The world's national parks encompass a wide variety of natural landscapes, from the rocky coast of Maine's Acadia National Park to the more arid setting of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. However, one of the latest landmarks takes things to an entirely different level, and when Tibet's Qomolangma National Park opened earlier this month it became the world's highest national park.
The park, which could be included as part of a tour of China, is home to some of the highest mountains in the world. In fact, 10 mountains inside the national park stand at 23,000 feet or more, and that includes the world's highest peak - Mount Everest.
The area is certainly a good spot for a national park. According to China's Xinhua News Agency, it has already seen about 73,000 visitors this year. Yet, while tourism is a big factor, officials say they are primarily concerned with conservation.
"The national park will be focused on the protection of the ecology and biodiversity and prevention from illegal resource exploitation or land use," Sun Yongping, deputy chief of the region's tourism bureau, told the newspaper.
Although trekking to the world's highest peaks may be a bit challenging for some travelers, there are a number of other national parks the world over that offer equally-breathtaking natural features. If you're in the midst of a South America tour, Venezuela's Canaima National Park is a must see, largely because it is home to Angel Falls which, at more than 3,280 feet, is the world's tallest waterfall. Also in South America, Chile's Torres del Paine National Park offers spectacular views of the Patagonian Steppe.
