two young rooftoppers taking photos in Moscow
Kirill Vselensky perches on a cornice in Moscow as Dima Balashov gets the shot. The 24-year-olds, risktakers known as rooftoppers, celebrate their feats on Instagram: @kirbase and @balashovenator.
Photograph by Gerd Ludwig

Best Photos of 2016

Here is a gallery of National Geographic's 52 best images of the year—curated from 91 photographers, 107 stories, and 2,290,225 photographs.

December 06, 2016
25 min read
lightning striking over the Wood River in Nebraska

As an evening storm lights up the sky near Wood River, Nebraska, about 413,000 sandhill cranes arrive to roost in the shallows of the Platte River.

This photo was originally published in "What Happens to the U.S. Midwest When the Water's Gone?," in August 2016.

a diver and tiger shark in the Bahamas

A diver keeps a close watch on a tiger shark in the Bahamas. But the scene may not be as dangerous as it looks: Tigers rely on surprise to hunt prey and are unlikely to attack divers who keep them in sight.

This photo was originally published in "He Went Face-to-Face With Tiger Sharks," in June 2016.

Photograph by Brian Skerry
a 16-year-old giant panda at a conservation center in Wolong Nature Reserve

Ye Ye, a 16-year-old giant panda, lounges in a wild enclosure at a conservation center in China’s Wolong Nature Reserve.

This photo was originally published in "Pandas Get to Know Their Wild Side," in August 2016.

Photograph by Ami Vitale
residents of India's Sundarbans region donning test-lens frames for eye exams

Eye-care workers use test-lens frames to conduct eye exams in India’s Sundarbans region. Their goal: to help reduce India’s blind population of more than eight million.

This photo was originally published in "Why There’s New Hope About Ending Blindness," in September 2016.

Photograph by Brent Stirton
a Bornean orangutan climbing 100 feet into the canopy

Tempted by the fruit of a strangler fig, a Bornean orangutan climbs 100 feet into the canopy. With males weighing as much as 200 pounds, orangutans are the world’s largest tree-dwelling animals.

This photo was originally published in "Inside the Private Lives of Orangutans," in December 2016.

Photograph by Tim Laman
a girl with a pet tamarin on her head, in Manú National Park, Peru

A pet saddleback tamarin hangs on to Yoina Mameria Nontsotega as the Matsigenka girl takes a dip in the Yomibato River, deep inside Peru’s Manú National Park.

This photo was originally published in "This Park in Peru Is Nature ‘in Its Full Glory’—With Hunters," in June 2016.

Photograph by Charlie Hamilton James
displaced children in the rubble of an apartment complex

A refugee family lives amid the rubble in Ramadi, an Iraqi city leveled by ISIS’s destruction and bloodshed.

This photo was originally published in "Surviving the Fall of Isis," in October 2016.

Photograph by Moises Saman
a grizzly bear in Grand Teton National Park fending off ravens from a bison carcass

Parts of the Yellowstone region are wilder now than they’ve been in a century. Grizzlies are spreading. This one, in Grand Teton National Park, fends off ravens from a bison carcass. Workers moved it away from the road to keep scavengers and tourists apart.

This photo was originally published in "Learning to Let the Wild Be Wild in Yellowstone," in May 2016.

Photograph by Charlie Hamilton James, National Geographic
Athena Pronaia at Delphi, Greece

Twilight bathes the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia at Delphi. Pilgrims in ancient Greece may have offered sacrifices here before consulting the oracle of Delphi.

This photo was originally published in "How the Greeks Changed the Idea of the Afterlife," in July 2016.

PHOTOGRAPH BY VINCENT J. MUSI, ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF DELPHI
pangolins

A baby African white-bellied tree pangolin hitches a ride on its mother at Pangolin Conservation, a nonprofit organization in St. Augustine, Florida.

This photo was originally published in "Documenting the World’s Animals, One Picture at a Time," in April 2016.

children carrying bottled water in Flint, Michigan

In Flint, Michigan, siblings Julie, Antonio, and India Abram collect their daily allowance of bottled water from Fire Station #3, their local water resource site.

