDEX
PHOTO CREDITS
More than 350 feet below the surface, rowboats bob on a lake inside Romania’s Turda Salt Mine.
Now an underground amusement park, the mine produced table salt continuously from the 11th
century until the 1930s. Page 87.