The US is home to some amazing Natural Wonders. If you could trade one of them for a non-American Natural Wonder, which would they be and why?
Posted by jcstan05@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 129 comments
We've got the Redwoods, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and many other breathtaking geographical landmarks. But we don't have a monopoly on earth's beauty. Imagine it were possible to swap natural wonders and have them stay intact. What feature would you like to be part of the US, and what feature would you be willing to give up. Explain why this would be a fair trade.
Ohhhhhhthehumanity@reddit
Glacier lagoon in Iceland is just about the most breathtaking place I've ever seen. I'd trade some epic mountain in the southwest for it any day.
obtusername@reddit
The Rockies for an equal-sized portion of the Himalayas, specifically the part with Everest.
ricree@reddit
If we only got one section, I'd suggest the part with K2. We don't really need the extra tourism from Everest, and K2 is much more visually striking.
InksPenandPaper@reddit
I don't know. All those bodies would scare the children.
burner12077@reddit
Yah I'm sure all those children hiking to the top of everest will be terrified.
InksPenandPaper@reddit
Alas! My children are adults and have an aversion to the dead (clearly a product of poor rearing on my part) but enjoy an ambitious hike!
Crepes_for_days3000@reddit
And the mountain is covered in poop from the hikers. I say they can keep Mt. Everest!
AccomplishedEbb4383@reddit
How could something called the Rainbow Valley be scary?
InksPenandPaper@reddit
Right?! But I failed as a parent. My kids have an unfortunate aversion to dead bodies that I've tried to break them of.
Welpe@reddit
I was gonna say the Appalachians because the Rockies are too great to give up but who cares about the east coast?
IsisArtemii@reddit
The entire Grand Canyon for all the Egyptian tombs, monuments, etc.
WHAT? I’m just exchanging one desert for another.
SpiritOfDefeat@reddit
I’d trade a bit of our coastline for the Adriatic Coast. The combination of real water and mountains is incredible. And rocky beaches are something that I now appreciate, it’s nice to not be completely covered in sand.
NoEmotion681@reddit
The Adriatic isn't that clear though, especially in the northern part, but because the beaches are rather sand and the seabed is shallow.
You need to go to Conero to find the rocky beaches
Livia85@reddit
Or to Croatia. Only rocks on that side of the Adriatic Sea.
badger_on_fire@reddit
A lot of Maine's coastline is similar to the Adriatic (albeit the water is a bit less inviting), but both are absolutely gorgeous.
SpiritOfDefeat@reddit
I need to visit Maine, never been up there but you’re selling it to me!
ballrus_walsack@reddit
Totally worth a trip. Acadia national park is stunning.
koreanforrabbit@reddit
Tahoe is like that. The clearest water I've ever been in, surrounded by a picture-perfect mountain vista and big ol' rocks to chill on.
annaoze94@reddit
Okay how about the coastline of Los Angeles County you can have it please take it
Wadsworth_McStumpy@reddit
I'm happy with all of our natural wonders. Can we trade some man-made ones? I'll give you Times Square in exchange for Westminster Abbey.
If they want to keep Westminster for coronations, I'd settle for Canterbury Cathedral.
sim-o@reddit
Times square right across the road from the houses of Parliament. Beautiful! Haha
frantzfanonical@reddit
i’d swap appalachia for patagonia.
then swap niagara falls for mt. fuji
then swap the everglades for the great barrier reef
GodzillaDrinks@reddit
I'd trade the grand canyon for that naturally occurring nuclear reactor in Gabon.
Boring old hole in the ground versus the worlds first nuclear reactor. Its a deal.
Red_Beard_Rising@reddit
Amazon rain forest, but only the pretty parts, not the things that might eat you.
GodzillaDrinks@reddit
I'd trade the grand canyon for that naturally occurring nuclear reactor in Gabon.
Boring old hole in the ground versus the worlds first nuclear reactor. Its a deal.
TehLoneWanderer101@reddit
Full ownership of Niagara Falls.
JakeVonFurth@reddit
You're thinking too small.
Canada. All of Canada.
darksideofthemoon131@reddit
Arguably, most of Canada already lives within the United States anyway (where it dips down near Michigan) it wouldn't be a stretch to just walk in.
