From magnificent mountains to colourful coral reefs, new research reveals the most naturally beautiful countries in the world and India ranks 7th.
The study by money.co.uk analysed countries around the globe on a series of natural wonders, including the number of volcanoes, coral reefs, tropical rainforests and glaciers to reveal the world’s most naturally beautiful countries.
The World’s Top 10 Most Beautiful Countries (Note: each factor was calculated per 100,000 square kilometres)
| Rank | Country | Volcanoes | Ultra-Prominent Mountains | Coral Reef Area(km2) | Protected Areas | Coastline Length (km2) | Tropical Forest Area (km2) | Glaciers | Natural Beauty Score /10 |
| 1 | Indonesia | 2.40 | 4.58 | 2717.42 | 39.04 | 2914.27 | 55893.55 | 6.82 | 7.77 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 3.04 | 3.80 | 497.51 | 3968.33 | 5747.60 | 0.00 | 5021.84 | 7.27 |
| 3 | Colombia | 0.27 | 1.98 | 84.72 | 121.05 | 289.14 | 44686.62 | 25.60 | 7.16 |
| 4 | Tanzania | 0.34 | 1.24 | 404.15 | 94.38 | 160.76 | 43795.89 | 8.47 | 6.98 |
| 5 | Mexico | 0.36 | 1.34 | 91.57 | 58.95 | 479.95 | 19870.62 | 1.44 | 6.96 |
| 6 | Kenya | 1.41 | 0.88 | 110.69 | 72.21 | 94.18 | 30025.48 | 4.92 | 6.7 |
| 7 | India | 0.07 | 1.48 | 194.74 | 1.38 | 235.44 | 20476.66 | 6063.86 | 6.54 |
| 8 | France | 0.18 | 1.64 | 2607.95 | 1013.41 | 625.87 | 0.00 | 1942.81 | 6.51 |
| 9 | Papua New Guinea | 3.75 | 6.85 | 3056.13 | 12.59 | 1137.66 | 67543.83 | 0.00 | 6.39 |
| 10 | Comoros | 53.73 | 107.47 | 23105.86 | 483.61 | 18269.75 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.22 |
Taking the crown as the most naturally beautiful country is Indonesia. Indonesia is home to over 17,000 incredible islands, more than 50,000 km of coastline and over 50,000 square kilometres of coral reef area, much of which can be explored from the popular province of Bali.
Ranking in second place is New Zealand. Home to rolling hills, sharp mountain peaks, a high number of glaciers, and a long coastline of over 15,000 square kilometres, New Zealand was the perfect shooting location for The Lord of the Rings’ Middle-earth.
Colombia comes in third and like Indonesia and New Zealand, enjoys a long coastline, this time along the shores of the Caribbean. However, Colombia has a very varied landscape too, from the Andes mountains to the Amazon rainforests.
While beauty is ultimately subjective, it’s clear that these countries have a lot to offer visitors. You can view the full 50 countries here – perfect for a bucket list holiday.
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