Astronauts regularly proclaim that the view of the earth from space endeared them with a different almost sublimely mystical perspective of earth. From a great height, both the fragility and interconnectedness of the world is exposed. Cynically or even prosaically this may be termed a kumbaya experience, but I concur with those space travellers in being overwhelmed by man’s insignificance in a cosmic scale.
Main picture: Centre pivot irrigation on the Kansas pairiesn
An art festival that ignites the Nevada desert for a week leading up to Labor Day, Burning Man is about self-reliance, respect and building community
The northern end of the Persian Gulf snakes its way into Iran and Iraq via the Shatt Al-Arab River. In the 1980s, the river was the site of violent protests over rights to the river
Sand dunes along the Bahamas show how the tides and ocean have shaped them
Lush greenery borders craggy rocks as the Colorado River cuts its way through the Grand Canyon.
A large parking depot offers cheap and spacious parking at the Austin, Texas airport
Created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, this rubber duck sculpture has made its way to various ports around the world. When this photo was taken, the duck was cruising in Hong Kong
Utah’s Potash ponds are used in the separation of potassium from various mined and manufactured salts. The resulting potassium is used for fertilizer, animal feed and water softening
The Richat is a deeply eroded geologic dome in the Sahara Desert. Ever watching, the “eye” is made of bedrock, sand, plant life and salt sediments
The largest city in the Peruvian rainforest, Iquitos’ motto is Carpent tua poma nepotes, or “Your children will harvest your fruits”. Bordered by Moronococha Lake to the west and surrounded by the Nanay, Itaya and Amazon Rivers, it appears as an island in a river.
One of the largest outlet glaciers, the Kangerdlugssuaq pushes ice into the ocean. While rapidly moving from 2000 to 2005, it has since slowed again
A large salt desert in the middle of the Iranian plateau, the unique soil makeup causes the land to look like cappuccino
Recognized for having the largest outdoor swimming pool in the world, the private resort of San Alfonso Del Mar pumps water in from the Pacific Ocean that is filtered and treated. The cost of construction was estimated to be 2 billion dollars
Brilliant colors line the fields in Holland during tulip season. Like a loom, the flowers knit the story of a people and their history
This French commune towers over a small tidal island off the coast of France. Access to the island is dependent on the tides, uniting human ingenuity with natural beauty
Mt. Cleveland erupted in May 2006 and astronauts were the first to see the billowing smoke from the Alaskan volcano. The tallest mountain in The Islands of the Four Mountains, it frequently blows ash and smoke into the sk
60 miles off the coast of Belize is a giant blue chasm in the ocean. The world-renowned scuba diving location includes a vast array of marine life, including giant groupers, nurse sharks and coral reef formations
Salt evaporation ponds are manmade devices used to separate salt from seawater. The colors that result are due to the salinity of the water, but it makes for a beautiful palette
The border between Bolivia and Argentina is a pitted landscape with snow-topped mountains and verdant lakes
The Palm Jumeirah is an artificial archipelago constructed off of the coast of Dubai in the shape of a palm tree. The New York Times reported that the man-made islands are sinking, but the government refutes those claims
Designed by French Field Marshal Vauban, the “Queen of the Citadels” is the largest and best-preserved citadel in France. A self contained city, it houses 1200 soldiers behind walls in a star formation, which inspired the construction of The Pentagon
Built between the Sahara desert and the Aïr Mountains, uranium mines have meant big business for Niger, though it remains one of the poorest countries on Earth. Residents fear the effects of uranium mining, from radiation poisoning to can
Farmland and airstrips blend together in this photo of the Huntsville, AL International Airport
Following an earthquake in Pakistan on September 24, 2013, an island formed off of the coast of Gwadar
No longer in existence, the Riverbank Arena in London was constructed for field hockey games during the 2012 Summer Olympics
Arid for approximately 55-80 million years, the Namib Desert in Namibia and Angola might be the oldest desert on the planet. Red, vast and harsh, the desert is a lunar landscape on Earth, with small vestiges of water as it sits on the coast
The largest sand desert in the world, Rub’ Al Khali is also known as The Empty Quarter. Its sandy hills cover parts of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates