The Most Colorful Places on Earth (PHOTOS)

Mother Nature needs no help at all to create breathtakingly colorful landscapes and jaw-dropping natural phenomena. In Colombia, the Caño Cristales river bursts into color every year between September and November because of an endemic aquatic plant called Macarenia clavigera, which turns from red to blue, yellow, orange or green when the water levels and temperature get to be just right. Meanwhile, the Argentine Hornocal Mountains display their mysterious patterns because they are part of a limestone formation called Yacoraite. And, of course, every year as the temperatures start to dip, nature treats us to one of the most beautiful and vibrant spectacle of all: the colors of fall.

In Crimea, photographer Sergey Anashkevych, 36, discovered one of the most vibrantly colorful landscapes in the area almost by accident. Called "Rotten Sea" by locals, the abandoned Soviet-era salt field emits an unpleasant smell, but no one can deny its eerie beauty. The water in the marshy area takes on a blood-red hue as a result of halobacteria, single-celled microorganisms that are purple in color and found in highly salty environments. It contrasts spectacularly with the blue sky as seen in the first photo above.

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Perhaps inspired by the beautiful colors around us, mankind has been quick to follow nature’s lead and use color to make places stand out or simply to become beautiful. Across Japan, there are several vast parks covered in bright, blooming flowers throughout the year. In Italy, fishermen painted their village such lavish bright colors that they can always find home, even when the fog is thick. In Morocco, Jewish refugees chose to paint their town of Chefchaouen sky blue to symbolize heaven.

This article was originally published on October 13, 2014 and updated March 18, 2016.

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