Written by: Simone Preuss
13. Dolphin
There are so many stunning landscapes on Earth, yet nature
never ceases to amaze. Islands are often beautiful enough in their own right
when seen from ground level: we don’t need to discern any particular pattern in
their design. When viewed from above, you might imagine the shape of islands to
be random too, but a look at the following images may make you think again.
Sprawled out in the oceans, islands can paint many a strange picture. Mother
Nature certainly seems to have had a sense of humor in designing them!
This coral reef island – situated off the north coast of
Flores Island, Indonesia
– is simply stunning. It looks as though the shape of island was inspired by
dolphins that might have been swimming around it. Simply breathtaking!
We’re getting this article started on a happy note! The
islands of Manukan, Mamutik and Sulug in Malaysia are graciously grouped to
form a smiley, greeting visitors fortunate enough to view them from the
air.
11. Boomerang
Wow, look, a boomerang, right in the middle of the South China Sea! If you want to spot it, you have a good
chance to do so on a flight from Manila to Kuala Lumpur – about 45
minutes after take-off, advises photographer, Earl. The atoll is part of the Spratly Islands – an archipelago of over 750
islets, reefs, cays and islands – and is a real shape-shifter: depending on the
season and the flow of the current, you may find a different form meets the
eye.
10. Seahorse
As we can see from this image taken by the
Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra
satellite in 2002, the largest island of the Galapagos Islands, Isabela Island, looks just like a seahorse – and an
ancient one, too! The island was formed by volcanic eruptions that occurred
millions of years ago. If you look closely, you can see the three craters of
the volcanoes that created the island.
9. Eye
This incredible human eye, complete with retina and iris,
can be found in the Maldives.
Or, staying with the marine motif, perhaps it could be conceived of as a
majestic jellyfish. Actually, of course, it’s a coral reef – or, according to
photographer Mohamed Shareef, the birth of an island...
8. Cartoon figure
Described by NASA as “sparkl[ing] like green gems against
the sapphire-blue waters of the Indian Ocean and Flores, Banda, Sawu, and Timor Seas,”
the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia
sure are beautiful – even when seen from as far away as space. But, in their
midst, there is one truly strange character. Can you make out the large head,
eye and open mouth of this cartoon figure?
7. Stingray
The Danish island pictured here is Æbelø in the sea of Kattegat,
just off the north coast of Funen (Denmark’s third-largest island).
With its triangular shape and long ‘tail’, it really does look like a stingray.
Don’t miss that cloud above trying to mimic the island’s shape!
6. Lungs
These lungs appear complete with a trachea and bronchi
(that’ll be the road)! The bronchioles, meanwhile, come courtesy of the lush
vegetation, turning the island into a real set of ‘green lungs’. Was such an
aerial design the intention of the owners of this luxury villa with swimming
pool and tennis court on an islet in the Florida Keys?
Surely not! But it certainly works!
5. Venetian mask
This image shows Huvahendhoo
Island, one of the many islands of the
Maldives.
Doesn’t this islet look like a Venetian carnival mask, with its different eye
ornamentation? The Maldives
is a real treasure trove when it comes to finding islands of all shapes and
sizes. There are a total of 1,190 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26
atolls, meaning there are lots to choose from. The Maldives is spread out over about
90,000 sq km – making it one the world’s most dispersed countries. Yet sadly,
its islands are also some of the most at risk. With an average ground level of
just 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in), the Maldives
is the lowest country on Earth, and due to global warming and rising sea
levels, its islands are sinking – slowly but surely. Let’s enjoy this beauty
while we still can.
4. Carrot
This incredible island was snapped while photographer
Badruddeen took off from the Male International Airport,
in the Maldives.
With its longish shape and thick top, it makes the perfect carrot – as if it’s
waiting right smack in the middle of the ocean for a giant marine rabbit to
gobble it up!
3. Tree
This tree comes courtesy of the Isles of Scilly, off the
coast of Cornwall.
It’s quite an elaborate oversized shrub, with a trunk, branches, foliage, and
even soil and roots at its base. Nature at its best!
2. Sperm
Yep, this island looks like what you most likely think it
does: a lonesome sperm cell swimming in the big blue sea. Unfortunately, we
don’t know much more about this landmass other than that it was snapped
somewhere on a flight between Europe and Japan. Any hints appreciated!
1. Heart
‘Lover’s Island’ just off
the Croatian coast is one of the few naturally occurring heart shapes on Earth.
Actually called Galešnjak, it is a privately owned island located in the
Adriatic Sea, close to the town of Turanj.
Full of wild plants and trees, but little else, this sleepy isle came to
worldwide attention because of its unusual shape in February 2009, when it was
publicized by Google Earth.
Source : http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com
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