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Of course, it is nothing more than the expiry date of a calendar. But the last day of the year will make everybody nostalgic and say it has been an "eventful year."

There was no dearth of earth-shaking events in 2011. The Arab Spring, the London riots, the killer earthquake and tsunami in Japan and many other happenings around the world will ensure a significant place for the year in the pages of history.

It's pointless to give treatises on all these happenings at a time when the whole world is getting ready to welcome the New Year. And the only apt thing to do at the eleventh hour is nothing but to recall the events through the dramatic images of the year.

Check out some of them here: