Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The nation comprises the island of Madagascar (the fourth-largest island in the world), as well as numerous smaller peripheral islands. Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot in which over 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth.

Madagascar

Restaurant With A Fantastic View

Mürren is a traditional Walser mountain village in Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. At an elevation of 5,413 ft. above sea level, Mürren is unreachable by public road. Tourism is popular through the summer and winter; the village features a view of the three towering mountains: Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Mürren has a population of just 450, but has 2,000 hotel beds.

Restaurant With A Fantastic View

Japan Eleven Months After The Earthquake And Tsunami

When Japan was hit by both an earthquake and tsunami in quick succession in March of 2011, the images of devastation gripped the world. Now, after 11 months of tireless rebuilding, these pictures reveal the amazing progress made since those tragic events.

Photographers returned to the scenes of desolation to take these stunning shots that capture the way in which the areas most severely affected have changed.

Japan Eleven Months After The Earthquake And Tsunami

Billiards In Africa

African nations typically fall toward the bottom of any list measuring small size economic activity, such as income per capita or GDP per capita, despite a wealth of natural resources. In 2009, 22 of 24 nations identified as having "Low Human Development" on the United Nations' (UN) Human Development Index were located in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2006, 34 of the 50 nations on the UN list of least developed countries are in Africa. In many nations, GDP per capita is less than USD$200 per year, with the vast majority of the population living on much less.

Billiards In Africa

Dubai Skyline

The earliest mention of Dubai is in 1095, and the earliest settlement known as Dubai town dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established in 1833 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti al Maktoum when he persuaded 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, living in what is now part of Saudi Arabia, to follow him to the Dubai Creek by the Al Abu Falasa clan of Bani Yas.

Today, Dubai City has emerged as a global city and a business hub, and, although Dubai's economy was built on the oil industry, the emirate's model of business drives its economy, with the effect that its main revenues are now from tourism, real estate, and financial services, similar to that of Western countries. Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events

Dubai Skyline

Border Between Earth and Heaven

Salar de Uyuni or Salar de Tunupa is the world's largest salt flat. It is part of the Altiplano of Bolivia in South America. The Altiplano is a high plateau, which was formed during uplift of the Andes mountains. The plateau includes fresh and saltwater lakes as well as salt flats and is surrounded by mountains with no drainage outlets.

Border Between Earth and Heaven

Lofoten, Norway

Lofoten (Norse Lófót f) was originally the old name of the island Vestvågøya. The first element is ló 'lynx', the last element is derived from Norse fótr m 'foot'. The shape of the island must have been compared with a foot of a lynx.

Lofoten, Norway

Thunderstorm At The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery. It is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon ("Ongtupqa" in Hopi language) a holy site and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.

Thunderstorm At The Grand Canyon

Tasmanian Mountains

Tasmanian mountains are akin to those of Scotland – rocky ridges and outcrops, and highland plateaus with occasional sharp protrusions

Tasmanian Mountains

Tahitian Wave

Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous with surrounding coral reefs and was formerly known as Otaheite.

Tahitian Wave

Venice, Italy

Venice is a city in northeast Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks.

The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century B.C.  The city historically was the capital of the Venetian Republic. Venice has been known as the "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals". Luigi Barzini described it in The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man". Venice has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe's most romantic cities.

Venice, Italy

Saint Arnaud

Saint Arnaud (previously Rotoiti) is a small alpine village located in the north of New Zealand's South Island, west of the mountains of the Saint Arnaud Range and 90 kilometres southwest of Nelson near the historic Tophouse Settlement. It is situated at the northern end of Lake Rotoiti.

Saint Arnaud

Church Mountain

Kirkjufell Mountain in Iceland

Church Mountain

Bali Rice Terraces

Ubud has some of the most beautiful terraced rice fields in all of Bali. Rice [padi] terraces is something famous from Ubud. Many visitors and photographers already take this beautiful landscape that made it spread worldwide. There are several points to take rice terraces in Ubud, such as in Padangtegal, Ubud Kelod and on the way from Kintamani to Ubud central.

Bali Rice Terraces

The Flatirons

The Flatirons are rock formations near Boulder, Colorado consisting of flatirons. There are five large, numbered Flatirons ranging from north to south (First through Fifth, respectively) along the east slope of Green Mountain, and the term "The Flatirons" sometimes refers to these five alone.

The Flatirons were named by pioneer women after the flat, metal irons used to press their clothes

The Flatirons

Canadian Outdoors

Canadian Outdoors

The Alatna River

The Alatna River is a federally designated wild and scenic river partially contained within the boundaries of Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska. It is called one of the most beautiful rivers in the United States. The Alatna River stems from the central Brooks Range flowing through the Endicott Mountains, passing Circle Lake, the Arrigetch Peaks and Takahula Lake before entering the Helpmejack Hills.

The Alatna River

2012 Fireworks

LONDON: Fireworks explode over the Houses of Parliament.

LONDON: The new year will host the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games.

LONDON: Fireworks light up the sky and Big Ben just after midnight.

LONDON: Welcome to 2012! The show had an Olympian theme.

LONDON: The fireworks heralded the start of an exciting year for the capital, which will host the Olympic games.

LONDON: Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'Our New Year fireworks were a brilliant start to a spectacular year.'

LONDON: The dazzling display lasted for around 15 minutes in the capital.

SCOTLAND: Fireworks over Edinburgh Castle during celebrations to mark the new year at the Hogmanay street party.

 Fireworks in Sydney, Australia, light up the skyline over Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Colourful lights were illuminated onto the bridge to create a rainbow effect.

 Thousands of people gathered in Sydney to watch the impressive display as Australia welcomed in the New Year. Each year organizers plan for bigger and better.

 A red hue lights up the sky over the Sydney Opera House. More than a million people gathered to watch and then celebrate 2012.

The colourful fireworks light up the Sydney Opera House. A rainbow can be seen lighting up the Harbour Bridge in the background.

 The Circular Mound is illuminated with a variety of colourful lights as Beijing celebrates 2012 at the Temple of Heaven Park.

 Fireworks display near Malaysia's landmark Petronas twin towers during the New Year celebrations as the clock strikes 12.

 Spectacular scenes could be seen from across the city as fireworks exploded over Marina Bay during the New Year celebrations in Singapore.

 Colourful fireworks explode from Taiwan's tallest skyscraper Taipei 101 and light up the night sky as the country celebrates the start of 2012.

The number 2012 is written with sparklers during a long exposure in front of St Stephen's Cathedral during New Year's Eve celebrations in Vienna.

2012 Fireworks