Aerial view of Everglades National Park, Florida, United States

Follow the flow. Everglades National Park, Florida, United States

Wetlands don't shout for attention–they flow quietly, shaping entire landscapes. Few places prove their power like Everglades National Park in the United States. From above, Florida's famous 'River of Grass' unfolds as a vast patchwork of shallow water, sawgrass, mangroves and winding channels, shaped by freshwater slowly flowing south from Lake Okeechobee. It's also the only place on Earth where American alligators and American crocodiles share space, each sticking to their preferred waters.

Spanning about 1.5 million acres (607,000 hectares), the park protects the largest mangrove forest in the Western Hemisphere and shelters about 36 threatened species, including the Florida panther and manatees. Its highest point barely reaches 2.4 metres above sea level, yet its ecological value towers. Birdwatchers flock here too–over 360 species like roseate spoonbills and snowy egrets have been recorded.

Recognised as a World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve and Wetland of International Importance, it's a rare triple crown. Beneath it all lies ancient limestone from a prehistoric seabed. Proof that even shallow places can run deep.