Sunday, December 30, 2012

25 Mindblowing Aerial Photographs Of Our World


Getting a good picture on the ground is hard enough, let alone underwater, but when it comes to shooting from the air it quite literally takes things to a whole new level. Thanks to gifted photographers like Yann Arthus-Bertrand, however, those of us stuck here on the ground get to see the world through a whole new lens. These are 25 mindblowing aerial photographs of our world.
25

Dubai Marina and Jumeriah Lakes Towers, United Arab Emirates

Dubai Marina and Jumeriah Lakes TowersImage Source
The Dubai Marina is an artificial canal city carved along a 2 mile stretch of the Persian Gulf shoreline. Until it is completed, though, the prize for largest man made marina in the world goes to Marina del Rey in California.
24

Freeways in Los Angeles, United States

Freeways in Los Angeles, USAImage Source
Serving over 22 million people, Los Angeles’s traffic infrastructure has had trouble keeping up with its rapid population growth.
23

Favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Favelas in Rio de Janeiro, BrazilImage Source
Favela is the term used to describe a shanty town in Brazil. A good percentage of the country’s population live in these substandard conditions, many times on hillsides just outside of major cities like Rio de Janeiro.
22

American Cemetery north of Verdun, France

American Cemetery North Of Verdun, FranceImage Source
This city in north eastern France was the site of the one of the bloodiest battles in World War I and today war cemeteries like this one are not uncommon.
21

Rano Kau Volcano in Rapa Nui National Park, Easter Island

Rano Kau Volcano in Rapa Nui National Park, Easter IslandImage Source
Rano Kau is an extinct volcano that rises out of the southwestern part of Easter Island. It is almost a mile across and actually has its own self contained climate as a result of its inner walls being sheltered from the winds that sweep most of the island.
20

Worker resting on bales of cotton, Ivory Coast

Worker resting on bales of cotton, Ivory CoastImage Source
With over 90,000 cotton farmers making their living in this small African country, the Sub Saharan region accounts for roughly 8% of the cotton on world market.
19

Village in the Rheris Valley of the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Village in the Rheris Valley of the High Atlas Mountains, MoroccoImage Source
The Atlas Mountains stretch almost 2,500 miles across north western African and separate the Mediterranean coastline from the Sahara desert. Although not many people live in this environment every now and then you will find a small crowded village like this one.
18

Icebreaker Louis Saint Laurent in Resolute Bay, Canada

Icebreaker Louis Saint Laurent in Resolute Bay, CanadaImage Source
In order for a ship to be considered an icebreaker it must possess three qualities: a strengthened hull, an ice clearing shape, and the ability to push through ice covered water. Most ships operating this far north will fall into this category.
17

Palm Jumeirah artificial island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Palm Jumeirah artificial island in Dubai, United Arab EmiratesImage Source
Created using land reclamation, this island is one of the three that are known together as the palm islands. In total they manage to increase Dubai’s coastline by over 300 miles.
16

Satellite dishes on the roofs of Aleppo, Syria

Satellite dishes on the roofs of Aleppo, SyriaImage Source
One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, the contrast of old architecture and new technology are juxtaposed in this photograph.
15

Greenhouses in San Augustin near Almería Andalusia, Spain

Greenhouses in San Augustin near Almería Andalusia, SpainImage Source
Known in Spanish as “invernaderos” these green houses allow farmers in the region to grow crops all year round and over 70% of the product is shipped to the rest of Europe.
14

Lumber yard in Port Gentil, Gabon

Lumber yard in Port Gentil, GabonImage Source
The country of Gabon enjoys a per capita income nearly four times that of any other Sub Saharan country primarily due to its more advanced economic infrastructure centered around timber processing and mining.
13

Pigeon Houses in the Mit Gahmr Delta, Egypt

Pigeon Houses in the Mit Gahmr Delta, EgyptImage Source
These are actual houses constructed for pigeons. Known as dovecotes they are constructed out of natural mud brick and collect dropping from the birds that are then used for fertilizer.
12

Iraqi tank graveyard in the desert near Al Jahrah, Kuwait

Iraqi tank graveyard in the desert near Al Jahrah, KuwaitImage Source
Quite often whenever a war is over the defunct tanks and other military equipment are left to rot as you can see here.
11

The Separation Wall built by Israel in the West Bank

The Separation Wall built by Israel in the West BankImage Source
Upon completion the Israeli West Bank Barrier will run approximately 430 miles along the border of the West Bank consisting of concrete wall, fences, and vehicle barrier trenches.
10

Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu, PeruImage Source
Located on a mountain ridge overlooking the Urubamba Valley, Machu Picchu has often been called the “City of the Incas”. Its foundations were laid sometime in the 15th century but construction was abandoned after the Spanish Conquest.
9

Cattle near the Masai Mara National Park, Kenya

Cattle near the Masai Mara National Park, KenyaImage Source
Known to locals only as “The Mara” this large game preserve in southern Kenya is well known for having large groups of zebra wildebeest, and gazelle pass through its territory on their annual migrations.
8

Suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark

Suburbs of Copenhagen, DenmarkImage Source
Known for its intentional layout designed to make commuting much simpler, Copenhagen has long been considered to have some of the highest quality of life in the world.
7

Boat Houses in Lagos, Nigeria

Boat Houses in Lagos, NigeriaImage Source
As one of the fastest growing cities in the world, Lagos is already overcrowded and it should come as no surprise to see people making their homes offshore.
6

Moshav co operative village farm at Nahalal Jezrael Plain, Israel

Moshav co operative village farm at Nahalal Jezrael Plain, IsraelImage Source
A Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement that has an emphasis on community labor and usually consists of a number of farms benefiting from pooled resources.
5

Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, New Mexico

Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, New MexicoImage Source
As the largest hot air balloon festival in the world this international balloon bonanza lasts 9 days and has over 750 balloons.
4

Burning Man Festival in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada

Burning Man Festival in the Black Rock Desert, NevadaImage Source
On the topic of festivals, the Burning Man is yet another week long ordeal, this time in the desert. It derives its name from the burning of a large wooden effigy at its conclusion.
3

Town of Koh Pannyi, Thailand

Town of Koh Pannyi, ThailandImage Source
Consisting of approximately 200 families, this small Thai fishing village was built completely on stilts by Indonesia fishermen. The reason for this was because at the time of its construction laws did not allow for any foreigners to own land.
2

Epicenter of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan

Epicenter of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, JapanImage Source
When the nuclear bombs known as Fat Man and Little Boy were dropped over the Japanese cites of Hiroshima and Nagasaki nearly 200,000 people were killed. Here you can see the origin of the blast in Hiroshima.
1

Icebergs and a lone penguin in Adelie Land, Antarctica

Icebergs and a lone Adelie penguin in Adelie Land, AntarcticaImage Source
Feeding on krill, fish, and squid Penguins spend about half their life in water. Here you can see the tiny size of the Adelie penguin contrasted against the huge icebergs on which it stands.

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