One more national finalists should be announced. Please welcome Morocco’s best photos.

Gazelle

A gazelle is any of many antelope species in the genus Gazella or formerly considered to belong to it. The name gazelle comes from Arabic name غزال ġazāl. Six species are included in two genera, Eudorcas and Nanger, which were formerly considered subgenera. The genusProcapra has also been considered a subgenus of Gazella, and its members are also referred to as gazelles, though they are not dealt with in this article.

Gazelles are known as swift animals-–some are able to run at bursts as high as 60 mph (97 km/h), or run at a sustained speed of 30 mph (48 km/h). Gazelles are mostly found in the deserts, grasslands, and savannas of Africa; but they are also found in southwest andcentral Asia and the Indian subcontinent. They tend to live in herds and will eat less coarse, easily digestible plants and leaves.

Toubkal

Toubkal or Tubkal is a mountain peak in southwesternMorocco, located in the Toubkal National Park. At 4,167 metres (13,671 ft), it is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and inNorth Africa. It is an ultra prominent peak located 63 km south of the city of Marrakesh, and is a popular destination for climbers.

Rif

The Rif or Riff is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, with some fertile plains, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Melwiyya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean in the north to the river of Wergha in the south. Continue reading “Top-10 photos of Morocco”

Last national finalists should be announced and we are going to know the WLE winner of 2015. Meanwhile take a look at best photos from Bulgaria.

Iskar Gorge

The Iskar Gorge is a gorge passing through the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria. It connects Sofia and Mezdra.

The road and railroad follow the course of the Iskar River through a winding, scenic canyon.

he Natural Park “Vrachanski Balkan” is the second largest of the country’s parks, which covers the Vratchanska Mountain and the massif of the Lakatnishki cliff rocks. It has a territory of 28 844 ha most of which is covered with karst limestones, 1 300 meters thick. Unique in their beauty caves and chasms can be seen in the park.

On the territory of the park have been registered about 950 species of high plants, of which more than 80 are rare species. From scientific and preservation point of view the most interesting species are the groups living in the caves (vertebrates and bats) and the day birds of prey. There are 214 registered species of vertebrates in the park.

Little bittern

The little bittern is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, native to the Old World, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, western and southern Asia, and Madagascar. Birds from temperate regions in Europe and western Asia aremigratory, wintering in Africa and further south in Asia, while those nesting in the tropics are sedentary. It is rare north of its breeding range.

Banded demoiselle

The banded demoiselle is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is often found along slow-flowing streams and rivers. It is a Eurasian species occurring from the Atlantic coast eastwards to Lake Baikal and northwesternChina. Continue reading “Top-10 photos of Bulgaria”

We are impressed with Top-10 photos of Algeria. Such strong and clean shots. WLE photographers demonstrated great variety of landscapes and nature. Well done, Algeria!

Ahaggar National Park

Algeria’s Ahaggar National Park covers an area of approximately 450,000 square kilometers in the Saharan Algeria Region in the extreme south of the country.

The closest populated area near the park, which lies in a desert mountainous zone, is the oasis city of Tamanrasset. The Ahaggar Mountains, also known as the Hoggar, dominate the park, with the highest peak being Mount Tahat, measuring 3,003 meters above sea level.

Papaver

Papaver is a genus of 70–100 species of frost-tolerant annuals, biennials, and perennials native to temperate and cold regions of Eurasia, Africa and North America. It is the type genus of the poppy family, Papaveraceae.

The flowers have two sepals that fall off as the bud opens, and four (or up to six) petals in red, pink, orange, yellow, or lilac. There are many stamens in several whorls around a compound pistil, which results from the fusion of carpels. The stigmas are visible on top of the capsule, and the number of stigmas corresponds to the number of fused carpels.

Djebel Chélia

Djebel Chélia  is a mountain in Algeria. It is the highest point in the Aurès Mountains which straddle the border between Algeria and Tunisia, and it is the second highest peak in Algeria after Mount Tahat. Djebel Chélia is situated in the west of Khenchela, in Bouhmama county. Continue reading “Top-10 photos of Algeria”

Top-10 best photos of France most probably are the most diverse list of natural landscapes and life. Enjoy every single shot of it.

Jura Mountains Regional Natural Park

Jura Mountains Regional Natural Park is a French regional natural park located in the southwest of the Jura Mountain Range in France, on the French-Swiss border.

The park was created February 10, 1986, and at that time comprised 37 towns. As of 2005, that count is now 113 towns, with a total population of 71,000 inhabitants. The park covers an area of 165,000 hectares across three French departments: Ain, Doubs andJura.

Étang de Vaccarès

Étang de Vaccarès is a lake, or rather; a salt water lagoon (étang), in the wetlands of the Camargue in the delta of the RiverRhône in southern France.

The lake has an area of 65 km², and the depth is less than two meters. It is the northernmost, and also the largest of the lakes of the Camargue, and constitutes the principal element in the water control system of the Rhône delta, which depends upon a strict management of water resources, through pumping, irrigation and draining stations making a complex network of channels throughout the river delta.

Banks of the pond of Scamandre

Salazie

Continue reading “Top-10 best photos of France”

How many national parks and resorts one country can have? Looking at Thailand – a lot. This year finalist have shown great variety of natural parks.

Tham Sakoen National Park

Tham Sakoen national park is located in Pa Namyoaw and Pa Namsuad forest reserves in Song Kawae district in the northern part of Nan province, close to Laos. The 448 square kilometers park is comprised of north-south rugged mountains that cross the border between Laos and Thailand. The elevation ranges from 300 to 1752 meters above the sea level, the highest peak being Doi Jee at 1752 meters. The mountains are the head waters of Lamnam Yom and Lamnam Nan, two important rivers of the country.

Khun Chae National Park

Khun Chae National Park is a national park in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. This rugged park is home to high mountains and waterfalls.

Khun Chae National Park is located about 100 kilometres (60  Continue reading “Top-10 Photos of Thailand”

We getting closer to see winning photos of WLE 2015 and meanwhile you can check top-10 shots from Ukraine.

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve

Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (CBR) was established as a nature reserve in 1968 and became part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO in 1992. It consists of six separate massifs, two botanic preserves (Chorna Hora and Yulivska Hora) and regional landscape park Stuzhytsia, with a total area of 57,880 hectares (143,000 acres). The greatest part of the reserve is covered by virgin forests.

Administratively, the biosphere reserve is located in four districts of Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine. It is adjacent to the Carpathian National Nature Park.

Kinburn Foreland

Continue reading “Top-10 Photos Of Ukraine”