Book excerpt: Without any human influence, nature has created extraordinary wonders - from majestic mountains and bubbling volcanoes to amazing plants and animals. These wonders are found across all the continents and oceans of this planet. In a tour of the seven greatest wonders of Asia and the Middle East, one of the first wonders we ll see is Mount Everest, between Nepal and Tibet. It s the tallest mountain on Earth. We ll also visit the Chocolate Hills in the Philippines. In the dry season, these hills look like a field of chocolate kisses. The salty Dead Sea sits between Israel and Jordan. If you were to swim in this sea, you wouldn t even sink. What other natural wonders do Asia and the Middle East hold? To find out, we ll explore dripping wet rain forests, a spooky desert, and strange rock formations in fascinating detail.