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Brown Bears, Alaska
Photograph by Michael Melford, National Geographic
It’s the world’s most common eye color and the shade of both a beloved confection and a drink that starts the day all over the globe. Whether we find it in the clothes we wear, the animals we love, or the trees we climb, brown complements a colorful life.
Here, brown bears wait for sockeye salmon to jump at Brooks Falls in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. Fish in the park sustain a sizable number of bears—up to 2,000.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Palm Trees, Brazil
Photograph by Bobby Haas, National Geographic
Palm trees peek out of an early morning mist in Brazil’s Pantanal. Covering an area of 74,000 square miles—more than a third the size of France—the Pantanal is one of the world’s largest wetlands.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Fruit, Thailand
Photograph by Jules Gervais Courtellemont, National Geographic
Bananas and pomelos are among the native fruits on display at a produce market in Bangkok, Thailand.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Natural Spring, Bolivia
Photograph by George Steinmetz, National Geographic
Dry earth surrounds a natural spring in Lagunas Pastos Grande, Bolivia. Mountainous and landlocked, Bolivia is home to the world’s highest capital city, La Paz, which sits at an altitude of 11,800 feet.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Red-Billed Queleas, Zambia
Photograph by Frans Lanting, National Geographic
Red-billed queleas take flight in Zambia. Likened to locusts in Africa, crop-destroying queleas are said to be Earth’s most numerous bird species.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Cow Skull, Alaska
Photograph by Michael Melford
A cow skull hangs on a wooden wall on Umnak Island in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The chain is made up of more than 300 islands extending southwestward from the mainland.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Saltwater Pools, Niger
Photograph by George Steinmetz
Laborers collect salt from pools of evaporating saltwater in Niger. Once a crossroads of ancient trading empires, the landlocked country gained independence from France in 1960.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Coffee Shop, London
Photograph by Jodi Cobb, National Geographic
A woman in a coffee shop peers out at a London street scene in this 1999 photo.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Cappucino, Italy
Photograph by Todd Gipstein
Foam tops a cappuccino at a café in Italy. Known for a pervasive café culture, the country ranks fifth in coffee consumption.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Maple Tree, New York
Photograph by Michael Melford, National Geographic
Completing the cycle of the seasons in New York State’s Adirondack Park, a leafless maple bears up under the onslaught of winter.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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License Plates, Kentucky
Photograph by Raymond Gehman
Rusted license plates adorn the side of a building in Kentucky. The state is perhaps best known for its bluegrass music, whiskey distilleries, and the annual derby held at Churchill Downs.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Kara Boys, Ethiopia
Photograph by Randy Olson, National Geographic
In Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, two boys of the Kara tribe stand on the mud-caked shore of the Omo River. Replenished by seasonal floods, the river supports the Kara and other tribal communities that inhabit the valley.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Majlis al Jinn Cave, Oman
Photograph by Stephen Alvarez, National Geographic
An explorer descends into the Majlis al Jinn cave in Oman. At more than 50 stories deep, it's one of the largest caves in the world. The cavers' mission is to determine if Oman's deep caverns could be safe for tourists to enter.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Western Wall, Jerusalem
Photograph by Michael Melford, National Geographic
Jews gather to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, a holy remnant of the Second Temple complex that was destroyed by Roman forces in A.D. 70.
(For more pictures of the amazing colors of our world, buy the National Geographic book Life in Color.)
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Photograph by William Albert Allard, National Geographic
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