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Preview data: all rankings, scores, votes, refresh labels, methodology, testing and editorial-process statements in Top 49 are illustrative demo content, not live measurements or documented reviews.
Rank 10—No change
#10 in Natural Wonders
of 16 ranked entries
Uluru
Northern Territory, Australia · sacred to the Anangu people
A single sandstone monolith rising 348 metres from flat desert, sacred to the Anangu traditional owners for tens of thousands of years, who successfully campaigned to end public climbing in 2019 after decades of the practice being treated as a default tourist activity despite their objections. Recorded specifics: country Australia, area (km²) 1326, type Geological. Panel highlighted sandstone surface visibly shifts colour through the day, most dramatically at sunrise and sunset, the 2019 climbing ban restored the site’s primary use to Anangu cultural and spiritual practice and surrounding Kata Tjuta rock domes extend the geological formation into an equally striking companion site. The reservation on record is the site’s deepest cultural and ceremonial significance to the Anangu remains only partially explained to visitors, out of respect for restricted sacred knowledge.
Geological wonderUNESCO-listed
Score breakdown
How Uluru earned 81.7
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Natural Wonders.
- Scale & visual spectacleweight 30%
- 79.5
- Ecological significanceweight 25%
- 84.4
- Rarity & uniquenessweight 25%
- 82.3
- Visitor accessibilityweight 20%
- 80.9
“Ownership of Uluru was formally handed back to the Anangu people in 1985, though the site was then immediately leased back to the national park service for joint management.”
— Top 49, on Natural Wonders
On the record
Recorded detail
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Area (km²) | 1,326 |
| Type | Geological |
| Rating | 8.9 |
Panel verdict
Strengths and reservations
What it gets right
- Sandstone surface visibly shifts colour through the day, most dramatically at sunrise and sunset
- The 2019 climbing ban restored the site’s primary use to Anangu cultural and spiritual practice
- Surrounding Kata Tjuta rock domes extend the geological formation into an equally striking companion site
Where it gives ground
- The site’s deepest cultural and ceremonial significance to the Anangu remains only partially explained to visitors, out of respect for restricted sacred knowledge
1 appearance
Where this entry ranks
From the same list
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95.6/100 Top 49 score—No change
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Rank 07Iguazu Falls
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Top 49 rankings are editorial. Scores are produced from the published criteria on each list and are refreshed on the cadence stated there. Figures shown across this section are curated demonstration data.