Stunning National Park in New Zealand Appears Perfectly Round From Space
It's hard to think of a place richer in more diverse natural beauty than New Zealand. Rainforests, snowcapped mountains, rolling grasslands, even deserts that look like the surface of an alien planet- New Zealand's got 'em all.
Not only that, but New Zealand is home to another landscape oddity- a national park that appears in a perfect circle from space. Geography enthusiast @laksitha1989 shared the intriguing history behind New Zealand's most symmetrical park.
There's few things more satisfying than a good symmetrical silhouette, and Egmont National Park has that down pat! The park's uniquely perfect shape is thanks to its equally symmetrical centerpiece, Mt. Taranaki. A still-active volcano, though currently dormant, Mt. Taranaki erupted many times over the course of 135,000 years, causing it to form its sublimely symmetrical cone.
So when New Zealand's government made a move to protect the summit in the 1880s, all they had to do was draw a 9.6 km radius out from the perfect center of the mountain and boom- the world's roundest national park was born! The cleared farmland all around the park makes for a sudden drastic color change when viewed from space, further accentuating the bold appearance of the park.
Mount Taranaki's iconic appearance has helped it gained notoriety worldwide. It was even a shooting location for Tom Cruise's 2003 hit The Last Samurai, used in place of Mount Fuji. Within the perfect circle of park, visitors can hike on kilometers of trails that weave from the temperate rainforests near the base to the snow-capped summit of the top. Whether you're witnessing it up close in person or far away from space, Mount Taranaki and the surrounding Egmont National Park are true natural gems!
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