Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Shipwreck of the MV Ithaka

Discover Shipwreck of the MV Ithaka in Churchill, Manitoba: The rusting hulk of a 250-foot-long merchant vessel remains where she grounded on the shore of Hudson Bay.

Singing Sands Beach

Discover Singing Sands Beach in Souris, Prince Edward Island: A walk along this white sand beach creates a symphony.

Vancouver Maritime Museum

Discover Vancouver Maritime Museum in Vancouver, British Columbia: Step aboard the first ship to circumnavigate North America.

1000 Islands Tower

Discover 1000 Islands Tower in Lansdowne, Ontario: This observation tower is a longstanding, 1960s landmark in the Thousand Islands region of Canada.

Memorial Lakes

Discover Memorial Lakes in Kovach, Alberta: Three pristine alpine lakes named in memorial of an accident that resulted in three different plane crashes.

Alaska-Canada Highway Mile 0

Discover Alaska-Canada Highway Mile 0 in Dawson Creek, British Columbia: The arch marks the beginning of the road for northbound travelers.

Dead Man’s Pond

Discover Dead Man's Pond in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: This pond in Victoria Park is rumored to be bottomless, one of several legends that surround it.

Gonzales Hill Lookout Tower

Discover Gonzales Hill Lookout Tower in Victoria, British Columbia: A World War II structure that has stood the test of time.

Rose Blanche Lighthouse

Discover Rose Blanche Lighthouse in Rose Blanche-Harbour le Cou, Newfoundland and Labrador: Newfoundland's last remaining granite lighthouse.

Pelican Island

Discover Pelican Island in Ma-Me-O Beach, Alberta: Hundreds of pelicans call this island no larger than a car their home during the summer months.

Miss Piggy Plane Wreck

Discover Miss Piggy Plane Wreck in Churchill, Manitoba: A crash site in the heart of polar bear territory has become a beloved local landmark.

Banff Park Museum

Discover Banff Park Museum in Banff, Alberta: The oldest natural history museum in western Canada houses more than 5,000 vintage botanical and zoological specimens.

The Ghost Town of Phoenix

Discover The Ghost Town of Phoenix in Greenwood, British Columbia: Only a few remaining items alert intrepid explorers that a town once stood in this region.

Pink Lake

Discover Pink Lake in Gatineau, Québec: Despite the name, the waters of this Canadian lake are actually blue-green in color.

Remember Flanders

Discover Remember Flanders in Ottawa, Ontario: Dedicated to the writer who immortalized the use of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance of those who died in wars.

Centre of the Universe

Discover Centre of the Universe in Victoria, British Columbia: A cheeky name for an observatory visitor's center.

‘Ghost Train’

Discover 'Ghost Train' in Brampton, Ontario: This metal sculpture is a tribute to the Canadian Pacific Railway, which had a station in the village that has now been converted into a library.

Camera Obscura

Discover Camera Obscura in Cheverie, Nova Scotia: Experience the magic (and science) of a camera with this giant structure that allows you to enter inside the camera.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 261 ii
To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. 480 iii
To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. 514 iv
To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. 642 ix
To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals. 137 v
To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. 172 vi
To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria). 256 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 151 viii
To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. 98 x
To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation. 168

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