South East Asia Gallery

Stone Buddha head entwined in the roots of a fig tree, Wat Mahatat, Ayutthaya Historical Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ayutthaya, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia cuvres used to bring out red in top of roots and blue at bottom of roots, increased contrast

© Tuul

Aging, Asia, Asian, Ayutthaya, Ayutthaya Historical Park, Buddha, Buddhism, Color, Color Image, Colour, Colour Image, Growth, Head, Horizontal, Horizontal Image, Human Likeness, No One, Overgrown, Photography, Religion, Root, South East Asia, South East Asian, Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian, Stone, Thai, Thailand, The Past, Tourist Destination, Tourist Destinations, Travel, Travel Destination, Travel Destinations, Tree, Unesco, Unesco World Heritage Site, Wat Mahatat, World Heritage Site

Australia, topographic map

Australia, topographic map. Highlands and lowlands of the continents are shown as ridges and flat areas. Southeast Asia (top left), New Zealand (lower right) and Antarctica (bottom right, white) are also seen, along with the South Pacific Ocean and its various islands (upper right). The seabed depth varies from shallow (light blue) on the continental shelves to deep ocean basins (dark blue). Topographic and bathymetric data is usually gathered by using aerial and satellite imagery combined with radar and sonar mapping. The satellites in this case were NOAA's POES satellites

© PLANETARY VISIONS LTD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Manta ray

Manta ray (Manta birostris). This is the world's largest ray. It can reach a total length of around eight metres and weigh up to 3, 000 kilograms. It is found in the western Atlantic regions and feeds mainly on plankton, but will also eat small fish. Photographed off the Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia

© MATTHEW OLDFIELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY