There are places around the world that captivate me. I know what they are, and as a geographer I have to ask “why them?”. What makes a place stand out and meaningful? A great starting point for exploring these questions is Yi-fu Tuan's seminal work, Topophilia. Tuan looks at the affective bonds established between people and places and explores how personal experiences serve as a conduit for shaping people’s perceptions, understandings, and relationships with places. Ultimately, places that evoke meaning and significance for an individual are influenced by a multitude of factors, but landscapes that become meaningful and memorable are highly subjective and personalized.
I am drawn to “unusual” or “off-beat” places and landscapes, ones aptly described as “rare as hen’s teeth”. They intrigue me, and then through the process of experiencing them they become meaningful. They may not necessarily be unique. For example, the Sheepdog Memorial shown here at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand is not the only dog memorial on the planet, yet encountering a beautiful public memorial dedicated to “human’s best friends” is memorable. As you navigate through the sites featured in this piece, I challenge you to reflect upon the landscapes that hold special meaning for you, and the reasons as to why.
Fittingly, this round-the-world journey begins in Africa, as it is considered the “Mother Continent” and also where each new day begins, since a part of it is situated along the Prime Meridian. As we move eastward from the Prime Meridian, our first distinctive stop is Table Mountain, originally known as Hoerikwaggo or “Mountain in the Sea” by the Khoisan people, and notable for its extremely well-defined, flat-topped shape that provides its contemporary namesake. It is estimated to be up to 600 million years in age, and its formation is linked to the collision of Africa and South America, which uplifted the sedimentary rock here roughly 260 million years ago. Since that time, Table Mountain acquired its shape through erosion and continued geologic evolution. The Khoisan considered it sacred and the mountain also was a navigational landmark for sailors in the region. Nowadays, this 3,563-foot-tall landmark is a symbol of and synonymous with the city of Cape Town, South Africa. Its beauty is part of what gives Cape Town its reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Rocky environs often prove to be fertile grounds for producing distinctive environments. One such example is in Meteora, which covers an area of around 23 square miles in central Greece. This transcendent area consists of striking sandstone pillars that were first created millions of years ago, thanks to erosion and sedimentation. Some of these pillars soar up to 1,300 feet above the valley that they are situated within. Beginning in the 9th century, monks who were seeking solitude in these cliffs began building monasteries atop some of these formations. By the 14th century, there were twenty-four monasteries here, though today only six of these architectural wonders remain active. The name “Meteora” is apropos as it translates from Greek as “suspended in air”, and when one ganders upon this distinctive landscape, the monasteries appear to be thrusted skywards as they cling to the towering sandstone formations dotting the region.
Occasionally, legends contribute to the distinctiveness of a site and create an imaginary geography of sorts. This is certainly the case with “Dracula’s” Castle in the Transylvania region of Romania, even though Vlad The Impaler (the real-life inspiration for the story of Dracula) never even lived there. More formally known as Bran Castle based on the name of its town, the castle itself is perched atop a 200-foot limestone outcropping and offers dramatic views of the surrounding valleys and forests. The castle was originally built in the 14th century by the Saxons of Kronstadt as a defensive fortress. It became linked with Dracula sometime after Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel was published in 1897. Ironically, Stoker himself never visited Bran Castle, but the castle's dramatic appearance and location added to its allure as the perfect setting for Stoker's fictional vampire. Romania continued to promote the castle’s connections with Dracula – even though there wasn’t much of one at all – and it worked as people have descended upon Transylvania for over a century to visit a place that has become synonymous with Vlad the Impaler. Though the castle’s legend is more myth, the association with Dracula gives it the air of a special place. Its dramatic setting and traditional medieval characteristics such as hidden interior passageways also imbue this castle with a sense of drama.
