diversity is everywhere in India, from its religions and languages to its economy, and climates. The second-most populous nation in the world, India is home to more than 1.2 billion people. Most are Hindu, but seven other religions -- including Islam, Christianity and Sikhism -- make up nearly 20 percent of the population. January 26 will be India's 62nd Republic Day, marking the date in 1950 when the country's constitution came into force. Collected here are recent photos from across the vast nation, offering only a small glimpse of the people and diversity of India. [41 photos]
Indian soldiers from the Border Security Forces atop camels stand at attention in front of the Presidential Palace during a ceremony in preparation for the annual Beating Retreat in New Delhi, India, on January 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)
- Adam Davidson
- Ahmadabad
- Ajay Verma
- Ajit Solanki
- Allahabad
- Allahabad
- Altaf Qadri
- Altaf Qadri
- America
- Amitabh Bachchan
- Amritsar
- Andrew Cohen
- Arabian Sea
- Arthur Rizer
- Avanti
- Bal
- Bangalore
- Bihar
- Bihar
- Bodh Gaya
- Border Security Forces
- Brian Resnick
- Buffalo
- Caitlin Flanagan
- Carl Sagan
- Chander Kote hills
- Chandigarh
- Christmas
- Christmas Day
- Conor Friedersdorf
- DC
- Delhi
- Derek Thompson
- Dinesh Trivedi
- Drew Bonifant
- Election Commission
- FDA
- Frances Beinecke
- Ganges
- Geography of Uttar Pradesh
- Geography of Uttarakhand
- Getty Images
- Gujarat
- Guru Nanak
- Himalayan
- India
- India
- Indian Navy
- Indian parliament
- International
- Iris Chang
- Jammu
- Jammu
- Jitendra Prakash
- Joan Didion
- Joe Paterno
- Jordan Weissmann
- Jyoti Amge
- Kashmir
- Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg
- Kevin Frayer
- Khadir Island
- Kolkata
- Kutch
- Lama
- Local media
- Lucknow
- manufacturing town
- Maria Popova
- Martin Mulcahey
- Marty Nemko
- Massoud Hayoun
- Megan Garber
- Molly Ball
- Mukhtar Khan
- Mumbai
- Nagpur
- National Football League
- New Delhi
- NFL Playoff
- oil lamp
- Pakistan
- Rafiq Maqbool
- Rajesh Kumar Singh
- Rebecca J. Rosen
- Republic Day
- Rigvedic rivers
- river Ganges
- river Jehlum
- river Jhelum
- river Saraswati
- river Yamuna
- rivers Ganges
- Rivers of India
- Rob Molloy
- Sam Panthaky
- Siddarth Abraham
- Solder
- SONEPUR
- South Carolina
- Srinagar
- Standard Chartered
- States and territories of India
- steel factory
- Steven A. Cook
- Surat
- Syria
- tear gas
- The Great Gatsby
- the Kalachakra Buddhist festival
- the Presidents Fleet Review
- Tom Hawking
- Turkey
- United States
- Uttar Pradesh
- Walled City
- World Bank
It's time once more for a look into the animal kingdom and our interactions with the countless other species that share our planet. Today's photos include a fiery Spanish festival, a frightening encounter with a leopard in India, a flamingo undergoing laser treatment, a new species named in honor of entertainer Beyonce, and the plight of Ukraine's "vodka bears". These images and many others are part of this roundup of animals in the news from recent weeks, seen from the perspectives of their human observers, companions, captors, and caretakers. [42 photos]
A man rides a horse through a bonfire on January 16, 2012 in the small village of San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain. In honor of San Anton, the patron saint of animals, horses are ridden through the bonfires on the night before the official day of honoring animals in Spain. (Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
- Adam Davidson
- Adrian Walls
