Over 1.9 million images were added to the National Geographic photo archive in 2021. This issue contains the ones that defined the year. 

From the U.S. Capitol riots to the continuing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, National Geographic's year in pictures issue pulls back the veil between the world's most challenging situations – and the rest of it. Featuring contributions from our photographers around the world, this is an unmissable document recording another remarkable year in world history.  

National Geographic's 2021 Year in Pictures contains the images from 35 photographers on the themes of:

COVID | CLIMATE | CONFLICT | CONSERVATION 

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