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On
surface realm of the variety of environments: pine forests, meadows, cliffs,
ponds with reeds and coastal fileds where the forty thousand European
barnacle geese make a stop over in spring. Beneath, a whole limestone
platform formed by the fossilization of an ancient reef, the rock made
entirely of fossil concretions. The nature of the soil has created along the
coast the phenomenon of "raukar", sea stacks of rocks that
represent what remains of the original cliff before being eroded by the sea.
They rise from the sea or the beaches creating spectacular compositions in
bizarre shapes: they are a peculiar feature of Gotland. And the Stora Karlsö
Nature Reserve , the oldest protected area in the world after Yellowstone, a
small island (2x1 km) off the coast of Gotland which houses 50,000 birds
nesting on its cliffs.
Complete article available.
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