Top-10 best photos of Andorra & Catalan-speaking areas

Photographers from Andorra and Catalan speaking areas demonstrated patience and personal artistic vision on nature. Check out Top-10 best photos from Andorra and Catalan areas.

Sant Miquel del Fai

Waterfall of El Tenes at Sant Miquel del Fai, protected area crags of Bertí, Catalonia| by Enfo – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Sant Miquel del Fai is a cenobitic Benedictine monastery in Bigues i Riells, Catalonia, Spain. The 11th-century building was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural landmark in 1988.

The monastery is located in a well-preserved natural environment framed by rocky cliffs called Cingles Bertí in the Catalan pre-coastal mountain range which geographically separates the region of Vallès Oriental in the subregion of Moianés. The Natural Area Sant Miquel del Fai is located in the town of Bigas.

Ports de Tortosa-Beseit

View of massif Ports de Tortosa-Beseit from the plains of Arnes, Catalonia| by Pasdeguia – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Ports de Tortosa-Beseit, also known as Ports de Beseit, or simply as ElsPorts or Lo Port  by locals, is a limestone mountain massif located at the north-eastern end of the Sistema Ibérico, a complex system of mountain ranges and massifs in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Its highest point isMont Caro, 1,441 m. Rivers such as the Matarranya and the Sénia have their source in these mountains.

Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park

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Top-10 best photos of Tunisia

Seems like WLE jury of Tunisia were inspired with wild nature selecting their Top-10 photos. This time we have a lot of photos of birds and some landscape shots. How do you feel about these photos?

The European bee-eater

The European bee-eater| by Elgollimoh – CC-BY-SA-3.0

The European bee-eater is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It breeds in southern Europe and in parts of north Africa and western Asia. It is strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, India and Sri Lanka. This species occurs as a spring overshoot north of its range, with occasional breeding in northwest Europe.

The European bee-eater| by Mahdi ABDELLY – CC-BY-SA-4.0

This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly-coloured, slender bird. It has brown and yellow upper parts, whilst the wings are green and the beak is black. It can reach a length of 27–29 cm (10.6–11.4 in), including the two elongated central tail feathers. Sexes are alike.

Djebel Zaghouan

Djebel Zaghouan| by Elgollimoh – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Djebel Zaghouan is a mountain and the highest point in Eastern Tunisia at 1,295 m. The mountain is located in an area of National Park. The town ofZaghouan is located below on its northern slope. The mountain is the site of a Roman temple known as the Temple de Eaux (Temple of Water) which marks the site of an aqueduct which used to take water to the city of Carthage over 100 km away.

Greater flamingo

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Top-10 best photos of Uruguay

Uruguay presents us a lot of sand and water in their Top-10 best photos. Enjoy beautiful water landscapes and peaceful nature captured by our users.

The Uruguay River

A fisherman comes back from the calm waters of the Uruguay River in Esteros de Farrapos| by La gringa Ceci – CC-BY-SA-3.0

The Uruguay River is a river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La Mesopotamia from the other two countries. It passes between the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil; forms the eastern border of the provinces of Misiones, Corrientes, and Entre Ríos in Argentina; and makes up the western borders of the departments of Artigas, Salto, Paysandú, Río Negro, Soriano, and Colonia in Uruguay.

The river measures about 1,838 kilometres (1,142 mi) in length and starts in the Serra do Mar in Brazil, where the Canoas River and the Pelotas River are joined, at about 200 metres (660 ft) above mean sea level. In this stage the river goes through uneven, broken terrain, forming rapids and falls. Its course through Rio Grande do Sul is not navigable.

White-tufted grebe

White-tufted (Rollandia rolland) swimming in Santa Lucía Wetlands in Uruguay| by Julioesuarez – CC-BY-SA-3.0

The white-tufted grebe is a species of grebe in the family Podicipedidae. Found in the southern half of South America, its natural habitat is freshwater lakes, ponds and sluggish streams. Continue reading “Top-10 best photos of Uruguay”

Top-10 best photos of Spain

Spanish national winners show great diversity of landscapes and seasons. Spanish participants of WLE  have shown a big interest in the competition this year. You will find there wild nature, stunning panoramic shots, mountains, woods, rivers and waterfalls.

Spanish ibex

Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica) during winter| by Bruno Durán – CC-BY-SA-2.0

The Iberian ibex, Spanish ibex, Spanish wild goat, or Iberian wild goat is a species of ibex with foursubspecies. Of these, two can still be found on the Iberian Peninsula, but the remaining two are now extinct. The Portuguese subspecies became extinct in 1892 and the Pyrenean subspecies became extinct in 2000. An ongoing project to clone to the Pyrenean subspecies resulted in one clone being born alive in January 2009. This is the first taxon to become “un-extinct”, although the clone died a few minutes after birth due to physical defects in lungs.

Garajonay National Park

Window to the magic Garajonay National Park| by Josevi11 – CC-BY-SA-2.0

Garajonay National Park is located in the center and north of the island of La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands (Spain). It was declared a national park in 1981 and aWorld Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. It occupies 40 km2 (15 sq mi) and it extends into each of the six municipalities on the island. Continue reading “Top-10 best photos of Spain”

WLE-2015 active users – Iliana Teneva from Bulgaria

Bulgarian Iliana Teneva is the participant who contributed with the largest number of submissions in the Bulgarian edition of the “Wiki Loves Earth” contest in 2015. 449 out of the total number of 1617 uploads were delivered by her.

