POMERANIA, POLAND Fall colors blaze out in concentric rings from a lake in eastern Pomerania, Poland. The region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea is largely covered with farmland—and vast swaths of forest. PHOTOGRAPH BY KACPER KOWALSKI, PANOS PICTURES

METROPOL PARASOL, SEVILLE The Metropol Parasol at the Plaza de la Encarnacíon in Seville, Spain, is the largest wooden structure in the world. Completed in 2011, the multifunctional landmark—home to a museum, restaurants and bars, and a farmers market—offers shade below and panoramic views from up top. PHOTOGRAPH BY DOROTHEA SCHMID, LAIF/REDUX

BLUE LAGOON, ICELAND Drinks blend with the landscape during a summer solstice midnight party in Iceland's Blue Lagoon. Marking the beginning of the season, the summer solstice is the longest day of the year, falling on June 20 or 21. PHOTOGRAPH BY AGNIESZKA RAYSS, ANZENBERGER/REDUX

LOFOTEN ISLANDS, NORWAY The northern lights glow over the Lofoten Islands in this picture taken by Your Shot community member Kevin Gorton for our Travelogue assignment. "I shot this image of the aurora on my first trip to Arctic Norway in March 2013; a truly stunning place and the chance to see the aurora makes it irresistible," he says. "Witnessing the aurora is so special and surreal." PHOTOGRAPH BY KEVIN GORTON, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHO

TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK, TANZANIA Framed by the branches of baobab trees, safari jeeps stir up dust at sunset in northern Tanzania's Tarangire National Park. Dry season in the thousand-square-mile park brings an array of wildlife—including dense elephant herds—drawn to the perennial Tarangire River. PHOTOGRAPH BY IAN CUMMING, CORBIS

ARCTIC FOX, CANADA Before dawn, a brilliant full moon illuminates the snowy landscape of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, home to an arctic fox. The fox's coat changes color with the seasons; as the snow melts it begins to turn grayish brown. PHOTOGRAPH BY NORBERT ROSING, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

DEAD SEA, ISRAEL Swimmers float effortlessly in the salt-laden waters of the Dead Sea near Ein Bokek, Israel. Ten times saltier than seawater, the lake is extremely buoyant and a popular destination for holidaymakers. It's also Earth's lowest point on land. PHOTOGRAPH BY GEORGE STEINMETZ, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

MUMBAI TRAIN STATION A colorful sea of commuters flows through the Churchgate railway station in Mumbai, India. A melting pot of religions and cultures, Mumbai is India's economic powerhouse and its most cosmopolitan metropolis. PHOTOGRAPH BY VIVEK PRAKASH, REUTERS

COLOSSEUM, ROME A rare snow shower falls on Rome's Colosseum, built 2,000 years ago to host gladiator duels, battle reenactments, and other public spectacles. Today the 50,000-seat amphitheater serves Rome in another capacity: as a major tourist attraction. PHOTOGRAPH BY GABRIELE FORZANO, REUTERS

UYUNI SALT FLAT, BOLIVIA Earth and sky are indistinguishable on the Salar de Uyuni, a vast salt flat in southwest Bolivia. A great lake covered this area 16,000 years ago. When it dried up, it left a 4,000-square-mile basin of salt, the world's largest such deposit. It's also one of Earth's flattest places—relief varies by less than 16 inches. PHOTOGRAPH BY HEIKO MEYER, LAIF/REDUX

CORAL REEF, MALDIVES Sea anemones, anemonefish, and corals create a Technicolor scene at Ari Atoll in the Maldives. Cast across the Indian Ocean, the Asian nation consists of 16 major atolls, each a ring of reefs around a lagoon. PHOTOGRAPH BY WATERFRAME/ALAMY

FISHERMAN, BANGLADESH A Bangladeshi fisherman flings open a traditional blue net to catch tiny shrimp. His village, Gabura, is in southwestern Bangladesh and has been studied for the effects of climate change. PHOTOGRAPH BY PRONOB GHOSH, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUR SHO

BURJ KHALIFA, DUBAI The observation deck at the Burj Khalifa—the tallest building in the world at 2,716.5 feet—offers a panoramic view of the flat desert shores of sea-level Dubai. The building took seven years to build and holds a number of other records, including most number of stories, highest outdoor observation deck, and tallest service elevator. PHOTOGRAPH BY LOOK/ALAMY

MOUNT EVEREST A camp on Pumori offers a stunning view of neighboring Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth at 29,029 feet. Before being named Mount Everest by the British in 1865, the mountain had gone by many names in many languages over the centuries. Tibetans call it Chomolungma, often translated as "mother of the universe." PHOTOGRAPH BY CORY RICHARDS, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

SALA REGIA, VATICAN CITY Swiss Guards greet with salutes in the Sala Regia, a hall adjacent to the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. Also known as the Holy See, Vatican City is the world's least populous country, located entirely within the city of Rome. PHOTOGRAPH BY VICTOR BOSWELL, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA Water rushes over Horseshoe Falls, one of the three falls that make up world-famous Niagara Falls. The waterfalls straddle the border between Canada and the United States; Horseshoe is on the Canadian side, in the province of Ontario. Every 60 seconds, six million cubic feet of water rushes over the falls—enough water to fill a million bathtubs each minute. PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS RAINIER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

VERMILION CLIFFS NATIONAL MONUMENT, ARIZONA The Wave is the most famous landform in Arizona's Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, a little-known 300,000 acres of rugged terrain. Flash floods carved this passage through petrified sand dunes, exposing the iron-rich bands. PHOTOGRAPH BY XU XIAOLIN, LAIF/REDUX

MOTHER TREE, RUSSIA Symbol of eternity, a "mother tree" overlooking frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia is wrapped in cloth offerings. Pilgrims from throughout Central Asia come to trees like this one to offer tea, milk, vodka, and candy and to adorn them with the ceremonial scarves, called khadag. PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN JIN, REDUX

RIO CELESTE WATERFALL, TENORIO VOLCANO NATIONAL PARK A Celeste River waterfall plunges into a blue pool in Tenorio Volcano National Park, a verdant oasis in northern Costa Rica. The river's blue hue comes from volcanic sulfur and calcium carbonate. PHOTOGRAPH BY TOBIAS HAUSE

CHERRY BLOSSOMS, JAPAN In Japan the nighttime viewing of cherry blossoms in spring, like these at Kyoto’s Hirano Shrine, is a special event. “The cherries’ only fault: the crowds that gather when they bloom,” wrote Saigyo, a 12th-century poet. PHOTOGRAPH BY DIANE COOK AND LEN JENSHEL