National scenic area

A national scenic area (NSA) is a conservation designation used in Scotland, and currently administered by Scottish Natural Heritage. NSAs are defined as having outstanding scenic interest or unsurpassed attractiveness.

Overview

The primary purpose of the NSA designations is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the landscape, in a similar way to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) designation used elsewhere in the UK.

Rest of the UK

The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This act recognises Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in areas of countryside with significant landscape value in each of the three nations, that has been specially designated by their administrations.

See also

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National Scenic Area

National Scenic Area is a designation for areas of natural beauty used by more than one nation.

Alishan National Scenic Area

Coordinates: 23°31′N 120°48′E / 23.517°N 120.800°E / 23.517; 120.800

The Alishan National Scenic Area is a mountain resort and natural preserve located in the mountains of Chiayi County in Taiwan. It is 415 km² in area. It includes, among other things, mountain wilderness, four villages, waterfalls, high altitude tea plantations, the Alishan Forest Railway, and several hiking trails. The area is popular among tourists and mountain climbers, and Alishan, or Mount Ali, itself has become one of the major landmarks associated with Taiwan. The area is also famous for its production of high mountain tea and wasabi.

Alishan is well known for its sunrises, and on a suitable morning one can observe the sun come up on a sea of clouds in the area between Alishan and Yüshan. Alishan and Sun Moon Lake are two of the best known scenic spots in Asia. The song Ālǐshān de gūniang (Chinese: 阿里山的姑娘; English: The Girls of Alishan) that refers to the beautiful girls of the Tsou aboriginal tribe, is one of Taiwan's most popular folk songs. This song is also well known in China and several foreign countries.

Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) deep, the canyon stretches for over 80 miles (130 km) as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south. Extending roughly from the confluence of the Columbia with the Deschutes River down to eastern reaches of the Portland metropolitan area, the water gap furnishes the only navigable route through the Cascades and the only water connection between the Columbia River Plateau and the Pacific Ocean.

The gorge holds federally protected status as a National Scenic Area called the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area and is managed by the Columbia River Gorge Commission and the US Forest Service. The gorge is a popular recreational destination.

Description

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It flows northwest and then south into the US state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state of Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. Its drainage basin is roughly the size of France and extends into seven U.S. states and a Canadian province.

By volume, the Columbia is the fourth-largest river in the United States; it has the greatest flow of any North American river draining into the Pacific. The river's heavy flow and its relatively steep gradient gives it tremendous potential for the generation of electricity. The 14 hydroelectric dams on the Columbia's main stem and many more on its tributaries produce more hydroelectric power than those of any other North American river.