- Alan Crowhurst
- Alberto Saiz
- Alex Cole
- Alps
- America
- Andre Penner
- Andrew Cohen
- Animal Welfare Foundation
- Anthony Augello
- AP Photo/Columbia Daily Tribune
- AP Photo/Green Renaissance-World Wildlife Fund
- AP Photo/Tampa Bay Times
- AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press
- Arkansas
- Arnsberg
- Arthur Rizer
- Assam
- Aurelien Bergeron
- Australia
- Baltic sea
- Bedfordshire
- Bessans
- Biology
- Blas Cervantes
- Bolivar
- Boris Horvat
- Brazil
- Brian Resnick
- Bryan Lessard
- Buffalo
- Caitlin Flanagan
- Canberra
- Carl Sagan
- Carlos Costly
- Carrie Antlfinger
- Chester
- China
- China Daily
- China's Giant Panda Protection and Research Center
- Chongqing
- Chongqing
- Colombia
- Columbia Daily Tribune
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
- Conor Friedersdorf
- Cory Morse
- Darren Staples
- Denis Balibouse
- Derek Thompson
- Drew Bonifant
- Eastern Cape
- Eastern Cape
- Edmund D. Fountain
- FDA
- Federal Government
- fish
- Florida
- food
- France
- Frances Beinecke
- gas station
- gas stations
- Germany
- Getty Images
- Getty Images
- Guangdong
- Guwahati
- Hanoi
- Harbin
- Himachal Pradesh
- Himachal Pradesh state government
- Honduras
- Houston
- Houston Chronicle
- Houston Chronicle
- Humane Society of West Michigan
- India
- Indian hill
- Iowa
- Iris Chang
- Izmir
- Jerry Longobardi
- Joan Didion
- Joe Paterno
- Johnny Hanson
- Jordan Weissmann
- Juan Medina
- Julian Stratenschulte
- Jungle Nymph
- Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg
- Kathmandu
- Khatenchitsy
- Kiev
- Kiev
- Ladora
- Lalitpur
- laser
- Leon Neal
- Leopard
- Limpopo
- Local media
- local media reports
- London
- Macon
- Madrid
- Marc Serota
- Maria Popova
- Mark Wanner
- Marseille
- Martin Mulcahey
- Marty Nemko
- Massoud Hayoun
- Matthew Cavanah
- Megan Garber
- Michigan
- Milwaukee
- Minsk
- Missouri
- Missy Brazle
- Molly Ball
- Murad Sezer
- National Football League
- New Delhi
- New Year's Day
- NFL Playoff
- Nick de la Torre
- Olivia Harris
- Penguin Beach
- Phil Noble
- plastics
- Plumpton
- Quorn
- Randi Petre
- Randolph County
- Rebecca J. Rosen
- Rehabilitation Bears Center
- Reuters
- Rosa
- Ruegen
- Ruth Payton
- San Bartolome
- Sao Paulo
- Sarah Uzarski
- Selcuk
- Shimla November
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Carolina
- Spain
- Srdjan Zivulovic
- Srednja Vas
- St. Louis
- State of the Union
- Stefan Sauer
- Steven A. Cook
- Switzerland
- Synvyr
- Syria
- Tampa
- Tampa Bay Times
- Texas
- The Grand Rapids Press
- The Great Gatsby
- the Jackson Hole News
- Toby Melville
- Tom Hawking
- Triston Katic
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- Ukrainian Ministry of Environment Natural Resources
- United Kingdom
- United States
- University of Missouri
- Valencia
- Vasily Fedosenko
- Vietnam
- Watson
- Wisconsin
- World Bank
- Wyoming
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department
- Zoo
- Zoology
More than 500 teams are currently speeding across the deserts of Argentina, Chile, and Peru, racing more than 8,300 km (5,150 mi) in the 33rd annual Dakar Rally. Competitors pit themselves against the elements, driving specialized off-road cars, trucks, motorcycles, and quadbikes through challenging terrain for two weeks. One rider, Argentine Jorge Martinez Boero, has already died this year in a crash. The 2012 Dakar Rally began in Mar del Plata, Argentina, on January 1, and racers reached the finish line in Lima, Peru, on Sunday, January 15. [41 photos]
