202602 배경화면 컬렉션

Polar bears are closely tied to their frozen Arctic realms, roaming vast icy landscapes and sometimes covering hundreds of kilometres in search of food. The world's largest land carnivores are perfectly adapted to life on sea ice, with large paws that can span more than 30 centimetres and help them swim for kilometres.

Every day at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, United States, tells a story. At the heart of it all flows the Colorado River, winding for hundreds of kilometres through layered stone, quietly shaping the canyon one season at a time. Visitors can slow down and explore through ranger-led programs and talks that highlight the canyon's geology, wildlife and cultural history. A walk along the South Rim offers sweeping views where California condors circle overhead, while elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep roam the park's diverse habitats. Stargazing and scenic overlooks add to the experience, especially during winter's clearer nights.

Hidden just outside Juneau in Alaska, United States, the Mendenhall Glacier feels almost unreal, inside and out. Step into one of its rare blue ice caves, and the world turns quiet and luminous, with light filtering through centuries-old compacted ice. The glacier stretches about 21 kilometres from the Juneau Icefield, slowly flowing toward the valley below and reshaping itself year by year.

Floating lilies, glass-clear pools and a hidden world below: welcome to the Grand Cenote in Tulum, Mexico. This natural sinkhole formed thousands of years ago when collapsing rock let aquifer waters in. Over time, the chamber filled with clear freshwater that now connects a vast underground system of caves. At first, our eyes rest on the still surface. The water lilies we see in the image float without hurry, their broad leaves catching sunlight while supporting rich ecosystems underneath. These botanical wonders belong to one of the oldest flowering lineages on Earth, dating back more than 125 million years—older than most dinosaurs. Each bloom has evolved clever tricks to attract pollinators—beetles, bees, flies and even the wind—using scent, shape and timing to ensure survival in still water.

The great egret is a striking large heron, easily recognisable by its pure white plumage, long neck and sharp yellow bill. Known for its cosmopolitan distribution, it occupies habitats around the world and adapts well to many aquatic environments. Adults measure about 94–104 centimetres in body length, with a wingspan of 1.3 to 1.5 metres and weigh about a kilogram, giving them a tall, elegant silhouette—roughly chest‑high when compared to a 2‑metre-tall person. As carnivores, they feed primarily on fish but also take amphibians, insects, small mammals and occasionally reptiles. Their patient hunting style, standing motionless before striking with sudden precision, is one of their most distinctive traits.

'Shivering Mountain' is a dramatic nickname, but Mam Tor has earned it over hundreds of years. Rising above Castleton in England's Peak District, it lies within the United Kingdom's first national park, which spans more than 1,400 square kilometres. This landmark takes its name from Old English, 'mam' meaning 'mother,' a nod to the smaller hills it appears to cradle. Yet this 'mother mountain' is famously unstable. Its layers of shale and sandstone have caused landslips for centuries, including a collapse that permanently closed the A625 road in 1979.

A red fox standing in the snowfall of Grand Teton National Park is more than a picturesque moment—it offers a glimpse into the resilience of one of North America's most adaptable predators. This small carnivore is instantly recognisable by its sharp gaze and thick, fiery coat that helps it thrive even in Wyoming's harsh winter conditions. Snow muffles sound, yet the animal's extraordinary hearing allows it to detect prey moving beneath the surface. You can almost imagine it pausing amid the drifting flakes, ears rotating, body perfectly still, waiting for the faintest rustle.

Yosemite National Park in California, United States, is renowned for its granite walls, dramatic waterfalls and striking light, all of which have inspired generations of artists. One of its most intriguing sights is the Firefall, a term that refers to two distinct events in the park's history. For decades, visitors gathered at Glacier Point to watch an artificial Firefall, in which embers were pushed off the cliff in a glowing stream of fire.

Dragon's Eye sounds like something pulled from legend, and standing on Norway's Uttakleiv Beach in the Lofoten Islands, it's easy to see why. The formation, carved into ancient rock and framed by sand and sea, looks uncannily alive, as though the land itself is watching you. Shaped over thousands of years by ice and water, it has become one of the region's most captivating sights.

