Visions of Earth 2007 Photo Gallery - National Geographic Magazine

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Visions of Earth

Each month, National Geographic magazine features breathtaking photographs in Visions of Earth. Browse through visions of the world as seen through a photographer's eye.

/galleries/bcove/assets/d1537046-4352-43b5-9845-221508fbe531.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/36967f3d-a7aa-404d-a511-ce4fbab7cab0.jpg Democratic Republic of the Congo—The silverback Senkwekwe, one of six mountain gorillas slain in Virunga National Park last July, is carried from the crime scene. Fewer than 700 remain in the wild. Learn More About the Gorilla Massacre]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/09a40c07-0b16-489b-aba7-2ee068440569.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/709f181f-8d59-4f6a-b0ed-57166939ba6c.jpg Brazil—Butterflies spatter the shoreline of the Juruena River in Brazil’s new 4.7-million-acre (2 million hectares) Juruena National Park. Several different species flock to the riverbanks to sip mineral salts from the sand.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/961e6aa0-ee40-4c10-a25c-97a87f0e7df3.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/8213f229-c24c-4e39-9eed-4e37e6f54dd6.jpg Iceland—Branches of the Kolgrima River flow across flatlands leading from Vatnajökull—Iceland’s largest glacier—to the sea. Milky tones in the water are from pale silt; the blue is a reflection of the sky.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/1786003c-e9a2-4065-987a-928379ef7d05.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/aa6314d3-f82a-4b18-a062-d18759cb0f5c.jpg New York City—Splashing up Fifth Avenue in homage to the majestic lakes of Italy’s Varese Province, swimmer Irina Losnjykoua was among 35,000 celebrants of all things Italian-American in the city’s 2006 Columbus Day parade.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/bd1c5cd5-765e-44fb-b613-c47e9a8154e9.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/2bce59b1-bf94-475b-bea2-c69dff8f6c60.jpg Netherlands—To honor 25 years of Terschelling island’s Oerol theater festival, 2,000 people lined up along 25 giant rings of sand sculpted on the beach, in what artist Rob Sweere called “a silent conversation with the sky.”]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/2e899bdf-877b-45a2-a4ed-d2c06811b908.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/c4f45e59-031c-4883-aa04-697853964c01.jpg Finland—On a window in Kotka, a slightly battered mosquito sits silhouetted against a mosaic of water drops, each reflecting spring sky and the crayon colors of nearby buildings.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/2ddc22bf-a47d-4c75-aed6-51fc5244dccc.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/2362f002-cd1f-4165-9f82-cfba9707c1b6.jpg India—The blue walls of Jodhpur traditionally marked homes occupied by high-caste Brahmans. The rooftop langurs, believed by Hindus to be avatars of the monkey god Hanuman, freely roam the city. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/f4bb6c57-50c6-44f3-a3fd-a149595a7b51.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/6e7fd2cc-8c93-42c0-9d37-0b093922921b.jpg Arctic Ocean—Looking like a rack of blown-glass vases, inch-long swimming bells of a siphonophore—a jellyfish relative called Marrus orthocanna—hang from a tubular stem that delivers nutrients to the bells.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/d5b2b854-0bab-4255-96be-fc25d4c753bf.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/5cee94a9-c758-4bb3-bebb-33c2feeeb1e5.jpg South Dakota—Erupting into a flapping liftoff frenzy when menaced by hawks overhead, nearly a thousand mallards—flashy males and subtler females—congregated on this Tuthill pond last winter.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/41388852-0afe-48f2-bcb0-df7fe1fd7078.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/ed5fad54-6653-4ef6-b938-ae36b314b8e2.jpg Papua New Guinea—Like a fireworks factory struck by lightning, Tavurvur—an active cone in the massive Rabaul caldera—spews incandescent, fist- to football-size bombs of glowing-hot volcanic material.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/2bd00a09-1e74-4e63-ba55-bcdfa3576c7f.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/962a6e51-904b-4999-a944-6b16069ec2fd.jpg Italy—11,000 feet (3,400 meters) into the Sicilian sky, Mount Etna ranks among the planet’s most active volcanoes. This eruption photographed last December was part of a cycle of activity that began in July 2006.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/34a78a5e-9dc0-494e-a0e8-162124743128.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/c0510a2f-64c6-48e6-9cfe-0ff2c09b4033.jpg Ethiopia—The infernal glow of a lava lake in the Ertale volcano rivals moonrise over the Danakil Desert. Molten surface temperatures range from 550°F (260° Celsius) near the 262-foot-high (80 meters) walls to nearly 1000°F (538° Celsius) at the center of the pit.