The White Desert, Egypt Unusual islands of chalk shine as the sun rises in the Egyptian White Desert on September 2, 2007. The desert is known for its unusual wind-eroded rock formations in the Farafra Depression, 400 kilometers southwest of Cairo. (Cris Bouroncle/AFP/Getty Images) Stark and mysterious, deserts cover approximately one-third of the Earth's land surface, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And while most of these vast, dry areas of sand and rocks are beautiful, a number of them...

Deep in the heart of Turkey, in the semi-arid, historical region of Cappadocia, the landscape has a lunar-like appearance with rocky peaks, standing pillars, chimneys and cones. These otherworldly formations are created from sedimentary rock eroded by rain and wind into unique and beautiful shapes, reports Scribol. (MORE: 10 Desolate Ghost Towns) Starting in the fourth century A.D., local people also began to carve into the rocks, creating a series of cave-like houses, churches, monasteries, known as the fairy chimneys...

It’s every traveler'sworst nightmare: Imagine, mid-flight, hearing a thundering boom and being choked by thick smoke as flight attendants warn you to brace for impact. Passengers aboard a JetBlue flight are thankful to be alive after a harrowing experience on Thursday when a flight that took off from Long Beach Airport in California blew one of two enginesjust 15 minutes after takeoff, USA Today reports. Flight 1416, which was destined for Austin, Texas, had just taken off when trouble began...

Pinnacle Adventures, an adventure travel group, says its mission is to live life on the edge. As weather.com’s Kyla Grogan points out, they sure deliver in video John Nygren posted to his Facebook page. The video shows him swimming incredibly close to a crocodile at Banco Chinchorro, a protected marine reserve off the coast of Mexico near Belize. (MORE: Largest Gator Found in Mississippi) Most people probably wouldn’t get this close, but it does look like a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. MORE...

Church, Pennsylvania. Photographers Daniel Barter and Daniel Marbaix captured stunning images of abandoned buildings left to the elements for decades. (Courtesy of Daniel Barter and Daniel Marbaix) Photographers Daniel Barter and Daniel Marbaix captured stunning images of abandoned buildings left to the elements in America's once booming Rust Belt while taking a tour of the country. Many of the structures they documented show years—some, decades—of decay and neglect. The crumbling structures are being reclaimed by nature. "In the winter months,...

Indigenous peoples constitute around 5 per cent of the world's population Indigenous people live in every region of the world, but about 70% of them live in Asia. *exist fragile Survival's We, The People Calendar 2015 is available from: http://shop.survivalinternational.org/products/we-the-people-calendar-2015 Cusco, Peru The Lower Omo Valley, south west Ethiopia, is home to eight different tribes, who altogether number around 200,000 and include the Surma. The Ethiopian government is forcibly evicting many of these communities from their land to make way...

Alnwick Garden is one of England’s most beautiful year-round attractions — but it’s also home to 100 of the world’s deadliest plants. The garden is adjacent to Alnwick Castle, the residence of the Dukes of Northumberland for more than 700 years. Duchess Jane Percy is fascinated by the poisonous nature of plants, and wanted to share that with the world. (MORE: Signs You Have Allergies and Don't Know It) “I felt that most children I knew would be more interested...

Fall is here, and that means an explosion of brilliant fall foliage. We have the latest status of fall foliage and when you can expect the seasonal peak in the maps below. (JUMP TO REGION:Northeast | Southeast | Midwest | West | U.S.) We'd love to see your breathtaking fall photos. Upload them to us at weather.com, post themto The Weather Channel Facebook pageor tweet them to us.You can check out all the amazing photos in our fall foliage photos/video...

For the first time in a decade, the Windy City has the world's busiest airport. With more than 585,000 flights taking off from O'Hare International Airport in the first seven months of 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration announced the Chicago airport has surpassed Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as the world's busiest. It's the first time since 2004 that Chicago has held the title. This data gives Chicago the title of the world's busiest airport based on the number of departing...

Kakslauttanen Hotel and Igloo Village, Saariselka, Finland The Hotel Kakslauttanen and Igloo Village in Finland is home to unique thermal glass igloos that offer some of the best views of the Northern Lights. (Courtesy of Hotel Kakslauttanen and Igloo Village) Every serious traveler's bucket list includes viewing the Northern Lights(or aurora borealis), one of nature's most spectacular phenomena. And many will no doubt be traveling to the Nordic countries this winter for prime viewing of the stunning display, especially since...

Indoor Pool 1, Grossinger’s Catskill Resort and Hotel, Liberty, N.Y., 2011. (Marisa Scheinfeld) With her photo series on the ghost hotels of New York’s Catskills Mountains, photographer MarisaScheinfeldcaptures eerie remnants of her hometown in the Catskills, and the crumbling and decaying structures that were once vacation destinations. These hotels, once bustling with activity, are now silent and overtaken by nature. The elements have taken their toll on the buildings after years of neglect. "As structures deteriorate, rainfall entering buildings can...

A Southern California man's body was recovered over the weekend in Zion National Park when he was trapped by floodwaters in a popular hiking canyon. Douglas YoshiVo, 34, was killed Saturday in the "Narrows," a well-known destination in the Utah park where hikers walk through shallow water in a canyon with steep walls, said National Park Service spokesman David Eaker. Vo and his friend began their hike early Saturday, but the rapidly-flowing water forced the pair to retreat to higher...

With its luxurious resorts, white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters, the Maldives is known as a luxury destination. Its tourism industry has been steadily growing the past few years. In 2013, the stunning archipelago located in the Indian Ocean welcomed more than a million visitors, according to Maldives' Minivan News. But there's a dark side to paradise. Not far from the Maldives' capital of Male, only a half-hour boat ride away, mountains of trash and waste pile up on Thilafushi island,...