Sharks, Bahamas

We live in a world full of contrasts and cultural differences so that’s why I believe that the most amazing thing in this Universe is Planet Earth. It’s like hundreds of different planets in one single place. I know we don’t live in harmony with the nature…heck, we don’t live in harmony with each other but that’s the human nature. In this article you can see 30 superb images from around the world, with photos starting with the most heavenly place and ending with the exact opposite.

Cenotes, Chichén-Itzá, Mexico

Photograph by Jack Paulus

Desert Crossing, Rajasthan, India

Photograph by Shivji Joshi

Holi Celebration, India

Photograph by Anurag Kumar

Yellow Birch, Adirondacks

Photograph by Michael Melford

On the trail to Goodnow Mountain, a yellow birch appears to be ingesting a boulder left behind by a glacier. With its tenacious trees and rebounding wildlife, Adirondack Park is a miracle of regeneration. Committed advocates and legal protections written into New York’s state constitution offer hope that it will remain forever wild.

Autumn Landscape, Adirondacks

Photograph by Michael Melford

Sunlight dapples the shoulders of Algonquin and Wright, two of the more than 40 so-called High Peaks that rise above 4,000 feet. Once blighted by logging and industry, the region has undergone a renaissance of woods and waters.

Tuareg Celebration

Photograph by Brent Stirton

Their hands stained by the indigo dye in their new clothes, Tuareg women celebrate a birth. Tuareg females rarely cover their faces, while men traditionally wear turbans that conceal all but their eyes.

Blacktip Reef Shark, Maldives

Photograph by Paul Wilkinson

Smaller fish keep their distance when a blacktip reef shark swims amongst them in shallow water in the Maldives.

Seagull and Boats

Photograph by Diane Jones

Parrotfish, Great Barrier Reef

Photograph by David Doubilet

The clownish grin of a bridled parrotfish reveals its power tools: grinding teeth used to scrape algae from rock. Though sometimes destructive to individual corals, the fish’s efforts are mostly beneficial. Without them, algal growth could smother the reef. Scarus frenatus

Hawaiian Green Turtle, Maui

Photograph by Jose Cardona

At a Maui aquarium a Hawaiian green turtle makes a guest appearance. Members of this threatened species are unique among sea turtles for their herbivorous diet, thought to imbue their fat with a greenish hue.

Blue Heeler, San Miguel de Allende

Photograph by Jay Koppelman

I grabbed this shot of a blue heeler dog in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Sometimes it seems that there are two completely separate worlds that are in existence: that of the humans and the other, which belongs to the animals. In this photo the humans are definitely unaware of all the interaction that goes on in the animal world just feet away. I wonder what’s going through this dog’s mind.

Horses, Wales

Photograph by Marian Ubrankovic

This photograph was taken near Pitt’s Head in Snowdonia National Park. The sun was setting and the backlighting created this dramatic picture.

Cave Diving, Yucatan Peninsula

Photograph by Christian Vizl

I have been a cave diver since 1997, and I’ve always been amazed by the natural beauty and uniqueness that you can find in the cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. They are spectacular in many ways, some of them very obvious, like the enormous stalactites and stalagmites, crystal-clear water, and the mystery and history mixed in the middle of the jungle. But there is also a more subtle beauty in them, hidden in their unique colors and details that are not easily spotted by diving or snorkeling in them. So that is my goal, to capture the fantastic details hidden in these natural wonders.

Leopard, South Africa

Photograph by Madison Hall

A dew-bathed juvenile leopard takes a peaceful moment atop a fallen tree on a wintry South African morning. Compared with other African game, leopards are famously shy and rarely seen, partially because of their largely nocturnal hunting habits. Leopards number among many other species of top predators whose population numbers are falling due to human impacts, making this a special sighting of a rare animal that is both powerful and extraordinarily gorgeous.

Street Scene, Havana

Photograph by Dave Rodden-Shortt

A man watches the busy street below while getting some fresh air after a hot Havana day.

Ice Cream Vendor, Greece

Photograph by Lior Patel

Shot in Rodos, Greece. I was there for four days, walking around, and on the first day I had a chat with the guy that owns the car (the one in the shot) and I told him that my grandfather is from Thessaloniki, so for the remaining days, every time I passed him, he would say, "Good morning, Thessaloniki,” and I would say, "Good morning, Rodos.” On the last day he saw me coming from the other side of the road and yelled, "Still here, Thessaloniki,” and this time I took this shot before answering, "Goodbye, Rodos” (it was my last night over there).

Taxi, Tokyo

Photograph by Travis Teo

On a rainy evening in Tokyo, I was seeking shelter at a cafe with my friend, when all of a sudden a rare Tokyo taxi got trapped by a sea of urbanites and their colorful umbrellas at the busy Shinjuku crossing.

BASE Jumping, Yosemite

Photograph by Lynsey Dyer

Leaping from Half Dome is illegal, but in Yosemite the sport of BASE jumping is soaring in popularity anyway. Climbers say it’s faster (and more fun) to parachute into the valley than to hike all the way down the back of the mountain.

Situ Gunung, Indonesia

Photograph by Hardi Budi

Taken at a lake named Situ Gunung in Indonesia

Boy With Balloons, India

Photograph by Kamala Kannan

Street Scene, Rio de Janeiro

Photograph by Rasko Ristic

Babysitting Langurs, India

Photograph by Stefano Unterthiner

Are these the monkeys’ mothers? Not always. Langurs often share babysitting duties within a close-knit group of females and their offspring. The young are born with thin dark fur that turns thick and grayish gold after a few months.

Orphan Elephants, Kenya

Photograph by Michael Nichols

What a scared orphan elephant needs more than anything is other elephants. The process of becoming socialized begins as soon as the worst injuries heal.

Al Kazimiyah Shrine, Baghdad

Photograph by Lynsey Addario

Pilgrims visit Al Kazimiyah Shrine, a Shiite holy site relatively unharmed by the years of violence.

Parrot, Manila

Photograph by Charlene Ngo

Polar Bear With Whale Bone

Photograph by Florian Schulz

Ashore on Svalbard, a male polar bear investigates a whale’s backbone. Fat reserves from hunting ringed and bearded seals, and sometimes walruses, must carry bears through lean summers.

Banos de Valdearados

Photograph by Ricardo Ordonez

Actors, dressed as men of clay, perform at a parade during a show reviving the ancient Roman circus in the central Spanish village of Banos de Valdearados Aug. 21. The village, founded by the Romans and located in the famous Spanish wine-growing area Ribera del Duero, holds yearly festivities in honour of the Roman god Baccus in which all villagers wear Roman costumes and take part in various street shows and attend spectacular ancient Roman performances.

The North Korean military parades

Photograph by AFP/Getty Images

The North Korean military parades to celebrate the 63rd founding anniversary of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in Pyongyang on Sept. 9. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and his son reviewed the parade of military hardware and thousands of goose-stepping troops, in what analysts saw as a bid to bolster loyalty to the regime.

Los Encuentros, Solola

Photograph by Jorge Dan Lopez

A girl sits in a decorated vehicle during a parade ahead of the country’s 190th anniversary of independence at the Joaquin Robles elementary school in Los Encuentros, Solola, 130 km (112 miles) from Guatemala City Sept. 14. The country celebrates its independence on September 15.