World's Greatest

Explore the most iconic structures of earth, including those that define nations, challenge humanity and drive life. Violent geological forces created these icons -- collision of tectonic plates, tearing of fault lines and the uplift of seabeds. From Mt. Everest's peak to the Rockies' floor, from Uluru's rusted monolith to cinematic Wadi Rum, these earth icons inspire wonder and awe.

Fire has played a major role altering the planet, often through deadly force. Fueled by molten lava, fire has created some of the world's most memorable icons, including the Hades of Hawaii, smoldering Mount Bromo, boiling Rotorua and blackened Mutnovsky. In Iceland and Japan, we see how fire not only births icons but changes the planet's destiny.

Discover the yin to fire's yan -- the world's greatest ice icons. For millions of years the weight and temperature of ice has reshaped the planet and driven the evolution of life like no other force. From Antarctica's ice sheet to Garibaldi's glacial tongue, from the depths of Norway's fjordland to America's freezing Lake Louise, we discover majestic icons frozen in time.

Explore the most fundamental element -- water -- and its greatest icons. Travel along the mightiest rivers -- the Nile and Ganges -- then visit the vast water-worlds of Kakadu and the Amazon, the water-fashioned crystal caves of Australia and Mexico, the cascading force of Africa's Victoria Falls, the ghostly vision of the Dead Sea and the thronging life of the Mekong.

The world's greatest icons carved by wind are revealed. Invisible, yet with infinite power, wind has shaped Earth like no other force. Wind's icons are extremely varied; Soussusvlei's giant sand dunes, the blasts of Bass Strait, the celestial Northern Lights, the carved landscapes of Australia's Bungle Bungles and America's Monument Valley. This episode will blow you away!

Celebrate the world's greatest icons of life, including South America's Galapagos, Pacific's Palau, Africa's Serengeti, the Indonesian Archipelago and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Explore biodiversity hotspots and see how icon-makers conspire in their creation. From ancient tortoises to rare orangutans, coral citadels to thundering herds, a stunning finale which bursts with life.