This photo was originally published in "Intimate Portraits of Flint Show Frustration, Fear, Perseverance," in February 2016.

Photograph by Wayne Lawrence
tortoise

Tortoises jockey for shelter from the sun. They will cook in their shells if they remain in the heat for too long.

This photo was originally published in "Cave-Dwelling Giant Tortoises Are a Big Surprise," in February 2016.

Photograph by Thomas Peschak
a dead elk and its antlers transported by mule

A harvested bull elk and its prized antlers are transported the old-fashioned way—by mule. More than 72,000 hunters came to the lands around Yellowstone and Grand Teton in 2014.

This photograph was originally published in "How Ranching and Hunting Shape Protections for Bison and Elk," in May 2016.

Photograph by David Guttenfelder
a worker

Igor Voronkin surfaces at the Barentsburg coal mine on Spitsbergen, in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. Like most of the 400 other miners, he’s from eastern Ukraine.

This photo was originally published in "In the Arctic’s Cold Rush, There Are No Easy Profits," in March 2016.

Yellowstone's Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Photographs and paintings of sights such as this—the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone— inspired Congress to create the park in 1872. It was a revolutionary step.

This photo was originally published in "Learning to Let the Wild Be Wild in Yellowstone," in May 2016.

Photograph by Michael Nichols
a facility

Russia’s Bovanenkovo natural gas field, on the Yamal Peninsula, was deemed too expensive to develop until President Vladimir Putin made it a priority.

This photo was originally published in "In the Arctic’s Cold Rush, There Are No Easy Profits," in March 2016.

an American crocodile emerging from a bed of turtle grass in Cuba

An American crocodile rises from a bed of turtle grass to return to the labyrinth of mangrove roots that offer near-impenetrable shelter.

This photo was originally published in "Cuba’s Underwater Jewels Are in Tourism’s Path," in November 2016.

Photograph by David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes
the Taipei at night

The capital of Taiwan, Taipei comes to vibrant life when the sun goes down.

This photo was originally published in "Getaway Game: Taipei in 72 Hours," in National Geographic Traveler.

Photograph by Dina Litovsky
Yellowstone wolves near the carcass of a bison

The carcass of a bison that drowned in the Yellowstone River became a feast for this wolf and her two-year-old offspring.

This photo was originally published in "Yellowstone: Wild Heart of a Continent," in May 2016.

Photograph by Ronan Donovan, National Geographic
rancher Becky Weed

Becky Weed and her husband, David Tyler, raise sheep near Yellowstone National Park. They ranch with a guard dog to ward off coyotes, bears, and mountain lions.

This photo was originally published in "Yellowstone's Future Hangs on a Question: Who Owns the West?" in May 2016.

Photographs by Erika Larsen
Yellowstone National Park's Grand Prismatic Spring

The colors of Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone come from thermophiles: microbes that thrive in scalding water.

This photo was originally published in "Learning to Let the Wild Be Wild in Yellowstone," in May 2016.

Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic
Steven Donovan flipping into a pool in Glacier National Park

Steven Donovan, flipping into a pool, took a seasonal job at Glacier National Park to sharpen his photography skills.

This photo was originally published in "Can the Selfie Generation Unplug and Get Into Parks?" in October 2016.

Photograph by Corey Arnold
Kirk Odom

Kirk Odom was convicted of rape after an expert testified that a hair on the victim’s nightgown matched his. He spent years in prison before DNA tests proved his innocence.

This photo was originally published in "How Science Is Putting a New Face on Crime Solving," in July 2016.

Photograph by Max Aguilera-Hellweg
grizzly bears in Denali National Park

In Alaska, a mother grizzly and her cubs cause a “bear jam” on Denali’s 92-mile-long Park Road, open to private vehicles only five days each summer.

This photo was originally published in "How Can 6 Million Acres at Denali Still Not Be Enough?" in February 2016.

park rangers training in Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Virunga Park rangers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo undergo military-style training, including ambush tactics, due to the constant threat from armed groups.

