The most colorful geographic features

On our planet, there is a set of seats with the "colored" names. The article selected seven geographic objects whose names are mentioned colors of the rainbow.

Red Sea

The name of the Red Sea, located between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa, still occurs in the II century BC. e. in the work of the Greek geographer Agatharchides Cnidus "On the Red Sea" (Ta kata tes Erythras thalasses). It is believed that the name Sea received because of the color. Red tint gets waters during the "flowering" of unicellular algae Trichodesmium erythraeum. In addition, purple corals also produce a similar effect.

According to another version, the name appeared due to the mountains of the Sinai Peninsula: their hue varies from deep yellow to scarlet. Perhaps the sailors saw the reflection of the mountains in the sea water, and called the Red Sea. (Photo by Coby Bidwell):

According to a third version, the name of the sea was not on the color, but because of linguistic mistakes. Thus, the Semitic word consisting of three letters, "s", "m" and "p" and meaning "Himyar" was erroneously decoded as an Arabic word for "Red Sea", which means "red." The error may have occurred because in writing himyaritov short vowels are not depicted on the letter. Himyarity - an ancient Semitic people - lived in the south of the Arabian Peninsula in the ancient kingdom of Himyar, existed from 110 BC. e. to 599 years BC. e.

Supporters another version says that in the legends of many peoples of the world are associated with side light color shades. Thus, the ancient peoples who inhabited the Middle East, the South associated with the color red. Therefore, the title "Red Sea" could mean nothing else than the "sea, located in the south."

Orange River

Mistakenly believed that the river, which flows into South Africa and Namibia, was named after the orange colored water. In fact, it got its name in the XVIII century thanks to a Dutch colonel Robert Gordon. (Photo by Damien du Toit.):

As the commander of the garrison of the Dutch East India Company in Cape Town, he made several expeditions to the interior of the continent. In 1779, during one of his trips, Robert Gordon suddenly discovered a previously unknown river to him.

The find was named after Colonel William V - Prince of Orange and the last Stadtholder of the Netherlands. So the river received the name of Orange (Orange), but over time this place-name became associated not with the royal dynasty, but with color. (Photo by Michael Baynes):

Yellow Mountains

So with the Chinese name literally translates Huangshan mountain range in the east of China. It is believed that the name of the mountains gave the poet Li Bai in the 747 year. But not for the color of the mountain got its "color" name, and in honor of the legendary ruler of Huang Di ( "Juan" - yellow, "di" - Emperor), who created the first Chinese state in the middle of the third millennium BC. e. (Photo Sunny Liu):

Legend has it that the founder of the Chinese nation has ascended to heaven from the peaks of Huangshan. Interestingly, the color yellow in China linked to many other places. For example, the legendary river of the Yellow River, which is considered to be the cradle of ancient Chinese civilization. The name of the river is literally translated as "yellow river" and associated it just with water color.

The middle part of the basin of the Yellow River flows through the Loess Plateau, along the way prihvatyvaya easily eroded rocks. They just give the river a yellowish tint. Yellow River carries its muddy waters in the Yellow Sea, causing the latter also received the "color" name. (Photo by Maria Globetrotter):

Green Lake

Not far from the Austrian town Tragoss that in Styria, at an altitude of 770 meters above sea level, is an unusual mountain lake Gryunerzee - literally "green lake", translated from German.

His name was due to the pond lush vegetation that covers the bottom of it and gives it a lush green. In addition, color enhance spruce that surround the pond and are reflected in its crystal clear water.

It is interesting that carpet the bottom of the lake is not algae, and the usual grass, shrubs and trees that are annually flooded during snowmelt. So, in May and June of the lake reaches a depth of 10-12 meters (against the usual 1-2 meters). In this shop, the bridge and in the Austrian groomed trails are also under water. Unusual underwater world attracts many divers. What it is not surprising, because a unique opportunity to "walk" through the park falls infrequently in the diving suit.

Blue Mountains

These mountains are located immediately outside the city of Sydney, were stretched to the west about fifty kilometers from the Australian metropolis and are part of the Great Dividing Range.

The slopes of the Blue Mountains are covered with eucalyptus trees, which in these parts has about 90 species. In honor of these trees and the Blue Mountains got their name. Rather, after the blue haze that envelops the mountains. It occurs when the evaporation of eucalyptus essential oils.

Each ekvaliptovoe tree covers essential "cloud", which protects the wood from overheating and overcooling during the day at night. Thus, it seems to the observer that the mountains are really blue.

Blue Volcano

With the Spanish name of the volcano Cerro Azul (Cerro Azul) is translated as "Blue Hill". It is located in the Chilean Andes and reaches a height of 3788 meters above sea level.

Chilean Andes. Stratovolcano Cerro Azul:

This "hill" provoked one of the most powerful eruptions of the last century. In 1932, during its activity ash column reached a height of 30 kilometers, thrown into the atmosphere about 9, 5 km3vulkanicheskogo material. Traces of Cerro Azul Watch 3000 kilometers from its cone. The second most powerful volcanic eruption of the famous occurred in 1846: while the crater Quizapu. According to local shepherds, who were eyewitnesses to the events on the night of November 26, they heard a loud roar of long, followed by a flash of lightning and a blue flame.

Perhaps that is why Volcano acquired its name, though no one knows exactly why the volcano was named Blue. Interestingly, the namesake of this volcano exists in other countries, such as Nicaragua and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.

Purple Mountain

Name Zijinshan translates as "purple mountain" (some sources also occurs "purple mountain of gold"). It is located in the north-eastern Chinese city of Nanjing. At sunset, a mountain often clouds envelop purple, in connection with which it it got its present name. In addition, sometimes from afar the tip does seem a bit purple.

Most likely, this effect creates a smog 8,000,000th Nanjing. Zijinshan is very popular among tourists: more than 200 attractions are in the neighborhood. One of them - the oldest observatory in China, where the major had been committed to science discoveries of comets and asteroids. (Photo by Anna Menshikova).