Cappadocia - believed to be drawn from an ancient Persian word meaning “the land of beautiful horses” – describes a region found within central Turkey. Today, it might as well translate as “the land of majestic hot air balloons,” as it is world-renowned for the roughly 150 colorful hot air balloons that take flight there approximately 260 days out of each year. The heart of this region centers around Göreme National Park and five key communities near its perimeter – Ürgüp, Uchisar, Ortahisar, Avanos, and the town of Göreme. The region is perhaps most famous for its historical and distinctive combination of physical and cultural characteristics. These include volcanic tuff formations of rock that dot the landscape, creating the region’s famed hoodoos or “fairy chimneys.” As an area of relatively soft rock dating back some twenty million years, it also became a region where people could find shelter and protection dating as far back as the Bronze Age. Home dwellings, tombs, churches and monasteries, even entire underground cities are among the rock-cut architecture that could be found here historically. These days, the region draws many tourists to witness the region’s distinctive beauty, some even staying in one of the area’s “cave hotels.” Surely one of the most distinctive utilizations of the area’s soft volcanic rock today is found in the Pasabag Valley, where one can find a real, operating “jandarma” – or police station – within a fairy chimney. This is only fitting since Cappadocia was historically a region where people found shelter and protection. Pictured here, it is the world’s only police station located inside a hoodoo, though as the scale of the “building” suggests, it is a relatively diminutive police outpost.
Few water features in the world can rival the Dead Sea in terms of its rarified characteristics. This relatively small body of water – just under 400 square miles in area, or less than the size of San Antonio, Texas’ city limits - is shared by Jordan, Palestine, and Israel. Its best-known distinction is that of being the lowest elevation of any place on the surface of the planet - approximately 1,400 feet below sea level – thanks in large part to its location in the Jordan Rift Valley. While that alone makes the Dead Sea stand out, the extremely high salinity of its water is another unusual feature. Its salinity of around 30% is close to ten times more than the average of the world’s oceans, and is one of the reasons it bears its name, as it is simply too salty for most aquatic life to survive here. The high salt content gives rise, however, to the notable buoyancy of its waters. Because of that, a person can float quite effortlessly on its surface.
Sacred spaces can take on many forms, but among the most distinctive are those directly carved out of earthen rock. This is the case in the Ethiopian Highlands, where a series of eleven monolithic churches were carved and connected by a series of trenches and tunnels in Lalibela in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Situated at an elevation of about 8,500 feet, these rock-hewn churches were constructed over a period of twenty-four years with hopes of creating a “new Jerusalem” for Ethiopia’s Christian population. Most famous and iconic among these is the Church of Saint George, pictured here. The volcanic tuff was the only architectural material used in creating this church as it was carved downward out of a single piece of rock, leaving behind a finely crafted and detailed cross-shaped structure within the ground. Though steeped in history, the Church of St. George and its ten neighboring rock-hewn churches in Lalibela remain active places of worship and draw pilgrimages to this day, especially during major Christian holidays.
Historically, humans have come up with a number of distinct and ingenious ways to further develop understandings of the cosmos, and how the Earth fits within space and time. One example reflecting this is found at the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, India. Constructed between 1724 and 1734 and literally translating as “calculating instrument,” the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is a collection of nineteen astronomical instruments that were designed to track celestial movements, predict eclipses, and measure time. While there were a total of five primary Jantar Mantars constructed in India in the 18th century, the collection found within the observatory in Jaipur stands out as the largest and most impressive. The collection of architectural instruments found here are constructed from stone and masonry. The fusion of science with art here reveals the advanced understandings of astronomy that existed in India in the 18th century. Perhaps most impressive in this Jantar Mantar collection is the Samrat Yantra, which is pictured above. Standing at approximately 88 feet tall, it is the world’s largest stone sundial and was designed to provide accurate time readings based on the position of the sun.
Singapore’s site and situation alone provide it with a one-of-a-kind quality, being located just over one degree north of the equator and opening up to the Singapore Strait at the very southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The core of Singapore rests on a 280 square-mile island and as one of only three city-states globally (along with Monaco and the Vatican City), ranks as one of the twenty smallest countries in the world. Singapore’s translation as “Lion City” seems fitting given its rise from humble beginnings as a relatively remote marshland to one of the most advanced, vibrant and cutting-edge urban landscapes on the planet. Its cultural landscape reflects a fusion of cultural influences and includes modern architectural marvels like the Marina Bay Sands Hotel that contribute to illuminating its skyline. It is also home to extensive and innovative urban green spaces that in part have been incorporated through land reclamation. The Merlion Statue is another significant and unique reflection of Singapore, as it features the head of a lion – a nod to Singapore’s namesake - and the body of a fish, which represents the city’s coastal heritage and roots as a fishing village.
