Officers of the Senegalese Armed Forces get themselves ready to take part in celebrations for Senegal's 63rd Independence Day in Dakar on April 04, 2023. (Photo by John Wessels/AFP Photo)

An Indigenous woman smokes during a protest demanding a better health care system be made available in her region, including the hiring of more doctors and nurses as well as the building of more clinics, outside the Ministry of Health in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, February 8, 2023. (Photo by Gustavo Moreno/AP Photo)

“The Net thrower”. The fisherman are conducting activities on Situgunung Lake. Photo location: Situgunung lake, Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia. (Photo and caption by Dody Kusuma/National Geographic Photo Contest)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and these striking images of 2017 are no exception. The photo highlights include incredible snapshots of the natural world as well as some awesome animal and human encounters. The vibrant gallery also shows thrill-seekers pushing themselves to the limit with breathtaking stunts captured in perfect clarity. The pictures have been taken by a host of photographers from around the world. Here: The two lion cubs singing their hearts out at Antelope park in Zimbabwe. (Photo by David Jenkins/Caters News Agency)

Two brown bear cubs born at Whipsnade Zoo. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images). 1970

Men at work at the Cardiff Institute, making huge baskets, unique in size and construction, for loading oil cake in South Africa. (Photo by Maeers/Getty Images). 1938

Storks casts shadows as they search for food on the dried-up Lake May in southwest Turkey on October 30, 2021. (Photo by Seyit Konyal/Solent News)

Venezuela: An anti-government protester wearing a Guy Fawkes mask throws a molotov cocktail at the Bolivarian National Police during clashes in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, April 17, 2014. Opposition protesters have been demonstrating against high crime, high inflation and shortages of basic goods since mid-February. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)