JakeVonFurth@reddit
That more or less was the official U.S. Military's official attack plan for a while
Roga-Danar@reddit
I love that the US maintains invasion plans for Canada. Ive always wondered if Canadian military have some kind of defense plan against it.
DynamiteWitLaserBeam@reddit
Oh right, Canada, the country directly south of Detroit Michigan.
darksideofthemoon131@reddit
I think i read that 70% of Canada's population is located below Detroit. People look at maps and not globes and forget about the curvature of the earth.
concrete_isnt_cement@reddit
70% live below the 49th parallel, not below Detroit. Slightly more than half live further south than Seattle though!
Suomi964@reddit
Yeah if we are sneaking in to Canada I’d rather grab Vancouver Island
concrete_isnt_cement@reddit
I mean, we really should extend the 49th parallel boundary to at least get the southern bit of it. Victoria, Washington has a nice ring to it
plasticface2@reddit
Already been tried. American ended up with a burnt down White House.
Avocado-Duck@reddit
Don’t know why you’re being downvoted. Facts are facts. Canada is a good neighbor in peace, aggressive in war, and too much like us to fuck with.
El_Polio_Loco@reddit
Don’t forget, Canadians consider the Geneva convention a checklist.
plasticface2@reddit
Yeah but it wasn't the Canadians that took Washington D.C. Can you guess who it was??
The12th_secret_spice@reddit
The Spanish Inquisition?
plasticface2@reddit
You knew. Bloody Google.
The12th_secret_spice@reddit
At first I didn’t expect it. Then I thought, expect the unexpected. And boom, Spanish Inquisition.
StayPony_GoldenBoy@reddit
I'd settle trading our side of the falls for Canada's. I think that technically satisfies the OP.
I_amnotanonion@reddit
We give up Delaware for Canada
LoyalKopite@reddit
Now we talking.
Capable_Stranger9885@reddit
American Falls, Niagara Falls for Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls
(Really, for Iguazu)
neoprenewedgie@reddit
Some people consider Joshua Tree National Monument a natural wonder but I would trade it for a decent bottle of Spanish wine. I know this is a "me" issue but I hate joshua trees and I hate the region. They're just so weird. They're not even "trees," just weird deformed bushes. There are lots of weird and cool cacti throughout the southwest but the j trees are stupid.
(I don't know how they hurt me.)
Low-Cat4360@reddit
They're actually a type of yucca, putting them in the same family as asparagus
nanneryeeter@reddit
Weird Deformed Bush National Park..
VIDCAs17@reddit
Off-Brand Asparagus National Park
neoprenewedgie@reddit
This is good to know! Now I hate them even more.
ineedmoreslee@reddit
As a person who hiked around tons of them, if you get close enough to them they will hurt you.
Warmslammer69k@reddit
If I get close enough I will hurt them.
roughlyround@reddit
I'd trade Rushmore for some pyramids
Roadshell@reddit
I'd trade Yellowstone for Mount Everest (don't tell the Nepalese that Yellowstone comes with a super-volcano underneath.
shogi_x@reddit
Bad trade IMO. Yellowstone is absolutely gorgeous and much more accessible for people to actually enjoy.
SDEexorect@reddit
ok but... hear me out, we get away from that superdeath
Freeman7-13@reddit
Mount Everest is for rich people and Sherpas.
real_agent_99@reddit
Completely agree!
SDEexorect@reddit
id trade some of our islands like PR and Guam for Iceland
book81able@reddit
Pinnacles National Park for Zhangjiaje National Forest Park.
Basically the same thing? I’m sure China would not notice.
dixpourcentmerci@reddit
Hahah I was going to request Zhangjiaje but hadn’t decided what to offer as trade. This is perfect.
jcstan05@reddit (OP)
"Mom, can we stop get Zhangjiajie?"
"We have Zhangjiajie at home."
At home: Pinnacles National Park
book81able@reddit
Maybe California should invest in some fog machines to make Pinnacles more atmospheric
annaoze94@reddit
I would trade the American Rockies for the Canadian Rockies. I've never actually been to the American Rockies but I have been to Banff in Alberta
TheLastRulerofMerv@reddit
You got downvoted but you're totally right. I've had the privilege of travelling the length and breadth of the Rockies on both sides of the border, and the Canadian Rockies just offer so much more in terms of beauty and ruggedness.
Crepes_for_days3000@reddit
I would trade our Appalachian Mountains for the Swiss Alps any day.
ixamnis@reddit
I'd trade all the Meth labs in Missouri for the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.
mykepagan@reddit
I’ll trade Devil’s Tower (too far away to visit) for Stromboli (active volcano off Sicily; I visited there last year and saw 6-7 eruptions which was super cool)
Yourlilemogirl@reddit
It's easier to be the champion of others than for oneself. You defend their confidence but belittle any you give yourself. It's easy to tear yourself down when you're helping to grow that narrative.
It helped me a lot with just cutting down on the self depreciation humor by not making jokes at my own expense and when I would think I'm so stupid I would interrupt myself and say instead that I'm not stupid, I'm just mistaken. My therapist gave me that last one.
Technical-Cap-8563@reddit
I’d give up the Black Hills (sorry South Dakota) for the the Great Barrier Reef.
theflamingskull@reddit
I'm not sure the Great Barrier Reef would be happy in South Dakota.
MazelTovCocktail413@reddit
Also sorry Lakota for what we did to the Black Hills.
InksPenandPaper@reddit
Also sorry Cheyenne for the Lakota taking the Black Hills from you.
Reverend_Ooga_Booga@reddit
Id trade mammoth caves for healthcare and or democratic socialism.
dwhite21787@reddit
Meteor Crater for Stonehenge
JohnMarstonSucks@reddit
I might not be up on the latest theories about it, but I don't think Stonehenge is natural.
dwhite21787@reddit
I was more hung up on how that swap would freak people out.
JohnMarstonSucks@reddit
Yeah, especially if they don't tell anyone about it. Just have it show up somewhere random like Toledo on an equinox.
nanneryeeter@reddit
Plus we have like, two dozen.
RadicalPracticalist@reddit
My state has the Indiana Dunes. I’d gladly give that up for Victoria Falls, Amazon Rainforest (if that counts) or the Great Barrier Reef. And no, that is certainly not a fair trade lol.
dwhite21787@reddit
Black Canyon of the Gunnison for a couple of lakes from the Lake District
WarMinister23@reddit
Absolutely none. There are no American wonders that should be given up.
Warmslammer69k@reddit
Wrong. Yellowstone directly into the garbage can. Hello, Pacific Northwest Kamchatka.
jurassicbond@reddit
Yes. Let's put the potential supervolcano on the other side of the world
Warmslammer69k@reddit
Kamchatka is on the ring of fire, so we just get different volcanoes
nanneryeeter@reddit
Another strategic win!
Regular_Ad_6362@reddit
I’d swap the Appalachian Mountains for the Himalayan Mountains, so we could have the tallest peak in the world.
However I’d like to keep Appalachian culture.
yesIknowthenavybases@reddit
Appalachian mountains are too unique. Maybe the Rockies? Same vibe just taller
Warmslammer69k@reddit
We swap the Rockies and Appalachians, then swap the new East Coast Rockies for the Himalayas. It's high time the East coast got some proper peaks
yesIknowthenavybases@reddit
The NYC skyline would be wild with that in the background
Mysteryman64@reddit
Man, imagine the West Virginians though. I don't think any warrior on Earth could match them.
HorseFeathersFur@reddit
Ummm please leave us where we are. We like it right here.
El_Polio_Loco@reddit
Can you imagine?
Manifest Destiny would most certainly not have been manifested.
MazelTovCocktail413@reddit
Ah, good ol' Bhutanese hillbillies.
Mysteryman64@reddit
I'd trade Death Valley for some of southern China's karst landscapes
Maybe I'm just not aware of it, but I don't think we have anything quite like it in the US.
Jack_of_Spades@reddit
Anyone can have Yellowstone... Its gorgeous but having a lingering volcano is ominous... I want those weird point karsts and strange jungle mountains that people can barely explore and served as a lot of inspiration for avatar from China.
whatafuckinusername@reddit
Somewhere out west for Huangshan (Mountains) in China. Maybe the Black Hills because they’re in similar climates I think.
burner12077@reddit
That cave in vietnam is prety cool. Would love to go but it's really out of the way in vietnam and it's also booked months in advance not to mention the travel expense.