Rock formations often inspire distinctive landscapes, and this is the case for the ethereal karst environs found at Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam. “Ha Long” translates from Vietnamese as “Descending Dragon”, relating to a local legend about a dragon that descended from the sky to protect the Vietnamese people. While limestone is abundant on the Earth, and karst formations are common within this type of rock, karst landscapes like those found at Ha Long Bay are rare. This is because the karst landscapes here blend a full-fledged conglomeration of 1,600 limestone islands and islets with completely submerged underwater caves within the bay, creating a majestic “drowned karst” environment. The haystack-looking formations within Ha Long Bay reach heights of up to 650 feet and also possess labyrinthian systems of caves in some cases. Complementing this stunning physical environment are fishing villages and traditional wooden “junk” boats that reflect a part of the area’s cultural landscape. Waking in a misty morning on a boat on the water is a magical experience.
The Great Wall of China is so expansive that like a number of other sites discussed here, a single set of latitude and longitude coordinates does not do it justice. The coordinates that are provided here identify the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall shown in the above image, located around 35 miles northwest of Beijing. Defensive fortifications and walls have been constructed throughout history, but what is so unusual about the series of walls that make up the Great Wall is their immensity, stretching over 13,000 miles across parts of northern China. The first significant stretches of the Great Wall date back to the time of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE), though most of the wall that remains today (including the Juyongguan section seen here) was constructed much later during the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). This striking example of defensive geography was originally built to protect against invasions from nomadic tribes, but it also safeguarded trade routes along parts of the historic Silk Road. Much of the wall remained intact over the centuries despite not having a protected status. However, a series of laws passed since 1982 in China have been designed to protect the Great Wall and to fully recognize its cultural and historical significance. Perhaps most unique among these laws was a provision prohibiting “rave parties” from taking place on sections of the Wall, which has been in effect since 2010.
The final stop in the eastern hemisphere on this geo-trek is in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Australia. It is exceptional - among other things - for its sheer scope. The Great Barrier Reef, noteworthy for being the world’s largest coral reef system at approximately 133,000 square miles in area, is home to over 2,900 individual reefs and one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. As a reflection of this rare hot spot of biodiversity, there are around 400 different species of coral and 1,500 species of fish, including the parrotfish photographed here. This immense marine resource possesses a sensitive ecological environment, and one that has informed of the repercussions of climate change. The Great Barrier Reef has consequently been subject to some of the negative byproducts of the planet’s recent trend of warming temperatures such as coral bleaching, ocean acidification, changes in species distribution, and declining water quality. Despite these ominous warning signs, there have been some silver linings, as a number of the coral species found in the Great Barrier Reef system have proven to be remarkably durable and have managed to adapt to environmental changes over time.
As our journey takes us across the International Date Line, our first stop in the western hemisphere is on the “Big Island” of Hawaii. Crowning this island is the volcanically-formed Mauna Kea, exceptional once again because of its immense dimensions. Mauna Kea is actually taller than Mount Everest if accounting for measuring its base from the Pacific Ocean floor. While Mauna Kea ascends 13,796 feet above sea level on Hawaii, it descends almost 20,000 feet below the sea to its foundation, collectively rising over 33,500 feet from its sea base to its peak. This dormant volcano is also home to some of the world’s most advanced astronomical observatories, taking advantage of its relatively dry atmosphere, high elevation, and minimal light pollution. While remarkable, these observatories aren’t without controversy, as they are situated upon what is considered sacred ground to Native Hawaiians. The observatories of Mauna Kea are therefore the centerpiece of an ongoing dialogue about the future of the mountain and the balance between scientific exploration and respect for Indigenous rights and the environment.
Sedona, Arizona is a place that merits listing as a geographically wondrous place thanks to the majestic sandstone red rock formations that punctuate the high deserts and pine forests of this ecological transition zone. However, there is a specific site within Sedona that is featured here: its McDonald’s. Thanks to the community’s strict design guidelines aimed at preserving the natural beauty of this area of northern Arizona, this mighty symbol of globalization takes on an unusual look. Constructed in 1993, this McDonald’s is unique, designed to blend harmoniously with the surrounding environment. The teal arches, rather than the traditional bright yellow ones, were chosen to complement the natural landscape and adhere to local building codes that aim to maintain the area's aesthetic appeal. The end result of this is the world’s only McDonald’s with teal arches. It represents a classic case of “glocalization”, where a strongly identifiable corporate symbol has been adapted in a manner to try to remain consistent and connected with a local community.
