Digital Globe, a provider of commercial satellite pictures, gathers 1 billion square kilometers of Earth imagery every year. That’s nearly enough to cover the globe twice — and some of it is downright beautiful. Several years ago, employees at the Colorado-based organization decided to pick their favorite to share Earth’s beauty with the public. This year, they’ve collected 20 awe-inspiring scenes, and they want you to pick your favorite of the bunch.
Their picks can be seen above, and you can vote for your favorite on DigitalGlobe’s Facebook page.
Aleppo, Syria, May 26, 2013 – The Citadel of Aleppo – medieval fortified palaceDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesBelfast, Northern Ireland, Nov. 3, 2013 – “Wish,” a large-scale art workDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesUtah, USA, April 22, 2013 – Colorado RiverDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesCuanza River, Angola, April 28, 2013 – Cambambe DamDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesDoha, Qatar, March 4, 2013 – Artificial island spanning nearly four million sq meters.DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesDunalley, Australia, Jan. 6, 2013 – fires, false color image (red = healthy vegetation)DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesAustralia, April 22, 2013 – Great Barrier ReefDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesGwadar coast, Pakistan Sept. 29, 2013 – new island created by earthquake in PakistanDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesCroatia, Feb. 16, 2013 – Galešnjak (Island of Love)DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesHong Kong, China May 9, 2013 – giant rubber duckDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesMadang Province, Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2013 – Manam VolcanoDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNamib Desert, Namibia, May 13, 2013 – Sossusvlie areaDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNaples, Italy, Feb. 19 2013 – Mount VesuviusDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNiger, Feb. 13, 2013 – Arlit Uranium MineDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesSchooner Cays, Bahamas, May 26, 2013DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesSochi, Russia, March 17, 2013 – Site of 2014 winter OlympicsDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesNear the city of Sur, Oman, Feb. 13, 2013 – massive “green tide”DigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesValencia, Spain, July 19, 2013 – Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Gulliver Park with an enormous fiberglass model of Lemuel Gulliver trappedDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesVersailles, France, Aug. 20, 2013 – Palace of VersaillesDigitalGlobe—Getty ImagesXi'an, China, Sept. 24, 2013 – Shiyuan Park DigitalGlobe—Getty Images