This species missed the domestication memo and kept going on its own terms. Say hello to Przewalski's horse, considered the last truly wild horse on Earth. Once widespread across Central Asia, it disappeared from the wild in the 1960s after decades of hunting, habitat loss and competition with livestock. Its survival depended on an unlikely lifeline: a small number of individuals captured by early 20th‑century collectors, which became the foundation of all modern Przewalski's horses.

Ochagavía in Spain offers one of Navarre's most evocative winter scenes. This village of just over 480 residents, located in the Salazar Valley, 85 kilometres from Pamplona, stands out for its traditional architecture, with stone houses, steeply pitched roofs and a medieval bridge over the Anduña River that looks straight out of a postcard.

Banff in Alberta, Canada, didn't grow quietly. It arrived with railways, hot springs and a vision: to protect places of rare beauty. In 1883, railway workers stumbled upon warm mineral water bubbling from Sulphur Mountain—an unlikely surprise in the cold sweep of the Rockies. The discovery drew attention quickly. By 1885, the surrounding land has been set aside as a protected reserve. What did that lead to? The beginnings of Banff National Park, Canada's first, and a blueprint the country would return to again and again.

Humpback whales are easily recognisable by their long pectoral fins and are known for their complex songs associated with breeding behaviour. Their predictable migrations bring them close to shore, turning them into both a cultural marker of the season and a focal point for early conservation efforts.

At first glance, it looks like a love story that went a little too far. Pink hearts dangle from curved stems, each with a tiny white drop at the tip, as if the plant is mid-sigh. Meet the bleeding heart—proof that flowers can be dramatic without saying a word. Formally known as Dicentra spectabilis, it is a spring-flowering perennial native to eastern Asia. It can grow up to 60 centimetres tall and spread to nearly 75 centimetres wide, creating a graceful, almost poetic display.

Before bridges, rivers set the pace of travel. Now, with bridges, people do. That shift explains why cross-border links like the Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge connecting Laos and Thailand matter. Bridges come in many forms, each built to meet a specific challenge. Arch bridges manage compression, suspension bridges span long distances and concrete box-girder bridges prioritise stability and load efficiency. This bridge uses the box-girder design, making it a practical choice for crossing the wide, fast-moving Mekong River.

When romance calls, this bird lifts one bright blue foot, then the other, like it's auditioning for a talent show with very strict colour rules. Not metaphorically. Literally. Meet the blue-footed booby. Widely associated with the Galápagos Islands, these seabirds range across the eastern tropical Pacific.

Death Valley National Park challenges first impressions. Spanning more than 1.34 million hectares across California and Nevada in the United States, it is the largest national park in the contiguous United States. Across this vast expanse, salt flats, volcanic hills, sweeping sand dunes and distant snowcapped peaks create a landscape shaped by time and extremes. From the soaring heights of Telescope Peak, which rises over 3,300 metres above the desert floor, to the depths of Badwater Basin, 86 metres below sea level, the park is a study in contrasts.

Just southwest of Ibiza, Spain, lie the uninhabited islets of Es Vedrà and Es Vedranell. Part of a protected nature reserve, these dramatic rock formations are admired for their ecological value and visual impact. Es Vedrà rises around 400 metres straight from the sea, its sheer limestone cliffs resembling a mountain range. Nearby, the jagged outline of Es Vedranell has earned it the nickname 'sleeping dragon,' appearing to guard its larger sibling.

The leopard cat is a small wild cat found across South, Southeast and East Asia. Similar in size to a house cat but longer-legged and slenderer, it generally measures 38–66 centimetres long, with a tail about 17–31 centimetres. Depending on the region, adults weigh roughly 0.55–7 kilograms. Their appearance varies widely: southern individuals tend to have warm golden coats, while those farther north often have pale grey fur that thickens for winter.

The island of Corfu, Greece, meets you at night with a quiet kind of intensity: stone facades catching warm lamplight, fortress walls rising in sharp outline and narrow lanes unfolding like a lived-in labyrinth. The Old Town doesn't just look historic—it feels inhabited, shaped by centuries of shifting cultures and the slow rhythm of island life after dark.

Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia doesn't ease you in—it erupts into view like a horizon made of light. It's the world's largest salt flat, stretching across more than 10,400 square kilometres at nearly 3,658 metres above sea level. The landscape dramatically shifts with the seasons: when the rain arrives, the surface floods just enough to become an enormous mirror, so perfectly reflective that sky and ground melt into a single glowing plane.

At the Giau Pass, where cyclists gasp and clouds drift like they're sightseeing too, this sharp-backed peak rises with quiet confidence. It's the kind of mountain that says, 'Take your time,' and then steals your breath anyway. Ra Gusela sits above Giau Pass, one of the most scenic high passes in the Dolomites, just outside Cortina d'Ampezzo. At 2,595 metres, it isn't the tallest neighbour in the room, but it has presence.

Xwejni Bay in Gozo, Malta, has a way of making everyday elements look like a quiet choreography between sea, stone and sun. You can't help but pause and look closer, right? Centuries back, families began carving these limestone pans, shaping hundreds of basins that trap seawater with each wave. Once the water settles in, the sun's heat does the rest, slowly evaporating it into natural Mediterranean salt. Gozo became a salt-making hub because its limestone coast is easy to shape, and its warm, dry summers keep the crystallisation process steady. The first crystals form around May, marking the beginning of the harvesting season. Workers rake the salt by hand, sweep it with brooms and brushes, gather it into small piles to dry for another day, then bag it and store it in the caves.

Red kites are striking birds of prey known for their reddish‑brown bodies, pale heads and long, forked tails that help them steer with impressive precision. Mostly found in Europe, they thrive in countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Germany. The Chiltern Hills in England are one of the biggest conservation success stories: once nearly wiped out there, the birds rebounded after chicks from Spain were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

You know a place holds stories when geologists, filmmakers and local folklore all claim it for different reasons. Lake Tahoe, straddling the border between California and Nevada, United States, fits that bill perfectly. Formed during the Ice Age, the lake was shaped by faulting and glacial carving that created its deep basin. It is now one of the deepest freshwater lakes in the United States. For generations, the Washoe people lived around these clear waters, fishing and gathering seasonally. Centuries later, miners arrived, steamboats crossed the water and Tahoe shifted from a resource hub to a year-round retreat.

Alpine marmots are among the most charismatic inhabitants of the central European mountains. They stand out for their social life and their ability to adapt to the harshest winters. They live in colonies that cooperate with each other and use sharp whistles to warn of predators. Their bodies are robust, and they have thick coats of fur that protect them from extreme cold. During winter, they hibernate for several months thanks to a remarkable drop in body temperature. They dig extensive underground tunnels where they take shelter and raise their young. In today's image, we see alpine marmots in Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria, a landscape where this animal has become a symbol of high mountain life. Observing them in the wild allows us to admire their social behaviour and survival skills, connecting visitors with nature in its most authentic state.

Colour feels at home in Olinda. The house seen in today's image, painted in bold, joyful tones, reflects a city where history and creativity live side by side. Founded in the 16th century in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil, Olinda grew from a colonial stronghold into a cultural landmark shaped by Portuguese architecture, Afro-Brazilian traditions and centuries of artistic expression. Its hills are lined with pastel facades, baroque churches and narrow cobblestone streets that seem designed for wandering rather than rushing.

Some animals whisper their way through the wild. Zebras don't. They show up in high-contrast stripes, act like it's the most practical outfit ever invented—and somehow, it is. These African equines come in three species. Plains zebras—featured in today's image from Namibia's Etosha National Park—wear bold stripes, mountain ones sport pinstripes, and Grévy's go for the ultra-fine, designer look. No two patterns match, turning every individual into a walking fingerprint. Scientists believe those stripes help confuse predators, deter biting flies and even cool the body by creating tiny air currents.