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)

A man poses for a picture in front of Christmas lights decoration at the Francisco Morazan square in San Salvador, El Salvador, December 22, 2020. (Photo by Jose Cabezas/Reuters)

“These Rajasthani sisters were sitting on the staircase inside their house relaxing and enjoy a cup of masala chai”. (Photo by Firdaus Hadzri/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest)

A dune buggy driver trains before competing in a sand dune drag racing event on January 8, 2016, as part of the Liwa 2016 Moreeb Dune Festival in the Liwa desert, some 250 kilometres southwest of Abu Dhabi. The festival, which attracts participants from around the Gulf region, includes a variety of races (cars, bikes, falcons, camels and horses) or other activities aimed at promoting the country's folklore. (Photo by Karim Sahib/AFP Photo)

Female bodybuilders prepare to compete in the “Miss Bikini” category of the NABA/WFF Asia-Seoul Open Championship in Seoul on April 17, 2016. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP Photo)

The chariot of God Bhairab is pulled through the city centre of Bhaktapur near Kathmandu during the Bisket festival April 10, 2015. The festival, which runs for more than a week and coincides with the Nepalese New Year, involves devotees offering prayers and the pulling of two chariots, one carrying the idol of God Bhairab and the other with the idol of Goddess Bhadrakali, around the ancient city of Bhaktapur. Devotees participate in the festival with the belief that they will be blessed with good health, fortune and harvest for the coming year. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A vendor (C) cuts slaughtered dogs for sale at his roadside stall in Duong Noi village, outside Hanoi December 16, 2011. While animal rights activists have condemned eating dog meat as cruel treatment of the animals, it is still an accepted popular delicacy for some Vietnamese, as well in some other Asian countries. Duong Noi is well-known as a dog-meat village, where hundreds of dogs are killed each day for sale as popular traditional food. Dog-eating as a custom is rooted in Vietnam and was developed as a result of poverty. One kilogram of dog meat costs about 130,000 dongs ($6.2). (Photo by Reuters/Kham)

This handout picture taken by Pleiades satellite and released on September 27, 2013 shows a small island of mud and rock created by the huge earthquake that hit southwest Pakistan has fascinated locals but experts – who found methane gas rising from it – say it is unlikely to last long. The 7.7-magnitude quake struck on September 25 in Baluchistan's remote Awaran district, killing at least 271 people and affecting hundreds of thousands. The island is about 60 to 70 feet (18 to 21 metres) high, up to 300 feet wide and up to 120 feet long and sits about 650 feet from the coast. (Photo by AFP Photo/CNES/Distribution Astrium Services)