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/592225e8-e4e5-45de-a6c0-eb8d10d24a27.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/16d9e173-a7c6-4d52-9e2c-78cff56306f6.jpg Australia—Hard at play less than five miles (8 meters) from central Sydney, surfers off Bondi Beach relish a perfect day: five-foot (1.5 meters) waves and no wind. The sport was introduced to Australia in 1915 by Hawaiian legend Duke Kahanamoku.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/ce0e3850-9af7-4366-ab7a-ce491e996509.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/f6bb0bf8-c3d1-47a1-9270-c7671c657f0a.jpg China—A few dynamite seconds reduced Shenyang’s 60,000-seat Wulihe Stadium to rubble and dust. Chinese soccer fans mourned: Their men’s team qualified for a World Cup final for the first time here in 2001.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/10520541-3153-4c11-a60c-ab51fa53523f.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/df0518c1-4054-439b-b12d-bb7d6635fa3d.jpg Brazil—A glittering, feather-swathed dancer rides a huge hummingbird in Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival parade competition. She is one of thousands of Beija-Flor samba school members who captured the 2007 championship. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/57a3757f-ea07-4716-8d53-4b38dea4847c.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/ef641e41-af73-435e-b549-69feec055bfd.jpg Doha, Qatar—As the 2006 Asian Games began, hundreds of men proudly held torches aloft, forming an image of the host nation’s flag, then the burning message “Peace be upon you,” in English and Arabic.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/255dc439-f122-4bee-b12e-02abc88686b7.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/e1467e24-d6bf-45f8-90b8-2afa6cadc977.jpg Monterey Bay Aquarium, California—Sparkling like underwater fireworks, this six-inch-wide (15 centimeters) Olindias jellyfish displays an extravagantly curled and colored armament of tentacles loaded with stinging cells.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/2aeaad0b-3f68-4435-9e1f-f1981bd88aa1.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/b4a8bbfe-c509-468c-a2a9-a1ffd7aa9d23.jpg Guangxi Zhuangzu region, China—Chandeliers and pillars of stone, their edges and shadows doubled in the glass-smooth surface of an underground pool, have awed visitors to the Reed Flute Cave for more than a thousand years. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/9e9aebbc-c60f-411c-9c93-552f881d4be3.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/eafb2aff-78a2-477f-822a-7340b55b406b.jpg Latvia—A long exposure blurs sea and sky into a minimalist backdrop for a crumbling Soviet-era military building near Liepãja. More than a decade after Moscow withdrew its forces from Latvia, such ruins litter the Baltic coast.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/ad8dae3c-1e73-48c5-9a57-cdc8d8009c6b.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/f4fabe58-9f4b-4b14-852d-064a39f1ffa9.jpg New Zealand—Comet McNaught exuberantly trumps the town of Ashburton's electric glow. Discovered by Australian astronomer Robert McNaught in 2006, the comet put on the brightest show of its kind in 40 years.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/4a7c5546-bc5a-4e61-ad34-eb4b0d94b2ca.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/37e5e73d-eb05-4c8d-98e5-e6fc960862be.jpg Ukraine—A frosted car window frames families bustling to a church in Vorokhta. Suppressed during Soviet rule, churches are potent symbols of independence, even for Ukrainians who rarely attended.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/4ac77b05-b547-4013-b853-3a6ff669e125.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/d05d8471-163f-4505-9213-fa8e0a273f19.jpg Queensland, Australia—Massive clouds called morning glories roil over the Gulf of Carpentaria. Most common in September and October—and in morning—the clouds can travel across the skies at nearly 20 miles (32 kilometers) an hour. Click Here to Decorate Your Desktop With Visions of Earth]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/ef177cc1-d8e9-40e8-b156-a894d0fe6b7f.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/656dd171-57d9-41d2-8977-1910f8036dd9.jpg Mediterranean Sea—The underside of a skate shimmers off the coast of Spain. Related to rays, skates look similar, but don't have the ray's barbed tail and are harmless to humans. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/4126e2c6-cb13-43c4-94f4-baca642bba9b.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/dcddb1e0-8e59-4f74-9822-6f227decf54f.jpg Algiers, Algeria—Covered head to toe by hijab but still soaked to the skin, Muslim women defy the Algiers heat by splashing in the surf at the city's Kitani beach.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/57484892-3f2f-42b1-a122-364e6e247edd.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/a34b02c5-d9d0-4702-a382-760667bf7700.jpg San Francisco, California—Seagulls wait for a miracle home-run shot: A player would have to knock the baseball 500 feet (152.4 meters) to reach this 32-foot-wide (9.75 meters), 20,000-pound (9,072 kilograms) sculpture of a baseball glove standing atop the Giants' stadium. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/f4d17b68-a74f-41dc-b568-b6cd7900a04a.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/f14d540f-3402-4444-a122-da89f6833d9e.jpg Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar—Rocks turned to razors, eroded limestone pinnacles rise 300-plus feet (91.4 meters) from the forest floor of this park—challenging researchers who study the island's rare and endangered species. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/bf8dd34d-8bb0-46bb-a73a-445ba5632645.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/d45986e8-44af-44ac-94fd-7a4c0b9d28a5.jpg Aachen, Germany—Skidding from a full canter to a cloud-of-dust stop, horse and rider display a muscular flash of Old West skill at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. First prize in the individual reining competition: $12,000. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/6a252ba4-4ca3-4a43-b3ed-dc6be558cf39.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/1f8194c5-290b-4e15-9b79-f17fb51c9ecd.jpg Château-d’Oex, Switzerland—As the International Hot Air Balloon Festival nears liftoff, balloonists inspect an “envelope” —the fabric of their craft. Each $20,000 envelope lasts for just over 400 to 500 hours of flying time.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/28e1f7fc-78de-479f-8a9c-2edf54621a17.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/f82be263-ce36-4cf3-847d-3157295a0c76.jpg Ontario, Canada—Like fried eggs sizzling on a skillet, swirls of pulp mill waste bubble across treatment ponds near Terrace Bay. The average pulp mill requires more than 16 million gallons (60.6 million liters) of fresh water daily.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/e5c58b2b-1575-4154-94e9-98ddf61b9cfa.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/5f2046a2-f55f-4a83-a50e-e9c09fa2025d.jpg Wuhan, China—Sleeping mats dot the floors of a university building in Hubei Province—kindergarten-style accommodation for hundreds of parents eager to make sure the college year starts out right for their children.]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/e8d89f7b-ea87-4a8a-b31c-d735ef5b71d9.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/a38ca534-5eb6-4548-9d87-2667be1859f0.jpg Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia—Salt dug from the world's largest salt plain waits for transport to surrounding Andean villages. It's one of the flattest places on Earth; relief varies by less than 16 inches (41 centimeters) across some 4,000 square miles (10,360 square kilometers). ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/35f089eb-91e0-4d3f-96b6-8a5656b78075.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/767d85fd-551d-470e-9142-c33881c47661.jpg Binche, Belgium—The town of Binche takes its Mardi Gras silliness seriously. The face of parade character "Gilles" is an internationally protected trademark. Only parade marchers may buy the wax masks. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/4435f699-a114-436a-9d4b-e9f701c350a1.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/cdec16c1-8c4d-4f8a-b258-20f02b541917.jpg Los Angeles, California—This colorized scanning electron micrograph shows pollens—Bermuda grass in green, maple in red, and ragweed in yellow—at roughly 3,000 times their itchy, sneezy life size. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/e68d9313-33cf-4f4d-ad29-e0eca0f5a108.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/03daa4f1-a9be-41ec-9b9b-9f636e0183c0.jpg Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo—This incandescent lava lake seethes within Nyiragongo volcano just ten miles (16 kilometers) from Goma, a city of half a million people. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/e18e7b52-af07-4640-ae42-78c935b6c8ad.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/f435d891-8c5d-4cff-9d5a-dee9398b1329.jpg Quebec Province, Canada—Wings outstretched, talons flared, and ears tuned to the faintest scrabblings of a rodent hidden under winter's white carpet, a snowy owl prepares to pounce. ]]> /galleries/bcove/assets/e1bdd97b-fd46-4f89-b012-1c498cb9aada.jpg /galleries/bcove/assets/9690e847-d2de-4efd-97e0-9b561e7211b6.jpg Pyongyang, North Korea—Thousands of synchronized performers swirl through the Arirang Festival, a two-month long celebration of national pride.]]>