This image of a young bareback rider was taken in the village of Palenque de San Basilio, in Colombia’s Bolívar department. Founded by freed slaves in the 17th century, it became the first free town in the Americas, following a decree by the Spanish crown. Most of today’s inhabitants are direct descendants of those slaves and have preserved many of their customs, including their own language, Palenquero. (Photo by Sebastián Suki Beláustegui/The Guardian)

Japanese Yuuka Hasumi, 17, and Ibuki Ito, 17, also from Japan, who want to become K-pop stars, perform at an Acopia School party in Seoul, South Korea, March 16, 2019. Acopia is a prep school offering young Japanese a shot at K-pop stardom, teaching them the dance moves, the songs and also the language. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

The Kingdom of Pagan (also commonly known as the Pagan Dynasty and the Pagan Empire) was the first kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-day Burma (Myanmar). Pagan's 250-year rule over the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery laid the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Burman ethnicity in Upper Burma, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and in mainland Southeast Asia.

Gianluca Pardelli is something of an expert on markets. For the past two years, he’s travelled across eastern Europe, from Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan, Moldova to Georgia, photographing them. Here: Telavi, Georgia. (Photo by Gianluca Pardelli)

A woman takes a selfie picture as Turkish Kurds gather as part of Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakir, on March 21, 2016. Nowruz, the Farsi-language word for “New Year”, is an ancient Persian festival, celebrated on the first day of spring, on March 21, in Central Asian republics, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan and Iran. (Photo by Ilyas Akengin/AFP Photo)

Chinese American actress Bai Ling arrives at the 58th Golden Horse Awards in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, November 27, 2021. Bai is a guest at this year's Golden Horse Awards, one of the Chinese-language film industry's biggest annual events. (Photo by Billy Dai/AP Photo)

Guatapé is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. Guatapé is located in the outskirts of Medellín, bordering a reservoir created by the Colombian government for a hydro-electric dam, built in the late 1960s. This quaint town is the gathering place for "Las Vegas", or the small farms of the area. It is also a growing area of recreation for citizens of Medellín, and aims to be a tourist destination for foreign travellers.
Guatapé was founded in 1811, by the Spaniard Don Francisco Giraldo y Jimenez. The name "Guatapé", comes from the Quechua language, related to "stones and water". The area was visited by the conquistadors circa 1551.