This photo was originally published in "Inside the Fight to Save One of the World’s Most Dangerous Parks," in July 2016.

Photograph by Brent Stirton
dead rhino with missing horn in Africa

Poachers killed this black rhinoceros for its horn with high-caliber bullets in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. Black rhinos number only about 5,000 today.

This photo was originally published in "Special Investigation: Inside the Deadly Rhino Horn Trade," in October 2016.

Photograph by Brent Stirton
the Norwegian ship Lance at night

To track changes in sea ice, the Norwegian research vessel Lance drifted along with it for five months in 2015, on a rare voyage from Arctic winter into spring.

This photo was originally published in "Extreme Research Shows How Arctic Ice Is Dwindling," in January 2016.

tourists in Yosemite

On a mountainside in Yosemite National Park, photographer Stephen Wilkes took 1,036 images over 26 hours to create this day-to-night composite.

This photo was originally published in "How National Parks Tell Our Story—and Show Who We Are," in January 2016.

dock workers

A worker uses a mallet to dislodge frozen tuna aboard a Chinese cargo vessel docked at the city of General Santos, in the Philippines.

This photo was originally published in "One of the World's Biggest Fisheries Is on the Verge of Collapse," in August 2016.

Photograph by Adam Dean
a bloody vulture mid-meal

Blood drips from a Rüppell’s vulture’s beak. The neck and head are sparsely feathered, which helps keep gore, guts, and fecal matter from clinging in a deep carcass dive.

This photo was originally published in "Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them." in January 2016.

a space engineer testing a Mars suit inside a simulator

Dressed for Mars, space engineer Pablo de León tests a prototype space suit at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where fine soil and fans simulate conditions on the red planet.

This photo was originally published in "Mars: Inside the High-Risk, High-Stakes Race to the Red Planet," in November 2016.

Photograph by Phillip Toledano, National Geographic
villagers picnicking at the border town of Bagaran, Armenia

Villagers in Bagaran, Armenia, sing of cultural endurance and survival while picnicking at night beneath apricot trees—and a giant cross that shines defiantly into Turkey.

This photo was originally published in "A Century Later, Slaughter Still Haunts Turkey and Armenia," in April 2016.

Photograph by John Stanmeyer
a common octopus

The nervous system of this common octopus is larger and more complex than most invertebrates’. Can it think? Is it conscious? Researchers wonder if we’ll ever know.

This photo was originally published in "Why Do Octopuses Remind Us So Much of Ourselves?" in November 2016.

Photographed at Florida Keys Marine Life
the cruise ship docked in Havana Bay in Cuba

A curiosity, a portent, a looming symbol of the impending change: This May, for the first time in nearly four decades, an American cruise ship sailed into Havana Bay.

This photo was originally published in "Here Comes a Wave of Change for Cuba," in November 2016.

Photograph by David Guttenfelder
a school of silversides swimming in mangroves in Cuba

Silversides swirl through mangroves in the coral reefs off Cuba. The finger-size fish form large schools to try to confuse predators.

This photo was originally published in "Cuba’s Underwater Jewels Are in Tourism’s Path," in November 2016.

Photograph by David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes
a group of rhinos at a ranch under blue skies and clouds

These rhinos on a South African ranch have recently had their horns trimmed. Unlike elephant ivory, rhino horn grows back when cut properly. The rancher is stockpiling the horn in hopes that selling it will soon be legal.

This photo was originally published in "Special Investigation: Inside the Deadly Rhino Horn Trade," in October 2016.

a farmer whose corneas have been destroyed by years of Namibian sun and dust

Gerd Gamanab, 67, sought treatment too late: Years of labor in the Namibian sun and dust destroyed his corneas. His blindness likely could have been prevented.

This photo was originally published in "Why There’s New Hope About Ending Blindness," in September 2016.

Photgraph by Brent Stirton
Yellowstone National Park elk calves on their first migration

On their first migration to their summer range in southeastern Yellowstone, three-week-old calves of the Cody elk herd follow their mothers up a 4,600-foot slope.