We asked Iliana to shortly present herself in a couple of sentences, and here is what she said:

My name is Iliana Teneva. As long as I remember, I have been taking photos, but a couple of years ago, I discovered that my life is complete only when I am with the camera and the backpack, heading to some new undiscovered place. Then I started reading and learning about photography, and taking photography courses. I still have lots to study, it’s a life-long learning. But my desire is to turn travel and photo shooting into my occupation and destiny.

Kamenshtitsa| by Iliana Teneva – CC-BY-SA-4.0

Vladi: How did you learn about the contest “Wiki Loves Earth”? Why did you decide to take part in it? Continue reading “WLE-2015 active users – Iliana Teneva from Bulgaria”

Top-10 best photos of Switzerland

One more country choose their national winners. Switzerland presents the Top-10 list of best photos. If you like water landscapes and peaceful beautiful places there is no doubts you will like these shots.

Lake Maggiore

Lake Maggiore – Thunders| by Ale72forWiki – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Lake Maggiore or Lago Verbano  is a large lake located on the south side of the Alps. It is the second largest lake in Italy and the largest in southernSwitzerland.

Lake Maggiore in Brezzo di Bedero| by Ale72forWiki – CC-BY-SA-3.0

The lake and its shoreline are divided between the Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy and the Swiss canton ofTicino. Located halfway between Lake Orta and Lake Lugano, Lake Maggiore extends for about 65 kilometres (40 miles) betweenLocarno and Arona.

Muttsee dam

Limmernsee with the temporary cablecar to erect the Muttsee dam| by Caumasee – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Limmernsee with the temporary cablecar to erect the Muttsee dam. Muttsee dam was finished October 2014.

Nature Park Neckertal

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Top-10 best photos of Estonia

What do you know about Estonia? Did you ever consider it as a land of seas and forests? Well, you will. Just take a look at top-10 best photos of Estonia. We are impressed with the variety of landscapes.

Valgesoo Nature Park

Valgesoo forest, Valgesoo Nature Park| by Külli Kolina – CC-BY-SA-3.0-EE

Valgesoo forest, Valgesoo Nature Park, Põlva County, Estonia.

Tolkuse Bog

Morning in Tolkuse bog, Luitemaa Nature Conservation Area| by Märt Kose – CC-BY-SA-3.0-EE

Tolkuse bog is a wetland in a reserve in south-western Estonia, located halfway between Pärnu and the Latvian border. The bog is located in the Luitemaa national park which consists of the Rannametsa coastline, the Rannametsa dunes (the highest in Estonia) and the Tolkuse wetland.

Saarnaki laid

Old small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata) in Saarnaki islet| by Kairi Kalmann – CC-BY-SA-3.0-EE

Saarnaki laid is an uninhabited, moraine-based island in the Baltic Sea belonging to the country of Estonia.  Continue reading “Top-10 best photos of Estonia”

TOP-10 best photos of Russia

Wiki Loves Earth Russia presents us their top-10 best photos. This year there are a lot of photos of different water objects among them. Russian national winners presenting clean and simple vision of nature. Enjoy these powerful shots.

Franz Josef Land

Iceberg at Franz-Josef Land Reserve| by Николай Гернет – CC-BY-SA-4.0

Franz Josef Land, Franz Joseph Land or Francis Joseph’s Land is an uninhabited archipelago located in the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea and Kara Sea, constituting the northernmost part ofArkhangelsk Oblast in Russia. It consists of 191 islands, which cover an area of 16,134 square kilometers (6,229 sq mi), stretching 375 kilometers (233 mi) from east to west and 234 kilometers (145 mi) from north to south.

The islands are categorized in three groups, a western, central and eastern, separated by the British Channel and the Austrian Strait. The central group is further divided into a northern and southern section by the Markham Strait. The largest island is George Land, which measures 2,741 square kilometers (1,058 sq mi), followed by Wilczek Land, Graham Bell Island and Alexandra Land.

Kungur Ice Cave

Kungur Ice Cave| by Владимир Чуприков / reworked by A.Savin – CC-BY-SA-4.0

Kungur Ice Cave is a karst cave located in the Urals, near the town Kungur in Perm Krai, Russia, on the right bank of theSylva River. The cave is famous for its ice formations and is a popular tourist landmark. Continue reading “TOP-10 best photos of Russia”

National part of the contest is officially closed

We are glad to inform that national part of the WLE 2015 has ended on 1 July. International team of Wiki Loves Earth wants to thank to all national organizers of the contest and to active participants and photographers. You rocked it.

Shgraan Valley – Pakistan| by DanialYaqub – CC-BY-SA-3.0

This year contest was international with 26 countries participating from four different continents – Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Most of countries organised the contest from 1 May to 31 May 2015, while some countries extended the contest period till 30 June. Continue reading “National part of the contest is officially closed”

TOP-10 best photos of Poland

Let’s start this week with TOP-10 best photos coming from Poland. This year national winners presenting us mostly shots of natural reserves and park. Take a chance to enjoy stunning landscapes and artistic vision of photographers.

Suwałki Landscape Park

Suwałki Landscape Park near Szurpiły| by Pawel Wojtyczka – CC-BY-SA-3.0-PL

Suwałki Landscape Park (Suwalski Park Krajobrazowy) is a protected area (Landscape Park) in north-eastern Poland, established in 1976, covering an area of 62.84 square kilometres (24.26 sq mi). The Park lies within Podlaskie Voivodeship, in Suwałki County (Gmina Jeleniewo, Gmina Przerośl, Gmina Rutka-Tartak, Gmina Wiżajny). Within the Landscape Park are three nature reserves.

Pieniny

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