Stefan Svitko rides his KTM during the 10th stage of the Dakar Rally 2012, from Iquique to Arica, Chile, on January 11, 2012. (Reuters/Jerome Prevot)
- Adam Davidson
- Alister McRae
- America
- Andrew Cohen
- Andrey Mokeev
- Antofagasta
- Arequipa
- Argentina
- Argentina
- Arica
- Arthur Rizer
- Atacama desert
- Belgium
- Bernard Errandonea
- Brian Resnick
- Bryn Lennon
- Buffalo
- Caitlin Flanagan
- Camelia Liparoti
- car category
- Carl Sagan
- Chile
- Chile
- Chilecito
- Christophe Blondeau
- Conor Friedersdorf
- Copiapo
- Cyril Despres
- Dakar
- Dakar
- Dakar Rally
- Dean Kaufman
- Derek Thompson
- Dirk Von Zitzewitz
- Drew Bonifant
- Erik Wevers
- Ernesto Benavides
- Fabian Lurquin
- FDA
- Felipe Rios
- Fiambala
- France
- Frances Beinecke
- Francois Lefloch
- Frederic Le Floch
- Gerard Farres Guell
- Germany
- Getty Images
- Giniel De Villiers
- Iquique
- Iris Chang
- Jean Paul
- Jean Paul Cottret
- JEROME PREVOST
- Jerome Prevot
- Jo Adua
- Joan Barreda
- Joan Barreda Bort
- Joan Didion
- Joan Pedrero
- Joe Paterno
- Johnny Campbell
- Jordan Weissmann
- Jorge Martinez Boero
- Jose Antonio Blangino
- Juan Mabromata
- Jurgen Schroder
- Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg
- Lima
- Lucio Ezequiel
- Mar del Plata
- Marcos Patronelli
- Maria Popova
- Martin Bernetti
- Martin Mejia
- Martin Mulcahey
- Marty Nemko
- Massoud Hayoun
- Mauricio Javier Gomez
- Megan Garber
- Mitsubishi
- Molly Ball
- Nasca
- National Football League
- NFL Playoff
- Off-road racing
- Pampa
- Paulo Fiuza
- Peru
- Peru
- Philippe Desmazes
- Poland
- Portugal
- Raphael Gimbre
- Rebecca J. Rosen
- Ricardo Leal Dos
- Russia
- San Juan
- San Rafael
- Santos
- Scotland
- South Africa
- South Carolina
- Spain
- St?phane Peterhansel
- State of the Union
- Stefan Svitko
- Stephane Peterhansel
- Steven A. Cook
- Syria
- Tacna
- The Great Gatsby
- The Netherlands
- Tom Hawking
- Toyota
- Turkey
- United States
- World Bank
- Xavier Pizzolito
- Yamaha
According to the latest jobs numbers, issued by the Labor Department on January 6, the U.S. unemployment rate has dropped to 8.5 percent, down from 10 percent in 2009. The Great Recession has claimed more than 8.5 million jobs since 2007, and even though the current trajectory of the U.S. appears to be toward recovery, Americans are still struggling to find work. Nine of the photographs below appear in The Atlantic's January/February 2012 print issue, and I've added 25 more here to round out a collection of images from these years of uncertainty -- of men and women both at work and out of work in the United States. [34 photos]
A workman steams a U.S. flag in preparation for a planned visit by President Barack Obama, on April 6, 2011, at wind turbine manufacture Gamesa Technology Corporation in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
- Adam Colvin
- Adam Davidson
- Alan Dowden
- Alaska
- America
- Anchorage
- Andrew Cohen
- Anthony Bolante
- AP Photo/Atlanta Journal
- Arthur Rizer
- Associated Press
- Atlanta Technical College in Atlanta
- Barack Obama
- Bill Pugliano
- Bob Andres
- Bob Leverone
- Bobby Bailey
- Boeing
- Boeing 787 Dreamliner
- Boston
- Boulder
- Brandie Barbiere
- Brandy Baker
- Brian Griffin
- Brian Resnick
- Brian Snyder
- Brunswick
- Buffalo
- Burlington
- Cailynn Williams
- Caitlin Flanagan
- California
- car part manufacturer
- Carl Sagan
- close mail processing facilities
- Colorado
- Congress
- Conor Friedersdorf
- day laborer site
- Dearborn
- Department of Labor
- Derek Thompson
- Devin Gosney
- Dexter
- Drew Bonifant
- E. Boothbay
- Eagle Alloy Inc.
