These are still familiar and famous destinations around the world, but when viewed from an aerial perspective, they all possess a strange beauty with astonishing symmetry.
Inspired by the perspective of astronauts looking down at Earth from space, photographer Benjamin Grant has just completed a new book compiling his aerial photographs of the world. In collaboration with DigitalGlobal, Grant selected some of the most stunning satellite images.
The series of images allows viewers to experience the enchanting tranquility of Angkor Wat in Cambodia from above, the intricate yet vibrant designs of New Delhi, or the astonishing scale of Kenya's Dadaab – the world's largest refugee camp.
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| Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious monument in Cambodia, was built in the 12th century. Viewed from above, the structure exhibits astonishing symmetry, with a moat and forest surrounding the large temple in the center. |
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| The drainage system with its spiky tail-like structure in Lagoon Shadegan Musa, Iran, looks like a tree root branching out from above. |
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| Marabe Al Dhafra's villas in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, are home to around 2,000 people. The area is located in one of the hottest regions in the world, with record high temperatures reaching 49.2 degrees Celsius. |
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| The image shows waste from a mining operation. This waste is discharged into the Gribbens Basin, next to the Empire, part of an iron ore mine in Michigan. |
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| Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is recognized as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The sand here is divided into sections by lifeguard towers, also known as “postos”. |
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| Burning Man is an annual week-long event held in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA. It attracts over 65,000 participants each year. One of the festival's key rules is "Leave no trace." This means participants must keep the desert in its original state, leaving no trace behind after the event. |
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| Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport spans 70 square kilometers in Texas, USA. It is the 10th busiest airport in the world, attracting over 64 million passengers annually. |
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| La Plata, the capital city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, amazes viewers with its perfect and symmetrical urban planning when seen from above. At the 1889 Paris World's Fair, the city won two gold medals in the "Future City" category. |
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| Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker were two British architects who designed New Delhi. |
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| To cope with the influx of Somalis displaced to Dadaab – a refugee camp in northern Kenya – the United Nations has begun relocating people to a new area called the expansion. Dadaab is currently the world's largest refugee camp, with an estimated total population of 400,000. |
According to Dantri
