Przewalski’s horses are named for Russian geographer and explorer Nikołaj Przewalski, who “discovered” them in the 19th century, but to the Mongolian people, they are known as takhi. In 1969, the horses were declared extinct in the wild. Luckily, conservationists were able to use those in captivity to boost population numbers, and in 1992, Przewalski’s horses were reintroduced into the wild. The largest herd, estimated to number 400, lives in Mongolia’s Hustai National Park.

Slovenia has just one national park, but it certainly makes a splash. Triglav National Park is located in the northwest part of the Balkan country in the Julian Alps, a subrange of the Alps that extends across the border into Italy. The 325-square-mile park entices visitors with glacial alpine lakes, unspoiled forest, and stunning waterfalls — as well as Slovenia’s highest peak, Mount Triglav, which reaches 9,396 feet above sea level.

From the air, Loktak Lake — one of India’s largest freshwater lakes — looks like it has hundreds of flat islands on its surface. However, they're not islands at all; they are floating masses of vegetation known locally as “phumdis” — formed from grass, reeds, and soil joining together on the lake’s surface. The unique ecosystem at Loktak was recognized by India's government in 1977 as a national park.

Altyn-Emel National Park in southeastern Kazakhstan is one of several places around the world famous for the phenomenon of “singing” sand — a low-pitched hum or rumble that rises and falls with the wind, or with the shifting of sands when walked upon. The park's Singing Dune puts on a constant concert for visitors — the drier the weather, the louder it sounds, and the singing can be heard from miles away.

This piece of Pakistani paradise is situated 10,000 feet above sea level, overlooking the country’s second-highest mountain, Nanga Parbat, and the alpine forest surrounding it. Though locals know the site as “Joot,” when German mountain climbers first stumbled upon it, they dubbed it “Märchenwiese,” which translates literally to “Fairy Tale Meadows.”

Nairobi is the only world capital that contains its own national park. Nairobi National Park, established in 1946, is also the oldest national park in Kenya. Although it's considerably smaller than many other national parks around the world, the park is teeming with wildlife rarely seen elsewhere, such as zebras, black rhinoceros, lions, and giraffes.

Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park in Guerrero, Mexico, is one of the largest cave systems in the world, yet only 20 of the estimated 90 caves in the park have been explored. With two rivers flowing through Cacahuamilpha, the cave system is considered to be a “live” cave, which means the groundwater causes the continuous formation of stalactites and stalagmites. With some cave salons as high as 265 feet tall, the cavern continues to enlarge over time.

Chile’s Cabo de Hornos National Park covers nearly 7.5 million acres, but most of the park is made up of ocean. The 156,000 acres of land include the Hermite Islands, which are home to Cape Horn — the southernmost point of South America. Dutch merchant Isaac Le Maire was among the first Europeans to discover the area in 1616, but it wasn’t until 1945 that Cabo de Hornos officially became a protected region.

Although Switzerland is in the name, Bohemian Switzerland National Park is actually located in northwest Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic). It’s named after a historical region of central Europe that was once covered by a shallow sea with a sandy bed, responsible for the unique and diverse landscape of sandstone mountains, rock towers, breathtaking gorges, and natural bridges.

An island preserve located on Yakushima Island at the southern end of Japan’s archipelago, Yakushima National Park is home to some of the country’s oldest trees. Ancient cedars that are over 1,000 years old can be found within the park, including Jomon Sugi — the oldest tree in Japan.

Ecuador's Cotopaxi National Park is home to the famed Cotopaxi Volcano, which rises from flat terrain to more than 19,000 feet into the sky. Cotopaxi is an active volcano and has erupted more than 50 times since 1738. But the volcano isn’t the park’s only attraction: Visitors can explore various biking trails, see Lake Limpiopungo, and catch glimpses of wild horses, Andean gulls, pumas, and condors.

The smallest country in Africa is also home to the smallest national park in the world. Moyenne Island National Park, located off the coast of Seychelles, comprises a mere 22 acres. (Contrast that with the 375,000 acres of Greenland’s National Park, the world’s largest.) Moyenne Island has more species per square foot than any other national park in the world.

Today, there are 15 national parks in the U.K., but the first was the Peak District, established in 1951. Located at the southern end of the Pennine Mountains, the park boasts an incredible diversity of flora and fauna amid its thriving moorland and limestone ecosystems. Each year, millions of tourists visit the nearby spa towns, caves at Castleton, and various other heritage sites around the park.

High up in the Himalayas, India’s Valley of Flowers National Park is known for lush carpets of alpine blossoms amid glaciers and snow-capped mountains. The valley is home to at least 300 species of flowers, as well as a variety of rare and threatened animal species, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, and blue sheep.

Northeast Greenland National Park, located on the northeastern coast of Greenland, spans more than 375,000 square miles, which makes it — in addition to the world’s northernmost national park — the largest national park in the world. The park's size has actually grown by more than 100,000 square miles since 1974, when it was first established by the Kingdom of Denmark.

Italy's first-ever national park, Gran Paradiso, was established in order to protect the ibex, a long-horned wild goat. King Vittorio Emanuele II was the first to declare this region of northwest Italy a royal reserve, aiming to save the animal from extinction after overhunting, and in 1919, his grandson donated the land to the Italian state for the creation of a national park.

Disney filmmakers visited Hell’s Gate National Park in southwestern Kenya and were so inspired by its beauty that it was used as a model for many of the most memorable moments in the hit animated film “The Lion King.” Since the release of the classic movie, countless viewers have no doubt been inspired by the park’s regal wild landscapes as well.

If you’re a fan of national parks, you’ll want to head Down Under. Australia boasts more national parks than any other country — more than three times as many as its closest competitor. The country has designated a whopping 685 national parks as protected areas. China comes in second with 208 national parks, followed by Thailand with 138, and India with 102.

Nearly all of the Galapagos Islands, located off the coast of Ecuador, are protected as part of the Galapagos National Park — the remaining 3% of the islands’ area is inhabited by humans. These conservation efforts have allowed the islands’ unique flora and fauna to thrive. The Galapagos boast over 400 fish species, the only penguins in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Galapagos tortoise, the largest living species of tortoise.

Not only is Banff National Park a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it was also the first national park in Canada and remains one of the country’s most popular, raking in over 3 million visitors each year. Established in 1885, Banff includes the Valley of the Ten Peaks, the Wapta and Waputik Icefields, and countless other natural wonders to explore.