This photo was originally published in "The Yellowstone We Don't See: A Struggle of Life and Death," in May 2016.

Photograph by Joe Riis
a man resting in Bukhansan National Park

Within sight of downtown Seoul, South Korea’s capital and a hub of modern stressful life, salesman Sungvin Hong rests after a hike in Bukhansan National Park.

This photo was originally published in "This Is Your Brain on Nature," in January 2016.

sunbathers at English Garden, Munich, Germany

Summer attracts sunbathers—clothed and otherwise—to the grassy banks of Munich’s Schwabinger Bach. The meadows here have been popular with nudists since the 1970s.

This photo was originally published in "How Urban Parks Are Bringing Nature Close to Home," in April 2016.

Photograph by Simon Roberts
a spider monkey behind two people in Manú National Park, Peru

Indigenous people farm and hunt in Peru's Manú forest but only for their own subsistence. Spider monkeys are a favorite quarry—and also favorite pets.

This photo was originally published in "This Park in Peru Is Nature ‘in Its Full Glory’—With Hunters," in June 2016.

Photograph by Charlie Hamilton James
Kurdish women hiding their faces with blankets

A girl watches as three Kurdish women are photographed with their faces hidden. Two of the women say they were forced to marry ISIS fighters before escaping to a refugee camp.

This photo was originally published in "Kurds Fight to Preserve 'the Other Iraq,'" in March 2016.

a headless elephant carcass and a ranger and bloodhound in Virunga National Park

With the help of a bloodhound, a ranger tries to track the poachers who killed this elephant and cut off part of its head to get away quickly with its ivory tusks.

This photo was originally published in "Inside the Fight to Save One of the World’s Most Dangerous Parks," in July 2016.

Photograph by Brent Stirton
a trainer dressed as a panda posing with a stuffed leopard

A panda keeper in China uses a stuffed leopard to train young pandas to fear their biggest wild foe. A cub’s reactions help determine if the bear is ready to survive on its own.

This photo was originally published in "Pandas Get to Know Their Wild Side," in August 2016.

Photograph by Ami Vitale, National Geographic
Leo Teton, a member of the Shoshone-Bannock tribes

At Fort Hall, Idaho, Leo Teton stands next to a pole ornamented with bison skulls, representing the spiritual connection between the Shoshone-Bannock tribe and bison.

This photo was originally published in "How Ranching and Hunting Shape Protections for Bison and Elk," in May 2016.

Photograph by Erika Larsen
Port Salut, Haiti after Hurricane Matthew

Kids swim in a river where a bridge collapsed in Port Salut, Haiti. The city suffered serious damage from Hurricane Matthew, with many homes completely destroyed.

This photo was originally published in "Pictures Reveal Hurricane Matthew's Destruction in Haiti," in October 2016.

Photograph by Andrew McConnell
a young refugee girl who moved from Somalia to Sweden

Isra Ali Saalad moved from Somalia to Sweden with her mother and two siblings. “The reason we came to this country is because it is safe,” says her sister, Samsam.

This photo was originally published in "The New Europeans," in October 2016.

Photograph by Robin Hammond
vultures feeding on a dead zebra

A young Rüppell’s vulture eats a piece of zebra in the Serengeti. More dominant birds have taken their fill of the choice meat, leaving the skin and bones for other birds.

This photo was originally published in "Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them." in January 2016.

Photograph by Charlie Hamilton James
blacktip reef sharks at Aldabra Atoll

Lounging in inches of warm water, blacktip reef sharks wait for the tide to refill the lagoon at Seychelles’ Aldabra Atoll.

This photo was originally published in "In the Seychelles, Taking Aim at Nature’s Bullies," in March 2016.

Photograph by Thomas P. Peschak
child drawing a heart in sand

As the train nears the end of the journey at Kashgar station, a child draws a heart in the desert sand that came along for the ride.

This photo was originally published in "Travel 3,000 Miles Through China’s Wondrous Wild West," in July 2016.

Photograph by Matthieu Paley

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