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| The Eden Project, Cornwall at night Image by Neil Kennedy |
The Eden Project, which is run as a charity, aims to both provide an entertaining and educational day out for all the family, as well as running social and environmental projects, research into plants and conservation, and providing memorable learning experiences for students of all ages.
Biomes
The Eden Project is most famous for its Biomes: the Rainforest Biome and the Mediterranean Biome. The Biomes consist of a set of connected domes that house thousands of plants, with each Biome emulating a natural environment. The domes are constructed from hundreds of hexagonal (6-sided) and pentagonal (5-sided) inflated, plastic cells supported by steel frames.The Rainforest Biome
The Rainforest Biome, which is 55 meters tall, contains the world's largest indoor rainforest. It houses a mangrove swamp, which is like a tropical island, a Malaysian hut with a vegetable plot and a paddy field, and a waterfall that cascades through a south American rainforest. The plants and trees in the Biome include banana, rubber, and cocoa trees, giant bamboo, and a mini soya plantation.Visitors can view the rainforest from above, by climbing the Rainforest Lookout, which leads over the treetops.
The Mediterranean Biome
The Mediterranean Biome, which is 35 meters tall, simulates a Mediterranean climate, as found in 5 regions of the world: The Mediterranean, South Africa, South West Australia, Central Chile, and California. The Mediterranean climate has hot, dry summers and frost-free, rainy winters. The main growing seasons are winter and spring, and the climate is known for producing high quality fruits and crops, and for fine wines.The Biome contains more than a thousand types of plant, including poppies and lupins from California, proteas from South Africa, citrus and olive trees, grape vines, and perfumed herbs.
Gardens and Plants
The outdoor gardens at the Eden Project have more than 80 exhibits, with several thousand plants from around the world. The gardens represent the temperate regions of the world, and are designed to tell the story of plants, and how they are used for medicine, fuel, materials, and, of course, food around the world.The Core
The Core is the education center at the Eden Project, and also contains a superfoods cafe. The Core has classrooms and exhibition spaces that are designed to communicate the Eden Project 's central message about the relationship between people and plants. Visitors can learn about topics ranging from ecosystems and evolution to climate change and plant resources.Related posts
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