What is the greatest lost natural wonder? : r/history
Today many countries protect areas of extraordinary natural beauty, diversity, rarity, or significance. However, that has not always been the case. Some examples I was thinking of would be areas such as: Guaíra Falls in South America, submerged and then dynamited for the Itaipu Dam and Reservoir, or the Pink and White Terraces in New Zealand, which were buried by a volcano. I've seen plenty of articles about natural wonders at risk of disappearing, such as the Great Barrier Reef or the Amazon, but not as many about those that have already been lost or destroyed. Thanks! Edit: From the recent (Old Man of the Mountain) to the clever (the night sky) to the remote (Russia's Valley of the Geysers), these are great answers! Thanks everyone for all the ongoing discussion. The Aral Sea. It was once one of the largest lakes on Earth, and was so named for its myriad islands. Now it's main basin is a desert, and the many communities on its shores that it used to serve are now left high and dry. h