Not sure how high the bar for a natural wonder is, i sure wouldn't trade the grand canyon for it, but maybe one of the several redwood forests we have, or the everglades, salt flats, Ozark? I might trade one of thoscato have the largest cave in the world a weekend trip away from my house.
Jenny441980@reddit
I would like to have the Milford Sound, I’ll give up the Royal Gorge.
negrafalls@reddit
I'd exchange Mt. Rushmore for the Egyptian pyramids. They're not natural wonders, but I'd make the trade
Seaforme@reddit
Mt Rainier for some lake or something. You're welcome, Seattle
The_Lumox2000@reddit
As an Ohioan, I'll trade all of Michigan for that Doorway to Hell in Turkmenistan.
The_Lumox2000@reddit
We'll trade Mt. Denali for Everest.
Howdysf@reddit
Mt. Rushmore for Universal Healthcare
jcstan05@reddit (OP)
Ah yes, two of the world's most beautiful, natural wonders... a statue made with dynamite, and medical coverage.
semisubterranean@reddit
I would trade Yellowstone's sulfurous supervolcano for Zhangjiajie.
fermat9990@reddit
One of the Great Lakes for the Mediterranean
AnonymousMeeblet@reddit
Could we swap the entire southwest for the Amazon rainforest, I feel like that would be kind of funny
esk_209@reddit
Swap Niagra Falls for Victoria Falls
jdmiller82@reddit
I’d trade the Guadalupe Mountains in Texas for Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania
kn1ght-of-heart@reddit
Can I trade all of the US to make everything into one specific location, also in the US?
I want everything to be the salt flats in Utah. Just the whole country. One big salt flat. Our other landmarks can be distributed through other countries.
yesIknowthenavybases@reddit
I’ll trade Congaree NP for some Fjords
plasticface2@reddit
Green fields of England.
bearsnchairs@reddit
Why are you pretending to be American?
Delicious-Ad5856@reddit
The Makhonjwa Mountains, in South Africa for the Appalachian Mountains. They are the oldest mountain range in the world.
itcheyness@reddit
I would trade all of Minnesota and their lakes (of which Wisconsin has more anyway) for the Amazon rainforest.
The_Real_Scrotus@reddit
I'd trade the everglades for Victoria Falls.
shogi_x@reddit
I'd trade Badlands National Park for Patagonia.
Steamsagoodham@reddit
Don’t know what would be an equal trade, but I’d really like to have Victoria falls here. Maybe instead of Niagara Falls but that isn’t really a fair trade.
Everetst would be cool to have just to say we have the highest mountain. Something like Kilimanjaro would be cool too. Imagine just having a giant walkable free standing mountain in the middle of the flat midwest
mccosby101@reddit
I’d trade Idaho or the Dakota for the Amazon rainforest
Kingsolomanhere@reddit
I'd trade most of Maine for the Swiss Alps; I suppose cup would have to learn a new language
Suomi964@reddit
I would trade all of Wisconsin for one singular Norwegian fjord, then feel really bad about having ripped those nice people off
Divertimentoast@reddit
We have better fjords in Alaska tbh. Norway's are kind of mid.
Suomi964@reddit
Calling the Norwegian fjords mid is insane take lol
I’ve been to both . Both are spectacular but different feels to me.
Divertimentoast@reddit
To me they were very mid.
I have also been to both from Tromso all the way to Bergen and around to Oslo and, in Alaska, from Juneau to Anchorage.
The Alaskan ranges are just more incredible.
GodzillaDrinks@reddit
I'd trade the grand canyon for that naturally occurring nuclear reactor in Gabon.
imaginarypoet@reddit
I think this question is interesting because you can either trade like for like, or something different for something different. What would constitute a fair trade in those two circumstances?
With that being said, I’m going to propose trading Yellowstone in exchange for a small portion of the Great Barrier Reef.
Soundwave-1976@reddit
Oooh I would trade the Everglades in Florida for the James Bond Islands in Phuket Thailand.