- Egelston Township
- El Salvador
- Electric Time Company
- Elise Amendola
- Engineers
- Eric Rego
- Eric Thayer
- Everett
- Fairless Hills
- FDA
- Florida
- food production
- Ford
- Ford Focus
- Ford Motor Co.
- Fort Madison
- Frances Beinecke
- Gamesa Technology Corporation
- Gary Olsem
- gas main
- Georgia
- Gerasmo Perez
- Getty Images
- Getty Images
- Gettysburg
- Gillette
- Harpswell
- Harvey Lesser
- Henry Ford Community College
- Hickory
- high-tech bicycle
- Homestead
- IBM
- Internet boom
- Iowa
- Iris Chang
- Jason Reed
- Jeff Roberson
- Jessica Rinaldi
- Jin Lee
- Joan Didion
- Joe Paterno
- John Lovretta
- John Minchillo
- John Moore
- Jordan Weissmann
- Jose Castillo
- Jose Sanchez
- Josh Gatto
- Journalism
- JP Morgan Chase
- Kaplan Career Institute
- Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg
- Kelley Bryan
- Kendra Stanley-Mills
- Kevin Lamarque
- Kevin Ridge
- Kevin Systrom
- King of Prussia
- L'Ecole Culinaire
- Ladue
- large corporate banks
- Lisa Poole
- Lockwood Animal Rescue Center
- Los Angeles
- Lucy Nicholson
- Luis Lizarraga
- Maine
- manufacturing
- Maria Popova
- Marilyn MacKay
- Mark Thiessen
- Martin Mulcahey
- Marty Nemko
- Mary Schwartz
- Mass media
- Massachusetts
- Massoud Hayoun
- Matt Rourke
- Medfield
- Megan Garber
- Mel Evans
- Mexico
- Michigan
- Mike DiBella
- Milliken
- Missouri
- Molly Ball
- molten steel
- national day
- National Football League
- National Park Service
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- New York
- New York Stock Exchange
- Newland
- Newport
- NFL Playoff
- North Carolina
- Occupy
- Pat Wellenbach
- Pennsylvania
- personal health insurance
- Peter R. Barber
- Plymouth
- Postal Clerk Elisha Toni
- Randolph
- Rebecca J. Rosen
- Reuters
- Robert F. Bukaty
- ROBYN BECK
- Salvador Herrera
- San Francisco
- Sargento Cheese Company
- Schenectady
- Seattle Sperm Bank
- Shane Dunlap
- Siemens
- South Carolina
- Sperm Bank
- Sperm Bike
- steel foundry
- Stephen Brashear
- Steve Walthart
- Steven A. Cook
- Stock photography
- Sturm Ruger & Co.
- Syria
- The Detroit News
- The Daily Gazette
- The Great Gatsby
- The Muskegon Chronicle
- Todd Leach
- Tom Hawking
- Travis Bell
- Trenton
- Trenton police
- unemployed software developer
- United States
- Utah
- Washington
- Washington
- Washington, DC
- Wayne
- Weld County
- Wilfredo Lee
- Winthrop
- Wisconsin
- World Bank
- X-ray