It seems only fitting that there would be a “corn palace” located somewhere within the Corn Belt of the United States. The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, is arguably one of a kind. First built in 1892, its original purpose was to highlight the region's agricultural bounty and to serve as a gathering place for people in the area. The Corn Palace that stands today is the third version to be built in Mitchell, and was completed in 1921. Nowadays, this 30,000 square foot -structure serves as a testament to corn’s importance to the local economy, as well as a community center and a cultural venue for concerts, festivals, and other events. What makes the Corn Palace particularly unique is its annual tradition of having its exterior redecorated with fresh corn and grains. Each year, there is a new theme reflected in the vibrant murals that adorn the Corn Palace’s exterior walls. In 2025, for example, the theme was “Wonders of the World”, and as with other years, the corn is nailed “ear by ear” to the Corn Palace to create the various scenes reflected in the murals. Before venturing onward, it would be remiss to discuss the Corn Palace without mentioning Cornelius, the palace’s “a-maize-ing” mascot, pictured in the foreground of this photo.
The Everglades of southern Florida are distinct in being one of the largest subtropical wetland ecosystems in the world, spanning over 4,000 square miles. Around 2,300 square miles of that is now a part of the Everglades National Park. Their original Native American name was “Pa-hay-okee,” or “grassy river” in the Seminole language. The region evolved over thousands of years, shaped by the slow flow of water from Lake Okeechobee southward, creating a landscape of sawgrass marshes, mangroves, and hardwood swamps in the process. The waters of the Everglades are extensive, but are not very deep, averaging only 4-5 feet in depth. The ecosystem of the Everglades plays a critical role in flood control and water purification, and also provides a crucial habitat for various species such as the American crocodile, Florida panther, and a myriad of bird species. In fact, the Everglades is the only place in the world where one can find the coexistence of alligators and crocodiles in the wild. This region has been significantly transformed since 1900 as a result of agricultural use and urban development, leaving only half of the original wetlands remaining.
Sometimes an individual artist or architect can be responsible for infusing a distinctive flair to a place. Individuals like Antoni Gaudi and Oscar Niemeyer have become synonymous with Barcelona and Brasilia, respectively, thanks to the artistic imprints they’ve imbued upon those cities. Another remarkable influence can be seen at Botero Plaza, located in the heart of Medellin, Colombia. This is the city where the Colombian sculptor Fernando Botero was born in 1932 and it is in this plaza where a series of his instantly recognizable works can be found. Here, there are a total of twenty-three oversized Botero sculptures, which are known for their characteristically exaggerated proportions and playful forms as a means of providing both humor and social commentary. These voluptuous pieces were installed between the Palacio de Cultura Uribe Uribe and the Museo de Antioquia in 2002 as part of the city of Medellin’s urban renewal program, and were donated by Botero himself. In the time since, they have become one of the most defining elements of Medellin and emblematic of the fruits that urban renewal can bear as a part of efforts to transform public space.
Our next stop on this journey brings us to the heart of the Andean region of South America and within the bounds of the old culture hearth of the Inca Empire. Found in the Altiplano between Peru and Bolivia is Lake Titicaca. Aside from possessing the noteworthy distinction of being the world’s highest navigable lake at an elevation of approximately 12,500 feet above sea level, it is also South America’s largest freshwater lake and one of less than twenty ancient lakes remaining in the world, believed to be around three million years old. The toponym for this body of water is derived from the longstanding Quechua and Aymara languages found here, commonly thought to translate as either “Gray Puma” or “Rock of the Puma”. Lake Titicaca holds an incredibly rich cultural history along with functional importance to modern populations in the area. In Inca tradition, it is believed to be the birthplace of the sun. There are forty-one natural islands found on this 3,232 square mile lake, including Isla del Sol on the Bolivian side and Taquile and Amantani islands on the Peruvian side. Also resting near the western shores on the Peruvian side are a series of human-made floating islands known as the Uros, constructed of remarkably strong and durable aquatic reeds known as “totora”, and where Andean inhabitants have lived for over 500 years. Stories and intrigue also abound on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. One such example is that the lake is the official modern-day home to Bolivia’s naval fleet, an ironic geographic anomaly given that Bolivia nowadays is a landlocked country!
