HUFFINGTON POST

52 Stunning Images To Recap This Year Around The World

And one last look at 2015.
By Chris McGonigal and Alexandra Ma

This year has been one of both despair and hope.

Americans died tragically, from Baltimore to San Bernardino, California. In Paris, a deadly shooting devastated the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in January, and a series of terror attacks, for which the self-described Islamic State claimed credit, killed at least 130 in November. Civil wars and terrorist campaigns plagued the Middle East and North Africa, driving many to flee their homes in search of safety. Over 1 million people, many of them escaping the war in Syria, crossed Europe's borders.

But 2015 was also a year of hope. The people of Ireland voted to legalize same-sex marriage, and international leaders adopted a watershed agreement to try to mitigate climate change. In July, Iran and six world powers reached a historic deal to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lighter economic sanctions. And while European countries disagreed on how to resolve the ongoing migrant and refugee crisis, many individual Europeans stepped up to show solidarity with and support for the newcomers.

As the year draws to a close, just as we did in 2014, we've compressed 365 days into 52 stunning images, gathered from Getty's "News Pictures of the Week." Take a look at the photos below for a trip through 2015.

  • Jan. 1 - 5
    A family holds cutouts as they usher in 2015 in Lingbao, China, on Jan. 1.
    ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images
    A family holds cutouts as they usher in 2015 in Lingbao, China, on Jan. 1.
  • Jan. 5 - 12
    Hundreds of thousands of people flood the streets of Paris to express support in the wake of two deadly terror attacks i
    Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
    Hundreds of thousands of people flood the streets of Paris to express support in the wake of two deadly terror attacks in the city. On Jan. 7, masked gunmen killed 12 people at the offices of satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Several more people were killed at a Jewish supermarket two days after.

