The Pantanal, mostly in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul and spilling into Mato Grosso, Bolivia and Paraguay, is the world's largest tropical wetland and largest flooded grassland. About 80% of its floodplains are underwater in the rainy season, which is what supports so many aquatic plants and a dense array of animals. Scientists divide it into up to 12 sub-regions, each with its own water flow, geology and wildlife.

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.