Tucked into the rugged southwest corner of Bolivia is an otherworldly set of landscapes known as the “Salar de Uyuni”, or Uyuni Salt Flats. Situated in the South American Altiplano at around 12,000 feet, these salt flats are the world’s largest, spanning over 3,000 square miles in area, larger than the entire U.S. state of Delaware. Going back as far as 42,000 years ago, this area was part of a large water body known as Lake Minchin. Over time, the area dried up significantly, and one of the relics left behind was the giant salt flats of Uyuni. Not far below the surface is a layer of mud mixed with salt. The brine found here consists of variants of chloride, including lithium, sodium, and magnesium. The solid salt-crusted surface of the flats is what gives them a striking white appearance, and during the rainy season, a thin layer of water occasionally develops atop the flats, transforming them into a giant mirror, perfectly reflecting the sky. There are also a number of islands found within the Salar, such as Incahuasi Island, where the photograph above was taken. These islands are outcrops of old volcanoes that were underwater when Lake Minchin existed and provide a stunning contrast to the surrounding white-hued flats.
Pingvellir is located in the interior of the northern Atlantic island of Iceland. Much like a number of our other stops in this collection of evocative places, it is a site that reflects its distinctiveness through both its physical and cultural attributes. Pingvellir represents part of the physical boundary between North America and Europe, given its location straddling the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The rift zone for which Pingvellir sits upon has been shifting along this stretch of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge for the past 150 million years, slowly diverging the Eurasian and North American plates. Pingvellir itself also rests upon a former glacier that was active during the ice age and had a major impact on volcanism and the subsequent volcanic landforms in the area. As temperatures began increasing 18,000 years ago, the glacier began to melt and gradually retreated. This ultimately led to the formation of Lake Pingvallavatn, which today is Iceland’s largest natural lake. Modern-day Pingvellir is situated along Lake Pingvallavatn’s northern shores. Culturally, Pingvellir – which translates as “Parliament Plains” – carries tremendous significance within Icelandic history and identity. The site draws its name from the term “Alping”, the national parliament of Iceland, first established in 930 CE in conjunction with Iceland’s commonwealth period. It is considered the oldest existing parliament in the world, and for centuries it served as the key center for Icelandic governance and law.
Why not seal the places we’ve visited here with a kiss? As we venture back ever-closer to the Prime Meridian, our final stop on this odyssey brings us to the Blarney Stone, perched atop the Blarney Castle near Cork, Ireland. The Blarney Castle dates back to the 15th century, and wouldn’t be so different from other medieval Irish castles if not for its Blarney Stone located at its crest. The Blarney Stone itself is a four foot by one foot block of carboniferous limestone and is deeply intertwined with Irish folklore. There are many theories and legends associated with origins of the Blarney Stone, but the belief is that if one kisses the stone, one will be bequeathed with a “gift of gab” or eloquence thanks to the stone’s magical properties. To kiss the stone, however, is quite an experience in itself. This is due to the stone’s placement in Blarney Castle’s battlement wall below a parapet. In order to reach the stone, you need to get in a precarious position lying on your back, leaning over the castle edge, and being held by someone as you kiss the stone. The gift of eloquence is thus earned, not given!
The places I highlighted here tend to be geographically out of the ordinary, so much so that they remain emblazoned in my mind. It may have been provoked by their special beauty, energy, adaptive cultural imprint, or story, but these spaces share a common thread of having a quality that sets them apart. They are not necessarily immune to human interference. They are often vulnerable to challenges such as overtourism. And, while distinctive, these places are also impacted by some of the big geographic issues of our time, like globalization or climate change. However, these places are worth highlighting because they are truly noteworthy for their own reasons, and add spirit, personality, and panache to our planet in the process. As such, they are very much worth honoring, celebrating, protecting, and preserving. As Yi-fu Tuan acutely wrote in Topophilia, “A person is a biological organism, a social being, and a unique individual; perception, attitude, and value reflect all three levels of being.” (Tuan 1974, 245). The confluence of these elements helps us establish our own landscapes of meaning and memory. I hope that this piece helps you further reflect upon what landscapes are particularly memorable for you. As we circle back to the start of this piece, I again ask you to think about what your “list of distinctive places” would look like? What factors contribute to the places that hold special meaning to you? We all perceive the world that we encounter in our own varied ways. For each of us, there are a personalized set of elements that ultimately evoke special memories of a place.