    Following the tragedies, social media users around the world used the hashtags #JeSuisCharlie, or "I Am Charlie," and #JeSuisJuif, or "I Am Jewish," to show solidarity.
  • Jan. 12 - 19
    A man takes a picture with his cell phone through heavy snow at the <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/irelands-dark-hed
    Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
    A man takes a picture with his cell phone through heavy snow at the Dark Hedges in Antrim county, Northern Ireland, on Jan. 13. The site was a filming location in the popular TV series "Game of Thrones."
  • Jan. 19 - 26
    Vehicles sit parked at a delivery center at the Hyundai Motor Company's factory in Asan, South Korea, on Jan. 20.
    Bloomberg/Getty Images
    Vehicles sit parked at a delivery center at the Hyundai Motor Company's factory in Asan, South Korea, on Jan. 20.
  • Jan. 26 - Feb. 1
    Arif,&nbsp;a 10-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee, poses at the Rojava refugee camp in Sanliurfa, Turkey, on Feb. 1. As the <a
    Bulent Kilic/Getty Images
    Arif, a 10-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee, poses at the Rojava refugee camp in Sanliurfa, Turkey, on Feb. 1. As the Syrian civil war rages on and the self-described Islamic State grabs territory, millions of Syrians have been forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in other parts of the country or in neighboring states.
  • Feb. 1 - 9
    A man bikes along a snowy way near the village of Gemering, Germany, on Feb. 3.
    CHRISTOF STACHE via Getty Images
    A man bikes along a snowy way near the village of Gemering, Germany, on Feb. 3.
  • Feb. 9 - 16
    Ukrainian soldiers play football on a&nbsp;road leading to the embattled town of Debaltseve on Feb. 15. Tensions between Ukra
    Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
    Ukrainian soldiers play football on a road leading to the embattled town of Debaltseve on Feb. 15. Tensions between Ukraine and Russia continued to mount after fighting broke out between the Ukrainian army and Russian-backed separatists in the country's east. Some 8,000 people have been killed in the conflict. 
  • Feb. 16 - 23
    Rescuers save a woman&nbsp;whose car had <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/police-rescue-drowning-woman-from-car_n_6699
    Fairfax Media/Getty Images
    Rescuers save a woman whose car had rolled into the water in Auckland, New Zealand, on Feb. 17. The two police officers who pulled the woman to safety said they were just doing their job.
  • Feb. 23 - March 2
    People celebrate Daeboreum, a holiday marking&nbsp;the first full moon of the lunar new year, in Seoul, South Korea, on March
    Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
    People celebrate Daeboreum, a holiday marking the first full moon of the lunar new year, in Seoul, South Korea, on March 1.
  • March 2 - 9
    College students attend the Mynavi Shushoku job fair in Tokyo on March 8.
    Chris McGrath/Getty Images
    College students attend the Mynavi Shushoku job fair in Tokyo on March 8.
  • March 9 - 16
    The Russian Soyuz TMA-14M&nbsp;spacecraft lands near the town of&nbsp;Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, as it <a href="http://www.nasas
    Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images
    The Russian Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft lands near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, as it ends a six-month tour of the International Space Station, on March 12.
  • March 16 - 23
    Hundreds of people made the St. Patrick's Day pilgrimage to the top of Slemish mountain in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, on Ma
    Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
    Hundreds of people made the St. Patrick's Day pilgrimage to the top of Slemish mountain in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, on March 17. According to Irish legend, Patrick tended herds on the mountain as a boy in the 5th century. 
  • March 23 - 30
    On March 24, a&nbsp;Germanwings commercial flight&nbsp;carrying 150 people&nbsp;from Barcelona,&nbsp;Spain, to Dusseldorf, Ge
    ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/Getty Images
    On March 24, a Germanwings commercial flight carrying 150 people from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany, crashed in the French Alps with no known survivors. Andreas Lubitz, one of the flight's pilots, had a history of mental illness, and prosecutors said he appeared to have crashed the plane deliberately. In this photo, an investigator passes by scattered debris at the crash site two days after the tragedy.
  • March 30 - April 6
    Revelers take part in a giant pillow fight to celebrate International Pillow Fight Day in London's Trafalgar Square on April
    Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
    Revelers take part in a giant pillow fight to celebrate International Pillow Fight Day in London's Trafalgar Square on April 4.
  • April 6 - 13
    A girl poses with a man disguised as a wall in Shanghai, China, on April 10.
    ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images
    A girl poses with a man disguised as a wall in Shanghai, China, on April 10.
  • April 13 - 20
    People launch Kongming lanterns during the Water-Sprinkling Festival in China's&nbsp;Xishuangbanna autonomous prefecture on A
    ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images
    People launch Kongming lanterns during the Water-Sprinkling Festival in China's Xishuangbanna autonomous prefecture on April 13.
  • April 20 - 27
    A man climbs on top of building debris after a <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nepal-earthquake-avalanche_n_7141944">
    Omar Havana/Getty Images
    A man climbs on top of building debris after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal and triggered a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest on April 25. The earthquake, which killed over 8,500 people, was the worst to hit Nepal in over 80 years.
  • April 27 - May 4
    Police secure Baltimore's Mondawmin Mall&nbsp;after protesters and police <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/freddie-gra
    Andrew Burton via Getty Images
    Police secure Baltimore's Mondawmin Mall after protesters and police clashed violently at the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old who died in police custody on April 19. Following the protests at Gray's funeral, Maryland's governor activated the National Guard and declared a state of emergency that lasted 10 days.
  • May 4 - 11
    A man cheers as his home-made rocket takes off at the Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival, marking the beginning of the rainy season
    Taylor Weidman/Getty Images
    A man cheers as his home-made rocket takes off at the Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival, marking the beginning of the rainy season on May 10 in Yasothon, Thailand.
  • May 11 - 18
    Investigators work near the wreckage of an Amtrak Northeast Regional train from New York to Washington, D.C., that <a href="h
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Investigators work near the wreckage of an Amtrak Northeast Regional train from New York to Washington, D.C., that derailed in Philadelphia on May 13. At least seven people were killed and 200 injured.
  • May 18 - 25
    A couple celebrates in Ireland's Dublin Castle Square after the majority of the country voted to change&nbsp;its constitution
    Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
    A couple celebrates in Ireland's Dublin Castle Square after the majority of the country voted to change its constitution to legalize same-sex marriage in a May 23 referendum. The new marriage equality legislation went into effect on Nov. 16.
  • May 25 - June 1
    North Korean defectors wearing the country's military uniforms dance at a "<a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2015
    Ed Jones/Getty Images
    North Korean defectors wearing the country's military uniforms dance at a "unification expo" in Seoul, South Korea, on May 29. The exposition commemorated the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 35-year-long colonial rule.
  • June 1 - 8
    A Turkish soldier carries a Syrian girl as she enters&nbsp;Turkey at the Akcakale border crossing on June 6. Over <a href="ht
    Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
    A Turkish soldier carries a Syrian girl as she enters Turkey at the Akcakale border crossing on June 6. Over 4 million Syrians have sought refuge in neighboring countries to flee airstrikes and fighting in the country.
  • June 8 - 15
    A hippopotamus walks along a&nbsp;flooded street in Tbilisi, Georgia, on June 14. Tigers, lions, jaguars, bears and wolves <a
    Beso Gulashvili/Getty Images
    A hippopotamus walks along a flooded street in Tbilisi, Georgia, on June 14. Tigers, lions, jaguars, bears and wolves escaped from a zoo after heavy flooding destroyed their compounds that day. At least 10 people, including three zoo workers, were killed.
  • June 15 - 22
    Parishioners attend a service after a gunman <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/charleston-shooting-churc_n_7608738">kil
    Getty Images
    Parishioners attend a service after a gunman killed nine people at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17. Investigators found that the shooter, Dylann Roof, posted photos of himself wearing symbols of white supremacy, including a Confederate flag, on social media.
  • June 22 - 29
    In Turkey, shepherds guide small cattle through Mount Nemrut toward Kiyiduzu village for milking on June 25.
    Oktay Bayar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
    In Turkey, shepherds guide small cattle through Mount Nemrut toward Kiyiduzu village for milking on June 25.
  • June 29 - July 6
    A man&nbsp;jumps from a diving platform in Cologne,&nbsp;Germany, on July 2.
    Maja Hitij/Getty Images
    A man jumps from a diving platform in Cologne, Germany, on July 2.
  • July 6 - 13
    A&nbsp;bull charges at a participant during a bull run at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain, on July 7.
    Ander Gillenea/Getty Images
    A bull charges at a participant during a bull run at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain, on July 7.
  • July 13 - 20
    A hot air balloon flies over the outskirts of Minsk, Belarus, during the second International Aeronautics Championship on Jul
    Sergei Gapon/Getty Images
    A hot air balloon flies over the outskirts of Minsk, Belarus, during the second International Aeronautics Championship on July 18.
  • July 20 - 27
    Chinese honor guards prepare for the arrival of <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-07/21/c_134433597.htm">New Ze
    WANG ZHAO, Getty Images
    Chinese honor guards prepare for the arrival of New Zealand Governor-General Jerry Mateparae at a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 21.
Senior Photo Editor, HuffPost
Editorial Fellow, The Huffington Post
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Year In Photos 2015 Photos Photography Exposure 2015